Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 1995)
y 17, 1995, A JS/L U 1ST E R T /o|. 101, No. 174 (6 pages) Established in 1893 Tuesday • July 18, 1995 ith other MmwiZ'isma ie Week of signed for world’s re- i beliefs of ique. :r religions learn a lot cuse said, when you claims are le said he truth and • coordina- mbers of organiza- dership for Awokuse empted to /es of every ization at culty mak- iuse many >wn for the an organi- uly sorry," ie does not redictions ie Week of dace again he receives ibers of the 3 involved. enate investigates impact o r ASL classes at A&M □ The group will deter mine costs of offering American Sign Language classes and in which col lege or department to lo cate the program. By Katherine Arnold Thi: Battalion I A study examining the financial impact and feasibility of having American Sign Language (ASL) classes at Texas A&M will be con ducted by the Faculty Senate. ■Dr. Ray Bowen, Texas A&M president, approved the creation of the classes that will satisfy foreign language requirements for bachelor of arts degrees. Dr. Steve Oberhelman, head of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and chairman of the Faculty Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee, said the study will determine in which de partment the program should be located and the potential sources of fund ing for the ASL program. “Right now we need to find the proper place for ASL courses, whether it be in the speech communications depart ment, the College of Education or somewhere else,” he said. “We also need to look at how much it will cost to get a lecturer or create a tenure-track position and get any laboratory equipment necessary.” Transfer students who took ASL courses at other schools were hav ing difficulty in transferring the hours to A&M, Oberhelman said. The program will allow ASL courses to transfer from other univer sities and create a four-semester se quence of ASL courses at A&M. It will also al low the classes to satisfy foreign lan guage requirements for students pursuing their bachelor of arts de- See ASL, Page 6 Faculty tenure changes propose creating a more general list of criteria □ The Faculty Senate supports the recommended changes to the faculty tenure and promo tion evaluation criteria. By Katherine Arnold The Battalion Teaching and international research are the focus of proposed changes to a section of the Texas A&M Policy and Procedures Manual that outlines examples of criteria used in evaluating faculty members for tenure and promotion. The criteria for evaluating faculty mem bers is separated into three categories: teach ing, scholarly activities and service. Each category is then separated into indicators of excellence and effectiveness. Dr. Steve Oberhelman, chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee, said most of the changes propose creating a more general list of criteria to encompass more colleges. “The changes will not substantially change the way faculty members are evaluated,” he said. “Not all categories fit all individuals anyway, but we wanted to eliminate criteria that were specific to certain colleges.” The changes proposed by the Faculty Sen ate are to the University’s general policy reg ulating tenure and promotion for all colleges. Each department will continue to maintain specific criteria for evaluating faculty mem- See TENURE, Page 6 ■sterol ease Association, rom medical t-s. ) help lowei erol level is gbt, exercisi fat and re 5 d fatty acit ng plan is dA dietarj 1 fatty more that 3ted fatt jp the res; ake; lO’l 1 ies. ake shoul £ milligr 3 ® Nick Rodnicki, The Battalion It does a body good Dairy Parlor employee Brian Spittler checks each cow's udder for operation before hooking up the milking machine. Dairy cattle at the Milking Parlor are milked twice daily at 4 a.m. and 3 p.m. Physical plant completes phase one of parking lot construction □ Lots will be closed again for resurfacing through July 21. By Michael Simmons The Battalion Parking, Transit and Traffic Services is attempting to minimize the inconve nience of repairs to student and faculty parking lots on campus. Several campus lots have been under construction since June 26. The repairs are part of an ongoing project to refur bish the campus parking lots and pre vent costly resurfacing in the future. Thomas Williams, PITS director, said the older lots on campus, which are now 8-10 years old, need to be rejuvenated. “All the central and West Campus parking lots had to be resurfaced,” Williams said, “so we are trying to save the other lots before they get out of hand.” The base repairs have been completed on parking lot 50, behind the Zachry En gineering Center and on lot 88, next to Duncan Field. The next stage of the project, putting a sealant on these lots, began July 17. The sealant, which will help the asphalt last longer, is a mixture of sand, oil, as phalt and rubber and is being used on campus for the first time. “We are having trouble getting the Stew Milne, The Battalion Zachry parking lot is partially closed due to resurfacing and repainting. mix design right,” Williams said. “If it does not set up right, the asphalt will tear when it is driven on.” Williams blamed the slow construc tion process on the inability to find a mix that will successfully set on the campus parking lots. See Construction, Page 6 LERIE Students receive Outstanding Teamwork Award at Sunrayce ’95 Serbs continue attacks □ Observers of Sunrayce '95 said A&M's team showed spirit and determination throughout the nine-day trek. By Javier Hinojosa Thi Battalion • MTexas A&M engineering students re ceived the Outstanding Teamwork Award at Sunrayce ’95, a 1,150-mile race for solar-powered vehicles. "^Thirty-eight universities from across the United States competed in the race Erom Indianapolis, Ind. to Golden, Colo. H^Vork on the Aggiebeamer, one of the cars operated by the A&M team, began a year and a half ago and took the com- bined effort of more than 150 engineering students to design and build. A group of A&M marketing students and Dr. Howard Chamberlain, an associate professor of management, were involved in the project’s planning and marketing. Tracy Bates, a senior electrical engi neering major and part of the Ag giebeamer crew, said the teamwork award was based on evaluations made by observers who accompanied the team during the race. “They noticed the way we worked to gether and how we followed the rules,” she said. “When it came down to pick the recipient of the award, they put up a big fight for us.” Dr. Tom Talley, an adjunct associate professor of electrical engineering, said he and Dr. Tim Coppinger, a professor of engineering technology, wanted the stu dents to learn from the competition. “We left them alone,” Talley said. “After three days, they had to weld into a team File Photo Members of the Aggiebeamer crew stand behind one of the cars operated by the A&M team during Sunrayce '95. A&M was one of 38 universities that competed in the race. that was well-organized and self-directed.” The A&M team was able to learn from the race because they hit hard times the second day of the race, Taley said. “It was tough because they burned all their [solar] energy,” Talley said. “They wound up 10 minutes before the finish line with no energy and no time. It broke everybody’s heart. You just wanted to cross the finish line so bad you could taste it.” Talley said that at that point, the team was either going to fall apart or come together and pull through. Talley said there was no sunlight for about 20 to 30 miles the next day. The team sent a scout ahead to find a spot of sun so they could charge the car. “That required a lot of communica tion,” Talley said. “They came out a team after that. “Like good Aggies, they didn’t quit. It showed a lot of class. The way they per formed that day made it possible to win the award.” The availability of manpower worked against the A&M team, which consisted of six students, while other top-finishing teams had about 25 members. Tom Trask, a senior electrical engi neering major and member of the team, said despite the crew size, they were able to make decisions quickly and effectively concerning the four vehicles they operat ed during the race. “We had a few arguments, but we worked them out,” he said. Trask used his experience with the Sunrayce competition to get a job with Bell Northern Research. “They [employers] love individuals who work well with others,” Trask said. “In the Sunrayce competition, in order to See Race, Page 6 □ Rebels will try to seize all three 'safe areas' to control land to the Serbian border. SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — After eluding rebel Serbs on a hazardous six-day hike through forests and mountains, some 4,000 Muslim men from the fallen "safe area” of Srebrenica reached friendly territory Monday. In another UNI.-declared "safe area” of Zepa, fellow Bosnian soldiers held out against mortar and infantry attacks by Serbs just 1 mile from the town. The estimated 4,OCX) men, mainly sol diers, who arrived in the government- held town of Tuzla said they braved hunger, thirst and Serb attacks. According to Sadako Ogata, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the men were among up to 19,000 Muslims missing after Srebrenica fell to the Serbs last Tuesday. Bosnian authorities said the 4,000 were among an estimated 15,000 men, including 6,000 government soldiers, who last Tuesday began a 60-mile trek across Serb-held land, and through front lines to try to reach safety. Bosnian army spokesman Ekrem Avdic said they started arriving on government territory Sunday night. Some received help from Bosnian army special units who infiltrated Serb-held territory, Avdic said, refus ing to elaborate. Upon reaching Tuzla, many raced to tents on a U.N. airfield where thou sands of refugees are housed, frantically searching for their families. The Red Cross was trying to gain access to thousands more Muslim men believed detained by Serbs who overran Srebrenica. M Govemment-Croat Cl Bosnian Serb federation ill Serb-held Croatia Bratunacr»7<$>, SERBIA j •ESS BOSNIA- herzegovinaY^, STI Rebel Serbs say they will target peacekeepers in Zepa if NATO planes buzz the town again. R Serb forces advanced to within a mile of the town before being stopped by lightly armed government troops. 13 The Red Cross is waiting for permission to visit men and boys missing since Srebrenica’s fail. Humanitarian organizations estimate that up to 15,000 people are unaccounted for. Associated Press