State & Local
Page 2
The Battalion
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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.
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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.
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