m To
•rice
r iUSl
Veil
ke Off
IO%{
All-U Night excites students
By Matthew Flume
The Battalion
Amid the confusion and chaos that
typically surround Texas A&M’s annual
All-University Night, students deemed
the festivities a success at firing up the
school for the fall.
All-U Night’s goal was to intro
duce the students to campus lead
ers and the football and volleyball
teams and to get the student body
excited about the new year.
Several A&M students said All-U
Pat James, The Battalion
Dunn Hall residents carry in a substitute for their mascot,
Tom Doss, on All-U Night.
Night reached its goal.
“(All-U Night) is a good way to
get everyone together and learn the
cheers,” said Angie Long, a fresh
man biomedical science major.
“It is a lot of people getting to
gether,” said Sean Gillespie, a genet
ics major. “A lot of people having a
good time and a lot of spirit.”
The night, however, did have its
problems.
Students took a while to grasp
the new set-up that will be used for
future All-U Nights and upcoming
yell practices.
The changes were made to ac
commodate the upcoming renova
tions to Kyle Field.
A stage was set up on the track
on the 50-yard line. After the yell
leaders spent 15 minutes moving
everyone from the horseshoe to the
student section of Kyle Field, the
festivities began.
Many different campus organiza
tions, ranging from the Corps of
Cadets to on-campus residents,
from the Greek community to ath
letes, attended the ceremony.
The rivalries between residence
halls and the north- and southsides
made for an amusing sideshow to
the main event.
The halls attempted to out yell
each other with creative chants
which showed their spirit.
The yells only seemed to intensi
fy as the night went on.
The Aggie Band kicked off the
night by marching in and taking
their seats in the middle of the
crowd on the 50-yard line.
After the Yell Leaders introduced
themselves, Senior Head Yell Leader
Chris Torn welcomed all students, es
pecially the Class of 2000, to A&M.
Student Body President Carl
Baggett welcomed the student body
and emphasized the importance of
the Class of 2000 to the University.
Baggett said the Class of 2000 is the
foundation of the upcoming year and
its importance is unmatched.
“Let me tell you one thing, we’re
all Aggies together and we are all
part of the Aggie family together,
and we are all one,” Baggett said.
“We’re Aggies first!”
Merchants consider Aggie Bucks
1AGNAV
y
'oost •Shuffle/rap** 1
m *1X0 display
McDonald’s and
Inspirations are
the most recent
local businesses
to accept Aggie
Bucks.
By Carla Renea Marsh
The Battalion
Debit cards are swiping
through the Bryan-College
Station area as merchants
alter their businesses to ac
cept Aggie Bucks.
Earlier this summer, the
Bryan-College Station
Chamber of Commerce met
with local merchants who
wanted to learn more
about the Aggie Bucks sys
tem and how it could affect
their businesses.
However, McDonald’s
Restaurant and Inspirations
are the only B-CS merchants
who have jumped on the
Aggie Bucks bandwagon.
Employees at those busi
nesses said Aggie Bucks help
increase their sales and en
able them to provide the
same services as on-campus
merchants.
"At least half of our sales
are from Aggie Bucks,” said
Jameela Klaimy, assistant
manager at Inspirations.
Several factors are in
volved in expanding Aggie
Bucks off campus.
Dale Witenhafer, debit
card administrator, said
Texas A&M must consider
the impact on businesses,
federal and state legisla
tion, and the fact that A&M
is not a bank.
One concern of A&M par
ents is whether Aggie Bucks
will expand to businesses
that sell alcoholic beverages.
Witenhafer said A&M will
only allow merchants who
sell products similar to what
is sold on campus to use the
debit card system.
Student Senate speaker
proposes safety study
By Wes Swift
The Battalion
Plans were unveiled
Monday for a proposed task
force focusing on security
improvements for the Texas
A&M campus by Student
Senate Speaker Chris Reed.
The five-member com-
â–º See editorial, Page 15
mittee would investigate all
aspects of safety on campus
and present legislation to
the Student Senate.
The task force would take
into consideration the
methods and programs of
other universities that have
effectively dealt with safety
problems similar to A&M’s.
The proposal issued by
Reed, a senior finance ma
jor, said such safety aspects
will include "... lighting, sex
ual assault/harassment ...
location and types of cam
pus phones, University Po
lice Department, dial-a-ride
and existing or proposed
campus services.”
The task force would
also compare its security
measures with those of oth
er universities to discover
new ideas that could work
at A&M.
The Senate will decide
on the proposal during its
Sept. 11 meeting.
Reed said the motivation
behind the task force comes
from several years of con
cern about campus safety.
“I think that this is one of
the things that the University,
Student Government and
other people have been con
cerned about,” he said. “But
no one has stepped up to the
plate to take responsibility.”
The proposed committee
is not the first such endeav
or to improve campus safe
ty. A similar committee,
composed of students, ad
ministrators and University
police officials, was created
by the administration.
Former Student Body
President Brooke Leslie cre
ated a committee two years
ago to begin a Campus
Crimestoppers program.
Reed’s proposal called the
committee’s results an
“undisputed failure” be
cause it failed to implement
the program.
Reed said the proposed
committee will differ from
the previous committee by
setting a definite timetable
for action. Any legislation
from the committee is due
to be presented to the Sen
ate by Dec. 4.
“I think if (the committee
members) see a deadline
when the committee will be
discontinued, it will spur
them on to produce definite
results,” he said. “It’s a big
job, and putting a time limit
on it will push the members
to produce solid results.”
The proposal named the
committee’s five members.
Senator Pat Troy will chair
See Safety, Page 10
STUDENT
GOVEFRNMENT
T K X A S A & :Nt l J N IV B R S I T Y
Proposed Security
Task Force
• would compare other
universities' security
measures to those at
A&M
would study need for
lighting and emer
gency phones to
improve campus
safety
United States readies
for military offensive
But for those businesses
that meet the University’s
requirements, Witenhafer
said, the choice about
whether to accept Aggie
Bucks remains with the
merchants.
The process of making
their businesses debit card
accessible is expensive, he
said. Merchants have to
purchase modems, readers
and phone lines.
Stores that decide to ac
cept Aggie Bucks now will
beat the crowd of stores that
may possibly use the debit
card system in the future.
“I think it’s great because
no one else in the mall
takes Aggie Bucks,” said
Klaimy, when asked how
she feels about Inspirations
being one of the first stores
to take Aggie Bucks.
SALAH AD-DIN, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi troops
pulled back from the northern Kurdish city of
Irbil on Monday, but not enough to satisfy the
Clinton administration as it prepared punish
ment for Iraq.
Clinton approved military and econom
ic retribution against Iraq, a U.S. official in
Washington said, speaking on condition of
anonymity. The United States readied its
forces and sought support from allies for a
military offensive, but there was no indica
tion when it would act.
In Iraq, refugees who fled to a nearby town
described the terror of Saddam Hussein’s
biggest offensive since the Persian GulfWar.
“It was very frightening. Boom here, boom
there. Taka-taka-taka. We were scared to
death,” said Sabira Hamid Hursid, who es
caped with her four children to Salah ad-Din,
20 miles northeast of Irbil.
Iraqi troops did not allow reporters to
approach Irbil, where they were pulling
out on Monday, leaving their Kurdish allies
in control.
But U.N. workers there told The Associated
Press that there were still Iraqi tanks in fields
three to six miles outside the city.
White House Press Secretary Mike McCur-
ry said the United States saw no signs of an
Iraqi withdrawal from Irbil — and in fact had
evidence that Iraq was moving deeper into
Kurd-controlled areas.
McCurry said it appeared Saddam’s objec
tive was Sulaymaniyah, an administrative
center for the Kurdish area. Iraqi troops ap
peared to be hunting down and killing politi
cal opponents in the areas they seized,
McCurry said.
“Our interest is in making sure that Sad
dam does not believe that unjustified be
havior of this type is cost free,” McCurry
said. “Our concern here is what Saddam
believes he has gained from a strategic
viewpoint.”
Pentagon officials said the preparations
for any military steps ordered by the presi
dent had been
U.S. Gulf forces completed. The
20,000 U.S. troops
in the Persian
Gulf region were
on high alert.
Gen. John Sha-
likashvili, chair
man of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff,
made urgent trips
to Saudi Arabia
and Jordan to ral
ly Arab support.
Saudi Arabia
agreed to coop
erate in any U.S. retaliatory action, Saudi
sources said on condition of anonymity.
The offensive prompted the United Na
tions to delay its plan to let Iraq resume
limited oil sales despite sanctions. On
Monday, oil prices in Europe jumped
sharply on the news; U.S. markets were
closed for Labor Day.
Saddam’s troops stormed Irbil, the main
city in the U.S.-protected Kurdish “safe
haven” in northern Iraq, on Saturday. The
Kurdistan Democratic Party had asked Iraq
for help in dislodging the rival Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan.
About 20,000 American Forces are i
the area, mostly aboard Navy ships.
U.S. fighter and reconnaissance planes
based at Incirlik, Turkey have been
patrolling the skies over northern Iraq
since 1991.
AP
ess Telepl]
lexible Antefll
;r memory •One'N
iction •Hear!
e (2-9500) i
The Battalion
TODAY
it as a Fiddle
ome students are
tarting the semester
ith aspirations of
letting fit.
Aggie!ife, Page 3
harcoal
aintains proper ;
timum cooking
ggie Netters
he A&M volleyball
nd soccer teams are
feady to start the Big
2 off with a bang.
Sports, Page 11
ve's Home CenlefS'
iall & Chain
ommon miscon-
eptions of married
fe in college are
eared up.
Opinion, Page 15
Baggett extends
new roles, ideas
By Dave Taylor
The Battalion
While many Texas A&M
students spent the summer
interning, going to school or
relaxing, Student Body Pres
ident Carl Baggett spent his
summer asking questions.
“I really believe that
preparation is the key to
anything,” he said.
Baggett, a senior ac
counting major, said the
role of the student body
president is three-fold: rep
resenting the students, act
ing as a resource for the
student body and perpetu
ating and refining the stu
dent body in general.
“Student government is
supposed to be for every
one,” he said. “The more
times we reach out for stu
dents, the better.”
Baggett has never served
in the Student Government
Association, but has spent
time in numerous other ca
pacities within the Corps of
Cadets and Bonfire.
Matt Mayfield, Baggett’s
executive vice president and
a senior animal science ma
jor, said Baggett’s perspec
tive has helped renovate
student government.
“Carl has asked a lot of
questions of a lot of people,”
Mayfield said. “He’s done a
great job of keeping the
things that work and using
new ideas.”
One new committee,
Texas Aggies Making
Changes, will expand the
opportunities for people to
serve in Student Govern
ment.
Laurie Nickel, Baggett’s
vice president of programs
and student development
and a sophomore business
administration major, hopes
many people who have never
See Baggett, Page 10
Bowen stresses
open-door policy
Tim Moog, The Battalion Gwendolyn Struve, The Battalion
Student Body President
Carl Baggett aims to in
volve more students in Stu
dent Government.
Texas A&M President Dr.
Ray Bowen encourages
students to recognize the
importance of leadership.
By Brandon Hausenfluck
The Battalion
As students begin fall
classes and re-adjust to the
daily grind of the semester,
Dr. Ray Bowen is readying
himself to ready tommor-
row’s leaders.
Bowen, Texas A&M presi
dent, said he is prepared to
serve the students and facul
ty as best he can and is eager
to see what challenges await
him in his second year.
One of Bowen’s objectives
for the semester is helping
students recognize the im
portance of leadership.
“I will do anything to sup
port students in leadership
development,” Bowen said. “I
would like students to feel
comfortable approaching
(the administration).”
Bowen’s resume is
stacked with leadership ex
perience. Previous posi
tions include Chair of the
Mechanical Engineering
and Mathematical Sciences
Department at Rice Univer
sity and a stint as interim
president at Oklahoma
State University.
Dr. Leo Sayavedra, Texas
A&M University System
deputy chancellor, said
Bowen is always eager to
serve the University.
“Dr. Bowen is easy to
work with and he is very
sensitive to students’
needs,” Sayavedra said. “He
makes himself very accessi
ble and he enjoys communi
cating with people.”
The door to the presi
dent’s office, Bowen said, is
always open and students
are welcome to come by and
share their concerns with
him or just to visit.
“We have an open-door
policy,” Bowen said. “I like to
talk to students and let them
See Bowen, Page 10