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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2000)
February 4, 2000 Volume 106 ~ Issue 84 12 pages All! Bsti :Kara kicked offthe weekend at 3:00 beth o r ah sell Fri<|ay afternoon with more than a few leal science ma: g*as ^ of wine at a local bar. nsity divingts f Later that night we decided to go to anot 1 r bar.” she said. “We stopped at a ——gasptation luid met two guys, so we in vited them to our house because we wen. having a party.” ^Hkntund 2:00 am., Sara, who wish- s to remain anonymous, went upstairs to g( > to sleep. rOne of the guys came into my Af 000 and 1 was passed out,” she said. “I 1 H I |CJ w ok^ up once and didn't know what was going on and passed back out.” ^Kura's friends helped her piece to gether what happened after she passed outlAfter completing the puzzle, she went to the police and filed sexual as sault charges against her attacker, s Initially, Sara's attacker claimed in nocence, but both parties agreed to a plea bargain after a taped confession was misplaced by police. As a part of the plea bargain, the attacker had to meet with Sara face to face. $;ira said by the time she met with her Sattacker, she no longer had anger toward him. “1 le apologized Uiree times for what he had done, even though he pleaded in nocent.” she said. It took Sara a year to begin to heal tfom the trauma. She attributes her abil ity to cope with the assault with her growing faith in God. “1 put [the experience] on the back shelf.” she said. “When I came to know' Jesus, I realized I had to deal with it.” Most victims of rape believe they can handle the trauma by themselves and fere reluctant to get help through counseling, said Sherry Hostetler of the Brazos County Rape Crisis Center. ‘[There is no shame in getting coun seling when you are try ing to get Trough a life altering trauma,” she said. ffiVhe Student Counseling Service •' SCS) on campus is available to help ~~ my student facing psychological prob- <pean youth. ems resulting from an attack, said Dr. ■ I a cement l \ ' ' \nd> Smith of SCS. scl in place.attentkf : $CS also directs students to the deni Klcslil, acV Tender Issues Education Services nrecr diplomat. M GIES) for further assistance, fty ceremonial, the The staff at GIES assists the students m a new govern' >y referring them to appropriate agen- iple. Klestil ivn. Tes for medical care, relocating them if nd e\ cn call new t. heir attacker lives in their residence hall h a move would , ^apartment complex and helping them \ustria's post-\\ o submit a statement that defines the ixpfcrience, said Shaun Travers, Coor- r pane leader ha> hnator of GETS. e new Cabinfl “We help students get absences ex- Listna Press Aeeno. : tised, facilitate class changes if they abinet would be lee d them, accompany them to meet- e two parties, will " n g s t0 change their majors if they want or and a I recdoirPc 0 '”|fravers said. “If a student chooses chancellor 0 'fithdraw, we help them with that terior Ministn wouli )roccss a,u * help them if they decided to the People's Kuty ,' eturn ItotheUniversityata later date].” To put the experience behind her, Sara morN1ira S inis^' , ^ l :^ in 8 a “ l »f :l 1 0ri >" awe f kl y ta rn policies ad ow«■ 1 “ llnse '" he| pf n'f e , , ,, )lame where it belonged, she said, hu h priorities tortlif «. ,, , , ,,, . , I was putting the blame on myselt h wants to restrict im- I ‘ , e , , . . or getting so drunk, but I started putting 'ugh law and order iii ?, ° „ c •, r he blame on him, Sara said. See Rape on Page 2 T the the il sys- \ble.” ?rg Haider dom Party BY CHRIS CARTER The Battalion T here they sit on opposite sides of a sleek leather sofa looking you stpaighl in the eye and asking your name. If' One is a slender man completely, adorned in black from his trademark hair toWjiis worn jeans, with the exception of a tan pair of pointed cow boy boots. He cocks an awkw ard yet familiar grin in your direction as you greet him. 1 The other is sitting with his Ifegs casually crossed, as if to expose the tops of his Red Wing, boots from under his dark slacks. He also greets your response with a congenial grin that produces a squiiity stare. These two products of Texas A&M, and trea sines ol lexas. are two humble iiguies Miung 3 loci apart. And now, aftci iwo decades ol tom ing, albums and awards, these enicrlaiiiers are back at A<VM to support the school dial gave them so much. Lyle Lovett and Robert I ai l Keen have long been Texas music mainstays and crowd fa vorites at shows around the nation, each building their own distinct * ♦ x fanbase. On Sunday, / * ‘ Keen and Lovett will* headline a concert al Reed Arena to bene fit the Bonfire Relief** Fund. Both Keen and / Lovett are performing free ' I of charge with all proceeds from ticket sales directed towards those left in need because of the Aggie Bonfire collapse. Keen and Lovett each said the collapse affect ed them in a personal way. “It’s one of those things where you can’t believe il has happened,” Keen said. “It's something so sol id and traditional in your mind. I'm still not settled with il it's a terrible thing that has happened;” 'We acknowledge this tragedy and we are deeply saddened by it,” Keen said. "We want to send our deepest ondolcnces to the families who are affected by this and we all (want to] come together in the Aggie Spirit and move on from there.” Keen, a Class of '78 English major (and '80 graduate), first met Lovett while living in a house on ( hureh Street. "We became acquainted through proximity, re ally,” Lovett said. “I lived in an apartment on Col lege Main, and there was a really convenient park ing space right in front of Robert's house.” Keen said he discovered his love for music during his time at A&M. "I found out at an early age that I could w rite rhyming poetry,” Keen recalled. “It was once I started playing guitar in college that I realized that I could make these poems into songs.” And so a true Texas troubadour was born. In an industry that depends primarily on radio exposure. Keen and Lovett have enjoyed consid erable success despite their unconventional mix of folk, country, rock and bluegrass that is not commonK heard on radio, “Jl I weie io stretch to the point where I'm playing music for radio plav or record compam executives where I hope thev 'll he happs ev en II I were successful I wouldn’t be happy,” Keen said. “I would only be working in a job that I had no say so in it. "Right now, I'm at the helm of my ship.” I ovett has made headlines across the nation for over a decide. Erom the lour t irnmrnv Awards fie won between l l >8‘> and 19%, to numerous ap- ^ pearanees on talk shows and benefits. Lovett has become a staple' of ^ American pop culture. W Although he has enjoyed considerable success and a great amount of recognition, I ovett says the music itself is what makes his most memorable moments. S “The highest points m my career arts w hen something happens for me musieal- |y/* l,ovett said. "It is when everything comes together, and there is just this moment that is completely indescribable,” 1 .ovett said he began playing guitar in Klein, Texas when he was in second grade. During his time at Texas A&M, Lovett con tinued playing music around town in Cof- A fee slurps for his ow n enjoyment. iflj After his graduation in I‘>80 (on the same day as Keen), Lovett moved to Nashville in I‘>84 to continue Ins musical career. After his arrival, he sang backup vocals on Nanci (irilfith’s third album, Once in a VeryJ^*^ Moon. in . Nashulle, irffett signed / record contract w ith MC AJrutb Records/ g Since Ins self-titled dJut album in 1986,1 ovett has picked/p lour Grammy Awards' including Bet/Male Vocalist for 1989’sfTyle Lovetli/d his Large Band and Bekt Country for l‘>96\ The Road to Ensenada, Keen's musiqf 1'^° Lovett s, is a whirlwind of Ti^pts eultiue with ,i the j malic hunian nj/nt. “Dtv.ullul /ifisb t time" an an tohiograpHi^l st'ng whieh leetumts KeenT con/g to grips w nh his own ambition -\m\ dealing " ith pessimism JM and apatlmr I llroJfh a career that spans twen .s t.' ydajK Keen has proven able evolvdphpough his music and eyt- ploriytany difterent sty les ol nut- sic aid storytelling. See CoNt eui tieey. Lyle Lovett (1) and Robert Earl Keen (R) will perform at the Bonfire Benefit Concert on Sunday. February 6. .'OOO. Kit' concei t in Rood Arena us sold out and all proceeds go directly to the victims ol the 1999 Aggie Bon fire collapse Jt* BE.ATO I m- Hvum ion t p&oirt trovelxom. •ao* U' FLM — n’t destroy evidence by thing, douching, washing hands, hing teeth, changing clothes or a ns, eating or drinking, otify someone immediately, ek medical attention at an rgenoy room. ve the hospital perform a rape 1 800648'* even if you choose not to press charges. }!bitri: Scoy) CaU police aa soon as possible, Earn t(i •venlfyou choose not to press B Charges. Sdl C® ) (Bring a change of clothes with _ - . you to the hospital or police. Write down details about the V*ipist and circumstances of rape. ) OalX Brazos County Rape Crisis Center if you need someone to talk to or answer questions. RUBEN DELUNA/iin Hai iamon Bonfire funds raise thousands BY ROLANDO GARCIA The Battalion The Bonfire Relief fund has raised over $230,000, with the benefit concert this Sunday featuring Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen expected to add at least $100,000 more, organizers say. The relief fund, established immediately following the 1999Aggie Bonfire collapse, directly helps the 27 in jured and their families with accident related expenses. “We are still getting a lot of support and donations are coining in every day,” said Amy Glass, communi cations director for the Association of Former Students. Glass said money has already been distributed to help pay for funeral costs, hospital bills and ongoing medical rehabilitation expenses for some of the survivors. “The University will identify a need, and we'll dis burse the funds accordingly,” she said. Donors have included corporations, former students and even the student chapter of the University of Texas Ex-Students’Association, whieh raised $4,000 from the sale of the Nov. 22 Hex Rally t-shirts. Glass said although no specific goal has been set, the Association of Former Students will continue its active fundraising efforts, adding that another fundraising event may be in the works. Also, Texas Monthly mag azine has donated a full page ad for the relief fund in its next issue. Tina Evans, the communications director for the Texas A&M Foundation, said the Bonfire Memorial Fund has also raised a considerable sum. While the Foundation has not undertaken any active fundraising $230,000 raised so far H Benefit Concert expected ™ to raise $100,000 r / f> % o e t fund mjuiiv Memorial Fund $520,000 raised so far BRANDON HENDERSON/I'm Battalion efforts, it has collected $520,000 to date. “We just established a fund because so much money was coming in from all over the state and na tion,” Evans said. Texas A&M Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. J. Malon Southerland will appoint a committee this month to decide what form a permanent monument to the Bonfire victims will take. “We’re going to develop the criteria for the memo rial and sift through the dozens of suggestions we’ve re ceived,” Southerland said. “They’re all very interesting and come from the heart, so it’ll be a wonderful project.” Southerland said that aside from the two funds, $650,000 will be raised to fund 13 endowed scholar ships: 12 in memory of the students killed in the col lapse, and one for those students who were injured. Stephen Norman, Class of'82 and a donor to the scholarship fund, said establishing memorial scholar ships would ensure the students who died will not be forgotten. “If you read about them, those kids were top-notch people, and I wanted to make sure they were remem bered,” Norman said. Students deal with traumatic stress disorder BY STUART HUTSON The Battalion James Allen Brown was enjoying a morning off from the emergency medical service (EMS) when he received a call to report to the Bonfire site. What he saw that morn ing still haunts his nightmares. “I was working as an EMS technician at the bonfire site right after it fell,” said Brown, a junior biomedical sci ence major. “1 can’t really talk about what we did and what we saw, but 1 really haven’t been the same since.” Brown, like so many other members of the A&M com munity who witnessed the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse, has experienced post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a psychological disorder which causes peo ple who have experienced an extremely traumatic event to show signs of anxiety and depression. “I’ve had horrible nightmares and flashbacks along with a loss of appetite,” Brown said. “Day-to-day life is sometimes really hard.” $teven Straun, a staff psychiatrist with Student Coun seling Service (SCS), said students who have PTSD may have difficulty readjusting to college life. “Something this traumatic can result in a person be coming introverted, make them have nightmares and just generally can result in anxieties that may keep them from doing what they need to do to for school and, more im portantly, for themselves,” Straun said. See Stress on Page 2 INSIDE •Conversatio with the Bat Jenny McCart talks about I if Scream 3 • Sports Extra The 2000 Texas A&M Baseball season begins. V • Sin & , Redemption s |im Bakker , returns to ^ jr'"" evangelism. ^ Rage 11 • Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57 p.m. for details on Groundhog Day events. • Check out The Battalion online at battalion.tamu.edu