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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1997)
t JEI By E YoO poiiEi hcr Ml ter 4 th YEAR‘ISSUE 15 /•by scheduled Satuday’s game our Air Force F-15 fighters will fly Kyle Field tomorrow during half- of the football game between A&M and the University of hwest Louisiana. ie fly-by is in honor of American iers who are missing in action or risoners of war. he fighters will fly in the "Missing formation as a wreath-laying mony is conducted on the field, ngel Flight-Silver Wings and >ld Air Society are sponsoring svents. dets to become ies for a Day’ [pproximately 2,100 Junior ROIC ts from 50 Texas high schools isit Texas A&M Saturday as part ie Corps of Cadets’ “Aggie For a program. ie visiting students will tour the s housing area and the Sam ston Sanders Corps Center, at- a Corps presentation in Rudder torium and the Texas A&M-Uni- ity of Southwest Louisiana foot- game. he program is intended to moti- high-school students to attend ige and to give them a glimpse of a the Corps. ise Restaura bbersentenced 33-year term ROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A nsville man has been sen- d to 33 years in prison for ing half a million dollars in a of bank heists. federal judge sentenced Rafael a Guerrero Wednesday. He was icted in June on six counts of d robbery of three banks in April flvlay 1994 and January 1995. osecutors alleged Gracia was of a sophisticated crew of rob- that made off with $531,982 Rio Grande Valley banks. No CandleliteDm suspects have been arrested. Gourmet Fare ons - 364-2868 Holiday Reservarioi b & t Oak Mall ^ KKY MDSON tic rock at rolll 9 pm • Mo Cova our NEW 1, GET I sistant U.S. Attorney Mervyn Dacker lauded the long prison saying this kind of crime “de- s a harsh penalty.” dit critical of alth Commision USTIN (AP) — The Texas Health Human Services Commission done little to provide leadership guidance in serving Texans in , according to a state audit, the report, released Wednes- auditors said Health and Hu- Services Commissioner Mike inney had failed to lead the six- old agency in planning and bud- ig for the state’s health and hu- services needs, he state’s expectations for the ased effectiveness and effi- y of service delivery in health human services programs and ities are yet to be realized,” the tsaid. hous artments inager’s Special on in town, ss! Lab rking campus, take h Across the First left. 196-5707 III The Party Never Ends: Country musician, Robert Earl Keen to perform at Aggie Kickoff. See Page 3 j.net/treehoiii Jies seeking revenge ** linst USL after last son’s disappointing loss. See Page 7 IGE PARK 6 THEAlS AST 29TH STREET I, TX TIME GUIDE FORMATION IS VALIDj DAY SEPT. 15-18J ! 7:15 9:55 7:00 10:00 7:05 9:40 7:30 9:45 7:10 9:50 7:20 9:35 opinion s: ‘Generation X’ label ittles student population implying laziness. See Page 9 WSM http://bat-web.tamu.edu ok up with state and na- nal news through The re, AP’s 24-hour online s service. • 10 PAGES COLLEGE STATION • TX FRIDAY‘SEPTEMBER 19 *1997 A&M minority enrollment decreases By Joey Jeanette Schlueter Staff writer The effect of the Hopwood decision on minority enrollment at Texas A&M is evident in enrollment figures for the 1997 fall se mester, A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen said yesterday. The enrollment for Texas A&M’s main campus is 41,461 students. Last year, A&M had an enrollment of 41,892 students. Freshman enrollment is 6,233 students, a 2-percent drop from last year’s 6,387 students. Of the freshman class, 178 are African- American and 607 are Hispanic, a drop of 23 percent and 15 percent respectively from last year (230 and 713). In August, the University estimated this decline. The number of white freshmen dropped as well, from 5,136 students last year to 5,015 this year, a two-percent decrease. Bowen said the Hopwood decision played a role in the decrease of minority freshmen at A&M. “The anticipated impact of the Hopwood decision on new freshmen is evident in the percentage decrease of both African-Ameri cans and Hispanics enrolled at the College Station campus this fall,” he said. Enrollment figures for A&M have de creased for all ethnicities except Native Amer icans and International students, who saw a slight increase. A&M’s minority enrollment, which in cludes black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American students, makes up 16 percent of the student body,. African-Americans make up three percent of the student body with 1,252 enrolled, com pared to lastyear’s 1,320 (a5-percent decrease). Hispanics make up 10 percent with 3,972 students, as compared to last year’s 4,052 stu dents (a 2-percent decrease). White students make up 77 percent with 31,735 students, as compared to last year’s 32,241 students. Bowen said the figures are what the Uni versity expected for this year. “Enrollment this fall on the main campus at College Station is only one percent below the 41,892 of a year ago and right on target with our controlled-enrollment plan,” he said. ih nicify 1997 1096 I) if fere Native American 2 C > 24 21% Asian 224 177 27%. Black m 250 -23% Hispanic 607 715 -15% While 5015 5136 International 50 45 tr Other/Blank 150 62 110% Please see Enrollment on Page 5. BRAD GRAEBER/The Battalion Chalk it up ROBERT McKAY/The Battalion Gilbert Saldivar, a junior sociology major, lines up a shot in the basement of the MSC Thursday afternoon. AIDS victim delivers motivational speech By Karie Fehler Staff writer A Christian speaker with AIDS said last night that most circum stances people encounter in life are beyond their control, but they allow the circumstances to control their behavior. The Texas A&M Campus Cru sade for Christ hosted speaker Steve Sawyer last night in Rudder Theater. Sawyer, who has hemophilia, contracted HFV, Hepatitis B and He patitis C from blood transfusions to treat his condition when he was eight years old. Sawyer was diagnosed with HIV in 1990, when he was a sophomore in high school. Sawyer said he learned early in life to deal with situations out of his control. He said he coped with his pain by punching walls and doors, and was in denial of his condition. “I would look at myself in the mirror and say, 1 don’t look sick. 1 don’t look like I’m dying,’” he said. Sawyer said he allowed these cir cumstances to control his behavior and attitudes. He denied his condi tion until his senior year in high school, when he became ill. “When I looked in the mirror, I no longer saw someone who was healthy,” he said. “I now saw some one who looked like they were dy ing.” Sawyer lost 40 pounds, and his white blood count dropped to near the level of full-blown AIDS. The doctors gave Sawyer one year to live. Please see Speech on Page 5. Senate celebrates 50th anniversary By Brandye Brown Staff writer The Texas A&M Student Senate and former senators will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Senate this weekend.. More than 500 former senators have been invited to A&M, includ ing officers who served on the first Senate in 1947. Mandy Gomez, external affairs chair and a junior political science and speech communications ma jor, said she is excited to meet for mer senators and learn from their experiences. “This is important for the Sen ate, because we plan on drilling the former senators with ques tions,” she said. “They went through so many important changes here at A&M. Just to hear what they have to say will be im portant as students continue on for 50 more years of success.” The Senate will have a special session tonight at 7 p.m. in the MSC Flag Room. After the session, the group will watch a presentation in the Koldus Building on the history of the past 50 years of the Student Senate. Also, the senators will at tend MidnightYell. On Saturday, senators will tour the campus and attend the football game between A&M and the Uni versity of Southwest Louisiana. After the game, a senator from 1947 will speak, and then senators will divide into smaller groups for discussion. The weekend will conclude Sun day morning with a breakfast and a presentation at the Sam Houston Sanders Corps Center. Please see Senate on Page 5. ’97 Yell Leaders maintain Aggie traditions, spirit By Rachel Dawley StaffWriter Got a little story for you, Ags.... It started back in 1910, when Aggieland was differ ent than it is today. Seniors in the Corps of Cadets want ed to impress their dates, who seemed bored with the Aggie football games. Freshmen were /ent to the sidelines to entertain spectators. Soon, the freshmen began coming up with sayings to yell at the audience and were so entertain ing that the seniors often found their dates in the arms of these “yell leaders.” When the seniors pulled them off the field and took their place, the tradition of Yell Leaders began. Three seniors and two juniors are elected by the stu dent body each year to carry on this tradition. This year’s Yell Leaders are Tim Duffy, Brandon Meche, Kyle Sparkman, Sam Bluntzer and Brandon Neff. Duffy, head Yell Leader and a senior marketing ma jor, said the Yell Leaders’ focus is to ensure the 12th Man is excited about A&M athletics and traditions. “We act as a liaison between the athletic teams and the students,” he said. “It is an honor and privilege to repre sent the student body as a member of the 12th Man.” Kyle Sparkman, a senior yell leader and a biomed ical science major, said Yell Leaders are working to im prove interaction between student leaders and ath letes. The Yell Leaders gave freshmen athletes tours of the campus and attended the A&M soccer game last Sunday. “Athletes need to know that we are there for them,” Sparkman said. “If we didn’t have them, then there would be no Yell Leaders. Our goal is to make a differ ence and be the best five Yell Leaders.” The five Yell Leaders attend athletic events and var ious speaking engagements during the year. They speak on behalf of Texas A&M athletics and traditions at Aggie Moms’ Clubs, Freshmen Orientation Week and Fish Camp. Jill Newman, chair of the Traditions Council and a senior journalism major, saidYell Leaders are the basis for many Aggie traditions, including MidnightYell, the 12th Man, Elephant Walk and Fish Pond. “The Yell Leaders are such a wonderful representa tion of the student body,” she said. “Yell Leaders sym bolize our heritage as Aggies. Their origins hail back to OF Army days, and they set us apart from other schools.” Because Texas A&M is the only school with Yell Lead ers, rivals are confused but amazed by the position and the unity of the 12th Man, Duffy said. Rick Perry, Texas commissioner of agriculture and Class of '72, served as a Yell Leader. The Yell Leaders are a focal point of the spirit of Texas A&M, Perry said. Please see Leaders on Page 5. Plans announced for Northside remodeling By Courtney See Staffwriter The Residence Hall Association (RHA) was informed Wednesday about the Department of Resi dence Life’s plans to remodel some Northside residence halls. Dan Mizer, assistant director of the Department of Residence Life, presented renovation plans for Fowler, Hughes, Keathley, Mcln- nis, and Schuhmacher Halls. Mizer said the halls were built in the mid-1960’s and are in need of repair. “The renovation work needs to be lasting,” he said. “We’re looking to the future.” Mizer said one idea is to knock out walls in the residence hall rooms and convert the rooms into apartment-style living areas with kitchens, living rooms and sleep ing quarters. Other improvements being considered include parking areas, TV/ study lounges and com puter rooms. Mizer said a survey will be con ducted to give students an oppor tunity to voice their opinion. “A student survey is coming out, asking students’ opinions on the residence hall styles,” he said. “We want to gain student input to make sure the student voice is heard on the type of facility they’d like to see in renovation.” Eric Williams, president of RHA and a senior biomedical science major, said he is skeptical of resi dent reaction to the project. “One concern I feel students may have is about the loss of low- income housing,” he said. “One fear that many residents will have, if there are major renovations, is the loss of the five halls. Low-in come halls house many people. Over 1,000 spaces of low-income housing will be lost. It would be nice to see new buildings, but at the expense of current paid-for buildings? That would be a hard Please see Plans on Page 5.