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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1993)
The Battalion Vol. 92 No.127 (10 pages) 1893 - A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993 Thursday, April 8,1993 Gov. Richards cancels all classes for Good Friday By GINA HOWARD | The Battalion NO SCHOOL FRIDAY!!! I All Texas A&M University classes, labs and lectures are canceled in accordance with a resolution signed by Gov. Ann Richards to ob serve Good Friday. Richards signed the resolution Wednesday which declared Fri day an official holiday for all state employees. All campus dining centers will be closed with the exception of the Commons Dining Center. Golf Course Snack Bar, Hullabaloo in the MSC, and Billy Mac's in Hasterwood Airport will also be open. Parking, Transit and Traffic's Shuttle Bus Operations will run a holiday schedule. Two Dial-a-Ride buses will run from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. for on- and off-campus service. A special services vehicle will be available for persons requiring a wheelchair lift. To request Dial-a-Ride, call 847-RIDE. The Sterling C. Evans Library will be open Friday, but hours of operation were not determined at the time of publication. The hours will be released today. Richards' resolution contained a provision stating an exception to the holiday for any employees providing "essential services." E. Dean Gage, senior vice president and provost, released a memorandum to all deans and provosts that said the Health Center and the College of Veterinary Medicine will remain open to con duct "clinical service responsibilities." Any employees required to work will receive equal time off at a later date. The Battalion will not publish Friday The Battalion will not publish Friday because Gov. Ann Richards signed a resolution Wednesday declaring Friday a holi day for all state employees. The Battalion will resume publishing Monday. Hillary Clinton's father dies from stroke at 82 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Hugh lodham, father of first lady ■Hilary Rodham Clinton, died Wednesday night, three weeks af- |ter suffering a stroke. He was 82. The retired Cnicago-area busi nessman was stricken on March 19. Clinton, 45, spent the first 16 lays of his hospitalization in Lit- leRock, returning to Washington Dn Sunday. Clinton had missed several neetings of her health care task force to be at her father's bedside at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center, and the White House said early this month the task force's report would be delayed beyond its May 3 deadline because of her absence. Clinton, 45, was the eldest of three children of Rodham and his wife, Dorothy. The Rodhams also had two sons, Tony, 38, and Hugh Rodham Jr., 42. Both live in the Miami area, where Tony is a pri vate investigator and Hugh Jr. a Dade County assistant public de fender. Rodham retired in 1970 from a small textile business he owned in Chicago, making draperies for ho tels and other clients. He and his wife moved to Little Rock in 1987 to be close to their daughter and her family. Friends and family remem bered Rodham as a gruff but lov ing and proud father. In a profile of his daughter. The Washington Post said that when she would bring home lots of A's on report cards, the family joke was that he would grunt, "You must go to a pretty easy school." The Rodhams were active in their church and Republican poli tics. Their daughter took up more liberal politics after going away to school at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Supreme Court not for Cuomo New York governor withdraws from consideration for vacancy THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Mario Cuomo formally withdrew Wednesday from consideration for the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy before President Clinton had narrowed his list of prospects. In a letter to Clinton, Cuomo said wanted to remain as governor to help New York's eco nomic recovery. He said staying in the political world would allow him to "Continue to serve as a vigorous supporter of the good work you are doing for America and the world." The letter was sent to confirm an earlier telephone conversation with Clinton. Clinton refused earlier in the day to confirm reports of the withdrawal, but said, "I think he's terrific." Cuomo's decision, which Newsday said was forwarded to Clinton last Thursday, was unknown to some of Clinton's closest advisers until now. Among the candidates being mentioned by administration officials are Judge Judith Kaye, chief judge of New York's highest state court; Judge Patricia Wald, who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington; and Judge Richard Arnold of Little Rock, who sits on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Clinton has by no means limited his choices to those three people. White House officials say. Cuomo had emerged as the liberal wing's sentimental choice, though the Clinton inner circle had never tipped its hand about Cuo mo's chances. The loss of a celebrity candidate in Cuomo could rob Clinton of one of the qualities he is seeking in a nominee. Another White House official familiar with the search process said Clinton wanted "someone who will make peo ple say 'Wow,' whether they agree with the person or not." Clinton has said only that he wants a justice who will respect the right to privacy, an argu ment that is the underpinning for a woman's right to an abortion. Clinton said he would not directly ask any potential nominee his or her position on abortion. White House officials said Clinton may be trying to make history with his first choice to the Supreme Court. That could help the chances of Amalya Kearse, a New York federal judge who is black. Rough day for fishing . . . LE1ZA MORALES/Special to The Battalion Craig Bass jumps up and down on Ronnie Sims' jeep in an attempt to tractor. Sims and Bass, transfer students from Chapel Hill, were dislodge it from the mud, as Russ Parks, a '92 graduate, tugs with a fishing in the Brazos River when heavy rains caused them to get stuck. Institute sponsors speakers on minority issues Commentator urges blacks to be competitive By KEVIN LINDSTROM The Battalion The African-American community is re sponsible only to itself and should not rely on others for support, said a media entrepreneur Wednesday night. Tony Brown, a commentator on the Na tional Public Radio Network's "All Things Considered" program, said, "White people have no role in our freedom, and white peo ple have no role in our oppression." Brown spoke to 150 people as a part of "Meeting the Challenge: Critical Issues in Ed ucation, Health and Employment for Racial Minorities in Texas," sponsored by the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute at Texas A&M University (REST) The African-American community has re lied on others to change their place in society, he said. "In the black communi ty, we have made peace with the crazy nonsense that all we have to do is to get another group to like us and then they will change our condition," he said. Brown said attitudes can have serious consequences. "If you aren't competi tive in America, you're dead," he said. "And if blacks aren't willing to take their resources and mobilize them and use them to better themselves, their situation cannot be im proved." Brown said all of America has to achieve for America to survive. "If all Americans do not recognize that we are interdependent, we as Americans will will not survive," he said. "Our obligation is to create better widgets so that all Americans can have a higher standard of living. That is the focus we have lost in this country." Dr. Marilyn Kern-Foxworth, associate pro fessor of journalism, said Brown touched on many relevant points. "I thought his comments were very timely because he addressed some of the key issues that are facing African-Americans today," she said. "I think the point is well taken not to concentrate on what other can do for you, but what you can do for yourself." RESI was established in January 1991 to conduct basic and applied research on U.S. race and ethnic relations at the local, state and national levels. Brown Business depends on communities, CEO says By KEVIN LINDSTROM The Battalion Americans need to pay attention to the re lationship between business and the commu nity, said an expert on minorities in business Wednesday morning. Joshua I. Smith, chairman and chief execu tive officer of The MAXIMA Corporation and former chairman of the U.S. Commission on Minority Business Development said, "There is a direct parallel between the dilapidation of communities and the health of industry. When the health of industry goes down the tubes, the other things will follow." Smith served as the keynote speaker for the "Meeting the Challenge: Critical Issues in Education, Health and Employment for Racial Minorities in Texas," spon sored by the Race and Eth nic Studies Institute at Texas A&M University (RESI). Smith said the African- American community needs to understand how to use their resources. "Don't talk just about employment, but talk about Smith how employment takes place," he said. "Jobs don't come from government programs, they come from people who believe in their future who take risks and make things happen. "The foundation, in a capitalistic society, has to be capital," he said. "It is not whether or not you have it, but what you do with it." Smith said the diversity of America is an asset waiting to be developed. "Diversity is an attitude," he said. "It is valuing people and an appreciation of our dif ferences." Dr. E. Dean Gage, senior vice, president and provost of Texas A&M University, agreed with Smith. "The partnership of edu cation and business is needed to overcome the problems of education, health and em ployment," he said. REST was established in January 1991 to conduct basic and applied research on U.S. race and ethnic relations at the local, state and national levels. RESI is directed by Dr. Gail E. Thomas, professor of sociology. Vietnam authorities return remains of 16 U.S. soldiers THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HANOI, Vietnam — Officials handed over the presumed re mains of 16 American servicemen missing from the Vietnam War on Wednesday in another step to ward ending Vietnam's political isolation. The United States has said it will not normalize ties until there is ( a satisfactory accounting of all missing Americans. Wednesday's repatriation was the final stage of the 17th mission of Vietnamese and American ex perts, who have combed the coun try for clues to the fates of the 2,260 Americans who remain missing. The remains were flown to Hawaii for identification. Other remains thought to be those of U.S. servicemen killed in Laos were also aboard the aircraft, said a U.S. military spokesman in Bangkok, Thailand. The next searches in Vietnam are expected to take place later this month and in June. Ho Xuan Dich, director of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Miss ing Persons, said 532 sets of re mains have been returned to the United States since American troops withdrew from Vietnam. Most of the missing were known to be killed or lost at sea, but their bodies were never recov ered. In a brief but dignified ceremo ny, the remains were put aboard a Air Force C-141 transport jet that arrived at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport. A U.S. military honor guard stood at attention at the foot of the plane's cargo ramp and saluted. "The adrenalin right now is pumping heavy," said Larry Braden, 45, a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. "I never, ever dreamed I'd be here." Braden, POW-MIA chairman for the Arizona American Legion, said it was the first time he had re turned to Vietnam since 1967. As about 40 Vietnamese sol diers and airport workers looked on, Philip Jones, a Navy yeoman from Cambridge, Md., carried eight varnished wooden boxes to an aluminum casket. Each box contained two sets of remains. Insi Lifestyles •Texas A&M Miss Black and Gold advances to nationals Page 3 Sports •Football: Solari, A&M's next great linebacker? •Baseball: #2 Ags take on Texas Tech this weekend Page 7 Opinion •Column: Feducia examines women's issues at Texas A&M Page 9 |