Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2000)
Listen to KAMI! 90.9 FM at 1:57 p.m. for details on the suspension of the Somerville police chief. • Check out The Battalion online at battalion.tamu.edu. • Aggies meet their match Matchbox Twenty performs in front of a crowd of 6,000 at Reed Arena. Page 3 Weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 96 and a low of 63. THE BATTALION FRIDAY September 15, 2000 Volume 107 ~ Issue 16 12 pages *1: {--W:* A i iVWiW uI'KI k'i ggie arrested for harrassing Internet messages PRADY CrEH •e Battalion A Texas A&M student was arrested Fri- y and charged with sending harassing In- imet messages. James Fenner Montier, a junior business [dministration major, admitted to the Uni- ersity Police Department (UPD) that he nt the messages to a woman via a Web- te created as a memorial for her 14-year- Id daughter, who died in a 1999 car acci- lent. said Bob Wiatt, director of UPD. “We contacted [Montier] Friday,” Wiatt id. “He admitted doing it, and we arrest- him.'” Wiatt said the First occurrence was an “ob- ene” text message sent on Aug. 8. A sec- message was sent later that day and in- tod eluded a “very horrible” image in addition to a text description of Montier’s sexual fan tasies, which included the girl’s corpse. “The text that accom- panied that [second mes sage] was about the most revolting thing 1 have ever seen in my life,” said Wiatt, a retired FBI veter an. “He was talking about what he was doing with her daughter.” Montier could not be reached for comment. Wiatt said the girl’s mother contacted him on Aug. 17 and claimed that the mes sage came from an A&M lab. Wiatt said the woman's claim was inves- MONTIER tigated and both messages were traced to the A&M campus. The first was sent from Mon tier’s residence hall room in Hobby Hall, a Northside coeducational residence hall. The second message, sent later that day, was sent from the student worker office in the Student Computing Center (SCC), Wiatt said. Wiatt said UPD investigators were able to pinpoint Montier because he was logged on to the computer from which the message originated at the time it was sent. A student supervisor at the SCC, who re quested anonymity, said the student worker office is the Help Desk located in the center of the SCC. The source said SCC student workers do not have special access privileges that would allow them to hide their identity or impersonate random students any more than student users can. He said student work ers are required to logon to their work ac counts while on duty at the SCC, but do not have administrative access. “They have certain privileges to manage the print queues, but those are only granted to their work account,” he said. Wiatt said Montier intended the messages as a prank, but discovered he had sent Inter net messages to other people. “We were able to verify that [Montier] sent similar messages to a lady in Indiana and England, who also had Websites for their child who had been killed recently,” he said. Montier sent “similar graphics and text” to the other two mothers, Wiatt said. Not only did Montier send messages to the Indiana and England mothers, but he hid his identity by posing as the Maryland mother, Wiatt said. Montier’s case is the first Internet harass ment case to be prosecuted in Brazos Coun ty. Montier has been charged with a Class-B misdemeanor, which could carry a punish ment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. The case is being prosecuted by the Brazos County attorney’s office. “The problem with the Internet is that it is hard to control,” Wiatt said. “Freedom of speech allows people to have a lot of access. “The Brazos County attorney does not prosecute Internet harassment because it is difficult to prosecute unless it is [child] pornography or beastiality. However, the messages were so disgusting that he decided to prosecute.” Wiatt said Montier posted $10,000 bail and was released shortly after his arrest. londom iispensers mggested Stephen Metcalf 'e Battalion Despite its many resources, Texas &M on-campus housing lacks at least- e amenity found in almost any gas- tion bathroom — condom machines. For sexually active on-campus res- lents, the problem goes far beyond y desire for glow-in-the-dark “nov- ty” items or “love kits.” It is a matter having access to safety. Officials at A.P. Beutel Health nter said that the A&M campus is t free of the dangers of unprotected x, which include unwanted preg- ncy and sexually transmitted infec- ns such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, philis, herpes, human papillo- avirus (HPV) and AIDS. “Across the board, chlamydia is ore common than any of the other cterial infections on campus, al- jough we have seen pockets of gon- hea cases,” said Margaret Griffith, alth education coordinator and IV/sexual health specialist at the salth Center. “As far as viral infec- )ns that are common on campus, PV and genital herpes are kind of nd of neck and neck.” “They have them in the dorms in snack machines. So you can get a coke and a condom for under $2. It's a pretty good deal” — student worker University of Texas-Austin In order to combat these dangers, riffith, chairwoman of the A&M IV/AIDS Committee, said she would ce to see “health vending machines” in sidence halls. The machines would stribute condoms, painkillers, antacids id other common medicinal items. * . Other college campuses have sim- gar systems of condom distribution. A female student worker at the Univer- gty of Texas-Austin Student Health enter who requested anonymity said T residence halls are equipped with condom machines. I “They have them in the dorms in Shack machines,” she said. “So you can get a coke and a condom for under $2. It’s a pretty good deal.” In 1990, the HIV/AIDS Committee commended to then-A&M President illiam Mobley that condom ma- ines be put in residence halls and oth- heavily populated buildings. Mob ley opted for a different approach that See Condoms on Page 2. Making the moves STUART VILLANUEVA/The Battalion Erwin Thomas, a 15-year employee of the Physics and Electronics Department, makes his move during a midday chess match. Thomas and his fellow employees have been spending their lunch breaks playing chess for the past two years. Torch passes through variety of hands, draws crowd Class of 2000 council initiates gift plans By Sommer Bunce The Battalion In the Spring 2000 student body elec tions, the Class of ’00 voted upon deco rative clocks strategically placed around campus and a donation to the Bonfire Memorial Fund to be the class gifts. The clocks will be old-fashioned with “Class of 2000” printed on the tops, said Katie Hanselka, Class of ’00 Coun cil president and a graduate student in the agricultural education department, adding that she hopes to eventually place a larger clock a,t the site of the Bonfire memorial. The class council is working on clock details, such as cost and place ment, said Peggy Holvweiss, Class of ’00 student program adviser and a stu dent development specialist for the Memorial Student Center. The class plans to purchase between three and eight clocks, depending on Physical Plant recommendations, bid See Gift on Page 6. SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — At the opera house, they packed the water’s edge and cheered. They watched from buildings, from a docked oceanliner, even from atop the steel skeleton of the fabled Harbor Bridge. They oohed and ahhed as the Olympic flame went by. Ready to greet the world, Sydneysiders paused Thurs day at the edge of the Olympics to see their down town awash in fireworks, an Olympic-rings light show and even a big round moon, deliv ered against a cloudless sky. The collective exhortation: Let the games begin. “This shows people what we’re about — whatever that may be,” said a smiling Gloria Garton, pressed up against a bar ricade with her husband to see blind Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli pass the Olympic torch to Australian pop star Olivia Newton-John. Australian sprinter Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, women’s captain of her nation’s Olympic team, brought the torch into the Sydney Opera House grounds at dusk, passing it to Bocelli. He held it aloft before thou sands of cheering people crowded into Bennelong Point, then handed it to a grinning Newton-John. She carried it off into the night on the last leg of its journey toward Olympic Park and Friday’s opening cer emony. Then Bocelli sang Ver di’s “Di quella.pira.” With the crowd roaring, the Olympic rings that hang from the landmark bridge illuminat ed as the last sunlight faded, and fireworks shot from the bridge’s anchorage. Five helicopters and the Goodyear Blimp — rechris tened the “G’Day Blimp” for the games — hovered overhead. “It’s all happening,” en thused Lawrence Nethery of Sydney. “The rings look fan tastic, but the moon looks even better. One of the best things I’ve ever been to.” “A lovely day on the harbor,” said spectator Lorraine Askew. Half of the seats outside the opera house went to the gener al public; the other half went to those attending the Thursday opera program. It created an odd juxtaposition: On one side, rowdy youths held Australian flags aloft and chanted “Aussie! Aussie!” while opera-goers in formal garb applauded sedately on the other. known best in America for her role in “Grease” and her hit song “Physical,” then ran in. The three stood triumphantly, with the torch blazing. The Olympic torch has been making its way across the world’s only island continent since June, carried by a variety of Australians from Aborigines to athletes to a 109-year-old man. Along the way, it has sur vived a theft attempt and a teen ager’s novel if ill-conceived at tempt to douse it with a fire extinguisher. Australians who turned out to see the harbor spectacle Thursday night said such events can bring people together and help present their country’s best face to the world. “Anything important al ways happens right here at the In the crowd on the quay, chants and shouts erupted af ter a clarinet player in the crowd performed a slow, haunting rendition of “Waltz ing Matilda,” the unofficial national anthem. Afterward, downtown erupt ed into an exuberant festival of happy anticipation. Exuberant fans popped champagne, guz zled beer and sipped wine in the streets in a manner both jubilant and mellow. Bocelli was a surprise guest in the torch ceremony. The tenor was driven in a golf cart to the podium, where Gainsford- Taylor, who will be competing in the Sydney Games, brought him the torch. Newton-John, opera house,” Garton said. “Nighttime, it’s like fairyland down here.” Added her husband, Allan: “It helps people to forget all the world’s troubles.” The opera house, Sydney’s signature landmark, opened in 1973 after 14 years of construc tion. Its unique three-pronged design has drawn comparisons to everything from palm fronds to sails to a Mayan temple. The torch, which has consis tently drawn large crowds as it makes its way to Olympic Park, was passed from Newton-John to tennis pro Patrick Rafter, who carried it on to Sydney’s Town Hall, where it blazed overnight. ‘Corky 5 performs at Brazos Center PATRIC SCHNEIDER/The Battalion Chris Burke, better known as Corky from the show "Life Goes On," signs autographs after his performance in the Brazos Center. Burke and fellow singers ]oe and John DeMasi travel around the United States and Canada. By Patric Schneider The Battalion Known for his four-year por trayal of Corky on the television show “Life Goes On,” Chris Burke took the stage at the Brazos Center Thursday at a concert for people with mental impairments sponsored by Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority (MHMR) of the Brazos Valley. Opening the concert with the Beatle’s song “Life Goes On,” the theme song of “Life Goes On,” Burke was joined by twin brothers John and Joe DeMasi, professional musicians and pub lished song writers. The musical trio travels around the United States and Canada performing 200 shows per year to emphasize that peo ple who are mentally impaired have abilities, not disabilities. “Everyone should be includ ed in society, and if everyone is not included, then all we have is segregation,” Joe DeMasi said. The three met 21 years ago, when the DeMasis were musi cal counselors at a camp for people who are mentally im paired. They became friends with Burke because he was their biggest fan at the camp. In 1993 the trio joined forces and released its first album Lol- lypops and Love Songs, — a 14-song sing-along album for children. The group’s most recent re lease, Forever Friends, another sing-along album for children, was released in the summer of 1998 and received the Parent’s Choice Gold Award for Excel lence, the highest award given by the Parent’s Choice Foundation The group talked about Burke’s success story in acting by becoming the first actor with Down syndrome to be cast on a television show. Burke said his role opened the See MHMR on Page 6.