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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2004)
»«■ ^ Wednesday, March 31, 2004 The Battalion \ Icxiis AX'M I nidilion Sim i‘ IS 4 >T Sci/Tech: Aggie engineers use NASA technology Page 3 wvvw«<lie!»ii<l,( nin PACE DESIGN BY: LAUREN ROUSE amis i attend EVAN O'CONNELL • THE BATTALION lopliomore general studies major Chris Sawyer, left, and idler A&M students hold signs that read, 'Thank your par ents for being heterosexual; heterosexuals supporting life on Earth" in front of the Academic Building Tuesday afternoon. A&M groups clash over sexuality issue By Sonia Moghe THE BATTALION A groLip of students gathered outside of the Academic Building Tuesday equipped with signs promoting heterosexuality, along with another group of students who protested the “heterosexual pride” rally. “We’re just out here supporting what we believe in,” said Ellis Menchaca, a junior agricul tural life sciences major. “We’re just very passionate about our way of life.” The group of students that held signs emblazoned with phrases such as, “Thank your parents for being straight,” “It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” and “Straight as an arrow,” is not part of a student organiza tion, but every year through word-of-mouth and flyers, they manage to organize a congregation of students and signs, Menchaca said. In response to the rally, another group of students held signs promoting diversity while verbally demoting the rally itself. This group was also made up of various students not under the umbrella of a particular student organization. “Unfortunately, the implication of (the demonstration’s) actions was the promotion of (Homosexuals) support their rights — we support ours. All we think is since they get to promote their side, we should get to promote ours also. — Ilya Y. Rostovtsev junior applied mathematics major the supremacy of heterosexuality,” said Ilya Y. Rostovtsev, a junior applied mathematics major. “(The demonstrators) have no cause - they have their rights, none of their civil liberties are being denied.” The students promoting heterosexuality were not bashing homosexuals, said Bill Sebring, a sophomore general studies major. “(Homosexuals) support their rights - we sup port ours,” Sebring said. “All we think is since they get to promote their side, we should get to pro mote ours also.” The group, which had attained a permit through Texas A&M to legally carry out its demonstration, will be demon strating again Wednesday in the vicinity of the Academic Building. Students interested in holding demonstrations should check with University rules per taining to on-campus demon strations and permit issuing. Rostovtsev said he was con cerned about what people vis iting campus would think about the student body based on the actions of the few demonstrators. “The students on campus will have their minds made up,” Rostovtsev said. “But visiting students and parents will look at the demon strators and wonder how friendly this campus really is.” s: Severe weather class moving in its witli*i Rv loamiin Salcedo weather class every year to orooerlv NWS office has jurisdiction over. By Joaquin Salcedo THE BATTALION - Students wanting to leam more about :vere stonns and understand the differ- ncesbetween a storm watch and warning 1 attend a severe weather spotting Wednesday, said Travis Herzog, legestudii indent 0 f the Texas A&M Chapter of forestaffl leAmerican Meteorological Society. Herzog said the A&M Student Chapter of the American Meteorological iociety (TAMSCAMS) holds a severe s off in on that» es to inited Ss end audit ted minga weather class every year to properly train its storm chasers and that he invites anyone else wanting to learn about severe weather to attend the class. The National Weather Service is hold ing the class at A&M and the College Station Convention Center, and it will be co-hosted by the TAMSCAMS and the A&M Ham Radio Club. “We simply invite the NWS out and provide them with an audience,” Herzog said. Herzog said generally there is one seminar in every county that a local NWS office has jurisdiction over, but this year there are five in Brazos County. One of those is for A&M students. The class will be instructed by Gene Hafele, a Houston NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist. Hafele will teach the classes at A&M and the College Station Convention Center. Doug Dornier, president of Texas A&M Ham Radio Club and a senior See Weather on page 12 Students question yell leader endorsements By Carrie Pierce THE BATTALION Students questioned whether endorsements of candidates are alid and whether there is a fair representation of organizations t a forum Tuesday in the Memorial Student Center Flag Room. The recent controversy surrounding the endorsement of a [Header candidate brought mixed feelings at the forum as lithe yell leader candidates met with students the day before lections. Ryan Bishop, a junior business major and current yell iader, said that for someone to say a candidate is endorsed, veryone in the organization must feel that way. “Although we can’t speak for the whole Corps (of Cadets), current yell leaders endorse (Keaton) Askew, (Patrick) ebert and (Houston) Haley,” he said. Bishop said members of the Corps are not forced to vote ir Corps bloc. Taylor Baumgartner, a junior civil engineering major, said is hard to say that a big organization endorses a candidate nless everyone in the organization has been spoken for. See Yell on page 2 Junior yell leader candidates (from left) Keaton Askew, Patrick Hebert and Jacob Scher perform yell practice outside the Memorial EVAN O'CONNELL • THE BATTALION Student Center Tuesday afternoon. Elections will be held Wednesday and Thursday and students can vote online at vote.tamu.edu. airi® Jrairi® Courts grant amnesty period for outstanding warrants : Bryan and College Station municipal Icourls are granting an amnesty period Ibeginning April 5 through April 16 ’Citizens must come to court to take care [ of the violations •Alter the amnesty period, a "roundup" I period will begin focusing on people with class C misdemeanors j*City of Bryan Municipal Court > (979)209-54 00 3030 H 29th Street •City of College Station Municipal Court j (979)764-36 83 1 Krenck Tap Road CRACIE ARENAS • THE BATTALION loURCE: BRYAN/COLLECE STATION MUNICIPAL COURTS By Carrie Pierce THE BATTALION The Bryan and College Station Municipal Courts are granting an amnesty period from April 5 to 16 for citizens with outstanding warrants in Brazos County. This amnesty period will allow for those with warrants to make their pay ments without having to pay the $50 warrant fee, said Ed Spillane, presiding College Station Municipal Court judge. “This is done annually because peo ple forget or aren't aware that they need to come in within 10 days to make a plea,” Spillane said. During this county-wide amnesty period, citizens must come to court and take care of their violations, Spillane said. “We would like to reduce the num ber of outstanding warrants and give individuaU an opportunity to take care of their business,” said Hilda Phariss, court administrator for the Bryan Municipal Court. Lt. Wayland Rawls of the Bryan Police Department said citizens with warrants have received notification, and that now they can take care of them during this period. “You are notified of the course of action,” Rawls said. “Follow through with your responsibility.” After the amnesty period ends, local law enforcement will start a “warrant roundup,” focusing their pursuit on See Amnesty on page 2 ART WRIGHT • THE BATTALION Students stage a "Boston Fee Party" dents were protesting the fee referen- while wearing Indian make-up Thursday dum that will be included in Wednesday afternoon at Rudder Fountain. The stu- and Thursday's student body elections. ‘Boston Fee Party’ Students claim unfair representation By Rhiannon Meyers THE BATTALION Imitating the Boston Tea Party, 10 unnamed students dumped mock tea crates into Rudder Fountain and Fish Pond Tuesday afternoon in protest of the pro posed student service fee increase and to promote making the Memorial Student Center president an elected position. The students disguised them selves as Indians and dropped handmade crates with slogans written on them, including “No fee increases,” “Boston Fee Party,” “No fees without representation” and “Elect MSC President.” A student who refused to give his name, speaking only under the pseudonym “Dances with Fees,” said the protest was done in imita tion of the Boston Tea Party because students are not being rep resented fairly. “We wanted to let the students know that we are not being repre sented because first, we don’t vote for MSC president, and second, we do not support this fee increase,” he said. “We are using the same type of moral principles as the Boston Tea Party.” The 65 cent fee increase and the election of MSC president referen- dums are on the election ballot Wednesday and Thursday. The Student Senate proposed the elec tion of MSC president referendum at its meeting before spring break. MSC President Elizabeth Dacus said she did not agree with the purpose of the protest. “I personally don’t feel students are being inappropriately taxed, and as far as the MSC referendum, it is a very complicated system that the MSC runs under, and it is real ly not feasible to elect a president to the MSC,” Dacus said. Matt Wilkins, a senior philoso phy major and speaker of the Student Senate, said that although he didn’t see the protest, he agrees with the message. “I can‘t comment on the protest because I don’t know anything about it, but clearly students are angered by deceptive tactics being used to promote this fee increase,” Wilkins said. “This fee increase has nothing to do with maintaining traditions unless you consider salary hikes and risk management to be Aggie traditions.” Matt Maddox, president of the Young Conservatives of Texas, said that although the YCT has been responsible for many protests against fees and tuition recently, this protest was not a YCT-sponsored event. “YCT supports students speak ing out in opposition of the fee increase, but we had no official involvement in this,” Maddox said. Student Body President Matt Josefy said this demonstration is an example of the variety of opinions regarding the fee increase on campus. “I encourage students to make their views known,” Josefy said. See Fee on page 2