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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2000)
l TPTOf¥T 1 X111/ FRIDAY March 24, 2000 Volume 106 ~ Issue 114 10 pages i mm ;^Wl\ m i MlVWlVMVMIu a ilehei , to which the pontiffbrieii- long with the Vaticananik 'alestinian national song, rival speech, the pope ft Palestinian aspirations icet'ul negotiations tora )ly See has always recog ian people have a natural the pope said, speakingir symptom of Parkinson’s neurological disorder. Vails parried suggestion: ng a Palestinian state, sayr yet been proclaimed andth onsider the issue whentfiatl sounded a cheerful note, andrcd, gathered in acorn, . cheered and applaudedastli alked hand-in-hand onto the iolence erupted afterfcld hmiui Ahmar, a leaderofaoia the camp’s anger was dire; the Israeli-Palestinianpeai : said refugees havereapednit riticia im’s aratio ntcrnational, an American nization promoting the pre of water resources, he officials stressed the istitutional, technological j ial innovations” fromthep sector. it's a it you whole Then ade it i and nt.” tude Bartow iian Council Rudder remembered MELISSA SACKETT/Thk Bahai ion Photos L to R: Matt Knoll, a senior management major, and Dave Humphreys, a senior agriculture business major, carry a wreath to the J. Earl Rudder’s headstone. (Top right) Patrick Soule, a senior civil engineering major, leads the Rudder’s Rangers in a 21 gun salute. (Bottom right) Mrs. Rudder visits Rudder statue as Josh Drinkard, a freshman political science, stands guard. Lighting poses hazard on campus BY ANNA BISHOP The Battalion Each Monday night, while Te^as A&M University students are fast asleep — or downing cups of coffee to pull an all-nighter — a utilities crew drives through campus meticulously checking each lamp and fixture for repair. » With over 2,500 free-standing lights on campus, this makes for a busy night. According to Ronnie Arnold, A&M’s master electrician, unless a cir cuit is out, which rarely happens, there are typically never more than a dozen lights needing to be mended each week. “Our crew begins working on the list of broken lamps early Tuesday morning. Promptly fixing the lamps is our top pri ority,” Arnold said. Despite the efficiency of the utilities department, there is an ongoing debate over the “dark spots” on campus. These certain unlit areas pose a safety concern for students ^uch as Joanna De- Hoyos, a sophomore psychology major. “There are certain places, as in front of the Meteorology Building, where 1 Somei gates at rum fa declarati’ will pri the prill tion of ft ter indi the e\f4 the poor “Pool pie are ing to pit the prolil tract th( vate stf said ment deb Mike tor General of the South At rtment of Water Affair; try, Ve are democratically el« nments and cannot leaveot ity of our people.” ith the world’s :1 to double in the next25)^ experts believe the M d for water will have 10®' private investors, e water congress was billet rgest meeting ever of ap’ overnment officials water forum will I in 2003. Court rules activity fee mandatory WASHINGTON (AP) — State-run schools can subsidize campus groups with money collected from mandatory student activities fees without violating the rights of students who find some of those groups ^ objectionable, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The justices unanimously upheld the University ofWisconsin’s student-fee system after finding the school does not pick and choose which student groups to fund based on the views they espouse. “The First Amendment pennits a public univer sity to charge its students an activity fee used to fund a program to faci I itate extracurricular student speech if the program is viewpoint neutral,” Justice Antho ny M. Kennedy wrote for the court. The amendment protects free-speech rights, and the mandatory fees had been challenged by students who said their rights were violated by forcing them tocontribute to groups they oppose. Had the justices ruled the other way, public col leges and universities across America would have had to stop giving money to controversial student groups or figure out some way to give partial refunds to those students who wanted them. Liberal groups praised the ruling. [©©Leckit Presents: e North Ameri^ Volf Association >me and see a LIVE IV0- : TAMU campus BSBEroofl (Biological Sciences Buildni^ to the right of Cushing W ri ’ Sunday, March 26,2000 at®f' ‘5 non-members embers and children unite'?' ~ iiaqr- Neo 5wm£ Dance Marathon Saturday, March 25th @ 3rd Floor Cantina 8:00 pm - 8:00 am 8:00 Performance 8:30 Beg. Swing Lesson 9:15 Hip-Hop Swing Lesso 11 11:00 Beg. Lindy Hop Le si(,^, *5 student or *8 if not Meo-Swing is a performance W ,, ■ at is going to the 2000 Oljntpi 0 ' Sydney, Australia. This group’® mined liy Aggies and 12oftl*.' dancers are A&M students. Tl* roceeds from tills ftmdraiser^ the necessary expenses to go W Sydney next 6U. ^ zniiiac- “The First Amend ment permits a public university to charge its students an activity fee used to fund a pro gram to facilitate ex tracurricular student speech if the program is viewpoint neutral/' — Anthony M. Kennedy Supreme Court justice “College and university campuses have a long tradition of providing a forum where many voices can be heard,” said Ralph Neas of People for the American Way. But conservative groups said the decision short changed some students. The court had split 5-4 when ruling five years ago that public universities and colleges cannot cre ate a “public forum” for students by supplying sub sidies and then refuse to fund some groups because of their viewpoints. The 1995 decision, involving a campus religious group at the University of Virginia, divided the court along its ideological fault line. That gap was not in evidence Wednesday, surprising liberal and conser vative advocates alike. When Wisconsin’s student-fees system was chal lenged in 1996, about $ 15 of the $ 166.75 that students paid in fees each semester was earmarked for distrib ution to campus groups by the student government. For a school with some 38,000 students, that created atotal fund each semester of about $570,000. Campus party policy affects desired profit BY APRIL YOUNG The Battalion An open party policy created by the Office of Stu dent Activities has raised concerns for the National Pan- Hellenic Council (NPHC) and has its members ques tioning the fate of their programs. The open party policy is a set of rules governing rec ognized student organizations and their ability to have parties that are open to the public. Specifically includ ed in the open party policy are security rules that Van Johnson, president of NPHC and a senior chemistry major, said are extreme. According to the open party policy, all open parlies held on campus must have crowd control which con sists of faculty and staff members from A&M trained to handle large crowds. The open party policy also states that if the open party has more than 200 people, the University Police Department (UPD) must be pre sent and UPD will be used in conjunction with College Station Police and the sheriff’s department as deemed necessary by the Director of Special Events Facilities. But Johnson said these safety measures are costly. “Our major problem with the whole thing is that we have to hire all these people that drives the cost of having a party up,” Johnson said. “It’s eating-up our profit and making it more of a loss than a benefit to have a party.” Steve Hodge, director of special event facilities, ad mits that the organizations do not make as much money as they would without the policy’s requirements, but said he the organizations do receive a substantial profit. “There are two or three events that I know were profitable,” Hodge said. “The SBSLC dance in Janu ary made money and Greek Olympiad made money.” “Greek Olympiad, in point of fact grossed almost $40,000 and our expenses were way under that,” Hodge said. “We had 30 crowd control staff members present total, and remember our goal is 1 per 100.” Curtis Pete, president of Kappa Alpha Psi and a se nior computer engineering major, said Kappa Alpha Psi’s Greek Olympiad and the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference (SBSLC) are not valid representations. “We are only two of many organizations and we are See Council on Page2. Richardson Building. would never walk alone at night ... proper lighting is critical for a student’s sense of safety and protection,” De- Hoyos said. Kenieca Koehn, a sophomore polit ical science major, said she agrees. “I remember last semester having to walk from Fish Lot to the Southside dorms after late night study sessions. The darkness always made me a little frightened. Calling Corps escorts was an option, but searching for a phone and then waiting for 15 minutes late at night in Fish Lot proved to be just as scary,” Koehn said. Superintendent of utilities Charles” Kruder said he is aware of the concern. “If students will voice their concerns of where they feel these dark spots are, we will fix those areas,” Kruder said. “We had some complaints over the lighting situation near the machinery building ... fixtures were ordered and temporary lights were set up until the new lights came in. We have also taken action, as far as the lighting on West Campus, by recently installing several new ‘pot’ lamps.” The new lamps are not the typical “lollipop” lamps common through out campus, according to Kruder. The current mer cury vapor light bulbs will be replaced with high pressure-sodium bulbs, making them more envi ronmentally friendly. With each lollipop costing nearly $ 1,000, re placement comes at a high price. Eventually, pot lamps will be seen throughout campus. “I feel Texas A&M’s utility department is do ing a job well done in keeping the campus lit. Compared to other uni versities, 1 believe we’re pretty high up on the scale,” Kruder said. “We hope that students will let us know what concerns they have regarding the dark spots.” Students Wishing to take action regarding “dark spots” on campus should contact Charles Kruder in room SI09 of Brian smith/the Battalion q ie physical Plant. Stu- Lights illuminate the sidewalk outside the dents may also contact the campus police department. Student Senate’s campus influence SBP candidates emphasize the impact of student government This is the fifth in a five-part series. The four candidates for student body president were each asked five questions in sep arate interviews. BY ROLANDO GARCIA The Battalion The widespread perception of student government at Texas A&M as a group rich in titles and pretense but lacking in real authority underscores the need to be more effective in repre senting students’ concerns, the four candidates for student body president said. Although recent events, such as the closing of Aggie Alley by the Athletic Department without student input and the upcoming fees to be laid on students, demonstrate student government’s limitations as an advisory body, each candidate pledged to improve its student ad vocacy role. Brandon Garrett, a senior inter national studies major, said student government must not shy away from confrontation with the Uni versity administration if this is the only way for students’ voices to be heard on an issue. “If it’s important to us, we can’t be afraid to raise a little havoc. You can’t be afraid to make the adminis tration a little scared in their boots,” Garrett said. “A problem in the past with student government or any group at this University is we haven’t been as apt to go to President Bowen’s office and say ‘hey, we’re keting major, said while student gov ernment can not veto a decision made by University administrators, repre sentatives must be more proactive in communicating to their constituents what issues are on the table, so they can register student input to adminis trators before a final decision is made. “On constituency days, senators ctt Trxrxrr n/Arw n r/^T'T/Axir STUDENT BODY ELECTIONS going to stay in here, we’re going to be locked in your office until we work this out.’ Sometimes, that’s ex actly what it takes.” Garrett added that initiatives like Caring Aggies Are Protecting Over Our Lives (CARPOOL) show that student government can still make a difference. “It was students’ drive and deter mination that got these things done,” Garrett said. Jeff Schiefelbein, a senior mar- should step up and say, ‘this is what’s going to happen, this part’s specula tive, this part’s for sure, this is my e- mail address, this is my home phone number, call me. I'm your senator,’” Schiefelbein said. “If we get your voice in there early enough, there’s a good possibility of influence. Dr. Southerland does listen to students, he really does have an open door pol icy. But students have to know that the people they’ve chosen to repre sent them really do — and do it in a stage of the process that’ll actually make a difference.” Schiefelbein added that he would draw upon the trust and respect he has earned from administrators to overcome student government’s limited official powers and advance student concerns. “I’ve proven over and over again that I have a voice among the ad ministration. These people listen to what I have to say, and usual ly they’ll go to bat for me when I present them with what L ve re searched as a complete and fea sible solution to a problem I see, and I think that gives me an edge in getting things done,” Schiefel bein said. Forrest Lane, a senior politi cal science major, said student lead ers play an important role in the de cision making process, but that it is also important to get other student involved. “We all have influence, and we all have influence in different areas. Student government is important be cause we need to go up there and we need to represent those issues,” Lane said. “But we can also reach out to other people and say, you know, this See Candidates on Page 2. The edge f reality and beyond. Page 3 13th-ranked Aggies defeat Sooners Men's Tennis teams prepares to face University of Oklahoj Page 7 * Campaign in the @$$ Election campaigns reflect poorly on candidates, show deplorable state o student govern ment Page 9 • Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57 p.m. for details about "Common Ground/' a new campus radio show. • Check out The Battalion online at battalion.tamu.edu