Vol.92 No. 137 (8 pages)
e Battalion
1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993
Friday, April 23,1993
busy day during Bush visit
Ku Klux Klan rally
Officials say curiosity-seekers should
stay away from weekend protesting
UPD has
NICOLE ROHRMAN/The Battalion
By GINA HOWARD
The Battalion
Former President George
Bush and his wife Barbara had a
busy day Wednesday while vis
iting the Texas A&M University
campus, and that meant a busy
day for University Police Depart
ment (UPD) Director Bob Wiatt
as well.
"A certain responsibility
would be mine if anything went
awry," Wiatt said. "So I was
right there with them the whole
time."
Wiatt said Bush has visited
the A&M campus before, but this
time the atmosphere was much
more relaxed.
"He wanted to be just another
citizen," Wiatt said.
Mary Helen Bowers, deputy
director of University Relations,
said the Bushes appeared to have
had a good visit.
"Anytime there was a camera
they would take a picture,"
Bowers said. "They both
seemed very comfortable. I had
the feeling they enjoyed it this
way much better."
Bush took the time to take pic
tures and sign autographs
throughout the day, something
the Secret Service would not let
him do while he was president.
"As a former president, the
amount of Secret Service was
curtailed dramatically," Wiatt
said. "There were only six or
eight agents this time, yet the re
sponsibility for his safety was
still paramount."
Wiatt compensated for the
small number of Secret Service
agents with UPD personnel.
Steve Hodge, manager of the
University Center, said every
thing about the Bush visit was
pretty routine.
"There were really no more
security and preparations (for
Bush) than for any other VIP
guests we have," Hodge said.
Before Bush could go any
where on campus, the officers
had to go to that place first and
make sure the area was secure,
Wiatt said.
During the one-day visit.
Bush accepted a four-foot-long, 2
1/2 ton piece of the Berlin Wall
that will eventually be included
in the Presidential Library Cen
ter to be built on the A&M cam
pus.
Bush had lunch with the Uni
versity System Board of Regents,
spent part of the afternoon tour
ing parts of A&M research facili
ties and visited the site of the fu
ture library center.
See UPD/Page 3
By MARY KUJAWA
The Battalion
The best course of action for
Texas A&M students, anti-Klan
protesters and curiosity-seekers is
to stay away from the Klan rally
this Saturday, said officials from
various towns who have had to
handle the Klan and Klan rallies.
"Usually three groups go to
the rallies," said Lt. Jim Fife, De
partment of Public Safety Officer
with the Beaumont office in Or
ange County. "Those are the pro-
Klan, the anti-Klan and those who
want to know what's going on."
Fife has recently worked at
Klan rallies in Orange and Austin.
"My belief is the best thing (for
students) to do is to totally ignore
it," he said.
Other law officials agree that
going to the rally may only com
pound problems.
"The best way to prevent prob
lems is to stay away," said Chief
Deputy Johnny Beddingfield of
the Smith County Sheriff's De
partment. Smith has worked at
Klan rallies in Tyler.
The Klan held three rallies in
Tyler during 1992. Beddingfield
said the first rally attracted 300
people, many of which were cu
riosity-seekers. The second rally
attracted 15 people while the
third rally attracted only eight
people.
"The curiosity-seekers need to
stay away," Beddingfield said. 1
"They only make the crowd look
bigger. The Klan always claims
the crowd is bigger than it is."
He said the Klan itself will not
start any physical problems, al-
\
See Rally/Page 3
Ozone depletion
Ultraviolet protective layer at record
low, Goddard space center reports
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - The ozone
layer that protects the Earth from
ultraviolet radiation has dropped
to record low levels globally,
with the biggest decline over ar
eas that include North America,
Europe and parts of Asia.
The finding strengthens the
concern about the effects of man
made chemicals on the natural
ozone layer, researchers said, al
though they also said the dip in
the concentration may be related
to a 1991 volcanic eruption.
J.F. Gleason, a scientist at the
Goddard Space Flight Center in
Maryland, said that measure
ments last December and January
by a NASA satellite showed that
the ozone layer surrounding the
Earth was thinner than in any
previous measurements. The
Nimbus 7 satellite has been tak
ing measurements since 1979.
"During December 1992 and
January 1993, global ozone was at
the lowest level ever recorded,"
Gleason said Thursday at a news
conference. "We had never seen
global ozone under 280 Dobson
units."
Readings taken as recently as
Sunday, he said, show that ozone
in the upper atmosphere is still
depleted.
"The global ozone levels are
still way below normal and they
have not recovered," said Glea
son.
Readings in the northern
hemisphere, he said, were still 10
to 20 percent below normal.
Ozone is a molecule of three
atoms of oxvgen. It forms a layer
in the upper atmosphere that
blocks much of the ultraviolet ra
diation streaming from the sun.
Ultraviolet rays from the sun are
powerful enough to cause possi
ble genetic damage and to kill
some forms of plant life. The ra
diation also causes sunburn and
is thought to be one of the major
causes of skin cancer.
Man-made chemicals — prin
cipally chlorofluorocarbons used
in some spray cans, as refriger
ants and in some industrial
processes — are thought to de
stroy molecules of ozone by
chemically stripping away oxy
gen atoms.
Search for student services VP begins
Committee set to find
Koldus replacement
By HEATHER WINCH
The Battalion
University President William
H. Mobley announced the Search
Advisory Committee which will
compile a list of candidates to re
place Dr. John J. Koldus, vice
president of student services.
Koldus will retire Aug. 31.
In a memo released April 19,
Mobley said the committee
should consider "internal and ex
ternal" candidates for the student
services position. Ron Sasse, di
rector of student affairs, will lead
the committee.
The following are the students,
faculty and staff who have been
asked to work on the committee:
•Peggy Erickson, Federation of
Texas A&M University Mothers'
Clubs and past Parent of the Year
•Dr. Richard B Griffin, Faculty
Senate and professor of mechani
cal engineering
•Will Haraway, Corps Com
mander.
•Heather Hartman, president
of the MSC.
•Dr. David Hinojosa, professor
in the College of Education.
•Randy Matson, executive di
rector of the Association of For
mer Students.
•Hugh McElroy, associate di
rector of Human Resources.
•Stephen Ruth, former student
body president.
•Emily Santiago, multicultural
services.
•Dr. Sallie Sheppard, associate
provost for Undergraduate Pro
grams and Academic Services.
•Brian Walker, student body
president.
•Dr. Jan Winniford, associate
vice president for student ser
vices.
Earth Day festival at Rudder Fountain
JOSEPH GREENSLADE/The Battalion
Greg Marmolejo performs "Blood and Fire" by the Indigo Girls at mechanical engineering major from Lubbock. Marmolejo was
the Earth Day Festival at Rudder Fountain. Marmolejo is a giving a solo performance, but he said Slap Dash, in its entirety,
member of the local band Slap Dash. Marmolejo is a junior will be at Aggiepolooza on Saturday May 1 at the Grove.
A&M Consolidated to host Special Olympics
Event at local high school in need of
volunteers for athlete escorts, buddies'
By JENNIFER MENTLIK
The Battalion
Volunteers are still needed for
the Area Six Special Olympics to
be held this Friday and Saturday
at A&M Consolidated High
School.
"We have about 500 people
signed up to volunteer this week
end," said Gin Griffy, a student
volunteer recruiter. "Last year,
we had over 2,000 volunteers but
some came because of Big Event."
Nearly 600 students from 18
schools are registered to partici
pate.
Bonnee Lieuwen, a special edu
cation teacher for College Station
Independent School District, said
her students have been preparing
for nearly eight weeks.
"They learn and practice warm
up exercises, then hold an actual
practice event and then a cool
down," Lieuwen said. "We main
ly emphasize a fitness program,
such as getting the body in shape
and taking care of the body."
Kick-off events begin today at 4
p.m. A dinner and '50s theme
dance will be held immediately
following the opening ceremonies.
Saturday activities will start at
8 a.m. and run through 4:30 p.m.
Those wishing to volunteer
should register at tables near the
front of the stadium. Griffy said
they still need escorts or buddies.
"The buddy is the
most important."
-Gin Griffy
student volunteer
recruiter
"The buddy is the most impor
tant," she said. "They interact
with the participant, making sure
they get to the events, drink plen
ty of water and escort them
around Olympic town. The bud
dy ends up being the big fan."
Representatives from Alpha
Phi Omega, Aggie Alliance, Aggie
Partners and several community
organizations will assist with the
event.
The Aggie Men's Club also will
serve as host Olympic Town, simi
lar to a carnival, in which partici
pants can play games and win
prizes.
Griffy said anyone who wishes
to help is welcome to attend. "We
would love to have anyone who
wants to help," she said. "We re
ally appreciate enthusiasm be
cause volunteers make it happen."
Experts disagree FBEs actions at compound
Special agent Ricks defends move
says cult leader was a 'madman'
By MARK EVANS
The Battalion
Texas A&M University cult and
crime experts disagree whether
the FBI's decision to take action
against the Branch Davidian cult
in Waco earlier this week was the
right one.
Bob Wiatt, director of the Uni
versity Police Department and a
former FBI special agent, said the
bureau did everything in its pow
er to coax cult leader David Kore-
sh and his followers out of the
compound before sending in
agents.
"The Bureau used every
weapon in its arsenal of negotia
tions, but when you try to deal ra
tionally with an irrational person,
you don't accomplish anything,"
he said. "The FBI tried everything
I know of, and it failed.
"This would have been the re
sult whether 50 days or 250 days
had passed because, I think, this is
what Koresh was looking for," he
said.
However, Dr. Richard Stadel-
mann, Texas A&M philosophy
professor, said the FBI mishan
dled the entire situation. The bu
reau should have remained pa
tient and waited out the cult, he
said.
"I found the initial attack on
the compound appalling," he said.
"You simply don't charge an
apocalyptic group that's expecting
the end of the world."
Stadelmann said when Koresh
was faced with a life in prison or a
reign with God if he committed
suicide, his choice became clear.
"He (Koresh) wanted to go to
heaven," he said. "He intended to
be a martyr because martyrdom
assures him of a leading place in
heaven."
Wiatt said the bureau's action
was appropriate because Koresh
has continually broken his
promises of surrendering and re
leasing all of the children that re
mained in the compound.
Throughout the two-month pe
riod, the cult leader toyed with ne-
See Experts/Page 2
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OKLAHOMA CITY - FBI Spe
cial Agent Bob Ricks, who spent
many hours negotiating with cult
leader David Koresh, describes
the self-proclaimed Christ as a
madman who took the lives of 85
followers in Monday's inferno at
the Branch Davidian compound
near Waco, Texas.
"There was never any concern
about the kids or their welfare,
concern for the women in there, or
the pain and the misery he caused
anybody else. Everything re
volved around him," Ricks said
Thursday in an interview with
The Associated Press.
Ricks, the head of the Okla
homa FBI who was one of four
special agents called to Waco to
lead FBI operations, said Koresh
was a classical sociopath, who
knew right from wrong, but had
no concern for cult members.
Koresh and his followers had
See Defend/Page 3
Sports
•Baseball: Aggies to play Rice
in three-game series at Olsen
•Patrick Bates anticipates
entering NFL early
Page 4
Opinion
•Editorial: Time to take action
in Bosnia
•Column: Environmental
apocalypse now, not
necessarily true
Page 6