The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 06, 1999, Image 1

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IRSITY
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 * Issue 28 * 12 Pages
die accid
1 principi
it ail an at?
cohol, drug notification helps,
ut more aid needed, parents say
BY JEANETTE SIMPSON
The Battalion
Ihe A&M Task Force on Parental Notification
ieen notifying parents of underage students’
|hol violations since the end of August.
Kristin Harper, senior associate director of
lepartment of Student Life, said several let-
[ have already been sent to parents of stu-
who committed violations the Universi-
I alcohol policy, including possession of
bhol or on-campus intoxication if underage.
[■Seventeen letters have been sent to par-
notifying them of their child’s violations
far this year,” Harper said.
Parents of all Aggies under age 21 have re-
yed letters during the past few weeks from
Int Paterson, head of the A&M Task Force on
lental Notification and director of Student
\ warning them of underage drinking on
tipus, especially among first-year students.
Paterson said the letter informs parents of
the need to increase awareness of the problem
and encourages them to talk to their children
about the abuse of alcohol.
“The University is now
serving as a link in the
chain making parents
responsible for their child/'
— Sue Perlett
Parent of A&M student
Lorna Breault, coordinator of the Alcohol
and Drug Education Center, said parents have
been grateful that the University is now inform
ing them of their students’ violations.
“Parents have been extremely impressed with
our new notification plans,” she said. “In the
past parents have been concerned because the
only way they could find out about their stu
dents’ violations was if the students themselves
talked to them.The parents were often not in
formed until the situation had caused their stu
dent to be forced out of the University.”
Sue Perlet, mother of a 19-year-old A&M
sophomore, said it is important for her to
know what is happening in her child’s life.
“As a parent, to be informed is important to
me,” Perlet said. “The University is now serv
ing as a link in the chain making parents re
sponsible for their child.”
However, some parents are unsure of what
to do about their students’ alcohol abuse.
Dr. Dennis Reardon, senior coordinator of
Student Life Alcohol and Drug Education pro
grams, said the letters offer suggestions to par-
see Notify on Page 2.
Senate to discuss
student loan bill
BY ERIKA DOERR
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Student Senate
will discuss the Proposition 13 bill
and internal senate legislation
tonight at 7:30 in the Koldus Stu
dent Services Building.
Justin Toal, senate speaker pro-
tempore and a senior agronomy
and business major, said Proposi
tion 13 will amend the state con
stitution to appropriate funds for
student loans.
“The Proposition 13 bill will go
through its first reading at
[tonight’s] Student Senate meet
ing,” he said. “This bill will
amend the Texas Constitution, au
thorizing the Texas Higher Educa
tion Coordination Board to $400
million in general-obligation
bonds to continue loan assistance
through the Hinson-Hazelwood
Student Loan Program.”
Toal said the Hinson-Hazel
wood Student Loan Program is a f
stable source of financial aid for
students and is self-supportive.
The program does not use state
funds to pay administrators or re
pay loans, providing many ad
vantages over private student
loans, he said.
“There is an ongoing, multi
faceted campaign for Proposition
13,” Toal said. “Student Govern
ment’s main goal is to get people
out to the polls on Nov. 2 to vote
‘yes’ for this proposition.
see Senate on Page 2.
way
MINGS
/NMfM
nniufl
—
becoming
Post-Christian
7pm in 308 Rudder
w
GABRIEL RUENES/Tiik Battalion
ristianity
ubject of
rof’s speech
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
A professor of bioethics at Bay-
College of Medicine and of phi-
sophy at Rice University will dis-
iss issues facing medical ethics
id their relationship to Christian-
at 7 p.m. in Rudder 308.
Dr. H.T. Engelhardt said he will
Idress some of the issues facing
iristians in a post-Christian world,
articularly in regards to medical-
hics issues, as part of a lecture se
es he will host at Texas A&M.
“What I want to do is to pro-
ide an understanding of how
fiodern medicine is having an int
act on our lives, as Christians,”
igelhardt said. “We put a dollar
if every seven dollars into health-
are.”
Engelhardt said he wants to look
particular at a new Texas law
oncerning living wills, effective
iept. 1, making amendments to the
urrent law affecting end-of-life de-
ision-making.
see Christianity on Page 2.
ESI
Sports
•Ags look to
solve problems
Saturday’s football
game gives team a
chance to improve.
Going, going ... gone!
KIMBER HUPF/The BATTALION
Don Garder, (left photo, in foreground) winds up and successfully dunks Dr. Ken Poenisch, (left photo, in background, and right pho
to), an associate dean for the College of Science, Tuesday afternoon. The dunking booth, located outside the MSC, was sponsored by
the College of Science to raise funds for the State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC).
Fraternity
establishes
Ticket Mart
BY ERIKA DOERR
The Battalion
Instead of paying an outrageous
price for a scalped football ticket. Al
pha Phi Omega offers a different al
ternative by reselling tickets at face
value — a program called Ticket Mart.
Ticket Mart is the sale and con
signment of football tickets at every
home game. Alpha Phi Omega, the
national coed service fraternity, takes
donated tickets and resales them for
face value through our Ticket Mart,
in the MSC area, three hours before
the home football game.
Melissa Tripp, Alpha Phi Omega
publicity chair and a senior informa
tion and operations management ma
jor, said Alpha Phi Omega is ulti
mately trying to get scalpers out of
the MSC area. She said there was an
incident where a ticket-scalper shoved
a member of Alpha Phi Omega in
the MSC area.
“This incidents escalated to cer
tain scalpers verbally harassing our
walking sandwich boards at the A&M
versus Southern Mississippi football
game,” she said. “Ideally, we want
scalpers off the entire campus so APO
Ticket Mart and the Athletic Depart
ment will be able to sell football tick
ets at face value. ”
TToy Schwartz, a member of Alpha
Phi Omega and a senior industrial en
gineering major, said people donate
tickets throughout the week to Alpha
Phi Omega for face value selling, to
Ticket Mart.
see Tickets on Page 2.
Page 7 a
Aggielife*
i
•Austin Film Festival-
Screen writers and film buffs
ready for fest that draws both in-
dependents and Hollywood’s best
Page 3
Opinion
The Lurid Linda
Tripp tripped
self up,
[and her law
suit should
be dismissed.
Page 11
Batt Radio
Tisten to KAMU-FM 90.9
'at 1:57 p.m. for details
on Rick Davis’ possible run for
judge of the 272nd District Court.
Candles
light way
for vigil
BY KENNETH MACDONALD
The Battalion
Citizens crowded the Bryan High
School cafeteria last night for a cere
mony followed by an emotional light
ing of candles in the memory of victims
and survivors of domestic violence.
A performance by the Texas A&M
Woman’s Choir accompanied the
ceremony.
The vigil, sponsored by Phoebe’s
Home, a shelter in Bryan for bat
tered women and the Brazos Coun
ty Domestic Violence Task Force,
featured speakers on domestic vio
lence from the community and an
awards ceremony honoring individ
uals who have contributed to the ef
forts of Phoebe’s Home.
Nikki van Hightower of the
School of Public Rural Healthcare at
Texas A&M spoke about recent re
search into domestic-violence issues.
“For years, we didn’t talk about
it or even have a name for it,” she
said. “Now that academia is in
volved, it is much easier to study,
understand and get the word out
about these issues.”
No ringing endorsement
Panel calls plain, white-gold finish ‘unattractive,... not appropriate’
JP BEATO/The Battalion
The Alpha Chi Omega sorority sisters
take part in candlelight vigil Tuesday
night in support of Phoebe’s Home.
Van Hightower said domestic vi
olence now has more creditability be
cause of the rise the empowerment
of women, but said, there is still an
image portrayed in the media that it
is acceptable for men to control
women.
Mollie Bridges, program director
for Phoebe’s Home, said she usual
ly sees two types of clients — moth
ers and their children.
“Phoebe’s Home is a shelter that
provides help to all victims of do
mestic violence, women, children
and men, if they qualify,” she said.
Bridges said people do not need
to be living in the shelter to receive
assistance from Phoebe’s Home.
“Our free, nonresidential services
allow the victim to stay in their
homes until they are ready to leave
but still receive the same help and
counseling [as if they were living at
the home],” she said.
The A&M chapter of Alpha Chi
Omega was honored for its contri
bution of $5,000, raised from its
paintball tournament, and diapers to
Phoebe’s Home.
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
When Monti Pack, a senior speech communication
major, went to order her Aggie ring in September, she
had her heart set on a plain white-gold ring. What she
ordered, however, was a yellow-gold ring with a nat
ural finish.
“They made it clear that the plain, white-gold ring
was just simply not going to be made available for or
dering,” Pack said.
Carolyn Swanzy, director of the Ring Office, said
the decision not to offer the white-gold ring without
antiquing was made by the Aggie Ring Committee of
the Association of Former Students in 1997.
“It is my interpretation that the decision was made
because they felt the ring was unattractive and was
simply not appropriate,” Swanzy said.
Pack said students should be allowed to order
whatever options are available for the rings since they
are the ones who will pay for and wear the rings.
“I think it is simply ridiculous that they would lim
it us because of their tastes,” Pack said. “I have many
friends who wanted this option and had to order the
rings they really didn’t like.”
Swanzy said the white-gold ring without antiquing
is the only option not offered.
“The other options evolved over time when the
manufacturers made them available, and there were
people requesting them,” Swanzy said. “I have heard
students commenting about the option around the of
fice, but there is no real demand right now.”
Swanzy said students may choose from a white-
gold or yellow-gold ring. Yellow-gold rings may be or
dered with natural, rose or antiqued finishes, while
BRADLEY ATCHISON/The Battalion
Ring finishes available are (From top left, clockwise)
white gold, natural gold, antique and rose.
white-gold rings may be ordered only with the an
tiqued finish.
Ronnie Arrington, a jeweler for Douglas Jewelers
in College Station, said students do have the option
of buying the white-gold ring with antiquing and
then have the antiquing stripped, but he does not ad
vise the procedure.
“I stripped the antiquing off of two or three rings
and then stopped offering the service,” Arrington said.
“It is my experience that it has a tendency to slightly
discolor the ring, and it also voids the warranty. ”
Arrington said he understands the committee’s de
cision not to offer the option of a plain white-gold ring.
“The Aggie ring is one of the few traditions at A&M
that has not been radically changed,” he said. “The
ring is an important part of an Aggie’s life, and that is
why they put such strict restrictions on them.”
Students wanting to offer input on the ring-selec
tion process can contact Porter Garner, associate di
rector of the Association of Former Students.