106 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 • Issue 13*18 Pages
JAOJ2*-
PEDICL
triends of the NRA
liather for auction
Bnan, IX ^
4409
(409) 84641
(Near Fajita H:
BY CHRIS MENCZER
The Battalion
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Nearly 600 second-amendment
‘pporters, including State Senator
‘ve Ogden and Brazos County
eriff Chris Kirk, attended the sev-
th annual Friends of NRA (Nation-
Rifle Association) banquet and
ction last night at the Brazos Cen-
in Bryan.
:e related editorial on Page 17.
At the auction. Friends of NRA
?mbers auctioned off guns, art,
cepted. ye|ry, hardware, knives, all-terrain
^hicles and gift certificates.
Frtends of NRA, while part of the
,1A foundation, is an apolitical,
707 Tews J|iL ro f-^ ec i uca tional organization,
“'st [ year’s banquet and auction
1 sed more than $30,000, which
“ikbd second in Texas and sixth na-
nally.
’Officials are optimistic that this
wwwun lt ^ ar ! s event wil1 garner more than
?ir expected goal of $40,000.
; Proceeds of the auction are to be
donated to “Eddie Eagle,” the NRA’s
national education program designed
to teach children to stay away from
guns; Refuse to be a Victim, which is
a women’s self-defense program; the
4-H Club skeet range; and the Boys
Club of America.
Jack Lester, secretary-treasurer of
Friends of NRA, said the turnout
marks a noticeable increase in at
tendance from last year’s event,
which did not surprise event offi
cials due to recent clamor for stricter
gun-control laws.
Larry Tatom, guest speaker and
NRA field representative for South
Texas, said participation increases
when talk of gun control legislation
heightens.
“The more legislation is passed to
restrict [gun-ownership] rights, the
more people turn out,” he said.
Tatom, Class of ’76, has been a guest
speaker for the A&M Young Republi
cans and was active in the Aggieland
chapter for the NRA, the first collegiate
chapter of the NRA nationwide.
John Lilly, Brazos Valley Friends, of
NRA chair, said Friends of NRA is ded-
CHAD ADAMS/Thk Battalion
Dr. Gene Howard, an ordcrined Bap
tist minister and a preacher, recites
his original patriotic poetry at the
Friends of the NRA fundraiser dinner.
icated to educational, not political ends.
“We are not the NRA,” Lilly said.
“We are a sister organization. We are
100 percent non-political. We support
gun education at a grassroots level.
“If people are educated and
trained, you are not going to have ac
cident,” he said.
“You are not going to‘ have
tragedies. ”
Lilly said between $15,000 and
$20,000 of merchandise was auc
tioned off at the banquet.
Court denies union
A&M, law school fight to keep affiliation
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
■ The Texas Supreme Court
denied a position for a stay
which would allow Texas A&M
and the South Texas College of
Law to indefinitely continue
their affiliation agreement be
ginning Sept. 28.
Texas A&M and the South
Texas College of Law will chal
lenge the Texas Higher Educa
tion Coordinating Board Nov. 3
in the 3rd U.S. Court of Ap
peals, in hopes of maintaining
the affiliation agreement signed
between the higher education
institutions in January 1998.
Sheila Hansel, public rela
tions manager of the South
Texas College of Law, said
the denial of the stay will
only nominally affect the in
stitutions.
“We get to keep doing the
academic arrangements, like
faculty exchanges,” Hansel
said.
“Texas A&M can’t make ap
pointments to the Board [at
South Texas]. We will be in
compliance on the 28th.”
A&M President Dr. Ray M.
Bowen was not available for
comment yesterday on the de
nial of the stay.
After the affiliation agree
ment was signed between A&M
and the South Texas College of
Law, the coordinating board
said A&M should have consult
ed the board before signing the
affiliation agreement with the
South Texas College of Law.
The coordinating board is
responsible for oversight in the
distribution of diplomas by
state-funded higher education
institutions, including both
schools.
Hansel said the affiliation
agreement is advantageous for
both schools.
“The affiliation allows for
Texas A&M to claim a law pro
gram without adding a sepa
rate law program and faculty,
and with the benefit of a 75-
year-old law school,” Hansel
said. “We get the affiliation
with the giant Texas A&M
University. ”
Guide: A&M campus
3rd least gay-friendly
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
“Alternative lifestyle is not an alternative,”
at Texas A&M, according to The Princeton Re
view Guide: The Best 331 Colleges, 2000 Edition,
which ranked A&M as the third least gay-
friendly campus nationwide.
The catalog is an annual publication that ranks
students at 331 colleges nationwide on college-re
lated topics based upon surveys from more than
59,000 students who were randomly surveyed.
Students were asked whether or not students,
faculty and administrators treat all persons
equally regardless of their sexual orientations.
Duke University is reportedly the least gay
friendly, followed by the University of Notre Dame.
Jordan Davis, secretary of the Gay, Lesbian, Bi
sexual and TVansgendered Aggies (GLBTA) and a
sophomore English and political science major,
said a predominate conservative attitude is what
brings many people to A&M, but it is also what
keeps some students from feeling included.
“A&M is unique in that it requires an emo
tional investment which brings its students to
gether in with a bond that extends far beyond
school spirit,” Davis said. “I think that every
one should be disturbed when some students
are kept from being a part of this bond because
of prejudice.”
Jackie Mohrfeld, a senior mechanical engi
neering major, said much of the discrimination
comes from what she calls “the good old boy
attitude” of many of A&M students, including
herself. She said the attitude reflects the con
servative values predominant at A&M.
“Even the word ‘gay’ is a word you would
use if you didn’t like something,” she said.
“You might say, ‘line dancing is gay,’ if you
don’t like line dancing.”
The catalog also ranked A&M 11th among
universities holding strong conservative values
in a category titled “Future Rotarians and
Daughters of the American Revolution.”
David Kessler, a member of GLBTA and a se
nior English and history major, said gay people
have always encountered difficulties at A&M in
cluding being tormented by fellow Aggies and
being ignored by the administration.
“Part of the problem is always going to be
Top ten least gay frieiully
universities in the nation
as ranked by The Princeton Review
Duke University
University of Notre Dame
3. Texas A&M University
4. Truman State University
5. Grove City College
6. Hampton University
7. Wheaton College
8. Westminster College
9. Miami University
T 0. Johns Hopkins University
ROBERT HYNECEK/Tm Battalion
the inherent attitude about gays at A&M,”
Kessler said. “But it seems that the administra
tion does not want to do anything to dispel this
attitude, despite the fact that it claims to be an
inclusive university.”
Kessler said the University’s administration
has ignored the gay rights since 1976 when the
predecessor to GLBTA, Gay Student Services,
requested to be recognized as an official stu
dent organization.
The University denied the request, resulting in
a legal battle, which ended in 1985 when the U.S.
Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal to a de
cision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
ordering A&M to recognize the student group.
Kessler said A&M President Dr. Ray M.
Bowen’s recent refusal to include a sexual ori
entation statement in the non-discrimination
policy of the Student Rules Handbook as an ex
ample of the administration’s refusal to help its
gay population.
“The inclusion of the statement would be a
pro-active step that would show the University
as an institution that will not tolerate sexual
orientation discrimination,” he said.
Kessler added that Duke University, which
see Campus on Page 2.
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Page 13
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Page 17
3;30PM The Battalion Online
, Iheck out The Battalion on the
') _J/eb at battalion.tamu.edu.
Sbisa to close
temporarily
BY ERIKA DOERR
The Battalion
The doors to Sbisa Dining Hall, an 87-year-old
building on Northside, will close its doors Dec. 15 for
the renovation of the food court, kitchen, nearby piz
za parlor and seating areas and for the integration of
a new marketplace concept.
It will be reopened for partial business in the fall
of 2000.
Cindy Zawieja, associate director of dining services
and project manager for Sbisa, said the renovation aims
to get away from stereotypical cafeteria foods and mod
ernize to appeal to the needs of students and faculty.
“What the students and faculty won’t see is all the
work — about $5 million worth — on the entire in
frastructure of Sbisa, such as the electrical wiring, the
plumbing, a badly needed new roof and the air con
ditioning,” she said.
Zawieja said the marketplace concept will include
freestanding stations, such as a cook-your-own food
area, a carving station and an entree station. There
will be an internationally-branded food court as well
serving foods such as Italian, Mexican, Chinese, baked
goods, hamburgers and french fries.
“I feel that by offering Outbound [Dining] meals and
having cash facilities available to students, we will have
Changes to Sbisa
• Sbisa will close Dec. 15
• The food court, kitchen J
pizza parlor and seating will
be renovated.
• The new market will serve
a variety of foods, including
Mexican, Italian and Chi
nese and baked goods.
JPBE/VmTHiHnriAi.ioN
more dining options,” she said. “Students want flexi
bility, and by renovating Sbisa, we are changing food
services for the future. This is an impressive, state- of-
the-art concept with a beautiful architectural design.”
Ron Beard, director of dining services, said alter
native dining centers will be provided for students. He
said partial renovations were done during the 1997
and 1998 summers, and Sbisa has had numerous ad
ditions since its construction was completed in 1912.
“There will be many [other] places on campus for
students who regularly eat at Sbisa [to eat at during
renovations],” Beard said. “During impact times,
around 11:30 [a.m.] tol:30 [p.m.] for lunch and 5:30
to 7:30 [p.m.] for dinner, transportation will be avail
able for students who would like to eat in [the] Com
mons Dining [Center], Portable trailers will be on the
north side of campus offering Outbound [Dining] and
samplings of supplies from the Underground Market,
which will also be closed due to renovations.”
see Sbisa on Page 2.
Ensuring diversity
Scholarship foundation targets minorities
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
One-hundred forty-five students
are attending Texas A&M this fall,
because of new Foundation Excel
lence Award Scholarships (FEA),
awarded primarily to minorities
through the privately-funded Texas
A&M Foundation.
Of the 145 FEA recipients select
ed from a pool of more than 1,000
applicants, 55 percent are Hispanic,
30 percent are African-Americans,
13 percent are white, 1 percent is
Asian and 1 percent is Native Amer
ican, according to a report from the
Texas A&M Foundation.
Following the 1996 Hopwood
decision handed down from the
5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,
all public universities in Texas were
banned from considering race in
admissions and awarding financial
aid through grants and scholar
ships, leaving the private sector to
distribute minority scholarships.
Molly Georgiades, the Excellence
Awards coordinator for the Texas
A&M Foundation, said the scholar
ships were created partially in re
sponse to the Hopwood decision.
“It was started sort of as a re
sponse to Hopwood,” she said.
“The University can do what they
can in terms of scholarships. The
foundation explored these scholar
ships as an option.”
Last week, Texas Attorney Gen
eral John Cornyn retracted the Hop-
wood decision.
The University of Texas Board of
Regents has appealed the decision
to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Ap
peals, in hopes that the court will
overturn the decision.
Georgiades said the scholarships
will provide another means to re
cruit students to A&M through as
sistance from the private sector.
“The reality is that for a lot of
kids, scholarships determine where
they go,” Georgiades said, noting
the need to evaluate the scholar
ships before pursuing a similar pro
ject for fall of 2000.
Jake James Herrera, a freshman
computer engineering major, said
see Diversity on Page 2.