The Battalion
Serving the Texas A&M University community
Vol. 74 No. 125 Wednesday, April 1, 1981 USPS 045 360
16 Pages College Station, Texas Phone 845-2611
^age 3
The Weather
Today
Tomorrow
High 82 High
Low 59 Low 52
Chance of rain none Chance of rain none
Joke-cracking Reagan recovering
United Press International
WASHINGTON — President Reagan, feeling "quite well”
today, walked around his hospital room for the first time since
surgeons removed the bullet fired into his chest by a young
drifter who apparently wanted to win the love of a teen-age
movie star.
Reagan, 70, who resumed the duties of chief executive
Tuesday by signing a milk price support bill with a wobbly
signature, is expected to be back in the White House in a
week or two.
He was shot in the chest Monday by a would-be assassin
who also wounded press secretary James Brady, a Secret
Service agent and a police officer assigned to protect the
president.
Reagan was not told until shortly after noon Tuesday that
Brady had been shot in the head and was in "critical condi
tion” in the hospital. “Oh damn, oh damn,” Reagan said.
Doctors, though, are optimistic White House press secret
ary Jim Brady will survive the bullet that passed through his
brain and say he is responding to voices and moving the right
side of his body.
“Brady is going to live. It’s incredible. They told us when
people are brought in like that they don’t recover, and they
held out very little hope. Maybe our prayers have been
answered, ” White House chief of staff James Baker told re
porters.
Brady, shot in the attempt on President Reagan’s life Mon
day, was in “critical but stable” condition.
A medical bulletin said Brady, 40, can understand and
respond to commands to move his right side. A source close to
his family said doctors expect him to be able to speak when
tubes helping him breathe are removed from his throat.
“His vital signs are normal,” he said.
Reagan’s doctor, Daniel Ruge, said Reagan’s vital signs
were normal, and that the conditions of Brady and Secret
Service agent Timothy McCarthy were “essentially the
same.”
Reagan was moved Tuesday night to a more spacious hos
pital suite. Said Dr. Ruge: “The president continues on the
road to recovery. He is doing extremely well.”
Doctors say his convalescence will take perhaps two to
three months before complete recovery.
With a shaky signature Tuesday, Reagan approved a bill to
cancel a scheduled April 1 increase in the milk price support
to complete action on the first congressional test of his budget
proposals.
Down the hall from the president’s hospital room, pres
idential aides manned a White House communication center
that included the “black bag” the president would need in
case of a confrontation with the Soviet Union.
The president met Tuesday with his family, his top aides,
Chief Justice and Mrs. Whrren Burger, some members of
Reagan’s “kitchen cabinet” and Vice President George Bush,
who was standing in for Reagan at the White House but did
not assume the office of president.
Reagan also kept up his steady stream of wisecracks.
When political aide Lyn Nofziger told Reagan the govern
ment was running normally without him, Reagan replied:
“What makes you think I’d be happy about that?”
When the aides walked into his room, he said, “Well I
guess I really screwed up the schedule today.”
The young man charged with trying to assassinate Reagan,
John W. Hinckley Jr., 25, was due to undergo psychiatric
tests today.
NCAA probes
recruiting in
4AM athletics
By RICHARD OLIVER
Battalion Staff
The NCAA is conducting a prelimin
ary investigation into Texas A&M Uni
versity athletics for possible recruiting
violations, The Battalion has learned.
Texas A&M Acting President Charles
Samson and Athletic Director Marvin
Tate received letters March 23, con
firming the Athletic Department was
Being investigated. The letter did not
specify what the NCAA was looking
into.
The Battalion, however, has learned
the NCAA is checking into possible re
cruiting violations and investigators re
portedly have been approached by sev
eral fonner football players with allega
tions of infractions.
"We’ve speculated and we just don’t
how what the investigation is about,”
Samson said last week.-"We ju.sf don’t
have any idea.”
Samson stressed the investigation
was simply a notification that the NCAA
would be looking into possible prob
lems, and added letters notifying the
University of preliminary investigations
lave been received in the past at Texas
A&M.
NCAA official David Berst, contacted
at the organization’s national offices in
Kansas, said he could not respond in any
way to inquiries concerning the investi
gation until Texas A&M officially re
leased the information. The Athletic
Department has not yet released an offi
cial statement concerning the investiga
tion.
Tate said if violations were found in
the recruiting procedure, necessary
steps would be taken.
“If the Southwest Conference or the
NCAA came to our University with alle
gations, an investigation would be
made,” he said. “A hearing would be
held. If the allegations are valid, if it’s
found we re in violation, steps would be
taken for us by the NCAA and the SWC.
We would obviously take corrective
measures.
“Recruiters go into their respective
areas of the state representing A&M in
an effort to recruit student athletes at
Texas A&M. On a high level; a profes
sional basis. If this is not done and rules
are violated knowingly and it is proved
that this (violations) happens, then
those involved will have to suffer the
consequences.”
Tate said he had no knowledge of re
cruiting violations.
^ amaw —
The American way Staff photo by Brian Tate
Students complete ballot forms in front of Sbisa Hall for the spring overseeing the balloting, which continues thru today at 6 p.m. The
student elections. Paul Bettencourt and Karen Klaras (at table) are elections are for various student and yell leader positions.
Science faculty evaluation process under fire
By MELANI BAYLESS
Battalion Reporter
Afaculty member in the Texas A&M mathematics depart
ment says the faculty evaluation process used by departments
within the College of Science atTexas A&M is being criticized
from students and faculty who claim it does not sufficiently
emphasize and reward outstanding teaching ability.
Letters and petitions are being circulated to gain support
for the instructor, who is leaving Texas A&M because of
Mure to be granted tenure on the basis of evaluations he
recieved.
Dr. Lee Whitt, an assistant professor of mathematics, said
hehastaken anewjob in Norfolk, Va. Whitt said he made his
decision to leave because he had no future at A&M. “I went to
the top and talked with (Acting) President (Charles) Samson.
He said he was sympathetic but couldn’t interfere in depart
mental affairs. It’s clear to me that the University isn’t going in
the right direction and I’m faced with no alternative but to try
and get out.”
Samson said Tuesday that he preferred not to comment on
the specific situation concerning Whitt.
However, concerning his (Samson’s) involvement in Uni
versity departmental affairs he said, “My interest would be
simply to assure that an individual had received proper and
fair consideration.”
Whitt said that his third- and fourth-year faculty evalua
tions were “negative” because of his failure to meet depart
mental research requirements.
Whitt said the mathematics department at Texas A&M
stresses frontier research. “Frontier or front-line research is
Be prepared for foolishness
By DANA SMELSER
Battalion Reporter
If someone tells you today that your
zipper is down, don’t bother to check
unless you’re really unsure of yourself
-it may be an April Fool’s Day joke.
April 1, the practical joker’s para
dise, is known for unscrewed salt-
shaker lids, imaginary bugs and little
white lies.
Although April Fool’s Day, or All
Fool’s Day, has been celebrated for
centuries in several countries, the
stories surrounding the origin of the
day are as numerous as the practical
jokes played.
One version contends the day ori
ginated in France when the celebra
tion of New Year’s Day changed from
April 1 to Jan. 1 after the adoption of a
new calendar in 1564.
Those who still celebrated on April
1 became known as April fools. The
custom of fooling friends on that day
became popular in France and spread
to other countries.
Another story of the celebration’s
origin also pins it to 16th century
France, where there was an old cus
tom of paying formal calls to people on
April 1, one week after New Year’s
Day.
When the old calendar was re
placed, mock calls continued to be
paid on April 1 as a joke.
The tradition among the Jews,
another version says, began when
Noah sent a dove from the ark to try to
find dry land on April 1 but the water
had not subsided.
It became Jewish custom on this
day to punish persons who had forgot
ten the significance of Noah’s feat by
sending them on some useless errand,
as Noah sent the luckless dove.
Whatever its origin, April Fool’s
Day gives people an excuse to play the
fool.
In France, the fooled person is cal
led “April Fish, ” or a young fish who is
easily caught. In Scotland the victim is
called a cuckoo, which is the emblem
of simpletons.
April Fool’s Day resembles other
festivals, such as the Hilaric of ancient
Rome (March 25), and the Holi festival
of India (ending March 31). In Mexico,
All Fool’s Day is celebrated on Dec.
28.
Through the years, April Fool’s
Day has been observed by children
and adults and sometimes involves
rather elaborate hoaxes as well as
merely simple jokes.
Many students at Texas A&M Uni
versity have their own memories of
April Fool’s Day fun.
Kathi Molloy, a Houston freshman,
said, “I once filled an eclair with shav
ing cream.”
Pat Howell, a sophomore from
Plainview, said, “We would get all the
Aggies together, wear our Aggie
shirts, and tell everyone it was ‘Aggie
Day. ”
One time, Dickenson sophomore
Nancy Odenwalder said, her friends
put up “Dial-a-Laugh” signs all over
campus with her phone number.
“People kept calling me asking for
jokes until I went around and pulled
all the signs down,” she said.
Bryan Kaminski, a freshman from
Dallas, said at a club last year someone
switched the signs for the the men’s
and ladies’ rooms. “That could get
dangerous,” he added.
Today can get dangerous. One
word of advice: Be prepared. You nev
er know when someone might be
trying to fool you today.
By the way, your zipper’s down.
basically something that can’t be explained to anyone except
other mathematicians,” he said.
Rod O’Connor, professor and director of first-year chemis
try at Texas A&M, said, “Dr. Whitt’s situation is not an
isolated incident, but most students don’t know that. ”
In the College of Science, tenure, merit raises and promo
tions are almost all based on research, he said.
“The problem is that there seems to be no requirement at
any level of the tenure process which pays specific attention to
teaching,” he said.
T.T. Sugihara, dean of the College of Science, could not be
reached for comment at his home or at his office.
A call was placed to Sugihara’s office on Monday. His
secretary said Sugihara was busy but she said she would leave
a message for him to return the call. He never returned the
call.
H.E. Lacey, head of the University mathematics depart
ment, said teaching ability isn’t ignored in the evaluation of
faculty, but outstanding teaching ability coupled with frontier
research, “research into the unknown,” is preferred.
“Texas A&M is a university, not a teacher’s college — the
University lives by research. We can’t have relevant under-
graduate or graduate programs without frontier research,’’ he '
said.
Lacey said guidelines or standards are used to evaluate
research but “no one really knows how to evaluate teaching j
contributions.”
Lacey said he is serving on a committee established by Dr.
J.M. Prescott, vice president for academic affairs, last fall to
“formulate effective methods of evaluating teaching for va
rious personnel considerations.”
Whitt said, “The lack of balance between rewarding faculty
for teaching and rewarding faculty for research is the bottom
line problem; research is usually favored.
Whitt, who taught at Cornell University for two years j
before coming to Texas A&M and received a doctorate in
mathematics from Yale University, said he has done some
research during his four years at Texas A&M, but not enough.
“I have had four articles published and am expecting
another one to come out soon, but my area of interest involves
teaching — helping students see something they can relate to
(See ‘Whitt’ page 6)
Students have little input into
tenure or reward, prof says
By MELANIE BAYLESS
Battalion Reporter
The system used to choose and reward outstanding faculty
members in Texas A&M’s College of Science places little
emphasis on teaching ability, a prominent chemistry profes
sor says.
Rod O’Connor, professor and director of first-year chemis
try at Texas A&M, said, “Dr. (Lee) Whitt’s situation is not an
isolated incident, but most students don’t know that.”
Whitt said that his third- and fourth-year faculty evalua
tions were “negative” because of his failure to meet depart
mental research requirements. Whitt said he made a decision
to leave Texas A&M because he had no future at the school.
In the College of Science, tenure, merit raises and promo
tions are almost all based on research, he said.
“The problem is that there seems to be no requirement at
any level of the tenure process which pays specific attention to
teaching,” he said.
T.T. Sugihara, dean of the College of Science, could not be
reached at his home or at his office to comment on the
situation.
O’Connor said that although the chemistry department is
strong on teaching, “When I served on the tenure committee
for this department we never saw the results of student
evaluations. In the College of Science, teacher evaluations
are filled out by students and then held onto in case the dean
or department head wants to see them.”
A problem exists with how to measure teaching without the
bias of the person giving the evaluation entering into the
process, he said.
“First, it’s possible that instructors could remove all bad
comments and just keep the good,” O’Connor said. “But a
more subtle problem exists when students react to a teacher's
personality rather than to his teaching ability.
“Tenure should only be granted for excellence, he said, j
“but that should include excellent teaching ability also.”
O’Connor said, “I have been looking at Texas A&M over j
the past eight years that I’ve been here and in the College of
Science I can see the level of teaching and the time spent with ,
students declining.”
He said there should be “a route to reward excellent
teaching. A faculty member should be able to tell his depart
ment head what expertise he wants to try for — teaching,
research, service — and should then be rewarded if he excels
in two of the three criteria. ”
“The current priority for rewarding faculty in the College :
of Science seems to be something like this: research, publica- i
tion, outside judgment of publication, the potential good the
individual can do for the department, and lastly, teaching,” I
O’Connor said.
“Whitt is a bubble,” he said, “When the pot on the stove
gets hot and you see one bubble, you know something’s just
about to boil soon.”