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Aggielife: Summer job difficulties • Page 3
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Opinion: Celebrities are not experts • Page 9
Volume 108 • Issue 153 • 10 pages
108 Years Serving Texas A&M University
www.thebatt.com
Thursday, June 20, 2002
UPD identifies cadets in hazing photographs
By Christina Hoffman
THE BATTALION
The University Police Department
(UPD) has identified the Corps of
Cadets members from the hazing pho
tographs and confirmed they are mem
bers of A-Battery, said Bob Wiatt,
director of UPD.
UPD began an investigation
Monday into an apparent hazing inci
dent after photos of Corps members
involved in the incident were found on
the Aggieland computer server June 1 1.
The photos showed the men strip
ping another man of his clothes, blind
folding him and duct taping his hands,
arms and legs together.
“[The photos] appear to be hazing,”
Wiatt said. “Even if there are willing
participants involved, it is hazing.”
Tamara Adams, 2002 Aggieland
Editor and a senior economics major
and Allison Nagle, the Aggieland photo
editor and senior journalism major, said
they .found the photographs on the serv
er last week.
“I was shocked (to find the photos)
because I knew it wasn’t an assignment
we sent anyone on,” Nagle said.
Adams identified the photographer
as Anthony Yasser, a senior engineering
technology major.
Wiatt said many participants have
been called, including anyone who
knew of the incident but may not have
been directly involved. Police have not
spoken with the photographer, he said.
“Any student or participant involved
will be investigated,” Wiatt said.
“Someone can be charged in the hazing
incident for not reporting it (to police).”
When UPD completes the investiga
tion it will turn the results over to the
Brazos Country District Attorney’s
office, which will determine whether
charges will be filed, Wiatt said.
Peter Keim, assistant district attor
ney at the Brazos Country District
Attorney’s office said the DA’s office
will review UPD’s results and deter
mine if it is a prosecutable case.
He said a prosecutable case depends
on the elements of the defense defined
by the Texas Education Code, Section
37.152. He also said the code defines
hazing in a very broad manner and so it
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By Lauren Bauml
THE BATTALION
Dr. Barbara Gastel, associate
professor of journalism and
humanities in medicine, has not
only made a substantial mark on
the field of medicine but on the
field of journalism as well.
Gastel was recently honored
with the Distinguished Service
Award from the Council of
Science Editors.
Throughout her tenure at
A&M, which has exceeded 13
years, Gastel has held an editorial
position, published numerous arti
cles, taught classes in both the
Journalism and the Humanities in
Medicine departments, and also
served as interim head for the
Department of Journalism.
“I am pleased to receive
recognition from my col
leagues,” Gastel said.
Gastel obtained her bachelors
degree from Yale University and her
masters and doctorate from Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine.
She began her career as a
special assistant to the office of
the director at the National
Institute of Aging and Health,
and has since worked in places
such as Massachusetts, Beijing,
and California.
“The position here at A&M
brought me to College Station
and has held me here since,”
Gastel said.
See Gastel on page 2
RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION
Barbara Gastel, associate professor of journalism and humanities
in medicine, was awarded the Distinguished Service Award.
Suicide bomber kills 6
Israel forces reoccupy Palestinian areas
JERUSALEM (AP) — A
suicide bomber sprang from a
car, slipped past a pair of
policemen and blew himself
up at a busy intersection in
Jerusalem Wednesday, killing
at least six other people in the
second deadly attack in the
city in two days.
Responding, Israeli forces
early Thursday entered a sub
urb of the West Bank town of
Ramallah. The Israeli military
had no immediate comment.
Palestinian witnesses said
tanks circled a house in
Beitunia, where soldiers
apparently planned to make
arrests.
Shortly after the suicide
attack, Israeli helicopters fired
rockets at metal workshops in
the Gaza Strip used to manu
facture weapons. Thirteen
Palestinians were hurt, two
seriously, Palestinian doctors
said.
A group tied to Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah
faction, the A1 Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades, claimed responsibili
ty for the suicide bombing,
according to A1 Manner televi
sion station run out of Lebanon
by the militant Islamic group
Hezbollah.
Israel said early Wednesday
that it would seize and hold
parts of Palestinian territory in
retaliation for terror attacks,
and troops moved into three
West Bank towns.
In Washington, President
Bush decided to hold off
revealing his plan for a
future Palestinian state.
Administration officials said
an announcement at this sen
sitive time would be unlike
ly to have a positive effect.
Aides said the announce
ment may be delayed until
next week.
A trip to the Middle East
next week by Secretary of
State Colin Powell also was
put on hold, though it remained
under consideration. Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
adamantly opposes any form
of Palestinian statehood at this
time, and blames Arafat for
failing to stop the attacks.
In one of his strongest con
demnations ever. Pope John
Paul II decried Tuesday’s
attack, saying “those who plot
and plan such barbarous
attacks will have to answer
before God.”
More than 50 prominent
Palestinians signed a full-page
newspaper ad in al Qaida news
urging groups behind deadly
assaults on Israeli civilians to
“stop sending our young peo
ple to carry out such attacks.”
On Wednesday, the bomber
emerged from a red Audi and
dashed toward a concrete bus
stop shelter, which is also used
as a hitchhiking post. The
intersection has been targeted
by assailants in the past and
was heavily guarded.
But the attacker made it past
a pair of border policemen.
“The police chased him to
try to stop him, and when he
got to the (bus stop), he blew
up a large device,” said
Jerusalem Police Chief
Mickey Levy.
One policeman chasing
the bomber was badly hurt.
Levy said. More than 35 peo-
Day of violence
Responding to Tuesday’s suicide
attack, Israeli troops moved into
West Bank towns. A second suicide
attack Wednesday was quickly
followed by further Israeli retaliation.
Ramallah
West Bank
Second suicide
bombing in two days
killed at least six
ST
Tuesday's suicide
blast killed 19
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SOURCES: Associated Press, ESRI AP
pie were wounded, many of
them seriously.
Body parts and shattered
glass littered the street, and
religious volunteers propped a
ladder against a stone wall and
picked through the shrubbery
for bits of human remains.
Demand for luxury living increases
COST OF LUXURY LIVING
By Ruth Ihde
THE BATTALION
its!
06
In recent months there has
been an upsurge in demand for
luxury-style living in the College
Station area. As new apartments
ar e being built around College
Station, the rates and services
being offered by the complexes
are increasing.
Apartments such as The
Exchange at Luther Street and
Crossing Place are two of the
major complexes new to the
College Station area, while apart
ments such as Melrose, The Zone
and Sterling have been around for
at least three years.
The cost of living in these
complexes range from $300 to
$700 per month depending on
the number of bedrooms and
bathrooms desired and how long
the lease extends. Although it
seems expensive for a college
student, these apartments offer
amenities such as standard cable
packages, a phone line, high
speed internet connections, out
door entertainment and most
utilities included in the rent.
The college-type atmosphere
is another added benefit to these
complexes. Most of the residents
living in them are college stu
dents and are offered a chance to
get to know each other. Most of
the newer apartments also offer
the convenience of individual
leases, which proves to be bene
ficial to those not wanting to
depend on their roommates to
pay their rent on time.
“I like the convenience of pay
ing separate leases and having
See Luxury on page 8
RENT:
INCLUDES:
TRADfTIONS
2 bed / 1 botb
$851/MO.
cabte
DORM
1 bed / 1 bam
$689/MO.
internet
electricity |
phone
water
CROSSING
PLACE
4 bed / 4 bom
$350/MO.
$30/MO.
etectrlcfty
cabte
internet
phone
water
twBimmmmmBiwmwmtsmmmmtassii
EXCHANGE
4 bed / 4 baftr
MMHMaMmnfiHiflnHH
$420/MO.
cabte
AT LUTHER
STREET
1 bed / 1 bath
$675/ MO.
internet
electricity
phone
TRAVIS SWENSON • THE BATTALION
Microsoft agreement gives students reduced software prices
By Don White
THE BATTALION
A Microsoft software
agreement, which students had
the opportunity to vote on in
—~ Lum vuic uii in
late March during student elec-
Unfversfty Agreement With Microsoft
tions, could be available this
fall and considerably reduce
the price students pay for
Microsoft software.
Campus Agreement 3.0 is a
common plan among higher edu
cation institutions across the coun-
- sat
Provides students with:
• Software for under $20
• Windows XP □
• Microsoft Office S3
• Compatability with Macintosh
TRAVIS SWENSON • THE BATTALION
try. The plan aims to distribute
commonly used Microsoft prod
ucts to students at reduced prices.
Negotiations to bring the
plan to A&M are currently
underway.
“The agreement is being
negotiated with the intent for
this fall,” said Tom Putnam,
director of Computing and
Information Services (CIS).
Software included in the
package would consist of titles
such as the operating system
Microsoft XP, the Microsoft
Office family of home publish
ing software and the internet
programming . suite Visual
Studio NET.
The official price will be
announced once negotiations are
complete, but prices set by these
plans are typically less than $20,
said Microsoft Education
Account Manager Lisa Faia.
At such low prices, piracy
becomes a greater concern.
Students pressed for cash could
use the low costs as an opportuni
ty to buy software for a low price
and sell it at store prices for a
high return. However, the agree
ment will only allow one copy of
each program per student ID.
Dr. Pete Marchbanks, asso
ciate director for CIS, said
recent Microsoft products such
as Windows XP have built-in
piracy protection that limits the
programs installation to one
machine.
“Once it’s loaded, it remem
bers the machine’s configuration,”
he said. “If you change the con
figuration, you will probably have
to call a number to get it to work ”
Marchbanks said all sales of
the reduced price software bun
dle will be handled by the
University, similar to the way
CIS distributes the “TAMUNet”
internet software bundle. It will
not be available for purchase at
bookstores.
Apple Macintosh users will
be able to use appropriate ver
sions of the same Microsoft
programs, Marchbanks said.
Linux, a popular open-source
operating system, will not be
actively supported.
Eric Webb, a senior manage
ment information systems
major, said he thinks this deal
will be beneficial for all students
but especially those with a com
puter-related major.
“I’ve spent a lot of money on
software in the four years I’ve
been here,” Webb said. “It’ll be
nice for new students to be able to
use the latest, best software to do
their work and not have to take
out even more loans to do it.”
Webb said he feels it is an
important advantage for stu
dents to be able to work at home
with the same software used in
their workplace.
“I know a lot of people will
wonder why it’s such a big deal
to get all this software for home
when they can use it for free on
campus,” Webb said. “But I
think using (the software) at
home (and not just on campus)
can help you down the road so
you’re more familiar with it.”
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