nber 15,195
lames -
Texas A & M University
mmm
TODAY
TOMORROW
04™ YEAR • ISSUE 12 • 14 PACES
COLLEGE STATION • TX
See extended forecast, Page 2.
TUESDAY • SEPTEMBER 16 • 1997
Worteen
ed the
1 sing.
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on College’s et
re accepting
t ideas becaust
student body,
'enson said par
iltural Semces;
and Southwes
t Cion Terence
erse environrae
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DAY
ESDAY
ISC hosts forum
|n photojournalism
A program on the legal and
Ihical aspects of photojournal-
jn will be presented by MSC
hat Issues tonight at 7 p.m. in
02 MSC.
Speaking at the program will
Donnis Baggett, editor and
jiblisher of the Bryan-College
lation Eagle, Dr. Douglas Starr
jthe Texas A&M Department of
Jurnalism and Mary Helen Bow
ls of University Relations.
oderate quake
attles Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A moder-
earthquake rattled Mexico’s
uthwestern Pacific coast on
jnday and set skyscrapers
faying in the capital. No injuries
damages were reported.
The quake occurred at 10:38
and was located off the
xican state of Guerrero, in
abed approximately 150 miles
uth-southeast of Acapulco,
smologists said.
Mexico’s seismology institute
id the quake measured magni-
e 5.2.
lourt rules out
Ided redistricting
HOUSTON (AP) — A federal court
s rejected a Republican voter
up’s request for more court-or-
ed congressional redistricting in
Houston and Dallas areas.
The group, led by Houston in-
tment broker Edward Blum,
bied for the original redesign
the districts devised by a
ee-member panel of federal
ges last year, but asked for
ire changes earlier this year.
In the Monday ruling, the panel
nd that voters would be con
ed needlessly if districts were re-
iwn so close to the 2000 census,
r which the districts would be re-
iwn anyway.
9 project lacks
deral funding
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A pro-
al to link the Rio Grande Valley
Jh a free-trade superhighway has
|en given priority status in federal
;hway legislation, but the bill com-
s no money toward the project.
That brought no discouraging
rds from Valley officials, who are
king for any progress toward in-
porating the area into the na-
h’s interstate highway system.
1-69, dubbed the “NAFTA Super
bway,” currently stretches from the
Jnadian border at Port Huron,
|ch.,to Indianapolis. Because of
fnmerce brought by the North
erican Free Trade Agreement, fed-
I legislators have recognized the
id to extend it to Mexico, identify-
U.S. 59, U.S. 281 and U.S. 77 as
jssible corridors for an extension.
U.S. 59 passes through Laredo,
tiile U.S. 281 and U.S. 77 run
tirough the Valley.
The A&M In
line Hockey
Team heads
to Las Vegas
I search of a National
lampionship.
See Page 9
— opinion
ater: Aggie tradition of
Sying ‘Howdy’ deals with
cline in its value.
See Page 13
http://bat-web.tamu.edxi
took up with state and na-
lonal news through The
ire, AP’s 24-hour online
lews service.
UT, A&M react to prof’s remarks
Staff and Wire Reports
AUSTIN — The comments of a
University of Texas law school pro
fessor about black and Hispanic
students, which ignited a firestorm
of controversy at a school strug
gling to boost minority enrollment,
were condemned Monday by the
university’s top officials.
“Personally, we find his com
ment abhorrent,” three top offi
cials said. “We reaffirm today that
the University of Texas belongs to
all the people of this state.”
The response came in a writ
ten statement distributed to
newspaper editorial pages across
the state. It was signed by Donald
Evans, chair of the UT Board of
Regents; William Cunningham,
chancellor of the UT system; and
Spreading the word
Group aims to
revive ‘Howdy’
By Daniel Thevis
Staff ivriter
An organization known as Howdy Ags was estab
lished this semester to revive the use of “Howdy” at
Texas A&M and to renew the Aggie spirit.
Pat Moran, co-founder of the group and a senior
industrial distribution major, said the organization
was formed because each year fewer students par-
See related column, Page 13
ticipate in A&M traditions than in past years.
“Over the years, participation in the (“Howdy”]
tradition went down,” Moran said. “The goal of
Howdy Ags is to get people reinvolved with the tra
dition and show people how friendly A&M is.”
Moran said the group has several ways to en-
^ courage partic
ipation in the
“Howdy” tradi
tion. The orga
nization sells T-
shirts with the
word “Howdy”
printed on the
front and “Save
the Word”
printed on the
back.
Moran said the organization also wants to distrib
ute signs reading “Say Howdy” for students to display
in residence-hall windows as reminders to those
walking on campus.
Chris May, co-founder and a senior finance ma
jor, said the “Howdy” tradition sets the University
apart from other institutions.
“One of the reasons I came to A&M was because
the campus was so friendly,” May said. “We want to
do whatever it takes to make A&M the friendliest
campus in the world.”
May said Howdy Ags received 120 applications
for committee membership. Of those, 35 applicants
will be asked to join. The committee will meet regu
larly and participate in activities to revive the tradi
tion on campus.
Moran said the committee will work with the Tra
ditions Council in some of its activities.
The Traditions Council holds “Howdy Week”
once a semester, during which stickers are passed
out and students are reminded of the tradition.
Moran said Howdy Ags hopes to make the event
more exciting than ever.
He said the committee will talk with other cam
pus organizations, including the Corps of Cadets,
fraternities and sororities, about becoming involved
with saving the “Howdy” tradition.
May said Howdy Ags hopes to see every student
become a part of the revival.
“Not everyone at A&M says ‘Howdy’,” May said,
“but all Aggies do.”
Peter Flawn, interim president of
the flagship campus, UT-Austin.
Their reaction followed remarks
made by UT law professor Lino
Graglia last week at the announce
ment of a new student organiza
tion supporting a federal court rul
ing outlawing race-based
admissions policies in Texas.
Graglia is a faculty adviser for the
group.
“Blacks and Mexican-Ameri-
cans are not academically com
petitive with whites in selective
institutions,” Graglia said then. “It
is the result primarily of cultural
effects. They have a culture that
seems not to encourage achieve
ment. Failure is not looked upon
with disgrace.”
Graglia said it was unfortunate
he and his remarks would be la
beled racist. But he said the facts
regarding most minority students’
study habits and their educational
“We’ve done a lot of
talking about diversity.
It’s time to go out and do
something about it.”
CURTIS CHILDERS
A&M STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT
background are clear and called af
firmative-action programs at
tempts to ignore those facts.
Since then, students, state law
makers and others have called for
Graglia’s ouster. University offi
cials have said they can’t remove
Graglia, a tenured professor, sim
ply for expressing his opinion.
Curtis Childers, Texas A&M
student body president and a se
nior agricultural development
major, said this incident should
be a catalyst for change in Texas
universities.
“It’s time for leadership on the
[diversity] issue,” he said. “We’ve
done a lot of talking about diver
sity. It’s time to go out and do
something about it.”
Childers also said he hopes
public interest in the National
Post-Hopwood Summit in October
increases after Graglia’s comments.
“There’s a mixed message [to
the public] if students are coming
together to support diversity and
people who the public perceives
as being associated with the Uni
versity of Texas are saying things
like this,” he said.
Childers said the comments
could cause some universities to
act on the issue of diversity.
“It’s unfortunate, but sometimes
it’s this kind of controversy that al
lows change to happen,” he said.
In a news release, Randy Cooke,
Student Government vice presi
dent at UT, said although Graglia
has the right to voice his opinion,
his comments are not indicative of
UT’s position on diversity.
“It must be made absolutely
clear that Professor Graglia does
not speak on behalf [of] the Uni
versity of Texas at Austin, nor do
his comments reflect the Univer
sity’s prevalent attitudes toward
minorities,” Cooke said.
Please see Law School on Page 5.
“We want to do whatever
it takes to make A&M
the friendliest campus in
the world.”
CHRIS MAY
CO-FOUNDER OF HOWDY AGS
Pit stop
DEREK DEMERE/The Battalion
Rob Mahin, show car coordinator for Texaco racing, shows off their Formula One car (foreground) and Stock car outside the
MSC Monday afternoon
Chinese delegation visits campus for
training in the business aspect of sports
By Karie Fehler
Staff writer
The Chinese Delegation of University
Sport School Principals visited Texas A&M
Sunday and Monday to learn more about
sport management programs in the Unit
ed States.
Texas A&M was the only southwestern
U.S. university the delegation visited. Last
week they visited the University of Wind
sor in Canada and the University of
Michigan. The delegation’s next stop will
be San Jose State University in California.
Frank Ashley, associate dean of the
College of Education and coordinator of
the Texas A&M sport management pro
gram, said the group wants to learn more
about administration, organization and
business aspects of sport management.
“Sports are big business,” he said. “Just
look at Tiger Woods — he’s the perfect ex
ample. He’s making $60 million whether
he wins or loses. There’s also big money in
contracts, advertising and marketing. This
is part of what the Chinese delegation is
interested in.”
The Cliinese delegation visited the Ne-
tum Steed Laboratory, where they learned
about scientific research and training pro
grams in high-performance sports.
Karl Mooney, associate athletic direc
tor of academic affairs, spoke to the dele
gation about the combination of sports
and academics during a tour of Cain Hall.
“I gave the delegation a complete view
of what we do in terms of academic ath
letic support,” Mooney said. “They
learned about housing, Cain Hall com
puter support and tuition support.”
Mooney said the delegation was inter
ested in A&M’s sport-computer programs
and screening processes.
“They were intrigued at how we keep
track of all of our athletes,” he said. “They
were also amazed at how we screen ath
letes — they begin watching for talent
much younger than we do. If the Chinese
see a young child proficient in gymnas
tics, they will generally steer that child to
ward that sport. We don’t do that, and this
interested them.”
Tim Cassidy, assistant athletic director
for football operations, spoke with the
delegation about the criteria A&M uses in
selecting athletes and coaches.
Cassidy said universities typically re
view high-school coach recommenda
tions, character references and academic
recommendations when looking for po
tential recruits. He said coaches also visit
high-school games and watch video tapes
to evaluate talent.
These practices are not common in
China, Cassidy said.
Please see Delegation on Page 5.
NASA manager promotes leadership
AMY DUNLAP/The Battalion
Lucy Yates, a manager from NASA speaks to
graduate students Monday morning.
By Courtney See
Staff writer
A manager from NASA told MBA stu
dents Monday morning that a master’s de
gree .along with leadership skills, would en
able them to advance in their careers.
Lucy Yates, manager of the Internation
al Space Station business management of
fice for NASA at the Johnson Space Center,
spoke about the space program and how
business skills are incorporated into its
operations.
“At NASA, a master’s [degree] is neces
sary to advance,” she said. “Besides educa
tion, it’s how you apply the skills you learn
in academics that makes you successful.”
Yates discussed the development of the
International Space Center from a busi
ness perspective and gave students in
sight into the daily obstacles facing the
small management team as they try to
make NASA function in a more business
like manner.
“Even with education, you must develop
personal leadership,” she said. “You have to
apply those skills to solve problems effi
ciently, in a positive manner. That’s how
you set yourself apart from the others.”
Shelley Walls, a second-year MBA stu
dent, said she was impressed by the effort
Yates said business managers put forth.
“Government work seemed a lot more
challenging and interesting after she ex
plained the logistical challenges,” Walls
said. “When she first said that there were
only 60 people managing, I thought that
was insane. And then when she explained
the complications of working with the cur
rent business environment and the internal
sensitivities involved, I thought that it was
just amazing that anything gets done.”
Michael Trott, a second-year MBA stu
dent, said he had a better understanding of
the NASA program after Yates’ presentation.
“It gave me more of an idea of the inter
action between business and politics in
volved in the NASA program,” Trott said.
Patrick Buzzard, a director of A&M’s
MBA program, said students become more
encouraged to work on their master’s de
grees after hearing former MBA students’
experiences.
“My responsibility is to get speakers and
alumni to come and speak with the stu
dents,” he said. “People don’t see a direct
relationship between education and their
future. They’re (former MBA students) do
ing a lot for the MBA program.”
Yates, who graduated from Texas Tech
University with a degree in political science,
worked on her master’s degree at the Uni
versity of Texas at San Antonio.