itate & Local
Slovember 29,
OLICE BEAT: Weekly dose of mayhem and mischief
m the A&M campus
Opinion
Sports
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EDITORIAL: Though a balanced budget amendment is possible in
theory, its effects may be irreversible - especially for Texas.
Page 9
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attalion |
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The A&M volleyball team
hosts a first round NCAA
match with Michigan State
University at 7 p.m.
Page 7
WEDNESDAY
November 30, 1994
Vol. 101, No. 66 (10 pages)
"Serving Texas A&M since 1893"
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A&M readies for groundbreaking of Bush Library
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) —
Although poverty appears to be
png violence in the Gaza Strip, the
brld Bank's top Middle East official
|pld Yasser Arafat on Tuesday that
only a third of the international aid
pledged to Palestinians is likely to
reach them this year.
■ Of the $700 million promised by
international donors for 1994, only
about $240 million at most was likely
lb be delivered on schedule, said
orld Bank Vice-President Caio
ich-Weseer.
Arafat was attending a two-day
nference in Brussels to appeal to
bnors to make good on aid pledges
so he can relieve the economic
hardship that is threatening his 6-
Sfionth-old administration.
I Dashed hopes for economic
ijecovery since Arafat signed the peace
tjeaty with Israel last year have helped
Bdical Islamic groups gain backers for
pmpaigns of violence in the
ilestinian territories and in Israel.
lourt blocks acid
rain regulations
WASHINGTON (AP) — An
Environmental Protection Agency
igulation aimed at curbing acid rain
*as blocked Tuesday by a federal
appeals court that said the agency
Bverstepped its authority.
I The court decision put into limbo a
requirement that electric utilities
install tougher pollution control
[technology to reduce nitrogen oxide
^missions from about 170 coal-
owered boilers. The rule was to
five taken effect in January.
Nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide
jrom coal-burning electric power
{Plants are the pollutants that cause
ffecidrain when they mix with the
f:5/TOsphere. The court decision does
hot affect EPA programs to reduce
r dioxide, the principal acid rain
lollutant. Acid rain has been shown
scientists to harm plant and
fiquatic life, and in some cases
Human health.
An EPA statement said the court
lecision “appears to have turned on
a narrow technical issue” and that the
igency would try “to resolve the issue
md protect public health from acid
ain-causing chemicals in a common
sense way.”
Judge: hair length
rule unconstitutional
AUSTIN (AP) — A judge ruled
Tuesday that the Bastrop school
district’s hair-length rule is
unconstitutional in Zachariah
Toungate’s long-running battle to
wear his ponytail to class.
But Visiting Judge Norman
lanford of Houston refused to order
school officials to abolish the rule,
saying the dispute didn’t rise to the
level requiring court intervention.
“WeVe happy with a win, and
we’re taking it as such,” said attorney
Paul Hunn, who represents the
Bastrop school board.
But Zach’s attorney, Charles
Beall, considered the judge’s finding
a victory.
“It’s an illegal and unconstitutional
rule,” Beall said. “I don’t know what
kind of message they (the school) will
send to their students if they continue
to enforce it.”
Man accused in
vampire stabbing
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A
woman says her boyfriend stabbed
her and drank her blood two days
after they saw the movie “Interview
With the Vampire.”
Daniel Sterling, 25, was jailed on
attempted murder charges in the
attack on Lisa Stellwagen, who
suffered seven stab wounds in the
chest and back.
Stellwagen, 23, said the couple
saw the vampire movie on Nov. 7,
and the next morning she woke up
and found Sterling staring at her.
According to the woman, she
asked him what was wrong, and he
replied, “I’m going to kill you and
drink your blood.”
The next day, Sterling stabbed her
in their bed, police said.
Governor-elect, Cabinet
members to attend
ceremony today at 11:30
By Lisa Messer
The Battalion
Several thousand people, including foreign dignitaries
and former officials in the Bush administration, are ex
pected to gather today on the Texas A&M campus for
the groundbreaking of the George Bush Presidential Li
brary and Museum.
Former President Bush and Barbara Bush will travel
by train to College Station from Houston with 250
guests, including former Canadian Prime Minister Brian
Mulroney and Texas Governor-elect George W. Bush,
both of whom will speak at the 11:30 a.m. ceremony.
Other guests include Lamar Alexander, former secre
tary of education, Andrew Card, former secretary of
transportation, Edward Derwinski, former secretary of
veterans’ affairs, Lawrence Eagleburger, former secre
tary of state; Lynn Martin, former secretary of labor;
Brent Scowcroft, former national security adviser; Louis
Sullivan, former secretary of health and human services;
John Sununu, former chief of staff; and country enter
tainer Vince Gill.
The Honorable Lu Chao-chung, representative of the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, will attend the cer
emony on behalf of the country of Taiwan, which made a
recent donation of $1 million to the library.
Security will be provided by the Secret Service, Col
lege Station Police Department, Bryan Police Depart
ment, University Police Department, Texas Department
of Public Safety, Texas Rangers and State Department.
Special security will be provided by Saudi Arabia be
cause of the presence of Saudi Prince Bandar.
Mary Helen Bowers, deputy director of University
Relations, said extensive security is expected anytime
a large number of prominent people are together.
“There has been no indication that anyone in
tends any harm whatsoever,” Bowers said. “The se
curity is essentially to help with crowd control, to
keep them from being loved to death.”
Bob Wiatt, director of the University Police De
partment, said UPD will be in charge of security on
campus and moving Bush’s motorcade of 10 buses
and 15 other vehicles to various sites in the city.
“We’re playing this extremely low key,” Wiatt
said. “There will be no searches or magnetometers.
There will be an officer presence throughout the day,
but we don’t expect any problems.”
More than 100 media representatives are expect
ed to attend the groundbreaking, from local newspa
pers and radio stations to the national networks of
NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CNN and C-SPAN.
Bowers said camera space on platforms at the site
is at a premium with KAMU and KBTX staking out
sites early Tuesday morning.
The ceremony, which is being held at the George
Bush Presidential Library Site at the intersection of
George Bush Drive and FM 2818, is open to the public.
Lane Stephenson, deputy director of University
Relations, said all A&M students are invited to at
tend the groundbreaking.
“We wish everybody in Bryan-College Station, be
ginning with A&M students, would attend,”
Stephenson said. “Students are certainly welcome.”
Student Body President Brooke Leslie, who is
making ’vyelcoming remarks at the ceremony with
A&M President Ray Bowen, said student attendance
at the groundbreaking can help show the Universi
ty’s appreciation for Bush’s decision to locate the li
brary on the A&M campus.
Setting the record straight
An undefeated season on probation left the A&M football set the record straight with this addition to the second
team without a championship, but anonymous Aggie fans deck of Kyle Field sometime Monday night.
Site of the George Bush Presidential Library groundbreaking
ceremonies.
Increase in remedial
enrollment prompts
funding allocation
By Stephanie Dube
The Battalion
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board will have to allocate more money to
Texas A&M, following an increase in the
school’s enrollment for remedial courses.
The University’s increase this fall stems from
a statewide trend in increased enrollment.
Karon Sturdivant, director of the Center for
Academic Enhancement, said 170 students
were enrolled in remedial courses for the fall
of 1993. During the fall of 1994, 342 students
were enrolled.
Students at A&M who do not pass the
Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP), a
mandatory placement test, have to take reme
dial courses, Sturdivant said. However, stu
dents have more than one opportunity to take
the test.
Remedial courses are basic classes in read
ing, writing and arithmetic.
“There are several possibilities why enroll
ment increased,” Sturdivant said. “It could be
partially due to admissions criteria and the
need to diversify enrollment or students’ not
taking the test when they should. Or, it could
just be that students have to take so many
standardized tests that they do not take this
one seriously.”
According to a Texas Higher Education Co
ordinating Board report, the cost of remedial
See Remedial/Page 4
Tim Moog/TnE Battalion
Student Senate downs Yell
Leader runoff election bill
Today's Bty
Classified
8
International
3
Opinion
9
Toons
5
Weather
5
What's Up
10
iiiamaiwiiMiiMiiMim
By Melissa Jacobs
The Battalion
The Student Senate rejected a bill
Tuesday night that would have allowed
for runoffs in the election of Texas
A&M’s five yell leader positions.
The bill, which was introduced Nov.
9, stated that runoff elections be held for
yell leader elections if there are more
than four eligible candidates for the
three senior yell leader positions and
more than three eligible candidates for
the two junior leader positions.
Twenty-seven senators voted
against the bill, twenty-four voted for
the bill and two abstained.
Scott Torn, head yell leader, said
the yell leaders stand united against
the bill.
“The bottom line is you want the most
students voting in this election,” he said.
Torn said fewer students turn out for
runoff elections than general elections.
“If you want 60 percent of the stu
dents selecting the yell leaders, vote on
the bill,” he said. “If you want 100 per
cent, don’t have a runoff.”
Patrick Conway,an off-campus sen
ator who introduced the bill, said in a
past yell leader election, 53.6 percent of
the over 5,000 votes cast were for nei
ther of the winning candidates.
“We owe it to the students of Texas
A&M,” he said. “Many students have
come to me and said they want the
chance to make the final decision of
who is going to be their yell leader.”
Conway said one of his major con
cerns was if enough voters would turn
out for the runoff elections. He said in
the student body president runoff elec
tions, roughly over 50 percent of the
voters cast a ballot.
Brooke Leslie, student body presi
dent, said there is a big difference be
tween the student body president elec
tion and the yell leader election.
“The yell leader election is electing
five positions,” she said. “Student body
president election is only electing one.”
Torn said there has to be a winner
and a loser.
“We beat t.u. 34-10,” he said. “What
if we beat them 34-33? We wouldn’t
want them to play it over. Bottom line
is you want the most students coming
out to elect yell leaders.”
Laurent Therivel, finance committee
chair, said yell leaders need to have the
mandate of the student body.
“The more number of votes means
more students want them in there,”
he said.
Torn said the sanctity of the yell
leader position needs to be preserved and
going to runoff elections is a disservice.
“It is a disservice unless you can
guarantee the same turn-out for the
See Senate/Page 6
Campus forum held in effort to
end stereotypes of organizations
By Amanda Fowle
The Battalion
Representatives from the Texas A&M
Greek system, the Corps of Cadets, resi
dence halls and Bonfire discussed Tues
day night ways to overcome the stereo-
types placed on the members of the differ
ent organizations.
Lowell Randel, co-adviser of the Order
of Omega, an honor and service organiza
tion, said the goals of the discussion were
to open up communication between
groups in order to create an awareness of
the other groups.
“This will lead to better campus unity,”
Randel said.
Part of the programming for the Order
of Omega involves facilitating Greek uni
ty, and Randel said the group decided to
expand that to the entire campus.
Brooke Leslie, student body president,
moderated the forum as the members
discussed stereotypes and the reasons
their groups use them.
Carrie Beyer, president of the Panhel-
lenic Association, said that she does not
fit the typical stereotype of a sorority
member and neither do most other sorori
ty members.
“I don’t wear bows in my hair,” she said.
“I don’t drive a Porsche. We have a very di
verse group represented in our sororities.”
Donald Eknoyan, president of the In-
terfratemity Council, said that only about
ten percent of Greeks actually fit the
stereotype most people have of them.
The stereotype of Greeks’ using money
to buy friends is portrayed in the “Rent a
friend, join a frat” T-shirts sold by one
residence hall.
Owen Ross, RHA president, said the
shirts are not sold by any official organi
zations.
“The shirts play on the perception that
the Greeks do not add to the uniqueness
of A&M,” he said. “Many people don’t
think Creeks participate in any tradi
tions. They are just trying to make us
like other universities.”
Eknoyan said though the shirts are of
fensive, they are considered a joke by
many Greeks.
“I think it’s funny,” he said, “because I
know it is not true.”
Andy Webb, a senior redpot, lives in
the hall that sells the shirts.
“We sell a lot of them to the fraterni
ties,” he said. “1 don’t see them wearing
them, so I don’t know what they’re doing
with them.”
The forum disproved the stereotypes
that Greeks do not participate in tradi
tions, that only the residence halls par
ticipate in Bonfire and that the Corps
See Forum/Page 6