The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 09, 2004, Image 1
nath IATTAIi The Battalion ^ % Volume 111 • Issue 10 • 18 pages A Texas A&M ITadition Since 1893 Rules over reason: NCAA doesn’t use good judgment in rulings. Page IB www.thebatt.com PAGE DESIGN BY: JEFFERSON LOTSPEICH |TS director addresses transportation concerns SSOCIATEDf! bod pas: bx Tuesc ent By Rhiannon Meyers THE BATTALION In an open forum Wednesday afternoon in Rud- |der Plaza, Rod Weis, director of Transportation Services, said TS is working on alleviating transit [problems, especially overcrowding on buses. “We have received complaints that buses are over crowded,” Weis said. “We are aware of this, and we are in the same position this first week of classes that we were the first week of classes last semester.” More than 60 students came to hear Weis discuss options for relieving overcrowded buses. Weis said TS has hired a transit consultant to help find alternatives. “We’re going to fix this,” Weis said. "We have a transit consultant hired and on-board.” Weis said one option being discussed is adding more buses to certain overcrowded bus routes at spe cific times. This option would include adding more buses to the Wehner Express route during peak times. Weis said one of the problems with this option is that TS is short on bus drivers, and that the few cur rent bus drivers have been trying to make up the dif ference. Weis said 38 drivers are in training, and he urged students to consider becoming bus drivers. “When you talk to drivers on your bus, thank them, because they are doing a good job,” Weis said. “We are still 30 drivers short, and if you are looking for work on Tuesday or Thursday, we want to talk with you.” Weis said another option to alleviate bus over crowding is to educate students about good times to catch buses. Weis said overcrowded buses are usually accompanied by buses that come five min utes before or five minutes after and are only half full. Weis said that if students planned their time accordingly, buses would not be so crowded. Weis also addressed the problem of overflow ing lots at the Student Recreation Center. Weis said that between 6,000 to 6,500 students and faculty members compete for parking spaces at the Rec ev eryday. Weis said TS plans to eliminate overnight parking at the Rec to open space for Rec patrons. "We are aware of the problem (with Rec parking), but to be completely honest, due to physical limitations, there is no way every faculty member and student can park in that area,” Weis said. “From a space standpoint, we can’t accommodate all of y’all, but 1 think eliminat ing overnight parking will help this problem.” Weis said he is pleased TS is moving students to new lots ahead of schedule and that more than 2,185 e-mails were sent to students on Monday offering them spots in higher-priority lots. Weis said that because so many students were moved, the $10 fee to change lots was waived this time. Weis said the students who received e-mails have two weeks to change into the offered lot. “The goal is as soon as we have space avail able, we want to move students, even if it’s just one student,” Weis said. According to data gathered last week, the num ber of vehicles towed on campus has gone down 78.5 percent from last year at this time, Weis said. “Seventy-eight-point-five percent is a signifi cant number, and I’m delighted about it because we don’t like towing cars,” Weis said. “I think ... y’all are telling us that you have a spot now.” Weis reminded students that permit holders can park anywhere on campus after 5 p.m., excluding reserved spots and residential lots. In a question-and-answer session following the speech, Weis said the West Campus Parking Ga rage could not be opened to all permit holders to alleviate parking problems at the Rec Center, be cause it would cause friction between West Cam pus Garage permit-holders and TS. “A number of residents park in there and they would be upset,” Weis said. “I’m not opposed to talking about changes as long as there is a way we can administer those changes.” Weis also said he expects the same parking problems this year on game days as TS experi enced last year. “It will be crowded,” Weis said. “There are See Transportation on page 2A in&facuity debates new Life Sciences project What’s new, pussycat? i Beach, and teir,i ting thai nd, no it ioming," n West i iles. t)Ug And: ut a I read ase be pa igether." reporte at 75 pet la s east tph and By Lacy Ledford THE BATTALION I _di, ■ciplinary Life Sciences Complex during an open forum Wednesday. I Those who attended the forum in Rudder 301 expressed concerns on ■various issues, including motivations, the interdisciplinary nature of the building and the uncertainty surrounding what w ill be housed in it. Mike Manson, a biology professor, expressed dissatisfaction about po litical motivations surrounding the Life Sciences Building. “There are political and scientific realities here, and I think this process ■ is trying to make it seem like the political reality is the scientific reality, ■when it’s not,” Manson said. There was also friction at the forum about the interdisciplinary nature of ■ the Life Sciences Center. I “When you combine expertise from different things, good stuff hap- ■ pens,” Manson said. “The question is: Do you need to put a bunch of dif- akened r ferent people in that building to make that happen?” ) the Pa: Manson stressed the need for strong departments. He suggested that de- ia i, e the: 1 partmi^ trTC'rcfrnr tines Htrrimmnnd and encourage interaction between 1V ^ ra jndisciplines. Faculty still had questions about who would be using the Life ■ out kJSciences Complex. Vice Provost William L. Perry said that he recognizes Link ul there are certain kinds of expertise that are important to the functioning of ' ' * the building. This doesn’t mean a whole department would be in the build ing, but that expertise from these anchor departments would some how be represented there,” he said. “We recognize the importance of disciplinary sciences and we want to support multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary work. We believe that with the assistance of the Re search Environment Council, the deans, faculty and the department heads, over a design period, we can develop policies for the use of the building that will really support our faculty.” Perry said he anticipates additional forums as plans for the Life Sci ences Complex move forward. “As a faculty member, I really appreciate these types of forums,” said associate biology professor Debbie Siegele. Perry said the meeting was important because it served as a feedback jmechanism for the faculty. Siegele said she likes to know faculty members’ input has been consid ered in the decision-making processes. “If you tell me you’ve listened to my input and disagree, I still feel like 1 1(1 have) been heard,” Siegele said. Perry said that although it has been a long road from the initial discus- ■sions about the Complex in 2001, it doesn’t mean there’s no room for •■other input. The Council for the Built Environment will review the fo rum’s comments and make a recommendation that will be given to A&M President Robert M. Gates for further consideration, he said. The goal for completion of the Life Sciences Building is December 2008, Perry said. sc s of tomao as blamei: )rida, in areas hi: 27 peopl: nised anf ge. )m G e Tuesda; nage is n SHARON AESCHBACH • THE BATTALION Sully, a two-month-old tiger in the care of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science, is held by his care taker, Dusty Milanes of Bryan, Wednesday inside Blocker Building to raise awareness and increase the number of tissue and organ donors. The program, Donate Life, will return to campus on Sept. 21 with booths at the MSC, West Campus and Blocker. Bicycle thefts trouble students Bicvcle 1 Bicycle proposed site for We sownors budding Life Sciences Complex Project The Council for the Built Environment is welcoming input for its plans for the new Life Sciences Building. HI A likely site for die new building is adjacent to Simpson Drill Reid on the opposite side of Old Main Drive. ■ This location was formerly occupied by Law and Punier residence halls. ■ The budget for the project is $100 million, ■ The goal for completion of the project is December 200B. ANDREW BURLESON - THE BATTALION SOURCE: BILL PERRY, VICE PROVOST By Jibran Najmi THE BATTALION In the past six weeks, 37 bicycles have been reported stolen from various campus locations. None have been recovered, said Sgt. H. Allan Baron of the University Po lice Department. “Among the most popular bikes that are stolen are Mongoose and NEXT,” Baron said. “In a little over a month, $6,405 worth of bikes have been stolen from areas all across cam pus. The average cost of a stolen bicycle is approximately $173.” Baron said Diamondback, Roadmaster, Schwinn and Trek bikes are the next most fre quently stolen brands. “The majority of bikes are stolen due to stu dents not following proper security procedures when locking their bikes up,” Baron said. Baron said he recommends using a case- hardened U-bolt lock to secure the bike through the frame, front wheel and the bike rack. As a further precaution, Baron said he suggests removing the front wheel and secur ing it with a U-bolt to the rear wheel. “The second day of my sophomore year, and the first day I had a bike on campus, my bike got stolen,” said Jazia Hamid, a junior biomedi cal sciences major. “I went to the SCC to study, and when I came out, everything hut my front wheel had been stolen.” Baron said students who are victims of a bicycle theft should report it immediately to the UPD at 845-2345, so that the UPD can in vestigate the case. “A lot of the bikes we recover don’t have serial numbers of driver license numbers en graved on them, so it’s really hard to get the bike back to its owner,” Baron said. Baron said he encourages students to make Bikes were stolen from various areas on campus: 16% 35% 30% 19% See Bicycle on page 2A F116% taken from Southside Residence Area f 130% taken from Northside Residence Area ■ 19% taken from University Apartments ■35% taken from non-residence areas The total value of the bikes stolen was $6,405 ANDREW BURLESON • THE BATTALION SOURCE: SGT. ALLAN BARON, UPD U.S. warplanes bomb Sunni city By Hamza Hendawi THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FALLUJAH, Iraq — U.S. jets pounded insur gent positions in Fallujah for a second straight lay Wednesday, raising plumes of smoke but |leaving no extensive damage or signs of weak ening the Sunni militants who have steadily ex panded their control of this city about 30 miles irest of Baghdad. After the attacks, bands of fighters, many rearing loose black pajama-like pants and T- shirts, lounged outside abandoned buildings facing the American lines, seeking to escape jthe intense sunlight of a day when temperatures [topped 114 degrees. Most hid their faces with Arab head scarves 3r ski masks. Some quenched their thirst with rater from coolers beside them. Most appeared to Lae in their late teens or early 20s and 30s, but a few looked as old as 50. Elsewhere in the city of 300,000, fighters patrolled the streets in new American pickups. One resident, 33-year-old Abu Rihab, said they were part of a 16-vehicle fleet commandeered between Jordan and Baghdad. The Fallujah Brigade, which the Americans organized in May to maintain security after the Marines lifted a three-week siege, has all but disappeared, along with virtually all signs of Iraqi state authority. Members of the Iraqi national guard, which was supposed to back up the Fallujah Brigade, fled the city after one of their commanders was executed by insurgents for allegedly spying for the Americans. Local police operate under the tacit control of the militants. See Iraq on page 4A A&M buses auctioned on eBay By Shawn C. Millender THE BATTALION As part of Transportation Services’ plan to phase out its older buses, three 1982 Thomas- brand passenger vehicles went up for auction on eBay Wednesday. “The Internet is a good tool to use for selling items no longer needed by the University or a school district, and we want to explore it more,” said Director of Purchasing Services Rex Janne. Janne said the intent for using eBay was to take ad vantage of a wider audience than normal auctions get. An employee for Bus Operations who asked not to be identified said the three non-air condi tioned buses were pulled off route as late as the end of the spring semester. They are all in work ing, driving condition and have already drawn interest from individual groups and individuals in the community. Assistant Director of Purchasing Services Paul Barzak said eBay has worked well in the past. “We’ve been kicking this idea around for a year or two,” he said. “We recently sold a bunch of softball jerseys on eBay, and they went for good prices. Aggie memorabilia is a perfect item; we’re just keeping up with the times.” Barzak said that as of Wednesday morning all three buses had surpassed their $1,000 reserve. The auctions close Friday, and Purchasing Servic es will use the money earned for future purchases. Barzak said any item Texas A&M would nor mally sell in a public auction is a candidate for sale on eBay, except used computers. There are a myriad of uses for a retired bus(; Barzak said. “We’ve had people ask if they would have to strip off the maroon and white paint,” he said. “And the answer is no. Once you buy it, it’s See eBay on page 2A