The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 08, 1982, Image 1

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    A Purdue view of Dr. Arthur Hansen
See pages 8 and 9
inside
Classified 1
Local 3
National . 10
Opinions 2
Sports 13
State 4
What’s Up 5
forecast
Today’s Forecast: Overcast, foggy
and warm with a 40 percent chance
of rain; high in the low 80s; low in
the mid-40s. Firday’s forecast calls
for cloudy skies with a high in the
low 70s.
The Battalion
Serving the University community
75 No. 129 USPS 045360 24 Pages In 2 Sections
College Station, Texas
Thursday, April 8, 1982
pr. Arthur Hansen
' Future chancellor sets sights on A8cM
Editor’s note: On March 22, Dr.
irthurG. Hansen, president ofPur-
iue University, was named chancel
lor-designate of the Texas A&M Uni
versity System. Last week, The Batta
lion sent a reporter to Purdue to in-
'.eniew Hansen, other administra
tors. Faculty and students. Their in-
tights into Texas A&M's new chancel
lor can be found on pages 8 and 9.
by Denise Richter
Battalion Staff
VJi WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —
v ) Iphur and Nancy Hansen should
A '■ right at home at Texas A&M Uni-
Bright
A
iHpty.
\)BThey’re leaving a campus with
malls, trees and fountains. A stately
■ administration building. A dominat
ing smokestack. And friendly stu-
lents.
WAnd they’re coming to a campus
.ivith malls, trees and fountains. A
.itately administration building. A
jjBninating smokestack. And friend
ly students.
B Hansen will assume the Texas
A&M chancellorship July 1, succeed
ing Dr. Frank W.R. Hubert, who
.imiounced his upcoming retirement
jih January.
M During an interview last week,
Hansen reflected on his 11-year term
as president of Purdue University
and his outlook as chancellor of the
Texas A&M University System.
Q. What would you see as some of
the highlights of your II-year term
at Purdue?
A. There are three main things that
I would see as highlights. First of all,
the establishment of what I consider
to be a very good administrative team.
I’ve* been very fortunate to have
found people who I think understand
the management of a major research
university and know how to reach the
goals we have set.
Second is the emphasis I have
placed on private support. When I
came here we had no development
operation, and that has now grown to
the point where I feel it is in good
shape.
Third, I’ve ... tried to build a sense
of community that involves students,
faculty, staff and alumni. My one goal
has been to try to break down artificial
walls that separate the various compo
nents of the university. We’ve worked
hard and I think we’ve moved a long
way in this direction.
Q. In Indiana, each state-
supported school must have a stu
dent member on its Board of Trus
tees. How do you feel about this?
A. Originally, I was opposed to (the
Dr. Arthur G. Hansen
idea of a student trustee), not because
I don’t like sttidehts, but because we
also have a student representative to
the Board ... elected by the students.
So I questioned the idea of a student
trustee because he or she must be a
trustee in the true Sense, he caii't just
be concerned with students. 1 felt it
was a duplication — 1 didn’t see any
advahtage in it.
But, it has turned out to be one of
the best moves we’ve made ... because
it’s a young voice — a different pers
pective, a different attitude. We’ve
had nothing but success with that idea
and I think it’s one of the best things
that has happened to that Board.
Q. Would you be in favor of a stu
dent regent or a student representa
tive at Texas A&M?
A. Absolutely. Unequivocably. But
... I’m a little bit leary at the outset of
getting into A&M’s direct operation,
so I would look at that with care. I
think the student trustees at Purdue
have been a great idea (and) I think
my position would have to be to indi
cate to people that I’m receptive to the
idea.
My job is to sell that to the Board of
Regents, which I hope I’ll be able to
do. But I would like to see that come
from within the University.
On the whole, you need responsi
ble input from the faculty and stu
dents. If you don’t, you’ll have a we-
they relationship — you’ll have the
administration over here and the fa
culty and students over there, and
you never really build a team that has
a genuine sense of moving in a com
mon directioffT
Q. What is your relationship with
students?
A. You try to get input (from stu
dents) by visiting residence halls and
(sorority and fraternity) houses. Also,
my office has been open to them, and
when they have a problem 1 want
them to see me. I treat them the same
way I would treat any other member
of the faculty or my administrative
team — they are welcome anytime to
come in and sit down and talk.
I think that sort of thing leads to
this commonality of purpose and di
rection. Welding a common purpose
is critical — it takes a lot of time and a
lot of trust. You’ve got to build a feel
ing that everyone is on everyone eise’s
side.
Q. When you announced your res
ignation from Purdue in November,
did you know about the job at Texas
A&M?
A. Well, I was certainly aware of the
fact that the possibility might occur,
and I think at the time the decision
had pretty well been made that I was
going to go for a state chancellorship.
Of all of the prospects on the horizon
back then, it seemed that the opportu
nities at A&M were the most favor
able.
Q. When were you first offered the
chancellorship?
A. There’s been a long relation-
See FUTURE page 8
CS city council to talk
on Civic Center policy
by Lori Weldon
Battalion Reporter
Policy for the new city Civic Center
will be discussed in the regular meet
ing tonight of the College Station City
Council at 7 p.m.
Issues being considered by the
council include possible use of alcohol
on the premises and fees to be
charged for use of the facility by pri
vate non-profit groups and commer
cial or political gatherings.
North Bardell, city manager, said
that not allowing use of alcohol at the
center might cut down on the number
of groups wanting to use the facility,
but allowing alcohol would result in
additional clean-up and security
costs.
The council will hear any protests
or suggestions about the Civic Center
policy before bringing the proposed
policy to a vote tonight.
Also being considered tonight by
the council is a resolution to allow
Mayor Gary Halter to enter into an
agreement with the city of Bryan and
Brazos County which would form a
narcotic traffic control unit. A similar
resolution was passed recently by the
Bryan city council.
Mayor Richard Smith of Bryan said
at that time that the unit would consist
of a police officer from Bryan and a
police officer from College Station
patrolling together in order to pro
vide dual jurisdiction in cases requir
ing narcotics arrests.
Another public hearing will be held
concerning the consideration of a
permit application by Wood Energy
for an exploratory well in the Univer
sity Park subdivision.
Peace Corps using skilled
workers to help countries
She must have the right amount to
make her experiment work, so Kara
Basden watches carefully as she pours
Benedicts Solution into a beaker. The
staff photo by David Fisher
chemistry experiment is designed to help
students learn how to use a
spectrometer. Basden is a freshman
from Houston in electrical engineering.
by Julie Farrar
Battalion Reporter
The Peace Corps — highly publi
cized in the 1960s — doesn’t receive
the attention it once did. But it still
exists and still works to help people in
underdeveloped areas.
The Peace Corps has two major
goals — to provide technological aid
to underdeveloped countries, and to
help Americans understand foreign
cultures and give them an opportun
ity to understand their own.
Today, the Peace Corps still works
to help different countries improve
health care, agricultural techniques,
and provide better learning facilities
and methods.
Last week, Peace Corps recruiters
were at Texas A&M hoping to attract
students with special skills for their
programs.
“We have a lot of highly qualified
applicants on this campus,” said
Frances Kelliher, Texas A&M Peace
Corps representative and strategy
coordinator.
Kelliher said Texas A&M students
have “scarce skills” — skills in fields
such as engineering, agriculture,
forestry, fisheries, entomology and
education.
Recruiters look for people with
skills that can be matched with up
coming programs the government
has planned.
Signing up for a 27-month tour
with the Peace Corps isn’t a legal con
tract — they can leave if they want to,
she said.
About 5,600 workers serve in 58
countries, she said. The majority are
in Africa, but Peace Corps volunteers
work in Asia, South America, Central
America and the Caribbean Basin.
Applicants are interviewed and
their references are checked before
The Peace Corps has two
major goals — to provide
technological aid to under
developed countries, and to
help Americans understand
foreign cultures and give
them an opportunity to
understand their own.
being accepted into the Peace Corps.
They then receive technical, cross-
cultural and camp training for three
months, Kelliher said.
The training period usually is
spent inside the developing country,
which gives the applicant an oppor
tunity to adjust to the environment
before actually beginning work.
A country usually will request that
Peace Corps volunteers come to their
country to fulfill a specific need.
Their money is spent to train these
people, so it takes cooperation from
the host country as well as the volun
teers to have a successful program,
she said.
However, a government some
times will ask the Peace Corps to
leave, or circumstances may warrant
an early departure, she said.
“When a country is dangerous poli
tically, we don’t endanger the lives of
the volunteer,” she said.
Work as a Peace Corps volunteer is
very rewarding, she said.
“The Peace Corps fits in well with
Reagan’s push for volunteer work,”
Kelliher said.
Harry Howell, a research associate
in entomology and a former Peace
Corps volunteer, said the organiza
tion has not only made Americans
aware of different cultures, but has
improved foreign policy and world
relations as well.
“It’s hard to measure it’s impact on
the world,” Howell said.
As an entomologist, Howell was
involved in field research in Hon
duras from July 1972 to December
1975. He explained how learning to
speak the Spanish language opened
his eyes to another way of life.
“Language and culture are inter-
See PEACE CORPS page 16