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The Battalion
Vol. 90 No. 155 GSPS 045360 6 Pages College Station, Texas "Serving Texas A&M since 1893" Tuesday, June 18, 1991
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Democracy will guide Soviets' future, military expert predicts
By Greg Mt.Joy
The Battalion
The future of the Soviet Union, if it is
put in the hands of its people, lies
along a more democratic path, a Texas
A&M international affairs expert said.
Dr. Ronald Hatchett, deputy director
of A&M's Mosher Institute for Defense
Studies, said the election of Boris Yelt
sin as president of the Russian Repub
lic showed the majority of the Russian
people favors a move toward democ
racy and a free enterprise economy.
Hatchett said this election was the
first time more than half the Soviet
people were allowed to vote in free
elections, and Yeltsin received an over
whelming 60 percent of votes cast.
"Hardliners in the past have claimed
pro-democracy demonstrations were
anomolies," Hatchett said. "Dissent
was labeled 'pollution from the West'
found only in cosmopolitan areas and
was summarily dismissed."
The Russian people as a whole, how
ever, displayed their desire for a move
toward democracy, he said. The results
were even more impressive when com
pared to the last American presidential
election.
"Eighty percent of the eligible voters
in the Russian Republic voted, com
pared to only 35 percent in the U.S. in
1988," he said. "Yeltsin captured 60
S ercent of the vote and Bush just a
ttle over 50 percent."
Hatchett said such a staggering vic
tory makes Yeltsin a man on par with
Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev in
terms of dealing with the West.
"Westerners realize that votes are
where the power is," Hatchett said.
"Now there can be no more doubt that
Yeltsin has power."
Yeltsin's new position of promi
nence will become even more evident
when he meets Thursday with Presi
dent Bush.
"The focus for dealing with the Sovi
ets will no longer be 'Gorbachev, Gor
bachev, Gorbachev/" he said. "Start
ing this week Yeltsin will be courted by
the West. This election made that ap
parent."
Hatchett attributes Yeltsin's victory
in part to the confidence and organiza
tion his followers demonstrated at a
roundtable discussion he attended in
the Soviet Union in April.
"Yeltsin's people exude confidence
in him, and in his program," Hatchett
said. "They know the hardliners will
eventually be forced to give way. They
seem to know the future belongs to
them."
Hatchett said fears of military oppo
sition to Yeltsin and his democrats are
pushed aside.
See U.S./Page 6
Apartheid
law ended
Parliament abolishes race classification;
de Klerk now faces fight over constitution
JOHANNESBURG, South Af- an agreement can be reached
; rica (AP) — Parliament abolished within a few years.
South Africa’s last major apart- All but 38 of the 308 members
heid law Monday, ending more of the three-chamber Parliament
than four decades in which all in Cape Town voted to scrap the
citizens were classified by race. racial registration law, under
"Now (apartheid legislation) which all South Africans were la-
belongs to history," President beled as white, black, Asian or
F. W. de Klerk told Parliament af- mixed-race.
ter the repeal of the Population Until de Klerk began undoing
Registration Act. "Now every- apartheid restrictions, the racial
body is free of it." classifications determined where
But the opposition African Na- a person could live, go to school,
tional Congress said the repeal get medical treatment, play ball
was iargeiy a symbolic move that or be buried.
would do nothing to improve "It was an act of racial bigotry
the lot of most blacks. and caused untold suffering and
De Klerk still must deal with humiliation," said Barney Desai,
South Africa's most difficult ra- spokesman for the Pan African-
cial issue — winning agreement ist Congress, a militant anti-
on a new constitution that will apartheid group. "I'm not going
f ive the vote to the 30 million to say, 'Hooray.' But in essence,
lacks who make up 68 percent one is saying goodbye to a bad
of the population. dream."
He promised to produce a con- Since assuming power in 1989,
stitution that "will guarantee de Klerk has moved swiftly to
participation and representation end statutory discrimination,
to all South Africans within a
true democracy" and predicted See Living/Page 6
S0NDRA ROBBINS/The Battalion
To build a fireplace
Coach Bob Wenck instructs Matt Haswell, a junior from Houston, in duction of “Deathtrap.” Haswell is in a theater workshop that builds sets
painting a fireplace that will be used in the upcoming Aggie Players pro- for Aggie Players productions.
Professor defends minorities
Hickman takes active role
in policy reform at A&M
By Chris Vaughn ^ >eo P^ e -
The Battalion , Dewey was a careful
____________________________ thinker, but he didn t avoid
major social problems either,"
Surrounded by Thomas De- Hickman explained. "He be-
wey books in a fifth-floor cor- lieved philosophers ought to
ner of the Blocker Building, Dr. be engaged in the practical
Larry Hickman sits comfort- arena. He thought it important
ably, chewing on a cigar and that people who think should
speaking about making a dif- be involved in changing as well
ference. as contemplating."
"I think it's important to Hickman has been doing just
help when people, or a group that since his arrival at the Uni-
of people, don't have a voice," versity in 1974. His biggest
he saia. "You need to stick up such role, however, began in
for them and provide ways for 1981 when he assumed the job
them to voice their concerns. as faculty adviser for A&M's
Even though you may not be a gay and lesbian student orga-
member of that minority, you nization.
stick up for them. My great After 10 years, one lawsuit,
mentor John Dewey always many headaches, and not to
did that. mention hundreds of counsels
"I don't mind standing in for with frightened homosexuals,
people and deflecting a few of he has passed the baton to an-
the punches when they're tak- other faculty member,
ing it on the chin," he said. "Now there's a gay professor
It is fitting the 48-year-old to do it," Hickman said. "I al-
Hickman, a professor of phi- ways said I would do it (be fac-
losophy at Texas A&M, be sur- ulty adviser) as long as they
rounded in his office by De- needed me to until a gay or les-
wey's works. bian faculty member would."
Dewey, an American philo- When Hickman took the job
sopher of the late 1800s to mid- as adviser to Gay and Lesbian
1900s, also stood up for causes. Student Services, times were
He was a founding member of grim for homosexuals at A&M.
the American Civil Liberties The group was not recog-
Union and National Associa- nized by the University and
tion for the Advancement of met off campus under constant
Ql> Larry Hickman SONDRA ROBBINS/The Battalion
I think it’s important to help when people, or a
group of people, don’t have a voice. You need to
Stick up for them ... - Dr. Larry Hickman
intimidation. The organization he said. "Because at some
did not always have strong stu- point, I thought they would
dent leadership because of the say 'I'm sorry' because they
fear of coming out of the closet. screwed up some kids. But I
But A&M's gays won a vie- don't think they ever did."
tory in 1984 when a court ruled Hickman said what drew
the University no longer could him to A&M 17 years ago was
discriminate against GLSS and the hope he could make a dif-
must officially recognize the ference.
student organization.
Hickman bitterly remembers "I thought A&M would be
the lawsuit. good because it has a lot more
"I don't think the vice presi- nature than past, which sounds
dent for student affairs, the re- odd because of the traditions
gents and the old Ags who here," he said. "It was a place I
paid for the lawsuit ever real- knew would undergo enor-
ized what that obscene battle mous change and I wanted to
cost those young men and be a part of that change. That's
women in terms of personal es- still true here. You can make a
teem and personal problems," See Hickman/Page 6
Some STDs spread
despite condom use
Editor's note: This is the first
of a two-part series on sexually
transmitted diseases. Names of
STD victims in this article have
been changed to maintain confi
dentiality.
STDs
«two-part series
E! Today: The dangers of STD s
□ Tomorrow: AIDS
By Shannon Britt
The Battalion
Eric, a Texas A&M student,
went to a nightclub, partied one
Friday night and picked up not
only a one-night stand, but also
a case of the crabs (pubic lice), a
sexually transmitted disease
(STD).
From the time he contracted
crabs until he discovered he had
the STD, Eric had multiple sex
partners. Consequently, he did
not know whom he contracted
the disease from.
Eric said he practices "safe
sex" by wearing a condom dur
ing sexual contact. But some
STDs, such as crabs, can be con
tracted even with the use of a
condom.
Crabs is one of 30 or more
STDs. STDs, formerly called ve
nereal disease or VD, are spread
ing more rapidly than all other
communicable diseases com
bined.
The most common STDs in the
United States are chlamydia,
genital warts, genital herpes,
syphilis, gonorrhea and AIDS.
Erika Gonzalez-Lima, health
educator coordinator of A.P.
Beutel Health Center, said at
least 25 STDs afflict millions of
people each year, primarily teen
agers and young adults.
"Chlamydia has the highest
frequency at Texas A&M," she
said.
Signs of chlamydia are pain
while urinating, discharge from
the vagina or penis and abdomi
nal pain. If chlamydia is left un
treated, it might lead to pelvic in
flammatory disease (PID), and
eventually to infertility.
About 100,000 women become
infertile each year as a result of
PID.
"If it goes untreated, it can
have very serious long-term ef
fects on the woman," Gonzalez-
Lima said. "She will be affected
her entire lifespan by this dis
ease."
A mother with genital warts
might even pass them on to her
baby during childbirth.
Some genital warts recently
have been associated with cer
tain types of cancer. The warts
are caused by a group of sexually
transmitted viruses and can
grow into large masses that are
difficult to treat successfully.
See Early/Page 6