' 31,
The Battalion
■ ifioOl *
Vol. 93 No. 85 (12 pages)
1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993
Tuesday, February 1,1994
Southerland takes over as VP of student services
By Michele Brinkmann
The Battalion
Sfeltrlnl ^ >r - J- Malon Southerland will take over
position of vice president for student
■srvices after filling the role on an interim
”—'-Basis since Dr. John J. Koldus' retirement
last August.
Vh Interim President E. Dean Gage ap-
^ • pointed Southerland to begin his role as
|ice president for student services Feb.l,
actly 26 years after the day Southerland
first began his career at A&M.
"I am excited and humbled by this ap
pointment," Southerland said. "There is no
tter job in the student affairs business in
America than at Texas A&M."
He said his new appointment will be a
little different than his first 26 years at
A&M.
"At tliis level I can have a long-term vi
sion and be able to participate in planning
that looks 10 to 20 years into the future," he
said.
Southerland said his job is to help the
students and stressed he will be available
to students as much as his calendar allows.
"A student is welcome to make an ap
pointment to see me about anything, and I
will do my bbst to make an excellent refer
ral," he said.
In his new role, Southerland said he is
more visible to the external community,
and plans to seek addi
tional financial support
to help the students.
"The bottom line is
we want money to de
rive benefits to the stu
dents," he said.
Southerland said
there are two things he
feels are his greatest ac-
complishments
throughout his years
here.
"I am very grateful
for the extraordinary variety of experience I
have had at the same institution, and I'm
grateful for the quality of friendships I am
Southerland
able to make," he said. "It is difficult to ex
plain all the people I have been in touch
with over the years. Aggies are faithful to
committing friendships that last."
Southerland said one aspect of his job is
to correctly provide information about
what is actually going on at this campus.
"Part of my mission is to explain any
problems that arise," he said. "It's a chal
lenge to try to respond as candid and as
soon as possible as the law allows."
He said he plans to be involved in just
about every spot where student services
has any business.
"I don't feel under any time constraint,"
he said. "I want to get reactions to ideas
and then implement them."
He plans to inform students of the new
ideas and programs through student leader
groups, and to possibly set up a designated
time for students to discuss their ideas and
to get feedback on his plans.
He said he encourages student groups
to invite him to meetings and functions if
they want to express any ideas to him.
"I will do all that I can to attend these
meetings, but I first have to be invited," he
said. "I have to be in the right place at the
right time."
Gage said despite the large number of
qualified candidates, Southerland pos-
See Southerland/Page 10
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Step by step
Mike Barnett (left) and Dean Larson (right) of
Action Tile replace the front entrance tiles of
the Chemistry Building Monday afternoon. The
Stew Milne/Thc Battalion
old maroon ones were slippery when wet and
created a safety hazard. The new gray ones are
slip resistant.
Silver Taps scheduled tonight
Silver Taps will be held at 10:20
p.m. tonight in front of the Academic
Building in memory of three Texas
A&M students.
The campus will be hushed and
darkened in honor of Jake F. Adams,
19, a sophomore business administra
tion major from Grand Prarie; Denna
L. Brown, 23, a senior interdisciplinary
studies major from Lufkin; and David
Roane Harwood, 25, a senior wildlife
fisheries major from Houston.
The Ross Volunteers honor guard
will fire a volley salute and buglers
will play a special arrangement of
"Taps." '
Seven Corps members ousted
By James Bernsen
The Battalion
Several students have been suspended from the
Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, said officials in the Office
of the Commandant Monday.
Corps Commandant Maj. Gen. Thomas Darling
said the students were suspended for incidents that oc
curred while they were already on probation, but he
refused to comment on details of the suspension.
However, a senior cadet, speaking on the condition
that he remain anonymous, said seven freshmen mem
bers of an Air Force ROTC squadron were suspended
for a hazing incident that occurred during freshman
unification week, otherwise known as "Hell Week."
The incident concerns a long-standing Corps tradi
tion in which the commanding officer of an outfit is
taken off-campus, his head is shaved, and often he is
left to find his way home. While he is away, his be
longings are usually stolen from his room.
In previous years, officials in the Commandant's of
fice tolerated such activities, but a new policy began
this year that prohibits cadets from removing the com
manding officer from the dorm.
On Jan. 23, around 8:30 p.m. the commanding offi
cer of Squadron 13 was taken off-campus, his head
was shaved, and he was left outside, the cadet said.
In the past, he said, it was not uncommon for the
commanding officer to be abandoned in another state.
The seven freshmen who participated in the event
were already on probation for an incident that oc
curred last semester concerning another freshman who
wanted to leave the outfit.
In that incident, the commanding officer was re
moved and transferred to another outfit, and the sec
ond-in-command of the outfit also was removed.
A two-da^
men in this
and they were suspended.
"These are minor incidents," Darling said. "They
would not have been suspended for these things with
out having had other problems before."
Darling said the students will not be expelled from
the University, and there will not be prevented from
rejoining the Corps at a later date.
"I would expect these students to be back in the
Corps eventually," he said. "They're not in the
See Corps/Page 10
-day investigation determined that the fresh-
us latest incident should have known better.
Five killed in Somalia streets;
Marines say in self-defense
The Associated Press
MOGADISHU, Somalia - In
the worst shooting involving
American troops in three months,
U.S. Marines opened fire in a
street crowded with Somalis wait
ing for free food Monday. At least
five people died and many were
wounded.
A U.S. spokesman said the 22
Marines shot in self-defense after
their five-vehicle convoy was
fired on by at least two Somali
snipers.
Somali witnesses said no one
shot at the Americans. They said
they felt the Marines fired because
they thought hundreds of Somalis
standing in a street outside a food
distribution center were trying to
stop the convoy.
The commander of
Bangladeshi soldiers guarding a
nearby traffic circle said his men
did not see any snipers when the
Marines opened fire with machine
guns, but he could not rule out
that shots were fired at the Ameri
cans. Journalists at a nearby hotel
heard one or two gunshots a mo
ment before heavy weapons fire.
Dozens of Somalis ran through
the area shouting anti-American
slogans, and carrying the dead
and wounded away on wheelbar
rows. A dozen Saudi Arabian sol
diers were handing out food at
the center when the shooting oc
curred, but none was injured.
About 5,000 American service
men are in Somalia as part of the
U.N. peacekeeping force. The
Americans are in the process of
withdrawing to meet a March 31
deadline set by President Clinton
after 18 U.S. Army soldiers died
in a battle with Somali gunmen
Oct. 3.
At least 32 Americans have
been killed since a U.S.-led multi
national force landed Dec. 9, 1992
to protect relief supplies in Soma
lia.
U.S. officials said the shooting
involved three Humvees and two
cars carrying two unidentified
American diplomats to a meeting
to discuss clan violence with repre
sentatives of warlord Mohamed
Farrah Aidid's coalition. The meet
ing was canceled after the shooting.
United Nations officials said an
investigation had been begun and
hoped the incident would not set
back the Clan elders' peace accord.
Stevenson Mcllvaine, an Amer
ican diplomat who was not in
volved in the shooting, said the
Marines acted in self-defense.
They reported they were fired on
around 11 a.m. by at least two
gunmen, one from the bush and
another from outside a building,
he said.
Committee investigating Bockris
submits findings to Kennedy
The Texas A&M University committee named to
conduct an inquiry into allegations of scientific mis
conduct by Dr. John Bockris has submitted a report
of its findings to Robert Kennedy, vice president for
research and associate provost for graduate studies.
Copies of the report have been given to Bockris
and to the A&M System's general counsel.
Any comments Bockris may have will be includ
ed in a final report of the inquiry, which will be re
leased to the public.
An official with the office of the vice president for
research said the report will be made public as soon
as Bockris has time to look over the report.
The inquiry committee was named in mid-No
vember by Kennedy after allegations that Bockris at
tempted to turn mercury into gold were received by
Interim President Dr. E. Dean Gage.
The committee's purpose was information gather
ing and initial fact finding to determine if the allega
tions warranted an investigation.
If the final report indicates that an investigation is
needed, an investigation committee will be appoint
ed by March or within 30 days.
^GOP says Richards, aides lying about phone-bill records
m.
The Associated Press
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JOpJ 11 '
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AUSTIN — Texas Republican Party Chair-
an Fred Meyer said Monday that Gov. Ann
Richards and her aides have lied about when
her long-distance telephone records were de
stroyed.
1 "Gov. Richards and her staff have attempted
to lie their way out of trouble, changing stories,
falsely placing blame on others, and raising dis
turbing questions about the governor's credibili
ty," Meyer told a news conference.
I But Richards' campaign said the GOP was
stepping up its criticism of the governor to coin-
cide with the upcoming trial of U.S. Sen. Kay
Bailey Hutchison, a Republican.
' n1 ' fi "The timing of this attack on Ann Richards is
,ffl' politically motivated," said Chuck McDonald,
'eb, ,;ner campaign spokesman.
There has been no allegation of any wrong
doing of any kind against Ann Richards, but the
Republicans want news articles the week before
the trial, making the same allegations against
Ann Richards that were made against Sen.
Hutchison," he said.
State GOP executive director Karen Hughes
denied the charge. "We are responding to Ann
Richards' failure to tell the truth to the people of
Texas," Ms. Hughes said.
At dispute is why and when Richards began
to destroy her itemized long-distance telephone
records after each month's bill was paid.
Last week, Richards said her office was fol
lowing the same procedure as former Gov. Bill
Clements by destroying the records monthly.
Clements, a Republican, denied that and has
demanded an apology.
Later, Richards' staff said the decision to de
stroy the records was made in 1992. They
changed that to 1993 in later statements.
Over the weekend, Richards' press secretary
Bill Cryer said the office likely will start preserv
ing the records.
Meyer said he didn't know if the records
were destroyed illegally, and he stopped short
of charging that they were destroyed to cover
up something.
"Obviously they were concerned about
something that was in there, or they wouldn't
have done it," he said.
Richards, in Washington, D.C. attending the
winter meeting of the National Governors Asso
ciation, didn't think the controversy was that
important.
"It just tells me that this is political season,"
the governor said.
She added, "We tried to follow the letter of
the law, the staff did. And they are going to as
semble, I think, everything they possibly can as
semble for anybody that wants to see it."
Inside
Aggielife
•The Vanishing American
Barbershop
Page 4
Sports
•Moving UT game would
hurt traditions
Page 8
Opinion
•Editorial: Harding should
not go to the Olympics
Page 11