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March for" \
Compelling Interest: A rally and
march for diversity
■a Wednesday, Feb. 18
■a 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
■i Rudder Fountain Plaza
Dr. Anderson's remarks
March begins
March ends
SCHEDULE
RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION
SOURCE : DR. HARRIS BERGER
FCIC sponsors diversity rally
By Sonia Moghe
THE BATTALION
The Faculty Committed to an Inclusive
Campus (FCIC) will hold its march for diversity
on Wednesday despite Texas A&M Student
Government Association withdrawing its sup
port for the march.
“We (the SGA) still support the diversity on
campus” said John Mathews, student services
chair for the SGA. “Obviously, the conflict is in
how to (make the campus more diverse) ”
Last Wednesday, the SGA passed the
“Support for Diversity Bill” which severed
SGA and FCIC ties after the SGA found that
the FCIC openly supported using race as a fac
tor in admissions.
“The fact that we withdrew our support (for
the rally) was in light of questions that were
being raised about our partnership with an
organization that has controversial positions
like .FCIC does ” said Matt Josefy, a senior
accounting major and student body president.
“We never thought the FCIC was intentionally
deceiving us.”
Harris M. Berger, associate
professor of music and per
formance studies and FCIC
member, said the main purpose
of the rally is to draw attention
to the large number of people on campus who do
support diversity.
Among those who do support diversity is the
current administration, said Larry Oliver, a pro
fessor of English and member of the FCIC,
which has been “more proactive than any other
administration.”
“I think the (Young Conservatives of Texas’
November 2003) affirmative action bake sale did
a lot of damage to (A&M’s) public image,”
Oliver said. “We’d like to send a counter-image
so that students, particularly minority students,
don’t think this University has a hostile attitude.”
The office of the president is one of more
than 30 organizations that agreed to co-spon-
sor the march.
“Dr. Anderson is speaking
at the rally,” Oliver said. “It
belies the notion that there’s a
fence between the administra
tion and the FCIC — we’re
hardly at war with the administration.”
Aside from Anderson’s remarks, there will be
information tables set up by Rudder Fountain
Plaza to help provide information on diversity
and affirmative action.
Joseph O. Jewell, assistant professor of
sociology and a member of the FCIC, said many
of his students had strong opinions for Ar
See FCIC on page 2A
Student dies
inAppelthall
By Melissa Sullivan
THE BATTALION
Christopher Anthony Lawler, a sophomore
petetroleum engineering major and a resident of
AppeltHall, died Feb. 15.
The University Police Department said it
confirmed that the death was self-inflicted,
according to a press release distributed by
Resilience Life Monday.
Elmer Schneider, associate director for UPD,
saidtheinvestigation is ongoing and interviews
are still in progress.
Schneider said UPD hopes to have more
imation in the next few days.
"The Residence Hall Asswiation is deeply
' idtedby the death of Christopher Lawler,”
saiiChhs Mahaffey, president of the Resident
^Association, in a statement. “The residents
ofTexasA&M University are our top priority,
and throughout this time of mourning, we
ffleourage them to seek solace and counseling,
fiiestudents’family and friends, as well as the
staff and residents of Appelt hall, will continue
to be in our thoughts.”
Matt Josefy, student body president and a
senior accounting major, said it is sad to lose a
(ellow student.
“Anytime we lose a member of the Aggie
family, it upsets us all,” he said.
Wynn Rosser, assistant vice president of stu
dent affairs, said counselors were available in
the residence hall’s television lounge Monday
for students and staff who needed to talk.
Student Counseling Services is still available
toanyone who wants to talk. To contact call 845-
M27.After4p.m., the Help Line is available at
See Student on page 2A
EVAN O'CONNELL • THE BATTALION
UPO Senior police officer Sharon McLean carries the
firearm that killed Christopher Lawler along the side
walk near the Southside Parking Garage Monday
morning.
Aggie Girl Scouts
aids younger troops
By Natalie Younts
THE BATTALION
Nicole McKeon said she
has been in Girl Scouts since
she was 5 years old when her
mom was the troop leader. She
is still in Girl Scouts because it
has helped her stay away from
drugs and defy peer pressure.
She said she wants to pass
along the same lessons to mid
dle school girl scouts.
“In middle school it’s real
ly rough to stay in Girl Scouts
just because it’s not the cool
thing to do,” said McKeon,
Aggie Girl Scout vice presi
dent and a senior applied math
sciences major. “I just wanted
to help out
with the mid
dle schoolers
that are in it
now and keep
them
involved.”
Aggie Girl Scouts will sell
Girl Scout cookies today
through Friday at several loca
tions around campus to raise
money for the younger Girl
Scouts in the Bryan-College
Station area.
The Girl Scouts will sell
cookies from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
at the Memorial Student
Center, Zachry and Wehner.
The cookies come in eight
varieties and cost $3 per box.
The Aggie Girl Scouts will
keep 40 cents per box and will
donate all the profits to the
Brownie Girl Scouts of Milam
Elementary in Bryan so the
girls can afford uniforms and
badges, McKeon said.
“They can see on their vest
how many badges they’ve
earned, and they’re so proud
of it,” she said.
McKeon said the group’s
goal is to sell 900 boxes of
cookies this week, which
would give it $360 in profits.
Last year, the Aggie Girl
Scouts made $120 from cook
ie sales, which it donated to
the Milam Girl Scouts,
McKeon said.
McKeon said the troop in
Bryan is an outreach troop,
which means that it receives
grants front the federal gov?,
ernment.
If it makes enough money
this year,
Aggie Girl
Scouts
wants to
pay for a
girl to
attend Girl Scout camp,
McKeon said.
McKeon said the troop is
working to sell more cookies
this year so it can help more
than one troop.
Onyinyechi Okoro, a soph
omore political science major,
bought three boxes of cookies
at the MSC Monday. She said
she looks forward to buying
the cookies every year,
because it helps the younger
children and the money goes
to a good cause.
Aggie Girl Scouts member
Jillian Jaccar, a sophomore
Spanish major, sold cookies at
See Girl Scouts on page 2A
C is for ‘cookie’
SHARON AESCHBACH • THE BATTALION
Sophomore agriculture engineering major Jennifer Hundl sells Girl Scout cookies outside
Zachry Engineering building Monday afternoon. Hundl, a member of the Aggie Girl Scouts,
and her troop will be selling cookies from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Memorial Student Center,
Wehner and Zachry throughout the week.
Barbara Bush to speak about White House life
By Michael Player
THE BATTALION
Former first lady Barbara Bush will speak
about her book “Reflections: Life after the White
House” Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Rudder Theater.
Roman Papadiuk, executive director for the
Bush Foundation, said Bush will speak on sub
jects ranging from the Sept. 11 tragedy to Bush
family stories. She will also be reading excerpts
from the book.
“(Barbara) Bush will be sharing her feelings
about 9-11, her son’s inauguration and humorous
vignettes of Bush family experiences,” Papadiuk
said. “And as a special treat, former President
George Bush will be introducing his wife.”
Barbara Bush is speaking as part of the Kay
and Britt Rice Exhibit Lecture Series.
“The original venue for the lecture was the
Annenburg Presidential Conference Center, but
due to expressed interest, the location was
changed to Rudder Theater,” said Warren Finch,
director of the Bush Presidential Library.
At the conclusion of Bush’s lecture, she will
take questions from the audience, Papadiuk said.
The life of Barbara Bush will be the feature
exhibit for the Bush Presidential Library begin
ning in April, said Patricia Burchfield, curator
for the Bush Library
“This year is ‘Year of the Woman’ at the
George Bush Presidential Library,”
Burchfield said.
Tickets to the event are free and available at
the Memorial Student Center Box Office,
KBTX-TV, The Bryan-College Station Eagle
and WTAW Radio.
ConocoPhilips donates $ 1 million for engineering student scholarships
By Joaquin Salcedo
THE BATTALION
Brittani Zalenski, a sophomore
petroleum engineering major, is paying
Iter spring semester fees with a $500
departmental scholarship and the
money she earned over the summer
tough an internship.
“The scholarship didn’t even cover
die costs of my books last semester,”
Zalenski said. “My books were almost
51,000 and there was one book — it
»as$100— that we didn’t even open.”
Students such as Zalenski will
now have the opportunity to receive
more money by applying for more
scholarships.
ConocoPhillips, the nation’s third
largest integrated oil company, has
donated $1 million for scholarships and
fellowships for Texas A&M engineer
ing students. The company cited its
interest in forming a closer relationship
with industry leaders and assisting stu
dents with financial costs and intern
ship opportunities as the reasons for the
donation.
Zalenski chose to challenge the odds
and apply for a scholarship.
Larry D. Piper, undergraduate
adviser for the Department of
Petroleum Engineering, said corpora-
lions routinely give money to universi
ties and colleges where they recruit
future employees. This is one of the
largest gifts given by a corporation to
A&M in many years, he said.
The Texas A&M Foundation, a pri
vate, non-profit corporation that is in
charge of all major monetary gifts to
the University, will distribute the mil-
lion-dollar donation according to the
donor’s wishes.
“The gift will support student schol
arships, fellowships and programs in
the Look College of Engineering,
College of Geosciences and the Mays
Business School, and other programs,
such as the SPIRIT Scholars Program,”
said Veronica Evans, communication
specialist for the Texas A&M
Foundation.
Evans said the SPIRIT Scholars
Program is a scholarship program ben
efiting geosciences, engineering and
business students interested in energy
business careers. With an initial schol
arship award of $5,000 or $25,000 per
semester, the award is even open to an
increase of $1,000 following the com
pletion of successful internships with
ConocoPhillips.
Included in the SPIRIT Scholars
Program are opportunities for students
such as Zalenski to participate in lead
ership and team building activities with
CP employees who will act as mentors,
Evans said.
“It seems like a good program,”
Zalenski said. “Speaking from experi
ence, just having the experience in the
See Scholarships on page 2A