The Battalion
Vol. 92 No. 39 (12 pages)
‘Serving Texas A&M Since 1893”
Thursday, October 22, 1992
Croat, Muslim fighting
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Fighting
Wednesday between Croats and Muslims, nominal
lilies in Bosnia's civil war, halted relief flights to the
jesieged capital, U.N. officials said.
Bozo Rajic, a senior Croat leader, said at least 22
Treats were killed and as many wounded in the
lashes northwest of Sarajevo. No estimates of Mus-
im casualties were immediately available.
A British and a Canadian plane delivered sup-
)lies to the capital in the morning. But the fighting,
n territory below the air corridor leading to the air-
)ort, prompted the U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees to cancel the 12 remaining shipments, said
dichael Keats, an agency spokesman in the Croatian
:apital, Zagreb.
Surrounded by Serb rebels for six months, Saraje-
ro could suffer tens of thousands of deaths from
.tarvation and exposure this winter unless hostilities
:ease enough for supplies to arrive by plane and
iruck, aid officials say.
A French U.N. soldier was shot through the
ihoulder and through the head Wednesday while es-
:orting a relief convoy through the city's Nedzarici
district along a front line. He was evacuated to Croa-
ia, the French military information office said.
It was not clear what started the fighting that be-
;an Tuesday night in the mixed Muslim-Croat
owns of Travnik, Novi Travnik and Vitez, about 35
niles north of Sarajevo.
Bosnia's Muslim president, Alija Izetbegovic,
ilamed radical Croat factions for starting the fight
ing.
"Some radical forces on the Croatian side are try
ing to provoke a conflict there, some radicals who
are trying to make a state within a state," he said in
Geneva, where ongoing U.N. and European Com
munity peace talks are being held.
Bosnian and Croatian radio reports quoted Mus
lim forces as saying Croatian Defense Council troops
started the fighting. The defense council is the mili
tary arm of the ethnic Croatian administration that
controls about 30 percent of Bosnia.
Word of the clashes between Muslims and Croats
came after an eight-person U.N. relief crew in Vitez
said it was trapped by the fighting and called for
help.
The workers reported shelling and heavy street
fighting, with at least one bullet striking the UNHCR
warehouse complex, said Marc Vachon, an officer
with the U.N. agency in Sarajevo.
Three French armored personnel carriers and an
armored ambulance arrived in Vitez shortly after 6
p.m., and the workers were driven to safety in Croat-
controlled Kiseljak. No one was injured.
Rajic, the Croat leader, said "merciless attacks by
Muslim extremists" on Croatian forces in Travnik
and Novi Travnik continued Wednesday. He said
the attackers used mortars and anti-aircraft guns.
However, by Wednesday afternoon Vitez was under
the control of Croatian forces, he said.
Meanwhile, Croatian radio claimed that Serb heli
copters fired rockets Wednesday at the northern
Bosnian town of Gradacac, violating a U.N. ban on
military flights over Bosnia-Herzegovina. The report
could not be verified.The radio also said ethnic Croat
and Muslim forces battled Serb rebels at the north
ern city of Bihac and had retaken the Serb-held town
of Orasje, also in the north. Bosnia's northern border
with Croatia has been the scene of some of the heavi
est recent fighting.
■
es $80,000
United Way campaign
By CHERYL HELLER
Reporter of THE BATTALION
Texas A&M University students, faculty, staff and
iemployees of the Texas A&M University System
I have pledged more than $80,000 to the 1992 Brazos
) County United Way Campaign, according to a sum-
vknary of the pledges distributed to the various cam
paign leaders Tuesday.
Texas A&M president and 1992 Brazos County
pnited Way Campaign chairman Dr. William H.
obley said that the Texas A&M totals are part of
Countywide pledges to date totaling $281,373.15,
which is 38.57 percent of the $729,433 campaign goal.
In the past. Student Government and the Greek
ystem had independent United Way committees to
aise money, but because of Mobley's involvement
vith the Brazos County campaign, Texas A&M orga-
lizations are working to gather money as a whole
his year.
Texas A&M students have already raised more
han the $5,000 pledged at the beginning of the dri-
e ; and have doubled the student goal to $10,000, ac
cording to Texas A&M Student Body President Steve
Seller. The $5,000 in student pledges was not includ
ed in the summary report.
"We've already raised about $8,000 for the cam
paign," Beller said, "and a good reason for that is the
contribution from the fraternities and sororities.
They're very service-oriented, and they've helped us
well exceed our original goal."
Drives are currently under way in the residence
halls, the Memorial Student Center and other stu
dent organizations.
The MSC has contributed to the campaign by
placing collection canisters in the Aggie Cinema; the
Off-Campus Aggies are working with Bus Opera
tions to put canisters on busses; and Alpha Phi
Omega service fraternity has also been contributing
to the campaign.
"Eppright Hall is holding a date auction on Oct.
22, and Davis-Gary had a penny collection that
raised almost $200 in pennies," Beller said. "Many of
the residence halls have held their own fundraisers,
so there's been a competition among the residence
halls, and I'm really glad to see this much student in
volvement."
Environment focus of debate
Representatives of Democratic, Republican, Independent
parties define candidates' positions at TEAC forum
By CHERYL HELLER
Reporter of THE BA TTA UON
Texas A&M University stu
dents heard environmental is
sues discussed by representa
tives of the Republican, Democ
ratic and Independent parties in
a combination debate and fo
rum held Wednesday night in
Rudder The
atre.
The pro-
f ram, which
o c u s e d
strictly on
environ
mental is
sues, was
sponsored
by the Texas
Environ
mental Ac
tion Coali
tion.
"This debate was designed to
bring environmental issues into
focus in the 1992 election," said
Michael W. Gillenwater, TEAC
project coordinator.
Speakers for the program
were Brian Donovan of the
League of Conservation Voters
and representative of the Demo
cratic Party; Stanley Kubicek,
treasurer of the Washington
County Republican Party; and
; Lou Zaeske, chairman and
. founder of the Independent
Texan Network and an unoffi
cial representative for Ross Per
ot. Dr. Gary Varner, assistant
“ professor of philosophy and hu
manities at A&M, and a re-
Bush
search associate in the Center
for Biotechnology Policy and
Ethics, served as moderator for
the program.
The program began with
opening statements trom each
of the three speakers to define
their candidate's position on en
vironmental affairs in the elec
tion.
Zaeske introduced the funda
mental ideas
of dealing
with greed,
laziness, and
self-gratifica
tion in soci
ety. Donovan
discussed
Clinton's top
priority as the
economy,
with focus on
creating jobs
to preserve
the environment, and Kubicek
stressed George Bush's "direct
action" environmental record.
The forum continued with
follow-ups to the opening re
marks that gave the speakers a
chance to respond to each oth
er's comments. The speakers
also answered questions from
the audience that dealt with
landfills, the automobile indus
try in the United States, endan
gered species, rain forests, and
possible energy sources for the
future, as well as questions that
dealt specifically with Bush and
Clinton's platforms and past
performance records.
Those questions spurred at-
CHnton
tacks from Kubicek on Clinton's
performance as governor of
Arkansas.
"Clinton is under a tremen
dous burden in trying to solve
the problems in Arkansas,"
Donovan said in defense. "He
has experience dealing with dif
ficult situations, which gives
him valuable insight in dealing
with the problems America may
face."
In closing
statements,
the speakers
paraphrased
their opening
remarks and
ended with
positive over
all statements
about their
candidates.
"We need
proven world
leadership to solve the world's
problems," Kubicek said.
"George Bush has proven him
self as a world leader and is the
man to solve those problems."
Donovan stressed the impor-
tance of the country working to
gether to solve its problems.
"Compromise is the key, and
Bill Clinton is the man," he said.
Zaeske emphasized that
America needs a leader who
will deal with problems in an
authoritative manner.
"We need a bully pulpit to
tell us as a country what we're
doing wrong," he said, "and
Ross Perot is the man to be in
that pulpit."
Perot
halts air relief to capital
Bosnian conflict not just religious, local leader says
By MARK EVANS AND
ANAS BEN-MUSA
Staff Writers of THE BATTALION
The Bosnian conflict revolves
not only around religious differ
ences between the Serbians and
the Muslims but around political
and cultural pressures as well,
said local and national Muslim
leaders.
The differences between Ro
man Catholicism, Eastern Ortho
dox (both practiced by the Serbs)
and Islam are minor, said Kamran
Memon, editor of a magazine
published by the Islamic Society
of North America. All of these re
ligions teach justice and compas
sion, he said.
"The only reasons the Serbians
attacked the Bosnian-Muslims is
because the Serbian government is
imperialistic," Memon said. "They
wanted more power, and they
wanted more land."
The conflict has not been in re
sponse to Serbian charges of a
fundamentalist Islamic movement
in Bosnia, Memon said. It is not a
religious war.
Islamic fundamentalism, in
Western terms, refers to extremist
groups who advocate violence
and other coercive means to
spread their Islamic philosophy.
"Because (the Bosnians) are
Muslims, the Serbians feel that
they can play the Islamic funda
mentalism card and get rid of the
sympathy for the Bosnians,"
Memon said.
"That's the Serbian way of in
terpreting things and giving it col
or," Dr. Selina Ahmed, spokes
women of the Islamic Society of
Greater Houston, said. " They are
trying to justify the killing by por
traying an Islamic fundamentalist
movement."
Historically, Bosnia has not
been the site of Islamic fundamen
talism, said Dr. Richard Stadel-
mann, associate professor of hu
manities. The Bosnian-Muslims
have not practiced Islam zealous
ly, he said.
"I do not think this is a part of
the world where Muslim expan
sion has been aggressive in trying
to take over the area," Stadelmarm
said.
Ironically, the continuing fight
ing in Bosnia may cause a back
lash, giving rise to a Islamic fun
damentalist movement, said
Hisham Moharram, educational
officer of the Texas A&M Muslim
Student Association.
"What the Serbs claim started
the war might end up happening
as a result of the war," Moharram
said. "In many ways, the crisis the
Bosnians are going through now
is bringing them back to their
faith."
The cause of the Islamic revival
in Bosnia has arisen because of the
attention and support the Muslim
countries have paid to the region
as a result of the war, said Mem
on.
"A number of mujahedin
(Muslim soldiers fighting for the
sake of God), who fought in
Afghanistan and Sudan, have
gone to Bosnia to help the Bosni
ans defend themselves," Memon
said. "They are also training the
Bosnians to defend themselves.
The mujahedin have won the ad
miration of the Bosnian people."
The West has left a vacuum that is
being filled by the mujahedin who
care about Bosnia, said Memon.
See Bosnia/Page 12
BILLY MORAN The Battalion
Clint Cooper grinds a joint on a new handrail in . to be completed before the start of basketball
G. Rollie White. The renovations are scheduled season. See story on Page 2.
Residence hall changes
'Date Auction' format
By GARY P. CARROLL
City Editor of THE BATTALION
In the interest of cultural sensitivity and aware
ness, officials in the Department of Student Affairs
and the Department of Multicultural Services decid
ed that the format of Eppright Hall's Date Auction,
scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center
Flag Room today, should be changed.
Kevin Carreathers, director of multicultural ser
vices, said the change is a positive step.
"I have no problem with it - it's a good step," he
said.
Originally, the event was supposed to auction off
six students and President William H. Mobley to
raise money for the Brazos County United Way.
The new format includes selling $2 raffle tickets;
the winner receiving a dinner with President Mob
ley. And instead of auctioning people, dinners will
be auctioned. The buyers of the dinners will then
draw, raffle style, for their dinner dates.
The dates include Student Body President Steve
Beller, Miss Texas A&M Jill McClure, National Miss
Black and Gold Erica Davis, Cadet Commander of
the Corps of Cadets Matt Michaels, Columnist of The
Battalion Stacy Feducia, and Head Yell Leader Tim
Isgitt.
Gloria Flores, coordinator of student development
and multicultural programs, said that the idea of
selling people is not in the best interest pf A&M.
"People need to understand the connotation be
hind selling people," Flores said. "The important
thing is that people need to be sensitive."
In the past, date auctions have been very success
ful. One contestant at the MSC All Night Fair last
spring went for more than $300. However the refor
matting of the event may put an end to that accord
ing to Eppright Hall Resident Adviser Doron Chos-
nek.
"I think people are less likely to bid on a dinner at
a local restaurant than they are to bid for people they
might not otherwise ever meet," Chosnek said.
Chosnek said that the Eppright Hall dorm council
is very culturally diverse and during the planning
stages of the Date Auction no one had any problems
with it.
"We're a very culturally diversified group, and no
one ever imagined that anyone would take offense."
Erica Davis, National Miss Black and Gold, 1992,
said she understands how people might view the
event negatively, but her understanding of the event
as a fundraiser did not include any hints of cultural
insensitivity.
"I have participated in one of these (auctions) be
fore and I don't have a problem with it," Davis said.
"I hope (the format change) will not hinder people's
donations."
Davis said that recent events at A&M may have
brought on the format change.
"Sometimes when certain things happen they
bring other things to light. Maybe that's what hap
pened here."