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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1994)
Battalion Vol. 93 No. 109(10 pages) Low voter The Associated Press AUSTIN — Candidates for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination crisscrossed the state Monday in a frantic final search for support before Tuesday's voting begins. The race to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who faced only minor opposition in her party's primary, generated the most heat but left the candidates in agreement on one thing: low voter interest. Both former attorney general Jim Mattox and U.S. Rep. Mike Andrews said they were concerned about the projected light turnout. Secretary of State John Hannah has predicted only 16.5 percent of the 9 mil lion registered voters would cast ballots. 1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993 turnout expected for Political candidates struggle over unconcerned public to win outright, avoid possible runoff "I don't believe that people haven't been voting because they don't care about their government. I believe voting has been so low because moving our primary from May to March was a mistake," Mat tox said. Andrews, who gave up the U.S. House seat he's held for 12 years to run for Senate, said he was sur prised by the widespread apathy. "That's one of the things I misjudged early in this campaign. I really thought because this was a Senate race, there would be much more focus by the press and by the public," Andrews said. The third major candidate in the race is Dallas in vestor Richard Fisher. As did Mattox and Andrews, Fisher visited several cities looking for votes. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two advance to an April 12 runoff. Fisher, a former adviser to Ross Perot who's por trayed himself as the political outsider in this race, said he expected to win the nomination. He called Mattox an old-style politician, adding, "I'm convinced if he (Mattox) wins the nomination — and I don't think he Tuesday, March 8,1994 primaries will — he'll lose worse than (Bob) Krueger." The Senate race will top the November ballot, but it's not the only primary being held Tuesday. All seven top statewide offices, 30 U.S. House seats, all seats in the Legislature, two places on the Railroad Commission and three seats each on the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals also are being filled this year. Democratic Gov. Ann Richards, riding a wave of popularity, drew only one primary opponent: Gary Espinosa, 49, of Palestine, who listed his occupation as retired. On the Republican side, George W. Bush, 47, el dest son of the former president and managing part ner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, expected lit tle trouble against his lone GOP rival, Abilene demo lition contractor Ray Hollis. U! Texas A&M athletic standards may change in 1996, officials say said ot mote I ration i. ; [ ; history ve cele-| I there'- By James Bernsen The Battalion Texas A&M's departure to the Big Eight Conference will affect academic standards as well as athletic standards. University officials say. Wally Groff, A&M athletic director, said academics were considered in the initial agreements, but were not looked into in great detail. "I know it was discussed, but nothing was decided," he said. "I know there's going to be a level playing field." Many Big Eight schools accept stu dents under Proposition 48, which states that some students can be ad mitted who do not meet one or more eligibility requirements set forth by the NCAA. Karl Mooney, assistant athletic direc tor, said A&M and other Southwest Conference schools do not accept many of the students accepted under Proposi tion 48, and he expressed concern that the schools who do could have a re cruiting advantage. "We're a little concerned about it," he said. "It is a competitive disadvan tage if you do not take them." But. Mooney said, it might not be to A&M's advantage to recruit athletes who may not be able to succeed in college. Groff said A&M may accept students that fall under Proposition 48. 'We don't accept them now, but that may change," he said. "But, it's really too early to speculate. That time is way in the future." A&M will not officially join the Big Eight until 1996. Tracy Peck, a compliance assistant with the Big Eight Conference, said the issue will have to be discussed in up coming meetings. But, Peck emphasized that not all Big Eight schools accept Proposition 48 students. "It could be (an advantage)," she said. "That's something we will have to discuss." Peck said Big Eight schools meet all other NCAA guidelines that the South west Conference maintains. es that some students can be ad- that tall under Proposition 48. other NCAA guidelines that the South ed who do not meet one or more ,/We don t them now ' but that west Conference maintains. ■acuity Senate approves Q-drop evisions for one-hour courses Munoz ve until ile, say gerness him. otneone her oa ith Zaf- aters." By Jan Higginbotham The Battalion The Texas A&M University Faculty Senate approved a proposal Monday that will allow students to Q-drop one- hour courses without the change counting toward the Uni versity limit of three Q-drops. Previously, University regulations allowed students three Q-drops during their undergraduate studies and did not specify an exemption for one-hour courses. Brent Paterson, chair of the Rules and Regulations Com mittee, said the change was proposed with students in mind. "This is a real advantage for students," he said. The change does not apply to courses offered by the College of Geosciences and Maritime Studies or the College of Science. Paterson said this exception was made because one-hour courses in those colleges are typically taken in association with a three-hour course and are difficult to get into. The new regulation does allow students to Q-drop a lec ture and companion lab at the same time and have it count as one Q-drop rather than two. The Faculty Senate also approved changes to the Univer sity policy on courses taken on a satisfactory or unsatisfac tory status. Students enrolled in Kinesiology 199 courses will now be permitted to change the grading status of those classes up un til the Q-drop deadline. "Sometimes when you register for those courses, you may be penalized when you take it for a grade," Paterson said. Senators also approved a proposal that will require gradu ate students to receive a grade of 'A' or 'B' in graduate cours es in order to receive a satisfactory grade. Undergraduate and professional courses will now require a grade of 'C' and above for satisfactory grades. In other regulation changes, the Senate approved a change that will require University-recognized organiza tions to receive approval from the director of student activ ities when sponsoring programs or speakers for an all-Uni- versity audience. Paterson said this change was made to be certain proper procedures are followed. He also said the decision made by the director of student activities will not be made based on content of the programs. Dr. James Morgan, speaker of the Senate, said he was pleased with the changes made to the University regulations. "All of these are reasonable changes," he said. Possibility of reviving peace talks discussed as new violence erupts The Associated Press JERUSALEM — Soldiers shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank and guerrillas killed nine people in Israeli- held south Lebanon as violence erupted anew Monday amid efforts to revive stalled Mideast peace talks. Muslim extremists warned they will unleash suicide attacks on Jewish settle ments in the occupied territories, saying Israelis will "cry in blood" for the Feb. 25 mosque massacre in Hebron. The turmoil and threat of further bloodletting came after PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and an Israeli envoy, Jacques Neriah, met in Cairo on Mon day to discuss resuming the talks. Gad Ben-Ari, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's spokesman, said in Jerusalem: "There are intensive efforts being made and we hope the negotia tions will resume in the shortest possi ble time." Any delay getting the talks back on track heightens the risk that "crazies" on both sides would strike again, Rabin said hours before Monday's violence. Rabin said later: "The terrible mas sacre and the atmosphere of vengeance in the Arab world have created a diffi cult reality which obligates us to make immediate and hard decisions." The Palestinians were shot to death in Hebron, where the Feb. 25 mosque massacre took place, after an army jeep was stoned near the town's Israeli headquarters. Four other Arabs were wounded in See Peace/Page 10 He really digs his job Rmw Nclwvilzn/THE Battalion Raymond Ponzio, a University landscape employee, uproots tall shrubs across from Sbisa Dining Hall to make way for new ground cover. The work is part of a cam pus-wide landscape update. Inside Aggielife •The ever-growing Garden District Page 3 Sports •No. 9 Aggies down Tampa vice Page 7 Opinion •Winder: Finding common ground with a loved one Page 9 Former Texas A&M regent dies after illness Coleman, 7 a great humanitarian/ was first African-American board member The Associated Press HOUSTON - Dr. John B. Coleman, who devoted much of his time to education and was the first black member of the Texas A&M University Board of Re gents, has died. He was 64. Coleman, an obstetrician-gy necologist, died Saturday at Methodist Hospital after a lengthy illness. In 1977, then-Gov. Dolph Briscoe appointed Coleman to the board at Texas A&M, calling the doctor "a great humanitarian and a great Texan." Coleman also served as a re gent of Texas Southern Universi ty in the 1970s and was a board member of Huston-Tillotson Col lege in Austin. He later worked with the Houston Independent School District. He also was chairman of Houston's United Negro College Fund executive committee and the Houston executive board of the Texas Association of Develop ing Colleges. Anti-abortion activists chal lenged Coleman's A&M appoint ment. They objected because he was the director and head of ob stetrical services at the former Mercy Hospital in southeast Houston when it became the city's first hospital-associated abortion clinic in 1973. In the 1980s, Coleman was a member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority citizens com mittee. Coleman was born in Hous ton's Third Ward, attended Yates High and earned a degree from Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn. He then graduated with distinction from the Howard Uni versity School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife, Gloria Coleman; a daughter, Kathleen Coleman; sons John B. Coleman Jr. and state Rep. Gar net Coleman; and brothers Hub bard Coleman, Clarence Coleman and Jarvis Whitfield, all of Hous ton.