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The Battalion
lume 103 • Issue 5 • 16 Pages
Friday, September 6, 1996
The Batt Online: http://bat-web.tamu.edu
nation!
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:ture
tember 7&8
adets deal with change
Freshmen in the
Corps have the
choice to run on
the Quad on
their way to
classes.
By Ann Marie Hauser
The Battalion
Students caught an un
usual sight on the Quad
rangle Thursday as many
upperclassmen in the
Corps of Cadets ran across
the Quad to demonstrate
their unhappiness with a
decision made by the
commandant.
Maj. Gen. Ted Hopgood,
commandant of the Corps,
issued a memo stating
freshmen are not required
to run while crossing the
Quad if they are on their
way to class or have at
least one book.
Hopgood said the tradi
tion conflicts with the
Corps’ top priority —
grades.
“I want to send a mes
sage loud and clear that
academic achievement is
the top priority of the
Corps of Cadets,” Hop-
good said.
“I want to cut that out
because it cuts into their
academic endeavors.”
Hopgood also ended
the "cutting the Quad” tra
dition, meaning freshmen
can now take shortcuts
when leaving the quad.
Previously, freshmen
cadets were required to
leave through the arches
on the Quad’s north side.
“Having to walk a cer
tain way cuts into time ef
ficiency when we are try
ing to teach time manage
ment,” Hopgood said.
Kyle Sparkman, Corps
public relations sergeant
and a junior biomedical
science major, said cadets
ran the Quad Thursday to
show their disapproval,
not their insubordination,
to the commandant.
“Officially, there is no
protest,” he said. “Upper
classmen are running on
their own free will. But we are
obliged to be fully in support
of the commandant.”
Some cadets feel the
change takes away from
the organization’s unique
ness and makes it too easy
for the freshmen.
Kenny Robertson, a se
nior mechanical engineer
ing major, said the
freshmen will miss out on
chances to meet upper
classmen.
“They lose the opportu
nity to whip out (intro
duce. themselves to
upperclassmen), which
builds their confidence
and makes them more
outgoing,” Robertson said.
“It sets us apart from
someone that just wears a
uniform to class.”
Not all upperclassmen
participated in showing
their opposition.
Matt Hauck, a senior
geography major, said he
does not feel the running
was the best way to handle
the situation.
“There’s a professional
way of doing things and an
unprofessional way of doing
things,” Hauck said. “In a
military organization, you
follow orders whether you
agree with them or not.”
Steve Foster, Corps com
mander and a senior politi
cal science major, explained
the conflict with a quote by
British officer, Capt. Sir Basil
Liddell Hart: "The only thing
harder than getting a new
idea into the military mind
is to get an old one out.”
Foster emphasized that
change is one of the hard
est things to manage.
Col. Donald Johnson,
deputy commandant, said
running the Quad is new
to the Corps.
“I never ran the Quad,”
Johnson said. “It doesn’t
contribute a great deal to
the development of leader
ship abilities and grades.”
Although the freshmen
are no longer required to
run the Quad, many still
want to impress their up
perclassmen by doing so.
Daniel Price, a fresh
man political science ma
jor, said he plans on
continuing the tradition.
“I came to A&M for all
of the traditions and to be
in the Corps of Cadets,”
Price said. “Running the
Quad is all part of it.”
Stew Milne, The Battalion
Squadron 5 senior Brighten Miller, a computer science major, runs on the Quad in his
senior boots.
:oMBpesignate a Bus Transit
ibo includes
g, French Fr|
im drink
ns this weekend
By Brandon Hausenfluck
tember 7&8 ■ The BATTALION
atthew Kenyon saw a
am come true Thursday,
ribbon-cutting ceremo-
icked off the Designate a
|f Transit shuttle bus pro-
m designed to keep
mken drivers from en-
Bigering other drivers on
■mn-College Station
itiets and provide night-
inic public transportation.
Kenyon, defensive driving
■tructor and a senior bio-
■dical science major, creat-
id DAB because
wan-College Station lacks
■evening public transporta-
fcn system, encouraging
®ple to drive after drinking.
■DAB, Kenyon said, will
Hsuccessful if people de-
ide to use it.
I‘We want people to know
I running so they will use
I’ Kenyon said. “We’ve
diked very hard on this
p all we need is for people
ive it a chance.”
Brazos Transit will supply
OFF
uit drink.
EOF
OPICS
:ember7 &8
OFF
latted
calligraphy.
S TRUN
ember? &8
he Battalion
TODAY
95
Music Biz
Svo A&M student
Entrepreneurs start
buses, which run Thursday,
Friday and Saturday nights
from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.
A fleet of eight to 10 buses
will run on a designated
route with several feeder
routes servicing locations
not on the main route. The
buses will service popular
Bryan-College Station night
spots including Hollywood
USA movie theater, North-
gate, The Tap, Hurricane
Harry's, Carney's Pub, down
town Bryan and others.
DAB has received support
from bar owners and their
employees.
Willie Bennett, manager
of the 3rd Floor Cantina and
Dixie Theatre in Bryan, said
DAB is a good idea and peo
ple should use it.
“I think it (DAB) is going
to be an immediate suc
cess,” Bennett said. “He’s
(Kenyon) going to be direct
ly responsible for saving
See Bus, Page 10
Czelusta ready for
last year at A&M
By Carla Renea Marsh
The Battalion
With excitement and bit
tersweet anticipation, Jesse
Czelusta approaches his final
year at Texas A&M and kicks
off his term as Residence Hall
Association president.
Most seniors look for
ward to graduating and
starting a new journey away
from college, but Czelusta, a
senior agricultural econom
ics major, sees his May grad
uation date as a closing door
to a lifetime of memories.
A&M, Czelusta said, has
given him the opportunity to
grow as a person and learn
about the “other education.”
Besides academics,
Czelusta said getting in
volved in different organiza
tions and community
services provides a training
ground for the future.
“I encourage every stu
dent to get involved — it’s
worthwhile,” Czelusta said.
Czelusta has been a resi
dent assistant, a Northside
senator and has served on
Residence Hall Council.
When asked how he han
dles classes and extracurric
ular activities, Czelusta said
it’s like combining a 15-hour
course load with a 40-hour
per week job.
Service projects are his
primary interests as RHA
president. He kicked off the
fall semester with A&M’s
first Welcome Bash, which
was a chance for students to
learn more about RHA and
its service projects.
He is also planning .a
Campus Crimestoppers pro
gram, a crime tip hotline
that will work with the local
Crimestoppers program.
RHA will also start a des
ignated bus program that
will provide bus transporta
tion throughout Bryan-Col-
lege Station and will be
See Czelusta, Page 10
System expands
TAMU
By Kendra S. Rasmussen
The Battalion
Three academic institu
tions joined the Texas A&M
University System Saturday,
expanding the System to in
clude 10 schools.
The state Legislature ap
proved the merger with the
Baylor College of Dentistry
and East Texas State Uni
versity, which has campus
es in Commerce and
Texarkana, Texas.
The two ETSU campuses
split into two separate uni
versities and will be known
as Texas A&M University-
Commerce and Texas A&M
University-Texarkana.
BCD will take the A&M
name but will retain its orig
inal name as well. The
school will officially be
known as The Texas A&M
University System Baylor
College of Dentistry.
Dr. Barry Thompson, Sys
tem chancellor, said the
merger benefits the A&M
System, the state of Texas and
the acquired institutions.
The System will experi
ence both economic and
political gains, he said.
Economies of scale,
Thompson said, lessen the
growing System’s expenses.
The System’s size also in
creases its purchasing power.
Thompson said all 31 state
senators and 150 members of
the House of Representatives
are assigned to represent a
“When they are
all together
under the A&M
System, it gives
us a political
strength. ”
Dr. Barry Thompson
System chancellor
university. When an institu
tion merges with the A&M
System, that university’s leg
islative representatives come
with it.
“When they are all to
gether under the A&M Sys
tem, it gives us a political
strength,” he said.
The merger, Thompson
said, serves the state by ex
panding A&M’s outreach,
which expands into every
county in the state.
“[The merger] allows us
to serve public schools all
over Texas in a better way,”
he said.
Thompson said students
at all of the System’s schools
will benefit from the joint
programs being developed.
Kathy Harris, communi
cations specialist for the
System, said the acquisi
tion of the dental school
rounds out A&M’s health
care program.
“Baylor College of Den
tistry offers A&M a top-rated
dental school, which it did
not have before,” she said.
Stephen LaDuque, Class
of ’92 and a fourth-year BCD
student, said the schools
will offer the System many
advantages.
"I think the System bene
fits because it is building it
self as an all-encompassing
educational complex,” he
said. "Baylor College of Den
tistry has a very good name
in the dental community.
The acquisition of it for
A&M really furthers the
credibility of A&M.”
Not only will the merger
strengthen the System,
LaDuque said, but BCD will
benefit as well.
“A&M has a huge influx
of research dollars,” he
said. “[BCD] sought the
merger because it wanted
to secure the future of the
dental school for the next
100 years.”
LaDuque expects the
merger to yield upgraded fa
cilities and more state-of-
the-art equipment for the
dental school.
But it’s not just the mon
ey that will improve the
school, LaDuque said.
“[The merger] will give the
dental school more clout in
the state Legislature,” he said.
LaDuque and his fellow
dental school Aggies are ex
cited about their degrees
coming from A&M.
“We think it is even that
much more of an asset,” he
said. “We feel that A&M
adds clout to the Baylor Col
lege of Dentistry.”
New educational pro
grams are being planned for
the new institutions.
Sterlin McGruder,
See System, Page 10
Gaston oversees
campus services
/
Pat James, The Battalion
Jesse Czelusta, RHA presi
dent, is focusing on service
projects?
■UHNIINMBMMHHnNHHHBIVIMni
Tim Moog, The Battalion
Dr. Jerry Gaston, vice presi
dent for administration, works
with many departments.
By Erica Roy
The Battalion
You may not know who
Dr. Jerry Gaston is, but
chances are you’re familiar
with a lot of what he does.
As vice president for ad
ministration, Gaston is re
sponsible for such services
as airport operations, Re
search Park, Parking, Tran
sit and Traffic Services, and
the University Police De
partment, as well as many
others. Gaston also over
sees facility planning on
campus.
“I assist (the directors of
such departments) in carry
ing out their individual mis
sions, which are quite
varied,” Gaston said. “It’s
that variety which makes
this division so enjoyable.
“The program we are
working on is to help the di
rectors establish an efficient
and well-functioning depart
ment that will have service as
its No.l goal every day.”
Gaston is a native Texan,
but had been away from
Texas for 16 years when the
opportunity arose to come
to A&M.
“I welcomed the oppor
tunity to come back to Texas
because during those years
my family and I had decided
we’d really like to be in Texas
for the future,” Gaston said.
Gaston arrived at A&M
from Southern Illinois Uni
versity in 1981 as a sociology
professor and later served as
a department head.
Gaston served as an exec
utive associate provost from
1986 to 1994. He then took
the position of interim vice
president for finance and
administration.
Bob Wiatt, director of the
University Police Depart
ment, said the relationship
between Gaston and the
UPD is positive, and Gaston
See Gaston, Page 10