Aggielife: Upperclassmen join sororities Page 3A
Opinion: National Forest Service wasted money Page 1 3A
THE BATTALION
Volume 109 • Issue 2 • 22 pages
109 Years Serving Texas A&M University
www.thebatt.com
Monday, September 2, 2002
West Nile virus
comes to area
By Melissa Sullivan
THE BATTALION
The mosquito-borne and
potentially deadly West Nile
Virus has been found in Bryan.
Mosquitoes trapped in north
east Bryan near Haswell Park
tested positive for the virus last
week. Though no mosquitoes
have tested positive so far with
in College Station city limits,
people should protect them
selves from mosquitoes found
anywhere in the Bryan-College
Station area, said Dr. Jim Olson,
an entomologist at the College
of Veterinary Medicine.
Olson said several dead
birds, which may be carriers of
the virus, have been found in
College Station on George Bush
Drive and Dominik Drive, near
sorority row. The birds have
been sent to a Wisconsin lab for
testing, but it could be weeks
until results are in.
The Texas Department of
Health has confirmed one case
in Brazos County so far.
“We want everyone to know
that just because you are on the
A&M campus, you are not
safe," Olson said. “We are in the
middle of an outbreak, nothing
to panic about, but the campus is
just as susceptible.”
The cities of Bryan and
College Station are spreading
toxins in mosquito larvae to
combat the mosquitoes that are
being bred in ponds, birdbaths
and other forms of stagnant
water, said Don Pitt, assistant
director for environmental
health of the Brazos Valley
Health Department. The cities
aren’t spraying to kill adult, fly
ing mosquitoes because it
requires a license, which they
are trying to obtain. Larvae pills,
which contain a safe bacterial
toxin, are placed where mosqui
toes lay their eggs every few
weeks and cover an area of 1(X)
square feet. Pitt said.
"You can spray until you are
blue in the face, but that is not
going to solve the problem.”
Olson said. “Obstructions such
as trees or buildings can make
spraying less effective, but it is
the people who must protect
themselves.”
Olson said if people need to
be outside, especially in the
early morning or evening hours,
they should wear tight-fitting
clothing and spray on a repellent
which contains the ingredient
DEET.
People should also empty
fiower pots, pet food and water
dishes, birdbaths, swimming
See West Nile on page 8A
« Verified avian, animal, and mosquito infections
during 2002, as of August 30, 2002
■ Pattern indicates human case(s)
Protection Against West Nile(^
• When going outside, use bug spray with DEET.
• Wear long-sleeved clothes sprayed with DEET.
• Stay inside at dawn, dusk and the begining
of the evening, when mosquitoes are most active.
• Empty containers with standing water around
your home.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
TRAVIS SWENSON * THE BATTALION
Traveling star
JOHN LIVAS • THE BATTALION
Oakwood Elementary fifth grader Josh Dangott looks on as College Station 10 and 11-year-old Traveling National All-Star
teammates take the field. Dangott is a member of the Team that plays throughout Houston.
Gates sets high goals for himself
By Rolando Garcia
THE BATTALION
Enjoying a leisurely semi-retirement in
the cool climate of the Northwest after a dis
tinguished career in public service. Dr.
Robert M. Gates says a sense of duty led
him to take the helm of Texas A&M.
Having worked his way from entry-level
analyst at the CIA to become director of cen
tral intelligence under former President
George Bush, Gates left Washington, D.C.
for Seattle in 1993. He made a comfortable
living on the lecture circuit and served on
corporate boards - the grind of a full-time job
was not in the works. When Gates was asked
last summer to become a candidate for A&M
president, he declined. The events of Sept. 11
changed his mind. When approached again
in November, he accepted.
“My wife and I agreed that if I could do
one more public service, I should, and I
couldn’t think of a better place than Texas
A&M” Gates, 58, said. “This is a truly
unique American institution.”
On the job for a month. Gates has hit the
ground running, and said he is determined to
implement an action plan to reach the objec
tives set in Vision 2020, the University’s
strategic plan to join the ranks of the top 10
public universities by 2020. Vice President
for Academic Affairs and Provost Ron
Douglas and Athletic Director Wally Groff
have been the first high profile departures,
but may not be the last as Gates begins to
assemble his administrative team.
“|High-level administrators] know they
serve at the behest of the president,” Gates
said.
Gates said he is holding lengthy meetings
with each college dean and top administra
tors to identify the most pressing problems
and issues facing the University. From the
12 imperatives laid out in Vision 2020,
Gates said he plans to focus on four priori
ties: increasing the number and improving
the quality of the faculty, improving gradu
ate programs, increasing enrollment capaci
ty in colleges pressed for space and promot
ing diversity.
See Gates on page 7A
RANDAL LORD • THE BATTALION
Dr. Robert M. Gates will continue to strive
for the objectives outlined in Vision 2020,
to become a top 10 university by 2020.
Athletic director turns position over to new leadership
By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
After 10 years as Texas A&M's ath
letic director and nearly forty years in
the department, Wally Groff is stepping
down.
Groff, in what he said is a mutual
agreement with administration, submit
ted his letter of resignation to
University President Dr. Robert M.
Gates, relinquishing his duties effective
December 31, 2002. Groff had four
years left on his contract.
“After visiting with Dr. Gates and
his staff, he just felt like we need a
direction change in leadership,” Groff
said. “We visited together and decided
this might be the best for the University
and the Athletic Department.”
This news comes after an apology to
Texas Tech University over a statement
in the 2002 Texas A&M Football Media
Guide. Texas Tech students were
described as “classless clowns” in the
article pertaining to last year’s game in
Lubbock. Gates apologized to Tech’s
president in August.
Groff said the apology had nothing
to do with his resignation.
“It was a very unfortunate mistake
that our staff made by not editing that
out,” Groff said. “For one of our publi
cations to take a shot at another univer
sity is not appropriate. It is against the
sportsmanship rules of the Big 12 and
we have apologized to Texas Tech.”
A&M has the second-most NCAA
violations of all-time among NCAA
universities with seven infractions.
Since 1993, when Groff became direc
tor, A&M has not committed any major
NCAA violations.
Groff has overseen numerous facility
improvements including The Zone at
Kyle Field, the Recreation Center and
Natatorium, Reed Arena and the Texas
A&M Tennis Complex. He has also
brought the NCAA Men’s Swimming
and Diving Championships as well as
the NCAA Men's Tennis
Championships to A&M. The Kyle
Field South End Zone Complex, the
Track and Field Complex and the Soccer
Complex are also under construction.
“The facilities will probably be the
thing most people think of when they
think of me,” Groff said. “I feel like Fm
a frustrated architect because that seems
like all I’ve done since I became AD.
“1 also would like to think there was
some honesty and integrity and we did
everything the right way in compliance
with the rules of the NCAA and the
state of Texas.”
A&M has taken a lead in diversi
fying its coaching staffs under
Groff’s tenure and has one of the best
See Groff on page 2
All-U Night promotes spirit
By Sarah Walch
THE BATTALION
All-University Night, or Ail-U
Night, will be held at Kyle Field at
7:30 p in. tonight.
All-U Night provides incoming
freshmen and returning students a
chance to practice yells and hear from
coaches and administrators on the first
day of fall classes. Speakers will
include University President Dr.
Robert M. Gates, head football coach
R.C. Slocum, Student Body President
Zac Coventry and Vice-President for
Student Affairs, Dr. J. Malon
Southerland. The Yell Leaders will lead
a Yell Practice and fall sports coaches
will be introduced.
The Aggie Band will step off from
the Quad on Southside at 6:30 p.m.,
march through the center of campus to
Northside, and back to Kyle Field to
arrive around 7:15 p.m.
Shortly after All-U Night events
end, a concert sponsored by the
Memorial Student Center’s (MSC)
Town Hall and the Residence Hall
Association (RHA) will start on the
Zone Plaza. Alternative rock band Cali
45 will open followed by Two Spy and
the main act. Pilot Radio.
After an unexpected downpour last
fall, the event was moved inside to
Rudder Auditorium, limiting the number
of students who could attend. Assistant
Director of the MSC Rusty Thompson
said after the rainout last year, the organ
izers of All U-Night are ready to get this
year started off right at Kyle Field.
Outdated buses replaced by Bus Ops
By Sarah Szuminski
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M’s Department of
Parking, Traffic and Transportation
(PTTS) is starting the semester with
44 new buses, after more than half of
its aging fleet has been replaced.
Bus Operations received the last
order of buses in August, bringing
the total number of buses running
routes to 65.
PTTS will not purchase any more
buses for at least another year, said
Bus Ops driver Jennifer Corley, who
is on the communications team for
Bus Ops. They will continue to use
some of the older buses originally
purchased in 1982, but all on-campus
routes will be run by newer buses,
Corley said.
“(PTTS) is trying to use every bus
right now,” she said.
Buses received in August have
front-facing rather than the perimeter-
style seating students have seen in the
buses circulating on campus. This
type of seating provides a better
means of transportation for off-cam
pus routes and is more accommodat
ing for longer commutes, Corley said.
“There’s really no comparison
between the new buses and the old
cramped ones, where 1 always
seemed to have the seat above the
wheel,” said Garrett Erbele a junior
biomedical engineering major.
The new buses are equipped with
air conditioning and are more envi
ronmentally friendly, with cleaner
fuel systems and smoother-running
engines than the older ones.
“The new buses won’t be spewing
black smoke like the old ones do,”
Corley said.
Some of the older buses that will
be used for off-campus routes have
had new air conditioners installed.
Seven on-campus and 12 off-cam-
pus routes serve students, faculty and
visitors to the A&M campus.
Routes run consistently through
out the weekdays and maintain a
modified schedule for nights and
weekends. Route hours and the num
ber of buses running each route can
be found on the PTTS Web site at
www.ptts.tam u.edu.
Off-campus students can catch a
ride to home football games starting
two hours before kickoff. Rides
home begin after the game and run
for one hour.
PTTS also provides paratransit
services lor permanently or temporar
ily disabled patrons who qualify.