Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1992)
Vol. 92 No. 32 (10 pages) Serving Texas ASM Since 1893 Tuesday, October 13, 1992 orps honors academic elite adet honor society inducts new members, encourages scholastic leadership naii rememta to thinl retiring fn amorous d he's tf options, consideiill omputeisi ibilityofr asCTosseii tartedam s spetialiai .1 products. conceiMi lints aviN of the* 6-poinls There's I conlinaii lier miles ? keeps* 1 won't Man's 1 By GINA HOWARD Reporter of THE BATTALION Thirty members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets joined the hanks of a very elite scholastic group in an induction ceremony eld in the Clayton Williams Mumni Center Monday night. The General Ormond R. Simp son Corps Honor Society wel- omed into its circle sophomore, unior and senior members of the Corps who have set themselves part academically and in ex- Tacurricular activities at A&M. "This is an elite group who has s lot to offer the rest of the Corps Cadets," Corps Commandant Maj. Gen. Thomas Darling said in his welcoming speech, "They have the ability to lead the other cadets to do just as well." Shayne Short, president of the honor society, said induction to this group is a great achievement for a cadet. "This is the second highest in dividual achievement a Corps member can be awarded in the Corps of Cadets/'said Short, a se nior electrical engineering major. Academic requirements for membership for sophomores are, a 3.25 overall grade-point ratio; for juniors, a 3.15; and for seniors, a 3.0. In addition, sophomores must have completed at least two se mesters at A&M. The purpose of the Society is to recognize out standing cadets and to promote academics in the Corps, Short said. The future of the Corps of Cadets rests with academic ad vancement, said the guest speaker for the evening, attorney Wayne T. Rife, Class of '75. "Each one of you (Corps honor society members) have been en trusted with the skills that have enabled you to get where you are today," Rife said. "You are lead ers, but your responsibility goes way beyond that. You must help others improve the scholastic as pect in order to keep the Corps going. Rife closed his speech by say ing each member of the Honor So ciety has been given an excellent opportunity and should carry that on through their career at A & M and beyond. "Each [Honor Society member] has been given a terrific opportu nity," Rife said. "The Corps of Cadets has truly become a leader ship laboratory." Activities of the Honor Society include publication of a Corps Quiz File Directory, monitoring of the 24-hour Quiet Study Lounge, tutoring for the Corps, and planned scholastic workshops to be conducted in the Sam Houston Sanders Corps of Cadets Center. rs four toi i Ganno: loss toll 2-3) dedi pass, Ms ng the (p goin^i the sec® ie of his® ikes I Greg Cernosek, a junior computer engineering major from San Antonio, studies Physics 208 with his mirror image in the MSC BILLY MORAN/TIte Battalion Monday afternoon. He said that he studies there often. The mirror doesn't help or hurt his studying, he said, but he does like the chairs. Fraternity party under scrutiny By REAGON CLAMON Reporter of THE BATTALION A Sigma Alpha Epsilon "jun gle" theme party and a letter from a band member hired to play the event have sparked a racial con troversy that may result in sanc tions against the fraternity. According to a release from Dr. Mike Leese, coordinator of Greek affairs in the Department of Stu dent Activities, an Interfraternity Council judicial board will hold a hearing on the incident later this week. The letter, copies of which were mailed to The Battalion, the interfraternity council, and na tional and local officers of SAE, states that on Oct. 3, the Dallas band Love Squad played at the SAE house and was "horrified to find that the theme of the party was extremely racist." According to the letter which was written by band member Joe Salem, "pledges dressed in black face, grass skirts and carrying spears were chased around by ac tives dressed in hunting fa tigues." Salem and the band weren't sure at first what the party was about until a party-goer explained that the actives were chasing "slaves." "It looked to me like they were play-acting the hunt for slaves in the African jungle," Salem said. "That's the way it appeared, and I thought it was pretty horrible and disgusting." Salem said one individual jumped on stage and yelled, "we don't have no niggers in our house." The band finished playing the party, Salem said, not wanting to force a confrontation with the fra ternity members but later decided to draft the letter because the inci dent was "heavy on my con science." Michael A. Hebert, president of the local Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter refutes Salem's interpre tation of the party's theme. "He alludes to this being an African jungle party," Hebert said. "There are a lot of jungles besides Africa, and we weren't singling out any particular race or specific jungle." Salem misunderstood the in tent of the party and that no one in the fraternity intended to por tray a racist theme, Hebert said. "We do indeed have a black guy in our chapter, and we had the same party last year," Hebert said. "He thought the costumes were very fitting of the party." In hindsight, the party might have been a bad idea, Hebert said. However, at the time he didn't believe he was doing any thing wrong. Donna Roth, a senior English major and member of Kappa Al pha Theta sorority, also attended the party. She disagreed with Salem's opinion of the party. "I know right now everyone is into political correctness, and maybe this wasn't, but there was no intention of racism here," Roth said. "This was in no way a paro dy of hunting slaves." Roth debated the believability of someone at the party shouting racial slurs. "I don't think that would hap pen — they have a black member of their chapter," Roth said. "If someone was saying something like that, it would be an individ ual statement and not a reflection on the chapter." Sheri Schmidt, an adviser in the department of multicultural services, believes the incident is a symptom of a bigger problem. "We have a lot of educating to do," Schmidt said. "It's not just the responsibility of the Greek system but also the responsibility of this institution to educate stu dents about issues like this." A lot of students aren't aware that someone might find their ac tions offensive, Schmidt said. "My first thought was that it is amazing that something like this could happen; but, then again, there are a lot of students that have no idea that this would be offensive to someone else," Schmidt said. "That's the problem. The fact that so many students on our campus don't see a problem with that means that we're missing something in our education." e tooM made i 5. You'll® 0 yards, ^ wns. 1W g defeat quarter^ raised pai; quartet. AIS# the ball® Tie, X-tij : he's II t week ookingf 11 n lelady^ id ed r . ite sho« iy Tech 1 ! ■ should I [. -e neat Tit to e said tl petizeG i es') ef! ( vens ' ent slu |!, ‘' the r ■ ssful ^ »'ve Hi' v fresh^ m. >K. M * vss 3 p.i»J 3 JRSS lasses SE$ A&M students review debate By JULIE CHELKOWSKI Reporter of THE BATTALION The first presidential debate Sunday night left many Texas A&M students divided on which candidate they would like to see in the White House next January. "I think all of the candidates did what they wanted to do," said Joel Johnson, a sophomore from Angleton. "Basically, no body really blundered. Nobody made any mistakes." cause he's not controlled by par ty politics. He comes out offer ing a down-to-earth, people-ori ented view." Perot's business techniques helped him, said Jeff Allen, a se nior marketing major. "Perot won (the debate) be cause he made himself look good — he marketed himself," Allen said. President Bush has lost the support of Kimberly Smith, a se nior from Cypress. She now has gained more faith in Perot. "I think all the candidates did what they wanted to do. Basically, nobody really blundered. Nobody made any mistakes." -Joel Johnson, a sophomore from Angleton Craig Moody, a senior from Richardson, agreed, but added that if anyone was helped it was Ross Perot. "I think it was pretty equal," he said. "Perot did well. He didn't embarrass himself like I thought he would." Ben Poole, a senior from San Antonio, thinks Perot's chances of being elected were severely hurt when he dropped out of the race in July. But, he said, Perot's performance Sunday night will help him in the elec tion. "I think the debates helped Perot since he dropped out," Poole said. "Perot came out ahead because of his platform. He has more to offer people. He comes out sounding better be- "Before, I thought Bush would be better, and then when I sat there and listened to what he had to say I changed my mind," she said. "I don't think Bush knows the first thing about domestic affairs, or solving any of our problems. "I think Perot actually an swered the questions. Bill Clin ton made himself look good, but didn't really answer any of the questions. I think if Perot were to get in he'd change some things." Other students disagreed. "A lot of people feel that Per ot won," said Kelly Sweeney, a senior journalism major. "They think he's such an effective com- See Debate/Page 10 Advance NOW condemns rape By MARK EVANS Staff Writer of THE BATTALION The Texas A&M chapter of the National Organization for Women will sponsor a "rape speak-out" Wednesday at the Rudder Fountain to promote rape awareness among students. "We're trying to promote a policy of zero tolerance on cam pus towards violence against women," said A&M NOW Pres ident Tawmy Britton. "That's primarily what this speak-out is about." The period between now and Thanksgiving is when women on campus are the most vulner able to attack, Britton said. "We thought that now would be a good time to have this event in order to make these new freshmen, and all students, aware that there is a rape prob lem both on and off campus," she said. The event comes in response to figures released over the sum mer by the University Police De partment which reported only two rapes last year, Britton said. She does not believe the figure is an accurate reflection of the actual number of rapes commit ted. NOW has compiled a list of recommendations of actions the University can take to prevent rapes on campus. The organization plans to present the list to Texas A&M President William Mobley. Included on the list is better lighting and the widespread posting of escort service phone numbers for women who need someone to accompany them to their cars at night. "Some people don't even re alize that we have an escort ser vice on campus, and we have three," Britton said. The rape speak-out will take place on Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Rudder Fountain. University Police Department Director Bob Wiatt and Linda Castoria of the Rape Crisis Cen ter are among the speakers planned for the event. In addi tion, rape victims are encour aged to come tell their story to others. Or, they may write their ex perience down and ask a NOW member to read it for them. Council to review charges of racism By REAGON CLAMON Reporter of THE BATTALION An Interfraternity Council ju dicial board hearing later this week will decide whether the lo cal chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity will be sanc tioned for charges of racism. The Interfraternity Council set up the hearing with the nine- member board upon receiving a letter from Joe Salem, a member of a band that was hired to play at a SAE mixer, claiming that the fraternity sponsored a party with a racist theme. Salem told The Battalion that although he couldn't afford to travel all the way from Dallas, he would be willing to testify over the phone to the board. "I would back-up what I saw and heard-what I experienced," Salem said. "They can deny it, but it's true." Dr. Mike Leese, coordinator of Greek affairs in the department of student activities, said evidence will be presented at the hearing for and against the chapter, and any additional evidence will be accepted by the board. "The evidence that would be used against them would include (Salem's) letter and any letters that might end up in The Battal ion," Leese said. "I've gotten phone calls from other student groups concerned about it, and if they put something in writing, that would be used as evidence." The hearing is standard proce dure when a chapter is accused of an offense of this magnitude, Leese said. "Anytime a fraternity violates a policy — whether it's an alcohol policy, a hazing policy, or, in this case a negative reflection upon the Greek system — that particu lar chapter is called before the ju dicial board," Leese said. If the chapter is found guilty, to any degree, there are many punishment possibilities, includ ing probation, fines and commu nity service, Leese said. In this situation, he expects the board to require the chapter to attend a workshop on cultural sensitivity. Salem said his motive for testi fying wasn't to lash out at the fra ternity. "I'm not out for their charter or to shut them down or anything," Salem said. "My goal is for them to recognize what they've done and not do it again." Running mates prepare for showdown THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — The presidential campaign spotlight now shifts to Dan Quayle, A1 Gore and James Stockdale as the three running mates square off for their only de bate. For Quayle, the showdown Tuesday night in Atlanta could be especially critical. Not only is President Bush in dire need of a campaign lift, but, if the Bush- Quayle ticket loses in November, this may be the vice president's last showcase opportunity for a long while to bolster his chances for a run at the top job in 1996. Gore, too, could have more than just top-of-the-ticket interests at stake, since he also is a regard ed a presidential prospect. The de bate outcome likely isn't so piv otal for his own career. Regardless of what happens in November, he will have a strong political power base. The No. 2s are set to meet just two days after Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot faced off in St. Louis in the first of three presi dential debates. Because the polls show Bush trailing badly behind Clinton, “Quayle has got to think about his own political future/' said Erwin Hargrove, a political science pro fessor at Vanderbilt University. For Quayle, the debate also represents an opportunity to re deem himself from what he con cedes was a miserable perfor mance in 1988, especially his ill- conceived attempt to compare himself to John F. Kennedy when debating Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas.