DECLAWED
'Aggies pull off close call
mith 17-14 victory
mer University
oj Missouri Tigers.
SPORTS, PAGE 7
WAR GAMES
• Threats of military action
in Iraq show signs of
boastful attitudes,
underestimation of Saddam.
OPINION, PAGE 9
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THE BATTALION
ONLINE
http://battalion, tamu.edu
MONDAY
November 16, 1998
Volume 105 • Issue 57 • 10 Pages
105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Lama discusses Buddhist tenets
BY VERONICA SERRANO
The Battalion
I The Lama K. T. Shedrup Gyatso
laid the life of the Buddha Sid-
Ihartha Gautama, the three vehi-
â– es of Buddhism and other facets
If the Buddhist religion are key to
â– aching enlightenment.
I The Lama, whose name means
lOcean-like teacher of the Bud-
Ihist Dharma of the three jewels,”
||aid Buddhism began with the
ilirth of Siddhartha Gautama.
I After religious leaders foresaw
liddhartha would become a reli-
lious leader of the world, Sid-
Ihartha’s father attempted to keep
liddhartha from his destiny by
â– Welding him from the four expe-
â– ences that, once encountered,
would seal Siddhartha’s fate.
Ihese were monasticism, death,
lid age and sickness. The sick, el-
lerly, dead and monks in Sid-
■hartha’s kingdom were hidden
’ from him.
I However, one day Siddhartha
encountered these four things.
I “At that point, his fate was
sealed,” the Lama said.
I Siddhartha left the kingdom to
dedicate his life to alleviating the
|uffering of others. After wander
ing for years with a small group of
followers, he attempted to find the
way to end the suffering of others
through speaking with other teach
ers and self-mortification. When
these methods did not work, Sid
dhartha ended the wandering and
self-mortification.
“[Here] he began his final jour
ney,” the Lama said.
While meditating for several
days, he looked into himself and
defeated his ego with compassion.
He had reached enlightenment.
The Lama said there are three
vehicles in Buddhism: Hinayana,
Mayhayana and Vajrayana.
“Hinayana is the path to per
sonal liberation,” he said, “not en
lightenment.”
Hinayana is the foundation ve
hicle, upon which the others are
built, but each school depends on
the other.
One cannot practice one with-'
out knowledge of the other. How
ever, one does not have to reach
the highest level of one path to go
on to the next.
The goal of the Mahayana path
leads to the Bodhisattva Vow.
“Those who have taken the Vow
return lifetime after lifetime until
all beings are enlightened,” the
Lama said.
The goal of Vajrayana is to reach
ERIC NEWNAM/The Battalion
Lama K.T. Shedrup Gyasto
speaks about Buddhism in Rud
der Tower Sunday night.
enlightenment. Translated, Va
jrayana means lightening or dia
mond-like, which demonstrates
that reaching enlightenment can be
immediate.
“One can achieve Buddahood in
one lifetime,” the Lama said. •
He said one of the most impor
tant aspects of Buddhism is to have
, compassion for others,
i “[One must understand] I am
you, and if 1 hurt you, 1 hurt me,”
the Lama said.
Ceremony
honors
CPR care
BY MEGAN WRIGHT
The Battalion
A ceremony honored people in
volved in administering CPR to a
man who collapsed outside of Kyle
Field on Oct. 24 last night in A.P.
Beutel Health Center.
University Police officer Kary
Shaffer and Whitney Deike, a
freshman business analysis major
and Corps of Cadets Squadron 2
member, initiated the CPR respon
sible for saving the life of William
Steele, a former student.
Following the march in for the
Texas A&M-Texas Tech football
game, Deike passed a crowd hud
dled around an elderly gentleman.
After a bystander asked for anyone
who could administer CPR, Deike
began CPR procedures. Shaffer ad
ministered chest compressions
while Deike regulated breathing
until a University Emergency Med
ical Services team arrived.
“I really wasn’t nervous while I
was doing the CPR,” Deike said.
JAKE SCHRICKLING/The Battalion
Whitney Deike, a freshman busi
ness analysis major, receives hon
ors last night at A.P Beutel Health
Center for administering CPR.
“It was when the ambulance drove
away that it hit me. I was worried
through the whole game whether
or not Mr. Steele was going to be all
right. After the game, they said he
was fine and would recover. ”
Anna Steele, William Steele’s wife,
said the combined efforts of the by
standers and of the EMS staff made the
difference in saving her husband’s life.
“He doesn’t remember it,” Anna
Steele said. “The whole scene
looked so orchestrated that you
would have thought you were
watching an episode of ‘ER.’”
see CPR on Page 2.
Shelters experience
population growth
BY AMANDA STIRPE
The Battalion
I The Bridge, a homeless shel
ter for men, women and children,
perved 1,700 permanent and tran
sient homeless people in the Bra-
kos Valley last year; that number
Bias doubled this year.
I November is National Home
less Awareness Month, and T\vin
lity Missions, which runs The
fridge, is requesting the Bryan
Ind College Station city councils
[o proclaim homeless awareness
in issue in the community.
t Theresa Strope, director of
he Bridge, said the councils de
flated homelessness a problem
la st year.
I “We want people to be aware
|>f the problem,” Strope said. “It
ft a human problem, not a prej-
ftdice problem. (Homelessness)
Ian be caused by a multitude of
lircumstances like work prob
lems or family death.”
I Strope said Dec. 21 is Na-
â– onal Homeless Persons Memo-
lial Day to honor homeless peo-
lle who died due to weather
londitions, lack of nutrition,
loneliness or mental illness.
I “People are homeless for var
ious reasons,” Strope said.
“They are not all drunks, drug
gies or mentally ill.”
To combat homelessness in
the Brazos Valley, 17 communi
ty service events will be held to
collect food, clothes and shoes
this month.
At TWin City Missions, 10 to 30
people will help throughout the
month with various projects such
as kitchen help, work in the re
sale shops and beautification pro
jects around the property.
The Student Government As
sociation will host a Winter Dri
ve to collect canned food, cloth
ing and blankets.
The 24-hour event will be at
Reed Arena, Sbisa Dining Hall,
Commons Lobby, Wehner
Buidling and the MSC today and
will benefit the Brazos Food
Bank and Twin City Missions.
Monetary donations are also
accepted.
The Texas A&M Chapter of
the NAACP will have a Shoe
Bank to collect shoes for the Bra
zos Valley.
Students are asked to donate
shoes Monday and Tuesday
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the
Commons and MSC.
see Donations on Page 2.
Signing off
JAKE SCHRICKLING/The Battalion
Benjamin Knox, of Benjamin Knox Galleries, signs a copy of his new print honoring Aggie basketball
for Kin Heinemann, a junior biochemistry major, Friday night after the A&M Men’s Basketball Team’s
80-59 victory over the University of North Texas.
t
I
APO
sponsors
campus
blood drive
BY BETH MILLER
The Battalion
This year’s fall semester blood
drive, “Peace of Mind. Donate
Blood,” sponsored by Alpha Phi
Omega and the Carter BloodCare
center of Dallas, will be held on
campus Nov. 16 to 20.
Donation sites on campus are the
MSC, Sbisa Dining Hall, Commons
Lobby, the Quadrangle and the Bio
chemistry/Biophysics Building.
Beth Piwonka, project co-chair
and a junior applied math major,
said the blood drives each semes
ter usually collect 1,000 to 1,500
units of blood, which is 3 percent
of Texas A&M students. She said
she hopes to see a larger turnout
this semester.
“We can’t save lives with just
the awareness,” she said. “We need
the blood.”
"We can't save
lives with just the
awareness/'
— Beth Piwonka
Blood drive co-chair
Christy Ecton, a consultant for
Carter BloodCare in Dallas, said
blood centers around the state
form alliances so people in need of
blood can benefit from the supply
of statewide centers, not just the
center in their communities. She
said the alliance makes A&M a
good place to hold the blood drive
each semester because the stu
dents are from a variety of areas
within the state.
Ecton said people do not realize
the how high the demand for
blood is.
“In terms of the Dallas-Fort
Worth area, our blood center has a
need for 700 pints a day,” she said.
“That is just this area.”
Piwonka said the holiday season
and summer see increases in the
amount of blood needed.
“Blood is only good for a certain
amount of time, so they are always
in need,” she said.
Piwonka said two A&M students
needed blood last year, but said it
is important to contribute regard
less of whether they know the re
cipients and regardless of whether
the recipients are A&M students.
“The biggest benefit is that
you’re helping people,” she said.
ADD kicks off campaign i
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
I Mothers Against Drunk Driving will kick
[ff “Tie One On For Safety,” a campaign to
Hcrease awareness of the hazards of drink-
ng and driving, at noon at the Brazos Coun-
y Courthouse.
Yolanda Raymond, administrator for the
Irazos Valley chapter of MADD, said the
4ADD ribbons symbolize motorists’ com-
nitment to drive safe and sober during the
thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, and
emind others to avoid drinking and driving.
Raymond said she hopes to see an in
lease in participation from the schools, the
Hiblic officials and the residents of Bryan
md College Station.
“Participation in the community has been
ninimal,” Raymond said. “The more we can
let the community involved, the more we
get them the information they need on
he hazards of drinking and driving. Unfor
tunately, a lot of people do not get involved
until a tragedy happens in their families.”
In 1997, there were 173 alcohol-related
car accidents in Brazos County, with 23 per
cent involving fatalities, according to a re
port from the Department of Public Safety.
Raymond said the week’s activities will
not stop drinking and driving but may in
crease awareness of the dangers of driving
while intoxicated.
“We know that we can’t conquer this prob
lem in a day or a week,” Raymond said. “But
we hope more people realize there is a problem,
and MADD -is here to help. MADD is not just
mothers — it’s fathers and children and rela
tives against drunk driving, fighting for tougher
penalties against those who drink and drive.”
The counties participating in the aware
ness campaign include Brazos, Burleson,
Grimes, Leon, Madison, Washington and
Robertson.
SEE MADD on Page 2.
B-CS LOCATIONS
DISTRIBUTING MADD
RIBBONS:
• Brazos County Courthouse
• Sheriff's Office
• City of Bryan Municipal building
• Bryan Police Department
• Department of Public Safety
• Allstate
• Kroger Video
• Hastings
• Target
• Nations Bank
• Chick-Fil-A
Hindu students celebrate holiday
BY AMANDA STIRPE
The Battalion
The Indian holiday celebration,
Dandiya Nite, sponsored by the Hindu
Student Council and the India Associa
tion, attracted students and community
members to the Archery Room in the Stu
dent Recreation Center Saturday night for
native dancing and food.
The Clay Oven, an Indian food restau
rant in College Station, sold food to the
participants.
Santhi Thotakura, secretary of HSC
and a sophomore biology and premed
major, said one participant bought the re
mainder of the food from the Clay Oven
near the end of the night and allowed
everyone to eat the Indian cuisine.
Traditional dances such as Garba, a cir
cular dance; Raas, a dance with sticks; and
12 step, a stick dance with 12 steps for each
part of the dance, were demonstrated from
8:30 p.m. to midnight. The dances cele
brate the Indian holiday Navratri, which
means nine nights. Navratri is an Indian re
ligious ceremony to celebrate the persever
ance of good over evil.
Thotakura said the event was exciting
for members of HSC.
“We had tons of fun and the band was
good,” Thotakura said. “People ran to get
the sticks when they were put out.”
Thotakura said 250 people attended
the event. She said Rec Center staff mem
bers also learned the dances.
“The staff wanted to learn,” Thotaku
ra said. “It was fun teaching them the
dances.”
Attendants wore traditional Indian
clothes, which are ornate and colorful.
Thotakura said non-Indian people went
to the event and also dressed in Indian
clothes. She said many people learned
the dances, but some people just went
to watch the activities.