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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1998)
Texas A & M University r^r~' 74 I -» ^ ^54 % TODAY TOMORROW YEAR • ISSUE 131 • 12 PAGES COLLEGE STATION • TX TUESDAY • APRIL 21 • 1998 affoldings at Olsen Field ed by health officials By Robert Smith City editor tents who have built scaffolding 1 the outfield fence at Olsen Field ve. to find a new way to get a bet- Mv of the baseball games begin- jt! is week. Til Environmental, Safety & Health lltment of Texas A&M University minced Monday it is working with University Police Department I) io ban the construction of scaf- ;at Olsen Field. ■is Meyer, director of the Envi- Intal, Safety & Health Depart- ntKaid safety is the primary reason i| ban. jft tend to get nervous about these things,” he said. “The scaffolding could cause a tragic danger, and with the big “The scaffolding could cause a tragic danger.” Chris Meyer Director of the Environmental, Safety and Health Department series with Baylor coming up and the possibility of hosting a conference championship, you have to worry that this is going to proliferate.” Meyer said he saw one scaffolding set up at Saturday’s University of Texas- A&M game and four sets of scaffolding during Sunday’s game. “We don’t want to interfere with the enjoyment of the games or diminish the great baseball atmosphere at Olsen Field, but when it comes to building scaffolding, we just have to draw the line. It’s too risky.” Meyer said signs will be posted at Olsen Field to inform fans that scaf foldings are now prohibited. UPD officials said they will assist in enforcing the regulation, but have not determined what the penalty will be for violation. lets affiliation go to trial HOUSTON (AP) — Texas ■ey General Dan irales wants the courts to ide whether Texas A&M yersity's alliance with jston’s South Texas Col- iiLaw is legal. Berthe affiliation agree- at, South Texas College of Jlexas A&M University I remain a privately institution, but could leater name recognition der the A&M banner witli- ihaving to relocate. Texas ■^^ould get a law school at no additional expense. But the schools could not award law degrees under A&M’s name without the ap proval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. And the panel is not convinced that Houston needs a fourth law school or that Texas A&M’s charter permits a law school. So the coordinating board put the issue to Morales. On Friday, Morales decided not to issue a ruling, because the law school on April 13 filed a lawsuit in Austin against the board. Texas A&M is not a party to the suit. “We have a standard poli cy if we are reviewing an issue and it goes to court we drop tire issue,” said Ward Tisdale, a Morales spokesman. "We yield to a higher power.” The law school’s lawsuit challenges the coordinating board’s view that Texas A&M needed permission before entering into the public-pri vate affiliation with South Texas in January. South Texas spokes woman Sheila Hansel praised the Morales decision. “We believe it’s an ab solutely correct decision by the attorney general’s office. It is now our goal to get a binding decision in open court on this issue,” Ms. Hansel said on Monday. “Our lawsuit will continue.” The coordinating board did not have an immediate comment on the matter Monday. itt feed Arena hosts first Muster By Amanda Smith Staff writer r. Robert Spoede will light the last lie tonight at the Muster ceremo- Iftyyears after he graduated from s A&M University as a member of mrps of Cadets, poede, a co-agent for the Class of and a College Station resident, he is honored to have the oppor- ty to participate in the first Muster e held in Reed Arena, le remembers the Muster cere- lies he attended as an undergrad- ? at A&M. Muster was not the somber cere- ny that it is today,” Spoede said. ; had Muster in front of the Ad- listration building. There were ally several hundred people there. |n still remember the loyalty to (the a) of soldier, statesman and ghtly gentleman.” Bpoede said although not all go on lerve as soldiers, the Muster cere- |ny must be appreciated by those ) attend and for those it remembers. The honored Roll Call of the Ab- It has become a tradition remem- #■■■ a?#, I • 10 a.rn. - 3 p.m. — Muster Camaraderie Barbecue held in Academic Plaza • 5 p.m. — Doors to Reed Arenas open for Muster ceremony • 6:40 p.m. — Performances proceeding Muster. • 7 p.m. — Roll Call for the Absent Begins bered by Aggies and friends of the University today. Muster began as a celebration of college days’ victories and defeats on the drill field and in side the classroom. Tonight, old Aggies will join the new at the Muster ceremony in Reed Arena at 7 p.m. Lisa Eubanks, a Muster committee member and a sophomore English major, said Muster has become a part of the Aggie tradition. “The spirit behind Muster moti vates you to do things like Big Event and Fish Camp and Bonfire,” Eu banks said. Please see Muster on Page 2. itudents prepare Arena for ceremony By Rachel Dawley Staff writer n preparation for today’s Muster, students are working with Reed na staff to ensure the new complex ady for its opening. Steve Hodge, director of special nt facilities for the University, d people have been working 18- urdays since Saturday to prepare ! arena. “We really didn’t start final cleanup JlllS d preparation until this weekend,” dge said. “We want to make sure it iresentable and ready.” Hodge said the building still has igh edges, including a temporary md system that will be used for ister. He said student volunteers have Iped make the opening possible. “We had Town Hall come in last iek to check seats and the Corps d Muster committee have been irking on cleanup efforts,” he said, vebeen here for 25 years and seen [gieshelp each other, so I’m not sur- ised, but I am pleased.” Muster committee members spent Bt weekend cleaning the arena, but ey realized on Sunday that they luld not finish it alone. Members of the committee contacted the Corps of Cadets to help in the task. “We were in a tight situation,” said Wynn Rosser, advisor to the Muster committee. “We knew we had a good bit of cleaning to do, but we were not sure how much.” Tase Bailey, incoming Corps com mander and a junior aerospace engi neering major, said the Corps was honored to help with the cleanup. “The Muster committee called and asked for the Corps help, and we worked to put the word out,” Bailey said. “This is what the Aggie Spirit is about — helping others do a job.” More than 500 cadets volunteered on Monday to help with basic clean ing duties, including vacuuming the arena seats, picking up trash and pol ishing surfaces. “The arena was extremely dirty af ter all the construction,” said Clint Weber, a senior history major in Com pany E-2. “We (the Corps) went over every part of the arena about three times. Muster’s one of the biggest events and cherished traditions, and it is important that it goes smoothly.” Dion Brugger, a sophomore busi ness management major in Compa ny C-2, said cadets were thrilled with ''JT : Si GREG MCREYNOLDS/The Battalion Priscilla Rappaport of Rapport Piano Work Services, tunes a piano for to morrow’s Muster ceremony, the opportunity to see the arena be fore it opens to the public. “It’s exciting for us to look at the arena before it opens tomorrow,” Bug ger said. "Everyone is anticipating the ceremony and the opening of Reed.” Please see Reed on Page 2. Side out mMm MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion Kevin Coffman, a junior computer engineering major, spikes a volleyball Monday afternoon outside the Student Recreation Center. Eppright, Class of’26, dies at age 95 By Colleen Kavanagh Staff writer Colonel George J. Eppright, member of the Corps Hall of Honor and Class of ’26, 95, died Saturday. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home in Austin. Col. Eppright, of Manor, Texas, was born January 27, 1903. He earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engi neering and received commis sions as a second lieutenant and a member of the Air Corps of the United States Army. He became a pilot in the Air Corps Flying Schools at Kelly and Randolph Fields in San Antonio. Col. Ep pright spent three years in the Philip- fggl pines before he was as signed to the Experimen- George Eppright Engineer- pictured in the j n g Division at 1926 Longhorn Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. There he flight-tested more than 200 planes and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his contributions. UT students hold sit-in to support affirmitive action Col. Eppright served in two wars, World War II and the Kore an War. In WWII, he was a mem ber of General Eisenhower’s staff in North Africa. Between wars he was assigned to the War College in Washington, D.C., and at the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He was Air Force Plant Repre sentative at the Boeing Airplane Company in Seattle, Wash., be fore his retirement in 1955. Eppright Hall was named af ter Col. Eppright in 1990, and family members said that of all of his recognitions, his most treasured was his induction to the Corps Hall of Honor in 1994. INSIDE AUSTIN (AP) — TWo dozen University of Texas students marched to Attorney General Dan Morales’ state office build ing Monday to demand an ap peal of an anti-affirmative ac tion court ruling, staged a brief sit-in and left without the meeting they sought with him. But the students vowed to be back — perhaps next time after making an appointment. “The attorney general has denied us access and opportu nity with his interpretation of the Hop wood decision, and to day he denies us access and opportunity to talk to him on the matter... There is no justice in the attorney general’s of fice,” said Oscar de la Torre, a graduate student at the Uni versity of Texas’ Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Af fairs and march organizer. Morales spokesperson Ward Tisdale said the attorney gener al “is glad to meet with people, but based on an appointment. Just to show up and demand a meeting is not an appropriate way to go about doing it.” The debate is over the case named after Cheryl Hopwood, one of four whites who sued af ter being denied admission to the UT law school. A 1996 fed eral court ruling in that case has left state colleges and universi ties unable to consider race in admissions and financial aid. A recent injunction against racial preferences by a federal judge, in connection with a ruling on Hopwood attorney fees, opened the way for a new appeal. But Morales said he does not know whether he will pursue one, noting that he op poses such preferences. Students demonstrating in favor of an appeal were kept from Morales’ secure eighth- floor office by his security de tail because they didn’t have an appointment. They did waited in the lob by for less than an hour, sitting part of the time and chanting, “Dan Morales, you can’t hide. We’ve got justice on our side.” The students then moved toward the elevators but were blocked by security. At one point, they collected dollar bills and change and held the money up to one of Morales’ special agents, suggesting campaign contributors would get them in. aggie life Shooting Fish film sound track brings a great variety of British sounds to a single recording. See Page 3 sports Baseball team attempts to go 3-0 versus the University of Houston Cougars. See Page 7 opinion Collett: Practice of throwing ‘Sbisa balls’ offers unnecessary nuisance. See Page 11 online http://battalion.tamu.edu Hook up with state and na tional news through The Wire, AP’s 24-hour online news service.