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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1993)
Campus Page 2 The Battalion Monday, October4,l Monday, Proje help! Media leaders discuss future technology By Andrea Taormina Thc Battalion The only agreement among panelists at a discussion on Sat urday about what media will be like in 12 years seemed to be that the newspaper will still be around but not.in the form that is now common. Dr. Charles Self, head of the Department of Journalism and moderator of the discussion, set the scene for the discussion of media in the 21st Century by talking about the current strug gles in the media. Self said all the struggles grow out of one paradox: con vergence and fragmentation of the media. Gerald Garcia, editor of the Houston Post, said he thought the newspaper of the future will be very specialized and targeted to specific markets that share the same interests. Garcia said he visualizes a pa per that is only one section long, about 20 to 24 pages, is on com puter, and has everything in it that comes in the newspaper now. Glenn Dromgoole, editor of the Abilene Reporter-News, did not see the paper of 12 years in the future as radically different than it is now. It will still be the leading source of local and state news, Dromgoole said, and it will still emphasize good writ ing, good leads and information. "Reporting stays the same however we deliver it/' Drom goole said. "We still have to gather the information before we disseminate it." John Hotard, director of cor porate communications for American Airlines, said a prob lem he believes exists right now is size. People develop a great deal of data, Hotard said, but there is a difference between data and use ful information. He said he thinks someone will still have to sift through information for peo ple. The main concerns raised by people in the audience and the f >anelists were focused on people osing the desire to read, and where the money will come from to pay for the new technology. Becky Swanson, president of Benchmark Communications, said she thinks the cost will shift Kyle Bumett/THE Battalion John Hotard (second from left), director of corporate communica tions for American Airlines, answers a question Saturday during a panel discussion on the media in the 90s held in the MSC. to consumers. Swanson said the future in media is the development of more technology . She talked about how much computers already impact peo ple's lives. She said because people are now starting preschoolers on computers, there would be a new generation of people that are comfortable with getting their media electronically. The generation used to read ing papers is dying out, Swan son said. Health Care Continued from Page 1 "Medical individuals love fan cy technology, and buyers don't care what it costs," Saving said. "The more buyers that you have who don't care about the costs, the higher the prices that the hos pitals can get away with." He predicted that in a system where everybody cared about the costs, hospitals would advertise lower prices. "Until you change that, you cannot affect the cost of medical care," he said. "You can't have competition when neither side cares what it costs. You have to make the buyers care." Gay agreed it is very expensive to develop new medical technolo gy. In a community the size of Bryan-College Station where med ical care is competitive, when one hospital gets new technology, then others begin competing and you see an escalation in technolo gy, he said. "As a consumer, we are not discerning about whose technolo gy we use," he said. "If a physi cian says you need it, you will get it no matter the costs. It is not like shopping for cars." To solve some of these eco nomic problems, Clinton's nation al plan introduces a theory known as managed competition. Man aged competition is basically an attempt to promote price competi tion in the national health care market. The health care market, like other markets, is made up of buy ers and sellers, but unlike most markets, the buyers and sellers ig nore the cost of health care. Experts agree an attempt to structure the medical market so doctors and hospitals compete for patients should lower health care costs. Duke Hobbs, director for the Center for Executive Develop ment, said managed competition stifles competition. He called the term an oxy moron because if competition is managed, then it is not true com petition. Saving said a system using IRAs would work best. The way this would work is that a certain amount of money is put into an account for every per son in the country. They spend that money throughout the year on their health care and receive, tax-free, the money that is left over at the end of the year. "Suddenly, people will care what it costs for their health care," he said. "That's the only thing that will work to control costs; that's real competition." 1 If you like games like Jeopardy and TrivfSl Pursuit, 1 or if people tell you that you know a lot of meaningless trivia then you should play: /COLLEGE BOWL the Varsity Sport of the Mind We want your brain!!!! So prove how much you know by registering your team and competing against other Aggies in a fun quiz bowl setting. We need competitors and game officials. Look on the NOVA wall in the Student Programs Office on the second floor of the Memorial Student Center for information. Register with Barbara Wheat, the fee is $20 per four person team. Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit are registered trademarks. Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God Hear about current scientific theories and how they can relate to GOD’s existance Dr. Walter Bradley, Ph.D., Materials Science Former Chairman, Dept, of Mechanical Engineering Professor and Senior TEES Research Fellow at Texas ASM University This program has been presented at Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Brown and other leading universities and t.u. TUESDAY! • Oct 5, 7:00 pm • Rudder Theater Am International Business Fraternity 1993 FALL PLEDGE CLASS Doug Balsam April Burleson Chari Colwell Randy Eckhafdt Michelle Englemann Eddie Fulkerson Jenny Hewell Greg Holmes Steve Huffman Amorette Jenkins Ann Miller Jennifer Miller Jeff Null Cissy Forth Michelle Ray Jeff Rayburn Carin Roberts Heather Solberg Michael Wilbracht Cecilia Zamora Congratulations and Good Luck!! MSC Jordan Institute for International Awareness MSC Political Forum and ? the Jordan Institute present: The Future of the European Community ? A program featuring Consul Generals from ten European countries discussing misconceptions about the EC. The program will be held Wednesday, October 6 at 4:00 p.m. in room 206 of the Memorial Student Center Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our ability. The views expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those of the Memorial Student Center, Political Forum, or the Jordan Institute. Health care plan will hurt small businesses, experts sa probl Tht By Stephanie Pattillo The Baitauon Universal health care coverage for all Americans, the central goal of President Clinton's health care plan, will be costly to small busi nesses, say local and University experts. In small business, according to the president's health care plan, the owners would pay 80 percent of employees' insurance premi ums while the the worker would pay 20 percent. But for companies with fewer than 50 plovers will have to pay for mud of their employees' healthcai( they won't be losers in the Ion run. Small employers who are providing benefits will have! now, and that will simply beth cost of doing business, he said. According to analysts, president's plan will affectth economy as a result of it'simpac on small businesses. Hobbs said that because smi businesses employ the majorih workers in America, employe mandates will be devastating the economy. workers, govern ment subsidies would keep health care costs at 3.5 per cent of payroll 'Tf a company can't afford to pay wages for more than a handful of people, they can't afford to pay for health care." -Duke Hobbs, director of the Center for Executive Development for all workers making less than $24,000. Thomas R. Saving, director of the Private Enterprise Research Center, said if this plan goes through Congress, there will be a dramatic change to the cost of small business. He said there will be a change in the demand of labor that will cause wages to fall. Benefits that were available before will disappear, he said. Duke Hobbs, director for the Center for Executive Develop ment, said if the health care plan goes through Congress, then mandating companies with few er than 50 employees to pay 80 percent of their workers insur ance will force these small busi nesses to go bankrupt. "If a company can't afford to pay wages for more than a hand ful of people, they can't afford to pay for health care," he said. But Ron Gay, regional director of the southwest health plan at Scott & White, said although em- "Th econoit; will on a re; r olle: coaster: this t h case," said. Ga said cost will lowering health care passed on to consumers. "While we have seen the price of a VCR stay constant, the of medical care has gone up,"k said. "What we will nowseeisj trade-off. Medical costs will go down while we see the priced say a VCR go up." Saving said employer man dates will affect the way business es hire people. Firms without insurancewil pay more and therefore attract young, healthy people, he said "You will get what is calledai- verse selection; that is, firms that offer insurance will get sick peo ple because the young, health people will go to the firms tha: pay more," he said. Gay said more than just tk healthy will profit from the healtl care proposal. He said society will benefitii employees have benefits and good health care. "I think that for the grassroots employee, they will be a winner,' he said. Souper Salad v< i if A FRESH APPROACH TO YOUR CAREER New Restaurant Opening Soon SOUPER SALAD the freshest, the greatest, the original soup and salad bar restaurant is opening a new restaurant in COLLEGE STA TION ! We are seeking dependable, enthusiastic people who take pride in their work to join our team. Positions available in all areas: (wait, kitchen, hostess & cashier). Please apply in person at 1727 So. Texas Ave at Harvey or call 693-3883 between 8:00a.m. & 5 p.m. The Battalion CHRIS WHITLEY, Editor in chief MARK EVANS, City editor JULI PHILLIPS, Managing editor DAVE THOMAS, Night News editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Agg/e/rfe editor BELINDA BLANCARTE, Night News editor MICHAEL PLUMER, Sports editor MACK HARRISON, Opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, Sports editor KYLE BURNETT, Photo editor Staff Members City desk - Jason Cox, April Arias, James Bernsen, Michele Brinkmann, Lisa Elliott, Cheryl Heller, Jan Higginbotham, Jennifer Kiley, Mary Kujawa, Kevin Lindstrom, Jackie Mason, Kim McGuire, lennifer Menllik, Carrie Miura, Stephanie Pattillo, Geneen Pipher, Melinda Rich, Jennifer Smith, Mark Smith and Micheile Tremblay News desk - Robert Clark, Jennifer Petteway, Irish Reichle, Khristy Rouw and Heather Winch Photographers — Mary Macmanus, Tommy Huynh and Nicole Rohrman Aggielife - Dena Dizdar, Jacqueline Ayotte, Margaret Claughton, Melissa Holubec, Lesa Ann King and JoeLeih Sports writers - Julie Chelkowski, Matt Rush and David Winder Opinion desk - Toni Garrard Clay, Tracey Jones, Jenny Magee, Melissa Megliola, Jay Robbins, John Scroggk Frank Stanford, Jason Sweeny, Robert Vasquez and Eliot Williams Cartoonists - Jason Brown, Boomer Cardinale, Clifton Hashimoto, George Nasr, Gerardo Quezada and Edward Zepeda Graphic Artist - Angel Kan Clerks- Grant Austgen, Eleanor Colvin, Wren Eversberg, Carey Fallin and Tomiko Miller The Battalion (USPS 045-360) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesics and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods), st Texas A&M University. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes lo The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University. College Station, TX 77843. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in the Division o' Student Publications, a unit of the Department of Journalism. Editorial offices are in 013 Reed McDonald Building. Newsroom phone number is 845-3313. Fax: 845-2647. Advertising: For campus, local and national display advertising, call 845-2696. For classified advertising, 845-0569. Advertising offices are in 015 Reed McDonald and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday througli Friday. Fax: 845-5408. Subscriptions: Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 per school year and $50 per full year. To rhargs by VISA or MasterCard, call 845-2611. 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