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WEATHER
TOMORROW’S FORECAST:
Cold and cloudy.
HIGH: 60
LOW: 47
College Station, Texas
Friday, December 8,1989
urvey says. . .
Itudents give opinions
ibout MSC expansion
STACY E. ALLEN
[The Battalion Staff
UUUUJU
rTTTTT
A majority of Texas A&M stu-
Jents agree with expansion of the
Memorial Student Center but dis-
ree with the loss of green space it
ill cause, an A&M poll found.
A random telephone poll of 350
udents was conducted by Student
vernment to find out student
jeelings on the issue.
I “Overall, we found that students
Ire in favor of the expansion, but
they feel there is a better way to go
out it,” Brad Hampton, a fresn-
an in the Student Senate, said.
Hampton said students were split
Uown the middle when asked if ex-
anding the MSC outweighed the
ss of grass and trees.
Student Body President Kevin
IBuchman said tbat two-thirds of the
Itudents polled did not feel that the
Idministration had adequately in
formed the students about the ex-
liansion and that construction
Ihould be delayed.
| “It seems to me that at this point
i time the students have had plenty
f time to become informed about
the issue,” Buchman said. “The stu
dents can only hold the administra
tion and the media at fault to a cer
tain extent because every effort has
been made to disseminate informa
tion concerning the expansion.”
Freshman Senator Mike Pinkus
said he felt the survey was a positive
thing.
“This survey brought out the ac
tual feelings of the student body to
Student Government and the ad
ministration,” Pinkus said. “It
showed us that there was a definite
breakdown in communication be
tween the administration and the
student body.”
Pinkus said the Student Senate is
working on a bill to form a commit
tee to study expansion and construc
tion in the future so that a problem
in communication will not occur
again.
“In the end, whether or not to de
lay the expansion is all up to the
Board of Regents,” Pinkus said. “If
they don’t delay the expansion, at
least (the survey) will open people’s
eyes so that a breakdown in commu
nication like this will not occur in the
future.”
Photo byjayjanner
Grounds Maintenance worker George Jewell trims one of the trees near the MSC Thursday, preparing it for transplantation.
locked freshmen should sign TASP Test statement
|y SELINA GONZALEZ
(The Battalion Staff
1 Texas A&M freshmen who were blocked
from pre-registration for the spring semes-
■r because they didn’t take the new state
Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP)
Jest will get more than just one break this
Ihristmas.
Amnesty will be granted to students who
aven’t taken the exam, Pam Kibler, pro-
hssional counselor for the TASP test, said,
tudents must report to the Academic Skills
rogram Office during the week of Dec.
11-15 or Jan. 2-15 to sign a statement indi
cating that they intend to take the TASP
test on Feb. 24.
Kibler said the statement is required by
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board and must be signed before the regis
tration block can be removed. Blocks will be
moved after Jan. 7.
All college-level courses for the Spring
1990 semester will be dropped from the
students’ schedules if they rail to comply
with the statement, she said.
Kibler said students would be unable to
enroll in any Texas public institution of
higher education until the TASP test is
taken.
Kibler said freshmen students are
blocked from registration due to one of
these reasons:
• The student didn’t take the TASP test.
• The student took the TASP test on
Nov. 18 and the University hasn’t received
the scores.
• The student took the TASP test before
Nov. 18 and did not instruct National Eval
uation Systems Inc. to report the scores to
A&M.
If the freshman took the exam on Nov.
18, the University expects to receive the re
sults during mid-December, Kibler said. At
that time, the student will be unblocked
from registration if all three sections —
reading, writing and math — were passed.
If students fail one of the sections, she
said, they must report to the Academic
Skills Program Office starting Jan. 3. to be
unblocked and enrolled in recommended
developmental courses for the Spring 1990
semester.
Developmental classes, which count as
three-hour credit courses, have been a suc
cess this first semester, she said.
If the student took the the test but didn’t
have results sent to the University, Kibler
semester,’
said, the Academic Skills Program Office
needs to be contacted.
Kibler said students who are blocked will
receive a letter by mail explaining which
course of action to take.
“The newness of the program has re
sulted in a lack of education this
Kibler said.
The future testing dates are Feb. 24,
April 28, June 30, Sept. 22 and Nov. 17.
The official TASP Test Registration Bul
letins will be available before Christmas in
the Academic Skills Office located in 305
Academic. For further information
845-2568 or 845-6892.
call
Eifi# I
roup obtains Soviet sister city for B -CS
By NADJA SABAWALA
[The Battalion Staff
The twin cities Bryan and College Station soon
ill be getting a sister.
In the true spirit of glasnost, the Soviet city of
azan opened its doors to receive Bryan-College
tation as its “sister city.”
The Bryan-College Station Sister City Associa
tion, formed in 1987, fosters international
relationships between citizens on a city-to-city ba
sis. Its main purpose is to promote an exchange
of people with a desire to learn and experience
life in other countries.
Because of the unique relationship between
Texas A&M and the surrounding area, the asso
ciation wanted to choose a city with similar traits.
College Station Mayor Larry Ringer said one of
the reasons the association selected Kazan is be
cause it is home to Kazan State University, the
third-largest university in the Soviet Union.
“The hope would be that perhaps the universi
ties could work some type of agreement where
See sister/Page 6
L
ms
ws
erry Christmas to Coffeehouse
A&M Psychology Club hosts party for local MHMR program
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Of The Battalion Staff
iai
on
ied
The Texas A&M Psychology
Club hoped to brighten a few
spirits this Christmas season by
hosting a party complete with
Santa for the clients of Coffee
house.
Coffeehouse is a program op-
I
crated by the Mental Health
Mental Retardation Authority of
Brazos Valley for adults who suf
fer from some type of persistent
mental illness.
The program, which operates
out of a home in Bryan, teaches
the adults vocational and social
skills in the hopes of returning
them to everyday society.
Photo by Jay Janner
Psychology club member Laura Rodriguez (right) dances with a
Coffeehouse resident during the Christmas party Tuesday.
The Psychology Club, which
has hosted the Christmas party
for three years, interacts with
Coffeehouse for two reasons,
Kim Hunt, club president, said.
“Several of us volunteer here
because it gets us exposed to a
clinical population,” Hunt, a ju
nior psychology major from
Greenville, said. “But it’s also im
portant that the members of Cof
feehouse not feel isolated, which
too often they are.”
The psychosocial program, as
it is formally called, used to oper
ate out of the Mary Lake Com
plex, but when tbe home in
Bryan was purchased almost four
years ago, the program grew to its
current size of about 50.
When the program moved to
the home, the adults nicknamed
the house Coffeehouse, and now
it is more commonly called that in
the Bryan-College Station com
munity.
The adults are placed in one of
three types of vocational units,
which are cooking, clerical work
and janitorial and yard mainte
nance. The members show up at
Coffeehouse every morning to
work in their units under a super
visor from MHMR.
The members of each vocatio
nal unit do more than just prac
tice their skills; they offer them to
the community. This aspect of
Coffeehouse helps the adults
more than anything else, Janie
Velasquez, the director of volun
teer services for MHMR of Bra
zos Valley,said.
“It gives these people a lot of
satisfaction and confidence to
know that they can do things that
other people will enjoy,” Velas
quez said. “It helps their spirits.”
But the coordinators of Cof
feehouse aim to teach the adults
more than a job skill. Lawrence
Harris, a psychosocial coordina
tor with MHMR, said he teaches
the adults job interview skills, so
cialization skills, and basic living
skills so their transition to regular
society won’t be so rough.
Velasquez admits, however,
that not everyone who is active in
Coffeehouse is capable of living
alone in society.
“There is no time limit on how
long people can participate,” she
said. “A lot of it depends on how
serious their illness is. Some come
through here, go through train
ing, locate jobs and leave. But
others that are more serious just
enjoy the work and being able to
get out and do things, and they
stay happy.”
Velasquez, who calls on other
A&M clubs and organizations fre
quently for volunteer work, said
activities like the Christmas party
make the adults at Coffeehouse
not feel so forgotten.
“These parties are really fun
for them,” she said. “They enjoy
interacting with college kids. It
helps them to know that people
still care.”
Research unit created
to examine health care
By STACY E. ALLEN
Of The Battalion Staff
The American health care industry
must be improved, and a new re
search unit in the Texas A&M Col-
of Medicine has been estab-
icd to study the problem, the
director of the unit said.
The College of Medicine’s Insti
tute for Health Care Evaluation was
approved by the Board of Regents
Monday.
Dr. William Gold, associate pro
fessor of obstetrics and gynecology
at A&M and director of the research
unit, said the unit will study the qual
ity, access, utilization and effective
ness of health care in America.
“The American public is being
underserved by the health care in
dustry,” Gold said. “Today, one in
four Americans do not receive ad
equate health care and it is quickly
approaching one in three. In order
to assess appropriate needs, we need
to research and understand access to
care.”
Gold said there is a variation in
the types of therapies used for pa
tients, and more research needs to
be conducted to discover which the
rapy is correct for each patient.
“We need to make certain the
money we receive from the govern
ment (for health care) is used appro
priately at the correct time for the
appropriate patient,” Gold said.
At this time, the unit’s headquar
ters are at Scott & White Hospital in
Temple, but the location will change
depending on the type of research
conducted. Gold said the unit will
provide a forum or structure for
I oday, one in four
Americans do not receive
adequate health care and
it is quickly approaching
one in three. In order to
assess appropriate needs,
we need to research and
understand access to
care ”
— Dr. William Gold,
Associate professor
to
orm research and health serv-
pert
ices.
Gold is in the process of appoint
ing his staff, which will consist of
specialists in the different fields to
be studied.
“With A&M’s strong support and
the talent found at A&M, Scott &
White and Darnell Army Hospital,
this unit has been given a very
unique opportunity to study a vari
ety of patients in many different
areas,” he said.
Secretary of Education
to address graduates
U.S. Secretary of Education
Lauro F. Cavazos will address
some Texas A&M degree recipi
ents and their guests at com
mencement ceremonies Dec. 15
and 16.
Cavazos will address everyone
receiving graduate degrees, and
those receiving undergraduate
degrees from the Colleges of En
gineering, Science and Veteri
nary Medicine at 2 p.m. Dec. 15.
Singapore’s ambassador to the
United States, Dr. Tommy T.B.
Koh, will speak to undergraduate
degree candidates from the Col
leges of Agriculture and Life Sci
ences, Business Administration
and Geosciences at 7:30 p.m. Dec.
15.
The president of the Greater
Houston Chamber of Commerce,
Eileen T. Crowley, will address
undergraduate degree Candi
dates from the colleges of Ar
chitecture, Education, Liberal
Arts and Texas A&M at Galves
ton at 9a.m. Diec. 16.