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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1995)
BEST IN THE WEST Spurs ready to make playoff run. Sports, Page 7 THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS FALLEN HERO Tragic accident causes examination of the effects of Death of Tejano star Selena has sent drugs on families and society. shockwaves throughout B-CS Opinion, Page 11 Aggielife, Page 3 ; Vol. 101, No. 126 (12 pages) “Serving Texas A drM since 1893' ' ' ' . V . K .• :<v Thursday • April 6, 1995 ■■ •• egislature to vote soon on Aggie Bucks expansion » Aggie Bucks may be expanded to off-cam- pus businesses. Wes Swift The Battalion The Texas Legislature will vote soon on a bill that could expand the Aggie Bucks system to off- unpus use. See Editorial, Page 11 House Bill 3122, proposed by Rep. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, the Texas A&M Board of Regents the ability to create a debit card system provided that “such cards shall not be limited exclusively to on-campus use for essentially the same mer chandise or services.” The bill was passed Tuesday by the Higher Education Com mittee of the Texas House of Representatives. The bill was referred to the Lo cal Calendars and Consent Com mittee for scheduling on the House floor and should be voted on in the next couple of weeks. If passed, the Aggie Bucks sys tem would be ready for off-cam pus use by Aug. 15, 1996. John Raney, owner of the Texas Aggie Bookstores, said the bill will give students an advan tage when looking for bargains. “This is great for students,” Raney said. “There’s no way students can lose. The last few years, Aggie Bucks were only accepted at the on-campus bookstores. You had to get your books at Barnes and Noble.” Raney said that using Aggie Bucks off campus would give stu dents a chance to buy used text books, which the on-campus store did not always have. “There’s always a chance that you could get a textbook used,” Raney said. “That’s 25 percent less that you spend. There’s no way the students can lose.” If the bill is passed, Raney said he hopes the system can be ready for off-campus use by fall semester. Dr. Jerry Gaston, interim vice president for finance and admin istration, said he wants to add the off-campus vendors quickly. However, he noted that the present contract with Barnes and Noble Inc., who own and operate the bookstore in the MSC, would have to be renegotiated because they have an exclusive privilege to use Aggie Bucks. “We have to renegotiate first,” Gaston said. “Obviously they paid for the option. But I think the renegotiations will go smoothly.” Gaston said he expects stu dents will able to purchase any thing off campus that can be bought on campus. He said this could include books, souvenirs, food and soft drinks. But Gaston also said the ex pansion will not include all ven dors or products. “We can’t include every mer chant or service off campus,” Gaston said. “For instance, we don’t sell alcohol on campus, so students couldn’t buy alcohol off-campus.” The Aggie Bucks System came under question after concerns arose that universities could prof it from interest earned from the money in debit card accounts. Texas Banking Commissioner Catherine Ghiglieri sent a letter to Attorney General Dan Morales in April 1994 asking for a decision on whether debit card systems at universities should be regulated. Earlier this year, local busi nessmen and the University agreed to have House Bill 3122 filed and voted on by the state Legislature. Hours limited for student workers Amy Brown'mg/THE Battalion Serious research Mindy Turner, a sophomore elementary education major, looks over the selection of books of fered at the book fair outside of Harrington Wednesday afternoon. □ Departments are taking special care with payroll because of pending lawsuit against the University. By Tracy Smith The Battalion Some Texas A&M depart ments are taking measures to limit the number of hours a stu dent works on campus, partially due to a pending lawsuit dealing with a 1992 architecture project, the Colonias project. The Colonias project in volved designing buildings for community centers in the Rio Grande River Valley. Matthew Carroll, an architec ture graduate student, filed the lawsuit Aug. 29, 1994 against the University for conspiracy to falsi fy time sheets and for wrongful termination after Carroll refused to falsify these sheets. According to the trial petition, Carroll said his refusal to change the time-sheets of the students working on the Colonias project in "We consider limiting the hours an asset to the students as well, giving them time to study." 1993. Carroll said the student worker time sheets were changed from eight hours a day to five hours a day. Holly Johnson, assistant to the dean of architecture and en vironmental design, said the de partment informs the students before they begin working in the architecture depart ment that they are limited to working 20 hours a week. She said the ar chitecture depart ment has cracked down on the num ber of hours stu dents work, partial- j88SSa&S3S8S88g — Holly Johnson, assistant to the dean of architecture and environmental design ly as a result of the lawsuit. While Johnson June 1992 led to the termination said the department has received of his assistantship on June 1, ^ ^ See Hours, Page 6 University has second largest business program in nation □ Increasing enroll ment due to strength of programs and faculty, dean says. By Gretchen Perrenot The Battalion Texas A&M University has the second largest business pro gram in the United States, ac cording to a survey. The College of Business Ad ministration undergraduate pro gram and the Graduate School of Business program have been the second largest out of 479 schools for two consecutive years. The survey, conducted by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, was based on 1994 fall enrollment in which A&M’s undergraduate business program had 5,785 students. Enrollment of full-time stu dents in A&M’s undergraduate business program increased al most five percent from fall 1993 to fall 1994. A&M’s enrollment places sec ond after Baruch College at the City University of New York, which had an enrollment of 7,295 in Fall 1994. The University of Texas at Austin placed fifth. No other Texas schools placed among the top 10 largest programs. Dr. Gary Trennepohl, execu tive associate dean for the College of Business Administration, said Baruch College has a different program from A&M. “Baruch College is a much dif ferent type of program, being lo cated in New York,” he said. “Since it’s located in a large met ropolitan area, it’s going to have a large enrollment.” There are two things upon which A&M’s large enrollment is based, Trennepohl said. “A&M is a large university and people are interested in attending here,” he said. “We’re turning people away every year. Second, business is a very popular major.” The job market for business majors has been strong, Tren nepohl said, and this increase is not a passing phenomenon. “There is more activity on the hiring side,” he said. “Businesses are hiring business students more than they have been in the last three to five years.” Trennepohl said enrollment is up in the management and mar keting fields of study and this in crease is probably a reaction to availability in the job market. Dr. Benton Cocanougher, dean of the College of Business, said the increasing enrollment is due to A&M’s strong pro grams and faculty. “The continuing success of our undergraduate business program,” Cocanougher said, “reflects our strong commit ment to undergraduate educa tion and the dedication of a very talented faculty to the teaching mission of the college. “These same factors have clearly contributed to the high See Program, Page 6 Funding changes for Normandy Scholars □ Aggies voice concern about making students pay for their trip to Normandy. By Stephanie Dube The Battalion University faculty are re searching ways to fund the J. Earl Rudder Normandy Scholars Program so A&M students can continue traveling to France and study World War II. Dr. Nathan Bracher, an asso ciate professor of French, and Dr. Joe Golsan, a professor of French, are the co-chairs of the committee studying possible changes to the program. Golsan said the committee should have a concrete proposal ready by the end of May, and a new version of the program should be started by the spring or fall of 1996. “There is a problem with funding,” Bracher said. “There were sources available previous ly that are no longer available. Everybody agrees, though, that academically, the program has been a great success.” Students in the Normandy Scholars FYogram spend one se mester taking four courses at A&M about World War II. The students conclude their semester by traveling to Normandy to learn more about the war. The University of Texas and the University of Tennessee also have Normandy Scholars pro grams, Golsan said. Dr. Larry Hill, an associate professor of history, was head of the history department when the program was founded. He was also one of the program’s in structors for two years. When the Battle of Normandy Foun dation proposed the program to A&M, Hill said, the foun dation said it would support the program financially. Howev er, he said, the foun dation was unable to pay for the program, forcing A&M and pri vate donors to foot the bill. See Funding, Page 5 Education □ Self defense class of fered for Sexual As sault Awareness Month. By Eleanor Colvin The Battalion Increasing awareness about personal safety and crime pre vention is the focus of the Bra zos County Rape Crisis Cen ter’s semiannual Women’s Safe ty Awareness and Self Defense Class. Linda Castoria, executive di rector of the Brazos County Rape Crisis Center, said the program was started to recognize April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. “People need to be more con scious of the fact that these crimes happen,” Castoria said. promotes “We thought. What better way to make awareness a part of our communities than through this type of program.’” Representatives from the Uni versity Police Department, Bryan Police Department and the Bra zos County Sheriffs Office will take part. They will offer personal safety tips, sex offender profiles, the pros and cons of weapons and self defense demonstrations. The program is designed for awareness participants age 12 and older. Castoria said women of all ages and backgrounds can benefit from this program. “The self defense, stand up re sistance maneuvers are low im pact, so they’re good for older women as well,” she said. “Every one can learn from this. It’s not just for victims or women i !! who know someone that has been victimized.” Lt. Bert Kretzschmar, UPD crime prevention specialist, said the in creased concern about women’s safety is encour aging. ‘Women’s safety has al ways been an issue, but increased media coverage has made more people aware,” he said. “I’m seeing constructive See Education, Page 6 "There were sources available previously that are no longer available." — Dr. Nathan Bracher, associate professor of French "People need to be more con scious of the fact that these crimes happen." — Linda Castoria, Brazos County Rape Crisis Center