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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1995)
95 1 i- i- in v- a- to t- i- a- v- r- a- af r- •s i- )f i- a- is i 0 y s s ir r OLD MAIN SOCIETY Student organization works to pre serve A&M's historical integrity Aggielife, Page 3 THE DIVING INTO TROUBLED WATERS Preston: Greg Louganis' behavior during the 1 988 Olympics was unacceptable. Opinion, Page 9 Vol. 101, No. 106 (10 pages) A&M offers “Serving Texas AdrM since 1893 leadership scholarship J New scholarship is awarded based on student involvement at Texas A&M. By Kasie Byers The Battalion Student leaders have a chance to be compensated for their work now that Texas A&M is offering a new scholar ship based solely on student leadership. The Student Leadership Scholarship requires a mini mum of a 2.5 grade point ratio overall and a 2.5 GPR for the previous semester. Those eligible for the scholar ship must be either a full-time undergraduate and graduate stu dent who has completed one year at Texas A&M and are in good standing with the University. Jeff Wilson, student body vice president, said this year’s 10 scholarships will be funded through the Office of Student Affairs. The scholarships are $1,000 each: $500 for the fall semester and $500 for the spring semester. Thomas Clingenpeel, student senator, said the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office will make the initial selection of appli cants, and a special committee will select the final recipients. Clingenpeel, the organizer and member of the scholarship selection committee, said that although the committee has not yet been selected, there are al ready certain qualifications it will be looking for. “We’re looking for a variety of involvement through time com mitments to student activities and Texas A&M,” he said. “However, someone doesn’t have to be involved in 20 different or ganizations to receive a scholar ship. True dedication and in volvement in one activity is just as important.” Brooke Leslie, student body president, developed the idea for the scholarship, which was one of the 13 points outlined in her campaign platform. The Student Senate thought of a similar scholarship 10 years ago, but Wilson said it did not make student leadership a major basis for the scholarships. “The Student Senate went to the Financial Aid Office and asked that student leadership be considered as a major crite ria in receiving scholarships,” he said. “ However, their impact was very small.” Wilson said it is important for this scholarship to become a reality. “Some student leaders put in 40 to 50 hours a week and don’t get compensated for their involve ment,” he said. “This is a great way to reward those students.” The applications are due May 1. The Division of Student Affairs will notify recipients by June 1. HOME SWEET HOME Aggies claim 67-64 victory in final home game. Sports, Page 7 Thursday • March 2, 1995 Food Services director search reaches far beyond University □ Position of Food Services director is open to public and private sectors. By Lisa Messer The Battalion A national search is underway to find a per manent director of Food Services. A search advisory committee formed by A&M administrators is accepting applications and nominations for the po sition. It will begin screening candidates March 24. Committee members antici pate the new director will begin working in July. Robert Bisor, special assis tant to the vice president of Fi nance and Administration and chair of the search advisory com mittee, said the committee wants applicants from both the private and public sectors. “We’re casting our net as wide as we can,” Bisor said. “We’re ad vertising in chronicles in higher education, so applicants are not just from the public sector. We’re (also) advertising in local papers and magazines. See Director, Page 10 d e e i- d i- n e rr t 1 Tired yet? Angie Davis, a sophomore psy chology major from Bedford, Jenny Scholl, a sophomore civil engineer ing major from League City, and Aaron Ledet, a sophomore pre- med student from Katy, participate in the 48-hour marathon during Greek Week. A&M considers housing during holidays □ The Student Senate will vote March 9 on year-round housing on campus. By Wes Swift The Battalion Residence halls may be open year- round if Student Senate members and University officials give their approval. See Editorial, Page 9 The Student Services Committee ap proved the bill that the Student Senate will vote on March 9. Bin Islam, chair of the subcom mittee for international student af fairs, said he introduced the bill in response to his constituents’ demand for housing during winter break. “There is no housing for interna tional students over the break,” Is lam said. “Normally, an internation al student has to find somebody, usually of the same nationality, to live with.” J.D. Cole, chair of the student services committee, said he has heard many stu dents express a desire for 12-month housing. “Students, especially those who work, have, in the past, expressed interest in 12-month housing,” Cole said. He said working students often must forfeit their earnings for a month because they have no place to stay over the break. “It’s a financial hardship for some stu dents,” Cole said. “They have to live off- campus because the halls are closed.” Cole said the bill is a reasonable pro posal. * “Many other universities of A&M’s size,” Cole said, “have some form of 12- month housing for its students.” Islam said he has looked on campus for solutions, such as using the Memorial Student Center hotel, or clustering resi dents needing year-round housing to gether in residence halls. “I talked to the MSC Hotel, but they seemed very adamant about not staying open over the break,” he said. “Then I thought about clustering people who need 12-month housing together, such as on the first floor of the balcony halls. But the logistics were hard to imagine.” Ron Sasse, director of the residence life and housing, said the university has provided interim housing in previous years, but it stopped because of cost and security concerns. “As far as cost and security, the inter im housing became a liability,” Sasse said. “The demand was as such that it was finally eliminated.” Sasse said the department previously placed international students with local families over the winter holidays. The winter break, he said, is the only break when there is a demand for housing. “Christmas is really the only time when there is a need,” Sasse said. “The rest of the year, there’s not really any de mand.” Islam said he is looking at other uni versities for possible answers. He said he will examine the University of Texas’ program because of its similarity in size. “I’m going to look at t.u. first because its student population is like ours and has a similar number of international students,” Islam said. Sasse said his department will consid er any input from the Senate. “We’re willing to listen to any informa tion and look at anything,” Sasse said. “We need more information, so we can be in a better position to help students.” "Many other universities of A&M's size have some form of 12-month housing for students." -J.D. Cole, student services chairman c Safebreak’ □ CDPE and BACCHUS team up to promote a safe spring break. By Cheryl Heller The Battalion Texas A&M’s Center for Drug Pre vention and Education began a week- long prbgram Wednesday on educating students about how to survive spring break — literally. The program, titled “Safebreak”, which continues through March 8, aims at keep ing students from drinking and driving during spring break, Amy Williams, a CDPE graduate assistant involved with the program, said. “This year we’re really focusing on des ignating a driver and not drinking while driving,” she said. “There are so many al cohol-related accidents over spring break, that we’re trying to encourage people to play it safe and to enjoy spring break in a safe and healthy manner.” Rob Naudin, a junior political science major, said that if he plans to drink dur- explores safe ing spring break, he will plan ahead and designate a driver. “Alcohol tends to play an important role in spring break for a lot of people,” he said, “but if you plan ahead, every one can have a good time and make it home safely.” The CDPE has information tables in the Memorial Student Center this week. In addition to alcohol and driving, Williams said the organiza tion will also distribute packets with inf orm ation about sexually transmitted diseases, sun exposure and dehydration. The packets contain coupons from local merchants, she said, including a J.C. Penney Co. Inc. alternatives gift certificate and discount offers to Houston Rockets games. The CDPE is teaming up with the Greeks today to provide a free “mock- tail” bar at the Greek’s carnival at Rudder Fountain. The CDPE is also sponsoring a Geo Tracker giveaway, Williams said, for stu dents signing a pledge that they will not drink and drive, or ride with anyone who has been drinking, during spring break. Booths will be in the Rudder Fountain area Monday and in front of Sbisa Dining Center Tuesday and Wednesday. The CDPE will distribute safe spring break information Wednesday at the “Good Morning Commuters” breakfast in 144 Koldus. In addition to the on-campus activities, Williams said, the CDPE’s parent spon sor program. Boost Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Stu dents, will send BACCHUS members to popular spring break spots such as South Padre Island and Daytona Beach, Fla. “They’ll sponsor fun, non-alcoholic events to try to keep the students from the temptations of drinking,” she said. Termination of federal funding means finale for KAM U- FV, directors say □ Public broadcasting serves a diverse audience in ways private broadcasting cannot, PBS supporters say. ByGretchen Perrenot The Battalion Public broadcasting stations in smaller towns will not survive if federal funding is eliminated for the Corporation of Public Broad casting, KAMU directors and PBS supporters say. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has targeted the Corporation of Public Broadcasting’s funding for elimination. Rodger Lewis, educational di- r ector for KAMU-TV, said that if PBS has to rely on advertising dol lars for funding, small stations will not survive. “The prospects of selling half a million dollars of ads within one year in Bryan and College Station is ridiculous,” Lewis said. Lewis said KAMU does not want to stop broadcasting, espe cially now that new avenues are opening up, such as possibly of fering A&M and Blinn classes via satellite. Public stations are also the few stations some people have access to, Lewis said. “What about the people who live in a place where cable doesn’t reach or those who can’t afford it?” Lewis said. Public television reaches 99 percent of American homes, he said. It is worth the 80 cents a person it costs for PBS to pro vide educational shows to the majority of people, he said. Penny Zent, educational direc tor for KAMU-FM, said the shows on public stations offer high quali ty, educational entertainment. “Of the children’s programs, you won’t find any better quality any where on the dial,” Zent said. “This is something that PBS pro vides that no one else can.” PBS also plays a vital role in the community by training student workers, Zent said. “More than half of our staff is made up of student workers,” Zent said. “They are finding careers be cause of their train ing here.” Zent said the situa tion is similar in pub lic radio and television stations around the country. “What sets public radio apart from cable is that it is community driven,” she said. “There is a broad coverage range that is accessible by lots of people.” Lewis said the public televi sion shows represent the com munities’ interests. “Every station decides what to put on the station,” Lewis said, “and, as a basis for their decision, they better consider what the people in the communi ty are interested in.” Lewis said that in Bryan-Col- lege Station, the programming tends to be more conservative be cause it represents the community. Public television viewers repre sent the U.S. population, Zent said. Representation of race, educa tion, income level, age and other demographics are almost identical. “The public television audi ence mirrors the U.S. popula tion,” Zent said. Emil Ogden, executive producer for a children’s programs and a for mer A&M student, said his show “ImagineLand” would not have survived without KAMU. The show, which originated in College Station and is set on a farm, is now carried on more than 250 stations nationwide. “KBTX had no room for any more children’s shows,” Ogden said. “KAMU had the freedom to choose what went on.” Ogden said other children’s shows, like “Barney” and “Sesame Street”, would not have become well-known without pub lic television. “Whether you like the shows or not,” Ogden said, “you don’t have to worry about children seeing murder, mayhem, sex and violence. “When children’s shows are on PBS, they know it’s quality and that it doesn’t have offensive lan guage or innuendoes.” The prospects of selling half a million dollars of ads within one year in Bryan and Colege Sta tion is ridiculous." — Rodger Lewis, KARTU- TV educational director
