Atlantic C
J
106 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
November 17,1999
Sustained winds:l(
Wind gusts: 120®"
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 • Issue 58 • 14 Pages
i. ESI
sday
PD to investigate allegations
at Bonfire cut site
sather
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
enter with (im .
another 145 it , ,
? storm coulddtiM 16 4 uestlon °f what constitutes hazing
; oi rain on I nCe a § a i n h as been posed to the students and
could whip up P Ity of Texas A&M associated with the Ag-
, forecasterssa!:: iellonfire as an alleged hazing incident last
aturday by members of Hart Hall at the Bon-
re cut site is now being investigated by the
iniversity Police Department (UPD).
ffhe incident involved former Hart Hall crew
[Jiifcfs Dave Berret and John Sims, both sopho-
[Jjhdr? mechanical engineering majors, who were
N^oand with tape and physically restrained at the
loitifire cut site while being smeared with mus-
ard, chocolate syrup and honey.
|$Uisty Thompson, Bonfire adviser, said from
Hiot he could see from pictures taken during the
ncident, hazing as defined by University regu-
ations likely to happened.
■This is definitely something that must be
poked into, and a decision must be made,” he
aid. “But [the] hazing law is something that is
■lifficult to understand, and the question of
where you draw the line is always being asked.”
Thompson said the UPD, will investigate
the issue and decide what charges, if any, will
be brought.
According to Appendix IV of the Texas A&M
Student Rules Handbook, A&M includes “any
form of physical bondage” as a punishable
hazing offense regardless of whether the per
son being hazed assents to the activity.
Berret said neither he nor Sims feel they
were hazed because the tape used to bind
them was loose enough for escape and the in
cident would have stopped at any time if ei
ther of them had felt uncomfortable.
“All we had to say was ‘stop’ and everything
would have stopped,” Berret said. “Beside that,
the way they tied us, we could have just slipped
our hands out.”
Thompson said there is a prevalent attitude
among Bonfire participants that certain forms
of what is defined as hazing is permissible, and
this attitude often is what leads to questionable
incidents.
“At the beginning [of this year], the student
leaders of bonfire made it clear that this kind
of stuff was not allowed,” he said. “Last year,
about 75 percent of injuries at Bonfire came
from injuries from people just roughhousing
around. This year, we have said that isn’t OK,
and injuries have dropped dramatically.”
Thomas Kennedy, a Hart Hall resident who
was involved in the incident and a freshman
industrial engineering major, said the incident
happened as a normal activity during the last
cut session known as “dorm log.”
“This was pretty much our last time at the
cut site, and this is something that we do to
the crew chiefs to celebrate,” Kennedy said.
“[It was] kind of like dunking yell leaders af
ter a game. Basically, the crew chiefs were ex
pecting it, and it was just a good way to break
some tension after a hard day of work.”
Berret said the incident does not qualify as
hazing as he understands it.
“No one got hurt, this wasn’t an initiation,
this wasn’t against anyone’s will, and no one
was mentally or physically damaged,” he said.
“I don’t see how you can call that hazing.”
Top photo: Residents
of Hart Hall pour honey
on John Sims, a Hart
Hall crew chief , (in
foreground), whose
hands and feet have
been bound with duct
tape. (In background)
Thomas Kennedy
holds down Dave
Berret, a Hart Hall
crew chief, his face
near a can of cat food.
Bottom photo: John
Sims, his face covered
with mayonnaise, has
honey poured on his
face by Hart Hall
residents.
CODY WAGES/The Battalion
:l usive
I ley
' Station, IX 7784
rograms to address hunger,
homelessness in B-CS area
BY JULIE ZUCKER
The Battalion
■ MSC Hospitality is hosting several
. events on the next few days this week
to inform Texas A&M students, facul
ty and staff about the growing prob-
lem of hunger and homelessness in
/t tJe Bryan-College Station area. Today
Wnt x ,scuss,0 n panel featuring home-
J leps men and women from the Bra-
zds Valley will be in the MSC Fla-
groom at noon.
■ According to United Nations sta-
■tics, 34,000 people die of hunger
[ |ch day; 90 percent of those are chil-
Iren under five.
■ The panel members currently are
)atrons of the Twin City Mission, a
icjmeless shelter in Bryan that provides
bod, clothing and case management,
ights on Bonfire,, Theresa Alessandra, program di-
ector of the TWin City Mission bridge
irogram, said the panel is important
)ecause the public needs to be sensi-
ive to the men, women and children
vho do not have the means to survive.
■“The [homeless] participants this
week are going to discuss private as
sets of their lives,” Alessandra said.
Bonfire Sfip 16 public must be aware there will
)e no exploitation.”
■Alessandra said the discussion
will benefit students because al-
hough panel members all are home-
/ p m ess in common each got to this point
i different way.
Gender Issues most important thing, I think.
Education Sfl^s that A&M students realize most of
845-1107 hese people are not much older than
"" '' —^hey are,” she said. “A lot of them are
n -their 20s and early 30s.”
'MTim Duvall, campus and commu-
E tity executive of MSC Hospitality and
nrj junior speech communication ma-
ith family.,
y vear...
altogether...
», 1999
jor, said homelessness is an issue
most people do not like to deal with,
but it is important to keep the com
munity informed.
“Hunger and homelessness are
problems that can be remedied,”
Duvall said. “This is a subject peo
ple tend to back away from. We can
end hunger, but people are too mis
informed.”
Duvall said a portion of today’s
profits from Rumors Deli in the MSC
will go to the Twin City Mission.
“I encourage people to eat there
today, because the more money they
make, the more food will be donat
ed,” he said.
“Camp Out for a Cause” will be to
morrow evening beginning at 8 p.m.
at the Grove. Free tents, food and en
tertainment will be provided for the
public by TAMU Outdoors and Little
Caesar’s Pizza.
Dr. J. Malon Southerland,vice pres
ident for student affairs, will speak and
participants will be able to bid on Stu
dent Body President Will Hurd, MSC
President Bill Anderson, Corps Com
mander Forrest Lane and Reveille VI at
a date auction. There is a $15 mini
mum bid, and winners will receive
dinner and flowers from their date. All
money raised will fund the Habitat for
Humanity house on campus project.
Two bands, 24/7 and Blackbirds,
will perform, and the International
Student Association will offer salsa
lessons later in the evening.
The MSC Film Society will show
The Saint of Ft. Washington, a movie
about two homeless men and their
experiences.
Friday, people can participate in a
fund raiser for the mission. Patrons
can purchase a turkey feather for 50
MSC Hospitality Events
Wednesday:
• Panel discussion
MSC Flagroom, noon
Thursday:
• "Camp Out for a Cause"
The Grove, 8 pin.
Friday:
• Fund raiser
MSC, Rudder, Wehner and
Zachry buildings
• Hunger Banquet
Koldus 110, 12:30 p.m.
Admission S3
cents at tables at the MSC and the
Rudder, Wehner and Zachry build
ings. Each feather counts as a vote
to who gets a pie in the face at noon
at Rudder fountain—Hurd, Ander
son, the yell leaders or chair MSC
Hospitality Tish Shanley. Money
raised will be used to buy turkeys for
needy families in the Brazos Valley.
People also can buy a $3 ticket for
the hunger banquet in Koldus 110 at
12:30 p.m.
Duvall said the banquet will be an
informative way for people to interact
in a simulated homeless way of life.
“The hunger banquet will be role-
playing for participants that simu
lates the distribution of the world
food supply,” Duvall said. “There will
be high-, middle- and low-income
scenarios, but at the end of the ban
quet, everyone will get to eat.”
Student Senate to discuss
fate of Southside garage
BY ERIKA DOERR
The Battalion
The possible randomization of the Southside
Parking Garage during move-i'n week is one of three
pieces of legislation regarding the Southside Parking
Garage that will be discussed at tonight’s Student
Senate meeting at 7:30 in the J. Koldus Building.
Mamta Patel, Senate parking and transporta
tion subcommittee chair and a sophomore aero
space engineering major, said another piece of
legislation concerning the Southside Parking
Garage is a resolution commending the relation
ship between Parking, Traffic and Transportation
Services (PTTS) and the Student Senate.
“A mutually respected relationship has been
established between PTTS and Student Senate,”
she said. “We are pleased at the way PTTS is lis
tening to the student opinion given through Stu
dent Senate on this area.”
Patel said the legislation will try to parallel the
research PTTS is doing on the garage. PTTS has
been gathering information to determine if the
garage is used to maximum capacity.
“Nothing will be said about randomization,
because PTTS is content with the numbers they
are receiving from their research,” she said.
Patel said the first piece of legislation will try to
make the Southside Garage similar to the North-
side Garage in regard to numbering parking spots.
“In the Southside Garage, only the number
is on the spot,” she said. “In the Northside
Garage, the level, row and spot number are on
the actual parking spot.”
The third piece of legislation will produce a
timeline for students to pick up parking permits.
Aaron Dobbs, an off-campus senator and a ju
nior journalism and political science major, said
see Garage on Page 2.
tising
Aggielife
• From a
woman’s
perspective
MSC gallery
exhibits work
of Lahib Jaddo.
^ Page 3
Sports
•14th-ranked Ags
take on Wildcats
Volleyball sets up to play
against Kansas State University.
Page 9
• Blown out of proportion
Real-time Inter
net chats with/
politicians /
produce /
hype but no
real results.
Page 13’
5att Radio
Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57
P;m. for details on execution of
Texas coin-exchange killer.
The road most traveled
A&M, College Station to expand heavily trafficked streets
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
The city of College Station and
Texas A&M University are planning to
expand some heavily traveled road
ways, including the Jones-Butler Pas
sageway, to reduce traffic congestion.
Bob Mosley, a city engineer with
the City of College Station, said pre
liminary planning will divide con
struction into Jones-Butler phase one,
which will include construction from
Luther Street to George Bush Drive
East, and Jones-Butler phase two,
which will include construction con
necting Jones-Butler from Holleman
Drive and connecting to FM 2818.
“We have had numerous meetings
with the University personnel,”
Mosley said. “As soon as we can get
aligned with the University, we are
ready to start design. I know that we
are ready to proceed if we can get their
consideration and approval.”
Mosley said the city has worked with
the Department of Recreational Sports,
the Animal Science Building and other
entities which would be affected by con
struction on West Campus.
Tom Williams, director of Parking,
Traffic and Transportation Services
(PTTS), said the University is facing
increased traffic congestion.
West Campus has faced more traf
fic to inroads leading to the Student
Recreation Center, Reed Arena, three
large parking areas. West Campus li
brary and classroom buildings. Re
search Park, the George Bush Presi
dential Library Complex and the
George Bush School of Government
and Public Service.
A proposed West Campus parking
garage would be constructed on the cur
rent “fish lot” parking area which holds
900 spaces. The parking garage would
hold between 3,500 to 3,750 vehicles.
Construction of the garage and a
connecting underground pedestrian
passage under Wellborn Road is ten
tatively slated to begin construction
in 2000, according Department of Fa
cilities, Planning and Construction
estimates.
Mosley said phase one of the Jones-
Butler project tentatively would start
two months after the University’s ap
proval of the plans.
see Roads on Page 2.
Hurry up and wait
KIMBER HUFF/Thk Battalion
Matt Rice (left), a senior computer science major, chats with Chris Ehiers (center), a senior
math major, and Jessica Kieras (right), a sophomore psychology major, outside G. Rollie White
Coliseum Tuesday morning. They and others have set up tents outside the ticket booths in an
ticipation of the sale of tickets to the A&M-University of Texas football game.
Wiley Lecture Series hosts experts
on India-Pakistan conflict, weapons
BY RICHARD BRAY
The Battalion
The Wiley Lecture Series will
host a lecture tonight in MSC 206
at 7 which will feature experts in
the field of nuclear arms and the
nations of India and Pakistan.
Dr. Mario Carranza, an asso
ciate professor of political sci
ence at Texas A&M University-
Kingsville, and Dr. Robert
Hartgrave, a professor of gov
ernment and Asian studies at
the University of Texas-Austin,
will discuss the threat of nu
clear conflict, particularly be
tween India and Pakistan.
Dr. Charles Hermann, asso
ciate dean of the George Bush
School of Government and Pub
lic Service and a professor of
political science, will moderate
the symposium.
The relations between India
and Pakistan have been tense
throughout history, but recent
ly the nuclear capabilities of
both countries have been cause
for international concern.
Andrew Perrone, director of
public relations for the Wiley
Lecture Series and a junior eco
nomics major, said the largest
obstacle to peace between the
two countries is the dispute
over the Kashmir region. India
and Pakistan have been fighting
over this region since they both
were given their independence
from Britain in 1950.
“The border between the two
countries is not clearly defined in
this region,” he said. “Kashmir
has the potential to be the spark
that sets off a nuclear war.”
Perrone said the discussion
will go beyond the possibility of
nuclear war to discuss oppor
tunities for peace in the region.
“We’re also going to focus on
the possibility of a peace plan
and the measures that must be
taken to win favor of such a
plan by both nations,” he said.
see Wiley on Page 2.