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The price is right ■ Cinderella stories! Hidden prejudice
A&M freshman Michael
Price lends enthusiasm to
ie special teams.
Sports, Page 7
Cultures share the
same story with many
variations.
Aggielife, Page 3
Fitzgerald: Racism at A&M
may not always be
obvious, but it is here.
Opinion, Page 9
Battalion
Established in 1893
Friday • November 17, 1995
&M considers two day care funding proposals
was
Students and faculty
lembers are debating
whether all students or
only the students who use
the facilities should pay
for a University day care.
Bv Lily Aguilar
ie Battalion
J.J. Skinner, a junior mechanical engi-
leering major, and his wife Ashley have
Been married for a year. They share a
trailer home in Bryan with their three
dogs, two cats and gerbil.
The Skinners said they eventually want
to start a family, but issues such as day
care have stopped them in their tracks.
“If there was day care available at
Texas A&M that was affordable, then
we would probably want to have a
child,” Ashley Skinner said. “We can’t
afford to have someone come into our
home and care for a child when I’m at
work or J.J. is at school.”
Students like the Skinners who want
to start families, and students who al
ready have families may be in luck be
cause of day-care proposals under consid
eration at Texas A&M.
Sandi Osters, assistant to the vice
president for student affairs, said there
are two proposals being considered for
implementation on campus. One proposal
is modeled after the University of Texas’
day-care program, which allows part-
time day care for students with children.
“This program as it is used at t.u. uses
$.50 of the student service fees to run the
day-care center,” Osters said. “There is
nothing on paper right now about how we
have to do this, but we are using t.u. as a
role model.”
The second proposal for full-time day
care is funded solely through added tu
ition paid by students, faculty and staff
members. This program would not use
any student service fee money and would
only be paid for by those who utilize the
day-care services, Osters said.
“We don’t know how many students
would use [the day-care center],” she
said. “We don’t know how students feel
about this and how it will impact them.
But we do know there are pressing de
mands from students and faculty.”
The addition of on-campus day care
particularly would benefit graduate and
fellowship students, Osters said, as well
as faculty and staff. Providing day care
would be an attraction for many fellow
ship students with families, she said.
“I’ve been approached by a professor
who said she was having difficulty
keeping fellowship students with fami
lies,” she said. “The Faculty Senate
has been the primary mover behind
full-time child care.
“I imagine we are probably one of the
few universities of our size that does not
offer day care. This could be a self-fulfill
ing prophecy because you get good people
on board, and they will do research,
which in turn will drive the reputation of
the University.”
Osters said day care may not seem
economical to students without children,
but she said it is “sometimes just the
right thing to do.”
See Proposals, Page 5
E-Walk, Old Army Style
Ians underway to make walk
face
and.
ach
memorable for Class of ’96
lions
ated
ours
era-
iy.
;S
□ Students are reminded
to stay off the turf at Kyle
Field during Elephant
Walk and to keep the
campus clean for the
eekends' visitors.
iher;
her
Kristen Homyk
He Battalion
>e a!
i this
nary
:oach
isfer-
3 loss
Nei-
irtic-
3 DiS'
littee
In traditional, Old Army style
Be Class of ’96 will wander off to
gether to die Nov. 30.
| The Class of ’96 held their final
Elephant Walk planning session
Thursday to discuss the route and
any last concerns.
■ The plan for this year’s
walk is to avoid the mess
that results from juniors
harassing the senior class
in an untraditional manner.
K The seniors will make
the traditional walk from
jyle Field to Bonfire Site at
the same time the juniors
are walking as a class from
Bonfire to Kyle Field, but
taking different routes.
I John Jordan, Elephant
Walk public relations chair
and a senior marketing
major, said the involve
ment of the junior class in
Elephant Walk is a wel
come addition to the event.
“We decided to involve them to
excite them about their upcoming
senior year,” he said.
The Elephant Walk is a proud
tradition for the entire campus,
Jordan said, but especially for the
members of the junior class; who
will soon take their last stroll
around campus as well.
“We want them to get some
thing out of Elephant Walk,” he
said. “This is the symbolic begin
ning of their senior year.”
Elephant Walk this year has
been planned to make sure the
solemn event will be memorable
for the Class of ’96.
Dyanna Wilson, Elephant Walk
chair and a senior political science
major, outlined some of the plan
ning for the event at the safety,
planning and information meeting.
“Nine seniors mocked Ele
phant Walk last night, and we
walked from Kyle Field to Bon
fire Site, making notes about dif
ferent situations we might en
counter,” Wilson said.
Elephant Walk was planned to
utilize areas with wide sidewalks
and little traffic. Vegetation will
be roped off to protect it from
overzealous seniors, and stu
dents, faculty and staff members
should expect roads around cam
pus to be barricaded.
Wilson said that due to the
added involvement of the junior
class. Elephant Walk should run
smoothly this year.
“We’re not really worried
about any conflict between the
two classes,” she said.
Minor concerns involved in
next week’s Elephant Walk,
Bonfire and Texas game were
also discussed at the meeting.
The Athletic Department
expressed apprehension about
the protection of Kyle Field’s
playing surface and goal posts.
Students are encouraged to
stay off the field.
Billy Pickard, associate ath
letic director, said that as long
as students respect the sur
face of Kyle Field, Elephant
Walk will be allowed to contin
ue when the field is converted
Gwendolyn Struve, The Battalion
See WALK, Page 5
a w
ag I 5
lutes
inter
o S'?-
Demolition of Law, Puryear
'l-bo
five
ones
lash-
•efei''
ryant
jcked
layin
e un-
scheduled to begin in May
□ After the two halls are demolished,
green space will be left temporarily
I in the area where they now stand.
By Michelle Lyons
The Battalion
Building a monument in tribute to Lmw and
^ryear is next on the list after the buildings are
demolished in the Spring.
The demolition of the dorms, which was approved
by the Texas A&M Board of Regents last month, is
pet for,this May.
Ron Sasse, residence life and housing director,
kud once the demolition begins next spring, it
phould be completed by the end of summer.
“The goal right now is for demolition to start in
Vlay when the students leave,” Sasse said. “I’m
loping that they can finish demolition by the end
>f summer.”
However, Jake Carr, Residence Hall Association
acilities and operations chairman and a senior Eng-
ish major, said demolitions may take a few years.
“I know the University is taking bids on the de-
nolitions now,” Carr said. “It's going to take a few
years to tear down the dorms loecause of asbestos
abatement.”
Sasse said the current focus of the process is sal
vaging items from the two dorms.
“The next step since the vote is to make a list of
all the things that are salvageable from the build
ings,” he said.
After making this determination, the focus will
shift toward removing these items and finding
someone to do the asbestos abatement and struc
ture demolition.
“The goal is to have the bids reviewed in Janu
ary,” Sasse said. “We must know at least one month
before the March Board of Regents meeting because
it takes one month to get an item on the agenda.
In the meantime, the Cornerstone Committee
is looking into what should be put in the dorms’
places.
Jesse Sanchez, RHA vice president, former
Puryear Hall president and a member of the commit
tee, said the group will design a tribute to the halls.
“It’s purpose is to build a monument for Law and
Puryear,” Sanchez, a senior management major,
said. “We’re trying to decide what to put there, but
we’ve pretty much determined our design.”
Sanchez said the space will remain either some
sort of green space or other non-permanent estab
lishment for awhile.
“I know there’s no plan to build an actual build
ing there for at least five years,” he said.
The committee is made up of RHA members; for
mer residents of both Law and Puryear; Dan Mizer,
A&M student development specialist; and Brian
Mason, Old Main Society president. The committee
is chaired by Charney Rydl, associate director of
student affairs.
Swine scale
Patrick O'Quinn, a graduate animal nutrition student, weighs a pig at the Swine Center Thurs
day afternoon. The pigs at the center are weighed weekly.
SAT adjusts aptitude test scores
□ Although the readjusted scores
are higher, students stay in the
same percentile as the original
scores.
By Michelle Lyons
The Batt alion
Students receiving their degree audits may
notice that their Scholastic Aptitude Test scores
are higher than they remember.
Last year, SAT revised its current system
and recentered the test, causing an increase in
students’ scores.
Gary Engelgau, executive director of admis
sions and records, said the changes were a re
sult of more people taking the SAT.
“The current system was designed in 1941,
when there were fewer standardized tests given
out because there were fewer people who actually
went on to college,” Engelgau said. “Most of the stu
dents taking the test were very bright individuals.
“At the time, a good share of the Ivy
(League] schools were using the test.”
Engelgau said that over time, the number of
high school graduates going on to college in
creased, and with it, there was a broader vari
ety of students taking the test for a broader va
riety of schools. The overall capability of test-
takers changed also due to this increase in stu
dents taking the test.
The average verbal and math scores in 1941
was 500. By 10''0. the average verbal score was
down to the 420s, and the average math score is
down to the 470s.
“Not everyone looks as bright as they did be
cause they are not just having top students
take the test,” he said. “We are now stating
their SAT scores on the new centered scale.
“Students stay in the same percentile, but the
scale is now shifted. It’s still the same numbers.”
David Martin, measurement and research
services coordinator of academic testing, said
that because of the new scale, Texas A&M en
trance exam requirements will be raised.
“The changes did not affect this year’s incom
ing class,” he said. “For next year’s class, it will
be in effect.”
The average SAT score for incoming fresh
man was 495 on the verbal section and 582 on
the math section with a total average of 1077.
Under the new provisions, the same students
would average 571 on verbal and 593 on math.
Gale Wood, assistant director of admissions,
said the new scale will not affect future appli
cants at all.
“It’s not going to affect them in any way,”
Wood said. “Our admissions policy is the same,
we just adjusted the requirements to fit the
new scale.
“Relative to ‘Old versus New,’ there is no
difference.”