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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2003)
NATIOS THE BAITALIOS THE WASHINGTON ated sentences for® AGGliUK: Too young to run? • Page 3 OPINION: Ticket this • Page 5 THF RATTAT TON Jmrn JMm JLm wMLmJI iJL JUL JKL JkL «JL JmkmJmrnmJil Mm Mm Volume 109 • Issue 147 • 6 pages 109 Years Serving Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Thursday, June 5, 2003 Regents weigh Easterwood upgrade meeting By Rob Munson THE BATTALION The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents will con sider new ramp construction and taxiway improvements at Easterwood Airport today and Friday. Funding for the new ramp, which would be built on the airport’s west side, comes from a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aviation Improvement Program. The retrograde improvements to i taxiway would add $200,000 to the Easterwood project. John Happ, Easterwood Airport director of aviation, said the funding for the new ramp is already available but must be approved by the Board of Regents because the amount is in excess of $1 million. “We’ve always had support from the Board of Regents for any improvements for customer safety and service at Easterwood Airport,” he said. Happ said 30-50 planes would be able to park on the new ramp, and it would free up the airport’s general runway in case of an emergency. “The airport is extremely pleased that Representative Carter and Sen. Cornyn have continued to support by providing FAA grant money through the Aviation Improvement Program,” he said. Easterwood Airport is an auxil iary enterprise and receives no money from A&M. Other construction would include a new hangar for Texas Task Force 1, the urban search-and-rescue team, on the airport’s west side. Bob Wright, A&M University System spokesman, said discussion on tuition increases will be pushed back to the next Board of Regents meeting in July. The Texas Legislature recently passed a bill deregulating tuition in the state, and the regents will wait to discuss any tuition increases until deregulation effects can be dis cussed, he said. The board will also be asked to approve changes to plans for the new residence life headquarters. The proposed changes call for a $1.9 million increase to $13.2 million and relocating the building’s site. The new site will be located west of Sbisa Dining Hall, next to Haas Residence Hall. mill < nitMtlrr • Taxiuiay and ramp for Eastermood Airport • fl neio residence life headquarters * Tuition increases mill be discussed at the July meeting RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE: TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM er ease through a two-incl- rt on one of his case:, r-old charged wii oages of personal hi story of his chariial ; sentencing altera- m explanation of wlf ihould give thedefen- ak — family mate :ters, abuse problem! etters written on lit u’re going to tab s life for three,fa ears,” says Hoeltei e the obligation! ything you can akl , the crime, thed- s and anything M on — and then all ion. >f people view wilt- s as these nefari# hieves. There isctt- of stuff that happ# But there but fork d goes an awful lotof ion ■ing enacted in 1981 I sentencing guide floated to a thousand a complexity of id downward vari es can make in 15D ories. delines were prontnl- le notion that faimesi g would happen-tlK >s a 7-Eleven for$K# hit for 10 years wki i robs the savings and '() million gets prob! loelter. “But nowifi mt has reshaped tb il judicial systemlf iretion out of tb Is. ody goes to jail v a presumption of m,” says Hoeltei, this hats contribute! al prison population rom 30,000 in 198» low. his finger down) codes and figures months in prisonin ng guidelines. “You at the number of /ery few,” he says- /eminent firmly white-collar defen- ) spend a lot of time learn their lesson- our job all themoie iys approach - Flag Saturday and e Day in July, sage is less likely tional amendment '-thirds majority in and Senate and three-fourths ol res. n American flag pect for America, hty of the American >ve of legally pro- Glory, supporters ow its defacement ' country's gradual Rep. Steve Chabot Chemistry of life Cotton shares his research with inorganic chemistry classes By Megan Orton THE BATTALION TERESA WEAVER • THE BATTALION Dr. F. Albert Cotton has been a professor of inorganic chemistry at Texas A&M since 1972. Cotton recently named a chemical after A&M. Thirty-one years ago Dr. F. Albert Cotton came to Texas A&M with a passion for science. Now that passion, combined with his feelings for A&M, has allowed Cotton to excel in the field of chemistry. KXChlS He recently coined the name tamuic acid for a chemical compound used in research on the origins of colors, after the abbreviation TAMU commonly used for Texas A&M. Cotton also named a larger compound used in the research, texic acid. ) “Not after t.u.,” Cotton said. “Just after (trie state.” Although the two compounds are not new to science, practically nothing was known about them until now, Cotton said. Since the systematic names for the com pounds were long and complex, he chose tamuic acid and texic acid for what chemists call trivial names used during research. Cotton teaches an advanced inorganic chemistry course for first-year graduate students and undergraduate seniors. “I think I’ve always wanted to be in the academic environment,” he said. He said the one thing he can’t live with out is interesting work to do. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Temple University and his Ph.D. from Harvard, he taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Hyears before coming to A&M in 1972. “The shift from MIT to Texas A&M was abigchange, but I have no regrets at all. It was a good move,” Cotton said. Cotton’s co-workers said he is a delight to work with. “He is really fun to work with,” said Beverly Moore, an administrative assistant in the chemistry department who has worked with Cotton for 12 years. “He has a dry sense of humor, but he’s just a jewel.” Cotton and his family live on a ranch near College Station, where his daughter Jennifer raises, breeds, trains and shows horses. Cotton said horses are one of his passions in life and has ridden them since his early 20s. “They are just wonderful animals,” he said. “They build your character, because you can’t make a horse do anything, you have to persuade them.” Cotton said spending time with his fam ily, reading biographies and listening to music are also important activities in his life. Cotton said he has been blessed and is glad he is where he is right now. “Life has been great, and I wouldn’t have missed it,” he said. “Of course if I had missed it, I wouldn’t have known how great it could be.” Mideast leaders take first steps toward peace Leaders pledge Mideast cooperation Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas each made concessions Wednesday at a Mideast summit with President Bush in Jordan. Abbas ► Acknowledged Israel’s right to exist side by side with a Palestinian state. ► Vowed to end terror attacks on all Israelis, implying an inclusion of soldiers and settlers. ► Pledged to allow weapons only in the hands of those in charge of upholding law and order. Sharon ► “Immediately begin to remove unauthorized outposts” in the West Bank. ► Accepted the principle of a Palestinian state. ► Government understands "the importance of territorial contiguity” in the West Bank, instead of disconnected parcels of land. Bush ► Promised training and support for a “new, restructured Palestinian security service.” ► Appointed longtime diplomat John Wolf to head U.S. “mission on the ground” to help the parties and monitor progress. SOURCES: Summit transcript; Associated Press By Terence Hunt THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AQABA, Jordan — Israeli Trime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas launched a groundbreak ing peace plan Wednesday with President Bush’s encourage ment, offering once-unthinkable Pledges in hopes of ending decades of Mideast bloodshed. In statements choreographed the United States, Sharon Promised to immediately begin dismantling unauthorized Jewish outposts on the West Sank, while Abbas — speaking in Arabic — explicitly asserted trial the “armed intefadeh must e nd,” referring to the Palestinians’ 32-month uprising against Israel. “Our goal is clear and we will implement it firmly and without compromise: a com plete end to violence and terror ism,” Abbas promised. Sharon and Abbas stood alongside Bush and Jordan’s King Abdullah II at matching lecterns set up at the monarch’s summer palace on the Gulf of Aqaba. “Good job,” Bush quiet ly remarked as each prime min ister completed his address. The summit had as much symbolism as substance. What was important was that televi sion audiences throughout the Mideast saw Sharon, Israel’s most prominent hawk, and Abbas, the new Palestinian prime minister, shake hands and agree to plunge ahead with diffi cult commitments to achieve peace. And just as importantly, Bush stood before the cameras and pledged to stay involved, staking his prestige on an endeavor that has no guarantee of success. “The failures and frustra tions of the past have left many disbelievers in their wake,” Abdullah said as he declared support for the peace plan. Bush told reporters later he was cau tious about the outcome because other efforts have failed, most See Mideast on page 2 Speeding tops traffic violations By Rob Munson THE BATTALION Running red lights and speeding top the list of traffic violations in Bryan-College Station, local authorities said. Jason Page, a senior electri cal engineering major, said College Station police have stopped him four times, and he knows three were avoidable. “Twice I have been stopped for going maybe five miles per hour over the limit very early in the morning,” he said. “They got me for running a red light the other time.” Page said he tries to adhere to traffic laws, particularly at night, because he knows police watch for intoxicated drivers. “It’s not uncommon for motorists to speed up to beat a red light,” said Sgt. Ben Smith, head of Bryan Police Department’s traffic division. Smith said the small portion of college students who live in Bryan makes it hard to break down and identify specific driv ing behavior by age. There are no known viola tions that are unique to college students, Smith said. Smith said Bryan officers increase patrols during fraterni ty and sorority rush week, holi days, New Year’s Eve and ChiliFest, but college students are not necessarily the target group for traffic stops or DWIs. “We strongly encourage everybody to wear seat belts because we work too many accidents where lives could have been saved by seat belts,” he said. Smith said drivers should pay more attention to driving by staying off cell phones, watching for hazard vehicles and waiting a few seconds if they are the lead car at an intersection. H.K. Pitts, a former driving education instructor and Texas Department of Public Safety See Traffic on page 2 BAD DRIVERS BEWARE Three most common driving errors: Failure to signal lane changes / turns B Running red lights/speeding Failure to adjust driving to roadway and weather conditions RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE: H.K. PITTS, BRYAN POLICE DEPARTMENT U.S. troops move into area of Iraqi resistance By Chris Tomlinson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HABANIYAH, Iraq — In a high-profile show of force, the U.S. military poured more than 1,500 combat troops into a swath of central Iraq on Wednesday, signaling that any violent resistance to American occupation would be met with harsh punishment. U.S. troops, sweeping out dust and sifting through debris left by looters, set up their head quarters at two Iraqi air bases and a railroad station outside Fallujah and Habaniyah, cities where anti-American demon strations and attacks have been particularly aggressive. Commanders have tripled the number of troops around the cities in a bid to quell supporters of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party and decrease the sniping at American patrols that has killed two U.S. servicemen at a check point. Conservative Sunni Muslims wield great influence in the communities. No immediate problems were reported as the forces deployed. The combat troops from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade arrived to take over the area from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Two battal ion-sized task forces took up positions around the city of Fallujah, 30 miles west of Baghdad; another task force took over two military airfields in Habaniyah, five miles farther west. Two major highways con necting Baghdad to Syria and Jordan run through the two cities, where about 300 soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment have maintained a mostly symbolic presence. But after violent demonstra tions and several attacks on U.S. troops, commanders decided to send in the battle-tested 2nd Brigade, which captured most of Baghdad during the war. In addition to patrolling the area, the brigade will also work with local leaders on community service projects at schools and hospitals to improve relations with residents. Lt. Gen. David McKieman, commander of American ground forces in Iraq, said he doubted See Troops on page 2