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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 1995)
Coin’ for the gold! Tipping the scales Soccer coach G. Guerrieri wants nothing less than the only SWC Championship. Sports, Page 7 Beckcom: Our nation's courtrooms should not be concerned with petty lawsuits Opinion, Page 11 Time to unite Hispanic Heritage Month brings student groups together. Aggielife, Page 3 Battalio Vol. 102, No. 18 (12 pages) Established in 1893 Wednesday • September 20, 1995 College Republicans brought up on charges ject J h, nni J rice J "... the College Republicans are really getting a little tired of the constant trouble that they [administration] give us." — Lydia Percival former president of College Republicans "My concern is with the fact that there is so little truth in that letter." — Dr. Pierce Ca77trell speaker of Faculty Senate "I was upset that a student group could send out so much misinformation." — Kevin Carreathers director of Multicultural Services CULTY 1 ‘ "1 wish that before Lydia Percival wrote that letter RYDAY ... she would've checked J |Jpg*| her facts first." — Toby Boenig student body president □ A&M's largest political organization could lose its on-campus status, pending the decision of the Student Organization Hearing Board. By Wes Swift The Battalion Representatives of Texas A&M College Republicans are preparing to battle the University and defend the organization at a Friday hear ing from what they consider “uncon stitutional” rules and regulations. See related EDITORIAL, Page 11 The organization is being charged with violating fund-raising guidelines and not upholding the “highest ideals of the University,” stemming from a fund-raising letter written by Lydia Percival, former College Republicans president. The letter, dated June 6, criti cized the proposed multiculturalism requirement and recent Faculty Senate decisions and urged former students to donate money to the or ganization to stop A&M from be coming “just another college.” The Student Organization Hear ing Board, SOHB, which is com posed of three staff members and two students, will decide the fate of the organization. If SOHB rules that the charges are true, then the student group could face penalties as light as a verbal reprimand or as severe as losing its status as an on-campus organization. David Brown, interim president of College Republicans, told mem bers of the student political group Tuesday that College Republicans is prepared to defend itself against the charges and has already acquired attorneys in defense. “We’re going to persecute and prosecute to the full extent of the law,” Brown said. “This is a big is sue. It’s about to blow.” Percival’s letter claimed that the multiculturalism proposal would re quire all students to take “politically correct classes about the abuses of the white male,” and that the “radi cal Faculty Senate controls which classes qualify as multicultural.” Percival also urged former stu dents to contact A&M President Dr. Ray Bowen to object to the policies described in the letter. Shortly before classes began in late August, Percival received a letter from Dr. Carolyn Adair, stu dent activities director, stating that the fund-raising letter was “full of misinformation, wrong in formation and information taken out of context.” Adair requested a meeting between Percival and Col lege Republicans’ adviser, Dr. Richard Stadelmann. During the meeting, Dr. Jan Winniford, associate vice president for student affairs, and Dr. Pierce Cantrell, Faculty Senate speaker, joined Percival, Brown, Stadelmann and Adair in discussing the content of the letter and possible factual er rors it contained. Stadelmann said he was dis mayed that the meeting focused so much on the content of the letter and so little on possible rules viola tions by College Republicans. “We were essentially quizzed about our letter and the content of the letter,” Stadelmann said. “Frankly, the content of the letter was not in the purview of the ad ministration to examine.” Percival explained that several of the complaints focused on hypo thetical examples in the letter that were labeled “inflammatory,” but which Percival called “totally with in the realm of possibility.” In the minds of members of College Re publicans, she said, those exam ples could be possible. The meeting was nothing more than a “gripe session” for the stu dent activities and Faculty Senate representatives, Percival said. Adair declined to comment on the situation, saying that since the hearing has not been officially de clared public, she would refrain from discussing any events pertain ing to College Republicans. Bowen’s office has been contact ed bj' 20-25 former students who received the letter, many of whom requested a response from the president. M. Wilson Sims, Class of ’38, con tacted Bowen to object to the multi culturalism requirements and other policies mentioned in the letter. “I am a long-time supporter of Texas A&M ... ,” Sims wrote to Bowen. “Have I inadvertently al ready given support to a philosophy which I deplore? « See Republicans, Page 2 Student, state leaders react to letter □ The College Republicans letter has drawn attention from University officials and other Texas leaders. By Wes Swift The Battalion Leaders across campus and the state are choosing sides as Texas A&M College Republicans and the Uni versity prepare to present their arguments Friday to the Student Organization Hearing Board. College Republicans is charged with violating fund raising guidelines and providing false information to prospective contributors. The 2,000-member student political group claims it is a victim of policies that violate the First Amend ment right of free speech. University officials contend that the problem is not free speech, but rather the group’s disregard for University-established rules. The controversy surrounds a fund-raising letter sent to former students this summer, which criticized the A&M Faculty Senate, the administration and the proposed multiculturalism requirement. The three-page letter, written by Lydia Percival, former president of College Republicans, called the proposed U.S. and International Cultures require ments, better known as the multiculturalism require ment, an attempt to force all students “to take a wom en’s studies or a class on African-American history.” Dr. Ray Bowen, Texas A&M president, received the letter in mid-July and said he was “disappoint ed” with the letter and called it a “collection of false information.” Bowen also said a portion of the letter incorrectly stated that he “got his job by promising to sign this multiculturalism bill and the left-wing professors who hired him are getting restless because he is dragging his feet.” See Reaction, Page 2 College Republicans The Administration Editor’s note: The following are excerpts from a June 6 letter written by Lydia Perci val, then-president of College Republicans, to former students for fund-raising purposes. "According to this report, if I ... argued that homosexuality is an unnatural lifestyle, anyone offended by that could turn me in to the Conflict Resolution Committee and I would be punished by being sent to sensitivity classes. The report reads that punishment can be enhanced if the offense is perceived as a 'hate crime!' ... This is in addition to the six hour multiculturalism class which only requires students to take politically correct classes about the abuses of the white male in America! This particular requirement has already been imposed on the school of Liberal Arts ... The Texas A&M College Republicans are here fighting this nonsense every day. We do not want our Texas A&M to become Wellesly College or California at Berkely. We want to continue turning out leaders like Texas Agricultural Commissioner Rick Perry and Congressman joe Barton, not the likes of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louis Farrakhan! The Texas A&M College Republicans are almost solely responsible for the fact the multiculturalism has not yet been signed by President Bowen. However, President Bowen got his job by promising to sign this multiculturalism bill and the left- wing professors who hired him are getting restless because he is dragging his feet. If a multiculturalism requirement passes, Texas A&M College Republicans are ready to act! We are prepared to notify every single former student whom we can find. We will not stand and watch Texas A&M become just another college." Editor’s note: The following are excerpts from an August 7 letter written by Dr. Ray Bowen, A&M president, in response to former stu dents who received the College Re publicans letter and contacted him. ... I wish to inform you that the letter contains little that is true. ... First, Texas A&M has no policy which allows it to discipline individual students who offend others while exercising his or her freedom of speech. ... Our rules in this area are carefully crafted in order to create a safe and peaceful academic environment without imposing on anyone's desire for freedom of expression ... Finally, the example given in the letter concerning a Political Science class is, at best, silly. It is tantamount to asserting that Texas A&M University has decided not to follow the Constitution of the United States ... ... The Faculty Senate proposed a modification in the core cur riculum which they referred to as the U.S./ International Cultures requirement ... The structure of our core curriculum is such that adoption of this proposal would not require any Bowen _ additional hours for graduation. Thus, the letter is incorrect when it asserts that six extra hours would be 'tacked on their degree plan.' I have repeatedly stressed the point that Texas A&M University will not engage in a program of required courses built around the themes of victimology, political correctness or any of the other distortions that have occurred around the country ... It is regrettable that the College Republicans have not acknowledged my often stated position ... ... Contrary to the assertions of the letter, I am not "expected to sign it soon." Also, it is incorrect to state that the proposal would force 'all students to take a women's studies or a class on African-American History.' Finally, no 'multicultural' requirement has been imposed on the College of Liberal Arts. This college has a desire to implement a requirement similar to the one proposed by the Senate. As such, they have delayed any action until a decision is made on the proposed university requirement." GSC favors putting student liaison on Board of Regents QA Board committee tabled the Student Government proposal earlier this semester. By Tara Wilkinson The Battalion Texas A&M Graduate Student Council introduced a resolution Tues day night supporting Student Govern ment’s efforts to achieve student rep resentation on the Board of Regents. The resolution, which was intro duced by Stephen! Moore, GSC presi dent, will come up for vote Sept. 3. Student Government members lob bied for student representation at the Sept. 1 Board meeting, but were disap pointed when the issue was tabled by the Board’s Academic Campuses Committee. However, the campaign for a stu dent liaison will continue. Moore said a formal GSC resolution supporting instatement of a student li aison will reinforce Student Govern ment’s campaign. “There is currently no student that advises the Board of Regents in any capacity, which I think is unfortu nate,” she said. The student liaison would be elect ed from the Chancellor’s Student Advi sory Board, a group of Student Gov ernment representatives from each campus in the Texas A&M System. The student representative would not vote, but would have full speaking privileges at Board meetings and membership in Board committees. The student representative concept is the modification of a long-time Stu dent Government goal of placing a stu dent on the Board as a full regent. Becky Silloway, speaker of the Sen ate, said Student Government lobbied unsuccessfully for a full student re gent for about 25 years. “Year after year it got shot down in the Texas Legislature,” Silloway said. “This past legislative session we went a different route. Students don’t have time to do what a full voting regent does.” The Board chairman and A&M chan cellor can use their power to request the tabled student liaison proposal be reintro duced at the December Board meeting. Silloway said Dr. Barry Thompson, Texas A&M chancellor, is supportive of the student liaison idea. She is hopeful that he will decide to bring the student liaison issue back up for discussion. “He is 112 percent behind this/’ she said. “He is the greatest student advo cate we’ve ever had.” If Thompson or Mary Nan West, Board chairman, do not bring up the proposal, it will remain tabled until two- thirds of the Board or a majority of the Academic Campuses Committees decide to pull it back up for debate. Although Silloway said she does not want to fully disclose the Senate’s campaign strategy, she said the stu dent liaison concept ha^ a good chance of survival. “We’re looking at some really big things for December,” she said. “I don’t want to announce what some of the plans of attack are yet though.” One thing the attack will include is circulation of student petitions. Silloway said Student Government representatives from some of the smaller System schools expect their entire student population to sign peti tions supporting a student liaison. “I’d like for us to at least match what the other schools are doing,” she said. “I’d like at least 12,000 signatures.” ‘‘•iMtiU KssaS i ■S •at igS#]#*: | Jit lUWUft ii*,. Utt lUMi ,b.< •4r*r i fkal; :