THE Battat jon
e
hilifest beefing up
ecurity this year
AGGIELIFE:
New service
allows students to
be in tune with
local events.
Page 6
www.thebatt.com
PACE DESIGN BY: LAUREN ROUSE
By Michael Player
THE BATTALION
Chilifest 2004, the largest outdoor music
bt in Texas, is expected to be larger than
erthis year, and officials say they are beef-
ir i up security.
I This year, Chilifest will feature live per
il nuances on Saturday from George Jones,
Immy Kershaw, Cross Canadian Ragweed,
Pit Green and Jason Boland as well as chili
t; sting contests.
I “When you have that many people in a rel-
a vely small place, there are definitely going
I be some issues,” said Constable Dennis
I tas of Burleson County.
I Gaas said that this year, his office will be
Iceiving assistance from more law enforce-
1 tat agencies compared to previous years.
I “Most concerns we have are the typical prob-
ms that v arise from crowds and alcohol,” Gaas
I id. “Fortunately we have never had a serious
oblem, but we continue to stay prepared and
iveeven had briefings on terrorism.”
I The most serious offenses that occur at
I hilifest are thefts and possession of nar-
Titics, Gaas said.
I “There will be plenty of peace officers and
rveral EMT tent stations in and around the
| ea at Chilifest,” said Sgt. Dale Stroud of the
leson County Sheriff’s office. “There will
:47 officers from the Department of Public
CHILIFEST 2004
Chilifest will be held April 2 - 3 in
Snook, Texas.
^Advance tickets:
At the gate:
^Nine buses will run from the old
Wal-Mart parking lot on Texas
Avenue in Bryan beginning at
10 a.m. Saturday.
^There will be 47 officers from the
Department of Public Safety to
emphasize crime prevention,
v s
RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION
SOURCE : CHILIFEST.ORG
Safety at Chilifest this year, so the emphasis is
on crime prevention through police presence.”
To help with traffic this year, Bay Area
Recreational Flyers Club (BARF) will assist
DPS with traffic. Club members will be pilot
ing powered chutes and communicating with
police via radio.
“This is a volunteer effort by the club,” said
See Chilifest on page 2
omen ‘bringing home
|the bacon’ at earlier ages
SBP round table turnout low
By James Twine
THE BATTALION
Student turnout was low
Monday as five of the six can
didates for student body presi
dent gathered for a round table
discussion sponsored by Sigma
Gamma Rho.
The round table discussion
gave students a chance to get a
closer and more personal view of
the student body president candi
dates, said Tyam Bozeman, pres
ident of Sigma Gamma Rho and
a senior manufacturing engineer
ing and technologies major.
“We feel it is important to get
the students a chance to get a
feel for the candidates firsthand
and have them ask questions
about issues they are concerned
about,” Bozeman said.
Student body president can
didates Will McAdams, Mark
McCaig; Jack Hildebrand,;
Narietha Carter and Steve
Dutton, a representative for
Andy Herreth, were in atten
dance at the discussion in
Rudder Monday evening. Royd
Hernandez was not present.
Bozeman asked each candi
date what he considered to be the
biggest problem at Texas A&M
and how each expected to solve it.
Dutton, a senior political sci
ence major and spokesman for
Herreth, said keeping traditions
at A&M alive may not be a
problem at this moment, but it is
something that needs to be
focused on so that it will not be
a problem in the future.
“We need to do whatever we
can to keep our traditions alive
and build them stronger; tradi
tions is what makes us special,”
Dutton said.
McAdams said that as a stu
dent leader, he has watched the
decline of attendance at athlet
ic events, Silver Taps, Muster
and other traditional events at
A&M and that we need to
focus on student involvement
in these things.
“Lack of attendance is an
indicator that we are making
ourselves generic, we need to
remain a unique university, we
See SBP on page 2
Survey says
^ Carrie Pierce
THE BATTALION
A recent study released
Jby Andrew J. Rettenmaier
land Thomas R. Saving
id that women are now
learning degrees at younger
[ages than men.
Rettenmaier and Saving
[are employed by the Texas
>1 Private Enterprise
[Research Center PERC, a
[University-based pubic poli-
[cy think tank, and recently
[completed a study of women
universities and the work
[force entitled “Bringing
[Home the Bacon.” This study
[was published in the PERC
[February newsletter.
“Women are accumulat
ing more human capital than
[in the past,” Rettenmaier
[said. “They are going to
school in higher and higher
rates relative to men.”
There are more women
college students than men
college students, and this is a
general trend among univer
sities, Saving said.
The research center antic
ipates the investments
women make in school will
result in higher income,
Rettenmaier said.
Rettenmaier and Saving’s
research states that “as
women’s educational invest
ments have risen relative to
men’s, their entry wages
have risen substantially.”
Women now earn 93 per
cent of the median of men’s
wages, Rettenmaier said. The
study stated that in 1975,
women’s wages were only 76
percent of men’s.
“Women before were less
educated and spent less con
tinuous time in the labor
force,” Saving said.
Saving said women are
now spending closer to the
same amount of time in the
labor force as men.
“As new labor force has
more education, the share of
women with higher degrees
will rise,” Rettenmaier said.
Brenda Bethman, director
of the Women's Center, said
most of what she has read
indicates that the earning gap
is closing for middle class
and highly educated women
without families.
Rettenmaier said the rea
son it is still lower is because
women choose degrees, such
as education, that don't pay
as well as jobs men choose.
S(N. ^ $
See Women on page 2
Senior civil engineering major Chris Mahaffey levels a survey
reflector on the civil engineering lawn Monday afternoon for
his civil engineering survey class. The reflector is being set up
RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION
for a process called electronic distance measuring. It will reflect
a beam of light back to another surveyer which will calculate
the distance between the surveyor and the reflector.
Editors nominated for Battalion, Aggieland
RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION
didates from left to right, Aggieland Editor Laura
nner, summer Battalion Editor Joshua Hobson and
alion fall Editor Kendra Kingsley.
By Brian D. Cain
THE BATTALION
The Media Board announced its nominees for
student media editorial positions Thursday.
The Media Board, made up of nine faculty and
student members, approved the nominations of
Joshua Hobson for summer 2004 Battalion editor
in chief, and Kendra Kingsley for Jail 2004
Battalion editor in chief. Laura Brenner was named
as editor in chief of the Aggieland yearbook.
Hobson, a senior agricultural journalism
major has been with The Battalion since
May 2002.
“I came in with a small portfolio and applied
for a photography position,” Hobson said.
“When I got hired I never thought I’d be editor
in chief, but after being here day in and day out,
this experience has taught me so much.
Everyone here really is like a family. I’ve never
dreaded coming to work.”
Hobson has ambitious goals for this sum
mer’s Battalion.
“One of our photographers is studying
abroad this summer and will be sending in
weekly photos for a ‘Week in Europe’ segment
that should be very interesting,” Hobson said. “I
also plan to utilize our equipment to expand
coverage of the police beat.”
Kingsley will be replacing Hobson in the fall.
Kingsley has worked for The Battalion since
the spring semester of 2001 as an Aggielife writer.
“When I first started, I was writing two sto
ries a week, which is a lot for a new writer, but I
would get really excited when I would see my
name printed on the byline,” Kingsley said.
Kingsley is a senior journalism major who
will graduate in May and return as a graduate
student to work as editor in chief.
“I think we’ve done a really good job with
accuracy and in keeping good stories in the
paper, but one thing I would like to do is start a
campaign to recruit new writers,” Kingsley said.
“I want to dispel rumors that to write for The
Batt you have to be a journalism major. That is
just not true. Some of our best writers are not
\
See Editors on page 2
UT students to compete in SPAMARAMA
By Elizabeth Knapp
THE BATTALION
Rivalry between Texas A&M
pd the University of Texas will be
kindled Saturday as teams from
oth schools attempt to win com-
letitions honoring the American
on of canned meat, SPAM.
The 26th annual SPAMARA-
is being held in Austin’s
(Waterloo Park on April 3.
This occasion occurs annually
Austin and attracts between
000 and 10,000 people who
ticipate in the day’s activities.
A torch-camying ceremony that
starts in New York will kick off the
event this year with a can of SPAM
that will replace the typical flame
and will be carried more than
3,000 miles until it reaches Austin.
“This year, the events include
a SPAM Cook-off with both open
and professional divisions, SPAM
Jam Concert Series and the SPA-
MALYMPICS which includes
the SPAM Call (a hog calling
competition), SPAM Toss (meat-
based version of an egg toss),
Collegiate SPAM Relay and the
www.iheliatt.com
first-ever SPAM Burger-Eating
Championship presented by the
International Federation of
Competitive Eating,” said Nancy
Goldstein of Shea
Communications.
Students from both A&M and
UT are invited to attend the first
ever SPAM relay. Teams of four
are being formed for the two col
leges to compete in this challenge.
“I think that it is going to be a
lot of fun, and I am interested in
going and joining the festivities,”
said sophomore biomedical sci
ences major Jessica Haynie. “I
think that it will be SPAMtastic.”
George Shea of Shea
Communications said the captain
of the UT squad has been com
petitively “trash talking” A&M,
saying that Saturday will be a sad
day for College Station.
The teams that are formed
have also been invited to compete
See SPAM on page 10
The Battalion 1
Online Weekly Poll
This Week's Results:
"If the presidential elections were held today, whom
would you vote for?"
52% □ George W. Bush
21 %□ John Kerry
27% □ Ralph Nader
Next Week’s Poll:
"Which student body president candidate wlli
you vote for?"
Take this poll at: www.thebatt.com
RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION