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Voi. 93 No. 117 (12 pages)
Serving Texas A&M since 1893
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Friday, March 25, 1994
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Board of Regents increase, add student fees
By Kim McGuire
The Battalion
Texas A&M students will pay higher fees
next year as well as some new ones follow
ing the Board of Regents decision Thurs
day.
Regents unanimously approved hiking
undergraduate resident tuition from $26 to
$28 per hour, and non-resident tuidon will
jump from $ 162 to $171.
A&M Chancellor William H. Mobley
said A&M’s tuition and fees are meager
compared to other universities in the na
tion.
“Texas ranks 50th in terms of fee and
tuition expense,” Mobley said. “Compara
tively it’s still a bargain.”
Despite the Board’s approval of the in
creases, some regents expressed concern.
Regent Raul B. Fernandez said the Board
should take caution when considering fee
increases.
“Eventually people are going to be tired
of the Board of Regents imposing fees on
them and will complain to the legislature,”
Fernandez said. “We need to be very care
ful about how we approach this.”
Regents also voted to increase the gener
al building use fee from $ 10 to $ 1 2 and
hiked post box rentals from $6 to $7.50
for a three month rental.
In addition to the fee hikes, Regents vot
ed to impose three new fees.
Some students taking certain required
courses in the College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences will now pay a $50 equip
ment access fee. Funds from the fee will
be used to maintain and upgrade laborato
ry facilities within the department.
Students enrolled in more than 150
courses and 1 5 majors will be required to
pay the fee, which is expected to generate
$500,000.
Edward Hiler, vice chancellor for agri
culture and life sciences, said the fee was
modeled after similar equipment fees in
the College of Engineering and Science,
which helped the department upgrade
their equipment.
“This is going to allow us to keep top
quality equipment in the College of Agri
culture,” Hiler said. “This is extremely im
portant in the quality of education the stu
dents receive. And it’s important to us to
have high quality technology.”
Hiler said some of the department heads
were skeptical about implementing the fee
until they heard students were in favor of
the fee.
See Fees/Page 3
Clinton admits overstated
loss in Whitewater fiasco
Health plan on track despite investment controversy
How low can you go?
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President
Clinton acknowledged Thursday
night he had significantly over
stated his loss in the Whitewater
land deal and promised to re
lease late 19 70s tax returns to
answer lingering questions
about the investment.
In a nationally televised news
conference, Clinton vowed to
keep health reform and other
legislative items on track, even
in the face of the simmering investment controversy.
Republican Senate leader Bob Dole immediately
said Clinton had been “credible” and had “helped
himself” with his remarks. He and House Whip
Newt Gingrich said that many questions remain and
Clinton
that they would continue to push for public hear
ings.
Clinton said he expected special counsel Robert
Fiske to question both him and his wife, Hillary
Rodham Clinton, about their investments, and he
promised they would “cooperate with him in any
way he decides is appropriate.”
Clinton also said he would cooperate with con
gressional hearings, and did not rule out personal
testimony.
Clinton spent nearly 45 minutes in the East Room
for the second evening news conference of his ad
ministration, opening with a statement in which he
not only detailed his new willingness to release fi
nancial records but also vowed not to let Whitewater
stall health care reform and other major initiatives.
Clinton said it might appear to the country that
See Clinton/Page 4
Midnight caller admits prank,
could face criminal charges
By Jennifer Smith
The Battalion
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' A Texas A&M freshman, who
has admitted to making prank
calls to five female students in
early March, may face criminal
charges and University discipli
nary actions.
Officials with University Po
lice Department said the male
student admitted the week be
fore Spring Break to making the
calls.
The caller claimed he was a
police officer and told the
women their cars had been
stolen and stripped and were at
the corner of EM 28 18 and
Wellborn Road. He then told
each of the women she would
have to come to the scene and
identify the vehicle.
None of the women went to
meet the caller, but many noti
fied UPD.
“He thought it was a
joke. He didn’t know
it was that serious.”
— Monica Harmon,
freshman general
studies major who
reported the incident
to The Battalion
After an investigation into
the incidents, Detective Will
Scott, a criminal investigator
for UPD, said they were able to
determine who the students
knew in common.
The women who were called
were part of a Fish Camp dis
cussion group with the caller
and had not spoken with him
since Fish Camp.
Scott said the student may
face felony charges of imper
sonating a public servant.
“The girls are deciding now
what they want to do,” he said.
Scott said one of the women
was still deciding whether she
would press charges, two had
decided against pressing
charges and one had not yet
been contacted.
Monica Harmon, a freshman
general studies major who re
ported the incident to The Bat
talion, said she decided not to
press charges against the stu
dent.
“I thought about it, but
when I found out it was a
felony and he could be put in
prison, I just can’t justify it,”
Harmon said.
Harmon said the student
thought the calls were just
See Caller/Page 12
William Harrison/JVie Battalion
Newly hired Texas A&M offensive line Coach |oe day of football spring practice Thursday afternoon
D'Alessandris instructs his linemen during the first on Kyle Field. See related story on page seven.
Tenure awarded to 73 A&M professors
By Kim McGuire
The Battalion
i, 111:1
State & Local
Campus Briefs
pg. 2 Sports
pg. 3 Opinion
Pg- 7
Pg- 11
Texas A&M Board of Regents members granted
tenure Thursday to 73 professors despite controversy
that has clouded the issue since December.
Only one regent opposed granting tenure.
However some regents made suggestions for future
tenure recommendations.
Regent T. Michael O’ Conner suggested universi
ties within the system make their recommendations
consistent.
“I’d appreciate some consistency in reporting
tenure,” O’ Conner said. “There’s a wide variance
among the reports.”
Regent M. Guadalupe Rangel asked the universities
to indicate entering salaries.
The controversy erupted at the regents’ December
meeting when several regents voted against granting
tenure to 1 2 candidates.
Many of the regents objected to tenure policies,
fearing tenure prohibited unproductive professors
from being dismissed.
Tenure is typically granted to professors after seven
years, and recommendations are based on a professor’s
teaching, research and community service.
Regent Billy Clayton cited philosophical differences
for his constant votes against tenure.
“I will not vote for giving someone a permanent
job,” Clayton said.
A forum to discuss tenure was held March 1 1 in
Austin and headed by Clayton, chairman of committee
of academic campuses.
Clayton said the chancellor of the University of
Florida discussed some of the problems tenure pre
sents and how the process might he improved.
Jim Morgan, speaker of the Faculty Senate, said one
of the problems of the tenure process is that University
officials aren’t properly notified if a professor isn’t per
forming adequately.
“Tenure provides mechanisms to get rid of someone
who is not doing their work,” Morgan said. “And it
works as long as someone notifies the University a pro
fessor isn’t doing their job. If there’s a problem it’s be
cause faculty are reluctant to criticize their colleagues.”
Clayton said the focus of the issue now is research
ing how the tenure process might be improved.
He said Chancellor William H. Mobley has appoint
ed a task force to study the issue.
MLK Day voted system-wide holiday to honor civil rights leader
By Kim McGuire
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Board of Regents de
clared Martin Luther King Jr. Day a sys
tem-wide holiday in honor of the civil
rights leader.
A&M Chancellor William H. Mobley
said the declaration is a positive step.
“Obviously I’m pleased to see this
occur,” Mobley said. “It was nice to
have students on campus for a campus
wide celebration in honor of Dr. King,
but it will also be a positive step stu
dents can have the day off in obser
vance.”
Interim President E. Dean Gage said
he fully supports the decision.
“This had already been decided in a
president’s staff meeting,” Gage said.
“So I’m pleased we’re making this con
sistent within the system. Last year, the
holiday fell on the first day of class, and
it was difficult to uniform our efforts.”
Martin Luther King Jr. Day typically is
observed the third Monday in January
and is considered a state holiday.
Texas law allows governing boards of
institutions of higher education to es
tablish a holiday schedule where certain
state holidays are not observed on the
day they fall, but rather are taken into
account in the total holidays in the
schedule.
These substituted holidays usually are
used to provide a Spring Break and ex
tend the Christmas holiday.
However, Regents said that because
Martin Luther King Jr. contributed so
significantly to the civil rights move
ment, a holiday was necessary.
Tanya Williams, president of the
Black Awareness Committee, said the
decision to declare the day a system
holiday is outstanding.
See MLK/Page 12
“Sometimes the system
can be slow on matters
like this.”
- Tanya Williams,
president of the Black
Awareness Committee
Fort Bliss troops, missiles
head to Korea for exercises
The Associated Press
EL PASO — Military gear destined for South Ko
rea was packed onto rail cars Thursday by soldiers
ordered to deploy Patriot missiles to the tension-
riddled region.
About 800 troops from Fort Bliss — home of
the unit that intercepted six Scud missiles during
the Gulf War — will follow the equipment by mid-
April.
But while suspicions mount that North Korea is
developing nuclear weapons, people around Fort
Bliss aren’t too worked up over what they see as just
another defensive exercise.
“These guys are pretty closed-mouthed about
it,” said Curtis Callender, sales manager of a nearby
7-Eleven convenience store. “Soldiers don’t get anx
iety. They just pack up and do what they’re told.”
Patriot surface-to-air missiles are being deployed
during heightened tensions over North Korea’s re
fusal to allow full inspection of its nuclear facilities.
About 37,000 US. troops are already stationed
in South Korea. About 54,000 Americans were
killed when the U.S. led the military force that
See Korea/Page 3
Texans saddened by loss of Mexican leader
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Gov. Ann Richards
and other Texas officials offered
condolences to their neighbors in
Mexico after learning that presi
dential candidate Luis Donaldo
Colosio had been shot to death
Wednesday.
“I was stunned and profoundly
saddened to learn of the tragic
death of Mexican presidential can
didate Luis Donaldo Colosio,”
Richards said in a statement.
“In Texas we share in the sad
ness of our friends and neighbors
in Mexico who have lost one of
their very best to a cowardly act
of violence. We extend our
prayers and our heartfelt condo
lences to Mr. Colosio’s family.”
See Related Stories, Pg. 4
Colosio, candidate of Mexico’s
governing party, was shot during
a campaign appearance in the
border city of Tijuana, the Mexi
can office of the presidency said.
San Antonio Mayor Nelson
Wolff, who met Colosio in July
during a three-day Border Infra
structure Financing Conference,
said the news was disturbing.
‘‘He represented a new voice
for Mexico in their political (and)
social system with the work he
did with solidarity and the open
ness he was bringing to the elec
tion process,” Wolff said.
‘‘I just don’t know what the
motives are from the people who
did this.”
Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett said
he had corresponded with Colo
sio, but never met him personally.
‘‘It’s shocking and I’m very
saddened for the people of Mexi
co and the people of North Amer
ica,” he said.