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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2004)
«. *' V V S Wednesday, June 2, 2004 neI THE BAXIAL by Will Uoy<A NEWS IN BRIEF University training vessel ordered back to port GALVESTON (AP) - A universi ty’s annual summer training cruise is on hold after a leak was discovered on board the stu dents’ vessel. The Texas Clipper II serves as a floating classroom for students of Texas A&M at Galveston earning their licenses to work as Merchant Marine officers. It was to have sailed to Port Canaveral, Fla., and then on to Ireland, England and Puerto Rico before returning to the Lone Star State. But shortly after departure, crew members on Monday discovered a problem with seals on the 394-foot training vessel, Capt. Sam Stephenson told the university’s associate vice president for research and academic affairs, James McCloy. Coast Guard rules enacteij, the Sept. 11 terrorists attadul vented the ship from port on Monday. Ships arei:| Coast Guard officials 901 notice before entering ports, said McCloy. The ship was anchored shore late Monday evej awaiting Coast Guard app.; return to the dock at Texas! at Galveston. Loans Continued from page 1 The share of poor students who borrowed stayed about the same over the decade, almost 50 percent. Yet higher participation came among the upper income range of the “average family.” By 2000, about half of students from middle- income families had taken out loans. Among students at the highest end of the income range — from families making $124,600 per year — 35 percent took loans, up from 13 percent in 1990. The loans often went toward more expen sive schools. “Families have just decided that this was a good resource,” Choy said. “The loans are low- interest. They’re easy to get — any student can get them. They’re just deciding to borrow through student loans as opposed to whatever else they would have done, ... possibly even instead of using savings.” After grants and loans, the net price to stu dents for all college expenses at public four-year colleges remained the same from 1990 to 2000: $8,000. But it took more loans to make that hap pen, and after-college debt has become a grow ing concern. The report found that, on average, students from the higher-income families had enough to pay for college, while poorer ones still paid more than their expected share under federal standards. The hope is that financial aid will keep] so “tuition doesn’t outpace us at rates I make it impossible for people to go to colt said Sally Stroup, assistant secretary forp ondary education. In 2000, 71 percent of students got somelj cial aid, up from 54 percent in 1990. The college aid report is part of The Coni of Education 2(X)4, an annual progress rep<| student achievement gains, dropout rates, s.J choice and many other measures. wc of mi the mt tfii Gasoline Continued from page 1 the New York Mercantile Stock Exchange. “There obviously is a fear premium,” said Seth Kleinman, an oil market analyst at PFC Energy, a Washington-based consult ing firm. While there always has been such a premium in oil prices, with the targeting of Saudi’s oil industry, “It’s gotten a lot further, and it’s gotten a lot bigger.” One reason is that Saudi Arabia, which pumps 10 percent of the world’s oil, is the only producer that has significant spare capacity to produce more as needed to stem demand and prices, economists said. While the attacks did not target Saudi pipelines, terminals or oil fields directly, the psychological impact has rat tled the markets. After receding somewhat last week, the price of light crude for July delivery jumped $2.45, settling Tuesday at a record $42.33 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. “Increasing terrorist activities around the world and uncer tainty and instability have driven oil prices over the last six months. It’s not a lack of supply,” argues Fadel Gheit, an energy strategist for Oppenheimer and Co. in New York. Gheit estimates that when oil prices were at roughly $42 a barrel, as much as $15 might have been generated by traders pushing up prices because of worry over disruptions. Other esti mates have put the fear premium at $5 to $12 a barrel. The size of the premium, whatever it may be, is of less importance than that it exists and has helped propel gasoline prices to record levels to the current average of more than $2 a gallon nationwide. The cost of crude accounts for nearly half of the cost of a gal lon of gasoline at retail pumps, according to the Energy Department. Energy economists estimate an additional $1 in the cost of crude adds 2.4 cents to the retail price of gasoline. Analysts said tight crude supplies, growing demand and a refining industry struggling to produce enough gasoline has added to the gas price surge. But the Khobar rampage and the killing on May 1 of six Westerners at Yanbu, a Saudi refinery and petrochemical hub, have escalated the fear factor because they dissolved the notion that Saudi Arabia could protect its oil complexes, according to analysts. These incidents “have shattered the market’s confidence that everything was well-protected in Saudi Arabia,” said Amy Myers Jaffe, a director of energy programs at the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. “Before, there were pipeline attacks in Iraq, general instability. But the (Saudi) attacks turned ongoing anxiety into deep anxiety.” Al-Qaida terrorists, claiming responsibility for the Khobar attack, said the aim was to disrupt oil markets, psychologically if not by blowing up a pipeline, oil terminal or tanker. A similar message was made clear to oil markets when Iraqi insurgents recently unsuccessfully targeted an Iraqi oil terminal. Many oil industry analysts estimate that without the cloud of uncertainty posed by terrorists and the continued violence in Iraq, oil prices probably would be in the $30 range. They say there’s still plenty of oil available. Some analysts believe speculators are using the fear of possi ble disruptions to game the system and push prices beyond where they should be even assuming some disruption. The Bush administration's high-profile stance that it will not use its emergency government oil reserves has made it easier for oil speculators to drive up prices, contends Jaffe. “He is giving them (speculators) a security blanket,” agrees Gheit of Oppenheimer, explaining that traders have been able to push up prices for oil deliveries at a future date without fearing they may be caught in a price squeeze if the governmerit should release oil from its emergency stocks. Has the fear premium become a permanent part of today’s crude oil markets? “The fear factor might narrow a little bit,” said Gheit. “But I doubt it will completely disappear. We better get used to it.” MARBLE SUB CREAMERY BUV ONE BANANA SPLIT, GET ONE FREE! PRESENT THIS AD AND BUY ONE BANANA SPLIT AND GET A SECOND AT EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE FREE. For a dessert with a real split personality, try a magnificent Marble Slab Creamery® banana split. Or better yet, buy one and get one free. That's two banana splits made with your favorite superpremium ice cream, mixins and toppings for the price of one. Fruit, ice cream and fun - what could be better? Limit one per customer. Expires ^31/04. Valid only at: Old Navy Shopping Center in College Station 979-694-7850 THE ONE. THE ONLY. THE original: Mention this ad to receive $50 off your first catering. www.MarbleSlab.com Award Continued from page 1 u international as well.” Kamprath said he had his share of inter esting experiences with the event, including when he was cleaning out a barn and found a large snake his sophomore year. “I didn’t want to kill it, but my friend picked it up and chopped its head off,” he said. Kamprath said one of his favorite memo ries was when he planted flowers and painted at a retirement home in Bryan his freshman year. After completing the work, he and his team went inside and talked to the residents. “I don’t think they get a lot of interaction with college students,” he said. The Big Event is the largest one-day, stu dent-run service organization in the world, Kamprath said. The Big Event is our way, as college students at Texas A&M, to say 'thank you' to the community for putting up with us... — Richard Kamprath senior electrical engineering major He said students work all year and attend weekly meetings, although it is a one-day event. "We start planning the next BigE week after the Big Event happens,le Cantu said The Big Event was May IS and selected by an indepej panel of judges from different parts ofl: One overall youth winner til announced at the June 16 conference.sit Keep Brazos Beautiful had been for several years to get enough inform from The Big Event to nominate itfc award, Glenn said. “We figured if we could get itallte er we knew that they would probaf able to win,” she said. Kamprath said he is happy Ik Event is being recognized for help improve the community. “It shows a lot of work and dedi; goes into it,” he said, “We’re really hap receive an award that shows howgiea: pie can be w hen they put a little effor ] te£ na fir Mi fir rig inj Ad Ur se< leg se< 01 ac th; wi atl co to I I wl Prosecutors open their case in thi Peterson double-murder trial fai sit tic ev ioi or By Brian Skoloff THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Within a day of reporting his pregnant wife missing, Scott Peterson lied about his extramarital affair, gave con flicting accounts of his where abouts and brushed off in-laws helping search for Laci Peterson, prosecutors said in opening arguments of Peterson’s murder trial Tuesday. Prosecutor Rick Distaso wants jurors to connect those dots, along with other circum stantial evidence, to conclude Peterson killed his wife. Peterson, 31, could face the death penalty or life without parole if convicted in a trial that is expected to last up to six months. From the moment Peterson called his mother-in-law on Christmas Eve 2002 and said he had returned from a fishing trip to an empty house, things didn’t make sense, Distaso said. “He says, ‘Mom, Laci’s missing,”’ Distaso told jurors. “Right then, Sharon Rocha knew that things were very seri ously wrong.” By nightfall, family had joined police to investigate a missing person report h that would unfold into a case that captivated the nation. Their search first focused on a park near the couple’s Modesto home, where Laci Peterson, eight months preg nant, used to walk the family’s golden retriever before a doctor recommended she stop because of recurring dizziness. In the park, a panicked Rocha was rifling through garbage cans in the fog-shroud ed evening. When she saw Scott Peterson, she asked, ““What’s going on ? Where were you fish ing?’” Distaso said. After giving Rocha “one-word respon Peterson wandered off, the: ecutor said. Distaso ticked off wfc implied were a series of Peterson told. Peterson told Rocha he fishing on San Francisco hut later told Laci PeteT uncle and two neighbors lie been golfing all day. He was unable to tell policed had been trying to catch d fishing trip. He told investigators th never had an affair —a lie would become very public his mistress, massage thei Amber Frey, stepped fom Gates Continued from page 1 excellence,” he said. Texas A&M Board of Regents member John D. White was also encouraged by the statistics. “I’m very pleased with the progress,” White said. “I think the most important consideration is our graduation rate, but Gates’ report validates the message that we want students who can be successful admitted to A&M.” Student Body President Jack Hildebrand said the fall admis sion numbers show that Gates’ decision to use merit-based admissions policy is effective. “A&M has proven to be a more welcoming place and a unique environment for all stu dents to attend,” Hildebrand said. Anderson said there is no concrete goal in terms of per centages. “Such an estimate would be impossible because there are too many complex factors in an individual student’s decision on which school to attend,” Anderson said. White says the administra tion is still working on achiev- c ing a critical mass and admissions numbers reflect the population state of Texas. “We want to reflect thef lation of the state ofl because that’s who we’re lx serve and the closer we a r to that, the better off well White said. “This is obvioii dynamic process and change over time.” The Battalioi Joshua Hobson, Editor in Chief Elizabeth Webb, Managing Editor Brian Cain, News Editor Julie Bone, Aggielife Editor Jordan Meserole, Sports Editor George Deutsch, Opinion Editor Liuren Rouse, Copy Chief Ruben DeLuna, Graphics Editor JP Beato III, Photo Editor Kendra Kingsley, Radio Producer Bing Shi, Webmaster THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday din ing the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. 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