|T K¿s-eo66¿ xi '-'SVd ia ' d o 1 1 3 0 wVA JLSV3 DNiHsnar»do>i3iw is3ftHj.nu, D N iH s n a n d o a j i w i s a wh u »o s I defense SPORTS FOCUS Chris Moneymaker wins World Series of Poker ft — r h e d a ily T exan S e rvin g th e co m m u n ity of The U n iversity of Texas at A u stin s in c e 1 9 0 0 w w w .dfailytexanoniire.com M onday. Augu st 25, 2 0 0 3 Budget cuts force changes to custodial services Physical Plant will unveil procedures for cleaning, repairs By Robert Inks Daily Texan Staff Offices, conference rooms, labs, libraries, kitchens and break rooms that usually receive a daily cleaning will be tended to once a w eek starting Sept. 4 due to budget cuts. The University's Physical Plant department will unveil new cus­ todial and m aintenance proce­ dures today at a meeting of the University Leadership Council, concerning in services. reduction a A $3 million budget cut and 144 fewer staff positions forced the changes, but through a com­ bination of the University's hir­ ing freeze and the Em ployee Retirem ent Incentive, Physical Plant met its budget without lay­ offs, said Ernest Hunter director of the Physical Plant. start overflowing. Hunter said the budget process has been long, dating back to reduced legislative appropria­ tions to the University. The proposed weekly clean­ ings will include a more detailed dusting, mopping and vacuum ­ ing of the areas, Hunter said. The new policy' also reduces garbage and recycling pick-up to once a w'eek. Physical Plant Associate Director Jim Alty' said he understands the concern that garbage cans might “Som e people generate more than one week's trash. We're ask­ ing people whose trash gets full to go to common areas where we have large containers and dump their there," A lty said. “We're not going to leave trash piling up." trash Hunter said the new garbage policy would have a "m inimal impact" on those affected. The new policy d oes have See CUTS, page 2 CHANGES TO SERVICES Custodial Service: • M o s t a re a s ch ang ed from daily to weekly • G arb age co lle ctio n in offices, la b s, lib ra rie s from daily to w eekly Landscape Service: • C a m p u sw id e litter rem oval from daily to weekly, th e day before g ra ss is mown • Trim m ing and edging of “Turf” a re a s from w eekly to bi­ weekly M a in t e n a n c e S e r v ic e : • S u s p e n d op e ra tion o f Shop 9 9 , a sh op th a t refu rb ish e s b u ildin g s • R e d u ce h o u rs of operation for fo u n ta in s • R e d u ce re p la ce m e n t of e q u ip m e n t A&M Bonfire civil cases reopened Victims’ families claim university administrators were negligent By Sarah Kleiner Daily Texan S taff Families of those killed in the 1999 Texas A&M University Bonfire collapse — who filed civil suits against the university — will have another chance in court after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in their favor last w'eek. The appeals court unanim ously overruled a deci­ sion by a U.S. District Court, which had dismissed cases against A&M administrators after the bonfire collapse. The bonfire, an A&M tradition since 1909, col­ lapsed in 1999, killing 12 students and injuring 27 others. Students built the structure as part of an annual cerem ony preceding the football game against the University of Texas. Fam ilies of victims and some of those injured filed lawsuits with the Texas Southern District Court in Galveston claiming A&M administrators had been negligent. Judge Samuel B. Kent dismissed those six cases in 2002, writing in his decision that there was no evidence of intent to create danger. The three-judge panel of the appeals court ruled the district court should not have dismissed those cases because the court relied on questionable docu­ ments outside the original complaint. Ray Bowen, A&M president at the time of the incident, called for an investigation by an independ­ ent commission into the causes of the collapse in 1999. The final report in May 2000 concluded that design flaws in the bonfire structure and bad deci­ sions by university officials and students were to blam e for the collapse. The appeals court judges wrote that the final report, used by the district court as evidence that the bonfire was not a state-created danger, should not have been used because it was "essentially a defen­ dant-created report" that thanked members of the administration for supporting the investigation. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is represent­ ing Texas A&M officials. State employees must be represented by the attorney general whenever they are involved in lawsuits. "W e are disappointed with the procedural ruling, and we are still reviewing it," Abbott said in a state­ ment issued last week. Darrell Keith, an attorney representing families of three students killed in the collapse and two injured students, said the appeals court's decision is signifi­ cant in determ ining rights under federal law when a state or state officials create dangerous situations. "I was very pleased with the 5th Circuit's decision because it vindicates my clients' position that we See LAWSUITS, page 6 Saxon Pub will feature non-smoking nights M artin Coulter (left) and Burton S un b u ry (center) sit with Don R isinger (right) as he sm o k e s, w atch in g The R e se n tm e n ts play at the Saxon P ub on south La m a r Sunday night. The Saxon P ub will begin having sm oke-free Tuesdays, sm oke-free S atu rd ays fro m 8 p.m. to 1 0 :3 0 p.m. and a sm oke- free area seven days a w eek. Thom as M e re dith/D s u Texan Staff Older City Council ordinance requires some venues to offer smoke-free nights for 25percent of their a cuts By Lomi Krfel Daily Texan S taff Down in South Austin, tucked between O ltorf Street and Barton Springs Road, the Saxon Pub is try­ ing to discover if a sm oke-free Austin can be a reality. A smoking ordinance — which effectively would have banned any smoking in most music venues, bars and restaurants — was sup­ posed to be implemented Sept. 1. But City' Council voted to postpone the ban until January to allow a task force to discuss the issue in depth and reach a com prom ise between downtown businesses and health advocates. After failed attem pts, to imple­ ment smoke-free nights by some Austin favorites such as Antone's, the Saxon Pub is trying its hand by having non-sm oking nights on Tuesdays, and from 8 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays. But the Saxon is not leading the w ay to a sm okeless Austin by choice. Two weeks ago, the city's health d epartm ent received an anonymous complaint that 25 per­ cent of certain venues' events do not cater to non-smokers. The Saxon and the Continental Club were issued warnings and could have faced fines of up to $2,000, said Joe Abies, ow ner of the Saxon for 14 years. The warnings, Abies said, were issued under a city ordinance passed in 1994 that required all restaurants and bars to ha\ e at least one-quarter of their events dedicat­ ed to non-smokers. "N o one reallv knew that infor­ mation, but it was in the ordinance all along," said Mary Guerrero- M cDonald, the chairm an of the sm oking task force. "A n d they don't have hundreds of people try­ ing to enforce that ordinance it s only com plaint driven, and if no one complained, it w asn't a prob­ lem." Yet an anonym ous tip-off led Abies to reconsider his smoking policy or face fines by the city. "Yeah, I was upset. I don t like to be told how to run my business," Abies said. "Eighty percent of my clientele smoke, so why should I not cater to them ?" But Abies — a former sm oker who quit because he was tired of paying high prices for cigarettes — decided not to fight the city, but instead to em brace non-smoking nights, in hoping it could dem on­ strate whether non-smoking bars could succeed. "If w e get one thousand people show ing up every night, I can promise you, w'e will want [a sm ok­ ing ban]," Abies said. And that's what the health advo­ cates are planning on doing, said See PUB, page 2 Exxon Mobile may donate archives to UT Campus history' has many ties to oil and gas industry determined, Exxon spokesper­ son Tom Cirigliano said. Don Carleton, director for the Center of Am erican History, traveled to Virginia to view the archives this summer. "This could be one of the most important collections in a public archive that comes here," Carleton said. "R ock­ efeller plavs an incredibly sig­ nificant role in the history of Am erican capitalism." Rockefeller founded Stan­ dard Oil Company, which eventually became Exxon. Exxon merged w'ith Mobil in 1999. One of the' most prized components of the collection includes letters from John D. Rockefeller to famed aviators Charles Lindbergh and the Wright brothers, Cirigliano said. Carleton also said one of the most important aspects of the archive is that it shows the See EXXON, page 6 By Lilly Rockwell Daily Texan S taff Exxon Mobil Corporation, the world's largest publicly traded oil com pany, might donate its,$3.5 million histori­ cal archive collection to the University's Center for Amer­ ican History. The archives contain over 1 million photographs, video tapes and publications and 7,000 three-dimensional arti­ facts that detail the history of the Exxon empire from the ; 1880s. Exxon approached the University about the donation but is considering several other universities and muse­ ums to hold the collections, though the company would not identify them. No time­ frame for the decision has been INSIDE Co-op eliminates its software inventory Official: Sales dropped drastically. to near zero, over last two years By JunJay Tan Daily Texan Staff The long lines of people buy ing software at Campus Computers puzzle University Co-op Pre­ sident George Mitchell, who saw his store's software sales drop to almost zero over the last two years. I he C o-op elim inated its inventory over the softw are sum m er, leaving C am pus Com puters as the only on-cam- pus software retailer. Software sales at the Co-op were doing very well until the section w as moved two years ago from the lower basement to the ground floor, Mitchell said. Despite the Co-op's predic­ tion that software sales would increase on the ground floor, Sales decreased. The Co-op then moved its software back to the lower level in an attempt to reverse this trend. But instead of sales returning to their original levels, "the sales aGliff Returns The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Rim Festival tells unique stories. SEE PAGE 16 index World & N a t io n ........................ 3 ....................................4 Opinion U n iv e rsity ................................. 6 State & Local ...........................7 F o c u s ........................................ 8 S p o r t s ............................... 9&10 C la s s ifie d s .........................11-13 C o m ic s .................................... 14 Entertain m ent........................ 16 W e a t h e r High Isolated thunderstorms Volume 103, Number 2 0 0 2 5 cents Michael Broadbent Daily Texan S taff C a m p u s C o m pu te rs Store em ployee. Devin P rice , re sto cks softw are S unday afternoon. W ith the University Co-op sto p p in g sa le s of c o m ­ puter softw are, th ere are few p la ce s near ca m p u s tor stu dents to get u pdated v ersion s of vita l softw are. Now, w ith the fa il se m e ste r in full swing, the store, lo ca te d next to G regory Gym, had lin e s of stu d en ts waiting to p u rchase item s all w eeken d long. went dow n to practically noth­ ing," Mitchell said. Cam pus Computers already sells all the maior software for­ merly stocked by the Co-op and it can order other titles it stu­ dents w ant them, said Campus retail m anager C om puters Laura Albright. Students, faculty and U n i­ versity' staff eligible to purchase educationally discounted soft­ ware often save more than 50 percent off the retail price at any major com puter outlet. See SOFTWARE, page 2 PageT wo Monday, August 25 2 0 0 3 T in I)\n,\ 1 1 \ \n Page 2 ANOTHER OOOGIE HOWSER CHICAGO — Twelve-year-old Sho Yano is having the first day of school that many young students and their parents experience — except for one thing. Sho isn’t in junior high. He’s a first-year med­ ical school student at the University of Chicago and the youngest ever to attend one of the university’s professional schools. MONDAY, AUGUST 25 Registration for the fall semester for continuing students who have not yet registered; to complete registration, fees must be paid no later than 5 p.m. on Aug. 26. A r o u n d C a m p u s Monday Tuesday THE WEEK OF AUGUST 25 - 31 Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Hormonal Contraception Start Class, provided by the Health Promotion Resource Center, today, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., SSB 2.204 . No regis­ tration needed. UT School of M u J c s Choral A rts Society 2003- 2 0 0 4 Season A uuiiions Experienced community singers are invited to join UT students, faculty and otafi in performing large choral works with orchestra. \uditions currently being scheduled through Aug. 28. Call 471-0806. Rehearsals: Thursdays. 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.. MBE 2 .1 0 6 Free Yoga C la s s Mondays, 5 p.m. to 6 :3 0 p.m., Texas Union Eastw oods Room. Don’t eat two hours prior; wear loose clothing. Call Chris. 21 7-1 380 , for info. Ai of Living Group’s Free Yoga Classes, for UT stu­ dents, faculty and staff, Tuesdays. 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Texas Union Ballroom. S, ted for beginners. Call 454-3131 or visit http://www. utexas. edu/stu- dencs/aol/ P C l Tour, Invest an hour in iea ning about the services ana resources of UT’s 3- million volume Perry- Castaneda Library. Ail tours begin at the informa­ tion desk in the lobby. 12 o.m. to 1 p.m. Cc 49 5-4 534 . or visit http://www.lib.utexas.edu/p cl/pcltours.htm l Travel Counseling Class, provided by the Health Promotion Resource Center, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Registration required. Call 475 8252. Hormonal Contraception Start Class, provided by the Health Promotion Resource Center, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., S S B 2.204 . No reg istration needed. Lo feo de este mundo: Images of the Grotesque, Exhibition of Latin American Art, the Blanton’s new curator of Latin American art, Gabriel Pirez Barreiro, emerges this fall with his first major exhibi­ tion for the Blanton. Call 471-7324, or visit http://www.blantonmuse- um.org UT Ice Hockey Club Tryouts, Chaparral Ice Center, 1 4 2 0 0 N. 1-35 (exit Wells Branch 1825) Call 252-8 500 . Pre-tryout skate, Aug. 28, 8 :3 0 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Aug. 31, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tryouts: Sept. 6, 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sept. 7, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. www.texasicehockey.com. Campus Crusade for Christ, Thursdays, FAC 21, 7:30 p.m., Call Garrett, 49 5-5 525 . PALS Coffee Hour, Fridays, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Starbucks Coffee in Barnes 6 Noble, next to UT Co-op. Come interact with stu­ dents from around the world. Difficult Daughters, This final installm ent of the Projections series of con­ temporary film and video works, selected by the Blanton’s a ssista n t curator of American and Contemporary art, Kelly Baum, show cases videos and film s by emerging and established women artists at the Jack S. Blanton M useum of Art. Call 471- 7324. http://www.blantonmu se- um.org Visualizing Identity. The Blanton features a sm all, experim ental exhibition in which m useum visitors are encouraged to explore diverse notions o f personal and cultural identity through four contem porary w orks of art from the Blanton’s collection by Je ss e Amado, Radcliffe Bailey, Byron Kim and Glenn Ligon. Call 4 7 1 -7 3 2 4 or http://www.blantonmuse- um.org Texas Football vs. New Mexico State. Aug 31. 2 0 0 3 , 6 p.m. at Royal- Texas M em orial Stadium The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net. http://www.texassports.com Student Open House. View new exhibitions at the Jack S. Blanton M useum of Art and join the Student Guild. Event Webpage: Call 471- 7 3 2 4 or http://www.bian- tonmuseum.org YOUR EVENT COULD BE HERE Make the Texan work for you and your organization. To have your event listed, submit your information to aroundcampus@dailytexanonline.com or call 471-4591. Cuts mean workers clean less often Saxon Pub will be smoke-free 2 nights CUTS, FROM 1 restroom s, ch ild -care facilities and certain public areas like lo b ­ bies being checked and m aintained on a daily basis. Em ergence cleanups will still be made. stairw ells and "I could w ork in my office for two weeks without any custodial Care," Hunter said. "A nd I can walk a few feet to empty my recy­ cling into a bin that's bigger." Other services to be reduced include building m aintenance services. Cam pus fountains will be turned off lor most of the day, operating weekdays during the noon hour and at "high visibility periods" such as during football games. from The Landscape Service, a divi­ sion of the Physical Plant, will also see reductions in the fre­ quency of service. Litter will be rem oved cam pus grounds once a w eek instead of dailv or the day before that area is to be m ow ed. Grassy areas w ill be trim m ed once every other week, instead of once a week. the The changes will reassign a large portion of the custodial staff, and som e workers said they resent the shift. Several w'orkers will also be reassigned to differ­ ent areas of campus. "Som ebody spends 15 years working in the same place, and then they get transferred to som e­ place w here they d on 't know anybody," said one custodial worker who spoke on condition HOW BUDGET CUTS HIT THE PHYSICAL PLANT P h y s ic a l Pla n t R e d u c tio n s Budget reduced from $ 3 0 .9 8 million to $ 2 7 .8 4 m illion (10 percent). Positions reduced from 1 ,0 7 1 to 935. 14 4 positions elim i­ nated, including 6 5 through the Retirement Incentive. All positions cut without layoffs. Custodial Services Reduced custodial staff by 15.3 percent, eliminated 46 custodial positions, including 28 through the Retirement Incentive. Average Cleanable Square Feet per Custodian to rise from about 2 6 .0 0 0 to about 3 1 ,0 0 0 . of anonymity. "They think it's not fair." M embers of the UT com m uni­ ty will be notified of the changes by the custodians them selves starting Sept. 4 — the date the reassignments go into effect. A lty said he w ould en cou r­ age U niversity staff not to ask cu sto d ia n s to take out th eir trash on days not scheduled for the co llectio n . On av erag e, w o rkload for each cu sto d ial w orker w ill increase by 5,000 square feet. Som e custodians say they are seeing enough work as it is. "Everybody's complaining that there's too much w ork," said Y