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The Battalion
Vol. 92 No. 64 (6 pages)
‘Serving Texas ASM Since 1893’
Monday, November 30, 1992
Bonfire problems minimal, police say
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Reporter of THE BATTALION
The new location of the 1992
Texas Aggie Bonfire brought no
unexpected surprises, said local
law enforcement officials.
The biggest problem was
pedestrians refusing to use the
cross walks manned by College
Station police, ———
drivers because the pedestrians
didn't help anything."
Next year, the CSPD will con
sider the possibility of closing off
Texas Avenue completely.
"In comparison to the other
location, this bonfire was much
more visible from University Dri-
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It
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DARRIN HILL/Dk Battalion
Deadpots shout at senior Redpots prior to the light bonfire, Deadpots (previous Red pots) return
lighting of bonfire. While it is the Redpots’ duty to to ensure bonfire is up to “old army” standards.
said Bob Wiatt,
director of the
University Po
lice Depart
ment.
"The only
real problem
was after bon
fire people
were running
belter skelter
across Univer-
sity (Drive)," Wiatt said. "No in
juries occurred, but it scared
many drivers."
The new location worked bet
ter than expected, said Maj. Ma
son Newton, coordinator of bon
fire night for the College Station
Police Department.
The biggest problem for the
police was pedestrians crossing
at whim instead of using the
crosswalks, Newton said.
"The only real problem was after
bonfire people were running
belter skelter across University
(Drive), No injuries occurred,
but it scared many drivers."
- Bob Wiatt, director ofUPD
ve and Texas Avenue," Newton
said. "This presented a big traffic
and public safety concern."
Closing off Texas Avenue
would possibly be safer, but it
also might hurt businesses locat
ed on the street, he said.
UPD issued 115 citations,
mostly for minor in possession,
and made 16 arrests.
"The majority of those arrest
ed were not Aggies," Wiatt said.
"Overall, the behavior was far
better than in past years.
"It seems that students are
starting to listen to 'no alcohol on
campus.'
However, Wiatt said three
bonfire attendees were taken to
the hospital for excessive alcohol
consumption.
■ Dr. John
Koldus, vice pres
ident for student
services, said he
agrees the efforts
to reduce alcohol
consumption on
campus have
helped.
"We have done
really well at edu
cating the student
•—~~ body (about
keeping alcohol away form bon
fire)," Koldus said. "I really felt
good about what took place at
bonfire."
Overall, Wiatt said, this year's
bonfire was more subdued than
bonfires of the past, but either
way he was happy to be done
with it.
"Tm glad it's all over for an
other year."
Aggie Band
players leave
performance
By GINA HOWARD
Rqyortcr of THE BATTALION
isses were
lers sacke
e his firs:
left in th_
Seven members of the Texas Aggie Band refused
third-ancl 0 s hare th 0 field with the University of Texas Band
-open Frei urm 8 the A&M-Texas game Thursday at Memorial
with a 3- tadium.
The-protesting band mem-bersr-six seniors and one
eshman, marched during the regular halftime drill
ut refused to stay on the field after the A&M band
burned to play several songs with the UT band,
aid Jerry Gonzalez, a senior engineering technology
lajor.
n's lead
nks easili
:u
ley relay.
"A couple of us
larted talking before-
and and we decided
se Dereski /e didn't want to go
arfly withi [ 0wn i n history as the
n the third nly Aggie Band to
hare the field with
nother band, espe-
ially with t.a.," Gon-
alez said.
well, as we
ime in and
Holme!
itinued to
did well in
aff events,
ally."
will be the
dch will b
a perennial-
as. But al
ien will be
:oach Mel
-ard to the
ng forward
eting witl
Niash said-
I have there
stest teams
aw we pet
: about oat
season."
"A couple of us started talking
beforehand and we decided we didn't
want to go down in history as the only
Aggie Band to share the field with
another band, especially with t.u."
- Jerry Gonzalez
"Some of us felt we shouldn't play with the t.u.
•and; we didn't want to lower ourselves to their
tandards."
Toler declined to make extensive comments on the
vent, but did say that this was a personal decision
rade by the band members.
Seven members of the band chose to walk off of
he field," Toler said. "This was an individual act on
their part and is not what the Aggie Band stands
for."
The decision to walk off of the field was an ethical
|ne, said Blake Clampffer, a senior agricultural eco-
omics major.
"I had pledged I would go along, and we had all
greed," he said. "When it all came down to it, I re-
TP
alized that not everyone who said they would do it
really was leaving.
"I had to do it to show those that had already
walked away that I was with them." (
Clampffer said that everyone he talked to before
hand felt the same way about being on the field with
Texas, but the threat of being kicked out of the band
kept them from leaving.
However, many members protested in ways other
than leaving the field, he said.
"A lot of people didn't even put their horns up,
and many of those who did were not playing," Gon
zalez said.
Several of the members who left the field said they
were also upset that no one considered how the band
felt about performing with the UT band.
"The main reason I protested was because I didn't
want to go down being disgraced on my last perfor-
mance with the Aggie Band," said Jeff G(J?bs. a se
nior biology major. "Col. Toler didn't give us a
chance to voice our opinion.
"The Aggie band is supposed to be alone."
When the band returned to the stands, Toler told
them they were no
longer a part of the
organization because
they had embarrassed
the band on national
television, Gonzalez
said.
Later, Toler had the
drum majors an
nounce ’ over the
megaphones that all
members who participated in the protest should
leave the stands.
The band members said they plan to go talk to Tol
er on Monday to explain why-they took the action
they did.
"I think what he (Toler) did was irrational and in
haste," Gibbs said. "He embarrassed us and the Ag
gie Band by announcing out loud that we should
leave."
Gibbs said that he does not regret what he did
even if it means not being a part of the band for the
remainder of his senior year.
"I am tired of being a follower," he said. "If that is
the punishment, then I don't want to be a part of the
organization."
Racist attack kills 4
South African blacks open fire on country club
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JOHANNESBURG, South
Africa — Blacks burst into a coun
try club dining room and bar and
opened fire with automatic rifles
and hand grenades, killing four
whites and wounding 17, officials
said Sunday.
The Saturday night slaughter in
King William's Town, 625 miles
southeast of Johannesburg, was a
rare ma§^ attack on whites. No
one claimed responsibility for the
assault, which appeared to be
racially or politically motivated.
Blood splattered the floor and
dining tables at the King William's
Town Golf Club. A grenade blew
a hole in the floor and shrapnel
brought down part of the ceiling.
Drinking glasses and windows
were shattered.
The assailants escaped, and po
lice announced a massive man
hunt and offered a $17,000 reward
for information leading to arrests.
The bloody attack was the real
ization of many whites' worst
fears in this racially divided na
tion, where black-on-black vio
lence has taken thousands of black
lives in recent years. Whites —
outnumbered 30 million to 5 mil
lion — have feared for generations
that the black majority could turn
on them.
The attack came at a sensitive
time politically. The government
and the African National Con
gress, the leading black group, are
scheduled to meet this week to try
to restart derailed talks on ending
white minority rule.
The government, reacting to the
country club deaths and other
weekend violence, said in a state
ment that it "cannot successfully
deal with violence alone."
It called for the cooperation "of
all our communities and of all po
litical leaders. . . . There must be a
^-popainorjL resolve that our society
will no longer tolerate violence."
Ray Radue, a member of parlia
ment, and his wife were attending
the dinner and wine-tasting at the
club when an undetermined num
ber of blacks attacked the dining
room and a bar just before 10 p.m.
Historians not sure where 'West' is
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HELENA, Mont. — When Horace Greeley urged
Americans to "Go West" in 1851, nobody wondered
where that was. But a survey of western writers and
historians finds little agreement now on what's West.
It starts somewhere between the Mississippi River
and the Rocky Mountain foothills. And it extends ei
ther to the western edge of the Rockies or to the Pa
cific Ocean, the survey of 251 writers and editors in
dicates.
Western Canada and western Mexico may or may
not be part of the West. It depends on who you ask.
Walter Nugent, a western history professor at
Notre Dame University, asked members of the West
ern History Association, Western Writers of America
and a sampling of western editors and publishers
about the West.
The responses, published in Montana, The Maga
zine of Western History, are as far apart as Sutter
Creek, Calif., and Dodge City, Kan.
Only four entire states — Arizona, Utah, Nevada
and Idaho — were unanimously agreed upon as th£
"unambiguous West," along with western Montana,
Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, eastern Wash
ington and Oregon, and the northeastern corner of
California.
Thirty percent of the western writers and 22 per
cent of the historians responding said Louisiana,
Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota were part
of the West; only 8 percent of editors agreed.
The Cascade Mountains of Washington and Ore
gon and the Sierra Nevada of California were accept
ed as the western boundary by many. Some were
willing to go to the coast, although California raised
some eyebrows.
UPD tightens security for Wilson
In Advance
lent
93
By GARY P. CARROLL
Citu Editor of THE BATTALION
State Rep. Ron Wilson's visit to
exas A&M University tonight
'ill be under the watchful eye of
ne University police, said Bob
Viatt, director of the University
olice Department
All security measures for Wil-
on's address in Rudder Theater
)night are at the request of Wil-
!>n, and will be handled by Uni-
ersity officers and members of
he Memorial Student Center
lack Awareness Committee,
fiatt said.
"We'll have officers there at
Wilson's) request," Wiatt said.
We are not requiring these secu-
ly measures — our participarion
j at the request of the Black
bareness Committee."
Members of the Black Aware-
?ss Committee will be adminis-
ring hand-held metal detector
sts for all audience members at-
nding Wilson's forum. Wiatt
iid if any of the magnetometers
gister a response, the officers
ill be there to take control of the
tuation.
Wilson
In conjunction with the metal
detector tests, side exit doors will
be locked, and the audience will
only be allowed to enter from the
main entrances located at the rear
of the theater.
"Wilson's office called and re
quested these security measures
from Florence Rice, adviser to the
Black Awareness Committee, and
she in turn called us," Wiatt said.
Although he does not expect
any trouble from A&M students,
Wiatt said he did not know if Wil
son's concern for security was a
preventative or a reactionary mea
sure, but the University police
will be handling this event with
utmost seriousness and sensitivi
ty-
"I don't understand his con
cern, but Rep. Wilson said he has
received threatening phone calls,
and feels he needs this amount of
security," Wiatt said. "I don't
share his opinion, but I will be
working with the Black Aware
ness Committee to ensure his safe
ty-"
When asked if Wilson felt he
was going to be in danger during
his visit to A&M, Rice said, "I
have no comment."
Wiatt said he tried to contact
Wilson's office regarding the secu
rity measures, but Wilson was not
available.
Rene Henry, Jr., executive direc
tor of University relations at Texas
A&M, said all the information he
and University President William
Mobley receive comes through the
Black Awareness Committee.
"There has been no contact at
all between Mr. Wilson's office
and my office or the president's
office," Henry said. "Everything
we know we get from the Black
Awareness Committee."
Henry said he is not aware of
any harassing phone calls made to
Wilson, or any other events that
would warrant such security mea
sures.
Regardless, Wiatt said he ex
pects Wilson's visit to go off with
out a hitch.
"I feel certain that (Wilson) will
show up, do his thing, leave, and
that will be it."
All backpacks and packages
will be searched, so those plan
ning to attend are encouraged to
not bring any such items to the fo
rum as the searches will slow
down the admission process.
Because of Wilson's request for
extraordinary security measures,
the Black Awareness Committee
will begin admitting people at 7
p.m. from the second floor en
trance.
By GARY P. CARROLL
City Editor of THE BATTALION
State Rep. Ron Wilson will
respond to incidents that have
affected minority relations at
Texas A&M University during an
open forum tonight at 8 p.m. in
Rudder Theater.
Wilson told Texas legislators
last Monday that he is con
cerned with the University’s
handling of an A&M fraternity
that held a party with a “jungle”
theme - a party Wilson thought
was culturally insensitive.
Wilson also will discuss an
anonymous letter sent to him by
“friends of the University”
threatening him with a war like
he has never seen.
Michelle Bolden, chair of the
Memorial Student Center Black
Awareness Committee, said
Wilson’s visit is meant to serve
as a proactive example of the
University’s and the legisla
ture’s joint concern for calming
of racial ills at A&M.
“The forum is being held to
discuss corrective measures
that we can take as students to
better our racial situation on
campus, and to heighten
awareness of cultural sensitivi
ty,” Bolden said. “It’s an educa
tional forum more than it is a
bashing session.”
Wilson will begin the forum
with a speech, and following his
speech he will take questions
from the audience.
Wilson’s visit is a matter of
principal regarding cultural sen
sitivity, and is not solely a re
sponse to an editorial and car
toon appearing in The Battalion,
Boldon said.
“He’s not coming just be
cause of that article - it’s more
than that one issue,” Boldon
said. “A lot of people are misun
derstanding what’s going on,
but this is an educational forum
focused on cultural sensitivity.”
Boldon said she hopes Wil
son’s visit will encourage every
one at A&M to become more
aware of multicultural issues.