The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 25, 1999, Image 1

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AGGIES
R WORST LOSS SINCE 1901, 51-6, TO OKLAHOMA
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But Democrats ded®)!,
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Quests quiz Thomas,
3ush at informal talk
BY MATT LOFTIS
The Battalion
Former President George Bush invited Supreme Court Jus-
Clarence Thomas to College Station Friday for a visit and
deliver an informal question-and-answer session.
Officials with the Bush Conference Center and public re
ions were unaware of the topic or nature of the discussion
lor to the event and did not know of any other reasons be
nd Thomas’ visit.
Jean Becker, a spokesperson for Bush, said guests were
insylvania, TedStevensc:® come d to ask Thomas questions about his time and ser-
i John Warner of Vip
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WASHINGTON (AP)
vernment lacks adequ
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cording to a congress::-
ri made public yestenk-
The Federal Trade Ccs
m "does nothaveasyst
or structured process
Msuring funeral homes 1 ;
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ded the General Aot.
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The FTC disputed the
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section riles has impi
The GAO report alsofc
FTC for not enforcing
■ against funeral homes
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:ier service rules.
ce with the Supreme Court.
“My time on the court has been much more than anything
eever expected,” Thomas said. "It has been a delightful,
iightful experience. ”
Thomas said he began his court experience with no men-
rand a limited time to prepare for the shift.
“Everyone is very warm and offers to help you, telling you
call them if you need anything, but the reality is you don’t
them,” Thomas said. “You are an Article 111 judge and
:u are expected to do your own work.”
Thomas explained his beliefs in personal liberties and the
rights of individuals as it pertained to his job. He also ex
plained the scope of his position as Supreme Court Justice,
saying justices analytically interpret the law and do not cure
all social ills.
Affirmative action, Thomas said, was a program better
suited to deal with socioeconomic backgrounds and hard
ships than race alone. He also said many backers of the
prayer-in-school policy pointed to the separation of church
and state as justification. The wall of separation between
church and state, Thomas said, is a common metaphor, but
is not constitutionally supported.
He said the only provision made for the separation of
church from government was the clause prohibiting the state
from establishing a mandatory religion.
Thomas said he could not comment on certain issues be
cause of pending court cases.
“I think the issues that were the imponderable a few years
back will be the issues that take us into the next century,”
he said. “Genetic altering and cloning are going to make
abortion look like a simple issue.”
When asked about his background and upbringing, Thomas
gladly shared about his schooling, time in seminary, and fam
ily. Thomas said his greatest role models are his grandparents.
JR BEATO/The Battalion
Former President George Bush and Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas field questions from the audience at an
informal discussion Friday.
"1 try to emulate my grandfather and grandmother,” he
said. “They didn’t have to raise us, I think they’re the two
greatest people in the world.”
Thomas invited the audience to consider the odds of a per
son with a background of his type growing up to become a jus
tice on the Supreme Court. Thomas said he encouraged all peo
ple to “defy the odds” and work their hardest.
He was never at the top of his class, he said, but he was
the person that went home and did his homework every night.
Thomas said it is work that overcomes obstacles every day.
“You begin to defy the odds today,” he said. “You stand
up, do your best, you resist when people try to drag you
down into a hole of negative thinking.”
Conditioned reaction
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sarching for
Housing?
es and
fafion area,
Decision making, war
subject of discussion
Former President speaks on being a military leader
CHAD ADAMS Thl Baitauon
Alfred Sanchez, senior reactor operator, at the Nuclear Science Research
Center, watches over the reactor during a “pulse.” The reactor was pulsed
from 300 to 500 million watts, enough watts to power the city of Austin.
BY ROLANDO GARCIA
The Battalion
The presidency is not the “loneliest job in
the world,” former President George Bush said,
but when confronted with issues of war and
peace, the decision-making burden rests
squarely on the commander-in-chief.
“The toughest decision a
president makes is when he de
cides to send somebody else’s
son or daughter into harm’s
way,” Bush said.
The former president spoke
at the conference on presiden
tial decision-making and U.S.
military intervention at the
Presidential Conference Center
Saturday. During his speech.
Bush discussed the three major
military deployments he un
dertook during his administration in Panama,
Kuwait and Somalia.
America’s vital national interests are key in de
ciding when to use military force, and the most
important national interest is the protection of
American lives, he said.
In 1989, American forces invaded Panama and
captured dictator Manuel Noriega to protect Unit
ed States servicemen in Panama, install a democ-
“/ have a clear
conscience r we
did give peace a
chance”
ratically elected government, and to bring Norie
ga, a convicted drug trafficker, to justice.
“The overriding concern was the moral right
eousness of our cause,” he said.
In the weeks and months following Iraq’s 1990
invasion of Kuwait, there was a vigorous debate
over if and when America should use force against
Saddam Hussein. But Bush said that in addition to
the national interests at stake, he
found the moral case for inter
vention overwhelming.
“I look at today’s crisis as one
of good versus evil,” Bush said.
“Yes, it is that clear,” reading
aloud from a letter he wrote to his
children 16 days before the start
of Operation Desert Storm.
He added that economic
sanctions were given plenty of
time to work, but Hussein’s
stubbornness made military
force the only option.
“I have a clear conscience, we did give
peace a chance,” he said. “But I don’t think
Saddam thought we would actually use force.
He mistook vigorous debate in a free society
for lack of resolve.”
Somalia, unlike previous United States’ mili
tary interventions, had a more humanitarian than
see Decision on Page 2.
— George Bush
Former U.S. president
Northgate
police office
helps area,
officials say
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
Local officials conclude that
having police presence at North-
gate has had continued success in
keeping violence, parking viola
tion and theft incidents down.
The community police station
opened last spring in Northgate,
located at 105 College Main just
off University Drive.
Mayor Lynn Mcllhaney of Col
lege Station said the community
police station has been well re-
ceive-d by residents, retailers and
visitors to the Northgate area.
“I spoke with a couple of police
officers patrolling the area, having
an opportunity to meet with some
visitors and residents in North-
gate,” Mcllhaney said. “The feed
back I have gotten so far has been
very positive.”
Liza Phillips, an officer with
the College Station Police Depart
ment, said the Northgate area tra
ditionally has many cars, pedes
trians and bicyclists.
“There is a lot of traffic in the
Northgate area,” Phillips said. “We
are so much more approachable
than we are in our patrol cars.”
Phillips said many students
have come by and filed reports,
mainly concerning bicycle thefts,
since the police station opened.
“We have everything here [in
the station] to file a report,” Phillips
said. “We also like people to come
in here and ask questions about
anything, about parking tickets or
about bicycle registration.”
Phillips said she encourages
students to register their bicycles
in order to increase the likelyhood
of recovery, in case of theft. The
community police station in
Northgate is equipped with mate
rials for engraving the bicycles, in
cluding specific parts like tire rims
which are sometimes stolen.
Phillips said emergency blue
phones similar to those on cam
pus, will be erected soon but they
are still in the planning stages.
The community police station in
Northgate additionally provides in
formation on alcohol and drug use,
family violence and home security.
In the first few months of oper
ation, the community police sta
tion sent out an officer on bike to
see Police on Page 2.
INSIDE
: OPENING NIGHT!
nnialMm
RTS;
etober 22
> PM
is A&M
ig, Room 111
>t Mondays and Thursdays
tmber 20, 1999
Filiation:
riath.tamu.etl' 1
5-5122
.series • All seats art FREE
Designed lor busy people
• Come as you are
(I by tin 1
tian Fellowship
Aggielife
A&M history on display
ushing LibraryJ-iouses
priceless
pieces of
A&M’s
history.
Page 3
Sports
'Defense leads volleyball team
to four-game win over Colorado
Team now tied with Nebraska
for third in Big 12 Conference.
Page
•Rewriting the drug
laws
Legalizing drugs
allows for a
more regulated,
safer system.
Page 11
Bait Radio
Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57
p.m. for details on a report of a
sexual assault on a child.
Representatives
visit Galveston
BY DIANE XAVIER
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Student Government Associ
ation teamed up with officers from the student
senate at Texas A&M at Galveston this weekend
in Galveston to exchange ideas and offer advice
for each other’s campuses.
This was the first exchange program between
both A&M and A&M-Galveston — a school
which focuses on maritime studies.
Erin Blaney, director of public relations for the
Texas A&M Student Government Association and
a junior political science major, said their Student
Senate offered advice to A&M-Galveston’s in im
proving student involvement with campus events.
“The main problem they have is that the same
people are involved in everything there,” Blaney
said. “It’s hard for them to get more people in
volved and we offered them some suggestions
and ideas to help with this problem.”
A&M-Galveston gave a tour of their campus
to Texas A&M’s Student Government Association
and both schools had a round table discussion
on various issues.
Blaney said both schools hope to spend more
time with each other and have more contacts.
see SGA on Page 2.
Get with the program
MSC Conversations to focus on teaching
Aggies about international current events
BY ERIKA DOERR
The Battalion
Intellectual stimulation, dis
cussions on current events, free
food, professors, students and
a relaxed setting are the key in
gredients to the MSC Conversa
tions student program.
Bill Anderson, MSC presi
dent and a senior mechanical
engineering major, said the
MSC Conversations student
program helps stimulate and
improve the intellectual cli
mate at Texas A&M through
small group discussions. It
also will develop students’
awareness of national issues.
“The MSC Conversations
program offers students and
professors the opportunity to
gain intellectual development
through discussions over so
cial, cultural and international
topics in a relaxed setting,” he
said. “Academically, socially
and through student involve
ment, Texas A&M has excelled,
yet the other piece of this puz
zle is lacking, that of intellec
tual development.”
Seth Horne, chair of MSC
Conversations student pro
gram and a senior chemistry
major, said each of the groups
will be composed of six stu
dents and one professor.
“Students must be commit
ted to these discussions,” he
said. “There will be an orien
tation meeting on Nov. 4. The
first discussion meeting will be
on Sunday, Nov. 14 and will
include a free
dinner. The sec
ond will be on
Sunday, Dec. 5
and will include
free snacks.”
Horne said stu
dents will at
tend two small
group discus
sions held at a
MSC©
COiEiBAIiONSOr
Get to know your
professors over
a meal.
professor’s home during the
semester.
“The committee officially
started this semester,” Horne
said. “MSC Conversations is a
way for students and profes
sors to engage in intellectual
and entertaining discussions
on chosen topics.”
He said each mandatory
meeting will begin around 6:30
see MSC on Page 2.
University Teaching Academy strives
to improve professor, student relations
BY STASIA RAINES
The Battalion
The University Teaching Academy aims to reduce students’
feeling of anonymity in large classes by offering the “Take
Your Professor to Lunch Challenge,” which is an opportuni
ty for a group of five students to invite their professor to lunch.
Amy Knorr, a student member of the University Teaching
Academy and a senior English major, said the purpose of the
challenge is to make large classes seem smaller by introduc
ing students to their peers and the professor.
“It is not uncommon for first and second year
students to have classes with a hundred students
or more,” she said. “Because of this, interaction
between the student and professor is limited.”
Knorr said the lunch provides an opportu
nity for professors and students to learn and
share their hopes, fears and expectations about
the course.
Nancy Simpson, director of the Center for
Teaching Excellence, said improving the con-
TAKEYOI
PROFESSOR
TO LUNCH
GABRIEL RUENES/The Battalion
nection between teacher and student is crucial.
“Teaching and learning are essentially based on relationships,
and this is often disconnected in large classrooms,” she said.
Marty Gunn, a member of the University Teaching Acade
my and a biochemistry professor, said the project is concerned
with improving the quality of learning in the classrooms.
“We want to look at professors who are really good at
teaching large classes and see what they do to motivate stu
dents to learn,” Gunn said.
Knorr said the ultimate goal of the University Teaching
Academy is to recognize students as individuals.
“Our biggest goal is that students will not just be a num
ber in their classes,” she said.“The ‘Take Your Teacher to
Lunch Challenge’ should help further that goal.”