Nature awareness
World Rainforest Week gives
life to concerns about
environmental conservation.
Aggielife, Page 3
Top 10
Hernandez: There are
1 0 'good' reasons to join
College Republicans.
Opinion, Page 11
The Game
The A&M Soccer Team
battles for SWC supremacy #
against No. 4 SMU.
Sports, Page 7
102, No. 43 (12 pages)
Established in 1893
Wednesday • October 25, 1995
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Groups look
Ito eliminate
stereotypes
□ Representatives from the three
Greek councils, the Corps and Student
Government addressed campus issues
at a forum Tuesday night.
By Leslie New
The Battalion
A sparse audience gathered last night to listen to
seven student leaders, who represented a' cross-sec
tion of the student body, discuss the misconceptions
associated with their various organizations.
The leaders spoke as part of a campus relations
meeting hosted by The Order of Omega, a Greek
honor society.
Toby Boenig, student body president and a senior
agricultural development major, moderated the dis
cussion, introducing the panelists and asking the
panel scripted questions.
The questions dealt with how members of the
Corps of Cadets, Residence Housing Association,
Greek fraternities and sororities. Student Govern
ment and Bonfire relate with each other and some
of the stereotypes associated with participation in
these organizations.
"It's up to the student
body to continue advo
cating their opinions."
— David Washington
Student Government
executive vice president
udenll One of the first issues addressed was the concern
of how student senators represent their constituen
cies in matters addressed by the Student Senate,
such as the issue of multiculturalism.
David Washington, Student Government execu
tive vice president and a senior political science ma
jor, said the Senate has been perceived in the past
to be an “exclusive club,” and senators have worked
this year to disprove this perception.
“They have developed a new constituency report
form as well as putting ads in The Battalion and
visiting the areas or colleges they represent,” Wash
ington said. “They are trying to get an accurate pic
ture of the opinion of the student body.
“It’s up to the student body to continue advocat
ing their opinions.”
Another issue addressed was the incident in
which fraternities did not come to attention while
the flags at the University Administration Build
ing were being lowered during Bid House earlier
this semester.
Tyson Voelkel, Corps commander and a senior in
dustrial distribution major, said that on the whole,
the Corps was disappointed that the fraternities did
not honor the lowering of the flag, but the organiza
tion as a whole could not be held accountable.
a
R
ll
Lecture focuses
on homosexuality,
Christian morality
Tim Moog, The Battalion
Jesse Czelusta waits to cross the street with his Guide dog puppy Rudder.
K-9 Contribution
Student brings guide dog training to A&M
□ Students at the
Veritas Forum said
the presentation was
well-rounded and
objective.
By Courtney Walker
The Battalion
The Veritas Forum contin
ued Tuesday night with Dr.
Thomas Schmidt’s lecture on
“Searching For Truth in
Lifestyles — Homosexuality
and Christian Morality.”
Schmidt, a religious studies
professor at West Mont Col
lege and author of six books,
discussed the search for “the
bigger pictiure and where to go
for truth with a big T.”
Schmidt said the biggest
lie of the century is that peo
ple are good when they feel
good, and society tells people
life is great if they are sexual
ly fulfilled.
“There is a necessary con
nection between the way we
were made naturally and the
way were made to act sexual
ly,” he said. “God and the Bible
do not liberate us from right
eousness, but to righteousness.”
In his lecture, Schmidt used
analogies and told stories of
friends in homosexual relation
ships to relate to the audience.
Gary Kipe, a junior agricul
tural development major, said
the analogies were very effec
tive in addressing the impor
tance of a healthy heterosexu
al lifestyle that glorifies God.
“Analogies like, ‘Just be
cause you want to have six dif
ferent woman in one day or
week doesn’t mean you do,’
was a good example of how he
addressed everyone whether
they are gay or not,” Kipe said.
Stephanie Sutton, a sopho
more general studies major,
said the general presentation
made the speech very effective.
Schmidt also made refer
ence to Dr. Mel White, who
lectured on “Christianity and
Homosexuality” last Novem
ber and said it was possible to
be a committed Christian and
a practicing homosexuality.
Schmidt disagreed with
White’s theory and said ex
perience cannot be mea
sured as truth.
Mike Neely, south region
director for Christian leader
ship ministries, said Schmidt
was great because he gave
students information from
both sides.
“White is a very good com
municator and everyone is
entitled to their own opinion,
but I think students should
be able to hear the alterna
tive viewpoint and then de
cide,” Neely said. “[Schmidt]
gives students a chance to
evaluate, discuss and decide.”
Schmidt closed in saying
searching for the truth is not
about homosexuality, but
sexuality and the need for
See Lecture, Page 5
■Hi
See Groups, Page 2
By Courtney Walker
The Battalion
Most dorms on campus have individual
slogans or mottos. Lechner Hall has a dog.
Jesse Czelusta, a senior agricultural
economics major, began training his black
labrador retriever puppy, named Rudder,
in November 1994 from the Southwest
Guide Dog Foundation to raise as a guide
dog on the Texas A&M campus.
“Puppy walkers,” get the puppies
when they are 8- to 12-weeks-old and
raise them for a year. After 14-18
months, the dogs are sent to profession
al schools where they are trained, then
paired with a blind person.
Under University policy, the only
pets allowed in residence halls or class
rooms are seeing eye dogs and Reveille.
To keep the dog in the residence hall,
Czelusta had to receive approval from
the Department of Resident Life and
Housing. The Residence Hall Associa
tion passed a resolution supporting Rud
der’s living in the dorm.
Rusty Thompson, assistant director for
residence life, said that when Czelusta
first approached the department with the
proposal, health problems were a concern.
“The University doesn’t allow pets for
health reasons like fleas and where ani
mals go to the bathroom,” Thompson said.
See DOG, Page 6
Shane Elkins, The Battalion
Dr. Thomas Schmidt presented the lecture on homosexuality and
Christian morality Tuesday evening as part of the Veritas Forum.
New personnel appointed to System
□ Several reorganizations
within the A&M System and
University were approved by
the Board of Regents.
By Kristen Homyk
The Battalion
The Texas A&M University System
Board of Regents and Chancellor Barry B.
Thompson made two personnel appoint
ments to newly created positions to aid in
the internal reorganization of the Texas
A&M System.
Dr. Leo Sayavedra, the president of
Texas A&M International University for
the last six years, will move from Laredo to
College Station in January to become
deputy chancellor for academic institutions
and agencies.
Sayavedra will be the chief academic
and student affairs officer for the A&M
System. His responsibilities will include in
teracting with the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board and providing informa
tion to the Texas Legislature.
Dr. Thompson said he had planned to
move Sayavedra into the position for more
than a year, and Sayavedra is the best
man for the job.
“Dr. Sayavedra’s stellar performance over
the past year has solidified and reaffirmed
my belief that his knowledge and experience
make him the best individual to help lead all
of our academic institutions and agencies
into the next century,” Thompson said in a
press release.
Jose Garcia, vice
president for finance
and administration at
Texas A&M Internation
al University, will be
come interim president
at A&M’s International
University until Sayave
dra’s replacement is
found.
Dr. J. Charles Lee,
interim executive vice
president and provost at
Texas A&M and deputy vice chancellor of
the College of Agriculture and Life Sci
ences, was promoted to the new position
of vice chancellor for research, planning
and continuing education.
His new position entails enhancing feder
al research development and support, watch
ing A&M’s interests in the legislature in
Washington and developing continuing edu-
Lee
cation programs for the A&M System.
Lee has been in the A&M System since
1983, when he served as head of the Depart
ment of Forest Science.
Since that time he has served as interim
deputy chancellor and dean of A&M’s Col
lege of Agriculture and interim director of
the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station;
associated vice chancellor and executive as
sociate dean for A&M’s College of Agricul
ture and Life Sciences; and associate dean
of the college and associate director of the ex
perimental station.
“Dr. Lee has risen through the ranks of
Texas A&M University and the A&M Sys
tem as a forward-thinking leader and con
sensus-builder,” Thompson said.
Dr. Sallie V. Sheppard, a professor of
computer science and associate provost for
undergraduate programs and academic
services at A&M, will replace Lee in his
current position of interim executive vice
president and provost.
“The executive vice president and
provost is the chief academic officer of the
University and so is essentially in charge
of the academic programs,” Sheppard said.
Dr. Dale Knobel, executive director of
the Office of Honors Programs and Acade
mic Scholarships, will take over Sheppard's
position on an interim basis.
Defense rests case in
Shamburger sentencing
□ Closing arguments for
the capital murder trial
will begin today.
By Tara Wilkinson
The Battalion
After final testimonies from con
victed murderer Ron Shamburger’s
friends and family members re
garding Shamburger’s personality
and lifestyle, defense attorneys
rested their case yesterday in the
sentencing phase of the capital
murder trial.
Shamburger was convicted Fri
day of the capital murder of Lori
Ann Baker, a 20-year-old account
ing major.
The six-man, six-woman jury
will begin deliberations about
Shamburger’s sentence, which
could be life in prison or the death
penalty, after hearing closing argu
ments from the defense and prose
cution tomorrow.
Bob White, music minister and
former youth minister of Macedonia
Baptist Church in Longview, Texas,
described Shamburger as courteous,
respectful of authority, faithful and
active in church activities.
White said he knew Shamburg
er fairly well because Shamburger
grew up in Longview and was an
active member of the church.
“Because he was one of those
you could expect to be there, I
knew him better than the average
See Shamburger, Page 12
Correction:
In a Tuesday Battalion story
on telephone registration, it
should have stated that honor
student registration begins 10
p.m., Nov. 8 and ends 10 p.m,
Nov. 9.