Page 2 • The Battalion
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STATE & LOCAL
Tuesday • October25,
esday
Task force established to revive Aggie Code of Honoi
By Melissa Jacobs
The Battalion
Texas A&M’s Student Gov
ernment is working to improve
the academic honor and integrity
of Aggies.
The Honor and Integrity Task
Force was created to look at
changes that have taken place
over the years and to discover
options for improvement.
Brooke Leslie, student body
president, said A&M’s honor
code has lost a lot of its affect
over the years.
“I think that’s because the Uni
versity has gotten so big,” she
said. “We have 43,000 students.”
The honor code states that
Aggies do not lie, cheat or steal,
nor tolerate those who do.
Jeff Wilson, executive vice
president of administration, said
A&M has a strong honor code,
but part of the problem is the
toleration clause.
“I’m sure people have seen
someone cheat on an exam and
not challenged that person,” he
said. “There is no enforcement.”
Dr. Bill Kibler, assistant vice
president for student affairs,
said less than 25 percent of uni
versities have an honor code
and a much smaller number
have an honor system.
“A&M has an honor code but
not an honor system,” he said.
“We had an honor system at one
time, but it disappeared.”
Wilson said the task force will
have its first meeting Sunday,
Oct. 30 and they will talk about
where the University has been,
where it is, and where it is going
with the honor system.
“A representative from the
Memorial Student Center will
give a brief history of A&M and
the honor code,” he said. “There
will be people to explain where it
is now and I will pull out what
problems we have.”
He said they will talk about
the options they have and will
vote on those options.
Leslie said Wilson will take
ideas from the larger group of
people and put together a steer
ing group to lead the task force.
Wilson said the task force is a
cross section of the University’s
leadership.
“This is not something just
within Student Government,” he
said. “It is more university wide.”
Kibler conducted an academic
dishonesty study in 1991 of 200
universities and learned that
there is little involvement of stu
dents in the development and
enforcement of academic dishon
esty policies or programs at most
institutions. By failing to in
volve students in these process
es, an atmosphere of “us against
them” is fostered, which encour
ages cheating, he said.
Leslie said the task force is
an idea that came about from
her platform.
“Part of my platform says that
I will initiate a campaign that
will hold students responsible
for their actions,” she said. “The
task force is a forum for student
leaders around campus to voice
their opinions.”
Wilson said he attended a con
ference at Rice University during
the weekend of Oct. 15 and 16,
which 15 or 20 schools from all
over the country attended.
“The Rice conference was a
conference on integrity,” he
"A&M has an honor code but not an honor sys
tem. We had an honor system at one time, but it
disappeared."
—Dr. Bill Kibler,
assistant vice president for student affairs
said. “We are not asfara!
as we think we are. S, ;
schools have a lot tougher.
tions than we do, and.,
don’t have an honorcodeai;
Kibler found throng
study that honor codesar;;
very prevalent as a soiirt;
guide how institutions off
education address acade
dishonesty. His study rep;:
that only one-fourth of
institutions studiedhajt
honor code, and nonerejiir
relying exclusively on anb:
code without the guidattf
disciplinary policies.
Wilson said at the Univtt
of Virginia, students car,!;
committing an act of acafe
dishonesty are kickedouto!;
university.
See Honor?;?
State representative proposes Texas’
first legislation on playground safety
FORT WORTH (AP) — A playground accident in
which a 6-year-old boy was critically injured has
prompted a lawmaker to draft legislation seeking
Texas’ first mandatory playground safety standards.
Jermy Browning suffered massive head injuries
Sept. 19 in Euless, northeast of Fort Worth. The
rotted supports of a wooden climbing wall broke at
ground level, causing the 350-pound structure to
fall on the child during lunch recess.
Remarkably, the first-grader returned to school
Oct. 12 after having undergone emergency brain
surgery and remaining in critical condition at Cook-
Fort Worth Children’s Medical Center for days.
State Rep. Keith Oakley, D-Terrell, is drafting
legislation that would require that public play
grounds in Texas be built according to specific safety
standards to be developed using guidelines estab
lished by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
If the legislation is passed, Texas would become
the second state to mandate minimum standards
for playground safety. California is the only state
that mandates playground safety.
Oakley, chairman of the House Public Safety
Committee, said he plans to start filing the bill
next month.
“I don’t see anybody who would oppose this,”
Oakley said. “We may not be able to stop play
ground injuries, but we can minimize the number
of children who are seriously hurt.”
Under Oakley’s outline, the bill will only affect
playgrounds and equipment built or installed after
the proposed law goes into effect.
Existing playgrounds that do not meet the stan
dards would be grandfathered in, or given a period
of time to be brought up to standards. Signs would
be posted on all playgrounds to indicate those that
meet the standards and those that do not.
That will minimize the expense to cities and
school districts, Oakley said. State Rep. Bill
Carter, R-Fort Worth, a member of the Public
Safety Committee, said to gain support for the
legislation, it will be important to keep the cost
to schools and cities low.
The proposal will also include provisions for
mandatory inspections and maintenance sched
ules. Oakley said the proposed bill may also re
quire that school districts and cities have someone
trained in playground safety.
The lawmaker’s effort comes six months after
Tarrant County Safe Kids Campaign began lobby
ing for mandatory safety standards.
No federal laws mandate playground safety.
And in Texas, school districts are immune to lia
bility for playground accidents.
In 1992, 226,500 children younger than 14 were
admitted to U.S. emergency rooms with play
ground injuries, according to reports based on the
National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
Five children were killed. An estimated 70
percent of the accidents occurred on public play
grounds. Comparable figures have not been com
piled for Texas.
Tim Moog/ThEBm*
If only college books were this fun to read
Sophomore education major, Alicia Braun, checks out books at the TSEA book fair between the
Harrington buildings. The fair will continue until the 28th.
Promises, promises, Texas gubernatorial race rolls on
By M
TheE
IRVING (AP) — Locked in a dead
heat with Gov. Ann Richards, Republi
can gubernatorial nominee George W.
Bush said Monday the biggest difference
between them as the campaign moves
into its final two weeks “is how we pro
pose to keep the streets safe.”
Bush said a provision of the new pe
nal code that provides automatic proba
tion for selling 1 gram or less of crack co
caine “shatters” a 1990 campaign
promise by Richards.
He said that during that election
year, Richards said in campaign litera
ture that anyone dealing drugs should
serve time in prison.
“The penalty for anyone dealing
drugs must be swift and certain,” Bush
told about 50 supporters gathered at a
rally in Las Colinas. “Drug dealers
must serve time behind bars and not
simply receive a slap on the wrist. We
must hold each and every Texan ac
countable for their behavior.”
Bush said 92 percent of crack co
caine cases in Texas involve 1 gram or
less of the substance. Under the old
law, drug dealers faced up to 99 years
in prison, he said.
John Hatch, the law enforcement co
ordinator for Richards’ campaign, said
Bush was “not telling the voters the
whole truth about the new penal code.”
He said the automatic probation still
can include some jail time coupled with
drug or alcohol treatment, education and
community service.
If those convicted don’t abide by the
terms of their probation, they face two full
years in a state jail. That’s more actual
jail time than what drug convicts aver
aged under the old system, Hatch said.
Hatch also pointed out that 66 of the 71
Republicans in the 73rd Legislature voted
for the new penal code. “And now George
Bush says they’re all wrong,” he said.
Several sheriffs and district attor
neys stood with Bush during the rally.
Bush said that if elected, he would
push for more severe treatment of men
who don’t pay or fall behind on child
support.
“Any deadbeat dad who doesn’t pay
child support, we’ll take away every li
cense the state issues. And to show you
I mean business, that would even in
clude hunting and fishing licenses,”
Bush said.
He said he would make education
the No. 1 funding project in Texas
and that proceeds from the state lot
tery should go to education.
Bush called welfare an area “that
Ann Richards refuses to admit is not
working” in Texas. He said it’s time
that people on welfare stop having ba
bies at public expense.
Richards, meanwhile, contended
that the price tag of Bush’s campaign
proposals on crime, welfare and educa
tion would be $17.9 billion.
“Texas is only one of seven states
without an income tax, and I want to
keep it that way. George W. Bush
would cost us dearly — his education
promises alone would result in either a
5 percent income tax or a doubling on
our current sales tax,” Richards said.
Richards raised the issue in their
debate Friday night, and Bush re
sponded then that her cost estimate
was “preposterous.”
“That’s just old-style politics,” he
said Monday. “I’m not going to allow
this campaign to degenerate into is
sues she’s trying to generate with two
weeks to go.”
Bush defends business ventures
AUSTIN (AP) — Republican guber
natorial candidate George W. Bush
says he’s a successful businessman
with broad experience that makes him
ready to be governor.
Democratic Gov. Ann Richards
says Bush has lost big money and
lacks the skills needed to run a $71-
billion state government.
From the opening gun of their
only debate to almost daily speeches
on the campaign trail, Richards ac
cuses Bush of exaggerating business
accomplishments.
Bush accuses Richards of being a ca
reer politician who has launched an un
substantiated attack on his career in an
effort to derail his campaign.
“He laid himself out to be, for all
of us to see on television, a success
ful businessman,” Richards said.
“And yet we know that, as a conse
quence of those businesses, all five of
them on which he sat on the board
lost $371 million.”
“My business career is open for pub
lic scrutiny and I’m proud of it,” Bust
responded.“I think an attempt to smear
my business record is simply a diver
sion away from trying to determine
what’s best for Texas”
Bush, a graduate of Yale witha
master’s in business administration
from Harvard, is managing general
partner of the Texas Rangers base
ball team.
He entered the oil and gas busi
ness in West Texas in 1975, foundin?
a small exploration business, Arbus-
to Energy Inc., which later changed
its name to Bush Exploration and
merged into Spectrum 7 Energ!
Corp. That company merged inti
Harken Energy Inc.
Bush served on the Harken board,
along with the boards of Tom Brow
Inc., a Midland energy company,and
Caterair International Corp
a Maryland-based airlins
food business.
Superior criminal trial experience,
75% of this court’s docket.
Jim
Loclce
for Judge
County Court at Law #1
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4223 Wellborn Rd.
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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,An'- 1
Fowle, Melissa Jacobs, Amy Lee, Lisa Messer, Susan Owen, Constance ParteO' 1
Powers and Tracy Smith
News desk— Robin Greathouse, Sterling Hayman, Jody Holley, Shafi Islam, Jennifer Monfe-
Tiffany Moore,Stacy Stanton, Zachary Toups and James Vineyard
Photographers— Tim Moog, Amy Browning, Robyn Calloway,.Stacey Cameron, Blake®?
Gina Painton, Nick Rodnicki and Carrie Thompson
Aggielife— Margaret Claughton and Jeremy Keddie
Sports writers— Nick Georgandis, Tom Day, Drew Diener and Stewart Doreen
Opinion desk— Jenny Magee, Lynn Booher, Josef Elchanan, Laura Frnka, Aja Henderson,E'
Hill, Jeremy Keddie, Michael Landauer, Melissa Megliola, George Nasr,fl |i,!
Preston, Gerardo Quezada and Frank Stanford
Cartoonists— Greg Argo, Brad Graeber, Alvaro Gutierrez and Quatro Oakley
Office Assistants— Heather Fitch, Adam FHill, Karen Hoffman and Michelle Oleson
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exam periods), at Texas A&M University. Second class postage paid at College Station, TXT j
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