Sports: Cardinals mourn death of pitcher • Paqe 3 Opinion: MTV deserves to be sued • Page 7
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Volume 108
Issue 155 • 8 pages
108 Years Serving Texas A&M University
www.thebatt.com
Monday, June 24, 2002
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UPD investigation finds no criminal hazing
By Christina Hoffman
THE BATTALION
Brazos County Attorney Jim
Kuboviak reviewed the University
Police Department’s (UPD) prelimi
nary investigation results stemming
from allegations of hazing involving
Corps of Cadets members of A-
Battery and decided against any crim
inal charges, said Bob Wiatt, director
of UPD.
The University will continue the
investigation in order to determine if
the hazing incident was in violation of
any University rules. Wiatt said.
UPD began an investigation June 17
after photographs of Corps members,
found on the Aggieland computer serv
er June 11, showed a man being
stripped, blindfolded and duct taped.
Wiatt said Kuboviak reviewed the
photos and preliminary results and
determined that the hazing incident was
not a criminal matter.
The preliminary investigation
included interviews with eight people
who indicated consensual action with
no injuries or complaints, Wiatt said.
“There were no elements of criminal
hazing,” Wiatt said. “[Criminal hazing]
either has to be against a person’s will
or cause injury.”
The investigation also found that the
pictures were taken during two separate
incidents on April 3 and 22, Wiatt said.
The investigation also found the
incidents of April 3 and 22 to be com
pletely separate from another incident
in late April when authorities caught
several juniors from the Aggie Band in
Hensel Park with sophomores blind
folded and their hands duct taped
behind their backs.
Vice President for Student Affairs Dr.
J. Malon Southerland said the University
will begin its investigation next week
after UPD turns over the case.
“The case investigation will be
handled by the Department of Student
Life and the student conflict resolu
tion center with a representative from
the Commandant’s office,”
Southerland said.
The University will issue charge let
ters and conduct hearings as needed
during the investigation, he said.
The University Student Rules list a
detailed definition of hazing on- or off-
campus and any sanctions involved
from a violation of the rules.
Southerland said he cannot specu
late on what sanctions may or may not
be issued because there is great varia
tion in the rules and punishments.
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Flight training
RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION
Certified flight instructor and senior economics major Jordan
Hans steps into a multi-engine Piper Seneca at the Easterwood
airport in College Station. Hans trains future pilots with the
Piper Seneca and other entry level planes such as a Cessna 172.
Administrators want dismissal from
federal Bonfire lawsuits against them
Staff & Wire Reports
, Texas A&M University
ladministrators want to be dis-
jmissed from federal lawsuits
jfiled against them in response to
Ithe 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse.
I However, the plaintiffs say the
ladministrators should not be
Ireleased because they deliberate-
jly placed students in harm’s way.
I The recent court filings will
jbe considered by a federal judge
jin Galveston who is reviewing
Iwhether six wrongful death and
jinjury lawsuits can proceed
against A&M administrators,
including outgoing President Dr.
Ray M. Bowen and four other
school officials. A ruling is
expected by the end of next
month. The Bryan-College
Station Eagle reported Sunday.
Plaintiffs in some of the law
suits say A&M administrators
intentionally limited their over
sight of the project and its
design to avoid legal liability for
any accident.
“Knowing they had put star
ry-eyed students in charge of
this dangerous campus project,
the defendants deliberately pro
vided no supervision,” the
plaintiffs claim.
The administrators’ defense
attorneys claim collapse vic
tims’ families cannot prove their
claims and that school officials
are immune from the lawsuits.
The Bonfire tradition was sus
pended after 12 Aggies died and
27 others were injured when the
massive 59-foot, wedding cake-
style stack of more than 5,000
logs collapsed on Nov. 18, 1999
as students worked to construct it.
The lawsuits name Bowen, J.
Malon Southerland, the schools’
vice president for student
affairs; John Koldus, former
vice president for student affairs
and Russell Thompson and
William Kibler, both of whom
worked as Bonfire advisers.
Bowen said he and the other
administrators involved in the
lawsuit were advised by their
lawyers not to comment on any
issues concerning the legal
proceedings.
The lawsuits also name for
mer red pots and top student
leaders as defendants.
The Texas Attorney
See Lawsuits on page 2
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By Ruth Ihde
THE BATTALION
The Student Counseling Services (SCS)
will be offering an Open House this summer
to students attending the New Student
Conferences. Every Monday and
Wednesday, the SCS will start a new work
shop for new students and their parents.
This will allow the students and parents
to be introduced to the center and receive
information regarding the benefits and
services of the center, said Dr. Maggie
Olona, the director of SCS and a counsel
ing psychologist.
The workshop is two days long and was
designed to make the students feel comfort
able with coming to the center whenever
they need help with their first year at Texas
A&M, she said.
The SCS is also starting a new transition
group for freshmen to discuss issues in stu
dents' lives and how they can ease the shift
from high school to college.
Olona said the goal of the Student
Counseling Service is to assist students in
achieving as much success as possible while
attending A&M.
Olona said the SCS stays in tune with the
students’ changing concerns through email,
the suggestion box located in the center, or
general issues that are discussed with the
volunteers at the center.
The SCS tries to provide help with cur
rent issues as well, such as deaths of family
or friends, rape and other crisis situations.
“Providing direct service is the number
one thing,” Olona said, “We try to stay
responsive to what’s happening.”
In order to improve the SCS this fall, it
is trying to hire staff with doctorate
degrees, she said.
However, personal counseling is not the
only service offered by the SCS.
The SCS also provides help with choos
ing a major, study skills improvement,
career planning and crisis intervention.
The SCS will also offer a new computer
program called Pinpoint. Olona said.
The Pinpoint software is designed to aid
students in finding potential interests
regarding college and careers.
The program is set up to look like the
inside of an airplane, and students listen to
conversations going on among passengers
on the plane.
The computer makes suggestions on
what the student may be interested in
based on where the student chooses to sit
and whom they choose to sit by.
The SCS also offers the Discovery pro
gram, which helps students learn about
fields they might enjoy. The program is
designed like a building with different halls
for students to enter, Olona said.
Each hall represents a different option
students can choose to learn about them
selves, which occupation they might enjoy,
the education plan that is best for them and
their plans for work.
Based on which hall they choose, the
user is asked specific multiple choice ques
tions which are interpreted by the computer
to give the students an idea of what they will
benefit most from, Olona said.
New Commandant
for Corps named
By Jessi Watkins
THE BATTALION
Lt. Gen. John A. Van Alstyne,
Class of 1966, was named the
38th Commandant for Texas
A&M’s Corps of Cadets on
Thursday afternoon.
Van Alstyne, currently the
deputy assistant secretary of
defense for military personnel
policy, will succeed Maj. Gen.
Ted Hopgood.
Hopgood retired May 31 after
serving six years as Commandant.
Van Alstyne said after work
ing in the Army for 36 years, the
only thing that could take him
away from his current position is
serving as the Commandant at
Texas A&M.
“I feel I can make a contribu
tion to this University,” Van
Alstyne said. “I am overcome
with excitement and invigorated
to work with |A&M students].”
Van Alstyne said he intends
to push the Corps to focus on
“basic leadership, recruiting,
retention and convincing young
Americans that being part of the
A&M system will push them
towards their goals.”
“The search committee had
extensive interviews with both
individuals during the course of
three days of interviewing,” said
Texas A&M Vice President for
Student Affairs Dr. J. Malon
Southerland. “We had two terrif
ically outstanding candidates.
“General Van Alstyne was
offered the position. We look
forward to his leadership and
new perspective.”
Van Alstyne will arrive on
campus approximately two weeks
2002 semester
begins and
before the
Corps resumes
full operations.
Southerland
said the exact
date Van
Alstyne will
assume his
new duties has
yet to be final-
Van Alstyne graduated from
A&M with a degree in business
administration. He received his
masters of science in military
science from the U.S. Army
Command and General Staff
College in 1975 and later
received his masters of art from
the U.S. Naval War College in
national security and strategic
studies in 1986.
As deputy assistant secretary
of defense for military person
nel, he established and com
manded the Department of
See Corps on page 2
before the Fall
VAN ALSTYNE
Faculty, staff survey
results now available
By Lauren Bauml
THE BATTALION
The 2001 Faculty and Staff Work Life Satisfaction Surveys
(WLSS) are now available to the public via the Internet. 7
The Office of the Dean of Faculties and Human Resource
Department have joined with the Computing and Information
Services and Office of Measurement and Research to produce a
survey so the faculty, professional and support staff of Texas
A&M can voice opinions concerning needed reform on campus.
The overall consensus, which stems from a similar survey
administered in 1999, is that A&M is not holding the strong
minority faculty members needed to diversify its staff, said Dr.
Karen Watson, dean of faculties. '4
She said there is a growing number of uncomfortable work
environments being produced.
Thirteen percent of current staff and faculty members cited an
experience of discrimination within the past year, compared to
12 percent in 1999. y ^
Less than 50 percent of faculty and staff members feel minori
ties are respected by peers, students and the administration. This
creates a building obstacle when recruiting minority staff mem
bers, Watson said.
“Only 16 percent of those surveyed felt A&M did not need
to increase the number of minority faculty members.” said
Watson. "The University is not specifically to blame, but rather
the community.” „
It is a shame because A&M is losing the option of having
respected faculty and staff members, she said.
Watson said both the faculty and staff departments received
two increasingly personalized surveys, which focused on the level
of satisfaction with regard to a range of issues that are important
in the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff members.
The results of 1999 differed from those of 2001 with only
minor, upward shifts in general satisfaction with pay, balancing
family and professional life and choosing to stay in their current
position at A&M.
“(Otherwise) the aspects of the survey that people were dis
satisfied with in 1999 are still found to be problems in 2001,”
Watson said.
It is difficult to determine what has and has not changed
because each change is done by department, Watson said. This j
survey will help determine any necessary reform across the j
entire campus. j