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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 1991)
State & Local Page 2 The Battalion liBliSBiiiilii Thursday, August 8,1991 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: 845-261 1. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843-1 111. Second class postage paid at Col lege Station, TX 77843. Location: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1111. Campus mail stop: 1111. Advertising Advertising information can bn 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. A&M prepares for fresh school of fish A Orientation camp eases transition By Melinda Cox The Battalion A new "school" of incoming Texas A&M freshmen soon will gear up to tackle the challenges of A&M by attending Fish Camp. Fish Camp is a freshman orientation summer camp that helps freshmen make the tran sition from high school to col lege, said Laura Pine, assistant director for the camp. "The camp deals with issues such as dating, alcohol aware ness, preventing date rape and being away from home," Pine said. The program takes place at the Lakeview Conference Center near Palestine. There are five sessions with five camps per ses sion. Session A begins Aug. 10 and the last session concludes Aug. 30. The camp, however, has not always been in Palestine. When the program began in 1954, the camp was near Mexia. Gordon Gay, a former activ ities director at A&M, was in charge of the first group more than 30 years ago and the tradi tion has grown and strength ened since then. And grown it has. This year more than 3,600 freshmen and 700 counselors will be involved in Fish Camp. Freshmen accepted by A&M are sent an application in May re questing their involvement in Fish Camp. The camp has one counselor for every five freshman stu dents. Counselors must also ap ply for the camp. Applications are available in February to any student interested in the pro gram and acceptance is based on an application and. interview process. — - I ^—-— iSSi I I a Jit \ Freshman orientation counselors lead their fish camps to a smooth tran sition from high school to college. Many lasting bonds and fond mem- Baftalion file photo ories form between incoming freshmen and their counselors during the the days of Fish Camp. Pine said the fee includes room, board and transportation. Buses take students and counsel ors from Olsen Field to Pales tine. Once the freshmen arrive at the camp, they take part in a three-day session. Pine said. Days are spent learning what college life will be like, becoming Counselors, however, are not aware of opportunities at A&M paid for their efforts. In fact, and adjusting to new responsi- they must pay an $80 fee for the blities freshman students en camp. counter. , "Fish Camp gives freshmen a time to ask other students ques tions about A&M," Pine said. "Freshmen feel more open and can ask more personal ques tions." The camp also has mixers for the freshmen. Pine said. After the dance, "fish" gather near a campfire while speakers talk about the University. "The campfire gives the fresh men a time to reflect back on what they have learned," Pine said. "Emotions run pretty high." Amy Courville, an assistant director for the camp, has been involved with Fish Camp since her freshman year. She said the camp helps people work to gether to make things happen. "The camp gives freshmen an overall view of A&M and helps them understand what will hap pen," Courville said. "The camp helps ease some of the anxiety and gives these students a com mon ground with other peoff when they return to A&M." Courville said freshmen ler what A&M is'about ind begin understand some of the tia| tions associated with the schoo Pine said the camp doesi only introduce freshmen to ( lege life, but also sets founif tions for friendships that willk throughout school. Theij friendsnips help little "fish" a big school feel a little morel cure, she said. Whats Up Thursday STAGECENTER COMMUNITY THEATER: Live theater.at 8 p.m. Location: 3715 East 29th St., Town & Country Shopping Center. Call StageCenter at 846-0287. COMMUNITY OF SINGLE ADULTS: Volleyball. All single adults welcome. Oak Park, College Station. For more information contact Don Ball at 846-1370. COACH’S NIGHT: Sit-down dinner with Texas A&M coaches, including football coach R.C. Slocum. An auction and raffle will follow. The event is a scholarship fund raiser for local students and is sponsored by the Brazos County A&M Club. For more information call 845-0825. Friday COMMUNITY OF SINGLE ADULTS: TGIF at Bombay Bicycle Club in College Station at 6 p.m. All single adults welcome. For more information, contact Don Ball at 846- 1370. STAGECENTER COMMUNITY THEATER: Live theater production at 8 p.m. Location: 3715 E. 29th St., Town and Country Shopping.Center. Call StageCenter at 846-0287. NORTH SIDE RESIDENCE HALLS: Donations drive (belongings and food) benefiting inter national students and Brazos Food Bank. For more information, contact Chong Hsu Liu at 847-1083. Items for What’s Up should be submitted to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, no later than three business days before the desired run date. We publish the name and phone number of the contact only if you ask us to do so. What’s Up is a Battal ion service that lists non-profit events and activities. Submissions are run on a first- come, first-served basis. There is no guarantee an entry will run. if you have ques tions, call the newsroom at 845-3316. Judge favors school finance tax system, rejects wealthier school districts' claim AUSTIN (AP) — State District Judge F. Scott McCown on Wednesday upheld the property tax system created by Texas' new school finance law, rejecting a challenge by wealthy school dis tricts. But he also said the new law must be funded to provide equ ity, in what some called a strong message to lawmakers meeting in special session to write a state budget that will include educa tion funding. The new law is designed to shift hundreds of millions of dol lars in property tax revenue from wealthier to poorer school dis tricts within new education tax ing regions, drawn largely along county lines. The measure was passed in re sponse to a Supreme Court order to even out school districts' ac cess to education funding. Large disparities have resulted from districts' reliance on their own property tax bases, besides state funding and some federal aid. The county education districts are "a valid exercise of the Legis lature's power," McCown wrote. "As long as each district has substantially the same, then the political process will work to en sure that each has enough," McCown said. "As*long as some districts have substantially more, the political process will not work. Those with more will have no incentive to help those with less. Those with less will have insufficient political power to en sure adequacy." But McCown, who conducted a 2Vi day hearing that ended June 19, added that other chal lenges to the law have yet to h considered in court. Other isste that have been raised includi whether the law provides equate funding. "For S.B. 351 (the new law)It provide equity it must If funded," McCown wrote. "Hif Legislature is now working® the state's budget. As soon the Legislature's work is cot pleted, the court stands readyti adjudicate the remaining ques tions." The House passed a state ti' increase proposal on Tuesda) that would fall far short of full) funding the school finance la" over the next two years. "It's time to go to work and get school started," Kevit O'Hanlon, general counsel f® the Texas Education Agency, said after the ruling. ANNUAL COMPETITION FOR FULBRIGHT GRANTS TO CLOSE SOON The 1992-93 competition for Fulbright Grants for graduate study abroad will close on October 7, 1991. Only a few more weeks remain in which to submit your draft proposal and meet with the Study Abroad Director. Qualified graduate students must meet with the Study Abroad Director before September 25 to allow ample time for proposal revision. Most of the grants offered provide round-trip transportation, tuition and maintenance for one academic year; a few provide international travel only, or a stipend intended as a partial grant-in-aid. Applicants must meet the following requirements: - be a U.S. citizen at the time of application; - hold a bachelor's degree or its equivalent before the beginning date of the grant; - be proficient in the language of the host country; - must not hold a Ph.D at the time of application. Application forms and further information for students currently enrolled in Texas A&M University may be obtained from the TAMU Study Abroad Office, which is located at 161 Bizzell Hall West, 845-0544. Note: The deadline for interviews is September 25, 1991 the deadline for application is Monday, October 7, 1991. INFORMATIONAL MEETING: THURSDAY, AUGUST 8 2:30 - 3:30 PM ROOM 251 W. BIZZELL HALL Violation of constitutional rights? House gives early approval on bill to restrict demonstrations at Capitol AUSTIN (AP) — The House gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a measure that would place restrictions on dem onstrations at the Capitol, a move opponents said would vio late the constitutional rights of free speech and assembly. The measure passed 83-56, and also included a provision to exempt the state from having to pay the local prevailing wage to workers on the massive Capitol restoration and expansion pro ject that is already under way. Another vote is needed before the bill will be sent to the Senate for consideration. State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, said the proposal was in part prompted by the frequent demonstrations during the Per sian Gulf War. One small group of anti-war protesters set up a temporary station near the main entrance, which included a desk and file cabinet and remained until after the war. Recently, a group of wheel chair protesters occupied the Governor's Reception Room overnight demanding better pro grams for the physically im-. paired. Under Kuempel's bill, the State Preservation Board would be in charge of rules regulating visitor activities in the Capitol. He said the rules are needed be cause some demonstrations pre sent fire and safety hazards. But Rep. Glen Maxey, D-Aus- tin, said, "We've now said that instead of people having First Amendment rights, they have to go get permission from the Preservation Board to do i any citizens group should able to do, and that is to come the Capitol grounds." The rules would prohibit at tachment of signs to the Capitol, placement of furniture for long® than 24 hours, overnight parking of vehicles intended for human occupancy and setting up camp ing equipment or shelter. In addition, no one would b permitted to sleep or lie down on the Capitol grounds during th night. Maxey said these rules woulc inhibit "die-in" protests tradi tionally used by anti-war and gay rights groups. The rules also allow the Pres ervation Board to charge fees fo [ demonstrations. Q (AP) smal Wed was futui Th seale shut drop alonj tingv later. "E Fe ru Lc ah NE feder clarec abort settin abort overt Court abort The who f for uj up to I U.S planti down early, ing or A ci wasn' but a who a said tl uncon The was p earlier state voted Roerm Roei posed But he the lai incest. The lature Roeme was dr It re< medic, days o report within NEV\ aviatioi airline ruptcy ter its r The! Airline under < in Hauj Brani viding! ing flig] lando j