The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 15, 2000, Image 1

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    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
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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.