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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1987)
Wednesday, September 16, 1987/The Battalion/Page 9 &M professor receives Fulbright Scholarship By Beth McDonough Reporter A Texas A&M professor will con- uct geological research in Belgium ext semester as a recipient of a Ful- ght Scholarship from the Ameri- ttpcholars Program. 'Tm so excited,” Dr. Wayne Ahr, rofessor of geology, said. “I’ll get to arn something about Belgian art, istory, music, culture and exactly hat makes them tick.” ®|mr will be working at the Catho- c University at Louvain-la-Neuve of xniyain in Belgium with Dr. Alan .ees, a residing professor. He will ;ave for Brussels in January and /ill return in May. Ahr met Lees while in England on abbatical in 1984. The two have epi in close contact since then and ,ees was a major force in Ahr’s in- srest in the scholarship program. Since that meeting their work has onverged more, Ahr said, and they ecided it would be a beneficial ex- •erience to combine their efforts. Lees and Ahr will research the imilarities and differences between irehistoric plant and animal life that ved in American and European eefs and sea-floor sediments. They ecitied to collaborate their research n the 350 million-year-old reefs, oping to obtain better results than iiey could have individually. Mentioning a more practical side f the research, Ahr said oil can be ound in these reefs and if research- rs Ifearn more about them, this ulti- aately can help the oil industry. “t really want to make this an in- jmational cooperation and study so iiatlwhen we finally finish we can iiiblish our findings in an interna- A&M students can earn scholarships for overseas study By Connie Johnson Reporter Texas A&M students have had success in obtaining national schol arships that allow them to study abroad in countries in which they are knowledgeable and speak the na tional language. Students and professionals at A&M and around the country are awarded Jr. Fulbright Scholarships and Fulbright Scholarships that give them opportunities to travel to a for eign country and promote their aca demic development. The two programs are funded by the U.S. Congress and some individ ual countries. Jr. Fulbright Grants are awarded to choose graduate stu dents, from those with a bachelor’s degree to doctoral candidates. Gary Beason, a graduate assistant in the Study Abroad Office, said funds are generally for maintenance and travel in the host country for one year. The Fulbright Scholarships are for faculty members holding a doc torate in their field, Dr. John Norris, director of international coordina tion at Texas A&M, said. During the 1985-86 school year, Norris said, six A&M faculty mem bers were accepted into the pro gram. This was the largest number ever selected from A&M, he said. Two Texas A&M graduates, Joa- nie A. Kleypas and Mary J. Keough, have received Jr. Fulbright Schol arships and are doing research abroad this semester. Kleypas, a ge ology doctoral candidate, is working at James Cook University of North Queensland in Australia. Keough, a May agricultural journalism grad uate, is studying in West Germany at the University of Gogtingen and the University of Kiel. A&M graduate students generally have good luck in winning grants, Beason said. Last year six students applied and three were awarded grants, although one declined the offer. Because of the growing support and publicity for the program, Sea son said, 10 to 15 students are ex pected to apply this year. He said this will be the “largest crop A&M has ever had.” Since communication is a neces sity for research, applicants must show an ability to speak and write the language of their chosen coun tries, Beason said. Some countries do offer orientations, but only to sharpen the students’ skills. In addition, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, a graduating senior or graduate student and have a 3.5 grade-point ratio. However, if a student feels that the GPR is not representative of his abilities, he still may be eligible to ap ply, Beason said. To apply for the grant, a student must first submit a proposal to the Study Abroad office explaining the intention of the study and how the research will be conducted. Mona Rizk-Finne, director of Study Abroad programs, will help the student complete the final pro posal and give the student an appli cation which has to be turned in with a curriculum by Oct. 2. Beason advises students to be cul turally and politically sensitive in the wording on the application. He said the screening committees consider the feasibility of the project propo sal, the applicant’s level of knowl edge of the subject matter and coun try, the applicant’s level of maturity and adaptability and — most impor tantly — the applicant’s motivation. Beason encourages any graduat ing senior who is interested to find a professor now who will help develop a topic and find contacts in the cho sen field of study. Although all applicants are given equal consideration, he said, there is a slight preference for graduating seniors because they are “novice scholars and people who haven’t traveled much.” After an A&M committee has evaluated the applications, those chosen are sent to the Institute of In ternational Education in New York in late October. Along with those from other uni versities, the A&M applications are reviewed until February when the institute sends selected applications to the host country committees. The finalists are announced in June. Other overseas programs are available through the Study Abroad Office for graduate and undergrad uate students. Representatives from these various programs will have ta bles in the MSG on Oct. 13, Overseas Day. tional journal, as well as in special ized scientific journals,” Ahr said. The Fulbright scholarship will cover traveling expenses to and from Brussels, university lodgings and a monthly paycheck. Ahr said he will be doing his own grocery shopping and cooking be cause restaurant dining in Europe is extremely expensive. It isn’t unusual to be charged $50 per person at a European restaurant as compared to a mid-priced restaurant in the United States, he said. The prices differ so much because Europeans prize the talents of their chefs, he said, who are considered highly admired professionals, whereas Americans don’t admire them as much. While on his sabbatical, Ahr ob served many aspects of European life that are different from Ameri can culture. He said the younger generation of Belgium seemed to be more relaxed and open about ro mantic relationships while in public. They were not as embarrassed as the younger generation of Americans. In addition, he said the European people went out of their way to make him leel at home and comfortable in their country. “I had a very good experience there and I look forward to traveling again,” Ahr said. Ahr reiterated that he wants to find out more about the Belgian cul ture by talking with and learning from the people. “We as Americans don’t take the time to explore other countries,” he said. “What are the people like? What can we learn from them and how can they enrich our lives?” Ahr completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at El Paso in 1960. He received his master’s from A&M in 1965 and he obtained his doctorate from Rice University in 1967. Ahr summed up his views on win ning the scholarship in the words of Sen. J. William Fulbright, founder of the award. “We must learn to conduct inter national relations with patience, tol erance, openness of mind, and most of all, with a sense of history,” Ahr, quoting Fulbright, said. “These are qualities of educated men. The culti vation of these qualities is the ulti mate challenge to international edu cation.” In 1946, Fulbright introduced legislation to Congress that would help fund academic and cultural ex changes with foreign countries, said Cathy Loving, A&M International Coordinator. The purpose was to increase mu tual understanding between the United States and other countries by sponsoring professors and educatio nal figures. Loving said. JT anti-apartheid protesters blame actions on university AUSTIN (AP) — Anti-apartheid protes ts who barricaded themselves in the Uni- —ersity of Texas president’s office testified 'uesday that they were driven to the action /'hoio bv & y university indifference to their concerns. Members of the “UT 16” had partici- >ated in efforts such as anti-apartheid ral- are schedi. es bef ore the brief October takeover of the dI.iv Sr ffice, said Kelly Severin, the first de- cndant to testify in the jury trial of 11 of tie protesters. The protesters shared “frustration” over ’leir inability to stop university investment i companies doing business in South Af- :a,ishe said. Both “nor i rise iriing the orpr tee is hoping®' I areas of the' >lved. t the campus $ are striving tots ry magazine,’* ’s enthusiasm*® *r into otherfe he MSC-Huf 1 other orgtf r backgrounds! 1 ' * an alliance "If oups more of hes said. "Mo 51 ! ing like we art* m more man)*'* :ial strength.” J f lav/ stree nan C>eorge ^ n promise to all” streets at night. ■ been doing it” m has been do#; ‘People whod® ! at ions to take." 3ss giflf >tatue! d work, mato' . , whose fiberjb 1 brothers of x. of State Fait 1 a giant withajl ch waistline a#' 5 two men ah'. *ode said, fc^iant stands ah ; .. £ Tex and dot' liliar “Howdy,' >ort a friendlv^ wave. “Because of this frustration, we did some brainstorming and thought of what we could do to make the regents take us se riously,” Severin said. “They didn’t take us seriously. They treated us like school kids.” The protesters, who are being pros ecuted by the county attorney’s office, are charged with disruptive activity, a Class B misdemeanor. If convicted, they face up to six months in jail and a $200 fine. One protester, graduate student Chester Wilson, was tried and convicted but has not yet been sentenced. Trials are pending for the remaining four. All the protesters except two were uni versity students at the time of the ottice takeover, the defendants said. Now, only Wilson and Daniel Gobi, a graduate student in physics and one of the 11 currently on trial, is enrolled. The defendants said they share a deep concern about the plight of South African blacks. Attorney Virginia Ramond said, “This is not a clique of people. This is a group of people of diverse backgrounds and diverse personalities who had one thing in com mon: strong convictions about South Af rica. These individual defendants did not intend to interfere with education or any other authorized activity.” Marc Salomon said he became involved in anti-apartheid activities because he saw similarities between the treatment of blacks by South African whites and the persecu tion of Jews in Nazi Germany. “Whether it is Nazi Germany persecuting the Jews or South Africa persecuting the blacks, what came to mind to me was, ‘Never again,’ ” he said. “ ‘This has to be stopped.’ ” Severin said the protesters were careful not to damage the president’s office during the takeover. After hanging a banner from the office balcony that said, “Apartheid Kills. Divest Now,” Severin said she went back into the office and “very carefully” moved desks to barricade the door. She said she first re moved typewriters and computers from the desks and placed them on the floor. The protesters called the press and state lawmakers, publicizing their takeover and a list of demands for the regents. After making the calls, the group linked arms and sat in a circle on the floor. They were arrested by police who broke into the office. The trial, which began Monday with tes timony from the prosecution, is expected to last through the week. Rock or Roll ~ p, who hope'! attention tohi' : siness, couldn 1 to be good used, brushiti — black shoes, —'e down therosj ■an, you just • Tennis • Nursery • Aerobics • Basketball • Volleyball • Racquetball • Tanning bed • Free weights • Weight machines o Indoor jogging track o Indoor swimming pool • Snack bar and lounge 95 00 student semester special! 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