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Ol DEN*THEE
NEWS IN BRIEF
readers:
l The Battalion arrived late
mursday because of
lechanical difficulties at the
Iress in Huntsville.
I If you were unable to get a
lepy of the newspaper, all
lories in Thursday’s issue
[re available online at
■ww.thebatt.com.
City of College
fetation to flush
water system
I Do not be alarmed if the
later in your house is a little
jiscolored this month.
I The city of College Station
legan to flush out its water
jistribution system Thursday,
he city's water/wastewater
[ivision will flush out one sec-
ion of the system each week.
The purpose of flushing the
ater system is to reduce the
Imount of sediment in the
Inesto avoid future problems
knd discolored water. The
fntire process is expected to
jake five weeks.
To minimize inconvenience,
he flushing will begin at 10
).m. and should be complet
ed by 6 a.m. each Friday
norning. If you experience
[my problems with your water
[ervice call the College
[Station public utilities office
ht 764-3638.
PUBLIC EYE
ETVj
Number of
hfrican-American
students in the
freshman class
Fall 2000
174
Fall 2001
189
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FORECASTS COURTESY OF
www.weathermanted .com
jtes
Corps Fish Drill Team reinstated
By Tanya Nading
THE BATTALION
Disbanded in 1997 for hazing viola
tions, the Corps of Cadets Fish Drill
Team will be reinstated for Spring 2001,
Texas A&M officials said.
In 1997, a complaint arose from a
freshman cadet who said the upper
classmen advisers were physically
assaulting him. Further complaints
developed and resulted in the suspen
sion of nine upperclassmen student
advisors from the Corps.
Shortly after the nine students were
suspended, a decision was made to dis
band the team for the 1997-1998 school
year with no set reactivation time.
Trevor Voelkel, Corps public rela
tions officer and a senior finance major,
said special regulations will be instituted
to prevent hazing from occurring.
“There’ll be a lot more rules and reg
ulations for the advisors and partici
pants to use to stop any hazing from
occurring,” Voelkel said. “There’s a
whole different mentality in the Corps
now then there was in the late 1980’s
and early 1990’s. Cadets know that it’s
not necessary to haze to produce a
strong drill team.”
Col. Anthony Groves, Corps assistant
commandant for training and operations,
said juniors Jerry Aymond, a history
major and Michelle Peters, an interdisci
plinary studies major, were chosen
Tuesdays as senior advisors.
“I’m really pumped,” Aymond said.
Peters will be the first woman to be a
senior advisor to the drill team.
“I’m looking forward to helping to
bring back a tradition in the Corps,”
Peters said. “This is a positive opportu
nity that will represent the Corps in
national competitions.”
See Drill page 2.
Hoop dreams
Texas A&M men’s head basketball coach Melvin Watkins
addresses students in Reed Arena Thursday evening. Watkins
spoke and answered questions about the team, the upcoming
season and the future of Aggie basketball. Watkins also said that
ANDY HANCOCK • THE BATTALION
they are working on putting "post-season" into the Aggie vocab
ulary. The Aggies will host two exhibition games, one on Nov. 8
and another on Nov. 14, before the regular season opens
against George Washington University on Nov. 19.
‘Hullabaloo Caneck,’ correct?
By C.E, Walters
THE BATTALION
A recently proposed Residence Hall
Association resolution would encour
age Aggies to sing both verses of the
Aggie War Hymn, rather than repeating
the second verse twice.
The resolution was proposed at
the Oct. 24 RHA General Assembly
by Carrie Edstrom, a junior political
science major.
The motion was tabled so delegates
could go back to their halls and get
student input.
Many members expressed concern
that it was not an appropriate time,
while supporters argued that it had to
be done soon so future freshman might
learn it at Fish Camp.
“It’s always bothered me that we
have two verses and only sing one,”
Edstrom said. “I really like the idea of
being about what we’re about instead
of what we’re against.”
Edstrom distributed lyrics before
the Iowa State game and said she was
encouraged when many students sang
both verses. Edstrom said she has also
been sending out her proposal in emails
and posting it on forums.
She and RHA Public Relations
Director Matt Speight have also been
talking with Yell Leaders, whose
support is essential if the effort is to
be successful, Edstrom said, but
added that she hopes students make
up their own minds.
“I think it really depends on what
the yell leaders want, but I would like
the student body to decide for them
selves,” she said.
Edstrom said yell leaders have not
supported past measures to introduce
both verses.
“If the student body doesn’t support
singing both verses then I’ll let it
drop,” she said.
Senate
approves
Bonfire
measure
By Elizabeth Raines
THE BATTALION
The Student Senate passed a resolution
Wednesday, urging Texas A&M President
Dr. Ray M. Bowen to keep his commit
ment to having a Bonfire in 2002.
The resolution, which passed 39-13
after a lengthy and heated debate, reaf
firmed students’ support for Bonfire and
asked the admfnstration to secure the
necessary funds for the project and urges
Bowen to do everything in his power to
ensure Bonfire burns next year.
“President Bowen has a commitment
to the students of Texas A&M — to
ensure that the quality of our life and the
things that are important to us about this
university continue,” said Kevin Capps,
a senator and sophomore history major.
“I know that he understands and that he
respects that and that he will hopefully
do everything in his power to make sure
that we will have Bonfire 2002.”
Capps said the idea for the resolution
came about after many students
approached him about their concerns
regarding the future of Bonfire.
“We’ve got to make decisions,”
Capps said. “We have to do our job to
speak on behalf of the student body .”
Most senators supported the resolu
tion, including some of who may not
have personally supported it.
Sen. Trent Collier, a senior biomed
ical science major, who personally does
not support Bonfire because of the expe
rience he had surrounding 1999 Bonfire,
said he was in full support of the resolu
tion to pass.
“I really want this resolution to pass,”
Collier said. “I understand how impor
tant this is, and I understand that the
majority of students don’t share the
opinion that I have, which is why I real
ly, really want this resolution to pass.”
Some senators opposed the wording
of the resolution, which, they said, was
See Senate on page 2.
Wiatt continues to fight crime after 50 years
By Amanda Smith
THE BATTALION
At age 75 and with 50 years of service under his belt,
Texas A&M Police Department Director Bob Wiatt said
he plans to continue his work indefinitely and has no
plans to retire.
“I have a wonderful wife, Ann, who tells me I better
not sit around the house and contemplate retirement,”
Wiatt said. “I have no hobbies. I have never really had a
lot of time for them.”
Wiatt, who has a law degree, began his career in law
enforcement as an FBI agent in 1951. His assignments
with the FBI included working with the assassination
investigations of President John F. Kennedy and federal
Judge John Wood.
Before being transferred to Bryan in 1958, his
duty assignments included work in Atlanta, New
York, Puerto Rico, Phoenix and Houston.
“We fell in love with the Texas A&M commu
nity when we came here,” Wiatt said. “We decided
to stay here.”
After Wiatt retired from the FBI in 1980, he served
two years as a chief investigator and intake attorney for
the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office in Bryan.
In 1983, Wiatt was hired as the director of the
University Police Department, which, at the time, was
also responsible for parking until the Department of
Parking, Traffic and Transportation Services (PTTS)
was created in 1989.
“We then became a pure police department,” Wiatt
said. “So we were able to supplement our parking peo
ple with security people. With that, we became a police
department, rather than a hybrid department.”
Wiatt said he inherited a police department that was
not favored by the community.
“When I came here, our police department was not
looked upon with too much favor,” Wiatt said. “I
think we have since established the fact that we are
professional. We have superb personnel.”
Among his staff, Wiatt is favored for his commit
ment to enhancing law enforcement at A&M.
Lt. Bert Kretzschmar, who was appointed to supervise
UPD’s Crime Prevention Unit in 1989, said Wiatt shows
a great deal of compassion for the community.
Bob Wiatt
\
CI£SE y
PERSONAL
“I can truthfully say that Bob really cares about the
safety and security of the A&M community,”
Kretzschmar said. “He supports sound police work,
investigations, and preventative education. He has a
deep compassion for the victims of crime. This can be
reflected in the fact he is on several victims community-
oriented boards. Mr. Wiatt truly believes in the fellow
ship of law enforcement and his community.”
Sgt. Betty Lemay, a 16-year veteran of UPD and a
member of the crime prevention team, said Wiatt has
responded to the change and growth within the Texas
A&M community.
“This campus and our department have experienced
See Wiatt on page 2.