The Battalion
Volume 110 • Issue 83 • 10 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
Sports:
Slocum’s
injuries are
becoming a
thing of the past.
Page 6
www.thebatt.com
PAGE DESIGN BY : LAUREN ROUSE
High flyin’
Readership program
to be tested at A&M
|P BfATO HI • THE BATTALION
| Harlem Globetrotter Curley "Boo" Johnson entertains spectators during the team's performance at Reed Arena on Monday
| night. The Globetrotters are currently on their 78th consecutive season, 220-game tour of North America. The team's next stop
| on the tour will be in Waco Tuesday. See more photos on the web.
By Carrie Pierce
THE BATTALION
Newspapers from around the nation
and region will soon make their debut at
Texas A&M.
USA Today, in a joint effort with the
A&M Student Government Association, is
bringing the USA Today Collegiate
Readership Program to A&M as a pilot test
program Feb. 9 through March 2, to see
how many Aggies regularly read a regional
or national newspaper and if students
would be interested in a new free paper dis
tribution system.
According to the USA Today Web site.
The Collegiate Readership Program began
in 1997 at Pennslyvania State University.
The program will allow students to pick
up national, regional and local newspapers
from stands and vendors around campus,
said Chris Diem, SGA vice president for
student affairs and a junior political sci
ence major.
“These papers will be given out for free
for six weeks,” Diem said. “Students will
also be asked to fill out a short survey.”
Newspapers that will be available
include USA Today, The New York Times,
The Houston Chronicle, The Bryan-
College Station Eagle and The Dallas
Morning News, Diem said.
For the trial run, seven vendors will be
set up throughout campus.
If students respond well to the pilot pro
gram, the papers will be available perma
nently for free. Diem said.
“USA Today Collegiate is a program
that exists through many college campuses
including some of our Big 12 counter
parts,” said Matt Josefy, a senior account
ing major and student body president.
Josefy said USA Today approached
r^SSISS^—
USA Today and the Student
Government Association are testing
a pilot newspaper program that will
bring free regional and national
papers to campus.
► Newspapers include:
-USA Today
-The New York Times
-The Houston Chronicle
-The Bryan-College Station Eagle
-The Dallas Morning News
► Trial period is Feb. 9 - March 2
ANDREW BURLESON
THE BATTALION
SOURCE:SGA
A&M because it ran a similar program in
the residence halls a few years ago.
, “SGA chose to pursue this because we
think it's a service that could benefit stu
dents,” Josefy said.
The objective of this pilot program is to
provide students the opportunity to access
papers more easily and become more
informed. Diem said.
“This would be a good resource for stu
dents here,” he said.
Josefy said the program will give stu
dents the opportunity to see what is going
on in other parts of the nation.
“This gives students an opportunity to
pick up a newspaper they wouldn't nor
mally have access to and increase their
knowledge of issues,” Josefy said.
See Program on page 2
lectrical fire
amages 9 stores
t Post Oak Mall
By Melissa Sullivan
THE BATTALION
The cause of a tire that started in a shoe store at Post Oak
^lall early Saturday morning has been determined to be elec
trical, said Bart Humphreys, public information officer for the
College Station Fire Department.
Humphreys said CSFD arrived at the mall at 3:51 a.m. after
[he tire alarm triggered the automatic sprinkler system.
I The tire began in the rear of Journey’s shoe store at approx
imately 3:46 a.m. Eight surrounding stores, including Trevor’s,
pordon's Jewelers, Wicks-n-Sticks, Victoria's Secret, Coffee
Beanery, Aggieland Outfitters, Gadzooks, Wet Seal and six
posks, had water and smoke damage, Humphreys said.
“We can’t tell the exact point of origin, and we can't tell
vhy it started,” Humphreys said.
Jack Love, mall general manager, said the fire caused two
kprinkler system heads to burst. Love said those were the two
ihat were supposed to go off.
1 “The tire sprinkler system did what it was supposed to do,”
lie said.
Love said the sprinkler system is designed to contain fires
In small areas until the fire department an ives.
I The mall has not determined the cost of the damages, Love
[aid. All the stores that were damaged are now open, except
/ictoria’s Secret.
Victoria’s Secret is awaiting its corporate company to assess
lie cost of the damages. Love said.
I Anna Arevlo, manager of Trevor’s, said the store opened
Iwo hours later on Sunday so it could be cleaned,
j Arevalo said the most damage was done near the wall adja
cent to Aggieland Outfitters because water was seeping under-
See Fire on page 2
M
Republican candidates vie
to challenge Dem. Edwards
By Anthony Woolstrum
THE BATTALION
State representatives, judges, commission
ers and the sheriff gathered at the Hilton
Hotel for lunch Monday afternoon to rally
support for the Republican candidates run
ning in the March 15 primary elections.
The Brazos County Republican Club host
ed a forum focusing on the District 17 U.S.
Congressional candidates and the Court of
Appeals candidates.
Each candidate was given three minutes
to explain why he was best-suited for his
respective office.
The candidate who wins the
Congressional primary elections will then
proceed to challenge Democrat Chet
Edwards, the 14-year incumbent.
“I am running on the principles that I
believe define being a conservative, which
PHOTOS BY: SHARON AESCHBACH • THE BATTALION
Top: Dave McIntyre recently filed with the
Republican Party to appear on the March 9
primary ballot. He is a candidate for the 17th
congressional district and is running against
two other challengers. Above: Dot Snyder is
the president of the Waco ISD school board..
Right: Arlene Wohlgemuth is a state repre
sentative since 1994 and an Aggie mom. All
candidates spoke at a Republican Party con
ference Monday afternoon at the Hilton Hotel
in College Station.
are limited government, individual liberties,
free enterprise and traditional family val
ues,” said Republican representative Arlene
Wohlgemuth.
Wohlgemuth is currently the representa
tive for the state district that is encompassed
by District 17.
She said campaigning for multiple years
from the same geographical area that the
incumbent Edwards has run from will give
her an edge over the other candidates.
In addition to this, after authoring a bill that
saved Texas $1.1 billion last session,
Wohlgemuth said she is best-suited to handle
the national debt crisis, which continues to sur
face as one of the hot issues in this race.
Retired Col. Dave McIntyre said he is the
best qualified to handle issues on the national
level because he has experience in the field.
McIntyre said all of the other candidates have
only worked on the state level.
McIntyre graduated from West Point
Military Academy with a B.S. in engineering,
has received his masters in English and
American literature from Auburn University,
and received his doctorate in political science
from the University of Maryland.
“I’m a strategist. My background is not in
politics. I think of longterm issues and how
to bring them to bear in the forefront,”
McIntyre said. “If these issues were easy to
solve, then the politicians would have
already solved them.”
With this philosophy and past experiences,
McIntyre said he is prepared to tackle the
issues of veteran affairs, military spending
and the national debt.
See Candidates on page 2
TFVFR TAP
tr
Bush proposes $2.4 trillion budget with huge deficits
I
Jennifer Wood
Elementary Education
Brooke Marie Blevins
Marketing
Tonight
10:30 p.m.
Academic Plaza
By Alan Fram
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — President
George W. Bush proposed a $2.4
trillion budget on Monday slicing
scores of programs from prisons to
arts education in the face of record
federal deficits and the costs of war.
His budget chief warned a fresh
request for operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan could reach $50 billion.
The election-year blueprint
would pour funds into the military,
domestic security and some edu
cation and health initiatives. It
provides the first dollars for what
ultimately could be a hugely
expensive effort to visit Mars, and
renews his call for making perma
nent the tax cuts he has shoved
through Congress.
Handcuffed by shortfalls he proj
ects will surge to an unprecedented
$521 billion this year, the spare plan
for 2005 offers few dramatic initia
tives. It is aimed mostly at familiar
Bush priorities like war, terrorism,
the economy and struggling schools
plus a new goal: Halving the deficit
in five years, which he projects he
will achieve with a 2009 shortfall of
$237 billion.
“I’m confident our budget
addresses a very serious situa
tion,” he said at a Cabinet meet
ing. “And that is that we are at war
and we had dealt with a recession.
And our budget is able to address
those significant factors in a way
that reduces the deficit in half.”
Last year’s deficit hit $375 bil
lion, the highest ever in dollar
terms. Though Bush projects next
year’s red ink at $364 billion, that
excludes U.S. military efforts in
Iraq and Afghanistan, which White
House budget director Joshua
Bolten said could hit an “upper
limit” of another $50 billion.
“Hopefully the needs will be
less, but it will all depend entirely on
the security situation,” said Bolten.
Administration officials say
that request would come next year
— after this November’s presiden
tial and congressional elections.
See Bush on page 2