The Battalion TATE & LOCAL 3 uesday, October 31,1989 On /e ars.Ius 0 unexpe e power oi tself inj iportant -in and ave beenk ABMT r e a c stabiliti od the sia Pyramid, 'dy, a viola this issoeji mantle tlif! >me discoi were fori Conference on education seeks better approach to curriculum By Andrea Warrenburg Of The Battalion Staff A mini-conference on education titled “Needed: A Whole Curriculum Approach to Teaching, Learning and Assessment” was hosted by Texas A&M Monday to discuss the need for all the elements of school curric ulum to work together. P. Kenneth Komoski, executive director of the Edu cational Products Information Exchange Institute, poke to a crowd of more than 60 people about the ne cessity of viewing curriculum holistically. “We tend to think of a curriculum as conveniently and neatly packaged, but teachers don’t keep it all toge ther,” Komoski said. “The textbook is driving the cur riculum where there needs to be more balance.” Komoski said EPIE, an independent consumer edu- ation agency, tested a group of students at the begin ning of a school year over material in a textbook they would study that year. The students’ average score on [he test was 80 percent. At the end of the year, the stu- ®l dents were tested again over the same material and scored 25 percent lower. “Teachers say ‘OK I’ve done my job and covered the book,’ ” Komoski said. “But they’re not doing their job because they may be covering things not covered at all in the curriculum or that kids already know.” Komoski said that efficiency and organization are not the most important parts of a curriculum, but that it needs to be seen as a whole process. “There is a need to have customized textbooks that fill state and local objectives,” Komoski said. “And we need to test to see if our objectives were accomplished.” The 2 1 /2-hour mini-conference was hosted by Dr. H.H. Richardson, A&M Deputy Chancellor, Dean of Engineering and director of the Texas Engineering Ex periment Station. It was moderated by Dr. Dean Corri gan, A&M professor of educational administration and former Dean of the College of Education. Sponsors of the mini-conference were TEES, TEES Technology Development Division, the Learning Tech nology Center and the A&M College of Education De partments of Educational Administration and Interdis ciplinary Education. Helmet saves life of A&M student Roly Aguilera’s motorcycle helmet saved his life Monday night when he hit a car that had moved into his lane of traffic, College Station police offi cer Gary Stratton said. After the motorcycle accident, Aguilera told officials that he didn’t remember heading south in the left lane on Texas Avenue. He also said he didn’t remember Shanna K. Carroll’s car move from the right lane into the left. “A car pulled out in front of him and he hit the car,” Stratton said. Doctors at Humana Hospital said Aguilera appeared to be fine. They plan to run tests to ensure he didn’t suffer any head injuries, a spokes man said. Aguilera’s heavy clothing pro tected his body from serious injury while his helmet saved his life, Strat ton said. Stratton said Carroll appeared to be fine although she was shaken-up as a result of the accident. Rainy days and Mondays This jack o’lantern sitting on the sidewalk outside Keathley Hall describes the mood of the day as rainshowers Monday. Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack continued through the afternoon :ng the vay to the' trategic the clarity on ustallation , which and, in Bush adit /e become How ando ; is it any oil because i Drbachet 5 There’s ting res to m o. Wherel ring? ' our curt loviet Uni ding Aim . In a reel iin •om the rreignpoi — theest ■e so acci le game, lovietUi owersini ■ is n the wit tions. ren glas* nnishinfi i know (f sti eeps while ver the X) long rut i tow thex 1 i by sem rd sense roth, is 3 fusion & snotgoil ) a Program searches for ‘Miss Coed’ By Selina Gonzalez Of The Battalion Staff Here she comes . . . it’s Miss Coed America. A Texas A&M University coed could represent college coeds na tionwide. The Miss Coed Amer ica Program is searching for sin gle female undergraduates who want the opportunity to travel and form contacts while continu ing their education. The best aspect of the compe See Coed/Page 9 Prof: Individual rights no longer al ive By Steven Patrick Of The Battalion Staff Ayn Rand’s philosophy of objectivism is lead ing the battle for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” the true concept of individual rights as captured by Thomas Jefferson in The Decle- ration of Independence, said Dr. John Ridpath. Ridpath, associate professor of economics and intellectual history at York University, spoke on the importance of individual rights and the phi losophy of objectivism last night in “Ayn Rand and the History of Individual Rights.” Ridpath said the United States is founded on the concept of individual rights. “It is true that individuals have rights; and that truth, in my mind, is the central founding prin ciple of the United States of America,” Ridpath said. “That the moral greatness and the productive greatness of the United States is, in fact, traceable to that principle more than to anything else.” Ridpath said that individual rights, as defined in the Declaration of Independence, are no longer alive today. “We do not live in a hopeful time, even in North America,” he said. “It is no longer the case that the founding principles of the United States are still in play, and certainly not in the world where there is massive starvation and blood shed. “Rights today are not just pseudo-rights, they are anti-rights.” Historically the concept of individual rights reached it’s pinnacle in the Decleration of Inde pendence and has been on the downward slope since then, he said. “I believe that America was born in 1776 and is dying today,” he said. Ridpath does, however, see hope for individ ual rights in Ayn Rand’s philosophy of objectiv ism. Objectivists believe reason is the only source of knowledge, man must exist for himself and his own self-interest, and that the ideal political-eco nomic system is laissez-faire capitalism. “An individual is right to value his or her life as the highest value,” Ridpath said. He also said the role of government should be a limited one which protects individual rights. “You can embrace whatever social theories you want,” he said. “The future is open. “One thing we can do is call the government to protect individual rights.” Ridpath views individual rights as essential to freedom. “Individual rights are a principle which de fines and sanctions individuals’ freedom of ac tion,” he said. “It is the bridge from what is true for every in dividual morally, to what is morally appropriate in social relationships.” “I view Ayn Rand as indispensible in the battle (for individual rights); because of her work the battle is on,” Ridpath said. Halloween rules apply to students By Pam Mooman Of The Battalion Staff While college students may have outgrown trick-or-treating, Halloween safety rules still apply to them. “What we really have to look for is pranksters,” Burt Kretzsch- mar, UPD’s crime prevention lieutenant, said. “(College stu dents) are looking for more of a thrill than dressing up.” The UPD will be on the See Safety/Page 9 The Association of Former Students Fall Senior Induction Banquet Wednesday 6t Thursday, November 8 & 9, 1989 6:30 p.m. MSC - rooms 212-226 All December graduates are invited. Complimentary tickets may be picked up in the MSC Flag Room / Student Lounge October 31, November 1 & 2 - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. TICKETS GIVEN ON FIRST COME - FIRST SERVED BASIS Student I.D. Required to Pick UP Tickets This is your invitation to the induction of the Class of '89. Compliments of The Association of Former Students The Center for Drug Prevention and Education hopes you have a howling good time this Halloween, but remember, witches brew and broomsticks don’t mix. This is a public service message brought to you by the Center for Drug Prevention and Education. When you finish reading The Battalion pass it on to a friend, but please... don’t litter! mm DOORS OPEN 6:00 P.M. BEGINNERS WELCOME! Speed (Ex Frl) 6:30 1st Session 7:15 2nd Session 9:00 “CHARITY BINGO AT IT’S BEST’ TCIES: Silver Dollar Night! 8 Games + Speed •BONGS Dollars •Dollar Food & Drink Specials WEDS: $2 Double Fun, 12 & 18 Face Specials THCIRS: 1/2 Price Option FRI: 5x5 Night, 10 BIG Games SAT: SGPER SPECIAL, 18 Face (or less) $ 10/session Extra-.50 per front face MAXIMUM NIGHTLY PAYOUTS TOWNSHIRE 2015 TEXAS AVE. S. DO VS CLUBS or 0 RAZOS COUNTY UC •174G079S84G n.v.cvusjv UC« 30008721273 BRYAN 822-9087 CHILD PLACEMENT CENTER UC* 17422510375