Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1996)
!se$ The Bahm iontelonjo i (front) fe- rter of the cil. S '98 all ■ses of '97 Class Ball i.m. in the ent Recre- erson and •all is "A oor prizes j Jing a trip zurity — SVevr } kly top ( :urity W \ far beyond 1 ,cussed by | i presiden- :rats. s the plan Is, and he the pollt- the cam- y rework- n system ty should ent. t part of Security o private vernment some se ed. changes its chulder of >r Citizens, j sday, Dr- ig center ive been students s should unseling ;ws Editor ron ics Editor )R a Benson, Lisa lohn- t, Angela y, Kristina i, Thomas ihn LeBas, Stephanie Stark, Erin ; jia, Chris i Watson /an, Amy is & Evan , Michele A'in, )ohn Quezada Titer, Am- jversity in im- 313; Fax: nt by The ;696. For i Me Don- 5-2678. j< up a sin- :hool ye 3 ’ n Express, ig the fall essions ity. Texas The Battalion Friday February 9, 1 996 Aggielife Page 3 entertainment GLANCE Letterman calls TV movie waste of film NEW YORK (AP) — David Letter- man calls the upcoming TV movie about the time NBC and CBS were jockeying for his talents as "the single biggest waste of film since my wed ding photos." The Late Shift, Letterman said in an interview for this weekend's Al Roker show on CNBC, "is a horribly wasted, futile at tempt" by HBO. He scoffed, for example, at a scene of an ac tor playing Let terman out in the yard in a tennis sweater throwing soft- balls at an archery target. "What kind of mutant does that? It's like a guy amused by shiny objects," Letterman said. The movie will air Feb. 24. Letterman FCC approves Disney purchase of ABC WASHINGTON (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. received federal approval to day to take over Capital Cities/ABC Inc. in a $19 billion deal that would create the world's largest media company. The FCC conditioned its approval on Disney divesting itself of radio sta tions and newspapers in Fort Worth and Pontiac-Detroit, Mich. Disney was given a one-year waiv er from cross-ownership rules to give it time to sell or swap the properties. The commission agreed to re-exam ine within that year its rules on divesti ture, leaving open the possibility that Disney won't have to give up the papers. Federal regulations prohibit one company from owning a newspaper and a radio station in the same market. A bill overhauling the nation's telecommunications laws, which Presi- ident Clinton is slated to sign today, would not change that. Capital Cities/ABC owns in Fort -Worth WBAP-AM and KSCS-FM and the rort (Vorth Star-Telegram. It also owns WIR-AM and WHYT-FM in Detroit and the Oakland Press in Pontiac, Mich. 1 Whether Disney should be permitted to own all these properties was the most contentious issue before the commission. Since Capita! Cities/ABC owned these properties before the FCC had regulations barring such ownership, the properties were grandfathered, the FCC says. But the grandfathered status does not transfer to Disney. For Disney to be awarded the per manent waiver it sought, it would have had to prove that the combined own ership was in the public interest. The FCC has granted only two waivers to its newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules. And, the stan dard has been very tough — that a newspaper would otherwise go out of business, FCC attorneys said. Disney would replace Time Warner Inc. as the media industry's largest company. But Time Warner would take it back if the FCC approves its proposed $7.5 billion buyout of Turner Broad casting System Inc. The Justice Department cleared the deal in January after Disney agreed to sell one of two Los Angeles TV stations it would have owned once the merger was completed. That had been the biggest regulatory con cern with the deal. The FCC also provided the com pany with waivers from local owner ship rules so that it may permanently own TV-radio combinations in Chica go, New York, Los Angeles, San Fran cisco, Flint-Detroit, and Toledo-De- troit, the attorneys said. Glover likes playing diverse roles NEW YORK (AP) — Danny Glover says he "got a great kick" out of playing private eye Philip Marlowe in the TV movie Red Wind, the kind of role more closely associated with F-fumphrey Bog art and Robert Mitchum. In an inter view in Sun day's Parade magazine, Glover, who is black, said he was a fan of 1940s films and relished the chance to "dis pel some myths" that cer tain characters must be played by white or black actors. The movie garnered some rave re views for Glover last fall. The Lethal Weapon star was also among the first in FHollywood to play a black cowboy in Silverado. As for Hollywood's racial progress, Glover called it "mostly cosmetic." "Hollywood has always been a conservative place because it doesn't consider itself art,'' he said. "It's about making money and getting people to buy something." Glover Sowing the Seeds Greater number of students aim to plant record amount of trees during Replant '96 By Kristina Buffin The Battalion I t began as an idea to replace the 7,000 trees cut down each year for Bonfire. Af ter four years and 100,000 trees, Replant has become one of the fastest-growing tradi tions at A&M. Tomorrow, over 2,600 Aggies will travel to Lake Somerville to take part in one of the biggest environmental service projects in the nation. Daniel Hurson, director of Replant and a junior geography major, said Replant 1996 will boast the largest number of participants in its six-year history. “It is excellent how many people are signed up,” Hurson said. “It points to the di rection that this tradition is taking. Replant is becoming more mainstream, and people are becoming more accepting of it.” Replant was started in 1990 when a group of Bonfire leaders and campus environmental groups came together to discuss planting trees to replace those cut down for Bonfire. In the spring of 1991, 400 trees were planted. The idea of planting trees at Lake Somerville began three years ago. The Replant committee was looking for a site where they could consistently plant trees every year. "It is excellent how many people are signed up." — Daniel Hurson director of Replant “Lake Somerville was looking for volun teers to plant in flood-prone areas,” Hurson said. “We have developed a relationship with them, and they have the compound that houses the seedlings.” In 1994, Replant did not plant any trees, but instead potted 20,000 seedlings that could be planted the next year. Last year, about 10,000 of the seedlings were planted. This year’s goal is to plant the remaining seedlings plus the additional 10,000 seedlings that were donated by the National Tree Trust. “We have about 25,000 trees to plant,” Hurson said. “But we don’t anticipate planti ng all of them. We want to make this a quali ty experience and not focus on the numbers. There is the potential to have this be the biggest Replant ever.” Weather was a concern this year, but fore casters predict this weekend will be warm and sunny. Last weekend, Replant executives and vol unteers had to brave the cold and snow to move the trees to get ready for the big day. “The weather last weekend just means that we are going to have to work harder on the day of Replant,” publicity coordina tor Katherine Arnold, a junior journalism major, said. “The trees are fine. They are pret ty resilient to the cold weather. We have to move more trees, which is what we were try ing to avoid, but the trees will be fine.” One of the differences that distinguishes this year’s Replant from other years is that the species of the trees will be taken into con sideration. Trees will be planted in the envi ronments in which they are best suited for. “We are concentrating on the certain loca tion of species,” Hurson said. “For example, the water-loving trees will be by the shore line. The drier climate trees will be kept away from the water to help with the sur vival rates.” The most prevalent criticism of Replant has been that some of the trees do not sur vive, and therefore Replant is not worth the work. Hurson said it is not possible to have a 100 percent survival rate, but the trees planted have an excellent chance of survival. “It is normal and a reality when you deal with planting trees,” Hurson said. “The nor mal survival rate is 10 to 30 percent, and that is a lot of trees. Some of the trees did not survive at Overlook Pass, where we planted two years ago. So, this year, we will replant the area.” Over 150 student organizations have signed up to participate this year. The Corps of Cadets will be one of the biggest organizations at Somerville. The Corps Staff decided the cadets needed to be come more involved in the community. “We are trying to get the Corps to under stand community involvement and help the University in all facets,” Public Relations Sergeant Alex King, a junior business analy sis major, said. “We have 2,000 students that are basical ly trained for service. We want to make Re plant bigger than in the past. It is an impor tant tradition. “Thirty percent of the outfits are already signed up, but a lot do Replant with anoth er committee. We want to give them the chance to stay with their buddies and enjoy that camaraderie.” It does not matter if Aggies go with an or ganization or if they go individually. Hurson said Replant is a great way to help the envi ronment while having a good time with fel low Aggies. “People come out to participate at Replant for all sorts of reasons,” Hurson said. “What ever the reason, it’s a lot of fun and it’s for a great cause. I think all Aggies will see what I mean on Saturday.” Crystal Sea emphasizes musical diversity Gwendolyn Struve, The Battalion (from left) Randy Watkins, Ron White and Greg Tivis experiment with jazz music in Crystal Sea. By John LeBas The Battalion A quick review of weekly live music per formances in Bryan and College Sta tion will invariably reveal a deluge of country, rock and alternative shows. But area music lovers need not fret over a lack of musical diversity. Crystal Sea, a local jazz trio playing tonight at Sweet Eugene’s House of Java, de livers the goods with an old-fashioned, but refreshing approach. Greg Tivis, a freelance pianist who has played with the Russ Morgan Orchestra, said Crystal Sea plays “straight-ahead,” tra ditional jazz with an emphasis on experi mentation and variation. “It’s never going to be the same thing twice,” Tivis said. “We may play a tune one night, and the next time we play, it will be totally different within the parameters of the song. The goal of the jazz musician is to con tinually find new places for the songs to go.” This seems to be in contrast with the ob jectives of many modem performers, he said, who often strive for perfect live reproduction of their music. Ron White, Crystal Sea’s bassist, said mu sical individuality is important. “The whole point (of jazz) is to not sound like anybody else,” White said. “It’s to find your own voice and to have your own sound. “The good jazz musician can take a mis take and turn it into an idea,” he said. “When there’s tension in the music, that’s when creativity happens.” White, who is also the director of orches tras for the College Station School District, said Crystal Sea does not devote too much energy to perfecting their song structures. “The way a jazz tune works is you have the melody, or the head, and then you impro vise over that,” he said. “So there’s really very little rehearsing. The jazz musician re lies on his experience and prior knowledge.” Randy Watkins, who works with the Texas A&M Ocean Drilling Program, formed Crystal Sea in 1993 with several A&M stu dents. This original line-up included piano, bass, a horn section and Watkins on drums. Those students soon graduated, and last year, Watkins reformed the band with Tivis and White. The band members said a small ensemble works well for them, allowing a tightly wo ven blend of solos over strong rhythm pieces. “Greg works as a solo piano player, so he’s got a large repertoire,” White said. “That makes it really easy for us to fit in and add to what he’s doing.” Tivis, White and Watkins draw upon a wealth of varied influences, citing such jazz greats as Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Charles Mingus as personal role models. But they said jazz musicians do not usually listen to jazz exclusively. "The whole point (of jazz) is to not sound like anybody else." — Ron White bassist of Crystal Sea “If you look at the greatest jazz musicians of all time, you find that they listened to a lot of classical music to hear form and melodic and harmonic content in music,” White said. He said jazz musicians tend to listen to anything from which they can extract new ideas and feels. This is reflected in the members’ past music endeavors as well. Watkins has played in “garage bands,” and Tivis also has funk and R&B experience. Crystal Sea is pleased jazz appears to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Success of movie soundtracks with jazz tunes and modern artists such as Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr., have done much to keep the genre alive, Tivis said. Crystal Sea also focuses on promoting jazz in the local music scene — especially to its younger audience. Yet, the members have various reasons for playing their music. “I like to make people feel good,” Watkins said. “I like to communicate a little of myself to them, if possible.” White said that above all else, jazz must speak to the listener. “Music is probably the most powerful form of communication that man has ever created,” he said. “In our culture, music is so prevalent. The serious musician must convey something — an emotion, a thought, a feeling.” A&M neglects multicultural organizations Amber Clark Columnist M ulticultural ism at Texas A&M has been tossed out the window. Some stu dents and faculty seem disinter ested in required “multicultural” course work. The campus is call ing for a sense of togetherness and Aggie pride, rather than a collection of diverse groups. And what’s wrong with this? Nothing really, except there are still people who are inter ested in learning about other cultures. There are individuals eager to discover and experi ence the traditions and beliefs of different societies. Not a problem. That’s why the University created the Depart ment of Multicultural Services and recognizes several student or ganizations that serve to educate the public about other cultures. When I spend time between classes in the Diversity Educa tion office in Multicultural Ser vices, I get plenty of calls re questing that my organization, the Native American Student Association, appear at campus and community events. We have received innumerable complements from University representatives who claim we do a great justice for this school. Naturally, I get a bit nervous when it comes to complaining about my situation. But I re cently found that my group is not alone. Whoopstock, U-ACT and AggieCulture all have the same problem as NASA — we’re all non-profit. We don’t mind, since our purpose isn’t to profit, but to educate. So the school likes us, and they want to keep us around to reflect campus diversity. Here’s the catch — no one is willing to help us financially. All four of us — NASA, U-ACT, Whoopstock, and AggieCulture — get $400 from Student Activities. Consid ering it’s supposed to stretch through the academic year, it’s never enough. U-ACT provides retreats and workshops for individuals and groups interested in different cultures. Whoopstock puts on an annual show, featuring bands, interpretive dance troupes and cultural activities. AggieCulture publishes a free magazine on various cultural events and issues on campus. All of this on a $400 budget and, if we’re lucky, some out side donations. Last year, NASA made a small profit from its third annu al pow wow, so the University gave us less money this year. What someone doesn’t seem to realize is the money made from that dance went directly into the tiny scholarship we’re attempt ing to establish. This year, we have almost no money, but the University wants us to continue hosting pow wows while it cuts our funding and lim its outside sponsorship. We’ve found it difficult to sur vive on such a small account. We have to pay for publicity so the community knows about NASA events at A&M, but finding the money to make fliers and pay for advertisements is difficult. But the University still wants credit for the crowds we draw and the performances we present. Don’t believe me? Try this one on for size. Last week, the Uni versity put out a press release about our pow wow this weekend, and for that I’m appreciative. The only problem is they nev er once mentioned the Native American Student Association, and instead stated that A&M was hosting the dance. But nothing changes. All we get is a half-hearted apology and no hint of a correction. We don’t ask for much, other than financial support so we can continue to provide a di verse education to the students and the community. Maybe someday our accounts will hold thousands of dollars like other groups on campus. Until then, we’ll keep cheer ing for what we have and hop ing for a little more. Amber Clark is a senior geography major. \
