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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 2004)
m iU is 01 The Battalion 110 • Issue 90 • 14 puges A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893 Aggielife: Hip-hop culture and fashion. Page 3 www.lliehnU.com PACE DESIGN BY : EMILY HENDRICKSON iMaya Angelou iere»j / comes to A&M By Sonia Moghe THE BATTALION Ut II j ; pers« it atv lome, ICOUlllii Tiffany Johnson, a sophomore rianical engineering major, said at as a black female woman, she a nifli mrelate to Maya Angelou's liter- precii: pork. 1 think she’s an incredible 0 ^i* pier,” Johnson said. "I've read ie of her literature — she really sends a positive message.” Angelou, an internationally- acclaimed poet, author, actress, play wright, civil rights activist, producer and director will share poems and experiences at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 in Rudder Auditorium. Memorial Student Center Diversity has put together "An Evening with Maya Angelou" as one of its Black History Month programs. Leviathan D. Winn, a sophomore finance major and MSC Diversity event coordinator, said the organiza tion wanted Angelou to come to A&M because of her “diversified and unique” style of communication. “(MSC Diversity) wanted to reinforce (not only) her presence here at A&M, but our add diversity initiatives as well,” Winn said. MSC Diversity offers a resource area for students to learn more about diversity located in the MSC, as well as programs such as this. Johnson said she believes that most students have heard of Angelou mostly because of her poetry, including the famous book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” but that many students may not realize she has written books and plays as well. See Angelou on page 2 Maya Angelou Speaks Acclaimed author and civil rights activist Maya Angelou will speak on Saturday to wrap up Black History Month, courtesy of MSC Diversity. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Fob. 28 Rudder Auditorium Doors open at 6 p.m Admission is free j Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION Source : LEVIATHAN WINN, MSC DIVERSITY 1,000 weekly ««, Irjv 6-OW »T0SW Evan O'Connell • THE BATTALION br)fHosted hooks up chains to a 2002 Honda Civic on traveled across the median and both west bound lanes before Hgliwy 2818 Thursday night. The Civic was traveling east coming to a stop on a hill. No injuries were reported at the time del! ilwos hit from behind. The car spun 360 degrees, then of the accident. Comic to perform for Aggie Nights By Jimmy Hissong THE BATTALION Sometimes the best way to get ready for something big is to punch the air as wildly and rapidly as possible. “Before I go on stage, 1 start shadow boxing really incredibly fast,” said local comedian Kamran Hamid, Class of 2003. “Usually it’s just too fast and too furious. I think it kind of freaks people out.” Hamid will perform in Rudder Auditorium at 9 p.m. Friday in a Memorial Student Center Aggie Nights production. The performance will fea ture the improvisational, stand-up and sketch comedy of the 2002 Laugh Across America title recipient. As a medical student and a rising comedian, Hamid is frequently forced to weigh his time and interests carefully. “I feel like I’ve been blessed with the intellect to get through medical school so far, but if 1 quit doing stand-up it would be a waste of that talent also. So I’m trying to find a good balance” Hamid said. “Comedy takes a lot more time than peo ple think. There’s a reason why there’s not too many medical student comedians.” Despite his hectic schedule, Hamid said he manages to perform roughly every HAMID two weeks. Many of his shows are for chari ty organizations includ ing the Make a Wish Foundation and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation. Continual perform ances around the Bryan- College Station area have earned Hamid a level of recognition, which has not come entirely without a cost. Although he tries to accommodate as many on-the-spot laughs as possible, he said it can get annoying. “A lot of people will just walk up to me and ask me to tell a joke,” Hamid said. "But if you have a friend that’s a plumber and you greet him you don’t say, ‘Hey, can you come fix my drainage?”’ Despite moderate irritations from time to time, Hamid said he does not want to feel unapproachable as either a comedian or an individual. Even though they may grace the spotlight from time to time, Hamid stresses that comedians are no dif ferent than everyone else. “I was backstage hanging with Mr. Cooper, and I realized these are just guys,” See Comic on page 2 n 1:00 6U Student Senate opposes Hotard residence hall closure By Natalie Younts THE BATTALION dbks St^ OK* I Die Texas A&M Student Senate opposed the Men Built Environment’s decision to close nsepti Clifton Hotard Hall at its meeting today. A Senate resolution said it disagreed i Hotard's closing because students were not ffiufed in the decision-making process and resi- atswere not given timely notice. “Il was basically a simple resolution saying ^didn't approve of how the thing went down,” iii Chris Carlin, a senior physics major and tad resident. Student Body President Matt Josefy said he will present the Student Senate resolution and the simi lar resolution passed by the Residence Hall Association earlier this week to A&M President Robert M. Gates Friday. Josefy said he is concerned that the administration would make a big decision that affects students without their input. “I believe in the students’ empowennent here at this University,” he said. “It’s my hope to see what the possibilities are for students to have a better opportunity to express the value of a dorm like Hotard.” Josefy said the Senate had one major victory: David Prior, executive vice president and provost agreed to have a student serve on the CBE. Carlin said people of different races, backgrounds and academic interests get placed in the dorm. “No one really decides to live here. They get placed in here by default" when their first couple of choices their freshman year get taken up,” he said. “So we have this kind of cross-section of different people.” However, Carlin said once people arrive at the Northside males-only dorm, that they love it and don’t want to leave; it has the highest retention rate of any dorm on campus. Travis Gadberry, a sophomore computer sci ence major, said there are two reasons that his home, Hotard, should remain a residence hall: tra dition and spirit. “It’s not like it’s that pretty of a building. And it’s not like it’s that comfortable to live in,” he said, “but we love it, and we’re not ready to give it up yet.” The resolution was passed by a vote of 42 to two. The two people who voted against the resolution were graduate and professional Senators Cassandra Rutherford and Jackie Price. “The main reason we voted against (the legisla tion) didn’t specifically have to do with Hotard,” Price said. “It had to do with coming from a gradu ate student’s perspective: The campus master plan will (provide) space for more faculty members which means more space for graduate students.” lebel leaders say fighters waiting to attack To# )N By Ian James THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CAP-HAIT1EN, Haiti — Rebels began ovins toward Haiti’s capital of Port-au- tte on Thursday and are awaiting the order a guerrilla leader told The iiociaied Press. The leader, Guy Philippe, mission was to test President Jean- idAristide ifhe did not i,so he could be tried on ;es ranging from corrup- H!o murder. ’t want him to die. It mid be too easy. He has to | for what he has done to people,” Philippe ilin an interview with .the finCap-Haitien, the conn ’s second-largest city that itothe rebels Sunday. Pressure is mounting for Wide to resign, with lice blaming him for the Uosin its former colony in ^•week-old rebellion and urging that he be Iked by a transitional government. The H. Security Council scheduled a meeting t later Thursday. Foreigners are fleeing Haiti amid isolat- 1 looting, and President Bush said the ^ ^lt doesn't mean that we're going to attack today, we're just going to take our positions and wait for the right time. — Guy Philippe leader of the uprising CUBA Haitian refugees The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a dozen small vessels within 50 miles of Haiti. 546 have been brought aboard cutters. 0 30 mi United States is encouraging the international community to pro vide a strong “security pres ence.” Amid concerns of a refugee exodus toward Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard said it has intercepted about a dozen small vessels within 50 miles of the Haitian coast during the last three to four days. Coast Guard spokesman Luis Diaz said 546 Haitians have been brought onto Coast Guard cutters, where they were receiving food and water. “We’ve decided to go toward Port-au-Prince. They’re on their way,” said Philippe, leader of the uprising that has overrun half of Haiti and killed at least 80 people. “They’re taking their places. They know what to do.” Aristide, who has shown determination to keep power, has said a rebel attack on the cap ital could kill thousands. Most of the barricades that had been erect ed by Aristide supporters in Port-au-Prince were removed Thursday and streets were Rebels poised to take Port-au-Prince Haitian rebels, who have overrun half of the country, moved closer to the capital Thursday as pressure mounted for President Aristide to resign. The U.N. Security Council and the Organization of American States held special meetings to discuss the crisis. Port-de-Paix, Cap-Haitien Gonaives o Saint-Michel de I’Attaye St. Marc o Hinche A' I T 0 Ouanaminthe Saint-Flaphael ) Mirebalats Police fled the last Mirebalais Port-au-Prince v Caribbean Sea government bastion on Wednesday night. DOM. REP ; o Origin of rebels heading to capital j SOURCE: ESRI empty, except for motorists lining up for dwindling supplies of gasoline. The rebel movement already has sleeper cells in the capital but they would be rein forced by fighters from rebel groups moving in from variety of locations in the north, Philippe said. Asked if an attack was imminent, he said: “It doesn’t mean that we’re going to attack today. We’re just going to take our positions See Attack on page 2 First WIN chapter established at A&M By Elizabeth Knapp THE BATTALION Texas A&M will recognize its first student chapter of Women in Nuclear Engineering (WIN) this spring. A&M is home to the largest nuclear engineering department in the nation and with the addition of this new organization, women in the field will have more opportuni ties to gain contacts and net work for future careers. Laura Strban, a senior radi ological health engineering major, was one of the 13 American students who attend ed the annual WIN global meet ing held in Las Vegas, last sum mer, where she got the idea of starting the local chapter. Strban said she hopes to have the first meeting sometime this semester, and about 20 to 30 people have already signed up to be a part of the organization. Strban said she hopes to bring in speakers for next fall. “I wanted to start a WIN chapter at Texas A&M,” Strban said. “I wanted our students to meet successful women in the field and make connections to open up internships and oppor tunities for women to become more experienced in the field of their interest.” Strban said it was moving to •see so many women at the meeting holding leadership roles in the nuclear fields. Currently, there are 278 stu dents enrolled in the nuclear engineering department, and 73 are female, said Marvin Adams, a nuclear engineering professor and the faculty adviser of the new organization. Strban said she hopes this chapter will bring speakers to the campus who will act as role models to women in the department. Patricia Bryant, a member of the WIN Global Board, is also an executive committee member and director of Member Communications at See WIN on page 2