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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1999)
aggielife • Newcomer Lauryn Hill, long-time favorite Garth Brooks make list of best albums of 1998. PAGE 3 today's issue State 8 Opinion 13 Wednesday’s issue Opinion columnist ponders the origins of Al Gore. Droid or humanoid? • Aggies quickness out of gate does not last against Buckeyes in 24-14 loss in Sugar Bowl TUESDAY January 19, 1999 Volume 105 • Issue 1 • 14 Pages College Station, Texas PAGE 9 Passing the bar South Texas College of Law, A&M move step closer to affiliation BY BETH MILLER The Battalion Texas A&M and the South Texas College of Law took another step in the direction of an of ficial affiliation through an approval by the American Bar Association. ATlie ABA granted its support of the affiliation under the existing name, South Texas College of Law affiliated with Texas A&M University, Jim Ashlock, executive director of University Rela tions, said. fAshlock said although the ABA has approved the plan, A&M must gain the support of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board be fore it can offer law classes or a law degree. JIHe said the Coordinating Board decision has been delayed by a lawsuit between South Texas College of Law and the Coordinating Board con cerning the use of A&M’s name in the college’s title prior to the approval of the board. He said the affiliation would benefit the Col lege of Law because it would link the school with a nationally-recognized state school. Ashlock said the benefits for A&M parallel the Vision 20/20 plan efforts. “[With the Vision 20/20 plan] we’re trying to enhance A&M’s standing among public univer sities across the state of Texas,” he said. “We feel it would improve our status if we offer a law degree. ” Ashlock said he is confident about gaining the support of the Coordinating Boaih and offi cials are exploring options for the affiliation. “There are actions underway to identify ways we can share academic resources,” he said. “Hope fully sometime in the future we will have a law studies program and be able to issue a law degree.” Affiliation of Law American Bar m: etween South Texas nd the Texas Higher inating Board I from the Texas Higher )n Coordinating Board plans and offer courses Dorm 9 reopens BY RACHEL HOLLAND The Battalion Residents of Corps of Cadets Dorm 9 have returned to their rooms following restoration and re pairs costing $568,000. David Godbey, assistant director of physical plant for engineering and design services, said the cadets relocated from the first, second and fourth floors in November began moving into their rooms Jan. 13, when residence halls opened. The renovation of the third floor rooms, with the exception of the six rooms most affected by the fire, has been completed, and those residents will move in today. The six remaining rooms will be completed by Monday, Jan. 25. Godbey said the $568,000 fund ed rebuilding, cleaning and paint ing of the dorm. He said part of the third floor was removed and re built, and the interior of the dorm was repainted and cleaned. “They had to clean the entire building, even the air-conditioning units,” Godbey said. He said restoration not funded by the $568,000 included new mat tresses for many of the cadets and replacement furniture for third floor residents. Bob Wiatt, director University Police Department, said the cause of the fire remains unknown and no suspects have been identified in connection with the fire. Texas A&M has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. “At this point, we are offering the reward, and we have inter viewed all of the individuals that we suspect may have some knowl edge about the fire. We have done everything except identify an indi vidual,” Wiatt said.“We are waiting for an individual to come forward and honor the Aggie Code of Hon or. It is reprehensible that nobody has owned up to this yet, because somebody knows something.” Sugar Bowl ticket sales make history MIKE FUENTES/THE BATTALION Senior linebacker Dat Nguyen walks off the field for the last time in his Aggie uniform at the sold-out 1999 Sugar Bowl game against Ohio State University. • Game draws largest crowd of any A&M bowl appearance; 76,503 fans attend New Year's Day match. BY JASON SCHNEIDER The Battalion New Orleans and the Louisiana Superdome were filled New Year’s Day for an Aggie ap pearance. The 65th Nokia Sugar Bowl was the Aggies’ second trip to New Orleans for a bowl game since 1940. That year the team won its only national championship against Tulane University, playing before 72,000 fans. Jim Kotch, athletic ticket man ager said an attendance of 76, 503 resulted in the largest crowd ever for a Texas A&M bowl game. He said 22,000 tickets were sold before receiving 7,000 rein forcements from the Ohio State ticket office. Kotch said in comparison to the previous years’ Cotton Bowl ticket sales, this year’s sales were considerably larger. Kotch said the Cotton Bowl sold more tick ets last year than the A&M Ath letic Ticket Office. David Wilkinson, director of club programs in the Association of Former Students said there was an “Aggie Mardi Gras,” attended by 1,200 Aggies, held at Genera tions Hall and a pre-game party at the Hyatt in the Superdome on New Year’s Day. Mike Caruso, assistant athlet ic director of promotions and op erations, said the Sugar Bowl staff took spouses of A&M faculty members on a tour of some of New Orleans’ historical land marks. along Bourbon Street. Midnight Yell Practice was held at Generations Hall in the New Orleans Warehouse District. “There were a lot of people there, some on the second floor of parking garages and others a block away standing on their campers,” Brandon Neff, a senior yell leader and a political science major, said. Neff said an unofficial Yell Practice, in addition to Midnight Yell Practice, was held at 4 p.m. on Bourbon Street. A&M honors MLK BY MEREDITH HIGHT The Battalion The Rev. Dr: Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, will be remembered at “Through the Eyes of a King: A Celebration of Unity and Diversity” at 7 p.m. tonight in Rudder Theater. The program, sponsored by the Multicultural Services Depart ment, Association of Former Students, Race and Ethnic Studies Institute, the Department of Residence Life and the Office of Hon ors Programs and Academic Scholarships, will feature Dr. Gwen Webb-Johnson, an assistant professor of special education at the University of Texas. Webb-Johnson previously taught at Texas A&M University. Felicia Scott, director of Mul ticultural Services Department, said Webb-Johnson’s speech will focus on the theme, a cele bration of unity and diversity. “It’s going to try and chal lenge those there to use King’s message for their personal and professional responsibilities,” Scott said. King, whose birthday was celebrated as a national holiday yesterday, would have been 70 years old this year. King was 34 when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. His death came five years after his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. Students who participated in the Civil Rights Tour, a program which includes a trip touring sites of the civil rights move ment in the South, served on the committee, which helped plan the event. Kalere Jacob, a senior political science major who partici pated in the program, said it resulted in a deeper understand ing of the movement. “I learned a lot more details about the civil rights movement rather than a glossy overview that you would get in an Amer ican history class or in high school,” she said. “MLK Day means a little bit more because I have a better understanding of what the civil rights movement was about,” she said. Milestones in the life of Martin Luther King Jr. • 1929- Born in At lanta, Ga, • 1963- Delivered king his "I have a dream" speech • 1964-Awarded Nobel Peace Prize • 1968 - Assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. • 1986 - M LK Day esta t> fished as a national holiday Know Freedom’ march draws 400 attendees NEWS IN BRIEF Aggies to take part in Governor Bush’s inauguration ceremony bysallieturner ° J Tho Rcitta The Ross Volunteer Company, ; Texas Aggie Band and Parsons ; Mounted Cavalry will be involved I in activities surrounding the inau- !;. guration of Gov. George W. Bush | today in Austin. The 400-member Texas Aggie Band will provide a musical pre- | lude to the noon inauguration cen | emony at the Texas Capitol build ing and play the National Anthem : for the ceremony. In addition, the band will march in the inaugura tion parade later in the day. The Ross Volunteer Company, traditionally the governor’s honor guard, will also attend the activi ties in Austin. Members of the company will form a saber arch for the governor and members of the inaugural party. They will march in the af ternoon parade and serve at four inaugural balls, later in the evening. The Parsons Mounted Cavalry will ride in the inauguration parade as well. The unit fields 30 horses, a mule-drawn supply wagon and an artillery half-section consisting of one three-inch field artillery piece and caisson. In honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 400 students and residents of Bryan-College Station marched through the streets of downtown Bryan yesterday morn ing. The “Know Freedom” march was sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta, a service organization in Bryan. The day’s events included a march from Sadie Thomas Park to Kemp Elementary School, where a speech and music program were held. Helen Washington, chair of the event, said the activities were a reminder to young people of King’s work and provide motiva tion to remain positive about the future. “We’re just trying to keep his dream alive,” Washington said. Washington said the march participants walked behind a city garbage truck because at the time of King’s death he was supporting the cause of sanitation workers. Texas A&M fraternity and sorority members. Project Unity and indi vidual citizens participated in the activities. The march was followed by a program at Kemp Elementary, which included gospel music and a speech by Jim Scales, superin tendent of the College Station In dependent School District. Scales encouraged the audience to con tinue King’s work. “All the .things that Martin Luther King spoke about and preached about all came to pass and opened up the facilities,” Scales said. “It’s now our own personal commitment to make a difference.” Scales said the purpose of the holiday is to celebrate King’s life and keep his dream alive. “The holiday reminds us of where we’ve come from and where we are moving for the fu ture,” Scales said. Mary Broussard, president of Delta Sigma Theta, said this is the third year they have sponsored a freedom march. The first year’s march had 75 participants. In the past, the organization has sponsored other programs for the holiday, but the members de-. cided a march was needed to gain a deeper understanding of King’s work. “Marching together in unison and spiritually focusing on one goal shows unity and commit ment to a goal,” Broussard said.