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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2003)
NEWS THE BATTALION iting :s will say and do any- id their constitutional including name callin» : of state. hem call names and™ see fit but the people of : with their tactics anil ;m fulfill their responsi- i said. i approve a redistrictt ig the regular legislative le first special session, c called lawmakers bad special session to in ;rats, however, fled lo efore he called the ses- ence has blocked a quo- late, preventing the law- tyed in Austin from tab in the chamber. •ats have pledged to slay until the second 30-day is over at the end of tie Aggielife: On the road again • Page 3 Opinion: Questionable intelligence? • Page 5 A&M fine arts budget cut by $86K By Sarah Szuminski THE BATTALION The Department of Performance Studies will lose $86,000 of its budget for the 2003-2004 fiscal year, as Texas A&M administrators respond to a decrease in state fund ing coupled with increases in other expenses. College of Liberal Arts Dean Charles Johnson said performance studies was not singled out for a budget cut; rather, all departments and offices within Liberal Arts faced cuts to make up for the $1.5 million reduction in the college’s budget, a 4.3 percent decrease. “The effect on music and theater arts majors will be minimal since we are not canceling any classes,” said Peter Lieuwen, professor and head of the performance studies depart ment. “We do not intend to limit the enrollment of new majors as a result of the budget reduction.” Although $10,000 will be taken from performance studies’ produc tion fund, Lieuwen said, theater majors will still have adequate opportunities to perform. In past years, this fund has ranged from $7,000 to $20,000. “The theater program in the Department of Performance Studies will be able to produce several plays next year due to funding from stu dent activities and box office rev enue,” he said. “Normally, we pro duce two to four main stage produc tions in Rudder Forum and several smaller shows in the Wenck Fallout Theatre in the Blocker Building.” The remaining $76,000 will come from reduced administrative costs, the departmental operating budget and a faculty departure, Lieuwen said. In a June memo, A&M President Robert M. Gates outlined the University’s budget issues and explained the need for cuts and a tuition increase. “Even after taking into account See Performance on page 2 Department of Performance Studies Will exprience an $86,000 reduction in its budget Will still produce several plays next year No classes will be cancelled RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMANCE STUDIES igence ■ threat pie who come to is year also have a gov- ligence task to perform, y- anks China as the great- e threat to the United icxt 10 years to 15 yean, iired out that what they ghout the United Stales, bassies, not just con- id Szady, FBI assistant ounterintelligence, si w with The Associated major effort.” 3t alone. Russia remains power, and the United mst be vigilant against uch as Iran and Nortl dly countries such as idia also pose a threat. 40,000 foreign diplo- s in the United States, m are intelligence offi- •abia alone has900offt- ountry. pionage can range from here an aerospace com- s gyroscopes for said- ializing with a U.S- •ch scientist in hopesof s of knowledge. In one adhesive maker Aveiy lated a $50 million loss Id company secrets to a nglomerate. r at... nents Dors, town. aay-Friday v till 5pm 1325 t: hents.com bmt.com TX 77840 -6:00pm (979)764-1844 IE. Oil FILTER Task force seeks student opinion in energy push By Karen Yancey THE BATTALION Student input is vital when beginning the campus energy awareness program, said John Weese, a regents professor who leads the temporary Energy Task Force. A campus energy awareness program was recom mended in a report from the task force, a group appointed by Charles Sippial, vice president of oper ations, to come up with ways to reduce energy con sumption on the Texas A&M campus. The report said the campus energy awareness push should be a multi-faceted communications program that comes up with creative ways to gain people’s interest in energy conservation. Weese said the program will involve everyone on campus, but the program needs student opinion. “Students will inherently come up with ways of communicating that do not occur to faculty,” he said. “If we work together with students we will come up See Energy on page 2 RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE: ENERGY TASK FORCE Shopping for beginners SHARON AESCHBACH • THE BATTALION Two-year-old Hunter Anderson of Bryan rings up plastic fruit from his Children's Museum that allows children to paint, make music, learn shopping cart Monday afternoon at the Children's Museum of the to shop and be a doctor. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brazos Valley. The grocery store is one of the stations set up at the Monday through Saturday. African peacekeeping troops begin Liberia rescue mission By Alexandra Zavis THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MONROVIA, Liberia — Hoisting a Nigerian army officer on their shoulders, Liberians cheered Monday’s arrival of the first soldiers in an international rescue mission that will try to end 14 years of carnage and see warlord-turned- president Charles Taylor into exile. By late in the day, 198 Nigerian soldiers armed with machine guns and assault rifles had been ferried by U.N. helicopters to the airport 30 miles outside Monrovia as the vanguard of a 3,250-man intervention force promised by West African nations. Civilians poured onto the rain-slickened tar mac by the hundreds, waving white handker chiefs and chanting: “No more war! We want peace!” “I think the war is over,” said Fayiah Morris, who was in the throng swarming around Nigerian soldiers in camouflage and flak vests as whirring helicopters touched down, unloading troops and 16 tons of equipment, including one armored vehicle carrying a machine gun. The sound of gunfire and black smoke rising from Liberia’s ruined capital made clear the war was far from over. For much of the day, Liberian rebels and Taylor’s troops fired automatic weapons and rocket-launchers across the Old Bridge, separat ing the capital’s rebel-held island port and the government’s downtown stronghold. At one point, rebels taunted their foes, danc ing with brooms, doing back flips and waving at Taylor’s men. The government troops fired a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a pickup truck in reply. Smoky plumes rose from the rebel-held side of the bridge. Residents said warehouses were Countries sending forces J CHAD ,m NIGERIA f BENIN } TOGO / Peacekeeping —ghana .gabon forces enter Liberia More than 190 Nigerian troops arrived in Liberia on Monday, the first of an eventual 3,250-strong deployment charged with helping end 14 years of civil war. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CONGO SOURCES: ESRI; Associated Press smoldering from fires started by mortar shells Saturday. Taylor’s troops accused rebels of looting before peacekeeping force move in, but argu ments over goods among Taylor’s AK-47-armed fighters suggested they were doing the same. Watching the clashes, a 16-year-old govern ment militiaman named Victor was among those pinning his hopes on the peace force. “Help us stop the killing. I’m very tired,” he said, standing See Liberia on page 2 Episcopalians delay vote on church’s first openly gay bishop Openly gay candidate for bishop Rev. V. Gene Robinson, 56, is the first openly gay clergyman to advance through the process of becoming an Episcopalian bishop. His candidacy has stirred controversy throughout the global Anglican Communion. Robinson Experience - Canon to the ordinary of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire since 1988; executive secretary of the Episcopal Province of New England since 1983; on the Board of Trustees of the General Theological Seminary in New York City since 2001; founding director of Sign of the Dove Retreat Center in Temple, N.H. Education - B.A. in American Studies/History, University of the South, 1969; M.Div., General Theological Seminary, 1973 Family - Partner Mark Andrew; two daughters, Jamee and Ella from first marriage SOURCE: American Anglican Council AP By Rachel Zoll THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MINNEAPOLIS — Plans by Episcopalian leaders to vote on confirming the church’s first openly gay elected bishop were thrown into turmoil Monday when allegations emerged that he inappropriately touched a man and was affiliated with a youth Web site that had a link to porn. Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, head of the Episcopal Church, released a statement announcing the delay as debate was about to start on whether to confirm the Rev. V. Gene Robinson as New Hampshire’s bishop. “Questions have been raised and brought to my atten tion regarding the bishop-elect of the Diocese of New Hampshire,” Griswold said. Griswold said that Robinson, the current New Hampshire bishop and repre sentatives of his diocese decid ed together “that a thorough investigation be undertaken before we proceed.” Mike Barwell, a spokesman for Robinson, has said he planned to release a statement later Monday. James Solheim, a church spokesman, said the allega tions of inappropriate touch ing had been e-mailed to bish ops. In the e-mail, a man who identified himself as David Lewis from Manchester, Vt., said Robinson “does not maintain appropriate bound aries with men.” Solheim said “some of the bishops have talked to the accuser” and vetted the accusation. See Church on page 2 Dems, Dewhurst continue impasse By Natalie Gott THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A week into their holdout in New Mexico, the 11 Democrats who are boycotting the Texas Senate said Monday they are more resolved than ever in their mission to block congres sional redistricting. “To quote John Paul Jones, ’We’ve only begun to fight,”’ said Sen. Royce West, D- Dallas. “We’re strong, we’re determined and we’ve been reinvigorated by the overwhelming support that we have received from the public in telling us that we are doing the right thing for all of Texas.” In Austin, Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst also stood firm in his effort to push a new congressional map through the Senate chamber. “I’m still optimistic that we’re going to be able to have this resolved on a prompt basis. But it really depends upon our colleagues and our friends who are out in Albuquerque,” Dewhurst said. The Democrats have been in New Mexico for a week, after a fast escape from the Capitol on July 28, just before Republican Gov. Rick Perry called a second special legislative session on redistricting. The issue failed to pass during two previous sessions. Republicans, led by U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, are pushing for lawmakers to redraw congressional district lines. Democrats have a 17-15 majority in Texas’ congressional delegation, but Republicans say based on the state’s voting trends the GOP should hold the majority in the delegation. The Democrats have said they will not return to the Capitol unless Perry removes redistricting from the agenda of the current See Impasse on page 6