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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1995)
TEXAS TWISTERS Local group spin onto the stage at 3rd Floor Cantina tonight. Aggielife, Page 3 SPECTOR FOR PRESIDENT? Guest columnist delves into legislative history of newest presidential candidate. Opinion, Page 7 BEAT THE HELL The men's tennis team hosts a SWC showdown with UT. Sports, Page 5 tVbl. 101, No. 122 (8 pages) ■M— “Serving Texas Ae^rMsince 1893 Illlllllliilllll Friday • March 31, 1995 Runoff election to be held April 6 □ Almost 2,000 more students voted in the election than last year, an increase to 24 percent. .<TfAfJON Toby Boenig is lifted up by his supporters Thursday night when he was announced as a runoff candidate for student body president. By Kasie Byers and Tracy Smith The Battalion The election that brought the most stu dents out to vote in A&M history will con tinue Thursday in a runoff for student body president and a few RHA and class officer positions. The election committee counted 8,034 votes this year — 24 percent of the student body. This was almost 2,000 more votes than last year. The election for student body president ended in a runoff between Toby Boenig and Carl Baggett. After the results were announced, Toby Boenig said he couldn’t stop shaking. “My heart is pounding,” he said. “I am a total basket case.” Boenig said he doesn’t plan to change his campaign strategy over the next week, but will just continue to focus on his platform and inform the student body of his ideas. “I’m feeling really confident about my position right now, but what happens will happen,” he said. “Whatever God plans to happen will happen.” Carl Baggett will be the other candidate in next Thursday’s runoff for student body president. “Overwhelmed and excited are two words describing my feelings about tonight’s results,” he said. “Five great guys were running for student body presi dent — it was a tough decision.” Henry Hewes, David Kemp and Michael Thornberry were elected senior yell leaders. Chris Torn and David Thornberry were elected junior yell leaders. Michael Thornberry said the anticipa tion he felt for his brother was greater than that for himself. “It is the greatest feeling in the world to have your brother as a yell leader with you,” Michael Thornberry said. “Since we were kids we talked about this, but we never knew until now that it could be a reality.” David Thornberry said that at this point he is simply trying to take it all in. “I see an enjoyable year ahead of us,” he said. “I’m looking forward to representing A&M.” Kemp said he is glad things worked out the way they did. “We should have a good group repre senting A&M next year,” he said. “I can’t believe the election is finally over.” The Class of ’95 agents will be Jeb Jones, Jennifer Watkins and Trent Ashby. The Health Care referendum also passed, with 83 percent of the vote. The referendum will raise the ceiling on the health care fee from $25 to $75. How ever, the increase, will be no more than 10 percent each year. The increase will re quire student approval each year. By combining the health care fees into one fee, the referendum strives to make understanding the fee statements easier. Right now, students pay $25 under the health care fee and $15 under the student service fee for health services. 1 Student Body President Runoff RHA Treasurer Becky Si 1 loway | Runoff Matt Chilek Class of '98 Historian Bryan Hunt |Carl Baggett Shannon Habgood Runoff Science Senators [Toby Boenig Betsy Cates Agriculture Senators Wendy Hawks Class of '97 Vice President Mike Pontiff Mike Tippit Pam Clark % Senior Yell Leader Runoff Neely Young Christian A. Tuma Henry Hewes Erik Figueriedo OCA President Jimbo Cross | David Kemp Courtney Lyons Adrian Sanderlin Northside Senators Michael Thornberry Architecture Senators Hilary Ekblad Class of '97 Secretary OCA Vice President Mike Reining Kyle Mezger L lunior Yell Leader Jenny Martin Tara Buban g > S * Jesse Czelusta I Chris Torn Business Administration Senators | David Thornberry Class of '97 Treasurer OCA Secretary Ron Mo Southside Senator Wes Barnes Stacey Shackelford Mark Harmon Dan Chapot ICIass of '96 President Richard Holt Robert Payne ■Gerry Brown Class of '97 Social Secretary OCA Treasurer Jeff Prince Rusty Adams Tracy Mapes Terra Phil by David Armstrong Class of '96 Vice President Education Senators Barry Johnson Class of '97 Historian RHA President Kathryn Burgess Off-Campus Senators Michael Stewart Runoff Stefani Stone Class of '96 Secretary Trevor Dunham Engineerine Senators Elizabeth Neugart Tommy Hollahan Class of '98 President Suzanne Lyons Ben Samuel Amy Bigbee Blake McKinney Jason Waligura Lesfie Johnson Class of '96 Treasurer RHA Vice President for Student Bradley Eilers Rob Lewicki Runoff Class of '98 Vice President Development Nicholas Dickson Brian Myers Todd Logan Erskine Nolan Barkhouse Amy Wakefield Stuart W. Glenn Michael Glynn Kristen Smith Ryan Shopp Jill Jackson Class of '98 Secretary RHA Vice President for Operations Melissa Moloney Class of '96 Social Secretary Dan Cochran Runoff General Studies Senators Bo Armstrong Kelly Quy Jay Greenberg Will Jenkins Matt Mayfield Class of '98 Treasurer Jesse J. Sanchez Annie Blanco Class of '96 Historian Will Jenkins Liberal Arts Senators Tracey McAllister Amy Hohlt RHA Secretary Bradley Morefield Patrick Cone Conway Class of '98 Social Secretary Laura Derby Jason Ross James Atkinson Class of '97 President Laura Beth Vogt Erin Fitzgerald Chris Reed Tim Moog/ The Battalion Carl Baggett is congratulated by friends as he is an nounced as a runoff candidate for student body presi dent Thursday night in front of the Sul Ross statue. IRHA opposes funding Corps with dorm fees □ The RHA passes a bill that objects funding for two Corps of Cadets programs. By Wes Swift he Battalion The Residence Hall Association condemned the use of residence hall rent money to support two Corps of Cadets programs Thurs day night. The bill said the two programs, the Corps Leadership Training and Adviser Program and the Corps Room Scholarship Pro gram, cost on-campus residents $337,972 every year, at an aver age cost of $30 per resident. Mark Grabble, RHA vice presi dent for student development, said the RHA recently discovered the programs when the residence hall finances were shifted to the Division of Student Affairs. “Previously, the finances were all under the Division of Finance and Administration,” Gribble said. “When they were put in the Department of Resi dence Life and Housing, the program was found during the breakdown of the finances.” Owen Ross, RHA president, said he supported the bill because he could find no benefits for non- Corps residents. “If these programs benefited the entire campus or the resi dents, I wouldn’t mind funding these programs,” Ross said. “But I don’t see how someone living in a non-reg hall could benefit from them.” Jennifer Enos, Northside sena tor and member of the Student Housing input Committee, said that a decision made by the com mittee on the issue was overruled. “When this was brought before us, we decided that we didn’t think it was right,” Enos said. “But then it was turned over down the road.” Ross said that although he did not approve of funding the pro grams through rent, he had no ill feelings toward them. “These are two excellent pro grams,” Ross said. “We’re just paying for them out of the wrong pocket.” Although there was little op position, Ross said he had con tacted the Corps Housing Office, Corps Commandant Sgt. Maj. Thomas Darling and Corps Com mander Matt Segrest to offer support for the programs. None attended the meeting. Although the bill passed quick ly through emergency legislation, some people opposed the way it was passed. Students give back to B-CS community Faster not always better, panelists say □ Journalists discuss the role of media in foreign policy. By Stephanie Dube The Battaijon Media officials stressed the in fluence journalists have on for eign policy and the responsibili ties this influence creates Thurs day during the final forum of the Wiley Lecture Series, Ralph Begleiter, an anchor for CNN in Washington, said the news media play an instrumental role in foreign policy. “The media are in the satellite age of diplomacy,” Begleiter said. “It is playing an integral role in the conduct of foreign policy.” The satellite age, Begleiter said, includes everything from faxes to television signals gener ated at a moment’s notice. Although this technology im proves communication, he said, it can also create prob lems for foreign poli cy makers. Wayne Nelson, senior producer and bureau manag er for CBS News in Dallas, said this in stant communica tion can have nega tive effects by ere- ating instant deci sions. “News is transmitted almost as it happens,” he said, “So de cisions on foreign policy are made in haste. “Is it fair for media to have minute-by-minute coverage of on going foreign crises? This is not a baseball game we’re covering. We need to be careful of how we "News is transmitted almost as it happens, so decisions on for eign policy are made in haste." — Wayne Nelson, CBS News in Dallas represent foreign events.” However, Begleiter said that nothing should be done about the problems developing from this rapid communication. “America’s press is an un shackled force in American democracy, a force that is widely respected around the world,” he said, “This does not mean it is gbod, just that we should not do anything about it.” Brent Bozell, chairman of the Media Research Center, said that although the media should not be regulated, they should be aware of the influence they has over foreign policy. *T cannot say reporters have no role to play in the conduct of for eign policy,” Bozell said. “Re porters play a role in every aspect of foreign policy. “We should not suggest See Panelists, Page 8 □ Students will give back to the community Saturday through the 13th annual Big Event. By Lynn Cook The Battalion More than 4,800 students will help clean and repair areas in Bryan-College Station Satur day for Texas A&M’s 13th an nual Big Event. Laura Perkins, a member of the student government’s Big Event committee, said the num ber of students volunteering and the number of job sites has dou bled since last year. Ftesidence Halls, Corps outfits. Fish Camps and Greek organiza tions are among the groups who will be fixing roofs, painting, building wheelchair ramps and beautifying the area. Scott Satterwhite, director of Big Event, said help is avail able to anyone in the communi ty who wants it. “A lot of people are under the impression that Big Event is only for the needy, those who can’t af ford to do the work themselves,” Satterwhite said. “But it’s not. “It’s a ‘thank you’ to the com munity for putting up with more than 40,000 students every year. No one who asks for help is turned down and we pay for all the supplies.” Most of the work sites are in dividual homes, Satterwhite said. However, he said, stu dents will also help build two wheelchair ramps and clean out the old Walmart. Big Event will start at 9 a.m. with speeches from former regent Bill Clayton and Clayton Williams Jr. From there, students will re port to their assigned work sites and work until their jobs are done. Satterwhite said Big Event is operating under a $15,000 bud get this year. The student gov ernment gave the committee $3,000 and the other $12,000 was raised primarily through private donations. Big Event began in 1982, Sat terwhite said, as an idea of Joe Nussbaum’s, an executive vice president in student government. “It all started out with close to 12 people,” Satterwhite said. “They went and cleared out one of the city’s cemeteries.” In the past 13 years, this day of community service has expanded to involve thousands of students and hundreds of job sites. Stephanie Green, member of the Big Event committee and ser vice chair for Chi Omega, said her sorority will be painting houses Saturday. “We’re going to be painting two houses and we have be tween 50 and 60 people going,” Green said. “We participate be cause it is such as wonderful project for the community.”