February
The Battalion
)lume 103 • Issue 92 • 12 Pages
The Batt Online: http:// bat-web.tamu.edu
Thursday, February 13, 1997
impson rejects Goldman's offer
7 ictim's father
offered to forfeit
lillions for a
'ritten confession
rom Simpson.
jers, The Bad
it, a senior
jots on
IANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) —
Simpson rejected a challenge
(ill Fred Goldman on Wednes-
^ that would have allowed the
ball great to Avoid millions in
Jnages if he signed a confession
tting he is a killer.
No matter how much money I
offered, I would never confess
i crime which 1 did not com-
Simpson said through attor-
I Phillip Baker.
jKoldman earlier told The Asso-
iated Press in a telephone inter-
ievr: “I don’t want to play games.
But if he wanted to sign a confes
sion with all the details of his crime
and broadcast it all over the coun-
tiy and publish it all over the nation,
I would drop the judgment.”
The aggriev
ed father, who
never accepted
Simpson’s mur
der acquittal
and doggedly
pursued him to
civil court,
added: “All I
ever wanted is
justice. It’s nev
er been an issue
about money.”
Goldman had acknowledged the
chance of Simpson taking him upon
the offer was slim to none.
“Easy to say, easy to do, never go
ing to happen,” Goldman predicted
when he first revealed the offer Tues
day on the Dallas-based Salem Radio
Simpson
Network. “This person hasn’t owned
responsibility for any of his actions
through his lifetime.”
Alan Dershowitz, who was on
Simpson’s defense team at his
murder trial, said he was not sur
prised the offer was rejected. “He
will go to his grave maintaining his
innocence adamantly.”
Simpson swore on the witness
stand it was “absolutely untrue”
that he slashed Nicole Brown
Simpson and Ronald Goldman to
death on June 12, 1994.
But a civil jury that did not be
lieve him found him liable for the
deaths and socked him with com
pensatory and punitive damages
totaling $33.5 million — more than
double what even his accusers pre
dicted he could ever pay.
Goldman stands to collect at least
half of $8.5 million in compensatory
damages and $12.5 million in puni
tive damages. He has to split both
with his ex-wife, Sharon Rufo. Ms.
Simpson’s estate, whose beneficiaries
are the two children she had with
Simpson, gets $12.5 million in puni
tive damages.
Goldman’s attorney, Daniel
Petrocelli, backed his client on the
offer, even if it meant he would
have to give up his contingency fee
if Simpson accepted.
“I think Fred is right on target,”
Petrocelli said. “We’d be more than
happy to rip up the judgment if Mr.
Simpson wants to sign a confession
saying he committed these murders
and giving details of how he did it.”
“It would also do a great deal to
heal the wounds in this country if
we could put this to rest.”
Rufo’s attorney, Michael Brew
er, said he supported Goldman’s
desire to have Simpson claim
responsibility.
See Simpson, Page 6
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Alpha Phi Alpha
Flower Power
Ryan Rogers, The Battalion
Tara Boston, a senior industrial distribution major, arranges roses in a vase for the Valentine's Day
festivities at Aggieland Flowers Wednesday afternoon.
student crowned Miss Black St Gold
By Joey Jeanette Schlueter
The Battalion
Tainisha Nicole Butler was
wned Miss Black & Gold of Texas
i&M by the Alpha Phi Alpha frater-
y on Feb. 1.
This was the first pageant Butler
lad competed in. The junior civil en-
ineering major said she was
hocked when she was announced
p the winner.
“Before they announced the win-
ier, I told myself that no matter
at, I did my best,” she said.
| Butler said her father jumped out
ihis seat when she was announced
he winner because he was so happy.
■ Sean Williams, president of Al
pha Phi Alpha and a senior politi
cal science major, said he is excit
ed for Butler.
S
“She is an outstanding woman
who represents the beauty and char
acter of black womanhood,”
Williams said.
Pageant contestants were judged
on character, beauty and poise.
In the interview portion of the
pageant, Butler quoted a scripture
from the Bible and focused on shat
tering myths about black people.
“Being black is something I am
proud of,” she said, “and my speech
came easy because it is what I feel
deep inside.”
In her interview, Butler was
asked what changes she would
make if she were president of A&M
for a day and why.
“I would try to change the face of
Texas A&M to have more multicul
tural attitudes,” she said.
Butler, who is 21 years old, said
she has known about the pageant
for a long time,
but she never
considered giv
ing it a try until
this year.
“The pageant
is a big deal
around campus
and in the black
community,”
she said.
Butler said,
among other
role models, Harriet Tubman has al
ways inspired her.
“I admire Tubman because of her
strength and focus on becoming
free,” she said. “I want to incorporate
her strength in my everyday life.”
Butler said college has been a
good experience for her and that
Butler
high school prepared her well for it.
She was National Honor Society
president in high school and was in
volved in drama.
Butler received a $1000 schol
arship with her victory and will
compete at the state-level Black &
Gold pageant in Fort Worth on
Feb. 28. The state winner will go on
to compete at the regional level.
The next step would be the na
tional pageant.
Williams said the majority of
male members of Alpha Phi Alpha
will escort Butler to the state confer
ence and pageant to wait on her
hand and foot.
Butler’s duties as Miss Black &
Gold include representing the A&M
chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha and host
ing the Black Women’s Conference
and Retreat.
Committee adds
roll-call criteria
By Laura Oliveira
The Battalion
New criteria have been added to
be eligible for Texas A&M Campus
Muster roll call.
The Muster Committee added
two criteria, which will be in effect
at the event on April 21, to accom
modate more Aggies.
Ann Leslie, roll call and family
sub-chair and a sophomore agri
cultural development major, said in
years past, family members of de
ceased Aggies who did not meet the
criteria have requested their names
be called at Campus Muster.
The committee wants to allevi
ate confusion by publicizing the cri
teria, Leslie said.
“We do not want anyone’s feel
ings to get hurt,” she said.
Leigh Jones, Muster Awareness
sub-chair and a junior marketing
major, said publicizing the criteria
will help people understand why
names are included in the specific
ceremonies.
“It is such a big ceremony and a lot
of people have questions like, ‘Why
does that person get called here and
that person in Dallas?,”’ Jones said. “It
should comfort them (families) that
their [loved one’s] name will be called
somewhere, which is the important
thing about Muster.”
MUSTER
Criteria for roll-call
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family member is a currently
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Stew Milne, The Battalion
Campus Muster, held in G. Rol-
lie White Coliseum, allows for
about 120 names to be called dur
ing the ceremony. The new criteria
will not increase this number, but
will allow for Aggies whose names
previously would not have been
called at Campus Muster to be in
cluded in the roll call.
The candlelight service honors
former students who have died in
the past year. About 7,000 people at
tend the Muster ceremony on cam
pus each year.
See Muster, Page 12
Businesses adjust
for Valentine's Day
By Joey Jeanette Schlueter
The Battalion
Friday is Valentine’s Day and
restaurants and florists have been
gearing up for the holiday all week.
Don Lewis, owner of Baskets
on the Brazos and Popabilities,
said he has extended business
hours and asked all employees to
work overtime.
“We know this is the single
busiest day of the year for us,” Lewis
said. “And we prepared for it by rent
ing extra space.”
Lewis said his businesses will
make at least 500 deliveries on
Valentine’s Day and have between
six and 10 vans running at all times
for the occasion. The various
Valentine gifts will be delivered by
men in tuxedos.
Baskets on the Brazos’s most
popular gift is already sold out,
Lewis said.
“The Budweiser ‘I love you man’
6-pack bouquet and balloons went
fast,” he said.
Other florists are also experienc
ing a holiday rush this week.
Meher Rahman, owner of
Flowerama in Post Oak Mall, said
she expects to be sold out of ros
es by Friday.
“The specialty of the flower busi
ness is that nothing is prearranged,”
she said. “All flower arrangements
are done at the last minute so they
are fresh.”
Bryan-College Station restaurants
are also anticipating a busy day.
Tina Parish, sales manager for
the Olive Garden, said many people
will be dining out on the famously
romantic holiday.
lames Vineyard, The Battalion
“It is our busiest day of the year,”
Parish said. “We expect there will be
an hour wait or longer all night long
'till close.”
Suzanne Hughes, a senior jour
nalism major, said she and her
boyfriend plan to begin the evening
with dinner.
“We are going out to dinner,”
Hughes said, “and then we are go
ing to the Moscow Festival Ballet.”
Hughes said she is looking for
ward to the romantic evening.
Other Valentine’s day options
include:
• Freudian Slip will perform a
special Valentine show at 10 p.m. in
Rudder Theater — $5
• MSG Film Society will show
“Casablanca” at 7 p.m. in Rudder
Theater — $3
•MSG Forsythe Gallery will pre
sent live piano music performed by
the Bryan-College Station Music
Teacher’s Association from 6 p.m. to
midnight. Proceeds benefit the
restoration of the 1922 grand piano
in the gallery. There will be door
prizes and desserts. Admission for
couples is $10, singles $6.
• Internet site http://www.web-
fair.net/valentine/ lets students
chat with others about the holiday.
• Internet site http://www.ne-
treach.net/~trishy/vday.html is for
those disenchanted with the holiday.
The Battalion
INSIDETODAY
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PLAYTIME: Students
recall the toys they
loved — and hated —
as children.
Aggielife, Page 3
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Toons
Sports
Opinion
Page 5
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Page 11
Architecture students design theater sets
By Rebecca Torrellas
The Battalion
Architecture students in third-
year design studio constructed
the sets for ‘magination Station’s
production of “To Kill a Mocking
bird” and will showcase their work
Friday when the show opens.
Eighteen students in Mardelle
Shepley’s architecture design
class planned and built two
houses and a two-sided set
which rotates to serve as both a
jail and a courtroom in the play.
The set took a week to design
and a weekend to construct.
Claire Shell, vice president of
productions for ‘magination Sta
tion, said the sets are some of the
most complex the theater compa
ny has presented in over ten years.
“Mardelle Shepley wanted her
students to work in a real-life situ
ation and thought this would be a
great opportunity,” Shell said.
Shell said it was an ideal match
because the pro
duction needed a
big set and ‘magi
nation Station
would not have
been able to get
enough volun
teers to build it.
The students
were given a bud
get of $150 out of
the $250 the the
ater had reserved
for the whole pro
duction and were
able to stay within
their limit.
The students combed the
Bryan-College Station communi
ty for materials for the set, includ
ing old lumber for the run-down
houses in the play.
Shepley said the project will be
beneficial to the students.
“In design
classes you don’t
often get to con
struct things,”
Shepley said.
“Some used pow
er saws for the
first time.”
Shepley
thought it would
also help her stu
dents to parallel
arts and architec
ture, as well as
real-life experi
ences with clients.
Tom Woodfin, an associate
professor of landscape architec
ture, is playing the defense attor
ney, Atticus, in the production
“The set gives out a few hours of
illusion, which is different from the
usual, permanent architecture,”
Woodfin said. “It evokes fantasy.”
Twelve-year old Chris Miller,
who will be playing Atticus’
daughter Jem, said the architec
ture students did a wonderful job.
“It wouldn’t have been as good
without their help,” Miller said.
The eighteen design students
also created their own T-shirt lo
gos for the theater, which will be
voted on by the audience during
performances.
The shirt with the winning de
sign will be sold to the public dur
ing ‘magination Station’s produc
tion of “Camelot” in April.
Shell said she is pleased with
the way the set turned out and
hopes the students will volunteer
to work on future productions.
“We’d love to have them again,”
Shell said.
“The set gives out
a few hours of
illusion, which is
different from the
usual, permanent
architecture.”
Tom Woodfin
Associate professor
Dave House, The Battalion
Tom Woodfin, a landscape architecture
associate professor, plays Atticus Finch in
’magination Station's production of "To
Kill a Mockingbird."