Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1984)
Open registration takes place today See story page 11 Aggie defense has more than Childress See story page 9 A&M Village of Hope lacking in support See page 3 Texas A&M a m -m • i he Battalion Serving the University community Vol. 80 Mo. 57 GSPS 045360 14 pages College Station, Texas Friday, Movember 16, 1984 University rules say no finals for seniors HV-- tPil iti ■ ‘. • ■?;' *• Ife; ’ • iiSfiiitp By KARI FLUEGEL Staff Writer Most graduating seniors have al ready started the countdown — one term paper, two more programs, one last quiz, one final final project — but no more finals. Some graduating students, how ever, have been told they will have to take a final before their grades are turned in to the registrar. Those tests could be against the University policy. “Quite often it’s just a misunder standing,” said Dr. Candida Lutes, associate dean of the College of Lib eral Arts. The misunderstandings usually result from new instructors who are not familiar with the University pol icy or from old professors who are confused about the recent changes in the final examination policy, Lutes said. In July, President Frank Vandiver gave the final approval to the Fac ulty Senate recommendation to re quire graduating seniors to take final examinations. The new policy does not go into effect until May 1988. The 1984-85 University regula tions states the specific policy toward final exams for graduating seniors. “For candidates for the baccalau reate degrees at the end of a semes ter or summer term, the semester average exclusive of the regularly scheduled final examination in all subjects applicable to the degrees shall be counted as final grades,” the regulations say. “If the instructor chooses to give candidates for the baccalaureate de gree a major test before submission of grades, this test must be sched uled to comply with the registrar’s schedule for the submission of grades for graduating students and must be administered during a regu larly scheduled class period.” Lutes says this means that instruc tors must give the test before the Nov. 30 deadline for submission of graduating senior grades. Lutes said instructors can have the students who are taking the exam re port to a different location, but the exam must be given during the scheduled class period. The policy also says, “The test is not a direct substitution for a final examination encompassing the en tire course, but should include material since the last regularly scheduled examination.” Lutes said this means instructors cannot give a comprehensive exami nation. But if the course is cumula tive the instructor does not have much choice in not giving a compre hensive test, she said. The policy also says, “If such an examination is to be given, it is to be announced at the beginning of the semester or term.” It is best for the instructor to in clude the examination on the sylla bus, Lutes said. If the instructor an nounces the test, Lutes said it is best done during the first week of the se mester so the student can drop the class. * The policy states, “Those who do hot qualify for graduation on the ba sis of their semester averages may take the regularly scheduled final examination in any course in which they wish to improve their grade in order to meet graduation require ments at the next degree granting time. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor prior to the examination of his or her in tention to take the examination.” If a student’s grade in a class bars him from graduation, the student has the option of taking the final ex amination at the regularly scheduled time to bring up his average, Lutes said. The student, however, is re sponsible for informing the instruc tor of his plans to take the examina tion. Even if the student scores high enough on the final to pass the class, the student will have to wait until the next semester or session to receive a degree because the registar’s office will have already finalized grades for graduating students. , Here comes the sun Photo by PETER ROCHA Alzheimer’s victims find gradual loss of intellect This large crane at the new physics building appears to be carrying the afternoon sun. Fair weather has allowed construction to continue this week. Cops call spaces ‘sacred’ Too many people are illegally parking in reserved lots near Ster ling C. Evans Library, and Univer sity Police say they have received nu merous complaints from faculty and staff whose reserve spaces are being used bv students. To combat the problem. Univer sity Police are blocking off four or five specially designated “sacred” spaces in the reserved lots near the Library. Parking Annexes 6, 10, 13, 18, 22 and 34 will contain the sacred spaces. The spaces are marked off for faculty and staff use when other people are parked in their reserved spaces. University Police will tow ille gally parked cars at the request of the reserved space owner. The sacred spaces are available during the day to anyone with a sticker for that particular reserved lot. University Police will patrol the lots at night and on weekends, and will low any cars parked illegally in the reserved lots, including first of fenders. University parking regulations al low anyone with a valid permit to park in a lot from 4 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., but any car illegally parked in a sacred space at any time will be towed. Editors note: This is the last of a two- part series on Alzheimer’s disease. By DAINAH BULLARD Staff Writer _ Alzheimer’s disease is a progres sive, degenerative disease that sen tences its victims to a gradual disinte- gration of memory, intellect and personality. The search for a cure is underway, but so far there is no re lief for Alzheimer’s patients or for the disease’s secondary victims, the f amily and friends of the patient. “The best description I’ve heard of it (Alzheimer’s) is that you forget what you forgot,” said Steve Miller, an area businessman whose mother is a victim of Alzheimer’s. Miller heads up the “steering group” in the Brazos Valley Alzheimer’s Disease Family Support Group. Besides dealing with the heart breaking changes which result from Alzheimer’s, the families of victims must deal with practical problems ranging from care for the victim to financial arrangements, Miller said. “The end result is that people who can’t afford to put the Alzheimer’s victim in a nursing home facility ba sically get a one-year-old child on their hands again,” he said. “They have great expenses, and they can’t leave them alone even long enough to run to the corner store for a car ton of milk, because they (the victim) can’t be left alone that long.” Miller said his mother, Jane Miller, began exhibiting symptoms of the disease about one year ago. Miller’s mother now resides at Crest- view Retirement Community in Bryan. “She’s 65 years old,” Miller said. “A year ago she lived by herself and was totally independent. Now she lives in the infirmary — the true nursing-home part of Crestview.” Miller said his mother must be fed, directed and observed con stantly. Because she is only in the early stages of the disease, his mother still recognizes family mem bers, he said. “She has memories of family members from many, many years ago,” Miller said. “She used to have many, many friends, but she never sees them any more. She can’t carry on a conversation with them, so now she sees only family members.” To Miller, the worst effect of the See DISEASE, page 13 Good security protects property By TRENT LEOPOLD Staff Writer Recent police statistics indicate that more than 296 College Station residents were burglarized last year, and a Texas household is burglar ized every two minutes. Marvin Byrd, College Station Po lice Chief, said residential burglary is one of the most frequent crimes committed in the College Station area. “Anything done to make entering a residence more difficult helps deter the burglar,” Byrd said. “Good security not only creates problems for a potential burglar, but also helps protect property and lives.” Byrd said residential* burglaries are problems police cannot fight alone. Byrd said in order to lower the number of burglaries, police need help from everyone living in the Col lege Station area. The College Station Police have outlined several things homeowners can do to help prevent burglaries. To understand how to prevent burglaries, it is necessary to know the three essential ingredients needed for a burglary to be com mitted. The burglar must first be moti vated or somehow have a desire to actually commit the crime. Second, skills and tools needed to carry out the actual burglary must be available to the burglar. The third essential ingredient is opportunity. This opportunity can be denied to the potential burglar by residents. The Crime Prevention Unit, a dr vision of the College Station Police Department, has outlined three ways residents can deny the potential bur glar this necessary opportunity They focus on perimeter barriers, doors arid windows Perimeter barriers are defined by the Crime Prevention Unit as those things designed to be physical and psychological deterrents to burglars thinking about entering a residence. These barriers include such things as fences, shrubbery and lighting. Chain link and wooden privacy fences are the most common fences found in residential areas. Chain link fences should be at least 4 feet tall, while wooden privacy fences should be kept in good repair. Gates connected to any fence should be locked. Shrubbery is a natural deterrent to crime, but the following things should be considered before using shrubbery as a deterrent: • Shrubbery should be at least 2 feet from any entry point leading into a house. • Shrubbery should be at least 6 inches from the bottom of any win dows. • Shrubbery should not grow more than about 1 foot above win dow seals. • Shrubbery should be trimmed at the bottom, so it cannot hide any one; and hedges should be sepa rated so potential burglars cannot hide behind them. Proper lighting is one of the most effective barriers to a potential bur glary. Lighting should be concen trated in the following four areas around any house: • Over doorways • In front and backyard areas. • Cat ages • Sheds and other - small build- ings. Light used in conjunction with other perimeter barriers creates both physical and psychological de terrents. Doors are a major area where resi dents can deny opportunity to the potential burglar. No door is any more secure than the frame it is mounted in. Materials used in door frames include wood, steel and aluminum. Wood frames provide the easiest access for the burglar. They are made of soft lumber, installed in a rough wall frame, leaving a one- eighth inch clearance around the door. When properly installed, steel frames are more secure than wood frames. Aluminum frames are softer than metal frames and can be easily pried and peeled. Aluminum frames can be strengthened by using additional layers of aluminum or adding an armored strike. Door hinges should be installed on the inside or installed so the hinge pin cannot be removed. Weld ing the hinge pin or flattening the pin head so it cannot be removed are See THEFT, page 13 Battalion editor for spring chosen By KARI FLUEGEL Staff Writer The Student Publications Board will nominate Brigid Brockman, a senior journalism major from Houston, as the edi tor of The Battalion for the Spring 1985 semester. “I’m thrilled,” Brockman said after receiving the news. Each semester, the publications board interviews and screens each applicant and then nomi nates a student for the position of Battalion editor. The board’s nomination is subject to approval by the University Provost and Vice President for academic af fairs Gordon P. Eaton. The current editor Stephanie Ross, will graduate in December. When asked about her goals for the newspaper next semester, Brockman said, “I think the pa per right now looks good and has good content. — especially page two. You can look for page two to remain the same. “I think we’ve done an excel lent job covering local news, but I would like to see us have more national and international news in the paper. “I’m not looking to change the paper so much as I am to improve on what we are already doing.” During this semester, Brock man has been the night news edi tor for The Battalion. T’ve been working on the pa per for about 2'/2 years," she said, “and during that time I’ve always had a lot of respect for the editor. 1 hope 1 will be able to do as good of a job as those before me.” Brockman will take over as edi tor of the newspaper the week of Dec. 2. “I know it will take a lot of work, but I’m willing to do it be cause I want to put back into the paper what I’ve learned from working on it,” she said.