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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 3, 1991)
fSaturday Thunderstorms High mid-80s It must be pointed out to these mod ern-day Dr. Frankensteins that water, air, birds, animals, plants and people are not resistant to herbicides.” — Michael Worsham Holt headed to Houston A&M fielder supports team in backup baseball position pportst II positii pages Faculty awards Twenty-two members of the Texas A&M faculty and staff received Distin guished Achievement Awards. page 3 The Battalion Vol. 90 No. 145 USPS 04536010 Pages College Station, Texas "Serving Texas A&M since 1893" Friday, May 3,1991 Corps' March to Brazos raises $52,000 for March of Dimes By Jeff Brown The Battalion The Corps of Cadets' March to the Brazos raised more than $52,000 for the March of Dimes this year. "As far as we can tell from our records, that is the largest sum ever raised (from the March)," Maj. Jake Betty said. Betty was the Corps adviser for the an nual event. The March to the Brazos traditon dates back to 1917. The original goal of the hike was to give the cadets a break away from the quadrangle during the spring semester. The cadets march seven miles to an open field at the base of the Brazos River. Along the way, cadets run, do push-ups and other exercises at the discretion of the upperclass men. The positions in the various outfits for the upcoming year also are announced. On the return trip, the new chain of com mand takes over and the old seniors are al lowed to follow their outfits back to campus in trucks. Betty said the march was stopped for a while because of injures but was reinstated in 1978. Since then the annual event has raised money for the March of Dimes. "Since 1978 a goal of the March has been to raise money for charity," Betty said. "It didn't start out to be a major goal but has turned into a great event for both organiza tions." Robert Davis, chairman of the Central Texas Area Chapter of the March of Dimes, said the money will be used for research and health and special education programs. The Corps of Cadets marches to the Brazos earlier this year. A&M Proposed fee may alleviate funding crisis By Chris Vaughn The Battalion Texas A&M's undergraduate engineering students could soon be paying a $120 laboratory fee to help cover the costs or up grading obselete labs. The College of Engineering proposed a $120 lab fee per stu dent per semester earlier this month. The proposal presently is being reviewed for its legality by the University's general coun sel. The lab fee must be ap proved by the provost, presi dent, chancellor and the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents before it is assessed. Dr. Dan Turner, an associate dean in the college, said if the proposal makes it to the regents, it probably will be Spring 1992 before the fee takes effect. The lab fee would generate about $2 million a year for the College of Engineering's labo ratories, many of which are out of date and inadequate. Approximately $3.75 million is needed to maintain and improve the labs, but the remainder will have to come from industry and alumni, Turner said. engineering college struggles Battalion file photo The A&M engineering college faces a loss of accreditation due to lack of funds for new lab equipment. A&M's Student Engineers Council voted 37 to 3 in April to endorse the $120 lab fee proposal to avoid losing accreditation. "While I wouldn't say it was unanimous, we did get over whelming support from the stu dents," Turner said. The college has approximately 7,000 undergraduate students. The cost of educating an under graduate engineering student is about $200 per hour, but in-state students pay only $18 per hour and no lab fee. If the fee passes. Turner said it could keep the University out of trouble with the accreditation board. "The important thing before accreditation is having a long term financial plan in place for the continued support of the labs," he said. Outdated lab equipment endangers accreditation By Chris Vaughn The Battalion Outdated laboratory equipment has put Texas A&M's highly respected College of Engineering in danger of losing its accredita tion next year, and administrators are racking their brains to find a solution. Several administrators and professors believe many of the labo ratories, particularly undergraduate labs, are out of date and will not pass the accreditation process. "We have no funds to maintain the labs or to modernize them," said Dr. Ken Hall, an associate dean in the College of Engineering. "Many of them are woefully out of date." The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is visiting A&M in October 1992 to review the college for a renewal of its accreditation. Accreditation is important because the first step in being a pro fessional engineer is graduating from an ABET-accredited school. Hall said ABET has specific criteria about labs, how they must be maintained and how they are funded. A&M's college can do neither. Hall said. "I don't see any way we can be accredited unless we get an ac creditation team that shuts their eyes and looks the other way," he said. Five years ago. Hall said he might not be as worried since ABET did not usually come down hard on the major engineering schools, but the board has stiffened since then. "They might be looking for one of the major schools to provide as an example," he said. "I don't know. But I do know we've got serious problems, and we're not in compliance with the accredita tion requirements." Other college officials, while not quite as negative as Hall, still See College/Page 4 Final exams begin today Final examinations for undergrad uate courses begin Friday. The follow ing is a schedule for finals: Friday Final at 7:30 a.m. — Classes meeting on MW at 4:30 or later Final at 10 a.m. — Classes meeting on MWFatSa.m. Final at 12:30 p.m. — Classes meet ing on TR at 12:30 p.m. Final at 3 p.m. — Classes meeting on TRat11 a.m. Monday Final at 8 a.m. — Classes meeting on MWF at9a.m. Final at 10:30 a.m. — Classes meet ing on MWF at 12 p.m. Final at 1 p.m. — Classes meeting on TR at 8 a.m. Final at 3:30 p.m. — Classes meeting on MW at 3 p.m. Tuesday Final at 8 a.m. — Classes meeting on MWF at 10 a.m. Final at 10:30 a.m. — Classes meet ing on MWF at 2 p.m. Final at 1 p.m. — Classes meeting on TR at 3:30 p.m. Final at 3:30 p.m. —Classes meeting on MWF at 1 p.m. Wednesday Final at 8 a.m. — Classes meeting on TR at 9:30 a.m. Final at 10:30 a.m. — Classes meet ing on MWF at 11 a.m. Final at 1 p.m. — Classes meeting on TR at 2 p.m. Final at 3:30 p.m. — Classes meeting on TR at 5 p.m. or later. Cadet plans to gather MIA bracelets RICHARD S. JAMES/The Battalion Mark Stratton, a senior in Squadron 1, holds one of the MIA bracelets worn while Clifford Bland was missing in the Persian Gulf. Cadets to attend Virginia burial to honor former student killed in Persian Gulf War By Timm Doolen The Battalion A senior in the Corps of Ca dets is trying to collect almost 700 gold MIA bracelets dedicated to Thomas Clifford Bland to honor the former A&M student killed in action during the Per sian Gulf War. Bland was listed as missing-in action after his plane went down Feb. 1. He was declared killed several weeks later. Mark Stratton, executive offi cer of Squadron 1, coordinated the original push to distribute the bracelets while Bland was missing. He now is trying to get them all back for Bland's funeral on May 20 at Arlington National Cemetery. "We're gathering the bracelets from people on campus so we can take tnem to the funeral and bury them with him," Stratton said. Bland's name and the date he was listed missing are engraved on the bracelets. Stratton was in Austin on Thursday morning to hear a res olution introduced by Rep. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, and passed by the House honoring Bland and his family. A concurrent resolution, intro duced in the Senate by Jim Turner, D-Crockett, was ex pected to pass. Of the 600 to 700 bracelets that were purchased through the out fit, only a few dozen nave been returned. Bland said anyone with a bracelet can turn it in to the guard room or to members of the outfit until the May 11 Final Re view. Fourteen members of Squad ron 1 are driving Virginia to at tend the funeral. Stratton said he will take his bracelet off during the burial cer emony. When Bland was in the Corps, he also was Squadron 1 exec utive officer, which is what prompted Stratton to take such interest in Bland's disappear ance. Bland was the only A&M graduate to die in Operation De sert Storm from enemy fire. BENTSEN URGES NUCLEAR SAFETY AMARILLO (AP) — Sen. Lloyd Bentsen said Thursday he would make every effort to bring expan sion to the Pantex nuclear weap ons assembly plant only if he is guaranteed that added projects would be safe for the envi ronment. in M jobs would be an enormous impact on the economy of this area,” the Texas Demo- c r a t told reporters during a press con ference at Pantex, just outside Amarillo. “I support the expansion,” he said. "But I support it with the provision that it must be done with safety and protection to the envi ronment. mat is the crucial part and must be understood." Pantex was criticized by the General Accounting Office this week for having one of the worst safety records in the DOE’s nu clear weapons complex. 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