The Bai i ai ion ^
The Battalion
Vol. 93 No. 18 (10 pages)
1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993
Wednesday, September 22,1993
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A&M athletic booster sues Dallas newspaper
The Associated Press
DALLAS — A Texas A&M supporter
said Tuesday a newspaper's contention
that he had been banned as a booster was
one of several false claims that caused his
company to lose millions of dollars.
Rod Dockery, identified in an article as
an "ex-banned booster" whose associa
tion with an Aggie quarterback was
blamed partly for the school's 1988 proba
tion, filed suit against The Dallas Morn
ing News Inc. and a staff writer.
Papers filed in the defamation lawsuit
by Dockery and his company, Dockery
House Publishing Inc., contend the June
24 newspaper article on him was false,
malicious and defamatory.
Attorneys for Dockery filed the lawsuit
in Judge Eric Moye's 101st State District
Court.
"We have yet to be served with this
lawsuit, but we stand behind the accura
cy of our story," Marian Spitzberg, assis
tant general counsel for A.H. Belo Corp.,
The Morning News' parent company,
said Tuesday afternoon.
According to the newspaper, Dock
ery's dealings with A&M quarterback
Kevin Murray in 1988 partly led to Na
tional Collegiate Athletic Association pro
bation for the Aggies.
The News had identified Dockery as
one of four boosters banned for at least
two years from associating with Texas
A&M's athletics.
Dockery said his company had hired
A&M athletes, including Murray, and
students over the years. But he said they
did work, were properly paid and that
the NCAA later found no evidence of
wrongdoing.
In an unrelated announcement, the
NCAA earlier this month said two-time
all-Southwest Conference running back
Greg Hill and four other Aggies had been
suspended because they were paid thou
sands of dollars by a prominent Texas
A&M booster in Dallas for work they
didn't perform.
But players working for Dockery re
ceived "nothing other than pay — no
cars, gratuities, anything," he said at a
news conference at his attorney's office
Tuesday.
He later said he had leased an import
car for Murray — but for an amount
higher than prevailing lease rates.
"I leased a car and that was totally cor
rect as per the NCAA," he said. "There
was no question about the car lease. In
their opinion, as they stated to my attor
ney and myself at that time, that was not
a problem in any way."
Dockery, 49, also said his contract to
sell memorabilia in honor of Texas
A&M's 100th year of football was harmed
by negative publicity that resulted from
the newspaper article.
"In the Texas A&M project, we were
projected to raise millions and millions of
dollars, and we've had many people tell
us they don't want to do business with us
— high profile companies that have had
the reports from The Dallas Morning
News that we've had," Dockery said.
Dockery said he and his attorney, Gary
L. Richardson, believe that a jury award
in the case could be substantial "based on
the damage that The Dallas Morning
News has done to our business and to me
personally."
But Richardson said his civil pleadings
did not allege a specific damage amount.
Hot diggity dog
Amy Browning/Tm Battalion
Two contestants in the Oscar Mayer hot dog eating contest race to four hot dogs and won a cordless phone. The contest was held
see who can eat the most hot dogs in 93 seconds. The winner ate Tuesday in the MSC courtyard and will continue today.
Yeltsin announces
parliament elections
Opposition threatens impeachment
The Associated Press
MOSCOW — President Boris Yeltsin moved to seize control of the
Russian state in a coup against his enemies Tuesday, ousting the hard
line congress and announcing December elections for a new parliament.
The opposition called Yeltsin's action a "coup d'etat" and threatened
to impeach him. Lawmakers said they would name Vice President
Alexander Rutskoi acting president.
Yeltsin warned that any attempt to stand in his way would be "pun
ished by law." In a national TV address, Yeltsin claimed he was amend
ing the constitution by decree, but his action effectively suspended the
charter.
In Washington, the Clinton administration held out support to
Yeltsin and President Clinton said he would try to call the Russian pres
ident.
Yeltsin's main opponents, Rutskoi and parliament speaker Ruslan
Khasbulatov, were inside the Russian White House.
By midnight, several hundred anti-Yeltsin protesters gathered out
side the building, many waving red Soviet hammer and sickle flags and
erecting makeshift barricades as police stood nearby.
If Yeltsin succeeds in dissolving the parliament and conducting Dec.
11-12 elections, the vote could give him a Congress more in tune with
his reformist policies.
Yeltsin's action to break his longstanding stalemate with lawmakers
will need the strong backing of the military and security services.
Thirty-five military trucks loaded with soldiers and policemen were
parked near Russia's Central Bank late Tuesday.
Khasbulatov urged the police and military to ignore orders from the
president and appealed for a nationwide general strike.
"Do not fulfill any illegal decrees coming from the president," Khas
bulatov said. "These decrees are considered invalid."
Russia's top jurist. Constitutional Court chairman Valery Zorkin,
joined Khasbulatov at the White House and offered his support. Khas
bulatov said he was organizing the defense of the building.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin told reporters the Cabinet sup
ports Yeltsin. He also said there were no unusual troop movements and
that there would be no attempt to storm the White House.
"All troops remain in their garrisons," Chernomyrdin said. "Of
course, they are ready for anything, but God save us from doing that."
The constitution does not specifically give the president authority to
dissolve parliament or call elections.
Panel chosen to find
new A&M president
From Staff and Wire Reports
Texas A&M University Sys
tem officials announced Tues
day the names of the 21 people
who will serve as members of
the Presidential Search Adviso
ry Committee, interviewing
candidates for the position of
Texas A&M University presi
dent.
"This group of individuals
represents a good mixture of
leaders from throughout the
university community who
will devote the necessary time,
effort and forethought to the
very important job of recom
mending a new president for
Texas A&M University," said
Dr. William Mobley, system
chancellor.
The committee's tasks in
clude recommending the selec
tion criteria, recruiting and
screening qualified candidates,
and recommending to Mobley
a short list of qualified candi
dates.
Dr. Don Hellriegel, manage
ment professor, will serve as
committee chairman.
"The Search Advisory Com
mittee is dedicated to fulfilling
the charge to conduct a nation
al search open to both internal
and external candidates and to
present a short list of highly
qualified candidates to the
chancellor and regents," Hell
riegel said.
Student Senate to vote on core curriculum bill
By Kim McGuire
The Battalion
The Student Senate will vote Wednesday
night on the bill mandating the addition of an
international and American minority require
ment to the University core curriculum.
Ben Dale, student senate academic affairs
committee chairman, said the committee voted
11-2 in favor of bringing the bill to the Student
Senate for a final vote. He said the committee
decided to present the bill because it had gone
through all the channels he and Student Body
President Brian Walker deemed necessary.
Dale said the committee notified key admin
istrators, worked with the Faculty Senate, con
tacted the Association of Former Students and
held an open forum on the issue.
Dale said the committee amended the bill so
that at all times there will be a minimum of 100
classes available.
"We took into consideration the requests by
the College Republicans and Young Conserva
tives of Texas at the open forum last week to
raise the number," Dale said. "We want to try to
work with everyone and implement their de
sires."
Dale said the committee adopted the 261
class list that was proposed in last week's Facul-
See Senate/Page 2
Israel, PLO must make sacrifices, official says
By Jan Higginbotham
The Battalion
The treaty signed last week be
tween Israel and the PLO could
greatly benefit both sides if they
are willing to make necessary sac
rifices, said an expert in foreign
policy in a speech at Texas A&M
University Tuesday night.
Dr. Alex Mintz, director of the
program in foreign policy deci
sion making, said the internation
al community must make signifi
cant contributions to the situation
in order to inject stability into the
area.
"The international community
needs to create incentive for the
Palestinians to maintain the
peace," said Mintz, who is an Is
raeli citizen.
Although some people have
their doubts about the success of
the treaty, Mintz said he believes
the accord could lead to an eco
nomic boom for the area.
"Hopefully, the arrangement
will lead to an economic par
adise," he said.
Mintz said last week, the world
"witnessed the greatest historical
moment in terms of the Middle
East."
Several factors facilitated the
development of the peace agree
ment, he said. Mintz said the rise
of Islamic fundamentalism, the re
cent end of the Cold War and col
lapse of the Soviet Union, as well
as the circumstances surrounding
the Persian Gulf War, all helped
create a climate where peace was
desirable for all parties.
Mintz said leaders play a two-
See Mideast/Page 2
Retired Lt. Col
By James Bernsen
The Battalion
Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North will pay a vis
it to the Texas A&M College Republicans at
their meeting at 8 p.m.Wednesday in Rudder
Auditorium.
Phil Meuret, president of the College Re
publicans, said it was important that the or
ganization recruited someone of such nation
al prominence to speak.
"We can all remember the hearings,"
Meuret said. "They had an effect on all of
us."
North gained national attention during
the 1987 Iran-Contra hearings.
He is currently considering running for
the U.S. Senate.
College Republicans and the Republican
Oliver North to speak tonight
Party of Brazos County worked together to
raise money to bring North to A&M.
The Friends of the College Republicans
are holding a dinner Wednesday night to
raise money to pay for North's visit.
To many democrats, however, North is far
from the hero that many Republicans portray
him as, said John Velasquez, secretary of the
Aggie Democrats.
"He did lots of unethical and unconstitu
tional acts," Velasquez said. "He's more of a
blot and a disgrace than something to rally
about."
Velasquez said the Aggie Democrats have
no plans to protest North's speech.
"Me being there, as a democrat, would
just draw more attention to him," Velasquez
said.
"We're more interested in educating stu
dents than protesting and being ugly."
North will also sign copies of "Under
Fire," his book about the Iran-Contra Affair.
His speech is the first speech in the
William H. Flowers, Jr. lecture series, in
which North will visit 10 universities across
the country.
The series was organized through the
Young Americas Foundation, which helped
the College Republicans contact North.
Dr. Richard Stadelmann, faculty adviser
for the College Republicans, said North's vis
it is unique; however, the organization is
planning more speeches for later in the year.
Stadelmann said College Republicans is
also looking into the possibility of getting
former president George Bush's son to speak
to the organization.
North's speech will be free and open to
the public.
Inside
Sports
Feature: Davie and Toledo
Winder: Oilers need to get
rid of run-n-shoot offense
Page 5
Opinion
Scroggs: Womens studies
program needs attention
Page 9
Weather
•Wednesday: partly
cloudy, scattered
showers, highs in 90s
•Thursday: same as
Wednesday
•Your Battalion extended
forecast: partly cloudy,
lows- 70s, highs - 90s