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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1996)
April 25,19% nade ludicrous but I am of the Chicago will not tern Conference happen. Pat Hi- ardry willy to at least one ist the Bulls. Is, the Cavalien ill wear Jordan to the point that ?nny Hardaway Ps supremacy as .he East. I’ll say vu in the Finals nd Magic lockinj k around, thinjs cresting. Aggiepalooza ’96 j\ Texas World Speedway may host Lollapalooza '96. AGGIELIFE, PAGE 3 The Battalion will be printed only on Tuesday and Friday of next week because of reading days and finals. A&M-UT Aggies' hopes ride series. JmsT SPORTS, PAGE 7 t ®The Battalion hi 102, No. 138 (12 pages) Serving Texas A&M University Since 1893 Friday • April 26, 1996 i spro to n 1997 t (AP) - The :ing the popii- /omen’s game, irt a new pro ■ue for them it : 1997. arking on the rissioner David fter the Affirmative action focus of forum Students feel race, legacy should carry equal weight at A&M lyTara Wilkinson ’he Battalion Texas A&M students voiced heir opinions for and against af- irmative action Thursday, sev- ral asserting that if race as an dmissions criterion is made ille- 1, legacy should be too. The Texas A&M Student Sen te hosted an affirmative action jrum for a two-fold purpose: to rovide students an opportunity o get their questions answered nd to provide the Senate stu- Bent feedback on a developing ffirmative action resolution. The forum, moderated by Eliot [erlin, a student senator and ju- ior finance major, was held in the MSC Flagroom. Panel mem bers included Ruth Prescott, spe- dal assistant to the executive vice resident and provost in the Of fice of the Academic Vice Presi dent, and Scott Kelly, A&M assis tant general counsel. The recent U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Hop- wood Vs. State of Texas stated that using race as a criterion for admissions is illegal. But last week, a stay was placed on the de cision pending the U.S. Supreme Court’s hearing the case. The Senate resolution states its opposition to the Hopwood decision and its support for the stay. But Kerlin said the Senate wants student feedback before drafting a final version. Josh Hennessey, a business senator and freshman account ing and finance major, and Abby Mudroch, an off-campus senator and sophomore history major, said they are both opposed to as pects of affirmative action. Hennessey said affirmative action is not the right way to go about achieving much-needed di versity and equality. He said the government needs to stop con sidering race a special condition. “Affirmative action will not end racism,” he said. “But when you end affirmative action, it will creative a definite equality of government.” Mudroch said that affirma tive action detracts from the idea of equality by focusing on differences. “You look at little kids and they don’t realize there is a differ ence between people,” Mudroch said. “But affirmative action tells them there is a difference.” Several students said that if the Hopwood decision is ulti mately upheld and affirmative action is removed from the ad missions process, it would be un fair not to remove legacy as well. Several admissions points are awarded to applicants with rela tives who have attended A&M, which some say puts white stu dents at an advantage over mi nority students whose family members were barred from the University for generations. Currently, a maximum of six points can be given to an appli cant for legacy and a maximum of six for race. “The principle we would like to hold to is to give the same number of points for ethnicity or race as for legacy,” Prescott said. Taniqua Nobles, a freshman business major, said if race as a criterion is eliminated, considering legacy would be discriminatory. See Forum, Page 5 Race just one element considered for admission By Jamie Wilkinson The Battalion Many white Texas A&M stu dents support the concept of a racially diverse campus but are uncomfortable with the idea that, all other criteria being equal, a minority student might be given admissions preference simply because of race. Race is one criterion the A&M admissions board uses when making its decisions — a criterion that has drawn much scrutiny because of the recent 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Ap peals decision in Hopwood vs. State of Texas. The court initially ruled that using ethnicity as an admis sions criteria was unconstitu tional, but then placed a stay on the decision until the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to hear the case. Because of the stay, A&M is allowed to continue its admis sions and scholarships as usu al, for the time being. But the immediate result of the case is that many students have begun to question and debate the ad missions process, and many have declared their confusion about how the system works. See Admission, Page 5 ic prospects o! ets of the NBA to give life to! :h is ready tt said. expects to plaj 3 to mid-August rman, NBA# aess affairs ani re U.S. women’s , said she antic! earns playing hedule. I 3 • •ad this would ? pay PRIZE ?rip Ait ortation he U.S- country you udy. Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion SHOOT IT! Jaime Vina, a freshman computer science major, and Jim Forward, a freshman general studies major, play "Area 51" a video game at the MSC between classes Thursday. Seat shortage limits graduation guests By Courtney Walker The Battalion Northgate board adds student rep Aggies, Shapiro talk via satellite As graduation nears, fliers posted by Spring graduates who are searching for additional tickets for commencement ceremonies begin to line Texas A&M walls and bulletin boards. Each graduating student is allotted six free tickets for family and friends, but many students complain that this is not enough. Anthony Albino, a graduating se nior management major, said he has made it known that he is scrapping for tickets. Albino said he and many of friends desperately need eight to 10 tickets. But since it is next to impossible to acquire ex tra tickets. Albino said he will have to make due. “If I can’t get tickets, there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it except in vite people to the party afterwards,” Albino said. ^ “It’s like a wedding and reception. You can’t in vite everyone to the wedding, but you can invite everyone to the reception.” Don Carter, Admissions and Records registrar, said the administration un derstands graduating students' con cerns, but only six tickets can be guar anteed to each student because of limit ed seating in G. Rollie White Coliseum. “We hear the complaints, and they are legitimate,” Carter said. “But the Coliseum has a fixed capacity, and for safety reasons, we have to follow regula tions. If there was an emergency, like a fire or something, the University could be held liable.” Carter said administrators hate lim iting the number of graduation tickets issued because candidates should be able to bring whomever they want. But there is nothing the University can do about it at this point, he said. There is no way for students to re ceive extra tickets besides swapping with friends. Carter said, unless stu dents who do not need all six of their tickets return them. “Most students usually pick up all six,” Carter said. “Then, if there are any left, they swap them with friends.” Students can check at the MSC Box Office to see if any tickets are left, but Carter said extras " \ are rarely available. Ryan McCoy, a senior ff ' ' construction science ma- ' jor, said six tickets are not enough for his fami ly, but he realizes noth ing can be done until graduation is held in a different facility. Fortunately for future graduates, Steven Hodges, special events facilities director, said graduation seating prob lems will be alleviated in time for De cember 1997 ceremonies. The Reed Arena, an all-events center, will seat 10,500 people, not counting See Tickets, Page 12 By Marissa Alanis The Battalion To represent the Texas A&M tudent body, the College Sta tion City Council last night ap pointed Andrew Pavlinski, a ophomore environmental de ign major, to the Northgate Re- italization Board. The Northgate Revitalization Board, created on March 28, lerves as a link to the council, Jfering advice on the implemen- ation of specific projects in the Northgate area. Among the loard members are several Northgate merchants. Pavlinski, a College Station resident of 16 years, was among stall 3 ’ study seven appli cants who ap plied for the two-year ap pointment. The applica tion required that the stu dent be en rolled at A&M, either as an under graduate or graduate, and be a resident of College Station. Todd McDaniel, Northgate project coordinator and a senior economic development analyst, See Northgate, Page 2 By Courtney Walker The Battalion Pavlinski For almost a year, the O.J. Simpson case made headlines across the country as America debated whether Simpson was guilty or innocent of killing his ex-wife. Robert Shapiro, a defense attorney for the Simp son case, told students from 28 colleges around the nation during a Thursday satellite conference that the landmark Simpson murder trial offers a lesson for everyone. A&M students participated in the event from a room in the Wehner Building on West Campus. Two other colleges connected for the teleconference were The University of Houston and Texas Christ ian University. The teleconference was the last of a four-part series See Shapiro, Page 12 ipeaker shows humor as stress tool for women By Eleanor Colvin he Battalion How to humorously cope with sexist anguage, sexual harassment and the tivisibility of women in the fields of sci- ! Uce and engineering was addressed by )r. Sue Geller, a Texas A&M professor mathematics, last night in an enter- aining presentation to the Women in dence and Engineering. Geller, who is the first tenured full professor in the A&M Department of Mathematics, devises ways to use humor to handle stressful situations such as fac ulty meetings, where she is often over looked because she is the only woman. “We cannot keep our lives stress free,” Geller said in a recent press re lease. “However, we can choose how to respond. I’ve found that responding with humor not only releases tension but diffuses some situations that could escalate unpleasantly.” Geller began using skits in 1990 to illustrate the “micro inequities” in the world of science, with the goal of creat ing awareness of ways to stop perpetu ating these problems. Gerardo Ortiz, a sophomore bioengi neering major, said Geller’s presenta tion altered his perceptions because he was not aware of the severity of gender discrimination in higher education and See Humor, Page 12 A&M trustee dies in plane crash By Lily Aguilar The Battalion A trustee for Texas A&M’s Develop ment Foundation died Thursday when the private plane he was flying crashed in a field near the Expressway Airport in Oklahoma City. Richard A. Willi ford,Class of ’55, and his wife, Mol- lie B. Williford, were en route from Tulsa to Oklahoma City when the plane crashed. Mollie Williford, who was the only passenger on the flight other than her husband, sur vived the crash and was released from Integris Baptist Medical Center Thursday evening. Williford, a resident of Tulsa, was the chairman of the Development Foundation in 1994. He was also chair of the “Capturing the Spirit” Cam paign for the College of Geosciences. He served as a board member for the Twelfth Man Foundation and the Association of Former Students, of which he was president in 1989. Jim Palincsar, the foundation’s vice Williford president for development, said he knew Williford both as a professional and a friend. Palincsar said Williford was dedicated and selfless in his ef forts to better A&M. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Williford, and on be half of the Development Foundation, our prayers go out to the family,” Pal incsar said. “He provided great lead ership, great insight and a vision for Texas A&M.” Palincsar said Williford will be missed, and his contributions to the University will be remembered. He said Williford loved A&M and serving the University. Eddie J. Davis, president of the A&M Development Foundation, said Williford will be remembered as a statesman and for his positive outlook on A&M. “He will be missed in terms of his leadership and in terms of his generos ity,” Davis said. The Willifords’ commitment to the University was exemplified by their endowment of the Williford Professor ship in Petroleum Geology in the Col lege of Geosciences and Maritime Studies. For information about funeral arrangements, contact the Develop ment Foundation at 845-8161.