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The Battalion
Vol. 93 No. 48 (10 pages)
1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993
Wednesday, November 3,1993
ftlm
MSC Council
enforces rules
All campus groups must obtain
University approval for speakers
in ARY’
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WELRY
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By Jacqueline Mason
The Battalion
The Texas A&M University
MSC Council officers are ques
tioning the authority of student
organizations who invite contro
versial speakers to Texas A&M
without approval by the Univer
sity.
"If they're going to do a pro
gram that affects the whole cam
pus, they have to get approved
by Student Services," said MSC
President Heather Hartman.
Associate Director of Pro
grams Kevin Jackson said the
reason for the rule is to ensure
that organizations are providing
a balanced perspective of the is
sues.
I "The concept is
| we are an educa-
| tional institu-
| tion," he said.
| “There is a certain
i]environment the
s coupon | Universit y ex '
C get v 00 | P ects t0 b e main-
LeeAnn. | tained ;"
: Shop
alon
it Bill's.
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■ Maintaining an
1 educational envi-
jlronment means
|jbringing in
JL
nr
speakers repre-
{ J|seating all sides
- — — — ■J of an issue, he said.
t Currently, no rules restrict
groups from inviting figures to
— speak only to their members, but
»hen a student organization
Hants the speaker to address
■ ilon-members also, it must ob-
tain approval from the director
| a of student services and possibly
the MSC director, according to
H Oniversity Regulations.
Many groups do not seek this
approval because they do not
bow of the restrictions placed
on them.
Richard Stadelmann, adviser
to the College Republicans, said
while these rules might apply to
MSC organizations like Political
Forum, they do not apply to all
student groups.
"We have never had any re
strictions placed on us," he said.
The distinction between Polit
ical Forum and College Republi
cans is that Political Forum re
ceives money from the Universi
ty, he said.
However, Jackson said, all
recognized organizations must
adhere to the rules set forth in
the University Regulations hand
book, even if they do not receive
funds from A&M.
When the College Republi
cans invited Oliver North to
A&M this fall, the MSC was
flooded with letters and phone
calls from the community and
students wondering if someone
representing the democrats or an
independent party would ap
pear, he said.
"That wa5 a very pro-republi
can stance," Hartman said. "In
the MSC, we would never allow
that to happen without a coun
terspeaker."
Political Forum Chair Jodi
Adcock said if a
potentially biased
source is invited
to speak at the
University, her or
ganization brings
in another speaker
to provide a bal
ance.
"It's an MSC
policy that we
have to provide
speakers to all
sides of an issue,"
she said.
But, Stadelmann pointed out
the problems with such restric
tions.
Many times, he said, major
political speakers do not like to
appear in a program with other
less-known candidates. And, the
University would lose out on the
opportunity to have the major
speakers come to campus if
someone representing an oppos
ing viewpoint always had to ap
pear.
Adcock said if speakers do
not want to come to A&M be
cause of such reasons, it is their
loss.
"The rule is not going to
change, though," she said.
MSC administrators have es
tablished a system to assure that
organizations are not violating
the regulation. If an organization
is claiming to have a speaker ad
dress only its members, yet re
serves a large room or auditori
um, the MSC will look into the
nature of the program.
Pump it up !
Holly Organ/THE Battalion
Wolfgang Volcker, a senior kinesiology major, struction science major, during their afternoon
lifts 800 pounds and Cully Stoilis, a senior con- workout Tuesday at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Voters approve
income tax
veto power
The Associated Press
AUSTIN — A ballot proposal to
give voters the final say on
whether Texas ever has a state per
sonal income tax was overwhelm
ingly approved Tuesday.
With 99 percent of the precincts
reporting. Proposition No. 4 had
750,708 votes, or 69 percent for and
332,805 votes, or 31 percent
against.
The proposed constitutional
amendment also would require at
least two-thirds of a personal in
come tax's net revenues to be used
to reduce school maintenance-and-
operations property taxes. The rest
would go to support education.
Supporters said the measure
was meant to give Texans a voice
in a crucial tax policy issue. With
out it, lawmakers could pass an in
come tax without a statewide vote.
But the proposal drew a wide
range of opposition.
Some pointed out that the
prospect of approving an income
tax has been widely viewed as po
litical suicide for lawmakers.
They said giving the voters the
final say over the tax could make it
politically palatable for lawmakers
— and that voters then could be
enticed into approving the levy if
they believe their school property
taxes would go down or education
would be helped.
"I believe it's just a slick way of
the Legislature getting around a
very controversial issue," said Rep.
Warren Chisum, D-Pampa, head
of the Legislature's Conservative
Coalition.
Others were suspicious because
the idea was pushed by Democrat
ic Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, who earli
er supported a state income tax
and is up for re-election next year.
Karen Hughes, state GOP exec
utive director, called it a "very
crafty political move" by Bullock
to escape political heat on the is
sue. Bullock's office has denied po
litical motivation.
Still other opponents — includ
ing the League of Women Voters,
Common Cause Texas and the
Texas Alliance for Human Needs
— called the measure misleading
and bad public policy.
They said lawmakers' hands
shouldn't be tied on an important
tax issue, and questioned whether
the measure would increase edu
cation funding.
They also said the chief benefi
ciaries of lower school property
taxes would be businesses, while
individuals would pay a personal
income tax.
Haiti's prospects for democracy bleak, researcher says
I , : By Mark Smith va These factions include Aristide's fol- tioned by the Cable News Network, which
Miami, USA
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
Angel Kan/THE Battalion
By Mark Smith
The Battalion
The forming of a democratic government in
Haiti may be an unrealistic expectation, said an
expert at the Mosher Institute for Internationa]
Policy Studies.
Cory Ortigova, research associate for the
Mosher Institute, said Tuesday that the coun
try's prospects for democracy in the near future
are bleak, even if exiled President Jean-Betrand
Aristide is returned to power.
Aristide was supposed to return to power on
Saturday Oct. 30, but the military leaders who
ousted him two years ago refused to step down
until they received amnesty.
"Haiti has not been a democracy for two cen
turies, and there's no prospect that it will be a
democracy any time soon," Ortigova said.
A government comprised of members of all
of the factions is the best hope for Haiti, Ortigo
va said. These factions include Aristide's fol
lowers and the more moderate supporters of Lt.
Gen. Raoul Cedras and police chief Michel Fran
cois, who currently holds power in Haiti.
"I think that a government of that type
probably is the best prospect, even though that
does offend the sensibilities of a lot of Aris
tide's supporters," he said. "That probably is
the best prospect for assuring an end to the
bloodshed and anarchy."
Concerns have also been raised as to Aris
tide's ability to be an effective leader and his
true intentions for the country.
"He won't be an effective leader," Ortigova
said. "These reports like the CIA assessment,
his personality profile, that's been rumored in
the past. It's been verified by other people that
he is probably is not as democratic as he might
appear."
The report labeled Aristide as mentally un
stable, but the report's accuracy has been ques
tioned by the Cable News Network, which tried
to corroborate some of the information.
The United States became involved in Haiti
because of the flood of illegal Haitian immi
grants coming into the country.
"The reason we're concerned about the situ
ation at all is the potential for renewed migra
tion or immigration of Haitian refugees to the
United States," he said. "The administration is
in such disarray with regards to foreign policy,
that I don't think they were too interested in
taking oh this situation unless they had to, and
they do have to, because of the threat of re
newed immigration."
Ortigova said that although Haiti is the poor
est country in the Western Hemisphere, the
United States would be unlikely to grant any aid
even if the United Nation's demands are met.
"There may be some token aid, but we're
so overstretched right now with our foreign
aid budget that Haiti is really a low priority,"
he said.
Candidate for Student Services VP
1 awed by A&M traditions, values
e i J '
ite 6
By Michele Brinkmann
The Battalion
The second of six candidates
eing considered for the vice
I president of student services po-
jsition ended his visit to Texas
j A&M University Tuesday.
Dr. David Markee is currently
I the vice president of student ser
vices at Northern Arizona Uni-
i Versify.
"This is a very special place,"
I* 1 ®said. "Before I came here, I read all of the materi-
j a l about Texas A&M, and when I got here, I found a
I Steat consistency in what I read and what I saw.
"I find the students here very upbeat and have a
Markee
real commitment to this University," he said. "Com
pared to Northern Arizona University, the students
here have more traditions and values from the past
that they maintain. Their past and tradition give
them pride and a sense of self."
Markee said he wanted to apply for this job be
cause he has heard many good things about A&M.
"After all of the things I had heard, I wondered
'Can it be real?"' he said.
Markee said he feels he is qualified for the job be
cause he has been the vice president of student ser
vices for 20 years at two institutions.
He said he believes a student services division is
as good as the staff it has.
See Markee/Page 2
InsiM
State & Local
»Habitat for Humanity to
hold benefit concert
Page 3
Sports
►A&M volleyball plays Texas
in SWC showdown
Page 5
Opinion
►Megliola: False accusation
of indecent exposure
Page 9
Weather
►Wednesday: cloudy,
scattered showers, highs
in 60s
►Thursday: continued
cloudy, scattered
showers, highs in 70s
►Weekend forecast:
turning colder, highs in
50s, lows in 30s
IO I CP
• Former basketball
player accuses
Baylor of NCAA
violations
-See Sports
Page 6