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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1996)
argraves plans to appeal Staff and Wire Reports ormer Texas A&M Board of Regents irman Ross Margraves plans to ap- a felony conviction of misconduct taking a state plane for a personal in 1993. Alee County jury sentenced Mar- ives on Friday to four years proba- iffi RELATED EDITORIAL, PAGE 9 nand a $3,000 fine. Margraves, a uston attorney, could lose his law li- iseas a result of the conviction. Tim Moog, the tea Margraves declined to comment af- the verdict was returned, j Attorney David Berg of Houston his client’s conviction was ‘‘dirty iwrong” and he plans to appeal. In 29 years (as a lawyer), I’ve never :nsuch an unjust verdict,” Berg said, ill be01111® Margraves could have been sen-' nen need this eir progress since til Rice meet wi of teams and quit;, lis year,” Hinze sail e us a benchmail .* are individually arc iced to 10 years in prison and a fine. However, Brazos Coun prosecutor Bill Turner said he uld not seek prison time if Mar- iveswas convicted. Bill Clayton, a former regent, said he was “astonished” by the verdict. “I can’t see how he could have been found guilty,” Clayton said. “I still don’t think he did anything wrong.” The charges stem from a round-trip flight on a state plane Margraves and his wife chartered to Baton Rouge. The trip cost the state $1,435. Prosecutors said Margraves took the plane to see his son graduate from Louisiana State University. After the verdict was returned, Turner said Margraves had abused the public trust. "Any time you have a breach of trust, every citizen is the victim,” he said. Friends and associates at the Dal las-based law firm Winstead Sechrest & Minick stood by Margraves, who is the senior shareholder in the firm’s Houston office. Kent Caperton, a former senator Margraves from Bryan and a shareholder in the firm’s Austin office, said the firm will continue to support Margraves. “We’re going to stand by him at Winstead Sechrest, I hope. I am, cer tainly,” he said. “This is a tragedy and a travesty. I know Ross Margraves, and he’s no criminal.” Margraves testified Thursday that he went to Louisiana for official business, with plans to discuss the status of Texas A&M athletics after the demise of the Southwest Confer ence with LSU Chancellor William Davis. Margraves said he and the Chancellor discussed the possibili ty of A&M joining LSU in the Southeastern Conference. “The future of the Southwest Con ference was a raging issue,” Margraves said while on the stand. When asked by Berg if he had any intent “to defraud the State of Texas,” Margraves answered, “Absolutely not.” See Margraves, Page 5 Clinton, Dole debate major campaign issues HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — President Clinton and Bob Dole clashed vigorously over tax cuts, Medicare, education and the economy Sunday night in a spirited prime time debate over who should be trusted to lead America into the 21st century. “I think the best thing going for Bob Dole is that Bob Dole keeps his word,” the Republican challenger said in a 90-minute debate critical to his hopes of launching an October comeback. “It is not midnight in America, senator: We are better off than we were four years ago,” Clinton said in making his case for a second term. The Democratic incumbent and his Re publican challenger stood just a few feet apart on a red-carpeted stage, challenging each other again and again in a showdown that ushered in the final month of the White House campaign. Clinton took credit for an economy that had created more than 10 million jobs, for cutting the deficit by 60 percent and for vetoing Dole-backed Republican budgets he asserted would have cut $270 billion from Medicare and another $30 billion from education. Looking ahead, Clinton said his $100 billion in tax credits targeted to making college more affordable were far more re sponsible than Dole’s proposed “$550 bil lion tax scheme.” “We have the right approach for the fu ture,” Clinton said. See Debate, Page 6 eat them all.” ggies do have o 1 heading into road stand—all weekend opponei ie midst of their inti gural season mmmm Guenien I said this d« ' 1 not chanttn gamepM U the Aggies. ■ "Our go 1 the same every gai despite the! record,” '■ er * Guerrieri said. “Well orking harder than it so that it all fall! pect them all to get ir home crowdsand tiers behind th an’t use our speed," i of this Ad. Pat James, The Battalion icout Chris Gibson (left) and Section Sergeant Dan Dietze reload the cannon. Parson^s Mounted Cavalry Headquarters dedicated to former horse soldier By Wesley Poston The Battalion The new Parsons’ Mounted Cavalry headquarters was named in honor of the late Hughes “Buddy” Seewald, a former horse soldier, at a dedication ceremony Saturday. Seewald, Class of ’42, and Wade H. Cockburn, Class of ’75, donated the funds to construct the administrative office building. Maj. Gen. M.T. “Ted” Hopgood Jr., Corps commandant, presided over the dedication and said Seewald was a loyal Aggie who spent much of his time working with students, espe cially cadets. “His dream was for the Parsons’ Mounted Cavalry to achieve its great est potential,” Hopgood said. Seewald, a World War II cavalry of ficer and Purple Heart medal recipi ent, died in 1995 without seeing the completion of the headquarters. His widow and son attended the dedication of his namesake building. The cavalry was formed in 1973 and named after Col. Tom Parsons, the Corps commandant at the time. The “Cav” represents Texas A&M in numerous parades and fires the cannon during yell practice and at home football games. Paul Simone, PMC first sergeant and a junior rangeland management major, said the new headquarters is a needed addition to the Cav’s 30-acre site, Fiddler’s Green. The headquarters building neigh bors the two barns and tack building, which house the horses’ equipment and the cannon. Simone said the 100-member cav alry is made up of sophomores, ju niors and seniors. Cadets are only ac cepted to PMC during their sophomore year. Junior cavalry members feed the horses every morning at 5:30 and every afternoon, he said. All PMC members practice Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. Simone said the sophomores are the work force behind the PMC. Their duties include cleaning the tack, maintaining the saddles and equipment, cleaning the barn and the general up keep of the horses. Jeff Bearden, Class of ’76 and one of the first cavalry executive officers, said the PMC has undergone positive changes since he graduated. “There’s a heck of a lot more facilities, but the spirit and the camaraderie are still there,” Bearden said. He said the cavalry used to be more of an extracur ricular activity then a Uni versity organization, and was made up of only ju niors and seniors. “Only seniors rode,” he said, “and the juniors cleaned up.” Bearden said the PMC rode in the San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth stock shows, and portrayed the Confederate cavalry in a Civil War reenactment. Tall Ellison, Class of ’76 and a former commanding officer of PMC, said the cav alry began “out of a love for fun and the University.” “They talk about the keep ers of the spirit,” Ellison said. “We were the spirit.” Ellison said the cavalry connects the present with the past for many members. Bearden said at some pa rades PMC members “see old Ags with tears in their eyes.” Ellison said he includes his PMC training on job resumes because it taught him so much. “You don’t know leadership experi ence until you try to get 45 seniors to go anywhere,” he said. “It was proba bly the finest training I’ve ever had.” Pat James, The Battalion Senior Chris Miner, Section Chief for the Parson's Mounted Cavalry, wildcats after firing the cannon during Saturday's game. he Battalion TODAY igineer Majofi cies such as: alES iNY boratories JY id many more!! «54-1234 ggie Words lAggie dictionary ilps decipher the lique language of xas Aggies. Aggielife, Page 3 round Force ieA&M offense rolled 432 rushing yards a 63-13 trouncing jla.Tech at Kyle Field. Sports, Page 7 oob tube iward: People ouldn’t have to put Hvith immoral levision shows. Opinion, Page 9 Cadets assemble for Fall Review Outfits evaluated on marching ability, unison and appearance Campus leaders visit elementary students By Ann Marie Hauser The Battalion A military tradition dating back to the Middle Ages man ifested on Simpson Drill Field Friday as the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets marched in for their annual Fall Review. Military review originated in the 17th century as a means to communicate or ders to armies before battle. Jason Waligura, Corps public relations officer and a senior petroleum engi neering major, said the purpose of the Corps “in- iine battalion mass forma tion” review has evolved from its original purpose. “Now it’s a chance to showcase the Corps to the University,” Waligura said. “It gives the Commandant the chance to [look over] the cadets and see the strength of the Corps.” Brig. Gen. Kenneth Hess was the reviewing officer along with Corps Comman dant Maj. Gen. Ted Hop- good and Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice president for Student Affairs. Hopgood said the cadets have been working hard and he was looking forward to the Review. “I have been very pleased with the intensity of all the cadets,” Hopgood said. “Everything is going very well and I’m impressed with the spirit of the Class of ’00.” Waligura said every march-in and Review is graded, which creates com petition between outfits to look the best. “A lot of people take it seri ously and practice during the week,” Waligura said. Lt.CoL Jim Harrison, a grader and cadet adviser, said the cadets are evaluated on different aspects of their marching ability. Outfits are judged on their unison, the appearance of their uniforms and organiza tion between lines. Chris Jones, a freshman business administration ma jor, said the graders inspect minute details like the angle of cadets’ heads and the swing of their arms. Jones said his outfit practiced three times be fore the Review but he still felt uncomfortable. See Review, Page 5 By Wesley Poston The Battalion Members of Texas A&M University Student Gov ernment visited Pebble Creek Elementary School Friday afternoon to teach third and fourth graders about student council and to encourage them to par ticipate in their upcoming elections. The student officials pre sented skits describing the different council positions to classrooms of 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds. Carl Baggett, student body president and a se nior accounting major, said the program differs from other similar efforts with school children. “There’s a lot of mentor programs,” he said, “ but there’s not a lot of student development.” The program began by introducing each Aggie and teaching the elementary students to say “howdy.” Each Student Government member described the characteristics of their elected position. “Which one do you think is the most impor tant?” Baggett asked. "They’re all equally impor tant. It’s a team.” Laurie Nickel, vice presi dent of programs and stu dent development and a ju nior business analysis major, said the A&M Stu dent Government was look ing for a way to give back to the community. “The reason we’re here is the community has contin ually given to the Universi ty,” Nickel said. Communi ty businesses have always donated to such programs as Muster. See Students, Page 5 Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Awards are given out at Fall Review on Friday.