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: • Listen to KAMI! 90.9 FM at 1:57 p.m.
for details on the Whataburger shootout
• Check out The Battalion online at
battalion.tamu.edu.
Slave tp the music
Columnists rant
about summer
music festivals
Page 3
Weather:
Partly cloudy with a
hiqh of 95 and a low
of 71.
THURSDAY
July 6, 2000
Volume 106-Issue 163
8 pages
» f * i Vi li]:i k’J 4 I
‘Willie, Waylon and Me’
Student senator polls peers
Survey reveals that majority favors 1996Hopwood decision
David Allan Coe steps back to view the audience at the Willie Nelson Fourth of July Picnic.
The concert drew in more than 10,000 people to Southpark Meadows in Austin.
Maureen Kane
The Battalion
April Somers, a student senator and ju
nior microbiology major, wanted to find
out liow Texas A&M students felt about
various policies at A&M. In order to do this,
she designed a survey asking for students'
opinions on an increase in tuition, an in
crease in kinesiology and foreign language
requirements and a possible standardized
“A group of stu
dents from the
University of
Texas Law School
took the university
to court over race-
based admissions/ 7
— April Somers
student senator
and junior microbiology major
state core curriculum, as well as the top 10
percent rule and the Hopwood decision.
The 1996 Hopwood decision states that
universities cannot admit students based
on race. Until 1996, universities used race
as an option on applications.
"A group of students from the Univer
sity of Texas Law School took the univer
sity to court over race-based admissions,"
Somers said. The Supreme Court declared
that race-based admissions were not legal.
As a result, the Texas Legislature began
looking to increase diversity in Texas uni
versities and created the top 10 percent
rule, which states that every university in
Texas must accept an applicant if he or she
was in the top 10 percent of his or her class.
This legislation gives students from
schools where minority students are the
majority an advantage towards being ad
mitted into college.
"The class of 2002 is the first class to
go in under the top 10 percent rule,"
Somers said.
Joe Estrada, interim assistant provost
for enrollment, said that through the im
plementation of the Hopwood decision and
the top 10 percent rule in admissions, A&M
has increased diversity on campus.
"The whole intent of the top 10 percent
rule is to enhance diversity, particularly at
Texas A&M and the University of Texas at
Austin, and reward students who finish in
the top 10 percent by allowing them auto
matic admission to the school of their
choice," Estrada said. "I think, from the di
rector of admission's perspective, this is
working exceptionally well. This Universi
ty has always accepted the top 10 percent
of classes. Prior to Hopwood, we could say
no to any student for any reason — even
those in the top ten percent — but we ad
mitted most students — 99 percent."
Somers' survey, the Student Govern
ment Legislative Relations Survey, was
mailed to a random sample of 1,200 stu
dents. Of the 1,200, 342 usable surveys
have been returned, which is close to the
desired number of 380. 83.7 percent of the
respondents were white, 6.6 percent
were Hispanic, 4.5 percent were Asian,
3.3 percent were African-American, 1.2
percent were multicultural, and .6 per
cent were Native American. Respon
dents indicated that they would like to
see an increase in diversity on A&M's
campus, and one said that this is nec
essary to meet the goals of Vision 2020.
Estrada said that through the imple
mentation of the Hopwood decision
and top 10 percent rule A&M has in
creased diversity on campus.
More than half of the respondents
support the top 10 percent rule, while
39 percent do not support the rule. Ap
proximately 80 percent of the respon
dents approve of the application of the
Hopivood decision to admissions proce
dures, whereas 11.6 percent do not ap
prove of this legislation.
Although supported by a majority
of students at Texas A&M, the effects of
implementing the Hopwood decision
are not clear. Forrest Lane, student body
president and a senior political science ma
jor, said there is always debate about the
top 10 percent rule.
"There are people on both sides of the
fence on this issue. The survey is useful to
show student opinion about the top 10 per
cent rule," Lane said.
Somers said, "At A&M, minority en
rollment has not been very successful.
From the time that Hopwood was imple
mented until now, the percentages have
remained pretty much the same. During
the time period before Hopivood until
now, minority enrollment has dropped
slightly because universities are not al
lowed to look at race, but it has not
dropped significantly."
She added that during the first year
Hopivood was implemented (1996-1997), 3.6
percent of the admitted students were
African-American and 11.2 percent were
Hispanic. During the 1998-1999 year, 2.7
percent of admitted students were African-
American and 9.1 percent were Hispanic.
See Survey on Page 6.
Student Opinion on
Hopwood Decision and
Top 10 Percent Rule
Agree . Disagree
BRANDON HENDERSON/The Battalion
ingling Bros, and Bamum & Bailey to perform at Reed Arena
July 5 - July
July 5 - July
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July 5 - July,) 1
July 5 - July 1 )
July 5 - Jul
ti. on closing date
:le support to the i
acus on cash handWI
lesk on the 2nd floor 0 !
1. Applications will
amu.edu
1 prices subject to chanf
Chris Cunico
The Battalion
The Ringling Bros, and Bamum &
lailey Circus is scheduled to perform
Presidents of the Bryan-College Sta-
narea at Reed Arena July 10-12.
But, some college students are
jot pleased with the arena's failure
jo host events college students
jvould enjoy.
Over the course of the past year,
[omplaints have arisen from the col-
;e crowd concerning the lack of
[ppealing events hosted at Reed.
Although the circus has been a
Shssic form of entertainment
irough the years, a number of
[exas A&M students did not give
the circus top priority when decid
ing how they wanted to spend their
free time.
Steven M. Hodge, director of spe
cial events facilities for Texas A&M,
said that after the inaugural year, the
event scheduling has decreased.
Hodge said the combination of
scheduling mishaps associated with
the last year's First Yell and the end
ing of the initial rush for all of the
major acts to perform at Reed are to
blame for the diminished schedule.
"The honeymoon is definitely
over. Our second year was not near
ly as successful as the first," Hodge
said. "We are constantly working
with promoters and will take any
thing that we can get."
Circus trainers and elephants parade down Olsen Boulevard to
ward Reed Arena on Monday.
Hodge said that Reed Arena and
the department of special events fa
cilities have little responsibility for
the absence of major acts that may
have greater appeal for the students,
such as concerts and stand-up come
dians. He said it has become very dif
ficult for venues the size of Reed,
which seats 5,000 to 12,500 people
depending on the type of show, to
compete with the much larger sheds,
outdoor amphitheaters like Cynthia
Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the
Woodlands.
Hodge said sheds maintain very
low overhead costs and most seat
more than 20,000.
He said net profit, which is the ul
timate factor to promoters when
scheduling tours, prevents many of
the bigger acts from performing at
venues like Reed.
"When Reed was being built, the
state only allowed us to spend $35
million to complete the entire pro
ject," Hodge said. "CoTnpare that to
Texas Tech being allotted between
$65 and $70 million for their arena,
which opened in February of 2000."
Hodge said a large portion of
the difficulty faced by campus are
nas and other smaller-sized venues
when trying to sign big names
could be attributed to SFX, a com
pany which owned 75 percent of
arenas and sheds and employed
the majority of agents and promot
ers. Hodge said the vertical inte
gration in this company kept the
entire booking process within its
own set of operations. By promot
ing the concerts in its own venues,
Hodge said, SFX virtually elimi
nated any access university arenas
have to the popular tours held in
larger, more profit-friendly places.
"On the bright side, SFX was re
cently purchased by Clear Channel
Communications, a company
owned by a San Antonio resident
and, more importantly, A&M grad
uate," Hodge said.
Mary Helen Bowers, associate di
rector of special events facilities for
Texas A&M, said Reed Arena is cur
rently negotiating several rock con
certs to occur this upcoming fall. She
said there are also plans to bring for
mer guest and current phenomenon.
World Championship Wrestling,
back to Reed within the next year.
Bill Cosby has been scheduled to ap
pear at First Yell in the fall.
"We would love to have a couple
rock concerts next year. All we've had
in the past is country, so I think the
students will enjoy it," Bowers said.
Courtney Bowles, a junior mole
cular and cell biology major, said
event coordinators need to make a
better effort to communicate with
the student body to find what type
of events should be given priority
and what will get the best reception
from a college-age crowd.
"The circus is for children, and
Bill Cosby is for old people. I'd
love for some rock bands to come
or at least something from our
generation that would be worth
spending $25 on," Bowles said.
Big Cats Society and B-CS residents
to protest treatment of circus animals
Jeanette Simpson
The Battalion
When the Ringling Bros, and Bamum
& Bailey Circus comes to town July 10-12,
not everyone will be going to Reed Are
na to enjoy an evening of entertainment.
Frances Delia, a resident of Bryan,
will join H.K. Pitts, a wildlife conserva
tionist and member of the Big Cats Soci
ety, in a protest against the treatment of
the Ringling Bros, animal performers.
"This protest is a group of people who
See related column on Pg. 7
want to be out there to inform the public
about how the animals in the circus are
treated," Delia said. "We are going to be
out there handing out brochures inform
ing people about the inhumane ways
Ringling Bros, handles their animals."
The goal of the group is not to stop the
circus from performing but to spread in
formation about circus practices.
"We as a group are not so naive to
believe that we can prevent the circus
from using animals, but we can make
people realize that they should not
support circuses that use animals in
their performances," Delia said.
Pitts said the goal of the protests for
the Big Cats Animal Society is also to in
form the public.
"I want for people to realize that big
cats were not made to perform. The tricks
they have them do are not natural, and tire
methods they use to train these cats are in
humane," Pitts said."We are not against
Ringling Bros, only, we are against anyone
who exploits wild animals."
A student protests treatment of ani
mals outside of Reed Arena.
Each night of the performances the Big
Cat Society and concerned citizens will be
protesting the many differenT aspects of
See Protest on Page 6.