106 YEARS
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
November 12,1999
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 • Issue 55*10 Pages
locum, club ask to change
idnight Yell to earlier time
BY ERIKA DOERR
The Battalion
Midnight Yell Practice is too late in the
lening to allow the Texas A&M Football
[am to participate and there are some Ag-
?s who think the tradition should change.
jThe idea of moving yell practices to an
(rlier time was raised by questions posed
laf a Quarterback Club meeting two weeks
|a|o as to how the football team could have
|nl)re interaction with the student body.
T R.C. Slocum, A&M head football coach,
[saiid he is not trying to change the time of
|yf 1 practice but is posing questions in re-
ponse to questions he has been asked.
I “It would not be for me to carry the ball
Bwith this idea,” he said. “At the Quarterback
[Club meeting, several past yell leaders felt
[t|e idea of changing the time of yell practice
[vlas a good idea, and it could enhance and
[benefit future yell practices.”
Slocum said the team does not get to see the
[qiithusiasm of fonner students, and current stu-
Hnts and other fans at yell practices because it
Sis too late for them to be out before game day.
“I would love to bring the football team
out to a yell practice, to let them see the el
evated significance of the game and the en
thusiasm of the fans,” he said. “I have been
here for 27 years, and the yell practices have
always been at midnight. I am not wanting
to change Midnight Yell to 8 or 9 p.m., but
I feel it would be motivating to the team to
have them participate at the yell practices.”
Jeff Bailey, head yell leader and a senior
agricultural systems management major, said
even though he and the other yell leaders are
in charge of changes to Midnight Yell Prac
tice, they would not do anything without the
consent of the student body.
“We would not make a hasty decision,
because Yell Practice is a big tradition at
Texas A&M,” he said. “Since yells are over
for this year, any possible changes will take
place next year with the 2000-2001 yell lead
ers and the student body.”
Bailey said if Slocum is serious about a
change, then there can be a compromise, but
they would not abolish Midnight Yell Practice.
“If they [Slocum and the football team]
want an early yell, then we’ll have one,” he
said. “But it’s not necessarily going to be at the
cost of Midnight Yell. We’ll just have both.”
Slocum said every new idea is bound to
start some controversy.
“My question was, ‘If Midnight Yell is
intended to create enthusiasm for a foot
ball game, for the team and for current and
former students, then why isn’t the team
there?”’ he said. “Is there anything magi
cal about 12 a.m. instead of 8 or 9 p.m?”
Slocum said he wants closer interaction
between students and the football team.
“I feel a lot more people would be will
ing and able to attend the yell practices,
from older Aggies[to] parents who want
their children to participate in a yell prac
tice but are unwilling to have their chil
dren stay up until 1 a.m., to students and
former [students],” he said.
Slocum said yell practices have not al
ways been at midnight.
“Many years back, yell practices were
held after chow, which would be around
7:30 or 8 p.m., and was initially for A&M
students,” he said. “As the years pro
gressed, former students and families be-
JP BEATOThf. Battalion
R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M head football-
coach said he would like to have Midnight
Yell Practice at an earlier time.
gan to attend, therefore evolving into Mid
night Yell Practice. ”
Slocum said another factor to consider is
intoxicated students participating at Mid
night Yell Practices.
“There are some students who get out of
class on Fridays and begin drinking at bars,
before the yell practices,” he said. “Therefore
arriving in an intoxicated state at the yell
practices, possibly getting into their cars and
driving intoxicated on the roads at 1 a.m.”
lust Peace Institute
to aid creek cleanup
\One hundred expected to participate in event
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
I Susan Scott, environmental coordinator
for the Just Peace Institute, is not afraid to
get dirty to help clean up local creeks. In
I she says, she would not have it any
jqther way.
“It’s really just fun,” __________
Isjiesaid. “We get together
jhd eat doughnuts before
|e go have a great time
lucking around while
cfaning up the creeks.”
j Scott will be one of an
estimated 100 volunteers
’ho will meet tomorrow
brning to clean up
Jlute Creek, a waterway
impending from the George
jish Presidential Library
jSjd Conference Center to
lift Horticulture Building
pn West Campus.
J“We get to improve the aesthetics of the
pampus while improving the local wildlife
Ubitat,” Scott said. “This is a really special
frea that should be enjoyed by everyone.”
e said the activity will be a worthwhile
fnd exciting activity that can be enjoyed by
people of all ages.
j We never really know what we are go-
ig to find out there,” Scott said. “While
working on a different creek, we once found
lings that were at least 20 years old.”
David Scott, vice president of the Brazos
^reenways Council (BGC), said the cleanup
/ill be a joint effort between the BGC and
ie Just Peace Institute to draw attention to
bcal creeks and waterways as a source of
'We get to improve
the aesthetics of
the campus while
improving the local
wildlife habitat/'
— Susan Scott
Just Peace Institute
aesthetic pleasure for the community and a
vital part of local habitats.
“People very often see creeks as a hin
drance to growth, but they can be a great
contributing factor to expansion through
their contribution of beauty,” he said.
Scott said the amount of trash found by
volunteers can be surprising.
“It’s unbelievable
how much trash you col
lect sometimes,” he said.
“A friend and I once
worked in a 5-square-
yard area and collected
about a dozen trash bags
full of trash.”
Scott said the cleanup
is motivated by an effort to
promote the White Creek
area as a site for a poten
tial greenway.
“A greenway is basical
ly a linear, open and nat
ural space that often fol
lows creeks or other natural corridors,” he
said. “It’s something that would really im
prove the aesthetics of the area while pro
viding a more preserved natural habitat for
plants and animals.”
Scott Shafer, a BGC board member, said
the University already has set aside ap
proximately 40 acres along the creek but
cannot sculpt the area into a greenway un
til sponsors are found to pay for construc
tion.
“We can start off small with a relatively
small amount of money,” Shafer said.
“When people realize the potential beauty
of the area, I am sure that funding will be
relatively no problem.”
Reflections
CODY WAGES/Thk Battalion
Faith Burton, a junior psychology major, works on a project as part of a stained-
glass class at University Plus. University Plus offers non-traditional classes on a
variety of subjects for both students and non-students.
ALLIES
to host
Advance
BY JULIE ZUCKER
The Battalion
Aggie ALLIES will support the gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
community at Texas A&M today by
hosting an ALLY Advance, a three-
hour workshop for those interested in
becoming a member of ALLIES.
Sherree Schwarz, a graduate as
sistant in the Gender Issues Educa
tion Services (GIES) office, attended
the last Advance and said moving for
ward is the focus of Advance.
“A lot of organizations take retreats,
which is a step back, moving away
from everything,” she said. “[ALLIES]
call ours an ‘advance,’ because we
want to take a step forward.” ALLIES
was started in Summer 1993 by A&M
staff and faculty to support the gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
community on campus, and the Ad
vances started soon after. This is the
third advance this semester hosted by
Aggie ALLIES to educate supporters of
the GLBT community at A&M.
Schwarz said there usually are 20
participants, but attendance varies.
The workshops are scheduled about
three times each fall and spring se
mester. Participants explore their per
sonal knowledge of “heterosexual priv
ilege” and homophobia through films
and discussions with gay, lesbian, bi
sexual and transgendered panels.
“The [GLBT] community is very
misunderstood, and ALLIES provides
an opportunity for A&M to raise
•awareness and support for them,”
Schwarz said.
Alison Ewing, an ALLY and a se
nior psychology major, joined ALLIES
this summer to show support for the
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgen
dered community at A&M and in the
Bryan-College Station area.
“[ALLIES] provides a safe haven
for members of the GLBT communi
ty to talk about issues that affect them
without being judged,” she said.
Schwarz said attending an ad
vance does not automatically make
someone an ALLY.
“Participants of Advance are not
required to join ALLIES; it is their op
tion,” she said. “People can weigh
their options for as long as they need.
To ensure their place as an ALLY,
though, they have to sign a contract. ”
Once the contract is signed, AL
LIES are required to display placards
distributed by GIES in a visible area.
Schwarz said people pin the plac
ards to their backpacks, put them in car
windows or hang them on their doors.
Other activities ALLIES partici
pates in to show support include
hosting speakers, question-and-an-
swer discussion groups and informa
tion tables, she said.
Ewing said a panel consisting of
homosexual and bisexual communi
ty members will answer questions
about the discrimination and perse
cution they deal with daily.
Schwarz said those interested in
attending an Advance must R.S.V.P.
to the GIES office.
INSIDE
Agg
Fire up the grill
tudents share
Tories about the
raditional pre-
;ame tailgate party.
Page 3
Sports
•Aggies travel to Missouri
&M Football Team prepares to
the Tigers.
Page 7
Opinion
his is your loan on drugs.
Columnists debate new poli-
^cy that prevents stu
dents convicted of
drug offenses
from getting
federal aid.
Page 9
Batt Radio
isten to KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57
'.m. for details on disposing
ousehold hazardous waste.
Veterinarian to teach
first aid, CPR for pets
BY ERIKA DOERR
The Battalion
First aid and CPR are important not
only for the safety of people but of animals
as well. A pet first-aid class will be offered
tomorrow from 9 a.m. to noon.
The class will be conducted by a
veterinarian and Kathy Glaze, veteri
nary technician for the Veterinary
Small Animal Hospital.
Kandy Rose, vice president of the Bra
zos Valley Golden Retriever Rescue (BV-
GRR), said the course is to promote ani
mal safety and to serve as a fund raiser.
“This is the first year we have had a
course dealing with pet first aid,” she
said. “A number of owners of golden re
trievers have not gone through pet first
aid; therefore, this is a great benefit for
the owners.”
Rose said BVGRR helps animals —
mainly dogs — within a 100-mile radius
of the Bryan-College Station area.
She said the class will offer an
overview of first aid for pets and will al
low participants to get hands-on experi
ence in performing first aid on animals.
She said Glaze will bring dogs for par
ticipants to practice on.
The class will present a slide presen
tation on how to recognize an emer
gency and what to do for an animal dur
ing an emergency. There also will be
activities, such as counting heart rates
and bandaging.
Glaze said they have done these types
of classes in the past, and focus will on
the aid of dogs and cats.
“We [did] a pet first-aid class like this
one for Red Cross last year,” she said.
“These types of classes help people to rec
ognize an emergency situation, such as
bleeding, stomach problems or anything
potentially life-threatening to an animal.”
Glaze said the class will offer advice
on what to carry in a first-aid kit and what
people can do if they see an animal hit by
a car. She said this class also offers tips on
what people can do to help an injured pet
while en route to a veterinarian.
“Everyone needs to know how to per
form first aid on an animal, even if you are
or are not a pet owner,” she said. “Even
the simplest things, like carrying a blan
ket in your car or an old T-shirt to tie around
PET MIST
aai eiasi
Learn:
- to recognize
emergency
situations
- what to do
when your dog
is hit by a car
- how to save a
pet's life
9AM to noon
ROBERT HYNECEK/The Battalion
a hurt dog’s muzzle to protect yourself, can
help when you least expect it.”
Ashley Anderson, a sophomore gen
eral studied major and a dog owner, said
the class will benefit those who want to
learn how to help save a pet’s life.
see Pets on Page 2.
Architecture to present
first global symposium
BY DIANE XAVIER
The Battalion
The College of Architecture will host its first global sym
posium conference in celebration of international exper
tise today at the Langford Architecture Center Building C
in rooms 105, 111 and 414 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Approximately 40 presenters will cover topics rang
ing from architectural and planning theory to structures
and construction education, historic preservation, com
puters and design. These 40 presentations represent
more than 200 refereed papers presented during the
1998-99 academic year by College of Architecture facul
ty at scholarly meetings and academic institutions
around the world.
“This is an opportunity for our students to see what our
department offers in knowledge and research,” Shana
Hutchins, communications specialist, said. “There aren’t a
lot of colleges that can present these vast amounts of research
like ours. Students will also get the opportunity to see their
professors in action and outside of classroom settings.”
Tom Regan, dean of the College of Architecture, said the
symposium is a reflection of a college with something to
offer in every field.
“This symposium is a mirror image of the range and
depth of research and scholarly work currently underway
in our college,” he said. “Regardless of the nature of your
fascination with the built and virtual environment, this
symposium includes a paper that you will find of interest.
see Symposium on Page 2.