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101, No. 159 (6 pages)
The health center fee and
iidence hall rent will in-
irease for Fall 1996.
/es Swift
ie Battalion
The Texas A&M Board of Regents
proved several fee increases to
effect in Fall 1996, and ap-
ved hearings on a future increase
the general use fee.
The Board approved a raise in the
Tth center fee from $25 a semes-
Ito $40 and various increases in
Inence hall rents. With a 15-hour
Is schedule, the health center fee
ould increase from $375 to $600, a
22f increase.
The Board also decreased the stu-
ent services fee from $8.25 to $7.75
er semester credit hour. The fee
'as decreased because the student
haru arvices fee no longer helps fund the
..P. Beutel Health Center.
Dr. Barry B. Thompson, Texas
.&M chancellor, said the Legisla-
)nOiure has given Texas A&M officials
* awlother options.
lought “It is the Legislature’s mandate, I
;teep. elieve, that we increase the fees to
woulduplport the expansion, enrollment
icreases, operations, salaries and
^ to whatever,” Thompson said. “If we
said. re going to maintain the same
Battauj
na Hoi
vote to
quality, we have no alternative.
“I don’t think we can balance our
budgets. I don’t
think we can sus
tain the vision that
we have for the
Texas A&M Uni
versity System, its
members or com
ponent parts.”
Regent T.
Michael O’Con
nor said he op
posed raising the
Thompson health center fee.
“I’ll just say
that I’m just opposed to a fee increase
at this time,” O’Connor said. “I would
also like to see the fees incorporated
as part of our budgeting process.”
The Regents are scheduled to con
sider the budget for the Fiscal Year
1995-96 during their August meeting.
It was the second consecutive
meeting in which the Board raised
fees. Regents increased parking,
equipment and late registration fees
during their April 7 meeting.
The Board also authorized all
University presidents within the
A&M system to hold public hear
ings on raising the general use fee,
as requested by A&M President Dr.
Ray Bowen.
Bowen said the University lost
$6.7 million in appropriations from
the Legislature. He added that
Established in 1893
University officials have identified
only $4 million in reserve funds for
next year, $10 million less than
this past year.
Bowen said raising the general
use fee from $12 to $26 per semes
ter-credit hour will replace those
lost funds, support a 3 percent staff-
and faculty-salary increase and add
to the University’s need-based finan
cial aid funds.
Bowen said the raise would come
at a cost. The increase will add $210
to a 15-hour semester.
“It’s a deal with the devil,” Bowen
said. “It’s definitely a hit.”
Bowen added that the addition
al revenue is desperately needed.
He said the faculty pay raises are
necessary to maintain the Univer
sity’s quality.
“Historically, we’ve been able to
attract good faculty and staff,”
Bowen said. “They deserve a raise.
Some of the staff, especially toward
the lower levels, need the money too.
They’re living near the poverty line.”
Bowen also explained that A&M
will still be very competitive with
other universities across the nation.
He pointed to comparable universi
ties like the University of Michigan,
University of Missouri and
Louisiana State University, all of
which cost at least $1,000 more per
See Regents, Rage 6
Monday •June 19, 1995
Tenneco given OK
to sue A&M System
q Company hopes to reach a
settlement in regard to the co-
generation power plant project.
By Katherine Arnold
The Battalion
As of today, Tenneco Power Generation
Co. was officially able to sue the Texas
A&M University System for up to $37 mil
lion for breach of contract.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 41, which
approved the action, was passed by the
Texas House of Representatives and the
Texas Senate May 29, and was sent to Gov.
George W. Bush for approval. Bush did not
sign or veto the bill by last night’s midnight
deadline, making it effective as of this
morning.
Russell Johnson, Tenneco’s spokesman,
said Tenneco is pleased with the Legisla
ture’s decision.
“Litigation is our last resort,” Johnson
said. “Our intention is to work with the
University to reach a settlement.”
Johnson said continuing with the con
struction of the plant is one option for
reaching a settlement. However, System of
ficials said there is no plan to continue the
project.
Dr. Barry B. Thompson, Texas A&M
chancellor, said he remains optimistic
about the situation.
“We are hopeful that negotiations will
lead to a solution,” Thompson said. “Re
gardless of how it turns out, we will be pre
pared to act.”
The System contracted Tenneco to build
a cogeneration power plant on West Cam
pus. A cogeneration plant produces steam
used to drive a turbine that creates electric
ity. A portion of the University’s electricity
is currently supplied by the cogeneration
power plant on the main campus.
The plant would have satisfied all of the
University’s power needs through 2012.
The entire project was expected to cost
$120 million, and would have been the
most expensive construction project ever
undertaken by the A&M System.
Construction was completed in Decem
ber 1994 on Phase I of the project, which
supplies West Campus with hot and cold
water.
The System announced June 17, 1994,
See Tenneco, Page 6
1 hard
Eddy Wylie, The Battalion
Let's go fly a kite
Carl Hyltin, Class of '92 and co-owner of
Painted Horizons, a kiting company in Hous
ton, flies a Delta Conyne kite at Research Park
Sunday afternoon to promote his business.
Holiday honors freeing of slaves
q Saturday's celebra
tion included a pa
rade, an awards cere
mony and an evening
banquet.
By Michael Simmons
The Battalion
Juneteenth, the June 19 cel
ebration which commemorates
the day Texas slaves were
freed, was celebrated in Bryan
and College Station Saturday.
Speakers at this weekends’
celebration said Juneteenth
serves as a reminder of past
struggles for the African-Ameri
can community.
Hugh McElroy, A&M’s asso
ciate director of human re
sources, spoke of the historical
importance of the celebration
at a banquet in the College
Station Lincoln Center Satur
day night.
On June 19, 1865, Gen. Gor
don Granger sailed to Galve
ston, Texas, to deliver the
Emancipation Proclamation,
which had been written by
Abraham Lincoln 21/2 years
earlier, McElroy said.
The theme for this year’s lo
cal celebration was “Children
today, hope for tomorrow.” In
addition to the evening ban
quet, the celebration which in
cluded an afternoon parade in
Bryan ending at Sadie Thomas
Park, where five scholarships
were awarded.
The celebration promotes
awareness within the communi
ty, McElroy said.
“We want to encourage mem
bers of the community to get in
volved in the many civic-related
opportunities that are avail
able,” McElroy said.
“This will help ensure
a stronger com
munity.”
The banquet
was dedicated
to Lillian
Robinson, a
former direc
tor of the Lin
coln Center, McEl
roy said.
Dr. Jim Scales, guest
speaker at the banquet and
superintendent of the Col
lege Station Independent School
District, said the celebration
serves as a reminder to the
African-American community.
“We must remind ourselves
as a race of the struggles we’ve
had—to come as far as we have,”
Scales said.
He also noted the positive ef
fects the celebration has on the
community as a whole.
“The annual celebration
serves to enhance the African-
American community, as well
as the community in general,”
Scales said. “It gives us the op
portunity to reflect on past
woes and look to the future.”
Sherry Smith, Brazos Valley
Juneteenth Committee secre
tary, said she was pleased with
the turnout for the scholarship
awards ceremony at the park,
with 300 to 400 people in
attendance.
She said
the pur
pose of
the
event
was
t o
award
five $500
scholar-
ships from the
Brazos Valley
Juneteenth Com
mittee to graduat
ing seniors from high schools in
the Brazos Valley. One of the
five students was a Bryan High
School student.
“The whole mood of the
event was very entertaining
and peaceful,” Smith said. “We
are already anticipating a
more publicized, larger event
next year.”
Campus recycling kicks off today
□ The pilot program in residence halls
could generate more than $37,000
this summer.
By Wes Swift
The Battalion
On-campus residents now have the op
portunity to help the environment and
the University through the residence
hall summer recycling pilot program.
Recycling bins are at six central locations
for the 1,300 summer residents to deposit
newspapers, magazines and colored and
white paper. There are also bins for alu
minum cans in 10 residence halls.
Joe Sanchez, recycling coordinator for
Texas A&M, said student participation is vi
tal to make the program successful.
“It’s going to take a little coopera
tion from the residents,” Sanchez said.
“We’ve tried to make it as convenient
as possible and still follow all the
rules, like fire hazards.”
Sanchez said his biggest worry is that stu
dents use the bins appropriately.
ffle
dormI
“My only concern is that the residents won’t see
what [the bins are] for and use them as garbage
cans,” he said. “That contaminates the whole bin and
makes it harder for the workers.”
Cassandra DeLarios, chair of Student Govern
ment’s Environmental Issues Commit
tee, said the program allows students
to help in two ways.
“We want to show students that re
cycling can not only help the environ
ment, but also help the University,” De
Larios said. “They can help both ecologi
cally and economically.”
Texas A&M currently spends $21.50 for
every ton of garbage it dumps into the
Bryan-College Station landfill, which is
expected to reach maximum capacity in
five years. In contrast, the materials that
are recycled are bailed together and sold to
make money, not expend.
DeLarios said that prices for recyclables
are at an all-time high, due to industry
demands. She estimated that the sum
mer program could generate as much as
$37,435 in revenue during 14 weeks.
“Recycling can be very profitable if we
See Recycling, Page 6