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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2000)
Wednesday, September 6,2000 Reardon said. ‘They can ixrces of factual informa- y accuracy, as well as to isconceptions.” id that disciplinary mea- rt he the only answer. I such measures withed- / us to take a more proac- Novak said, or the awareness training Jireugh Student Service udents and parents have i/.e alcohol abuse should 1. ADEP's next step is to the community to further ths and provide more lisseminate information. tinned from PagelA id he was issued a warn- returned to the property en the police arrived, he as then arrested.” Eagle has reported tha: )97 for burglary ofave- 'he burglary charge was n probation for thecrim- i the football team in Ma to high testosterone lev ic team during the 199^ ision about Bynum's sus- egal matters are resolved :d for comment. x.gef one. * ; of the activate 3r case minutes vvith the of plans e going -ponsor icessing lee. >leie details. (ft MOTOROft • Listen to KAMU 90.9 FM at 1:57 p.m. for details on the death of three Madisonville children. • Check out The Battalion online at battalion.tamu.edu. • Body SI-aTm WCW brings professional wrestling to A&M Page 4A Weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 91 and a low of 68. THURSDAY September 7, 2000 Volume 107 ~ issue 10 2 Sections Section A - 10 pages Section B - 8 pages Bowen reinstates sexual-orientation clause By Rolando Garcia The Hamilton Reversing his deferred implementation of the 2000-2001 student rules. Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen restored a new clause that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. New rules w'ere posted Aug. 15 on the student rules Website, which is maintained by the Department of Student Life, listing sexual orientation as one of the protected cat egories covered by anti-discrimination — but within 24 hours, the new clause was re moved and the previous wording, which did not list protected groups, was reinserted. In a statement released at the time, Bowen said he deferred the new wording because there were widespread misconcep tions of what the clarification meant, and he emphasized that the University’s basic pol icy had not changed. “Dr. Bowen wanted a University dialogue about the intent of the change, and he is now satisfied with the proper level of understand ing there is,” said Brent Paterson, director of the Department of Student Life. “I've met with some concerned students, staff, faculty and GLBTA (Gay, Lesbian. Bisexual, and Transgendered Aggies.»to bring about some understanding as to wlyat Bowen intended.” The University Statement on Harass ment and Discrimination now reads: “Texas A&M University, in Accordance with ap plicable federal and slate laws, prohibits discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color , national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, disability, sexual ori entation or veteran status.” Associate Vice President for Student Af- “The University doesn't tolerate harassment of any student for any reason, including sexual orientation” — Dr. Bill Kibler associate vice president for Student Affairs fairs Dr. Bill Kibler said the new clause is not a change in policy, but simply a re wording of an existing rule meant to clari fy that University rules do protect gay stu dents from harassment. “The University doesn’t tolerate ha rassment of any student for any reason, in cluding sexual orientation,” Kibler said. “For example, if a student in a residence hall is harassed because he’s gay, the Uni versity will take specific action. We want gay students to know that they, too, are pro tected, and that if they bring forth reports of harassment, we can do something about it.” In Fall 1999, Bowen vetoed a proposal passed by the Student Senate and Faculty Senate to specifically prohibit discrimina tion on the basis of sexual orientation, cit ing the legal liability that would be placed on the University if it extended anti-dis crimination protection to categories not covered by state and federal law. In a statement announcing the change, Bowen stated “in accordance with applicable federal and state law," which ensures that the rewritten rule does not contradict his original position by extending legal protections that would create legal liability for the University. None of this, however, dampened the en thusiasm of gay student activists upon hear ing of Bowen's decision. “I think it’s a very progressive step for the University to acknowledge gay and lesbian students and explicitly say that harassing and See Policy on Page 8A. Senate approves fee bill By Jeanette Simpson The Battalion The 53rd Session of the Texas A&M Student Senate opened Wednes- »day approving the Student Center Complex Fee Referendum Bill in emergency legislation — which means the bill was debated and voted on dur ing the meeting. The bill approves holding a referendum during the Fall 2000 student elections. “This referendum, if approved by the students, allows for a $ 10-one-time increase in the Student Center Com plex Fee,” said Dennis Busche, Uni versity Center manager. The Student Center Complex Fee provides for free meeting rooms, fur niture, audiovisual equipment and the maintenance of student programs and facilities in the Memorial Student Center, John J. Koldus Building, Earl Rudder Tower, Auditorium and The ater complex. “The approval of this referendum would also demonstrate student rec ommendation and support towards the See Senate on Page 8A. Med School interim dean appointed By Kristin Rostran The Battalion Dr. Nancy Wilson Dickey, former president of the American Medical Association, was named interim dean of the College of Medicine. Dickey also has served as program director of the Family Practice Resi dency of the Brazos Valley and acting dean of medicine and professor of family and community medicine at Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine. She will act as dean until Sept. 2,2001. Currently, she serves as editor in chief of Medem, an Internet-based patient education company, and on the editorial board of Archives of Family Medicine. The editor position allows her to view the newest materi als circulating in the medical world. One of Dickey’s main goals is to the smooth transition once a new in terim president of the System Health Science Center is appointed. Acting president Dr. Jay Noren’s resignation will be effective Sept. 30. “It is extraordinarily exciting be cause it has been a very busy 90.days,” Dickey said. “We’ve completed the af filiation agreement, but now what may be the tougher job is implementing the agreement. There are going to be some See Dickey on Page 9A. If you paint it... ANDY HANCOCK/The Battalion Patrick Tate paints the endzonq lettering in the North endzone at Kyle Field Wednesday. This year, the endzone features a new block lettering of 'Texas A&M," which matches the front of the team's jerseys. The paint used on the field is diluted one to one with water for better cov erage, and it does not harm the grass. Approximately 250 gallons of paint are used for the initial painting, which takes two-and-a-half days. Lane discusses plans to strengthen Texas A&M By Courtney Stelzel The Battalion Forrest Lane, student body president and a senior political science major, told Texas A&M that physical, procedural and spiritual changes are in order this year. Lane addressed the upcom ing anniversary of the Bonfire collapse. He said the world’s eyes will be on the University, watching to see what its next move will be. “The student body needs to move forward, without forget ting the past,” Lane said. He said people need to take this opportunity to create seri ous, positive change by pro moting the school-sanctioned Bonfire in 2002. In keeping with this spirit of change. Lane has worked with Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. J. Malon Southerland, and a task force to begin setting up risk- management training for all orga nizations on campus. Within the next year, all organizations on campus will be required to go through a training program to pre vent tragedies such as the Bonfire collapse from reoccurring. Lane emphasized that the stu dent body needs to work with the Student Government Association (SGA) to achieve its goals. He said students should voice their opinions through the SGA’s open-door policy, which he has promoted since the beginning of his term in office. He said he wants students to feel free to ex press their concerns and ideas. “Students shouldn't feel that they have to come to a consen sus to advocate on a subject which they feel strongly about, but they need to step forward so that their opinion can be heard and voiced to the administration and faculty,” Lane said. In order to see that the stu dent opinion is brought to the attention of the Senate, Lane said he has decided to send sur veys to the student body that will help to determine their needs and concerns. “Many other issues will de serve a commit ment to the ex change of ideas by our student body in the coming year,” Lane said. Lane hopes that during the legislative ses sion, held in the spring, the Stu dent Senate will conclude all de bates on the 60- day Q-drop which has been on the table for several years. He said he wants to move onto more pressing issues, such as institut ing higher fee caps for faculty salaries and funding renovations for the Memorial Student Center and Student Recreation Center. Lane expressed his concerns for the condition of these buildings, since they are used so often and in such high demand by students. Lane said he considers Park ing, Traffic, & Transportation Servie£tL support and guidance in dealing with the growing number of Bryan-College Sta tion residents vital to ensuring the safety and smooth operation of campus transportation. He said he does, however, hope to see 24-hour parking spots opened up to students be tween 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. to help alleviate the crowded parking lots on campus. Lane ended his speech with an emphasis on working toward his goal of seeing all students in volved on campus. In order to achieve this goal. Lane said the leaders of today need to , make better leaders of their successors. I MELISSA BARNES/The Battalion Student Body President Forrest Lane deliv ers his State of the University address in the Forsyth Center Galleries. ' v itk 1 • % University upgrades water system to meet demand By Arati Bhattacharya The Battalion A $4.3 million water approved by, the Board been instituted to opti mize Texas A&M’s water system effi- ■g ciency and strength- en utility perfor mance. “The interesting ; thing about this new system is that it did n't increase water production,” said Tom Hagge, associ ate director for utili ties in the Physical Plant. “It will, how ever, increase the life of the system and the systems project of Regents has “The immense changes in the wa ter-storage facili ties and waterlines will lend to addi tional efficiency and capacity” — Mike Goldwater associate director for grounds maintenance performance of the new pipes, as well as multiply on the ability to endure flow peaks by having more ground storage.” The project, titled “Domestic Water System Improve ment,” has three main components. First, a three-million gallon water tank will be added to A&M’s water utili ties system in No vember for under ground storage, in addition to the two two-million gallon tanks already sup porting the Universi ty’s population. Sec ond, plans were made to upsize the This is part about the impact can water distribution pipes to draw more water to 10 different locations. The cen tral, third, part of the m project was the addition of cathodic pro tection to water transmission lines, which will prevent corrosion of the pipes and increase safety. An 18- and 24-inch diameter pipe currently runs in the sys tem for seven miles from the well fields to F&B Road. Under the new plan, holes were dug every 40 feet to inject low-met al currents to prevent corrosion. Hagge said that A&M’s water flow is inconsistent; it is slow at night and peaks during the day. Another goal of the sys tem is to effectively store water in case an interruption occurs and capitalize on the system’s reliability. The heavy groundwork is not expect- four of a five-part water series ongoing drought and how its be felt locally and regionally. ed to inconvenience students in any way. “If anything, the inconvenience is now, with the brown grass patches on the golf fields since we are lacking in ir rigation,” Hagge said. “The immense changes in the water- storage facilities and waterlines will lend to additional efficiency and capacity,” said Mike Goldwater, associate director for grounds maintenance. “The current water shortage has forced us to curtail landscape irrigation. The new system will definitely lend itself to supplying us with an adequate amount of water.” See Water on Page 8A.