init
106 YEARS A3T TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
ION
esday • September 14,1999
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 • Issue 12 • 20 Pages
ro< triends mourn passing
W ^ A ^ ^
t FOODS
psychologii
itli a “verv
[)f Texas A&M student
BY EMILY R. SNOOKS
The Battalion
Close friends of deceased Texas A&M
udent Mark Dennis Klockentager,
oti! n his death and strive to inform the
udent body in order to help those in
milar situations.
Klockentager, a 21-year-old senior
arketing student from Lake Jackson,
id aspirations of becoming the
tungest governor of Iowa. He commit-
d suicide Friday morning at his home
. i College Station.
Leuh Russell, Klockentager’s best friend
id a junior management information sys-
ms major, said he was still reveling about
rdering his class ring just a few weeks
ussell said that to a perfect stranger,
entager seemed like the happiest,
motivated person, but to his closest
iends there was a different profile,
cptj “He was unhappy and had a lot of is-
^mes, but not about grades or his parents,”
ussell said. “He had talked about suicide
Cf" r M e b ut I never sa id anything about it.”
^ V 1 Hi Rachel Perry, a longtime friend of
. , v lockentager’s and senior environmental
cienee major said she, and others had
one out together Thursday night with
Jockentager, who was in good spirits the
ntire night.
•epiug force
said vesteri.
raen
S troA 1 ’
be
Tiri
“He was so happy that night, he talked
about how he wanted to go to law school
in TUlsa,” she said. “When we were drop
ping him off at home he was talking about
how we were going to an Astros game Fri
day night.”
“He had talked about
suicide before but I
never said anything
about it
— Leah Russell
Friend of suicide victim
Russell said he was her best friend and
she was the last person he spoke with and
they had argued before his death but she
knows it is not her fault. However, she ex
pressed regret that she did not inform oth
ers of his depression and said she encour
ages students to tell someone if any of their
friends ever say anything about ending
their lives.
“Please tell someone about [suicide],”
She said. “Don’t keep it in like I did.”
Carissima Gori, a senior speech com
munications major, said she considered
Klockentager her best male friend and a
great person all-around.
Gori said Klockentager was an ex
tremely good-looking, intelligent, kind
person who always brought her spirits up,
but seemed to neglect his own emotions
and feelings.
“Mark would become obsessed with
his looks and being fit and dwell on [his]
failed relationships,” she said
She said she believes certain common
beliefs at A&M may have an ill effect on
students interpretations of what is expect
ed of them in college.
“Just because we go to A&M and that
most people are engaged by the time they
are 20 doesn’t mean that anyone who
doesn’t follow that same path is a fail
ure,” she said.
Perry said she is upset because appar
ently A&M has contacted people who
knew him but no one has reached her, a
close friend since high school.
“I myself want to go and talk to some
one but no one [from A&M] will help me
or wants to talk about it,” she said.
Perry said that improvements need to
be made as far as campus services to aid
students in need of help. She said students
see Student on Page 2.
Byrd’s sister reacts
to trial testimony
BY RYAN WEST
The Battalion
Mylinda Washington, sister of James A.
Byrd Jr., the 49-year-old African-American
male who was dragged to death in Jasper,
said she does not feel prison is responsible
for making killers, in response to today’s
opening testimony.
“At this point, 1 still have faith in the ju
dicial system — color is irrelevant,” she said.
Washington said the prosecution
worked hard to put the details of the case
together, and they have a strong case.
“It’s hard to say [how the trial is going],”
she said. “It’s very tiring, and I’m emotion
ally drained.”
Washington is taking vacation time from
work to stay in Brazos County for the next
couple of weeks, or until the trial’s end.
The first morning of the trial moved
quickly — the prosecution’s opening state
ment was less than 15 minutes long and the
defense chose not to make a statement.
Following their opening argument, the
prosecution brought in witnesses, includ
ing several convicts with gang related tat
toos, who knew Brewer during his former
prison years.
One witness for the trial, former mem
ber of Texas Syndicate (TS), a Hispanic-
American prison gang, showed the TS tat
too displayed on his arm.
“[If you are not in a gang] and if you
ain’t strong enough or smart enough, you
will get killed or raped in prison,” the for
mer TS member said.
The witness said when he met Brewer
in the Texas Department of Correction in
the Summer of 1998, he asked Brewer what
he would do if he had the [Byrd] situation
to do all over again.
“ [Brewer] said he’d do it better,” the wit
ness said. “He said if it was up to him he’d
take the whole population and shoot them
behind the head — man, woman and child. ”
Another witness, former member of the
Confederate Kings of America (CKA), the
Anglo-American prison gang Brewer led for
a short time, said gang affiliation provides
protection in prison.
“If you’re a small white person in prison,
you are preyed upon—you can get killed,
turn homosexual or kill yourself,” the for
mer CKA member said after showing the
Ku Klux Klan symbols, confederate flag and
burning cross tattoos covering his stomach.
He said although he does not feel as
strongly about racial hatred as before, if a
prison officer said there was no need for
gangs in prison he would laugh at him.
“You either get with your kind or have a
lot of problems throughout your [prison]
stay,” the witness said.
Testimony throughout the week will of
fer further insight into Brewer’s character
and recount the death of James A. Byrd Jr.
for the Brazos County panel of jurors.
The right chemistry
A&M marks achievements of Dr. Frank Cotton
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
More than 120 chemists and students of
chemistry from all-around the world gath
ered in the George Bush Presidential Confer
ence Center last night to celebrate the career
achievements of Dr. Frank Albert Cotton, a
distinguished professor of chemistry and di
rector of the laboratory for molecular struc
ture and bonding at Texas A&M.
The event was the second annual cele^
bration of a professor chosen by the Univer
sity provost office and council of distin
guished professors for his or her outstanding
achievements in research and his or her ac
complishments while at A&M.
Cotton said while he feels honored, the
importance of the event was to show the
world A&M’s outstanding faculty.
“I feel it is appropriate that A&M use this
opportunity to show its distinguished pro
fessors to the nation and to the world,”
Cotton said.
Cotton received his Ph.D. in 1955 from
Harvard University. In his 44 years of pro
fessional chemistry, he has obtained numer
ous achievements including the National
Medal of Science in 1982 for his work in or
ganic chemistry and an appointment to The
National Science Board in 1986 and 1992.
Marye Anne Fox, professor of chemistry
and chancellor at North Carolina State Uni
versity, said Cotton first began his studies of
inorganic chemistry at a time when physical
chemistry was the dominant area of study.
“What he brought with him was a pas
sion for originality,” Fox said. “Inorganic
is now one of the most studied fields of
chemistry, and Al Cotton is one of its pre
mier researchers.”
Carlos Murillo, a professor of chemistry
at the University of Costa Rica and an ad
junct professor of chemistry at Texas A&M,
said some of Cotton’s biggest achievements
are the text books he has written which have
reached thousands of students.
“Advanced Inorganic Chemistry has now
had over half a million copies sold and is
used all over the nation,” Murillo said.
“Many, many students have benefited from
Dr. Cotton’s wonderful insight.”
Cotton has also written Basic Inorganic
Chemistry, a college text which has been trans
lated into eight foreign languages, and Chem
istry-An Investigative Approach, a high school
text used in high schools around the country.
George G. Stanley, a professor of chem
istry at Louisiana State University, said one
of the achievements which sets Cotton apart
from other research scientists is the sheer
numbers of his 1,421 research papers. 111
Ph.D. graduates and 156 post doctoral Fel
lows he has produced during his career in
chemistry.
“These are absolutely remarkable and
mind staggering numbers for any chemist,”
Stanley said “These papers and chemists
have had a tremendous impact on the study
see Cotton on Page 2.
sports
•Taking on the world
'World Cup player
, Martha Moore
brings experience
to Texas A&M.
Page 15
aggielife
•Flat Broke
jLearn how to manage money
i/hile earning an education.
Page 3
opinion
•Frankenstein foods
[Europeans have
[overreacted to the
(introduction of -
^genetically altered
<foods into markets.
Page 19
Batt radio
[Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at
11:57 p.m.for details on Bryan’s
• search for its citizen of the year.
%}■
Campaign effort focuses
on teaching responsibility
BY JULIE ZUCKER
The Battalion
Texas A&M is joining with 112
other universities in the National
Campaign for Alcohol and Drug Ed
ucation which aims to enhance
awareness among college students
about the dangers of binge drinking.
Patti Collins, coordinator of cam
pus-wide alcohol and drug educa
tion at A&M, said the campaign is
designed to change students’ per
ception of drinking. She said one-
third of high school students come
to college with an image of binge
drinking as part of college life.
“The idea that everyone boozes
is ridiculous,” Collins said. “If we
can change that idea students have,
we have made the first step in the
right direction.”
The campaign’s main focus is to
convince students not to binge
drink. Collins said binge drinking is
equal to a man consuming more
than five beers in one hour, or a
woman drinking more than four
hours. It can also be related to chug
ging, drinking to get drunk, drinking
too fast or mixing drugs and alcohol.
According to the National Har
vard School of Public Health College
Alcohol Study in 1997, three million
college students met the standard for
binge drinkers. The study said one
in five students identify themselves
as a frequent high-risk drinker.
Collins said engaging in high-risk
drinking is life threatening, and stu
dents need to know the facts. She
said most students at A&M don’t put
themselves in a high-risk drinking
situation.
“Students don’t come to college
to become alcoholics,” Collins said.
“That is why our campaign is so im
portant. We need to reach the stu
dents and help them before they
hurt themselves.”
According to a 1998 survey con
ducted by the Department of Edu
cation, 56 percent of A&M students
do not engage in high-risk drinking.
The campaign at A&M is moti
vating students to become aware of
the risk by incorporating the infor
mation into curriculum.
A&M hosts career fair,
2nd largest in nation
mmsMWmmmm&mm
-Three million college students met the standards ;
a for binge drinking in 1997
-1 in S students identtfv themselves as frequent
high-risk drinkers
ROBERT HYNECEK/The BATTALION
Collins said there will be infor
mation available through kinesiolo
gy classes. Alcohol 101 workshops,
peer educators and counseling ser
vices at A.P. Beutel Health Center.
The campaign is starting a project
called “The 21st Birthday Card”
where cards will be sent to students
on their 21st birthday to remind
them to celebrate responsibly.
Daphne Dykes, a sophomore
business major, said the campaign
needs to get the word out about the
effects of high-risk drinking.
“As long as the campus is aware
of the problems high-risk drinking
has, students will listen,” she said.
“I just know students will drink no
matter what.”
see Campaign on Page 2.
BY BROOKE HODGES
The Battalion
The Fall 1999 Capitalizing on En
gineering Opportunities Career Fair,
is giving engineering majors a chance
to meet with representatives from
various companies and increase their
chance of getting a job after gradua
tion, which begins today and runs
through Thursday in Reed Arena.
Danny Boyer, the career fair chair
and a senior mechanical engineer
ing major, said 200 companies from
around the world will attend the fair
to help students find jobs.
“[We’ve done this] for 12 or so
years, but this is the biggest,” he
said. “This is the second largest en
gineering career fair in the country. ”
An estimated 4,000 students are
expected to attend the fair and meet
with representatives from companies.
Boyer said some large compa
nies attending the fair are Dell,
Compaq, Microsoft, Texaco, Shell
Oil, NASA and Anderson Consult
ing Company.
filing on Engineering
A’REER FAlRd?.-
Over 200 compaMcn will
he represented today
through fridey in
Reed Arc/i.i
>
JP BEATO/The Battalion
Terry Frank, a senior mechanical
engineering major, said the career
fair is an opportunity to meet with
companies.
“ [This] gives me a good chance
to talk to employers, get my resume
out there, and talk and see what they
have to offer when I graduate in
May,” Frank said. “I’ve been every
year and it’s very exciting because
I’m really looking for a job.”
Justin Ring, the Capitalizing on
Engineering Opportunities Career
Fair Fall 1999 golf director and a se
nior civil engineering major, said to
day begins with a golf tournament
on the A&M Golf Course in which a
student will be paired with a repre-
see Fair on Page 2.