U I
YMV
m
[\\\A-
S\V A 1
art
emembered
BY JORDAN DAVIS
The Battalion
I Thounh 32 years have passed since his assassination, the na-
lon paused yesterday to celebrate the life and legacy of civil
Ights leader !>• Martin Luther King Jr.
I Federal and state ofllces were closed and parades were held
il cities across America. ,
[ On the Texas A&M campus, the legacy of Marlin Luther
Ime lr will be celebrated w ith a month of events sponsored by
lc Memorial Student Center. Kicking off this week with a vari-
I lc io i„cn lor Students "t ampus w ilh a Dream, dubbed In
iganizeis, plans to celebrate the unity and diversity of the Ag-
ie community. ......
"It \s as decided last semester to do something related to Mar-
i Luther King Day. and this is what we came up with,” Nathan
ra\ MSC executive vice-president of programs and a senior
echanical engineering major, said. “Since we know we are all
ggies and that we can come together as one. especially in light
fwhat happened last semester (with the Bonfire), why not ex-
land our horizons and build a foundation of cultural unity based
In that unity.”
I On Wednesday, the MSC Cultural Consortium will hold
I unity march beginning at noon at Rudder Fountain. The
|\ui! will feature speakers and an appearance by the Aggie
■ell Leaders.
On Thursday, the yearly conference of the Southwestern
lack Student Leadership Conference gets underway at A&M.
ith a keynote address by syndicated TV talk show host and mo-
Ivational speaker Bertice Berry. Prior to the opening of the con-
rence, a film will be presented in the MSC Flag Room called
Skin Deep.” It is a documentary about the experience of
frican-American college students.
The MSC Black Awareness Committee (BAC) will also
xinsor a presentation of the play “The Meeting," a fictional ac-
xmt of correspondence between Dr. King and fellow civil rights
l ider Malcolm X, on Thursday.
The week’s events culminate with the “Millenium Magic”
loncert in G. Rollie White Colliseum. The R&B and hip-hop
■nncert will feature nationally renowned groups DJ Jubilee and
Jtestiny’s Child.
Tlie local community also took time to mark the holiday.
A parade was held in Bryan yesterday, while College Station
:ld the 16th annual MLK Day celebration at the Lincoln Com-
tunity Center Saturday. The evening featured music from local
hurch gospel choirs and a performance by a Houston-based
;ospel singing group James Fortune and Youth for Christ.
The main draw of the evening, however, was the performance
o “Who was Martin Luther King,” a one-act, one-man play based
•n the struggles of King and African-Americans during the ’60s.
But the hallmark of the holiday which coincides with King’s
Birthday—was personal reflection and assessment for some
Jexas A&M students.
"Dr. King’s birthday is a time for me to assess myself and the
ay I treat others,” Breia White, a senior journalism major, said,
lit is a time to reflect on myself and to examine the content of
iiy character.”
| King, who was murdered at a Memphis motel in 1968,
orked for social equality for African-Americans and preached
message of nonviolence and peace, while imploring Americans
lo value a person’s character above the color of’his skin. His most
■amous speech, the “I Have a Dream” address delivered during
ft march on the nation’s capital, outlined a vision for America in
■vhich people's race did not matter, and only the content of their
haracter was important.
To one A&M student, this philosophy is a universal one.
"I would think that not just African-Americans, but everyone of
'nr generation reaps the benefits of Dr. King’s struggle,” Joe Schu-
nacher, a senior journalism major, said. “More importantly, he was
billing to die for w hat he bel ieved; he was one hundred percent dedi
cated to his mission, and anyone of any color can respect that.”
Dr. King, in particular, and the civil rights movement paid
serious prices for freedom for African-Americans,” added
Schumacher. “It was a mission to till ignorance, and it should
be commemorated.”
TUESDAY
January 18, 2000
Volume 106 — Issue 71
16 pages
(•I:
■i • I ■ u: I vi ^ r-i»
BONFIRE 1999 UPDATE
Injured student remains hospitalized in critical condition
BY JULIE ZUCKER
The Battalion
John Comstock, the last victim in the hos
pital from the Nov. 18, 1999 stack collapse
and a freshman biomedical science major, re
mains at College Station Medical Center in
critical condition, the most serious level of
intensive care.
Many reports claim Comstock has pro
gressed from critical condition, but College
Station Medical Center CEO Tom Jackson said
the reports unfortunately are not accurate.
“It is important to know John is still in crit
ical condition, even though we wish his prog
nosis was different,” he said.
“[Comstock] was brought in on Nov. 18 in
critical condition, and he is still in critical con
dition today.”
Jackson said Comstock is in better health
than he was w hen he arrived at the hospital, but
he is still “in harm’s way.”
. ^ 'm
\W
The doctors' focus is on fighting infections
that could hinder Comstock’s recovery from
his operations.
Jackson said Comstock has undergone many
surgeries because of the multiple crushes he suf
fered when he fell from the Bonfire stacks.
Comstock had an above-the-knee amputa
tion, a tracheotomy and was put on dialysis.
Jackson said Comstock is no longer on
long-term respiratory support.
"It is very positive that his respiratory sup
port is waning,” he said.
Comstock now breathes w ith the respirator
only at night while sleeping, progress from
w hen he used it around the clock to assist his
breathing functions.
The tracheostomy tube extending from
Comstock's throat is now capped often so he
can communicate and talk.
“He is able to talk and respond complete
ly. His first question was if Bonfire burned or
not. He was upset when he found out it did-
JP BEAT0/T»u Hat i u.K>n
Volunteers and clean-up crew help remove logs from the fallen stack on Polo Fields. Twelve students died when the struc
ture collapsed Nov. 18; twenty-seven students were injured and Comstock is the only one that remains hospitalized.
n't," Eric Etheridge, who went to high school
w ith Comstock and is a freshman computer
science major, said.
Etheridge said Comstock was fully aware
and talking when he visited Comstock a few
days ago.
Etheridge was 60 feet away from the stack
when it fell, and said Comstock should have
been standing next to him.
“We were about to climb down together,
and when I asked him if he was coming [down]
he said he was right behind me.
I got down first [only] to turn around and
see him fall with the stack,” he said.
Etheridge said Comstock’s mom, who has
been with him since he was injured, is still stay
ing in College Station.
Etheridge said he thinks it is important for
his recovery that Comstock stay in town for
his recovery.
“I think he is still here for visitors’ sake,"
he said.
"So many people people he knows and
people he doesn’t come to see him and I know
he and his family are very grateful."
Etheridge said Comstock is weak, but his col
oring is back and he “looks like a normal person."
He also said Comstock’s personality is still
the same. When a nurse attempted to get Com
stock to do his exercises, he said, “No, I don’t
want to, not now.”
“It is good to see he is still the same old John,”
Etheridge said.
“The situation was funny, and that is
who he is.”
He said he wishes this had not happened to
Comstock, but people need to deal with what is
handed to them.
“Bad things happen, that doesn't mean we
need to stop living life,” he said.
“He’s a fighter, and that’s the best way to de
scribe John.”
Bowen says he will resign from presidency
ifA&M found responsible for collapse
STAFF AND WIRE
President Dr. Ray M. Bowen said he would
resign his position if it was determined that the
University is responsible, through inadequate of
ficial supervision, for the Nov. 18 Bonfire col
lapse, in a recent interview with The Bryan-Col-
lege Station Eagle,
The collapse that caused the deaths of 12 stu
dents and injured 27 others has been the subject of
much discussion in the A&M community over the
past two months, and people from around the na
tion and world have contacted Bowen personally
about the incident. The messages included condo
lences, praise and anger.
Bowen said that as the leader and head of Texas
A&M, everything affecting the university is ulti
mately his responsibility.
“1 would do that on a number of issues,”
Bowen was quoted as saying in The Eagle. “If, for
example, there was a serious financial situation
that led back to indifference, I would take the re
sponsibility. How can I say to someone, ‘I want
you out of this job,’ when I’m at the top of that
command? 1 have to set the standard.”
CODY WAGES/Tm: Battalion
A&M president Dr. Ray M. Bowen meets
with press the morning following the col
lapse of Aggie Bonfire stack.
Bowen declined an interview with The Bat
talion discussing his feelings on the Bonfire and
his intention to resign if blame is found with the
administration.
Bonfire Commission to meet;
may miss March 31 deadline
BY JULIE ZUCKER
The Battalion
Texas A&M University’s goal to have
a final report from the Special Commission
on the 1999 Aggie Bonfire by March 31
may not be met, Leo E. Linbeck Jr., chair
man of the commission said.
Over the past month, many allegations
have surfaced in the media pertaining to the
Bonfire collapse on Nov. 18.
The commission will meet today for
the third time to discuss an addition of a
new investigative group as well as the
speculation about why the stack fell.
“There is so much information, and we
are hoping to add a new survey group,”
Linbeck said. “There is no way to tell one
way or the other if the commission can
have a final, comprehensive report by the
deadline the University asks for.”
Several suspicions about the cause of
the Bonfire collapse have been raised in the
national media. Reports have been released
by various sources claiming the ground
was unstable, the center pole was not
strong enough, the stack was leaning, and
that ropes were cut (a typical step in the
building process) which left the stack with
no real support.
In response to these reports, Linbeck
said no one should listen to these “false" or
premature reports.
“No one has received interim reports.
We will not accept them,” he said. “There
will be no final body of facts until the com
mission releases their final report after the
case is completely solved. It is all specula
tion, and everyone needs to take them [re
ports] with a grain of salt.”
Linbeck said he encourages informa
tion from others that could help with the
truth, and the commission is not in a posi
tion to dismiss any new details.
Today at I p.m. in MSC 292, in a ses
sion open to the public, the commission
will ask for approval to hire a new firm to
cover action ol'the Bonfire workers which
occurred before, during and after the Bon
fire collapse.
See Commission on Page 10.
lill 8 Sbisa closes for renovations,
campus prepares for changes
INSIDE
SBISA HUT
Two trailers parked near
fish pond offering Outbound
Dining and some supplies.
AT NORMAL
KILL RUN I
MEAL TIMES, BUSES
ROM FISH POND TO:
G
©
MSC CAFETERIA/
12TH MAN
All you can eat
Outbound Dining
meals or
available.
COMMONS DINING HALL
RUBEN DELUNA/Tm Battalion
BY MATT LOFTIS
The Battalion
Sean Johnson, a Moses Hall resident and sopho
more general studies major, has eaten at Sbisa twice
a day for the past three semesters.
However, this spring semester, Johnson said he
will be putting his money into Aggie Bucks and
buying groceries.
Many Northside students tell a similar story.
Sbisa Dining Hall, The Underground Food Court
and The Underground Market are closed for reno
vations and remodeling, Cindy Zawieja, Associate
Director of Food Services said.
Other locations have opened to replace the ser
vices offered by Sbisa which actually improve the
value of a meal plan, Zawieja said.
“Our meal plan sales are down quite a bit this
semester,” Zawieja said. “Basically we’re very
open to any comments from students on how we can
improve our services to students.”
All-you-can-eat meals will be offered at the 12th
Man International Food Court and the Memorial
Student Center cafeteria and at normal meal times,
and every food-serving location will be offering
“out bound” meals, she said.
Zawieja added that “Sbisa Hut,” which consist
of two trailers parked near the Fish Pond, will be
offering “out bound” meals and some supplies from
The Underground Market.
A bus line called “Wheels to Meals” will be run
ning from Fish Pond to the MSC and the Commons
during normal meal times on weekdays to carry stu
dents wanting to eat.
Many students say the bus rides and outbound
meals will be an unusual hassle compared to their
normal trip to Sbisa.
Ashkan Moghaddam, a resident of Moore Hall
and sophomore electrical engineering major, said
that he would rather eat at a restaurant and cut back
his meal plan for this semester.
“Taking those bus rides to the Commons is go
ing to take too long,” Moghaddam said.
Zawieja said that although the changes in din
ning routine may be a hardship for both students
and Food Services, the change is necessary.
She said Sbisa Dining Hall is 90 years old and
is not only in need of remodeling and new food ser
vice equipment, but is also in need of new roofing,
plumbing, electrical wiring and a make over.
Most of the changes being made are mandated
when upgrading a building, such as removing lead
paint or asbestos insulation.
“In the long-run we’re making the building
more safe for students,” Zawieja said.
Sbisa will also have a new look once the reno
vations are completed. A ’50s-style themed section
will serve burgers and related foods, an Italian-
themed section called “Sargino’s” will have pastas
and related items, a world cuisine dessert section
will offer desserts from around the globe and a main
cafeteria area will have a market-style atmosphere.
Bernie’s Place will be converted into a “out
bound” meal area and a coffee bar.
The entire project is costing approximately $10
million dollars and is tentatively scheduled as a 10-
to-11 month project.
Food services hopes to be able to open The Un
derground Market and The Underground Food
Court and the outbound dining area by the fall 2000
semester and hopes to open the main Sbisa Dining
I fall area shortly after, during the semester, Zawie
ja said.
“As soon as we can open, we’re moving in.
We’ll work 24 hours to move in once that building
is accepted,” she said.
“The sooner we can get students back in there,
the better.”
• Year in
Music
A review of
the musical
trends of 1999
Page 3
• Aggies downed by
8th-ranked Jayhawks
Record crowd attended basket
ball game at Reed Arena.
Page 11
• High ratings
for Hillary
First lady charms
"The Late Show"
host and its
viewers.
Page 15
Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57
p.m. for details on "The Meet
ing," a play hosted by BAC,
about a fictitious confrontation
between MLK and Malcolm X .