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Tuesday, January 22, 2002
auditor may testify
I WASHINGTON (AP)—'Congressional
the island^ investigators in the Enron probe pressed
li^onday tor public testimony by a fired
•dglings de ,: auditor who says the Arthur Andersen
ere taken Bcounting tirm shares the blame for
ne of the • Enron’s collapse.
I Dismissed over the destruction of thou-
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■uncan told investigators that Andersen
hkd ample information when it evaluated
tie controversial partnership arrange-
■ents at Enron that were a big factor in its
Rnkruptcy. Enron kept hundreds of mil
lions of dollars in debt off the balance
sleet for several years.
I Duncan "did not sit there and say ’Enron
Id all this information from us and there
fore we couldn’t count right,”’ said Rep.
Ji i Greenwood, R-Pa., who heads a House
p;nel investigating the collapse. “It was
lore of... 'we made mistakes.”’
I Rather than giving a "mea culpa,” Duncan
Ive “a wea culpa; he did not p>oint the finger
| Enron,” Greenwood said Monday, charac-
Irizing the comments the tired auditor made
last week to congressional investigators.
I Duncan’s lawyers sought to delay his pub
lic testimony, scheduled for Thursday before
le House Oversight and Investigations
Subcommittee, arguing that Duncan needs
more time to prepare.
But Greenwood, who chairs the sub
committee, rejected the request, saying
Duncan “doesn't really need to recall every
detail of what he did for Enron. We're
focused on the destruction of documents.
We’ll subpoena him if we have to.”
Andersen chief executive Joseph
“Berardino is saying that the company
found fault with Duncan’s destruction of
documents. He (Duncan) needs to defend
himself,” said Greenwood.
If Duncan testifies, the hearing will pit
him against Andersen's legal department
and company management in Chicago.
Appearing Sunday on NBC's “Meet the
Press,” Berardino criticized Duncan and
defended attorney Nancy Temple, who
advised the Houston office by electronic mail
on Oct. 12 about the firm’s document destruc
tion policy. That was just four days before
Enron announced more than $6(X) million in
third-quarter losses and took the first step in
disclosing details of the partnerships.
Berardino said Duncan displayed “at
the least ... extremely poor judgment” for
his part in discarding the documents in
October and November.
Berardino said Temple reminded the
Houston office of the policy to do away
with some, documents “because account
ants are pack rats ... We save lots of stuff
that’s not relevant.”
But Duncan told investigators “it was
unusual” for a company lawyer to empha
size the document-destruction policy.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for Kenneth L.
Lay, Enron’s chairman and chief executive,
said Lay disposed of millions of dollars in
Enron stock before the company’s collapse
last year because he needed to raise cash to
repay loans, not because of concerns about
the health of his company.
Attorney Earl J. Silbert said Lay had put
up shares of his Enron stock as collateral
for other investments. On at least 15 occa
sions between February and October last
year. Lay returned shares to the company to
repay $4 million he had received through a
credit line.
However, Silbert also said that Lay held
onto some stock, detailing one transaction
in which Lay exercised options to purchase
68,000 shares of Enron stock on Aug. 21.
“He continues to hold that stock today,”
Silbert said.
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Bush may be hiding knowledge of Enron
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush’s advisers, fearing
|tf?e Enron Corp. bankruptcy controversy could divert attention
Ifrom his second-year agenda, are debating what to do about a
■ political problem they helped create.
From the first belated disclosure that the energy giant
Isought help from Bush’s team, the White House has helped
■ fuel the story by refusing to release some details and offering
[others in dribs and drabs.
“Whatever the underlying facts are, they are creating the impres-
[sion that there’s something to hide,” said Joe Lockhart, a veteran of
[scandal-control strategy as press secretary to President Clinton.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans — 63 percent — believe the
iBush administration is not telling everything it knows about its
Irelationship with Enron, according to a recent CBS News poll.
With the Enron story gathering steam. Republicans are divid-
led over how to respond, and Democrats are split on whether it
jwill be a potent political issue.
White House officials hope Bush’s State of the Union address
Uan. 29 will shift focus from Enron to his domestic policy agenda,
[the war on terrorism and efforts to prevent future attacks.
But some Republicans outside the administration say that will
[not be enough. They are pushing for more disclosures and an
[internal investigation.
"1 he answer is for George Bush to come out and very specif-
[ically take the measure on by saying, ‘My treasury secretary
talked to Enron and nothing was done. My commerce secretary
talked to Enron and nothing was done.'” said Eddie Mahe, a GOP
consultant in Washington.
He also urged Bush to announce an internal investigation into
all White House contacts with Enron. Although the president has
refused to launch a formal internal inquiry, Mahe said, "I would
hope that George W. Bush would understand and believe that it's
the right thing to do. And if somebody did something wrong, he
should throw them out.”
Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer has said the White House will
not try to determine which administration officials had contacts
with Enron executives. However, he said, aides were informally
keeping track and disclosing those contacts in which Enron
chiefs sought help from the government.
Fleischer called requests for full accounting “a fishing
expedition.”
The Clinton White House also was slow to turn over informa
tion and quick to denounce its critics.
“I think we've learned from recent history that there doesn’t
have to be underlying unethical behavior — that the process itself
can be as damaging as any alleged wrongdoing,” Lockhart said.
But several other Democrats, particularly those outside
Washington, said Bush's performance in the war against terror
ism is more important to voters than Enron. Some Democrats are
leery about clashing with a wartime president.
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A New Aggie Tradition: “Late Night” at the Women’s Center!
Did you know that the Women’s Center is open until 8:00 PM on Tuesdays during the semester?
If you arc looking for a quiet place to study, just hang out or check a source for that last-minute
paper, come by and see us. We offer many services and sponsor lots of great events, too! Below
is a list of upcoming events for the Spring semester. If you want more information on
programming on other Women’s Center services, see our website: http://www.tamu.edu/wcenter
or contact the Women’s Center at 845-8784 or wcenter@tamu.edu
• Working Group on Women’s Rights
as Human Rights: Visit with Lynn
Hagan and Muslim students to discuss
issues related to Muslims and Arab
women; Tuesday, January 22; 11:00
AM-12:30 PM; Academic 308. Co-
Sponsors: Women’s Studies Program.
Anthropology Department, and College
of Liberal Arts Dean’s Office.
• Women's Center Welcome Back Open
House: Tuesday, January 22; 3:00-5:00
PM; Academic 308.
• Women’s Center Community Services
Series: Brazos Valley Workforce
Centers; Wednesday. January 30; 4:00-
5:30 PM; Academic 308.
• Women’s Center Film Series:
Screening of Ida B. Wells: A Passion for
Justice, followed by discussion.
Wednesday, February 6; 4:00 PM,
Academic 308. Refreshments will be
served.
• Women’s Center Spring Lecture
Series: Sally Robinson, English Dept.,
TAMU, “Stiffed and Punch Drunk: Fight
Club, Feminism, and the ‘Crisis’ in
Masculinity." Tuesday, February 11;
4:00 PM; Academic 308.
• Women’s Center Film Series: The
Women, Dir. George Cukor. Tuesday,
February 12; 7:00 PM; Evans Library
Annex, Room 417B.
• Women’s Center Community Services
Series: Phoebe’s Home; Thursday,
February 14 (V-Day); 4:00 PM; Place
TBA
• The Vagina Monologues'. Thursday-
I?' Saturday, Fcbruary^S-March 2; TOO ’
PM; Place TBA
• Women’s History/Spirit Month
Presentation: Marlene Fried, Hampshire
College, “A Matter of Access: Building a
Reproductive Rights Movement in the
U.S. and Internationally." Monday,
March 4; 6:30 PM; Francis 202. Co-
Sponsors: Women’s Studies Program,
Sociology Department, and Philosophy
Department.
• Women’s Center Film Series:/Vow,
Voyager, Dir. Irving Rapper. Tuesday,
March 5; 7:00 PM; Evans Library
Annex, Room 417B.
• Women’s Center Spring Lecture
Series: Sara Alpem, History Dept.,
TAMU, “The History of Women’s
History at A&M.” Wednesday, March 6;
12.00-1:30 PM; Academic 308.
• Women’s History/Spirit Month Brown
Bag Luncheon: Lynn Hagan and Sidney
Franks. Monday, March 18, 12:00 PM;
Rudder 402.
• Women’s History/Spirit Month
Presentation: Lynn Hagan and Sidney
Franks, “Marhaba: Greetings from a
Western Woman in an Arab World."
Monday. March 18; 6:30 PM; Rudder
302. Co-Sponsors: Women’s Studies
Program, Anthropology Department, and
College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Office.
• Gender Issues F.ducation Services
Coffee Talk: Thursday, March 21, 4:00
PM, Academic 308. Co-Sponsored by
the Women’s Center.
• Women’s Center Film Series: Thelma
and Louise, Dir. Ridley Scott. Tuesday,
April5; 7:00 PM; Evans Library Annex,
Rhom 4I7B.
^ Continued from page 1
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Board of Regents in August. UT’s fee was proposed at the UT
System Board of Regents meeting in January, when students
were not in class.
I “Students here just don't typically protest,” said Cindy Lawson,
director of University Relations at A&M. “The administration has
had pretty open discourse with any fee. Students had opportunity
to ask questions and give feedback,on numerous occasions.”
1 Student Body President Schuyler Houser said no survey of
student opinion has been conducted, but not because students
are unconcerned about the issue.
I "Truly, there are several other big issues right now that require
student involvement and demand a lot of time," Houser said,
referring to last week’s survey on Bonfire 2002.
1 Bowen's forums about the enhancement fee have been
sparsely attended, but so many students attended a recent
Bonfire 2002 forum that it had to be moved from an MSC meet
ing room to Rudder Theatre.
I UT President Larry Faulkner held a forum last Thursday attend
ed by a reported 200 students hoping to learn more about the issue.
I Dunman said YCT at A&M has also been busy fighting the pro
posed plan to offer automatic admittance to the top 20 percent of
economically disadvantaged students in 253 Texas high schools.
[ Houser said one reason for the difference in student input is that,
if approved, UT's fee will affect current students, while the most pop
ular of A&M's plans for collecting the fee will affect future students.
[ "It is always more attention-grabbing when you know some
thing will significantly affect you," she said. Houser said the
enhancement fee was proposed with the least amount of impact on
current students because many have already set their four- or five-
year financial plans.
I Long said the students he has spoken with oppose the fee,
which averages to between $3,000 and $4,000 more for the aver
age four-year degree program.
"If A&M is trying to recruit lower income students, this fee
will counteract that," he said.
Bush
^ Continued from page 1
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to send their children to private schools. Bush said Florida is
making enormous strides in public education, especially among
poor minority students.
“We’re closing the learning gap,” Bush said. “I took enor
mous grief for some of these initiatives, but if you stay the
course and show some results, the fears begin to subside.”
Bush also discussed the controversy surrounding Elian Gonzalez,
the six-year-old Cuban refugee who was returned to Cuba in 2000
over the strenuous objections of his Miami relatives and the Cuban-
American community in south Florida. The incident brought to the
surface deep feelings of suspicion and distrust among the various
ethnic groups of south Florida. These tensions were exacerbated by
the Clinton administration’s handling the issue. Bush said.
“The case should have been left to a local judge so custody
could be decided based on what was best for the child,” Bush
said. “But Clinton elevated this into a federal issue, and it hurt
a lot of people in our community.”
Florida is second only to Texas in the number of death row
prisoners executed each year, but Bush said carrying out the
sentence of death is the hardest part of his job.
“1 believe in the death penalty, but I’m not God, and signing
a death warrant is really hard,” Bush said.
Bush is running for a second term as Florida’s governor in
the November general elections.
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