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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 1997)
104™ YEAR • ISSUE 62 * 12 PAGES 1 >ar»! ' i i75 .153 ■■ 76 63 TODAY TOMORROW See extended forecast. Page 2. TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 25 • 1997 laternity to host dancer fund raiser |/\lpha Tau Omega fraternity will ■sent $500 to the Brazos County lerican Cancer Society today. ■\bout 15 fraternity members ■bled basketballs down twelve les of Highway 6 Saturday to jr; money for the society. ■Andrew Davis, philanthropy ■irand a senior history major, iai I that this was the first time ■ fraternity had this “ball Ijnce" fund raiser and they hope make it an annual event. ov. Bush sued by >rmer employees AUSTIN (AP) — Two former em- lyees of Gov. George W. Bush ed his office Monday after being id earlier this year. In their lawsuit, Valerie Curbo, 33, d Carol Funderburgh, 38, say they retired from the governor’s Crimi- I Justice Division after complaining out hostile language and attitudes rard gays and lesbians from its ex- lutive director, Nancy Hugon. Curbo and Funderburgh said igon referred to crime victims or- mizations for gays and lesbians ‘homo projects.” They said she inted to track the number of ime victims who are gay and reatened to retaliate against ime victim grant applicants who implained about budget cuts. IT center to house lovelist’s archive AUSTIN (AP) — Author Leon Uris, hose books have included Exodus, inifyand Battle Cry is making the diversity of Texas the archive for sliterary manuscripts. The documents will be housed at Ts Harry Ransom Humanities Re- irch Center. Center director Thomas F. Staley lied Uris “one of the most popu- land widely read novelists Ameri- ihas produced. His extensive con- Ktual research gives his novels a inse of living presence and au- Kirity achieved by few contempo- iry authors.” iaiza steps down; lush stays neutral AUSTIN (AP) — Tony Garza, who as Gov. George W. Bush’s first ap- ointee when named secretary of late three years ago, stepped own Monday. Garza left with lots of raise from the boss but not Bush’s ndorsement of his bid for the GOP ind commissioner nomination. Bush, who will lead the Republi- an ticket in 1998, said he will re- lain neutral in the primary cam- aigns — even that of the man he ays did “a magnificent job” as sec- atary of state. “I said loud and early that I’m ®t going to be involved in primary lections. And so, I’m not going to K Bush said. Samoas, Trefoils and Thin Mints: Aggie Girl Scouts extend grade- school tradition on to college. See Page 3 sports fhe Texas A&M Basketball fearr) walloped the Kansas City-Missouri Kangaroos. See Page 7 opinion felly: Aggie Mom Fish Camp Proves no more than small bathering of lonely mothers. See Page 11 — online Pttp://battaIion.taniti.edii feok up with state and na- fenal news through The ^ire, AP’s 24-hour online "ews service. A&M student killed in auto accident Sunday By Robert Smith Senior staff writer A 17-year-old Texas A&M student died Sunday evening in an automobile accident on FM 60 at Texas 47, College Station police said. Stephanie Jill Broyles, a freshman environmental design major, attempt ed to turn left onto FM 60 in her green 1997 Chevrolet Camaro when she was broadsided by a car traveling west on FM 60, police said. The second car, a 1990 Toyota Cam- ry, struck the driver’s side of the Ca maro, sending both cars several feet into the eastbound lanes of FM 60. Police said the accident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. Broyles was pronounced dead at the scene by Brazos County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 7-Place 1 George Boyett. Boyett said he will ask for an au topsy as a part of the accident inves tigation. Police said Broyles was returning home to College Station from Austin. The driver of the second car was identified as 39-year-old Phyllis Jacoby of College Station. Lt. Scott McCollum of the College Station Police said Jacoby was taken to Columbia Medical Center and was treated for broken ribs and punc tured lungs. Jacoby was listed in stable condition at Columbia Monday night. McCollum said that turning left from Texas 47 is not the safest entrance to FM 60. “The proper way is to go under the overpass and merge onto the east- bound lane,” he said. McCollum said that area residents have reported hearing screeching tires and seeing “near miss” accidents at Texas 47 and FM 60. Broyles will be honored at the Texas A&M Silver Taps ceremony Dec. 2. ► The Hopwood Decision Four still waiting for ruling on damages AUSTIN (AP) — They won a court decision that halted university affirmative action programs statewide. Will they get millions of dollars too? Four whites who didn’t get into the University of Texas law school have been waiting since spring for a ruling on their claim for damages. Plaintiffs Kenneth Elliott and David Rogers have asked U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks for a status conference to dis cuss why he hasn’t yet ruled in the approximately $5.5 mil lion case. The trial ended in early April. “Plaintiffs Elliott and Rogers recognize that their request is unusual,” said the motion filed by their lawyer, Steven W. Smith of Austin. “However, given that this lawsuit has been pending for more than five years and the matters tried before the court earlier this year have been ripe for decision for over six months, they believe the request is both appropriate and reasonable.” Please see Damages on Page 10. Turning the table DEREK DEMERE/The Battalion Leslie Tate, a sophomore general studies major, gives feedback on a psychology instructor for the ‘Howdy-U-Like-lt’ booth program outside the MSC Monday. The service, sponsored by the Student Senate, will be available throughout registration. Lyons: USDA leaning to recreational agenda instead of timber production By Stacey Becks Staff writer James R. Lyons, under secre tary of agriculture for natural re sources and environment, said Monday that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving towards using national forests for recreation rather than timber production. The Texas A&M Forest Science Graduate Student Association hosted the seminar Monday in 292 Rudder Tower. Lyons directs and oversees ac tivities of the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Con servation Service. Lyons said timber production declined and recreation sky rock eted because of the demand of consumer needs. “The public is less interested on what is going out of the nation al forests and more on what is on the roll of film from the recreation parks,” he said. Lyons said the issues facing the USDA are more complex and visi ble than in past years. The proponents and oppo nents of different forest issues are “ The public is less interested on what is going out of the national forests and more on what is on the roll of film from the recreation parks.” JAMES R. LYONS UNDER SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE more informed than before and have a greater understanding of the process the USDA administra tion uses in decision-making processes, he said. “Our management must be better informed now because those who challenge us are more informed,” he said. “We do en courage open dialogue on issues when conflict arises.” One way the administration is trying to improve the agriculture department is by getting more ex tensive public input, Lyons said. “No one likes to be handed a solution, everybody wants to be part of it,” he said. Christian Turner, chair of Brazos Valley Group of Sierra Club and a mathematics graduate student, said he has concerns about the ef fort the USDA is putting on recre ation. “I have concerns on the impor tance they are putting to recre ational interests because we want national forests to be around in the way they are today,” he said. “They should focus on conserving biological qualities that make the forest special and productive.” Eric Almquist, president of the Forest Science Graduate Student Association and a forest sciences graduate student, said it was an honor for Lyons to give a seminar at A&M. E-Walk symbolizes reflection, transition By Amanda Smith Staffwriter At 98 minutes after noon today, Ele phant Walk will begin at Kyle Field for Texas A&M seniors; at 99 minutes after noon, E-Walk will begin at Bonfire site for juniors. Tommy Butler, Class of ’71, will kick off the ceremonies for seniors and ad dress what lies ahead after graduation from Texas A&M. Following, the senior yell leaders and senior redpots will lead the seniors in a walk around campus that ends at Bonfire site. Elephant Walk is symbolic of the nearing end of seniors’ lives at Texas A&M and poses a transition into their futures after graduation. Holly Martin, the Elephant Walk chair and a^senior finance and ac counting major, said Elephant Walk is a time for seniors to reflect on their ex periences at Texas A&M. “I think that Elephant Walk is a time of reflection and remembrance of our experiences at Texas A&M,” Martin said. “I hope that seniors take the time to think about how life has been here and about what is going to happen as we head towards graduation. For juniors, E- Walk is a time of celebrating their right to passage as leaders of Texas A&M.” Junior E-Walk was shortened and hyphenated because it is a senior priv ilege at A&M to say the word “ele phant.” The junior yell leaders will lead ju niors in yells at Bonfire site. The junior class participants will walk to Kyle Field, where Clayton Williams Jr. will speak. Brad Straub, an E-Walk co-chair and a junior accounting major, said the E-Walk <97 event is a time to build camaraderie with classmates. “One of the greatest things about E- Walk is that it gives the class cama raderie,” he said. “Juniors in our class can reflect on memories. They can also look forward to their year to come. It’s your first step towards your senior year at Texas A&M.” Live elephants will be at Bonfire site from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Juniors and seniors may take pictures with the elephants. Also, E-Walk will feature carnival games including a moon walk, a bungee run and an obstacle course from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Class of ’98 will host its post- Elephant Walk celebration tonight at the Barracuda Bar. The Class of ’99 will gather at the Texas Hall of Fame. Student hosts Gatorade’s ‘Big 12 Showcase' tour ByJenaraKocks Staffwriter A Texas A&M student cruised the campus Monday in a green, yellow and orange Hummer with the word “Gatorade” on the side. Chelsi Conway, a senior marketing and management major, gave repre sentatives from Gatorade a tour of the campus as part of a Big 12 tour. Conway was chosen to be the stu dent host from A&M for a three to four minute segment on the Fox television show “Big 12 Showcase,” which will air Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week. Gatorade chooses students from the Big 12 schools to give a tour of their campus before a football game. She said her parents think that it is great that she will be on television leading the tour and her friends think it is funny. “They’ve been calling my house and saying, Ts this Gatorade headquar ters?”’ Conway said. “Or they say, Ts Gatorade girl there?”’ Michael Drake, the “Gatorade guy” and a junior physical therapy major at the University ofTexas, has hosted each segment since the season began in Au gust. This was the first time he had been on the A&M campus. Conway told Drake and other repre sentatives from Gatorade and Fox about the traditions of the Twelfth Man, Reveille and Bonfire. “Thank goodness I was an orienta tion leader for two summers, so I know facts about A&M,” Conway said. Jason Ewing, the camera man and driver of the Hummer, said he was most impressed with Bonfire. “When they were first talking about a Bonfire I just had no idea how big it was going to be,” he said. “We kept ask- ingpeople, ‘Where is it, where is it?’ and they were like, ‘You can’t miss it,’ and fi nally I saw it last night with the lights and I said, ‘Wow.’” Drake, who is a student at UT, en countered another tradition— the ri valry between Texas A&M and UT. “They (A&M students) ask how it is going to feel when I lose,” Drake said. “Well, this season I’m pretty used to losing.” He said that many Aggies are ner vous about the Big 12 championship game against the University of Ne braska. “But then I just tell them, ‘Well UT won last year [against Nebraska], so you have a chance too,'” Drake said. The last segment of the “Big 12 Showcase ” will be filmed in San An tonio, the site of the Big 12 champi onship game. Conway suggested Freebirds to the Gatorade representatives for lunch, but Drake and Ewing had eaten at the restaurant twice during the weekend. Drake said the burritos were the best thing he experienced at A&M. Conway and Drake also both climbed the rock wall at the Rec Center and played polo with the A&M Polo Team. “It’s pretty funny I’m doing all this for the first time while it’s broadcast on national television,” she said. 1 f »■ s V if ' s l I ) 7 a i 3 e e y 5, e o y 6 n n i- e i- i- ‘y IS f- 1- 2r