Tuesday, August 3, 2004
he Battalion
)lume 110 • Issue 180 • 6 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
AGGIELIFE:
When time
is money
Page 3
www.thebatt.com
PACE DESIGN BY: RACHEL SMITH
SC hopes to share 1939 championship title
By Shawn C. Millender
THE BATTALION
'e in irMn the world of college football, programs are of-
iei measured by the number of national champion-
1 ps they win. When the 1939 Aggies beat Tulane,
1 -13, in the Sugar Bowl, they were ensured a place
[ et w in Texas A&M’s football history as the only team to
Pelting a championship home to College Station.
■ The University of Southern California, however,
has disagreed with the results of the 1938-39 season,
wajollAccording to a July 27 article in the Los An-
''some-l
foro|
tie wah
eltdow
econ
said.
iuttkii
geles Times, USC has laid claim to a share of the
1939 national title.
According to the NCAA, which does not name
a national champion in football, three teams were
ranked atop at least one of the 13 polls. Texas
A&M (11-0) ranked number one in 10 of them,
while Cornell University (8-0) and USC (8-0-2)
garnered two and one, respectively.
“There was a strong calling around here to
claim another national championship,” said USC
Sports Communication Director Tim Tessalone.
“We found that there were six other years where
USC could claim a portion of the national cham
pionship, and we decided after some significant
research to claim 1939 as one of our 10 titles.”
Tessalone said a ceremony is planned to recog
nize the surviving members of the 1939 team dur
ing an Oct. 16 home game against Arizona State.
USC’s claim is based upon winning the 1939 Knute
Rockne trophy for being ranked No. 1 by the Dickin
son poll, a mathematic system devised by University
of Illinois economics professor Frank Dickinson.
Over the poll’s 14-year run from 1926-40, an
average of 3.2 teams were recognized as national
champions by the NCAA, including five in 1935.
In 1919, the National Championship Foundation
awarded its national championship to A&M’s team,
which went undefeated and unscored upon. Though
A&M is listed along with fellow national champions
Harvard, Notre Dame and Illinois, A&M only recog
nizes the 1939 team as a national championship team.
Tessalone said Aggie fans should not feel slight
ed by the claim.
“I’m not sure why they should be upset,” Tessalone
See California on page 2
Jonfire Memorial
ledication set in stone
See-saw
By Erin Price
THE BATTALION
es. GH
ibers
'n u
ng fi
ents
test™As the final touches are being made to
i ini* Bonfire Memorial, former and cur-
'CliaMit students remember Bonfire ’99 and its
1 Mi jvi, iims. Joel Neuber, Class of 2002, has a
cular. lecial connection with Bonfire and said the
list ■emorial’s dedication on Nov. 18, 2004 will
:ct > important for all Aggies to attend,
about“I really appreciate the fact that the me-
ictionvlorial takes the time to recap the history of
aft Bi nfire and what it meant to the students at
ist al iTi uisA&M,” Neuber said.
ricaMNeuber said it is important for visitors to
educanjirderstand that Bonfire was not just about
just lie final product, but the work that went into
rams. It ind the dedication of those, like Bryan Mc-
troubli'Bain, Class of 2002. McClain was Nueber’s
maysItMend on Squadron 2 and one of the 12 vic-
rnati tins of the Bonfire collapse.
m 1 “Bryan had such a passion for Bonfire,”
ig preBueber said. “He would sneak out of his sec-
:as,ttof>rd story dorm window at night to go work
10 ii as: on the stack.”
While Neuber did not know the other vic
tims, he said that the individual portals at the
memorial will give everyone a chance to get
to know the fellow Aggies who gave their
lives giving to Texas A&M.
Jack Hildebrand, student body president
and senior accounting major, said the dedica
tion day will be a day of respect and honor to
the families whose loved ones gave their lives.
New students are encouraged to learn about
how much students put into Bonfire, he said.
“1 would encourage all students to go be
cause this is a tradition of A&M,” Hildeb
rand said. “The symbolism and design of the
memorial is really amazing. Aggies should
be proud.”
The planning for the memorial was a col
laboration of designers, students, faculty and
especially the victims’ families, said Martha
Raney, administrative assistant in the Bon
fire Memorial Office. Involving the families
helped them feel a sense of investment in the
final product, she said.
See Bonfire on page 2
ima
Dave Morris • THE BATTALION
he Bonfire Memorial, located on the University Polo Fields, will be dedicated on Nov. 18. The memorial was built in
lemory of the 12 Aggies who died in the 1999 Bonfire collapse, as well as to symbolize the Aggie Spirit.
Visitors workshop set for Aug. 18
Junior animal science major Brian Hayes uses a circular saw to cut
pieces of fiberglass to be used for window sills at the Casablanca apart-
DAVE MORRIS* THE BATTALION
ment complex Monday. Hayes also performs other duties around the
complex, including painting and installing appliances.
By Emily Guevara
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M’s International Center, along
ith the Dean of Faculties, Phi Beta Delta
ternational Honor Society and the Brazos
alley Fulbright Chapter will present the
Costing International Visitors workshop on
|.ug. 18 in Rudder 701.
Linda Edwards, Interim Director of the
Jitemational Center, said the workshop is
learning experience for those interested in
ealing with people of other cultures.
“We will give our attendees tips and in-
mnation on culture for their visitor’s enter
tainment and dietary needs,” Edwards said.
“This is the first year they are opening
lip (the workshop) to the employees of the
ities of Bryan and College Station and the
hamber of Commerce of Brazos Valley,”
aid Kim Fox, administrative assistant of the
atemational Center. “In the past this work-
Ihop has only been available to faculty or
taffat A&M.”
Edwards said hosting an international
visitor is challenging due to various cultural
and dietary differences, thus it is important
to think about these things before hand.
“You have to do your homework and be
prepared,” Edwards said.
Fox said the workshop will provide at
tendees with specific information on how
to host visitors including how to welcome
them, set an itinerary, serve the appropriate
food and various other protocols.
“The University reaches out to the inter
national community and brings them here to
show them A&M, and it is important to keep
culture in mind when hosting them,” Fox said.
Barry Biggar, president and CEO of the
Bryan-College Station Convention and Visi
tors Bureau, will be one of the speakers at
the workshop.
“I will overview and outline what it is we
have available here in the Brazos Valley that
international faculty and students can take
See Workshop on page 2
TCE: improve safety at home
By Andrew Burleson
THE BATTALION
The Texas Cooperative Extension released a list of home safety
guidelines Thursday.
The list contains several precautionary measures that individuals
may take to improve the safety of their homes.
The list inckides suggestions to discard all out-of-date medications, make
sure that every level of the house has at least one smoke detector and to inspect
each detector monthly, to install non-skid mats in bathtubs, keep the edges of
carpets tacked down, keep a fully operational and inspected fire extinguisher
in the kitchen and have a fully-stocked first aid kit on hand at all times.
Janie Harris, extension specialist for Housing and Environment, based
the list on the results of several books and research studies, including “Safe
ty and You” by Nancy Harvey Steorts. Harris’ job is to review literature
relating to family safety and make this knowledge available to the public.
Though the full list of safety precautions includes many items
targeted at protecting children, Linda Anderson, communication
specialist with Texas Cooperative Extension, said the information is
pertinent to college students as well.
“Safety in the home is safety in the home. (College students) may not
need to worry about keeping plastic plugs in electrical outlets, but they
still need to know how to handle chemicals, how to deal with fumes from
chemicals, how to use electricity properly and so on,” Anderson said.
See TCE on page 2
Safety Checklist
The Texas Cooperative Extension has
published list of steps to make homes sa
|dl Discard out-of-date medications
^ Keep a fully-operational fire
B extinguisher in the kitchen
Keep emergency telephone
C/x v -; numbers, including poison contn
... V near each telephone
Flave a fully-stocked first aid kit o
hand at all times
For a more detailed checklist go to
http://fcs.ta mu.edu
Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION
Source: jANIE HARRIS, COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
Couple’s daughter dies in University apartment explosion
By Brian D. Cain
THE BATTALION
An international student’s family was severely
injured in a blast Saturday evening that shook the
Texas A&M campus.
The parents of doctoral student Saquib Ejaz
came to A&M on their trip from Bangladesh to
visit his wife, also a graduate student, and their
four-year-old daughter, said Executive Director
of University Relations Cynthia Lawson. The
family was staying at the T-row apartments near
Hensel Drive when their apartment exploded and
erupted into flames, though Ejaz was not at the
site when the fire occurred.
“The four family members were transported
to St. Joseph’s Hospital. Three are now listed
in critical but stable condition at the burn unit
of John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, which is
one of the top burn units in Texas,” Lawson
said. “The couple’s daughter died Monday
morning.”
Lawson said there is a memorial being planned
for the girl, but as of yet the details of when the
service will be have not been decided.
Bart Humphries, public information officer of
the College Station Fire Department, said many
details of the cause of the fire are still unknown.
“The state fire marshal’s office has wrapped
up the physical part of the investigation, but they
have not issued information about the exact cause
of the explosion yet,” Humphries said.
Lawson said A&M officials are conducting an
apartment-by-apartment safety inspection to en
sure the safety of on-campus apartment residents.
“There is also a backhoe digging up several
inches of soil containing bits of broken glass in
the surrounding area for safety reasons,” Law-
son said. “The glass is embedded in the soil
from the apartment windows being blown out
by the blast.”
For more information, see A&M President
Robert M. Gates’ letter to the residents of Univer
sity Apartments on page two.