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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1995)
T A M U S vardi a Cm. drii;: ngoi haltj 10* ayK: Geoit; U| i oni ifo IP' ard 1 acre;: he be lit In tout e Crai owboji ecutiii sen Bai rs t to Ik dontiii oenaltj th-(k ire at th s j Can; shat ead. turnbj theta! roderid T A ]VI U 1ST V E R T KILL Swift: Chemistry between Stallone and Banderas makes Assassins work. Aggielife, Page 3 Open the door Coming Out Week: Gay, lesbian and bi-sexual students celebrate their true selves. Opinion, Page 11 Smooth sailing A&M's Sailing Team is striving to compete with the best teams in the nation. Sports, Page 7 Vol. 102, No. 32 (12 pages) Established in 1893 Tuesday* October 10, 1995 Fee oversight group addresses students’ issues sn pas. iarrisoa ngstod 11 »n’ . irds lai the gf .lied fe ro plaji jpen fa □ Concerns of committee members include Aggie Bucks and the general use fee. By Kristen Homyk The Battalion The Student Senate’s Fee Oversight Committee dis cussed future plans involving student fees Monday in its first public meeting. The student-comprised com mittee heard reports from its sub committees on the different fee is sues the group is investigating this semester. Committee Chairman Chris Foster, a junior political science major, said it is necessary to watch the rise of and purposes for the general use fee. “They are allowed to raise the general use fee until it is equal to tuition,” Foster said. “We need to know where the money is going.” The committee also plans to take a close look at Parking, Transit and Traffic Services. Shelley McKee, committee sub chairwoman and a graduate poul try science student, is following the activities of the FITS with students’ questions in mind. “My goal here is to look into ticketing and everything to find out where all that money goes,” McKee said. “I also want to get fu ture plans for garages.” McKee said she intends to question parking officials on whether students will losd parking to faculty members whose parking spaces might be incorporated into construction projects, such as proposed li brary expansion. She said she also wants to know why some faculty lots are often empty while students hunt for parking elsewhere. Committee members Jeff Liv ingston, a senior electrical engi neering major, and Mike Stewart, a junior mechanical engineering major, introduced the subject of the much-debated multicultural- ism proposal. The proposal would require students to take six hours of classes focusing on U.S. and in ternational cultures. Livingston said a main concern of the committee is to watch the hidden costs involved in imple menting a multiculturalism re quirement at Texas A&M. “There was a report that the Faculty Senate put out covering a number of issues relating to their multiculturalism proposal, includ ing the fiscal portion,” he said. Possible costs of the bill may include a $200,000 “transitional cost,” and more than $184,000 to increase faculty, a final report by the Ad Hoc Committee to evalu ate the Faculty Senate U.S. cul tures and international require ments proposal said. Committee members said they are concerned that parts of the re port might be misleading, and the costs given do not include extra neous expenses, such as extended classroom use. The report also claims that only 7 percent of students on cam pus do not fulfill at least part of the proposal’s requirements. “If it’s only 7 percent of the population, why not just make multiculturalism a suggested class?” McKee said. The Fee Oversight Committee also questioned issues raised about Aggie Bucks, such as pur chases of alcohol in off-campus lo cations. It will attempt to provide understanding to students con cerning the legalities and services involved in the program. Foster said he wants students to understand the committee is in tended to provide information on any issue involving student fees. “We don’t make policy, we just provide information for those who do,” Foster said. 'Something, special' A&M group aims to bring new statue to campus soon A fiu/ ?/ )ur ice jst ns re, jn, • i, i^- dy Co®'' ofRetf; n the R £; iwing □ Matthew Gaines was instrumental in bringing Texas A&M and Prairie View A&M into existence. By Melissa Keerins The Battalion T he President’s Advisory Commission on Art Po lices has approved the construction of a Matthew Gaines statue, and fund-raising plans are underway. Gaines, a former slave who became the first elected minority in Washington County, supported Senate Bill 267 that established the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas and located it in Brazos County. The 1871 legislation also provided for a separate African-American land grant college, which is Prairie View A&M University. Dale Baum, an A&M history professor, said every one at A&M and Prairie View are directly indebted to Gaines and to the record of African-American accom plishment in Texas during Reconstruction. “There are currently on the A&M campus no streets or buildings named after, or monuments or statues erected in honor of any individual who had more to do with the establishment of Texas A&M University than Matthew Gaines,” Baum said. Richard Stadelmann, an A&M philosophy and hu manities professor, has been working to get this statue approved and said he hopes the state Republican Par ty, which he is affiliated with, will contribute to the statue’s funding. Jim Reynolds, MSC director, is involved in helping the Matthew Gaines Subcommittee and said it will be a complex undertaking. “I am very excited about this project because stu dents will be involved in every step in leadership roles,” Reynolds said. Reynolds, Stadelmann and Baum have spent a great deal of time researching Gaines, and with the profes sors’ help, the statue will become a reality. “There are four elements we need to discuss in the subcommittee now,” Reynolds said. “Fund raising for the project, which will cost around $200,000, a location for the statue, a process to select an artist and begin ning to make the University aware of the project and who Matthew Gaines was.” Steve Pryor, a junior political science major and fi nance chairman for the Matthew Gaines Subcommit tee, said he is excited because this is something that will make a difference at A&M. “There are no minority statues on campus,” Pryor said, “and this statue represents an important part of See Gaines, Page 10 Rudder statue sent off for repairs □ The Brasso that students used to clean it and others on campus caused damage to the bronze finish. By Leslie New | The Battalion tin ningW is. Gen. James Earl Rudder has gone to the doctors. The statue of Rudder is in stor age, awaiting transfer to the Shadony Foundry, a local sand blasting company. Two technicians from the foundry and Larry Ludtke, the sculptor of the statue, will replace the statue’s protective finish. Jim Reynolds, Memorial Stu dent Center director and a mem ber of the President’s Art Advisory Council, said that the statue should be remounted late Friday or early Saturday. The damage to the statue dedi cated last spring and others on campus results from improper cleaning of the statues with Brasso, an abrasive polish. “The appropriate care for a bronze statue is to periodically wash it with mild soap and water, rinse and let dry,” Reynolds said. “Then apply a light coat of a high quality, non-abrasive automobile polish and buff.” Several campus statues are routinely cleaned by members of the Corps of Cadets and Walton Hall residents. Reynolds said that when the statue is returned, the tradition is expected to continue. “At this point there is no attempt to change the tradition (of cleaning the statues), but I hope they will talk with [University Center Gal leries Curator] Catherine Hastedt,” he said. “She will explain the proce dure to the people interested.” Reynolds said Hastedt is in the process of contracting a professional ture could enter the statue, causing faster deterioration of the statue. Hastedt said she is searching for an objects conservator, a specialist in sculptures, to examine the statue this fall. “The conservator will be able to tell us if it is possible to restore the statue,” Hastedt said. “If restora tion isn’t possible, they will be able See Rudder, Page 10 RUDDER STATUE REMOVED FOR REPAIR TO SURFACE conservator to evaluate the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross, which was dedicated 76 years ago, to determine what should be done to stabilize or restore the statue. Earlier this semester, Hastedt said the Aggie Ring on the statue’s finger is almost gone, and his finely engraved hairline has vanished. The Ross statue was originally cast in pieces, then welded together and the welding seams polished smooth. However, the abrasive cleansers may have exposed the seams, leaving pin holes where mois- Sterling Hayman, The Battalion The Rudder statue is being repaired and should be returned this weekend. Shane Elkins, The Battalion The finishing touches Junior environmental design major Tressa Caulkins works on a lighthouse design pro ject for her ENDS 205 class. Financial aid department offers boost to students □ Institutional grants were awarded to 8,600 Aggies to help ease fi nancial pressure caused by the increase of the general use fee. By Courtney Walker The Battalion To help alleviate the cost of the general use fee increases, Texas A&M’s Department of Student Fi nancial Aid has awarded institutional grants to stu dents on financial aid for the 1995-96 school year. The Board of Regents increased the general use fee in August by $8 per semester hour. The fee will be increased by an other $4 per semester hour in the spring. Don Engelage, Student Financial Aid director, said the administration wanted to help the most needy students. For stu dents using financial aid, the fee increase could mean the difference be tween continuing their ed ucation and putting it on hold, Engelage said. “Students not on finan cial aid usually have suffi cient funds or resources to pay for their education,” he said. “They are usually on scholarships, have fam ily assistance or work their way through college.” Grants were awarded to 8,600 students and paid up to half of the addition al cost. Toby Boenig, student body president and a se nior agricultural develop ment major, said it is es sential that the adminis tration utilize some of the money raised from the general use fee increase to help students. “I’m really glad that the administration did this, See Grants, Page 1 2 m m; f b i *