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Dean of Student Life
leaving after 16 years
tRisha Bryan “The most difficult thing is “Dr. Paterson has done a won-
ie Battalion
Dr Brent Paterson, dean of
udent Life, accepted an offer
3m Illinois State University as
sociate vice president and he
■leave Texas A&M and his
ilyear A&M legacy during
Hg break. Illinois State ad-
ini^trators noticed* the signifi-
■changes Paterson has made
A&M and hope to implement
rme of the programs that have
;en successful here. Paterson
Sgan hiscareer at A&M in 1984.
His responsibilities included
udent discipline and with-
rawals. Since 1984, he has been
romoted several times, and he
•eated the Department of Stu-
jnt Life in 1995. The depart-
icnt and includes committees
tell as Silver Taps, Greek Life,
udent life orientations, gender
isues, alcohol and drug educa-
on. off-campus students and
udent emergency services.
leaving the new Student Life de
partment and all the people who
have created it,” Paterson said.
“It was a lot of fun creating the
department and establishing its
direction and where it is going.”
Paterson said he wanted to
leave A&M students with en
couragement to continue work
ing well and studying hard but he
also said students should search
for opportunities outside the
classroom to gain leadership.
“To succeed in the real world,
you have to know how to work
with people and be able to super
vise,” Paterson said. “Students
should take advantage of all the
A&M opportunities, which will
help them succeed in their ca
reers. Students should take what
they learn in the classroom and
apply it to organization leader
ship opportunities.”
Administrators said Paterson
has done a good job at A&M
over the past 17 years.
derful job in all of his roles at
A&M, especially in the last few
years as director and dean of Stu
dent Life,” said Dr. J. Malon
Southerland, vice president of
Student Affairs. “He has done a
really first-class job.”
A search committee chaired
by vice president Dr. Jan Win-
niford announced a nationwide
search to fill the position of
dean of Student Life. Souther
land said he expects to receive
a large pool of applications
from the announcement.
“A&M is a unique place,” Pa
terson said. “The students I have
had the opportunity to work with
over the years are really out
standing.”
Paterson said he could not
think of any other place where stu
dents are as involved in universi
ty affairs and make a ditference.
See Paterson on Page 5.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane
BERNARDO GARZA/The Battalion
Aaron Risinger, a senior biochemistry major, lunges Fest on West Campus Wednesday. A variety of games
out to mark his run on the bungee run at Wehner were available with 25 cents hot dogs and drinks.
Spring Break
I ^=2001=
Alcohol awareness stressed by UPD
■ Amanda Smith
The Battalion
H Texas A&M students are about to
embark on nine days of freedom to re
lax and unwind. Lt. Bert Kretzschmar,
University Police Department (UPD)
crime prevention supervisor, said he
wants to remind students that with
freedom, comes responsibility.
i ; “I cannot emphasize enough how
students must use their common
sense when celebrating spring
break,” Kretzschmar said. “Many stu
dents go well over their personal lim
its when drinking alcoholic beverages
and put themselves in situations that
they should not be in. They can be
come victims of such crimes as theft,
robbery and sexual assault.”
the National Citizen's
Mime Prevention Campaign
iDqgests that hotel traveler^!
Not open the door to strangers
Use the main entrance of the place
ere they are staying when
1 returning late at night.
I Always look around before entering
parking tots, particularly when
lighting is minimal.
Close and lock the door when they
are in or are leaving their rooms.
Not leave their keys in places
I where they can be stolen.
* Not openly display large amounts
I of cash or expensive jewelry. Keep
aH valuables with the front desk in a
sale-deposit box .
Report any suspicious activity to
management.
Emergency
• l upi- Medina Program Website
http //imp tamu edu
* loxus Department of Public
Safety i BOO S25 S5f>5
RUBEN DELUNA Battalion
UPD crime prevention specialist Sgt.
Betty LeMay said students’ travels lead
to a number of safety issues, starting be
fore students even leave their residences.
LeMay suggests students prepare
for any kind of weather, including
freezes; leave a radio on low volume at
home; take emergency contact infor
mation; and ensure that mail and news
papers are picked up by a neighbor.
“Residents need to remember to have
windows and doors locked,” LeMay
said. “Do not leave valuables in the car,
or there is a chance they will be taken.”
Safety remains an issue with travel
anywhere, but particularly in unfamil
iar places, she said.
“Enjoy yourself, but be alert,”
LeMay said. “Take steps ahead of time.
You must realize you are in another
country, even if it is in Mexico. You are
dealing with different cultures and dif
ferent government. Newfound friends
are still strangers. Not everyone is a
college student.”
LeMay suggests students take travel
ers’ checks instead of carrying extra cash.
“Spread out the checks in several
different places and take only the cash
you need,” LeMay said. “Conceal that
cash when you do carry it.”
Kretzschmar said students should
use the buddy system when traveling
together. He also said it is important to
remember that other countries have
different rules and regulations from
those in the United States.
“When entering a foreign country,
students should always keep in mind
that they are in a place where the Amer
ican judicial system does not apply,”
Kretzschmar said.
LeMay said excessive drinking
during spring break often leads to
carelessness, making students more
vulnerable to crime.
“The big thing is that students often
See Safety on Page 2.
Campaigning will begin March 18
List of 153 candidates will not be finalized until Friday
total running for 30
positions
running uncontested
running for student body
resident
running for senior yell
leader
running for junior yell
leader I'jJ
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
By Elizabeth Raines
The Battalion
Candidates for 2001-2002 student body
leadership positions met with the Election Com
mission Wednesday night to learn the rules of
this semester’s campaigning and elections.
Campaigning will begin March 18, the last
Sunday of spring break, for the 153 candidates
who filed to campaign for 30 positions.
“The list has not been finalized yet because
we have not completed grade checks for all the
candidates,” said Erika Prochaska, election com
missioner and a junior history major. “The final
list of all the candidates will be posted on Friday.”
A&M students can view the official ballot
Friday in Koldus 127.
Campaigning will begin at noon on March
18 and run until midnight March 27. According
to the Election Commission’s election regula
tions, campaigning will not be allowed in the
Memorial Student Center, Rudder Complex,
Koldus, the rainbow bridge over Wellborn Road
or classrooms.
Students hoping to catch rides in the beds
of candidates’ trucks and trailers will not be
able to do so. Campaigners will be prohibited
from giving students rides and from riding in
truck beds.
Candidates will also not be allowed to write
on University sidewalks with chalk. If a student
finds a candidate in violation of these or any of
the other regulations he or she may file a report
of the alleged violation with the election com
missioner within 24 hours of the violation.
Candidates running for an office are required
to keep a record of all campaign receipts and ex
penditures. Those running for student body
president may not exceed the $1,000 expendi
ture limit and those running for yell leader may
not exceed the $700 limit. A&M student orga
nizations are allowed to endorse a candidate, but
may not make any financial contributions.
Depending on the severity of a violation,
candidates may be subject to a fine or disquali
fication from the election.
The student body general elections will be
held March 28 and 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If
run-off elections are required^ they will be held
April 4 and 5.
Girl injured in Pennsylvania shooting
Police take 14-year-old female into custody at Williamsport school
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) —
A 14-year-old girl shot a female
classmate in the shoulder Wednes
day in a parochial school cafeteria
following a long-standing argu
ment between the two eighth-
graders, authorities said.
A witness said the shooter fired
at the floor and the bullet rico
cheted into the victim.
“This is a situation of a student
who was upset with another stu
dent,” said police Officer David
Ritter. “This is not a random act
of violence and as far as I under
stand there are no other targets for
this violence.”
The shooting happened around
noon during lunch at Bishop Neu
mann Junior-Senior High, a Ro
man Catholic school.
Freshman Andrew Miller, 16,
said he was in the cafeteria with
about 120 students when a girl
came into the cafeteria screaming
and fired two shots.
“I saw her holding a gun, but I
didn’t really know it was a gun,”
he said. “She told everyone to get
down. She fired towards the ceil
ing, then fired into the ground,
which ricocheted and hit the girl
in the shoulder.”
Kimberly Marchese, 13, was
in stable condition at Geisinger
Medical Center in Danville, au
thorities said.
The shooting suspect was in po
lice custody within four minutes,
Ritter said.
There were conflicting accounts
of who subdued the alleged shoot
er. A diocesan official said it was an
administrator; a police officer said
it was a student.
The girl in custody was being
questioned and police
said they did not yet
know where she got the
gun.
Authorities would
ilot say if they planned
to charge the girl as an
adult, but said they
would need to petition a
court before they could
do so.
After the shooting,
all students at the school were
taken to the auditorium and pat
ted down by police in a search for
weapons, said Lycoming County
District Attorney Thomas Mari
no. Students were later taken to a
nearby school for questioning, he
said.
The violence came two days af
ter two people were killed and 13
wounded in a high school shooting
in Santee, Calif. A ninth-grader
was arrested. Santana students re
turned to the campus Wednesday,
with counselors available in each
classroom.
Bishop Neumann has about 230
students in grades 7 through 12.
Williamsport, home of the Little
League World Series, is in central
Pennsylvania, about 160 miles
northwest of Philadelphia.
everal California youths arrested for planning violent actions
I LOSANGELES(AP) —Author-
lies arrested seven California stu
dents at three schools for allegedly
imking threats that included a plot to
put a bomb on a teacher’s desk and
he creation of a hit list.
In. the desert town of Twentynine
palms, two 17-year-old boys were ar-
, rested at their homes Tuesday night
jm suspicion of conspiracy to commit
lurder and civil rights violations.
At one of the boys’ homes, deputies
found a rifle. At the other, there was a
istof 16 fellow students at Monument
ligh that the pair planned to target,
laid San Bernardino County sheriff’s
spokesman Chip Patterson. The teens’
motives were unknown.
Police said they were tipped off
by a classmate, who told her father
she had overheard the boys dis
cussing a hit list in recent weeks. She
came forward after a student in sub
urban San Diego on Monday opened
fire at his high school, killing two
students and wounding 13 others.
Also Tuesday, three junior high
school students in San Bernardino
County were arrested for threatening
to place a bomb on a teacher’s desk,
authorities said. Classmates at Wood-
crest Junior High alerted the principal.
((
The teacher, in
light of everything
that's going on, took
this very seriously. ”
— Sgt. Mark Lohman
sherriffs spokesman
The two 12-year-olds and a 13-
year-old talked about the plot last week
after one of the boys had a disagree
ment with a teacher, Ontario Detective
Mike Macias said. But no bomb-mak
ing materials were found at their
homes.
“It was no secret that these three
kids were going to carry this out,”
Macias said. “They were planning to
plant the bomb this Friday.”
Police said the boys cried and con
fessed during questioning.
In two other incidents, two teens
were arrested in Perris at their schools.
At Perris High, school guards
found a 4-inch knife in the backpack
of Luis Benavides, 18, and he was ar
rested for investigation of possession
of a weapon. Deputies found two ri
fles and ammunition at his home.
“He made the comment that he
needed help because he felt like killing
somebody,” said sheriffs spokesman
Sgt. Mark Lohman. “Well, the teacher,
in light of everything that’s going on,
took this very seriously.”
In the second arrest, a woman was
enrolling her son at the Perris Com
munity Day School for troubled
youth when, according to a sheriff’s
report, the 14-year-old told an ad
ministrator; “If you make me come
here, I’ll bring a gun and shoot the
place up.” The boy was taken to a ju
venile jail.
At Wheatland High, an hour north
of Sacramento, a boy was arrested af
ter he allegedly threatened to bring a
gun to school and kill people. He was
released after authorities determined
he did not have immediate access to
guns.
Outside California, an 18-year-
old was charged with assault Tues
day for allegedly threatening a
school administrator via email. Sara
Elizabeth Turner, who was apparent
ly angry over a graduation delay, was
accused of telling the school board
president in a letter: “I will put you
in so much pain that you will wish
you were dead.”