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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1988)
Ultj Nfi-r t| 0W3 v & Thursday, October 20,1988 The Battalion Page 7 Off Campus Center reorganizes to keep up with changing needs By Melissa Kennedy Reporter The Off Campus Center staff is reor ganizing programs to meet the changing needs of off-campus students. “Next year, due to new residence halls, we will be seeing fewer freshmen and will have more time to focus on up per-class students,” Mary Ann Rausch, off-campus student adviser, said. The OCC plans to implement an out reach program to students moving from the dorm to off-campus homes. Past efforts to reach students while they still live on campus have not been extensive, Rausch said. “Last spring, we spoke to a couple of halls about what to look for in a lease and how to deal with high pressure apartment managers,” Rausch said. “It was suc cessful primarily because resident direc tors and advisers saw a need for it and were willing to put effort into it,” she said. Rausch said she believes speaking to dormitory residents who plan to move off campus is important because many of them don’t realize the responsibilities that come with living away from the Uni versity. “I have talked to quite a few students already who don’t necessarily draw the clear connection between signing their name on a lease and being bound legal ly,” Rausch said. After a recent statewide conference fo cusing on commuting students and adult students, the OCC staff began discussing ways to let the University know about those students’ special needs. The staff learned that working around regular business hours can pose prob lems for commuting students. “Many students schedule classes in a block so they can go to work, attend classes and go back to work or to their families,” she said. “Many times it is hard for these students to get to offices between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.” Rausch said solutions such as partial workdays on Saturday or swing shifts from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. are unlikely due to strong resistance in many institutions. “These solutions are much more com mon in community colleges or technical schools which aim specifically at adult and part-time students,” she said. Rausch said the OCC also is consid ering establishing an area specifically for off-campus students. She said the OCC would like to desig nate a lounge area for commuting or off- campus students. “The MSC partially fulfills this func tion, but students aren’t really aware of locker facilities around campus and they certainly have no place to store a bag lunch,” Rausch said. Although the OCC staff is focusing more effort toward upper-class students, new programs for freshmen also are be ing developed. Rausch said the OCC has an opportu nity to speak with incoming freshmen during the freshman student conferences. “We’ve just finished a video in the Da vid Letterman-type style,” Rausch said. “It is entertaining and the freshmen get a lot of basic information. We end with a question and answer period and strongly suggest they visit the OCC for additional information.” Another growing segment of the Texas A&M student population consti tutes minority students. The Center staff attends and speaks at minority-student orientations and pro vides a roommate referral box at the Multi-cultural Center. “That is as specialized as we get at the Multi-cultural Center,” Rausch said. “We’d like them to come to the OCC for the rest of their housing resources.” This year, the off-campus population comprises almost 75 percent of the A&M student body. To effectively answer the increasing number of inquiries about off-campus living, the Center has begun a program called SHARE (Students Helping Aggie Residents Everywhere). The volunteers in SHARE are trained by the OCC staff in the laws and rights of managemers, owners and residents. The volunteers also are trained to ad dress roommate conflicts, safety and se curity. The SHARE volunteer phone numbers are recorded on the OCC answering ma chine, printed on fliers in the Center list ing room and posted at some apartment complexes. “Off-campus housing doesn’t just end with finding a roommate,” Rausch said. “The demand for Off Campus Center services is cyclical,” she said. Before a semester begins, those visit ing the OCC are looking for information on apartment availability and prices as well as roommates and subleases, she said. “We try to orient people on the infor mation available and what to look at in a lease and in an apartment,” Rausch said. “Many days we’re just out there talking all day to people as they come in.” As the semester progresses, the OCC staff takes an advisory role. “Now. I am quite frequently helping studnets who have problems with their lease, management or their roommate," she said. “In November, we’ll begin get ting questions regarding problems with a roommate moving or the penalties for breaking a lease.” While the OCC is continuously updat ing their programs to meet the needs of a changing student body, its primary goal is to help students become educated housing consumers. “There is so much to know, but the key is to know the things that will get you through with a minimum of wor ries,” Rausch said. “There is enough red tape in the world and students certainly don’t need to go through it trying, for example, to get a manager to make repairs.” Parties campaign for open seat in Congress WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Bill Sarpalius trails his Republican oppo nent, Larry Milner, in fund-raising and campaign spending in what both sides paint as a down-to-the-wire race for Texas’ only open seat in Congress, the Panhandle’s sprawling 13th District. Reports filed with the Federal Election Commission this week show Milner raised $135,490 between July 1 and Sept. 30, while Sarpalius’ campaign brought in $95,805. For the same period, Milner spent $ 125,418 to the $91,020 in campaign spending by Sarpalius. Milner had $28,684 cash on hand at the end of September to the $22,237 in Sarpalius’ warchest. Both campaigns had debts and outstanding expenses — $37,894 for Milner, $20,876 for Sarpa lius — at the close of the reporting pe riod. A targeted race by both the national Republican and Democratic parties, the seat in the rural district opened up when Republican Rep. Beau Boulter chal lenged Democratic Sen. Lloyd Bentsen’s re-election bid for a fourth term. Since the first of the year, Milner has raised $311,076 and spent $292,393, while Sarpalius has raised $177,828 and spent $186,952. Faculty goes overseas to teach Program gives opportunity to travel :empoi ka.Hxl By Holly Becka Staff Writer People who have the desire to travel, see foreign lands, experience different cultures and meet new peo- ^ple don’t have to join the Armed Forces. For some Texas A&M faculty members and students who have taught overseas, teaching is the profession that is be coming an adventure. I The Study Abroad Office has many pamphlets and )ly » ' : Jbooks for A&M educators and students interesting in teaching overseas. The publications describe the pro- .■™grams by their location and their prerequisites for ap- t* I plication. AH Joseph Hutchinson, a professor of architecture who [has taught in Europe three times, participated in the I Study Abroad program last summer. I He spent more than a month overseas teaching a Ithree-hour arts and civilization class to Aggies who |traveled to England and Paris. David Anderson, an as sociate professor of English, went to Europe with Hut- ichinson to teach British literature. I “There are lots of opportunities for faculty and stu- idents to travel overseas if they want to,” Hutchinson ■ said. I He said he and Anderson began preparations for the trip a year and a half in advance. “Colleges across campus were notified by Study Abroad that proposals for courses overseas were being taken,” he said. “We wrote a full proposal that in cluded the trip itinerary, lectures, textbooks and as- lltil s ’g nments ” UK| Study Abroad Director Mona Rizk-Finne said that each college evaluates proposals and decides which i to include in the Study Abroad program. L uH T* 16 Interdisciplinary Committee on campus re- views them and makes recommendations, and the Coordinating Board in Austin has the final say in the proposal,” Rizk-Finne said. “The course needs to jus tify why we should teach a course in ‘x’ location.” She said that usually two courses are taught together overseas. “The courses should be complementary and not compete with each other,” she said. |f hut ive - J not®*! as I becaitf® isaidf Hutchinson said that when the proposal was ap proved, he and Anderson recruited students to take the trip. “Thirty students from study fields across the Univer sity went and there were about a half a dozen on the waiting list,” Hutchinson said. “In Spring 1988 we of fered a one-hour preparatory course for the students who were going to England and Paris. It was an orien tation to the program and to Europe. We told them how to act and how to adjust to a different culture and made sure everyone got their passports and visas.” He said that as a teacher and as a visitor to a foreign country, he thought the experience was wonderful. “I got to lecture in cathedrals, museums and English manors, and when we went to Canterbury, David (An derson) lectured about Canterbury Tales by Chaucer,” he said. “Going to London and to Paris was a cross- cultural experience. It was wonderful to compare the two. “We had a terrific time,” he said. “I don’t think the students slept two hours a night — they were con stantly on the go.” David Ekroth, associate professor of architecture, has spent a total of five years teaching overseas in Asia with the Peace Corps, at the University of Science in Malaysia and most recently, at the Institute of Tech nology in Malaysia. “I was hired by the Texas International Education Consortium and the Malaysian government to teach ar chitecture to Malaysian students who would come to America if they passed two years of rigorous study,” Ekroth said. “There were seven faculty members from all over the state who taught 230 students.” Ekroth said he found out about the program when an associate dean of architecture sought interested faculty members for the project. He was willing to go to Malaysia because of his pre vious experience there and because he could adjust to the different lifestyle more easily because he had lived abroad. “There are lifestyle adjustments you have to make,” he said. “You can’t just go to a foreign country and carry on business as usual. You have to adapt. Until you get used to it, it might be a little difficult.” He said he thinks A&M faculty members should take advantage of teaching overseas. “I think it promotes A&M’s involvement in work abroad,” Ekroth said. “It’s pretty important because we have 3,000 international students on campus and because the University has the notion of wanting to move into the international arena.” Mary Beth Butler, a graduate student in English, participated in a Study Abroad program in Great Brit ain as a assistant teacher in Spring 1987. “I taught literature, tutored students in English and helped them with papers and essays and did basic trou bleshooting,” Butler said. “It was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I would definitely recom mend it — it was a great teaching experience. “On a personal level, I didn’t even believe Britain was there,” she said. “You know how sometimes you have to see something to believe it? Teaching overseas was a really valuable experience. I did some great re search at the British Library. The culture difference was also an experience. You bet I’d love to do it again.” Rizk-Finne said that very few students get to serve as teaching assistants. Butler said assistant teaching is a matter of whether funding and a position — are available. A&M English and French major Andrew Gardner got his job teaching in Brazil in an unconventional manner. “My brother knows a guy in a private language school in Brazil,” Gardner said. “The director of the school was looking for a native English speaker to help teach students and teachers. As an English major, I know grammar, so the job worked out pretty well. “In Brazil, if you know English you can get ahead in the business world. Most students who want to get ahead take English from a private school. The English program in the high schools usually aren’t too great.” Gardner said he stayed with the director of the school and was paid the same salary as the other teach ers. “It was a great experience,” he said. IM-l shD 1 its i#' pa^ ical^ iplof't c# l! : 8* SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING MAJORS! The Air Force has open ings for men and women in selected science and engineering fields. To prepare you for one, you can apply for an Air Force ROTC scholarship. See what it can do for you. Contact the cam pus Air Force ROTC representative today CART KEVIN GAMACHE 845-7611 Leadership Excellence Starts Here f,OT i#J Go With Battalion Classified 845-2611 Notes-N-Quotes 846-2255 112 Nagle St. FREE PARKING x LET US HELP YOU MAKE THIS A GREAT SEMESTER Study Guides BANA217, BOTN 101 Lecture Notes Cliff Notes Scantrons/Bluebooks Professor Course Packets Binding Copying Laser Printing Resume Packets Club Printing Discounts Colored, Bond, ll”xl7” Paper pF MSC Political Forum TrCection '88: f Te?(as Candidates Series presents BEAU BOULTER Senatorial Candidate Monday, October 24 7:00 p.m. 701 Rudder Free Admission Reception to follow This program is presented for educational purposes, and does not constitute an endorsement for any speaker. 4C SOMETHING’S BREWING! happy hour friday 2-6 movie rental over 5,000 titles $1.99 feature films 99< TUes. & Wed. Children’s 99< Everyday • Adult & New Releases $2.49 $2.00 off all IP’s and cassettes $8.98 and up all CD’s $13.98 and up all books 25% off (excludes remainders and sale books) T OPEN: Sun.-Thurs., 10-10 Fri. & Sat. 10-11 25% OFF 30% OFF Paperback Bestsellers! Hardback Bestsellers! EVERYDAY EVERYDAY Hastings Something’s Always On Sale! College Station • Culpepper Plaza • Music • Books • Movies • Video • Music • Books • A Night at Think Before You Drink! Reduced cover - $1.00 Non-alcohol and alcohol drinks Free Food! Door Prizes! When: Thursday, October 20 Where: Graffiti, 313 S. College Ave. Time: 8:00 pm - close Sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, Graffiti, Mission Jewelers, Garfield’s, Putt-Putt Golf, Popabilities and Kt “ f Choices o/ a new jene ration National CoIIef late Alcohol Awareness Week 1988 For more information, call the Center for Drug Prevention and Education 845-0280