I uesday, June 13,21
Decisions decisions
Chris Scarcella contemplating
future with Oakland Athletics
fitter being selected in the draft
Page 2
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on an assault in Bryan.
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Weather:
Mostly cloudy with a
hiqh of 88 and a low
of 70.
WEDNESDAY
June 14,2000
Volume 106 ~ Issue 152
6 pages
mm i\ Hk'l M =! IX
Dorms may become substance free
material to repair the roof
News in Brief
us Ops proposes
us replacements
Bus Operations will be exhibiting
Iree different styles of buses Wednes
day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rudder
jpuntain.
I Rachael Howe, executive director
of student services, said the pro
posed new buses would replace the
lirrent buses.
I Howe said buses will be transit
Style, similar to those in metropol
ian cities. They will have a “metro-
■ansit” look opposed to the
“s:hool-bus” look.
I The three buses that will be on dis-
[Riay are basic, medium and luxury
Style. The buses are compliant with
itfie American Disabilities Act (ADA),
Ijave air conditioning and have han-
(jlebars for students to stand.
I Howe said the purpose of this
â– vent is to gain student input and feed-
lack about features students want.
I Bus Operations is trying to de-
—■ide options like seating arrange-
ittent. For example, Bus Operations
wants to know whether students
f* want seats facing each other or
1 CPC one-behind-the-other.
k A W X ItA-VJVv Howe said the buses will provide
the same services as the old buses,
1 Such as charter services for student
I â– roups, and could be driven as ear-
.CXd y 5 f ly as Spring 2001, but by Fall 2001
/ i at the latest.
f; Information and refreshments will
n its traditional foes, Souiv’- p rov - (C j e( j a |. even t.
ian and the United State i * â– 
nification, the stated goal of ft) DcJllcJS 111013X6
,, is likely to be a lengthy proci) gttdCkS gU3 I’d
re are a host of touchy issues® . Ari , .
. J . t/ | KENEDY (AP) — A guard was
\ among them North Kore | a kk ec j a t a South Texas prison
and nuclear programs, and I-Hiesday, the second attack in less
litary presence in South Kon; than a week on an officer at the Con-
th Korea's Kim will "broad.]"ally Unit of the Texas Department
landing by saying everythirXCriminal Justice.
, , „ r, , i v .1 Officer Scott Jendrzey, 21, was es-
its to say. Park Toon-Yoiw ■ „. . ’ ^ ,
. - . ; !Porting inmates to an eating area for
cl presidential spokesperst noon ppggi w |-| en p, e was stabbed
said Monday.''Hen six times by a prisoner carrying a 9-
agree first on theea inch metal rod that had been sharp
est and most practi j en ed to a point, said prison system
issues " spokesperson Larry Todd.
' . “The officer was struck from be-
’' 1 liind, and as he turned to defend him-
quick to downpw tha1; ' s w p en p e received the su-
North Korea'sweeke»rficial stab wounds,” Todd said,
request to delay tl 1 | The guard, who has been on the
summit by a day,a ^ for about a year and a half, was
treated at the prison infirmary and
ee
i
al
)un
ntia
rson
'Tuesday. They saidff
then was moved to a nearby hospi-
nor technical prof' { a | j^ e i n j ur j es we re not consid-
held up the schedule ; ered life-threatening and Jendrzey
— One Blue Hotepras expected to be treated and re
official said glitchefased, Todd said,
run satellite transmission! The inmate was identified as Ra^
c d Laden Tyner, 20, serving a 65-
non images from Pyongyafl . A ,
Bar sentence for aggravated robbery
ul was responsible. How.e | t Qf Da||as County He was bejng
government officials s hg^ j n administrative segregation
were no problems. and undergoing questioning by inter-
> North's failure to clearly expli bal affairs investigators.
The entire prison has been
placed on lockdown, meaning all
iisoners are confined to their cells.
ay prompted a flurry of specu' j
South Korean media.
hoof
^ Judge orders
" itay of execution
I HUNTSVILLE (AP) — A convicted
<iller set to die Wednesday for
dlling a Waco shop owner more
Ian 11 years ago won a stay of
execution, but the Texas attorney
fneral’s office was moving to get
reprieve lifted.
U.S. District Judge Walter Smith
'dered the state Tuesday to post-
Inethe scheduled lethal injection
JJohn Albert Burks because the
udge said a reprieve he issued
re than two years ago still re
ined in effect.
The Texas attorney general’s of-
ice filed a motion of appeal to the
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and
'Quid work to vacate Smith’s order,
pokesperson Heather Browne said.
Texas prison officials said they
luld continue with regular prepa-
ations for an execution until the le
al issues were resolved.
â–  Burks, now 44, was convicted of
illmg Jesse Contreras, 63, owner of
'esse’s Tortilla Factory, during a rob-
|ry attempt Jan. 20, 1989. Contr-
ras was shot four times and died of
is wounds 27 days later.
Joseph Pleasant
The Battalion
Students living on campus in Fall 2001 may
not be able to choose whether to live in sub
stance free housing. The Office of Student Af
fairs is considering making all on-campus resi
dence halls substance free next fall.
Current residence hall regulations state that
students 21 and older are permitted to possess
and consume alcohol in their rooms. If the pro
posal to make every residence hall substance
free passes, it would be against school policy for
students of any age to have alcohol in on-cam
pus residence halls.
Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice president for
student affairs at Texas A&M, said alcohol use
on campus has been a focal point for his office.
"Alcohol issues are a problem and have been
a problem," Southerland said.
Southerland also said alcohol-related deaths
on campus caused the University to investigate
substance abuse on campus.
The Office of Student Affairs commissioned a
University alcohol task force to study behavior on
campus and make recommendations to the Uni
versity. One of the recommendations was to make
all on-campus residence halls substance free.
Susan Foster, assistant director of residence
education, said substance-free housing reduces
"secondary effects" on students in the hall.
Foster said secondary effects include disrup
tion of sleep and study and damage to property
that people influenced by alcohol may cause.
"People getting sick in the bathroom in the
middle of the night is not good for the students
that have a test the next morning," Foster said.
But some students say substance-free resi
dence halls are not fair to all students.
Renee Edmiston, a junior environmental de
sign major, said students of age have the right
to have alcohol in their rooms if they choose.
"Students that are 21 should not have to
live off campus to drink; that is not right," Ed
miston said.
Roshawnda Little, a senior journalism ma
jor, said, if adopted, this rule would cause
more problems for on-campus students and
staff members.
"It will just be another hassle for students to
find ways to get around the rule, and resident
advisors to enforce the rule," Little said.
Southerland said one problem with initiating
the change is that the University does not have
the manpower to ensure underage students are
not in possession of alcohol while on campus.
The option for students living on campus to
live in substance-free residence halls is being of
fered for the first time this fall. Those students
choosing to live in these residence halls signed
an agreement that they will not, among other
things, consume alcohol, tobacco or other con
trolled substances; that they will not return to
the dorm under the influence of those sub
stances; and they will not disturb the other res
idents as a result of using those substances.
Southerland said he is waiting on formal
recommendations before he makes a decision
on whether it is feasible for the University to
institute substance-free housing. The pro
posed policy change will not affect students
living on campus during Fall 2000, but may af
fect on-campus residents in 2001.
Substance-Free Floor
Community Agreement
! l>o not postoittt, u*«. or fee under the
| influence of nay alcohol, tobacco produ
Itlnyal drug within the living
vlroantent.
Uo not participate In any behavior that
dUrupis the commuatiy and/or Htc of the
KiUcnta us u result of substance use.
Share the responsibility of confronting
and/or reporting any Inappropriate
behavior within rhe comrounUy as related
to substance abuse.
Participate In healthy communication with
community members and staff members, and
promote a spirit of civility through my
interactions with others.
Insure that a resident's guests will adhere
to all of the above expectations while
visiting the floor.
Bands on tap
(left) Jesse Davis, lead guitarist of The Nixons, gets up close and personal with the crowd at The Tap on Monday night, (top right)
Zack Maloy, lead vocalist, sings to a packed house, (bottom right) Scott Stephens and David Walsh of the California band The
Exies open the show. The Nixons are on tour supporting their new album. Latest Thing.
Bush to
fund TSU,
PYAMU
Adrienne Ballare
The Battalion
In an attempt to resolve civil-rights
issues in Texas, Gov. George W. Bush
made a promise to fund two histori
cally black universities to help im
prove their recruitment and retain-
ment programs.
Bush promised to fund Prairie View
A&M University (PVAMU), an A&M
University System school, and Texas
Southern University (TSU).
"I want all Texans to have an oppor
tunity to enjoy the benefits of our state's
higher education system," Bush said in
a written statement.
Steven Rondeno, a graduate student
at TSU, said he was confused by Bush's
proposal on funding.
"Prior to this proposal, when called
for help for assistance for funding, we
didn't get any favorable response from
him at all, which led to problems within
the institution," Rondeno said. "It's hard
to trust someone who is an authoritative
position, who controls the duration of a
historically black institution."
Rondeno said the lack of funding
caused a decline in enrollment at TSU.
See Funding on Page 4.
Graduation suffers from lack of student interest
Administration seeking ways to improve attendance at commencement ceremony
Kim Trifilio
The Battalion
Texas A&M graduates have start
ed a new tradition that has opened the
eyes of administrators and has them
seeking ways to improve their current
graduation system in order to keep
graduates from leaving commence
ment ceremonies early.
Dr. Bill Perry, executive associate
provost, said this could be happening
for two reasons.
"I think one of the reasons this is
happening is because of the length of
the ceremony. Participating in some
thing for two hours and 45 minutes is a
pretty long time," Perry said. "Anoth
er reason is because of the change in
venue. When graduation was held in
G. Rollie White Coliseum, it was more
noticeable when people left early. Now
in Reed Arena, it is not as noticeable."
Don Carter, A&M registrar, said
the problem of students leaving early
has gotten worse.
"The administration and faculty
were upset at all three recent cere
monies. Students receiving degrees
left before the ceremony ended,"
Carter said. "It is disrespectful to fel
low graduates and their parents to get
up and leave."
Perry said the administration is
thinking of ways to maintain the dig
nity of the ceremony without de
creasing attendance.
"1 think we should make the cere
mony shorter," Perry said. "We still
want to walk across the stage. This is a
time of celebration for students and
families. I think most people believe
that for an occasion like this, it should
be about one-and-a-half hours, but now
it is two-and-a-half hours or more."
Perry said the ceremony is not pro
longed by the length of the com
mencement speeches.
"The commencement speeches
lately haven't really been that long.
We have good speakers too, and
they're being brief," he said.
Shauna Clark, a senior biochem
istry major and December 2000 grad
uate, said it is obvious why students
are leaving graduation early.
“Students receiv
ing degrees left
before the cere
mony ended. It is
disrespectful to
fellow graduates
and their par
ents to get up
and leave.' 1
— Don Carter
Texas A&M registrar
"It is too long. That's it. There is no
other reason," Clark said.
Perry said other universities
have this problem, but they have
found ways to shorten graduation
ceremonies.
"There are some universities with
two lines. Maybe the provost will shake
hands with one line and the president
will shake hands with the other. This
would decrease the time to three sec
onds per person instead of five seconds
per person," Perry said. "Some cam
puses come together for a shorter cere
mony, and then they go to their own
college ceremony. But then the problem
with that is, you wouldn't be able to
shake hands with the president."
Perry said the administration is al
ways trying to attract well-known
speakers to the ceremony to increase
attendance.
"In the past we've had Governor
Bush, former presidents and chancel
lors of different schools. We try to get
someone with an academic connec
tion or a state connection," he said.
Perry said the president's office is
always open to suggestions for speak
ers and speakers often have a connec
tion to the University.
"For example, you might have a
president of a university who was in
a fraternity or sorority with someone
who is now [well known]," Perry
said. "On the other hand, the connec
tion can be through the student, as
long as it's someone to give an enter
taining, but meaningful, speech."
Perry said Bill Cosby's appearance
at First Yell in September might forge
a relationship with the comedian that
could make him a candidate for a
commencement address in the future.
"He's a good person to speak at
graduation," Perry said. "Assuming
he has a good experience here and he
develops a relationship with the insti
tution, and it's within our commence
ment budget. I'd say it could be done."
Perry said the administration will
brainstorm ideas to increase gradua
tion attendance.
See Graduation on Page 4.