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WEDNESDAY
November 22, 2000
Volume 107 ~ Issue 64
6 pages
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I (AP) — A1 Gore’s ballot-by-ballot fight
■or the White House was given new life Tues
day night, when the Florida Supreme Court
■uled that the “will of the people” demanded
■hat manual recounts be added in the state’s
■lection totals. Their work approved, weary
flection officials plowed through ballots into
[he night.
An accurate vote count is one of the es-
ential foundations of our democracy,” the
even justices said.
The unanimous decision came as election
orkers in three counties continued their
(tounting of 1.5 million ballots, now facing a
inks the - 7> Sunday deadl ine to complete their task.
nehofJjB “Twenty-five years ago, this court com-
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mented that the will of the people, not the hy
per-technical reliance upon statutory provi
sions, should be our guiding principle in elec
tions,” read the court ruling.
Bush holds a 930-vote lead in the official,
but uncertified vote tallies from Election Day,
with overseas absentee ballots included. Gore
has slowly been eating into that lead in recent
days as recounts have proceeded at his urg
ing in three Democratic counties.
“1 think we’ll be able to meet the dead
line,” said Circuit Judge Charles Burton,
head of the Palm Beach elections board. Tele
visions in the West Palm Beach counting
room showed the Supreme Court spokesman
releasing the decision, but the audio was
turned off. Workers continued to hand count
the ballots.
Broward County finished recounting in the
last of its 609 precincts just before the ruling
was handed down, but had set aside hundreds
of ballots for review after the court ruling.
“An accurate vote
count is one of the es
sential foundations of
our democracy/'
— Justices of the Florida Supreme Court
The state’s biggest county, Miami-Dade,
got a late start and officials had said they
would not be done until early December.
It was unclear whether the ruling set stan
dards for country election officials to deter
mine the validity of ballots — a key issue as
Gore scrambles for each and every vote.
Democrats welcomed the decision but
privately worried that Republicans would
slow down the recount process to make it
difficult for Gore to overtake Bush before
the deadline.
“We view tonight’s ruling in the Florida
Supreme Court as a victory for the people,”
said Gore spokesman Chris Lehane. “The
hand counts will go forward and the will of
the people will be reflected accurately and
completely.”
Former Secretary of State James A. Bak
er III was expected to respond for Bush, who
was in Texas when the ruling was handed
down. Gore was at his residence in Wash
ington and planned a statement.
Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a Re
publican and Bush ally, who had refused to
accept the hand counts, was not available for
comment.
Gore had picked up 266 votes in re
counts by late Tuesday, which, if approved
by the courts and added to official state to
tals, would shave Bush’s lead to 664 votes
out of 6 million cast.
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Top left: Aggies pose next to an elephant Tuesday after
noon. Juniors were able to take pictures with the elephant
before Elephant Walk, and seniors had their turn afterward.
ANDY HANCOCK/The Battalion
Top right: Students participate in games and E-Walk festivi
ties. Bottom: Aggies walk side by side and reflect on their
years at A&M.
UT yell practice,
without Bonfire,
has low turnout
By Stephen Metcalf
The Battalion
For the second consecutive year,
Texas A&M held yell practice before its
annual grudge match against the Univer
sity of Texas without a Bonfire. At Tues
day’s yell practice, it was evident that
more than just the heat of the blaze was
missed in the chilly November night.
In contrast to past yell practices that
were held at Bonfire — some drew
crowds of 70,000 people — this year’s
yell practice attracted a smaller crowd
that filled only the first deck and part of
the second deck of Kyle Field.
George Jacobus, a junior agricultur
al business major, said the absence of
Bonfire changed the event.
“It was a little empty because there
was no Bonfire, but I thought the people
that were there more than held their own,”
Jacobus said. “It was a little different, but
we had a loud crowd and it was good.”
Christine Walzak, a senior finance
and marketing major, said the overall
aura surrounding the game seems to
have changed as well.
“This year it doesn’t have the same
spirit as it has in years past because in
years past, the UT game is this huge hol
iday — it’s tied into Thanksgiving,”
Walzak said. “It’s tied into Bonfire, and
this year that wasn’t the case. I’m excit
ed about the game, but it’s not all tied to
gether anymore.”
Although the scale and location of
this year’s yell were uncharacteristic,
the rest of the event was familiar.
Senior yell leader Ricky Wood leads
the student body at yell practice
Tuesday night.
Yell practice began with Squadron
17’s departure for its run to Austin with
the game ball, and the crowd sang with
the traditional sounds of the Aggie
Band. A&M President Dr. Ray M.
Bowen attended, along with the football
team and coach R.C. Slocum.
As Slocum addressed the fans, he
thanked them for their support through
out the year and stressed how important
they were to the team.
See Yell on Page 2.
International students make alternate holiday plans
berths as J
Florida -Mby Mariano Castillo
East), P'k The Battalion
igton (Pav As thousands of Texas A&M students head
qiialih^ [ lome f or Thanksgiving holiday, interna-
Big I - 1 { tional students will try to fill the long weekend.
tate)ank MokDukWon, or Bob as he prefers to be
title gafltt called, said he plans to spend Thanksgiving
conSlde L sightseeing in New Orleans with friends.
are , «j, ve ^at New Orleans is a famous
' State pj ace f or j azz? ” h e said “Tv e heard it’s a good
•0- place, so my friends are driving there.”
Mok, an exchange student from Seoul,
1 South Korea, and his friends plan to drive to
New Orleans, making tourist stops along the
way. He said he is looking forward to seeing
the sights. This is his first time to travel to a
state other than Texas.
“I’ve been to Houston, Austin and San An
tonio, but I want to see another state,” he said.
Mok is spending only one semester at
A&M before returning to South Korea and
said he wants to see as much of the United
States as he possibly can during his stay.
For international students who spend four
years at A&M, Thanksgiving break is a time
to catch up on classes and other errands.
“As of now, I don’t have any set plans,”
said Armando Cano, a senior animal science
major from Panama. “I have several things to
take care of [in Bryan-College Station].”
Cano was able to go to Panama last
Thanksgiving, and he said it will be different
this year.
“It’s very hard to spend Thanksgiving
knowing that you can’t be with your family,”
he said.
For students like Cano, however, being a
traveler opens up more options for the break.
While most students go home and spend time
with their family, international students have
more freedom of choice.
“I might go to Mexico to rumbiar, or par
ty,” Cano said. “Friends [from Texas] have
also invited me to eat dinner with their fami
ly and spend Thanksgiving with them.”
Students often open their homes to inter
national friends during this time of year.
Melvin Williams, a senior agricultural devel
opment major, said he invited an internation
al student living in his dorm to eat Thanks
giving with his family.
“I wanted to make sure he had a good place
to go for the break,” he said. “We’ve all be
come pretty good friends in the dorm.”
\
Time to travel
A record 38.9 million Americans are
are expected to travel more than 100
miles from home for Thanksgiving this
| year, according to a AAA survey. The
greatest number of auto travelers - 9.3
million out of 31.6 million - will probably
| originate in the Southeast.
Thanksgiving travelers
40 milljon
38
36
38.9 million
projected
Airline labor disputes ensue,
travelers consider other means
34
32
(AP) — The first wave of holiday travelers
packed highways and jammed airport terminals
Tuesday as one of the busiest travel periods of the
year began with labor disputes threatening to
snarl air travel.
United and Northwest airlines again blamed
their mechanics for flight delays Monday and
Tuesday. The workers are seeking new labor con
tracts, but no strike is anticipated before next year
at the earliest.
Delta Air Lines also expects slowdowns and
cancellations through Thanksgiving week because
pilots seeking a new contract have stopped re
questing voluntary overtime.
Paul Hudson, executive director of the Aviation
Consumer Action Project, said the airlines should
have reduced their schedules or added temporary
help to avoid inconveniencing passengers.
“But that hasn’t been the practice at many air
lines,” he said. “They attempt to hide the problem
or blame the unions.”
Not that everyone is traveling by air: The Amer
ican Automobile Association predicted that a
record 39 million Americans would travel more
than 100 miles from home this week, with four out
of five going by car. The average price of gasoline
across the nation is $ 1.57 per gallon — about a
quarter more than a year ago.
Amtrak officials said they expected 580,000 rid
ers this week, up from 420,000 during an average
See Thanksgiving on Page 2.
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