WEDNESDAY
November 29, 2000
Volume 107 ~ Issue 67
2 Sections
A 8 pages
B 6 pages
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Ken. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb.,
in| Rep. John Kasich, R-
Ho, met Tuesday night be-
K a full auditorium to dis-
:uss the 2000 presidential
;lciion and its ongoing
saga They covered topics
ranging from the looming in
cision of the presidency to
the slim Republican control
'Aoth houses of Congress.
■Robert M. Gates, dean of
the George Bush School of
Gmernment and Public Ser
vice. invited the politicians to
Speak months ago, long be
fore he realized the discus
sion would occur before the
■ction which seems to have
taken on a life of its own was
Jecided.
■The closeness of the pres
idential election and ensuing
trt battles will not under-
pe the ability of the 43rd
pdent to perform his job,
sich said. However, the
■dlocked Congress'will be
1$S$ able to make major
urges with legislation.
“There will be a lot of
stalemates and a call for no
sacrifices from both sides of
the line,” said Kasich, who
|s been a representative
for 18 years. “We will be
locked in for about two
gars, until the next con-
ircssional elections, and we
won’t see a lot of big things
dbne, but the silver lining is
lilt maybe we don’t need a
lot of big government as the
Jf w century begins.”
I The gridlock will cause the
lability to create major legis
lation, but smaller bills will be
issedand Medicare and wel-
re checks will be signed,
[asich said. The government
not stop because of bipar-
r an struggles, he added.
The controversy between
iemocrats and Republicans
Congress is healthy, Ker-
y said. The time when two
pt ties do not argue about
Major policy changes is the
time when tire country needs
ti? worry, he said.
A veteran of the Vietnam
War who has been in gov
ernment service for 16 years,
Kerrey said the ballot misun
derstandings and the thou
sands of discarded military
votes are acceptable because
the law made certain votes
ineligible.
“These laws are big, and
those of us that understand
that see where the uncertain
ty comes from,” he said. “1
think we politicize this the
wrong way — this is simply
the law. Don’t get teary-eyed
by the voters in Florida. If I
don’t fill out my ballot cor
rectly — if I mark too many
times or do anything incor
rectly — then my vote is il
legal and it doesn’t count.”
The Electoral College
was created by America’s
founders to safeguard the
democratic process, Kasich
said. By the very nature of
an election, a candidate is
forced to appeal across
America and not just to a
few key states, he said.
“We’re going to have a
president there’s going to be
a certification, and once it’s
said and done, 1 don’t think
the country is going to be too
concerned over how he may
or may not have been the
commander in chief,” Ka
sich said. “No election is per
fect, since man designed [it].
The thing to do now is to see
to the end of the process and
gain closure.”
Kerrey and Kasich, who
will accept faculty positions
as endowed chairs in the
Bush School today, visited
political science and Bush
School classes Tuesday.
“This is a remarkable op
portunity to hear first-hand
what these elections mean
from people who are in
Washington and who have
been in Washington for
decades,” Bush School
Dean Gates said. “Every
citizen receives the conse
quences and the implica
tions of this election.”
By Rolando Garcia
The Battalion
Vice President for Student Affairs
Dr. J. Malon Southerland was released
from St. Joseph Regional Health Cen
ter Tuesday morning after being ad
mitted Saturday.
Southerland said he called 911 and
was admitted to the emergency room
Saturday morning after suffering per
sistent dizziness and low blood pressure.
“I had a spell, and it
wouldn't go away, and
my blood pressure
fluctuated,” he said.
Southerland, rest
ing at home Tuesday
evening, said he is
feeling fine, but doc-
tofs believe he may
suffer from an irreg
ular heartbeat. More tests will be
SOUTHERLAND
necessary before a final diagnosis
can be made.
“I may have some form of electrical
function that causes me to have a fast
heartbeat,” Southerland said.
Rumors that he had a heart attack are
false, Southerland said.
“I did not have a heart attack,” he
said. “The doctor told me that’s the only
thing he knew for sure.”
Southerland will undergo further tests
Santa’s little helper
Erica Garza, a third-year veterinary student, calms
her pet Daschund, Jake, while he sits with Santa,
played by Bobby Williams, a first-year veterinary
studen1^'tibratff@t- i owners visited the Veterinary
STUART VILLANUEVA/The Battalion
Medicine School Tuesday night to have their pic
tures taken with Santa as part of a fundraiser for
the student chapter of the American Veterinary
Medical Association.
Minority enrollment scrutinized
Black Aggies seek end to ignorance
By Arati Bhattacharya
The Battalion
Coming from a predominantly black high school, Rashee-
da James said she knew Texas A&M had a reputation for be
ing a white, conservative University and that things would
not be easy for her. However, finding the words “black nig
ger” written on the back window of her car her freshman year
was not the welcome James had in mind.
An African-American freshman forum was held Tuesday
night to allow freshmen to discuss fears and anxieties on a
predominantly white campus.
“The panel is a chance for black freshmen to meet each
other and socialize,” said Metra Sirppson, organizer of the
event and a senior management information systems major.
“They have to understand they have a voice and can make a
difference on campus.”
Simpson said the forum was her way to give African-
American students a chance to speak about their con
cerns, considering the low enrollment of African-Amer
icans at A&M.
African-American upperclassmen discussed their expe
riences while interacting with the audience at the laid-back
forum.
“When 1 was a freshman, black students would congre
gate together to study on the fourth floor of the annex or chill
during late night hours in the Commons,” said Maco Faniel,
a junior speech communication major. “1 don’t see that any
more. 1 fear the lack of cohesiveness among us black students.
What’s going to happen when we upperclassmen graduate?”
James, a senior finance major, said she experienced a cul
ture shock when she arrived at A&M.
“My world was ‘blackness’ in high school,” James told
See Forum on Page 2A.
Aid factor in attendance decision
By Arati Bhattacharya
The Battalion
Most of the African-American students attending a diver
sity forum hosted by the Black Awareness Committee Tues
day night said they came to Texas A&M for one reason — fi
nancial aid.
According to a 2000 study conducted by the A&M Race
and Ethnic Studies Institute, financial aid is not drawing in
many African-American students, leaving a visible decline
in African-American enrollment rates at A&M.
Jay Arekere, a member of the Race and Ethnic Studies In
stitute, said a 1999 sample recorded more than 19,000 mi
nority students graduating from Texas high schools; only
3,000 of them applied to A&M.
“A&M doesn’t do much [minority] recruiting, because we
already have such a large applicant pool,” Arekere said. “But
See Enrollment on Page 5A.
Jit 1® PIX C# AN ^ A Ml W
7,2% decline! in African-
American enrollment
campuswkle.
18.2% in Veterinary Medicine
25% in Business
40% in Geosciences
1999 study
showed that 33% 40 /o ti
of minority
students admitted
to A&M choose to go
out of state.
BRANDON HENDERSON/The Battalion
ryan to prohibit alcohol use in public areas downtown
Martin Luther King Street
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
By Bryan Blanton
The Battalion
If residents “pop a top
again” in downtown Bryan,
they could be convicted of a
misdemeanor, according to
the ordinance passed Tuesday
night at the Bryan City Coun
cil meeting. The ordinance
prohibits consumption of al
coholic beverages in down
town Bryan.
The ordinance is modeled
after similar ordinances in oth
er Texas cities, such as Austin’s
Sixth Street area ordinance.
Bryan hopes to reduce litter
and create a welcoming family
environment for downtown
visitors.
“The ordinance is designed
basically to make sure the down
town area of Bryan, is attractive
for families and tourists,” said
Bryan City Attorney Michael
Cosentino. “There have been
problems with people congre
gating outside of bars in the
downtown area, basically drink
ing on the street and causing dis
ruptions to people using the
downtown area.”
The ordinance allows con
sumption of alcoholic bever
ages at sidewalk cafes and
events, such as Fiestas Patrias,
thet have special events per
mits from the city. In both cir
cumstances, an organization or
business may be required to re
quest permits before serving
alcoholic beverages, and a con
trolled setting may be required.
“I am anticipating an in
creased number of sidewalk
cafes in downtown Bryan in
the future.” said Bryan City
Mayor Lonnie Stabler.
Among the disadvantages
See Bryan on Page 2A.
Thursday and will stay out of his office
until doctors recommend that he return.
“I’d like to go back to work as soon
as they tell me I can,” Southerland said.
“I did a little work at the house today,
but the doctor said not to do anything
tomorrow.”
Southerland expressed gratitude for
the outpouring of affection from the
See Southerland on Page 2A.
Gore
asks for
speedy
recount
(AP) — A1 Gore sought a speedy
hand recount of Florida’s contested
ballots Tuesday to ensure “no question,
no cloud” hangs over the nation’s 43rd
president. A judge rejected his
timetable, Democratic lawyers vowed
to appeal and Republicans demanded,
“It’s time to wrap this up.”
As the campaign played out in five
separate courtrooms, the vice president
sought to accelerate the proceedings to
avoid further testing of the public’s pa
tience three weeks after Election Day.
“Seven days, starting tomorrow, for
a full and accurate count of all the
votes,” the vice president said shortly
after his lawyers asked Circuit Judge
N. Sanders Sauls to order the recount
of 13,000 questionable ballots in two
Democratic counties.
The judge instead scheduled a Sat
urday hearing and ordered the ballots
— along with one or two voting ma
chines — sent to Tallahassee in case he
agrees that a recount is needed. Bush’s
lawyers objected to Gore’s timetable,
saying they needed time to prepare
their case against him.
Gore’s advisers were disappointed
by the ruling, believing Gore needs
good news from the courts in the next
two or three days to keep public opin
ion from turning heavily against him.
According to senior legal advisers,
Gore lawyers were looking “at all legal
options” to find the quickest way to get
a favorable court ruling, including go
ing directly to the state Supreme Court!
Sauls is working against a Dec. 12
deadline for states to assign presiden
tial electors.
“We could count until everybody is
slap-happy, but if no one is on the same
page, I don’t know what’s being ac
complished,” Sauls said, explaining
why he wanted one broad-ranging
hearing before considering Gore’s re
count request.
The political morass stretched to the
U.S. Supreme Court, with Bush’s
lawyers asking the nine justices to
bring “legal finality” to the election by
overturning Florida’s top court and
ending any further recounts. The case
has the “potential to change the out
come of the presidential election in
Florida, and thus the nation,” Bush
lawyers said in legal papers.
Gore’s legal team argued in its high
court brief that the issue “does not be
long in federal court.” They want the
justices to back the Florida Supreme
Court, a Democratic-leaning body that
extended the deadline for recounts.
U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments are
set for Friday.
The vice president made his case for
the second day in a row for further re
counts, announcing the shift in legal
strategy during a brief exchange with
reporters in Washington.
“What is wrong with counting the
votes?” Gore asked.
Bush's team quickly noted that the
southern Florida ballots had already
been tabulated by machine. “He pro
poses yet another count and another
deadline,” Bush spokeswoman Karen
Hughes said in Austin, Texas. “Com
mon sense does not allow it.”
GOP vice presidential candidate
Dick Cheney, appearing on NBC, said
he believes “that it’s time to wrap this
up. That we’ve had the election, we've
had the count, we’ve had the recount.
Now we’ve had the certification of
George W. Bush as winner in Florida,
See Election on Page 5A.