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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1999)
106 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY v r..., ; - . ^ [day • August 30,1999 College Station, Texas Volume 106 • Issue 1 • 26 Pages • 2 Sections aggielife C is for College |ariety of sources i available to Ip students Ike the ide. Page 3A sports le the Texas A&M Football bview '99 insert. Section B opinion Closet skeletons Columnists battle over whether or not Gov. Bush should answer question about drug use. Page 13A new feature le Battalion now has a daily pssword puzzle. Page 10A All-University Night marks new semester \ 'V p— 7:15pm gpgNR AU-U N«9ht BY ERIKA DOERR The Battalion Tonight, All-University Night, a biannual Texas A&M event, will bring students together at Kyle Field to kick off the beginning of a new school year. Jeff Bailey, head yell leader and a senior agricultural systems major, said the activities will start at 6:30 p.m. under the arches of the Corps plaza with the All-U Walk. “There’s a new addition to All- U Night this year,” he said. “The difference from last year is that there will be an All-U Walk.” The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, Corps of Cadets and the yell lead ers will meet at the Corps plaza and leave heading down Lubbock Street to gather the residents of the Southside residence halls. The par- ticipanfs will continue past the Academic Building to the Fish Pond to gather the residents of the Northside halls at 6:40 p.m. Every one will then be led to Kyle Field where they will have the first yell practice of the year. “All-University Night is intended to introduce the freshman [cjlass... to Aggie traditions with the help of the yell leaders/' — Dusty Batsell Senior yell leader Bailey said he wants to concen trate on making students feel wel come and involved in A&M’s tradi tions. Bailey expects more than 8,000 people to participate in All U- Night. Dusty Batsell, a senior yell leader and a construction science major, said All-U Night is an event where everyone can look forward to having a good time and meeting other Aggies. “The entire University is wel come to join with the yell leaders, the Aggie Band and the Corps of Cadets to kick-off the semester and get to know student organization leaders,” Batsell said. Leah Naso, assistant hall direc tor for Mosher residence hall, said individual halls can bond by par ticipating in tonight’s events. “All-University Night is intend ed to introduce the freshman Class of 2003 to Aggie traditions with the help of the yell leaders,” Naso said. MARK MCPHERSON AND ROBERT HYNECEK/Tm: Battalion All-University Night will consist of several activities that take place at different areas of campus beginning at 6:30 p.m. She said Bailey will lead the pro gram, starting with a welcome, a prayer and the national anthem. Bailey said A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen, Student Body Pres ident Will Hurd, Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice president for stu dent affairs and A&M fall athletics will be introduced and participate in the evening’s events at Kyle Field. “Starting at 7:15 p.m., the jum- botron will come on showing high light videos from each sport,” he said. Bailey said coaches and teams will be recognized and given the opportunity to talk to the student body. Daniel Pace a junior philosophy major and a resident of Hart Hall, said he has participated in All-U Night for the past three years and is looking forward to attending tonight’s event. “I’ve had a blast every year, and I’ve met thousands of new people,” he said. “I think the new All-U Walk will be an asset in encourag ing more students to participate.” Activities are expected to con clude around 8:15 p.m., and Howdy Dance will follow at Hurri cane Flarry’s, Batsell said. inference romotes [ampus unity BY BROOKE HODGES The Battalion The 47th Annual MSC Fall Leadership Confer- te (FLC) held last Wednesday through Friday Ulinidad,,Texas, provided 105 student leaders jtt various campus organizations with valuable - Jdership skills and the opportunity to build re- Jonships used to unify campus. IStudent Body President, Will Hurd, said the liference was helpful in building connections Ih other leaders. IHe said the conference helped him better un- ptand his own leadership abilities, rlt taught me a little bit more about my own portal style of leadership as well as how to com- pnicate with others,” Hurd said. Ilhe conference consisted of a presentation on Iding nonverbal communications by Jan Har- |ve and a question-and-answer session with ps A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen, the Texas Id Board of Regents and members of A&M ad- aistration. jHurd said meeting with these influential lead- 1 offered students an opportunity to interact Ih the Board of Regents, Dr. Bowen and the oth- ladministrators. iBarry Hammond, delegate for the Student Gov- hment Association and a sophomore business bagement major, said the conference provided p with a chance to see other areas of leadership might be interested in. rlt gave me an opportunity to look at other [or- hizations],” Hammond said. “Pm going to get ap- Ications at Open House and really see how I can lead myself out and not just focus on one area. ” I Hurd said he has attended the conference three pes, and every time, he leaves the conference Ith valuable information and a great visjon for p upcoming year. “1 am a veteran of FLC, and every year, you al- pys walk away thinking positively of the year,” said. Campus Kick-Off Concert GUY ROGERS/Thh Bajtalion Peyton Lowrey (foreground) and Robb Marr (background) of Blue Earth performs Sunday at The Grove. The band was the final act for the First Annual Campus Kick-Off Concert. The con cert was sponsorfed by the Texas A&M Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council and the Department of Student Life. Jury selection in Jasper trial to begin STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Tomorrow in' Bryan tho^ jury selection begins for the trial of Jasper . resident, Lawrence Russell Brewer, the second of three accused in the 1998 dragging death of James A. Byrd Jr. This trial follows the Feb ruary 1999 conviction of John William King, who now sits on death row for Byrd’s murder. In June 1998, Byrd, a 49- year-old disabled black man, died after being chained to the back of a pick-up truck and dragged along a back road in the East Texas town of Jasper. All three men charged with Byrd’s murder, includ ing Brewer, are accused of killing Byrd in an attempt to gain recognition for a white supremacist group they were planning to form. Brewer, 32, has entered a not guilty plea. Brewer’s defense attorneys successfully argued for a change of venue due to the enormous publicity generat ed in Jasper by King’s trial. " ~ Ja'spdf ’CbuhTy " DtSfilct Judge Monte Lawlis planned for jury selection to start at the beginning of the Texas A&M fall semester when A&M employees would be available to ensure the largest possible pool for jurors. Bra zos County, with a popula tion of 138,000, is four times the size of Jasper. Tomorrow’s jury selection for the trial and is expected to last two weeks. Brazos County mailed 600 jury summons to prospective jurors. Jury coordinator Gin ger Lanehart said turnout will probably be a few hun dred less. Following the com pletion of jury selection, pre sentation of evidence will begin. Officers from the Bryan Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the FBI and the U.S. Marshal Service, along with 72 repre sentatives from various me dia organizations, will be in attendance at tomorrow’s proceedings. The third defendant ac cused of Byrd’s murder, Shawn Allen Berry, is still awaiting trial. ->u know om/ocp ew cadets omplete irogram BY STUART HUTSON The Battalion 1 The Corps of Cadets Freshman Orientation Week jOW), a preparation for freshman members for life i the Corps and the upcoming academic year, con cluded Saturday. I Deputy Corps commander, Mark Macicek, a senior psiness major, said FOW serves as a part of the learn- Pg process for freshmen cadets, who are not only ■tight how to operate in the Corps, but are also pre- ared for the upcoming school year by doing such Ungs as setting up e-mail accounts and buying books. Macicek said this early cadet training is necessary D once the school year begins, the cadets can focus n academics instead of being distracted by learning ow to dress and march properly. “The transition from high school to college is a uge step,” he said, “but the transition from high diool to the Corps is a change of life.” Rush draws fewer applicants Guv Rogers/The Battalion John Anderson, a senior biomedical science major, gives drill instruction to new freshmen during Fresh men Orientation Week Monday on the Quadrangle. Col. Shady Groves, assistant commandant for op erations and training, said one of the greatest achieve ments of this year’s FOW was the cadet retention rate. As of last Friday, 16 of the more than 600 freshmen had dropped out. Normally during FOW, 25 to 30 freshmen are lost. Groves said. Macicek said he attributes the low drop-out rate in part to a new attempt by the Corps to change old poli cies. Groves said one such change is the revision of the dining hall policy, which will allow cadets to eat in a more casual manner without as many rules from now on. see Cadets on Page 2. BY JULIE ZUCKER The Battalion During the annual sorority rush week, held last week, the Panhel lenic Council experienced a decline of 150 applicants this year, as com pared to last year for the event. DaLynn Barker, Panhellenic rush chair and a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, said in past years more women have chosen to rush but were unsure if they would pledge a sorority at the end of the week. This year fewer women be gan rush, but were more confident in their decision to pledge. “This year, there is a smaller freshman class, but the women were more definite about choosing to pledge,” Barker, a senior public relations major, said. Taylor Young, a member of Kap pa Alpha Theta sorority and a ju nior recreation, parks and tourism major, said she was not concerned with the lower number of women participating because the quality of the participants had increased. “Even though the numbers are decreasing, Texas A&M still has one of the largest groups of girls de ciding to affiliate with the Greek system,” Young said. “The num bers don’t matter because the new members this year uphold the highest standards.” Ten of the 12 houses participat ed in formal rush last week. Alpha Phi sorority will host a deferred rush in September as will Kappa Delta sorority, which is a new sorority this year at A&M. Infor mation sessions will be offered at the MSC Open House next Sunday. Rush began with a convocation ceremony last Monday in Rudder Auditorium. The women were in troduced to the events of the up coming week by speeches, songs and skits performed by the Panhel lenic Council executives and the Rush Team, headed by Barker. Barker said convocation helps women to understand the events of the week ahead and what it means to be involved in the A&M Greek system. “We try to enforce the idea that we are all Aggies first,” Barker said. Robbie Gehbauer/Thl Battalion Martha Tyroch (center), congratu lates her daughter Melissa Tyroch (right) and her daughter’s best friend Laura Pringle after both re ceive bids Saturday. “And we don’t want to overshadow the week after rush when school begins. Convocation emphasizes see Rush on Page 2.