Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1994)
tew wan uar y8,ft :s 3 e 1 a white \could B 'j ■lit," Comt. V°l- 93 No. 91 (8 pages) The Battalion .*Uuy cjtOOl 1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993 Wednesday, February 9,1994 &M." 0 wasii completf;' e wheny said Corps h : peration Rescue headquarters moving to Dallas The Associated Press DALLAS — After four years at the elm of a controversial anti-abortion roup, the Rev. Keith Tucci said Mon- ay it is time to relinquish the leader- reins of Operation Rescue National. As a result of his departure, the roup's headquarters will move from ummerville, S.C., to Dallas where new xecutive director the Rev. Flip Benham vill run the organization known for blockading abortion clinics. Tucci, 37, said that while he has many ther Ifc ne count segregate ■aid he i it when international demands from countries faced with a “frontal assault on pro-life laws," the time was right to step aside. The decision, Tucci said, was made before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that protesters who block access to abortion clinics or conspire to stop women from having abortions may be sued as racketeers. Tucci said he twice faced racketeering charges that were dropped for lack of merit. He said the ruling wasn't a factor in his leaving and the group remains strong. "I think we have more grassroots sup port and more church support than we've ever had," he said. But Bill Price, president of Dallas- based Texans United for Life, questioned the timing and said he views the move as a “sign of the disintegration of Operation Rescue." “I think the Supreme Court on Jan. 24 put Operation Rescue and their style of protest out of business," he said. Benham, a 45-year-old reformed alco holic who once considered abortion a vi able option, said in spite of the court deci sion and other challenges, "we are going to pick up the cross." "The face has changed, the theology is exactly the same," he said. Benham said he started a Free Methodist Church in his home in Gar land, Texas, and served as pastor for 12 years before becoming director of the lo cal Operation Rescue in 1992. Benham expects more Operation Res cue activities in Dallas, although no spe cific events are scheduled. The group is planning to join with 400 churches near Birmingham, Ala., from March 25 to April 2, he said. Overall, the group has had 70,000 civil disobedience arrests, said spokeswoman Wendy Wright from Melbourne, Fla., where the group has operated a satellite office since January 1993. On Monday, authorities in Tarrant County, where the ethics trial of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is underway, re ceived two telephone bomb threats relat ing to an upcoming trial of Operation Rescue protesters. Benham said the group was not re sponsible for the threats, which turned out to be a hoax. Chemical exposure feared after lab fire n Courtne ;d his ii y degn nd nvrl an tor an company mg a (student; fire broke out in a laboratory in the Chemistry Building Tuesday night that was contained by the College tation Fire Department. No one was injured in the fire, hich broke out just before 8 p.m. 1 Morgan Cook, battalion chief of _—.— the fire department, said the fire Rras contained in the laboratory in Koom 1116 and most of the damage ■/as confined to that area. There P/as minor smoke damage affecting pae second and third floors of the ; building. y wron® "We are being cautious because mrgesflflre don't know what's there," he jmocratfsaid. "Anytime we go to a lab, we ittempt suspect there's something to be ave demftreful about." aninpuj William Kennedy, fire chief of Bie department, said the fire appar- j SO n wo: ently started on a table in the center ctionthi of the room and broke steam pipes. Benli, "This could have been a major reasuin thing," he said. "There were chem- , re .el«: icals in the room, but they were j&ound the outer perimeter. It may victory/ have burned a few, but not that t attorn had." e Treasil Kennedy said there was no way d eatte to know whether students were ex- Mary Macmanus/THE Battalion posed to any chemical vapors. "You never know," he said. "All I can tell students is, 'If you were involved in something like this, stick around and talk to the para medics.'" A spill response team was on hand to wash down all equipment and fire suits. Kennedy said the cooperation among University Police and stu dents was excellent and helped prevent a potential disaster. "The scene went as well as it could under the circumstances," he said. "We didn't have a problem at all." Some students ignored warn ings and entered the building through back doors, but UPD and A&M security officers made them leave. Lt. Cabrina Smith said only the middle section of the U-shaped building was affected, but students and faculty were evacuated from the entire building as a precaution. Darlene Kennedy, coordinator of the Texas A&M department of safety and health, said the cause of the blaze was undetermined, but the laboratory would be inspected by fire department investigators and the professor responsible for the lab. Sarajevo buries bomb victims, remembers 1984 Olympics The Associated Press icted or to 20 f ; , trial f: becausi red aW h sides^ rom | SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Ten years after welcoming the to coif world's finest athletes to the 1984 Winter Games, Sarajevo marked the ^eal anniversary Tuesday by laying to rest more of its war dead in the shad- AfteP 0w of the wrecked Olympic stadium. [•30p,fl! The stadium, now a base for French peacekeepers, has been ruined om’sd' bv shelling in a 22-month war that has killed more than 200,000 Mus- g f j.gpf' lims, Serbs and Croats. The Bosnian capital is shell of its former self, s of y. i rictattoP ive b# lurtrooP fexas f- #*; ien fii 1 - eGuaiif See Sarajevo/Page 8 >ED 2 W ■S :SS 4 ,1 NoM 1 Inside — Sports •Lady Aggies basketball team travels to U.T. for rematch •Smith: Overzealous Tech fans give sports a bad name Page 5 Opinion •Editorial: Ending Vietnam embargo will be good for everyone •Magee: Success is not measured by degrees. Page 7 Students find religious expression with African-American churches ■ ■ ■ Voices of Praise, a Texas A&M religious choir, performs at United Missionary Baptist Church. Stew Milne/The Battalion By Kim McGuire The Battalion A s the bass guitar and drum tap out k a subtle but commanding beat, and 4 I the sweet, soulful union of sopra no, alto and bass voices swell to the cho rus of "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," it's easy to understand why Keena Harris feels closer to God when she sings. "This is more than a choir rehearsal," Harris said. "It's a praise service. Harris, a Voices of Praise gospel choir member and a senior engineering technol ogy major, said the choir members minis ter to each other through the music when they sing. Like Harris, many African-American students at Texas A&M treasure their reli gion and spirituality. Many play active roles within their churches or practice other means of wor ship through Bible studies or music. Mance Adams, a Voices of Praise mem ber and a senior engineering technology major, said music is a spiritual means of expressing devotion to God. "Music affects a part of you you don't even know exists," Adams said. "Whatev er is in the heart comes and affects the spiritual life of both the singer and the lis tener." Similarly, Aval Allen, a sophomore ed ucational health major, said she fulfills a part of her spiritual needs by singing in Voices of Praise. "Voices of Praise is more than just a choir," Allen said. "We get the message through the music. It's definitely a form of praise." Churches play an integral role in the lives of many students. Dozens of African-American churches are scattered throughout the community, and students are faced with making a per sonal choice. Allen, who attends Lilly of the Valley Church of God in Christ, said she joined her church because of its charisma. She describes her church as an all-out praise fest. "It's a total abandonment of being con servative," she said. "There's singing, dancing, clapping and sometimes you can't hear the pastor because everyone is shouting 'Amen' and 'Hallelujah.'" Andrew Green, son of the Rev. Maurice Green of Lilly of the Valley Church of God in Christ and a senior chemistry major, de scribes the church as lively. "It's full of life, love and is full of praise," Green said. "Praising by clapping the hands, jumping up and down and say ing 'Hallelujah." Many students acknowledge differ ences between predominately African- American and predominately white churches, but they said God crosses all racial boundaries. Thaunia Shea, a white member of Voic es of Praise and a senior microbiology ma jor, said it is purely a matter of personal choice. "I've been to both, and I feel freer to ex press my spirituality at predominately African-American churches," Shea said. "There's no social barriers at these church es. Everyone is there for the same rea sons." See Churches/ Page 3 •s' ■- Bush library to attract thousands. Gage says By Melissa Jacobs The Battalion The George Bush Presidential Library will attract 400,000 visi tors to Bryan-College Station every year, said Texas A&M In terim President E. Dean Gage at the 1994 Economic Outlook Con ference Tuesday at the Hilton. Gage said the $83 million pro ject is a showcase for the entire community, but it will have an impact on Texas as well. "Texas will be the only state with two presidential libraries linked to universities with major research facilities," he said. The library also will bring fed eral employees who will be per manently located here. O.C. Brown, supervisor of fleet operations for GTE, said the library will have a great econom ic impact on the community. "I think the library will be very good for our community," Brown said. "It will attract a considerable amount of visitors which leads to a great influx of dollars." But Jim Gardner, College Sta tion city councilman, said the economic impact of the library will not be as great as many peo ple are expecting because tourists have a short-term im pact. "I haven't traveled to a great number of presidential libraries, but I have traveled to a few, and it is a one-time visit," Gardner said. The library, built on a 90- acre site on A&M's west campus, will include a museum display, museum storage, archival storage, secure vault storage and staff offices. A great amount of material for Bush the library has already arrived, including several million pages on the political career of Bush. Other items include a display showing the name of every American who died in Kuwait, gifts given to Bush during his presidency, and furniture that belonged to Bush. While other presidential li braries have a replica of the Oval Office, the Bush Library will be the only presidential library with a replica of the office at Camp David. The piece of the Berlin Wall that was dedicated to A&M last spring will be moved to the li brary as well.
