ber 30,195; fol. 92 No. 65 The Battalion (8 pages) . “Serving Texas A&M Since 1893” Tuesday, December 1, 1992 Supreme Court sustains women 7 s right to abortion THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The upreme Court sustained omen's basic right to abortion fonday, voting 6-3 against reviv- \g a 1990 Guam law that would ave prohibited nearly all such perations. The justices refused to review iwer court rulings that had de- ared the U.S. territory's sweep- glaw unconstitutional. Monday's action, which ac- vists on both sides of the nation- debate had expected, marked le first time in 20 years the high jurt declined to review a major ortion dispute. But a new case, testing how far dlisor, plai ates may go in making abortions easongam lore difficult to obtain, already is efore the justices and could be ted on as early as next week. The court also is wrestling with aother abortion-related issue: hether federal judges have the uthority to deal with abortion inic blockades. "Today's action was hardly un- tpected," said Burke Balch of the ational Right to Life Committee, hich opposes abortion. "It un dines the reaffirmation of Roe Wade." David Andrews of Planned irenthood said his group was re tenor of his the Aggi :on Bowl ag less th Atkinson 1 21 straight . You ted on his ts ill stumblf that wert i't describe, pion - in- right this hen teams ?s for not >all has to id I'd say is a legiti- Mow, you tern is es- remains ould slip he system he nation- rtyr could eve d by the court's action but ided, "It does not address the nderlying problem of severe re- rictions" the court has let states apose on women seeking abor- The court last June reaffirmed le core holding of its landmark )73 Roe vs. Wade decision — lat women have a constitutional ght to abortion. But the June decision also^aid iates may raise new hurdles for omen seeking to end their preg- ancies. The ruling upheld most revisions of a Pennsylvania abor tion law. The invalidated Guam law would have allowed abortions only when an embryo formed out side the woman's womb, or when two doctors determined that con tinuing a pregnancy would kill a woman or "gravely impair" her health. Monday's action was viewed as likely to persuade Louisiana of ficials not to seek to reverse a fed eral appeals court ruling that struck down their state law ban ning most abortions. Louisiana Attorney General Richard leyoub said he would announce the state's plans Tuesday. The court's brief order in the Guam case drew dissenting votes from Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Byron R. White. Writing for the three, Scalia said a federal appeals court wrongly struck down the Guam law "on its face." "There are apparently some ap plications of the statute that are perfectly constitutional," Scalia said. Thomas did not join in Mon day's dissent and offered no com ment beyond the majority's one- sentence statement denying the appeal. Noting that only four votes are needed to grant Supreme Court review, Leanne McCoy of Ameri cans United for Life guessed that Thomas thought it would be fruit less to provide that fourth vote. A five-member majority — Jus tices Sandra Day O'Connor, An thony M. Kennedy, David H. Souter, Harry A. Blackmun and John Paul Stevens — controlled the court's decision last June. "There probably was a decision not to force th short of a court-martial but serious enough to effectively end their ca- eers, several sources said. All spoke only on condition of anonymity. Drager was considered one of the Navy's top stars and was the first lelicopter pilot to have- been named commander of an aircraft carrier. The recommendation is expected to be made public Tuesday when be Navy releases its report in Naples, Italy, on the Oct. 1 accident. Two Sea Sparrow missiles were launched from the carrier and one truck the Turkish ship Muavenet during a NATO exercise in the Aegean Sea. The Muavenet's commanding officer was among those illed and 18 crewmen were injured. One senior military source said dm. Henry Mauz, the commander of the Navy's Atlantic Fleet, has Commended that six of the Saratoga's most senior officers and two en- Isted men face "mast" procedures, which are non-judicial hearings brough which punishment is meted out under the Navy's disciplinary ystem. Such punishments usually do not call for reduction in rank or •ay, but more often take the form of official letters of reprimand. After uch disciplinary procedures, promotion is unlikely and officers or se- ior enlisted men or women generally leave the service. The sailors who actually let the missiles fly are not being recom- nended for any kind of discipline, the senior military officer said, be- ause a board of inquiry found that they had only followed the orders bat were given them. A Navy investigation found that the sailors were wakened late at night and mistook a drill for an actual attack. The nore senior officers are being faulted because "much miscommunica- ion" had taken place on board the Saratoga and they had not made lear to the lower-level weapons operators that a drill was under way, he senior military source said. p • 1 nr-i Sliver Taps to honor one Silver Taps will be held this evening at 10:30 p.m. in front of the Academic Building for Michael Robert Reid, a 21-year-old political science major from Houston. Reid died October 31. A memorial service Was held November 4, at St. Patrick's Church in Geneva, Ill. Rep. Wilson speaks to A&M on ethnic tolerance, education By MARK EVANS Staff Writer of THE BATTALION In a time when minorities are becoming the majority, minori ties still find themselves and their views under-represented throughout society, especially at the university level, said State Rep. Ron Wilson, speaking at an open forum last night in Rudder Theater. "Minorities in this country are no longer minorities," he said. "It is a new day. We all live in a mul ticultural environment, and we're all going to have to act ac cordingly. "We are all going to have to get along." Wilson said he supports a multicultural class at Texas A&M to teach students racial sensitivi ty. Students should learn from the sins of the past, so they avoid them in the future, he said. "There's nothing wrong with us saying that students have to take a multicultural class if they go to a university in this state," Wilson said. Wilson said he also believes everyone should have equal ac cess to publicly-funded universi ties because they're footing the bills. A&M alone receives $200 million a year from the state, he said. "Everybody pays for this uni versity," Wilson said. "It ought to allow everybody access to its fa cilities." Currently, the number of mi norities represented on Texas' universities, both among faculty and students, does not accurately reflect society, Wilson said. He said he would like to see more minority, student and faculty, re cruitment. Texas A&M has already come a long way in minority recruit ment, said Dr. John Koldus, vice president for student services. "We don't have the numbers of black students as we do in the state of Texas, percentage-wise," he said. "Historically, we have come a long way in the last 10 years in regard to all of our pro grams relating to minority re cruitment. But we have a long way to go." Wilson took issue with the sanctions the University handed down in October to an A&M fra ternity which held a party at which actives allegedly chased pledges who were painted black and dressed in grass skirts. If Prairie View A&M students had painted their faces white and other students shot them with fake Uzis, the punishment would have been a lot more harsh, Wil son said. "They would have gotten a lot more than a $1,000 fine," he said. "The Corps (of Cadets) would have been down there in 10 min utes." "No matter what issue comes up everyone is going to have their opinion on how it should be done and why it should be done," Koldus said, referring to the University's action. Both he and Wilson look at the situation from different perspec tives, Koldus said. "You do what you think is best at the particular time," he said. "My point of view is a bit different than his in the sense that he thought (the fraternity) ought to be banned from the campus." After making his speech, Wil son took questions from the audi ence. In response to a question from the audience, Wilson explained that the reason minorities are not involved in more campus organi zations which d^ not relate to culture is because they are not made to feel welcome; they are not taken seriously. Blacks and browns cannot be blotted out, Wilson said. "Everybody is going to be a part (of this university), other wise we'll shut this sucker down," he said. "There's no law we can pass, no bill we can sponsor that will change how people think about each other." Wilson said he will continue to work through the Memorial Student Center Black Awareness Committee, which sponsored the forum. DARRIN HILL/The Battalion Roberto Villarreal, a senior philosophy major from San Antonio, waits patiently while Delsia McKinney, Director of Development for the MSC Black Awareness Committee, runs a metal detector over him as part of the security checks for a speech by Rep. Ron Wilson on Monday. Students, professors provide mixed reactions to multicultural issues forum By WILL HEALY Reporter of THE BATTALION Texas A&M University students and pro fessors had mixed reactions to State Rep. Ron Wilson's forum sponsored by the Memorial Student Center Black Awareness Committee Monday night. Wilson discussed the issue of multicultur al sensitivity at A&M - a topic of which he feels the University needs to take a more proactive role. Student Body President Steve Beller said, in his efforts to address the issue, he made many unsuccessful attempts to contact Wil son, including sending a Student Govern ment delegation to Austin. "I made many phone calls to Wilson and he never responded," Beller said. "What does that tell me?" Beller said a solution will come as a result of working together with all student organi zations at A&M. Student organizations are making a con certed effort to reach out to minorities, said Warren Talbot, president of Off Campus Ag gies. Student government has opened up, but minorities seem to show less interest. and even some resistance, he said. "I don't know how much further we can go without offending (minorities)," Talbot said. Students may be more culturally aware if they learn about multiculturalism in the classes they take instead of being required to take a multicultural class, said Jill McClure, Miss Texas A&M. McClure said she felt that some of what Wilson said was contradictory "He said that we are a melting pot, which we are, and how we need to come together, which we do," McClure said. "But then he said T'm here for my people, and until I get my neighborhood cleaned up, I can't worry about anyone else.' Then why is he here at Texas A&M?" Brian Walker, a speaker of the Student Senate, said he thinks that things went well and that students got a lot out of the forum. However, he said he was discouraged by Wilson's unwillingness to respond, and the fact that Wilson never said how he feels about the Student Senate's efforts to promote multiculturalism. "One of our goals for next year and next semester is to get more minorities involved in student activities," Walker said. MSC Director Jim Reynolds said he felt the forum was an excellent program and commended the MSC Black Awareness Com mittee (BAC) on their efforts. "I think we need more programs that help to engage Texas A&M in talking about racism, multiculturalism and diversity," Reynolds said. "A&M needs to do not only programs with elected officials, but also with people from the private sector and the Texas A&M student body with each other. "It all starts with what is in our individual hearts and minds," Reynolds said. The forum was one of the few opportuni ties where the issue can be talked about, said Dr. D.H. Seastrunk, assistant director emeri tus of the Texas Agricultural Extension Ser vice. The race issue is not discussed sufficiently and there is no progress unless it is dis cussed, he said. Michelle Boldon, chairman of BAC, agreed that the program was a positive expe rience. "What counts is what happens after wards," Boldon said. "Representative Wil son is gone. He won't be here tomorrow. It's up to A&M to implement positive measures that will make a difference."