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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 2002)
V HE hattali Aggielife: Summer sports fix • Page 3 Opinion: Golf course unnecessary • Page 9 THE BATTALION Volume 108 • Issue 169 • 10 pages 108 Years Serving Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Thursday, July 18, 2002 Suicide attack in Tel Aviv kills 3, wounds 40 TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Two sui- Icide bombers blew themselves up sec onds apart in downtown Tel Aviv Wednesday night, killing three civil ians and wounding more than 40, police and witnesses said. The attack took place between a cafe and a theater in a rundown neighbor- Ihood where many foreign workers live, and Israel Radio said most of the casu alties were workers from abroad. The group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombings, according to the A1 ManarTV station in Lebanon. Israel blamed the Palestinian Authority, led by Yasser Arafat. The suicide bombers were standing only 15 to 20 yards from each other when they set off the explosions in an area crowded with small shops and stalls, police said. They said three civilians and the two bombers died and more than 40 people were wounded. Police earlier said the death toll was higher. Dutzu Raduyan, a worker from Romania, said he heard an explosion, and the lights in his nearby apartment went out. “Moments later we heard the second explosion. I went down” to the street, he said. “It was horrible, dead people were everywhere and the injured were screaming. I’ve never seen such a thing in my life.” Shaken, he said he would take his family back to Romania. About 300,000 foreigners work in Israel, replacing to a large extent the Palestinian laborers who have been barred from entering since the out break of fighting With Israel’s economy in a slump, employers welcome the cheap migrant workers, most of whom are in the coun try illegally and are willing to work long hours for less than minimum wage. Earlier Wednesday evening, an Israeli warplane bombed a metal workshop in the Gaza Strip, while in the West Bank, Israeli forces swept through Palestinian areas, arresting a senior Hamas militant and killing three Palestinians. In the Amari refugee camp next to Ramallah in the West Bank, two Palestinian boys, ages 6 and 14, were killed in an explosion. Palestinian secu rity officials said they picked up an explosive and it went off. Near Qalqiliya, Israeli soldiers spotted two Palestinians trying to infiltrate into Israel. They shot and killed one of the Palestinians and started searching for the other, Israeli military sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Welch well known for motivational attitiude 1 THE BATTAUON sday. Berffe r trace BRIAN RUFF • THE BATTALION Dr. Ben Welch, director of the Center for Executive Development in the Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business and senior lecturer in the man agement department, is known for his enthusiastic attitude and lively classrooom. By Christina Hoffman THE BATTALION Many students across the Texas A&M cam pus either know or have heard about Dr. Ben Welch for his enthusiastic, caring attitude and his lively classroom atmosphere. Welch is the director of the Center for Executive Development in the Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business and a senior lecturer in the Department of Management. Welch said his students and family motivate him through his busy daily schedule, and most people always will see him with a smile on his face. “My greatest passion is in teaching,” Welch said. “My greatest intrinsic satisfaction is know ing that I’ve touched a student’s life. That’s my goal every time I stand in front of a classroom.” Welch is definitely known for his focus on student achievement. He received his doctorate from A&M in 1990, in which his interest and studies focused on effective teaching methods, student motivation and achievement. Before coming to A&M, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton in 1981 and his master’s from Houston Baptist University in 1986. Welch said his favorite class to teach is MGMT 105, an introduction to business. Through this class, Welch has the opportunity to introduce new students to A&M and reach his goal of touching the lives of A&M students. When the class began it was offered to See Welch on page 2 Regents approve Langford expansion By Kelln Zimmer THE BATTALION The Langford Architecture Center will receive a $5 million expansion from a plan approved by the Texas A&M Board of Regents. The expansion proposal, approved in March, identified that the current facilities hous ing the College of Architecture are inadequate and aging. The facilities date back to 1963 and 1977 and have experienced overcrowding with the college’s current size. Over 2,000 students are enrolled in the college, which includes the departments of architecture, construction sci ence, landscape architecture and urban planning. This expansion is designed to address specific needs the col lege is experiencing to better serve students. “Much of the college’s cur rent buildings are generic and easy to adapt to fulfill the needs of the students,” said Mark Clayton, associate dean of the College of Architecture. “But, the new addition will be a high- quality space designed for spe cific uses and purposes, like the customized digital classrooms.” One of the most pressing needs addressed by the expan sion is the construction of a 4,700 square foot lecture theater that will accommodate more than 300 students. “This facility will enable us to offer considerably more seats in core classes that are a require ment for the visual and perform ing arts requirements of students’ degree plans,” Clayton said. The plan will also include a distance education digital class room to enhance off-campus and international programs and research initiatives, six new seminar/meeting rooms for con ferences, committee meetings and seminars and appropriate supplementary spaces including rest rooms, mechanical rooms, telecommunications closets and custodial spaces. See Langford on page 2 2 said after ll U.S. official sa the Centr agency was de'(| arrangements ill 'olve train! | i cur bing violenl iay be involve Jministrative jot' :ial, speaking nonymity. Former student crowned Miss Texas 2002 Groups criticize TTI as unreliable > help free t- of ’06! risit tail By Molly McCullough THE BATTALION Lisa Dalzell, a December 2001 graduate from Texas A&M, has been crowned Miss Texas 2002. The Miss Texas Pageant qualifies Dalzell to compete in the Miss America Pageant in 2003. If she is not crowned Miss America, Dalzell will begin her statewide speaking tour, which will fill her time with over 400 engagements speaking to young Texans on the importance of giving back to others. Dalzell has organized a program. Hands On Texas, aimed at helping Texas young sters find ways to involve themselves in their communities. Many of Dalzell’s speaking appearances will promote her program. She said she has already had the experience of speaking to 500 elementary students on the the topic. “Miss Texas’ day usually consists of wak ing up at around 4 or 5 a.m., only to drive three to four hours away, give two to three school programs, and then turn around and drive home,” Dalzell said. “It is stressful that being Miss Texas is a full-time job.” Dalzell was previously crowned Miss Humble in 1998, Miss Walker County in 1999, Miss River Oaks in 2000, Miss Kingwood in 2001 and Miss Lake O’ The Pines in 2002. Besides the title, all Miss Texas winners receive scholarships to further their education. Dalzell plans to use her scholarship money to pay for law school, which she wants to attend in the fall. Another benefit of com peting in pageants is meeting new people, Dalzell said. “Some of my very best friends I have met through competing in pageants,” she said. “When you are thrown into that situation with girls for an entire week, you can’t help but become close.” One of Dalzell’s closest friends, Lindsay Kellum, Miss White Settlement 2002, said she supported Dalzell though she did not make it into the top five finalists. DALZELL “I felt like I was living through Lisa when I watched her win the title,” Kellum said. “I was so happy for her.” Dalzell said she would like to change certain things about the Miss America organization, including not overlooking the community service platform of the contestants. “The contestants’ platforms are a very important part of a title holder’s year of service,” Dalzell said. “Our commitment to the community is something that the media really should emphasize, instead of focusing on the superficial stereotypes that are often connoted with the word ‘pageant.’” Despite glittering lights, crowns and scholarship money, Dalzell has not forgot ten A&M. “The Association of Former Students and the 12th Man Foundation were incredibly supportive in my endeavor,” Dalzell said. The last Aggie to win the title of Miss Texas in the Miss America organization was Sherri Ryman, Miss Texas 1981. Kandace Krueger, also an Aggie, won the Miss Texas USA and Miss USA Pageants last year. By Mariano Castillo THE BATTALION The annual Urban Mobility Report by The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M is considered the authoritative source on traffic congestion in U.S. cities, but was criticized this year by sever al organizations. The three major findings in the report show a trend of increasing traffic congestion since the first report in 1982. Specifically, the time penalty for making rush hour trips is greater, the period of time when travelers might encounter traffic congestion is longer and the number of streets and freeways that are congested is higher. TTI assumes when traffic increases on a certain road but capacity does not, this equals increased congestion. Critics say this is not as accu rate as possible because the implementation of technology such as electronic monitoring and ramp controls in many cities make it possible to increase capacity on roads without adding congestion. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), one of the report’s sponsors, pulled its support from the study, saying that “limitations in the TTI methodology and in the data available nationally have prevented TTI from reporting on the effectiveness of many of the congestion relief measures being undertaken around the country.” According to a statement from WSDOT, the TTI method ology for estimating traffic con gestion in areas is flawed because it estimates traffic speeds, by feeding daily traffic volumes into a math formula instead of using actual measured speeds or other “real” measures of congestion. Tim Lomax, TTI research See TTI on page 2 Short, cook-off classic highlight first yell weekend festivities By Melissa Sullivan THE BATTALION Actor and comedian Martin Short will headline the 2002 First Yell scheduled for Sept. 20 at Reed Arena, the night before the second home football game. “Every year we attempt to find a big name comedian because comedy is so different compared to music groups,” Sa id Rusty Thompson, assistant direc- tor of the Memorial Student Center (MSC). “We want someone who appeals to the current generation of Aggies as well as former students, but w ho is also clean and not rated R or X.’ Thompson said Short met all the cri teria and was available, making him the best choice. Short is widely known for his come dy on “Saturday Night Live,” as well as starring in several movies including Three Amigos, with Steve Martin and Chevy Chase and in Captain Ron with Kurt Russell. Opening for Short will be Mark Curry, who has performed stand-up comedy all over the country and is best known for his starring role in the televi sion sitcom “Hanging with Mr. Cooper.” Three student groups will also per form prior to Curry and Short. They include the A&M Singing Cadets, Kappa Alpha Psi and Percussion Studio. Kicking things off Friday afternoon will be a weekend warm-up lunch with free food, games and a live band, Thompson said. The weekend will also include the Cook-off Classic BBQ on Saturday, which will feature former and current stu dents who will cook brisket and sausage all night in preparation for the event. “There is going to be lots of barbe cue out there, and it will be all you can eat before we go and beat the hell outta See First Yell on page 2 First Yell 2002 •Friday, September 20 -Weekend warm-up lunch, Rudder Plaza M a.m.- 1:30p.m. -Martin Short, Reed Arena 8p.m. -Midnight Yell •Saturday, September 21 -"Cook-off Classic BBQ," Rudder Plaza 11a.m.-1p.m. -Texas A&M vs. Virginia Tech, Kyle Field 2:30p.m. FXTO'i">V KALRyU ITT I! • THE BATTALION
