The Battalion
III* Issue 2.< • 10 pages
A Texas A&IM I radition Since 1893
OPINION:
Issue of life
or death
page 9
www.thebatt.com
PAGE BY LAUREN ROUSE
'A blacks out parts of fire marshal’s report
By Jibran Najmi
THE BATTALION
I At the request of District Attorney Bill Turner,
jic State Fire Marshal has blacked out portions of
ie final report issued by investigators of the July
fire at the University Apartments. Among the
rtions blacked out by the Fire Marshal’s office
astestimony from Texas A&M maintenance em-
oyee Todd Hubacek.
Hubacek was the maintenance employee who
sponded to the reported gas leak at the Univer-
ItyApartments offHensel Drive.
“We asked that his statement not be released by
ie fire marshal’s office while the investigation
fas ongoing,” said Cindy talk, assistant District
ittomey. “We launched a criminal investigation
fterthefire to determine if there were any crimi-
Jal acts committed.”
I Ron Sasse, director of Residence Life, declined
I speculate as to why Turner opened a criminal
investigation into the incident.
“All decisions concerning the University Apart
ments are on hold until the district attorney has
completed his criminal investigation,” Sasse said.
As a result of the criminal investigation by the
district attorney’s office, the presidential task
force appointed by A&M President Robert M.
Gates has been suspended until further notice.
The task force has been charged with recom
mending corrective actions it deems necessary
with respect to maintenance and safety issues
throughout the University.
“Public release of records related to the Uni
versity Apartments at this time will interfere
with the investigation and detection of crime,”
Turner said. “However, as soon as our investi
gation is complete, the public will be made privy
to all of those documents.”
Turner denied that students were being endan
gered as a result of the task force not being able to
complete its investigation.
“I think it’s improp
er to speculate about
the results of an in
vestigation prior to the
completion of our final
report and investiga
tion,” Turner said.
Key testimony and
the final conclusions
from the fire marshal’s
report were blacked
out, but the report did
conclude that the fire
did not originate in the
kitchen as many had
speculated earlier.
“There were no cooking utensils on the burners
of the stove,” said Jerry Hagins, spokesman for the
State Fire Marshal. “AH of the stove burner con
trols and oven controls were in the ‘off position.”
Hagins said the most extensive damage was in
I think it is improper to
speculate about the results of
an investigation prior to the
completion of our final report
and investigation.
— Bill Turner
district attorney
the main bedroom of
the apartment.
“There were two
beds along the north
wall of the bedroom,”
Hagins said. “The
most extensive fire
damage was observed
on the bed nearest the
doorway leading to the
living room. The mat
tress was burned down
to the springs.”
Hagins said the bum
patterns at the foot of
the bed indicated a more developed fire in the bed
room that traveled to the rest of the apartment.
No date has been set for the release of the
blacked out portions of the fire marshal’s report
or the conclusion of the district attorney’s criminal
investigation.
Ivan brushes through CS
By Liang Liang
THE BATTALION
Hurricane Ivan, which
] caused at least 52 deaths in
j the United States and 70 in the
I Caribbean, brushed through
I College Station as a tropical
depression Friday night.
“(Rebirth) of a hurricane
i rarely happens. As Ivan made a
turn coming back to the coast-
1 line of the United States, the
1 National Hurricane Center was
1 almost going to name it Mat-
1 thew but found the hurricane
I had enough Ivan DNA,” said
1 Courtney Schumacher, assistant
I professor and a tropical storms
lexpertatthe Department of At-
I mosphenc Sciences.
fl Ik renter issued a tropical
ystomi warning for the Gulf of
iMexico shoreline from the en-
1 trance of the Mississippi River
Louisiana to Sargent, Tex-
saying the worst scenario
ild have been for Galveston,
uston and College Station
a to have 10 inches of rain
er the weekend.
The City of College Station
Emergency Operations Cen
ter moved to “level three,”
which means it was checking
its resources, refreshing its
plan and notifying staff to be
prepared for any emergency
caused by Ivan.
“If the plan was activated,
we would have 24 personnel in
cluding those from Fire Station
and Law Enforcement to act as
rescuers. Fortunately, it didn't
come out as heavy rain or flood
ing,” said DeMerle Giordano,
coordinator for Emergency
Management, Brazos County.
Ivan went north in Texas with
diminished winds after visiting
College Station, according to
the National Hurricane Center.
When it attacked Florida on
Sept. 16, Ivan recorded winds
up to 160 mph. It then weak
ened and broke apart as it trav
eled north. As Ivan drew a but
ton-hook coming to the Gulf of
Mexico, the Hurricane Center
was expecting a wind speed of
at least 50 mph. However, as
Ivan reached Cameron, La., its
wind speed was only 8 mph.
“Agreed by international
committee, a wind speed of 75
mph is defined as hurricane, a
wind speed of 38 mph is de
fined as tropical storm, and a
wind speed of less than 38 mph
is defined as tropical depres
sion,” Giordano said.
The reason for Ivan’s regen
eration remains unknown. The
See Ivan on page 8
Former student named
Ms. Wheelchair America 2005
By Chelsea Sledge
THE BATTALION
11 Juliette Rizzo has devoted her life to paving a
I iright and empowering road for the 54 million-
| lus Americans with disabilities.
I Rizzo, Class of 1991, was crowned Ms. Wheel-
1 hair America 2005. The pageant was held in
I lichmond, Va., in July, where 27 contestants vied
I arthe title, said Pat O’Bryant, the Ms. Wheelchair
1 issociation Executive Director.
“Adjusting to a disability means looking deep
'ithin yourself and seeing a new reality,” Rizzo
aid. “After years of self-reflection, it was time to
aach out to others and help change the world for
eople with disabilities.”
Rizzo works as the director of communication
ndmedia for the U.S. Department of Education’s
ffice of Special Education and Rehabilitative
ervicesin Rockville, Md. She also serves on the
arthritis Foundation, the Montgomery County
Commission on People with Disabilities and the
Women’s Committee for the National Symphony
Orchestra. Rizzo graduated from Texas A&M with
a degree in journalism and received her masters at
the University of North Texas.
“Texas A&M’s heritage and admirable tradi
tions have helped me to develop the character and
leadership skills that I take with me in my day-to-
day life, my employment and in adventures as Ms.
Wheelchair America,” Rizzo said.
While at A&M, Rizzo held various positions
at The Battalion, including staff writer and
opinion editor.
“Juliette impressed the judges quite a bit,”
O’Bryant said. “She is vivacious, enthusiastic and
very intelligent. People like her when they meet
her. She makes them feel warm and comfortable.”
At the age of three, Rizzo contracted an in
fection, which resulted in juvenile rheumatoid
See Wheelchair on page 8
Green thumb
Lab assistant and junior philosophy major Nathan
Osbun, transfers Arabidopsis thaliana, a small plant
grown in a petri dish, to a control sample of dirt Monday
afternoon in the Norman E. Borlaug Center of Southern
Crop Improvement. The plants are primarily used for
studies of cross-breeding to grow and test mutant plants.
Cushing explores expedition history
By Pammy Ramji
THE BATTALION
■ In honor of the 200th anniversary of the first federally
Rinded research project, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the
Bushing Memorial Library and Archives opened a Lewis and
■lark exhibit titled, “The Longer Road: Reporting the Lewis
Ipl Clark Expedition” Thursday.
■ In 1803, Jefferson planned the expedition to discover the
■orthwestem United States. Capt. Meriwether Lewis and
■apt. William Clark came to St. Louis with maps of their
Route and a $2,500 appropriation for expenses. In May of
1804, the expedition began. After 28 months, the expedition
■me to an end in September 1806.
1 “This expedition was considered important years later,”
■atterson said. “We have more sufficient accounts in the last
■ve years than in the last 195 years.”
1 The travelers encountered problems on the expedition, such as
ioing around the falls of the Missouri River. They built wheels
Blade out of wood, and it took the group nine days to get from
lie lower end to the upper end of the river, Mel lor said.
IJeffStumpo, the first recipient of the Mary and Mavis P.
telsey fellowship and the exhibit’s designer, has been plan
ning this event for several months.
I “You get a different sense of the journey when working be
hind the scenes of this exhibit,” Stumpo said. “I came across
a newspaper from 1803, and people made fun of (former
[resident) Jefferson for planning this expedition, but without
the Louisiana Purchase we would not have a country past the
Lewis and Cfark at A&M
Thu Lewis and Clark exhibit, located at the Cushing
library is called ‘The Longer Road: Reporting the
Lewis and Clark Expedition'' and will be on display
until February 2005.
Monday to Thursday
Friday
- Saturday
8 a.m. to 7 p.m,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
BRANDI DUNN - The Battalion
SOURCE - Jeff Stumpo
Mississippi river.”
The Kelsey fellowship, which includes designing and
compiling exhibits and working on special collections, is co
funded by the Mary and Mavis P. Kelsey Cushing Library
Endowment and the English Department.
“There are elements from the journey that haven’t been
made available to the public until the last 20 years,” Stumpo
said. “There are rivers in the Rocky Mountain area that were
named during the expedition, but now they have different
See Cushing on page 8
Aggie Nights program
faces financial problems
By Ji Ma
THE BATTALION
In the MSC Flagroom, intense faces sized each other up in a Texas Hold ‘em
tournament while, downstairs, paintbrushes flew to the background music of the
Dance Dance Revolution machine. ,
Friday nights are Aggie Nights at the MSC, a free late-night student program
that features a multitude of events, including movies, arts-and-craft sessions,
food and occasional special events, such as a poker tournament — but all of this
may disappear next year if Aggie Nights doesn’t get financial support, said Da
vid Salmon, assistant director of MSC and the chief adviser of Aggie Nights.
Since the late 1990s, many universities have introduced late night programs,
and Aggie Nights became such an event for Texas A&M.
“It’s a national trend,” Salmon said. “The Big 12 vice chancellors and vice presi
dents met and advised that all schools in the Big 12 should consider such a program.”
Aggie Nights is not a program of the MSC, but a collaboration of stu
dent programs under an oversight committee. Jennifer Ford, who sits on the
committee, said Aggie Nights work with different student organizations to
bring new programs.
In the fall of 2002, Aggie Nights began playing host to more than 9,000 stu
dents every semester, with freshmen and graduate students being the most fre
quented groups.
Aggie Nights require about $90,000 every year to operate.
See Nights on page 8