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Performance cements
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Pg.4
Weather:
Partly cloudy with a high
of 102 and a low of 76.
FRIDAY
September 1,2000
Volume 107 ~ Issue 6
12 pages
(•>* 4 =f:t; WTA AI ft’k'l M =t: WI I t
Families
condemn
renegade
Bonfire
(■Mariano Castillo
The Battalion
One week into the fall semester — 9 1/2 months after the
1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse — the Texas A&M communi-
yremains divided over the possibility of an off-campus bon-
ireon Nov. 22. Student leaders, parents of the victims and
lie administration have denounced the idea of a “renegade”
ranfire as arguments intensify and Keep the Fire Burning
KTFB) finalizes its plans.
The Aggie community is divided between A&M President
)r. Ray M. Bowen's decision for a two-year moratorium on
\ggie Bonfire and KTFB’s commitment to building an off-
ampus bonfire this year.
Several of the victims’ families have written letters op-
losing the KTFB bonfire. Copies of the letters have been
losted in several residence halls to discourage residents from
upporting KTFB.
Ken Adams, fa
ther of Miranda
Denise Adams, wrom
that an off-campus
bonfire would not
bring closure to the
tragedy.
“There are 12
families that had 12
children taken from
them,” the letter stat
ed. "They can never
touch and hold their
children any longer.
There will never be
closure for any of
these families.”
His sentiments
were echoed in letters
written by the Hand
and Ebanks families.
6 6
... We can only
hope and pray
that the students
and former Aggies
will reconsider
their actions in re
gards to having a
bonfire this year"
— Ken Adams
father of Miranda Adams
Our love for our daughter cannot be expressed enough,
ind we can only hope and pray that the students and former
\ggies will reconsider their actions in regards to having a
xinfire this year,” Adams wrote.
The administration and student leaders share the families^
ipposition to the off-campus bonfire. Student organizations,
ncluding the Corps of Cadets, Aggie Band, football players
ind yell leaders, have slated their support of Bowen’s deci-
sion and will not to participate in an off-campus bonfire.
Student Body President Forrest Lane, a senior political
icience major, is encouraging students to respect Bowen’s
lecision and not to take part in the KTFB event.
“I don’t support a renegade bonfire,” Lane said. “This ad-
tiinistration said it will take two years. To say that we can
tke it and build it in three to four months is laughing at the
commission’s report.”
The Special Commission on the 1999 Aggie Bonfire cit
ed Aggie culture'— especially “tunnel vision” — as a fac-
or leading to disregard for safety measures that ultimate-
y led to the collapse. The commission defined “tunnel
dsion” in its May report as Aggies’justification of risks
hey take in the name of tradition.
Supporters of Bowen’s decision say the two-year morato-
ium would be a proper time frame to redesign and to change
he mentality of students’ attitude toward Bonfire.
Jonathan Kimmel, brother of Lucas Kimmel, sent a letter
o the Bryan-College Station Eagle expressing anger toward
Bonfire culture.
‘[ Bonfire] is about a bunch of self-centered students who
want their party no matter who dies or who gets hurt,” he
wrote. “Why not start a new tradition for the new millenni
um? ... You definitely need a new one — a tradition that
would drive the true A&M spirit, not crush it.”
However, KTFB, with membership an estimated between
7,000 and 12,000 students and alumni, believes the A&M
spirit would be crushed if Bonfire does not burn this year.
Joe Dyson, a KTFB board member, said the organization’s
purpose is to carry on the traditions of Bonf ire.
“We’re not here just to build a structure,” Dyson said. “The
traditions of Bonfire are obviously teamwork, leadership and
camaraderie that’s built out there at cut site and stack site. It
doesn’t matter what we build — we can build anything.”
The KTFB board members have absorbed much criticism
from various groups. They have been labeled rebels and self
ish renegades, yet they keep their sights on their goal.
“We’re not doing this for ourselves in any means,” Dyson
said. “We’re just coming up with a means for people if that’s
what they want. ... This is for everyone.”
Rudder H
Bush School H
■ Traditions
Howdy
> Arrows Indicate Bus
Stops and Bus Direction
Yell Practice and Bonfire; two new vans will
be added to the routes to increase the fre
quency of buses throughout campus
• The Bonfire route will serve as the night
route for students needing transportation af-
Bonfire
Yell Practice
Gig ’Em
ter regular on-campus operation hours -
addition to its daytime route.
• Off-campus routes will remain basically un
changed wiih minor relocations of bus stops.
• Students will be allowed to ride the off-
campus buses without a bus pass until after
Sept. 11.
• For more information on times and bus
routes call 845-1971 or visit wwv
busops.tamu.edu.
PARKING CHANGES
• Parking, Traffic, and Transportation Ser-
j vices (PTTS) alleviated the parking
chaos by adding a new commuter (blue)
parking lot between Polo Road and Uni-
J versity Drive.
• Four parking lots around Kyle Field —
; which were dedicated to commuter park-
| ing last year — have been changed to red
lots for the fall.
• PA 42, located between Old Main Drive
and the Northside residence halls, was
changed to yellow staff parking.
• All vehicles are required to display valid
Jfexa^&i^adon^emTit^mjai^Uh^
visitor levels of the parking garages.
• For more information on parking, visit
www-ptts.tamu.edu or call 862-PARK.
CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
•The Electrical Distribution System Upgrade,
which deals with all the electrical wiring in the
tunnels, is in its second phase. Most of the
construction is occurring underground in the
tunnels, but there ,is some activity around the
residence halls of Keathley and Fowler. It is ex
pected to be completed later in the semester.
•There is some last-minute construction at
Sterling C. Evans Library. One of the projects
is the replacement of the air conditioning cool-
ing towers along the south side of the library.
The cooling tower construction began in May,
but the completion was delayed because a
needed pipe did not arrive until mid-August.
Guy Cooke, assistant director of facilities con
struction at A&M, estimated that the project
will be completed within the next two weeks.
• Due to the Sbisa construction, the sidewalks
around the construction area and Hogg Street
behind the facility will be closed until the end
of October.
• The repaving of Ross Street is not set to be
gin until later this semester. The projected
completion date is unknown. Mark Cervenka,
assistant director of the administration, divi-
sion of facilities planning, said this area will be
disorganized while reconstruction is occurring
on the inner campus roads. Start-up dates for
this project are unknown.
• Bids have not been received for the con
struction of the parking garage beside the Stu
dent Recreation Center and the Underground
Pedestrian passageway.
• Construction on Wellborn Road will not be
gin until later this fall.
• For more information on these construction
areas and others, contact the Facilities Plan
ning and Construction Website at http://fpc-
nts.tamu.edu/fpc/ .
BRANDON HENDERSON/Thk Battalion
Whitewater probe ends
Investigators turn to Clinton’s Lewinsky testimony
See Bonfire on Page 2.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)
— Independent Counsel Robert
Ray formally declared an end to
the Whitewater era Thursday, an
nouncing that he had closed the
Arkansas office where President
and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s
business dealings had been in
vestigated for the past 6 1/2
years.
Ray said he is now focusing
on whether the president should
be held criminally liable for his
testimony about Monica Lewin
sky during the Paula Jones sexu
al harassment case.
A federal judge last year cited
Clinton with contempt of court
and fined him $90,000 as a civil
penalty for what she called mis
leading testimony in the Jones
case. A grand jury was seated
July 11 to consider whether Clin
ton should also face criminal
charges for the sworn testimony.
During their work in
Arkansas, independent counsels
Ray, Kenneth Starr and Robert
Fiske saw 21 people charged and
.14 convicted for a variety of
crimes, many of which did not
pertain to the land deal which
gave the Whitewater investiga-
tiori its name.
In Arkansas, all that remains
to be dealt with is an appeal and
a plea for post-conviction relief
by former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker,
who left office after being con
victed of fraud in 1996.
“If he wins ... we’ve agreed
not to retry,” said Keith Aus-
brook, a spokesman and lawyer
in Ray’s office. He said other
matters that might come up in
Arkansas would be handled by
the Washington staff of the Of
fice of the Independent Counsel.
The Little Rock office was
down to two people before it
closed its doors Thursday. At its
peak, more than three dozen
lawyers, FBI agents and others
were assigned to the special pros
ecutor’s operation in Arkansas.
See Whitewater on Pnge 2.
MSC Open House
slated for Sunday
By Stephen Metcalf
The Battalion
%
More than 350 student
organizations and 10,000
students are expected to
converge on the Memorial
Student Center this Sunday
from 2 to 6 p.m. for the an
nual MSC Open House.
MSC Open House pro
vides student organizations
with a chance to recruit new
members and familiarize
students with the MSC and
its services.
“It’s a great opportunity
for student organizations to
not only recruit new mem
bers, but also to share infor
mation with other organiza
tions,” said James Glueck,
director of MSC marketing
and a junior agricultural de
velopment major.
In previous years, MSC
Open House hosted approx
imately 300 student organi
zations. This year, new or
ganizations will participate,
including MSC Fish, MSC
Lead and Aggie Swamp
Club. New organizations
See MSC on Page 2.