Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1994)
Page 2 • The Battalion CAMPUS & STATE September 7, \% Inesday • Sept United Way gets boost Payroll deductions for state employees make charitable contributions easier By Lisa Messer The Battalion The creation of the State Em ployee Charitable Campaign and the introduction of payroll deduction privileges for all state employees has dramatically changed the annual United Way campaign for 1994-95. Bob Fleischer, executive di rector of the Brazos County United Way and SECC local campaign manager, said under standing the changes is critical. “Traditionally, 80 percent of the contributions from this area are made by individuals instead of corporations,” Fleis cher said. “The University is the principle reason for that. A&M employs a quarter of the labor force in this area. All those employees are affected by these changes because they are all state employees.” In past United Way cam paigns, state employees made direct contributions to the Unit ed Way and other local charities. Now, state employees will make their contributions through the SECC. The SECC provides individu als with a wider variety of chari ties to choose from than in the past. Employees will now be able to give locally to the United Way and its agencies or to any of 182 state-approved agencies. Fleischer said the payroll de duction privilege offered to state employees should make con tributing easy. “With payroll deduction, you can give a little bit each time,” Fleischer said. “That won’t hurt as much.” Linda Johnson, Texas A&M System fund-raising chair, said payroll deductions will probably increase contributions. “It’s less painless than to give a flat amount each year,” John son said. “This way, you can spread it out, and you don’t have to write a separate check.” Fleischer said another advan tage of payroll deduction is the opportunity to designate where a contribution should be funded. “You can keep your money local,” Fleischer said. “Agen cies in your area will be ac countable.” Tony Barone, chair of Univer sity fund-raising, said he hopes payroll deduction convinces more people to get involved. “It’s a new opportunity that allows more people to get in volved in charitable organiza tions,” Barone said. “Whatever your interests in the community are, that’s what you write down on the form, and that’s where your money goes. Johnson stressed the impor tance of designating donations. “I really hope people will des ignate their gifts,” Johnson said. “If they don’t designate, then their money will be distributed proportionately wherever the designated money goes. It’s real important to pick a charity.” Fleischer said he hopes the difficulty of the form that state employees are required by the SECC to fill out does not stop them from contributing. “It’s intimidating, it’s not en tirely good-looking, and quite frankly, it’s not very functional,” Fleischer said. “I’m concerned it will deter employees from mak ing a donation. That shouldn’t be a reason not to give, though. The needs are severe enough for that not to matter.” Fleischer said the University and System goal this year is $200,000. Last year, the Uni versity and System contributed $171,000. Students who contribute sep arately from the University through a student United Way organization on campus donated more than $10,000 last year. Ashley Winkelmann, United Way student chairwoman, said their goal for this year is to raise $10,000 and create an aware ness of community responsibility among students. “Our goal is to get every as pect of student organizations in volved,” Winkelmann said. “We want every student to volunteer their time to a fund raising ac tivity or to a volunteer program. That way, after students gradu ate they will be aware of the United Way or other local or na tional charities.” Barone said A&M students have always been active contrib utors to local charities. “Students have always been very involved in the past,” Barone said. “They’re big con tributors to charitable organi zations.” Fleischer praises students’ in volvement with the United Way Campaign. “Students have always been to some degree supportive, but they’ve been really active the last few years,” Fleischer said. “The program is refined and well-organized. “This tradition of community support is probably unheard of at other universities,” he said. “This student body is really dif ferent and unique. I’m thor oughly impressed.” Off-campus program broadens Newly organized center gets new name, focus By Stephanie Duhe The Battalion Texas A&M’s Off-Campus Center has under gone a change in structure and focus in an effort to broaden its services. Now entitled the Office of Student Life Pro grams, the newly organized center will focus on services for off-campus housing, non-traditional age students, and women's programs. Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice-president for student affairs, said he wants the center to take a new direction. “We wanted the emphasis from the Student Life Programs to be on areas that did not have as much emphasis in the past,” Southerland said. “They needed a different structure to re spond to that.” Dr. Brent Paterson, senior associate director for student affairs, said the name change was a result of the center’s new areas of emphasis. He said the center was already doing work with graduate and non-traditional age students, which are defined as students over the age of 24, so the transition was not difficult. Allison Smith, coordinator of the center’s off- campus student programs, said the change was prompted by the changing university population. “As the University has grown, its population has changed as the average age of students across the country has changed,” Smith said. “There is an increased population of students over 24, and we have provided services for them as well.” Victor Romero, lease specialist for the Office of Student Life Programs, said many non-tradi tional age students have utilized the office in the past. “There has been a high increase in the num ber of adult students returning to school, and this is usually the first place they come to look for housing,” Romero said. “Adult students and graduate students need a place to identify as covering their needs.” Paterson said the Office of Student Life Pro grams is currently interviewing for a women’s programs coordinator who would supervise women’s issues programs such as sexual as sault, sexual harassment, educational aware ness, and seminars. “She will advise several student groups fo cused on women’s programs, be involved in wom en’s week, individual consultations, establish pe riodic or one-time programs and serve as a liai son to different areas as a representative of wom en’s issues,” Smith said. Paterson said the program was added to the Office of Student Life Programs because many believed the women’s groups were not receiving the attention they deserved. “As a group, the women on campus were not highly recognized and needed a support net work,” Paterson said. Student Loans The First National Bank supports students in their pursuit of higher rapid disbursement of funds education! Select First National as your lender of choice after you have been rapid processing approved for a student loan through the Financial Aid Office. We’re here local lender for your student loan, checking and savings needs. lUlH ST When you plan for your future. ■ i it s i consider our past, I£/17MI4 BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION Member FDIC/Equal Opportunity Lender 2807TexasAve in Bryan .779-1111 Post Oak Mall in College Station »693-1200 ranc irmer build; ount 1 Nick RodnickirTut Battalion What a set of wheels! Eric Oliver, left, a senior marketing major, talks to Jess Succop, a freshman general studies major, about his 1968 Pontiac Firebird at the Texas A&M Sports Car Club’s Car Show on Tuesday. The car show will be held again today by Rudder Fountain. AGO, (AP) - er of the Bra is renovating sdeadly stan no Bishop Rc rmer Davidii dng Tuesda building a j er sect headq s. Roden said a church, ai bers who die Id Koresh. lie building wi das a machine federal agents deral agents 993, trying es. Four age in a shootout e standoff eni ight fire and bu land about 80 I lie building w ■surrounded b ■There are ho ■arts of the i ‘ t.’V' PORT WOR r roman found fie lurning home |s abducted a car trouble, slave for i hrefighters i bwered a 911 dunce said t Enrollment rates skyrocket^ vonian scream] l|ng to get man who livei I'Thaddeus Mo Students, fees continue to flow into South Texas colleges, universities BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A burgeoning population is pushing big increases in enroll ment at Lower Rio Grande Val ley colleges and universities. Border educators say they’ll need more money to keep up. “The (Rio Grande) Valley has grown in the past 10 years at twice the rate of the rest of Texas, and it’s projected to grow in the next 10 years at twice the rate of Texas,” University of Texas-Brownsville President Juliet Garcia said Tuesday. The Brownsville campus, which operates under a partner ship with Texas Southmost Col lege, is expected to see a 16 per cent increase in enrollment over last fall, Garcia said. The school has already sur passed next year’s enrollment projections by 13 percent. And, if the younger genera tion is any indication, more growth is on the way. The Brownsville Independent School District has skyrocketed by about 2,300 students this fall alone. Since UT-Brownsville became a member of the University of Texas System in 1991, it has generated a 17 percent increase in bachelor’s degrees and a 52 percent increase in master’s de grees, Garcia said. Education officials say the pre dominantly Hispanic, relatively young and low-income population of the border is creating a demand for more higher education oppor tunities closer to home. “Both the economic and so cial aspects of families staying together makes people want to get their education locally, and they tend to Remain here after they graduate,” said William Morris, assistant vice president for academic affairs at the Uni versity of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg. Garcia is to appear before the Legislative Budget Board on Wednesday in San Antonio to make a pitch for funding be yond what’s doled out by the state’s complicated higher edu cation formulas. The meeting is a prelude to the 1995 legisla tive session. She’s asking for another $6 million in “special item” funds for fiscal 1995 and $9 million for each of the next two years. So far this fall, UT-Pan Amer ican is up 22 percent over last fall in graduate program credit hours, Morris said. The Edin burg campus is pushing for more graduate programs, especially in medical fields. About 80 percent of the school’s 13,800 students receive financial aid. Enrollments are also up at the Rio Grande Valley’s techni cal and community colleges. South Texas Community Col lege in McAllen became a full- fledged community college only last fall, drawing 1,055'iMf’, n ’.' dents in the first semester.® enrollment had doubled as e Friday, to 2.188. l’ on of W™ “I see enrollment douip ( ^. a f^ rava ^ ef ‘‘ for a three-, maybe five-yea. riod — just in response toilqT 0 , ( pent-up demand and tre: 31 a ’ re l ea dous amount of in'tere;: ^ f 01 " bruise higher education in the V&tp 1 H ’ ! KK ^ Y ‘ said Shirley Reed, the scWp president. “It’s not inconceivableIj South Texas Community Col® will have 20,000 students b\i. year 2000,” she said. Reed said the school’s tectj ady itj cal programs are already ft meaning she already needsl seek expansion funds. “It’s absolutely critical,"it said. “If we don’t respond tot needs of businesses to prow trained, literate workers, H lieve that businesses will assess locating in South Tetfl Pat Hobbs, associate deatl instruction at Texas Sta( Technical College in Harlinff said that the North Ameritt Free Trade Agreement willlii| ly generate a bigger demand ] skilled workers along the” ' can border. Hobbs expects a 10 percc enrollment increase in tech® programs during the next but he said state compensate isn’t keeping up. Hobbs said his school is ing for better compensation] technical programs, especially expensive new fields such as s' ation maintenance, digital ifflaf graphics and environmental ft technology. The Battalion BELINDA BLANCARTE, Editor in chief MARK EVANS, Managing editor HEATHER WINCH, Night News editor MARK SMITH, Night News editor KIM McGUIRE, City editor JAY ROBBINS, Opinion editor STEWART MILNE, Photo editor DAVID WINDER, Sports editor ROB CLARK, Aggielife editor Staff Members City desk— Jan Higginbotham, Katherine Arnold, Michele Brinkmann, Stephanie Dube, Stacey Fehlis, Eloise Flint, Amanda Fowle, Melissa Jaeobs, Lisa Messer, Angela Neaves, Susan Owen, Constance Parten and Tracy Smith News desk— Robin Greathouse, Sterling Hayman, )ody Holley, Shafi Islam, Jennifer Montiel, Tiffany Moore and Stacy Stanton Photographers— Stacey Cameron, David Birch, Blake Griggs, J.D. Jacoby, Tim Moog, Gina Painton, Nick Rodnicki and Carrie Thompson Aggielife— Anas Ben-Musa, Margaret Clnughtpn, Christi Erwin, Jennifer Gressett and Jeremy Keddie Sports writers— Nick Georgandis, Drew Diener and Stewart Doreen Opinion desk— Jenny Magee, Fynn Booher, Josef Elchanan, Laura Frnka, Aja Henderson, Erin Hill, Jeremy Keddie, Michael Landauer, Melissa Megliola, George Nasr, Elizabeth Preston, Gerardo Quezada and Frank Stanford Cartoonists— Greg Argo, Brad Graeber, Alvaro Gutierrez and Quatro Oakley Office Assistants— Heather Fitch, Adam Hill, Karen Hoffman and Michelle Oleson Writing Coach— Timm Doolen The Battalion (USPS 045-360) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer sessions (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 7784.3. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in the Division of Student Publication, a unit of the Department of Journalism. Editorial offices are in 01 3 Reed McDonald Building. E-mail: BATT@TAMVM1 .TAMU.EDU. Newsroom phone number is 845-3313. Fax:845-2647. Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local and national display advertising, call 845-2696. For classified advertising, call 845- 0569. Advertising offices are in 015 Reed McDonald and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 845-2678. Subscriptions: Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 per school year and $50 per full year. To charge by VISA, MasterCard or Discover, call 845-2611. Battalion Advertising let it work for your business call 845-2696