Ma y3l,1993
finale
Stroud
Rosas
The Battalion
Vol. 92 No. 149 (6 pages) 1893 - A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993 Tuesday, June 1,1993
Richards signs school finance reform bill
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — One day before a
court deadline for school finance
reform. Gov. Ann Richards signed
into law Mon
day a bill giv
ing property-
rich school dis
tricts options
for sharing
some wealth
with poorer
ones.
"We've had
three school fi
nance plans
that have been struck down since
1989, and we pray that this fourth
try will produce the charm," said
Richards, with an eye toward a
Tuesday court hearing where
state lawyers will present the plan
to a judge.
The governor — surrounded
by Democratic and Republican
lawmakers and by students start
ing their summer vacation —
signed the bill at Pease Elemen
tary, built in 1876 and touted as
Texas' oldest operating public
school.
The Texas Supreme Court set
Tuesday's deadline for lawmakers
to come up with a plan to even
out funding available to school
districts with differing property
wealth.
Missing it would have meant a
court-ordered cutoff of state edu
cation aid. Leaders warned that
would have started the process of
school closings as funds ran out,
since school districts rely on state
funds and local property tax mon
ey.
State District Judge F. Scott Mc-
Cown, who presides over the
long-running school finance case,
will hear Tuesday from state
lawyers armed with the new plan
and attorneys for school districts
that have successfully challenged
previous school funding laws.
The plan was designed in the
last month, after voters on May 1
soundly rejected a share-the-
wealth proposal that would have
authorized the state to redistrib
ute some local property tax mon
ey from richer to poorer school
districts.
Asked if the new plan — which
didn't require a statewide vote —
is a better one, Richards said, "I
think that this bill will have the
support of the people, and there
fore, it has to be better.
"Sometimes it seems as if you
finally come to a conclusion of the
right thing to do when you've
winnowed away all of the wrong
things to do," she said.
The Democratic governor
praised the bipartisan effort that
led to the new law, which is
meant to ensure that none of
Texas' 1,048 school districts has
more than $280,000 in property
wealth per weighted student. Stu
dents with special needs are
counted as more than one pupil in
the weighted system, to make up
for the extra cost of educating
them.
The 109 districts that exceed
the maximum level can choose
among several options for giving
away some wealth: Merging tax
bases with one or more poorer
districts; sending money to the
state; contracting to educate stu-
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — A combative Gov.
Ann Richards on Monday re
newed her criticism of lawmak
ers who pushed a bill to put a
handgun referendum on the
Nov. 2 ballot.
Richards, who vowed to veto
the bill, said the legislators were
playing games because they
couJdn't win support for a bill to
legalize carrying of handguns in
dents in other districts; consolidat
ing voluntarily with one or more
districts; or moving some proper
ty to another district's tax rolls.
If school districts don't choose
an option under the plan, the state
education commissioner will or
der commercial taxable property
to be moved. If that's not enough.
Texas.
"The gun (referendum) bill is
a joke," Richards said.
"What was done in these last
waning hours was nothing more
than a subterfuge. They felt they
couldn't win any other way, so
they would try to reconstruct the
issue," she said.
Richards called the referen
dum a tax-supported poll for
handgun interests.
"It's a $60,000 pricetag to the
there will be forced consolidation.
The bill anticipates a $1.1 bil
lion state spending increase for
public education over the next
two-year budget period, but lead
ers have said that's still not
enough to continue current per-
pupil spending with growing en
rollment.
people of Texas to run a private
poll for the proponents of hand
guns. I think they ought to do
that in the private sector, where
there are people who conduct
polls. They ought to pay for it
themselves," she said.
Tm going to veto that bill."
Lawmakers on Sunday gave
final approval to the handgun
referendum. It would place a
non-binding resolution on the
Nov. 2 ballot.
Richards
Governor blasts concealed gun referendum
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Schedule madness...
MARYMACMANUS/The Battalion
John Swindall, a junior kiniesiology major from McKinney, and Pavilion. The Pavilion was packed yesterday as students tried to sign
Martha Dixon discuss schedule changes Monday afternoon in the up and pay for classes.
College of Liberal Arts
Jones named interim dean
By MICHELE BRINKMANN
The Battalion
Dr. Woodrow Jones Jr., associ
ate dean of Liberal Arts, was
named interim dean of the Col
lege of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M
last Tuesday.
Jones was appointed to replace
Dr. Daniel Fallon, who announced
he was leaving Texas A&M to ac
cept the position of vice president
of academic affairs and provost at
the University of Maryland.
Jones will begin his service as
interim dean of the College of Lib-
will improve graduates' job per
formances.
Jones, a professor of political
science, has served as associate
dean for academic services and
undergraduate affairs. He has
been with the University for the
last six years.
Dr. E. Dean Gage, Texas A&M
senior vice president and provost,
said he appointed Jones based on
an evaluation of his qualifications
and recommendations from the
College of Liberal Arts.
"It is clear that Dr. Jones has
the support and trust of the facul-
"I ... plan on improving services to
undergraduate students to help
them choose a career and find
employment."
-Dr. Woodrow Jones Jr.,
interim dean of Liberal Arts
eral Arts June 15. He said he is
looking forward to a great year.
"We have a lot of things to
work on in the College of Liberal
Arts," he said.
Jones said he will be satisfied if
he can get his three main goals ac
complished.
"I plan on improving the work
ing conditions of the faculty to
help retain our staff," he said. "I
also plan on improving services to
undergraduate students to help
them choose a career and find em
ployment."
Jones also said he wants to de
velop a graduate program that
ty in the College of Liberal Arts,
and I have pledged to him the
help and support of this office,"
he said.
Gage formed a search advisory
committee to find a permanent re
placement for Fallon last Tuesday.
The sixteen-member committee is
headed by Dr. William L. Perry,
dean of faculties and associate
provost.
In a newsletter addressed to
committee members. Gage asked
members to be sensitive to women
and minorities, and said he is
seeking a diverse, nation-wide
candidate pool.
Mixed reactions greet Clinton
at Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Fraternity offers summer camp for black teens
Institute to focus on social problems
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - President
Clinton, who opposed the Viet
nam War and once thanked a
mentor for "saving me from the
draft," marked Memorial Day
with a visit to the Vietnam Veter
ans Memorial after promising to
keep the United States "free,
strong and proud."
Clinton was applauded by the
crowd as he arrived at the black
granite name-inscribed wall, ac
companied by Colin Powell,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff. But there was also scattered
heckling, boos and chants of
"Where Was Bill?" Protesters in a
roped-off area for demonstrators
waved signs saying "Draft
Dodger."
Some veterans had criticized
Clinton's decision to visit the
memorial.
See Clinton/Page 4
By LISA ELLIOT
The Battalion
The Texas A&M alumni chap
ter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
is trying to change some of the
problems facing black men in so
ciety by offering a summer camp
for teenage boys.
The Alpha Institute, which will
concentrate on "Unendangering
the Black Male," will take place in
Snook June 25-27.
Edward McGruder, member
and former president of Alpha Phi
Alpha, said this event will help
surround these young men with
positive male role models.
"What we're doing is putting
on a summer camp to revert the
problems that we have identified
in the black community," Mc
Gruder said. "This is not a sepa
ratist type of event."
McGruder said the camp will
concentrate on five major areas:
health, male-female relationships,
leadership development, career
development and African history
and cultural enrichment.
There will be experts and pro
fessionals in each of these areas to
counsel and work with the teens,
he said.
Mentors and counselors will
chaperone the young men
throughout the weekend.
"It (the Alpha Institute) will
benefit not only the mentors and
the students, but also those pro
fessionals that participate," Mc
Gruder said. "It will put them in
check with these young men, and
it will be a way to give back to the
community."
This is the first year the Alpha
Institute will be available to
youths in the Brazos Valley, but
McGruder said it is not new to Al
pha Phi Alpha, which has spon
sored the camp in other areas.
The camp is available to black
male teenagers who are in the top
half of their class and will be en
tering the 9th through 12th grades
this fall. The Alpha Institute is
free.
Group criticizes pay of university administrators
Magnitude of compensation 7 too high, TFA says
By STEPHANIE PATTILLO
The Battalion
The Texas Faculty Association (TFA) is
criticizing high university administrators'
salaries and benefits, which they estimate
average over $109,000 a year.
In a press release last month, TFA Presi
dent Marsha Self said that TFA has "a
problem with the magnitude of the com
pensation received by public college and
University CEOs."
"We want to reaffirm our position that
higher education in this state is woefully
Underfunded and that bringing compensa-
don of chancellors, presidents and other
a <dministrators under control will not in it-
jelf solve higher education's critical fund-
■figproblems," she said.
TFA conducted a study using informa
tion gathered through the Open Records
Act about the salary and benefits of 114
chancellors and presidents in Texas. They
concluded that the salaries for 35 public
university presidents averaged $120,989,
and the salaries for six university chancel
lors averaged $178,000.
J.D. Phaup, TFA legislative committee
chair, said TFA did this study because it "is
important to know what our chief execu
tive officers earn."
"We do not see why TFA should have to
go through the work of filling out well over
a hundred open records requests to get this
information," he said.
According to TFA, the University of
Texas system's chancellor heads the pay
scale for public university chancellors in
Texas, earning $234,023 in 1992-93. Texas
A&M system chancellor Dr. Herbert
Richardson makes $198,420.
UT-Austin pays its university president
$185,000 a year, the highest of any school in
the state. Texas A&M University president
Dr. William Mobley is paid $175,100 a year.
Dr. E. Dean Gage, A&M provost and se
nior vice president said the high salaries of
University officials are necessary if A&M is
to be competitive in recruiting people with
leadership and scholarship.
The overall salaries at Texas A&M are at
the bottom of the top 10 of the most popu
lated state schools, he said.
"The assessment of salaries here as com
pared to other leading institutions is at the
lower end of the scale," he said.
TFA has made several recommendations
as a result of its study.
One recommendation advises the track
ing and controlling of the salaries and ben
efits of all major administrators in public
colleges and universities by the legislature
so that they know what these cost the state
annually.
"The salaries and benefits of all high
ranking administrators should be routinely
collected by the Legislative Budget Board
or other appropriate state agency, " Phaup
said.
A&M's administration determines the
salaries of deans, department heads and
faculty during the recruitment process.
Gage said the University president's salary
is set by the chancellor and must be ap
proved by the entire A&M system Board of
See Salaries/Page 2
Sports
•Baseball: A&M pitching
highlights of 1993 season
•Burnett: Indy 500 not as
American as apple pie
Page 3
Texas
•Politics: A look back at the
73rd Legislative Session
Cartoons
•Bangkop: Where is
Tubularman?
Page 4