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THE BATTALION
tolume 110 • Issue 55 • 14 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
www.thebattalion.net
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Carter: Anti-piracy legislation to be passed
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By Lauren Smith
THE BATTALION
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Four pane/ists from different careers and per
spectives made their case last night in Rudder
Theater against Internet piracy, a problem rampant
on college campuses.
Patrick Burkart, a communications professor at
Texas A&M, moderated the discussion between
Fritz Attaway, a senior vice president for the Motion
Picture Association of America, Rep John Carter,
James DeLong, director of the Center for the Study
of Digital Property and Jeff McCabe, associate
director of Computing and Information Services.
Carter, who serves on the intellectual properties
committee in the House judiciary, said legislation
against Internet piracy will be passed soon.
“There will be a sub-committee hearing in the
next session of Congress,” he said. “It will be on the
fast track and quickly turn into a law.”
Carter compared the industry of Internet piracy
to the drug industry in terms of what it costs the
American economy. However, no one will be sent to
the federal prison for stealing music on a first
offense, but people could be put on probation.
Attaway expressed his excitement that society is
entering a digital age of abundance that will benefit
the industry and consumers.
“I foresee an age where you will be able to
access every television show and movie ever
produced on demand at a reasonable price,”
Attaway said.
Though Attaway sees these expansions of tech
nology in the future, he said there are some hurdles
to overcome.
“This philosophy that there is a free lunch, a
tooth fairy ... file sharing is redistribution, reproduc
tion, and it does have consequences for the tens of
thousands of people who depend on the market to
make a living,” Attaway said.
DeLong said he feels the whole problem of
downloading is mischaracterized, and it is not the
motion picture, music or gaming industries that
have the problem.
“You have the problem,” DeLong said. “Unless
you want to limit viewing to the community access
channel, you have to find a way to pay.”
With the enactment of the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA), McCabe was designated as
A&M’s first DMCA Agent, the intermediary
between the RIAA, MPAA, other businesses and
copyright infringers.
“When we receive an allegation, we determine
who the infringer is based on the Internet address,
contact the individual and ask them to ‘take down,’”
McCabe said. “The infringer can contest this if he
feels he is sharing lawfully. If he applies and he is
not a recurrent offender, the case is closed.”
Although accusations of extensive file sharing
are usually correct, Internet “police” sometimes
make mistakes.
“Occasionally, you get someone who was not
doing it,” DeLong said. “In that case, call your
lawyer and your travel agent in that order
because a record company will be paying for
your next vacation.”
With the recent verdict of the Recording Industry
Association of America v. Verizon case, in which
Verizon was required to turn over the identity of an
Internet user who violated copyright infringement
through file sharing online, A&M is now obligated
to reveal the name of a student who has shared files.
See Legislation on page 2A
Students urged
to donate blood
By Lindsay Broomes
THE BATTALION
The American Red Cross and
Alpha Phi Omega are working
hand in hand this week on the
Texas A&M campus to encour
age Aggies to donate a little bit of
their time and more importantly,
their blood. '
Although A&M holds the
record among universities in
Texas and Oklahoma for blood
donations, this semester’s turnout
is not quite reaching the Red
Cross’ goals. In the past, 350 to
400 units of blood a day have
been collected.
This time, numbers are falling
a little short, said Daren Coats,
donor recruitment representative
for ARC. Monday’s goal was set
for 190 units, but at the end of the
day they were four short.
Tuesday’s expectation of 280
units was missed by 45.
“Many students say they are
waiting until Thursday or
Friday due to busy schedules,”
Coats said.
It only takes 45 minutes to
See Blood on page 2A
BIOOP DRIVE
Aggies can donate blood to the local American Red Cross
at various locations on campus Thursday and Friday.
E Location
Thursday
Friday ?
• Sbisa Dining Hall
11 a.m. -7 p.m.
11 a.m. -6 p.m.
• Commons Lobby
12 p.m. -7 p.m.
12 p.m. -7 p.m.
•Zachry Building
10 a.m. -4 p.m.
10 a.m. -4 p.m.
• Biochemistry and
Biophysics
10 a.m. -4 p.m.
10 a.m. -4 p.m.
• Rudder Fountain
10 a.m. -4:30 p.m.
10 a.m. -4:30 p.m.
• Wehner
10 a.m. -4:30 p.m.
none
Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION
Source : THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
A lir Van Gogh
Sharon Aeschbach • THE BATTALION
Five-year-old Kyle Mimnich of College Station paints a picture of bright participate in various workshops and arts and crafts days. The museum is
red tepees at the Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley Wednesday open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and is closed
morning. Mimnich and his sister regularly attend the museum to on Sundays.
A&M denied request for students to use character witnesses
By Kim Katopodis
THE BATTALION
Wednesday, Laura Sosh-Lightsy recounted inter
views with the 23 students who are suing A&M in
which they said they would like to bring in charac
ter witnesses to testify on their behalf, a request that
A&M officials denied.
Sosh-Lightsy is a Department of Student Life
employee and primary investigator in the hazing
actions of members of Parsons Mounted Cavalry.
“We are seeking a permanent injunction that
would keep the University from prosecuting any
student from the flawed system they currently
have,” said plaintiff attorney Ronald Hole, whose
son was among those charged.
Hole and other defense attorneys said the stu
dents were denied due process in their original hear
ings conducted by A&M.
Twenty-three members of Parsons Mounted
Cavalry are suing A&M for an injunction placed
upon 77 members accused of hazing.
The students are seeking a court order to halt dis
ciplinary actions against them. The cavalry was sus
pended in October 2002 by Lt. Gen. John Van
Alstyne, the Corps of Cadets commandant, for
alleged hazing violations. In April, disciplinary
hearings were held for the students involved.
Hole questioned Sosh-Lightsy as to the rules
about student witnesses. Sosh-Lightsy said it is the
Department of Student Life’s long-standing practice
to only allow fact witnesses in a student’s defense.
“Character witnesses come in the form of writ
ing,” Sosh-Lightsy said. “We have fact witnesses
during the hearing.”
Sosh-Lightsy’s testimony also focused on how
punishments were decided.
“In terms of giving a sanction, we look at past
behavior,” she said.
Hole brought forth the relevance of cavalry
members’ parents presence in their proceedings.
Hole wanted to know the relevance of Sosh-
Lightsy’s asking how students’ parents felt about
their involvement in hazing incidences.
“We typically ask questions to gain an under
standing in events,” Sosh-Lightsy said. “We use that
information in crafting and educational or develop
mental sanction.”
The students’ parents were not allowed to repre
sent or make requests on their sons’ behalf during
the A&M proceedings, Hole said. The students’
attorneys have contended that access to charges, evi
dence and accusers were neither specific nor made
readily available to accused cavalry members.
Several students’ parents had requested that their
sons’ hearings be postponed due to lack of time to
review evidence and were denied.
Sosh-Lightsy said that, had the students made the
requests, they may have been granted. She said pro
ceedings were between the University and the indi
vidual student, not the student and his parents.
Hole also brought forth evidence that senior Yell
Leader John Magruder, who chose to remain silent
in initial interviews, was charged with providing
false information to A&M officials. Sosh-Lightsy
did not deny the allegation.
Attorneys are expected to continue their
questioning of Sosh-Lightsy at 9 a.m. Thursday in
the 272nd District Courtroom of the Brazos County
Courthouse in Bryan.
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Mdnnis may receive
new visiting hours
By Rhiannon Meyers
THE BATTALION
The Residence Hall
Association approved legisla
tion Wednesday night allow
ing 24-hour visitation in
Mdnnis Hall. The legislation
passed with a unanimous
vote by RHA officers and
residence hall delegates.
RHA approved the new
visitation hours for the 2004
spring semester on a trial
basis. The legislation must
still be approved by Residence
Life Director Ron Sasse and
Associate Vice President for
Student Affairs Bill Kibler
before it can take effect.
The legislation, proposed
by Mdnnis Hall Council, has
already passed through the
council and the Area
Coordinator. Members of the
council also obtained a 98.5
percent vote from current res
idents in favor of the policy.
Mdnnis Hall Council stat
ed in the legislation that it
favored 24-hour visitation
because it is a “responsibility
See Mclnnis on page 4B
Business program helps at-risk youth
By Dan Orth
THE BATTALION
From turning three middle school
boys’ distracting classroom sketches into
an art business to helping a gang leader
redirect his leadership skills into a busi
ness setting, the T-TEEM’s program has
been leading the charge across Texas to
teach “at risk” youth about business own
ership and entrepreneurship.
Texas Teens Exploring Entrepreneurial
Minds programs, which have been imple
mented in Brazos, Bexar and Starr counties,
have produced many success stories
throughout the program’s five-year stretch.
The group of three boys, who were
constantly getting in trouble for doodling
in class, were able to turn a negative into
a positive through T-TEEM. Their
teacher helped them set up a business
where they got their artwork etched in
glass, and they were able to sell these to
adults and other students.
“It has been very positive for these
boys,” said Ann Lessem. “It took an
activity that once had gotten them in
trouble and turned it into something that
got them praise.”
Lessem, an assistant research scientist,
evaluates the program through Texas
A&M’s Public Policy Research Institute
and talks with participants from T-TEEM
programs around the state.
The T-TEEM program is a partnership
between the Texas Cooperative Extension
Service and Prairie View A&M University
Cooperative Extension Program.
Pam Brown, a co-director for the pro
gram and associate professor and Extension
Consumer Sciences specialist, said the pro
gram is about passing along business skills
to at-risk students more than anything else.
“The program focuses more on getting
T-TEEM
Texas Teens Exploring Entrepreneurial
Minds program gives "at risk" youths
business knowledge.
^ T-TEEM is a partnership between the
Texas Cooperative Extension Service
J and a program at Prairie View A&M
■ University.
The program s1
I It was
implemented
in Brazos,
Bexar and
Starr counties.
Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION
Source : T-TEEM
See Business on page 2A