Octobers
Texas A & M University
amp
in Nil
n"04 TH YEAR • ISSUE 42 • 12 PAGES
TODAY
53
TOMORROW
COLLEGE STATION • TX
See extended forecast. Page 2.
TUESDAY • OCTOBER 28 • 1997
Staff and wire report
ink it’s incunik';
1 a statement ak.
yers’ unionhas
policy,
;houldn’tcomeiijj
:rutiny becaiHj
ons of a fewpi: ■
ilayers —
?r and Marcusti
/ed in marijuai xho Dow Jones industrial average tum-
the summer >dp50 points Monday, forcing the stock
)okie Blaylock to shut down for the first time since
anadalastseasrl ngsi assassination attempt on Presi-
fficers caught nt Reagan.
Some Bryan-College Station financial
ana is nottestf alysts say the community will not be af-
ae bigthingguv : tecl by the fall.
ble withinthela The market’s best-known barometer fell
tab Jazz starKail.26 points to 7,161.15, surpassing the
nes. 8-point Black Monday crash of 1987 a its
you’re saying gjgest point drop ever,
playingincolt: Bui on a percentage basis, Monday’s’7.18
ae pot you wan:;; I':
detected untii| : ‘
by the cops at:,
wspapers."
sts: B-CS unaffected by market crash
percent drop by the Dow ranked as the 12th
biggest ever and did not come close to the 22-
percent loss on Oct. 19,1987.
Although the Dow is still up 11 percent
since the beginning of the year, the sell-off
put the Dow’s losses at about 900 points over
the past four sessions and 1,100 points since
it set a record high at 8,259.31 on Aug. 6.
“It’s a bloodbath,” Arnold Kaufman, a
market analyst at Standard & Poor’s, said.
“It scares you because when you get a de
cline this fast, there’s a risk it will keep
snowballing.”
Dr. Morgan Reynolds, a professor of eco
nomics at Texas A&M, said he is optimistic
about corporate earnings and said nothing
has happened to warrant nervousness.
“The prospects of capitalism are very
good and I’m not concerned,” Reynolds
said. “Local investors may have mixed views
because some people feel poorer when this
happens. But, those who keep long-run in
vestments in mind will benefit.”
The Dow’s drop triggered two circuit
breakers on the New York Stock Exchange
that had never been set off since they were
put in place following the 1987 sell-off. The
first circuit breaker, at 350 points, closed the
market for 30 minutes. The second, at 550,
halted trading for the day.
It remains to be seen how much of
Monday’s selling was fueled by mutual
fund investors. Publicly, however, many
individual investors portrayed an unflap
pable facade.
“From an investor’s standpoint, this is an
excellent opportunity to make money,”
Chris Davenport, a senior finance major at
A&M, said. “Inflation and interest rates are
low and our economy is healthy. There is no
reason it should drop much more.”
For many analysts, the drop was notable
because the Dow has fallen 13.3 percent from
its Aug. 6 record high of 8,259.31, its first
downturn of at least 10 percent in seven
years, the longest such streak since the 1960s.
Declining issues also outnumbered ad
vancers by an astounding 16-to-l margin
on the New York Stock Exchange, where vol
ume came to 685.50 million shares, the
busiest day ever in the exchange’s history.
Stocks started the day lower as another
sharp sell-off in Hong Kong triggered anoth
er wave of selling in financial markets around
the globe, but the selling did not pick up
steam in the United States until Monday af
ternoon. The Dow, for example, was down
just 115 points at midday.
Please see Market on Page 10.
n Saturday,
compete
hawks at
Center Natate
|niversity will not intervene
situation
you cute
By Robert Smith
Senior staff writer
Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice president of student
«|g Chrafair 5 ’ sa id Monday Texas A&M will take no action to
See related editorial, Page 11.
movest
es on the A&lt
n advanced to:;
nal competit; °P Bonfire participants from wearing sexually sug-
Southwest -stive phrases on their hard hats, or “pots.”
lips at the Ms “I don’t think there’s anything to step into,” Souther-
Jennis Cente: n d said. “It soundslike the students have responded
tian University sisudent leadership.”
d. Bonfire workers were photographed earlier this
irlos Tori fell :ionth at stack site wearing pots with lewd phrases.
Nick Crowelloi T At the Bonfire Advisory Council meeting in the
or Brent HorarlSC Monday, student leaders discussed lewd phras-
e semifinal rad worn on the pots at Bonfire,
ee sets to Juai Kevin Jackson, Borifire adviser, said Bonfire workers
tie Rock, 6-4, Jive taken steps this week to clean up their pots,
as will concludet “I think it was the right decision,” Jackson said. “The
:he America Wetiy is we’ve made good progress and we’re going to
ekend at Ricel tmtinue to make good progress.”
Southerland told Jackson and Head Stack John Galle-
rore before yesterday’s Bonfire Advisory Council meet-
tg.heis pleased with the progress and the University will
otlake any further action.
I Boothe leaders and advisers first discussed the issue
at last week’s council meeting.
Southerland said last week Bonfire workers had
one .week to voluntarily remove sexually profane
phrases from their pots without the University tak
ing action.
“We mutually agreed that one week was the appro
priate time for students to assist in no longer putting
profanities on the pots,” Southerland said.
Students must wear pots for protection when they
are working at Bonfire cut or stack site.
Jackson said last week no written rules will be
made about profanities, but Bonfire leaders will ad
vise participants to remove profane statements from
their pots.
“What we’re trying to do is appeal to people’s com
mon sense, that with the right of expression comes the
right of decency and respect,” Jackson said.
MSC Great Issues will host a panel Wednesday to
discuss the issue of profane phrases on Bonfire pots.
Student Body President Curtis Childers will moder
ate the discussion, and Gallemore and Battalion editor
in chief Helen Clancy will be on the panel.
The discussion will focus on whether Bonfire
needs to uphold certain standards, who would define
the standards and what role the student body should
play in these decisions.
t he discussion will have an open microphone and
will be in the MSC Flagroom.
Ranges made to Commons
lousing office hopes new additions will curb littering
By Amanda Smith
Staff writer
The South Area Housing office
as made changes to the front en-
aru e of the Commons Lobby in
isponse to student complaints
bout overcrowding and litter from
igarette smoke and trash.
RickTurnbough, area coordina-
Jr for the South Area office,, said
omplaints from students
Tompted the changes.
I “We are hoping that the prob-
3ms of smoking and overcrowding
an be taken care of,” he said. “In
he past two weeks, we have seen
toprovements. It’s a behavioral sit-
lation. We are hoping that students
Volunteerism:
A&M students
serve as tutors,
mentors to
local elementary
school students
See Page 3
M kicks off the 1997-98
isketball season with
sketball Mania’ tonight.
See Page 7
ffBpOH
oster: Greek organizations
ust show cultural diversity
[their memberships.
See Page 11
|http://bat -web.tamu.edu
ccess past stories and
itorials on the Bonfire
rofanity issue through
he Battalion archives.
can curtail their behavior.”
The Residence Hall Association
(RHA) purchased two large trash
containers with ashtrays to encour
age disposal of trash and cigarettes.
The housing office also moved
benches away from the doors to
reduce congestion at the entrance
of the lobby.
Craig Patterson, an RHA dele
gate for Dunn Hall and a sopho
more molecular and cell biology
major, said the front entrance pro
vides a hangout for students living
in and near the Commons.
“It (the Commons) is a central
meeting place for people,” Patter
son said. “I do not smoke, but the
smoke has never affected me. As
long as people are responsible, I
think that the changes will be
good. Although the benches are in
the same local area, (the move
ment) uncongests the door areas.”
Sean Myers, a resident of the
Commons and a sophomore archae
ology major, said he likes to smoke
and visit at the Commons entrance.
“It’s convenient,” Myers said.
“You can study and you can talk. It’s
too quiet on the balconies (to
smoke). The Commons is a good
place to meet friends. I do not think
that moving the benches has
changed things a whole lot.”
Please see Commons on Page 6.
RONY ANGKRIWAN/The Battalion
Johanna Becerra, 2, picks out her pumpkin for the Halloween season at the Farm Patch Monday afternoon.
PROFILE:
Carreathers
Kevin
Carreathers
By Colleen Kavanagh
Staff writer
Kevin Carreathers, director of
Multicultural Services, assists
Texas A&M in diversifying the cam
pus and helps minority students
find success at the University.
“I help keep ethnic minority students in school,” he
said. “Students are the best part of A&M, and I enjoy
helping students feel at home here.”
Tamara Raven, an accounting graduate student, has known Carreathers since her
freshman year, when she was in one of his classes.
Raven said Carreathers stressed school and grades as the primary reasons for be
ing at Texas A&M and encouraged her to become involved on campus to develop ad
ditional skills.
“He has helped me fine-tune my leadership skills in student organizations such
as the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference (SBLC) while encourag
ing me not to be afraid of a challenge,” she said.
Raven said Carreathers’ leadership as the director of Multicultural Services has
promoted diversity on campus.
“Mr. Carreathers has stressed the need for us to be open-minded about different races
and cultures,” she said. “Under his leadership, the Department of Multicultural Services
has been filled with a staff and organizations that promote diversity for all.”
Carreathers graduated from the University of North Texas with a psychology de
gree and did his graduate work at Prairie View A&M.
Carreathers said he came to Texas A&M because he wanted to work at a large, re
search-oriented university and be closer to his family. He previously worked as an as
sistant to the dean of students and hall adviser at DePauw University and hall direc
tor at Texas A&M-Commerce.
Please see Carreathers on Page 6.
Williams
Eric
Williams
By Amanda Smith
Staff writer
Eric Williams attributes his rise
to Residence Hall Association
(RHA) president in part to an ex
perience in the fifth grade in
which a teacher provided him
with the courage to take on challenges.
“The turning point for me was in the fifth grade,”
he said. “I was in lower classes and my math teacher
was getting promoted, and she placed us into tougher classes. I was placed into an
advanced math class. She told me that I could overcome problems.”
Williams, a senior biomedical science major, said he began to enjoy challenges af
ter that experience.
During his high-school years at Jersey Village High School outside of Houston, he
began taking more challenging courses, Williams said.
“If it hadn’t been for that class, then I wouldn’t be in position that I am today,” he
said. “I thrive on challenges now.”
The academic challenge and a strong science background prompted Williams to
attend Texas A&M. He became the first Aggie in his family. Williams’ sister followed
in his footsteps as a freshman this year.
Dr. Beverly Clement, an associate professor ofVeterinary Anatomy and Public Health,
said Williams has showed initiative in doing research outside of class and helping students.
“Eric initially started out doing some research,” Clement said. “He has become in
terested in helping the students. He brings in research on food toxicology to update
our Web page. He wants things to work perfeedy, and he has been crucial to the be
hind-the-scenes items that keep class running smoothly.”
Although Williams has applied to medical school, he said he is considering
his alternatives.
Please see Williams on Page 10.