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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1997)
October 25 men? Ifawoi is and outsofi why deny a in ■vear a face d strikes merelj gender? Thai; on. ,“14™ year • ISSUE 44 • 10 PAGES )ffend the'laf,' 1 Charles Bari.-: | gentlemanly n ononeoftltl vever, thatis tine andusui, . ■■ « ■ age fineifk/3t©r IlDGS tO b© 0 * ushed tonight 1 boils down The water/wastewater division of neordoneac. City of College Station will flush ingeongenio sections of waterlines begin ner if youarf 4 g today. c or white,br The flushing will start at 10 p.m. ig as thejobi tween Holleman, Wellborn Road teshouldhai j George Bush Drive and the unities to hana between Highway 6 Bypass, rvey Road, Texas Avenue and obviouslybf uthwest Parkway, ion the My i The flushing will remove a harm- little time,aiis and natural sediment in the r/teDfl/teO;terjines that can cause discol- got her intention of water. Texas A & M University W 'i TODAY TOMORROW COLLEGE STATION • TX THURSDAY • OCTOBER 30 • 1997 Panel supports Bonfire autonomy C^i I I H B U 1 I Vr Kognition awards _ oms recalled Kristimm, •niorjoumk ue to breakage The Ansell Corporation recalled anielssaidi million of its condoms last Thurs- ly performaiy dye to fear of breakage. The for the teambdupts can be returned to the t Statecoacli ice [of purchase or to Ansell Inc., er optingtoinsumer Relations Dept., 1500 In- t conversiomstrial Road, Dothan, Ala., 36303. trailing511 THe affected brands with expira- me: n date include: ve gone into: Lifestyles Ultra Sensitive with ;, butlchosfiermicide, October 1997 (only) ted to winds Lifestyles Assorted Colors with ms said.Tit’Srmicide, October 1997-June ng myself." 98 Lifestyles Spermicidally Lubri- of theWeeited, October 1997-1998 ima State (Ik Lifestyles Vibra-Ribbed with &M (5-2,l-2 ermicide, October 1997-April is shot at a B :00 in the hands Lifestyles Extra Strength with thomaState ermicide, October 1997-April h at 3-1 for:: 00 t are undefe: Prime Spermicidally Lubricated, rn foes.Butidtober 1997-February 2000 :le forA&Mb Contempo Power Play with spermi- irall, hasoi: le|October 1997-February 2000 s, none in die: Contempo Intensity Assorted beattheMlcIs with spermicide, Novem- tOSU,runr' r only. •, Oklahoma^ STpC announces DU. s State (6-1,;| 1,3-1) The MSC winners of recognition aidersarefitlSeptember are: isetwinov.: Distinguished students — isasStateiv^fLen Alther, Amanda Arriaga, straightwiffif a ry Elder, James Fellers, Joel opesofaBi:) rre tt, Cliff LeBlanc, Alex Long, a ekaraTecify Masted, Gerardo Ortiz and iontheve[£:|| ie Suitt. easonafter Balanced Life Award — Francis- orth Texas Maldonado 3 emergentf Big Cheese of the MSC — Will Hurd tngbackRiCf “‘■inton welcomes edfotfci;U n g t 0 Washington ting match:: WASHINGTON (AP) — Warmly rterbacksJ elcomin g China’s president to eandK-fc: 16 White House, President Clin- IlheSwaiiii:' 311 g ent| y reminded Jiang Zemin thoholdsif Otey of American concerns about ickinched' s * 1uman fights record. All peo- le must be “treated with dignity, —to express their beliefs,” ieBureW-Triton said. municak'i The U.S. president opened his laylong meetings with Jiang by urg- i ./g stronger U.S.-China ties and de- Watt' verin g a generally optimistic out- 3ok of the relationship. -once you/ * ee who cal] | -7 record i>i i. He son butw his next ^ssedades^ sandAxeM plans, lear thatif- : Students face fines, ourt time as a result of essaiilvifi" res P° ns ibIe drinking. os, Axeiro- lot ofltigh-W all but one f-P See Page 3 am. sports ophomore offensive tackle ameron Spikes returns to neup following eye surgery. See Page 7 opinion ruax: KEOS president sets cord straight about radio, ects columnist’s mistakes. See Page 9 SBZS ://battalion.tamu.edu up with state and ational news through The i96-06 ; /ire, AP’s 24-hour online idem dis^ews service. By Robert Smith Senior staff writer Two junior Bonfire redpots were relieved of their duties last night after a student said they knowingly allowed a stripper to perform at cut site last Sunday. John Gallemore, Head Stack, said the two bonfire leaders were dismissed for “not tak ing action and remedying the situation.” Gallemore also said two Dunn Hall Bon fire leaders have been banned from partic ipating in Bonfire this year and Dunn Hall will no longer be allowed to participate as an en tity with the 1997-98 Bonfire. Travis Bendele, a senior bioengineering major, told a panel of student leaders last night several Bonfire leaders hired a female stripper to perform at Bonfire cut last Sunday. Earlier last night, a student leader panel agreed Texas A&M should not make regulations for Bonfire cut and stack, unless Bonfire student leaders cannot eliminate profanity on pots. MSC Great Issues sponsored the panel of Gallemore; Adam Collett, educational ad ministration graduate student; Helen Clancy, Battalion editor in chief; Alex Cabanas, a se nior red pot; and Bill Youngkin, Class of ’69 and former yell leader. Collett said students must change the im age of Bonfire to maintain its status as a rec ognized University tradition. “Tve listened to numerous students who are deeply involved in Bonfire; many of them believe without doubt that Bonfire could nev er be eliminated,” Collett said. “But the truth is there isn’t anyone or anything that the Uni versity wouldn’t eliminate ... if it sufficiently interfered with or distracted from its educa tional mission.” Youngkin said students should be trusted to improve the environment at Bonfire with out A&M making regulations. “The thing I want to promote is that stu dents can be in charge of this (Bonfire) and be responsible,” he said. “I don’t want the Uni versity to come in and be setting guidelines. They don’t have the appreciation and back ground we have for Bonfire.” Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice president of student affairs, said Monday that the Univer sity will not make regulations about the pro fane phrases on pots, because Bonfire lead ers have corrected the situation. Bonfire workers were photographed earli er this month at stack site wearing pots with profane phrases. Clancy, a senior English major, said Bon fire participants must be aware that they rep resent the University. “Students should reevaluate their purpose for participating in Bonfire,” Clancy said. “I can’t imagine that the atmosphere my pho tographer happened upon captured the spir it of Bonfire.” Clancy also said the University should not step in and set standards for Bonfire. “Aggies are independent and intelligent enough to solve their own problems, and Bon fire is clearly a student tradition,” she said. “We’ve had a good feeling from students about changing the pots. Everyone has been supportive of it and they have taken off their pots.” JOHN GALLEMORE HEAD STACK Bonfire student leaders were given last week to voluntarily remove profane phrases on the pots with out the University intervening. Please see Bonfire on Page 6 A&M prepares for Community Day B-CS area gets ready for Bush Library opening By Joey Jeanette Schlueter Staff writer Texas A&M organizations and Bryan- College Station residents are gearing up for Community Day at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Nov. 7. Mary Helen Bowers, deputy director for University Relations, said Communi ty Day is a time for fun and celebration. “The whole idea of the event is to have fun,” she said. “Bringing the world to the Brazos Valley — that’s what we want the library to do.” Former President George Bush and his wife, Barbara, will stay in College Sta tion to attend Community Day following the dedication of the library Nov. 6. Community Day will kick off at 9:30 a.m. at the library and museum and is free to the public. The Bush Library, which will be open until 7 p.m. on Community Day, will host different nationalities, music, literacy pro grams and school children. Tents will fea ture organizations with special exhibits. Among the crowd will be a number of guests including international students ge Complex and international school children dressed in costumes from different cultures. Sports such as baseball, tennis, golf and horseshoes will be played at the event. Please see Bonfire on Page 6. Financial aid center to host open house AMY DUNLAP/The Battalion Lindsay Capelle, a sophomore horticulture major, picks mustard seeds in her Horticulture 324 class on West Campus Wednesday. By Karie Fehler Staff writer The Financial Aid Scholarship Resource Center is hosting an open house today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Pavilion. Kelly Reynolds, a senior financial aid counselor and chair of the Informa tion to Students Commit tee, said the focus of the open house is to help stu dents with the financial aid process and provide a forum for questions. “Our computer data base for scholarships will be available and we en courage current and in coming students to come see us,” she said. Reynolds said the open house is for stu dents who would like to find out more about stu dent financial aid or scholarships, and stu dents do not have to at tend Texas A&M. “We welcome anyone to show up and sign up for our scholarship drawing, and you don’t have to be present to win or a student or even attend Texas A&M,” she said. The resource center will host a drawing for scholarship money donat ed by area lenders, and the money can be used at any college or university. Reynolds said infor mation tables from vari ous parts of the financial aid department will be set set up. “This is basically an ex tension of office hours and we will be available for students’ questions and concerns — and there will be refreshments avail able,” she said. Reynolds said it is im portant for incoming freshmen and students to look for scholarships and apply early for them. Please see Center on Page 10. University leaders continue to focus on multiculturalism By Rachel Dawley Staff writer Some Texas A&M leaders have been promoting diversity, and is sues such as the Hopwood decision and the backlash against affirma tive action have brought attention to diversifying the campus. Student Body President Curtis Childers, a senior agricultural devel opment major, defines diversity as different types of individuals work ing together to accomplish goals. “Society has begun to examine diversity because our focus has gone from individuals to a team- oriented perspective,” he said. “People have found that when you bring a group of people together to make a decision, it is generally bet ter than if one person made the de cision. The value of bringing a group of people together is in creased if they are not all alike.” The term diversity includes ge ographic origins, political views, thought processes, ethnic back grounds, socioeconomic back grounds, genders and religious ideas, Childers said. For those who define diversity in terms of numbers and demograph ics, the enrollment figures at Texas “I think the reason the University is here is to expose students to a variety of thoughts and ideas.” WILL HURD MSC EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT A&M reflect a lack of ethnic diversity. Ofthis year’s freshman class, 178 stu dents are African-American and 607 are Hispanic, a drop of 23 percent and 15 percent respectively from last year (203 and 713). Minorities make up 16 percent of A&M’s student body. Student leaders said diversity is not a number and cannot be mea sured. Diversity is a mental and psychological process that occurs when a group fills itself with vari ous cultural, religious and person al views. Will Hurd, MSC executive vice president for administration and a junior computer science and in ternational studies major, said some people at A&M are defining diversity with racial lines because there is a lack of ethnic diversity at the University. Hurd said the Uni versity should focus on all types of diversity including differences of background, religion, sexual pref erence and gender. “I think the reason the Universi ty is here is to expose students to a variety of thoughts and ideas,” Hurd said. “Having a culturally di verse campus helps to fulfill that because it teaches students to in teract with other people.” Please see Leaders on Page 10. New sorority aims to bring diversity to A&M By Sarah Goldston Staff writer The officers of Delta Xi Nu, a sorority that promotes cultural di versity, are working to make the organization a tradition at A&M. Jetje Brewton, president of Delta Xi Nu and a junior civil engineering major, and some of her friends be gan the organization this month in hopes of educating Texas A&M about cultural differences. “There is racism and preju dice on campus,” she said. “We felt that we needed to make more than an individual effort to con quer racism; that’s why we start ed this organization.” Rena Kharbat, historian of Delta Xi Nu and a sophomore bio medical science major, said many people complain about some A&M students being racist. “I love A&M and I want others to love A&M too,” she said. “I’ve seen the Confederate flag dis played by some of the students, and I’ve seen how it offends some people. Being here should be a great experience for everyone.” Each of the six founding officers is from a different cultural heritage, including African-American, His panic, Dutch and Arabian. To pursue the goal of diversity, the Delta Xi Nu Sorority is looking for applicants from different cul tural backgrounds. In order to re cruit members, the officers of the sorority will give presentations at different organizations and will have a booth at the MSC Open House next semester. “We are looking for a diverse, open-minded mixture of women to promote a positive image,” Brewton said. Delta Xi Nu will begin accepting applications in Febmary. The orga nization plans to accept 25 women. Please see Sorority on Page 6.