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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1993)
The Battalion Vol. 92 No. 138 (8 pages) 1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993 Monday, April 26,1993 Shut out of G. Rollie White Fire code enforcement restricts number of Muster guests By HEATHER WINCH The Battalion Last Wednesday's Muster cer emony left some students out in the cold. As many as 2,000 people were unable to attend the annual memorial as G. Rollie White filled to capacity with about 7,800 participants, said Muster Pro grams Subchair Greg Johnson. People began showing up for Muster at 4:45 p.m., and doors were opened at 5:30 p.m. By 6:15 p.m. the coliseum was full, and the doors were locked. Fire codes were enforced for this year's Muster in G. Rollie White, allowing only so many people per square foot of exit space. Because of the limited space, many students, who wanted to honor friends who had died, were turned away. “I was disappointed but I un derstood that when it fills up, it fills up," said Kelly Eoff, sopho more biology major. "I know that they had to go by the fire codes." Eoff wanted to attend Muster to honor her friend, Ashley Turn er Class of '95, but instead, she watched the ceremony at the MSC Flagroom. Eoff said she could not arrive early because of late classes. "It was frustrating because we wanted to be there so bad, but we couldn't do anything about it," she said. In past years, people sat in the aisles, on the floor, and dangled over the rails, Johnson said. Fire code enforcement has also prompted the University to allot only six tickets to graduating se niors for commencement cere monies. "The state fire marshal has been strict on the number of peo ple let in," Johnson said. "In years past, they would put in as many as possible. But this year we went by the guidelines." Some people assumed that Muster attendance had increased because many students wanted a glimpse of Former President See Muster/Page 4 A vote of confidence Yeltsin wins national referendum THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MOSCOW — President Boris Yeltsin won a vote of confidence in a key referendum Sunday but was likely to fall short in his push to force new par- liamentary elections, ac cording to exit polls and par tial official re sults. In a sur prise devel opment, most voters backed Yeltsin's market reforms despite the hardships they have brought, a result that may partially mute Yeltsin's critics in the hard-line Congress of People's Deputies. But the turnout of about 65 percent was too low to enable Yeltsin to force elections. Ap proval for new elections required a majority of Russia's 105.5 mil lion registered voters, not just of those casting ballots. Yet while voter support was strong for new elections, it did not tally up to a majority of the elec torate, one poll showed. Such a result would also mean that Yeltsin would not have the mandate to push through a new constitution to replace the Con gress with a two-chamber, U.S.- style legislature. He had hinted that he would take a "yes" vote on elections as as voter approval for a new constitution. Yeltsin sought a mandate for change from the referendum so that he could overcome the Com munist-era parliament that has tried to thwart his reforms and curb his powers. Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, a close Yeltsin aide, said early returns were encouraging, but he did not give specifics. Across 11 time zones, from snowy Kamchatka to the balmy Black Sea, millions of Russians voted by dropping a paper ballot into a wooden box. Many of the ballot boxes still bore the hammer-and-sickle seal of the Soviet Union. Well-stocked buffets at polling places did a brisk trade in import ed cigarettes, coffee, beer, tomato sauce, and other items — at mar ket prices. The 62-year-old leader also made a raft of promises to special interest groups, raising pensions See Yeltsin/Page 8 Yeltsin Rally attracts 200 onlookers By REAGON CLAMON 77k Battalion Approximately 200 curious, but mostly calm spectators and a roughly equal number of law enforcement officials listened to mem bers of the Texas Ku Klux Klan preach their message of "white pow er" at a College Station rally Saturday. James Stroud, KKK exalted cyclops from Spring, told the crowd, "Negroes have been given so much in aid, they should get down on their knees and thank the good Lord they live in this county. "True hatred lies in the hearts of these ungrateful Negroes," he said. Maj. Mason Newton of the College Station Police Department, who organized the law enforcement operation at the rally, said there was roughly one officer for every person that attended the rally. The Oaks Park pavilion, where the Klan held its rally, was sur rounded by members of several local law enforcement agencies, in cluding a line of officers in riot gear who stood between the pavilion and the crowd. "Our position is public safety," Newton said. "We're here to pro tect everybody and the show of force has worked." A small number of College Station residents held signs protesting the KKK's message, despite pleas by Texas A&M student organiza tions to protest by simply not attending the rally. Sabina Zenker, a senior political science major at Texas A&M, protested the rally with a group of students holding signs reading "You can't have a rainbow without any colors" and "Increase the Peace." Zenker said she and her fellow protesters had been criticized for coming to the KKK rally instead of the Whoopstock rally held on campus. See Rally/Page 4 DARRIN HlLUThe Battalion Judy Locklin, a Ku Klux Klan member from Rockdale, holds a Texas A&M flag in one hand while waving a confederate flag with the other. Split decision on size of law enforcement By REAGON CLAMON The Battalion More than 200 officers from local law enforcement agencies came together in a "show of force" at the Ku Klux Klan rally held Saturday in College Sta tion. Lt. Corkey Sandel, public in formation officer for the event, said because so many organiza tions had pitched in to help, he wasn't sure how many different agencies were present. Sandel said the Texas A&M University, Bryan and College Station police departments par ticipated, as well as the Brazos County Sheriff's office, Depart ment of Public Safety, and offi cers from the Texas Department of Corrections. Sandel said See PoSce/Page 8 CRAIG FOX/The Battalion Members of the Bryan Police Department, wearing riot gear, stand in between the Ku Klux Klan and onlookers at a rally Saturday. Whoopstock Unity Fest '93 Fourty-eight campus organizations celebrate diversity By SHELIA VELA The Battalion Hundreds of Texas A&M stu dents, faculty and staff along with their friends, spouses and children gathered Saturday after noon to celebrate campus diversi ty at Whoopstock Unity Fest '93 at the A&M polo fields. Sheri Schmidt, co-coordinator See DEC Rally Page 2 of Whoopstock and staff member of the multicultural services of fice, said it was a time to cele brate the differences that exist at Texas A&M. "The fact that so many people came together to organize this event in only two weeks is the biggest success of Whoopstock," Schmidt said. The purpose of Whoopstock w r as to encourage the public to ignore rather than protest a Ku Klux Klan rally held Saturday in College Station. Whoopstock was organized in two weeks and provided entertainment, music and fun at no charge. Student organizers from 48 See Whoopstodc/Page 8 BILLY MORAN/The Battalion Mark Casanova and Michelle Hilkemier watch the Voices of Praise gospel choir Saturday afternoon at Whoopstock Unity Fest '93. Student Government looks to save Aggies money with book exchange Gay community takes to capital for march By GENEEN PIPHER The Battalion The Texas A&M University Student Government plans to un veil Wednesday its latest project, the Book Exchange - a project de signed to save students money on used textbooks. The book exchange will create a networking system linking stu dents who want to sell their old books with students who want to buy them. Warren Talbot, Student Gov ernment chief of staff and senior accounting major, said the Stu dent Government plans to set up tables in either the MSC or near Rudder Fountain Wednesday through Friday. "At the tables, the students will fill out a form telling us what books they want to buy or sell," Talbot said. This weekend. Student Gov ernment volunteers will use a database to match buyers and sellers, and the list will be posted at central locations around cam pus Monday. "We are also working to get a copy of the list of books that will be used next year, so no one will buy a book that they do not need," Talbot said. David Hall, special assistant to the chief of staff and junior eco nomics major, said the Student Government will not profit from the book exchange. It is just pro viding a service that will enable students to negotiate prices among themselves without deal ing with bookstores. "This program is the same as See Exchange/Page 8 Sports •Winder: Appeal of fanny swats lost on some •Baseball: A&M power display blows away Rice Page 4 Opinion •Pro-Con: Did federal agents handle the Mt. Carmel stand off successfully? •Column: A semster's worth of work at once. Page 7 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Throngs of gay men and women spilled across the historic Mall on Sun day demanding acceptance and equal rights from a society that often scorns their community. "A simple matter of justice" was their rallying cry. In brilliant, summery sunshine, they came by the tens of thou sands to tell America who they are and what they want, and hop ing to shatter the stereotypes that dominate many people's percep tions of the gay community. Organizers hoped for a million marchers, and predicted that in size, their crowd would rival the great civil rights and anti-war marches of the past quarter-cen tury. President Clinton, who invited gay leaders to a White House meeting earlier this month, lent support from a distance. "I stand with you in the strug gle for equality for all Americans, including gay men and lesbians," a letter to march organizers read. Some marchers said they were angered by his absence.