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OPINION: Severing international ties • Page 11 Acgieufe: Trading faces • Page 3
B ATT ALI0
Volume 109 • Issue 110 • 12 pages Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Thursday, March 6, 2003
Task force investigates step show disturbance
Hodge said there had been a series of alterca
tions throughout the night, but such incidents were
not unusual at a party of that size.
Parrott said the task force will conclude its
inquiry in May with recommendations to pre
vent disturbances at future Greek Olympiad
events. The annual event is an asset to the
University, Parrott said.
“My hope is that (Greek Olympiad) can be held
in a safe and secure manner,” Parrott said.
Fraternity spokesman Maco Faniel said the
See Olympiad on page 2
By Rolando Garcia
THE BATTALION
University officials are investigating the cause
of the Feb. 22 disturbance that ended the Greek
Olympiad Step Show competition after-party in a
series of fights and gunshots.
Dean of Student Life Dr. Dave Parrott will act
as co-chair, along with Director of Special
Facilities Steve Hodge, for a task force to
improve security at the annual event. The com
mittee will include members of the Kappa Alpha
Psi fraternity, which sponsors the step show.
The party in Reed Arena following the compe
tition ended early after drinking, drugs and fight
ing sparked disturbances that sent the approxi
mately 5,500 partygoers racing to the exits,
according to the University Police Department.
UPD requested the assistance of the Brazos
County Sheriff’s Office and the College Station
Police Department, calling for all available units.
Gunshots were fired in the parking lot, and there
were several robberies reported in the vicinity of
the arena after the party ended.
Hodge said he decided to end the party after
fights had broken out on the floor and people
began leaving the arena en masse. He directed
his staff to turn the lights on and open exits to
prevent a bottleneck.
“We opened doors we don’t usually open to
make sure people got out safely,” Hodge said.
In addition to six police officers at the event,
about 100 arena staff were providing security at
the party, Hodge said. The party, the largest held
each year in Reed Arena, may be too large, mean
ing future attendance may be scaled back, he said.
“In hindsight, we probably wouldn’t sell as
many tickets,” Hodge said.
95 bin Laden
links convicted
By Scheherezade Farmarzi
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Saudi Arabia
has convicted 95 people of
being linked to al-Qaida leader
Osama bin Laden and sentenced
them to prison terms of one to
three years, a Saudi human
rights campaigner said
The 95 were convicted of
charges that included belong
ing to or supporting al-Qaida,
and received sentences from
one to three years, al-Khamis
said late last week.
Saudi authorities are hold
ing 400 others in jail,
Abdelaziz al-Khamis, head of
the London-based Saudi
Center for Human Rights
Studies, said in an interview.
He said authorities had
detained a total of 2,500 for
questioning since the Sept. 11
attacks on the United States,
most in the past three months as
the United States geared up for
possible war against Iraq.
Government officials weren’t
immediately available for com
ment. A press office spokes
woman at the Saudi Embassy in
Washington D.C., who did not
give her name, said officials
who could discuss the subject
had left for the night.
Instead of holding trials, a
cleric who had read official
intelligence reports “came to
the prison cells, asked the pris
oners a few questions and sen
tenced them on the spot,” al-
Khamis said.
He said his London-based
center, established in
September, has 3,700 members
— including doctors, lawyers,
journalists, government officials
and a judge — working clandes
tinely inside Saudi Arabia to
provide information about
human rights abuses.
Saudi authorities were not
available for comment late
Wednesday.
The kingdom said last month
it had referred 90 Saudis to trial
for alleged al-Qaida ties and that
250 Saudi suspects were under
investigation.
Saudi Interior Minister
Prince Nayef also said at the
time that more than 150 Saudi
suspects had been released after
being cleared of terror connec
tions. The announcement was
the first word of Saudi proceed
ings connected to post-Sept. 11
crackdowns.
Saudi Arabia was the home-
See Links on page 2
She said yes
ALISSA HOLLIMON • THE BATTALION
Senior engineering major Vince Damon shows the engage- science major, on Wednesday afternoon under the Century
ment ring to new financee Lindsay Askins, a junior animal Tree. He proposed with an Aggie ring box
Gates: Student fee will not be raised
ADAM A. KRAZER ‘ THE BATTALION
Texas A&M President Robert Gates addresses
the Student Senate at its meeting Wednesday
evening.
By Brad Bennett
THE BATTALION
A&M President Dr. Robert
Gates said the University can
surpass other schools in national
ranking despite budget cuts if
the University prioritized fund
ing and hired more faculty, and
also pledged to heed student
opinion this year and not raise
the student service fee.
“The greatest opportunities
come at the toughest times to
those who are willing to be
bold,” Gates said Wednesday
during a question-and-answer
session with the Student Senate.
Gates explained at the begin-
ing of the meeting about conse
quences of the recent fee
increases being voted down by
students. He said the computer
service and student services fees
will not be increased this year
because of student wishes but
will be enforced eventually.
Michael Konopacki said that
Gates not enacting the fees
shows his commitment to the
students.
“I was very impressed that
President Gates followed stu
dent input and didn’t increase
the computer fee,” said
Konopacki, Veterinary Medicine
senator and senior biomedical
science major.
Most of the questions
focused on how the budget
restraints will affect students.
Gates was optimistic about
A&M’s ability to deal with the
budget problems which he said
are also affecting schools across
the country, some with greater
financial problems than A&M.
Gates said that if A&M
becomes more efficient it can
put together the resources to
hire more faculty as other
schools reduce the size of their
faculty.
“Because of these budget
See Gates on page 2
Professors protest war with Iraq
By Lecia Baker
THE BATTALION
A group of A&M professors
staged an antiwar protest
Wednesday afternoon, urging a
peaceful resolution to the con
frontation with Iraq.
About two dozen professors,
clad in black to symbolize their
opposition to the war, gathered
in the Academic Plaza for a
“teach-in” and discussed their
views with passersby.
“We want to discuss alterna
tive ways to engage in the situa
tion in Iraq, but we also want to
discuss North Korea and other
global situations in ways that
result in peaceful resolutions to
conflict,” said Dr. Patrick
Slattery, an education professor.
Dr. George Welch, a physics
professor, said he hoped more
antiwar protests would mobilize
public opinion against military
action in Iraq and force world
leaders to take notice.
“A push toward a war is a big
mistake,” Welch said.
Ray White, a Vietnam war
veteran and Class of 1985, said
he was protesting American pol
icy because the United States
does not have a just cause for war
against Iraq, and said other alter
natives should be explored. He
warned that ravages of war could
leave lasting effects on American
soldiers, and leave a bitter legacy
much like the Vietnam conflict.
“There will be a hole in their
souls,” he said.
Some students attended the
protest to discuss their feelings
toward war. Tanya Mounsey, a
junior theater arts major, said
she was not against military
action, but wanted to learn more
about the issue.
“There are different points of
view that students should
become educated about so they
will be able to make their own
decisions,” Mounsey said.
Michael Loudermilk, a junior
history major, has a brother in
the armed forces who is sta
tioned in Kuwait. He said he sup
ports the military but also wants
to consider antiwar perspectives.
“It’s important to understand
issues connected to the war, and
to know what my brother is
fighting for,” Loudermilk said.
The protesters’ discussion
group ended at 2 p.m., and was
followed by a demonstration
for peace at 4 p.m. and a can
dlelight vigil at 6 p.m.
Members of the A&M chap
ter of Young Conservatives of
Texas are countering the antiwar
events by wearing red, white and
See Protest on page 2
ALISSA HOLLIMON • THE BATTALION
A&M music professor Harry Berger and others
protest the United States going to war outside
the Academic building Wednesday afternoon.
ADAM A. KRAZER • THE BATTALION
Dr. Joseph G. Dawson, a professor of histo
ry, discusses the development of nuclear
capabilities in North Korea.
Experts consider
N. Korean threat
By Janet McLaren
THE BATTALION
The United States must work to ease ten
sions with North Korea and prevent the emer
gence of another nuclear threat, national
security experts at Texas A&M said during a
panel discussion Wednesday on U.S. rela
tions with North Korea.
A&M faculty members answered questions
and discussed the threat that North Korea poses
to the United States and explained the history
of the United States’ conflict with the commu
nist regime at a forum sponsored by the
Memorial Student Center Wiley Lecture
Series.
Col. Joseph Cerami, a lecturer in national
security policy at the George Bush School of
Government and Public Service, said the pos
sibility of a North Korean attack is a concern
for the United States.
“North Korea has missiles that could
potentially hit the Western U.S.,” Cerami said.
Dr. Joseph G. Dawson, professor of histo
ry and director of the A&M Military Studies
See Korea on page 2