[The Battalion
STATE & LOCAL
3
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Special assistant links Senate
with graduate student issues
By SUZANNE CALDERON
Of The Battalion Staff
Graduate students have a new
voice on campus, and it belongs to
the special assistant to the student
body president for graduate affairs.
Martin Reyes-Duran serves as the
link between Student Body Presi
dent Tv Clevenger and graduate
students.
Reyes-Duran, Class of ’90, pres
ently is a graduate student in the
rhodern languages department.
He says before his position was
created, the only voice of the 7,000
A&M graduate students was the
Graduate Student Council. Reyes-
Duran says he attends Graduate Stu
dent Council meetings and works
with members, bringing their con
cerns to Clevenger.
Some concerns already have sur
faced over teaching assistantships
and the use of graduate students’ re
search, he says.
Previously, teaching assistants’
wages were tax exempt, but now
taxes are being taken, he says. Reyes-
Duran says he is working with the
Graduate Student Council on the is
sue and hopes to return the advan
tage back to the graduate students.
“There also seems to be a problem
with abuses concerning graduate
students that do research in their de
partments and are getting no credit
for such research,” he says.
Along with addressing graduate
concerns, Reyes-Duran says he
wants to get graduate students more
involved in the University.
Many opportunities exist for
graduate students to get involved in
the Memorial Student Center, Stu
dent Government and other Univer
sity organizations, he says.
The problem is finding interested
graduate students and letting them
know what is available, he says. For
example, some graduate Student
Senate seats in Student Government
Policy cuts
ticket appeals
by nearly half
Parking citations now must be
paid before individuals can ap
peal them to the Department of
Parking, Transit and Traffic.
Tom Williams, director of the
department, says the policy
change went into effect at the be
ginning of the fall due to the
large amount of unjustified ap
peals.
“Just like in any environment
where you have received a cita
tion, if you decide to appeal the
citation, whether it is municipal,
court or university, you must post
an appeal bond,” he says.
The system was unable to keep
up with “true” appeals, because
of people who appealed to delay
payment.
As a result of the policy
change, appeals have been cut by
nearly half, he says,
Williams adds that when an ap
peal is granted the money is not
refunded through the parking
department office, but through
the A&M fiscal office.
Parking official reminds
drivers to pay citations
Texas A&M students must pay
parking tickets even if they do not
receive citations on their cars.
This issue was sparked by a Battal
ion reader’s opinion saying students
should tear up parking tickets they
see on other cars.
Tom Williams, director of the De
partment of Parking, Transit and
Traffic Services, says students and
faculty must pay tickets not on their
cars’ windshields unless they go
through an appeal process.
“We leave a copy of the ticket on
all vehicles, but the ticket is recorded
in the computer whether the person
finds the ticket on the windshield or
not,” he says.
“Though some people don’t agree
with the system, we write tickets to
those who violate it and try to keep
the system intact for the majority
that does not violate the system.”
The appeals process is the only-
channel a person can turn to if they
believe they have a justified reason
for not being cited.
“If a person is given a ticket that
he has a problem with, he certainly
has the right to appeal it,” Williams
says.
He also stresses the appeals are
looked at on an individual basis.
A $5 late fee is charged by the de
partment when a ticket is not paid
within 10 days upon receiving it.
Gubernatorial nominees
debate issue of debates
Martin Reyes-Duran
are still vacant.
Many graduate students don’t feel
like they are part of the student
body, he says, and this is part of the
problem.
“We (graduate students) don’t
think we are part of the student
body and we are — we are 25 per
Photo by Fredrick D. Joe
cent of the student body,” he says.
“They (graduate students) are Ag
gies and their voice needs to be
heard — if it’s heard it will be taken
into account.”
Students wanting to speak to
Reyes-DurAn can contact him at 693-
4622.
Time saved
in cleanup
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Wa
ter Commission chairman said he
was pleased with the state’s response
to the second barge collision in as
many months at the Houston Ship
Channel.
“This just shows what we can do if
we have the proper equipment in
place in advance of an oil spill,”
Buck Wynne, commission chairman,
said Tuesday.
Last Friday, the Norwegian vessel
Bow Panther collided with two bar
ges operated by Dixie Towing in
Galveston Bay. On July 28, there was
a collision between a barge train op
erated by the Apex towing company
and the Greek tanker Shinoussa.
AUSTIN (AP) — Democratic gu
bernatorial nominee Ann Richards
on Wednesday challenged Republi
can Clayton Williams to a debate, but
Williams, guarding a large lead in
the polls, refused unless Richards
signs a pledge with him to wage a
positive campaign.
Richards said she didn’t trust Wil
liams to abide by such a pledge, Call
ing it an excuse for her GOP oppo
nent to avoid a face-to-face
showdown with her.
“You cannot be John Wayne and
run away from your opposition,”
Richards said. “You have got to
stand up and take responsibility for
the fact that you’re trying to be the
chief executive officer of this state.”
Williams, a Midland businessman,
has said in the past that John Wayne
is his hero.
After a campaign appearance in
Dallas, Williams said he and Rich
ards will probably debate “if she’ll he
reasonable.”
The debate over debates erupted
at a news conference by the League
of Women Voters, which announced
it was canceling its Oct. 30 televised
debate because both candidates re
fused to make a commitment to par
ticipate.
Correction
A story in Wednesday’s issue of
The Battalion incorrectly re
ported the dates had not been set
for a November regional resi
dence hall conference.
Registration deadline for the
South West Affiliate of College
and University Residence Halls is
Wednesday.
All on-campus residents are
welcome to attend the confer
ence, Nov. 8 to 11.
The RHA Office phone num
ber is 845-0689.
TICKETS: $2, available
at the MSC Box Office
agin-
1/1J
U.S CONCEPTS INC.
PERCENTAGE OF PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT SADD
Marc Price
Come see what's become of Skippy from
"Family Ties". Cheek out his anti-gimmick
stand-up comedy geared for college students.
Day
Wednesday
Date
October 10
Time
8:00 p.m.
Location
Rudder Auditorium
Look for the PONTIAC EXCITEMENT CENTER
and check out the latest PONTIAC cars. Win
tickets, t-shirts and enter a sweepstakes for a
chance to win a PONTIAC Sunbird Convertible.
GMAC
PONTIAC,
m.