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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 1995)
JSA u N E R met, ol. 101, No. 155 (6 pages) Established in 1893 Monday • June 12, 1995 ■sonai dt® past.l r hav store owner’s concerns prompted investigation A&M's scuba program was ancelled after an audit de- s j;« artment report found an al- iRouged conflict of interest. y Michael Simmons ■^he Battalion wsi! The concerns of a local dive store \wner prompted the investigation of the exas A&M scuba program, which ventually led to the June 1 cancella- lO ior of scuba classes, according to an CutjuMit department report. — An attorney representing Wayne Cot- ( 2r, owner of Paradise Scuba, submitted s I letter to the University on March 8, suggesting misconduct by A&M scuba instructor Tom Meinecke. According to a report by the Texas A&M University System Internal Au dit Department, the letter outlined practices which it called conflicts of in terest by the scuba program offered at the University. The report defined the alleged conflict of interest as the solicitation of business for local dive shops and the refusal of A&M instructors to sign referrals for stu dents who wished to complete their scuba certification elsewhere. Robert Armstrong, head of the De partment of Health and Kinesiology, said the cancellation of classes and dis missal of the scuba instructors ad dressed the concerns outlined in the let ter from Paradise Scuba. The department will develop mecha nisms to minimize the possibility of a conflicts of interest in the future, Arm strong said. The University canceled five scuba classes offered this summer and 12 class es scheduled for Fall 1995. The University may begin offering classes again in the Fall 1996, Armstrong said. During the 1993-94 academic year, over 1,300 students were enrolled for scuba at A&M, Arm strong said. Cotter said that local dive stores will suffer because A&M shut down its program. Gary Caldwell, the area representative for the National Association of Underwa ter Instructors, NAUI, said he has an in terest in the scuba program at A&M. “I was aware of the situation and "I was aware of the situation and went to the university to offer them assistance with the reorganization of their program." — Gary Caldwell area representative for NAUI went to the University to offer them as sistance with the reorganization of their program,” Caldwell said. The report from the internal audit department surveyed eight universities in Texas and found that A&M was the only school that required students to rent or buy equipment for their class. Tom Meinecke, one of the two A&M scuba instructors dismissed and part- owner of local dive shop Sea U Underwa ter, said he was unsure of the Universi ty’s motives throughout the investigation. “I’ve been doing this at A&M for 10 years,” Meinecke said. “Why they decided it was wrong now, I don’t know.” Stephen Whaley, a senior environmen tal design major, said he took scuba at A&M and was shocked by the complaints made toward Tom Meinecke and Jim Woosley, the second instructor dismissed. “I never once heard Tom promote a dive store,” Whaley said. “There were fliers from both Paradise and Sea U Underwater in the classroom on the first day.” se C;_ randr; n, air-- ograr Nick Rodnicki, The Battalion ext stop ... College Station Union Pacific "3985" Challenger makes a final stop by the Recreation Sports Center for refueling be lt is the world's largest operating steam locomotive bs ove i/an y fore heading to Hearne on Saturday afternoon. a nSe-’ and weighs 1 million pounds. leSeifc’ A&M to continue search for new pig farm location q Local residents on FM 60 did not want the Swine Center relocated near their homes. By Jill Saunders The Battalion A new location for the Texas A&M Swine Center, also known as the pig farm, is currently be ing evaluated. The Swine Center, located on the corner of FM 2818 and George Bush Drive, was origi nally to be relocated to the Ani mal Science, Teaching, Research and Extension Complex that will be built on FM 60. The new Science Complex will house the Sheep and Goat Cen ter, the Animal Euthenics Cen ter and the Nutrition and Physi ology Center. Dr. John Beverly, associate vice chancellor and associate dean for agriculture and life sci ences, said community concerns influenced the decision to not in clude the Swine Center in the new Science Complex, because residents in the area did not want the pigs near their homes. “We’re moving to satisfy the expressed concerns of the com munity,” Beverly said. Beverly said the construction of the George Bush Presidential Library Complex near the Swine Center’s current location is not the reason for the move. For more than 10 years, the agriculture and life science de partment has planned to move the Swine Center for three rea sons, he said. “First, the campus is expand ing every day,” Beverly said. “Second, we need more research facilities. Third, West Campus has expanded, and we have teaching needs and students’ ex tracurricular needs.” Beverly said there are many possible sites for the relocation of the Swine Center. He said McGregor, located in central Texas, and an outlying area near Navasota are being considered. He said A&M’s 14 research and extension centers are also possible sites. Mike Wallace, Swine Center feedmill foreman, said relocating the Swine Center has concerned people about the continuance of classes that teach about swine. “The sows are born here and grow up here,” Wallace said. “People are worried that there will not be any classes regard ing swine while the relocation is going on.” Wallace said that almost all of the agriculture and animal sci ence classes visit the center at least once. Classes learn how the pig farm is run, and reproduction classes use the farm to do ultra sound tests on pregnant pigs. Dr. Darrell Knabe, professor of animal science, said the new Swine Center should be located near campus. “If it gets moved close to cam pus, it won’t impact students ad versely, it will only be better,” he said. “But if it’s far away, then teaching functions will be compro mised because of the distance.” Knabe said the new facility will vastly improve the Swine Center, which was built in 1952, because the new center will have modern facilities. “It’s not going to bd like most people think, which is a. big pile of manure,” Knabe said. “There will be slotted floors, a flush system and a good ventilation system.” Kenton Lily, Swine Center foreman, said he was also con cerned the Swine Center would not be located near the A&M campus. “The distance will hinder us to teach classes if it is far away,” Lily said. “For example, schedul ing labs could be a problem.” Beverly said initial actions concerning the Swine Center’s relocation will begin this week. “During the next week or two we will advertise for bids,” Bev erly said. “In late summer the Board of Regents will vote on the bids. Maybe construction will be gin in the fall.” Mike Friend, The Battalion body Corps hosts Texas Aggie Youth Camp Sen 2 250 teen-agers will partici- ^■oate in the leadership camp ayi over the next two weeks. 's po" ' ?als Jy Tara Wilkinson () iv The Battalion ,Ught tE , ra |k JTeen-agers from all over the nation are g 0V e visiting Texas A&M this week to attend the d alii bird annual Texas Aggie Youth Camp, a cies eadership camp organized and run by the i>apoOarps of Cadets. i hailf I About 250 teen-agers will attend two 5- r veek-long sessions run by 37 cadets working U PP® uli time, and 15 cadets working part time. 6 IITJBDuke Fisher, a senior marketing major ,a ' and member of the Aggie Band, said the |ec Tamp gives teen-agers between the ages of iwer l3 and 16 a taste of life in the Corps. , n j! [“They get to act like cadets,” Fisher said. ^ kjnThey go through a lot of leadership train- n " thing that cadets go through, like the obstacle /'ItwTojurse and the stamina course. We teach if them how to work in squads and develop ge i leaders in those squads.” bill ^ l Fisher, who also worked at last summer’s iamp, said the campers learn a variety of inti-!' concepts, including A&M traditions. (eeM ■ “I was very surprised at how much they actually got out of it,” Fisher said. ipl lDavid Melcher, camp chairman and -neef 1 * bills- member of the Aggie Band, said the teen-agers will live on the Quadrangle and eat three meals a day in Duncan Dining Facility. They will be divided into outfits and participate in morning and evening formations. Melcher, a senior management ma jor, said campers spend their after noons playing tennis and racquetball, bowling, lifting weights and swimming. They also learn CPR, marksmanship or hunter safety. After dinner, they will play intra mural sports and have free time at night to visit the MSC or go swimming. At the end of each week, there is a barbecue and an awards ceremony. “It’s competition, but we try to make it team competition rather than indi vidual competition,” Melcher said. Lt. Col. Duke, assistant camp direc tor, said 30 percent of campers this sum mer are returning campers and five campers are staying for both sessions. “From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., they never get a chance to sit down except to eat,” Duke said. “We really keep them mov ing. Because they get choices in their activities, it will be a completely differ ent experience each time.” Duke said campers develop strong See Camp, Page 6 Pigs wallow and squeal at the A&M pig farm at the intersection of FM 2818 and George Bush Drive. Business school to begin distance learning classes □ By the end of the summer, two-way au dio-video videoconfer encing will link the College of Business Administration with other system schools. Mike Friend, The Battalion Texas Aggie Youth Campers learn to salute and march in formation Sunday afternoon on the Quad. By Scott McMahan The Battalion Texas A&M’s College of Business Administration plans to be connected with the Trans-Texas Video conference Network, TTVN, by the end of this summer in order to begin distance learning classes with other A&M System schools. Dr. Dean Wichern, as sociate dean of business administration, said the equip ment must be installed in the Wehner Building before they de cide exactly how to use it. “We are just in the early planning stages,” he said. The network allows an inter active two-way audio-video meeting between two or more locations which will enable par ticipants to see and hear each other simultaneously. Videoconference locations spanning hundreds of miles can be connected to create an inter active meeting or class. Travel time and cost are no longer fac tors in plan ning meet ings or provid ing courses to locations across the state of Texas. TTVN has video- conference connections with the University of Texas System, the Texas Woman’s University Sys tem, the Sprint Meeting Channel, the Texas Educational See Classes, Page 6