The Battalion
Vol. 90 No. 18 USPS 045360 10 Pages College Station, Texas Wednesday, September 26, 1990
Harvey’s back
A&M linebacker Tyronne Malone
knows LSG’s Harvey Williams well
— they were roommates before
Malone transferred. Sports, Page 8
System Regents expected to decide
A&M-Galveston’s independence
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M at Galveston is expected to lose its
administrative independence this fall and rejoin
the College Station campus under the College of
Geosciences.
The Texas A&M University System Board of
Regents has not approved the reintegration of
A&M-Galveston to the main A&M campus yet,
but the Board is expected to make the decision
sometime this fall.
Discussions about the reintegration could be
gin this fall, with the actual transition process be
ginning in September 1991 and continuing for
several years. A committee to oversee the tran
sition already is being formed.
The reintegration, however, does not mean
the Galveston campus will be closed.
Legally, A&M-Galveston always has been part
of the main campus, but it gradually became
more independent as years progressed.
It now is widely considered a separate univer
sity in the System.
A&M-Galveston has its own administration,
faculty senate, student government and other
student and faculty services. Graduates, how
ever, still receive diplomas from the main A&M
University.
A&M President William Mobley on Monday
outlined reasons spurring interest in reintegra
tion. He cited the school’s growing oceanography
and marine programs, which have offered a
boost in graduate programs, increasing enroll
ment at Galveston and increased contact between
faculty members.
“We can enjoy some synergy on both campuses
by having a closer alignment with each other,”
Mobley said.
If A&M-Galveston rejoins the main campus,
its administration, faculty senate, student gov
ernment, placement center, ROTC and other in
dependent groups could be absorbed into the
main University’s groups.
But Bill Presnal, executive secretary to the
Board of Regents, said he doesn’t believe this will
happen.
“The changes that will take place are impor
tant to the administration,” Presnal said. “But to
the student body, I don’t think the changes will
affect them much.”
Mobley said one plan being studied is to make
the president of the T exas Institute of Oceanog
raphy, an A&M University component, the rank
ing administrator of the Galveston location.
Though A&M-Galveston graduates receive di
plomas at the main campus and sometimes didn’t
have to meet the same academic standards as stu
dents in College Station, Mobley said this has
changed.
“A&M-Galveston has excellent academic stan
dards,” he said. “Its student profile is similar to
this campus’.”
The approximately 1,200 students in the uni
versity’s marine and oceanography programs
would join A&M’s College of Geosciences.
A&M-Galveston was formed in 1962 as a mari
time branch campus of the main University for
naval cadets, but it grew during the years to its
present size. The university’s emphasis, however,
still lies in marine-related courses.
W.O. Boecker, a resident of Bryan, took advantage of the cooler early Tuesday morning. The avid golfer said he hoped the
temperatures by playing a round of golf on the A&M Golf Course weather would help his average of 80.
Local NOW refuses
to support Souter
By SUZANNE CALDERON
Of The Battalion Staff
Members of the local chapter
of the National Organization for
Women say they refuse to sup
port the nomination of David
Souter as a U.S. Supreme Court
Justice because he will not answer
questions about women’s rights is
sues.
Souter’s refusal to answer ques
tions about his stance on topics
such as abortion and other wom
en’s rights issues has the national
organization refusing to support
his nomination to the high court.
Dr. Wendy Stock, associate
professor in psychology and ad
viser to Texas A&M’s NOW chap
ter, says Souter is a dangerous
candidate.
“Part of his dangerousness de
rives from what little knowledge
we do have of him as a candidate
and the other part derives from
the fact he is unwilling to disclose
his views,” Stock says.
“It seems absurd for somebody
who is applying for that type of
position not to make their per
sonal or political views known,"
she says. “To act as if the public
has no right to know who he is,
would be preposterous and
highly suspicious,”
Wnat NOW does know of
Souter is reason enough to reject
his nomination. Stock says.
Quoting a national publication
explaining NOW’s reasons for its
rejection, Stock outlined Sou ter.s’
past views on issues ranging from
abortion to affirmative action.
For example, when Souter was
attorney general for New Hamp
shire he argued Medicaid fund
ing for abortion was “morally of
fensive” to New Hampshire
residents who did not want to
support the “killing of thousands
of unborn children.”
This means women who often
were the poorest, youngest and
most economically deprived
would be unable to get an abor
tion to limit family size, she says.
Basically, Stock says, Souter is
unwilling to talk about his beliefs
on abortion.
Jennifer Arnold, co-president
of A&M’s NOW chapter, says
Souter’s record suggests he is
pro-life.
Arnold, a sophomore general
studies major, says she believes
the nominee is conservative.
“The major cause lor concern
is his conservative stance and his
conservative background which
would lead us to believe he would
be pro-life.”
According to the NOW publi
cation, Souter also opposed the
right of lesbians and gays to be
come foster parents or adopt chil
dren.
When ruling on two rape cases,
Souter excluded a New Hamp
shire law stating a woman’s sexual
history (whether they dressed
suggestively, their sexual status
prior to the rape) cannot be
brought into questioning.
"ft seems absurd for
somebody who is
applying for that type
of position not to
make their personal
or political views
known.”
—Wendy Stock,
A&M professor
Stock says it appears Souter be
lieves information about a wom
an's sexual history is revelant in
rape cases.
In the area of affirmative ac
tion, Stock says the publication
quoted Souter as calling affirma
tive action rules “affirmative dis
crimination.”
To fight for the rejection of
Souters nomination, the national
and local chapters of NOW
started a letter-writing campaign
to Sen. Joseph Biden, nomination
committee chairman.
NOW wants Biden and other
committee members to know
about its dissatisfaction with
Souter.
Those interested in participat
ing in the campaign are invited to
attend the NOW meeting tonight
at 8:30 in 404 Rudder.
Classroom difficulties
concern A&M majority
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M students responding
to the Balt Poll did not give high
marks to classroom communication,
but the administration is hoping a
new program will bridge that com
munication gap.
When asked if they have had an
instructor at A&M whose lack of En
glish-speaking skills made it difficult
to understand lectures, 71 percent
said yes, 25 percent said no and 4
percent had no opinion.
When asked if they have had
problems understanding course
material because the instructor was
not properly prepared, 57 percent
said yes, 34 percent said no and 9
percent had no opinion.
To cope with such problems, the
A&M administration implemented
the Classroom Communication En
hancement Program this fall. The
program provides students opportu
nities to complain about teacher-stu
dent communication problems and
promises responses within seven
days.
Ty Clevenger, student body presi
dent, praised the communication en
hancement program last week.
“This is the single most important
advance we have made in years as
far as our undergraduate program is
concerned,” Clevenger said.
Students who have communica
tion complaints must complete re
porting forms available in the offices
of department heads and deans’ of
fices.
Forms must be returned to the
college in which the class is being
taken.
After receiving a complaint, the
department head and associate dean
of the college will try to solve the
problem within seven days.
Students can appeal to the dean of
the college and to the provost’s of
fice if the problem is not solved.
The Batt Poll is a survey of Texas
A&M students intended to measure
opinions about campus-related is
sues.
The poll, which will be conducted
periodically, is taken from a random
sample of students. A sample of 400
students was obtained from tele
phone interviews.
A random sample of 400 respond
ers yields a margin of error of plus
or minus 5 percentage points.
The poll was conducted exclu
sively for The Battalion by Research
Associates, a firm operated by A&M
graduate students Alister Miller and
Mitch Peck, both of the sociology de
partment.
Students were polled Sunday-
through Tuesday.
Cindy McMillian, editor of The
Battalion and senior economics ma
jor, asks students to call the news
room at 845-2647 if those participat
ing in the poll encounter any
problems.
Have you had an instructor
whose lack of English-speaking
skills made it difficult to under
stand lectures?
Have you had problems under
standing course material because
the instructor was not properly pre
pared ?
YES
57
HO
34
Candidate
promises
less spending
By JULIE HEDDERMAN
Of The Battalion Staff
Bottom-line business mentality
will return Texas to greatness,
said State Comptroller candidate
Warren G. Harding Jr. at Texas
A&M’s College Republican’s
meeting Tuesday night.
“I am going to centralize the
office, not expand it; I’m not
going to spend more of your
money, I’m going to spend less of
your money; and I’m going to do
a better job than Bob Bullock,” he
said.
Harding, who received 61 per
cent of the Republican primary
vote, will face a $3 billion debt left
by Bullock if he is elected.
One of the comptroller’s duties
is to supply the governor, lieuten
ant governor and legislature with
an accurate figure of revenues,
Harding said. Overestimating
and not collecting enough taxes
are two problems that can occur,
he said.
“One of my platforms is to de-
E oliticize the office and leave
irge and small businesses alone,”
Harding said.
Harding said he also plans to
be on the redistricting committee
and do away with the gerryman
dered districts on A&M’s campus,
which is divided into several dis
tricts.
Harding closed by saying that
the best system of checks and bal
ances is to have two strong par
ties, and that the Republican
Party has seen to it that there will
be checks and balances in Texas.
State Representative candidate
Steve Ogden also spoke at the
meeting.
Ogden said the results from
the polling data reported that the
biggest lead enjoyed by the Re
publican Party in the Brazos
County is from the 18- to 25-year-
old age group.
He said this is because the Re
publican Party message is appeal
ing to that age group.
Ogden said the Republican
Party emphasizes individual re
sponsibility, economic opportu
nity and individual initiative.
Raul Fernandez
Success follows A&M Regent
wherever he chooses to lead
Editor’s note: The Battalion will focus on members of the Texas A&M
University System Board of Regents during the upcoming weeks to better
acquaint students and faculty members with the System’s leaders.
By BILL HETHCOCK
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M Regent Raul Fernan
dez of San Antonio is a builder and
real estate investor.
He graduated from A&M in 1959
with a bachelor of science in civil en
gineering.
After graduation, Fernandez
served as a U.S. Army artillery cap
tain.
Gov. Bill Clements appointed Fer
nandez to the Board in 1989. He
serves as chairman of the Name Se
lection Committee.
Fernandez acts as special liasion to
the Association of Former Students
and is a member of the Executive
Committee, the Planning and Build
ing Committee and the Audit Com
mittee.
He has served five terms as presi
dent and 18 years as a trustee of the
Northside Independent School Dis
trict in San Antonio. He is a member
of the Bexar County Federation of
School Boards.
Fernandez’s other ties include
membership on the Board of Direc
tors of the Texas Association of
Builders, the National Association of
Home Builders, the San Antonio
Medical Foundation and the Alamo
Water Conservation and Re-Use Dis
trict of the City of San Antonio.
He is a former president of the
Greater San Antonio Builders Asso
ciation and was selected the 1989
Builder of the Year.
Raul Fernandez
In 1980, Fernandez served as
president of the Texas A&M Asso
ciation of Former Students, and he
now is a member of the Corps of Ca
dets Development Council.
Distorted views
Speaker clarifies Arab, Western culture clash;
discusses Iraqi leader’s actions, motivations
By MIKE LUMAN
Of The Battalion Staff
Most people in the United States have a distorted
view of Middle East cultures, a Middle East historian
from the University of Houston said Tuesday.
Dr. Jean-Luc Krawczyk, speaking in a program by
Texas A&M’s MSG Jordan Institute for International
Awareness, said Arab leaders including Saddam Hus
sein should not be seen as fanatics.
“You don’t get to be president of your country by be
ing insane,” he said.
He said Hussein came from a cultural and political
background different from any Westerner.
When Hussein was 19 he attempted to assassinate the
Iraqi president of the time.
He was shot in the leg by security forces, and afraid
to get medical help he cut the bullet out with a pen
knife, Krawczyk said.
“He came from the political school of hard knocks,”
he said.
He also said there is much to learn about the Iraqi
people.
The tradition in the Arab world is to welcome strang
ers, he said.
“Most would like you as an individual, but not like
what your government is doing. They will make that
distinction.”
Geographic boundaries in the Middle East are not as
distinct to Arabs as they are to others, he said.
The lines and demarcations on a map were essen
tially created by Westerners.
From the mid-1900’s to the present the Middle Fast
has a history of domination by the United States and
European countries, he said.
He said the West helped establish Kuwait, so Iraq can
argue it is a fictitious creation.
He said the Middle East was in a state of change, the
result of a long-brewing social and political process.
“All geopolitical aspects of the Middle East have been
turned upside down.”
The Institute promotes international awareness
through programs including travel opportunities, exhi
bitions, cultural programs and international career
seminars.