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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2000)
HHHNNHN mumamm mmmmm id mt : h-** * i *:f: i\ ■'1:1 n ^:wu - JS Students voice opinions Leaders back Bowen’s postponement of Bonfire iY J UIUM MOHIUDDIN w Battalion ■The Texas A&M student body will ike an official stand on the future of Ag- je Bonfire and A&M President Dr. Ray 1|Bowen's decision to postpone Bon- H until 2002 tonight at the Student Sen te meeting. IB\cting as the voice of the student ody, the Senate, composed of 58 sena- 6rs and six officers, will meet at 7:30 i,nn. in the Governance Room of the Coldus Student Services Building to dis- uls the Bonfire Resolution. ■The resolution states that the Senate, epi esenting the student body, fully sup- tor s and commends the administration ;nd Bowen and does not support and trcngly discourages any other student nit ativesnotin 100 percent accordance vit 1 A&M and Bowen’s position. ■'it is really just time for the students to take a firm stand and make our opinion known to the entire outside world and say that, yes, we do support the administra tion and that any other student initiative is unacceptable,” said Bobby Robbins, one of the seven authors of the resolution, chairman of academic affairs committee and a senior political science major. A five-person commission investi gating the cause of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse released a report on May 3 stating that the cause of collapse was due to structural complications. Bowen decided on June 16 that Bonfire would be on hold until at least 2002 with modifications to the structure, de velopment and leadership. Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. J. Malon Southerland and Student Body President Forrest Lane, a senior political science major, will co-chair a task force consisting of 15 to 20 students, faculty and staff, that has been charged with de signing a safe Bonfire. The committee will oversee the work of several sub committees that will tackle individual is sues such as safety, construction design and student leadership. “The Student Senate, along with For est Lane, is the official elected voice of the student body, and A&M has the high est student voter turn out, which says a lot about our student body and this reso lution,” Robbins said. Against admonitions by several stu dent organizations against an off-cam- pus bonfire, a student-initiated organi zation, Keep The Fire Burning (KTFB), is continuing with its plans to construct a bonfire. “They have a statement with 20 people on it, but I see my email box with 1,000 statements [in support of an off-campus bonfire],'’ said Will Chirk, board member Wednesday, 7 p.m. Governance Room Koldus Building BRANDON HENDERSON/Thk Battai ion for KTFB. “I doubt that they have talked to 1,000 people. 1 am not trying to pass judgment on them. 1 understand that they have to work with the University.” However, Speaker of the Senate Chad Wagner, a junior political science major, explained that the authors of the resolu tion have spoken with several students and student leaders. “The Student Senate has gone to sev eral organizations to come up with this opinion,” he said. “[The authors] have judged from [their inquiry] that this is best for A&M. “The true voice of the constituents is on the Senate floor. The student senator See Senate on Page 6A. T T Sununu appears at Bush Center Former chief of staff praises Bush’s term KEVIN BURNS/The Battalion Former Chief of Staff John Sununu spoke at the Bush Presidential Center Tuesday about the Bush administration. By Kristin Rostran The Battalion Former Chief of Staff for the Bush administration John H. Sununu spoke Tuesday about his challenges in the high-ranking government position and about the Bush administration that has not gotten the recognition he feels it deserves. Sununu spoke at the George Bush Presidential Conference Center. “Being chief of staff was certainly one of the most, if not the most, re warding and gratifying periods of my life,” Sununu said, adding that thick skin is required in order to take all the criticism that comes with the job. Sununu served three consecutive terms as the governor of New Hamp shire and co-hosted CNN’s nightly “Crossfire” from 1992-’98. Keeping on top of information has been a part of Su- nunu’s life for a long time, but, in the chief of staff position, being informed was necessary to keep the president aware of the consequences his decisions. “The chief of staff is whatever the president the chief of staff is serving wants it to be,” Sununu said. “It changes to suit the maturity of the ad ministration. If you are going to be a good chief of staff, you are to fulfill the president's agenda without any nuance of your own built into the process.” Sununu described Bush’s presiden cy as a success not yet realized by the news media. “I am absolutely convinced that, when history starts to do the score card, this president's accomplishments on the domestic side will be seen to be as significant as what he was able to ac complish in leading the free world to respond in exactly the right way to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the international changes. He was the leader of during one of the most criti cal international periods,” Sununu said. He cited the ignored domestic achievements of Bush as an example between the reality of politics and the public’s perception of them. Sununu said he thinks Bush’s foreign policy was not his only success as pres ident. Under his administration, domes tic contributions included the Clean Air Act Amendments, child care amend ment put on the budget bill, budget re form, energy deregulation, agricultural reforms and the American Disabilities Act rewritten the way Bush wanted it. “George Bush did all of that in four years,” Sununu said. “At the risk of See Sununu on Page 6A. ioor Bryan expo center to be placed on Nov. ballot JYMaureen Rank the Battalion Following a meeting of the Brazos bounty Commissioners Court Tuesday Horning, commissioners announced a ossible new exposition center to be uilt in the city of Bryan. A bond will be placed on the ballot lov. 7 that will allow citizens of Bra- os County to voice their opinions on le |proposed exposition center, said County Judge A1 Jones at the post meeting press conference. He added he is convinced the facility will be bene fit Brazos County. “Routinely, events cannot be held be cause the current facility is not big enough for some activities,” said Mervin Peters, a member of the exposition com mittee. “This is something that will pay great dividends to those who use it.” According to Randy Sims, a member of the exposition committee, if a new ex position center is built, many different types of entertainment could be brought to the Bryan-College Station area. “Off-shoots of the Houston Livestock show; purebred auctions; automobile, boat, home and craft shows; concerts are all possibilities for the new exposition center,” Sims said. “There is not enough room at the Brazos Center. This is going to be a tremendous facility.” Sims mentioned the possibility of bringing a minor league hockey team to Brazos County, stating that it could draw large crowds to Bryan and College Station. Jones said several sites for the ex position center are being considered, and the committee is looking specifi cally at the accessibility of each site to restaurants and hotels. See Commissioners on Page 6A. Walton Hall reprimanded in Commons By Brady Creel The Battalion The Food Services De partment did not allow resi dents of Walton Hall to enter the Commons Dining Hall Friday because of problems with Northside residents the previous weekend. To combat unacceptable behavior of students in dining halls, Associate Director of Food Services Cynthia Zaw- ieja issued a letter to students on Friday. The letter was dis tributed to students at the Commons, and it outlined ap propriate student behavior and accountability in the facility. “To respect the rights of all of our students who buy meal plans ... we feel it is our responsibility to main tain the dining halls so that every student has the oppor tunity to come in and eat,” Zawieja said. Zawieja’s letter said that, on Sept. 8, many regular cus tomers “left the dining center without the opportunity to eat.” Residents of Schu macher, Moses and Crocker halls and the FHK complex held a “Viking Yell” in which residents wore their grades — clothing worn for work related to Bonfire that is in tentionally left unwashed — when they went to the Com mons to eat. A food fight be gan during Viking Yell. Zawieja said the Northside residents were easily recog nized because of their grades. Food Services was expecting their arrival on Sept. 15 and would not admit them be cause it was suspected they would hold Viking Yell — and a food fight — again. “Students who do not comply with student rules may be refused entrance into the dining center or be re moved with follow-up of dis ciplinary action and forfei ture of dining meal options on campus,” the letter stated. Josh Kaylor, Residence Hall Association president and a junior agricultural de velopment major, said the Viking Yell was held in place of “Sbisa Yell,” a version of Yell Practice held in the din ing facility, because Sbisa is currently closed for renova tion. Sbisa Yell often includes throwing Sbisa balls — nap kins shaped like a ball with food inside—and food fights. Viking Yell is considered a Bonfire-related activity, Zawieja said. She said Food Services felt that since there will be no Bonfire this year, students should not partici pate in behavior that is nor mally associated with Bon fire, such as grading. She added that the Food Services Department has chosen to “clamp down” on this type of behavior because it will not be tolerated in Sbisa after it reopens. Zawieja said Food Ser vices attempted to control Sbisa Yell before Sbisa was closed in December 1999. Activities that were tolerated in the past will not happen in the new Sbisa. “It is an added burden to our staff to have to stay and help clean up this mess,” Za wieja said. “It is really not appropriate for the dining center. We respect the fact that students want to go wild and crazy and have fun, but there are other people in the dining center who don’t par ticularly want to participate or be involved.” In her letter, Zawieja cit ed section 34.1.5 of the Stu dent Rules, which reads “Students participating in or See Rules on Page 6A. Food Services from the Student Conduct Code Students participating in or encouraging disturbances in the dining baits will be subject to disciplinary action. Students will be billed for the total cost of replacing items broken, damaged or destroyed as a result of mischieuous conduct, carelessness and wanton distinction. members of the faculty and staff haue the authority and responsibility to maintain responsible standards of student dress and grooming within their respectiue classrooms, laboratories, offices and other areas of public presentation for which they are responsible. ^University of Texas to increase faculty rvod ■AUSTIN (AP) — The University of Texas-Austin lyill work to hire 300 pro- Fessors within 10 years, en- ■rage students to gradu- H in four years, increase Itaff workers’ pay and lob by the Legislature for con- rol of setting tuition, Presi- leni Larry Faulkner said Yiesday. •’Faulkner addressed the ssues in his annual “State tf the University” address. ^‘T believe that expand- ig the faculty is critical to our success. As we proceed, however, we must make a conscious effort to build a faculty reflecting the di verse population of our stu dents. We have made a great deal of progress dur ing the past several years, but we must do better still,” Faulkner said. On Monday, the univer sity announced its fall en rollment was 50,010 — the state’s and nation’s largest. See UT on Page 6A. UT professor speaks to Aggies about racism By Sommer Bunce The Battalion “It’s the white people in this country who need to hear this, because we’re the ones with the privilege, and as it is often pointed out, privilege is often invisible to those who have it,” said University of Texas (UT) jour nalism professor Robert W. Jensen Tuesday about the roles of Caucasians and affirmative action in America. Dr. Mitchell Rice, director of the Texas A&M Race and Ethnic Studies Institute, arranged for Jensen to ad dress students and to initiate a dialogue about affirma tive action among Caucasians. “What I’m trying to do is be honest about the priv ilege [that white people have], and I’m here because, at some point in my life I decided those privileges of race, gender and culture had to be pointed out,” said Jensen, adding that affirmative action — which re quires a quota of minority students or employees in an institution — already exists in a comparatively Cau casian-dominated society for its Caucasians citizens. Jensen, co-editor of Freeing the First Amendment: Critical Perspectives on Free dom of Expression and co-author of Pornog raphy: The Production and Consumption of Inequality, also writes opinion and analytical articles of media outlets. Rice said Jensen’s work has raised a need for discussion. “Racism is alive and well,” Rice said. “1 think we all know that, and we all have our ex periences with that. You can hear me talk of af firmative action, and you can expect me to be cause I’m African-American. But we’re hearing from an Anglo who readily admits that he has benefited from being white in this culture.” Jensen, who refers to himself as “a dumb- ass white boy from North Dakota,” admits to not being a race expert or a man who earned his degree researching race. He said he is, instead, See Jensen on Page 2A. Robert W. Jensen, an associate professor of journalism at UT-Austin, gives a lecture on racism Tuesday in Koldus.