The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 31, 2004, Image 1

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    »«■ ^ Wednesday, March 31, 2004
The Battalion
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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