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