Texas A&M University
3
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Ri olume 103 • Issue 163 • 6 Pages
College Station, TX
Monday, July 14, 1997
tews
Briefs
Tto host national
opwood Summit
Hie Student Government of the Uni-
fsity of Texas will host "The National
t-Hopwood Summit” this fall to dis-
ssways to combat falling minority
ollmentat state universities.
Student organizers are lining up
lionally-known speakers to anchor
October 23-25 event. Represen-
s from universities across the
ion, including Texas A&M, will be
ited to discuss the legal impact of
Hopwood decision, how to
liieve campus diversity in a post-af-
native action environment and di-
fsity planning for the future.
&M announces fall
linority enrollment
Texas A&M announced last week its
[raebtl'estimate of the number of minority
Txlents expected to enroll in the fall.
Piesident Ray M. Bowen said that as
Inesday, 624 of 1,276 Hispanics
admission for the fall had ac-
,and 163 of 392 Africa n-Ameri-
offered admission had accepted.
on these numbers, A&M ex-
a30 percent drop in the number
n-American freshmen and a 15
rtdrop in the number of Hispan-
.students from 1996. Bowen attrib-
tliedrop to the Hopwood decision,
outlawed race-based scholar-
in Texas.
'After months of speculation about
impacts of Hopwood on admis-
and premature and frequently in-
:t publication of enrollment num-
!rs,thebad news now appears to be
Bowen said in a press release.
Regrettably, the restrictions Hop-
'Odhas placed on scholarships put
atacompetitive disadvantage with
Estate universities.”
Bowensaid A&M will strive to mairv
Pn racial diversity despite the drop.
'Butw?remain fearful that, even with
fire recruiting, we will continue to see
‘lining number of minority students
1 Ply here in favor of colleges out of
that can offer more attractive
irships,” he said.
Rnalenrollment figures will be tallied
the 12th day of classes in the fall.
iirmer Drill Team
ember files lawsuit
Iravis Alton, a former Texas A&M stu-
from Tyler, filed a $25 million law-
against three University officials
nine former Fish Drill Team advis-
infederal district court in Galveston
Tuesday.
The civil suit states that Alton was
aten as a freshman on the Drill
3m and that school officials were
are of the hazing incidents.
The A&M officials named in the suit
e:Dr.J. Malon Southerland, the vice
ssident of student affairs; Maj. Gen.
las Darling, the executive director
Istudent affairs development and for-
sr Corps of Cadets Commandant;
dCapt. Robert Dalton, a tactical
liningofficer and the faculty Fish Drill
arm adviser.
SPORTS
Rugby overcame the heat
advance to the semifinals of
ie Hottest Rugby in Texas.’
See Page 3.
OPINION
•ano, Lemons: University
Parks debate over need
£ fr music major degree.
See Page 5.
ONLINE
^p;//bat-web.tamu.edu
is ten to
le Battalion
% show.
Wolf Pen Creek first
choice for hotel site
By Robert Smith
The Battalion
The College Station City Council voted Wolf Pen
Creek the top site for a hotel and conference center in
College Station Thursday night. Citizens will vote in
November to decide if a hotel and conference center
will be built.
The vote was 3-3 when Mayor Lynn Mcllhaney made
the deciding vote to rank Wolf Pen Creek the number one
choice and the Leddy group’s Northgate “mud lot” loca
tion the second choice.
If die city cannot reach an agreement with Wolf Pen Creek,
it will negotiate with Leddy for the Northgate location.
The city’s consulting group, PKF, decided Thursday
afternoon at a workshop meeting that Teddy’s North-
gate proposal and the Wolf Pen Creek proposal are
equally attractive.
John Culpepper Jr., father of “mud lot” landowner John
Culpepper III, said he was upset with the consultants’ de
cision to choose both sites, because they did not consider
the proximity of Texas A&M to the different locations.
“We are disappointed that their (the city’s) consultants
did not consider Texas A&M University,” he said.
Culpepper said he believes the Northgate site would
give more opportunities to the city.
Photograph: Rony Angkriwan
College Station City Council voted Wolf Pen Creek the top
site for a hotel and conference center.
“We felt like Northgate offered much better expanded
use,” he said. “It could be used in conjunction with Reed
Arena and the George Bush Library. Due to proximity, they
could work with each other.”
Please see Hotel on Page 6.
MSC approves
multicultural
events for fall
By John LeBas
The Battalion
The MSC Council approved on-campus hip-hop, jazz and
comedy multicultural programs for early fall Saturday.
Alphapalooza, a multi-artist rap concert; jazz musician Kirk
Whalum; and stand-up comedian Paul Rodriguez are scheduled
at Rudder Auditorium on different dates in September. The
shows were part of a 27-program package the Council voted to
let MSC committees produce next school year.
Alphapalooza is scheduled for September 6 at 8:30 p.m. The
show will be co-sponsored by the MSC Town Hall and Alpha Phi
Alpha fraternity.
Duane Thomas, Alpha Phi Alpha special events chair and a se
nior industrial engineering major from Ville Platte, La., said the
concert will feature nationally-known hip-hop artists.
“The goal is to provide a social outlet for traditionally under
programmed audiences,” he said. “We’re targeting African-Amer
ican and other minority students, but we feel the program will
have crossover appeal to non-minority students.”
Please see Programs on Page 6.
Former SBP still
making progress
Tody Boenig was injured in
a rafting accident last year
By Jenara Kocks
The Battalion
A May 1996 accident on the Guadalupe River left former
Texas A&M Student Body President Toby Boenig partially par
alyzed, and doctors told him that he may never walk again.
They told him he might be able to touch his nose, eventually.
After 13 months of rehabilitation at Warm Springs Rehabil
itation Center in Gonzalez, Texas, Boenig said he is still not in
dependent, but he is walking with the help of a walker and a
brace on his right leg.
Boenig said he and his father travel 35-40 miles every day
from their home in Marion, Texas, to the Center. Boenig said
he starts his exercises at 8 a.m. and finishes at 2 p.m.
Jeb Jones, Class of ’95, who is one of Boenig’s close friends
and a future roommate, said Boenig’s progress is encouraging.
“To see him move around more like normal and to see
him getting up and walking in his walker is good therapy for
all of us,” Jones said.
Jones said he thinks Boenig’s determination and hard
work has a lot to do with his recovery.
“He’s not throwing his progress to the wind,” Jones said. “He
really pushes himself.”
Boenig said he sets goals for his progress.
"I’ve made a lot of my goals, but not all,” Boenig said. “It’s
hard to get used to not being able to make all the goals when I
want to. But after we miss them (goals), we just keep going.”
He said some of his goals include sitting down and stand
ing up by himself.
One of Boenig’s major goals is pursuing a career. He said
IBM in Dallas has been holding a job in
sales and marketing for him since before
the accident, and he hopes to work soon.
“My unrealistic goal is to be able to work
in September,” Boenig said. “But I definite
ly want to work in January.”
Boenig said he can type a little and grab with
his left hand, but his right side is not as strong.
George Boenig, Toby’s father, said his son
is working on using his right arm. He said that
before the accident, Toby was right-handed.
He said his son has learned to shave, comb
his hair and brush his teeth with his left hand.
“He tries to write with his left hand also, but I can’t read it,”
George Boenig said.
Boenig said they have to take his son’s progress one day at at
time. Some days are good, and some days are bad, he said.
He said that in the beginning of the rehabilitation process,
his son’s right side was better than his left side. Now it is the
other way around. But George Boenig said they try to focus on
the results of the rehabilitation.
“A lot of kids his age would have quit if something like this
happened to them, but there is no quit in Toby,” Boenig said.
Toby Boenig and his parents agree that the support of
friends and family has been a great help throughout the re
habilitation process.
The Boenigs said friends and family have helped them both
emotionally and financially.
Joyce Boenig, Toby’s mother, said her son could not have
made as much progress without so many people’s prayers.
George Boenig said many of Toby’s friends from A&M still
call and visit. Amanda Cochran, a junior marketing major,
came over and played “42” with the family last Friday.
George Boenig said the Singing Cadets benefit concert held
for Toby last September was “unbelievable.”
“I really hadn’t imagined that many kids would show up,”
Boenig said.
Toby Boenig said the $9,500 raised at the concert was a big
help because the family’s insurance company stopped paying
for his rehabilitation after four months.
Boenig said his family and friends from A&M have been
a blessing.
“God has put so many people in my life to help me get
through this,” he said. “It really hasn’t been easy, but it’s
been easier than if I had to go through this whole ordeal
without them.”
Photograph: Tim Moog
p|\/ A 1/ijhp, Dustin Lovell, a fourth grader at Fannon Elementary,-,brings in his kite at the Polo Fields
riy n Sunday afternoon.
Ags honored for work with
WWII Tank Destroyer Force
Boenig
By Erica Roy
The Battalion
Almost 50 years after the Tank De
stroyer Force was disbanded and inte
grated into the U.S. Army, the men of
this unit are being honored at monu
ments across the country.
Two Aggies who fought in World War
II with the Tank Destroyer Force, an
anti-tank armored vehicle division,
were honored at a monument in Fort
Sill, Okla., on July 3.
Lt. Gen. Andrew D. Bruce, Class of ’16,
developed the Force and its tank-train
ing methods at Camp Hood, Texas (now
known as Fort Hood) from 1941-1943.
First Lt. Turney W. Leonard, Class of
'42, was one of the eight members of
the Force awarded the Medal of Honor.
Col. Bob French, national coordinator
of the World War II Tank Destroyer Soci
ety, said 5,000 members of the Force were
killed in the war. It is credited with de
stroying 2,500 German tanks.
French said the Tank Destroyer
Force “just sort of disappeared in histo
ry,” but Americans need to remember
the Force because of their dominance
in fighting German tanks.
“It’s important [to remember] be
cause we were considered more or less
a suicide force,” French said. “It was
very daring.”
Calvin C. Boykin, Class of’46 and in
coming president of the Tank Destroy
er Society, said the Force was small
compared to the rest of the Army.
“It was a lively group,” Boykin said.
“They were ready to fight, and they
did well.”
Bruce, who is known as the “Father
of Fort Hood,” is featured on the
Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor in the
Corps Center.
Boykin said that when he arrived at
Camp Hood as a new recruit in 1943, he
noticed that Bruce made the troops feel
at home.
“He was the kindest officer I’d ever
seen,” he said. “He gave us a very uplift
ing speech.”
Please see Force on Page 2.
Vvv-'OWO
Photograph: Tim Moog
First Lt. Itirney W. Leonard, Class of
’42, was one of the eight members of
the Tank Destroyer Force awarded the
Medal of Honor.
Ratings agreement threatens television reform plans
WASHINGTON (AP) — New detailed
TV ratings are in the headlines, but four
members of Congress contend that
such on-screen warnings do nothing to
fix what’s really wrong with television:
the shows are offensive.
The lawmakers — Sens. Joseph
Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sam Brown-
back, R-Kan., and Reps. Lamar Smith, R-
Texas, and Joe Kennedy, D-Mass. — are
pushing legislation to require that early-
evening television programs be free of
sexual innuendo, deletable expletives or
sly euphemisms for crude language.
But a deal that other lawmakers
made with the TV industry may prevent
the bills from going anywhere.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-
Miss., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the
Commerce Committee chairman, and
seven other senators promised indus
try leaders they would oppose, among
other things, legislation aimed at creat
ing a “family viewing hour.” The assur
ance, similar to ones made by key
House members, was in exchange for
the industry’s agreement to adopt
stronger voluntary program ratings.
That agreement bodes ill for the new
“family viewing” proposals, which would
grant television networks a limited ex
emption from antitrust laws and allow
them together to reinstate and develop
voluntary programming standards.
Please see Ratings on Page 6.