Wednesday, September 1, 2004
OPINION:
Hazardous to
your business
Page 5B
Volume 110 • Issue 4*18 pages A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
SBP turns down Greek block
Proposal would have reserved 3 y 000 Kyle seats
By Chelsea Sledge
THE BATTALION
A proposal to organize Greek block seating
at football games was recently turned down by
Student Body President Jack Hildebrand, who
originally pledged his support for the proposal
at die end of spring semester, said Greg King,
president of the Interfratemity Council.
“The football games are not about groups
or what organization you’re in. Once we en
ter Kyle Field, we are all a part of the 12th
man there to support our football team,”
Hildebrand said. “This is not a decision I
made by myself. 1 contacted student leaders,
and this is the resonating opinion. I offer my
support to Greek life just as 1 do to the other
41,000 students. I am not turning my back
on (Greeks). I support their endeavors.”
The proposal, written by Grant Soder-
berg, former vice president of Campus and
Community Relations for the Interfraternity
Council last spring, designated 3,000 seats
on the first deck of Kyle Field as reserved
block seating for members of the A&M
Greek community as well as an area for
Greek tailgating prior to football games.
The plan was designed to promote in
teraction among the four components of
the Greek Life body on campus: the Inter
fratemity Council, Collegiate Panhellenic
Council representing sororities, National
Pan-Hellenic Council, the governing body
of African American sororities and fraterni
ties and Multicultural Greek Council repre
senting other fraternities and sororities, said
Erich L. Sowell, vice president of Campus
and Community Relations for 1FC.
"One of our biggest problems in the
Greek community is that we don’t do
enough cross programming,” King said.
“(This proposal) would be something
physical to show Greek unity.”
The Greek system is the second-largest stu
dent organization on campus, almost doubling
the membership of the Corps of Cadets. The
A&M Greek community boasts almost 3,000
active members, accounting for approximately
10 percent of the entire student population, ac
cording to the Greek Life Web site.
Despite large numbers, membership among
sororities and fraternities has dropped in recent
years. The A&M sorority chapter average was
down from 199 members only three years ago
to 167 members in the spring of 2004. Frater
nity membership had a 40 percent decline in
the past three years. King said.
“Membership has dropped, but more im
portantly, 1 feel like we have all lost touch
with each other,” said Erin Weigle, social
chairman for Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
See Greek on page 2A
Student charged
in felony case
of fire mischief
By Emily Guevera
THE BATTALION
A Texas A&M student was charged with
criminal mischief, a state jail felony, on Aug.
18 after a PDA (palm pilot), microwave and
computer were destroyed.
The trial for Jason Lee Coleman is still pend
ing as the district attorney’s office continues to
collect case reports and interviews surrounding
the case, said a representative of the district at
torney’s office, who would not reveal her name.
Maj. Bert Kretzschmar of the University Police
Department said the incident occurred on Aug. 10
at 11:33 p.m. and resulted in a fire in Room 203 of
Hughes Hall in the FHK complex.
“There were several individuals, including
Coleman, who were in a disagreement. Cole
man supposedly put what they call a PDA
inside a microwave, and it caught on fire,”
Kretzschmar said.
Kretzschmar said Coleman also damaged a
computer by pouring a soft drink on it.
Sophomore Chase Jackson, a Hughes Hall
resident, said he smelled burning plastic and
the dorm’s fire alarm went off, causing an
evacuation of the dorm.
Jackson said he did not hear an explosion
before the evacuation.
“1 thought that it was a regular drill, and my
friend was like, ‘it’s real,”' Jackson said.
“It was very hectic and happened very quickly,”
said FHK Hall Director Maggie Ferguson. “Po
lice were alerted by phone and the fire alarm.”
Coleman later confessed that he was re
sponsible for the incident, Kretzschmar said.
“(Coleman) came to us almost right away, the
11th or 12th (of August),” Kretzschmar said.
Coleman was not arrested until officers
completed the investigation, discussed the in
cident with the district attorney's office and
obtained a warrant, Kretzschmar said.
See Student on page 2A
Eye on the sack
DAVE MORRIS • THE BATTALION
Junior business major Derrick Oliver, Gage, outside Harrington Tower Tuesday,
left, kicks a Hacky Sack to sophomore Oliver and Gage frequently play hacky
molecular and cell biology major Jacob sack between classes.
First lady hails husband’s fight against terrorism
By David Espo
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Republican National Convention co-stars Laura
Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger commended President Bush to
the country for four more years Tuesday night, hailing him as a man
of strength leavened by compassion. “You can count on him, espe
cially in a crisis,” said the first lady.
“He’s a man of perseverance. He’s a man of inner strength. He is
a leader who doesn’t flinch, doesn’t waver, does not back down,”
added the Austrian-born California governor in a speech that also
promised recent immigrants they are welcome in the GOP.
“We Republicans admire your ambition. We encourage your
dreams. We believe in your future,” said the actor-turned-politician
in one of several speeches crafted to show the softer side of a party
known for its conservatism.
The effort to flesh out an image of the president as something
more than a resolute commander in chief resulted in something akin
to a prime-time Bush family hour, with twins Jenna and Barbara
teasing their father gently in a brief, joint appearance at the podium.
“We are so proud to be here tonight to introduce someone who read
us bedtime stories, picked up carpool, made our favorite peanut but-
ter-and-jelly sandwiches and cheered for us when we made a goal,
even when it was for the wrong team,” Jenna said.
Schwarzenegger and the first lady took their turns at the Madi
son Square Garden podium as 2,508 delegates formally bestowed
their nomination on the president for a second term in office. “Four
more years,” they chanted in unison — then and many times more
throughout the night.
CHARLIE RIEDEL • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former Sen. Bob Dole, left, talks with former President George
Bush during the second day of the Republican National Convention,
Tuesday in New York.
Republicans met inside their heavily fortified convention hall as
police made more than 560 arrests in the surrounding streets on a
day heavy with non-violent protest. By evening, authorities wrapped
an entire midtown Manhattan block in orange netting, working to
See Lady on page 2A
www.thebatt.com
PAGE DESIGN BY: LAUREN ROUSE
J-majors advised
to take initiative
By Rhiannon Meyers
THE BATTALION
Dean of Liberal Arts Charles
Johnson met with journalism
majors Tuesday night to dis
cuss their options for graduat
ing with a degree in journal
ism, despite the closure of the
department last spring.
“We are not walking away
from journal
ism,” Johnson
said. “Indeed,
we will have
some new ex
citing options
for you. We are
here to support
you as a journal
ism majors, and
we are ofTering
you advice.”
Don Curtis,
liberal arts as
sistant dean,
provided the students with a
list of journalism courses that
will still be offered in the fall
and spring semester.
“For those of you who
still need a lot of journalism
classes, we encourage you to
knock these out in the next
two semesters,” Curtis said.
“We’re not trying to make
this difficult for you guys.”
Curtis urged journalism stu
dents to reexamine their fall
schedules and to take more
journalism classes if they can.
Johnson encouraged students
to go to class, saying that the
new journalism classes will
be quality classes.
“They will make your jour
nalism degree from Texas
A&M just as strong as a degree
from any other University,”
Johnson said.
Curtis also said all journal
ism majors will be blocked
from spring
registration
until they meet
with an adviser
from under
graduate stu
dent services in
the College of
Liberal Arts.
“It is vital
for you guys
to come in and
talk to us,”
Curtis said.
“We want to
make sure you are taking the
classes you need.”
Randall Sumpter, associ
ate professor of journalism,
said an interdisciplinary jour
nalism minor is planned but
pending Faculty Senate ap
proval. The minor would in
clude core journalism classes
and professional development
classes. The minor would
also require an internship in
the journalism field and
See J-majors on page 2A
We're not
trying to make
this difficult for
you guys.
— Don Curtis
liberal arts assistant dean
Aggi e soldiers’ bodies
found after 30 years
By Shawn C. Millender
THE BATTALION
The bodies of two Aggies who fought in Vietnam were re
cently discovered more than 30 years after they gave their lives
for their country. The bodies of Capt. Carl Long, Class of 1966,
and 2nd Lt. Donald Matocha, Class of 1967, are returning to the
country after being discovered in Vietnam.
According to a Department of Defense report, Long, a casu
alty of a CV-10 crash in the Vung Tar Republic in December of
1969, was recovered by the Department of Defense and identi
fied by the name inscribed inside his Aggie ring.
Long will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 16.
Matocha, a former member of company A-2, died in ac
tion in April of 1968 when the Viet Cong ambushed his re
connaissance company.
According to an account by eyewitness Hospital Corpsman
Stan Sellers, Matocha was shot and killed instantly in a firefight
on Dong Ma Mountain. Due to heavy enemy fire, his body was
not available for immediate recovery.
The People’s Army of Vietnam later buried Matocha’s body
in a bomb crater. One of the men who helped bury him, farmer
Nguyen Van Loc, reported the burial to the army’s POW/M1A
office in Hanoi in 1996.
Matocha will be buried in his hometown of Smithville, Texas
Sept. 18 after meeting a Marine honor guard in Austin on Sept. 16.
Classmate and former member of Squadron 11 Mickey Bat-
sell used to attend mass with Matocha and said that Matocha
had the spirit of a true Aggie.
“We used to go to mass almost every morning during Lent
when we were fish,” Batsell said. “One, because we needed all
the spiritual guidance we could get, and also because it was a
way to get out of morning formation.”
“He was kind of quiet, but he was the model Aggie. He did
what he was supposed to do when he was supposed to do it.
He was the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet. Someone
you’d want, as we say in the military, to ‘cover your six.’”
The sacrifices of Long, Matocha and the more than 100 Aggies
who died in Vietnam are not forgotten by cun’ent cadets in the Corps.
“We as cadets hold a great deal of respect for our fellow Ags
who passed away in our country’s past wars,” said Corps public
relations officer Charles Glover. “John 15:13 says ‘Greater love
hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his coun
try (friends),’ and we hope we can all live by their example.”
Aggie Soldiers
Two former students who
were killed in action during
the Vietnam War are now
being returned to the United
States for burial.
Capt. Carl Long, Class of 1966
Will be buried at the Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 16
2nd Lt. Donald Matocha, Class of 1967
Will be buried in his hometown of Smrthvilie, Texas on Sept 18
ANDREW BURLESON • THE BATTALION
SOURCE : CHARLES GLOVER, CORPS PR OFFICER