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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1995)
July 18,1* T 5C A. A &Z ]Vt u isr R I court tion id in Tennesse their case to k ait, meaning Vbl. 101, No. 175 (6 pages) lildren Established in 1893 Wednesday • July 19, 1995 oesn’t discric for the lawsiiii rengthened thl liens’ case, k g adoptions jig are a differe | .her foster i mngsters who! tiave a biologic ? heard." — Lou A>wMi. \ to adopt two chilt >f Matthew so: tend that wk ase workers u idered first, s removed fnj with Josepk: nily. Whentk *e placed witl ret urned to there was a : re was, she St ) Matthew a: iaid the Mull?, in both boys, d want to ad: frustrating, children tofe call home for? gineering by nts. When so: ag, you had to 1 there, you know a *k until you! situation wh on it. arn everyth! a once in a Students Speak Out tudent groups respond to fee increase proposal e ’95 competit 10-29. | By Amy Collier and Wes Swift 'he Battalion Student leaders and faculty members said they are concerned about the proposed increase to ,he general use fee, yet support much of the moti- ation behind it. Some campus leaders said the increase of $14 er semester credit hour is too much. Others said ,hey feared the raise would force some students out of school. But all agreed that a fee hike would ■astically affect everyone on campus. Dr. Ray Bowen, Texas A&M president, pro posed June 15 to increase the general use fee I'rom the current $12 per semester credit hour to S26 per semester credit hour for fiscal year 1995- >6, which would add $210 to a 15-hour semester. The increase would be followed by a $6 in crease per semester credit hour in fiscal year 1996-97. Earlier this summer, Bowen said the increase was necessary because the Texas Legislature did not appropriate as much money as A&M asked for, creating a $6.7 million budget deficit. Bowen said the fee increase is necessary to maintain the University’s high standards. “It’s a question of institutional quality,” Bowen paid. “We need to retain the quality we have here — the quality in the classroom and the quality of the facility.” See Groups, Page 2 Kevin Carreathers, director of the Department of Multicultural Ser vices “I think that if we have a budget deficit and have a way to meet it, [the increase] may be fair. “There still could be some stu dents who may not be able to en- □ The proposal, which would more than double the general use fee, is receiving opposition from campus leaders. roll in school. I think that’s unfortunate. “For every student it has a negative impact on, there may be enough financial aid to offset that.” Pierce Cantrell, speaker of the Faculty Senate “The faculty is very supportive of the salary increases. It’s been more than five years since we’ve had any increase for the faculty and staff. We’re at a very crucial point. “I think the faculty is sensitive to the fact that it’s not much no tice, but I think it will send a bad message to the faculty if we’re not able to get at least what the Uni versity of Texas is getting.” Cantrell “We’re still a good buy. We just have to keep reminding ourselves of that when we sign the check.” Jeff Prince, Conservative Coalition vice president of liaisons “Everyone knew funds would be tight this year. It was general knowledge that Texas A&M would get only a modest increase [in fees], if any. “Saying that Texas A&M got its budget cut is misleading. It was n’t. Depending on how you look at it, the Legislature helped A&M see the money go to underpaid staff and faculty who teach students instead of research-oriented professors.” Migali Hinojosa, Interna tional Student Associa tion president “The majority of inter national students will hate it. Most of them are on a tight budget, and by the time they pay for •• : IXPtORE THE WORLDkVk' WITHlSjk^f TEX&A&M UNIVERSITY ^ T Prince Carl Baggett, Corps public rela tions officer “Believe me, I’m not happy about it. But in relation to other schools, we’re still a good buy. I think if you look at other schools in Texas, especially the University of Texas, we re on par with them. “It’s such a tough issue. I think the administration works for us, and if they could find a way around it, I’m sure they would.” Baggett Carreathers Suzanne Lyons, Residence Hall Asso ciation president “I’m not happy about it at all. That’s a big burden. After 10 semes ters, that’s another $2,000 for college. out of a difficult situation/ Meredith Reaves, College Republi cans acting president “We as an organization feel that it’s too much too quick. It should be more gradual. “It’s somewhat inappropriate to put those things under student fees. Student fees should be used for student things.” Patrick Conway, MSC Council president “I think there probably needs to be an increase in the general use fee, but I don’t think it needs to be more than doubled in one year. I think a lot of students feel it’s too big of an increase, too fast. “I think students would like to Reed Conway Toby Boenig, student body presi dent “The increase in the general use fee definitely should not be as drastic as $14.” “My belief has been all along that yes, students should share some of this burden. But this in crease is too much, too fast.” Boenig rent, electricity and everything else, they barely have $100 for spending money for the rest of the month.” Chris Reed, Student Senate speaker pro tern From a Student Senate State ment “We would agree that the facul ty of Texas A&M University are the best in the world and that the University must be able to retain our current faculty as well as re cruit new faculty members. “However, the administration’s proposal to increase the general use fee by $20 in a two-year period is too severe and damaging to the students that the University serves.” iuc™ i Page 1 se parkinglo: ating for thesr. ty who freque. >ts. i itworth, a K with the Depar agraphy, said: it of manpo* ■airs was notcc: number of peo; lot closures, that in an effi they have! the needs oftl ients,” he said bserves thecfl t 55, beside t! aphy and Mete g, from the vd 2. He said the! antly under co closed forth*" ?s, and onlyt* issigned to ma )t. fersity would! me rather tbi ots, they mif : fewer peoplf d that in order ;tudents and!: short notice, d ill be opened: •affic officers ^ rs. me available! irs is during t id, when it isd a junior bio-erj said students*' aut a parking: 3d. >arely posted d ey closed the! Ryan said. ie lot across ft gineering Gen" left alone after Ie said he sf ng lot 51, the? across the stt nbaker Engine Center, but ne v king on the si Driving Toward Perfection Toshihiko Adachi, sophomore environmental design major, practices his golf swing at Pen- Iberthy driving range on Tuesday afternoon as Yasuharu Yokoo, junior political science major, [looks on. Students react to proposed changes in teacher certification program □ If passed, the propos als would double the length of time it takes to receive secondary education teacher cer tification. By Tara Wilkinson The Battalion Texas A&M students have mixed reactions to proposed changes in the teacher certifica tion program for secondary educa tion. The proposals would in crease field experience and add three credit hours to the program. The redesigned certification pro gram is the product of three years of collaboration between the faculty and administrators of several A&M departments and Bryan-College Station public schools. The program was recommend ed by the Faculty Senate July 10, and was approved by the Texas Commission on Teaching Stan dards last Thursday. Proposals now must be re viewed by Dr. Ray Bowen, Texas A&M president, and if approved will go to the Texas Higher Edu cation Coordinating Board and the Texas Education Agency for final review. A&M’s education department is confident the proposals will survive the state approval process and will clear all hurdles by the end of the fall semester. John C. Stansell, professor of educational curriculum and in struction, said many of the lec ture-based courses of the exist 1 ing program would be replaced with classroom experiences. “The students will be learning the things they need to know and seeing those things at work in schools at the same time,” Stansell said. Abbey Beasley, a senior journal ism major, said students need more practical experience provided by interaction in public schools. “It would be better to get into the classrooms earlier because. See Certification, Page 2 Two professors receive grants □ Dr. Gerry Keim and Dr. Clarissa Kimber were awarded Fulbright grants to work abroad. By Wes Swift The Battalion Two Texas A&M professors will join a select group of University faculty who received Fulbright grants and will work abroad. Dr. Gerry Keim, management professor, and Dr. Clarissa Kimber, geography professor, received re search and teaching grants to teach abroad during the 1995-1996 school year. Kimber will travel to Taipei, Taiwan in Septem ber to conduct geography related research, and Keim will begin teaching at the University of Linz in Linz, Austria. Keim taught in Austria in 1990 with a previous Fulbright grant. Keim described his earlier stint in Austria as “a treat” and said he is anxious to return. “I’m extremely excited,” he said. “It’s really an honor. It’s a great opportunity. It basically changes your life.” Keim will teach a course comparing the business es in Europe and the United States. He said stu dents in Austria often are quite interested in the American style of teaching. “A lot of the teaching [in Austria] is one-way,” Keim said. “Professors come in and lecture, and the students listen. “At the Western institutions, teaching is more in teractive. Students like that because they get to par ticipate more.” Dr. Richard Woodman, head of the Department of Management, said the experience Keim gains from his trip will help the A&M business school tremendously. “We’ve got a definite international thrust in our business school,” Woodman said. “The knowledge he’ll get from this experience can only help his teach ing. It can only enhance what he has already done and improve his credibility, especially when teaching international business classes.” Keim, who has taught at Texas A&M since 1974, will also research the differences between political and social institutions in the Western world and in Eastern Europe. He will stay in Aus tria until June 1996. Kimber and Keim join a group of 75-80 Fulbright scholars who teach at A&M. See Grants, Page 2 s, a junior Er ; she does not'*: TITS did nott'l 3eks prior to 7 session or! ' the second si/ make repairs 3 on campus. 1 that studeri n warning mce. 'S should con*'! ients aboutM when they permits,” Wo-'-; ould allows' their sumff 1 i)f time.” orrection: — I - r A brief in The Battal ion Monday misstated [he Q-drop dates. July L8 was the last day to Q- "op classes for the 10- reek summer semester, md July 25 is the last lay to Q-drop classes for ie second 5-week sum- ler term. Researchers study effects of alcohol on fetuses □ The research, performed at the College of Medicine, has found that minimal alcohol consumption can damage an unborn child. By Javier Hinojosa The Battalion Research performed at Texas A&M’s College of Medicine has shown that small amounts of alcohol can have seri ous effects on the unborn child in preg nant women. Dr. James West, medicine professor and head of the College of Medicine, said Binge drinking is one of several factors that worsen the effects of alcohol. “We have found in animals that expo sure to less alcohol can have more dam age, provided that it is consumed in a manner that produces higher blood- alco hol levels,” West said. Humans can become drunk on less alco hol if they drink it faster, because the liver does not have a chance to metabolize. When this happens, the blood-alcohol level is higher. West said, and that level is a good indicator of the effects alcohol can have on a fetus. “We have found that one exposure to high blood alcohol level can produce great damage,” West said. “This was an inter esting and important finding. Based on that evidence, we can say that if a woman drinks until she is intoxicated, she is putting herself at great risk.” West’s research, which he began at the University of Iowa in 1978, shows there are some genetic factors that influ ence a child’s development of fetal alco hol syndrome. “Some women can get drunk on alcohol faster than others,” he said. “For them, the safe level of alcohol consumption would be a lot less.” Fetal alcohol syndrome can result in low birth weights and heights, abnormal See Fetus, Page 6