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WEDNESDAY
February 10, 1999
Volume 105 • Issue 89 • 14 Pages
College Station, Texas
105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
aggielife
• OPAS brings musical
adaptation of hit movie Big
to Rudder Auditorium for
family fun.
PAGE 3
today’s issue
Hazing Charges 2
Oscar Nominations 4
Thursday’s issue
Construction of The Zone draws
criticism with decision to allow
alcohol to be served.
sports
• Kansas State University travels to
A&M to face All-UWalk’ crowd as Big
12 Football Championship trophy will
be presented at halftime.
PAGE 9
o charges in death
Official says hostesses used 'poor judgment'
MEREDITH HIGHT
The Battalion
No criminal charges will he
Kesst .1 ngams! tin. two w omon w in .
■ptetl ttu' party Barrv Joseph Vail li
^Hbed the night o! his death.
|s Vail died alter falling three stories
ilastairu ell ol the S, mthside hark
g: g Garage after returning from the
Ijdrty around 3 a.m. Jan. 30. Mis
P&od alcohol level was 0.33 h more
?; an twiee the legal limit. Rand\’
p elds an agent for the Texas Alco
>1 |nnd Beverage rommissirrn
IfsABt said TA1K' completed the
« vestigation and [iresented evet v
HBHto the county attorney.
^ , . John Kuboviak, Brazos Coun-
-/©T6nSIVt attorney, confirmed that no
• • iminal charges will be pressed
Driving
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on the women.
“The TABC investigation led to
the fact that, first of all, he had a
false ID card used by him to buy al
coholic beverages that he con
sumed at his home and bought
more when he left,” he said.
Kuboviak said Vail was not an
invited guest to the party.
“[He and his friends] crashed
the party,” he said. “The girls did
not serve them the beverages. They
didn’t even know the boys were
there. We see no criminal liability
on their part.”
Fields said the women who held
the party acted irresponsibly.
“These three females exercised
poor judgment in throwing the
party,” he said. “They were not
being careful about who came to
the event.”
Fields said Vail and his friends
began drinking around 6:30 p.m.
“They drank some beer, and
then went to an A&M Consolidat
ed soccer game,” he said. “Mr. Vail
bought a 40 oz. malt liquor and an
18-pack of 12 oz. beer and anoth
er six-pack of 12 oz. beer with a
fake driver’s license.”
Fields said from there, the group
went to two or three other loca
tions, eventually stopping at a
friend’s duplex on Medina Street.
From there, they went to the party
the three women hosted and stayed
there until returning to A&M.
“They noticed people gathering
outside [the women’s duplex] and
went there,” he said. “Their party
didn’t start until after midnight.”
‘Borrow-A-Bike’ to begin
BY MEGAN E. WRIGHT
The Battalion
Texas Aggies Making Changes (TAMC) will re
lease the first 20 bicycles of the “Borrow-A-Bike”
program for student use today from 9 to 11 a.m at
Rudder Fountain.
The bicycles are painted yellow and have a decal
on the frame to identify it as part of the Borrow-A-
Bike program. When the system u s fully imple
mented, the bicycles will be available at various
campus locations. Borrowers should leave them in
a bike rack outside the building for the next person
to use.
Tida Pichakron, director of the Borrow-A-Bike
program and a sophomore business analysis major,
said the program has been in development for three
years.
“Cass Burton brought the idea of community
bikes to the Student Senate,” Pichakron said. “It was
passed by the senate and they passed it to TAMC to
finish.”
Joey Neugart, a sophomore political science ma
jor, said Burton researched the program, which has
been implemented in other communities around the
United States.
“This program has been tried in places like Port
land, Denver, St. Paul and Boulder,” Neugart said.
“It was successful in all of those locations. Although
they didn’t have the means to keep track of how
many were stolen, enough were used around the
community to consider the programs a success.”
Some of the bicycles being used have been do
nated by Parking, Traffic and Transportation Ser
vices (PTTS). Every summer, PTTS confiscates
abandoned bicycles on campus to auction in Sep
tember.
Neugart said PTTS’s help was an integral part of
the implementation of “Borrow-A-Bike.”
“The program wouldn’t have happened without
the help of PTTS,” Neugart said. “They let us have
the bikes we are using, a place to keep them and the
see Bicycles on Page 2.
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BY SALLIE TURNER
The Battalion
I A large section of a tree fell yester-
I day in front of the Zone construction
at Kyle Field, blocking two lanes of
Joe Routt Boulevard and causing traf-
[ fic delays for an hour.
I Todd Watson, an urban forester for
Physical Plant, said he speculates the
accident was caused by a large truck,
I probably an eighteen-wheeler, dri
ving close to the curb.
I Officials from Parking, Traffic and
Transportation Services (PTTS), Uni
versity Police Department (UPD) and
Pliysical Plant responded to the call,
clearing the tree branches out of the
road and restoring the traffic flow.
I Grounds maintenance employees
used chain saws to remove the dam
aged limbs from the tree.
I Jacyln Holidy, a police officer with
UPD, said the truck fled the scene of
the accident.
I Watson said the tree limbs hanging
over the bicycle lane ranged in height
from 13 feet, 6 inches to 14 feet tall.
He said the side of the tree was split.
I “It’s too soon to tell what the long
term damage to the tree will be,” Wat
son said.
I UPD and PTTS officials are inves
tigating the cause of the accident.
They hope to have the case closed by
Friday.
SALLIE TURNERA hh Baitauon
Philip Campbell, a tree maintenance specialist, clears the branches
off of Joe Routt Boulevard near the construction of The Zone. Offi
cials say the tree may have been hit by a vehicle.
Aggie fans to support team
at first ‘All-U Walk to Reed
BY MEGAN E. WRIGHT
The Battalion
The Texas Aggie Band,
Corps of Cadets and student
body will meet at Rudder
Fountain tonight for the first
“All-U Walk to Reed Arena.”
The walk is an effort to sup
port the basketball team and
honor the Big 12 championship
football team.
The Aggie Band and Corps
of Cadets will form on the
Quadrangle and meet the rest
of the student body at Rudder
Fountain for a yell practice.
After the practice, the group
will continue to Reed Arena
for the A&M-Kansas State bas
ketball game. Students who
walk to Reed Arena with the
event will be admitted to the
game without having to pur
chase a ticket.
During halftime, the football
team captains will present the
Big 12 South Championship
trophy, the Big 12 Champi
onship trophy and the Sugar
Bowl trophy, in addition to rec
ognizing the football team and
its efforts.
Jeff Bailey, a junior yell
leader, said the purpose of the
event is to encourage support
for the basketball team.
“We really want everyone to
'This (All-U Walk)
could be a great
new tradition/'
— Mike Caruso
Assistant athletic director
come out and see what A&M
basketball is all about,” he
said.
Bailey said he is expecting a
successful turnout for tonight’s
events.
The idea for All-U Walk to
Reed Arena was conceived by
the yell leaders.
“The five [yell leaders] were
talking about wanting to do
something special with the
new arena and the fact that we
had Coach Watkins,” Bailey
said. “We wanted to get people
excited about the basketball
season. Football season was
long this year, and we finally
got a chance to plan this.”
Mike Caruso, assistant ath
letic director and game manag
er for men’s basketball, said he
feels the student body presence
will have a positive impact on
the team.
“We invited the Corps out to
the Tech game, and we had an
amazing victory,” Caruso said.
“The end zones in the stadium
were full, and the energy level
of the whole place rose.”
Caruso said if the attempt is
successful, future rallies are
possible for other sports.
“If this is a success, this
event really won’t have limita
tions,” he said. “If people get
behind this, we can look at do
ing this for other teams, espe
cially highlighting an impor
tant contest they may have.
This could be a great new tra
dition.”
SWTSU hazing suspect found dead
student leaders offer ‘Luv Line 5 advice
BY AMANDA PALM
The Battalion
A JiS Long-distance relationships, cre-
BCOllP ve c * ate id eas an d sexually-transmit-
d diseases were topics discussed last
IHeelS ght at “Aggie Luv Lines.”
It was the third in the series of
/ents for Sexual Responsibility Week
r Beduner )onsored by Student Health Services.
Brandon Neff, head yell leader and
belieCtit/eMember of the student panel, ad-
'CarAlarms ressed long-distance relationships
smssions »g college.
I'Droo Kits HLong-distance relationships can be
p blessing,” he said. “You can either
station Location row stronger together or find yourself
W street y g( Jng your separate ways. ”
409-694*2^ Suggestions for inexpensive, cre-
ive dates were asked of the panel.
Wiimes LaMarr, a senior construction
✓;ierce major, suggested flying a kite
ith your date. Laurie Nickel, student
w.houseoftirw.^
w.texaskins.co’
body president, suggested finding a
new recipe and cooking with your date.
Margaret Griffith, health education
coordinator for Student Health Ser
vices, said intimacy is important in any
relationship.
Griffith said people need to under
stand that sex and intimacy are two
different aspects.
Dr. Mark Sicilio, a pediatrician at
Scott and White Health Services and a
human sexuality professor at A&M,
said the four things to remember when
thinking about intimacy in a relation
ship are to keep the relationship safe,
sober, selective and sensual.
Coping with a partner’s ex
boyfriend or girlfriend was a concern
of students at the discussion. Nickel
said nothing can ruin a relationship
quicker than jealousy.
“If you aren’t mature enough to han
dle your partner’s ex-boyfriend or girl-
SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) — A man sought in
the beating death of a Southwest Texas State Uni
versity student was found dead TUesday, police
said.
Police Chief Steve Griffith said authorities had
been looking for Jeremiah Marshal Wilkerson, 21,
of Lockhart. He apparently committed suicide in
Van Zandt County before police could obtain a
warrant charging him with capital murder, Grif
fith said.
The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department
was investigating his death Tliesday night, Grif
fith said.
Wilkerson, who was a Southwest Texas stu
dent in 1996-97, had been wanted in connection
with the beating death of Nicholas George Arm
strong.
Armstrong, 21, of Baytown, a junior commu
nications major and pledge at Tau Kappa Epsilon,
died Monday at an Austin hospital.
“We regret that this terrible tragedy has pro
foundly touched the lives of two families and at
least two communities,” Griffith said.
Armstrong had been sleeping on the ground
floor of the TKE house early Sunday after a party
when he was beaten, police said.
Kissing to leave mark with lecture
Carino Casas/The Battalion
Adrian Leday, Pan-Hellenic president,
answers a student’s question about
long-distance relationships Monday at
“Aggie Luv Lines.”
friend, then you aren’t mature enough
to be in a relationship,” she said.
Sicilio said there is no such thing as
sex without consequences.
He said one in seven Americans will
see Luv Lines on Page 2.
BY RONDA COOK
The Battalion
The history of kissing will
be discussed tonight at 7 in
MSG 212.
Dr. Vaughn M. Bryant, pro
fessor and head of the anthro
pology department, will pre
sent “The Origin of the Kiss”
sponsored by MSG Great Is
sues.
“Any Aggie who goes to a
football game needs to know
how and why we kiss,” Bryant
said.
Bryant will begin by telling
the audience how kissing orig
inated and explain how the tra
dition was passed through gen
erations. He will discuss cul
tural beliefs about kissing and
the styles and where they orig
inated from.
Bryant has researched kiss
ing for 20 years and has writ
ten several articles. He said his
research is not from experi
ence, but from extensive stud
ies.
Bryant has researched other
topics such as chivalry and the
origin of the curtsy and bow.
Carrie Garcia, a member of
MSG Great issues and a junior
political science major, said the
event was successful last year,
and the audience was enthusi
astic.
“We held this lecture last
year, and it was really fun and
interesting,” Garcia said.
MSG Great Issues will hand
out Hershey kisses at the door.
The lecture will last until 8
p.m., and a reception will fol
low, during which Bryant will
respond to questions.
Garcia said couples and sin
gle students will enjoy the
event.
“You might be able to im
press someone with your
knowledge,” she said.