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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2001)
riday, FebaJ MONDAY February 5, 2001 Volume 107 ~ Issue 87 10 pages talion News Radio: 1:57 p.m. KAMU 90.9 fanned by A&M er whore; ion befr : ilack h\w in Atlanij stratiom, :e Thomas confirmaii a ice in Hk ervativeiH sition toal d his iiglii, )lan in Si e ago. we; confirm® - of hear; dtitc atton x , _ YMariano Castillo saving i battalion e”andeiif(Bonspicuously missing from rite his "[efflie Moms' boutique tables re- partict fily are the staple items bear- a Suprer igihe Aggie Bonfire logo. in ? s rigticBollowing the 1999 Aggie 1 detend onlire collapse, the Texas A&M n controlBjnistration swiftly banned li- , and said ;n|ingof the official Aggie Bon- ot pane re i 0 g 0 potentially closing off i important source of revenue >r Aggie Moms’ Clubs, which tisc money by selling Aggie enm during events like Parents’ ?d/hw# e kend. IMiespite not being allowed to e Icxaslse the Aggie Bonfire or related )gos on merchandise, the Fed- led in the ration of Aggie Moms’ Clubs is fixed as not lost any revenue from its riving ir outique sales, said Karen Stra- ic future:an. vice president in charge of eight rw ou t j L j Ues _ h the R&BB ast year, the clubs gave al- dtloon-iost $500,000 to scholarships last legi'nd student programs, she said. gtonsai:|Mtrahan said there are several theeale'i ■ ature foi ittee. saiu omi A i .7! AIIJ iJ I ^: WI i t www.thebatt.com o use cases where certain clubs are in terested in using the Bonfire logo, and they are working with the administration to bring the ef fort to fruition. Strahan declined to comment on the cases. However, she said the federa tion has not received any com plaints regarding the logo ban. “It’s not a big deal,” she said. “It’s a rumor (that Aggie Moms’ Clubs are upset). If it were true, they would get in contact with me or (federation President) Ruby Sanders.” Sanders said the clubs stand by A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen’s decision to postpone Aggie Bonfire until 2002. “We support the moratorium on Bonfire,” she said. “We un derstand Bonfire will never be the same style.” Sanders said there was one in stance when a club ran afoul of the ban. An Aggie Moms’ Club created a necklace in remem brance of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse, but the federation has advised it not to order any more, Sanders said. “We will not sell anything Bonfire-related at our bou tiques,” she said. Sanders said the federation will not use any Bonfire logos, official or unofficial, until the ad ministration lifts the restrictions. After the collapse, Aggie Moms’ Clubs played an impor tant role for the students, serving as a reminder that some of the most important members of the Aggie family are the students’ own families. “Many went to campus for their students and other students,” Sanders said. “As a federation, we have collected money to give to the permanent memorial fund.” The Aggie Moms’ Clubs are not the only group affected by the licensing restrictions. Rosa Rodriguez, a licensing See Mom on Page 2. Sharpshooter Phillip Symons, a 12-year-old from Tomball, takes aim at moving beer cans during the annual Go Tex an Weekend at the Grimes County fairgrounds on BERNARDO GARZA/The Battalion Saturday. The festival included games, rides and barbecue and chili cookoffs. The event raises mon ey for local scholarships. on campus International Month teaches Aggies about other cultures “Tc er ii eer Meenal Patel, a junior biochemistry or, tattoos Dimple Patel, a senior Omputer engineering major, with the plant extract henna in the MSG on Fri day. Henna stains the skin and is part of STUART VILLANUEVA/The Battalion Hindu traditions. The tattoos were of fered as part of the opening celebration of International Month and to help raise money for the victims of the Indian earthquake. Students push Indian relief efforts lunteers St Rfsha Bryan if sexual *M> e Battalion kills arc Texas A&M student or- forwardS 3111 radons are collaborat- mmienlfT ■ nterna fi° na l re_ liif efforts to bring aid to jfnldian families through ’ gifts of clothing, food, ■nds and prayer. India’s 1 Kissive Jan. 26 earthquake killed thousands and left ■ore than half a million families homeless. ■ The quake, which mea- ■ pi red 7.9 on the Richter .scale, destroyed cities, mon- tents and homes, leaving ■■^Gujarat, India, with grief and ^piles of ruin. The A&M Hindu Student Council, Indian Association |IU and the International Business and Technology Consortium (IBTC) are hosting relief ef fort booths in the Memorial Student Center (MSC), Zachry and Wehner buildings this week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. At each location, stu dents and faculty can give money, food and clothing. At the MSC relief booth, the Hindu Student Council members are painting Indi an mehendi artwork on donors, giving participants a sample of Indian culture. Indian mehendi, elaborate body decoration, is an Indi an wedding custom thought to bring good luck to new marriages. The bride’s arms and hands are painted with oils from the mehendi plant, creating the artwork. “We are all working to gether to bring aid to all the Indian families who were left without anything,” said Pranav Mehpa, IBTC pres ident. “Everyone can give donations around campus and help us.” There are approximately 650 Indian international students at A&M, and they are asking their fellow Ag gies to help their friends and families in India. “People can help Indian families greatly by giving funds to a credible Texas A&M organization,” said Anurada Mukheriji, an Indi- See Relief on Page 2. By Elizabeth Raines The Battalion Although Texas A^cM officials plan to diversify the campus by 2020, international students at A&M are ready for a diverse cam pus now. Students from the International Students Association (ISA) began the third annual International Month, or I-Month, with an inter national buffet in the Memorial Stu dent Center (MSC) Friday. “I think having International Month is good for Texas A&M Uni versity because there is a lack of knowledge of different cultures here, and I think that it is the re sponsibility of the international stu dents to take an active role in edu cating the students,” said Amit Goenka, ISA vice president of pro grams and a business graduate stu dent from India. Goenka said the month began as an extension of the annual A&M International Week after a conflict three years ago in a Northgate bar, where some inter national students were injured. He said the only way to create awareness on campus is to allow students to interact with people from different cultures. Rudder Fountain To help spread awareness, ISA will show international movies throughout the month. “We believe that movies are one of the best ways to let people see the different cultures,” said Gautham Vadakkeepatt, an I-Month organizer and an engineering graduate student from India. Besides the movies and the on- campus events, students can listen to and play cultural trivia games on 96.1 KAGG-FM and 104.7 KKYS-FM. Tonight, two events will be held. Harambee 2001, sponsored by the MSC Black Awareness Committee, will begin at 7 p.m. in Rudder Theater. At 8:30, members of the different Indian student as sociations will hold a prayer at Rudder Fountain for the Indian earthquake victims. “All the Indian organizations have joined together to help the victims of the India earthquake,” said Meenal Patel, a Delta Kappa Delta member and a senior bio- chemistery major. “We are col lecting money all week and are planning on donating it to either the Houston Indian Consulate or the Millennium Relief fund.” Goenka said students and resi dents of Bryan-College Station should take advantage of the unique opportunity of experiencing international cultures this month. “I encourage all students and residents of Brazos County to take advantage of I-Month and enrich their lives a little by being a part of another student’s cul ture,” Goenka said. “This is a vast and rich experience for all, and it brings out the RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion best ip all Of US.” Semi-formal at Sbisa Hall draws crowd By Brandie Liffick The Battalion The words “Sbisa ball” took on a new meaning Fri day night. This time, in stead of wadded napkins, ice sculptures and balloons decorated Sbisa Dining Hall for the Old Army semi-formal. Sponsored by the Legett Hall Council, Coca-Cola and the Food Services Depart ment, the semi-formal was the grand reopening of Sbisa and an opportunity to revive an old Aggie tradition. Sarah Dreyer, Legett Hall council president and a senior agricultural systems management major, said Legett residents wanted to host a dance but were unde cided about where to have it. “We called around and weren’t able to find a place to hold the dance. Then we thought of Sbisa,” Dreyer said. “I contacted Food Ser vices, and they said that they alreadyjiad a dinner planned for that night, so we com bined the two.” Ron Beard, director of Food Services, said the event was a nostalgic flash back to the way life used to be in Aggieland. “Historically, they had se nior and class balls and ban quets in Sbisa since it opened in 1912,” Beard said. “When Duncan opened in 1940, some of that moved over there. Tonight we are trying to bring back some of the elegance and traditional aspects of dances in Sbisa. This is a wonderful building, and we want the students to enjoy it. We are just thrilled to have the opportunity to re turn an Aggie tradition.” Photographs of the 1949 Ross Volunteer Ball were displayed, and dance cards were provided for the women at Friday’s gala. Students said Food Ser vices did a fine job convert ing Sbisa from a cafeteria to a ballroom. “I’m impressed with what they’ve done with Sbisa,” said Cat Cone, a freshman English major. “The decorations were great, but it’s still Sbisa. People are still yelling ‘pick it up’ and things like that.” See Ball on Page 2. iberal arts career week welcomes all majors Shannon Galary Battalion [Liberal arts majors will be encour- gtd to explore the variety of career op tions open to them as Liberal Arts Career Week commences today and lasts all veek, ending with a career fair on Fri day. The fair is hosted by the Liberal ts Student Council and the Texas SrM Career Center. J Brooke Holbert, director of the Lib eral Arts Career Fair and a junior Eng- ish major, said the career fair is not only Aired for liberal arts students looking for a job but also for students looking for itlier opportunities during college. “More than half of the companies are looking to hire students for internship We've spent a lot of time preparing for this.” — Julie Leake Liberal Arts Student Council and co-op opportunities,” Holbert said. Holbert said students should become more proactive in exploring what they want to do, and she said career week is a great start. The event is designed to show students that, despite the common belief, jobs are available for liberal arts majors. The fair is hosting 25 companies, and they will all be present at the end-of-the- week event. “Students should log onto www.lasc- tamu.com to find out more about the companies that are going to be at the ca reer fair and research the ones they are interested in,” Holbert said. Julie Leake, who is hosting National Instruments at the fair and is a junior journalism major, said she expects this year’s career week to be successful. “We’ve spent a lot of time preparing for this and calling companies to make it a big success,” she said. Leake said many students are helping to organize the fair and are unloading materials when the representatives ar rive, among other things. Students will serve as liaisons for companies that send recruiters. Ruth Schemmer, the career services coordinator, said the fair will feature a wide variety of companies. “The Career Fair is open to all stu dents; the companies involved range from banks to technical firms to law firms,” Schemmer said. W. CHAD ADAMS/The Battalion Lindsey Kennedy, a senior psychology major, and Todd Blackhurst, a junior industrial engineering major; dance at the Old Army semi-formal on Friday.