The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 10, 1996, Image 1
Page Inesday • October9,1 and the Israelis as i >od does not help (he si Neither does refia: The Battalion vledge the i behavior of the Ne nient. And, by the i m is directed at you by if" >ed to live in Israel. Volume 10 i * r*>suo 29 • 12 Pages Thursday, October 10, 1996 The Ball Online: hltp://b<il web.tamu.edu GraduateSti ormer cadet discusses transgender issues Kemp and Gore face off in debate Marissa Alanis The Battalion Randolph Frye, a former student id member of the Corps of Cadets, tended A&M on a four- year Army OTC scholarship, was a Singing idet and got married as a student, it he claims to be “one of the orld’s greatest actresses.” Frye continually depicted him- ;lf as any ordinary man with inch success, but in his mind, he as not male. In 1976, Frye became legally male and changed his name to byllis after enduring years of icertainty and shame. didn’t become Phyllis be- luse I couldn’t make it as a guy,” ye said. Wednesday night in Rudder Tow- Frye discussed her transition in a tture titled "Transgender Issues,” onsored by Gay, Lesbian and Bi sexual Aggies (GLBA), as part of Na tional Coming Out Week. T. Bradley, GLBA president and a junior political science major, said many people in the gay community, including herself, do not understand transgender is sues, but Frye should be able to help them bridge that gap. “I want GLBA to foster a safe en vironment so people can ask ques tions without being afraid or em barrassed,” Bradley said. Frye entered a two-year trans gender process program that re quired psychological therapy, exten sive electrolysis and the administering of hormones by an endocrinologist. Even though the gender tran sition was short-term, Frye had to endure the emotional aspect of being overt with her transgen der change. Receiving obscene phone calls, having eggs thrown at her house, getting a divorce from her first wife, being disowned by her father, and ruining an engineering career were some consequences of her decision. “Back then, in the ’70s, you just didn’t do this in engineer ing,” Frye said. Now, Frye, a lesbian, has been married to her second wife for over 23 years and practices criminal law in Houston. Over the years, Frye has at tended high school and A&M re unions. When she attended her 20-year high school reunion, she notified the reunion committee about her transition so they would not be shocked. “I hate to surprise people,” Frye said. “I surprise them often. It’s not fun.” See Transgender, Page 5 Transcend^ Pat James, The Battalion Phyllis Frye, a transgender activist, speaks at the GLBA meeting Wednesday night. owboy urge* c_y mustard & mayo, to, pickles, and red onion et your choice of white, or whole wheat, bun, r choice of tea, sofi drink V bmestic Draft &fimh fa Large groups welco* Dominos, Darts, W Shufflcboard it Foosball HTOIS fc Fries lings and fries for$lg i! Dine in only. Raicli Fish in Water Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Connie Lehmann, a finance graduate student, takes a plunge at the Student Recreation Center pool Wednesday afternoon. She regularly swims 5 times a week. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Vice President A1 Gore and Jack Kemp dif fered politely but pointedly over abortion and affirma tive action Wednesday night in an energetic de bate that offered sharply contrasting views of Presi dent Clinton’s tenure in the White House. Neither abortion nor affirmative ac tion had come up in Sunday night’s de bate between Clin ton and GOP nomi nee Bob Dole, but both issues generated spirit ed exchanges between the campaign understudies. Although both Dole and Kemp are on record sup porting a constitutional amendment outlawing abortion, Kemp said such a dramatic change was not in the cards. “There is no consensus,” Kemp said. “A constitutional amendment would not pass. We must use persua sion, not intimidation.” That remark, while per haps an accurate reflection of the country’s political environment, was certain to alienate Christian con servative leaders who have been urging Dole and Kemp to draw sharper con trasts with Clinton and Gore on abortion and other social issues. Affirmative action is an other such issue, and Gore moved quickly to put Kemp on the defensive on that point. The vice president noted that Kemp had criticized a California ballot initiative rolling back affirmative ac tion programs but later fell in line with Dole’s support for it after joining the GOP ticket. Gore said he wished Kemp had convinced Dole to change his position instead. “With all due respect, I do not believe Abraham Lincoln would have adopted Bob Dole’s position to end all af firmative action,” Gore said. Kemp and Gore faced off in St. Petersburg’s bayfront Mahaffey Theater. Reform Party vice presidential nomi nee Pat Choate was excluded on grounds he and Ross Perot did not have a realistic chance to win the election. The debate was carried by three major broadcast net works. But there was compe tition on Fox, which carried the first game of the National League Championship series. See Debate, Page 8 UH editors defend swastika cartoon irefighters from afar attend training school f Brandon Hausenfluck The Battalion Firefighters from across e United States and nada are training to ex- iguish industrial-type esat the Brayton Fire lining School in College ition this week. Each year, thousands of fighters come to College ition to receive what some is the best fire protection ining in the world. Joe Brantley, chairman of Texas Industrial Fire fining Board and fire chief the Union Carbide Plant in fas City, has been training the school for over 35 years. He said the training is not a sugar-coated version of the “real thing.” “Failure is not an option here,” Brantley said. “It’s a little more complex than just shooting water. “This isn’t like Backdraft (the movie),” he said. “If someone runs through a fire carrying a kid like they do in the movie, that kid would be a crispy critter by the time he got out. They both would.” Brantley said students and coordinators at the school work together to improve the quality of training. “The students critique the equipment (fire suits, hoses) and tell the staff what needs improvement,” Brantley said. “The equip ment is built by industry and A&M (System) takes care of the up-keep.” Structures in the training field include a model of a ship, a chemical complex, and multi-level buildings. Buddy Franz, fire chief at the Union Carbide plant in Seadrift, said the school is popular because of the different training scenarios offered. “We have these same types of structures at our plants,” Franz said. See School, Page 5 Rony Angkriwan, The Batialion Fire technician Todd Raynolds controls the valves at the Brayton Fire Training School. HOUSTON (AP) — Edi tors at the University of Houston student newspaper are defending as “fair com ment” a political cartoon that depicts members of the College Republicans group in front of a swastika. “I thought it was tasteless and somewhat offensive, but not enough to censor,” Daily Cougar managing editor Robert Schoenberger said. “My opinion of taste doesn’t determine what the newspa per runs.” The cartoon has outraged some members of the Col lege Republicans, who say they will flood the newspa per with letters of protest. David Baker, executive di rector of UH’s College Re publicans, said the cartoon “depicts us as Jew-killing, homeless-burning Nazis. It is anti-Semitic.” In the cartoon, one man holds a sign saying “Burn the Homeless” and another man smiles. The caption reads: “Join the College Republi cans. Then you won’t have to worry about your future, we’ll do your thinking for you!” Daily Cougar editors said the cartoon was not out of line with the provocative and satirical opinion it regularly prints. Cougar editors said in a statement that the cartoon was inspired by recent activ ities of the College Republi cans, such as carrying anti- Clinton signs at a rally for President Clinton. Cartoonist Brian Minton based the cartoon on recent letters to the editor, the statement said. A phone number for Minton was not listed in the Houston direc tory. A message was left for him at the Cougar offices by The Associated Press. It was not immediately returned on Wednesday. The editors said the car toon represented the opin ion of an individual, not the Cougar editorial board. The Daily Cougar, which is printed five days a week during the school year, is in dependent of the UH ad ministration, although it does receive a small portion of the university’s student service fee. USE 102 Live Oak College Statin' 1 694-8232 ast Defense noofhk off darinl* & f/ound') S £ (/nioersitj 0/17/96 he Battalion TODAY lown Away xas A&M wind tun- ^offers extensive re- arch capabilities for Tospace engineers. Aggielife, Page 3 A oalkeeper Melanie "ilson is shutting )Wnthe A&M Soccer am’s opponents. Sports, Page 7 alse Spirit 'Godwin: Students lould continue to low support for the am at Kyle Field. Opinion, Page 11 Breast Cancer Awareness Month B-CS health centers stress early detection By Melissa Nunnery The Battalion Promoting early detection as the best prevention is the American Cancer Soci ety’s focus for October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. St. Joseph Regional Health Center, Columbia Breast Di agnostic Center, and Bryan Radiology Associates will of fer mammograms at a re duced cost during October. The mammograms will cost Y $50 for women aged 35 or older. Ap pointments must be scheduled by Oct. 31. Pat Mahand, an American Cancer Society volunteer and breast can cer survivor, said Breast Cancer Awareness Month is about teaching women how to de tect breast cancer. Mahand stressed breast self-examination for women of all ages. “It is something that needs to be done once a month, even for young women,” Ma hand said. “You need to get to know your breasts. We have plastic tags to hang on your door to remind you to do a breast self exam.” Mahand said women need to be familiar with their bodies so they can take responsi bility for their own health. “Early detection is the key, as with most cancers,” Mahand said. “The earlier we find a lump or a change in our breasts, the easier it is to treat and the less disruption [it causes] in your life.” Mahand said the most frightening part of being diagnosed with breast can cer is the fear of the un known. The American Cancer Society has support groups for cancer patients and survivors. Mahand regularly meets with breast cancer patients to talk about their disease. “It’s helpful to see someone who has survived (breast cancer),” Mahand said. The American Cancer Society estimates that 184,000 women will be di agnosed with breast cancer this year and about 46,000 women will die of the disease. The society recommends women over age 40 have a mammogram every year. Women age 20 to 40 should have a doctor conduct a breast examination every three years. Women over 40 should have one every year. Mahand said with research, breast can cer will be easier to detect in the future. Dr. Karen Campion, a member of the American Cancer Society, is coordinating a Ladies Golf Tournament to raise money for breast cancer research. The tournament is Oct. 18 at Bryan Municipal golf course. The entry fee is $40 per person. “Last year we raised $7,500,” Campion said. “We hope to meet or beat that.” Texas A&M students are also doing their part to promote breast cancer awareness. The A&M Cancer Society is helping the American Cancer Society petitions for breast cancer research funds. Chelle Janow, A&M Cancer Society pres ident, said raising funds is crucial. “We’re trying to send a message to the president and Congress to dedicate $2.6 billion to breast cancer research between now and the year 2000,” she said. Janow, a senior community health ma jor, said there is an increased awareness of breast cancer among college-age women because of family experiences. See Cancer, Page 5 ► Yell practice Where to ‘Beat the hell’ outta Iowa State: Pat James, The Battalion Tonjght Yell practice will be held at The Grove at 7. Tomorrow Night (In Des Moines) Midnight yell practice will be held at Nollen Plaza. The plaza is at 3rd Street and Locust Street, 4 blocks (toward the river) from the Mar riot Hotel in downtown, across the street from the Civic Center. There is a 3rd Street exit on 1-235.