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5ATTAH,
Aggielife: Summer memories • Page 3
THE
Volume 108 • Issue 152 • 8 pages
Opinion: Essays on SATs • Page 7
108 Years Serving Texas A&M University
www.thebatt.com
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
UPD investigates possible hazing
11
BATTAUCA
:y Circus
Irena on
I’his is one of several photographs found on the Aggieland computer
erver. [Faces have been blurred in the photograph to maintain the
monymity of the participants.]
By Christina Hoffman
THE BATTALION
The University Police
Department (UPD) began an
official investigation Monday
morning into a possible hazing
incident after photographs of
Corps of Cadets members who
may have been involved were
found on the Aggieland comput
er server June 1 1.
Bob Wiatt, director of the
UPD, said the results of the inves
tigation will be released to the
Brazos County District Attorney’s
Office, which will determine if
charges should be filed.
According to an Aggieland
source, who asked not to be
identified, yearbook staff mem
bers found photos of what
appeared to be Corps members
in A-Battery hazing someone.
The photos involved men
stripping the person of his
clothes, blindfolding him and
duct taping his hands, arms and
legs together.
The photos were taken by
Anthony Yasser, a former Corps
member and senior engineering
technology major, the Aggieland
source said.
Yasser worked for the
Aggieland. The photos were
saved in Yasser’s personal folder
on the server in late April, accord
ing to the Aggieland source.
“It was my understanding
that the pictures were shot with
an Aggieland camera,” said
Maj. J. H. “Doc” Mills, media
relations coordinator for the
Corps of Cadets.
Wiatt said they have yet to
determine the exact dates the
photos where taken.
The photos could possibly be
linked with an alleged hazing
incident by junior officers in the
Aggie Band that also occurred
in late April.
Authorities caught several
juniors in Hensel Park when
they found sophomores blind
folded and their hands duct
taped behind their backs.
The Brazos County District
Attorney’s office did not file
charges from the April incident,
Wiatt said.
“There is some confusion to
whether if it was the same inci
dent or a different incident,”
Mills said. “It has not been
established 100 percent yet.”
Wiatt also did not confirm
that there was any connection
between the photos and the pos
sible hazing incident from April.
He could not say whether the
dates of the photos and the
reported hazing incident corre
sponded.
When the pictures were
found, they were first handed
over to Dr. Leroy Dorsey, inter
im head of the journalism
department on Wednesday.
Dorsey then gave them to Dean
See Photos on page 2
ates appoints interim
provost, executive dean
D
n
t(
11
By Kevin Espenlaub
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M President-des-
i nate Robert Gates announced
Monday that David Prior, the
current dean of geosciences,
‘^ill serve as the interim
provost and executive vice
president beginning Aug. I.
Prior will replace Ronald
'ouglas, who stepped down
from the position last week in
n effort to allow Gates to
choose who would serve in
the position.
Texas A&M Mother’s Club
donates scholarships
By Ruth Ihde
THE BATTALION
before G;
y holdiffi
n,” Cas
■'re goir.
legative a
Gorki Cup
” Quinn s
f from wit
other posii
al Mexicc
German;
I Money raised throughout the year by the
,1 Belgium 'fexas A&M Mother’s Club, also known as the
^iBggie Moms, will be given to many incoming
10ita,■^Iweshman and new students in the form of
n caromins scholarships.
led passu> ; Since 1922, Aggie Moms have provided a
erinthe’ ifetwork of support for students enrolling at
n ahead in 1&]V[ E ac p, year, the mother’s club raises
up. thousands of dollars to give to new students,
hing byk freshman and some returning students at the
and tv. start of the academic year.
This summer, the mother’s club is continu-
enegalesn ihg to proving SU pp 0 rt with a Howdy party for
j0ew students, transfer students and their par-
a great da; ents in order to get better acquainted with each
Dembak other and familiarize themselves with A&M
io scream, student life and traditions.
;andscootr Becky Erikson, president of the Baytown
Aggie Mom’s Club for 2001-2002, said the
fflell Leaders and Reveille usually make an
appearance at their Howdy parties to explain
“I am delighted to be able
to work with President Gates
in my new position,” Prior
said. “[Gates] has great vision
and a list of things he hopes to
accomplish when he begins,
and 1 look forward to assisting
him in any way possible.”
Gates announced that
Douglas will remain at A&M
to serve as a counselor to the
President through the fall
semester.
“I have worked with Ron
Douglas for several years now
and I have great respect for
him and for what he has
accomplished for this
University,” Prior said.
“President Gates and I look
forward to working with his
counsel to create a smooth
transition for the next school
year.”
Prior will be responsible
for overseeing all academic
programs. University opera
tions and creating budgets for
each of the University’s
See Prior on page 2
all of the A&M traditions to the new parents
and students. The newcomers also get a chance
to learn some of the yells and practice with the
Yell Leaders before football season starts.
The Aggie Mom’s Club is a non-profit
organization that utilizes the funds raised to
give scholarships and financial support to
organizations on campus.
Currently, the Federation of Aggie Mom’s
Clubs includes 120 organizations and an esti
mated membership of 8,700 women, located
primarily in the state of Texas.
A&M is the only university in the United
States that has an organization of mothers ded
icated to the support of students and the pro
motion of the University.
The funds raised throughout the year are
used in various ways by each organization
depending on how much is raised, but they all
donate a substantial amount of scholarship
money to A&M students, said Diane Grey,
See Aggie Moms on page 2
Police games
Austin police officer, Michelle Gish, guides her
horse through the tire step portion of the horse
obstacle course at the Freeman Area in College
Station. The obstacle course is one of many
competitions for the annual Police Games held
RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION
in College Station. The Police Games last the
whole week and include golf tournaments,
track and field and other competitions and cel
ebrations. The games involve police from all
over Texas.
, sweet shop improves
,, volley^
ourts
: facility
iance&
all!
9
By Melissa McKeon
THE BATTALION
f|8 Renovations have been made to
the MSC Bookstore and Sweet Shop,
making them more welcoming to stu-
cknts and visitors.
H The most noticeable change is the
absence of the software department
and the expansion of the Sweet Shop.
I “The school supply section was
reduced and software became a com
ponent of school supplies,” said Mark
llpkhart, general manager of the MSC
Bookstore. “This allows us to serve
our customers better without having a
separate store staffed.”
I Students can now enter through the
sweet shop, renamed “Aggie Express,’
walk directly into the bookstore.
| The impact of the changes will be
most noticeable and beneficial during
• 1 |>me football game days.
B “The change during game days
w ill be huge,” Eckhart said. “The
checkout counters used to block both
entrances and employees had their
bjacks to the customers. Now we ve
abided more checkouts on the sales
||Por and reconfigured them to
Church group stranded in Peru
JOSHUA HOBSON • THE BATTALION
In the newly renovated Aggie Express, Matthew Ede rings up purchases
made by senior management major Sophie Olyniec and senior math major
Robert Duong.
improve customer traffic flow.”
The main hallway of the bookstore
now has six registers where previous
ly there were three.
“This allows for more products to
be accessible to shoppers while elimi
nating customers fighting to get in and
out of the bookstore,” Eckhart said.
Another main improvement to the
bookstore is the environment.
“The store has the look and feel of
what our customers are expecting to
shop in. Everything [in the store]
See Renovation on page 2
LIMA, Peru (AP) —A
helicopter flew 11
American missionaries to
a military base Sunday
after they were stranded
by anti-government
protests in a city in Peru’s
Andes Mountains, author
ities said.
The members of the
Cash Point Baptist Church
in Ardmore, Tenn. had
been trapped in the airport
at Arequipa, Peru’s sec
ond largest city, over the
weekend after demonstra
tors opposing the sale of
two state electricity com
panies rioted, blocked
roads and hurled rocks on
the runway, forcing the
cancellation of flights.
Eight other missionar
ies had earlier caught a
flight to Lima.
The government
declared a state of emer
gency Sunday in the
department of Arequipa,
meaning the region will
be under military rule for
30 days. Rioting over the
weekend left 96 people
injured, but the Americans
were reported safe. The
airport remains closed.
Pastor Kevin Shearer,
his wife, three daughters
and church members had
flown to Lima on June 7,
and went to Arequipa,
about 465 miles to the
southeast, to offer Bible
study classes to locals.
They were scheduled
to fly home on Saturday,
but on Friday the protests
against the sale of the
regional electricity com
panies erupted. A general
strike has also paralyzed
Arequipa.
“Mr. Shearer and the
other missionaries were
flown to La Joya by heli
copter,” said Yanessa
Obando, an official at
Arequipa’s airport. “From
there they will go to Lima
when it is possible.”
The La Joya base is
about 30 miles outside
Arequipa.
The eight church mem
bers who made it to Lima
planned to stay in the
country until all of them
could be reunited, church
member Deda McCown
told The Associated Press.
“One of the girls in the
group just called and told
us they were safe,”
McCown said. They were
among some 30
Americans moved from
the airport, “which had
become unstable,” said
McCown of Toney, Ala.
“Our prayers are that
they’ll get out of there
soon,” McCown said.
Clayton Allen of
Lincoln County, Tenn.,
one of the missionaries,
had managed to call his
county executive Sunday
morning, who then con
tacted the office of Sen.
Bill Frist, R-Tenn.