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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1995)
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Opinion, Page 11 Yard Art Smith's sculptures spruce up highway stretch in Caldwell. Aggielife, Page 3 Battalio Vol. 102, No. 22 (12 pages) Established in 1893 Tuesday • September 26, 1995 A&M readies for new vice president, provost □ Interviews for the position will begin Wednesday. Anyone who is interested in the candidates can meet them at their individual receptions. By Wes Swift The Battalion The first of four candidates for Texas A&M’s vacant executive vice president and provost posi tion will arrive in College Station this week to interview for the job. A search committee has select ed Dr. Ronald Douglas, math ematics professor and vice provost for undergraduate stud ies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook; Dr. William Shenkir, William Stamps Parish professor of free enterprise for the McIntyre School of Commerce at the Uni versity of Virginia; Dr. William Jenkins, vice-chancellor for acad emic affairs and provost at Louisiana State University; and Dr. Steven Bossert, dean of the school of education at Syracuse University for on-campus inter views. The committee will inter view each candidate for two days and hold an open recep tion for those interested in meeting the candidates. Douglas said he was “hon ored and interested” to be named as a finalist. “I have a pretty good under standing of how research uni versities operate,” he said. “I think I know what a good uni versity should be. I hope I can lead A&M.” Douglas will be interviewed Wednesday and Thursday. A reception will be held Wednes day at 4 p.m. in 206 MSC. Douglas, a former dean of the division of physical sciences and mathematics, said he has visited A&M twice and has been impressed. “I have found Texas A&M an exciting, vibrant place for both students and faculty,” he said. “I don’t know that much about the University, but I look for ward to learning a lot more.” Bossert said he has learned a lot about the University from searching the Internet and from a campus visit. “I think Texas A&M is an outstanding university,” he said. “A great relationship ex ists on the campus between its students and alumni.” Bossert described his admin istrative style as “informative” and said he likes to get stu dents as involved in the work of the University as possible. Bossert, who has taught at four universities across the country, said it would not be hard to move to Texas after liv ing in New York for five years. “Moving to another state is not a big deal to our family,” he said. “In fact, it’s rather exciting.” Bossert will interview at A&M Oct.’25 and 26. His recep tion has not been set. Shenkir, who will interview Oct. 9 and 10, and Jenkins, who will interview Oct. 19 and 20, could not be reached for comment. Dr. Mark Weichold, head of the search committee and an electrical engineering professor, said it could be a long time be fore the position is filled. “These candidates are very important people at their insti tutions,” Weichold said. “It’s difficult for them to just pull up stakes and move. The position may be filled as early as January, but, realistical ly, I think June is more likely.” This is the second time final ists have been named for the University’s second-highest ad ministrative position. In May, the search committee named three finalists in hopes that a new provost would be se lected by the end of the summer. Then Dr. Alan Sessoms, the leading candidate for the posi tion, withdrew from contention to accept the presidency at Queen’s College in New York. The committee reopened the search in June, Weichold said, and received 30-40 new applica tions. Road work to begin soon on George Bush Drive or in the Cora ave the hono:! [.fit’s flag detai toms Building, 10, there wai egs in front oft; ling taking t I ag detail arris loud and very!: (hey were doing! ail moved toloi in response! silent. The ci ]y silent throuf g of the colors, detail retired ■ had their ha .s. d to me that pn nourishes amo !' the students iversity. MarcJo Class of' |□TxDOT officials suggest that students and faculty avoid the area under construction between Wellborn Road and FM 2818. •GUN SI o ?ach Week glas Williaro Frank Velleca Greeks, alls Jnits ted until an 5 p.m armation rantee your J included in >k. ; By Heather Pace The Battalion The Texas Department of Trans portation will begin widening a 1.3 mile section of George Bush Drive between Wellborn Road and FM 2818 within a few weeks. The $4.5 million project will help handle increased traffic from construc tion of the George Bush Presidential Li brary Center. TxDOT officials said that they hope to complete the improvements on George Bush Drive by the time the li brary opens. Although construction will last for two years, George Bush Drive will re main open at all times. Pat Williams, TxDOT Bryan area engineer, said the new section will be widened to four lanes with a raised, landscaped median. “We have worked very closely with the city [of College Station] and the University so that the landscaping will be aesthetically pleasing and compatible with plans for the new George Bush Presidential Library,” Williams said. The Traffic Management Task Force, consisting of offi cials from TxDOT, A&M and the cities of Bryan and College Station was created to examine problems created by construction and to in form the public about the best methods to avoid traffic. Denise Fischer, TxDOT public information officer, said the task force “will consider traffic man agement under both routine daily traffic and surges in local traffic volumes, which accompany special events in the community.” Texas Avenue between Universi ty Drive and George Bush Drive will be expanded to six lanes with a landscaped median later in the fall. Construction on Wellborn Road, south of FM 2818, began earlier this month. To avoid delays, students and faculty should find alter nate routes which bypass these three major areas Oof roadwork, Fischer said. Building society, not just buildings Speaker promotes active architects □ Harvey Gantt stressed a need for restructuring inner cities to re-establish cities as centers for industry, business and education. By James Bernsen The Battalion Architects need to take a more ac tive role in building society, not just buildings, a prominent architect and politician told A&M students Monday. Harvey Gantt, former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., and 1990 senatorial candidate, said his political activi ties have awakened him to the grow ing plight of inner cities. “I’ve found out some fascinating things, and I’ve found out some troubling things,” Gantt said. “Ar chitects have been made irrelevant to decisions.” Gantt, who had to fight a court battle in 1963 to become the first black student enrolled in Clemson University, said he is upset that the children in inner cities have little access to education and seem to have Tim Moog, The Battalion Harvey Gantt, former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., and 1990 senatorial candidate spoke to architecture students in Rudder Theater Monday afternoon. no hope. “These social ills are feeding on themselves and are ticking like a time bomb,” he said. The spreading out of the cities is essentially killing their centers, as industry and businesses relocate to the suburbs, Gantt said. “These motions are following the people who can afford to move,” he said. “I feel like the future, with all this spreading out, will spell our doom.” Gantt said cities that once had vi brant centers, such as Detroit, are now falling apart. “The next big contribution we will make to history will be the great American ruin,” he said. “Not much different than Rome or Athens, but this one will have 35-story buildings. Cities are being abandoned political ly and geographically.” Architects can hold considerable power in social matters if they would get involved in public issues, Gantt said. “What we perform has a socially useful function,” he said. “But we don’t sit with the decision-makers in cities.” Gantt said that resolving today’s crises in the cities will require dedi cation from individuals in all fields, including architects. “What is needed is focus and com mitment and a generation — years, to not only rebuild the physical land scape but to help rebuild the lives of those people who have lost hope,” he said. “I believe our training, our vi sion and our orientation to problem solving can be of great value if we’re willing to get our hands dirty for See Gantt, Page 10 Practice makes perfect dMMSSm Sterling Hayman, The Battalion Sophomore business major Matt Moffet teaches freshman general studies major Ben Beach spinning techniques for Fish Drill Team try outs. MSC group embraces new service projects □ The Hospitality committee has begun a delinquency prevention program. By Leslie New The Battalion MSC Hospitality is known for escort ing school children and visitors on tours of the MSC and being the “Official Host Committee of Texas A&M.” But stu dents may not be aware of the commit tee’s commitment to service. Danny Shaha, MSC Hospitality chair and a senior biology major, said in past years the community service aspect of Hospitality was stagnant, although the committee did participate in many as pects of campus activity. “We’re still doing the traditional hosting part of Hospitality,” Shaha said. “But we wanted to focus more on ser vice, by giving back to the community and making a difference.” To accomplish this goal, the 11 Hos pitality executives have searched for new ways to help the community. Clay Kilpatrick, Hospitality’s tours and traditions executive and a senior computer science major, said one of the changes in the committee is a traditions program for new University employees. “It is important because it helps new employees to understand what Aggies See MSC, Page 10