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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 2004)
NFlI battalioJ Tr"'^ Thursday, September 30, 2004 The Battalion Volume 111* Issue 25 • 16 pages A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893 Opinion: Check out the two- page special section devoted to campus parking issues www.thebatt.com PAGE BY TORI FOSTER Drinking on promenade may be prohibited SHARON AESCHBACH - The Battalion ;ased Students congregate at the promenade Monday night to eat, drink and socialize. A proposal that would prohibit drinking outside Northgate bars is mating its way to the College Station City Council. By Jibran Najmi THE BATTALION The College Station Police Department (CSPD) has begun to con sult with several bars in Northgate, as a proposal to ban open con tainers along the promenade makes its way to the College Station City Council. “There is a rumor floating around that after Oct. 1 it will be ille gal to have an alcoholic beverage on the promenade in Northgate,” said Scott McCollum, assistant police chief of operations for CSPD. “I want to emphasize that at this point in time, that it is just that, a rumor; nothing has been decided yet.” The promenade, a popular area for college students to socialize, is located behind The Dixie Chicken, Fitzwilly’s and other bars on Northgate. Currently, alcohol consumption on the promenade is al lowed, but this may change. McCollum said the issue is under consideration due to severe liability and safety issues. “The problem we’ve had noticed is that people bring kegs, cool ers full of beer and sometimes even couches,” McCollum said. “It is completely unregulated and unsupervised, and it’s gotten to the point where individuals are drinking such large quantities of alcohol that it has become a public safety issue.” Several bar managers share McCollum’s sentiment. “We don’t mind people drinking on the promenade at all,” said Scott Friedman, a manager at Gatsby’s. “It’s the fact that people can drink themselves into an oblivion, and then come into our bar to use the bathroom and fall and crack their head open. Now it’s on us, even though we didn’t know they were drinking.” Cory Freeman, a manager of The Dixie Chicken, agrees with Friedman’s assessment of the situation. “People haul kegs and coolers full of beer out there, and it contrib utes to a lot of different things, such as fights,” Freeman said. “It’s completely unsupervised, and there is no accountability.” See Promenade on page 4A ptivc shortly after!! v in long, wiu willing andliei Iked on the si' -> by their side, irters how si , “Good.” a were abduetd ud on the Batt aid agency 13ridge To-j Ali Aziz i eere also seize; ised Tuesday, asecameafci n Italy met« dim associatH icsday to pres rough itwasiu n if there wasi o women, bo; <ing on schoa n Iraq. a spaper Al-fc xl Tuesday tic red by Friday i otr ransom. B. ng unidentifc n the neii rr was paid II, whorecett rstages held' pressed “gret se of the Italii atican said. Commons Dining dosed due to repairs By Ji Ma THE BATTALION Equipment that was unable to meet regulations played a pri mary part in the closing of the Commons Dining Center during the summer. “There were physical needs in the common dining hall,” said Assistant Director of Food Services Cynthia Zawieja. “The equipment was really old (and needed) to be replaced. It no lon ger met all of the regulations.” The Commons was plagued by a host of physical and structural problems, including the plumb ing and the exhaust systems. The plumbing has been a long- ! time inconvenience. According * /oDktorof Food Services Ron Beard, it has been an issue since the building was constructed in the 1970s. “It was too big of a problem,” Beard said. “We continue to get groundwater in the buildings.” Beard said more than $1.2 million has already been spent to correct these hindrances, and that the costs are quickly becom ing too great to handle. “The plumbing pipes were also being replaced. Some were starting to wear out,” Zawieja said. “At the time, about 80 per cent of the pipes were replaced.” However, Zawieja is not sure whether the projects will be completed or not. The exhaust and hood systems, however, played a greater role. “Because we are in the base ment, the exhaust pipes need to make a lot of 90-degree turns to reach the second floor,” Zawieja said. “They can catch grease.” Beard said the dining center was given a few months to cor rect the problem, or it could be closed down. An original estimate on the cost of the repairs were about $4 million, but after facility plan ning performed a more detailed study, the figured totaled more than $16.2 million, Beard said. “Once we start, all ADA compliances, all plumbing, See Commons on page 4A COMMONS PROBLEMS m i ( Commons Dining Hall, located in the basement of the Commons, shut down due to equipment problems. is, strains, fraci**’ s: Asthma,* Plumbing Basement gets groun and pipes are worn o Ross Volunteers inducted SHARON AESCHBACH - The Battalion Senior history major and Ross Volunteer Kyle Modell of Squadrant Williams Alumni Center Wednesday evening. The top 80 juniors in the 17 pins a Ross Volunteer medal on junior electrical engineering major Corps are selected to become Ross Volunteers, making it one of the Juan Jurado, a newly inducted Ross Volunteer, at the Clayton B. most prestigious honors in the University. Rep. Bell angered by redistricting By Stacy Thompson THE BATTALION On Saturday, the Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Bell, who claimed that majority leader of the House, Tom Delay, violated rules, vis ited Bryan to discuss politics with the Aggie Democrats. For some Democratic students, the meeting with Bell was im portant because of the personal ties they had to Tom Delay. “I’m from Sugarland,” said sophomore mechanical engineering major Amy Rabb. “And Delay is from my district.” Daniel Shaw, a graduate in management studies, said he does not believe that many Republicans knew about the event. “They are pretty engaged in Wolhgemuth,” Shaw said. “I don’t think it’s on their radar.” Bell is known for filing a complaint against House Majority Leader Tom Delay about his redistricting of Texas voting areas. He claims Republicans illegally misused money to facilitate their See Congress on page 4A 6 ave ytng *tts .« M r lQ fix these problems, the ^ f'rvmmrsnc xa/oiiIH rxooH <s 1 A Commons would need $16 million, including other L renovations to parts of the i building A WILL LLOYD - The Battalion SOURCE - Ron Beard, director of Food Services Hurricanes hurt U.S. economy By Justin Pope THE ASSOCIATED PRESS While Florida’s economy will get the biggest jolt from the improbable string of hurricanes this year, consumers around the country may notice the effects in coming weeks and months when they buy a gallon of gas, a carton of orange juice or a bag of peanuts. The storms seem likely to impact Ameri cans outside Florida in a variety of ways, most of them subtle, but a few with poten tially bigger consequences. A rebuilding boom could suck construc tion materials and labor southward, pushing up prices in the rest of the country. While Florida’s insurance market has its own disaster fund, damage elsewhere could cause companies to raise premiums. And Florida’s tourism woes could further harm already teetering airlines, perhaps forcing them to pull out of even more markets. On the other hand, vacation destinations outside Florida could benefit from skit tishness about visiting the state. So could Northern states hoping to stem the flow of people and businesses who have been moving full-time to Florida. See Hurricanes on page 4A f| * f|§: Counties with mdivaJjato and pubfc ifppP®** ‘ authorities seeking lateral assistance for damage from maticanes: Frsnci* and/or Chadey Jeanne ton Hurricanes cost Florida and may cost you The effects of the recent string of hurricanes across Ronda will be left nationally. Sellers across the nation depend on Florida suppliers so shortages lhare could atfecr prices elsewhere. Examples of commodities Citrus M Forest ft TJJ Shelllish •ft Alligator industry field crops: com. -aj peanuts, lobacco fl soybean, pecans, wheat, sugarcane Tallahassee * VA* * ✓ Tampa . * Seatood Fruit: Asian pears, grapes, bananas, melons, avocado, papaya, berries Vegetables: ¥> broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, lettuce * m % fc.iTi SOURCES: FlcJida OepfldrruWt flf Agrrcutom anO Cortsumw Services; Fetters; EmcrffWicy «art;iye?«en; Agerrcv Kellstedt: Swing voters key in 2004 presidential election By Erin Price THE BATTALION Texas A&M professors informed the public about political platforms Wednesday in prepara tion for the presidential debate on Thursday. The MSC Wiley Lecture Series presented “Road to the White House” Wednesday night, where speakers emphasized the importance of the 2004 presidential elections and the pressing issues involved in them. The open forum, moderated by Kurt Ritter of the communication department, featured two speakers from the department of political science: Paul Kellstedt and David Peterson. Kellstedt said this election is more polarized than previous elections with few undecided vot ers. The events during President Bush’s four years in office has allowed more voters to either like him or not, he said. “This election is much more spunky and viva cious than other years involving an incumbent,” Kellstedt said. “There are a lot more passionate people on either side who really want him to stay or want him gone.” The key in this election is which party can mobi lize the few “swing” voters, Kellstedt said, and who ever gets that last 3 to 4 percent of voters will win. The first presidential debate is at 8 p.m. Thurs day on every major network, and Ritter said that it will frame the perception voters have of the candidates and also reinforce the support they already have. “The tendency is for viewers to see the debate as a sporting event, cheering for their side,” Ritter said. “The important thing is for voters to listen and learn about where the candidates stand.” However, where candidates stand on issues is exactly what Bush and Kerry need to work on, Peterson said. Voters do not see the distinc tions between the candidates, and sides are being blurred, he said. Voter interest is a high level that hasn’t been See White House on page 4A Political science professor Dr. Paul Kellstedt speaks with students following the MSC Wiley Lecture Series presentation "Road to the White House." ALISON COZBY - The Battalion