U.S. troops stand ready
Iraq accused
Kuwait of an
“act of war" for
opening airfields
to U.S. jets.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) —
Iraq and the United States
moved closer to a show
down Thursday, with more
U.S. firepower sent to the
Persian Gulf, Iraq claiming
missile attacks on American
jets and both countries spit
ting harsh rhetoric.
After almost two weeks of
conflict, each side seemed
willing to raise the stakes
but neither looked prepared
to make a decisive move.
Iraq said it fired missiles
at U.S. warplanes over a no-
fly zone for a second straight
day Thursday, hours after
accusing Kuwait of an “act of
war” for agreeing to open its
airfields to American jets.
Pentagon officials con
firmed that Iraq fired three
surface-to-air missiles
Thursday, but said they were
aimed at an area near the
southern “no-fly” zone
where allied aircraft were
not flying.
“We had nothing in the
area. Clearly he released
them only to make a state
ment,” a military official
said on condition of
anonymity. “There were no
(radar) tracks,” indicating
guidance systems were not
left on long enough to direct
the missiles to an intended
target. “It took a hard search
to find them.”
For days, Iraq has report
ed firing on U.S. and allied
aircraft in the no-fly zones
in the north and south. The
only other confirmed attack
came Wednesday, when
Iraqi forces fired a missile at
two F-16s in the northern
no-fly zone. That missile
missed its target.
The United States re
sponded by sending four B-
52 bombers and eight F-117
fighter planes to fortify the
some 200 aircraft in the re
gion. The Pentagon also said
a second aircraft carrier, the
USS Enterprise, will join the
USS Carl Vinson already in
the Gulf.
Kuwait agreed to let the
United States base some of
the American jets on its ter
ritory, a move Iraq’s Deputy
Prime Minister Tariq Aziz
called “a flagrant act of ag-
See Forces, Page 12
Thompson discusses
new System issues
By Brandon Hausenfluck
The Battalion
Dr. Barry Thompson,
Texas A&M University Sys
tem chancellor, said the Sys
tem’s addition of three
schools will benefit the
schools, the System and the
students involved.
Speaking via teleconfer
ence from Dallas, Thomp
son discussed a wide range
of System issues, including
the merger and post
tenure review.
The briefing was broad
cast statewide to nine oth
er sites in the
A&M System.
Thompson be
gan the briefing by
giving a short histo
ry of the three uni
versities that joined
the System only two
weeks ago.
The Baylor Col
lege of Dentistry in
Dallas, along with
Texas A&M-Commerce and
Texas A&M-Texarkana
joined the System Sept. 1.
The Commerce and
Texarkana schools were pre
viously combined under the
name as East Texas
State University.
Referring to
each new school,
Thompson ex
plained how each,
as well as the A&M
System, will gain
from the merger.
“Baylor (Dental
School) is one of the
premier dental col
leges in America,” Thomp
son said. “It will be able to
extend the opportunity for
the System to improve as we
See Thompson, Page 12
Cadets get hooked up
d.
of
pe
i
d
den-
n).
ms-
he
be
hin
By Couriney Walker
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets
snot just about spit and polish
mymore. Now, freshman cadets
ire marching straight onto the in-
ormation superhighway.
Anew program initiated by
he Corps staff has every fresh-
nan cadet hooked into e-mail
and other computer resources
available at A&M.
The 671 freshman cadets
were sent to computer labs on
campus with upperclassmen to
learn how to set up and use e-
mailand use the Internet.
Charles Weekley, a freshman
business major, said he had
never used e-mail before com
ing to A&M.
Weekley said e-mail offers a
pick and easy way to talk with
others and he was glad the Corps
gave him the opportunity to learn
rbout it.
Etj
m
orps program extends e-mail access to 671 freshman cadets
“Everyone should know how to
use e-mail because it’s easier to
communicate with teachers or
friends and is very valuable in to
day’s world,” he said.
Corps upperclassmen provided
ample aid to the novice computer
users, Weekley said.
“The upperclassmen were real
helpful because they walked us
through it and gave us handouts if
we needed them,” he said.
Corps Commander Steve Fos
ter, a senior political science ma
jor, said the idea was proposed last
year by two senior cadets, Gordon
White and Jim Andres.
“So many teachers use e-mail
to give out notices and contact
students now, so we wanted the
freshmen to be prepared for their
classes,” Foster said.
Jason Bagley, a freshman busi
ness major, said he also had no
experience with e-mail, and he
probably wouldn't be using e-
mail if the Corps hadn’t shown
him how.
Foster said the freshmen re
sponded well to the program and
having fellow cadets help them
made it easier.
Cindi Ericson, deputy Corps
Commander and a senior interna
tional studies and political science
major, said the program helps
round out the Corps experience.
“We’re not only teaching
them to shine shoes, we are
preparing them for academic
endeavors as well.”
Bids to conclude fall rush
By Matthew Flume
The Battalion
Texas A&M fraternities will extend bids at the Uni
versity Administration Building this afternoon to
iring this fall’s Interfraternity Council rush to a close.
Ric Kiersch, IFC rush chair and a ,
enior management major, said a
eater number of men have par-
icipated in rush this fall than in
last semesters. The high numbers
Recreated a positive outlook for
he Greek community, he said.
Jon Price, IFC adviser, said that
ast fall, 183 men visited the infor-
national booths set up near Rud-
ler Fountain. Bids were received
>y250 men that year.
This year, 250 men visited the
looths, and Price expects at
east 300 bids to be offered.
“It is hard to
think that Greeks,
at one time,
would not even
wear letters.”
Jon Price
IFC adviser
and community.
The growth can be attributed to several factors,
Kiersch said. The kickoff concert at the Texas Hall
of Fame and publicity in several publications moti
vated male students for rush, he said.
Many chapters have been independently rush
ing men throughout the year. Price said.
Some fraternities have outreach pro
grams in their hometowns and hold
events during the summer to recruit
new members, he said.
Glosson said a big rush such as this
semester’s increases the size of the
Greek system and improves its cam
pus visibility.
He said Greeks have a negative image
at Texas A&M and many people stereo
type fraternities before making a fair
judgment.
Each fraternity is responsible to
Bobby Glosson, Sigma Alpha Epsilon correspon-
lent and a senior accounting major, said the in-
teased numbers throughout the Greek system will
illowmore things to be accomplished for the school
watch its actions in order to earn and
maintain a good image, Price said.
“It is hard to think that Greeks, at one time,
would not even wear letters,” he said. “Now Greeks
know we are all Aggies first.”
Bathing Beauty
Dave House, The Battalion
Student Body President Carl Baggett gets soaked in the dunking
booth at the “Life’s a Circus” bash at Henderson Hall.
he Battalion
ree,
eties
Bite the Bullet
rancis: Wayans, San-
Uer miss the target in
lie new comedy Bul-
itproof
Aggie life, Page 3
Cajun Cookin’
ifter three weeks of
vaiting, the Aggie
ootball Team returns
o action against USL.
Sports, Page 7
‘Sketch’ creator anticipates comic strip career
By Erica Roy
The Battalion
Quatro Oakley has
“sketched” his way through
college and hopes to have a
career as a cartoon artist.
“Sketch” is the longest-
running comic strip of the
three currently in The Bat
talion.
Oakley, a senior manage-
(eep Abreast
aldez: People are
•pset over a nipple
‘n commemorative
Olympic stamps.
Opinion, Page 11
Photo Illustration by Stew Milne, The Battalion
“Sketch" cartoonist Quatro Oakley, a senior management
major, started drawing for The Battalion in Fall 1994. His
strip was originally called "Generation Y."
ment major, started drawing
for The Battalion in Fall 1994.
The cartoon’s original name
was “Generation Y.”
Oakley changed the
name to “Sketch” because it
is the name of the note
book he carries with him to
jot down cartoon ideas.
The “etc” in “Sketch” is
highlighted to emphasize
et cetera.
“‘Etc,’ it’s just kind of
cute that it’s in there,” he
said. “It’s pretty versatile
words, pretty ambiguous.
It’s like a comedy sketch,
and you’ve also got a draw
ing sketch.”
Variety is the word Oak
ley uses to describe his
comic strip.
“I don’t like to dawdle on
certain subjects,” Oakley
said. “What I try to do is
make the humor timeless.”
Although Oakley occa
sionally uses Texas A&M
events in his cartoons, he
tries to avoid them. He said
they are funny at the time,
but not in the future.
Mass appeal is a main
aspect of his humor, Oak
ley said.
This is the last of
a four-part series
on the cartoonists
of The Battalion.
“People can relate to it
(the humor),” he said. “It’s
not too outlandish. It does
n’t take a genius to figure
out the punch line or where
the humor is coming from.”
Ideas for his comic strip
come unexpectedly, Oakley
said. He carries around a
notebook, and when he
thinks of an idea, he writes
down the dialogue.
“Sometimes it’s things I
hear and I visualize it,”
Oakley said.
“I’ve got a pretty imagi
native brain. I like to twist
things around, polish it and
put in some concise, hu
morous language.”
This fall, Oakley hopes
to publish a book of about
200 to 250 of his favorite
cartoons.
He will also have a home
page with cartoons that can
be accessed on the World
Wide Web by the syndicates
and newspapers.
Oakley has also been
published in the Austin
American Statesman.
Oakley's two main com
ic influences are Gary Lar
son, the “Far Side” artist,
and Berke Breathed, the
artist of “Bloom County”
and “Outland.”