The Battalion
Special Back-to-School Edition
The Battalion
Vol. 93 No. 1 (36 pages)
1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993
Monday, August 30,1993
w
eekend
rap-up
KWTX attorney
denies Koresh tip
HOUSTON — A television
cameraman has confirmed he
had a chance conversation with a
Branch Davidian shortly before
four federal agents and six cult
members were killed in a Febru
ary gun battle with followers of
David Koresh.
But an attorney representing
the television station said Satur
day the discussion was not the
decisive warning to Koresh that
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms agents were about to
raid his compound.
"I think people have got to
get off this idea that there was
this so-called tip or one single
warning," said attorney Rick
Bostwick, who represents
KWTX-TV in Waco. "Everybody
is looking for the holy grail, but
it ain't there."
S. African teens kill
American student
JOHANNESBURG, South
Africa — Police arrested two
black teen-agers Thursday in the
killing of an American student,
whose friends spoke of her devo
tion to the black majority and
lauded her as a freedom fighter.
A mob of young blacks
dragged the pleading Amy Biehl,
26, from her car in Guguletu
township Wednesday and
stabbed her to death.
The Fulbright scholar from
Newport Beach, Calif, was taking
black friends home to the town
ship when they were ambushed.
The two arrested youths, who
are 17 and 18, were not identified,
but the student wing of the mili
tant Pan Africanist Congress
(PAG) said they were members.
Police said more arrests were ex
pected.
Publicity harmful
to Jackson's career
LOS ANGELES — The usually
well-oiled publicity machine that
serves Michael Jackson has devel
oped a deafening squeak. The
King of Pop, said Hollywood spin
doctors, needs some serious dam
age control.
In the past week, Jackson's face
and descriptions of child molesta
tion allegations have appeared in
newspaper and television broad
casts on several continents.
The publicity, said experts in
star handling, is enough to sink
any career, even one or Jackson's
magnitude.
Lee Solters, Jackson's normally
talkative publicist, is strangely
quiet these days. Instead of re
turning to Hollywood, Solters
chose to remain on tour with his
client, who turns 35 on Sunday.
Euless teen to face
murder charges
FORT WORTH — Prosecutors
say they may seek to have a 16-
year-old Euless youth tried as an
adult in the shooting of a class
mate who was among a pack of
students gathered at his home.
Ernest Tosh, chief of the Tar
rant County juvenile prosecution
unit, said he had wanted to make
a decision by Friday, but not
enough information was avail
able about Tuesday's incident.
"There's just so many witness
es involved. It's a very unusual
case," Tosh said.
If prosecutors decide to try to
certify the Grapevine High
School sophomore as an adult, a
hearing could take place within a
few weeks. If not, a juvenile trial
could be held in two to three
months.
-The Associated Press
Regents confirm school name changes
By Lisa Elliott
The Battalion
The Texas A&M University System
Board of Regents voted unanimously Fri
day morning to change the names of
three System schools, despite the wishes
of many Texas A&I University alumni.
The Board scheduled a revote for Fri
day's meeting after five Texas A&l alum
ni and one current student filed a lawsuit
alleging the Board violated the Open
Meetings Act by failing to post notice at
least 72 hours in advance of its March 5
meeting, at which the vote to change the
names was originally made.
The Board felt that, rather than chal
lenge the lawsuit, they would schedule a
re-vote. System Spokesperson Terri Park
er said.
James Bond, A&M System general
counsel, said last month the lawsuit was
based on an inadvertent clerical error in
the secretary of state's office.
The vote will officially change Texas
A&I University to Texas A&M Universi-
ty-Kingsville, Corpus Christi State Uni
versity to Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi and Laredo State University to
Texas A&M International University.
The changes will go into effect Sept. 1.
Sen. Carlos Truan, D-Corpus Christi,
has been in favor of the name change
since the beginning.
He said the name change will enable
A&I and the other System schools with
new names to receive more financial as
sistance from the System.
Another supporter of the name
change. Rep. Irma Rangel, D-Kingsville,
said the members of the alumni group
should be pleased that the school is get
ting prestige with the new name.
She said the alumni are too attached to
their memories and are afraid the new
name will take those away.
Dick Watson, an A&I graduate of 1961
and one of the filers of the lawsuit, said
the decision made by the Board was
"devastating" and "surprising."
He said over 80,000 former students of
A&M and A&I have contacted him and
the Board to express their disapproval of
the name change.
But the argument is far from over,
Watson said. He said his plans for the
next few months are to watch the Board
very closely, looking for any reason to
jump on them.
"Every board and committee makes
mistakes," he said. "I'm going to be there
to catch theirs. The open records requests
I will make will choke a horse."
Watson said he and other A&I alumni
are planning to attack the Board and
A&M for illegal activities ranging from
salary discrepancies to NCAA violations.
He said he also plans to advertise and
offer money to anyone with information
about these violations.
"I know we will win eventually," he
said. "We will take this thing all the way
to the Texas Supreme Court."
Watson said many of the alumni feel
bitter.
"We no longer want to be a part of the
university," he said. "We want to get our
name back or 'get a divorce'."
In other business, the Board unani
mously voted to officially name Texas
A&M University President William Mob
ley as chancellor of the System effective
Sept. 1. The Board also voted to name Dr.
E. Dean Gage, currently A&M's senior
vice president and provost, to act as inter
im president, and A. Benton Co-
canougher, dean of business at A&M, to
take Gage's place on an interim basis.
The Board also approved the budget
for the 1994 fiscal year by allocating $1.2
billion dollars to its system schools with
A&M getting half of the overall budget.
Laredo State University,.West Texas
A&M University and Texas A&M at
Galveston all had considerable increases
in their budget from last year.
Changes in compliance with FCC
By Geneen Pipher
The Battalion
TCA Cable-TV will adjust their rates Sept. 1 to comply with
the Cable Consumer Protection Act of 1992.
Randy Rogers, general manager of TCA Cable, said some
Texas A&M University students' bills will increase, while oth
ers will decrease.
The law governs three major areas of cable television, includ
ing channel offerings, basic rates and customer service. Cable
operators must comply with the new rulings mandated by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by Sept. 1.
Compliance with these regulations will require changes in
the amount customers pay, which will vary depending on each
customer's level of service.
"The act was passed because there had been pressure for at
least two to three years for many different reasons," Rogers
said. "The main reason for this bill is that there was a perceived
and often real problem that some cable operators were gouging
prices. The same service you would get in one town would cost
$4 or $5 more in the next town. The intention of the act is to
The price for the main outlet of
standard cable service before the new
rates was $19.70 plus $3.25 for the
first additional outlet with no charge
for outlets thereafter. The new price
for the main outlet of standard cable
service is $20.70 with no charge for
additional outlets.
"The basic simplified form of it is
those customers that have only one
outlet of standard service will see an
increase in their rates," he said. "Those that have more than one
cable outlet of standard service will see a decrease. That comes
to about 65 percent of our customers seeing a decrease in rates
on Sept. 1 and the other 35 percent will have an increase."
The rates for Texas A&M students living in residence halls
will probably go up, but the rates for students living in apart
ments and duplexes will most likely go down, Rogers said.
"For dormitory students it will most likely amount to an in
crease in rates because they only have one outlet," Rogers said.
See TCA/Page 5
TCA
Cable
k_ jL J
Fall sorority rush concludes
Kyle Bumelt/THE Battalion
Alison Bosch, a senior English major from San Antonio, Jennifer Chapman, an elementary education major from
discusses a rush party hosted by Alpha Chi Omega with Ennis. See related story on Page 3.
Corps of Cadets
enrollment up
by 30 percent
over last year
By Jennifer Smith
The Battalion
The Texas A&M University Corps
of Cadets began the fall semester
with 742 new cadets, the biggest
freshmen class since 1990.
Lt. Col. Mike Duke, tactical train
ing officer for the Corps, said the size
of the freshman class had been de
creasing until this year.
"When the Class of '93 got here,
we had an increase," Duke said "But
then we had decreases for a few
years."
Duke said 540 students joined the
Corps last year.
"Our freshman class is 30 percent
larger this year than last year," Duke
said. "Our goal for this year was
around 650. We're well above where
we thought we would be."
Satterwhite said he is encouraged
not only by the numbers, but also by
the quality of this freshman class.
"They have the highest average of
SAT scores that we have ever recorded
among cadets," Duke said. "We have
one cadet with 1,520 on his SAT."
Duke said the Corps has a repre
sentative sample this year.
"We also have 50 percent more fe
males at this time than last year,"
Duke said.
He said the membership goal is
2,800 cadets.
"We want to fill the Quadrangle
and Duncan Dining Hall," he said.
"We would like the Corps to grow to
a size that is proportionate to the
University."
Lt. Col. Mark Satterwhite, recruit
ing coordinator for the comman
dant's office, said the Corps probably
will not meet its membership goal
until the the late '90s.
"We needed to have a large number
of freshmen this year, and we want to
keep building up," Satterwhite said.
"It's very encouraging to start off the
year with this many cadets."
He said the success of recruiting
programs and an increase in the num
ber of scholarships were both responsi
ble for the large freshman class.
The Corps Leadership Outreach
(CLO) Program has been very suc
cessful in attracting new cadets, Sat
terwhite said.
The CLO program consists of al
most 160 former Corps members and
Corps supporters recruiting new
See Corps/Page 5
Cultural diversity classes face scrutiny
By Jason Cox
The Battalion
After two years of debate, the Texas A&M
University Liberal Arts Council passed a resolu
tion in June requiring incoming liberal arts stu
dents to complete coursework in classes empha
sizing cultural diversity.
The decision, which will affect all incoming
freshmen liberal arts majors, sparked heated de
bate for and against the new policy which man
dates six hours of study in international and do
mestic areas, three of which must be concerned
with race, ethnicity or gender issues in the Unit
ed States.
Not long after the change, the Republican Par
ty of Texas came out against the requirement,
passing a resolution condemning it as "a series
of courses in victimology and a clear liberal po
litical agenda."
In addition, the resolution called upon state
legislators to restrict funding that would be used
to "promote required politically correct indoctri
nation at state schools."
The Texas A&M chapter of College Republi
cans followed suit by adopting a similar resolu
tion, but one which also asks former students to
withhold financial contributions until the re
quirement is rescinded.
Not all reaction to the decision was negative,
however. Houston Post Columnist Robert C.
Newberry wrote, "A&M is on the verge of taking
a bold and necessary step to help its students get
to know each other.
"To me, it is A&M's societal contribution to
help end some of the hate, the fear and the sepa
rateness of the races in America," he said.
One of those opposing the policy w T as Dr.
See Multicultural/Page 6
Inside
pii
*
Campus
•Interview with A&M interim
president E. Dean Gage
Section B
Aggielife
•Helpful hints for students
braving the textbook market
Section C
A&M Football ’93
• Previewing the 1993 foot
ball season
Section D
Weather
•Monday: partly cloudy
with scattered rain
• Forecast for Tuesday:
some rain, highs in 90s
Texas Lotto
•Saturday's Texas Lotto
winning numbers:
15, 16, 35, 39, 47, ^0