nesday • August 25, 1999
Vol. 105 • Issue 183 * 20 Pages
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Page 4
sports
fomen’s soccer prepares for
season openers against
Mahoma State University and
e University of Oklahoma.
Page 15
opinion
Ihe students
are coming!
Jnrollment
and traditions
Jan help or
Hinder
Itudents.
Page 19
oti
state
Dimer FBI official says agents
Ired on Davidian complex.
Page 6
1111 Alcohol
Ojnruled cause
of death
xe
BY CARRIE BENNETT
AND EMILY R. SNOOKS
The Battalion
(AP) -
ng away if
/es and rfl
day tradf:|
fathered
the mas;
tims.
’ve sufferi
layer Eill
1, pack
orrow a medical examination con-
w that yu Eluded Michael Duane Wagener,
■ comet® a junior environmental design
eyondrW major of Porter, died Aug. 3, the
religion.' morning of his 21st birthday, of
ust bloelacute alcohol poisoning,
killedniB An autopsy revealed his blood
twobrofe alcohol content was 0.48, well
limselfJ 4bove the legal limit of intoxica-
idgeoned: tlon.
: to death® Sergeant diaries Fleeger,
serviceb®riminal Investigation Supervisor
ice. Iteni' f for College Station Police Depart-
iall, red fitment (CSPD), said the depart-
e vied®jpent is investigating events lead
ing up to his death.
eM J He said the department is
Ivorking to uncover how Wagen-
|r obtained the alcohol prior to
midnight, who provided the alco
hol and where all of these activi-
]ies took place.
“At this point we are continu
ing to investigate the where, who
| And when of the situation and see
rrr|||«vhat charges are applicable, and
f dllhey will be taken up with the
district Attorney,” he said,
rafia (rlfl Fleeger said charges could pos-
rancheiBibly be brought upon any person
theOui md any licensed establishment
aracterO vho supplied Wagener with alco-
i in ast iol prior to midnight,
ssaidyfil Legislation introduced last
g place February in the Texas House of
ghwayj Representatives will lower the le-
44, amt Jal level of blood alcohol con-
entration (BAC) necessary for
id. Anoi®n individual to be considered
killing egally intoxicated from 0.10, the
current level, to 0.08, effective
5ept. 1.
According to this new limit,
jy, foitf Wagener’s BAC would have been
six times the legal limit.
The purpose of the amend
ment according to the Office of
:ation
hern Tc ;
les,
, police
pent
ingfor House Bill Analysis includes the
nearb)' “belief that individuals are sig-
n gtwof nificantly impaired at levels low
er than Texas state law currently
allows.” The federal government
has passed legislation which
would give “specific funds” to a
state if the BAC is lowered to
0.08.
Omar Cantu, enforcement
agent with Texas Alcoholic Bev
erage Commission (TABC), said
he is conducting a joint investi
gation into the incident with the
police department. He said CSPD
will investigate criminal matters
and TABC will investigate admin
istrative violations, which are vi
olations covered under the TABC
code.
Cantu said criminal charges
will not necessarily be brought
up, but the TABC does have the
r *ght to press criminal charges.
see Alcohol on Page 2.
New Corps of Cadets members
face many challenges, changes
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
The beginning of the 1999
fall semester will mean a
lifestyle change for many of the
600 plus freshmen registered in
the Corps of Cadets.
Major J. H. “Doc” Mills, me
dia relations coordinator for the
Corps of Cadets, said the Corps
can expect as many as one hun
dred additional cadets to sign
up once the school year begins,
and 85 percent of the cadets are
expected to stay through the
first semester.
“Last year, we kept 85 per
cent of the 780 freshmen in the
Corps,” he said. “This year we
are going to try for even more,”
Mills said.
Aaron Farnum, a member of
the Corps of Cadets and a senior
computer engineering major,
said one problem encountered
by freshmen is the inability to
manage their time.
“What I suggest is that
[freshmen] learn how to use
time effectively with a focus on
academics,” Farnum said.
According to a survey of
freshmen leaving the Corps, one
of the major complaints stu
dents had was a lack of free
time.
Mark Macicek, Deputy Corps
Commander and a senior busi- Sophomore Chris May (left) and senior John Anderson (middle) look on as Freshman O (right) drinks
ness major, said the structured water while practicing drill instruction, a mandatory drill for all cadets who are not members of the Ag-
time frame’, including 20 hours g'e Band, on the Quadrangle Monday afternoon.
a week of mandatory study freshman and sophomore years Forrest Lane, Corps of “Sometimes a freshman.can’t
time, helps develop a sense of than non-regs.” Cadets Commander and a se- see the entire picture of all the
discipline with regards to acad- Macicek said the studying em- nior political science and eco- benefits the Corps can offer,” he
emic success. phasis is one of the reasons stu- nomics major, said he advises said." But the more time you
“The Corps helps put an em- dents in the Corps averaged beHef freshmen in the Corps to con- spend in the Corps, the more
phasis on academics, ” he said, grades than their civilian counter- tinue through the rough times you realize that it is teaching
“As a result. Corps members of- parts in nine out of the 10 colleges they may encounter their first
ten average better grades their for the last spring semester. year. see Corps on Page 2.
ExCEL aims to ease transition to college
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
Incoming freshmen will have the opportu
nity to learn skills and techniques for making
a smooth transition from high school to college
at the Excellence Uniting Culture Education
and Leadership (ExCEL) orientation conference
given by the Department of Multicultural Ser
vices Aug. 27 and 28.
Tiffani Darden, senior political science ma
jor and president of the ExCEL program, said
the program focuses on helping minority stu
dents adapt to the new academic and social ex
periences of college life by means of providing
assistance from upperclassmen, called team
leaders, and minority faculty members.
“We want to show these freshmen that, even
though they are going to a predominately white
school, minorities can still fit in and reach be
yond their own comfort zone,” she said.
Lorna Hermosura, assistant coordinator of
student retention for the Department of Multi
cultural Services, said since the program’s be
ginning in 1987 it has helped more than 1,800
students adjust to the college environment.
“This conference gives
students the survival tools
to succeed in college ”
—Tiffani Darden
ExCel president
She said the conference will offer workshops
and social activities to help students find their
own identity at Texas A&M University and un
derstand other cultures and the traditions of
A&M. She said there will also be programs to
emphasize academic and time management
skills and the majority of the 11 workshops will
be held at Rudder Fountain, Rudder Tower and
MSC.
Darden said one activity will be the “Cul
tural Extravaganza” Friday night in the MSC.
This event invites many culturally different or
ganizations from A&M to participate. Hermo
sura said the conference will also have work
shops designed for parents of incoming
freshmen in order to help them prepare for the
new situations they will encounter for exam
ple, the student’s absence at home.
“The workshop will help ease the fears of
the parents by letting them talk to parents of
current students, helping them understand the
traditions here, and letting them network with
parents and faculty,” Hermosura said.
Darden said she encourages everyone, not
just minorities, to attend the conference.
“This conference gives students the survival
see ExCEL on Page 2.
Leadership
conference
to focus on
networking
BY BROOKE HODGES
The Battalion
Leaders from various campus or
ganizations will join together Aug.
25through 27 for the 47th MSC An
nual Fall Leadership Conference
held in TYinidad.
Barney Fudge, adviser for the Fall
Leadership Conference, said the
conference is directed toward edu
cating upperclassmen to gain lead
ership skills such as good commu
nication skills, motivation and
responsibility needed after gradua
tion.
“[The conference] will gather ju
niors and seniors who are in lead
ership positions on campus to get
together and network and exchange
different leadership perspectives,”
he said.
Jeremy Hawpe, director of dele
gates for the conference, said the
conference will emphasize the im
portance of building relationships
among students by introducing
leaders from different organizations.
Beneficial networks can be formed
at the conference between leaders
that work together during the fall.
“This years conference, themed
‘Building Our Future,’ will focus on
the tools used in leadership posi
tions such as networking personal
relationships between students
throughout the campus,” he said.
Fudge said that this year the con
ference is centered around the Dom
inance Influence Steadiness Con
sciousness test (D.I.S.C.).
The test will be used by the par
ticipants to define their own per
sonalities. Students will attend fo
cus groups in order to gain
information on how to work with
other personalities in a professional
setting. Fudge said.
Anne Turner, chairperson for the
conference, said the participants
also get a chance to meet with fac
ulty of Texas A&M University.
The conference will include a
question and answer session with
Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M.
Bowen and the Board of Regents.
“A lot of people would not ordi
narily have the opportunity to be in
a room with Dr. Bowen and be able
to ask questions,” Tlirner said.
Jan Hargrave, an open session
speaker for the conference, will give
a presentation on the use of non
verbal communications in business
including a discussion on the inter
pretation of body language.
Fudge said former students will
be available to provide insights into
the business world and the need for
leadership qualities to succeed. He
said former students who partici
pated in the conference while at
tending A&M will discuss the ways
leadership skills have been benefi
cial to them.
A&M’s first ‘Freshman Welcome Day* to help
incoming students, parents adjust to campus
FRESHMAN WELCOME DAY
Wednesday, Au^. 2$ Turn ~ ?pm
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Jeff Smith/The Battalion
BY JULIE ZUCKER
The Battalion
Texas A&M has designated to
day as the first official “Freshman
Welcome Day” where volunteers
will help students and parents
move into residence halls.
Ron Sasse, director of resi
dence life, worked with the
Check-In Coordination Commit
tee to designate a specific day for
the freshmen to move in.
“Fifty percent of the freshman
class move into their dorms on
the first day [of move-in],” Sasse
said. “It is overwhelming, and
there has to be a better way to
move freshmen in without the
hassle.”
Volunteers for the program, in
cluding individual students, staff
members and campus organiza
tions applied through campus
mail and on the Internet. Sasse
received 175 responses, but he
would like more.
“I didn’t know what to expect
when it came to the number of
volunteers, but we need three
times as many,” he said. “I hope
more people will come to the
tents on Wednesday.”
Volunteers will meet at desig
nated tents near Northside and
Southside residence halls today.
The Northside tent will be locat
ed on the corner of Houston
Street and Ross Street, next to
Sbisa Dining Hall. The Southside
tent will be between Wells and
Eppright residence halls.
Help begins at 7 a.m. with vol
unteers signed up for four-hour
shifts throughout the day until 7
p.m. Volunteers will wear T-shirts
with the logo “Got Help?” on the
front. Volunteers also get the ben
efit of parking without charge in
the Northside or Southside park
ing garages.
Sasse said there is an equal
amount of student and staff vol
unteers.
Taylor Haglund, president of
the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) na
tional service fraternity and a se
nior management and marketing
major, said th^ day will ease the
transition for the freshmen.
“I remember what it was like
to move in, afad this is a good
way to help out and meet the
freshmen,” she said.
Haglund said many of the stu
dent volunteers are involved
with APO.
“[APO] knew of the idea
through other schools but never
got around to,starting it at A&M.
Maybe we thought parking
would be too terrible or the job
was already taken,” Haglund
said. "Still, it will help the fresh
man meet new people early on.”
Sasse said volunteers’ duties
are to “meet, greet and help
freshmen move into dorms.”
He said volunteers will wait at
the curbs for parents and stu
dents, help unload the cars and
take items into the dorms. Sasse
said volunteers will also answer
any questions the students or
parents may have.
He said the biggest issue for
“Freshman Welcome Day” is
parking. Sasse said Bizzell Street
and Lubbock Street will be par
tially barricaded and cars will fol
low a designated route to keep the
flow of traffic from backing up.
The cars will enter the residence
hall areas, unload, and end up in
the parking garages, he said.
Sasse said a new tradition is
beginning at A&M, and if it catch
es on, it will be bigger and better
next year.
“If this should work anyplace
it’s Texas A&M,” he said.