The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 10, 2003, Image 1
6B Thursday, October 9 , 2003 NEWS IN BRIEF rt: China send its first en into orbit JG (AP) — The shaped first manned space mis- ime into sharper focus ;day with reports that a crew will orbit the Eartli ext week after a live-tele- tunch trumpets the gov- :’s accomplishment to its and the world, ionesia, Premier Wen said the craft, the >u 5, would take off will) crew “soon, very soon.' aunch is completed sue- China would join the States and the former inion — now Russia- mly countries that have wed craft into space. :t. 15 date of the inaugu- h — a 90-minute flight orbit the planet once - iorted Wednesday by nvnark, a engagement •own Prince IHAGEN, Denmark (AP) Prince Frederik was to Miss Mary Elizabeth n, the first Australian- nan to stand in line to European queen, the :e said Wednesday, iple will be wed May 14 iltal, Copenhagen, ate council meeting at org Castle in gen where the royal as, Queen Margrethe 'anish government that ar-old son and heir to of Europe’s oldest rul- archy would marry a 31-year-old from jstralia. the Constitution, popular 63-year-old and the government their formal approval to marry. Last month, nister Anders Fogh m said his government the engagement. man arrested 1 yogurt lurders (AP) — An Austin peared in court on federal charges tion with the 1991 p robbery and arson r teenagers dead. )rris Davidson, 37, oted Tuesday on accessory after the to report a felony, se statements to a ial and obstruction of wvicted, he faces a ienalty of 28 years in 51 million fine, was released on after the hearing, to the indictment, isposed of the pistol James Scott and ad the I Can’t Believe nop and set it on fire, three others were state charges years ir teenagers, includ- worked at the store, gagged and shot in c. 6, 1991. rontinue for missing boy — Authorities con ing Wednesday for a mdocumented immi- egedly was taken by smuggler angry that nis father didn’t have ' for their trip from El go. do Medrano, 16, was 3:50 a.m. Tuesday in rk blue tractor-trailer Mange, spokes- Texas Department ty- police reported wd his father were nrted by an immi- sr, who stopped in asked for $2,000. nd out they could it into a scuffle with drove away with le said. as wearing a blue and baggy jeans, ilack hair and brown -feet-8 and weighs h information is Dallas police at sports: BU bringing hot streak to Kyle • Page 7 Opinion: Prior restraint • Page 9 BATTALION Mime 110 • Issue 31 • 10 pages A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893 www.thebattalion.net Friday, October 10, 2003 Student Senate approves SGA Diversity budget By Sarah Walch THE BATTALION The Texas A&M Student Senate found itself in ikmiddle of a pull between student opinion and the Executive Council of the Student Government Association Wednesday when one interested indi vidual found he was denied access to budget infor mation recently obtained by senators. Mark McCaig, Young Conservatives of Texas communications director and a junior marketing major, said he found it unconscionable that the Senate would not disclose financial information to students outside SGA, especially during Senate Listens Week, when senators are trying to get more intouch with their constituents’ wants. “The student body has a right to know where the money is being spent,” McCaig said when address ing the senators on the floor. “This reeks of crony ism and corruption, and smacks of Tammany Hall. 1 implore you to do everything within your power to make this information public.” Senate leaders filed an appeal last week to obtain a copy of the SGA’s line-item budget plan. When senators received the budget information Oct. 3, an attached memorandum by SGA’s Vice President for Finance Jackson Hildebrand requested that the Senate leaders distribute the information only to other senators. Hildebrand said SGA is not allowed to release its financial information without the proper approval. To obtain that information, individuals must contact the University’s legal counsel, he said. “Line-item budgets have never been released before" Hildebrand said. “Nobody has before requested (that information).” He said he is working within the limits of his job. “It is by no means a process of hiding numbers. I understand it is the Senate’s job to respond to their constituents, but having self-generated funds (within SGA) makes those funds irrelevant,” Hildebrand said. The Senate must approve the SGA budget annually. Hildebrand said while senators may have already obtained permission to view the specific financial information that they are responsible for passing, non-senators will have to go through a process to find out about the committees’ spending. “I am ready and willing to work with anyone who deems it necessary to obtain the numbers,” Hildebrand said. SGA receives 35 percent of its funding from Student Service Fees, he said. “Students deserve access to (how that money is spent) by all means,” Hildebrand said. Since the other 65 percent is self-generated, he said, it is up to the discretion of the committees to reveal those line items. “That’s not where student service fees are going,” he said. “That’s not student money being spent.” The SGA Diversity committee’s line-item budg et was distributed to the senators in a handout from the meeting, after the allocation of $8,500 to the committee within the 2003-2004 budget plan elicit ed some controversy during its first reading in the Senate Sept. 24 meeting. Early in Wednesday’s meeting Vice President for Diversity Pablo Rodriguez out lined the committees’ hierarchy, mission and programs for the senators. See Senate on page 5 Workshop to boost potential admissions By Nicole M. Jones THE BATTALION High school students and their parents will be on campus this Saturday to leam few to increase the students' chances of being admitted to Texas A&M. Hie Prospective Student Center has initiated “The Top 10 Ways to Increase k Chances of Getting Admitted,” a pkshop aiming to give high school stu- ints tips on how to be admitted to A&M, said Kelly Colbert, an admissions counselor in the center. This is a general program created for anyone interested in attending A&M, Cota said. The workshop was sched- itlalfor this weekend to take advantage of prospective students and alumni being crcampus for the A&M vs. Baylor foot- lull game. “The purpose of this workshop is to increase knowledge of the admissions process among applicants," said Cynthia Gay, associate director of admissions. “We don’t want the process to be mysterious.” Gay said increasing knowledge of the admissions process will increase the cal iber of applicants, improving the student population at A&M. More than 50 students, along with their parents, are expected to attend the seminar, which has been publicized on the A&M Web site, the jumbotron at Kyle Field and through local media out lets. Infonnation was also sent to high school counselors through a listserve facilitated by the admissions office. Colbert said most of the students are Texas residents who are juniors and sen iors in high school. “We are currently doing these ‘top 10 ways’ workshops throughout the state of Texas,” Gay said. Some of the top 10 ways to increase possibilities of admission include visiting the A&M Web site, scoring well on stan dardized tests, beating deadlines and fill ing out the admission application in its entirety. The workshop will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING APMI ■ ■ Admissions information day for prospective students of Texas A&M is Saturday, Oct. Look at A&M Web site and A&M publications Take appropriate class work Take the ACT and SAT Be involved in extra curricular activities Visit the campus 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Visit the admissions staff Submit your credentials prior to deadline Complete the application thoroughly Be an academic admit: 1300 SAT, 30 ACT and top half of the class Graduate in top 10 percent Source• TEXAS A&M OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION Downpour Randal Ford • THE BATTALION Freshman political science major Greg Kwedar walks through walk took him near the Blocker building, which was Hooded the rain on Thursday afternoon beneath a giant umbrella. His after heavy rains throughout the morning. Vision Plan promotes campus unity By Carrie Pierce THE BATTALION The Residence Hall Association’s Vision Plan is part of RHA President Chris Mahaffey’s plan to make the group a top lead ership organization on campus. For the RHA to live up to its full poten tial and make the greatest impact on the on-campus community, Mahaffey said he spent a month of his summer drawing up a Vision Plan. “I want the RHA to be the premier leader ship organization and be just as good as other large organizations,” Mahaffey said. “I am looking forward to the end of the year to see if we accomplished our goals.” The goal of the plan is to develop an out line so that everyone in RHA can be focused on one series of goals and see them to the end, Mahaffey said. In his plan, Mahaffey outlines barriers to growth he saw in previous years in RHA, such as lack of involvement, professionalism and preparedness. RHA has been in a slow process of regrouping in the last few years, and Mahaffey said he hopes his Vision Plan will help with that alteration. The number one barrier he has observed is a lack of community in some residence halls. “It takes a lot of building to build any com munity, and RHA cannot do it alone. People in the dorms must get involved and help out,” Mahaffey said. Adam Longarzo, a sophomore business major, said he does not participate in hall activities because he thinks nothing his hall does is exciting. “I would get involved if there were more interesting events, and if the hall was more specific about what the events were,” See RHA on page 2 FRESHMAN ELECTION RESULTS The Class of 2007 voted in runoff elections Wednesday and Thursday to elect a class president and vice president. Class of 2007 President I CANnIDATEs'lHBHryOTis Prochaska, Conner Young, Mark Alexander 625 376 iraillTI Bryan, Justin Neal Matthews, Rebekah Leigh Winner For election coverage, visit: www.thebattalion.net Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION source: TEXAS A&M ELECTION COMMISSION UNCERTIFIED Voting district map set after months of bitter negotiation By April Castro THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN —The Texas Legislature may have a congressional redistrict ing map to vote on before lawmakers skip town for the Texas-Oklahoma football game. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Wednesday that a tentative agreement had been reached after months of bitter negotiations on a map designed to put more Republicans in the Texas con gressional delegation. A final map would be unveiled Thursday morning, Dewhurst said. The announcement appeared to end weeks of squabbling between Republicans over the shape of West Texas congressional districts. The party battle followed months of fight ing between Republicans and Democrats, who forced the calling of three special sessions. House Speaker Tom Craddick, a Republican, has been adamant about See Agreement on page 2 Suicide bombing kills 9 at Baghdad police station By Hamza Hendawi THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BAGHDAD, Iraq — A sui cide car bomber crashed a white Oldsmobile into a police station in Iraq’s largest Shiite Muslim enclave Thursday, killing him self, nine others and wounding as many as 45. Earlier, gunmen — one dressed as a Shiite cleric — shot and killed a Spanish military attache. The violence, six months to the day after Baghdad fell to American forces, underscored the predicament of a capital whose deliverance from Saddam Hussein’s tyranny has been repeatedly undennined by terrorism, attacks on U.S. forces and sectarian unrest. The ancient city’s landscape is now lined with massive con crete blast barriers and coils of barbed wire outside hotels, gov ernment departments and along stretches of road near U.S. mili tary bases. As in previous attacks, there was no claim of responsi bility for the 8:30 a.m. bomb ing in Sadr City, a Baghdad district with an estimated 2 million Shiites. “It was a huge blast and everything became dark from the debris and sand. I was thrown to the ground,” said Mohammed Adnan, who sells watermelons opposite the police station. Vegetable seller Fakhriya Jarallah said two of her sons were repairing the outside wall of the compound. “I ran across the road like a madwoman to find out what happened to my sons. But thanks to God they are both safe,” she said. Policemen and some in the crowd that gathered outside the police station after the explosion offered an assort ment of possible culprits that ranged from non-Iraqi Arab militants to Saddam loyalists and Shiite radicals angry about a cleric's arrest. The killing of the Spanish military attache happened across town in the upscale Mansour area about 30 minutes before the car bombing.