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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2002)
battaii °f state’s ct! lie held a n 8 with Cro Saudi iace proposal v erslmdo\se(l > the West B, I Arab respo; uled toseeB; 'onth at the® h. meeting thelj 'ell said he <J “Heisexpe oart of the Iso rt bringinj conclusion. atfEDNESDAYAPRIL 10, 2002 VOLUME 108 • ISSUE 127 THE BATTALION TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY Finishing up lunior theatre major Keith Neagle adds finishing mOh) touches on a set design piece for Neil Simon's JOHN LIVAS • THE BATTALION Brighton Beach Memoirs. The production will run April 18, 19 and 25 through the 28th. Andersen senior auditor to plead guilty WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Arthur Andersen auditor was charged Tuesday with a single criminal obstruction charge, and has agreed to plead guilty to thwarting the govern ment’s investigation into the collapse of Enron Corp., people familiar with the matter said Tuesday. The precise charge against David B. Duncan, who was fired in January shortly after Andersen acknowl edged massive shredding of Enron documents, was outlined in court papers filed Tuesday in federal court in Houston. It said Duncan did “knowingly, intentionally and cor ruptly persuade and attempt to per suade other persons ... to withhold records, documents and other objects from an official proceeding, namely an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.” Duncan was expected to appear later Tuesday in federal court in Houston. Obstruction charges can carry fines and up to 10 years in prison, but it was unclear whether the Justice Department would recommend any particular punishment as part of Duncan’s expected guilty plea. The charge against Duncan said the shredding took place between Oct. 23 and Nov. 9. The SEC notified Andersen on Nov. 8 that it would issue a subpoena for documents related to Andersen’s work on Enrdn. Duncan also has agreed to coop erate with prosecutors pursuing obstruction charges against Andersen and in the broader investi gation of the collapse of Enron, peo ple familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Duncan’s attorney, Robert Giuffra, said late Monday that he had no comment on his client’s decision to plead guilty, which was initially reported by The Washington Post and The New York Times. “As we have said from the outset, Mr. Duncan is continuing to cooper ate with the government’s investiga tion of this matter,” Giuffra told The Associated Press. A grand jury indicted Andersen on March 7 on a single count of obstructing justice, accusing the firm of destroying “tons of paper” at offices worldwide and deleting enor mous numbers of computer files on its audits of Enron. At times, the government said, the shredding was so fast-paced that employees worked overtime and shredding machines could not keep pace. The indictment was unsealed March 14, and Andersen has pleaded innocent. Court documents also have dis closed that a second grand jury was See Andersen on page 2A epted. rtonday-Friday p.m. Saturday mm ■ • olivian president honored Coupon) . C0928 duction en '90 rtoring MA6) By Melissa Sullivan THE BATTALION The first Aggie head of state, Jorge ] ^iroga Ramirez, Class of 1981, returned D Aggieland for the first time since becom- n g president of Bolivia last year. Quiroga visited campus Tuesday to eceive the Texas A&M Outstanding iternational Alumnus Award and sign 'gricultural agreements with the diversity. 11 Quiroga said the George Bush School of U I government and Public Service is the most ‘otable addition to the University since his Taduation. “The (Bush) School has a lot to it, and I think Bush Sr. was the best president and I’m glad he picked this University for his library. We have room for another, two is enough, we are not greedy,” Quiroga said, referring to the University’s efforts to get President George W. Bush’s Presidential library. Quiroga said South America has made headway despite the poor economy in the last two years. He said his country’s rela tions with Texas A&M have helped. “Bolivia has a good judiciary system, a solid democracy, an abundance of natural gas resources, making it the largest in Latin America,” he said. “We have good prospects. As long as we keep Aggies involved, we will do well." Through the years, Quiroga has main tained ties with Texas A&M through the Bolivian A&M club. He also spoke at the University’s commencement in 1998. Quiroga formally began his presidency last August when President Hugo Banzer resigned because of poor health. However, his presidency will end this year because the Bolivian Constitution prohibits a president from serving two consecutive terms. He will be able to run for office again in 2007. Quiroga said he will be able to spend more time with his family when his term ends. “My wife likes that,” he said. “Also, my See Bolivia on page 2A JOHN LIVAS • THE BATTALION Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga Ramirez (center), Class of 1981, talks with others while walking across campus Tuesday afternoon. arter defeats Wareing ire n ,23.00 & ir Croft J a ,» Gurk.^rf By Rolando Garcia THE BATTALION Bolstered by a larger-than-expected turnout in ^•liamson County, John Carter scored an upset F 1 District 31 Republican primary runoff I'uesday, soundly defeating Peter Wareing. With all precincts reporting. Carter received I >137 votes (57 percent) and Wareing got 9,961 rotes (43 percent). Carter, a former state district Fdge in Williamson County, rallied supporters P the Austin suburbs to win four to one in his |n°me county. ■, The people looked at this race and decided I e Y wanted someone who’s lived and worked T 0 re P resent them,” Carter said. Ith ^ are ' n §’ a Houston businessman who moved to L e district to run for Congress, spent more than a L HhUion, according to campaign finance reports I I e d in March, while Carter spent $200,000. “[Carter’s] turnout in Williamson was incred ible, it was just too big a hill to overcome,” Wareing said. Wareing also attributed his loss to Carter’s advertisements attacking him for being a carpet bagger and closet liberal, citing Wareing’s long history of contributing to Democrats. Wareing said he would support Carter in the general elec tion against Democrat David Bagley. Most of the Republican Party establishment in Brazos County, including GOP chairman David Kent and state Rep. Fred Brown, supported Wareing, but unlike the March 12 primary, voter turnout in Williamson surpassed turnout in Brazos. Brown said he was concerned that Brazos County might be at a disadvantage if rep resented by a congressman whose political base lies elsewhere in the district. “We don’t have a local representative,” Brown said. See Carter on page 2A Director to be named for Aggie Band By Marianne Hudson THE BATTALION The Aggie Band will have a new director by June, University officials said. The search advisory committee, chaired by Bill Kibler, associate vice president for the Department of Student Affairs, is reviewing the applications of 10 people who applied for the position and will select three or four this week to interview. Col. Ray Toler, the only permanent director of the Aggie Band in its 107-year history, announced his retirement last fall. Kibler said applicants were asked to submit CDs, videos or programs from events they had conducted. They also were required to have a master’s degree in music. The committee will select the applicants based on their musical and military back ground. Kibler said most of the applicants have experience with See Band on page 2A ixatc. , e Station )-55 55 d : k Praine K Center College Alcohol Abuse Study may change views on drinking 1,400 deaths iing L / A v 500,000 injurii 70,000 sexual Sour ce: fash Force on CHAD MALLAM • THE BATTALION WASHINGTON (AP) — A study showing 1,400 college students are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents should change the views of people who see drinking on campus as little more than a rite of passage, researchers and university offi cials said Tuesday. The federally appointed task force that issued the report plans to distribute the study to college presidents, along with findings about which anti-drinking strategies work and which do not. General campaigns warning of the dangers of alcohol have not been effective, researchers said. They said it is better to teach students to resist peer pressure, show them how alco hol may interfere with aca demic goals and strictly enforce minimum age laws. See Drinking on page 2A Opinion Pg. 7B Only the young survive? ‘Survivor’ for children unhealthy and unnatural Vi’EAIlOa TODAY #*• ^ • s ■* HIGH 80° F LOW 58® F THURSDAY HIGH 80° F LOW 58® F FORECASTS COURTESY OF www.collegeweather.com