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