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THURSDAY
January 20,2000
Volume 106 ~ Issue 72
14 pages
W :WI:\ i i 1U
rary official discusses fees with Student Senate
BY JEANETTE SIMPSON
The Battalion
H)r. Fred Heath, Dean of Sterling C. Evans Library came
;fore the Student Senate Wednesday, January 19 in order
Hake the Student Government more familiar with the lacts
:hi id the proposed fee increase.
Heath came to the Student Senate asking for a one dollar
crease making the fee $6 per credit hour. The library wants
to emphasize making a wealth of information available at
the students fingertips. Heath said.
“We are in the process of making additional services
available to the students, such as extending the West Cam
pus Library hours to a 20 hour day, extending the Library
Annex hours, opening a textbook reserve room, creating a
digital library', and adding a new cofTee shop to the Evans li
brary,” Heath said. "This increase w r ill allow us to continue
these services, and also add others.”
“When I look at the services we are getting for the in
crease, and how Dr. Heath works for the students, it is
obvious that we should be behind this increase full
force,” Rob Ferguson, junior political science off-cam
pus senator said.
Will Hurd, student body president and a senior comput
er science major, acknowledged Dr. Heath for keeping Texas
A&M on top of digital technology.
“I applaud Dr. 1 leath for trying to stay at the forefront of
digital technology and 1 think he and his stalls efforts to con
tinue to stay on top is important to the university,” Hurd said.
Legislation for the increase has not yet been put before the
Student Senate, but is scheduled to do so in the coming weeks.
Among other business the Student Senate passed a reso
lution thanking all the colleges and universities for sending
their thoughts, sympathies, and prayers to Texas A&M.
The resolution pointed out specifically the University of
Texas’ extraordinary efforts in their display of empathy.
UNITY
STUART VILLANUEVA/l ill BatTAI.ION
The Texas A&M campus came together yesterday to support unity. A march was held in cunjunction with "Campus with a Dream" week.
Students, faculty gather for University rally
BY BRADY CREEL
The Battalion
I The Campus Unity March kicked off “Campus
With a Dream” week Wednesday with a call for Aggies
to make Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of racial
humiony a reality for the Texas A&M community.
I “Recognize your power to make a change. Rec
ognize your power to realize the dream,” Deidra
Crawford, Greek Life adviser for the Department of
Student Life, said.
I The march was held with two purposes in mind,
Nathan Cray, one of the organizers of the event and a
senior mechanical engineering major, said.
I “The purpose was to kick off events of'Cam
pus with a Dream,” Cray said.“But more impor
tantly, it was to begin ‘Campus with a Dream’ with
a sense of unity and promote that image and pre
pare the campus for a great semester, new year, and
new millennium.
I “It is no secret that Texas A&M is not the most
diverse school in the world, but we are constantly
fighting against that,” he said.
Crawford and other University leaders, including
President Dr. Ray M. Bowen, challenged the stu
dents, faculty and staff of A&M to live the dream of
King.
“[Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.] dreamed of an
America that is free of hate, and that is a lesson we
need to think about,” Bowen said. “We need to think
about it in our own campus, and we need to think
about it in our own lives. Texas A&M should be try
ing to live Dr. Martin Luther King's dream.”
Crawford spoke of King and his vision of a nation
that lived without regard to skin color.
“Don’t let anyone fool you into believing the
[Martin Luther King Jr.| holiday is simply for the
black community,” Crawford said. “Each and every
one of our lives are different because ofmen like Mar
tin Luther King Jr. who would not wait for justice to
morrow — but demanded it today.”
In his speech, Bowen reflected on the events of the
past two months, and urged Aggies to consider these
things as they journey forth in the new semester.
“I think it is appropriate at this time, slightly over
two months after the Bonfire disaster, for all of us to
use this as a moment to think about unity on our cam
pus, to think about togetherness, and to think about
the significance of that event and how important it is
for us to stand together,” he said.
Following the speeches, the group, led by ju
nior Yell Leaders Bubba Moser and Ricky Wood,
marched around campus to celebrate a renewed
commitment to diversity awareness.
“1 believe this was a good start, because here
at Texas A&M, diversity is something they are
trying to concentrate on,” Greg Davis, a partici
pant in the mareh and senior industrial distribu
tion major, said.
The “Campus with a Dream” events contin
ue today with a motivational talk by Bertice
Berry in Rudder Auditorium at 7 p.m. MSC
LEAP will present “Skin Deep” in the MSC
Flag Room at 12 p.m.
A performance of “The Meeting” will be present
ed by MSC Black Awareness at 8:30 p.m. in Rudder
Theater.
Leadership conference
brings TV host, author
BY APRIL YOUNG
The Battalion
When eight Texas A&M University
students attended w hat was known as the
“Big 8 Conference” on African-Ameri
can student government 12 years ago, the
idea to form the Southwestern Black Stu
dent Leadership Conference (SBSLC)
was bom.
Tonight, more than 1,000 students
and advisers from all over the United
States will explore the theme “Ambition
is the Path, Success is Your Destiny,
Make the Vision a Reality'” during the
12th Annual SBSLC.
The weekend-long conference will
feature several well-known speakers
such as Tavis Smiley, host of “BET
Tonight with Tavis Smiley,” best-selling
author Bertice Bern and financial con
sultant Hasanni Petti ford.
A number of other speakers are
scheduled during a se
ries of workshops.
The conference
will also sponsor a free
career fair featuring
over 30 of America’s
finest corporations and
graduate schools.
Tamika Stigers,
conference chair and
senior political science
major, said all students
are encouraged to at
tend the workshops, re
gardless of back
ground.
“When students
hear that it’s a black
student leadership con
ference they thinks it’s
only for black students and they don’t
want to come, but that’s not the case.”
Stigers said.
As the largest student-run conference
of its kind, the conference is intended to
inspire and motivate the intellect of
young African-Americans collegians to
be productive leaders of tomorrow.
“Through SBSLC 1 have had the op
portunity to enhance my leadership skills,
network w ith prospective employers as
well as meet students from other univ er-
sities,” Erica Mason, conference hostess
and a sophomore marketing major, said.
Felicia Scott, director of Multicultur
al Sen ices, SBSLC adviser and SBSLC
co-founder, said she has watched many
aspects of the conference change
throughout the years.
"I have been on campus since the
beginning [of SBSLC] as a founder,
and I have seen it grow in terms of
See SBSLC on Page 2.
nhiiji - mm w pub tic
SPEAKER • Bertice Berry
CAREER FAIR
VENDOR PAIR
SPEAKER * Tevli Smiley
"Mlllenluffl Mtglc Concert''
Worship Service
JEFF SMITH/1 in Hu im ion
Students prepare
for May graduation
BY APRIL YOUNG
The Battalion
The deadline for May graduates to submit degree applications — a require
ment for graduation — is quickly approaching.
Donald Carter, registrar, said this is the most important thing for graduate and
undergraduate students to do to prepare for graduation.
The deadline to apply for graduation is Friday, Jan. 28. All graduates must fill
out an application for degree card by the January 28th deadline, which consists of
two cards requesting students’ information.
Undergraduates planning to graduate in May must tile applications in room
105 of Heaton Hall 105 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
See Graduation on Page 2.
I
j
New Jersey
fire kills 3,
injures 58
I SOUTH ORANGE, N.J.
(AP) — Fire broke out at a Se-
ton Hall University dormitory
early Wednesday as hundreds
slept, killing three people, injur
ing 58 and sending terrified stu
dents crawling in pajamas
through choking smoke into the freezing
cold outside.
[ Four students were critical ly burned.
H)ne of them suffered third-degree burns
over most of his body.
I Many of the 640 residents of Boland
Hall rolled over to go back to sleep when
Biey heard the alarm around 4:30 a.m.,
■linking it was another in a string of 18
false alarms set oflfin the six-floor build
ing since September.
I But many soon heard screams for
lielp, smelled the smoke and saw flames
Breep under doors.
I “1 opened the door just to check,”
Vatin Patel said. “All the ceiling tiles
’-Were coming down. I saw a ceiling tile
fall on someone.”
Deadly dormitory fire at Seton Hall
South Center $t
•Seton Hall University
„ ^werHall Half library /
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Nursiti0 Dougherty University ■
Lewis Han/
immaculate
Conception
: Natudoi
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qV Koziowskt 'Hall Aouimis
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Three students died in an early morning fire
Wednesday in the six-story Boland residence
hall, a freshman dormitory ot Seton Hall University
in South Orange, N.J. Dozens were treated tor
bums and smoke inhalation.
Source Compiled Irom AP wire reports
AP/Wm J Gastello. S Hollmanr
“It was panic. Everybody was just,
‘Go! Go! Go!”’ said Nicole McFarlane,
19. She was treated for exposure because
she left her room in only a short night
gown, a jacket and hiking boots.
The cause of the fire was under in
vestigation.
The tragedy cast a pall of grief over
the campus of the Roman Catholic
school 15 miles southwest of New York
City. Classes for the 10,000 students
were canceled for the week. A memori
al service was planned for later Wednes
day. Sports events also were postponed
through Thursday.
“There’s not much you can say at this
See Fire on Page 11.
A&M student receives $50,000
to study abroad in Great Britian
BY ANN LOISEL
The Battalion
For the first time in Texas A&M his
tory, an A&M student has been named
as a Marshall Scholar by the British
Embassy, entitling him to a $50,000
scholarship to study in Great Britain.
Tommy Miller, a senior chemistry
and math major, is one of 40 American
students to be awarded the annual two-
year scholarship.
About 800 to 1,000 applicant com
peted for it, Helen Mann, the British Em
bassy’s Vice Consul for Press and Public
Affairs, said. Winners receive a full-ride
to the British school of their choice.
“The Marshal] Scholarship is as
competitive as the Rhodes Scholarship
and almost more academically rigor
ous,” she said. “Tommy competed
against many Ivy League students,
members of the military service acade
mies - basically the best of both private
and public universities,” Don Curtis,
Honors Program coordinator, said. “It’s
a very prestigious scholarship.”
He will attend the University of
London in this fall to study under one
of the world’s foremost leaders in theo
retical chemistry, Dr. David Cleary.
Miller said Cleary’s particular field
and his ap
proach to re
search was
the reason he
applied for
the scholar
ship.
“Cleary
has consis
tently led the
field in full TOMMY MILLER
quantum
mechanics, both in science and in cre
ativity of problems,” he said.
Miller will research theoretical
chemical dynamics with Cleary in
Great Britain.
“Theoretical chemical dynamics is
basically small-molecule collisions -
performed on a computer,” Miller said.
“It affects the way we understand colli
sions and chemical reactions. We use
rigorous quantum mechanics to solve
chemical problems... which is then ap
plicable to all chemistry.”
He said he wants to be a professor and
continue performing research.
“It’s very important to me that I do
problems-oriented research,” he said.
“I want my work to have a substantial
social impact.”
Miller has already been published in
three scholarly journals, including “The
Journal of the American Chemical So
ciety,” “The Journal of Physical Chem
istry,” and “Organometallics.”
He said he has also worked with
three different research groups: one at
A&M, one at the University of Florida,
and one in Minneapolis, Minn.
He is also a Goldwater Scholar and
was named “Outstanding Junior of the
University” by the Honor Society of Phi
Kappa Phi last year.
The Marshall Scholarships were es
tablished in 1953 as a British gesture of
thanks to United States citizens for their
financial aid in rebuilding post-Worl d
War 11 Europe, Mann said.
• Looking
at the
future
Page 9
• People of 1999
The year review of
influential people.
Page 3
The only lunar J|
eclipse of year
casts shadow ®
Bill
upon Americas
tonight,
Page 6
Listen to KAMU 90.9 FM
at 1:57 p.m. for details on
salmonella outbreak.
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