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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1993)
The Battalion ,92 No. 77 (12 pages) ‘Serving Texas A&M Since 1893” Thursday, January 21,1993 'We Shall Overcome' Kim Retting, left, president of the Gay and Lesbian Students Services, shouts her support and links arms along with other participants of a march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Wednesday. The march began at the fish pond and continued around campus for about half an hour amid shouts of "Equality for all" and "End prejudice, end racism". The march ended at Rudder Fountain with speeches by Retting, Student Body President Steve Belter, president of the Student Chapter of NAACP Joseph Gourrier, right, and members of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Coordinating Committee, along with members of the audience. DARRIN HILL/The Battalion CRAIG FOX/The Battalion Campus crime decreases, UPD reports By MELODY DUNNE The number of burglaries in residence halls and buildings, felony thefts and sim- le assaults have declined from the 1991 to )92 school year, according to Texas A&M University Police records. "Theft has dropped dramatically," said Lt. Bert Kretzschmar, Crime Prevention Supervisor. "One of the most notice- declines has been in bicycle theft. We ! to get more people interested in secur ing their property and increase awareness." The number of burglaries dropped 25 percent while felonies and simple assaults declined 31 percent and 32 percent respec tively. The number of incidents of most other crimes has remained about the same. Kretzschmar said misdemeanor thefts are always a problem on college campuses, and at A&M, these thefts are the biggest crime problem. Misdemeanor thefts include property valued up to $750. Thefts on campus can occur at any time or place, Kretzschmar said. Thieves watch students while they study at the library and wait for an opportunity to take their wallet or backpack, he said. Kretzschmar said most students do not realize that if their property is stolen, they will need to have some proof of ownership before the property can be returned. En graving drivers license numbers into bicy cles and electronic equipment and knowing the serial numbers of these items is one of the easiest ways to prove ownership, he said. Photographs of small items, like jewelry, can help police locate the item and also prove ownership, Kretzschmar said. The percent of stolen property recovered by University police increased 27 percent. The reports of some offenses other than theft, such as sexual assaults, rose from the 1990-91 to the 1991-92 school year. Acquaintance or date rape, rose from zero to two. Kretzschmar said this figure is not accu rate because in a date rape situation, many victims will not come forward and report this offense. "The victims feel embarrassed, ashamed — even guilty," he said. "Alcohol and drugs play a part in some date rapes. Some victims barely remember what went on." Kretzschmar said he wished there was a magic formula that would make students realize that A&M is not a "safety bubble." "Students, especially freshmen, think that once they step onto the University that we live in a protective bubble," he said. "We try to make people aware but not para noid. See related story Page 2 Conference raises black awareness, official says By JEFF GOSMANO The fifth annual Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference (SBSLC) begins today through Sunday in the MSC and Rudder Tower. The purpose of this year's conference is to enrich the lives of African-Americans through speakers, workshops, a career fair and play, said Pam Sherman, associate chair of programs and hospitality for SBSLC '93. It will focus on black empowerment in the future. "The SBSLC will raise awareness, stimulate interest and basically make people refocus on history/' Sherman said. "In order to refocus, we "have to have an understanding of how the past relates to the present and how the present relates to the future." Playwright Thomas Meloncon's cast will perform his play "Ain't Nothing Wrong with a Gizzard Sandwich" in Rudder Auditorium on Thursday at 8 p.m. Speakers at the conference include artist and poet Nikki Giovanni, community activist Charles Barron, motivational speaker Dr. Patricia Russell- McCloud and literary critic Dr. Ivan Van Sertima. The workshops will focus on a variety of issues, from race relations to community involvement. Exxon, AT&T and Nations Bank are some of the corporations participating in the career fair in Rudder Tower Friday. For further information contact SBSLC '93 at 845-4565. Hepburn dies at 63 from cancer THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Clinton to assume military disputes Hepburn UNITED NATIONS - Audrey Hepburn, the Oscar-winning ac tress known for tier charm, tiigh-fashion el- gance and aris tocratic bearing in films such as Wait Until Dark," has died, the U.N. Chil dren's Fund an no u n c e d Wednesday. She was 63. Hep- hum, who had undergone colon cancer surgery last year, had been a longtime goodwill ambassador for the U.N. agency. She died in Switzerland, U.N. spokesman Joe Sills said. "I never had this huge talent or a great technique," she once said of her acting ability. "But some how I have had something that contributed." Miss Hepburn returned to her Swiss home, called Tolochenaz, on Lake Geneva after an operation for colon cancer last November. She was born Audrey Hep- burn-Ruston on May 4, 1929, near Brussels, Belgium. Her father was a banker of English-Irish ancestry, and her mother a Dutch baroness. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - As the na tion watched a new commander in chief take the oath of office, a skeleton crew at the Pentagon kept watch Wednesday on the simmering military crises that President Clinton has inherited in Iraq and elsewhere. The designated new secretary of defense, Les Aspin, had not yet been confirmed by the Senate when Clinton assumed power, but the nation's military structure — from the Joint Chiefs of Staff on down — remained intact. "We have no break in continu ity," said Col. Dave Burpee, head of the Pentagon's directorate for defense information, even though Clinton had filled none of the De fense Department's 44 political positions other than secretary of defense. Iraqi guns and missiles, which had challenged U.S. and allied planes in the south and north of the country for a solid week, were silent Wednesday, and there was a hopeful sign in the Balkan crisis. But the Clinton administra tion still faced an extremely volatile world on its first day in power. Nearly 25,000 American sol diers and Marines were carrying out Operation Restore Hope in lawless and famine-stricken So malia; five Navy ships were join ing a Coast Guard flotilla off the coast of Haiti hoping to forestall a flood of U.S.-bound refugees; and 1,300 Army soldiers were settling in in Kuwait. Air Force cargo planes contin ued to fly humanitarian supplies into war-torn Sarajevo, and a Navy frigate was helping a NATO maritime team enforce a U.N. embargo against the former Yugoslavia. The parliament of Bosnia's Serbs approved a plan to end the fighting with neighboring Serbia, but it was not immediate ly clear what effect the vote would have on the civil war. In his inauguration speech, Clinton paid tribute to "the brave Americans serving our nation to day" in the Persian Gulf and else where. And he said the United States must be ready to use power to defend more than just its own vi tal interests. "When our vital interests are challenged, or the will and con science of the international com munity is defied, we will act — with peaceful diplomacy when ever possible, with force when necessary," he said. In the morning hours before George Bush formally relin quished the White House, the Pentagon office of the secretary of defense, in the wood-paneled Eisenhower Corridor, was quiet except for the purring of a carpet shampooer and the stirrings of a single military aide. The custom ary door guard was absent. Hillary Clinton to change traditional First Lady role By STEPHANIE PATTILLO The Battalion Whether or not the public agrees, Texas A&M political sci entists say Hillary Clinton will certainly change the role of America's first lady. "She will revolutionize the tra ditional role of the first lady," said Dr. Nikki Van Hightower, a political scientist. "Hillary Clin ton is a breath of fresh air." Dr. Judith Baer, associate pro fessor of political science, said the new first lady will be more in volved in decision-making than any other first lady has in the past. "I think Hillary will work both independently and with her hus band," she said. "There is no rea son why a spouse of any public official shouldn't do that." Hightower believes that the role of the first lady will never be the same after the Clinton's are through with it. "They are very open about her influence and input," she said. "This is because the Clinton's are close as a husband and wife in a political, personal and profes sional sense." Although Clinton may rede fine the first lady's place, Baer said she hopes it won't create ex pectations for all first ladies to be as active as Clinton. "Only the one who is elected should be expected to fulfill pres idential duties," Baer said. "The public should not be demanding of the spouse, but if she wants to use her power, then that's good." Still, an active, high profile first lady is not what all Ameri cans expect of a president's wife. "Hillary Clinton is a mixed bag; she has sharply divided the public opinion," Hightower said. Baer said Clinton has taken more of a background role since her husbc nd has been elected. "If Hillary negatively affects her husband then I think she will tone down a bit," she said. Hightower agreed, "She can't be too far out politically; she needs to mainstream and act and look how the public expects her to." Although Hillary has made a few r changes to accommodate her new life in the White House, Hightower said those changes are superficial and were made to make people feel comfortable with her. "She's carving out an area for better treatment for children," Hightower said. "She will have a strong role in promoting legisla tion and in serving to help abused children." Hightower said education and child care issues the first lady supports will have a large impact on women as well. Baer agreed, "Hillary has al ways pushed for the rights of children." "She will also help all women in her role because she has a sep arate status from Bill," she said. "As far as feminism goes, she has walked the walk rather than talked the talk." In today's society, many cou ples struggle with having two ca reers and a family, Hightower said. "The Clintons have blazed new trails for the behavior of a husband and wife team," she said. "Men and women need to relate to each other as equals." Hightower said, "They have given all families who are strug gling with this the insight that they need." Spike Lee to discuss racial issues By KEVIN LINDSTROM The Battalion Film director Spike Lee will speak on diver sity, multiculturalism and racism at a student leadership forum during the Texas Film Festi val which is sponsored by MSC Aggie Cine- ma-The Film Society of A&M from Feb. 24 to the 28. "Mr. Lee's visit will bring a valuable per spective and insight to some very important issues that are relevant to our campus," said Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, chair of the committee of the Film Society. The talk show style forum will be moderat ed by Dr. Marilyn Kem-Foxworth, APR. Foxworth said, "I believe that Spike Lee is the right person to address the issues of diver sity, multiculturalism and racism. A lot of his films have gotten to the core of race relations - how races interact and the antagonisms be tween the races." Alvarado said, "I think the student response to Mr. Lee's visit will be generally positive. Hopefully, the extent of negative reactions will end up on the Opinion Page." Alvarado is confident there will be little, if any, student protest. "As a world class university, I feel confident that the views of Spike Lee will be listened to with open minds," Alvarado said. "Hopefully, Mr. Lee's participation in the student forum will send a message that A&M is inclusive of minority students and respectful of minority issues." The forum is by invitation only and will last about an hour on the afternoon of Feb. 24. Groups invited include the leadership of many of A&M's student organization and some im portant administration member "We want to provide as much student acces sibility to Mr. Lee as possible," Alvarado said. "Because of the limited space, we wanted to invite as many student leaders as possible so the leaders can share their experiences with their organizations." See related story Page 3 Lady Aggies Defeat L.S.U. 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