The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 28, 2001, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    \
ATTALION
J
NEWS IN BRIEF
Former president
takes Continental
to show safety
HOUSTON (AP) — Former
Resident George Bush, promot-
ng the safety of the nation’s air-
ines and airports, said his flight
ram Boston “couldn't have been
letter'' as he arrived back home
n Houston Thursday aboard a
:ommercial airliner.
Bush, flying in first class
board a Continental Airlines
ilane, said his ride was "nice
ind smooth” and even included
nice, clean washrooms.”
He was greeted at a gate at
Jush Intercontinental, an airport
amed for him. by Gordon
3ethune, Continental’s chairman
md chief executive.
“One thing I wanted to
femonstrate, and I realize it’s
ust symbolic, is the safety of the
airways and the confidence I
have in Continental,” Bush said
noting that his son had made
similar comments about the
safety of air travel in an appear
ance Thursday in Chicago.
“I think people are ready to
start living again,” the elder
Bush said. "People are going
to take more precautions.
There is going to be some
inconvenience. But this is
America and we're strong.”
He said when he got to
Logan Airport, the departure
point for two of the four planes
hijacked Sept. 11, he was met
by a couple of state troopers,
who talked about about what
that city had experienced.
Number of
freshmen who
voted in the
freshman election
835
, Inc
ank
vice
f,P.
rd
PUBLIC EYE
TODAY
mm3
Page 3
Game day
gatherings
• Students discuss
how to have the
perfect tailgate party
SPORTS
Page 7
Irish in
search of
luck at Kyle
• Holiday earns first
career start at QB for
Irish, Ags aiming for 4-0
OPINION
Page 11
rganized
religion not
the solution
Recent tragedies
spark religious
controversy
WEATHER
TODAY
HIGH
85° F
LOW
52° F
HIGH
85° F
LOW
52° F
FORECASTS COURTESY OF
www.weathermanted.com
TOMORROW
Surplus may fund retreat center
By Sommer Bunce
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M ad
iministra
tors hope to use
the $1.1 -million
Bus Ope
nations surplus
from the Student
Service
s Fee toward a
student leadership
> retreat <
:e nter.
Architects wi
II prese
nt preliminary
designs for the rei
treat cen
ter to the A&M
System Board of
Regent?
s today, but no
action will be tak<
;n by the
i board.
The student bo
dy voted
in Spring 2001
to add a $5()-per-
■semestei
r transportation
tee to the student
fee st at
ement, making
Student Services
Fee funds previously
earmarked for Bus Operations unneces
sary. The Student Services Fee was not
altered with regard to Bus Operations,
resulting in a surplus.
The additional money is to be used on
a one-time basis, said Vice President for
Student Affairs Dr. J. Malon Southerland.
He said a Student Services Fee rebate was
considered but not adopted.
Southerland said he was given the
option of using part of the $l million for
any unforeseen funding problems with
student services, but that measure is not
necessary.
Instead, he asked Director of Student
Activities Kevin Jackson to recommend
to the Student Service Fee Advisory
Board (SSFAB) that the $1-million sur
plus be used to build the retreat center.
“I think it’s a terrific potential compro
mise,” Southerland said. “We didn’t dip
into it (the million dollars), so we have it
now for whatever arises. I’m reluctant to
ask for money from the students, but [the
retreat center) would be such a good way
to use it.”
The additional funds could be used in
other areas of student services, to help
finance the proposed retreat center and
attract matching funds from potential
donors, or not used at all, Southerland
said.
If used for building the retreat center,
the $1 million would be the only direct
student contribution to the center,
Southerland said, and would allow the
center to assess a lower user fee than
would otherwise be necessary.
No relationship exists between the
additional student services money and
University President Dr. Ray M. Bowen’s
proposed Excellence Fee, Southerland
said. A $6-million shortfall in the
University’s budget prompted Bowen to
See FEES on page 2.
UPD enforces
zero tolerance
this weekend
By Amanda Smith
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M University
Police Department (UPD) offi
cials are taking all references to
terrorism and terroristic threats
seriously, enforcing a zero-tol
erance policy against such state
ments at the football game
agamsl Notre Dame Saturday
and Friday night's Midnight
Yell Practice.
Af the Sept. 22 football
game, three fans were restricted
from entering Kyle Field for
joking comments related to the
terrorist attacks in New York
City and Washington, D.C.,
U.PD director Bob Wiatt said.
The game atten
dants are addressing
the students like they
are at the airports,
where you do not kid
about hijacking a
plane, or at a movie
theater where you do
not shout out fire.
— Bob Wiatt
UPD director
“These attacks are not
something you joke about or
mess around with.” Wiatt said.
“It is disappointing this hap
pened, because all involved
were students.”
One student was not permit
ted to attend yell practice
Friday for accusing a woman of
committing the attack on the
.World Trade Center. Wiatt said.
T he student said the woman was
carrying hazardous materials to
orchestrate more destructive
acts.
Two other students were
banned from Kyle Field
Saturday for joking they were
carrying weapons as they were
entering the stadium.
“The game attendants are
addressing the students like
they are at the airports, where
you do not kid about hijacking
a plane, or at a movie theater
where you do not shout out
fire,” Wiatt said. “If the game
attendant found the threat .to
be very serious, the individual
could be charged with a mis
demeanor.”
If the students’ threats had
been considered serious, they
could have faced a class A or a
class B misdemeanor.
Wiatt said security will con
tinue at a heightened state of
alert at Saturday’s game and at
yell practice, where officials
from UPD and Bryan-College
Station law enforcement agen
cies will be present.
Vice President for Student
Affairs Dr. J. Malon
Southerland, said security has
changed since the recent attacks
in New York and Washington.
“It’s clear that the security
precautions are just not the
same as they were,”
Southerland said.
Former President George
Bush will be on hand for the
Lech Walesa speech today and
Saturday’s pre-game march-in.
The University released a state
ment this week advising of
heightened security by the U.S.
wSecret Service at events Bush
will attend.
Panel: Western media
misinterpret Islam
By Jonathan Kolmetz
THE BATTALION
The Associated Press printed more 100,000 words about ter
rorism in the first four days after the attacks in New York City
and Washington D.C., Texas A&M journalism professor Douglas
Starr said at a Thursday night panel discussion on media inter
pretation of Islam.
More than $500 million in commercial revenue was lost in
around-the-clock television news coverage, Starr said.
“Reporters try very hard to not use opinion words,” Starr said.
“But we’re all human — errors creep in with biases.”
More than 500 students met with experts on Islam Thursday night
to discuss the role the media plays in interpreting the Muslim religion.
Speakers examined media coverage of the Sept. 1 1 terrorist attacks
and how the attacks have affected Muslim life in the United States.
Reports of 5K incidents involving harassment against Muslims on
See Islam oh page 6.
Honoring Sully
ANDY HANCOCK • THE BATTALION
Bonnie O'Connor, a freshman business major, cuts birthday cake for passersby in honor of Lawrence
Sullivan Ross’ birthday. The event was hosted by the Southern Heritage Society, a new student organi
zation at Texas A&M this year.
Fish to face off in a runoff
By C.E. Walters
THE BATTALION
There was only one outright
winner in the first round of
freshman class election, with
the top two vote recipients for
five offices — Class of 2005
president, vice president, sec
retary, historian and social sec
retary — ready to square off in
a runoff Oct. 1-2.
Kelly Howard, who
received 231 votes, or 29 per
cent, will face T.J. Waller, who
received 200 votes, or 25 per
cent, for Class of 2005 presi
dent. Both candidates cited
religion as a motivating factor
for their desire to serve.
“I want to be a good witness
though Christ,” Waller said.
“Our class is going to have a
great time, and I want to be
there to facilitate and make
sure things get done that need
to be done.”
“1 want to serve God through
GUY ROGERS •
T.J. Waller and Kelly Howard are
in a runoff election for freshman
class council president.
serving our class and to represent
the whole freshman student body
and not just one,” Howard said.
Timothy Soeken was elected
Class of 2005 treasurer with 359
votes, or 51 percent. Lauren
Rossman, Precious Atlas, Alex
Lee and Amy Gray were elected
to represent the freshman class
in the Student Senate. .
Lee, a general studies major,
said he ran for the senate to
protest the unfairness of the
Corps of Cadets meal plan,
which requires cadets to eat
lunch on certain days at Duncan
Dining Hall.
“Its a ripoff because they take
away our meals whether we’re
able to make it to Duncan or
not,” Lee said. “If they improved
the food there they wouldn’t
See RUNOFF on page 2.