The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 10, 2004, Image 1

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THE BATTALION
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The race for the District 17 congressional seat
was in the midst of a heated battle Tuesday night.
Two of the three candidates, Arlene
Wohlgemuth, Dave McIntyre and Dot Snyder,
will face each other in a runoff election in April.
Wohlgemuth and McIntyre both said they felt
good about how the race was turning out and
were pleased at the support they received in
Brazos County.
The two candidates were on hand for the
primary election results Tuesday night at the
Brazos Center.
The winner of the Republican nomination
will face Democrat Chet Edwards in the upcom
ing November elections.
McIntyre, who has taught at Texas A&M on the
subject of homeland security, has been running a
grass roots campaign based in College Station.
“Support here is great in Brazos County; it
has been all about our volunteers’ hard work,”
McIntyre said.
Wohlgemuth has been serving in the Texas
State Legislature for the past five tenns, and she
has been endorsed by five A&M regents.
Wohlgemuth expressed her gratitude for the
people in Brazos County and her relationship
with A&M.
“lhave strong ties here at A&M; I am pleased
lo be here with friends and family who support
us," she said.
Snyder, who was in Waco with her supporters
on Tuesday night, said, “Brazos County is a very
important part of the race.”
The race was shaping up to be a runoff
between Wohlgemuth and either McIntyre or
Snyder at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
McIntyre acknowledged the reality of a pos
sible runoff.
' “ljust had two goals coming into the race; to
just get a runoff, and through this process shape
(heagenda and the arguments of the Republican
See District 17 on page 2
(From left to right) John Jackson, Lisa O'Connor, Lane voters to elect their candidates outside the Brazos
Thibodeaux and Lauren Schulman try to convince Center Tuesday afternoon.
Remaining districts
see seat-swapping
By Suzanne Gamboa
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — A Democratic freshman congress
man from Houston was bounced from office
Tuesday after his district was redrawn by the
Republicans, while a veteran lawmaker who
switched parties this year easily won his GOP con
test. Another race in the San Antonio area was too
close to call.
Rep. Chris Bell was upset by A1 Green, a former
head of the Houston NAACP. With 50 percent of
precincts reporting. Green had 8,948 votes, or 67
percent, to 4,205 votes, or 31 percent, for Bell.
On the Republican side, Rep. Ralph Hall, who left
the Democratic party in January, easily defeated two
lesser-known challengers a day after riding with
President George W. Bush on Air Force One to a
Houston fund-raiser. Hall’s defection landed him crit
ical backing from GOP leaders who called at least one
primary opponent and asked him to leave the race.
“1 had a natural advantage over these guys,” said
Hall, 80. “When you have the president and the
speaker of the House and the national Republican
chairman going for you, it’s hard to break in.”
Four-term Rep. Giro Rodriguez was locked in a
tight battle with former ally Henry Cuellar in an
overwhelmingly Hispanic district that stretches
from San Antonio to the Mexican border. With 76
percent of precincts reporting, only about 150 votes
separated the two.
In another Democratic primary. Rep. Lloyd
Doggett of Austin, a powerful liberal, easily won the
nomination over former state Judge Leticia Hinojosa.
During their effort to redraw Texas’ congres
sional map last year, the GOP targeted Doggett and
Bell by making their districts more Republican.
But both men decided to jump to heavily
Democratic districts.
Bell, 44, ran in a Houston district where about
66 percent of the voters are black or Hispanic. Bell
is white, and Green, 56, is black.
The Texas Legislature redrew the map last year
in a pitched battle that led to two out-of-state walkouts
See Seat on page 2
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By Jordan Meserole
THE BATTALION
Title IX is still impacting women’s
ves, said a panel of six current and
ormer Texas A&M athletes Tuesday
fternoon.
The panel members told personal
(counts of how Title IX has affected
leir lives and how it is affecting
men’s sports as part of A&M’s
Women’s Week.
Title IX is a federal law passed in
72 that bans gender discrimination
onceming academics and athletics in
IIschools. It requires that scholarship
noney awarded by a school must be
eirdi# roportionate to the ratio of male and
ha veCf: male athletes, and all equipment or
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opportunities provided to teams must be
equivalent for both genders.
Jamie Riojas, a member of the A&M
women’s track team and a junior ag
economics major, said she appreciates
what past women Aggies and Title IX
have done for current sports.
“Listening to their (other panelists’)
stories, it makes me realize how small I
am,” Riojas said. “It makes me appreci
ate everything we have and realize how
lucky we are.”
Trigg Crawford Bracewell, Class of
1981, played four years of women’s
basketball under the newly passed law.
Bracewell said the team had to travel to
Poteet, Texas, to face an opponent, and
that the team’s “hotel” was local homes
or the floor of a Baptist church.
Bracewell said she is happy to see
the progress women’s sports have made
since her playing days, but said more
funding for women’s sports is necessary
to help continue the benefits.
“Women need to reach into their
pocketbooks,” Bracewell said. “Men
might be more reluctant to give to a
women’s sport as compared to a men’s.”
The panelists agreed with Bracewell,
saying funding and more opportunities
were necessary for women’s sports.
Ellen Morcom Kasari, Class of 1977
and a two-year member of the volleyball
team, said that in the years before Title
IX, the only way most women succeed-
See Title IX on page 2
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By Michael Player
THE BATTALION
Rick and Doranda Couch never went to Texas A&M, but
Parents’j\ Weekend
me on the campus
“Even though my husband and I did not go to school at
ulie Bd M, we feel like we are no less members of the Aggie fam-
y,” Doranda Couch said.
The Couches have made Parents’ Weekend a part of their
f Veteriijpring activities for a few years now. Their daughters,
linistrad ebecca and Ashley, attend A&M.
“Parents’ Weekend is what really showed me the family
tiritof A&M,” Doranda Couch said.“(It) really shows how
$ iecampus is family-oriented.”
Parents’Weekend 2004 will be held April 16-18 on the
).R.Simpson Drill Field and surrounding areas, and it will
e filled with the scent of barbecue and the sound of music
s students and their parents gather for a weekend of fun
ndbonding, said Raegan Birdwell, Parents’ Weekend com-
littee president.
“Parents’ Weekend is going to be bigger and better than
:r,” Bracewell said.
The theme for this year’s Parents’ Weekend is “One Spirit,
ne Family, One Weekend,” Birdwell said. The committee
ill be coordinating with Whoopstock on April 17 so there
ill not be a Tack of things to do on campus, Birdwell said.
addition to Whoopstock, April 17 will be filled with a
ariety of events, including Midnight Yell, Bevo Burn
arbecue and the Maroon and White football game.
“Whoopstock is something that goes well with Parents’
Weekend because they can both serve to unify the Aggie fam-
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Aggie Mom’s Routicjue, p a.m.
MSC. Vanetxj Show, /-.^O p.m.
• Midnight Yell, izia.m.
• E>evo Burn Barbecue, 11 a.m.
• Whoopstock, 11 a.m.
• Maroon and White Game, p.m.
*
Ail Gniversitcj Awards, 2?AO a.m.
Ross Volunteer Performance, 1Z:50 p.m.
GRACIE ARENAS • THE BATTALION
SOURCE : PARENTS' WEEKEND COMMITTEE
ily,” said Meagan Pitcher, director of entertainment for
Whoopstock. “We will show diversity with several different
styles of music, which will in turn bring people together.”
Along with music, Whoopstock will consist of various
booths and exhibits.
See Parents on page 2
Diem to represent
student voice in CBE
By Carrie Pierce
THE BATTALION
A student Ir -
has been
appointed as
student repre
sentative for the
Council for the
Built
Environment.
Chris Diem, diem
a junior politi
cal science major, was recom
mended by Student Body
President Matt Josefy and
approved by David Prior, execu
tive vice president and provost,
earlier this month.
Diem is now a full member of
the council, and he has the same
say as other members, said
William Perry, executive associ
ate provost.
The Council for the Built
Environment has received atten
tion lately due to the potential
closing of Hotard Hall and com
munication issues between the
council and the student body.
“After the Hotard incident,
students needed a say on where
things are put on campus,”
Diem said.
The council made the deci
sion to add a student two weeks
before the Hotard issue even
came up, Perry said.
Diem is active with student
government, Josefy said, serving
on the publicity committee, the
food services committee and
working on the Collegiate
Readership Program.
Josefy said this representative
position is one of the dozen stu
dent appointments that the stu
dent body president is permitted
to make each year.
“Chris has demonstrated an
incredible ability to work on stu
dents’ behalf and will represent us
well,” Josefy said.
A&M has three other councils;
the Educational Environment
Council, the Finance Council and
the Research Council. The only
other council with a student repre
sentative is the Educational
Environment Council, Josefy said.
Although the appointment of a
student to the committee was not
directly because of the Hotard
incident, the incident did make it
more evident that one was need
ed, Josefy said.
“There has been a case being
made on why students should be
on these councils,” Josefy said.
“It became apparent that stu
dents on the councils would be
beneficial.”
Josefy said Diem’s job will be
to identify any recommendations
the council makes that would
affect the students. He can also
identify any potential problems
and make his own recommenda
tions to the council.
Diem said he is exploring
ways of getting the word out to
students about what’s going on.
In the future, incidents such as
closing of a residence hall with
out student input will be prevent
ed, Diem said.
Josefy said there are not any
other universities with major
councils where students have an
equal voice at the table.
“The student government is
most effective when we are able
to act proactively and preemptive
ly,” Josefy said.
Diem said he is honored to be
appointed to this position.
“It is a great opportunity for
students to have a voice on this
committee,” Diem said. “I’m
looking forward to putting stu
dent input on these decisions.”