The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of:
Associated Press
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Texas Daily
Newspaper Association
Texas Intercollegiate
Press Association
The Battalion
Editorial Board
Editor
Timm Doolen
Managing Editor
Todd Stone
City Editor
Sean Frerking
News Editors
Jennifer Jeffus
Callie Wilcher
Art Director
Richard James
Lifestyles Editor
Rob Newberry
Sports Editor
Jayme Blaschke
Opinion Editor
Keith Sartin
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is published da
ily except Saturday, Sunday, holi
days, exam periods and when
school is not in session during fall
and spring semesters. Publication
is Tuesday through Friday dur
ing the summer sessions. The
newsroom phone number is 845-
3316.
The Battalion is a non-profit,
self-supporting newspaper oper
ated as a community service to
Texas A&M University and
Bryan-College Station.
The Battalion news depart
ment is managed by students at
Texas A&M University and is a
division of Student Publications, a
unit of the Department of Jour
nalism.
Opinions expressed in The
Battalion are those of the edito
rial board or the author, and do
not necessarily represent the
opinions of the Texas A&M stu
dent body, administrators, faculty
or the A&M Board of Regents.
Comments, questions or com
plaints about any of the editorial
content of the newspaper should
be directed to the managing edi
tor at 845-3313.
Subscriptions
Mail subscriptions are $20 per
semester, $40 per school year and
$50 per full year: 845-2611.
POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to The Battalion, 230
Reed McDonald, Texas A&M
University, College Station TX
77843-1111.
Second class postage paid at Col
lege Station, TX 77843.
Location: The Battalion, 216
Reed Mct)onald, Texas A&M
University, College Station, TX
77843-1111. Campus mail stop:
1111.
Advertising
Advertising information can be
obtained from the advertising de
partment at 845-2696 Monday
through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
or by visiting the office at the En
glish Annex.
Advertising Manager
Patricia Heck
Battalion Adviser
Robert Wegener
Production Manager
Paige Force
BATTIPS
The Battalion encourages
its readers to contribute story
ideas and suggestions by call
ing BATTIPS, The Battal
ion's phone line designed to
improve communication be
tween the newspaper and its
readers.
The BATTIPS number is
845-3315.
Ideas can include news sto
ries, feature ideas and person
ality profiles of interesting
people. Readers also are en
couraged to offer any other
suggestions that could im
prove the newspaper.
State & Local
The Battalion
Friday, July 12,1991
B-CS school
By Melinda Cox
The Battalion
Long summer vacations might become
a thing of the past if the State Board of
Education has its way.
The board is encouraging school dis
tricts to consider an all-year format for
their schools. Some pilot programs al
ready have been conducted, but for most
an all-year format is still being studied.
The aU-year format is a variable school
calendar, said Linda Dorsett, technical
assistant of Communications Govern
mental Relations for the Bryan School
District.
Students will still go to school 180 days
a year, but only about 66 percent of them
will be in school at one time.
Dr. Donna Wiseman, Texas A&M's as
sociate dean for teacher education in the
College of Education, said the format is a
good idea, but the plan is a break from
the norm.
"The traditional plan was established
because of the type of society people
used to live in," Wiseman said. "People
districts look into year-long format
lived in an agrarian society, and children
needed the summer to work in the
fields."
Wiseman said the all-year format
would be an economical use of time amd
space, providing students with creative
education and shortening the gap be
tween learning periods.
Dr. Claude Cunningham, the exec
utive director of administrating and
planning for the College Station School
District, said the traditonal summer
break concerns educators and adminis
trators.
Cunningham said students returning
after summer vacation spend a great deal
of time catching up on their studies and
getting back into a school schedule.
"We are exploring the options of an
all-year format," Cunningham said.
"The plan is part of a state goal to expand
the use of school facilities.' v
Cunningham said the format would be
a staggered plan. One such plan might
be a 45-15 format, meaning students
would attend classes for 45 days and
then have a 15-day break.
For example, a class might be divided
into four groups with each group begin
ning on different days.
Another plan might be to have a 30-15-
15 schedule, which means students
would attend class for 30 days, have a 15
day break and then come back for 15
more days before starting the schedule
over.
Dorsett said the schedule is beneficial
because it allows frequent remediation
for the students and teachers. It also al
lows problems to be spotted and dealt
with more quickly.
Charlie Lloyd, principal of the Collins
Intermediate School in Houston, com
pleted his disseration on the use of the
all-year format at A&M.
"The format is a good one because it
offsets the learning loss that takes place
during the break," Lloyd said.
Lloyd conducted a pilot program at
Crockett Intermediate in Conroe during
the 1989-1990 school year. The program
was limited to the sixth grade and was
on voluntary basis.
"About one-fourth of the class signed
up, about 54 kids," Lloyd said. "We ran a
30-10 calendar, but held the instructional
activities the same."
Lloyd said students' attendance, atti
tude and achievement were measured,
and the results were compared with the
traditional schedule. In most categories,
the students who attended school year-
round did better.
"Year-round students had better atti
tudes, behavior and retention of lear
ning," Lloyd said.
Response from teachers and parents
has been mixed. Teachers and students
get to enjoy frequent breaks and are not
as likely to get burned out, Lloyd said.
Teacners do not have to spend as
much time regrouping their students
and students do not suffer quite the
learning loss as before.
However, the all-year format also has
some drawbacks. Teachers interested in
continuing their education during the
summer would find it harder to do so.
In addition, the change of lifestyle is
hard on some parents, Lloyd said. For
example, if a student has divorced par
ents summer vacation might be the only
time the child spends with one parent.
Watered down
Jim Thomas of landscape maintenance sprays plants outside of the Sterling C. Evans Library.
Republicans urge anti-tax 'Tea Party' protest
BACK PAIN STUDIES
Patients needed with acute
(recent) onset of muscle spasms
(back pain, etc.) to participate in
a consumer use research study
with an FDA approved drug.
Medical evaluation at no cost
to patient. Eligible volunteers
will be compensated.
G & S STUDIES, INC.
846-5933
AUSTIN (AP) — Republican
legislators, accusing bureaucrats
of trying to ambush budget-cut
ting proposals, Thursday urged
Texans to send tea bags to state
leaders to demand no new taxes.
"Taxpayers are furious," said
Rep. John Culberson, R-Hous-
ton. "Calls are pouring in from
all over the state from frustrated
taxpayers who are sick and tired
of paying higher and higher
taxes every year."
Meanwhile, Democratic Gov.
Ann Richards agreed that some
state agencies are complaining
too loudly about proposed bud
get cuts, adding, "It's premature
to talk about any tax until we talk
about cuts."
Richards also reached to Re
publicans for cooperation during
the special session that opens
Monday to write a 1992-93 state
budget.
"I don't think this is a partisan
matter," she said. "This is a mat
ter of responding to what we sin
cerely believe is the public's de
mand that we do something
about making government do its
job, and do it effectively."
Lawmakers said the first
"Texas Tea Party" anti-tax rally
will be held July 22 at noon on
the Capitol grounds.
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Wednesday, July 17, 1991
9:00am - 5:00pm
Room 224 of the MSC
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streamline the research and academic process.
You are welcome to visit exhibits of interest at your leisure. There will be
representatives and consultants available to demonstrate solutions and
answer your questions.
FEATURING
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• Data Acquisition Solutions
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Displaying Technology From:
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A cultural production, "A World of Difference," will be pre
sented at 7 p.m. in the Civic Auditorium on Culture Avenue in
Bryan.
Groups from Taiwan, India, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines,
Czechoslovakia and local artists will perform native folk dances
and music from their respective countries.
Tickets are $5, with proceeds going to St. Joseph Hospital's
g ediatric unit. The program is sponsored by the Bryan-College
tation Jaycees.
Gunman kills himself;
hostage emerges safely
PASADENA (AP) — A gun
man who killed a police officer
and held a neighbor hostage for
20 hours fatally shot himself
Thursday, police said.
Pasadena Police spokeswo
man Roseann Boynton said Mar
vin Harris was found dead from
a gunshot wound in Jean Lina's
home after the woman walked
out of the house with her arms
raised and police moved in.
Police said Harris apparently
shot himself in the head, but
Boynton said she could not con
firm the location of the wound.
Lina emerged from the home
apparently unharmed. Her hus
band, Herald, was taken to her
immediately, and minutes later,
police escorted about half-dozen
other relatives to her.
After Lina's appearance, Har
ris' family initially seemed re
lieved the ordeal was over.
"I'm very relieved the lady is
out," Harris' sister, Janet told re
porters. "I'm worried about my
brother." When a television re
porter informed her that her
brother had shot himself, she
ran off in tears.
Harris, 40, fatally shot officer
Jeff Ginn, 29, on Wednesday af
ter the patrolman drove into the
quiet west Pasadena neighbor
hood to respond to a call about
smoke coming from Harris'
home, officers said.
Capital murder charges were
filed against Harris late Wednes
day.
June Harris, mother of the
man inside the barricaded home,
attempted two times early
Thursday to talk her son into
surrendering, but failed. She
talked to him once by telephone
and a second time by a loud
speaker.
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