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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2000)
November melon, ’deal wilil the air as e( l a resjj^^^ ) resume fePWHi itates. I ifiduled to i, 11 Chicago 1 United Ji WEDNESDAY November 15, 2000 Volume 107 ~ Issue 59 12 pages s wmn ^ m t au 11 k’j =uwi ■ (AP) — One week into America’s lection limbo, the secretary of state of ■orida certified George W. Bush’s frag ile lead, even as thousands of disputed ballots were counted into the night at the Behest of A1 Gore. I “When is it going to end?” asked Bush ■de James A. Baker III. I There was no answer in sight. I Baker floated a proposal to cease the ■allot-by-ballot fight for Florida’s 25 elec- B>ral votes and the White House, but De mocrats said he offered nothing new — and ■smissed it outright. With lawyers and judges front and center in the presidential ■ection, nerves began to fray and adjec- ■ves failed to serve. I “It's like the seventh day of being held ■ostage,” stammered Jeb Bush, governor ot Florida and the harried brother of the pOPpresidential hopeful. Secretary of State Katherine Hands, a Republican Bush supporter, announced Tuesday night that the Texas governor had 'If the secretary of state arbitrarily refuses to accept the amended returns ... then we will be back in court” — David Boies member of Gore's legal team a 300-vote lead out of 6 million votes cast — with overseas absentee ballots and on going recount totals pending. Her announcement came almost three hours after a 5 p.m. vote-counting dead line, upheld earlier by state Judge Terry Lewis. He turned aside Gore’s arguments to lift the deadline, but gave Harris the authority to accept or reject follow-up manual recount totals. Lewis’ decision was a setback for the vice president, who wanted a clear order erasing the Tuesday deadline. His lawyers found solace in Lewis urging Harris to consider “all appropriate facts and cir cumstances” when recount totals are filed. < In another blow for Gore, Democratic- leaning Miami-Dade County refused his re quest for a recount and a second, Broward, also was inclined to reject Gore’s request. A third jurisdiction, Volusia County, fin ished its recount Tuesday with gains for Gore. A fourth county, Palm Beach, begins its recounts Wednesday and Democrats hope to cut deeply into Bush’s lead there. Harris said she will require counties fil Hoop dreams approves courses IBy Tamra Russell f T/se Battalion The Texas A&M Faculty Senate ap proved 10 new graduate courses and 22 new undergraduate courses Monday. A letter will be sent to A&M Presi- lentDr. Ray M. Bowen asking his ap proval of the new courses. “Once it is approved by the Faculty Senate, it is put in a letter and sent to |br. Bowen,” said Mildred Seaton, of- lice secretary for the Faculty Senate. i'After he approves it, it is sent to the leans, and they inform their depart ment heads of the changes.” The Senate changed the names of 10 graduate courses and 22 undergrad- late courses, and three undergraduate courses were withdrawn. The Senate also approved changes n curriculum for the Department of "onstruction Science and the Depart- nent of Engineering Technology and ndustrial Distribution, the academic -calendar for the 2001-’02 school year nd the"-abbreviated calendar for the 002-’03 school year. Dr. William Perry, executive associ ate provost, answered questions during he meeting about the Blinn Transfer inrollment at A&M Program (Blinn TEAM Program), which will allow stu- lents to co-enroll at Blinn and A&M. “I’m chairing the undergraduate admissions advisory committee, and n our first meeting this fall, we talked about the Blinn TEAM Program,” Perry said. “We planned on having monthly updates at the Senate meet- ngs, and this was the first of the monthly updates.” Perry said the Senate wants to make lure the academic quality of the Blinn TEAM program is equal to what \&M requires of its students. | “I think the Senate has the same in terests that we do — mainly that we pay attention to academic quality in his program and that we work with the See Senate on Page 2. Forward Jaynetta Saunders posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Aggies' 88-77 PATRIC SCHNEIDER/The Battalion exhibition win over the Delta Kosice team from Slova kia on Tuesday night. See related game story on Pg. 7. Perry waits for election outcome Lt. Governor met with Bush to make necessary transition plans AUSTIN (AP) — Frustrated by the presidential waiting game, Lt. Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday he is ready to become Texas’ next governor and has turned his at tention to prepar ing for the next leg islative session. “I think we’re all a little bit frustrat ed,” said Perry, a Re publican who would become governor if Gov. George W. Bush is elected presi dent. “We thought we elected a president ... we’ve had a recount to confirm that.” Perry met with Bush Thursday and has made plans for a transition to the new office if necessary. PERRY “The governor’s direction to me was to be prepared,” Perry said. ‘Be a good boy scout. Be prepared.’ I said, ‘Yes sir.’ ” He predicted Bush will prevail over Vice President A1 Gore but added that the election and his pos sible succession is “a little bit up in the air.” Perry spoke with reporters while donating blood, his first public com ments since election night. He said he has not spoken with Bush since last week. “He’s obviously got things he needs to be focused on,” Perry said. “We’re keeping his staff apprised of what’s go ing on in the state of Texas.” Perry said he has turned his atten tion to the upcoming legislative session in January and met recently with Texas House Speaker Pete Laney. Monday was the first day of bill filing and al ready more than 250 proposals have been introduced. “I’m preparing for the next session of the Legislature and have been since June 1999,” he said. “We know what we’re going to be working on. We just don’t know which office we’re going to be working out of.” If Perry becomes governor, the 31- member Senate would choose one of its own to replace him. Several senators have campaigned for the job and Perry says he has avoid ed getting involved. He also refused to speculate on how quickly his successor would be chosen. -The Bush camp filed a notice of appeal in Atlanta to reserve its right to challenge a federal judge who refused on Monday to block manual counts emocrats forge ahead with manual recount of Palm Beach County -In Volusia € after officials 6m ballots a oaocl 003/.U d|soros ing late recount numbers to explain in writing by 2 p.m. Wednesday why new vote totals should be accepted. “Unless I determine, in the exercise of my discre tion, that these facts and circumstances ... justify an amendment to today’s official returns” the totals will stand, she said. Gore decided to hold off an appeal of Lewis’ ruling and press forward with re counts in four Democratic-leaning coun ties. Gore’s advisers hope Harris will ap prove the hand-counted ballots — though they expect the worst — and are prepared to appeal if she does not. “If the secretary of state arbitrarily re fuses to accept the amended returns based on the recount and violates what this court has ruled... which is to accept those results unless she has good reason not to, then we will be back in court,” said a new member of Gore’s massive legal team, David Boies. See Election on Page 5. cut,it of tflree p -iSiacsiliani aiiihtcidaiQa® iini IStm^sJAal Carnty cJcd&lsd lb jfiiekiSfiMf lAnj©w& iSiMUSidl •.csss an Visadsv- -Palm Beach electibn officials decided to return Wednesday mot ningrto berfin hand county’s 430,.,000 Ballots r Jr' -V},facials :iivM i9l5!R®fede’Cour itv. band Democratic pr rwhelro to dlaak cc^iAiSee im* inmaojoisjll '/eaecMjs. ™ -The U S. Postal Service was expediting delivery of military overseas ballots to ensure they arrive in county election departments before Friday's deadline -In New Mexico. Gpre had a 374-vote lead in the seesawing race for five electoral votes after officials announcedlthey had misread absentee results. ifi SELSO GARCIA/The Battalion UPD warns A&M about false emails Urban legends circulate around college campuses By Marium Mohiuddin The Battalion Email messages warning students about an unidenti fied male stabbing or stalk ing women are false, said University Police Depart ment (UPD) officials. Two emails have been cir culating among Texas A&M students. One tells of a man who stabbed a woman while shaking her hand when she was entering the Commons Lobby. The email goes on to say that the student went to A.P. Beutel Health Center, where a Beutel official told the student that several other victims have experienced similar attacks. The other email tells of another female student who tried to get gas at a self-ser vice gas station, but her credit card was not ap proved by the gas pump ma chine. When the woman walked into the store to ask why the clerk did not accept her credit card, the clerk told the woman that a man had crawled under her car. The clerk said he recog nized the man as one who had been linked with as saulting women by cutting their heels. The clerk said another man was in her car. That man was suspected of dismembering women once they get into their cars. The clerk told the woman to look out the window be cause the men were fleeing from her car. Bob Wiatt, director of UPD, said the emails are all urban legends and have been circulating around several college campuses. “I believe it was started by a young lady who thought the email was true and passed it along to her friends out of concern,” Wiatt said, adding that the email had reached many A&M admin- 6 ‘I believe it was started by a young lady who thought the email was true and passed it along to her friends out of concern” — Bob Wiatt director of UPD istrators. “One professor called me and asked if she should warn her female stu dents about this.” Wiatt said students should disregard these messages. “These are all false and they are just part of the fool ishness that comes via the In ternet,” he said. “It takes on a life of its own and goes spi raling out of control.” Wiatt said UPD is trying to debunk these emails as quickly as possible. Presentation to show significance of Bonfire collapse to freshmen T his is the third in a week-long series in memory of the 1999 Aggie Bon fire collapse. The series will conclude Fri day with a special memorial section. By Brady Creel The Battalion Despite the media coverage surrounding the events of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire col lapse, organizers of an event called Rebuild believe some freshmen do not understand the significance of Nov. 18, nor do they know that 12 Aggies died in the early-morning tragedy. A group of resident advisers from Krueger Hall is determined to change that. At 10 p.m. tonight, Rebuild, a Bonfire memorial presentation, will be held in Rud der Theater to discuss the history and meaning of Bonfire and give new Aggies a sense of what the campus experienced one year ago. “That is a vital part of Aggie history,” said Abbey Bunning, a Rebuild organizer and sophomore environmental design major. Rebuild will include Bonfire video footage, a slide show and segments of the 911 calls from the Aggie Bonfire collapse. Richard West, father of victim Nathan Scott West, and Janice Kerlee, mother of Tim Ker- lee Jr., will be two of the speakers. Bunning said although the memory of the collapse holds special meaning for students who were here last year, the Class of ’04 and other new students cannot comprehend what Nov. 18 means. “My freshmen don’t even know the date Nov. 18,” she said. “A lot of people are al most scared to find out too much about it.” Suzanne Brabeck, a senior sociology ma jor and resident adviser in Krueger, said Re build is being organized to teach the fresh men that a tragedy is not necessary for Ag gies to unite as they did last year. “That is what we are hoping to ignite within them,” she said. Bunning said unity among the freshman is not as strong this year since Bonfire is absent from campus. Although most traditional Ag gie events, like Silver Taps and Midnight Yell practice, are ongoing, she said. Bonfire plays a major role in bringing the freshman class to gether with fellow Aggies. This year’s fresh men have not experienced that. “Bonfire is the culmination of the fall ac tivities,” Bunning said, reflecting that her own class, the Class of ’03, has yet to see a See Rebuild on Page 5. Blood drive honors death of Bonfire collapse victims B\ Marium Mohiuddin The Battalion Aggies are out to show the\ are bound to gether not only b\ Texas A&M or the spirit of the Twelfth Man, but also by their maroon blood. With nine donation sites set up on campus and 30 other sites around the state, the blood drive is to honor the 12 Aggies who died in the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse. The blood drive will last through Nov 18. Calling themselves Everyone Bleeds Ma roon. se\era! organizations, such as Off Campus Set’ Blood on Page-.