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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 1984)
Page 4/The Battalion/Friday, July 20, 1984 Prairie (continued from page 1) Pierre and Dennis want to offer more activities for students: dances, concerts and night football games are possibilities. A Residence Hall Association was established in Jan uary, and eight Greek organizations are recognized on campus. The Council of Organizations, an um brella organization for about 120 student organizations, is planning fundraisers for the Charles Gilpin Players, Prairie View A&M’s drama group. Johnson says the physical im provements on the campus will cre ate greater school loyalty and pride. “There is some school spirit, but we need more,” Johnson says. Poor facilities are a visible reason for low morale. But a less obvious morale destroyer has been a faculty teaching load that was too heavy. Dr. Elaine Adams, associate vice president for academic affairs, says the university has tried to equalize teaching hours and has reduced the teaching load from 15 hours to 12 hours — still a heavy load by Texas A&M standards. As it stands now, the number of faculty members Prairie View A&M can hire is determined by a formula that is based on enrollment. Because enrollment has actually decreased, more faculty members couldn’t be hired. One of Pierre’s brightest hopes for academic improvement at Prairie View A&M is the Benjamin Ban- neker College, an honors program that will debut this fall with 50 fresh men students participating. The col lege, named for one of America’s first recognized black intellectuals, will offer intensive courses for fresh men in biology and electrical engi neering. Additional courses in chemistry, computer science, math, economics, finance, management, mechanical engineering and civil en gineering will be added. Students must have at least an 800 on the SAT to participate in the college. The college’s ultimate purpose for participants is graduate school and advanced degrees. But the college also is expected to increase overall academic standards at the school by exposing other students to high aca demic goals and motivation. The col lege also will allow professors to teach at a higher level — something recommended by all who have stud ied the university’s problems. Adams and Pierre expect the pro gram to be a valuable recruiting tool. The program has a number of spe cial features. Freshmen students in the program will be housed together in a dormitory. Supplemental pro grams beyond homework are planned. Adams says the residential feature also will allow the obser vation of students’ study habits. Adams says recruiters have been frank with potential Banneker Col lege students about facilties at Prai rie View A&M. “They’re pioneers,” she says of the students. “Pioneers don’t expect luxury.” Banneker College students aren’t the only pioneers. The president of Prairie View A&M has pioneered a new way of viewing Prairie View A&M’s purpose. The Legislature’s stated purpose for Prairie View A&M seems contra dictory. The Legislature said: “Prairie View A&M University is a statewide general purpose institution of higher education and a land-grant institution.” The charge further states that Prairie View A&M is a special purpose institution that should provide programs for “stu dents with latent aptitudes.” Providing programs for “students with latent aptitudes” can be trans lated as programs for students who are poorly prepared for college. Some remedial work is required, but such work is considered a function of community colleges. Charges of too many remedial classes and a 50 percent dropout rate among fresh men and sophomores make it diffi cult to compare Prairie View A&M with other statewide general pur pose institutions. The emphasis on students with la tent abilities seems to be detrimental to Prairie View A&M’s “first class” aspirations. It is, until Pierre gives his version of the Legislature’s purpose for the university. He gets his guide from the first part of the statement: “a statewide general purpose institu tion of higher education.” He’s em phasizing competitiveness in aca demic excellence with other state universities. But to be competitive with other state universities. Prairie View A&M needs more money — money that Texas voters can provide in the No vember election. If a proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution passes. Prairie View A&M stands to gain $60 mil lion over 10 years and a share in the Available University Fund. If the amendment fails. Prairie View A&M’s efforts to upgrade fa cilities and programs will take longer than administrators would like. “We understand where we want to go and we understand how to get there,” Pierre says. “The pace at which we go depends upon fund ing.” House Joint Resolution 19 — the proposed amendment sponsored by state Rep. Wilhemina Delco, D-Aus- at Kevin Dennis, student body president Prairie View A&M, isn’t just another stu dent body president. He becomes “Special tin — would provide Prairie View A&M with a stable source of funds. Under the state constitution. Prai rie View A&M now receives funds for construction from Permanent University Fund bond proceeds. But it doesn’t have access to the Available University Fund, which finances en richment programs such as schol- arships and endowed professorships. “To really make educational pro grams move where I’d like to see them move,” Pierre says, “we’re going to need PUF money.” The Permanent University Fund is the constitutional endowment of 2.1 million acres of West Texas lands which is administered for the benefit of the Texas A&M and University of Texas systems. The fund is used as collateral for construction bonds. In come from the oil-rich land is in vested and the profits make up the Available University Fund. The Uni versity of Texas System receives two- thirds of the AUF and the Texas A&M System receives one-third. Funds for most of the renovation and repair work done at Prairie View A&M has come from specially appropriated sums from the Legis lature. “You can’t build excellence on state-appropriated funds alone,” says Dr. Ivory Nelson, executive as sistant to the chancellor and a for mer acting president of Prairie View A&M. If the amendment passes, Prairie View A&M will receive $6 million a year for 10 years from the Univer sity of Texas’ two-thirds share of the AUF. Prairie View A&M also will S ain access to the AUF, which it asn’t had previously. “Six million dollars provides a ma jor infusion,” Nelson says. “Once they get going, they can sustain themselves.” Adams is more specific on the benefits of HJR 19. With funds from the amendment. Prairie View A&M would be able to buy more library books and rhore instructional equip ment such as computers. Computers are needed because Prairie View A&M requires all students entering in the 1984-85 year to have one com puter course. Funds from HJR 19 also would be used to recruit new faculty members and provide opportunities for fur ther study and research for faculty members. “We need new people to keep from stagnating,” Adams says. Pierre and Adams say Prairie View A&M wants to increase re search. The interest in research is documented by Prairie View A&M’s allocation of research dollars per faculty member. It ranks third in the Photo by PETER ROCHA K” when he takes a shift as a disc jockey at KPVU—FM, Prairie View A&M’s well- equipped radio station. University of Texas. Funds from HJR 19 would help upgrade equip ment for research. “I think HJR 19 is a reasonable so lution,” Pierre says. “If it doesn’t pass,” he says, - “there’s a lot of uncertainty.” There are mixed opinions about the amendment’s chances for suc cess. George Torres, chief clerk for the state House Committee on Higher Education, says he expects the amendment to pass. “I think it would take really strong, organized opposition to de feat it,” Torres says. Pierre, and other administrators in the System, aren’t leaving the amendment’s fate to chance. Pierre often speaks to groups about HJR 19. The System and the System uni versities have formed committees to prepare information about the amendment. Prairie View A&M’s members of the Chancellor’s Stu dent Advisory Board have printed brochures explaining HJR 19 and urging people to register to vote in the November election. Whether voters pass the amend ment or defeat it, Pierre is opti mistic. “I expect to convince everybody at Prairie View by Nov. 5 that even if it doesn’t pass,” he says, “we have a great future. Frankly, I think the fu- state, behind Texas A&M and the_ ture is looking up.’ Midday heist cost Brinks’ cai United Press Internationil URIAH, Calif. — A gangofs' . men wearing orange masks rotitfc Brinks armored car on a highvfl rural Northern California TH day, shooting out the tires and dows to stop the vehicle and ing with 10 to 15 bags of 13 authorities reported. The three guards in the cat|j men and one woman, were id although none seriously, f woman suffered a shoulder w|. according to witnesses, andthtlj men sustained abrasions from* tered glass. The midday heist on a foimj road near a resort area 11 north of Ukiah took lessthana® ute, according to eyewitnesses « said four to eight gunmen tverl] orange masks, blue jeans ands|| T-shirts and traveling in twovehra used rapid-fire weapons tobrinjB armored car to a halt. It was not known immedil how much money the Brinks®;! carrying or where it had comeiB But the witnesses said the rotijl appealed to have taken lOtoliifl from the vehicle. The quickly executed heistB place on an uphill grade thatf«8 the fully loaded armored rartosH down. One vehicle carryingrodl got in front of the Brinkscaraixfl other holdup vehicle got brtB and at an apparently pre-piuB point the gunmen shot outtheij forcing the armored car to stop At the same time the gtmtl used high-powered rapid-fire* ons to blast out the supposedly let-proof windows of the car. Officers from the Mendou_ County Sheriff’s Office and th«i fornia Highway Patrol foundouM the getaway vehicles, a pickuptiH some distance from the rotiS scene, about 100 miles northofiB Francisco. Investigators speculated than j robbers had hidden other getn ' vehicles in the area. Forest xn f employees joined the search, ani i helicopter and airplane weres I called in to help. 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