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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 4, 2003)
W0RL1 THE BATTALIOl wort estranged after Frans gainst the war, ic’s knowledge of Ik ised to consult him a o resolve the Israel e two leaders mayew es in September atf* Nations, Chirac sail ons are 200 years el; continue for a Sports: Three hurlers lead Aggies in draft • Page 3 Opinion: Meet The Battalion • Page 5 nr<TTT* A A T 1 nxi Oil. x 1ALIUIN Volume 109 • Issue 145 • 6 pages 109 Years Serving Texas A&M University ! www.thebatt.com W ; ' . I’jh ] . Wednesday, June 4,2003 A&M alters immunization requirements i, the acrimony oft ; buried. ;. We went through i re was no questios ■ stood” on the war, hy I can say we hail >e we are able to hi other.” German chancellors said that Europe an! equally committedtj aq. Still, noneoftht offers to support tht icially, although t ing to hold a donors nations later this year g to German televh agreement "to least er the Iraq war.” leaders claimed that ic concerns raised hi >testers, devoting a :o discussions toallt- ping countries, ed views on econotti- -e were hopeful signs • growth was on tk ;s, Europe and Japan conomic discussions the leaders expressd nee” that their Conn er growth rates, redouble efforts to n, focusing on such ancing and denying And they issued! ; North Korea to dis- apons programs and er posed by Iran's am. te stem warning fot te Non-Proliferation :te to military action how talk of the lrat| ing. d no ictioii ok like the trucls :ribed and depicted" .-led teams hunting tiring after his con- cutive chairman of si at ions Monitoring, and Inspection i, known as ends on June 30. t detailed the efforts tors, who were only c in late November year absence. Theit • banned weapons led on March 18. sections uncovered nber of undeclared cal warheads which ive been produced he said. re destroyed along other proscribed ne 70 Al SamoudI a range beyond tltt it allowed undet ons. I’s cooperation with ors started improi’- inuary and inspec etter understanding >ns programs,” Bib ogress was made in of outstanding dis- ues. excavations by the were witnessed by sons, showed tbai 'oyed a large nutn- tombs containing n gent, as it bad t the excavations fy the amount of rd or destroyed, he By Justin Smith THE BATTALION Texas A&M will no longer block students from registration for not hav ing their measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) or tuberculosis immunizations. However, TB screening is still required for all international students and students traveling to countries where TB is an endemic. Students of certain majors, such as health science, are also required by law to fulfill certain immunization require ments before they begin working clini cal rotations. “Requiring just (TB and MMR) vaccinations puts an emphasis on those diseases when other diseases are just as bad. Instead, we are now giving stu dents the full menu of vaccinations and letting them make their determination because it is a personal thing,” said Dr. Linda Lekawski, director of Student Health Services. The menu recommends students get vaccinations for MMR, TB, diphtheria and tetanus, varicella for students who have not had chicken pox, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, pneumonia, meningitis, and influenza. “We do not require vaccinations for all of these because some are expensive and many students could not afford them all, so how can we block them for that?” Lekawski said. “Most incoming freshman will have had both of their necessary MMR doses, because it is required by most schools, and tetanus is non-communicable.” She said not all students need to take every vaccination, but who are at high risk, such as those having chronic ill nesses such as diabetes, should protect themselves by doing so. Lekawski said educating students to make informed decisions about their own health is now the priority of Student Health Services. She said everyone should be aware of these vaccinations and the impor tance for college-age people to be informed about certain diseases such as hepatitis B, which is sexually transmitted. A&M is not the only university to have such a policy. Most colleges in Texas carry the same policy and only a few schools in Texas still have require ments. The University of Texas still requires the two MMR doses and TB screening. “MMR are easily communicable and can cause birth defects, so mothers are screened as soon as they are found to be pregnant,” said Dr. Theresa Spalding, medical director at UT. For domestic students at UT who do See Immunization on page 2 Qatar branch OK’d Degree programs offered at Texas A&M - Qatar OPetroleum Engineering c^Chemical Engineering ^Electrical Engineering ■^Mechanical Engineering • All classes will be taught in English Source: OFFICE OF THE PROVOST Ruben Deluna • THE BATTALION By Natalie Younts THE BATTALION Texas A&M will open a new campus branch in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar in September. The campus will be located in Doha, Qatar’s capital city, and is the result of a 10-year agreement between A&M and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for Texas A&M to expand its international presence and to provide edu cational and research oppor tunities for our faculty and students,” said A&M President Robert M. Gates. “It will foster greater under standing among future lead en in the Middle East and M.S” The campus will offer undergraduate degree pro grams in petroleum, chemi cal, electrical and mechani cal engineering. All classes will be taught in English. “The degrees are going to be exactly the same as the degrees here. Same quality, same curriculum,” said Dr. David Prior, executive vice president and provost. Prior said the Qatar cam pus is an extension of the strength of the Dwight Look College of Engineering, but in a different part of the world where there are great relevancies to the economic development of Qatar. “For example, our petro leum engineering degree that will be offered in Qatar relates directly to the petro leum and chemical engi neering that is associated with the economic devel- opement of the country,” he said. The campus will enroll See Qatar on page 2 Chilifest donates funds By Megan Orton THE BATTALION More than $200,000 was donated to local charities from Chilifest 2003, dou bling its endowments from last year. “Twenty percent of the profits go to alcohol awareness in the community, and ihe remainder goes to help children,” said Todd Gilmore, Chilifest 2003 chairman. Chilifest has already donated $105,000 of the $200,000 and still has $95,000 left to donate, Gilmore said Charities and organizations benefiting Donated $200,000 to local charities MADD ■ Burleson County Go Texas Association • Boys and Girls Club of Brazos Valley Snook Lions Club Snook Volunteer Fire Department Coalition of Alcohol Responsibility and Education College Station Morning Lions Club Ruben Deluna • THE BATTALION Source: 2003 CHILIFEST COMMITTEE from the chili cook-off include Burleson County Go Texas Association, Boys and Girls Club of the Brazos Valley, Snook Lions Club, Snook Volunteer Fire Department, College Station Morning Lions Club, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Coalition of Alcohol Responsibility and Education. Six computers were donated to area high schools for Project Graduation pro grams and proms, and the Boys and Girls Club of Brazos Valley received funds for educational materials and supplies, Gilmore said. With the money they received, the Brazos Valley MADD chapter hopes to add more programs to deter students from drinking and driving. Khris Thurmond, MADD victim’s assis tant coordinator, said the money donated from Chilifest enabled her to buy new soft ware, a laptop and a scanner. “I can scan in pictures of victims to tell their story to students during programs,” she said. Additional funds were donated for the MADD “Fake ID” program, in which young celebrities speak to students to dis courage drinking and driving. The program consists of videos on a three-screen display and is headed by Vicki Mercer. “The program encourages kids to exam ine how they feel about their own identity, and how they really feel about drinking and driving,” Thurmond said. See Chilifest on page 2 Colonize this Sharon Aeschbach • THE BATTALION Microbiology graduate student Brian Cantwell creates slides of a bacteria colony in a third floor labo ratory at the Biology Science Building. The lab studies the behavior of bacteria and how they sense chemicals in their environment. T New Geosciences dean appointed By Jodi Rogers THE BATTALION Dr. Mary Jo Richardson has been appointed by Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates as interim dean of the College of Geosciences. Richardson is currently leading efforts to continue the integrated ocean-drilling program. The program involves the efforts of 18 different learning institutions of which A&M is the science oper ator. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, con ducts basic research on ocean basins and floors from a scientific drill ship. Richardson has been the acting dean since August 2002, when Dr. David B. Prior was appointed interim executive vice pres ident and provost. “Dr. Richardson has done an out standing job in pro viding the College of Geosciences leadership during the past nine months and we look for ward to her continued leadership as ■J , It RICHARDSON we launch a national search for this deanship,” Gates said. Nancy Sawtelle, director of com munications in the office of the executive vice president and provost, said Richardson was cho sen because of her experience. Richardson said she is looking forward to serving in her new posi tion. She said a committee will announce two new faculty endowed chaired positions within the next two weeks. “That’s very exciting because in See Dean on page 2 uesday, the lowest nd's first hospital :ed in late April, ■ing. But it's not lat SARS has been Bob Dietz, the :h Organization Beijing. "No one leir guard yet." death toll from at least 772 on two new deaths lina, one in Hong in Toronto. Mote aople have been e flu-like illness. Arab leaders back Bush’s Mideast By Tom Raum THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt — Arab leaders, meeting with Resident George W. Bush as he Plunged into the labyrinth of Mideast peace talks, pledged on Tuesday to fight terror and violence and called on Israel to “rebuild •rust and restore normal Palestinian life.” “We will continue to fight the scourge of terrorism against humanity and reject the culture of extremism and violence in any form or shape — from whatever source or place, regardless of justi fications or motives,” Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said, reading a statement on behalf of the leaders of Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia — all U.S. allies — and the Palestinian Authority. “We will use all the power of the law to prevent support reaching illegal organizations including ter rorist groups,” Mubarak said. Bush, at the edge of the Red Sea, with Mubarak at his side, said: “We meet in Sinai at a moment of prom ise for the cause of peace in the Middle East.” Terror threatens the United States, Israel and the emergence of a Palestinian state, he said. “Terror must be opposed and it must be defeated,” Bush said. Bush, making his first major foray into Middle East peacemak ing, made clear that both Arabs and Israelis bear responsibility for achieving peace. “Israel must deal with the settlements,” he said. “Israel must make sure there’s a continuous territory that the Palestinians can call home.” Tuesday’s meeting served as a peace plan prelude to face-to-face talks Wednesday among Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his counterpart, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, in Jordan. The Arab leaders embraced the internationally crafted “road map” for peace, which calls for an inde pendent Palestinian state by 2005. “We support the determination of the Palestinian Authority to ful fill its responsibilities to end vio lence and to restore law and order,” See Peace on page 2 Shaky ground for President Bush British Prime Minister Tony Blair instills more confidence in the United States than President Bush, according to a recent poll. In addition, those in several major U.S. allies reported only modest percentages who said they have confidence in Bush. Percent who said they have “a lot” or “some” confidence in each leader’s ability to do the right thing regarding worid affairs United States Blair Bush Britain Annan*** Blair Putin I 72% 71% * Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon •* Russian President Vladimir Putin *** U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan Percent who said they have confidence In President Bush A lotMHMI Some IliMM United States jMHMHEZZZ] 78% Britain WKEZZH 51 % France f 120% Germany BKlii 33% Russia O 8% Indonesia H 8% Pakistan 0 5% Kuwait MM 162% Israel HBHHEZZIll 83% NOTE: The polls of some 16,000 interviews in 31 languages were conducted April 28 to May 15 in 20 countries and among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. They have an error margin of 3 to 4 percent. SOURCE: Pew Research Center For The People & The Press AP