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TODAY
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TOMORROW
FRIDAY* NOVEMBER 14 *1997
J-‘ An ESLclaJ
l Collegef
ormation.i
5687.
jxas A&M to host
[taduate conference
The Program in Foreign Policy
cision Making is sponsoring
e second Regional Graduate
udent Conference today in
15 Academic Building-West.
The conference is on decision
king of the president of the United
ates and the use of military force.
The conference is co-sponsored
the James Baker Institute at Rice
iversity and supported by the De-
jrtment of Political Science at A&M.
Graduate students from A&M,
ice, University of North Texas, Uni-
rrsity of Colorado, University of
ixas and University of Rochester
ill present their research. The con-
rence is open to the public.
Students asked to
ecycle phone books
The Environmental Issues com-
littee of the Student Government
ssociation is asking Texas A&M
udents to bring old phone books
irrecycling to Rudder Fountain to-
layfrom 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The committee also is encourag-
g students to pledge to recycle
ough the Internet at http://www.
8xasrecyclesday.org.
IHA selected as
op Ten Program’
The Residence Hall Association
RHA) of Texas A&M University was
acted as a "Top Ten Program” at
lie Southwest Affiliate of College and
iversity Residence Halls
SWACURH) conference last weekend.
Peter Schulte, RHA vice president
fadministration and a sophomore
wteorology major, said Texas A&M’s
[rogram "Bringing RHA into the 21st
focused on the RHA Web
steal http://reslife. tamu.edu/rha/
emits use of e-mail to link A&M
Wters with members of other
sfiools across the nation.
Texas A&M RHA presented its
togram to colleges and universi-
esfrom Texas, Arkansas,
luisiana and Oklahoma.
Commissioner wins
ducation award
The Texas A&M annual Adminis-
ative Leadership Institute presented
«as Commissioner of Education
le Moses with the Golden Deeds
^Education Award Wednesday.
The award recognizes educators
to have improved the education
fstem and lives of Texas public
diool students.
Texas A&M University System
Jiancellor Dr. Barry Thompson,
istyear’s winner, will present the
'vard to Moses.
I&M-UT tickets
|o on sale Monday
Due to the Thanksgiving holi-
ays, tickets to the Texas A&M-Uni-
ersity of Texas football game will
a on sale next week.
Tickets will be available Nov.
/for seniors and graduate stu-
ants, Nov. 18 for juniors, Nov.
9for sophomores and Nov. 20
freshmen.
lifestyles
Brecht’s “Good
Woman of
Setzuan”
presented by
Department of
Theater Arts.
See Page 3
sports
k Texas A&M Soccer Team
osts SMU in round one of
^ NCAA Tournament.
See Page 7
opinion
'ty: Future of NEA could be
e cured by the use of private
Nations.
See Page 9
online
^//battalion.tainu.edit
°ok up with state and
Vernal news through The
,ir e, AP’s 24-hour online
Rudder to host Diversity Conference
By Colleen Kavanagh
Staff writer
The 9th annual Texas Higher Ed
ucation Drive In For Diversity Con
ference is today from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. in Rudder Tower.
The conference is a call to action
for students and higher education
professionals* to increase their
knowledge and awareness of current
issues unique to college campuses.
Sandra Mitchell, a 1997 confer
ence member and administrative
assistant in the Department of Res
ident Life, said the conference tar-
Poker face
gets a variety of diversity issues.
“Many people hear about the
conference and assume it is just
about ethnic issues,” she said.
“The issues this year are inclusive,
and topics include gender, sexual
orientation and disabilities in ad
dition to race issues.”
Dr. Maura Cullen, a full-time ed
ucational consultant and instruc
tional speaker, is the keynote
speaker. Cullen said she wqnts peo
ple to treat each other with respect,
even if their differences make them
uncomfortable.
“The basis of my reflections will
be creating a just community and
not just a community,” she said.
Cullen said the lessons people
learned growing up have intro
duced the ideas of being fair and
just, and she wants to expand peo
ple’s comfort zones.
“My take-away message is that
we are all different, but unfortu
nately, not all differences are creat
ed equal,” she said.
Mitchell said Cullen has worked
with residence life issues for six
years. Mitchell, a member of Resi
dence Life since the conference be
gan nine years ago, said the confer
ence used to deal with campus life
only, but in the last nine years it has
expanded to include other aspects
of university life.
“The conference has grown to
include the educational compo
nents of residence living,” she
said. “A lot of the sessions are in
teractive and allow people to ex
press themselves. Hopefully, peo
ple at the conference will learn
more about other people’s culture
and why they choose to ac.t or be
lieve the way they do.”
Students who want to attend the
conference can register beginning
at 8 a.m. today for $10.
Becky Pettit, conference chair
and coordinator of diversity educa
tion for Residence Life, said faculty
from other universities attend to
learn ways to make schools more
tolerant of differences.
“The interesting thing about the
other schools is that every year they
send a representative,” she said.
“Even though someone at their
school has already been to the con
ference, they consistently have
someone getting information and
networking with faculty from A&M
and other universities.”
gr'm
Me l i
FWnm
RONY ANGKRIWAN/The Battalion
Phil Crowell, an area police officer, plays video poker as he passes time at the Scrub Pub Thursday afternoon.
RHA considers new pet policy
By Amanda Smith
Staff writer
The Residence Hall Association (RHA)
supported a proposal Nov. 13 for a one-se
mester trial policy permitting hall direc
tors to keep animals in their rooms dur
ing the spring 1998 semester.
Adam Collett, a graduate hall director
and an education administration gradu
ate student, supported the pilot program.
He said that RHA’s support for the pro
gram is a positive step for the graduate
students who want companionship.
“The nature of being a graduate student
is that we are more likely to come from fur-
ther away (from home),” Collett said. “We
don’t have the option of having a roommate
unless we have a spouse (living with us).”
Roy Erickson, RHA financial develop
ment director and a freshman business
administration major, said that he antici
pates possible problems with the pilot
program, including allergic reactions and
flea and sanitation problems.
David Rickerson, RHA facilities and
operations director and a sophomore
computer engineering major, sponsored
the pilot pet proposal. He said that the
proposal must now win the approval of
the staff council.
“This was essentially a pat on the back
from RHA,” Rickerson said. “The propos
al has to go through staff council.”
If the staff council supports the pilot
program, residence hall directors could
begin housing pets in their rooms on a tri
al basis beginning on Jan. 1, 1998. During
the trial semester, three meetings would
be held to evaluate the pilot program.
Lindsay Thompson, a RHA delegate
from Spence Hall and a sophomore general
studies major, said that the pilot program
will put keeping pets in residence halls in the
context of the Texas A&M environment.
“It (keeping pets in residence halls) has
been successful at some universities and not
at other universities,” Thompson said. “If
they are going to try it for a semester, then I
do not think that it will be a problem. We do
not know until we give the program a try.”
The RHA Crime Stoppers Committee
and Mosher Hall will sponsor Safety Week
next Monday through Thursday to promote
safety among students living on campus.
Kara Wilson, a member of RHA Crime
Stoppers and a senior agricultural journal
ism major, said that Safety Week includes
speakers and activities designed to inform
Texas A&M students of safety issues.
Please see Policy on Page 5.
Aggie Moms
to attend
Fish Camp
By Karie Fehler
Staff writer
The largest Aggie Moms Fish Camp in history is this
weekend at Texas A&M campus, and organizers expect
the camp to help Aggie mothers adjust to having their
children in college.
Helen Wieters, an Aggie Moms’ Fish Camp co
chair, said the weekend is planned to resemble the
Fish Camp that thousands of A&M freshmen attend
each summer.
“We try to make the Moms’ Fish Camp just like reg
ular Fish Camp because it builds so many friendships
and so much unity,” she said. “The only big difference
is that we stay four to a room in the Hampton, and the
regular Fish Campers stay in cabins.”
The Aggie Moms’ Fish Camp is in its fourth year,
and Wieters said the camp is consistent with the first
Moms’ camp.
“We look at what works with this camp, and we see
that all of the original stuff was great,” Wieters said
“And if it works, why try to fix it?”
Wieters said the best part of Aggie Moms’ Fish Camp
is learning the traditions and how to cope with having
children at college.
“If you as an Aggie Mom don’t know anything about
A&M and your kid comes home talking about ‘hump
ing it,’ you think how vulgar a tradition they have
there’” she said. “The camp teaches you what these
things mean, and it helps new Aggie moms to feel the
'connection with the traditions and feel good about
having kids here.”
Wieters said the common bond that the camp es
tablishes is unlike any other.
“The getting together part of Moms’ Fish Camp is
awesome,” she said. “We all know that our kids are the
cream of the crop since they are here, and that makes
us feel like really great women.”
Sue Anderson, a former camper and camp coun
selor, said she first went to Aggie Moms’ Fish Camp af
ter her son had graduated from A&M to see what he
had experienced as a student.
“I never understood some of the things that my son
talked about and experienced, so I decided to go to the
camp when it started,” she said. “It’s amazing how
many moms you meet that feel the same way you do
and are going through the same things you are. I met
so many people that I still keep in touch with.”
Anderson said the connection that the camp estab
lishes with the University makes the camp special.
“You know, once you’re an Aggie, you’re always an Ag
gie,” she said. “When you graduate from t.u., you’re just
an ‘ex.’ The camp really gives you a sense of belonging
and you know that you’ll always be an Aggie Mom —
something like this could only happen at A&M.”
Helen Halliburton, the camp counselor coordinator,
said the camp teaches Aggie Moms that they are not
alone in their experiences as mothers of college students.
“The best part of the camp is finding out that you’re
not alone in having kids in college,” she said. “You can
share experiences and find out that ‘hey, my kid is nor
mal,’ and it teaches Aggie spirit like nothing else.”
Please see Moms on Page 5.
A&M students prepare for end of‘Shack-a-thon’
Project to raise local awareness of substandard housing to wrap up with ceremony tonight
A
service.
ROBERT MCKAY/The Battalion
Senior business major Andre Cruz helps build a shack
Tuesday as part of the Habitat for Humanity Shack-a-thon.
By Rachel Dawley
Staff writer
Texas A&M students braved
rain and cold weather this
week to promote Habitat for
Humanity International with
“Shack-a-thon.” Participants
constructed “Shack City”
Wednesday night at Rudder
Fountain and have lived in the
shacks for the last two days.
Shack-a-thon will end this
evening with a ceremony and
a tear down of the shacks.
Campus groups, including
class councils, Freshman Lead
ers in Progress (F.L.I.P) and Ag
gie Leaders of Tomorrow
(A.L.O.T.) bought shacks to pro
mote Habitat for Humanity.
Chris Akin, a senior envi
ronmental science major and
a member of Alpha Phi
Omega, said Shack-a-thon
makes him thankful for what
he has in life.
“You realize that there is a
lot you take for granted, simple
things like warmth, heating,
housing and a roof,” Akin said.
“We often don’t think how
lucky we are.”
Akin, who spent three
nights at Shack City, said the
Shack-a-thon increased
awareness of Habitat and sub
standard housing in the area.
“Habitat is a great organi
zation,” Akin said. “It is a
great feeling to go out to an
empty lot and build a house
over a period of weeks. A&M
students walking by ask
questions about Habitat and
the Shack-a-thon.”
Representatives from orga
nizations bought shacks
through a bidding process for
spots. Each group spent about
$200 dollars to buy a shack.
Robert Kimmel, a junior
mechanical engineering ma
jor and a Southside senator,
said the Shack-a-thon was a
good excuse to get together
as a group and camp out, as
well as to support the Habi
tat group.
“It is important for campus
groups to show their support for
other organizations,” he said.
“The funds raised by this go to a
super organization. A couple of
us will curl up in the cold and
get a little wet to support their
work in building homes.”
Shack City organizers of
fered participants games like
“spin the bottle” and “Ag-
gieopoly,” as well as bands and
a talent show.
The shacks varied in appear
ance, but all were built by orga
nization members. Some shacks
were made from wood and nails
while others were constructed
with cardboard and tape.
Please see Shack on Page 5.