The following information appears in compliance with the 1987 State of Texas Hazing Law: Texas Hazing Law Texas A&M University On August 31, 1987, a new law went into effect in the State of Texas regarding HAZING. Below is an abbreviated summary, in question and answer form, of the contents of that law and the applicability and implications for students, faculty and staff at Texas A&M University. THIS IS ONLY A SUMMARY. Certain points in the law have been omitted in this summary for editorial purposes. For the full text of the law, please see Appendix VI of the 1997-98 Student Rules. What is the definition of Hazing? "Hazing" means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, occurring on or off campus of Texas A&M University, by one person alone or acting with others, directed against a student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliation with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization whose memberships are or include students at Texas A&M University. The term included but is not limited to: (a) Any type of physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, striking, branding, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on the body, or similar activity. (b) Any type of physical activity, such as sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements,con finement in a small place, calisthenics, or other activities that subjects the student to an unrea sonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the stu dent. (c) Any activity involving consumption of a food, liquid, alcoholic beverage, liquor, drug, or other substance which subjects the student to an unreasonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the student. (d) Any activity that intimidates or threatens the student with ostracism, that subjects the stu dent extreme mental stress, shame, or humiliation, or adversely affects the mental health or dig nity of the student or discourages the student from entering or remaining registered in an edu cational institution, or that may reasonably be expected to cause a student to leave the organi zation or the institution rather than submit to acts described in the subsection. (e) Any activity that induces, causes, or requires the student to perform a duty or task which involves a violation of the penal code. In addition, Texas A&M University has also defined hazing to include: (a) Misuse of authority by virtue of your class rank or leadership position. (b) Any form of physical bondage. (c) Any form of “Quadding”. How do I commit a hazing offense? A person commits an offense if the person: (a) Engages in hazing (b) Solicits, encourages, directs, aids or attempts to aid another in engaging in hazing. (c) Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly permits hazing to occur. (d) Has firsthand knowledge of the planning of a specific hazing incident involving a student of Texas A&M University, or firsthand knowledge that a specific hazing incident has occurred, and knowingly fails to report said knowledge in writing to the appropriate University official. Does it matter if I did not intend to hurt anyone? No. Texas A&M's policies state that if one of the above occurs, it is HAZING, regardless of the intent. Does it matter if the person being hazing agrees to the activity? No. The new law and Texas A&M's policies state that if one above occurs, it is HAZING, regardless of the consent or cooperation of the recipient. What is the penalty if I am found guilty of hazing? (a) Failing to report hazing: Fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 180 days in jail. (b) Hazing resulting in no serious bodily injury: Fine of $500 to $1,000 and/or 90-180 days in jail. (c) Hazing resulting in serious bodily injury: Fine of $1,000 - $5,000 and/or 180 days to 1 year in jail. (d) Hazing resulting in death: Fine of $5,00 - $10,000 and/or 1-2 years in jail. (e) Except where the hazing results in death, the student may be required to perform com munity service in lieu of confinement in jail. (f) The student may also be subject to University disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the University, in addition to or regardless of any penalty imposed by the state. Can an organization be found guilty of hazing? Yes. An Organization commits an offense if the organization condones or encourages hazing or if an officer or any combination of members, pledges, or alumni of the organization commits or assists in the commission of hazing. Can I get into trouble for reporting hazing? No. Any person who reports a specific hazing incident involving a student to an appropriate University official is protected from civil or criminal liability. However, a person who reports in bad faith or with malice is not protected by this section. Where do I report hazing? Office of the Commandant (845-2811) if the hazing was committed by members of the Corps of Cadets. Department of Student Activities (845-1133) if the hazing was committed by members of a Greek organization or other recognized student organization. Student Judicial Affairs Office (845-5262) all other incidents of hazing. The following information appears in compliance with the 1987 state of Texas Hazing Law shown above: Student Organization Hazing Violations: Organization name: Alpha Kappa Psi Date of Incident: February 28, 1995 Description of Incident: Subjecting pledges to activities that “intimidates or threatens the student with ostracism, that subjects the student to mental stress, shame or humiliation, or that adverse ly affects the mental health or dignity of the student". Pledges were blindfolded, led into a room and told to kneel; when the blindfolds were removed they found bowls of ice cream and no uten sils and were told to eat the ice cream. Pledges were subjected to ridicule by active members as they attempted to eat the ice cream in this manner. Some pledges were told the ice cream contained alcohol although it did not. Action Taken: The chapter was put on a one year probation. They must revise the chapter pledge program and submit it to the Department of Student Activities. The chapter was also required to sponsor an educational program on Texas Hazing Laws and University policies. Organization name: Company P-2, Texas A&M University Corp of Cadets Date of Incident: Fall 1995 Semester and earlier Description of Incident: It had become "company policy" for cadets of the sophomore class to be hit periodically by a junior cadet for “motivational purposes". Additionally, other cadets were sometimes hit with an ax handle for “passing down” positions or for similar reasons. Refusal to accept licks was allowed, but few declined. Action Taken: University hearings were held for those individuals involved with sanctions rang ing from University suspension for two semesters to multiple Corps disciplinary actions. Company P-2 was placed on Conduct Probation and most of the leadership was replaced. Organization name: Pi Kappa Alpha Date of Incident: February, 1996 Description of Incident: Activities that included, but were not limited to forced exercise, sleep deprivation, forced ingestion of inedible mixtures, exposure to the elements, forced work. Action Taken: Fraternity on a 2 year probation through Spring 1998; meetings with Greek affairs staff 2 times per semester throughout probation; sponsor and fund an outside speaker on posi tive pledge programming for Greek community; 400 hours of community service to be complet ed by 75% of chapter membership by Spring 1996; semester report for each pledge class and risk management program; written letter of apology to landowner where hazing took place. Organization name: Kappa Alpha Order Date of Incident: October 14, 1996 Description of Incident: Pledges were taken to a remote location late at night and forced to undergo a “lineup" that included forced exercises, such as push ups, calisthenics, and army low crawl in the dark. Pledges were denied any water, were subjected to degrading confrontations by activities and were physically “manhandled" - pushed to the ground or picked up forcefully. One encounter resulted in severe injury, hospitalization and emergency surgery of a pledge. Action Taken: Fraternity suspended until Fall, 1999 - a joint decision of the University and the fraternity’s national headquarters. Organization name: Company B-2, Corp of Cadets Date of Incident: Fall Semester, 1996 Description of Incident: At the unit Christmas party, an upperclass member of the company hazed freshmen members by giving them single “licks” with an ax handle. Alcohol was also pro vided to minors and inappropriate skits which bordered on sexual harassment were performed. Action Taken: Hearings were held for all involved and individual sanctions were assigned. A number of the members left the Corps and others were dispersed to new companies. The unit was disbanded and is no longer a part of the Corps of Cadets. Organization name: Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity Date of Incident: January 8, 1997 Description of Incident: During pre-semester work week activities, pledges were forced to par ticipate in calisthenics, an outdoor line up where they were hosed down, forced to hold push-up positions and participate in other activities that subjected them to potential harm. Pledges were forced to wear demeaning attire and to violate IFC alcohol policies. Action Taken: After appeal, the fraternity was suspended until Fall semester, 1999. The same sanction was applied by the national fraternity headquarters. Organization name: Fish Drill Team, Corp of Cadets Date of Incident: Spring Semester 1997 Description of Incident: Members of the Fish Drill Team were subjected to acts of hazing and physical assault by the nine upperclassmen who served as advisors (instructors) for the team. Specific actions occurred periodically throughout the semester and took place during drill prac tice as well as during night visits to individual fish (freshman) rooms. Action Taken: University hearings were held for all involved, including those advisors from pre vious years who were still enrolled in the University. Sanctions ranged from expulsion to deferred suspension. The Fish Drill Team itself was suspended for an indefinite period. September 1. 1994 through August 31. 1995 Outcomes of Individual Hazing Cases September 1,1995 through August 31. 1996 September 1. 1996 through August 31. 1997 Tetal Cases: 44 Total Cases: 44 Total Cases: 66 Suspension Deferred Suspension Conduct Probation Removal from Housing Deferred Removal from Housing Hall Probation Letter of Reprimand Warning Censure Suspension Deferred Suspension Conduct Probation Letter of Reprimand Registration Block No Action* Expulsion Dismissal Suspension Deferred Suspension Conduct Probation Letter of Reprimand Warning Registration Block No Action* 1 4 7 6 9 27 2 *Nc Action indicates that the student was not found to be responsible for the charges initiated. c The Battalion AMPUS Monday • October 20 Thompson Continued from Page 1 “We’ve already proven in this last decade we cannot build prison beds fast enough,” he said. “We need to send more people to school and less to prison. It costs $32,000 to maintain one person in prison a year. That’s a fairly good load for the taxpayers.” Teni Parker, director of communications for the Sys tem, said Thompson constantly is working for students. “Students are definitely his No. 1 concern,” she said. “He strongly believes education is the key to success and life.” Thompson was born in the small West Texas town of Kermit and has seen firsthand the downfalls of a lack of education. “I grew up in a very geographically isolated part of the state,” he said. “Ninety percent of the people there have never even been out of the state. You find people who don’t believe a man has been on the moon and often only have a sixth- grade education.” Thompson said the System must continue set ting goals and must not be satisfied with the sta tus quo. “I think we need to take on a broader view of ed ucation,” he said. “Some of us seem to be provincial, and some of us might not be aware of the global changes. Education has always been a challenge in a capitalistic free enterprise system.” Thompson said his belief in goal-setting goes back to his days growing up in Hubbard, Texas. It was there, he said, that his grandmothers en couraged his confident personality. “I had very strong-willed grandmothers and great-grandmothers,” he said. “They really believed that I could do anything.” Thompson also learned to travel at an early age, moving from Texas to New Mexico to California. “My father was a naval officer in World Wai‘ II,” he said, “and I learned to ride the transcontinental railroad.” As chancellor, Thompson travels throughout Texas to meet with various groups and state representatives. “I have 11 to 20 appointments each week,” he said. “We have ag commodity groups, county judges, city councilmen and state leaders. There really isn’t a typical week.” Thompson, who received his doctorate in sociol ogy from Texas A&M, said the past three years have been a fast learning process. “In the last 38 months, I have learned more in a short amount of time than I have ever learned,” he said. “It’s been a very compressed, fascinating education.” Childers Continued from Page 1 During high school, Childers participated in student council and National Honor Society. He also played saxophone in the band. Childers said the person who had the most influence on him was his agriculture teacher, who also was the adviser of FFA, an agricultural youth organization. “He took me, as well as many oth er students, to conventions and con tests outside of Glen Rose,” he said. ‘As a freshman in high school, he en couraged me to run for office in the FFA, and I became the greenhand (freshman) president. He believed in me, and believed that I could really accomplish something.” After high school, Childers said, he gained valuable experi ence as.he traveled for two years as the state and then national president of the FFA. Alice Gonzalez, speaker of the Student Senate and a junior agri cultural development major, said she has known Childers through FFA since she was a freshman in high school. She said Childers was famous in the FFA. “I find it ironic that in college I found myself speaking for him at meetings when he was running for student body president,” she said. “I was behind his campaign be cause I knew he had something new to offer Texas A&M students. He has accomplished everything I knew he could and so much more.” Childers said on his first visit to A&M, for FFA competitions, he met Joe Townsend, associate dean of the College of Agriculture. “Joe Townsend remembered my name and personal things about me, like my SAT score, my office in FFA and what I was in volved in at school,” he said. “It was that personal contact more than anything that made me choose Texas A&M.” Childers said he loves the Uni versity because Aggies are devot ed to the school. “No other university instills such pride in its students,” he said. “Maybe big football schools, but it isn’t the university people feel strongly about, it is the athlet ic program.” As student body president, Childers said he provides an im portant link between students and the University administration. “I ensure that students are in on decisions,” he said. “Some one with a student perspective must be looking out for student needs. I could not really accom plish anything alone, but all the student representatives involved around campus contribute.” Childers said he is excited about the future of A&M and sees the graduate enrollment increasing and a more diverse student body. “I think that in the future the Uni versity will begin to evaluate the im pact of traditions on students and make sure every student under stands and gets the opportunity to take part in our traditions,” Childers said. “Not eveiy student has experi enced the traditions of Texas A&M which is significant because they are not getting the best education they can get and they won’t be able to promote A&M as well.” Childers will graduate in De cember of 1998. He wants to work for an agricultural compa ny in marketing or public rela tions, but looks forward to start ing his own company and working independently. Corridor /[one Continued from Pagel Visitors to the Bush LM Museum may travel down 1)1 and connect to either FM2|_ I Iwy 6 to arrive at the library" The Bryan-College Station her of Commerce reported , that more than 300,000vista pected to tour the libraryanc um in the next year. |iAN 11A The lack of continuot ga norr lane access keeps the aret ijlher t contention for many busir n g as gtat portunities, proponen wea iyof widened highway accesss; q Ui Tim Lomax, a researche^YVjIdea with the Texas Transportatit jjj Aver t tute at A&M, said when mi j (ook ; turing businesses thatrequi r f oirnan ping consider differentcit 3 j (1>cas ^ businesses look at whether j n m has four-lane access toanin Bishop r highway. d threw! “It’s not a typical questior, ^e winn uncongested is yourtwo-lar. “p,.’ s the way or is it adequate orisitfou’ve seen most of the way,” he said, ruyen sai analyses don’t always get dor ’ u can’t st He said businesses wan Bishop able to provide a reliableestir||ed the travel time. Better estima ;sion41:2 possible with a four-lane [ Jy37 offe cause, in case of an accide; A week , and trucks could go around mce of tl abled vehicles instead ofbei iyed its v\ up until the accident is clear The p r j r “You don't want your trav fen se wa to be an hour plus or minus!fi |()nly t utes,” he said. a do for 2i Lomax said if not ford ;swere hr lane roads, Bryan-CollegeNs. It wast would be a more desirabli(ansas St ness location, particularly: Seniorrij houses one of the nations Idnotbel colleges and plenty of intei “Theyh; talent. eywereg “I think the feeling is thai y said. “I a lot more we can doasact yand th nity to capitalize on that tale at our off said. “There are businessop by any n nities that we’re missing out™ Proponents cite safety corpit as well as business reasons foil ing a four-lane highwayintoaof town where students areccffil using the two-lane roads. Backers cite Department!)! lie Safety statistics showinf than 600 accidents on theroacj tween 1990 and 1996, 300 of those resulting ini Weather Outlook a handful involving deaths. , rnnnf i h The Chamber of ConffiW- WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Mostly cloudy High: 61 0 Low: 45° Showers High: 66° Low: 44° Scattered T-storms High: 83° Low: 64° yHlegeV says Bryan-College Statior.| ansas largest metropolitan area 3 j oc k s f rc United States without contir.j| rs j (v c . four-lane highway access. wi ev ille The two congressmen ^ ea t a t districts include the areahavt||L ar j ors trying to get federal money: four-lane project. 5- si TV 1 FEN-PHEN REDCIX-POMDIMIN-(DEX)FENFLURAMINE UNDISCLOSED DANGERS SERIOUS HEALTH QUESTIONS GET STRAIGHT ANSWERS 800-447-6443 PEARSON & PEARSgN, P.C. ATTORNEYS AT LAW HOOSTON, TEXAS. SOME CASES LIKELY REFERRED OR WORKED JOINTLY. NOT CERTIFIED TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION. ALPHA PHI a social sorority .nance, hangedt -e kno OOl Wc M schc wever, aring ( % gs Would like to announce our Fall Membership Selections Tues.. Oct. 21 st : 8 Wed.. Oct. •?>» 3 si 22 ,,d : •7 Koldus Rm. 110 • 7:30pm * Informational MSC Downstairs • 7:00pm * Bowling, Billiards, and games Thurs.. Oct 23 l