NEW
THE BATTALIA!
Aggielife: Beauty in the beast* Page 3A
Opinion: Dates that live in infamy* Page 5B
THE BATTALION
Volume 110 • Issue 30 • 16 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
www.thebattalion.net
Thursday, October 9, 2003
Students design Cambodian museum
■ |
'(dai Ford • THE BATTALION
it in the Parsons Mounted
□valry is training for Foil
, set free
lire of any problem as
regg asked to wi
from her bank account,
said police have norea-
relieve she was targeted
she is the senator’s
e said he did not kn
he senator was at
ett said it was similar to
ry that happened in
last week, but police
: confirmed whether the
idents were connected
ery bold, it’s very
he said.
tank is in the heartofa
burban shopping div
out five miles from i
house,
have three children, two
s and a son.
By Sarah Szuminski
THE BATTALION
Aki Ra, a resident of Cambodia, has cleared over
d,000 land mines that remain from two decades of
civil war.
Today, six to 10 million mines — nearly one per
inhabitant — are still scattered throughout the country,
making Cambodia one of the most heavily land mined
and underdeveloped nations in the world.
Wednesday, 38 Texas A&M architecture students
presented their proposals for the transformation of Ra’s
listing land mine museum in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Ra, who can clear up to 100 mines a day using
only simple tools, created the museum to display the
itcovered mines and help raise awareness and funds
irhis efforts.
Photojoumalist Richard Fitoussi of Toronto,
Canada, discovered Ra and his museum while on
assignment in Cambodia in April 2000.
“I was fascinated,” Fitoussi said. “The most amaz
ing thing about his work is that he works with no
equipment.”
Inspired by Ra’s efforts, Fitoussi founded the
Cambodian Land Mine Museum Relief Fund to raise
money for the construction of a new complex in
Siem Reap.
“The museum is so rudimentary,” he said. “I
thought, why not go in with a bigger plan.”
Because of the College of Architecture’s reputation
for “architecture for health” projects, Fitoussi invited
A&M students to join the effort by developing propos
als for the new museum’s design.
Junior architecture major Kim Le said the project
took on a greater meaning than a typical assignment.
“All of us took it so personal that we put in 110 per
cent,” Le said. “It’s real; it’s for a good cause.”
Lindsay Gavos, a junior architecture major, said she
used a peace sign as the inspiration for her design.
“It’s a very emotional project,” she said. “I realized
this building would be more than a structure. I wanted
it to have a subtle symbolic meaning.”
Senior Lecturer in the College of Architecture Julie
Rogers said students’ ideas for the project were well-
thought out.
“I’ve never seen a project that has developed to this
extent,” she said. “1 think it’s because the students are
so dedicated to the cause.”
Fitoussi is working with an architect in Toronto and
pl^ns to use the students’ designs when developing the
final plan for the project.
“One project will be chosen to use as a template,”
he said, “but they all have elements that can be used.”
The new facility will include a museum which
See Architecture on page 2A
Melissa Gentry • THE BATTALION
Sharon Wells, a senior architecture major,
works on her museum design.
Chicken run
Dressed in a chicken costume, sophomore general studies major Delta Zeta Run to the Chicken event
Victoria Boreing and other Delta Zeta sorority members on Saturday, will benefit the Houston
Wednesday attracted participants to sign up for the seventh annual Gallaudet University.
Randal Ford • THE BATTALION
. The event, which will be held
Ear Research Foundation and
Former Ag gets 7 years
in manslaughter case
By Lauren Smith
THE BATTALION
A Brazos County jury sentenced a
former Texas A&M student convicted
of intoxication manslaughter to seven
years in prison Wednesday.
Stuart “Clint” Thompson, 22,
faced from two years of probation to
20 years in prison in connection with
the death of Laina Bagby, 18, who
was riding in Thompson’s truck when
she was killed.
Bagby was killed around 4 a.m. on
June 9, 2002 after a night of alleged
partying when a truck driven by
Thompson flipped three times as he
lost control on an off-ramp. Bagby
died on the scene, and Thompson and
a second passenger, Elijah Garza,
were ejected from the car.
In the prosecution's closing argu
ments, Assistant District Attorney
Shane Phelps told the jury that it
would be setting the bar in the Brazos
Valley for what happens when a
drunk driver causes the death of
another person.
“We have made progress in this
community, and we need your
help ” Phelps said. “You have a duty
in this case.”
Phelps asked the jury to consider
what kind of message would be sent
to the 55,000 students in the commu
nity if Thompson walked away with
only probation.
Jim James, defense attorney, said
remorse is the most important part of
this case, and Thompson was
remorseful the night of Bagby’s death
and has been ever since.
“Treatment works if you work it,
and he has been working it for 16
months,” James said. “I am sorry that
he is an alcoholic and did not get it
earlier. It (alcoholism) is a disease,
and you have to hit rock bottom
before you realize that it is.”
Phelps said he doubted Thompson
was truly remorseful as he did not
seem like a man at rock bottom on the
night of the accident. Phelps recount
ed the prosecution’s case against
Thompson, saying he talked as much
about his truck as he did about Bagby,
refused a blood test, told police on the
night of the accident that he did not
remember what happened and later
recalled the night’s events of what
happened to his doctor.
“Prison is the real rock bottom,”
Phelps said. “Every day he spends in
prison is another that he lives that
Laina Bagby is dead.”
James stood behind the podium
before the jury stand, asking the jury
to “give Thompson the opportunity to
be a contributing member of society.”
“Consider not sending him to the
penitentiary,” James said to the jury.
“He is a hard worker. There has never
been an attack on his character
throughout the trial.”
See Trial on page 2A
Replant 2003 scheduled
for Oct. 18, rain or shine
By Rhiannon Meyers
THE BATTALION
Cliff Smith said he was not upset at the heavy
in clouds that loomed over Replant sites last
October. If anything, he was pleased.
“The rain changes the aspect of Replant,” said
nith, Replant director and a senior philosophy
major. “The people that are out there in the rain
are the ones who really want to be there.”
About 1,000 volunteers participated in
Replant last year despite the bad weather. The
volunteers worked diligently in a downpour that
drenched clothes but did not dampen spirits.
“It went incredibly well,” Smith said. “We
to stop people from planting trees
because the second shift wouldn’t have had
anything to plant.”
Casey Deen, Replant’s financial director and a
senior business major, was on staff for last year’s
event.
handed out shovels to people who were
soaked already,” Deen said. “It was neat to
see everyone in the rain planting trees.”
This fall’s Replant is scheduled for Saturday,
Oct. 18.
Replant, a recognized Texas A&M tra
dition that takes place annually, began in
1990 and was created by Scott Hantman
in conjunction with the tradition of Aggie
Bonfire by planting trees on old Bonfire
cut sites, Deen said. According to
replant.tamu.edu, the organization originally
planted young seedlings in the spring at sites in
Carlos, Texas, and later at Lake Somerville in
Somerville, Texas.
Today, Replant is no longer affiliated with
Bonfire, but it continues as a tradition of its own.
In an effort to give the trees a better chance of
survival, Replant was moved to the fall and the
trees planted are now larger and older. Also,
Replant sites have also moved to the Bryan-
College Station area, Smith said.
This year, Replant committees will plant
100 trees on three sites in College Station and
one site in Bryan. An estimated 1,000 volun
teers are needed for the upcoming Replant.
Anyone can volunteer and large groups are
encouraged, Deen said.
“It’s something you can see being done,” said
Vince Nieto, a member of the Replant publicity
team and a sophomore microbiology major. “I
volunteered last year with Hobby Hall on
Replant 2003
Applications to volunteer for this
year's event are due Oct. 10.
Replant:
Saturday, Oct. 18
Shifts begin at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Informational Meetings:
Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 8:15 p.m. in MSC 231
Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in MSC 231
Universal design
promotes access
By Dan Orth
THE BATTALION
Seth Freeman • THE BATTALION
Source • REPLANT.TAMU.EDU
Northside and it was a really fun experience.
Everyone was standing in the rain ready to help
out. It was really cool to see everyone there plant
ing a tree.”
Replant consists of two shifts of volun
teers, one that begins at 8 a.m. and another at
11 a.m. Volunteers meet on campus first for
Replant Kickoff at Academic Plaza to fill out
release forms, purchase T-shirts and listen to
guest speakers.
This year’s speakers include A&M Student
Body President Matt Josefy and A&M SGA
Adviser Bobby Tucker. Following the kickoff,
volunteers move to the designated sites to plant
trees. Volunteers work in groups of four to five
per tree, and each shift lasts about three hours.
Colleen Dominick, a first year graduate
See Replant on page 2A
bung Conservatives protest Coming Out Week
By Sarah Szuminski
THE BATTALION
The Young Conservatives of
Texas paraded banner-clad trucks
around the Texas A&M campus
Wednesday as part of Traditional
family Values Week, which
opposes University promotion of
homosexual lifestyles through
Coming Out Week.
The event was intended to
express the YCT’s views support
ing one-man, one-woman relation
ships, said Communications
Director Mark McCaig.
“Traditional Family Values
Week is not to protest people or
personal choices,” he said, “but to
protest the use of student fees to
promote lifestyles we are
opposed to.”
YCT Chairperson Lucas
Kramm said the goal of this
week’s events is to raise awareness
that Coming Out Week is spon
sored by the University.
“We view (homosexuality) as a
lifestyle that is dangerous and
immoral,” Kramm said.
Kramm said the YCT was
selective of which slogans would
be used in the demonstration, and
some of the banners originally cre
ated were not displayed.
“There was nothing hate-filled,
nothing bigoted,” McCaig said.
Trucks circling campus bore
See Protest on page 9A
Students should learn
about the challenges peo
ple with disabilities face
and what is done to cope
with those challenges to
understand what they go
through each day, said
Anne Reber, assistant
director of Services for
Students with Disabilities.
Universal Design Day,
formerly known as
Disability Awareness
Day, was held
Wednesday promoting
access in buildings,
teaching and services for
all students, not just stu
dents with disabilities.
Reber said there has
been a change of focus in
disability awareness from
understanding by doing to
understanding by learning.
Reber said students
should learn about the
challenges people with
disabilities face and about
what is done to cope with
those challenges in order
to understand what they
go through.
The College of
Architecture, Instructional
Technology Services and
Student Financial Services
were on hand to show how
they help adapt the
University’s campus to all
students, including dis
abled ones.
College of Architecture
graduate students are
taught to be aware of
accommodating people
with disabilities in designs
and to consider accessibili
ty when designing.
Min-Young Seo, a
graduate architecture stu
dent, said she works to
incorporate all people’s
needs into her work. Seo
said she strives to envision
a way to help with a dis
ability when designing.
Instructional
Technology Services
works with professors to
help them incorporate
technology into their cur
riculum and in the process,
make teaching materials
more available to students
with disabilities.
Rhonda Blackburn, the
lead instructional technolo
gy consultant with ITS,
said her group promotes
universal design for all
when helping professors
by giving suggestions that
benefit all student needs.
One way professors
make teaching materials
available for all is by using
HTML formatting on all
documents. Blackburn said
this fonnatting can be
See Day on page 9A