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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1989)
, April 14,1989 it is that more black :nding and cdmplet- me black males, titute 52 percent of enrollment for this Adams said this is a 1. ns in higher educa- :n have held steady," 176, women were at in 1986 they were at anwhile, black men ucation positions ,3 percent in 1976 to i86. are disproportiona- die elementary and itions tend to have of black males, and havior in a dispro- vative way. Studies [tales tend to receive 1 less academic sup- emales or whites.” ’rairie View is not A&M to recruit because the choice Is mostly on the stu- students would feel nfortable attending able to be just one t of the 30,000," she ; to offer an alterna- ite what ethnic ori- live at 7:30 p.m.in Rudder. ernational Studies cm. in the OCA of- om 9 p.m. • 1 a.m. i-7 p.m. in front of tamic presentation e Third World per- enter. jme Book submis- ).P.E. at 845-0280 McDonald through e available in 216 and Staff applies- 8 a.m. at the Bap- 8-0342. efore the A&M-UT m. - 4 p.m. at Has- Durnament at 2:30 dy at 9:30 a.m. at teach folk dances I p.m. on the polo r the Brazos Food r at 7 p.m. in 230 7 Rudder, rages students to magazine by the .P.E at 845-0280 Reed McDonald, We only publish so. What’s Up is missions are run ry will run. If you 779-4756 Friday, April 14,1989 The Battalion Page 7 Warped THIS LOOKS GOOI* EAT HERE. by Scott McCullar Waldo by Kevin Thomas WALDOS QUEST TO FIND THE DIRECTOR OE THE COMPUTER SERVICE'S CENTER HAS BROUGHT HIM TO A FLOATING ISLAND, HOME Of THE YAHOOS... Proboscis METATVTdStCA|_ REALITY HETbUD THE. TfcJScmJRED TiAVX-Hl^THU PATH CP 4-luMAMlTf. by Paul Irwin l REALLY klEEP TD 5o?A-e.M rrr sorr Wright (Continued from page 3) I’ve ever had, is not important,” Wright said. “What is important is that Congress move swiftly — and I'm prepared to move very swiftly — to get distractive matters of this kind behind us so that we can concentrate on the really important things that affect this country of ours.” He said his reputation “is the most important thing and the only really important thing. For my good name, which is the legacy I intend to leave my children and my grandchildren. I will fight to the last ounce of con viction and energy that I possess.” Wright declined to field questions after his statement. After his impas sioned public defense, Wright re turned to the business of the House, appearing in the chamber to push Science education in U.S. needs reform — official By Melissa Naumann REPORTER The blue button worn by Dr. Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, assistant director for science and engineering education of the National Science Foundation, said, “Science is Fun,” but the facts he presented about the state of sci ence education in the United States were grim. Shakhashiri, in a speech titled “Developing a Na tional Will to Enhance the Quality of Science Education in America,” said the problem with science in the United States is quantitative and qualitative: Too few people are pursuing the fields of science, math and en gineering as careers, and the level of scientific literacy in the United States is declining. The mission of the NSF, he said, is to increase the number of people going into these fields, as well as im prove the scientific knowledge of the public. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of 22-year-olds — the typical age of a bachelor’s degree recipient — in the United States will decline, he said. “About 4 percent of the population of 22-year-olds ends up getting a B.S. degree,” Shakhashiri said. As the pool of students gets smaller, the number of students receiving degrees in science will decrease, he said. “It is estimated that by the year 2000 we will have a shortfall of about 430,000 holders of B.S. degrees,” he said. Of the 4 million high-school sophomores in 1977, only 750,000 expressed interest in the natural sciences and engineering. Then, only 9,700 of these students went onto earn doctorates in those fields, Shakhashiri said. The students who didn’t pursue their interests are as important as those who did, he said. “The battle is not lost at the high-school sophomore level but before that,” he said. “If we cannot succeed prior to the sophomore year of high school, the game is over. It’s not just lost — it’s over.” The quality of science education in the United States is just as disturbing as the decreasing interest in science, Shakhashiri said. In an international comparison among 15 countries on science achievement, fifth-grade students in the United States ranked eighth. Ninth-grade students, however, ranked 13th. Advanced chemistry students in the United States scored higher than only two other countries, and advanced biology students ranked last, Shakhashiri said. “It’s a gloom-and-doom picture, but I want you to know that I don’t believe that the talent in this country is any different from any other talent anywhere else in the world,” he said. “We have a huge trade deficit and federal deficit, but I don’t believe we have a brain defi cit.” ‘Stun gun’ demonstration shows off safe, effective method of self-defense By Andrea Warrenburg REPORTER They may look like something out of a science fiction movie, but “stun guns” — small, hand-held, battery operated, non-lethal weapons — can render any man or women harmless for up to 15 minutes. for a vote on a $49.7 million Contra aid package. The ethics committee continued its work behind closed doors and chairman Julian Dixon of Calif, said no public announcement of its con clusions was expected until next week. A presentation and live demon stration was given Thursday night by Nova Technologies, Inc. rep resentative Charlotte Clemmons. The presentation was to promote “stun guns” as legal, non-lethal weapons and alternatives to guns. “It’s like an insurance policy,” Clemmons said. “We hope you never have to use it, but you’ll have it just in case.” First tested at Texas A&M more than 6 years ago, the Nova “stun gun” produces an electric pulse which sends frequencies into the neuromuscular system when applied to a subject and temporarily inter rupts voluntary muscular control. The attacker is instantly diso riented, loses balance and collapses, allowing the victim to escape. The hand-held unit is activated by pressing the trigger switch. Clem mons pointed to the most effective target areas including the neck, stomach, kidney and the outside of the upper thigh. The unit can pen etrate many layers of clothing, she said. “In a world where one out of ev ery three women may be raped by the time she is 60 years of age, the Nova “stun gun” is a way to feel safe and protect yourself,” Clemmons said. Used in more than 400 police de partments across the nation and le gal in most states including Texas, the Nova “stun gun” is the only do mestic unit on the market and the only unit medically tested. “People can take it everywhere with them — when they’re shopping, answering the doorbell, jogging or walking across campus,” Clemmons said. “It’s very safe.” “It also reduces injury to the at tacker and reduces liability risks.” This week s pick hit! On top of the charts with IBM PS/2 Model 30 286 Software loaded and ready to go Your Special Price * $2666. 00 The 8530-E21 includes 1 Mb memory, 8513 Color Display, 80286 (10 MHz) processor, one 3.5” diskette drive (1.44 Mb), 20 Mb fixed disk drive, IBM Mouse, DOS 4.0, Microsoft® Windows/286, Word and hDC Windows Express ™. List price $4,437. Ask about IMMEDIATE DELIVERY! The IBM Personal System/2® Model 30 286 has long been on top of the charts. As a top performer, it s fine-tuned to give you the right combination of features and options to help you work faster, easier and smarter at the flip of a switch. Right now, the PS/2 Model 30 286 with selected software is being offered at a great campus price. So, come see us today! MicroComputerCenter Computer Sales and Supplies Mon.-Fri. 8a.m.-6p.m. Sat. 9a.m.-5p.m. E = Memorial Student Center "This offer is limited to Qualified students, faculty and staff who order an IBM PS/2 Model 8530-E21, 8550-031 or 8570-E61 on or before June 30, 1989. Price quoted does not include sales tax. Check with your school regarding these charges. Orders are subject to availability. IBM may withdraw the promotion at any time without written notice. IBM Personal System/2 and PS/2 are registed trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. IBM Micro Channel Architecture is a trademark of IBM Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. hDC Windows Express is a trademark of the hDC Computer Corporation. Microsoft Word and Excel — Academic Editions