The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 05, 2003, Image 1

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Volume 109 • Issue 109 • 10 pages
Texas A&M University
www.thebatt.com
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
usic file, but it is impos-
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Housing boom continues
By Lecia Baker
THE BATTALION
The economic slowdown has not
stopped the expansion of upscale stu
dent housing - with new apartment
complexes and private dorms compet
ing to offer well-heeled Aggies luxuri
ous amenities.
Two new apartment complexes and
a private dorm are slated to open next
fall, hoping to lure students with posh
extras such as larger, fully furnished
bedrooms, state-of-the-art hot tubs and
screened-in patios overlooking swim
ming pools.
With more plush housing options,
fewer incoming freshmen are opting
for the no-frills arrangements of on-
campus residence halls, said Ron
Sasse, director of the department of
Residence Life. In past years, there
was not enough room to accommodate
all the students who applied for on-
campus housing.
“We have been able to keep the
donns full, but we certainly do not have
an over supply,” Sasse said.
Students’ needs have fueled an
apartment construction boom in recent
years which has sharply increased com
petition among off-campus housing
complexes, said Toni Bruner, manager
of Campus Lodge, one of the new lux
ury apartment complexes.
“In 1997, their were 16,000 apart
ment units in College Station, and now
there are over 25,000,” she said.
Market research has shown there is
a large market for upscale student
housing in College Station,, with
freshmen, who typically live on-cam-
pus, willing to pay more for quiet
atmospheres, larger living quarters and
private bathrooms Bruner said
In the competition for affluent stu
dents, new properties must offer an array
of perks and amenities, Bruner said.
Like The Tradition and The
Calloway House, The Cambridge,
opening in the fall, is geared toward
freshmen seeking a residence hall
atmosphere with apartment-style
amenities. For example, in addition to a
full kitchen in each unit, it also features
a dining hall, said Joe Goodwin, leasing
- lore tbao
College Station
director of The Cambridge.
Laura Kinion, property manager of
Aggie Station, a new luxury apartment
complex, said that in the fact they are
brand new makes them more appealing
to students and their parents.
Students who currently live on or off
campus said despite the economic
Travis Swenson • THE BATTALION
Source: Campus Lodge
slowdown, they are still willing to
payfor luxury living arrangements.
Michelle Katz, a sophomore gener
al studies major, said she signed a
lease with Campus Lodge for next fall
because she was willing to pay more
for larger living quarters and other
amenities.
Stringing along
JP BEATO III • THE BATTALION
Playing in Texas A&M's only male and female mariachi, vio- Gallery by Rudder Fountain Tuesday afternoon. The group is
linist Virginia Hodnnett, a senior agriculture development sponsored by Women in Time,
major, performs on the steps of the University Center
Security experts:
Awareness helps
prevent terrorism
By Molly Cain
THE BATTALION
Heightened awareness is key to preventing acts of terrorism on
college campuses security experts said Tuesday as part of an audio
conference addressing the terrorist threat on American universities.
The conference, titled “Terror Target:College Campuses,” also
discussed issues such as threat assessments, student and faculty
safety and crisis prevention, to more than 2,000 listeners, including
40 from Texas A&M.
Asa Boynton, vice president of the Office of Security
Preparedness at the University of Georgia, said colleges need to
prepare themselves for what they cannot anticipate.
“Many institutions fail to prepare an emergency plan,” he said.
“We need to do better at preparing and updating those plans on a
daily basis to make sure they work.”
Boynton said that a college campus contains many of the
resources that a terrorist wants and terrorism is a great way to come
into a campus and interrupt daily activities. Because of this,
Boynton said that if administrators prepared for events like these,
they could minimize damages.
Richard Maurer, managing director of the Security Services
Group for Kroll, Inc., said that the company is currently a world
wide leader in providing threat assessment and risk management
services to many universities, corporations and agencies.
Maurer said the level of risk is the first thing his company looks
for when preparing a security assessment for an organization.
See Terrorism on page 2
Hispanic group protests
Vanity Fair stereotype
Officials consider remodeling Commons dining
By Esther Robards-Forbes
THE BATTALION
Student complaints about the Commons
dining area have prompted University offi
cials to solicit student input to determine
how the dining area should be renovated.
About 20 students attended a forum
Tuesday sponsored by the department of
Food Services to discuss remodeling the
aging dining hall.
The Commons Dining Center has faced
design problems since its inception
because of its basement location, said Ron
Beard, director of Food Services. It was
remodeled 13 years ago, but in a survey
taken last year many students expressed that
the Commons was “dated” and “too dark.”
Steps were taken earlier this year to
alleviate some of the problems, Beard
said. The dinning hall was relighted, dark
wall paper was removed and the back wall
was decorated with photos supplied by
Student Activities, Beard said.
A student advisory committee was
formed by Food Services to address con
cerns about the Commons.
“The students saw what was done with
Sbisa and they want the same type of thing
on Southside,” Beard said.
Ideas suggested by students include a
meeting room similar to the one on the
east side of Sbisa and a late night coffee
house area similar to Bernie’s Cafe
ExpressO that would include study areas.
Students also suggested that the serving
area remain buffet style, and they want
Students challenge
Battalion performance
other dining options like a food court area.
Some of the students who work at the
Commons Dining Center said they feel
remodeling would lure more students to
eat there.
“I think it needs to be more like Sbisa,”
said Kelly Eubanks, a sophomore psychol
ogy major. “I don’t like the atmosphere &t
the Commons. It’s too closed in.”
But some students who frequent the
Commons said they do not think renova
tions are necessary.
“It’s not falling apart or anything. It’s
not bad and it doesn’t bother me,” said
Judson Houston, a freshman mechanical
engineering major.
Funds would be set aside by Food
Services if enough interest is expressed in
the remodeling project, Beard said.
From left to right:
John Casares,
Resident Hall
Association presi
dent, Barry
Hammond, MSC
president, Zac
Coventry, student
body president and
Burke Wilson,
Corps of Cadets
public relations
officer.
JP Beato III • THE BATTALION
By Lauren Smith
THE BATTALION
In the February issue of
Vanity Fair magazine, colum
nist Edna Everage answered a
letter from a reader about
what she thought of the
Spanish language and its use
in the real world.
Everage responded with
“Who speaks Spanish that you
are really desperate to talk to?
The help? Your leaf blower?”
Her response criticized the
Mexican culture and spurred
Texas A&M’s Committee for
the Awareness of Mexican-
American Culture to host a
two- day program Monday and
Tuesday in response to the
writer’s claims.
CAMAC concluded its
efforts Tuesday night by host
ing a panel made up of profes
sors and journalists that
addressed the negative images
of Latinos in the media, how
these stereotypes are created
and how to deal with them.
After CAMAC sent a letter
to the magazine expressing
their offense, the magazine
responded with an e-mail apol
ogizing for any “distress the
article caused the Latin
American community and
there was no intention to mock
any stereotypes.”
Dr. Manuel Martin-
Rodriguez, associate professor
in the Department of Modem
and Classical Languages and
author of works on Chicano lit
erature and Hispanic culture,
said the media must not use the
‘get out of jail free’ card, mean
ing the media uses the same
excuse every time a problem
arises.
“We must confront and
analyze all things that the
media puts out there as so-
called innocent and fun,”
Martin-Rodriguez said. “If we
do not, then who will?”
Martin-Rodriguez
expressed his concern that
more than 30 percent of the
Latino population is under 18
so it can be easily influenced
by such media pieces in what
he calls “Vanity Fairytale”.
Dr. Edward Murguia, asso
ciate professor in the A&M
Department of Sociology, said
joining a group is important
because it is the way in which
power is gained.
Nora E. Lopez, criminal
justice editor at the San
Antonio Express News and
Region 5 representative for the
National Association of
Hispanic Journalists, said
“diversity is the key because
everything is achieved through
having people on staff who
understand different cultures
and being aware of your
actions and words.”
CAMAC’s mission is to
teach people about the heritage
See Protest on page 2
By Janet McLaren
THE BATTALION
Student leaders criticized
The Battalion during a panel
discussion with Battalion edi
tors on Wednesday, saying that
A&M’s student newspaper is
insensitive to racial issues and is
prone to factual errors.
“(Battalion staffers) must
understand the duty and respon
sibility you have to give a good
and quality product. Quality in
our eyes, not just yours,” said
Lyndon Pryor, representative of
the Department of Multicultural
Services.
Battalion Editor in Chief
Brandie Liffick said the news
paper welcomed constructive
criticism and encouraged stu
dents to share their concerns
about stories with editors.
Barry Hammond, president
of the Memorial Student
Center Council, said lack of
accountability was a problem for
The Battalion, and suggested the
University remove all support
from the newspaper to make
room for another publication.
“They have a monopoly on
campus,” said Hammond, a
senior finance major.
Battalion Managing Editor
Sommer Bunce said the staff of
The Battalion always addresses
mistakes in the paper.
“We try our best to make sure
we are accountable,” said
Bunce, a junior journalism
major.
Panelists said the Student
Media Board, which oversees
The Battalion and is comprised
of faculty, students and staff,
should do more to hold the
Battalion staff accountable for
the content and accuracy of the
paper.
The moderator of the discus
sion, Dr. Larry Oliver, associate
dean of the College of Liberal
Arts, said the forum demonstrat
ed a need for communication
between the Battalion staff and
student leaders.
Resident Hall Association
See Battalion on page 2