Texas A&M
Battalion P
WEATHER
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ia
Vol. 89 No.45 USPS 045360 14 Pages
College Station, Texas
Thursday, November 2,1989
ggies Against Bonfire organize;
(pro-bonfire group attends meeting
By Bob Krenek
Of The Battalion Staff
od'
ohit
efe
Ki
Aggies Against Bonfire held an
organizational meeting Thursday
in front of the Academic Building
Malt md were met by a larger group
jf pro-bonfire students who also
id,,vanted to make their opinions
mown.
Alex Jordan began the AAB
neeting by outlining the purpose
)f the group.
AAB wants to advance, rather
lhan hinder Texas A&M, Jordan
aid.
“We believe bonfire is wasteful,
htf both of resources and manpower
and that it exhibits ignorance to
he rest of the world,” he said.
‘We believe it goes contrary to
:he values an institute of higher
in earning should have.”
One member of the group said
ae has contacted the Texas For-
sstry Service about planting trees
to replace those cut down for
taonfire.
Jordan emphasized that noth
ing is expected to happen right
way.
“We realize we cannot stop it
his year or even next year, but
t’s something to work at,” he
said.
Jordan also said he wanted stu-
lents to realize that AAB is not
igainst A&M in any way.
“We just think bonfire is
shameful and it is something we
need to take a hard look at,” he
aid.
Many members of the group
said they support using the wood
or a more constructive purpose.
)ne of the most popular sugges-
ions was to use the wood to keep
he homeless warm in the winter.
Several members of the pro-
jonfire group said the wood
would be destroyed even if it
were not burned at bonfire.
Bonfire, they said, serves a use
si
in
Tve
ful purpose by providing stu
dents with a way to release ten
sion, learn to work as a group and
meet people.
Jordan raised the issue of find
ing alternatives to bonfire. One
idea the group is working on, he
said, is a party on the night of
bonfire that would offer an alter
native way to celebrate without
wastefulness.
The immense waste caused by
bonfire is a central issue, Brian
Skipworth said.
“The people that work on bon
fire are working to waste,” he
said. “They are a good group of
people, and they are working
very hard. I just feel it would be
better if they worked towards
something else. I think some
questions need to be raised about
why we are doing this.”
One member of the pro-bon
fire group suggested AAB form a
another group to cut trees in the
Spring and give the wood to the
homeless. Many voiced support
of this idea and said they would
aid such an effort. Several in the
crowd advised AAB to offer an
alternative to bonfire rather than
try to eliminate it.
“I think this was a really good
thing,” Jordan said after the
meeting. “I’m glad these people
came, even the people for bon
fire. It’s good to hear other views,
it’s an educational process. That
is why I am here.”
“I don’t look down on anyone
who goes out there,” he said. “I
just think they may not know
about the world situation or may
not care.”
Skipworth wanted to say the
group is pro-A&M.
“We think this is a great school
and we want to make it better,” he
said.
In that aspect, he felt the meet
ing was very productive.
“We heard a lot of good sug
gestions here tonight from both
Photo by Mike C. Mulvey
Protestors of bonfire share opinions with supporters of the
tradition share opinions outside the Academic Building.
groups,” he said. “This was a very
positive experience.”
Still, he holds to his views as
strongly as ever, he said.
“I just think bonfire is igno
rant, wasteful and hazardous to
the environment,” he said.
“This is part of higher educa
tion,” he said, “to question things
around you.”
Senate, MSC forum
work to secure debate
of governor hopefuls
GO
T X
By Michael Kelley
Of The Battalion Staff
As the 1990 gubernatorial candi
dates begin hitting the campaign
trail, the Texas A&M Student Sen
ate, in conjunction with MSC Politi
cal Forum, is working to bring the
candidates to A&M. The two student
organizations are setting up a debate
among the candidates for governor
to inform students about candidates’
stances on issues dealing with higher
education.
The senate endorsed the debate
in its meeting Wednesday night be
cause the governor has a great im
pact on higher education.
Also during the senate meeting,
Clevenger commented on the pre
sent status of A&M’s efforts to bring
the George Bush Presidential Li
brary to A&M. He said that the U.S.
Archivist and his executive assistant
visited A&M last week and has in
formed A&M officials that a decision
on the library’s location will be made
within two to three weeks. Clevenger
said that the chances of A&M getting
the library are “very good right
now.”
Dr. Herman Saatkamp, Jr.,
Speaker of the Faculty Senate, spoke
on deficiencies in services provided
by the Sterling C. Evans Library. He
tailed it an issue that must be
worked on by both the faculty and
TUDENT
RNMENT
1 U N 1 V L£ R S 1 T Y
student senates because of the com
plimentary negative effect the situa
tion has on both groups.
“We are at the turning point to
improve our library in order to pre
pare us for the 21st Century,” Saat
kamp said.
A committee of the faculty senate
has been working on a proposal to
help improve the collections holding
facilities of the library. Saatkamp
cites a lack of space and the rising
costs of books and periodicals as rea
sons for this problem. Possible solu
tions are being prepared for presen
tation to President Mobley on the
issue.
Saatkamp will be touring the Li
brary of Congress in Wasington,
D.C. to learn more about possible
high-technology procedures that are
being used in library management
today. This includes storage of data
and information on laser disks. He
leaves Thursday morning.
Student Body President Kevin
Buchman addressed problems with
the A.P. Beutel Health Center.
Buchman meets every two weeks
with the Health Center Advisory
Committee to air concerns over
problems that students are experi
encing with Health Center services.
He encouraged any student who
has a complaint about the Health
Center to contact him so that he may
relay the information to the advisory
committee. The Student Govern
ment phone number is 845-3051.
Residents urge community to march for war on drugs
ly Cindy McMillian
)f The Battalion Staff
Bryan-College Station residents
k'il! take to the streets Saturday to
flert the community about the local
■rug problem and publicize the ef
forts of Our Unity and Recovery
War on Drugs.
The group’s acronym, OUR War
on Drugs, was created to symbolize
that the community must work as a
whole to solve the drug problem.
Citizens will gather and march
from Bryan City Hall to Sadie
Thomas Park, carrying signs with
anti-drug slogans north on Texas
Avenue and east on Martin Luther
King Street.
The march will end with a rally in
the park and a speech by Lonise
Bias, mother of the late Len Bias, a
Boston Celtics recruit who died from
a cocaine overdose in 1986.
Marsha Herring, of the march
coordinating committee, said the
march is intended to be a commu
nitywide event.
“The drug problem in Bryan-Col-
lege Station is not just a Bryan prob-
iatt encourages reporting date rape,
ays saying ‘no’ with force is essential
y Kelly S. Brown
The Battalion Staff
Two weeks after Leslie and Ted
fiiiet they went on their first date. All
les/ie knew about Ted is that she
liked him — that was enough. By
their second date a physical
relationship had begun. Leslie knew
■ed wanted it all, but she wanted to
■bf/ow a slower path. No reason ex-
sisted for Leslie not to trust Ted.
I When his advances were fur
thered, she pulled away. He pulled
tighter. The next thing she knew, it
was over with. She had become an
other statistic of date rape, and he
was out the door. She would see him
again, though.
She saw him every time she closed
her eyes. She saw him around cam
pus and in class, but never in the
courtroom.
Leslie represents the majority of
women who are date or aquaintance
PART 1 OF A 2 PART SERIES
raped — their silence is what makes
them this majority.
Authorities estimate more than 50
percent of rapes go unreported, and
the few that are reported go unpu
nished because most women don’t
press charges.
Bob Wiatt, director of security at
the University Police Department,
said there’s nothing the authorities
can do if the victims who are as
saulted don’t come forward and re
port it.
Lt. Bert Kretzschmar, with UPD,
said one out of every 10 rapes are re
ported, while victims range from the
very young to the elderly with those
between 18 and 24 (college age) be
ing the majority of victims.
“It’s not just women who are
raped — it’s men too, and people
don’t realize this,” he said.
While sexual assault, or rape, is
just a flash in the headlines to some,
its prevalance is far more reaching
than what we see in print and what
people want to believe.
orps invites women athletes
o dinner to promote sports
By Holly Becka
)f The Battalion Staff
I The Corps of Cadets will host
piembers of Texas A&M’s women’s
Ipthletic teams at a 6:20 p.m. cross-
dine today in Duncan Dining Hall.
Corps public relations officer Clay
hitaker said this cross-dine will
•enefit all attending.
A guy in one outfit has a girlf-
jKHend who is on the volleyball team
Bnd they wanted to invite the whole
■earn to dinner,” Whitaker, a senior
Snarketing major said.
I “We decided to do it on a Corps
Hsvel and invite every women’s ath
letic team,” he said.
I “A lot of those girls are really busy
|||vith their sport and probably don’t
Know a lot about the Corps, and we
San show our support for what
they’re doing,” he said.
Amy Brown, a senior speech com
munication major who is a student
worker with the athletic department,
said women athletes have been try
ing to increase campus awareness in
their sports this semester.
“The cross-dine is another way to
help increase awareness in women’s
sports,” Brown, who helped coordi
nate the event, said.
“It’s something that’s fun, but it
will also promote women’s athletics,”
she said. “The athletes see it as a way
to get more students involved and
aware and promote their sports.”
Whitaker said he was glad to see
women’s athletics being promoted.
“We go to All-U Night and R.C.
Slocum stands up there and talks
about the football program, and
then Coach (Lynn) Hickey stands up
and talks about women’s athletics,”
he said.
“Everybody claps and everything,
but the turnout at (women’s athletic
events) just isn’t there,” he said.
“The support is not what it should
be. Maybe this (dine) will increase
awareness, or at least get more
Corps members to attend women’s
games.”
Brown said about 110 women will
eat dinner with the Corps members.
The Corps hosts women’s dorms
and sororities in Duncan periodi
cally throughout the year, but this is
the first time Corps members have
had a cross-dine with the women
athletes.
There’s no telling how long date
rape has been committed on the
A&M campus and it’s difficult to
verify how frequently it occurs, but
no one can deny its presence — es
pecially its victims.
Between September 1988 and Au-
See Date rape/Page 14
lem or a College Station problem,”
she said.
“It is neither a white nor black
problem, it is a community problem
that in some way impacts us all.
“For too long, people in the com
munity have waited for someone or
something else to pick up the banner
and fight the battle.”
“We are attempting to empower
the residents of the community to
act to take back the streets,” she said.
Mary Mattingly, executive direc
tor of the Brazos Valley Council on
Alcohol and Substance Abuse, said
the event was planned in response to
the “community’s outcry for help.”
She said members of the commu
nity want to take back their streets
from drugs and drug dealers, and
she thinks such a victory is possible.
The day’s activities will begin at
1200 Ridgedale (Mockingbird Run
Apartments) at 9 a.m. with a Prayer
Band.
A short program making Ms. Bias
an Honorary Citizen will initiate the
march, which will begin at 10 a.m.
and end in Sadie Thomas Park with
guest speakers Ms. Bias and Beverly
Davis, director of the Texans’ War
on Drugs.
Refreshments will be provided at
the park by Gath’s Chicken and
More and McDonald’s.
The public is invited to attend a
reception for Ms. Bias at 4 p.m. at
Lincoln Center, located at 1000 El
eanor Street in College Station.
Law enforcement agencies also
will be present for the day’s activ
ities, and marchers can take time to
learn about Citizen Watch groups
and neighborhood protection rights.
The march is coordinated by BV-
CASA, HCA Greenleaf Hospital,
United Missionary Baptist Church
of Bryan and the Brazos County
NAACP.
Right on target
Archery Club members Jason Lowery, Eric
Brumlow and Victor Vega take aim at the target
Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack
during a practice session by the Zachry parking
lot. The group practices there every day.