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Sports: Bonds now chasing Mays • Page 3
Opinion: Clinton also deserves blame • Page 7
ATTAT TO
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[Volume 108 • Issue 182 • 8 pages
108 Years Serving Texas A&M University
www.thebatt.com
Monday, August 12, 2002
Bryan still unsure of banker’s intentions
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By Ruth Ihde
THE BATTALION
Bryan banker Don Adam threatened
to file suit last week against the city of
Bryan if it moves forward with the
Traditions Golf Course development.
He is gathering information for an
alternate proposal for the west side golf
course and residential project.
Adam’s plan is not yet clear, and
even though there has not been an offi
cial proposal as to what the city of
Bryan can do with the 900 acres of land
intended for Traditions, there has been
mention from Adam and TAC Realty to
propose a residential development,
which will cease competition between
the two golf courses.
Adam, who established the
Miramont Golf Course in east Bryan,
has hired attorney Jonathan Day, an
expert in municipal finance out of
Houston, to examine the validity of the
Traditions contracts.
Ernie Wentrecek, a Bryan City
Council member, says Adam hired a
lawyer to prove the original Traditions
contract is void because funds to sup
port a $17 million debt were not men
tioned in the original document.
For about two years, there has been
an ongoing dispute between the city of
Bryan and Adam.
Originally, Adam and the city were
to team up and build the Traditions golf
course together, but there were irrecon
cilable differences about the location of
the golf course.
Adam wanted the golf course to be
on the east side of Bryan, and the city
wanted it on the west side.
Since then, Adam has decided to
build his own golf course on Boonville
Road in east Bryan and the city has
been working on Traditions off of Villa
Maria on the west side.
This past October, the land develop
er for Traditions, ClubCorp USA,
backed out of the project and Melrose
Corporation took over.
Since that time, development has
been slow and has been delayed for
another year. As a result, the city has
been losing money on the project.
Traditions Golf Course is to be the
home of Texas A&M University’s
men and women’s golf teams, but no
comment has been made on what will
happen if the Traditions project is
halted.
Mary Kaye Moore, another Bryan
City Council member, said although
Adam has made mention to a housing
development in place of the Traditions
golf course, there has been no official
proposal yet. Adam did not return phone
calls for comment Friday on what his
next plan of action was to be.
Tuesday there will be a Bryan City
Council meeting where members will go
into executive session, Wentrcek said.
In that meeting, Michael
Cosentino, the city attorney, will
explain the city’s options.
“I may be limited.in what 1 can say in
reply to the questions because of all of
the litigation going on,” Wentrcek said.
The city of Bryan had not taken any
action to pull out of the Traditions proj
ect as of Friday afternoon.
“We were told to expect a lawsuit to
be filed today [Friday], and as of 1:30
p.m. there has been no suit filed,”
Wentrcek said.
After Tuesday’s executive session,
the city council members will know
what Bryan’s response to the suit will
be and will be able to better answer
questions from the public, Moore said.
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RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION
Water polo campers face off during the championship game
Sunday afternoon for the Premier Water Polo Camp at the
Student Rec Center Natatorium. The camp began on Wednesday
and attracted almost 200 athletes from all over the country.
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Professors collaborate for treatment
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By Sarah Walch
THE BATTALION
Dr. Jane Welsh of the College
of Veterinary Medicine and Dr.
Mary Meagher, a professor in the
Department of Psychology, have
been working on discovering a
treatment for multiple sclerosis
(MS) for the past five years.
In 1997, the two were intro
duced to one another, and discov-
£ red a common interest in the
subject and have collaborated in
a n equal partnership ever since.
They have received many
donations to continue their
research efforts.
the fall of 1997, they
received a grant of $25,000 from
Texas A&M and in 1999 a grant
°f $313,000 from the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society
(NMSS), both intended to last
four years.
In April, they received another
grant of $1.5 million from the
National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Strokes, also for a
period of four years
MS is caused when the body’s
defense system begins to destroy
myelin, the substance that sur
rounds and insulates nerve fibers.
This process is categorized as
an auto immune process because
it is an abnormal immune
response directed against the cen
tral nervous system (CNS). Once
nerve fibers are exposed, motor
failures start to occur, and an indi
vidual may experience paralysis.
MS is a disease that primarily
affects people between the ages of
20 and 50, is predominant in
women, and frequently affects
those in northern, colder climates,
according to the NMSS Web site.
Researchers are looking at
how stress may affect the immune
system’s susceptibility to devel
oping an MS-like disease,
Theiler’s murine
encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV).
Welsh and Meagher are focus
ing on how susceptible mice are
to being infected with TMEV
when under stress.
According to the NMSS Web
site, three different types of stres
sors are being used for testing,
and the role of stress hormones is
being explored.
Meagher said her research
foruses on whether clearance of
the virus can occur only when the
animal is stressed and the
immune system suppressed.
Initially, it appears that during
the early infection process, stress
exacerbates the disease by
increasing vulnerability and
speeding the onset of the disease
and development of symptoms,
she said. Also, the early acute
phase is more severe when the
animal is stressed.
“Next we will focus on the
specific neuromechanisms
involved,” Meagher said.
If the study eventually con
firms these preliminary results,
some treatments might include
antidepressants and/or teaching
coping mechanisms for individ
uals who are more likely to be
susceptible to the disease,
Meagher said.
Starbucks store comes to College Station
By Lecia Baker
THE BATTALION
As cafes become a popular venue for
exas A&M students for morning coffee
cravings and an appealing study and social
environment, a Starbucks retail store is open-
'ng in College Station to give residents more
c oices when choosing a coffee shop.
Aik aines & Noble Bookstore and
bertson’s currently have a Starbucks
'nside the stores, but Starbucks will soon
°P en a bigger store at the new Wolfpen
opping center at Texas Avenue and
bolleman.
p The construction project manager,
th^p 011 ^' arr °ll’ sa 'd Starbucks will occupy
e ar East section on the south strip of the
aza - He said they preferred to be located
on Texas Avenue and near the University, a
high traffic venue.
"Preston expects the store to be completed
in early October and open in late November
or early December.
Nancy Kane, marketing manager at
Starbucks, said the company spends a lot of
time listening to its customers and customer
requests assist them in opening new stores
and they have received many requests from
College Station.
“We are very excited about opening our
first store in the city,” Kane said. “The com
pany hopes that Texas A&M students will
Take advantage of the in-store experience for
studying, hanging out and enjoying a great
cup of coffee.” . „
The 1,500 square foot location will fea
ture upholstered furniture and cafe tables
New students
voice mixed
feelings on fees
By Melissa McKeon
THE BATTALION
In March 2002, The Board of
Regents approved two new fees
and increased two existing fees
that will affect only new students.
New students enrolling at
Texas A&M for the first time or
students who have previously
received a degree and have
enrolled in a program for a new
degree or program level for the
first time after Spring 2002 will
have to pay $30.00 more per
semester credit hour. The fees
will be assessed beginning Fall
2002.
This amount will go towards
paying for things like computer
access fees, library fees and
advising fees, said William
Krumm, vice president for
finance.
“Students readmitted at the
same degree level (bachelor,
master, Ph.D.) of their previous
studies do not pay the enhance
ment fees. Students admitted to
a difterent degree or program
level do pay the enhancement
fee,” Krumm said.
Maggie Wilson, an incoming
freshman biology major, feels
all students should be required
to pay the fees.
See Fees on page 2
FEE INCREASEH
EFFECTIVE FALL 2002
$30 per credit hour increase
only affects new students
adjustments to lab and course fees will go
toward paying:
- computer access fees
- library fees
- advising fees
$ 8 million will be produced from new fees
• Bowen committed 10% to Financial Aid
MANDY ROUQUETTE • THE BATTALION
New PTTS director
excited about A&M
and chairs inside to seat 16, as well as out
door patio seating with shading umbrellas
to seat 18.
With coffee shops such as Sweet
Eugenes unique to College Station, the new
Starbucks will be a welcome variation when
choosing a place to study or relax.
“I enjoy the atmosphere and drinks at a
coffee shop which I study at,” said senior
computer engineering major Marc Mojica.
“A new Starbucks will help to provide more
choice.”
Starbucks launched its first store in
Seattle in 1971. Since then, the company
has become very successful in the stock
world and has its own in-house music pro
gram. Starbucks takes part in a variety of
charitable events as well as hosting events
for the community.
By Cara Garcia
THE BATTALION
Rod Weis will be joining
Texas A&M as the new Parking,
Traffic and Transportation
Services (PTTS) director this
September.
Hailing from the Georgia
Institute of Technology, the new
director looks forward to his
move to College Station.
“A&M’s reputation drew me
to [applying for this position],”
Weis said. “Professionally, the
terms of the size of operations
and number of employees inter
ested me. I will also have the
opportunity to see if I can imple
ment changes as I have at
Georgia Tech and how they work
on a bigger model.
“On a personal level, [my
family was] interested in coming
here, especially since my wife
and I were bom and raised on a
farm in Iowa... We’ll welcome
the change from the metropoli
tan Atlanta - I guess we’re coun
try folk.”
Weis will be taking over from
interim director of PTTS Bobby
Bisor.
Bisor, assistant vice president
of administration, temporarily
filled the position after former
PTTS director Tom Williams
transferred to a director position
within the Department of the
Vice President of Administration
in Fall 2001.
A search committee was
fonned late in the spring semes
ter to assist the selection process.
Faculty, staff and student repre
sentatives, including Student
Services Chair Daniel Pearson,
comprised the committee.
Pearson said the committee
narrowed down the candidate
pool to three finalists, all of
whom visited the campus
between mid to late June for
interviews.
Once on campus, all candi
dates met with a range of stu
dents, faculty and staff through
open question and answer ses
sions.
“Any student could come and
talk to candidates and ask any
questions,” Pearson said. “Such
as how they feel about students
or how they would theoretically
address particular problems.
Additionally, the new director
See Weis on page 2