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.