The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 07, 2002, Image 1

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Volume 109 • Issue 27-12 pages
www.thebatt.coni
Monday, October 7, 2002
Families
By Rolando Garcia
THE BATTALION
Families of six college students killed
in an auto accident three years ago in
College Station are taking their case to
the public. They are demanding that
Texas A&M, one of the parties they say
is indirectly responsible for their chil
dren’s deaths, be held accountable.
The Oct. 10, 1999, incident occurred
when Brandon Kallmeyer, then a fresh
man in the Corps of Cadets, lost control
of his vehicle and veered off FM 60,
blame pot bashing for TKE deaths
killing the six students as they walked
along the shoulder of the road on their
way to a fraternity party.
It was reported at the time that
Kallmeyer fell asleep at the wheel, but
evidence uncovered during litigation
suggests a concussion Kallmeyer suf
fered during a hazing ritual the night
before may have caused the accident.
The families sued Kallmeyer and
the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) frater
nity, which they say did not provide
adequate parking for its guests, forc
ing them to park on the shoulder of
the highway and walk alongside mov
ing traffic. The suit was filed in the
spring of 2000 in a Harris County
court but dismissed in 2001 by the
trial judge before it reached trial, a
decision upheld by a state appellate
court in April.
Unless the Texas Supreme Court
reverses the dismissal, the case will be
closed, and the families say that could
be a bitter pill to swallow.
TKE was disbanded in February
after several unrelated incidents that
were not made public. The fraternity is
suspended until June 2004.
“It’s time we got the true story out in
the open,” said Larry Calp, whose
daughter, Tricia, was one of the victims.
The accident occurred the weekend
of the A&M-Baylor University football
game, and four of the victims, includ
ing Calp, attended Baylor. One student
attended A&M and another attended
Southwest Texas State University.
Larry Calp said Kallmeyer didn’t fall
asleep, but blacked out as a result of an
injury sustained during an activity
known as “pot bashing,” in which fresh
men in the Corps put on their Bonfire
helmets and allow other Corps members
to strike them on the head, ostensibly to
make sure the helmets work.
Kallmeyer said in an interview last
week that he participated in pot bashing
the night of Oct. 9, 1999. The inside
lining of his helmet had been removed,
so that when he put it on, the metal hel
met rested directly against his head,
Kallmeyer said.
Pot bashing was a long standing
See Deaths on page 2
Remember
Riley Griffen (left) and Chris Griffen (right) take a closer look at the
"Remembering September 11th" memorial exhibit at the George
JOHN C. LIVAS • THE BATTALION
Bush Presidential Library and Museum. The exhibit includes an exclu
sive showing of the tattered American flag found at Ground Zero.
Jobs for Aggies
provides free
online service
By Sarah Darr
THE BATTALION
Jobs for Aggies, a new comprehensive online database,
was introduced last month by the A&M Department of
Student Financial Aid to help students find jobs.
The online service is free for students Und employers,
and there is no registration required for students, although
there is for employers, said Nora Cargo, assistant director
of Student Financial Aid.
“This database is to help students fund their education
while they are in school,” Cargo said. “The services are for
all A&M students, not just those on financial aid.”
Students need to fill out a personal data sheet with basic
resume information such as education, employment histo
ry and basic skills. Cargo said. Students can browse the
database and find job listings they are interested in, then
fill out a data sheet for each one and add a cover letter.
The cover letter should explain why they are interest
ed in that position and why the employer should hire
them, she said.
Once students have applied for the job online, they can
check back for an update on whether the position has been
filled or not. Cargo said.
Jobs for Aggies’ focus right now is to get more off-cam
pus jobs on the site, said Dan Mason, employer relations
coordinator.
“We want to give students as many opportunities as
possible for jobs, “ Mason said.
Having both on- and off-campus jobs available for
See Jobs on page 2
Alcohol Awareness Week provides alternatives to drinking
By Sarah Runnels
THE BATTALION
Excessive underage drinking and
alcohol poisoning are issues that need
t0 brought to everyone’s attention
at Texas A&M, said Dennis Reardon,
senior coordinator for the Alcohol
and Drug Education Program.
Alcohol affects relationships, the
choices people make, who you go
out with, who you leave with and the
htngs you do,” Reardon said.
,. There are a lot of students who
ink there is nothing else to do on
and off campus except drink,”
eardon said. “But there are, you
just have to use your imagination.”
Erin Mazur, freshman business
major, said she has met some of the
coolest people at A&M while drink
ing with a group.
“Alcohol is definitely much more
obtainable here and easier to take part
in considering all the freedom you are
given in college,” Mazur said.
Mazur said that drinking in col
lege gives one a better chance at get
ting to know people, but only when
it’s done in moderation.
Brent Henke, a junior marketing
major, said he enjoys an occasional
drink, but does not see the point in
getting drunk when he can have a
good time with one or two drinks, or
none at all.
“All my friends understand that I
don’t want to drink, so I have never
felt any pressure and 1 never have to
worry about the law this way,”
Henke said.
The purpose of Aggie Alcohol
Awareness Week is to make students
aware of the effects alcohol has on
the choices they make and how it
effects their studies, Reardon said.
Students’ abuse of alcohol usual
ly affects their grades first, and it is
involved in 30 percent of college
dropouts, he said.
“Our office is not here to tell you
not to drink, but to give you the edu
cation to make responsible choices for
yourself,” said Cynthia Olvera, coor
dinator of campus events at Texas
A&M. “It is astounding how many
students really don’t know the signs of
alcohol poisoning and how to take
care of friends that are intoxicated.”
Reardon said the most common
way for students to be injured when
alcohol is involved is in a vehicle.
For this reason, Aggie Alcohol
Awareness Week has adopted
NASCAR’s theme of, “Are you in
the driver’s seat?”
Even with services such as CAR-
POOL, a student-run safe ride service,
the number of students drinking and
driving is still very high, Olvera said.
See Alcohol on page 2
Alcohol Awareness Week events
Monday & Wednesday
• Resource tables at Rudder Fountain
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Tuesday
* Fact Flags on display in the
MSC Flag Room
* Mark Sterner speaks about
drinking and driving consequences
at Rudder Auditorium, 7p.m.
Thursday
* Mothers Against Drunk Driving
resource tables at Rudder Fountain '
TRAVIS SWENSON • THE BATTALION
Time capsule buried at Cain Park
JP BEATO III • THE BATTALION
th a p ra r I WUson " An S ,in ( left X representative of
Gat 355 °. f 1998 ' looks on as Dr - Robert M -
of Tnn^ r ' s ® urbam ' president of the Class
ru anc l Enn Bennet, president of the
p a . s 2 °03, lower the time capsule at Cain
frnrr, i turda y morning. The capsule was a gift
Tr °m the Class of 1998.
By Lecia Baker
THE BATTALION
The 125th anniversary of Texas A&M came to
a close Saturday as the University buried a time
capsule to be unearthed 74 years from now.
A ceremony led by President Dr. Robert M.
Gates was held at Cain Park on Saturday where
the capsule, containing mementos from 28 A&M
departments, was buried. The capsule will be
uncovered in 2076, the University’s 200th
anniversary.
The message the time capsule will leave to our
successors is: “This is who we are and this is our
message in time,” Gates said.
He said the items enclosed in the capsule rep
resented the timeless Aggie spirit.
“The time capsule will provide future faculty,
staff, students and other members of the Texas
A&M family the opportunity to take a brief glance
back on the institution’s array of accomplishments
and distinguished history,” Gates said.
Luke Altendorf, senior associate director of the
Memorial Student Center, chaired the time cap
sule committee. Altendorf said the time capsule is
a move from the 125th anniversary to the future.
Texas A&M is about character, integrity and ethical
See Time Capsule on page 2
UT football game to be shown
on Jumbotron at Kyle Field
By Rob Phillips
THE BATTALION
This Thanksgiving, Aggie
fans can enjoy the Texas A&M-
University of Texas football
game at Kyle Field, despite the
fact that this year’s contest will
be decided in Austin.
The 2002 Aggieland
Thanksgiving Weekend gives
Aggies a chance to stay home
and watch the game at Kyle Field
on the stadium’s Jumbotron.
Tickets in The Zone are $ 15 and
lower-deck tickets are $5.
Students can use their sports pass
to sit in the lower deck.
The weekend will also
include a variety of tours and
contests throughout Bryan-
College Station.
The event was organized
partially due to lack of visitor
tickets for the game in Austin.
This year’s number of available
tickets dropped from 7,000 to
the Big 12 Conference mini
mum of 4,000.
“We hope opening the the
Zone Club will enable some
Aggie fans that do not go to the
game in Austin to come to the
College Station area and see
sights on campus and the com
munity,” said Penny King, sen
ior associate athletics director
for business at A&M.
The Brazos Valley Sports
Foundation and A&M’s
Athletic Department are host
ing the festivities.
Tiffani Drake, director of the
Brazos Valley Sports
Foundation, said the event tar
gets both current and former
students as well as the Bryan-
College Station community.
Those who sign up for a
weekend package will receive a
two-night stay at a local hotel,
tickets to watch the game inside
Kyle Field’s Zone Club, admis
sion to the A&M Women’s
Basketball Tournament, tour of
the George Bush Presidential
Library and commemorative T-
shirt.
Both packages are available
for singles, couples and families.
The Traditions package offers
accommodations at the College
Station Hilton, Holiday Inn
Express, Ramada Inn Aggieland,
Quality Suites and Super 8. The
Reveille Package offers accom
modations at Best Western, Kiva
Inn and La Quinta.
Drake says she hopes the
new event will join the long list
of Aggie traditions.
“This first year if we have
500 people, it’s a start,” Drake
said. “We’d like to build on it
from year to year.”
Activities around the area
See Game on page 2