I’AHO'i
ACGIELIFE: Ghosts and spirits • Page 3
Forum: High standards • Page 8
THE BATTALION
|Volume 110 • Issue 46 • 10 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
www.thebattalion.net
Friday, October 31, 2003
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Thunderbirds thrill crowd
By Bart Shirley
THE BATTALION
An estimated 35,000 people
gathered in the fields surround
ing the George Bush Presidential
Library on Thursday morning to
watch the U.S. Air Force
Thunderbirds perform acrobatic
aerial maneuvers.
On a cool, crisp October
day with clouds creeping
across the sky, the five-plane
troupe thrilled the crowd with
high-G turns, aileron rolls and
diamond formation, the
Thunderbirds' trademark.
“I thought it was pretty cool,”
said Joe Klich, a freshman gen
eral studies major.
Before the show began, the
Aggie Wranglers, Ballet
Folklorico, Apotheosis and the
Singing Cadets performed for
the gathering crowd. Music from
such artists as Jimmy Page and
Eric Johnson blared. The jets
were audible as they began pow
ering up, and then, four white F-
16Cs raced out of Easterwood
Airport into the sky, trailing
white smoke behind them.
Led by Commander/Leader
Lt. Col. Richard G. McSpadden Jr., the quar
tet flew off into the distance in a diamond
formation, which they rarely broke through
out the perfonnance. Then, a single plane,
piloted by Lead Solo Maj. Todd D.
Canterbury, roared into the sky.
The five planes made many low passes
over the assembled crowd in counterpoint
with each other, with the four-plane group
doing group rolls and turns. Canterbury,
making his own passes, at times surprised
the crowd by flying close to the ground.
“That is an example of tactical surprise,”
said Capt. David L. Steinhiser, team surgeon
and emcee for the day.
He said the Thunderbirds are referred to
as “America’s Ambassadors in Blue.”
Steinhiser’s commentary was helpful to
spectators searching for the planes in the
See Thunderbird on page 2
JP Beato III • THE BATTALION
JP Beato III • THE BATTALION
With the smoke on, four
F-16C , s position to form
the signature
Thunderbird Diamond
and fly over the crowd in
the Diamond Cloverloop
(top). The United States
Air Force Thunderbirds
performed over the
George Bush Presidential
Library at Texas A&M on
Thursday. The F-16
Falcon jets aerial demon
stration is part of the "A
Century of Airpower:
Past, Present and Future"
conference, in which for
mer President George
Bush is scheduled to
deliver the keynote
speech at 1 1 a.m Friday..
Weis proposes
parking by lot
By Natalie Younts
THE BATTALION
Transportation Services
Director Rodney Weis pro
posed a parking distribution
plan Thursday that would elim
inate the current color-coding
system of all lots and permits.
Each permit sold would be
valid only in a certain lot, and a
space would be guaranteed for
all permit holders in that lot
without a wait, Weis said.
Students, faculty and staff
would apply for permits in cer
tain lots, and those requests
would be granted based on sen
iority. Faculty and staff would
get first choice, then graduate
students, followed by seniors.
Occupancy counts and
turnover rates would determine
the number of permits sold for
a given lot to guarantee a free
space.
Weis, who referred to red
and blue permits as hunting
licenses, said he would like to
see the new plan implemented
April 15, if approved.
He said the need for the plan
was made clear when he saw
students lined up waiting for
parking in Zachry lot, while
the adjacent yellow lot was 35
percent unoccupied.
The plan would also change
the way spaces are allocated in
parking garages. Currently,
garage permit holders have
reserved numbered spaces.
Under the new plan, permit
holders in the Northside,
Southside and Koldus garages
would still park beyond the
gates, but not in specific
spaces. Weis said he would
guarantee every garage permit
holder a space in his given
garage.
Weis presented the plan in a
forum sponsored by the
Student Senate at the Memorial
Student Center Stark Gallery.
The Student Senate had
originally intended on writing
a bill after the forum, but
instead decided to wait so it
could make sure students’
views would be represented as
accurately as possible, said
Will Hailey, a senator repre
senting Northside.
To get more student opin
ions, the Senate hopes to hold
additional parking distribution
plan forums every two weeks,
said Leigh Ann Eisterhold, a
senator representing the
College of Education.
Hailey said Weis will pres
ent the plan at a forum for
Northside residents at 5:30
p.m. Monday, Nov. 10 in the
Sbisa Quiet Room.
“(The current plan) is
broke,” Weis said. “We have to
fix it.”
The Campus Master Plan
does not allow for any more
lots to be built, Weis said, so
the current spaces must be put
to better use. He said the cur
rent use of space is horrible.
“I don’t want to be the
director of a department that
has a 61 percent dissatisfaction
rate,” said Weis, referring to a
Jan. 2003 survey of faculty,
staff and students.
Reveille VI Funeral
Services for the former
A&M 'First Lady,' who was
euthanized Oct. 18, will be
held this weekend.
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday,
Nov. 2
WHERE: Kyle Field
- Following the funeral,
Reveille VI will be buried
outside the North end of
Kyle Field along with
previous mascots.
-Former Mascot Corporals
Marky Boynton, Class of
1997, and Jeff Bailey,
Class of 2000, will speak.
Police urge driver caution on Halloween
By Carrie Pierce
THE BATTALION
Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION
Source : TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Since alcohol-related deaths are doubled on
Halloween and the holiday falls on a Friday this, year,
motorists and trick-or-treaters are being warned to use
increased caution, said Teresa Hardt, spokerswoman for
Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
The 80 nationwide deaths resulting from alcohol-
related accidents on Halloween in 2001 were more than
on New Year’s Eve or Super Bowl Sunday.
Lt. Bert Kretzschmar with the Crime Prevention unit
of the University Police Department said police have no
special concerns for the holiday. He said officers will be
more cautious and mindful of children.
“Everyone needs to be watching out for children, and
drivers should be more careful,” he said.
College Station Police Department Sergeant Gary
Vick said CSPD will have more units patrol on
Halloween because of the increase in weekend parties.
“We are already prepared for parties and alcohol vio
lations. Alcohol violations will be strictly enforced, as
well as sound violations. Everyone just needs to use
common sense,” Vick said.
Caring Aggies 4 R” Protecting Over Our Lives (CAR-
POOL), which usually operates 10 to 12 cars a night,
will operate 14 cars Friday night, said Ben Carter, chair
of operations for CARPOOL.
“This weekend will be very busy, especially Friday.
More people will be going out, and we want to make
sure that we maintain efficiency,” Carter said. “Make
sure you have a safe ride home, whether it is with CAR-
POOL or a friend.”
Hardt said it is important for people to plan
See Halloween on page 2
Motorists are advised to be more
cautious because Halloween has
become an increasingly dangerous
holiday for drivers.
.«ii - Watch for trick-or-treaters
darting into traffic.
HiS -Stay alert and drive patiently.
- Drive slowly.
ijfjli - Always designate a driver.
Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION
Source : NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC
SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
Aggie women switch-off for kick off silvy wins Wildlife Society award
By Jenna Jones
THE BATTALION
Makala Chandler waited for the right time to do the
asking as her prospective date for Midnight Yell ranted
about how it was bad bull that the girls of Texas A&M
just buy the T-shirts for Switch-Off for Kick-Off and
don’t care about the event’s tradition of asking a date to
go to Midnight Yell with them.
“To carry on the tradition, will you go to Midnight
Yell with me?” Chandler asked.
Chandler, a freshman business major and member of
Traditions Council, will be taking a fellow council mem
ber to Midnight Yell and the Aggie game on Saturday
against University of Kansas to follow through with the
Switch-Off for Kick-Off A&M tradition.
Switch-Off for Kick-Off is a tradition in which
women ask men to Midnight Yell and the Aggie game
the following day instead of the other way around. This
tradition started in the mid 1980s but died out in the early
1990s, said Traditions Council Promotion Chair Lauren
Huly, a senior communications major.
Research from the Traditions Council found the ori
gin of the tradition dated back to 1937, when the Texas
Women’s College junior class invited the A&M junior
class to a dinner and dance the Friday before the football
game against Southern Methodist University.
“Along with these findings, we think Switch-Off for
Kick-Off was inspired by the 1950s when they used to
bring girls in from Texas Women’s College and other
schools around Texas by the bus loads,” Huly said.
“Then when girls came to A&M it was a lot easier to
get dates.”
Huly said the tradition originally started as a fund
raiser for the Traditions Council and Student
Government through T-shirt sales as a “Sadie Hawkins”
event.
“Traditions Council has been successful in the past
four years bringing Switch-Off for Kick-Off back and
we are trying to focus more on promoting the tradition
now versus just the T-shirt fund-raiser,” Huly said.
The picture on the back of the Switch-Off for Kick-
Off T-shirt is one from the 1947 Aggieland.
“Asking a guy to Midnight Yell and the game was
more of a challenge than I thought it would be,” said
Tiffany Sjogren, a senior animal science major. “It was
kind of weird but funny to see from a guy’s point of view.
It made me have more respect for guys when they have
to ask a girl out.”
Sjogren said it was fun getting to do the asking, but
she is glad she said she does not have to do it on a reg
ular basis.
Head Yell Leader Tim Bailey, a senior agricultural
development major, said he thinks Switch-Off for
Kick-Off is a fun way to do something a little different.
“I think it is fun but I’ve never had a girl ask me,”
Bailey said. “I don’t know how many guys want to wait
around to be asked and risk not having a date.”
Ben Johanningsmeier, a senior construction science
major and member of Traditions Council, said some men
See Switch on page 2
By Lindsay Broomes
THE BATTALION
Randal Ford • THE BATTALION
Nova Silvy stands next to a stuffed quail. Silvy is being
presented with The Wildlife Society's Aldo Leopold
Award.
Nova Silvy, a professor in the
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Sciences, will join the ranks of The
Wildlife Society (TWS) elite after
being awarded the Aldo Leopold
Award.
“This award is a lifetime achieve
ment award and most people do not
receive it until they are retired,”
Silvy said.
The Leopold award was first pre
sented in 1950 and is presented to one
individual a year. It recognizes those
who have made substantial contribu
tions to the wildlife profession.
Roel R. Lopez, assistant professor in
the Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries Sciences, said Silvy has con
tributed to the wildlife profession
through his teaching, research, service
and leadership.
Silvy has been teaching at Texas
A&M for 28 years, in that time instruct
ing more than 1,500 undergraduate
See Silvy on page 10