105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
THURSDAY
July 15, 1999
Volume 105 • Issue 170 • 6 Pages
College Station, Texas
aggielife
• Local art galleries provide
artists the chance to present
their work to the public.
PAGE 3
today’s issue
News 6
Battalion Radio
Listen to 90.9 KAMU-FM at 1:57
p.m. for details on a volleyball
camp being offered by the Brazos
Valley Boys and Girls Club.
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opinion
• Notifying parents of students’
alcohol violations raises issues of.
responsibility and consequences.
PAGE 5
'ask force: Tell parents of alcohol offenses
see Related Columns on Page 5.
BY RYAN WEST
todyimfl The Battalion
officers
r s,asweL B T exas A&M may notify parents of
am % students charged with drug or alcohol
'dassuajfenses on campus under the Family
ionan^'ftticahonai Rights and Privacy Act
safe in t |ERPA).
hiefd Rear
reel said. I
uldsunafl The A&M task force on parental no-
rvebeetLcation regarding student alcohol and
trugglirti jg violations made the recommen
dation to Dr. J. Malon Southerland,
!liefthat®ce president for student affairs, that
a tudent’s parent or guardian be noti-
nstart; led via a letter when he or she is
of peoFjjjaught in violation of A&M’s drug and
jhLudwi'Icohol rules as outlined in the Unl
it Wei® Trsity’s Student Rule handbook,
lie and m The letter would express the Univer-
si y’s concern for the student, request
it for fell
ad feai
the parent’s support in addressing the
issue and list University’s steps to ad
dress the problem through programs
such as enrollment in programs like an
alcoholic education workshop, assess
ment and basic intervention by a certi
fied alcohol and drug counselor in the
Department of Student Life’s Alcohol
and Drug Education Programs and pos
sibly a referral for counseling and treat
ment.
Brent Paterson, director of student
life and coordinator for Alcohol and
Drug Education Programs, said the fo
cus will be on the health and safety of
the University community as a whole
and not on the individual student in vi
olation.
He said many people are affected by
one student’s poor decision.
“The most important thing is inter
vention early on,” he said.
“The first violation is usually not
the student’s first time to do it. The stu
dents who are not abusive are usually
not the ones getting caught.”
Paterson also said the University has
the right to withhold information from
parents if the University has a reason
to believe the student will undergo
physical harm or will be forced to re
turn home.
Gene Zdziarski, associate director of
student life, said the decision is a double-
edged sword, with both pros and cons.
“We know getting parents involved
is effective for drug and alcohol prob
lems,” Zdziarski said. “But we also try
to treat students like adults who are re
sponsible for their own actions, so we
don’t want to be holding it over the
students’ heads.”
Zdziarski said because the parental
notification is for alcohol and drug vi
olations on campus only, the Univer
sity does not want parents to expect
notification for off-campus offenses or
any other on-campus offenses such as
theft, assault, etc.
Sgt. Allan Boyett, a member of the
University Police Department’s Crime
Prevention Unit, said parental notifi
cation will make students more re
sponsible.
“It will make students think twice,”
he said. “Many students donft mind at
tending an alcohol (or drug) awareness
class or paying a fine, but it’s a differ
ent story if Mom and Dad find out.”
According to the Department of Ed
ucation Website, FERPA applies to all
schools that receive funds under an
applicable program of the U.S.- De
partment of Education. FERPA gives
parents certain rights with respect to
their children’s education records.
Alcohol Offenses on Campus
Sept. 1,1998 - June 1,1999
'Alcohol Consumption by a Minor - 3
•Minor in Possession - 221
•Public Intoxication - 65
•Driving While Intoxicated - 40
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CODY WAGES/Thi Battalion
Trainees participate in firefighting exercises Wednesday at the Brayton Fire Training Center as part of an All-Hispanic training seminar
running through the end of the week.
Commission
looks to future
of Brazos Valley
BY MEGAN E. WRIGHT
The Battalion
In an attempt to make the mil
lennium celebration as inclusive as
possible for all citizens of the Bra
zos Valley, Bryan and College Sta
tion have instituted the Brazos Val
ley Millennium Commission.
The theme, “Seize the Light: Cel
ebrating the Legends, Endeavors and
Dreams of the Brazos Valley,” rep
resents a look at the past, present
and future of the Bra
zos Valley.
The commission is
responsible for coordi
nation of the various
millennium activities
scheduled for the Bra
zos Valley.
Carol Wagner, chair
of the Brazos Valley
Millennium Commis
sion, said in a speech during a press
conference yesterday that it is nec
essary to honor advancements made
in the past 1,000 years.
“It is appropriate we honor and
celebrate many of the advances
during the past millennium as we
try to understand the present and
BRAZOS
M I l L £
plan for the future,” she said.
The Millennium Commission
will plan and participate in a num
ber of activities for the community
including a New Year’s Eve and
New Year’s Day celebration. The
New Year’s Day activities will in
clude the burial of a time capsule
containing items representing the
community.
Also planned by the commission
is a “Month of Art” celebration
scheduled for February 2000,
where each day of the month
will feature an art activity.
The International Students
Association (ISA) presented its
plans for the Plan
et Northgate festi
val at the press
conference.
Jason Royster,
Planet Northgate
chair and a junior
political science major, said the cel
ebration is taking shape and is going
to include representatives from all
types of student organizations.
“The Chamber of Commerce loved
the idea because it brings all of our
see Commission on Page 2.
IMIiiiii
VALLEY
N N I U M
We cal'
tt pn book’s effects
/s
and
BY MATT WEBER
The Battalion
ortingl A former legal writer for the
id adwB/all Street Journal told a group of
theg 1 Texas A&M journalism students
y.sterday that writing his book,
ck anijr/ie Good Black: A True Story of
s of palace in America, raised several eth-
mic rfcal questions for him, such as how
is book would impact people and
^/ed "'il-iendships.
The book by Paul Barrett, a for-
ner Pulitzer Prize nominee, exam-
tes race relations in America
rough the experiences of Barrett’s
frican-American former college
bommate.
The roommate, a Harvard-edu-
:ated lawyer, filed a lawsuit against
is own firm charging racial dis-
rimination.
Barrett said he had to ask himself
hat effect his book might have.
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and
“[One has to ask] to what degree
is the author of a book like this re
sponsible for the aftermath, for the
outcome of the book,” he said.
Barrett said that although he has
known the former roommate for 16
years, he could not completely know
the obstacles he had faced.
“Are there some questions, per
haps, that a white journalist could
understand about a black man’s ex
periences in this setting,” he said. “I
understand it well enough for news
paper purposes, but I probably real
ly don’t understand it at all.”
Ed Walraven, coordinator of
undergraduate advising and stu
dent affairs for A&M’s Depart
ment of Journalism, said the
question of friendship and conflict
of interest is a legitimate concern
for journalists.
see Book on Page 2.
PTTS considering changes
to Southside Parking Garage
ANTHONY DISALVO/Thk Battalion
Paul Barrett of the Wall Street Journal discusses
his book with a group of journalism students
Wednesday in the Reed McDonald Building.
BY CARRIE BENNETT
The Battalion
Parking, Traffic and Transportation Ser
vices (PTTS) and the Campus Access Task
Force are considering changing the South-
side Parking Garage from numbered contract
parking to contract parking that would be
operated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sherry Wine, associate director of PTTS,
said physical and electronic counts have
been taken in the garage, and it was found
that there were as many as 300 empty spaces
at 4 a.m., meaning the garage is not being
used to its full capacity.
She also said more than 900 residents who live
on Southside have to park on West Campus be
cause of a lack of spaces near their residence halls.
“We will continue taking counts throughout
the fall semester to see if the results are rein
forced,” Wine said. “If this is the case, then we
would consider changing the garage to contract
place instead of [assigned] space.”
Wine said that early in the spring semester,
she began talking with people who would be
affected by the change to gather their input. She
JP BEATOAThl Battalion
PTTS officials are considering changing the
Southside Parking Garage from numbered to
first-come, first-served contract parking.
said PTTS and the task force have spoken with
representatives from Student Government As
sociation, Residence Life, the Physical Plant
and the Department of Food Services.
Amanda Albritton, president of the Resi
dence Hall Association, said the change
sounds like a good idea.
see Garage on Page 2.