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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2003)
i NATlol ■TTALlJ I player definil Aggielife: International cooperation • Page 3 Opinion: Sweet 16 bound • Page 5 HE % that' football pfe has been i; e toa%olum e 110 • Issue 57 • 10 pages iversitycc:i:|' onfire Anniversary Schedule of Events I • ^, Remembrance ceremonies for the fourth anniversary of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire If! uoessa •ipollapse will begin Monday. Ross Volunteer Honor Guard at Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue Albritton Tower carillon of the bells Candlelight vigil at Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue I p.m. Presentation by Hans Butzer, MSC 126 1:42 am Anniversary of 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse shim and rililams will be disirilmlcd at Rudder Riiimaiii Monday and Tuesday. npeteags.; urday ral Regie :h will bet ureau Cot": A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893 www.thebattalion.net Monday, November 17, 2003 A&M remembers Bonfire victims GRAPHIC BY: GRACIE ARENAS • THE BATTALION PHOTO BY: JP BEATO III • THE BATTALION ISOURCE : OFFICE OF THE COMMANDANT, FALL ACTIVITIES COUNCIL By Carrie Pierce THE BATTALION Bonfire Remembrance Day will begin Monday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire Collapse, in which 12 Aggies lost their lives and 27 were injured. Texas A&M and several student organizations have come together to host the remembrances. “Our goal is to provide families and students a chance to come together to remember, reflect and grieve. This simple ceremony was an appropriate way to do that,” said Matt Josefy, A&M student body president. “Obviously there will be people to reflect and grieve in dif ferent ways.” Beginning at noon Monday, a Ross Volunteer Honor Guard will be in place in front of the Academic Building at the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross, said Maj. Joseph “Doc” Mills, media relations coor dinator for the Office of the Commandant. A picture of each of the victims will form a semicircle in front of the statue. The ceremony this year will not be held on the Polo Fields, where the 1999 Bonfire stood, due to con struction for the Bonfire Memorial taking place on the centerpole site, Josefy said. The Honor Guard will remain in place until the remembrance cere monies begin at 5:45 p.m. with the carillon of bells at Albritton Tower, said Jason Sherrieb, chair of the Bonfire Remembrance Committee and director of Fall Activities Council. The Corps of Cadets will march to the Academic Plaza, Mills said. “It is important to remember and honor the students who died doing something for the University that they loved to do,” Sherrieb said. “But it’s much more than just hon oring those who died, but also the people who were injured.” At 6 p.m., families or representa tives of the families of the Bonfire victims will walk from the flagpole to the statue, where there will be a single candle lit. One by one, they will light a candle and place it in front of their loved one’s picture. “We want to remember and rec ognize what happened, and that we’ll never forget,” Sherrieb said. At 7 p.m. Monday there will be a presentation by Hans Butzer, co designer for the Oklahoma City National Memorial, about memori als. This presentation, which is open to all students, will be held in room 126 of the Memorial Student Center. On Monday night, a reception will be held for the families of the 12 fallen Aggies, Sherrieb said. “We know not all the families will be able to make it back, but we want ed to provide that option,” Josefy said. Other than the Spirit of Aggieland playing from Albritton Tower, no formal ceremony is tak ing place at 2:42 a.m. Wednesday morning, the time the 1999 Aggie Bonfire stack swayed and fell, send ing students scrambling out of its path and trapping dozens beneath it. “We are letting students do what ever they want and letting whatever happens happens,” Sherrieb said. Residence Hall Association President Chris Mahaffey said each residence hall will do whatever the residents feel is appropriate. Bonfire Coalition will be hand ing out maroon ribbons and selling remembrance day T-shirts Monday and Tuesday by Rudder Fountain. Bonfire Coalition is a student organ ization whose main focus is to get a safe bonfire burning on campus See Bonfire on page 2 from the® /ill earn the NCI stop fort (two it; nen «(!!•! wish to mli oionshipsfi 'early sea y don't p!;:; ape center to offer free defense class By Erin Price THE BATTALION did in We've eif: isiveeC )-meter ra on Saturtii The Brazos Valley Rape Crisis Center will Ida free women’s safety awareness class from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday that will teach self- defense techniques and feature awareness and prevention educational speakers. “We really try to tap into the college com- /uunity,” said Lori Yarbrough, director of edu cational programsTbr the Rape Crisis Center. We (are) going to have door prizes, it’s free, nd it could potentially save your life.” The program is open to women ages 13 nd older and is being held at the Student Center Auditorium at Blinn College in Bryan, Yarbrough said. The program usually draws about 50 to 100 participants, and organizers are hoping for more this year. “We do this every semester,” Yarbrough said. “Personal safety is a big issue, even in a place like College Station.” Frank Haislip of Haislip Taekwondo USA ,1 be the main speaker this year and will teach self-defense maneuvers. Sheriff Chris Kirk, University Police Department Director Wiatt and UPD Police Sergeant Betty Lemay will also be involved with the safety irke v.erv ;lass by explaining which weapons women as team,tli (can use to protect themselves and how to Aggies a5|gfj n( | sex offenders in their area, she said. Melissa Kalka, a junior business major , looks I* from Dalian i s a volunteer at the Rape Crisis Center. She stressed the importance of attending the program. “The guy who is teaching is amazing,” Kalka said. “You need to protect yourself in any circumstance, not just rape.” Kalka, who is a rape survivor, speaks out to many groups about the importance of pro tecting oneself and being aware of one’s )age4 em again: ist(Hare) ic nv vere then. No' rd and Ft so we si always at have bee er’s coaci ir midfirf hanges you netf er tf j. Ifsdoi* See Defense on page 2 Time to celebrate Suzzette Devloo, left, celebrates with teammate Laura Probst, center, who assisted Devloo in the Aggies' first goal on Duke University Sunday afternoon. Carrie Berend, right, SHARON AESCHBACH • THE BATTALION also joins the celebration. The Aggies defeated Duke to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. For more soccer coverage, please see page 5. olditch named head of petroleum engineering By Nicole M. Jones THE BATTALION After a nationwide, two-round search, the Department of Petroleum Engineering found its new head in a Texas A&M professor with three degrees from Texas A&M, who is also a member of the Petroleum Engineering Academy of Distinguished Graduates at Texas A&M. Stephen Holditch, a professor emeritus in the petroleum engineering department and 1969 graduate, will take on the position of department head, effective Jan. 12, 2004. Upon the resigna tion of the former head in February, a committee was formed to conduct a nationwide search for someone to lead the department, said G. Kemble Bennett, dean of the Dwight Look College of Engineering. The search committee recommended three candidates qualified for the position, and Holditch was selected in the second round of interviews, Bennett said. In the future, Holditch plans to enhance the already strong reputation of the petroleum engineering depart ment and strengthen its research fund ing and research output. “Being an Aggie petroleum engi neer should be the most respected self- definition within the upstream oil and gas industry,” Holditch said. To achieve this excellence, Holditch said the department must have the best students and faculty, improve the relia bility of funding, enhance the quality of research and strengthen its relation ship with the industry. By developing a five-year plan, the best and brightest petroleum engineers can be brought into the department as students or faculty through petroleum engineering activities at the Qatar campus and with University President Robert M. Gates’ plans to hire new faculty, Holditch said. Energy production and energy use See Petroleum on page 2 HOLDITCH Gunman arrested By Sarah Szuminski THE BATTALION A man who reportedly threatened people with a rifle was taken into custody by College Station Police officers early Sunday morning at The Exchange on Luther Street after officers surrounded the apartment the man was in for nearly two hours. Officers were dispatched to the complex at 10:48 p.m. Saturday night in response to a report of a man at apartment complex early Sunday with a gun. At 12:41 a.m., the man exited the apart ment and was taken into custody, according to police reports. Senior environmental design major Trent League, a resident of The Exchange, said he was surprised to see nearly a dozen patrol cars outside his apartment when he returned home around 11:30 p.m. “There were three cops standing out in front of our building,” League said. “They said it was a haz ardous area and we couldn’t go inside.” League said the apartment police had surrounded was across from his own in building 17; however, he didn’t know any of the residents who live in the four- bedroom apartment. He said at least two officers were positioned at the back of the apartment, crouched between patrol cars with their guns drawn. He and his friend decided to leave the complex after bystanders informed them that the situation involved a man with a gun. League said. As they were leaving, League said the College Station tactical team arrived. Focus on International Education By Lauren Smith THE BATTALION This week students will have the oppor tunity to learn about the cultures of 3,700 Texas A&M international students from 115 different countries as part of International Education Week. U.S. Secretary of Education Ron Paige and Secretary of State Colin Powell have declared Nov. 17-21 International Education Week, a nationally observed event held for the fourth time. Julio Jana, president of the International Students Association, said he is excited about having a week to educate people about international affairs, bringing all students together. “We are living in a global world, everything that happens here affects other parts of the world,” Jana said. “By pro moting international awareness, not only on campus but in the Brazos Valley, a more welcoming environment to foreign affairs will be created.” In a Sept. 17 memo, University President Robert M. Gates said International Education Week will be a time for Texas A&M to join schools and colleges across the country in celebrating many opportunities for students to gain global knowledge and cultural awareness. In the past year, nearly 1,100 A&M stu dents went on 23 study abroad programs. Jennifer Baker, a senior industrial distri bution major, said studying abroad in France changed her life, and she plans to teach English in Japan following graduation. “It completely changed my world view, and I strongly recommend it to anyone, even if it is only for a short time,” Baker said. Lynne Masel Walters, head of internation al studies and associate professor of journal ism, said “it seems like everyone is coming here, and we are not going over there.” “We are on top of the heap right now, but somebody else might end up there because they were better educated about the world,” Walters said. The ISA is making a campuswide effort to get everyone on campus to wear some thing international Monday, anything from an international hat to a T-shirt with a flag. Bill Kibler, interim vice president of Student Affairs, will make a few remarks See International on page 2 International Education Week Events MONDAY • Grand opening of CAVE (international student lounge) • Address from Bill Kibler, VP of Student Affairs, 5 p.m., CAVE TUESDAY • Brown Bag luncheon, "Miscommunications in Intercultural Encounters,” 12 p.m. -1 p.m., Harrington 616 WEDNESDAY • International Education Resource tables, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., MSC Flag Room • Living, Working, Teaching Abroad, 5 p.m., Career Center THURSDAY • Martial Arts Education, 7 p.m., MSC Flag Room FRIDAY • Cultural Forums, locations across campus RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE : WWW.TAMU.EDU/ISA