The Battalion
ol.82 No.l 15 GSPS 045360 12 pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, March 10, 1987
lements nominates 3 to Board of Regents
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By Frank Smith
Senior Staff Writer
Gov. Bill Clements on Monday an-
lounced the nomination of a trio of
former students to Fill the three va-
ancies that have existed on the
exas A&rM University System
oard of Regents since Feb. 1.
Nominated as new appointees
ere oil and real estate investor
)uglas R. DeCluitt of Waco and
roduce grower Wayne Showers of
IcAllen. In addition, the governor
lid he was nominating Dallas attor-
ley William A. McKenzie for a sec-
Bnd term on the Board. All hold de
crees from A&M.
The appointees still await confir-
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mation by the Texas Senate, which is
expected to be granted sometime
next week. The appointees’ terms
will expire Feb. 1, 1993.
DeCluitt, 52, is chairman and
president of Sovereign Corp., a real-
estate Firm, and Heritage Energy
Corp., an oil and gas Firm. He
earned a bachelor’s degree in electri
cal engineering from A&M in 1957,
and also holds a degree from the
Harvard University graduate school
of business administration, where he
was a classmate with Regent L.
Lowry Mays.
DeCluitt also served on the gover
nor’s task force on higher education
during Clements’ previous term. He
will Fill the place previously held by
Amarillo oilman Joe C. Richardson.
“I’m obviously delighted,” he said
of his nomination to the Board. “A-
nytime I have a chance to work for
A&M, I’m excited about it.”
Showers, 54, is president of Grif
fin and Brand Inc., a fruit and vege
table production company in McAl
len. He holds two degrees from
A&M — a bachelor’s in electrical en
gineering he received in 1953 and a
master’s in entomology he earned in
1958.
Showers also is a member of the
board of the United Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Association and is a past
president of the Texas Citrus and
Vegetable Growers and Shippers As
sociation.
He will serve in the spot pre
viously held by San Antonio Mayor
Henry Cisneros.
Showers said he looks forward to
assuming his new position.
“It’s certainly a challenge to me,
I’ll tell you that,” he said. “But I feel
very honored. This is probably one
of the most challenging and most re
warding things that’s ever happened
to me.”
Showers also mentioned his long
time friendship with Chancellor
Perry Adkisson, which dates back to
his days as a graduate student in en
tomology.
“I was Perry’s first graduate stu
dent when he came to Texas A&M
in 1957 as an assistant professor,” he
said. “He signed my thesis. He’s
probably as good a friend as I have
in the world.”
McKenzie, 63, was first appointed
to the Board in 1981 during Clem
ents’ previous term. He earned his
bachelor’s degree in agricultural ad
ministration from A&M in 1944 and
also holds a degree from the South
ern Methodist University School of
Law. McKenzie served as vice chair
man of the Board from 1982
through 1984, and is a senior part
ner in the Dallas law firm McKenzie
and Baer.
Though McKenzie couldn’t be
reached for comment Monday, both
new appointees described them
selves as strong Clements support
ers.
DeCluitt said, “I’ve known the
governor for many years and I’ve
been one of his political supporters
since he first decided to run for offi
ce.”
Showers echoed those sentiments.
“I believe in him and I know we
need a man of his ilk guiding our
state at this point in time,” he said.
Monday’s nominations drew
praise from both Adkisson and cur
rent Board Chairman David G. El
ler.
Adkisson said DeCluitt and Show
ers “are both outstanding people.
See Regents, page 8
Faculty Senate OKs
plan to halt reports
of midterm grades
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By Amy Couvillon
Staff Writer
The Texas A&M Faculty Senate
In Monday voted to eliminate mid-
rm grade reports for all under-
raduate students except freshmen.
The proposal, which still must be
pproved by University President
rank E. Vandiver, is one item on a
19-page list of proposed changes to
te 1987-88 University regulations
ubmitted for the Senate’s consider-
tion by Rules and Regulations
committee Chairman Bill Kibler.
“This was the single most debated
roposal in front of our committee,”
Libier told the Senate.
Kibler was present at the meeting
o explain what Senate Speaker Sam
Slack called an unprecedented num-
?r of regulations changes. He said
he original proposal had been to
iliminate midterm grade reports al-
ogether, but the committee later
cached a compromise.
“The group of students that most
ely on these grades is the fresh-
nen,” he said, explaining that the
esearch done by committee mem-
iers showed that most sophomores,
uniors and seniors do not want or
iced midterm grade reports.
“As the students progress through
heir academic careers, the midterm
rades become less and less impor-
ant,” he said. “In fact, few of them
)other to pick them up anyway.”
The Senate also considered chan-
ing some registration regulations to
etter address problems associated
vith the new phone registration sys-
em.
One regulation approved by the
Senate read, “It is the responsibility
)f the student to be sure that prereq-
hsitesare met.”
Dr. Jerome Kapes, professor of
ducational psychology, said that
nthin a year, the classes each stu-
lent has taken will be stored in the
rhone registration system so that if
he student lacks the prerequisite,
he computer will not allow registra-
ion in that class.
Because Kibler was unable to stay
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for the whole meeting, the rest of
the proposed changes will be consid
ered when the Senate meets in April.
In other business, the Senate
heard an address from Dr. Perry
Adkisson, chancellor of the Texas
A&M University System. Adkisson,
in his first speech to the Faculty Sen
ate, called for increased efforts in
minority recruiting, competitive sal
aries to combat faculty flight, an ag-
ressive search for more endowments
and private gifts to A&M, and more
nominations of A&M faculty for na
tional and international awards.
“We must declare war on medioc
rity,” Adkisson said. “Texas is faced
with a very critical choice, to either
maintain its commitment to quality
education or continue the policies of
the last three years with the resultant
loss of momentum and deterioration
in quality.”
Adkisson called on Gov. Bill
Glements and the Texas Legislature
to improve higher education fund
ing, saying that at current funding
levels, A&M cannot expect to attract
research dollars and talented fac
ulty.
He endorsed an amended version
of Texas Senate Bill 123, which he
called “a powerful endorsement of
higher education,” and said that one
of the additions he has asked the
Legislature to add to the bill is $4.4
million over the next two years to
support A&M’s minority recruit
ment efforts.
He emphasized that recruitment
of more minorities in both students
and faculty is an integral part of
A&M’s growth and continued quest
for excellence.
The Senate also voted to send to
committee a resolution concerning
classified and proprietary research
at A&M, which was submitted by Dr.
Chester Dunning, associate profes
sor of history.
Dunning, who has studied classi
fied research at A&M for six years,
said that his resolution has served to
initiate discussion about the the need
See Senate, page 8
Caution — Hard Hat Area
Freshmen Mark Barnes works on a model construction of a futuristic
airplane hanger for advancing rocket-type aircraft. The project is for
Photo by Tammy Cook
his Environmental Design 103 class and is on display in the Langford
Architecture Center.
Board calls for changes in SMU government
DALLAS (AP) — Southern Meth
odist University’s Board of Gover
nors decided Monday that the
school’s government needs to be
overhauled, saying cash payments to
football players slipped through
flaws in the system.
Finding ways to control the dam
age, which escalated last week when
Texas Gov. Bill Clements revealed
he was aware of payments that con
tinued even after the football pro
gram was put on NCAA probation,
also was the subject of a series of stu
dent protests.
“One thing is evident — the cur
rent system didn’t work,” board
chairman William Hutchison said af
ter a four-hour meeting. “It didn’t
work because the structure at SMU
failed to provide the necessary
checks and balances required to ef
fectively govern the institution.”
The resolution passed Monday in
cluded reducing the size of the
boards of governors and trustees,
making membership more diverse
and more broadly accountable to
university officials.
Clements last week triggered an
investigations by the university and
the Methodist Church when he said
he and some other members knew of
Senior finals could be reality next year
New finals guidelines cause conflict
the improper payments and in
tended to phase them out.
Current board members flatly
deny they knew anything of the pay
ments and have called for a Method
ist bishop-appointed committee to
verify their statements.
Hutchison said the Monday reso
lution will be forwarded to a com
mittee already appointed to study
the structure of the board of trust
ees. The board of governors serves
as an executive committee to the 75-
member board of trustees.
The resolution asked the commit
tee to speed up its action and submit
its recommendations to the board of
trustees within two weeks.
By Christi Daugherty
Staff Writer
Seniors taking finals at Texas
A&M is no longer an illusory night-
tiare for future students, but in
stead is an impending reality for this
'it year’sjuniors.
Yet, as a permanent plan is for
mulated in the offices of A&M’s
president and administrators, ques-
Senlor finals
Part one of a two-part series
ions that still hang in the air leave
he viability of that plan in doubt.
The questions deal not with the
icademic aspect of finals, but with
ingering accusations of bureaucratic
ndifference on the part of the A&M
idministration, power plays by the
Faculty Senate and the futility and
frustration of the Student Govern
ment.
From the time of the A&M Fac
ulty Senate’s inception about three
years ago, senators had expressed
their disapproval with the lack of se
nior finals. Faculty members insisted
a school that didn’t thoroughly test
its students before granting them a
diploma never would be taken se
riously as a world university.
Senate members considered it a
matter of academic freedom to be
able to test their own students as
they saw fit and belittled tradition as
a reason for a lack of final exams.
The Senate issued resolutions call
ing for senior finals to be taken at
the same time as undergraduate fi
nals, and graduation to be delayed a
week to allow time for grades to be
processed and sent in.
In a 1984 letter to Dr. Murray
Milford, then speaker of the Faculty
Senate, President Frank Vandiver
accepted the idea of senior Finals on
the condition that they be given
early enough to continue com
mencement in its present form.
In 1985, Vandiver assigned the
idea to a subcommittee of the Aca
demic Operations Committee — a
University committee — to study
and offer workable suggestions. The
Calendar Subcommittee, under the
leadership of its chairman, Dr. Rob
ert Chenoweth, dean of engi
neering, studied the idea for almost
two years, eventually issuing its find
ings in Fall 1986 in a 15-page docu
ment.
At the same time, the Faculty Sen
ate continued discussing the issue
and assigned the idea to a committee
to devise an acceptable plan not only
to the Senate, but also to Vandiver.
Meanwhile, the Student Senate is
sued a resolution in response to the
Faculty Senate resolution, rejecting
senior finals as unworkable, but of
fering hints that it was beginning to
accept them as inevitable.
The Calendar Subcommittee
findings rejected the Faculty Senate
suggestions of common finals out
right because the plan delayed com
mencement, which could be a partic
ular problem in December since it
would result in graduation ceremo
nies occurring during Christmas
break.
The subcommittee also rejected
the idea of keeping dorms open
later, and pointed out the fact that
an overlap would exist in August be
tween the start of the fall semester
and commencement. Its choice in
stead was staggered finals between
dead week and finals week, with se
niors taking their finals during dead
week and at the discretion of their
professors. This, the report said,
would allow commencement and Fi
nal Review to continue to take place
on an active campus and would keep
student attendance at graduation
high.
However, the subcommittee ad
mitted the plan was not without
problems. The faculty would have to
create and schedule two sets of fi
nals, and they still would have two
grade sheets to turn in.
Yet when the subcommittee voted
on the plans, staggered finals were
their first choice, with the current
policy second, and common finals
third.
The Student Senate issued a reso
lution stating that it still rejected se
nior finals as unnecessary, but it con
sidered staggered Finals its second
choice.
In August, the Academic Affairs
Committee of the Faculty Senate
voted in favor of common finals, re
jecting the Calendar Subcommittee’s
findings as unacceptable.
An alternative plan suggested by
the Academic Affairs Committee
eventually would form a basis for, the
president’s finals plan.
Subcommittee members say they
heard nothing from Vandiver until
he announced in January he had
chosen a plan of common finals fol
lowing certain guidelines:
• Exams will start on Friday of
Dead Week.
• Exams will be given Friday, Sat
urday, Monday and Tuesday.
• Grades for degree candidates
are due at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
• Commencement will be held on
Friday and Saturday of that week
with commissioning on Saturday.
Some changes inherent in this
plan are that dead week is shortened
by one weekday and a weekend,
which means that finals for Friday
labs will have to be given a week
early. Seniors will have four hours to
clear any graduation blocks instead
of the current one-and-a-half days.
On the other hand, the plan
leaves some things as they are. Pro
fessors will be available to their stu
dents in the early part of the week
and commencement will be held at
approximately the same time — al
though most of the campus will be
empty.
Chrysler Corp.
plans to buy
AMC shares
DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler
Corp. announced Monday it has
agreed to buy out Renault’s inter
est in ailing American Motors
Corp. and to buy all outstanding
AMC shares for a total of $757
million in cash and stock.
The No. 3 automaker also
would assume $767 million in
AMC debt, Chrysler spokesman
John Guiniven said.
The deal must be approved by
the U.S., French and Canadian
governments, the three corpora
tions’ boards and AMC stock
holders, but analysts saw few
obstacles to approval.
“For Chrysler, the attractions
are Jeep, the best-known auto
motive brand name in the world;
a new, world-class assembly plant
at Bramalea, Canada, and a third
distribution system giving us ac
cess to a larger market,” Chrysler
Chairman Lee lacocca said.