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year. Each applicant may apply once during
the current year of competition.
Informational Meeting Times:
Tuesday June 18 at 11am and 1pm
Wednesday June 19 at 10am and 3pm
Friday June 21 at 11am and 2pm
All Meetings Held in Bizzell Hall West room 358
FOR ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS, INFORMATIONAL
I MEETING TIMES, OR GENERAL INFORMATION, CONTACTS
STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS OFFICE
161 BIZZELL HALL WEST
(409) 845-0544
It happens when your advertise in
The Battalion
Call 845-2696
Page 2 • The Battalion • Wednesday, June 19, 1996
news
BRIEFS
A&M engineering
programs top in nation
Three Texas A&M undergraduate
engineering programs are ranked
among the top 1 0 nationally in the
Gourman Report, a qualitative
guide to higher education.
The Department of Petroleum
Engineering, the Department of
Agricultural Engineering and the
Department of Industrial Engineer
ing were recognized by the report,
with petroleum engineering ranked
1 st in the nation.
The Gourman Report rates pro
grams on the basis of 1 8 criteria,
including faculty and student qual
ifications, admission require
ments, curricular content and
computer facilities.
A&M, ETSU establish
dual-degree program
Texas A&M's Dwight Look Col
lege of Engineering has established
a new dual-degree program in engi
neering with East Texas State Uni
versity (ETSU). Students at ETSU
will be able to participate in the
program, which allows them to take
pre-professional courses in the sci
ences at ETSU before transferring to
A&M for courses in engineering.
Upon completion of the pro
gram, entailing two or three years
of work at their pirimary institu
tion and how many additional
years of engineering courses at
A&M, the students will graduate
with two degrees — a bachelor of
science in mathematics, computer
science or physics from ETSU and
a bachelor of science in engineer
ing from A&M.
A&M also has dual-degree pro
grams with Sam Houston State Uni
versity, Southwestern University,
University of St. Thomas and
Shreiner College.
70 mph limit applies to
some local FM roads
Area motorists will now be able
to utilize the 70 mph speed limit
on farm-to-market roads as well as
highways.
The speed limit changes began
in December 1995, when the 55
mph speed limit was repealed.
Kirk Barnes, Texas Department
of Transportation transportation
engineer for the Bryan district,
said not all FM roads will have a
speed increase.
"We analyzed each and every FM
road in our district," Barnes said. "As
a result, there will be some roads
posted at slightly slower speed limits
of 65 mph and 60 mph."
The 70-mph signs on most FM
roads should be posted in the com
ing weeks.
Aggies engineer winning van
The propane-fueled minivan took top honors in Canada
By Brandon Hausenfluck
The Battalion
A Chrysler minivan converted to run on
propane by Texas A&M mechanical engineering
students won the blue ribbon at the International
1996 FYopane Vehicle Challenge held in Canada.
The effort marked the first time A&M students
entered a contest to convert a vehicle from gaso
line power to propane power.
The Chrysler Corporation donated a van
through the Bossier Chrysler Dodge Jeep-Eagle
dealership in College Station. Other sponsors in
cluded the U.S. Department of Energy, Chrysler-
Canada Ltd. and Natural Resources Canada.
About 20 mechanical engineering students and
three faculty advisers went to Windsor and Toron
to from May 29 to June 4 for the competition.
The team won a cash prize of $5,000 plus a
$1,500 bonus for achieving the lowest emissions
while maintaining high performance. The conver
sion process included removing the gas tanks and
replacing them with propane tanks. Then, the
team had to make necessary changes in the engine
to allow it to run on propane.
“We basically took a 1996 Chrysler minivan and
converted it to run specifically on propane,” Chris
Vasiliotis, project leader and a mechanical engi
neering graduate, said. “This included doing
things such as replacing the stock pistons to ones
designed to work with propane.”
Dr. Make McDermott, professor of mechanical
engineering and a faculty adviser, said with a
$50,000 price tag, the project will bring notoriety
to the mechanical engineering department and
A&M students.
“This win publicizes to the automotive and al
ternative fuel industries the quality of the stu
dents and the program here at Texas A&M,” Mc
Dermott said.
The vans were tested for their performance, fuel
efficiency and the quality of their conversions. A
written report and presentation were also required
for the competition.
Donald Jay, team member and a mechanical en
gineering graduate, said alternative fuels are im
portant not only to the environment, but to the
pocketbook as well. Propane, when bought in bulk,
can cost just one-third the cost of gasoline.
“The main thing is alternative fuels burn
cleaner and cost less because they are a by-prod
uct of natural gas and can be made from crude
oil,” Jay said.
Pat James, Tnr. Bahai ion
Mike Billetdeaux sits in the International Propane
Vehicle Challenge winning van he helped convert.
FA A tightens Valujet investigation
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
Federal Aviation Administration
forced out its top safety official
Tuesday and said it would tight
en inspection rules in an at
tempt to ease public concern
about air safety as well as criti
cism of its own handling of the
ValuJet investigation.
Pledging to eliminate any
doubts about the FAA’s mission,
the Clinton administration
asked Congress to restructure
the agency to focus on “safety
and only safety.”
In the days after the May 11
crash in the Everglades, which
killed 110 people, federal trans
portation officials declared that
Valujet was safe to fly. However,
they reversed themselves Mon
day, successfully pressuring the
low-cost airline to halt operations
to improve maintenance and safe
ty practices.
Then, on Tuesday, the agency
ordered changes in rules and a
top enforcer.
“The FAA looked itself in the
mirror. It found that organiza
tional and management changes
were needed,” Transportation
Secretary Federico Pena said.
An intense probe of problems
at ValuJet revealed difficulties in
government supervision of the
new, low-price airlines that hire
contractors to do much of their
maintenance and training.
The FAA and its parent
Transportation Department
have been under pressure from
both Congress and the White
House to allay public concerns
about airline safety since the
ValuJet crash. That culminated
in a meeting Monday in which
the agency officials laid out their
plans to White House chief of
staff Leon Panetta and presiden
tial adviser George
Stephanopoulos.
FAA Administrator DavidR.
Hinson announced the retirement,
effective June 30, of Anthony J.
Broderick, associate administrator
for certification and regulation.
As the man in charge of ap
proving new airlines and air
planes for use and overseeing
their ongoing inspections, Brod
erick has become one of the most
powerful men in aviation.
“The events of the past weeks
mandate that you make major,
visible changes to improve the
public confidence in the safety of
our air transportation system,"
Broderick wrote in his letter of
resignation. “My leaving will-nro-
vide you with the maiimlrm
amount of flo-xrtrility tarmake
those changes.”
Hinson defended the FAA’s
handling of the Valujet investiga
tion. “We have to present a case
that would stand up in court. We
have done that.”
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SPEND SPRING 1997 AT SANTA CHIARA!
Attend informational meetings offered by the
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Room 358, Bizzell Hall West
Wednesday, June 19 5:00 - 5:45 pm
Friday, June 21 3:45 - 4:30 pm
Restaurant & Sports Bar
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Thursday: 25$ Draft $1.25 Pitchers
HAPPY HOUR 4-8 P.m.
NEW Lunch Menu 11-4 °S n
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Mon. - Fri. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. - 11 p.m.
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696-9777
The Battalion
Stacy Stanton, Editor in Chief
Stew Milne, Photo Editor
David Taylor, City Editor
Jason Brown, Opinion Editor
Kristina Buffin, Aggielife Editor
Jody Holley, Night News Editor
Tom Day, Sports Editor
David Winder, Radio Editor
Will Hickman, Radio Editor
Toon Boonyavanich, Graphics Editor
Staff Members
City Desk - Reporters: Christine Diamond, James Fowler, Brandon Hausenfluck, Ann
Marie Hauser, Melissa Nunnery, Amy Protas, Heather Rosenfeld, Erica Roy &
Tauma Wiggins
Aggielife Desk - Assistant Editor: Pamela Benson; Writers: Jeffrey Cranor, James Francis,
Lisa Gamertsfelder & April Towery
Sports Desk - Assistant Editor: Phil Leone; Sportswriters: Colby Caines, Ross Hecox, Ray
Hernandez & Brandon Marler
Opinion Desk - Assistant Editor: Shannon Halbrook; Columnists: David Boldt, Marcus
Goodyear, Steven Gyeszly, Michael Heinroth, Jennifer Howard, Chris Leschber,
Steven Llano, Heather Pace, Jim Pawlikowski, David Recht & Jeremy Valdez
Photo Desk - Photographers: Rony Angkriwan, Shane Elkins, Patrick James &
Gwendolyn Struve
Page Designers - News: Jody Holley; Sports: Kristina Buffin & Tom Day
Copy Editors - Brian Giesefman, shannon Halbrook & Gina Panzica
Cartoonists - Chuck Johnson & Quatro Oakley
Web Masters - Terry Butler & Chris Stevens
Office Staff - Heather Harris & Tara Wilkinson
Radio Desk - Will Hickman & David Winder
News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in
the Division of Student Publications, a unit of the Department of Journalism.
News offices are in 013 Reed McDonald Building. Newsroom phone: 845-3313; Fax: 845-2647
Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The
Battalion. For campus, local and national display advertising, call 845-2696. For
classified advertising, call 845-0569. Advertising offices are in 015 Reed McDon
ald and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 845-2678.
Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a sin
gle copy of The Battalion. Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 per school year
and $50 per full year. To charge by VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express, call
845-2611.
The Battalion (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the
fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer ses
sions (except on University holidays and exam periods), at Texas A&M University.
Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840.
Postmaster: Send address changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald Building, Texas
A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
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