The Battalion
olume 103 • Issue 87 • 10 Pages
The Batt Online: http:// bat-web.tamu.edu
Thursday, February 6, 1997
ill and ma
loke detectml
estaurant gets license ICAMAC focuses
espite church protests on Latino issues
ikeprecan
hen cooking I
lectricity sail
tes and ligli
children 4
ICE: Natior
ction Ager
mes Vineyard, The EaiI
hing on the stove,!
sink said. “I don’u
frying fish.’’
rages 30 to 40 ki;j
iin
ie future
Jross the
Jiurch.
Stew Milne, The Battalion
site of Texadelphia Sandwiches is located
street from the Texas A&M Methodist
By Laura Oliveira
The Battalion
The question of what consti
tutes the front door of a church
was answered when Texadel
phia Sandwiches was issued its
beer and wine license despite
protests from the Texas A&M
Methodist Church and the Bap
tist Student Ministry.
The city ordinance on which
the decision was based says alco
hol cannot be served within 300
feet of the front door of a church.
The proprietor of the bar must
meet certain legal requirements.
The license must be in the best in
terest of the public and the pro
prietor must be over the age of 21.
Randy Field ofthe Texas Alco
holic Beverage Commission
measured the distance between
the church and the restaurant.
Field said the distance from the
front door of the Methodist
Church to the front door of Tex
adelphia Sandwiches was about
200 feet.
The measurements did not
meet the 300-foot requirement, but
the city waived the ordinance.
County Judge A1 Jones found all oth
er legal requirements were met and
issued the license on Jan. 22,1997.
The Baptist Student Center
and the preschool of the
Methodist Chprch are in closer
proximity to the restaurant than
the front door of the Methodist
Church, but were not regarded as
main places of worship.
See License, Page 6
By Benjamin Cheng
The Battalion
The Memorial Student Center Committee
for the Awareness of Mexican-American Cul
ture will ‘break the silence’ as they host the
10th Annual Southwest Student Conference
on Latino Affairs today through Saturday.
The theme for this year’s conference is
“Breaking the Silence: Stepping Out of the
Shadows.”
Lorena Raya, vice president of the com
mittee and a senior biology major, said the
theme reflects the Latino students’ need to
speak out and voice their opinions.
“We’re challenging our delegates to be ed
ucated about their culture and the issues that
face them,” Raya said.
Sarah Aguirre, the conference speaker co
ordinator and a senior international studies
major, said the conference addresses issues
close to the Latino community but is not ex
clusive to Spanish speakers.
“We’re trying to emphasize that it’s not just
for Latinos,” Aguirre said. “We’re an education
committee, so we’re trying to educate about
the Latino community”
The conference will include workshops
covering such topics as Mexican-American
music and the economic impact of Latinos.
Vincent Lazaro, the General Consul for the
Flispanic Association for Colleges and Uni
versities, will discuss the Hopwood decision
and its impact on the Latino community.
Raya said the Hopwood decision will hurt
minority enrollment because it places more
obstacles in front of minorities who want to
attend college.
“It’s going to discourage a lot of [minority] stu
dents from submitting applications,” Raya said.
See CAMAC, Page 6
Insurance
should have reij
gainst fire damage,
dungings and cloi:
e do not have it."
ranee costs $75 to
Access Challenge
aises awareness
fire safety shouldl
College Station 1
)5.
By Marissa Alanis
The Batt alion
itact Dr. Bob
1.
Students experienced simulated
m the Americant Rearing loss, visual impairment and
ople. Rieech impediments Wednesday
?ht has another during the fifth annual Access Chal-
at Texas A&M, lenge, an event to raise awareness of
ie dog in the ni!||dividuals with disabilities at Texas
401,’ outsid; A&M University,
re building. Thf l Participants wore sunglasses
s commissiont 1 smeared with petroleum jelly to sim-
tty Moore in refulate vision impairment or tried to
heir late son Stef communicate with a mouthful of
interested in '/nars/i/naJ/ows to simulate a speech
mds to the purcl* pec jj m ent.
lin Wall monumff t a bi es educating visitors on
abilities, from learning disorders to
aring loss, were set up in the MSC
groom from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event was sponsored by the
J [apartment of Student Life Services
jrStudents with Disabilities and Net-
jorks, a student organization com-
litted to raising awareness of stu-
[ents with disabilities.
Dr. ]o Hudson, A&M coordinator of
ie Department of Student Life Scr
ees for Students with Disabilities;
id one of the goals of Access Chal-
jnge is to reduce anxiety of interac-
Dnwith disabled people.
“The main thing is to help them un-
rstand that people with disabilities
e people first,” Hudson said.
Attention-deficit learning disorder
is added to the list of simulation ta-
es this year loecause of its rising rate
diagnosis and increased recognition
the medical field.
Hudson said students need to realize
ention-deficit disorder is a disability
dnot something people create.
"There’s talk of it now being the dis-
ility of the 1990s,” Hudson said.
She said students would see how
Ticult it is to understand lip reading
■er visiting the hearing impairment
lie. Hearing impaired students can
H metimes miss the context or whole
ia of a lecture critical to their class,
idson said.
Volunteers were stationed at the
nulation tables to assist with the
■ tivities and answer questions stu
nts might have about the nature of
equal or lesser value lability.
anytime except Fn. & bat n T .;., , ,
xial lunch menu or other Sara Wilson, a volunteer and a
ENTREE,
t> ENTREE
sophomore elementary education
major, said as an elementary school
student she and her classmates par
ticipated in disability awareness ac
tivities, such as being blindfolded
or mute.
Wilson said because she and her
classmates were educated at a
young age about the issue, miscon
ceptions about, people with disabil
ities were avoided.
“From my standpoint, we are not
susceptible to act out the stereotypical
perceptions [toward disabled peo
ple],” Wilson said.
Walsiejean Hughes, former pres
ident of Networks and a former A&M
student, said it is good people are
curious about disabilities and
should approach disabled people
with questions.
“We want them to ask questions so
they won’t be afraid of it (the disabili
ty),” Hughes said. “With better educa
tion comes better understanding.”
In 1991, at the age of 29, Hughes
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Her condition forced her to withdraw
from A&M in February 1996, and she
was unable unable to attend Access
Challenge last year.
Hughes said events such as Access
Challenge and Disabilities Awareness
Week do not make her feel good about
having a disability, but is happy to
share her experiences and relieved the
events help to educate people.
“Although you can never be
proud to have a disease, what we are
trying to get across is that you
should never be ashamed of having
one,” Hughes said.
Hughes said her mother named her
Walsiejean, or “stubborn fighter.” She
said the name holds true, especially
now that she has been diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis.
“For me, what is the point of life if
I’m going to sit here and do nothing?”
Hughes said.
Hughes said she participates in
physical activities such as ice skating,
even though she knows the result
could be staying in bed for two days
to recover.
“Disabled does not mean inability,”
Hughes said. “I feel proud to be able to
show people that I can do things.”
One coupon per table
Tim Moog, The Battalion
We Got The Beat
Erin Cross, a junior accounting major, performs a timeout drill at the Lady Aggie basketball
game against Oklahoma last night.
UPD works to eliminate misunderstandings
Dave House, The Battalion
Travis Lively, a three-year veteran of the University Police Depart
ment, is the department's field training specialist.
By Graham Harvey
The Battalion
Consisting of 116 full-time
employees, 44 of whom are
sworn, armed officers with the
power to arrest, the University
Police Department wants Texas
A&M students and faculty to
know it is a bona fide law en
forcement organization.
BobWiatt, director of University
Police, said UPD is a professional
police department.
“ [UPD] is basically a pure law en
forcement agency... a professional
organization always looking to im
prove,” Wiatt said.
He said campus police officers
are unique in that they protect an
entirely “different clientele” than
standard city officers.
Wiatt’s chief concern is con
vincing the faculty and students
of A&M to behave safely.
He said some crimes could be
avoided if students would lock down
bicycles, lock doors and walk across
campus in groups at night.
“[We are forced] to protect peo
ple from their own naivete,” Wiatt
said. “[Some of them] totally disre
gard common sense.”
To protect A&M, Wiatt said,
UPD officers will go to such ex
tents as observing the campus
from rooftops at night watching
for “cruisers” — thieves who comb
the campus in vehicles.
To educate the University, UPD
created the Crime Prevention Unit
in 1985.
See UPD, Page 6
STAIIRANT <§)
ive • 846-5333
Exp. 2/19/97
A/Tttw
& /Cit&o s)
The Battalion
INSIDETODAY
SKIN HERE: The Texas
A&M Football Team
pulled in a top 15 re
cruiting class.
Sports, Page 7
SLEEP: Aggie sleeping
habits range from the
normal to the bizarre.
Aggielife, Page 3
Weather
Toons
Opinion
Page 2
Page5
Page 9
Morales to public universities: use race-neutral policies only
AUSTIN (AP) — Attorney General Dan
Morales late Wednesday told Texas colleges
and universities to use only race-neutral poli
cies in deciding such things as admissions, fi
nancial aid and scholarships.
Morales’ opinion comes nearly a year af
ter the U.S. Supreme Court let stand an ap
peals court decision to throw out the Uni
versity of Texas Law School’s former
admissions policy, which was designed to
increase minority enrollment.
The 5th U.S. Court of Appeals in New Or
leans last year said the policy discriminated
against whites, and the U.S. Supreme Court
allowed the ruling to stand.
Since then, Texas universities have
struggled to deal with the results of the
lawsuit. It is known as the Hopwood case,
after lead plaintiff Cheryl Hopwood, one of
four white students who sued after not get
ting into the law school.
Morales, last year, issued guidelines saying
that under the court ruling, race or ethnicity
should no longer be used as a standard in ad
missions or financial aid decisions in Texas. But
he was reluctant to issue an opinion, which car
ries the force of law.
Morales had said each
university’s general coun
sel could use the guide
lines in making decisions
on the matter.
But the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating
Board in August asked
Morales for a formal le
gal opinion on state-
funded scholarships and
grants that provide for consideration of
race or ethnicity.
“In essence, this opinion formalizes our le
gal advice submitted to you on Aug. 21,1996,
and, as such, should be considered legally
binding,” Morales wrote in a letter to all Texas
universities. “I encourage your institution’s
general counsel to carefully examine this
Morales
opinion and ensure that your institution’s in
ternal policies are in compliance.”
Ken Ashworth, Texas Higher Education
Commissioner, said state colleges and uni
versities now are in worse shape than before
in their efforts to recruit, retain and graduate
minority students.
“I think it puts everybody in the position
now that you dare not not conform to the
attorney general’s advice because if we get
into court, he’s going to be our lawyer,”
Ashworth said.
Ashworth said the coordinating board
asked for the opinion because it was caught
between the legislature, which has previous
ly instructed the agency to operate programs
giving preferences to racial and ethnic mi
norities, and the attorney general, who said
the programs were illegal under the Supreme
Court’s decision.
While the 5th Court of Appeals covers
Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, officials
said those states are not under the same race-
neutral constraints as Texas because of a sep
arate court case.
Outside the 5th Circuit, universities are
under a previous U.S. Supreme Court ruling
allowing race to be considered as a factor.
That has put Texas at a unique disadvantage
in attracting minority students, which will last
until another affirmative-action case levels the
playing field nationwide, officials have said.
“Let us focus our time, energy and creativ
ity on finding alternative ways to promote
cultural diversity and equal opportunity in
our universities instead of fighting a legal re
ality,” Morales said.
He suggested school officials consider age,
socioeconomic history, financial status, home
town, family background and personal talents
as ways of maintaining and increasing diversity.
“If crafted properly, consideration of these
factors will not only comply with Hopwood,
but should result in our state institutions ma
triculating and graduating a cross section of
our state’s population,” Morales said.