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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1994)
I Opinion ;olumnist Joseph Elchanan says few of us have actually accomplished jiything in our 20-year-plus lives. Page 5 Former Aggie football stars try to make it as professional players. Page 3 A forewarning Last week's cosmic collision on Jupiter evokes concern of possible comets hitting Earth Page 2 MONDAY July 25, 1994 Vol. 93, No. 178 (6 pages) “Serving TexasA&Msince 1893" gagysigii pm | W? 1 Briefs Regents create alcohol policy &&M student pleads innocent to charges F nforters. SALE jrr. 5.99-349.99. Reg. 89.99-139.99. \ Stephanie Moore, a 21-year-old 4&M student, pleaded innocent of Jiarges that she threw her infant girl iithe garbage chute of Mosher Hall. Bill Turner, Brazos County District Worney, said the woman waived the irraignment phase of the hearing and altered her plea. Moore was released on a $15,000 personal recognizance bond. The newborn was discovered by University Police on the morning of Kerch 25. A subsequent autopsy determined tiatthe baby had been born alive and died of suffocation. No date for the next phase of pretrial hearings has been set. OFF ■ OFF ' j. Several designs. OFF gs. SALE $3-$45. 5-$75. tress pads. 20. teg. 29.99 each. -E 29.99-49.99. 00. Killeen officials want A&M System branch The Texas A&M System Board of legents heard a request Friday from fcials in the Fort Hood-Killeen area for a branch of the System to ecreated in the central Texas area. State Representative Layton Black d the Board there is a very nportant need for higher education in lecentral Texas area. We have got to have higher iducation that is accessible and fordable to those kids in uniform,” Hack said. After hearing Black’s request, the loard went into closed session, liscussing the possibility of creating branch school in the area issociated with Central Texas diversity, the University of Central exas and Fort Hood. No formal decision was made by le Board. ;ware. From isine. lampus audit to be :ompleted in fall >kware. Several per. OFF iftware. Reg. $150. OND etteV sonite. State Auditor Dick Dinan told the exas A&M System Board of Regents lat the state management control #dit currently underway will be impleted by mid-September. Dinan said the purpose of the edit is to assure that goals are eing accomplished and rules are )t being broken. The audit originally started out cussing on the A&M System and ixas A&M University, but Dinan said e scope has now shifted to the niversity. Dinan said the final report of the idit, to be released by mid- ovember, will show areas where iprovement is needed, but will also itline areas of achievement at the niversity. Mary Nan West, chairman of the Dard, said Dinan could count on the II cooperation of the Board and her. teg. 299.99. .2199.99, >9. I 549.99. •99.99. puter system $2506. >ach. ). 51.24 billion budget ipproved for 1995 The Board of Regents Friday pproi/fd the budget for the Texas 5M|,ystem for fiscal year 1995. he bujlget will total $1.24 billion. The approved operating budget t the System’s seven universities nd eight research and service gencies is up 3.5 percent from seal year 1994. State appropriations for fiscal year 995 decreased from $439 million to <36 million System wide, due mainly • salary increases mandated in prior jears by the legislature but not mded. Other funds such as tuition svenue, research contracts and •ants and other non-state funds are (peeled to increase six percent. Mobley said the legislature did not wide funds for additional salary •creases. He said increases warded on a merit basis will be poradic across the System, spending on the availability of funds Ithe various institutions. "Clearly, we had an ambiguous statement which caused some mis understanding, especially here in College Station." — Dr. William Mobley, outgoing System chancellor By Jan Higginbotham The Battalion The Texas A&M System Board of Regents adopted a poli cy Friday on the purchase, con sumption and possession of alco hol in facilities under the control of the System or any of its com ponent universities or agencies. The policy allows for the pur chase of alcohol with money from gift funds or other institutional funds as permitted by state law, but prohibits the use of funds un der the control of an intercolle giate athletic department. Dr. William Mobley, outgoing System chancellor, said he was pleased with the new policy. “Clearly, we had an ambigu ous statement which caused some misunderstanding, espe cially here in College Station,” Mobley said. “This is a good statement.” The Board discussed the pos sibility of drafting a statement during an executive committee meeting on Thursday, but sent the proposal to A&M’s legal counsel for further recommen dations. The presidents of each of the System’s seven universi ties were also asked for input on the policy. Questions were raised about the first draft of the policy con cerning the use of alcoholic bev erages at student functions. Bill Clayton, a member of the Board, said he was curious about the wording concerning students used in the policy. “We need to differentiate events for students and events in support of students,” Clayton said. According to the policy, each institution and its president will decide at what events alcohol will be allowed. The policy requires that any possession or use of alcoholic beverages at any of the campus es or agencies be reported to the chief executive officer of each campus, the System chancellor and the Board of Regents. The policy also addressed the issue of voucher documentation. “All vouchers and supporting documentation must clearly and accurately reflect actual pur chases of alcoholic beverages,” the policy said. “Invoices and re ceipts for all beverage purchases must be detailed so as to clearly Please see Policy, Page 6 A&M names new chancellor Thompson brings go-get-’em ideal By Jan Higginbotham The Battalion The Texas A&M System Board of Regents named Dr. Barry Thompson to fill the re cently vacated position of Sys tem chancellor. Thompson, outgoing presi dent of West Texas A&M Uni versity, was selected Friday to serve as interim chancellor, ef fective Aug. 1. The board also announced its intention to name Thompson as permanent chan cellor after a required 21-day waiting period. replacement. “Dr. Thompson is an experi enced administrator who knows Texas education,” he said. Mobley will be working with Thompson in the transition peri od before Mobley leaves office. Mary Nan West, chairman of the Board of Regents, said Thompson has the experience and record of success to ensure a smooth transition in the Sys tem leadership. “Dr. Thompson has been a valued leader in the A&M Sys tem for 12 years and has had a positive impact on every higher "I want to be sure we stay connect ed with the people of Texas. I want to reach out to those people who might feel demoralized." — Dr Barry Thompson, new System chancellor Thompson said he is excited to have the opportunity to give something back to a state that has given him so much. “I want to be sure we stay connected with the people of Texas,” he said. “I want to reach out to those people who might feel demoralized. “This will be a positive, let’s go-get-’em administration.” He said he intends to create a program called Operation Lone Star, a project aimed at recon necting with the people of Texas. Thompson had announced his retirement as president of West Texas A&M at the May regents meeting. He was planning to take on a position with the Sys tem to help develop a Center for Leadership in Higher Education. Thompson will replace Dr. William Mobley, who announced his resignation as chancellor last month. Mobley will be re turning to A&M’s faculty as a business professor next spring. Mobley said he was pleased with the Board’s selection for his education institution he has touched,” West said. “We are extremely pleased that he has agreed to postpone his retire ment plans to take on the awe some responsibility of leading this great system.” Thompson has been credited with turning West Texas A&M around during his 3 1/2 years as president there. During Thompson’s term as president, he increased fund bal ances by 88 percent, external grant awards by almost $5.5 mil lion and development foundation contributions by 135 percent. The school also experienced in creases in minority and total en rollment. A number of academic programs and several sports were added to the university while Thompson served as president. Thompson said he is confi dent he can help A&M pull through its recent problems. “I’m saddened by some of the problems,” he said. “I plan to be briefed on the multitude of prob- Please see Thompson, Page 4 Stew MilneAl HF Battalion For par Bo Anderson, a senior civil engineering major, putts on the 8th hole of the A&M golf course Sunday. eating group. an. Reg. $2900. lassified 4 bmics 6 50. tealth & Science 2 )pinion 5 free 2x8' 5. pOrtS Miguel Indurain, wins the . Tour D e . France for the / fourth straight Local Caribbeans wary Frank Stanford/THF Battalion A push-cart operator struggles to push his way through the garbage laden streets of Port-Au-Prince. Citizens of the city contend with the overcrowded streets and lack of a refuse disposal system. The trash heaps are set on fire nightly and smolder during the day. of economic sanctions against Haiti U.S. intervention may fall short of solving political crisis By James Bernsen The Battalion Texas A&M students and fac ulty from the Caribbean say the economic sanctions against Haiti are not enough to solve the polit ical crisis in that country. Pierre Catala, a senior lec turer in engineering technology at A&M, spent more than six years in Haiti working for the International Telecommunica tions Union, part of a United Nations mission. “The military generals have been making money out of drug trafficking since Baby Doc’s (for mer dictator of Haiti) time,” he said. “It’s greed, I guess, not so much power.” Catala said the military lead ers are not concerned with the welfare of the people. “The value of life over there is limited,” he said. Catala said world reaction to the situation in Haiti has been slow and inadequate. “Freezing the military lead ers’ assets was the right thing to do, but I think they should have acted sooner,” he said. “By the time that takes effect, there won’t be any opposition left.” Derick Legall, a senior indus trial engineering major from Trinidad, said the reasoning be hind the sanctions is that the poor will be hit so hard they will try to revolt. “I think those sanctions hurt the poor people too much,” he said. “The rich can afford to buy food. “A lot of those rich people can afford to get by without most goods,” he said. “It’s the poor people that cannot.” Catala said he agrees sanc tions hurt the poor, but short of military action, there is little else that can be done. “I think the embargo is unfair and hurts the poor people, not the rich ones,” he said. “Do we tight en the noose until these guys give up? It’s a very difficult decision. “I’m not sure; it’s a very tough situation,” he said. “Even if we do get in and get these guys to Please see Haiti, Page 4
