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i E BATTALION f mmn* Monday, February 16,2004 The Battalion 110 • Issue *>2 • 10 puj^es A Texas A&M I radii ion Since 1893 Sports: Aggie men’s tennis squad defeats Lamar. Page 6 vvww.thebatt.com PAGE DESIGN BY : LAUREN ROUSE ALCOHOL AWARENESS Officials at Texas A&M's Alcohol Drug Education program and The Brazos Valley Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse are warning students of the effects of alcohol. 693-9905 ^Call CARP00L at Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 a.m., for a free ride home Ilfa student wants to discuss an alcohol problem, he can call Dennis Reardon, program coordinator for Student Life at 845-02 80 and make an appointment ^Additional links available at www.thebatt.com RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE : ADEP AND CARPOOL Officials warn of alcohol dangers By Natalie Younts THE BATTALION Jimmy Meyer and his family were raised on farms, but his brother married a woman from a wealthy family who did not live on a farm. Meyer said alco hol allowed the families to relax at the wedding reception and get to know each other better. “If it hadn’t been for a little bit of beer and whiskey, we wouldn’t have been able to meld quite as well with the affluent people that were on the other side of the family,” said Meyer, assis tant manager of the Texas Hall of Fame in Bryan. “We could speak a little more easily between each other when we’d had a few drinks.” Besides relaxing them, Meyer said alcohol provided a topic of conversa tion; it was one of the few things they had in common. As much a part of college life as books and classes, alcohol is an admit ted part of Texas A&M’s culture. Northgate bars and dunking one’s Aggie ring in a pitcher of beer are just two in a series of Aggieland images. However, officials at A&M’s Alcohol and Drug Education Programs (ADEP) and The Brazos Valley Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse said they want to warn students of the effects of the misuse of alcohol. Jennifer Ford, programming coordi nator of ADEP, said a person has an alcohol problem if he drinks for the sole purpose of getting drunk. Ford said ADEP’s stance is that it wants students to be responsible about their use of alcohol. “We’re not a prohibitionist office,” she said. “We’re not anti-alcohol.” Ford said ADEP opposes underage drinking in all circumstances. “If you’re under 21, it’s against the law,” she said. “That’s not a morality question or a value question.” In the case that a student would like to talk to someone about a drug or alco hol-related problem, he can call 845- 0280 and make an appointment with Dr. Dennis Reardon, a full-time chem ical dependency counselor who sees students free of charge. Ford said ADEP counseling is con fidential, covered under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Organizations such as Caring Aggies are Protecting Over Our Lives (CARPOOL), organized in September 1999, provide free rides for students and strives to eliminate drinking and driving related accidents. Ben Carter, chair of operations for CARPOOL, said drinking can be OK if it does not lead to drunk driving or alcohol poisoning. “One night I might be working CAR- POOL, and the next night 1 might be taking CARPOOL home,” he said. “It’s all about making responsible decisions.” Meyer said he sees the good and bad effects of alcohol. “I do see some excessive drinking among college students that happens from time to time, but I think that’s just part of being a kid,” Meyer said. Meyer said alcohol allows some people to relax, reduce their tension See Alcohol on page 2 mm flat department begins search new department head iHT • THE BATTALIOK mg for the design m project. iz. Btls. jer Water r card. Oz. Can ches or onte cktaill r CARD. By Aerin Toussaint THE BATTALION Die Department of Statistics has begun an international search for a new department head to teplace James Calvin, who stepped down earlier this year to take another job within the University. Calvin resigned from the position he had Mdsince 1998 to take the job of executive asso ciate vice president for research at Texas A&M. T. Longnecker, former associate department head, is now serving as interim department head until the international search fot a replacement is completed. ^Department of Statistics will proba- bhotsuffer any drastic changes in naming a twdepartment head, said H. Joseph Newton, hofihtCollege of Sciences. Yamoonfident that Dr. Longnecker will continue Miwiage the department effectively,” Newton scud. Longnecker has served as associate head oftliedepartment and interacted with students ii the department and consulted with Calvin, Newton said. Elaine Reed, editorial assistant for the statistics , said she welcomes the chance for the receive more international attention, that the international search will bring publicity to the department,” she said. Longnecker said a small search party was formed through Newton’s appointment and by faculty vote. The committee will put announcements recruiting for the position in statistics journals and send memos to other statistics departments around the world. After a few months of searching, the com mittee will invite candidates in for interviews and recommend their choices to the dean, who will make the final decision, Longnecker said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to advertise the fact that our department is growing,” said senior lecturer Julie Hagen Carroll. James Matis, a professor in the statistics department and head of the search committee, said the department head position is more attractive to international candidates. “It’ll be great to have someone with that vision of growth since we are a highly ranked growing department,” Matis said. Matis said he anticipates that someone prominent could apply for the position. “The new head of the department could be a part of shaping the direction of the department and helping A&M achieve higher status interna tionally,” Matis said. Snyder brings educational txperience to district race If Anthony Woolstrum THE BATTALION Dot Snyder said she has an tnsive background in edu- :ilion and said that she is ready to take that experience to Washington to sent the ils in Congressional son who beats Edwards must do well in McLennan County, and I am the only person who can do that.” After Snyder received her undergraduate degree and Ph.D. in biostatistics from the University of Texas, she Third in a series on candidates running in Three lepublican andidates, Arlene Wohlgemuth, Dave McIntyre and Snyder, are competing in primaries for U.S. Congress in District 17. The winner will face Chet Edwards, D-Texas, in the general elec tion in November. "I am from McLennan [County and have deep roots Snyder said. “The per- focused her career on promoting education. She served the School on Waco Independent Board for five years, some of that time as president. Even with Snyder's experi ence in education, one of the concerns expressed by students at Texas A&M has been Synder’s inexperience with A&M. "If Dot Snyder does not See Snyder on page 2 JOSHUA L. HOBSON • THE BATTALION Dot Snyder talks to reporters in the Stark Galleries in the Memorial Student Center last week. Strike three Texas A&M baseball's junior left-hander Zach Jackson pitched a no-hitter in a 15-0 win in Saturday's game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Olsen Field. The game was Jackson's first game as an Aggie after trans- JOSHUA L. HOBSON • THE BATTALION ferring from the University of Louisville. The Aggies won all three games in the series against the Islanders and will be on the road Tuesday to play Sam Houston State in Huntsville. See story on page 6. Courts consider mental health claims By Jim Vertuno THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN — In the year and a half since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled mentally retarded inmates cannot be executed, state and federal appeals courts have delayed or sent back to trial 41 Texas death row cases to decide whether the killer was mentally retarded, says a group that tracks the claims. Critics of the Texas’ capital punishment sys tem say the numbers show death row has dozens of people who may be ineligible for execution. Death penalty supporters wonder if inmates are trying to delay justice by jamming the courts with new claims of mental retardation. Both sides agree the Legislature should change state law to decide mental retardation earlier to reduce the burden on appeals courts. When the Supreme Court ruled, it left it up to the states to determine mental retardation, and the Texas criminal justice system has been groping See Court on page 2 [The BATTALION' Online Weekly Poll last Week's Results: "What are you doing for Valentine's Day?" 46% [U Spending the day with your loved one 44% Qj This love stuff is really not for you 6% Spending a lot of money 4% Q Eating a lot of chocolate This Week’s Poll: "Given the choice, would you pay a fee to use the Rec Center?" Take this poll at: www.thebatt.com RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION Bloody Haitian uprising kills about 50 people By Michael Norton THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Defying government loyalists, hundreds of activists demonstrated against President Jean- Bertrand Aristide on Sunday as exiled para military forces joined rebels in a bloody uprising that has killed some 50 people. Shouting “Down with Aristide!” mem bers of a broad opposition alliance known as the Democratic Platform massed for the demonstration in Port-au-Prince, saying they didn’t support violence but shared the same goal as the rebels — ousting the embattled president. Militants loyal to Aristide crushed a similar anti-government demonstration on Thursday, stoning opponents and blocking the protest route. There has been a steady string of protests since mid-September. “We’re still dealing with pacific, nonvi olent means, but let me tell you we have one goal,” said Gilbert Leger, a lawyer and opposition member. “We do support (rebel) efforts.” The rebels launched a rebellion nine days ago from Gonaives, 70 miles north west of Port-au-Prince and Haiti’s fourth- largest city, seeking to oust Aristide. The rebels have fortified Gonaives with flaming barricades, rusted cars and discarded refrigerators. Although the rebels are still thought to number less than Haiti’s 5,000-member police force, paramilitary leaders and police living in exile in the Dominican Republic have reportedly joined them. Two Dominican soldiers were killed on the Dominican border at Dajabon on Saturday and their weapons were taken from them. It was unclear who was responsible for the killings, but in recent days a force of 20 men led by exiled paramilitary leader Louis- Jodel Chamblain crossed the border. Dominican President Hipolito Mejia said Sunday that authorities would arrest any Haitian suspected of taking part in the uprising who tries to enter the Dominican Republic. Louis-Jodel Chamblain, a former Haitian soldier who headed army death See Uprising on page 2