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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2004)
^ ^ Friday, April 30,2004 The Battalion ilume 110 • Issue 140 • 12 pages ATexasA&M lYadition Since 1893 OPINION: A policy worth backing. Page 11 www.lhebiitt.coin PACE DESIGN BY: LAUREN ROUSE Campus issues Senate calls on AD to maintain archery funding Gates addresses tuition, space allocation, diversity By Jibran Najmi THE BATTALION The Texas A&M Student Senate asked Athletic Director Bill Byrne Wednesday night to maintain cmrent funding for the women’s varsity archery team and not send the program back to club status. In a unanimous decision, the Student Senate passed a resolution in support of the women’s archery program, citing the fact that the team brought home four national championships over the past four years, has one of the highest team CPAs throughout the entire Athletic Department and have a budget that includes less than 0.7 per- ceniofthe Athletic Department budget. “When we added archery and equestrian to varsity status, both sports were considered emerging sports for women, and we hoped both would be added to the list of NCAA sponsored championships,” Byrne said. “Both sports had done well on a club basis, and so it made sense here at Texas A&M.” Amanda Raffaelli, a member of A&M’s archery team and a sophomore accounting major, said Byrne’s assessment of the archery program’s growth was incorrect. “Currently there are 25 club-level archery pro grams across the United States,” she said. “We have reason to believe that archery as a sport will grow in the next five years, it just needs time.” See Archery on page 2 By Jibran Najmi THE BATTALION Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates said Wednesday night at the Student Senate meeting that he was not aware of the demolition of any residence halls, including Hotard Hall, as he addressed the Student Senate on space alloca tion, tuition and diversity. Gates said selected residence halls would be converted into administrative space for new fac ulty on campus, while having the least impact upon on-campus students and living communities. “I want to preserve the blocks of residence halls on the north and south side of campus, and push the faculty and staff to the periphery,” Gates said. “Even if (hypothetically) a resi dence hall is demolished, it is my intention to replace it with another residence hall.” Gates said the Council on Built Environment has not addressed what the second priority will be in the Campus Master Plan. “The ideal situation for me would be that an old Ag some where would want his or her name on the new (life sciences) build ing for something around $25 mil lion,” Gates said. “That would allow us to begin our second pri ority of the Campus Master Plan and to proceed without delay.” Gates stressed the fact that it was important to plan the exteri or facade of the new life sci ences building and all future buildings on campus. Gates also addressed tuition increases, saying he would See Gates on page 2 Building blocks SHARON AESCHBACH • THE BATTALION freshman environmental design major Megan building earlier this week. The model cube Dickerson builds a model cube tower for her tower, also called a golden grid model, is the ENDS 106 class in the Langford Architecture class' last project for the semester. Bonfire benefit concert to feature Texas country music By Brad Bennett THE BATTALION Student Bonfire said it has organized what it hopes will become an annual benefit concert to help fund its non-sanctioned organization. “Basically we are trying to raise money for next year to help us with funding bonfire,” said senior rangeland ecology major Ram Lopez, a Student Bonfire leader. Lopez said three country music bands — Cooder Graw, Macon Greyson and The Peter Dawson Band — will perform at Hurricane Harry’s on Tuesday, May 4. The event will be hosted by Dub Miller, and all proceeds will be going toward Student Bonfire. Lopez said Student Bonfire has been trying to organize a concert since 2002, but it wasn’t until one of the members, Kevin Jackson, said he would organ ize it that the plans began to materialize. Jackson, a senior poultry science major, said he became interested in organizing the concert after the live music at last year’s off-campus bonfire was not as entertaining as he thought it should have been. “(Student Bonfire) had a couple good bands (at last year’s bonfire) but they were local, and 1 was like, ‘This is Aggie Bonfire; there is no reason they shouldn't have good bands,”’ Jackson said. Jackson said he started approaching acts when he went to concerts. He said several bands were interested in perform ing to promote Student Bonfire’s cause. “Just putting the bonfire name on it has a lot of pull,” Jackson said. “Everybody knows that for Texas country, if you are going to be big you got to make it in College Station.” Jackson said that if the concert continues in the future, it may expand beyond a Texas country format to include nationally famous bands such as Pushmonkey, which has shown interest in perform ing next year. He said that if the concert does expand, ties to Texas music will still be evident. Jackson said Student Bonfire has received support from the owner of Hurricane Harry’s since the incep tion of Student Bonfire. Jackson said the staff at Harry’s helped plan the event and that they told him he could have it on any day not already booked. BONFIRE MUSIC SHOWCASE ^222]^ Cooder Graw, Peter Dawson Band, Macon Greyson and Dub Miller will perform to benefit Student Bonfire. (^222^^ Hurricane Harry’s ^20^ Tuesday, May 4 MiiUm 9 p.m. • Tickets are $10 at Cavender’s or at www.studentbonfire.com • Tickets are $12 at the door RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE : STUDENT BONFIRE Jackson said drafting contracts and getting approval from Student Bonfire’s attorney and the bands’ booking agents were the most difficult parts of planning the concert. Lopez said the costs of an off-campus bonfire have increased from $26,000 in 2002 to $39,000 in 2003. Next year, he said, he expects costs to be more than $39,000. Student Bonfire plans to buy 500 acres of land, where it can grow trees and hold bonfire every year. See Bonfire on page 2 Freebirds offers free burritos to cyclists By Brian D. Cain THE BATTALION Ride Your Bike to Work and School Day is an innovative way to come together and improve the community through the collaboration of several organizations, businesses and patrons in the area, said Pierre Dube, Freebirds World Kurrito owner. This is a community effort sponsored by several local organ izations and businesses including Freebirds, Brazos Valley Cyclists and the League of American Bicyclists, said Keri Krueger, brandmaster of Freebirds. Friday is Ride Your Bike to Work and School Day, and everyone is encouraged to ride their bikes to Freebirds for a free burrito, Dube said. “Bike to Work and School Day embraces all that Freebirds is known for,” Dube said. To celebrate the day, Freebirds will be giving away free reg ular burritos to anyone who rides a bicycle to the Northgate Freebirds between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, Krueger said. This is the l Ith year that Freebirds has sponsored the event. Texas A&M graduate student Kevin Baker said he is proud that his organization, Brazos Valley Cyclists, is a spon sor of the event. “The point of Bike to Work and School Day is to reward and encourage cyclists, as well as increase awareness of bicycles on the road,” Baker said. “We want to change the attitude of some drivers who believe that bicycles don’t belong on the road, even though it’s legal to ride a bicycle on the road in all 50 states.” Baker said several members of the Brazos Valley Cyclists will be at Freebirds to help hand out free burrito coupons and that there will be a band out on the Promenade. Texas A&M Transportation Services Web Designer Jennifer LeGrevellec said several TS representatives will be at Freebirds handing out water bottles as well. Free ride Friday is Ride Your Bike to Work and School Day, an event sponsored by Freebirds, the Brazos Valley Cyclists and the League of American Bicyclists. • Ride your bike to the Freebirds on Northgate and receive a free burrito from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Members of the Brazos Valley Cyclists will be at Freebirds to hand out free burrito coupons • This is the 11th year Freebirds has sponsored the event RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE : PIERRE DUBE, OWNER OF FREEBIRDS “We are definitely supporting Bike to Work and School Day,” LeGrevellec said. Rod Wagner, owner of Aggieland Cycling, said compa nies should give more consideration to people who ride their See Bike on page 2 Fraternity to ‘rock’ for pediatric AIDS research By Rhiannon Meyers THE BATTALION The Texas A&M chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity will host a concert at Margarita Rocks Sunday to raise money for pedi atric AIDS research. Robert Wolf, a junior marketing major, said Sigma Alpha Mu, a new fraternity at A&M, will donate all of the concert’s proceeds to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, a nonprofit organiza tion committed to eradicating pedi atric AIDS. Wolf said pediatric AIDS is an important issue that students need to be aware of. “These kids don’t want to have AIDS, but they weren’t given that chance,” Wolf said. “I think it’s good for people to raise money so these children won’t suffer.” Ian Hartman, a junior econom ics major, said the concert will fea ture alternative rock band “build ing g” from Austin. Hartman said that although no cover will be charged, there will be a suggested donation of $3 at the door. “It’s important to give money to the pediatric AIDS foundation because it raises awareness in the community,” Hartman said. “And every time you donate it puts, a smile on your face.” Hartman said the fraternity has already raised $600 for pediatric AIDS last week with its “Bounce for Beats” fund-raiser on campus. The fraternity spent two days bouncing basketballs, symbolizing the heartbeats of children with AIDS to drum up donations for the foundation. Hartman said the fra ternity is expecting 250 people to attend the concert. Patty Evans, a senior events manager for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, said the foundation was co-founded by Elizabeth Glaser, who was infect ed with HIV, and two of her friends in 1988 to help Glaser's two HIV-infected children. Evans said the 15-year-old foundation is now the international leader in the identification and funding of pedi atric AIDS and HIV research. Evans said a lot of the research funds are raised at the 100 college campuses that the foundation See AIDS on page 2