State/Local
The Battalion
Tuesday, October 18,1988
Page3
wo A&M offices help students choose majors, careers
iniw
)neci[
basis
By Denise Thompson
Reporter
or students who can’t decide on a major or
It decide what to do with the one they have,
{Texas A&M offices may help them find an
ts.
riss Boyd, director of general studies, said
department handles three categories of stu-
s. Freshman make up the largest group.
)ne-sixth of all incoming freshman go into
^ral studies,” she said. “These are people
i have no idea what they want to do. There
|85 departments here, and maybe they’ve
lly been exposed to 10 or 12 in high school.
iy don’t want to commit to something they’re
Sure about, so they come in as a general stud-
pajor.
rhen we work with them in terms of what
fes they can register for that will count to-
any major. At the same time, we talk to
i about a course they might take to try out a
{in major.”
: general studies department also helps stu-
i who have some idea of what they want to
iit are not ready to commit themselves to one
^ct, she said.
hese are the students who say, ‘Well, I may
I to be a management major, but 1 may want
I psychology,”’ she said. “What we do is
Icourses that will give them a feel for both
land still keep them on track.”
[though selecting general classes is possible
Jl majors, Boyd said, some major courses of
ft require making a commitment more
pikly than in other fields.
here are always majors where there aren’t
Jommon classes a student can take without
Bgin that major,” she said. “For instance, in
anmental design, you have six hours of de-
[classes each semester. If you don’t take
| now, you’re going to be behind later, and
they’re fairly tough classes to take during a sum
mer semester. In this case, we may encourage a
student to make a decison by the end of their sec
ond semester just to keep them on track.”
Students who have experimented in a certain
major and are not satisfied with their choice
make up the third group of students who go to
general studies for advisement.
“Sometimes a student has tried one or two se
mesters in a major and decides it’s not for them,”
she said. “In this case, they may want to hold off
a semester before they jump right back into the
frying pan.”
Although general studies students are not re
quired to declare a major until the second semes
ter of their sophomore year, Boyd said finding
classes applicable to all majors becomes more
difficult after the second semester of the fresh
man year.
“It gets tough after the second semester to take
courses that you know are going to count,” she
said. “By the fourth semester, it gets really
tough. By then, the student is just going to have
to take some risks on classes that will count if he
chooses a certain major and that won’t count to
ward any other major.”
Perry Liston, a junior business administration
major, did not declare his major until the end of
his sophomore year.
“I chose business more or less because I had to
choose something, and this major offers a vari
ety of different fields,” he said. “I talked to
counselors, and they didn’t pressure me, they
just worked with me. We talked about what I
wanted to do with the rest of my life, and she
told me what I needed to do in school to ac
complish those goals.
“I still want to go into broadcasting, so I don’t
really know if I’ll stay in business . . . just don’t
tell my parents!”
For students who remain indecisive after
working with the general studies office, testing
is available to help them choose a major or ca
reer, Boyd said.
“I’ve had seniors come in here
and say, T’m not really sure
what I want to do,’ and all I
can say to that is ‘Didn’t you
wait a little late?’ ”
Roberta Whinant
“A lot of times we ask students who are hav
ing a difficult time making a decision if they’ve
had any interest or vocational testing done re
cently,” she said. “If they haven’t, we encourage
them to go over to the Student Counseling Serv
ice and get testing done because it’s a part of
your student services you’ve already paid for,
and it’s foolish not to use it.”
Roberta Whisnant, a psychometrist with
A&M Student Counseling Service, said that
three tests are available to help students having
trouble choosing a major or career.
Strong Campbell Interest Inventory is a com
puter test that identifies a person’s interests. Af
ter taking the actual test, which lasts about 45
minutes, the student participates in a group inter
pretation to discuss the results.
“Strong Campbell is directed more to students
who aren’t sure what they want to do or what
major they should choose — for students whose
decisions are still up in the air,” Whisnant said.
For students who have a general idea about
what they want to do. Student Interactive
Guidance and Information, or SIGI, is recom
mended. SIGI is a computer test that evaluates
students according to interests, skills and values.
“I suggest students take SIGI because you get
a lot of in-depth information,” she said. “But I
recommend it more for students who have a gen
eral idea of what field they want to go into be
cause it asks a lot of questions.”
Requiring about four hours to complete, ^IGI
gives lists and descriptions of occupations and
describes the training needed for each one. Also
included is information about salaries and the re
gions of the country in which the occupation is
most needed.
“All of this information is important because it
helps students weigh the pros and cons between
different alternatives,” Whisnant said.
Jodie Ernst, a sophomore education major,
started her freshman year in general studies. Af
ter taking the SIGI test, Ernst learned that she
was suited for either an education or business
major.
“I couldn’t decide between the two of them,
so I stayed in general studies,” she said. “Last
semester I took two business classes, and I did
fine in them. But I took two education classes
this semester, and I really enjoyed them. Also,
I’ve always loved working with kids, so that had
a little to do with it.”
For students short of time. Self Directed
Search is a paper version of the Strong Campbell
test that students can complete at home.
After completing any of the tests, students can
discuss the results in a confidential conference
with an academic counselor. Appointments are
on a first-come, first-served basis Monday
through Thursday from 1 -4 p.m.
Suzanne Lee, a sophomore community health
major, was a general studies major for two se
mesters. Counselors from both Student Counsel
ing Service and the general studies department
helped her make a final decision on a major.
“The counselors talked to me and helped me
make a decision based on my interests,” she
said. “One of the things that played a big role
was that I’ve always wanted to be a nurse, and
they helped me go from there.”
Whisnant suggested that students who are un
decided about majors should take one of the tests
before the end of their sophomore year.
“I would say you shouldn’t wait any longer
than your sophomore year,” she said. “I’ve had
seniors come in here and say, T’m not really
sure what I want to do,’ and all I can say to that
is ‘Didn’t you wait a little late?’ ”
After completing testing and counseling, stu
dents can return to the general studies office to
decide where to go from there.
Boyd said, “The student can come back to the
general studies office after testing and tell us
what occupational groups showed up strong and
which ones showed up weak on the tests. Then
we’ll go from there and decide which majors
lend themselves toward those areas.
“Sometimes a student isn’t even aware a pro
gram exists. I’ll look at their interests and ask
them if they know about a certain program deal
ing in that area, and they didn’t even know that it
existed.”
Regardless of whether a student is having
problems choosing a major or deciding what ca
reer to pursue, Boyd said, the counselors usually
can provide help.
“We are here for students who have no idea
what they want to do, and we’re here for stu
dents who need a little push in the right direc
tion,” she said. “Whatever the case, we’ll help
anyone who needs it because these are the deci
sions that will affect the rest of their lives.”
v H .I
udslinging continues in race for White House
Associated Press
jlpsorge Bush, signaling he won’t sit
■iiis lead in the campaign’s final
|eks, returned to the attack Monday
^aid Michael Dukakis should stop
[igdown defenses. Dukakis charged
with ignoring the nation’s loss of
Tial jobs.
jling the notion that he is slipping
issly behind, the Democratic presi-
nominee began a campaign swing
;h industrial states crucial to his
At iabccv
idins: He said his Republican rival has sat on
Hands while America’s industrial
■gland has been fighting for its life.
Sali^-Hciikis’ running mate, Lloyd Bent-
IassenBfeunched an attack on Bush in the
lit (tea Kith as the only one of the four candi-
mevei P who has voted for national gun
Biol.
He referred to a 1968 vote while Bush
® in Congress.
lith three weeks left in the presi-
■ race, aides to Dukakis said he
■ seek to sharpen the differences be
ll himself and the vice president,
igtilarly on economic issues.
But as he arrived in Ohio, a big state
cial to his chances, a new statewide
t‘> |,ll! |‘by the Akron Beacon Journal
mem wed Bush holding a double-digit
e Ante:: i.
(embed Mi. buoyant but cautioning against
Confidence, toured a Denver-area
tnsc plant where ‘‘Star Wars” re-
eaii
lortediij
aelDi
search is conducted.
He used the setting to say Dukakis has
a total lack of understanding of our mili
tary and is trying desperately to jump
into the mainstream by acknowledging a
need to modernize land-based nuclear
missiles.
‘‘But there is strong reason to doubt
that he would do it,” Bush said. ‘‘He
still opposes the MX and he thinks the
Midgetman costs too much. So he says
he’s going to work with Congress to find
another way.
‘‘Wake up governor, we’ve done all
that,” Bush said.
He defended the Reagan administra
tion’s record on conventional forces
against Dukakis’ past charges that such
forces have been slighted in the push for
new, big-ticket strategic weapons sys
tems. Bush dismissed that as misinfor
mation.
“Governor, it’s time to stop running
down our defenses,” he said.
He also ridiculed Dukakis for support
ing some research into Star Wars while
dismissing the proposed space-based
missile-defense system as a fantasy.
Dukakis and his campaign staff were
embracing the idea of running as the un
derdog. To underscore his resolve, Du
kakis said “My spirits are good” and
took trumpet in hand to play “Happy
Days Are Here Again,” a Democratic
standard.
Dukakis declared he was fighting for
the values he believed in and, in a touch
of populism, told workers at a copper
and brass plant, “I want to be the presi
dent who stands up and fights for you.”
He pointed to recent trade figures
showing imports to the United States
were at an all-time high in August and
said Bush has not given the American
people a clue as to what he would do to
reverse the trade deficit.
“George Bush sat on the sidelines for
eight years while America got beaten in
world markets, . . . while a piece of
America was being sold off every day at
bargain-basement prices,” he said.
He also disputed Bush’s standard
speech line that he wants a kinder, gen
tler nation.
“His record tells rural America, the
fewer family farmers the better,” Duka
kis said. “His record tells middle class
families, the glory days are over. Your
kids may not do as well as you.”
Bentsen, trying to save some of the
South for the Democrats, said Dukakis
was not planning cuts in defense spend
ing and defended him against television
ads playing in the South that hit Dukakis
as an advocate of gun control.
“I saw those ads about Mike Dukakis
going to take the guns away from you,”
the Texas senator said in Texarkana. “I
sure wouldn’t be running with any fellow
if I thought he was going to take my
shotgun away from me. ’ ’
Professor: Ocean may protect earth
By Teresa Carter
Reporter
A Texas A&M professor believes ni
trogen found in the ocean may hold the
key to protecting the earth against the
greenhouse effect.
Dr. Gilbert T. Rowe, oceanography
department head, said that the green
house effect started with the Industrial
Revolution and is a result of the increase
in atmospheric carbon dioxide causing a
gradual wa'rming trend. This occurs be
cause fne rise of gas prevents the release
of heat.
Rowe hopes to find the solution to the
greenhouse effect in the ocean’s nitro
gen, nitrate.
“The ocean, with some form of nitro
gen (nitrate), could accelerate the proc
ess in which small plants utilize light and
carbon dioxide,” Rowe said. “In other
words, nitrate allows plants to increase
the amount of carbon dioxide it uses.
The problem is we haven’t determined if
the ocean, as carbon dioxide continues to
increase its concentration in the atmo
sphere, will act as a buffer.”
Scientists are predicting a gradual rise
in the average temperature of the earth
because of the the greenhouse effect.
The A&M Ecosystems Research
Group is planning its first expedition to
the Gulf of Mexico in the spring to inves
tigate the effects of nitrate in carbon di
oxide consumption.
“The Mississippi River drains the
bread basket of America into the Gulf,”
Rowe said. “Large amounts of nitrate are
found in sewage or fertilizer. It drains off
farm lands into rivers and enters the
ocean.
“We’ve got this natural experiment
going on in the river. South of New Or
leans, there are tremendous concentra
tions of nitrate.”
“The ERG will take the Gyre (the ex
ploration vessel) to specific points and
study the nitrate uptake in the phyto
plankton productivity,” Rowe said.
From a global point of view, there is
little understanding of the role of nitrate
and how it ties in to the greenhouse ef
fect, he said.
“The results of the study should en
lighten scientists on how the nitrate is re
cycled in the ocean,” he said.
Rowe said the greenhouse effect could
have a major impact on Texas.
“The increase in temperature will
cause glaciers to melt,” he said. “Low-
lying areas such as Galveston and Cor
pus Christi will be under water.”
The rest of Texas also will suffer if av
erage temperatures rise, Rowe said.
“If you look at the eastern half of
Texas, it is rich and green in terms of
farming,” he said. “The west half is dry
and barren. The line between the two
sides will move east, wiping out some
farm land.”
Rowe said scientists are predicting
that the greenhouse effect will not take
effect for about 150 years.
“A lot of people think it’s coming
soon because of the hot temperatures last
summer,” he said. “The fact is, the tem
peratures have varied. We need about 20
years of data showing a gradual increase
in temperature before we can assume
anything.”
ake^-
‘Ejection '88:
‘The ‘Pre.sidentiaCSeries
presents
ON PAUL
Libertarian Candidate
Wednesday, October 19
7:00 pm
201 MSC
Free Admission
Reception to follow
tis program is presented for educational
Purposes, and does not constitute an
ie Udorsement for any speaker.
Career Development Workshops
presented by the College of Liberal
Arts and the Placement Center
it
Interview Techniques”
Tues., Oct. 18 301 Rudder
&
Thurs., Oct. 20 510 Rudder
5 p.m.
Notes -N- Quotes
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