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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2002)
the BATTII dicte in the slay; against iV ;d are also chars ering. to defense ilivan offers;! sentence ine; s not indictii is a ‘package’ “For one dd liave to accept’ ittomey for sed prosecm onion andd ction agair et of federal ars. Ben Kuehne the sins of the ited on the i lat over to I accused of tluta and r drug organi; BIDAYAPRIL 5, 2002 VOLUME 108 • ISSUE 124 TUP i nr, ATTAT TOM jHl x x /xx-iX m TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY New Aggie Band drum majors chosen STUART VII.LANLUVA • THE BATTALION lor Alex Jones (right) was announced head drum major with mic Matt Morrison (middle) as infantry drum major and junior BtSelzer as artillery drum major. By Marianne Hudson THE BATTALION New voices shouting “step off on Hullabaloo” will echo through Kyle Field next year as new drum majors lead the Aggie Band dur ing halftime perfonnances. Alex Jones, a junior mechan ical engineering major, was cho sen Wednesday to serve as the head drum major for the 2002- 2003 school year. The artillery and infantry drum majors are Brent Selzer, a junior biology major, and Matthew Morrison, a junior recreation, park and tourism science major. Dean Dominy, outgoing drum major and a senior bio medical science major, said the drum majors are responsible for leading the band into Kyle Field during halftime performances and setting the band’s tempo and direction. The head drum major oversees the entire band. Jones said he is prepared for the responsibilities he will have as drum major and wants to set a good example for other band members. “I remember back to my fish year and thinking of the extreme dedication the head drum major had to the band,” he said. “Now, that’s me.” Dominy said a selection com mittee consisting of freshmen, sophomores and junior cadets chose the new drum majors. Criteria such as the candidates’ technical posture when holding the mace and their ability to con fidently communicate and direct the band were considerations for selection. All junior band mem bers with a minimum grade point average of 2.3 were eligible to apply. Twelve cadets applied. Dominy said he has confi dence in the abilities of each of the three who were selected. “They complement each other well,” Dominy said. “As a team, they will be strong.” Dominy said tryouts began March 26. During preliminary rounds, candidates had to lead a mock drill on the band practice See Band on page 2A m:- i 1 tie )ing Plaza ,&M prof r orks for liversity |Bv Sarah Szuminski THE BATTALION With cultural diversity an uring, problematic issue ^fronting Texas A&M, Daniel mande z irks with ally, staff, |u(hts and minimi ty embers to reate a “cul- n t a 1 1 y Imobile” envi- on'meiu. hernan dez jf^W/iiduLils seek to under- Wd the rationale others have id (heir actions. Hike working with very dif- ipeople to bring cross cul- together,” said Hernandez, A&M associate vice chan- for community develop- “We have cultures (at M) that vary from A to Z.” pm to a family with seven fen who all went to A&M, nandez was destined to be Aggie. He graduated from Mwith a bachelor of arts in lical science in 1973 and on to earn a certificate in ncipal government and fed- programs at St. Mary’s v wsity before attaining a degree from Georgetown versity. Fernandez describes his role fe University as working institutions across A&M to them with organizations in eoniniunity. He does this ' u gb seminars and programs teach the importance of Ur al mobility and facilitat- mediating and negotiating t'onships. He said A&M has t Potential for being inclu- ar >d understanding differ- eultures because the con- °f the Aggie spirit is cul- ny mobile. Hernandez on page 2A Celebration STUART VILLANUEVA • THE BATTALION (From left)Tim Bailey, Bo Wilson, Scott Goble, Cardo Walthall and Jonathan Lusk celebrate the run-off election results Thursday night in front of the Academic building. Goble, Bailey and Lusk will join Wilson and Walthall as yell leaders next year. Corps yell candidates sweep runoff elections By Sarah Szuminski THE BATTALION Corps of Cadets nominees swept the runoff election for the three yell positions up for grabs Thursday, mark ing the first time in three years that all five yell leaders are Corps members. A large crowd of candidates, sup porters and students once again gath ered in anticipation at the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue Thursday night to hear the results of the student election runoffs. Scott Goble narrowly defeated Matt Giese in the runoff for senior yell, receiving 4,215 votes (53 per cent) to Giese’s 3,773 votes (47 per cent). Goble described the win as “mindblowing.” “The candidates I ran against were the best,” Goble, a junior philosophy major, said. “The victory was 100 per cent due to my staff.” Giese, a junior marketing major, said he and his campaign team had tried their best but came up short. “It’s all about who gets out there and votes,” he said. Jonathan Lusk and Tim Bailey won the two junior yell spots in a 4-way runoff with Joe Holloway and Charlie Lima. Lusk got 4,859 votes (32 per cent), Bailey won 4,268 votes (28 per cent), Holloway received 3,212 votes (21 percent) and Lima won 2,785 votes (18 percent). “Its such a great honor and privi lege,” Lusk, a sophomore agricultural development major, said. “There’s no way I’d be here without Jesus Christ, my personal Lord and savior.” Lusk said he would use the high profile position to set a positive exam ple for others. Lima, a sophomore sports man agement major, thanked supporters and said although he lost, he does not See Results on page 6A Chilifest safety a priority By Christina Hoffman THE BATTALION Planners of the often raucous Chilifest country music festival say they are working closely with law enforce ment officials to ensure greater security than in years past. “The focus was to make Chilifest better this year, not bigger,” said Chilifest organizer J.J. Trevino, a senior journalism major. More than 30,000 country music lovers are expected to attend the festival this weekend, April 5-6, in Snook. Trevino said organizers have been coop- We will have enough enforcement to ensure a clean and safe event.” — Gene Barber Burleson County Sheriff crating with the Burleson County Sheriff’s Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) since the early planning stages of the festival. To augment law enforcement, Chilifest, Inc. hired Southwest Concert Security, a Houston-based agency spe cializing in concert and large event security. “This is the biggest improvement of the year,” Trevino said. “The agency has awesome credentials and has experience working major events.” The large crowds, heavy traffic and lawlessness at the festival prompted law enforcement officials to consider mov ing the event out of rural Snook to allow a larger and better-equipped agency to handle the event. Burleson County Sheriff Gene Barber said working with Chilifest coordinators and adding other law See Chilifest on page 2A imit) as limits to t chang*- ^ fet Ofl ,/ r h . R A T V 1 Nf C R l A S E S ! N R l S t 1> l N C H A I L RENTS F O R I A I. I. 2 0 O 2 •An 4.7 S tncrp^se in r e s t «t e n t h.ill r; U«s will qo into "(feet in the Mil 2002. •This will provide 4 68 8.8 A 2 more dollar^ f or hall upkeep und staff salaries. •tor more info, visit http://restife.tamu.edu SOURCE: (h » D c part meet of Re s J d « « c *• Life ADRIAN CALCANEO - THE BATTALION Residence Life announces new hall rates By Araceli V. Garcia THE BATTALION After months of deliberation, the Department of Residence Life announced the final residence hall rates for Fall 2002, citing an increase due to insufficient funds for upkeep and repairs in the halls. According to the Department of Residence Life, rates increased' $95 for several of the modular style resident halls and Cain Hall, $75 for the Commons style halls, $57 for Fowler, Hughes, Keathley, Mclnnis and Schuhmacher halls, $15 for Hotard Hall and $54 for Briggs, Crocker, Davis-Gary, Kiest, Moore, Moses, Spence and Legett halls. The average hall rate increased by 4.7 percent. “The offset to this was that the money the University had to spend on summer renova tions was roughly only $6,000. The University is now having to play catch up,” said Associate Director of Residence Life Gerald Smith. See Rate on page 6A tudent Senate proposes absence bill Hill Hy C.E. Walters THE BATTALION lat ^. Was P ro Posed to the Student j e , ec ! n esday that could dramat- c ange how Senate absences d0c uniented. cu ebil l’ 'f passed, would replace f 0 ; ien t system of docking sena- r missed events with a cumula tive point system. The number of points needed would be determined by the Internal Affairs Committee, and senators would be reviewed at the middle and end of each semester. Under the present system, sena tors are removed from their positions after four unexcused absences from general assemblies or committee meetings. The proposed legislation would allow the Internal Affairs Committee to lower the cap of needed points or award points to senators based on extenuating circumstances. Carlton, a sophomore business major, said the new approach would be “designed to be flexible” and would replace a more passive, “stale system.” The point system, Carlton added. See Senate on page 6A IMSIOIE Sports Pg. 1B Aggies eke out victory over Bobcats AggieLife Pg. 3A Earning their ears Students mix business with pleasure through Disney internships WEATHER FORECASTS COURTESY OF v..,vv.. toiieaewsathex-cara