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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1993)
State & Local Page 2 The Battalion Friday, November 12,1993 Commission re-evaluating fees for university reactors By Geneen Pipher The Battalion In response to widespread discontent at universities around the country, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is re-evaluating the benefits of its $62,100 li censing fee on all university-run nuclear reactors. Dan Reece, director of Texas A&M University's Nuclear Science Center and associate professor of nuclear engineer ing, said the NRC is currently reviewing the necessity of the fees. "The NRC Commissioners have agreed to reconsider the issue of exemption from fees for university-run reactors and al lowed a period of comment, which ended October 29," Reece said. "I sent a 150-page document detailing all the external benefits of the reactor," he said. "The NRC wants to know what ex ternal benefits we have, meaning why should the taxpayers subsidize universi ty-run reactors." Reece said the chances of the NRC re versing its position and continuing to ex empt university-run reactors from licens ing fees are very good. "We have not heard anything back from the NRC yet," he said "But the ad junct to the commissioners spoke at a meeting I was at last week, and it sound ed as if the commissioners had pretty well decided to continue exempting universi ty-run reactors from this fee." Reece said the NRC may be caving in to pressure from the united front present ed by schools with research reactors. "I would think that the uproar over the fees definitely had an effect, it certainly appears that way to me," he said. "The closing of university-run reactors would be detrimental to all those interested in nuclear science." Robert Berry, supervisor of A&M's re actor located in the Zachry Engineering Center, said the pressure universities put on the NRC forced the NRC to reconsider the necessity of the licensing fee. "The NRC has apparently taken a step back from its earlier decision," Berry said. "All the universities with research reac tors fought it together, but no one knows what the end result will be." Reece said that after receiving the NRC's bill for $125,000 for A&M's two research reactors, instructors in A&M's nuclear engineering department feared that the reactors would be forced to shut down. If the NRC does not reduce the fee, and A&M is not granted an exemption, the re actor in Zachry will close, he said. "The reactor would probably close in stantly, if not sooner," Reece said. "The other one might be able to stay open on the budget we have, but we would be looking at a two year wind- down." Reece said very few schools could af ford to keep their reactors running if the fees were enforced. Test Research and Training Reactors, a loose association of universities with nu clear reactors, estimates that if the fee stands, 85 percent of all reactors would shut down in two years, he said. The facilities are invaluable to the Uni versity and the 200 undergraduate and graduate students who use them, Reece said. "Right now the nuclear engineering department is in the top 10 percent in the nation in nuclear engineering, principally because we have the two reactors," he said. "I think our ranking would fall if we were to close." Reece said he is hopeful the reactors will remain open, but he can't be sure. "Certainly the situation looks far, far, far more favorable than it did a month ago. We're very hopeful," he said. Computers open doors for more scholarships Students use financial aid system to search the country for college funds By Jacqueline Mason The Battalion The recent expansion of the Texas A&M University Financial Aid Department has created Scholarship Resource Center so students can use computers to search nationwide for available scholarships. Molly Georgiades, administrator for Scholarships and Employment, said the computers help students de termine their financial status by de termining expected family income. They can then compare that information to the cost of college attendance. "1 think it benefits everybody from in coming freshman to medical students and grad students," she said. Previously, the Student Financial Aid De partment only had one computer available, and the information it contained was out- dated>she said. The software system available through the computers is called College Cost Explor er Fund Finder. It searches scholarships, loans and grants available to students, not only from the state, but also from private sources and is updated continuously by the College Board, producer of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Georgiades said it takes about 20 minutes for students to answer a wide variety of questions on the computers about their background. "It can even ask you very specific ques tions like: Are you a dependent of someone who was killed in the line of duty like a po liceman or fireman?" she said. This way students are eligible for schol arships they may not have known about. Georgiades said each student receives an average of 30 to 40 names of possible funds. Cynthia Perez, a junior zoology major, said people can get quite a few sources as soon as they can figure out how to use the system. "I didn't know how to get into the sys tem," she said. "After talking to some friends and get ting some information, I understand it now." During the 1992-1993 school year, over 10,500 Aggies were awarded scholarships. But Georgiades said the six new comput ers, funded by the Texas A&M Former Stu dent Association, are available to anyone who wants to use them. Franklin High School counselor, Janice Knight, travels 40 miles about once a week to bring seniors seek ing scholarships to use the comput ers. "They don't qualify for every one of them, but they do for many," she said. One Franklin student, Trey Jager, said the computers are great. "They make life easier because they do so much work for you," he said, Perez pointed out, however, the only way she knew of the Scholarship Resource Center was simply because she walked by it. Georgiades said the Student Financial Aid Department received the computers in "They make life easier because they do so much work for you." - Trey Jager, Franklin High School student DEFENSIVE DRIVING CLASS End of the Year Special 'Mmar a || prepaid students 4^4 fSOO With this ad!!! I NOT Valid wit,', sny other coupon $20 00 at the door Texas Alcohol & Safety Education Agency 4337 Wellborn Road, Bryan, Tx. 77801 846-5876 Class D - Nov. 5,6 th Class F - Dec. 1,2 nd (6:30-9:30pm / 8:30-11:30am) (6:30-9:30pm / 6:30-9:30pm) Class E - Nov. 13 th Class G - Dec. 28,29th (9an>12pm /1 pm-4pm) . 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The make up schedule for all classes is as follows: Freshmen: Nov. 1-12 Juniors: Nov. 15-Dec. 3 Sophomores: Dec. 6-14 Pictures are being taken at A R Photography, located at 707 Texas Ave. S., near Taco Cabana, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, call 693-8183 If you did not purchase your picture in the Aggieland during teleregistration, it can be purchased in 230 RDMC for $1. 1994 yearbooks can be purchased in 015 RDMC for $25. A 1994 GGIELAND Hundreds flock to Capitol to honor military veterans The Associated Press AUSTIN — From a festive Vet erans Day parade to solemn cere monies, hundreds flocked to the Capitol Thursday to pay homage to Americans who served in the military. At a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War I, a veteran of that war, 99-year-old Morris H. Breazeale of Austin, said the expe rience was one he would never forget. Speaking to about 1,000 people, Breazeale read an account he wrote of the day the war ended. First there had been rumors of a cease-fire, he said. Then as his division arrived in a wartorn French village, it be came apparent the rumors were true as the town's residents sur rounded them "laughing, crying, shouting at the top of their voic es." They were saying, "Viva la France and Viva America," he said. And, he said, he and his col leagues answered them "Merci beau coup." "I had never witnessed before nor have I since such joyful... en thusiasm. After four long terrible years these people were free again," Breazeale said. Breazeale, one of about 30,000 living veterans from World Warl, said the death and destruction he saw in France and Germany taught him that war was indeed hell. Earlier, U.S. Rep. J.J. "Jake" Pickle, D-Austin, urged the crowd to be proud of the country's mili tary. "Let's always keep up that spirit because that means this United States will always remain free. "Across this great land today in thousands upon thousands of communities, people are gathered to pay their respects to this great flag ... and to say thanks to our veterans. "This year we're paying special emphasis to the women,'"he said referring to dedication of the Viet nam Women's Memorial in Wash ington, D.C. Cant. Gordon S. Holder, com mander of the USS Austin, told the crowd, "If there were no vet erans there wouldn't be a Fourth of July celebration." JXlrrnah in (Hjermamg! TAMU’s reciprocal exchange program with Tubingen allows students with a 3.0 GPA and some knowledge of German to spend a year in Germany. INFORMATIONAL MEETING Tuesday November 16 at 10:00 251 Bizzell Hall West Study Abroad Programs, 161 Bizzell Hall West, S4S-0544 The Battalion CHRIS WHITLEY, Editor in chief JULI PHILLIPS, Managing editor MARK EVANS, City editor DAVE THOMAS, Night News editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, /Agg/eZ/Ye 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, James Bernsen, Michele Brinkmann, Lisa Elliott, Cheryl Heller, Kim Horton, Jan Higginbotham, Jennifer Kiley, Mary Kujawa, Kevin Lindstrom, Jackie Mason, Kim McGuire, Carrie Miura, Stephanie Pattillo, Geneen Pipher, Jennifer Smith, Mark Smith and Andrea Taormina News desk - Rob 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, Lesa Ann King and Joe Leih Sports writers - Julie Chelkowski, Matt Rush and David Winder Opinion desk - Toni Garrard Clay, Lynn Booher, Tracey Jones, Jenny Magee, Melissa Megliola, Jay Robbins, John Scroggs, 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 semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods), at Texas A&M University. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 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 of 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 .'nd national display advertising, call 845-2696. For classified advertising, call 845-0569. Advertising offices arc in 015 Reed McDonald and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 845-5408. Subscriptions: Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 per school year and $50 per full year. To charge by VISA or MasterCard, call 845-2611.