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