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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1996)
>ur player i» sition, will and give us sry confident cited about -na,” Arrant lem the last one of their bama is go- ost competi- at that the 50k Nebras ka t he be- nar Smith ;e. ,age always trrant said ther schools ; and play.' n said he will be the ekend. rated No. 9 are really ;ting off on lid. ps the team vator," Bo at to every as the first s our team is ready to NOT QUITE ENOUGH The Aggie Basketball Team almost upsets No. 1 3 Texas Tech. Sports, Page 7 TRACTOR PULLS AND GUN SHOWS Nolen: The Special Events Center will need to draw new events if it is to be justified. Opinion, Page 11 MISSED TARGETS Buffin: Broken Arrow is not as good as promotions make it seem. Aggielife, Page 3 The Battalion 102, No. 90 (12 pages) Serving Texas A&M University Since 1893 Monday - February 12, 1996 ’rofessor reports ppear on line te of what C,” Horan hat would the last ath itudents' answers to e questions on teacher aluation forms are ailable on the Web, answers to other estions are considered ivate information. Kendra S. Rasmussen Battalion Texas A&M students can search World Wide Web to find out how ir peers deem the abilities and sonalities of their professors. Mark Troy, coordinator of evalua- i programming at Measurement 1 Research Services, said that if dents knew professor evaluations re available on the Web, the statis- would be examined more often. Troy said evaluation results have been utilized much by students cause they used to be available lyin Sterling C. Evans Library, ans’ offices and through Gopher on-campus and remote access nputers. think students have not uti- ed (teacher evaluation reports) ich because they have had trouble tting(the information),” he said. More of the evaluation process will be handled on line this semes ter, and Web access to the evalua tions has been expanded. Troy said increased access to evaluation results is a priority at Measurement and Research Ser vices because the summaries help students choose professors, allow faculty to adapt their teaching styles, and help administrators make tenure decisions. Since the professor evaluation system began in 1988, the Student Senate has been allowed to write five of the evaluation questions each year. The answers to these ques tions are available on the Web. However, questions added by pro fessors and administrators of indi vidual colleges are unavailable to students through the Web. These results are kept anony mous so that professors who use op tional questions supplied by Mea surement and Research Services on their evaluations are not penalized by the results. “These additional items are in tended to improve teaching, not to (aid in) promotions and tenure types of decisions,” he said. Determining evaluation results once required burdensome paper work, Troy said, but will be handled efficiently with the on-line process. “The advantage is that it should See Reports, Page 6 iwiski- given in- im by his asting re- tadan. ;gan Jan. ing of the he month 1 the Ko- k, to the Muslims drink be et during )lajuwon reakfast, n until a own. He eal after course of lose 10 'ice for a 1 player, battle. Texas A&M regent under political fire 1 iSome state officials fe questioning the ppropriateness of a survey ?ntto legislators by one oard member. (Courtney Walker he Battalion A Texas legislator said that a Mlticulturalism survey sent out January by one member of the Jxas A&M Board of Regents was political action that jeopardizes ademic freedom. Regent M. Guadalupe Rangel, 'airwoman of the Committee for tademic Campuses, sent letters to 15 Texas legislators asking if they »ught A&M should mandate multi- teal courses for students. Rangel sent the letter without nsulting other Board members fcause she said she viewed the Hrvey as homework for her com- dttee and did not think it con- rned the other regents. State Rep.Steve Ogden, one of he legislators who received the arvey, said Rangel’s action to in- olve the legislature could jeopar- ize academic freedom in Universi- (policy decisions. The idea of soliciting legislative aput with implications there should legislation scares me to death,” Jgden said. “To the greatest extent •%sible. legislature should avoid the temptation of putting a political stamp on what is taught at colleges and universities.” The 63 responses Rangel received from state legislators indicated that, overall, there is not a perceived need for multicultural courses. “Responses indicated legislators would like to see the courses imple mented, but there is not an immedi ate need,” Rangel said. “Students who are ahead of the ball game and looking towards the future will take the courses on their own without be ing forced to.” However, Rangel said legislators from highly urban areas and cities on state borders thought A&M should require multiculturalism. “I think it is because of the high di versity and demographics in those ar eas,” she said. Regent Frederick D. McClure of Dallas said the survey will not have an impact because the the Board, and not the state legislature, makes cur riculum decisions. Rangel said the survey’s point was not for legislators to influence the Board's decision, but to obtain informed opinions from the state’s elected representatives. “All universities are operated by the state and belong to the people of Texas, so to understand the needs of our future leaders I decided to ask the representatives elected by the people of Texas,” Rangel said. Rangel said the results of her survey will be reviewed by her committee and then presented to the entire Board. REPLANT ’96 Dave House, The Battalion Tiffany Bearicks, a senior recreation, park and tourism sciences major is planting a seedling in a pot. By Marissa Aianis The Battalion M ore than 2,000 people participated Saturday in Texas A&M’s Replant 1996 at Lake Somerville, making it the biggest Replant since the event be gan in 1991. Participants worked from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in staggered, two-hour shifts with the goal of planting at least 12 seedlings per person. Daniel Hurson, Replant director and a junior geogra phy major, said 10,000 new seedlings were planted, as well as 16,000 of the 25,000 seedlings left over from last year’s Replant. Ryan Alspaugh, a Replant committee member and a junior finance major, said he expected the event to peak around noon, but that many people came early in the morning. “Today we have twice as many people out right now from 8 to 10 a.m. than we did last year,” Alspaugh said. “It’s amazing. It keeps growing every year.” The planting sites were divided into three parks, each touching the Lake Somerville shoreline. Certain species of trees, such as bold cypress and green ash, were planted near the lake, and live oak seedlings were planted further inland. Chip Loomis, a Replant committee member a sopho more biology major, said the seedlings were allowed to grow for a year in a potting compound before they were brought to Replant. Loomis said the potting compound, with its extensive wa ter system, contributes to the seedlings’ high survival rate. Loomis said that the only University criticism Replant has received is that the trees were not being planted in places where they were likely to survive. “This year, we’re making sure we plant in places where they’ll have a higher survival rate,” Loomis said. “We’re be coming much better and more organized in doing everything.” Melissa Marshall, a freshman elementary education major, said Replant is becoming a more established part of the University, despite the misconceptions people have about the Replant committee. “Many people think we’re anti-Bonfire, but we’re not,” Marshall said. “We’re just making up for the trees cut during Bonfire.” Carlos Arguijo, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said participating in Replant is like the second stage of Bonfire and that planting trees is easier than cutting them down. “If I took down all those trees during Bonfire, I feel like it’s my responsibility to put them back,” Arguijo said. “It makes me feel good to do something for the environment.” Alspaugh said Replant might be held at Lake Somerville for the next two or three years, but the final decision will be made by park rangers. “They pretty much run (Replant), since they let us plant here and tell us where the best places to plant are,” Alspaugh said. “If it weren’t for them, Replant wouldn’t be half as big as it is.” Loomis said that in the future. Replant might be extend ed to last for several days, depending on how many trees are planted and how much help the committee receives. Dave House, The Battalion Carre Huber, a sophomore recreation, park and tourism sci ences major puts a seedling into the ground at Lake Somerville. Computer theft bites into budget >uter thieves get npus buildings by ig secret ations, climbing i ceiling tiles or bvalking through >ors. By Heather Pace The Battalion One of the most common crimes on te Texas A&M campus is the theft of computers and computer parts. Since the beginning of 1996, A&M has •ost $20,000 to computer thieves. Losses since Fall 1995 total more than $58,000. John Dinkel, associate provost for the Computing Services Center, said the stolen computers will be replaced with funds that otherwise would have been used for improvements to the A&M com puter system. Since January, computers have been stolen from the Blocker, Bright and Richardson Buildings. William Scott, a de tective with the Univer sity Police Department, said that although there have been several com- puter thefts in the last month, the num ber of incidents is not unusually high. “I don’t believe computer theft is any higher here than at other universities,” Scott said. “Computer theft comes in spurts, and right now, in the last few weeks, we have had a slight increase in the theft of computers and components.” Dinkel said he does not think comput er-related crime at A&M is increasing at an alarmingly high level. “Computer crime is about the same as it always has been, Dinkel said, “al though more memory chips have been stolen lately because they are in such short supply right now.” "I don't believe computer theft is any higher here than at other universities." — William Scott University Police Department detective The most costly computer theft oc curred in November 1995 when a $15,000 computer minitower was stolen from the Langford Architectur al Building. Scott said the thieves gained entry to the building by decoding a combination lock on the door. “When the combination isn’t changed See Computer, Page 6 CAMAC conference met with success □ Attendees said they were inspired to take on leadership roles within the Hispanic community. By Danielle Pontiff The Battalion Texas A&M’s Committee for the Awareness of Mexican-American Cul ture facilitated discussion about issues facing the Hispanic community this weekend at the ninth annual Southwest Student Conference on Latino Affairs. More than 300 delegates from col leges and high schools around Texas were on campus for the conference. Michelle Alvarado, CAMAC adviser and a student affairs graduate stu dent, said the conference provided suc cessful student interaction. “We wanted the delegates to voice their ideas and opinions on issues such as the role of women in the His panic community,” Alvarado said. “The conference has given them a chance to express themselves and hear what others think.” Paul Ramirez, a community out reach representative from the Bryan Independent School District, said the conference gave young Hispanics hope for a successful future. He said many Hispanics in high school worry they will not be successful in college. “A lot of Hispanic kids aren’t able to go to college,” Ramirez said. “For me, See CAMAC, Page 6 2 to 6.
