ly 6,1993
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The Battalion
£^ <0 ' V0L92 No. 169 (6 pages)
1893 - A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993
Wednesday, July 7,1993
A&M advised to release Corps investigation results
By JENNIFER SMITH
rood
The Battalion
The Texas attorney general's office ad
vised Texas A&M University last week to
release to The Battalion some of the infor
mation regarding a Corps of Cadets sexu
al harassment and sexual assault investi
gation conducted last spring.
C DncU i nves tig at; i on concerns allegations
LKUCKhy a female sophomore cadet that a se
nior male cadet sexually assaulted her in
the spring of 1992 and sexually harassed
her last fall.
On March 26, A&M's Office of Univer-
^ sity Relations said in a press release A&M
/j would not release the results of the inves-
j ligation because this would violate the
Buckley Amendment, formerly titled The
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA) of 1974.
This amendment states that educa
tional records are private and belong to
the student and the university. Even
though the records are in the possession
of the university, only the student has
access to them.
The Battalion filed an open records re
quest March 26 to obtain the results of the
investigation and hearing, which began
Jan. 28. The Battalion specifically said in
formation concerning the identity of the
students was not being requested.
The University then reviewed this re
quest and asked for an opinion from the
attorney general as to whether the infor
mation could be released.
Scott A. Kelly, assistant general coun
sel with A&M, asked for the attorney gen
eral's opinion for the University.
On June 29, Celeste A. Baker, assistant
attorney general, stated in a letter to
A&M that the University must release the
requested information as long as the peo
ple involved were not identified.
"You assert that FERPA prohibits the
release of all of the information you have
submitted to this office," Baker said. "We
disagree. Information must be withheld
from required public disclosure under
FERPA only to the extent 'reasonable and
necessary to avoid personally identifying
a particular student.'"
The attorney general's office also said
the University has 10 days to resubmit the
documents to the attorney general's office
for reconsideration if it feels the documents
are not open records, or officials can release
the papers to The Battalion.
Kelly said in a phone interview Tues
day that he still feels the items requested
by The Battalion are not subject to release.
"I think those things in the report are
prohibited by the Buckley Amendment,"
he said. "I need to evaluate it and make
a decision."
Kelly said the opinion of the attorney
general's office in this case is inconsistent
with prior opinions, and the general
counsel will probably resubmit some of
the documents involved in the investiga
tion to the attorney general.
"We're going to try to cause them to
understand the Buckley Amendment,"he
said. "I think the attorney general's office
fell off the track a little bit."
Kelly said even if the report was re
leased without the names of the people
involved, too many people would be able
to identify the students because this case
is so widely known, rendering the docu
ments unavailable for release under the
Buckley Amendment.
A&M's general counsel's office will
discuss the case with an organization in
Washington D.C. that studies FERPA cas
es to get its advice before offering an
opinion to A&M's administration. The
administration will ultimately decide if
the information requested will be re
leased or if further action will be taken to
withhold the information.
See Investigation/Page 4
/ .
Tour de Campus
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RICHARD DIXON/Tlw Battalion
Jim Simons, an oceanography graduate student, heads to the library rides his bike to class because it "saves time" and is "convenient."
Tuesday afternoon to make some copies for his dissertation. Simons
Economic summit
reports progress
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOKYO — Leaders of the industrialized world searched in pre
summit talks for the key to unlocking stalled trade negotiations Tues
day. President Clinton and Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa
reported tentative, tantalizing progress toward easing bitter economic
tensions.
Clinton, trying to strengthen his foreign policy credentials, offered
reassurances to Asian allies nervous about whether a budget-conscious
United States would maintain a strong military presence in the Pacific.
"We intend to maintain a full engagement in this region," Clinton
said. He warned North Korea against building nuclear arms.
The 19th annual summit of leading industrialized nations — the
United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan —
opens Wednesday amid modest expectations because of the political
shakiness of the leaders and the weakness of their economies.
It's the economic summit debut for Clinton, Canadian Prime Minis
ter Kim Campbell and Italian Prime Minister Carlos Ciampi.
For Miyazawa, it's almost certainly his last. He got a no-confidence
vote in Parliament June 18 and was forced to call new elections. Clinton
met with members of Japan's opposition parties and offered an "out
stretched hand."
A report prepared for the leaders by their finance ministers calls for
closer cooperation to promote economic growth. It suggested that
countries re-examine social insurance programs and regulations that
discourage job creation.
Lacking any bold new initiatives, the leaders were likely to trumpet
a Russian aid package to help Boris Yeltsin keep alive his program of
democratic reforms. Yeltsin will meet with the leaders over dinner
Thursday and again after the summit's close Friday.
Even before summit partners gathered around a cherrywood table
in Akasaka Palace's Hall of Flowers and Birds, there were complaints
about the strict formality of the annual meetings.
British Prime Minister John Major, for one, openly wished for "in
formal exchanges where you don't necessarily have to produce pre
scripted solutions."
Indeed, there were intense behind-the-scenes efforts to produce
economic progress on two fronts: a framework for resolving U.S-
Japanese trade disputes, and a separate agreement among the United
States, Canada, Japan and the European Community for a "market ac
cess" package of tariff cuts on a broad range of manufactured goods
and services.
ena
Abiola's
they will
id it will
n the new
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Nigeria riots
kill 11, protest
military rule
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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LAGOS, Nigeria — Rioters
fought police and soldiers Tues
day and at least 11 people were
reported killed as tens of thou
sands of people set fires and
blocked roads to demand an end
lo military dictatorship.
It was the first report of
Ideaths since residents of Nige
ria's largest city began demon
strating Monday to pressure the
government to recognize the an
nulled June 12 presidential elec
tion that was to end a decade of
military rule.
The man widely believed to
lave won the election, business
man Moshood K.O. Abiola, ap
pealed to people to resist the dic-
j'atorship of Gen. Ibrahim Ba-
bangida and ignore an ultima-
jtum threatening to dissolve the
National assembly,
i "Ignore this latest threat by
jthe outgoing military president
| . and damn the consequences,"
j Abiola said in a statement.
1 The Pan-African News
j Agency said soldiers killed sev-
leral rioters who set a truck on
jiirein Ikoyi, a well-to-do neigh-
Iborhood of Lagos. The agency,
isetup by the Organization of
] African Unity, quoted witnesses
las saying the troops piled bodies
I in the back of a truck and drove
laway. Other witnesses said five
]people died.
Lotto - $50 million magnet
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Some charged into Texas from Mexico. Some hailed
from as far away as Florida. Others simply walked out of their house
to the corner of the block.
As if a voice was calling them, people scribbled down numbers,
some randomly, others as if their life depended on a number sequence.
They had a common destination — Lotto Texas mecca, known
among other things as a convenience store — to buy their chance at
$50 million to be drawn Wednesday night.
Delsie Scott, a clerk in a gas station in Waskom, an hour's drive
from Shreveport, La., said folks from as far away as Florida had
come in looking to take a Texas-sized jackpot back home with them.
"We had some vacationers from Florida who said they heard
about the jackpot and immediately looked for a place to buy tickets,"
said Scott, who could barely grant a telephone interview because she
was so busy ringing the cash register.
"They just keep coming," she said, as if monsters were invading her
store. "Most of them are coming across the border from Louisiana.
"It's just crazy, and I'm sure it's only going to get worse tomorrow."
Increased violence plagues S. Africa
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KATLEHONG, South Africa — An outburst of po
litical fighting in two black townships killed dozens of
people Tuesday, a grim reminder of how difficult it
will be for South Africa to hold democratic elections.
After overnight battles, police said at least 45 peo
ple had been killed in Tokoza and Katlehong, two
impoverished townships southeast of Johannesburg.
Nationwide, more than 125 blacks have died since
Friday, when black and white negotiators set April
27, 1994, as the date for South Africa's first elections
including the black majority.
Most of the township fighting involved support
ers of the African National Congress and the Zulu-
dominated Inkatha Freedom Party, the nation's two
leading black groups and bitter rivals for power.
Inkatha was one of six groups that opposed set
ting the election date at Friday's talks, arguing that
negotiators must first decide the type of government
to replace white rule.
The ANC, without offering evidence, claimed that
the recent violence was orchestrated by forces op
posed to the multiracial elections.
"It is an attempt to blackmail the country, with
the blood of our people, into delaying the advent of
democracy," the ANC said.
But Katlehong and Tokoza have often descended
into violence, and it was not clear whether the elec
tion date had any role in igniting the latest eruption.
Inkatha spokesman Themba Khoza on Tuesday
said ANC supporters had attacked Inkatha support
ers, and that Zulu speakers were being targeted even
if they were not affiliated with Inkatha.
With the current level of violence, it would be dif
ficult, if not impossible, to hold fair elections. In ar
eas controlled by either the ANC or Inkatha support
ers, opponents would risk attack if they tried to cam
paign on a rival's turf.
Law and Order Minister Hernus Kriel said the
two groups must take urgent steps to control their
followers.
Powerful radar watches over B-CS
By LISA ELLIOTT
The Battalion
Bryan-College Station residents
can rest assured they will be in
formed of severe weather thanks
to A&M's Doppler radar system.
The Doppler radar system can
detect severe weather activity not
detectable by any other weather
radar system.
Dr. Michael Biggerstaff, Texas
A&M meteorologist, said that out
of five existing Doppler systems,
A&M's is probably the second
most powerful system next to Col
orado State's.
The system was installed a
year ago and has already been
useful in warning the people of
Brazos County about severe
weather activities.
The system has been used by
the civil defense office to deter
mine the severity of storms and to
issue severe weather and tornado
warnings.
Biggerstaff said the system is
capable of detecting air motion ei
ther toward or away from the
radar in addition to measuring the
intensity of the weather.
It can also detect tornado activ
ity much sooner than any other
system, he said.
Biggerstaff said the Doppler
system is more powerful than
any system found at a Texas tele
vision station.
Bob French, chief meteorologist
at KBTX channel 3, said the televi
sion station doesn't use the
Doppler system at Texas A&M on
a regular basis but they do take
notice when they hear from A&M
during severe weather.
"We take it more seriously
when we hear from them,"
French said.
French said the system they
use is an enterprise radar.
"It's a good system and it has a
good range," he said.
Biggerstaff said the National
Weather Service depends on
See Radar/Page 4
Inside
Sports
•Waterskiing: A&M team
improves, expands
•Owen: Si's double standard
in refusing soccer team ad
Page 3
Opinion
•Editorial: Clinton's timber
plan benefits both sides
•Column: Stanford reflects on
A&M's 'neighborhoods'
Page 5
Weather
►Wednesday: cloudy in the
morning, partly cloudy
and breezy by afternoon,
highs in the 90s
►Forecast for Thursday:
cloudy in the morning,
partly cloudy and breezy
by afternoon, highs in the
90s
►Extended forecast: partly
cloudy, highs in the 90s
Tomorrow in
Fate of nations:
A&M international students express
their views about U.S. involvement in
their home countries and how it
affects their lives here and abroad.
Reviews:
• Clint Eastwood's
'In the line of fire,'
• U2's new album,
‘Zooropa'