BellSouth fights MCI for Sprint
By Noelle Knox
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Sprint Corp. is
leaning toward accepting a $93
billion buyout offer from long-dis
tance rival MCI WorldCom Inc. in
what would be the largest corpo
rate merger ever. Two other poten
tial buyers could make the
takeover even pricier.
BellSouth Corp., which has of
fered $100 billion for Sprint, post
poned an annual conference with
investors and Wall Street analysts
Monday so the Baby Bell’s execu
tives could huddle with lawyers
and bankers instead.
And Germany’s Deutsche
Telekom, which already owns 10
percent of Sprint, is considering
an offer of its own, according to
The Wall Street Journal.
A successful bid will produce
the largest corporate merger ever,
eclipsing the pending $82 billion
oil deal between Exxon Corp. and
Mobil Corp.
The sky-high numbers reflect
the price of survival in a long-stag
nant industry that’s undergoing a
dramatic overhaul.
Even the mightiest telecommu
nications companies are racing to
grab an edge in technology and ge
ographic reach as the distinctions
between telephones, TV, radio
and computers are disappearing.
In a few years, companies will
need to offer consumers attractive
bundles of phone, TV and Internet
services to keep up with the com
petition.
That’s why Sprint, a leading
player in long distance, wireless
and Internet services, is such a
plum target.
MCI WorldCom is the nation’s
second-biggest long-distance com
pany and one of the world’s
biggest operators of the networks
that make up the Internet, but has
no wireless calling business.
Sprint PCS would fill that hole
nicely.
BellSouth wants Sprint’s long
distance business to complement
its local phone business in nine
Southeast states. Like the other
Baby Bells, the Atlanta-based
company is hopeful that federal
regulators will soon allow it to of
fer long-distance service in its
home region.
Deutsche Telekom, meanwhile,
needs Sprint to establish a
foothold in the U.S. market.
MCI WorldCom, based in Jack
son, Miss., has offered about $63 a
share in stock for each Sprint
share, according to two people fa
miliar with the negotiations who
spoke on condition on anonymi
ty. BellSouth has offered $72 a
share in cash and stock, they said.
BellSouth’s sweeter overtures,
however, may be outweighed by
the greater cost savings and na
tionwide customer base offered by
a merger with MCI WorldCom.
All of the companies involved
have declined comment.
Sprint’s stock jumped $3.871/2
to $60.87 1/2 Monday on the New
York Stock Exchange, while Bell
South’s shares fell $2.68 3/4 to
$42.68 3/4. In Nasdaq trading,
MCI WorldCom’s stock rose $1.12
1/2 to $71.62 1/2.
Regulators are expected to scru
tinize any deal Sprint makes. Con
gress passed the Telecommunica
tions Act of 1996 to spur
competition, but mergers have
greatly reduced the number of ma
jor players in the industry.
Last week, Bill Kennard, chair
man of the Federal Communica
tions Commission, said, “We can
not allow any merger to happen in
this industry that turns back the
clock on that competition.”
Group sues school district over memorial tiles
By Scott Maxwell
The Associated Press
DENVER — Friends and rela
tives of victims in the Columbine
High School massacre sued the
school district Monday for refus
ing to display hallway tiles they
made with religious symbols.
The Rutherford Institute, a con
servative legal group, filed a feder
al lawsuit against the district on
behalf of several people who want
a court order forcing the school to
display the tiles.
“The premise is that this is a vi
olation of our clients’ First
Amendment free speech rights,”
said Jim Rouse, an attorney with
the Virginia-based institute —
which also represented Paula
Jones in her sexual harassment
case against President Clinton.
School district spokeswoman
Marilyn Saltzman declined com
ment, saying officials had not yet
seen the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs were among those
who were invited to paint com
memorative 4-inch-by-4-inch tiles
that later were placed above lock
ers at the school before it reopened
this fall.
The lawsuit claims school offi
cials initially said the tiles could
not depict religious symbols, then
changed their minds and allowed
them, only to change their minds
again and remove the tiles with re
ligious material.
(^mention(^mimni
of The National Young Leaders Conference,
Washington, DC or The National Youth
Leadership Forums on Law, Medicine or Defense
If you are a first or second year student, there
is a prestigious on-campus leadership opportunity
we have been asked to discuss with you.
Please call toll-free 1-877-282-4952 no later than
October 12th and ask to speak with one of the
program co-founders: Barbara or Richard
Aspirin becomes artifact
By Katherine Pfleger
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A century
after its discovery, the “wonder
drug that works wonders” took its
place Monday in the Smithsonian
Institution’s National Museum of
American History.
Aspirin became one of more
than 250,000 items in the muse
um’s division of science, medi
cine and society, devoted to items
that reflect scientific advances
that improved American lives
such as the artificial heart and the
stethoscope.
Bayer Corp., the U.S. subsidiary
of Germany’s Bayer AG, donated
a sample of aspirin’s active ingre
dient, acetylsalicylic acid, and a
replica of the first Bayer bottles
made in 1899.
German scientist Felix Hoff
mann is credited with the synthe
sis of acetylsalicylic acid in Au
gust 1897, becoming in effect the
drug’s discoverer.
‘“Take two aspirins and call me
in the morning’ is almost an
American icon,” said Bayer Corp.
president Gary Balkema.
“Though the brand is 100 years
old, it’s more relevant today” be
cause researchers continue to find
new uses for it.
In 1985, for example, the Food
and Drug Administration ap
proved the use of aspirin to pre
vent recurrent heart attacks and
first heart attacks in people with
unstable angina.
The drug — which comes as a
pill, powder, suppository or a
tablet that makes a fizzy beverage
when dissolved — was developed
in 1897 to relieve arthritis. Over
the last hundred years, people be
gan to take the drug to treat
headaches and other aches and
pains. By 1969, it was part of the
first aid kit on the Apollo 11 mis
sion to the moon.
Sir John Vane, the 1982 Nobel
Laureate who discovered how as
pirin worked, said every year peo
ple consume 45,000 tons of as- ■
pirin around the world.
Americans consume 50 million
tablets a day.
Another drug like aspirin may
not come along for a while, if
ever, said Terry Sharrer, Smith
sonian’s health science curator.
“I was thinking what might
they say in another 100 or 200
years. Take two of (blank) and call
me in the morning. And I can’t
think that there would be any
thing else” to fill the blank,” he
said.
Graffiti
Continued from Page 1
cent years.
“[The graffiti] has been signifi
cant enough that security precau
tions have been taken,” he said.
Hicks said these precautions
include placing security alarm
systems and cameras in places
that graffiti would most likely oc
cur.
But for some students, these
precautions aren’t enough.
“I think that it’s terrible be
cause it defaces the property.
College is supposed to be a nice
place to come, “ said Namie
Kealoha, an undeclared fresh
man.
Briefs
PeaceHealth beginning
Information seminars today
PeaceHealth is starting a series
of Women’s Information Network
seminars today. Today’s seminar
features Dr. David Sobel speaking
on the topic: “Healthy Pleasures:
The Health Benefits of Sensuality,
Optimism and Altruism.” He will
talk about how pleasure is good
for the health and also how some
pleasant activities are good for
one’s health, said Bonnie Hender
son, coordinator of the Network.
She said the seminars are aimed at
women but she encourages any
one interested to attend.
The free seminar will be held at
the DoubleTree Hotel, 3280 Gate
way Road, Springfield. No reser
vations are needed. Registration is
at 7 p.m. The Seminar starts at
7:30 p.m. The next seminar will
be “The Other Cancers Women
Get” on Oct. 26. For more infor
mation call 686-7272.
(Reported from 9/27 to 10/4)
Sept. 26, Theft I, Westmoreland
Housing Complex, two laundry
room vending machines pried open
and cash removed.
Sept. 30, Theft I Sales, Theft II, Uni
versity Bookstore, backpack stolen
and attempt to sell back stolen books.
Oct. 1, Interfere with Police, 100
block of Commons Way, two tenants
disrupt police investigation into large
party.
Oct* 2, Criminal Mischief, 1800 block
of University Street, defacing Univer
sity properly with black enamel paint.
Oct. 2, Assault 11/Hazing, outside
Bean Complex, victim beaten with
glass bottles
Pick up an Emerald at 93
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