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 lijr-jfl iBunoiT' 'WHICS, iVlOAItt 1»AR(lAN T) | 599 '•fridly L UNTS EO w» ^ CTl* A0£l]|j ‘OO'llI for ics 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- Otym :30i( 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 n netil Ls 3Y FIT 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 Club. tental W/oRtF BIT ^leon!' , rfisd. 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.