Monday, September 18,2000
Monday. September 18, 2(X)()
STATE
RIP
\&M voters
e major, said the conserva-
:ig helps his organization,
re a Republican group, bin
une anyone who support
gardless of affiliations,"
tid. “Voting for presidem
cal party affiliation do no
> together.
of students wouldn’t even
iselves one thing overall-
when they are drawnoutu
i booth, I'm pretty sure!
will vote for Bush.”
rr the Republican or Dc
organizations at A&Mwii
the Republican-affiliaie;
tions have had a Ions
er hand when it comesr
ent.
the Republican organic
more participation than!
tic organizations," sail
ig. president of theTexi
illege Republ icans andaj.
tical science major. “Bn
realise more students her
gn themselves with Rep!
w, although I’m not real
te percentage,
didn’t say that Republican
a perceived dominance
They certainly don’tfra
ad in the newspaper.The:
lore conservative thanl 4
ents here."
• the smaller, lesser kites 4
ions, such as the Aggie!
and Democratic Socials 4
A&M, that often find the:
ith views that deviate fo
monplace, a consent
can be a hindrance,
y students come here*:
mind,” said Chris Las
rsident of the Democrat
s of Texas A&M and sere
THE BATTALION
Kicking it off
PATR1C SCHNEIDER/The Battalion
Pat Green headlined the annual Ag Kickoff Fniday at Wolfpen
Creek Ampitheater. A crowd of approximately 5,000 attended
the event. Other acts included Dub Miller, Pushmonkey and
Cary Pierce.
Church members
grieve anniversary
FORT WORTH (AP) — With
tears, prayers and songs, more than
1,200 people packed into Wedg
wood Baptist Church on Saturday to
remember seven young people
gunned down during a church ser
vice a year ago.
Relatives of those who died Sept.
15, 1999 — four teens, two semi
nary students and children’s choir
director — said their faith has
helped ease their grief.
“I had two choices ... to look out
and say, ‘How could there be a lov
ing God that would allow this to hap
pen? And if so ... then it makes no
sense,’ ” said Tralissa Griffin, whose
14-year-old daughter, Cassie, was
killed.... But if 1 had abandoned God
at that moment, what would 1 have
had to cling to?”
The emotional two-hour service
was the final of several events mark
ing the one-year anniversary of the
shooting rampage during a commu
nity youth rally.
A man who seemed angry had
walked into the church, asked about
the service and started shooting at a
group in the lobby. He walked down
the hallway and into the sanctuary,
firing 200 rounds of ammunition. Af
ter throwing a pipe bomb down the
aisle, he shot himself in the head.
Police never found a motive but
say the man, Larry Ashbrook, was
mentally ill. He apparently had no
connection with the church.
He had killed Griffin, Kristi Beck-
el and Joseph Ennis, all-14; Justin
Ray, 17; Susan Kimberly Jones, 23;
Shawn C. Brown, 23; and Sydney
Browning, 36. Seven more were
wounded and hundreds traumatized.
Now, one year later, parishioners
still do not have answers. Pastor A1
Meredith said the issue was not gun
control or problems with the mental
health system.
“The main problem is we are in
the conflict of the ages, the forces of
evil against the forces of good, the
forces of darkness against the forces
of light,” he said. “What the enemy
thought he could do, he couldn’t do.
What he thought was going to destroy
us, in fact ushered the ones that died
into the presence of God.”
Kathy Jo Brown, whose husband of
less than two years was one of the vic
tims, said her writings since the shoot
ing have filled six journals. Although
she misses Shawn, she finds comfort
in believing she will see him again.
Man pleads guilty to shooting two clerks
Jury finds defendant a continuing threat, judge rules on death penalty
science and sociology!! HOUSTON (AP) — A man who
;e they get here, thee pleaded guilty to killing two conve-
e environment helps tie nience store clerks in a dispute over
r mind closed. All wee 10 cents was sentenced to the death
[ry and show them the; penalty Saturday.
Exzavier Lament Stevenson, 31,
pleaded guilty to capital murder in a
Feb. 16 shooting of Khalid Masroor
and Syed Mehdi at a Phillips 66 sta
tion in Houston.
A jury found that Stevenson tv as
a continuing threat to society and, de
spite emotional testimony from fam
ily members regarding his childhood
and low mental capacity, he should
be sentenced to die for die crime.
Stevenson told police he had for
gotten to collect 75 cents in change
after buying gum at the gas station
earlier. He said he returned to the
store later the same day to make an
other purchase, but the clerk refused
to credit him 10 cents from the earli
er purchase.
Stevenson returned later, shot the
clerks and tried to open the cash reg
ister, according to court testimony.
Both victims were Pakistani, and
the punishment trial was watched
closely by the widow and friends of
Mehdi and the Pakistani community.
ADRIAN CALCANEO/Thk BaI
duates
I
I
icements
web!
tamu.edu
be received by
979-845-1234 1
1-888-890-5667
Bring your smiling faces to AR Photography to get your
FREi Senior picture taken for Texas A&M’s 2001
Aggieland yearbook. No appointment needed. Extended
sittings available for $10. Visit AR Photography at 1410
Texas Ave. South (next to Copy Corner) or call 693-8183.
A
AGGIELAND
01
^^JW^.WVVVW.VJWVVVWJV!
College years are the
best times of your life.
Remember them forever
in a ScrapbooK
1
5
Don't let your special photos and mementos get
lost or ruined. We carry every thing you need
to highlight and preserve your college
memories, including Aggie and Greek paper
and stickers.
s
I
I
■v.v.-.v.v.v.v,■.■.■•■•■•■.■•■•■■.■■■.■I
Scrapbook
Country
Post Oak Square ~ 1104-D Harvey Rd.
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 695-1075
“He was a ticking
time bomb. If it
had not been
these two guys, it
would have been
someone else”
— Masrur javed Khan
President of the Pakistan Association
of Greater Houston
Community leaders believe race
was not a factor.
“He was a ticking time bomb. If
it had not been these two guys, it
would have been someone else,”
Masrur Javed Khan, president of
the Pakistan Association of
Greater Houston, told the Houston
Chronicle.
Aubrey Taylor, Stevenson’s half
brother, said his brother’s mental
condition should have been enough
to spare him the death penalty. A
court-appointed psychologist testi
fied Stevenson suffers severe de
pression and has an IQ of 58.
Graduating Seniors
Texas A&M
Graduation Announcements
from Aggieland Printing
• We accept orders until Nov. 30"'
• Aggieland Printing can get you ready to
mail announcements in one week
• We have our own unique design
Licensed by A&M Don't miss it - see them
on the web www.aggielandprinting.com
• Graduation Announcements • Graduation Remembrance Displays
• Thank You Notes • Personalized Graduate Notepads
Order & pay online: www.aggielandprinting.com
1801 Holleman • College Station
693-8621 M-F 8:30-5:30
We sell
WHO’S WHO AMONG STUDENTS
IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
2000 - 2001
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Who’s Who applications are now available for both
undergraduate and graduate students in the following locations:
Commandant’s Office (Military Sciences Building)
Student Programs Office (2nd floor MSC)
Student Activities Office (125 John J. Koldus Building)
Sterling C. Evans Library
Office of Graduate Studies (125 Teague)
Office of the Dean of each College
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (10th floor Rudder)
Completed applications may be submitted to either of the following locations no later
than 5 p.m. on Friday, September 29, 2000:
Department of Student Activities, 125 Koldus Building
The Office of Graduate Studies, 128 Teague
Questions may be addressed to Sandy Briers (862-1973) in the Department of Student
Activities or via the web site (http://stuact.tamu.edu/whoswho).
Faculty, Staff, &
Studen t Leaders!
Volunteers Needed!
EA.C.T. (First-time Aggie Contact Team) is a program where faculty,
staff, & student leaders contact new Aggies to welcome them to the
University and ask about their experiences at A&M. F.A.C.T. will be
conducted Mondays through Thursdays, September 25 - October 12 from
6:00 - 9:00 PM.
Please volunteer your time and energy to help our new Aggies feel at
! home. If you cannot find a signup brochure in your dept., feel free to
call Nicole Walker at 845-5826. The sign-up deadline is September 20.
Thank you in advance for your time and commitment.
Aggie Orientation
Leader Program
STUDENT Department of Student Life
LIFE Student Life Orientation
What’s the Word?
Oratorical Contest
Is the Civil Rights Movement, still moving?
Informational
Meetings
September 18,2000
MSC 228 8:30 PM
September 20,2000
MSC Visual Art Gallery
7:00 PM
Oratorical Contest
Thursday, October 19,2000
1st Place $1000
2nd.Place $750
3rd Place $500
Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to
inform us of your special needs. We request
notification three working days prior to the event to
enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities.
Applications are being accepted for these areas:
Elephant Walk Team
Junior E-Walk Team
Ring Dance Team
Boot Dance Team
Real World Conference Team
Leadership Invitational Team
Class of 2001 Council Team
Class of 2003 Council Team (apps due Sept. 19)
Visit the Class Councils web site to download an application and read more about
how you can get involved with traditions:
http://classcouncils.tamu.edu
Applications are due Friday, September 22, by 5pm,
in the Team Traditions cube (2 nd floor MSC, above the Sweet Shop).