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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2002)
M ™E BATTa| dow ?ran Sports: The great Reggie debate • Page 3 Opinion: War with Iraq would prove difficult • Page 7 RATTAT TO JLfjlIl. JL A lm 1^1 )m ear. us 'ng vouct 108 • Issue 180 • 8 pages 108 Years Serving Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Wednesday, August 7, 2002 looked atitt daureen Dinnea: ation Associate' is absolutely wiJ schools. Now «• tin.” is are under e. ows students ai[ irade two years ttend private so eluding ■- hools. As of Monday, ticials said the m 659 children hai -d the state} tended to usevoow r the coming c ar. which bejr id- to late-Auk any districts. Jeffrey Dab. venth-gradedai “cilia, has on a voucher : could not affc ay is going to / she doesn't# i't know what preme Court ig that stater :hools if parer: hool they war: i says more exp. y church or re e to enact mo ederal govemi peclaration of Independence conies to A&M By Melissa Sullivan THE BATTALION I A copy of the Declaration of Independence will be displayed at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum beginning Aug. 14. I This is one of only 25 remaining “Dunlap broadsides” of the original document left, made immediately after the original document was writ ten and signed. I The document is part of the “Freedom’s Journey” exhibit which looks at historical events that led up to America’s independence, said Brian Blake, public relations coordinator for the Bush Library. “The Declaration of Independence is the heart and soul of the exhibit,” Blake said. “This is a good exhibit we think will get people through the door.” In addition to the Declaration of Independence, other items on display include an original invitation to the Boston Tea Party, a 1749 entry from Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, the sash worn by John Hancock in the Revolutionary War, a 1776 edition of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, a broadside copy of the 1836 Declaration of Independence by the Republic of Texas, and stars cut from the flag of George Washington. Also part of the exhibit is a voting machine from Florida that was used in the 2000 presidential election and a glass prism full of chads, which Blake said he had no idea how it fits in with the exhibit. “It was a pretty serious issue at the time, but now people find it amusing,” he said. The document is coming to A&M from the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum in Alabama and is part of the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, a non-profit project that will take the Declaration of Independence on a three- and-a-half-year tour across the country. The exhibit began on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C and has already been on display at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. “Archivists are pretty excited about it because they like exhibits that feature historical things,” Blake said. “Plus the museum staff is working hard.” Blake said the exhibit is aimed at people of all ages, but the museum anticipates a rush of attendance from school-age children in awe of the other See Declaration on page 2 Heave ho Hawking to visit A&M in spring RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION Offensive linemen, junior agricultural development major James Milkavich and junior management major Alan Reuber push a sled on the football practice fields across from Kyle Field. The sled drills are part of their summer training. By Diane Xavier THE BATTALION Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking of Cambridge University, well known for his theories on black holes and other aspects of the universe, will visit Texas A&M from Feb. 24 to March 21 to participate in the inaugural meeting of the George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics. This institute will bring sev eral of the world’s top physicists to A&M for a month-long exploration of the latest ideas on topics ranging from superstrings to M-theory supergravity. George P. Mitchell, Class of 1940 and a petroleum engineer ing graduate, is donating $1 mil lion to help establish the insti tute. The contribution will be combined with gifts from other donors to create a permanent endowment in support of the institute. Organizers plan for the institute to operate throughout the year and host a major work shop each spring. The Mitchells are also provid ing a second million dollar gift that will be matched by A&M to establish the Stephen Hawking Chair in Fundamental Physics. Dr. Edward Fry, professor and head of A&M’s Department of Physics said this institute will help to advance the understand ing of the universe. “The results of the workshop should provide dramatic new insights into the physics of the universe and the ultimate unifi cation of the fields of nature,’* See Hawking on pEtge 2 HAWKING ’rice Facial | ’45 ! licroderm- j Abrasion | h light facial! ’65 | 0 p.m. ;t to Total Tan Militants kill 9, wound 27 in Kashmir Enrollment up for electrical engineering j **- ‘i 1/FM CD ansalons.com iqe Station 3-5555 )ck Prairie far ie Center 0 nth ‘anning m only. One coupon 2-3-03 50 mi Gunmen attacked a school Monday, 6~ solkm killing six people <N /Amarnath cav&~ S3rinagar^ ^ _ ’NunwarH Murree,,* o Islamabad AZAD\ KASHMIR ' /JAMMU & ^ KASHMIR \ V Suspected militants attacked Hindu pilgrims Tuesday, kiliing nine people 100 mi < i-NORTHERti \ % ~\ AREAS 0 100 km ^Aksai'J n \ Chin ‘ % vr SOURCES: Associated Press; ESRt AP NUNWAN, India (AP) — A band of suspect ed Islamic militants armed with grenades and automatic rifles sneaked into a camp of Hindus making a Himalayan pilgrimage in Kashmir, killing nine of them and wounding 27 shortly before dawn Tuesday. It was the sixth attack on the Hindu faithful since the monthlong pilgrimage began. Twenty- four have been killed in all. Several hours after the pre-dawn assault, the 2,600 pilgrims at the transit camp resumed their three-day march to a Hindu shrine in a cave high in the towering Himalayas. In other parts of the disputed region, police said four suspected militants and three soldiers were killed in what appeared to be stepped-up attacks by separatist guerrillas. The militants are fighting to make the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir independent or to merge it with pre dominantly Muslim Pakistan. India and Pakistan, both armed with nuclear weapons, have been on a war footing for eight months because of similar attacks. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of backing the Islamic guer rillas. Pakistan says it backs the guerrillas only with moral support and diplomacy. The group of pilgrims who came under attack Tuesday were among more than 125,000 who will make the 33-mile uphill trek to the Amarnath shrine, the cave where a stalagmite is worshipped as an image of the Hindu god Shiva. The tented camp at Nunwan is 55 miles south east of Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s northern Jammu-Kashmir state. Nirmal Raj, commander of the Central Reserve Police guarding the camp, said police killed one of the attackers. Bullet holes pierced the tin sheeting sur rounding temporary toilets. Bloodied clothing, shoes and sandals littered the campground. In New Delhi, I.D. Swamy, the junior home minister, implied Pakistan was behind the attack. “There can be Pakistan’s involvement since its policy was to disturb peace in Kashmir. There will be attempts to disturb elections (this fall) in Kashmir,” Swamy said. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a state ment condemning the attack, but said Islamabad “rejects with contempt” Swamy’s remarks. By Sarah Walch THE BATTALION In the past two years, a dra matic increase in enrollment for the four courses under the aus pices of the Electric Power and Power Electronics Institute (EPPEI) within the Department of Electrical Engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering, has reversed a 10- year fall, said Dr. Mladen Kezunovic, program coordinator for EPPEI. Enrollment for these optional courses within the past two years has more than doubled and is close to 200. The cause for the reversal is complex and puzzling, Kezunovic said, but seems largely to be a result of the deregulation of the power indus try that supplies consumer’s electrical and energy needs. “Until recently, the federal government set the rates and had certain profits every year,” he said. “For a period of about three or four years (within the past 10 years), the power indus try was not hiring at all.” A&M traditionally sends several graduates to different companies, and the change in the job market has become noticeable. However, after deregulation many companies restructured and started recruiting again. “The industry has stabilized,” Kezunovic said. Other factors affecting the numbers include changing one course from a required course to an elective and dropping an original courses said Dr. Chanan Singh, head of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Singh specializes in the area of power systems and agreed dereg ulation had improved the job market and more undergraduates See Enrollment on page 2 '5 j ® Dorm renovations improve on-campus living p.m- Cover 199 J By Molly McCullough THE BATTALION Renovations to residence halls across campus will be a new sight to ° v er 8,500 students living in dorms this fall. Numerous changes include the complete renovation of Keathley and Hughes halls that were re painted, each have new air condi- honing system, as well as other 'mprovements to the rooms them- selves, said John Casares, presi- ent of Residence Hall Association (RHA). Other improvements include new aundry facilities for Moses, Moore ^ n d Crocker. To accommodate stu- ents on Northside, the old hospital building between Walton and Haas halls was torn down. In the build ing’s place, a “green-space” has been added, Casares said. RHA and officials have not yet determined how the space will be used. In addition, Fowler Hall, part of the FHK complex, will close in the spring of 2003 for renovations, making it the last balcony-style dorm to be remodeled. In addition to the renovations, 4,900 freshmen will be living in the dorms next semester. This is over half of all students living in the dorms this fall who are not a part of the Corps of Cadets. To help these incoming dorm res idents feel a part of on-campus liv ing, many activities have been planned to promote a friendly living environment. “Our main goal is campus unity,” Casares said. “We will be focusing on seeing the big picture, campus-wide.” To promote unity, RHA has been working with the Fall Activities Council (FAC) to come up with new Aggie bonding activities in the place of Bonfire-related events that usual ly take place in the fall. One such event is A1I-U Night, a campus-wide event that promotes dorm unity. This year, RHA, Townhall and Staff Council have planned an All-U Night concert fea turing three bands and will take place near Kyle Field. The exact bands and location have not been announced, Casares said. Another program called Resident Advisors Leading and Learning through Interactive Experiences (RALLIE), is an event that brings residence hall councils and staff together to have fun and plan pro grams for the upcoming semester. “RALLIE helps everyone to get to know each other and start the year off on a great starting ground,” Casares said. Other activities in the planning stages for the upcoming year include barbecues and luaus aimed to integrate people, especially new students, with their dorms and oth ers. The hope is to keep them involved the entire semester, Casares said. Residence halls that received renovations Crocker Fowler* Hughes Keathley! Moore j Moses *Will be closed in Spring 2003 for renovations TRAVIS SWENSON • THE BATTALION