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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1995)
READY FOR AGGIE FINAL After rigorous touring, Jackopierce anticipates next week's performance. Aggielife, Page 3 I IIK THE FINAL FRENZY Pawlikowski: Students and teachers should make the last week more productive. Opinion^ Page 13 AT HOME AT HOME Texas A&M's William Shifeltt has found a place at home plate. Sports, Page 9 /b . 101, No. 146 (14 pages) IS llBi—W ‘Serving Texas AdrM since 1893’ Friday • May 5, 1995 Itevised academic calendar to include two reading days □ Students will have one ex tra day of studying begin- ii ig this fall. By Gretchen Perrenot Fhi Battalion HTexas A&M students will have two reading days to prepare for final exams Dej inning this fall. ■The extra day is part of the revised academic calendar approved by the Fac- ulty Senate and proposed to be imple mented in the fall of 1997. BAn ad hoc committee formed by Dr. Ray Bowen, president of A&M, re viewed the Faculty Senate’s proposed call endar changes and resolved scheduling changes. ■The Faculty Senate had also pro posed giving students six days of finals. instead of the current four. Dr. Jan Winniford, chair of the ad hoc committee and associate vice president for student affairs, said that having six exam days this fall was not feasible. The Faculty Senate proposed having the first day of classes begin Thursday, four days before it would usually begin, to allow for the six exam days. “The main problem with this was how it would affect other programs in cluding Fish Camp and the orientation programs,” Winniford said. “Fish Camp can’t reserve Lake View any earlier than they have it now.” Residence halls would not have enough turnover time, Winniford said. “The halls need to open a full week before classes start,” she said, “to get students in and out between semesters. “It would also affect grade turnover. The faculty just wouldn’t have enough time to get summer grades out before the next semester began.” Winniford said the six exam days are something that could be worked out in the future. Dr. Mark Weichold, Faculty Senate speaker, said implementing six exam days in the future could be possible giv en many considerations. “I think anything’s possible,” Wei chold said. “We just have to look at the larger picture, because there are many constraints on when the acade mic semester can begin and when it can end. “You can’t change one aspect of the calendar without affecting another.” The committee compromised with the Faculty Senate’s proposal, Winni ford said, and decided to implement the extra reading day. “Given the changes, it was feasible this fall,” she said. “There was no rea son not to.” Winniford said that Darla Marblarg er, the committee’s Student Senate rep resentative, believed the students would want the extra day implemented as soon as possible. Toby Boenig, student body presi dent, said the extra reading day is a positive change. “This is something that we’ve worked on for the last three years,” Boenig said. “I’m excited about it because it’ll give us a chance to study. “Some of the faulty’s concerns were that students wouldn’t use the reading days, but this gives them'the option to excel at the end of the semester.” Other changes to the fall academic schedule include redefining the last week of classes to compensate for class days lost during the Thanksgiving break, finals and reading days. During the last week of instruction, students will attend their Friday class es on Monday and their Thursday class es on Tuesday. Changes for the spring academic cal endar designate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an official University holiday, two reading days before final exams and Good Friday as a reading day. The Tuesday during the last week of instruction in the spring will be re defined. Students will attend their Friday classes on this day to compen sate for classes lost during the week of Good Friday. Weichold said the changes made by the committee will work effectively. “I think the revised academic calen dar that resulted from Winniford’s com mittee meets the criteria that Faculty Senate had concerns about,” he said. Nick Rodnicki/THE Battalion Special pals Erin Auld, a senior biomedical science student, feeds some very friendly fallow deer at the Wildlife and Ex otic Animal Center on Thursday morning. Farewell To The Class Of ’95 I Graduation ceremonies kick off next Friday □ The A&M registrar reports that 3,781 students will graduate this spring. | By Tracy Smith ■ The Battalion I Nearly 4,000 students will become former students starting next Friday, with the first graduation ceremo ny kicking off at 2 p.m. Donald Gardner, associate registrar for the Depart ment of Records and Admissions, said everything is ready for graduation, and 3,781 Texas A&M students should be preparing to take the walk across the stage next week. “We will also be giving diplomas to four A&M students who died over the last year,” Gardner said. “In these cas es, a family member or close friend will walk across the stage when the name is called and accept the diploma. “Giving these diplomas means a lot to the students’ families and is something the University has done for years. It also helps the other graduating students remem ber their fellow Aggies on such an important day.” Russ Hull, a senior computer science major, said that after five long years he is ready to walk across the stage and get his diploma. “I am ready to make the transition into the real world,” Hull said. “I have a job waiting for me after I get my diploma, making these five years seem worthwhile. “But I do admit that A&M will be a difficult place to leave.” Graduation will begin Friday at 2 p.m. for the Col lege of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Business and the College of Geosciences and Mar itime Studies. The second ceremony will start at 7:30 p.m. for the College of Architecture, the College of Engineering, the College of Medicine and the College of Veterinary Medicine. The final ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. for the Col lege of Education, the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science. State Rep. Irma L. Rangel will speak at the 2 p.m. ceremony; William B. Mitchell, the vice-chair of Texas Instruments Inc., will speak at 7:30 p.m. and U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, the majority whip in the U.S. House of Representatives, will speak at 9 a.m. The Department of Parking, Transit and Traffic Services suggested that people needing to park on campus leave an hour before graduation. All parking garages, staff lots and student lots will be used to accommodate graduation parking. The 30- minute spaces will still only be used for 30-minute time spans. Cadets pass on ranks at Final Review □ The ceremony will be held on May 13 at Kyle Field. By Gretchen Perrenot The Battalion The Corps of Cadets will participate in its most joyous, yet sorrowful, event of the year on May 13. All classes of the Corps will march into Kyle Field for Final Review in a ceremony symbolizing the passing of responsibility to the class be low. For seniors, this is their last march-in. Andre Lehr, Corps public relations officer, said the cer emony passes the torch be tween the classes. After the entire Corps marches in. Lehr said, the cadets will leave to put on their new ranks and uni forms for a second march-in. “The juniors will put on their senior gear, the sopho mores will become juniors and the freshmen will be come sophomores,” Lehr said. “The seniors will line up and the cadets will salute them.” Tyson Voelkel, 1995-96 Corps commander, said Final Review is a time of sorrow for the seniors. “The juniors, sophomores and freshman show their love for the senior class,” Voelkel said. “They show their desire for the responsi bility of taking over the roles by marching in a second time and saluting the seniors. “The camaraderie between the seniors shows through. You see grown men crying because they may not see their fellow cadets for years.” Joe Fenton, Class of ’53 and curator for the Corps Cen ter, said Final Review was a similar experience for him during his day, even though his class was between the See Corps, Page 8 Association of Former Students honors faculty, □ The group hosted its 40th An nual Distinguished Achievement Awards of the Year on Thursday. Eleanor Colvin The Battalion Twenty-two members of the Texas A&M faculty and staff were honored for their dedi cation, service and accomplishments at the 40th Annual Distinguished Achievement Awards of the Year, hosted by the Associa tion of Former Students. Honorees received $4,000, a watch and a framed certificate. The Association of Former Students has honored 519 individuals and awarded more ,than $1.4 million since the first ceremony in 1954. Dr. Ray Bowen, president of Texas A&M, said he is glad to see that the commitment to quality education has remained constant at A&M, while so many other things staff members seem uncertain. “Although we may be short on state funding, our margin of excellence is abun dant,” he said. “This is because of faculty and staff who show a commitment to edu cating students through their distinguished See Banquet, Page 8 President Bowen speaks at the Association of Former Students awards banquet on Thursday afternoon. FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE Spring 1995 Friday. Mav 5 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 10 a.m. to noon 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 3:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. classes meeting MW 5:45 or later classes meeting MWF 8 a.m. classes meeting TR 9:35 classes meeting TR 11:1 0 Monday. Mav 8 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. 1 0:30 a.m. to 1 2:30 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 classes meeting MWF 9:10 classes meeting MWF 12:40 classes meeting TR 8 a.m. classes meeting MW 4:10 Tuesday. Mav 9 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 classes meeting MWF 10:20 classes meeting MWF 3 p.m classes meeting TR 3:55 p.m. classes meeting MWF 1:50 Wednesday. Mav 10 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. 10:30 to 12:30 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. classes meeting TR 1 2:45 p.m. classes meeting MWF 11:30 classes meeting TR 2:20 classes meeting TR 5:30 or later