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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1997)
'DA 'N'CT cA 1«JS $ OCTETS PRESENTS I 997 FALL SHOW NOVEMBER 15, 1997 - 2:00 p.m RUDDER THEATER $4.00 - Students $5.00 Non-students december 27 The Theater at Bayou Place * 5 A 0 T E X A S ' A V E . <? ^ THE PREFERRED CARD OF 713-629-3700 ^ BLOCKBUSTER MUSIC • FOLEY'S jiF FIESTA • RANDALL’S Online: http://www.tic ketmaster.com PACE E N T E R T A I N M':E:NiT m Houston Chronicle www.houstonchronideTcom Texas BEST Presents Dan Korem Innovators of the Future Learn about the power of mind deception on communication and decision-making from this profiler expert, Fortune 500 lecturer, documentary producer and investigative journalist whose career has included undercover work with cult-like figures and youth gangs. Author of Suburban Gangs - The Affluent Rebels The Art of Profiling - Reading People Right the First Time Friday, November 14 7:30 PM • Rudder Theater No Charge Come watch the fun at the Texas BEST Robotics Championship on Saturday, November / 5th from 9am - 5pm in G. Rollie White Coliseum! Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology www.tamu.edu/texasbest S The Battalion • TATE Friday • November 14, iH UT Law School disclose new admissions criteri; AUSTIN (AP) - The University of Texas’ law school has revamped its admission policy again, this time identifying applicants from socioeconomically disad vantaged backgrounds. It is the latest attempt by the school to counter the effects of an appeals court ruling banning affirmative action from admissions decisions. “We very much hope that we are able to increase mi nority enrollment,” said Cynthia Estlund, associate vice president for academic affairs at the law school. "But we can’t tell ahead of time what change the new ad missions policy is going to make.” Under the new policy, released Wednesday, Law School Admissions Test scores and undergraduate grade point averages will still be considered along with several new factors, including a “commitment to pub lic service, leadership.” The criteria includes an essay about personal chal lenges or disadvantages faced. “We are expanding our vision ofwhat is important for future lawyers,” she said. Any distinct experiences that are not already “well- represented in the student body” also will be consid ered in the application process, in addition to whether an applicant is from an underserved region of the state or has a socioeconomically disadvantaged background. “There is a sense that all regions of this state are not well represented in this school,” she said. The new criterea will be considered for applicants to fall 1998. In 1992, four law school applicants sued after they were denied admissions, while minorities with lower test scores were admitted. They claimed that the law school’s affirmative action policies constituted reverse discrimination. The U.S. 5th Citcuit Court of Appeals agreed in a de cision known as Hopwood sending minority enroll ment plummeting. This fall’s freshman class includes four blacks and 26 Mexican Americans. That is compared to the 31 blacks and 42 Mexican Americans that were admitted last year. “We’re hoping to end up with a more diverse class," Estlund said. “But this just one of many ways.” She added that the law school is also hoping to see results from beefed up minority recruitment effon "We have been trying to respond to the concern side the law school and outside the law schoolal what we’re doing,” she said. The effects of Hopwood also are being felt acrosi state as minority enrollment at Texas’ four public schools declined 23 percent for blacks and 19 pert for Hispanics. "The new UT law school admissions criteria 1998 is definitely a good start and a step in the right rection,” said Rep. Kino Flores, D-Mission. "UTm build on this to ensure that access to higher educa: reaches everyone in Texas.” Flores has pushed for a new law school branch at: University ofTexas-Pan American that would allow:: students to complete two years in Edinburg, thenfi ish at the UT law school in Austin. Vincent Lazaro, general counsel for the Hispanic sociation of Colleges and Universities, said he congi: ulates the law school on its efforts. “However it is not going to accomplish what need; be done,” Lazaro said. “It is not going to achieve thele of diversity that was at the law school before the decisi; He said any improvements in minority enroll® would be marginal. "But anything will certainly be be ter than the numbers that we saw during the firstye; of Hopwood,” Lazaro said. Lazaro added that the emphasis on socioecononm background is futile. “It is not interchangeable with ran not should it be,” he said. KKK fliers found in flee classified ads ODESSA (AP) — Odessans be wildered to see grocery store classified publications in their yards were further shocked by what was inside — one-page fliers recruiting new members into the Ku Klux Klan. Copies of the Dollar Saver and Thrifty Nickel publications appar ently were taken from their racks and redelivered last weekend with the pamphlets, which portray the American Knights of the KKK as a “White Christian, right wing, con servative organization.” Publishers of both tabloids said the KKK didn’t have permission to throw the papers. “We will be working with law enforcement agencies to deter mine what liability exists and we will take whatever action we can,” said Charles Spence, publisher of the Midland Reporter-Telegram, which owns Dollar Saver. The FBI is aware of the incident but not conducting an active inves tigation, Midland agent-in-charge Terry Kincaid said. Kincaid esti mated the Klan to have about 25 dues-paying members in the area. In addition to supporting a strong military, adherence to the U.S. Constitution and strict anti pornography laws, the pamphlet called for intensified border pa trols and school segregation. “WE SUPPORT:... Creating a three tiered school system with white schools, black schools and integrated schools thus al lowing freedom of choice to at tend the school of preference'' the flier said. A man who answered the telephone at a numberlistedon the flier said the Klan has changed since its violent origins in the 1800s. “This is a new Klan,” said the man, who wouldn’t give his name. “We abide by the Constitution.We go by the Bible and we go by the laws. We don’t do hangings and we don’t do lynchings.” He said the group believes in segregation, not white supremacy. cer Tel chamj Suij versityj plex lo| “it’s! whole I Qaire 1] Same te ev<[ like we | Earl I aphysl game if “Hol i\ I iii I it was t| ‘They J ing to H ihalls of] ourrhyj The. Must an | HMD oul Teen pleads guilty in bus stop slaying of 14-year-old WICHITA FALLS (AP) — A Wichi ta Falls teen-ager has been sen tenced to 28 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing her 14- year-old neighbor at a school bus stop last year. LaShawnna Yvette Duval, 18, pleaded guilty to murder in a pre arranged agreement. She won’t be eligible for parole until 2010 for the Sept. 26,1996, stabbing death of Er ica Holloway. Duval’s younger sister, Taquisha Nicole Ragsdale, was convicted last March for the same crime. Ms. Ragsdale, 15, received a 15-year sentence and is currently in cus tody of the Texas Youth Commis sion. After Duval was sentenced Wednesday, a friend of Holloway said the punishment didn’t fit the crime. “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” said Rodeshia Galbert, a witness to a face-off between the sisters and Holloway the night be fore the killing. As Holloway and friends were waiting for a bus the next morning, a black Camaro screeched up be side them, witnesses said. Duval emerged from the car, an argu ment ensued and Duval struck Holloway. Duval chased Holloway and re turned holding a knife. Holloway reappeared moments later and said, “She stabbed me,” before falling down. Newspaper reports state inspects a paid advisor for private jail company HOUSTON (AP) — A state in spector who gave a heavily criti cized West Texas jail perfect marks was a paid consultant for the pri vate jail company that operated the facility, the Houston Chronicle re ported Thursday. The Bobby Ross Group operates the Dickens County Detention Cen ter at Spur, 55 miles east of Lub bock. A subsidiary of the Bobby Ross Group paid $42,000 a year to Robert L. Dearing, deputy director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, said Tony Schaffer, at torney for the company. The $3,500-a-month consulting fee nearly doubled Dearing’s annu al state pay of $48,360, the Chroni cle reported. The jail commission is charged with inspecting and certifying coun ty jails, including those that are pri vately run. Its authority to enforce state standards, in effect, gives it the life-and-death power over private vendors who want to be in the boom ing privatization of jails and prisons. As deputy director, Dearing is re sponsible for scheduling, reviewing and sometimes participating in in spections of county jails. Dearing did no work for the Bob by Ross Group and he did not con sult on any of its Texas-mn facilities, Schaffer said. The company also operates prisons in Karnes and Newton counties. Dearing was paid by BRG of Georgia to conduct security inspec tions of the Irwin (County) Youth Development Campus, a male ju venile facility the company oper ates in Ocilla, Ga. Schaffer said Dearing was paid by BRG of Georgia, a subsidiary of Bobby Ross Group, to conduct se curity inspections of the compa ny’s Irwin (County) Youth Devel opment Campus, which houses male juvenile offenders in Ocilla, Ga. BRG of Georgia has the same c ome oi even j Mg gain I A&Ml Ust sea4 Univerei] cer Comp This sf theAggi] e to J fapotel “I thirl s Pects usl j Ming thal Tmericai| can’t foci] Ming posl t() prove 4 eedings ia Butprl Mr a largel pftheyeail son titles, [ “I thin! "We said! iiave contf Meyhavej Mrmances corporate officers as the B Ross Group, he said. Last month, Dearing Robert Scarborough, a jail coffl mission inspector, gave a < of health to the Dickens Count) Correctional Center despite an an dit by Montana state correction! officials that found 29 areas of noncompliance with the jail’s coil' tract to house Montana prisoner The critical audit was the basis for Montana’s breaking its million-a-year contract with Dick ens County. In a prepared statement, Ban) Young, president of Bobby Group, said that before contractinf with Dearing, company officials “verified with state officials such a business relationship was appropriate and in compliance with ethical standards.” Young did not say which state of ficials had signed off on the propii ety of the consulting contract. State law generally prohibits|| agency officials from accepting an) benefits from individuals theyreg ulate, said Karen Lundquist, gener al counsel for the Texas Ethics Commission. The Chronicle reported that th consulting work had been carried out with the full knowledge of Dear ing’s boss, Jack Crump, executive di rector of the jail commission, who said he saw nothing wrong with it “I understand the implications of conflict of interest,” Crump said “It was an out-of-state effort. There was no connection with what was happening (in Texas) other than Bobby Ross operates some facilities in the state. But I never looked upon that as him being a paid consultant for Bobby Ross.” Crump said he was aware ofthe j Broncos (-3) situation for two or three years, j but Schaffer said Dearing had as °ur We been under contract for the past Cumulative 12 to 18 months. ! NOTE: Ti Kansas @ T« #1 Michigan | #6 Penn St. #16 Auburn #13 Washing Redskins @ *