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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 1996)
rch 21,1996 n § Page 1 if I’m a little end of the till clear the ut sometimes , I can write lonth without only student es checks to round town, os County at- ce prosecutes ake payments bounced, in Bryan-Col- ar a student’s days. If there ids, the mer- ident 10 days lem. After 10 ues a 48-hour ,hat although /er reach the dess spending I. to get the per- le small check e — everyone 2e in a while," lave to target le courtesy no- 1 never make in College Sta- way through l bad checks, ercentage, but tudents should >sely bouncing lot a prank. ■ there is a new d every semes- ight. Students college careers the welfare of ,hat if students to the arrest issued, it be- criminal theft, ; from shoplift ing hot checks S500 is punish- p to $2,000, six >oth. as n Page 2 pment. technology as a nd train people ties can prosper learn the skills >t said. include math- g, English as a ; and, possibly, diplomas, i demonstration it up in Progres- Irande Valley, t Bend County Spring View ner-city San An- )allas County, break, A&M lat ent to the sites he equipment, •grams that will ne. a cultural liai- o, said the ann ually vocal, era- Open Season Johnny Hunter preys on pitching SPORTS, PAGE 5 Valdez: Genetic research could complicate the issue of abortion OPINION, PAGE 7 A&M club works on solar-powered car AGGIELIFE, PAGE 3 , The Battalion M. 102, No. 114 (8 pages) Serving Texas A&M Uttiversity Since 1893 Friday • March 22, 1996 Chancellor decides against GUF increase !ylara Wilkinson The Battalion Dr. Barry Thompson, Texas i&M University System chan- tellor, announced Thursday that ike General Use Fee will not be increased for the academic year 1996-97 as proposed by Dr. Ray Bowen, A&M president. Bee related EDITORIAL, Page 7 Bowen had been planning to [resent his proposed increase of 18 per credit hour in the GUF at the March 22 Texas A&M University System Board of Re- jents meeting, but Thompson removed the item from the agenda. Thompson said removing the proposal from the agenda — in effect, deciding against the in crease the fee — was solely his decision. He said it was not necessary for Bowen to present his pro posal at the Board meeting be cause Thompson and most of the Regents had already re searched the proposal and A&M’s financial situation re garding the GUF. “At the present time, there’s not a compelling case to raise fees,” he said. In a press release, Thompson said affordability of education was his primary reason for deciding against the GUF increase. “At the heart of this decision is our responsibility as a land- grant institution to provide af fordable higher education for the citizens of Texas,” he said. If approved, the additional increase of $8 per credit hour would have raised the GUF to the maximum $32 per credit hour allowed by state law. The GUF was increased $8 per semester credit hour for Fall 1995 and an additional $4 per credit hour for Spring 1996. Bowen’s most recent fee increase proposal would have resulted in a 176-per cent increase in the GUF in a two-year period. Bowen would not comment on Thompson’s decision, but Jim Ashlock, director of Uni versity Relations, said the pres ident’s office had been aware the chancellor was hesitant about the proposal. “We didn’t anticipate he would do this on the eve of the meeting, but we had been aware there were some reserva tions at the chancellor’s office,” Ashlock said. “So it was not an overriding shock.” Ashlock said though the Uni versity plans to reanalyze its fi nancial resources, he has no idea if Bowen will propose the GUF again next year. Thompson said that if Bowen does repropose the increase for academic year 1997-98, he can not yet predict whether he would support it. “It’s kind of like when you’re umpiring a baseball game and it’s ball four,” Thompson said. “Next time, it might be strike three.” Thompson added that he and Bowen have maintained com munication about decisions re lated to the GUF proposal. “I respect his advocacy for the University,” Thompson said. Toby Boenig, student body president, said he is pleased with Thompson’s decision be cause it reflects the opinion of the study body, as demonstrat ed by the Student Senate’s March 6 stance against the pro posed increase. “I think the Student Senate’s unanimous vote against the in crease in the General Use Fee was a major factor in Dr. Thompson’s decision — he heard the students.” But Thompson said that as chancellor he is somewhat re moved from student opinion and that his decision was not influenced by criticism of the proposal. Fish Aides receive verdict, not guilty By Wes Swift The Battalion The Texas A&M Student Or- janizations Hearing Board found the Fish Aides not guilty of haz ing in the kidnapping of Student Body President Toby Boenig, saying the incident did not meet the definition of hazing. Bee related EDITORIAL, Page 7 I Fish Aides, freshmen Stu dent Government assistants, learned of the decision Thurs day after receiving written noti fication from the Board. The hearing was held Tuesday. Kristen Paris, Student Gov ernment freshmen programs co- chair and a sophomore biomed- bl science major, said the orga- tization was excited by the Board’s decision. “(The hearing) has been a learning process,” Paris said. ‘The Board made some recom mendations, and we intend to make some changes so that this »illnot happen again.” Paris said Fish Aides will have a educational workshop about hazing in the fall to ensure that members know what acts violate the policy. The Board said the organiza tion did not haze Boenig when they kidnapped him on Feb. 20 in honor of Presidents Day and his birthday because the incident did not fill one of the criterion man dated by state and University reg ulations. Those regulations define haz ing as any incident that physi cally or mentally endangers an other student “... for the purpose of initiation, admission into, af filiation with, or as a condition for continued membership in a group of organization.” The Board decided that since Boenig could not be inducted into the group because is was not a freshman, he could not have been hazed. Jason Jaynes, Student Gov ernment freshmen programs co chair and a sophomore computer science major, said Fish Aides will reap benefits beyond the not guilty decision. “I think that what will come of this is a better understanding of the hazing law as the Univer sity applies it to each and every organization,” Jaynes said. The decision ends a month long controversy that began after Boenig was kidnapped by six Fish Aides, bound in plastic handcuffs and taken to Texas Avenue and George Bush Drive, where the freshmen watched him as he wore a sign that read See Fish Aids, Page 2 Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS Ray H. Kamps, a wildlife and fisheries sciences graduate student, is feeding new-born brine shrimp to his cleaner shrimp in his laboratory Thursday morning. He keeps the shrimp as a hobby. ke a back seat to - e very active in as far as statinj Leeds and wanti r their children,' outreach coordi- iunity Net, sail will have gainfl ;hem to continue net after the 18' is ended, ty’s other simih' four Texas colo >n Park nest •gresso, El Genii 1 ' nd Monta VisW tablish centers in rder towns wit! ch literacy, nutri irvival skills. 3 project, which 270,000 people- with funds fro® islature and th* of Architecture 5 ising and Urban . The progra® eight colonia 5 construction associate dire# 1 Urban Develop community cef ed to meet i ealth care to language, me in and force; i their throat e find out whs 1 d the colonias as mntry in Texa 5 rvices that see®) as running wait' 2wage, are rare, ias suffer fi ial and phys# said, “so bringid can bring inti* in the grad game A&M agricultural engineering graduate program top in nation By Lisa Johnson The Battalion In a study published last week, U.S. News and World Re port ranked Texas A&M’s agri cultural engineering graduate program first in the nation. Dr. Don Bender, a professor and graduate program coordina tor of the agricultural engineer ing department, said the rank ing is consistent with its perfor mance in past U.S. News and World Report surveys. He said, “There are approxi mately 50 schools with a gradu ate program in agricultural engi neering, and in previous rank ings we have been second behind Cornell University, so moving ahead is certainly something to be proud of.” Despite the performance of the agricultural engineering de partment, the survey ranked the engineering graduate program as a whole below the University of Texas. However, Bender said the 17th place ranking of the engi neering graduate program should make the University proud. John Dollard, the associate bean of graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, agreed with Bender, and said the difference in rankings could come have resulted from no more than a difference of opinion. “To an extent, these surveys are a matter of the opinions of the people polled,” he said. “Both schools have a scientific drive, but each has its own spe cialty. A&M is very agricultur al in nature, whereas we are much more electrically and computer oriented.” In the rankings of business graduate programs, A&M was ranked 50th in the nation. Dr. Win Shearon, director of the MBA program and professor of accounting, said he is excited to be ranked in the top 50 in the nation and is working to keep and improve that ranking. “In the past few years, dra matic revamping has been done in the MBA department, and it is just beginning to pay off for us,” he said. ‘We are working to improve curriculum, recruit ment of students and placement of graduates, and hopefully raise our standing in the rankings, but it’s not going to be easy.” In one of its efforts to im prove, the program has created the position of MBA placement officer. The placement officer’s duty is to encourage large na tional corporations to recruit graduates of the MBA program. Shearon said that the ranking is exceptional in view of the youth of A&M’s business school. He said, “The school here is relatively young, approximately 25 years old, where as the UT program is over 50 years old and has been considered exceptional for a very long time.” Dr. Linda Parrish, associate dean of graduate studies in edu cation, said the College of Educa tion’s graduate program, ranked 43 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, is worthy of its reputation despite its youth. “When they do this survey, they rank over 200 schools,” she said. “We are very proud to be ranked in the top quarter of all the programs in the country, and we expect to be ranked high er in the future.” Parrish attributed the to- quarter ranking of the graduate education program to the pro grams’ high placement rates and diversity of curriculum. The U.S. News and World Re port survey assigned schools a ranking on a scale of 100. Score were based on rankings of the schools programs by academic experts and members of the pro gram’s respective work forces, as well as rates of graduate place ment in jobs. Some rankings Eire also based on the amount of money spent on research and training, as well as students’ average scores on the program entrance tests. System admissions delayed Universities, colleges have been told to review policies By Lily Aguilar The Battalion Dr. Barry Thompson, Texas A&M University System chan cellor, has suspended Universi ty System admissions and scholarships for the next 10 days in the wake of a decision made by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Monday. The court opinion in Hop- wood, et al vs.State of Texas, et al states that affirmative action policies based on ethnic back ground are not constitutional, forcing 35 Texas universities and colleges to review their schools’ administration and scholarship policies. The decision, which involved students who were denied en trance into the University of Texas Law School, caused the University of Texas to shut down its admissions office Wednesday. Dr. Ray Bowen, A&M presi dent, said A&M admissions said the court decision could set the University back in its re cruiting efforts because it will change requirements. “We aggressively recruit all qualified students,” Bowen said. “It is troublesome because we think we have made great success recruiting qualified students.” Bowen said ethnicity is only one of many factors considered for admission into the University. He said the University will decide during the next two weeks what changes will be made to admission policies, and in the meantime, no more scholarships will be awarded by the University. “Until we fully understand See Admissions, Page 2 Bill focuses on voter turnout Few Yell Leaders have ever received a majority of the votes By Lily Aguilar The Battalion Students can vote on a referen dum to create run-off elections for 1997 Yell Leaders during March 27 and 28 student body elections. See related EDITORIAL, Page 7 Elliot Kerlin, a business sena tor and junior finance and ac counting major, said he co-au- thored the Yell Leader Proce dures Bill because he wanted the Yell Leaders to be more represen tative of the student body. He said the current system al lows only the candidates that re ceive a majority of the popular vote to be elected. Few Yell Lead ers ever receive a majority vote, earning more than 50 percent of the student body vote. “This is important to the stu dents because Yell Leaders are representatives and are well- known to the student body,” Kerlin said. “All the major of fices for Student Government, Residence Hall Association and other organizations have run off elections, so winners receive a majority of votes.” Kerlin said the bill was not created to interfere with Corps Bloc, Greek organizations or non- reg voting. He said it will only narrow the election field down to the best candidates. “We are doing this in the best interest of the student body both immediately and in the long run,” Kerlin said. “This is not intended to be biased toward any group. It is purely for student interest.” He said the bill is intended to increase voter turnout for other run-off elections as well, because students will be more likely to vote in run-off elections that in volve Yell Leaders. See Voting, Page 2
