"V ^ Monday, August 30, 2004
J A rr^nn ATT /^\ 1V T
rSATTALION
Issue 2 • IS pages
A lex as A&M Tradition Since 1893
SPORTS:
2004 Aggie
Football
Preview
Section B
www.thebatt.com
PAGE DESIGN BY: LAUREN ROUSE
ommons Dining Center to close permanently
By Jibran Najmi
THE BATTALION
tionoM Texas A&M Food Services decided on July 1 to
id pe J rmanently close the Commons Dining Center lo-
1 TiHiTated in the basement of the Commons because of
e’scc J erwhelming financial losses and decreased traffic.
An interim plan for residents has been instituted, in-
ector l J ding expanded seating, additional food lines and
■creased options at the Common Denominator.
■ The A&M Student Senate has formed an ad-
Tc committee to gather information about what
st udents want to eat, dining preferences and what
Jplacements would be acceptable.
|“We have already partially remodeled the Com-
pn Denominator, and we are currently working
compiling a report for Food Services so that they
ve a better idea of what students want to see in
place of the Commons Dining Center,”
said Scott Smith, Student Services chair
for the Student Senate.
The committee includes senators elect
ed from the Southside dorms, from with
in the Corps of Cadets and Chris Diem,
executive vice president under Student
Body President Jack Hildebrand.
Smith said the committee faces the
challenges of finding a balance between
all of the options offered across campus.
“Ideally, we would like to find some
balance between the all-you-can-eat
buffet style you find at Sbisa, the Chick-
Fil-A-type restaurants you find at the Underground
and the outbound system we currently have in places
such as the Common Denominator,” Smith said.
Students have had mixed reactions to the clo
sure. Rachel Johnson, a junior
business management major, said
the impact would not significantly
affect residents.
“It was never really busy last year,
so I can understand where the Univer
sity is coming from,” Johnson said.
Johnson said students didn’t eat
at the Commons because of the en
vironment and the limited variety.
“My friends and I lived in Mosher,
and we would rather walk to Sbisa,
because it’s newer, and I guess we
liked the environment there a little
more,” Johnson said. “I think in general, students
like the variety and quality of the food at Sbisa.”
Over the summer, Food Services overhauled the
food court located on the upper first floor of the
I think in the long
run, this will be better
for the University as all
of the dining options
on Southside are pretty
much consolidated.
— Scott Smith
Student Senate Student services
chair
Commons and added options for residents.
“I love the convenience and the things they
have added to the Common Denominator,” John
son said. “You walk outside of your dorm, and it’s
right there. I think the University is trying really
hard to make up for the loss of the dining center
to the residents of the Commons, but ultimately 1
don’t think it’s going to be that big of a deal.”
Michael Murphy, a junior communication ma
jor, disagreed with Johnson’s sentiment that the
Commons will not be missed.
“I’m really disappointed to see such a pennanent
icon of Aggieland, a place where I’ve had so many fond
memories, just suddenly disappear,” Murphy said.
Food Services created a steering committee
independent of the Student Senate and hopes to
See Commons on page 2A
Record crowd
■'he Yell Leaders lead a record-breaking 4,403 fans in yells at the an A&M women’s sporting event. The Aggies won 2-1 against No. 15
|\ggie women’s soccer game agaist Michigan Friday night at the Michigan and hosted No. 12 Clemson Sunday night, where they lost
|\ggie Soccer Complex. This was the second-largest crowd to attend 4-1. For more soccer coverage, see Sports on page 7A.
Gas line inspected
before fatal explosion
By Jibran Najmi
THE BATTALION
University Apartment mainte
nance workers inspected the gas
connections in the apartment of
Saquib Ejaz prior to the July 31
explosion that fatally injured a 4-
year old child, and left her pregnant
mother and paternal grandparents
severely injured, said Sandeep
Bhatnager, a family friend.
Bhatnagar, who lives in the
University Apartments, said he
saw maintenance workers go out
to the Ejaz apartment and that Ejaz
personally told him that the work
ers changed the gas line tubing
that ran through the apartment.
“(Ejaz) told me on the morning
before the explosion that he could
still smell gas, but that the main
tenance workers had told him
repeatedly that (...) the leak was
outside of the apartment, and that
he should just keep his windows
closed so that no gases entered
the apartment,” Bhatnagar said.
Bhatnagar said Ejaz men
tioned that the workers would
return on Monday because they
needed a whole team to fix the
external leak, and that it couldn’t
be done on the weekend.
“Earlier on Saturday morning,
July 31, James Baletka, the coor
dinator of Apartment Services,
had checked the apartment and
instructed his crew to change the
flexible tube connecting stove the
wall outlet,” Bhatnagar said.
Bhatnagar said the workers
spent a great deal of time in
specting the gas lines and con
nections inside and outside of
the apartment.
“(Ejaz) told me that Mr.
Baletka told him that they had
inspected the lines, and that there
was no problem inside the apart
ment. What else can you do?
You can’t argue with the main
tenance when they’re telling you
that it is OK,” Bhatnagar said.
Texas A&M President Rob
ert M. Gates said the Presiden
tial Task Force he has appoint
ed will look into all aspects
of safety and maintenance on
campus.
Gates said the task force
would make recommendations
See Explosion on page 9A
/
9
Nader urges Aggies to be
more politically involved
By Sonia Moghe
THE BATTALION
Ralph Nader accepted his
nomination as the presidential
candidate for the Reform Party
at the Reform Party National
Convention this weekend, along
with the party’s vice presidential
nominee Peter Camejo and urged
Texas A&M students to make
their own voting decisions.
“No one’s ever going to agree
with everybody,” Nader said.
“You don’t always agree on pol
itics with your own family.”
Nader, who is not on the ballot
for the 2004 presidential election
in Texas, accepted the endorse
ment Saturday in a speech at the
convention, which was held at a
hotel in Irving, Texas, attended
by about 75 members.
Nader is currently challeng
ing the state of Texas’ ballot-
access laws in court to be able
to earn a spot on the ballot for
the November election.
Camejo urges A&M stu
dents not to vote based on how
their families vote, but to make
the choice for themselves.
“(Students) shouldn’t be
afraid to vote for peace and
against the Patriot Act,” Cam
ejo said. “A vote for Bush is
a vote for war. Only a vote for
Nader is a vote for peace.”
Mark McCaig, a senior mar
keting major who was visiting as
a person interested in the political
process, said he was surprised at
the small size of the convention.
“I’m surprised that what was
such a major force several years
ago is now so small,” McCaig
said. “This is the party that with
(Ross) Perot in the early 1990s
earned 18 million votes.”
Nader urges Aggies to
become more politically in
volved and to understand the
relationship between corpora
tions and the general public.
“Corporations should be
the public’s servants, not mas
ters,” Nader said.
Mays Business School releases figures
More MBA graduates finding jobs after graduation
By Sara Foley
THE BATTALION
This year, more MBA graduates found jobs within three months
after graduation than in years past due to changes in the career place
ment services in the Lowry Mays MBA program.
Mays reported 90 percent of graduates had accepted positions at
graduation and 95 percent three months later, compared to 86.5 percent
and 95.9 percent last year. The average salary with bonuses dropped to
$87,880 from last year’s $91,644. The results were released on Aug.
17, just after the 90-day benchmark used to determine rankings by
publications such as U.S. News and World Report and will be used for
the 2005 report. In previous years, the information was not released
until the U.S. News published its annual rankings in mid-April.
“We’ve never released the results early, but most schools do put them
up at the 90-day point. We decided to because, to me, it isn’t a secret,”
said Director of Graduate Business Career Services Jim Dixey.
Dixey attributed the increases to a proactive approach to career search
and emphasis on alumni connections, such as a program called Execu
tives in Residence, which brings in retired alumni experienced in the
corporate world to consult students one-on-one about career goals.
Other changes include a requirement for incoming MBA students to
meet one-on-one with career advisers within the first few weeks of classes
to discuss their career objectives to ensure no one slips through the cracks.
“We ask them what their career goals are and stress that they must
have at least three options,” Dixey said. “ If you don’t pursue more
MAYS
Business Rankings
The Mays Business School, whose MBA Program was
ranked 23rd in the nation for 2004 by U.S. News and World
Report, released its post-graduate career placement
statistics for this year on Aug. 1 7.
♦ 90 percent of Mays graduates accepted positions at
graduation, compared to 86.5 percent last year
• 95 percent of Mays graduates accepted positions three
months later, compared to 95.9 percent last year
* The average salary with bonuses dropped to $87,880 from
last year's $91,644
GRACE ARENAS • THE BATTALION
SOURCE : U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT
than one career path, it’s a path to unemployment. It’s like going
fishing and throwing five lines in the lake — you’ve got a better
chance at getting a bite.”
The emphasis on career placement resulted in A&M’s MBA pro
gram jumping from ranking 51st in 2003 to 23rd in 2004 by U.S.
See MBA on page 2A
Edwards stresses defense, social equality; Wohlgemuth stresses social order
By Lacy Ledford
THE BATTALION
Contenders for congressional district 17 — in-
:umbent Congressman Chet Edwards and State Rep.
\rlene Wohlgemuth — discussed differing philoso-
)hies in a debate Friday, in which Edwards said the
’ovemment’s main duty should be to provide strong
lational defense and Wohlgemuth countered that it
Should be to maintain social and moral order.
I The candidates appealed for the support of Brazos
[Valley voters in a one-hour debate held at the Animal
Industries building on Friday. The debate gave the can-
pidates an opportunity to discuss education, national
peficit, balancing the federal budget and tax cuts.
“The debate was very informative, depending
on what you were looking for,” said Jarred Sulak,
a freshman business major who attended the de
bate. “But I wish more questions could have been
asked by the audience.”
Republican candidate Wohlgemuth and Democrat
ic candidate Edwards were allowed to ask each other
questions and answer seven audience questions.
“Our founding fathers understood that we are a
religious people, and our laws work best because
we understand the respect for human life and the
respect for one another,” Wohlgemuth said.
Edwards said the government should show re
spect to those who protect America and provide
educational opportunities and better playing fields
for low-income schools.
“I don’t think the government should try to solve
every problem,” Edwards said. “You want govern
ment not to try and guarantee you success, but to
at least say that if you’re willing to work hard and
play by the rules, you have an opportunity to have
a few good things for your family.”
The candidates were also asked if the United States
should fund health care for illegal immigrants.
“We simply cannot provide health care, education
and social services for all the people of the world,”
Edwards said. “I have been part of efforts trying to
strengthen our border protection, not only against il
legal immigration, but against terrorism.”
Wohlgemuth agreed that the nation must do a
better job of defending U.S. borders.
“I believe we have the technology that can help us do
that, but that we lack the political will to fund additional
border patrol agents and military,” Wohlgemuth said.
Just as the two candidates had opposing posi
tions on various issues, the Aggies in attendance
also varied in their reactions.
Senior marketing major Nicole Mozell said Edwards
spoke more directly than Wohlgemuth in the debate.
“I felt more fulfilled with Chet’s responses,”
Mozell said. “I think he supports more constituents
at A&M than Arlene.”
Edwards said he supports investing in education
See Stresses on page 2A
0l