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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1996)
The Battalion gfield and theresiol; ing NRAspokesmti ? Let’s pretend thai Amendment does pi citizens with theripji ms. Howcanmy'tjii /eminent stopmefe ing my family andpuj ■ ith a howitzer?Afteii ?r is an “arm.” 1’t think Thomas)efe ault weapons in niiiii e spoke of arming I i sparsely populated! mid hope that all men would comeioi reir country d think menwerep arms to defend thet gainst the gun ,1s of the late IMueis ine needs to nere. It is obviousthat nt over interpretation >nd Amendmentdt [e ut regardless of thati tii e realize theneedfois on, whether it bebataihi ms or howitzers.Ifiti modern Democrat dolence, thengunsatt to the worsening si e solution isnotadi ins to the problem, lowly dismantling, -crazed arsenal. attalion encourages Biers! tters must be 300 wortJ de the author's name, mber. Jinion editor reserves Hie s for length, style, and ay be submitted in pew )onald with a valid sti*M also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mall W 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mall: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 all: Batt@tamvmll lume 103 • Issue 25 • 10 Pages Friday, October 4, 1996 The Bait Online: http://bat~web.tamu.edu ibedtaw ess than half of accepted minorities enroll By Courtney Walker The Battalion lespite recruitment efforts by Texas fall enrollment for minority stu- Is remains low this year, niversity president Ray Bowen said d's difficulty attracting minorities can ttributed to the University’s past. &M is a product of its history, and a large part of its history we weren’t to minorities,” Bowen said, n Douglas, executive vice president provost, said A&M now diligently ctes minority recruiting efforts, said they continually recruit mi- es and work with former Black Stu- Association members, e University received applications 3,782 minority students. Of the 2,518 ng ’Q ptivc accepted for this semester, 1,144 enrolled. The acceptance to enrollment ratio for minorities is lower than the ratio for white students. The University received 11,499 appli cations from white students, and of the 8,279 that were accepted, 5,136 enrolled. The minority figuring included African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. Laura Huerta, vice chair of programs for the Committee for the Awareness of Mexi can American Culture and a junior Spanish major, came to A&M from San Antonio. She said attending a predominately white university is a difficult transition. “This campus is a huge culture shock,” she said. “The numbers are very different and minorities feel kind of isolated.” Dessiree Ewing, director of communi ty affairs for the Black Awareness Com mittee and a sophomore biomedical ma jor, said the lack of a strong minority student community in Bryan-College Station makes recruitment difficult. Having a sense of community is im portant, Ewing said, because it helps stu dents feel at home. “Predominately white universities do not always appeal to minority students because they feel out of place and face issues like racism that they wouldn’t at a university that wasn’t predominately white,” Ewing said. “They just have to realize that’s the real world, not just A&M or any other school.” See Enrollment, Page 5 i-tfiD airolliiitt at Applicants for fall, freshman admittance Number Accepted Number Enrolled African-1 Anieri €?«*!» Hispanic White 876 2038 11499 528 1432 8279 230 713 5136 3 Dave House, The Battalion I Courtney Clinton, a freshman general studies major, takes time out before class to study in the Commons | Lobby on Thursday. Battalion named Pacemaker finalist By Brandon Hausenfluck The Battalion The Battalion was named a 1995-1996 Pacemaker finalist by the Associated Collegiate Press and the Newspaper Association of America Foundation. The annual Pacemaker award is presented to college newspa pers that best serve their readers. Bob Wegener, The Battalion adviser, said the Pacemaker award is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a student newspaper. “This award is the Pulitzer Prize of college newspapers,” Wegener said. The Battalion is one of 10 university dailies nationwide to earn finalist honors. Rob Clark, Fall 1995 editor in chief, said the honor is well- deserved’. “The Batt gets a lot of flak because of the stances the Opinion page takes on issues,” Clark said. “It’s refreshing to know that other people will now know we’re doing the right thing. Now everyone can see The Battalion is not a bunch of college stu dents, but journalists. We did not just do a good job, but we’re one of the top 10.” The Battalion, the University Daily Kansas of the University of Kansas and the Daily Nebraskan of the University of Nebraska were the only finalists from the Big 12 to be chosen. The Daily Campus from Southern Methodist University is the only other Pacemaker fi nalist from Texas within the dai ly category. Sterling Hayman, Spring 1996 editor in chief, said the honor is reflective of the staff. “There was more talent on our staff last year than most professional dailies have,” Hay- man said. Wegener said the judges do not specify which issues they will critique. “The judges take two papers from the fall and two from the spring,” Wegener said. “You can’t do a newspaper specifically for the contest.” See Pacemaker, Page 5 ISC exhibit to honor Cushing By Christie Humphries The Battalion Texas A&M alumnus, Edward B. ing, Class of 1880, will be remem- d at an exhibit Saturday in the orial Student Center, he possessions of Edward B. hing, for whom the Cushing Li- was named in 1930, will be on lay in the MSC before the A&M game. onald Dyal, Cushing Library direc- said the exhibit aims to build eness of Cushing’s contributions ie University. lot of people do not even know Cushing is, and yet we have this li- named for him,” Dyal said, al said the invitation-only exhibit off the Cushing Renovation fund- png campaign. “We are hoping to receive funds for the renovation of the 66-year-old li brary,” Dyal said. The exhibit will include some of Cushing’s belongings and various items from collections in the library. The University will host a gala in conjunction with the President’s office. Cushing’s only living descendants, his granddaughter and great grandson, will attend the exhibit. Dyal said the library shows respect and gratitude to Cushing. “The Cushing Library pays homage to one of Texas A&M’s most loyal, selfless and generous support ers,” Dyal said. Cushing was president of the Texas A&M Board of Directors in 1912. After fires destroyed $87,000 worth of cam pus property, state legislators suggest ed A&M be absorbed by the University of Texas. Dyal said Cushing used his own money to save A&M from extinction. “Buying time, Cushing guaranteed notes of credit for the school out of his own pocket,” Dyal said. “Students know about Ross and Rudder, but no one recognizes the name E.B. Cushing. Isn’t it ironic that if it weren’t for Cush ing, neither of these men would ever have even come to A&M?” Once restored, the library will house University Archives and show case collections of rare books, manu scripts and special research collec tions from A&M. Dyal said the building is much more than a library. “It is, in fact, the monument to the man — the great E.B. Cushing, to whom all Texas A&M students owe great thanks.” Ticket scalping part of home football games Ruffles ard.. • $2*29 e Battalion TODAY inny Shines ormer student eases her book de- [ibing childhood in Ian. Aggielife, Page 3 lust-win? 11-3 Aggie football i hopes to get back (winning track this ekend at Kyle Field. Sports, Page 7 >od Fight |ldez: Students beg ffood in the Un- rground and starve Sbisa. Opinion, Page 9 Program gives parents alternatives Learn and Play offers day care services for game-going parents By Erica Roy The Battalion Parents attending Texas A&M football games no longer have to search for a babysitter or a parking space because the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History provides both. The new program, Game Day Learn and Play, offers educational activities for children while parents at tend A&M football games. Elisabeth Parsley, direc tor of community relations for the museum, said the program was designed to ac commodate parents whose small children do not want to attend games. “Not all children find football enjoyable,” Pursley said. “This way the children are having a good time while they are learning and the parents are enjoying the game.” Parents can park their cars at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History and ride a bus to the game using the Park and Ride “This way the children are having a good time while they are learning and the parents are enjoying the game.” Elisabeth Pursley Director of community relations program that has a station at the museum. The children are divided into three age groups: 3- to 4-year-olds, 5- to 8-year- olds and 9- to 12-year-olds. Jessica Townsend, a teacher for the 5- to 8- years-old group, said chil dren are shown the fun side of science through hands- on activities. “With the hands-on ac tivities, they’re taking it in more instead of just reading about it or hearing about it,” Townsend said. “They’re ac tually learning it.” Townsend said Game Day offers parents an alternative. “The kids aren’t being dragged to the game,” Townsend said. “They are with kids their own ages.” The first Game Day’s ses sion was called “Rocking the Planet,” and it taught the children about geology and rocks. The second Game Day topic, “Tornado Tailspin,” concentrated on weather. This weekend’s Game Day will focus on animal habitats. Pam Anderson, a College Station resident, took her three children to the second Game Day. See Program, Page 5 By Melissa Nunnery The Battalion A drive down Wellborn Road on any home football game day will afford a view of ticket scalpers waving handfuls of seats for sale — a legal practice in Texas. There is no Texas law or College Station city ordinance prohibiting the transactions. How ever, a University rule is aimed at keeping scalpers from working near Kyle Field. Bob Wiatt, director of the University Police Department, said ticket scalpers in the vicinity of Kyle Field are asked to leave. Most comply, Wiatt said, but if they return they can be ar rested for criminal trespassing. “Because of complaints, if we see a per son standing in the immediate vicinity of Kyle Field with a handful of tickets, we ap proach him and ask him to move away from Kyle Field, to go across the street to Well born,” Wiatt said. There have been two instances, Wiatt said, in which the scalpers were arrested. C.J. Jones of Houston, a self-described “professional ticket scalper,” sold tickets on Wellborn Road to last Saturday’s Colorado game. Jones said prices for Ws tickets vary. “Both of these teams (A&M and Colorado) have been losing,” Jones said. “If they were winning, it would be a hot ticket. The price de pends on the market and the market is better if the teams are winning.” Jim Kotch, athletic ticket manager, said ticket scalping on campus was a problem before the University prohibited it near Kyle Field. “They (scalpers) used to come up in lines to the (ticket) window,” Kotch said. “They tried to get people out of line before they bought a ticket from us.” Jones said the police bother him so much now, he won’t come back to College Station to scalp tickets. “It’s beginning to be a headache here,” Jones said. “I’m not coming back here. It used to not be like this.” UPD Detective Sgt. Jim Lindholm pa trols Kyle Field during home football games. He said fans should not have to put up with ticket scalpers. “People coming to the games don’t need to be bullied,” Lindholm said. “We want people to be able to come and enjoy the game.” Wiatt called ticket scalping a “victimless Dave House, The Battalion People gather outside to sell tickets. crime,” but said people become victims if they purchase counterfeit tickets. Lindholm said there was a problem with counterfeit tickets at last year’s game against the University of Texas. “ [It was] the biggest thing as far as a ticket scalping scam,” Lindholm said. “People dupli cated tickets and sold them to the public.” He said the problem was discovered when people with identical tickets tried to sit in the same seat. Counterfeit ticket holders were kicked out of the stadium. Kotch mentioned Alpha Phi Omega’s “Tick et Mart” as an alternative to doing business with ticket scalpers. The service fraternity hosts its “Ticket Mart” on Saturdays of home football games in the Flagroom of the Memorial Student Center. “If anybody has tickets they can’t use, we try to sell them for them,” said Elaine Ybarra, Ticket Mart co-chair and APO treasurer. “It’s a non-profit service. We sell them for face value or less and .mail them the money, or the peo ple come back and get it.”