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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2003)
Volume 109 • Issue 77-10 pages Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Friday, January 17, 2003 Ghetto party’ cancelled, condemned By Sarah Walch and Melissa Sullivan THE BATTALION An investigating committee will meet today to ook into a reportedly discriminatory event that )fficials called “an embarrassment to the Texas \&M community.” Ron Sasse, director of the department of Residence Life, said the event, a “ghetto theme party” was to occur off campus and could only serve to “disgrace, divide, and deteriorate the campus environment that A&M is working dili gently to build,” according to a press release received late Thursday. Residence Life delivered strongly worded let ters condemning the event to residents of Walton Hall and is developing training sessions “to make them more aware of the adverse effects of their actions,” the release said. Sasse received an anonymous note earlier this week informing him of the party and its adver tisement throughout the hall. Dion Mclnnis, a resident of Walton Hall and senior kinesiology major, said the event was “never intended to be an offensive thing.” “We’re sorry that people think it was derogato ry,” Mclnnis said. “Some people misspoke and we’re concerned so we’re taking it back.” The party was intended to be a time for cama raderie, he said. The organizers said they are sin cerely sorry it came across the way the University said it did. “The way it came across was not the way any See Party on page 2 Go offroading Josh Hobson • THE BATTALION A Bus Operations maintenance technician examines the severity of the damage to the flower beds caused by a bus in front of the Bush Presidential Library and Conference Center Thursday morning. According to Asst. Director of Bus-Ops Gary Jackson, "This is the third or fourth incident here, but this is the worst one we've seen." New resident parking lot opens next month By Rob Phillips THE BATTALION bnts and commuters. I I A major complaint from Northside residents is the lack of student parking on that side, said Debbie Hoffmann, assistant director for Transportation Services. 1 A new resident parking lot next to Clements Hall, located off Wellborn Road on Northside, is projected to open Feb. 17 with 353 spaces avail able to students with red park ing permits, Hoffmann said. A small portion of the new lot will overlap Parking Area (PA) 30, another resident lot. A new road is also being built that will connect the lot to Wellborn Road, Hoffmann said. “Constructing it as part of the new lot allowed us to maximize the number of parking spaces we can offer and to provide another access point from Wellborn Road to ease traffic congestion near Albritton Tower,” she said. Construction of the new lot cost $823,000, said Kenny Kimball, associate director for Transportation Services. Inclement weather pushed back the original completion date of December 2002, Hoffmann said. In addition to PA 33, Transportation Services plans to change the permit designations of two other parking areas to provide more space for yellow and blue permit users. PA 39, located behind Cain Hall, will change from a red to a yellow permit lot when the Clements project is complete. The change makes 160 spaces available on Main Campus for faculty and staff, Hoffmann See Parking on page 2 Virus not likely to infect area By Allyson Bandy THE BATTALION A virus that infected 700 students at a Houston high school this past week is unlike ly to come to College Station, said Denyce Cram, an infection control nurse at College Station Medical Center. The virus is similar to the Norwalk virus, a contagious epidemic gastrointestinal dis ease that infected several pas sengers on different cruise ship lines in 2002. Because of Texas A&M’s proximity to Houston and the large number of students with family who live in Houston, Cram said A&M students have reason to question where the virus will strike next. Cram said the only way the virus would affect anyone in College Station is through hand contact, and if the virus did strike campus, it would spread quickly. The worst thing would be for someone from Houston car rying the virus to not wash his or her hands. Cram said. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Norwalk virus and a group of Norwalk-like viruses are among many com mon microorganisms that can cause intestinal diseases and inflammation of the stomach and small and large intestines. Anyone can get the virus, but it may be more common in adults and children than in younger infants. Cram said. Cram said the virus can be spread through food, water, close personal contact with infected people or even envi ronmental contamination, such as shared serving utensils or dirty countertops. With an incubation period of 24 to 48 hours, a headache and fever may result from this virus. Cram said. Additional symptoms of the virus include vomiting, nau sea, chills, muscle aches and abdominal cramps or a combi nation of these symptoms. Dr. Linda Lekawski, physi cian and director of the Student Health Center, said when treat ing this virus, one must rehy drate himself to compensate for fluid loss, whether it be from vomiting or diarrhea. However, this virus usually does ijpt require any specific medical treatment and goes away without leaving any seri ous or long-term health effects, she said. Lekawski said the best way to make sure you will not be the next victim is to frequently wash your hands. “At such a large university germs are constantly being exchanged, whether it be through a hand shake or by touching a door knob through out the day,” she said. Lekawsi said other ways to prevent transmission are cover ing your mouth when you cough or sneeze and by not sharing any food or drinks. Graves to undergo lung surgery today Texas A&M Chancellor Howard D. Graves will undergo surgery today to remove a tumor from one of his lungs. After a series of appraisals this week, Graves’ doctors at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston scheduled Graves for the last-minute surgery. “The immediacy of this sur gery is not because of an emer gency,” Said Bob Wright, j|p'|||| director of p? nfCll communica- | lions for the j A&M sM, U n i v e r s i t y System. “An IHHHIHHH opening in GRAVES the surgeon’s schedule opened up and so they See Graves on page 2 ’exas A&M hosts Martin Luther King Jr. celebration lartin Lutiier King Jr. Itay petebrcitiom mt is H&H m4 College Station fexas A&M: Events beginning Jan. 18 | Kweisi Mfume at Rudder Auditorium, Jan. 21] | Freedom March led by Delta Sigma “South Pacific*’ at Rudder Auditorium, Jan.24 j liege Station: Festivities at Lincoln Center, Jan. 18 Featuring Dr. Felecta Scott, Voices of Praise and the St. Paul Baptist Church’s men's choir of Marshall,Texas —. i Source: THE MSC AND THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION Travis Swenson • THE BATTALION By Lecia Baker THE BATTALION A student organizer of the Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Day A&M celebration said “Campus With A Dream” is the largest MLK Jr. Day celebration that has ever taken place at A&M. Events for the day include a speaker, freedom march, art exhibit and concerts, said Erin Fleming, executive vice president of programs for the MSC. The president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will speak in Rudder Auditorium on Jan. 21. The event is co-sponsored by several different organizations, including University Libraries and the Memorial Student Center (MSC), Fleming said. Kweisi Mfume, the NAACP President and a former congressman, is coming to A&M as part of “Campus with a Dream.” MSC Council President Barry Hammond said he wants to see students come out to welcome Mfume. “It’s an opportunity for students to learn about the continuing role of empowering cultures within America,” he said. “We feel Mfume speaks very well on that issue.” Multicultural Services and Delta Sigma Theta will take part in the annual week long event led by the MSC beginning Jan. 18, Fleming said. “This year’s MLK Jr. Day celebration is proba bly the largest one we’ve ever had, “ Fleming said. Fleming said, the main goals are to promote diversity and keep the programs running smoothly. “The committee chairs took a big initiative and have done a beautiful job with getting involved,” Fleming said. “Diversity is a big part of A&M right now and maybe that is what is influencing (their) involvement.” Lawrence Abraham, University Center Complex student development specialist, said he wanted as many people as possible to participate in the event. “My main goal is total campus involvement,” he said. “The goal has always been to get the stu dents involved to promote campus diversity.” A freedom march led by Delta Sigma Theta is set to begin at Sadie Thomas Park and continue down Martin Luther King Boulevard in Bryan and conclude at Kemp Elementary. In addition to the parade, MSC OPAS will host “South Pacific” in Rudder Auditorium on Jan. 24. The musical centers on a love story between an interracial couple. All week, students can enjoy a Dmitri Koustov art exhibit in the Visual Arts Gallery and “Lunchbox Concerts” put on by MSC Townhall in the Rudder Plaza featuring various cultural groups. “Even though this year’s events are bigger than ever, my goal for next year is for ‘Campus With a Dream’ to be even broader, with more people involved,” Fleming said. The City of College Station will also hold See Celebration on page 2