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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1996)
September 25 ( f amps were installs ; who have proble: inti out ofbuikM ilty studentsshoil is they are alladq better. Remembt: d to use that rad Put yourself in fe .’s shoes. I hopeflj he good work. Wendy Lh ' CteJ The Battalion ume 103 • Issue 19 • 18 Pages Thursday, September 26, 1996 The Batt Online: http://bat-web.tamu.edu prmer employee Pleased on bond ilion encourages letei s must be 300 wort! nj the author's name, a* er. on editor reserves for length, style, and s be submitted in pets" aid with a valid stuorj j be mailed to: i Battalion ■ Mall Cal 13 Reed McDonald xas A&M University ax: (409) 845-2647 B<i tt ® tamvmltam,.K tils on letter policy, p(& d direct yourquesfat: I Brandon Hausenfluck The Battalion Kormer employee of Texas I surrendered to the Universi- llice Department Wednesday [llegedly embezzling over from the Center for Con- Doiiege station,rx Btjon Education in the Depart- 77843-1111 | of Civil Engineering campus Maiitjuii je offense is a third-degree [y punishable by two to ten in prison and a $10,000 fine, nthia J. McNeill, 36, of Col- Station, admitted taking ral checks instead of do ing them in a bank account he Center. Allegedly, she put the checks into ac ts she had opened under Center’s name with she as uthorized signatory, jring a routine audit, Son- feyer, a Texas A&M Univer- lystem auditor, found a dis- ancy in the Center’s dal records. On August 15, notified University police use she had discovered a ible embezzlement, eyer was unavailable for ment. An investigation of McNeill’s bank records indicates she de posited two checks into her checking account in December 1994, and one in April 1995. Three checks were also deposited into a savings account — one in June 1995 and two in September 1995. The sum of the checks is about $30,500. Detective/Sgt. Jim Lindholm of UPD made the arrest and took a signed oral statement from McNeill, in which she ad mitted to depositing the checks into her accounts. Lindholm said the case is still being investigated. “As of right now, the investiga tion is still underway,” Lindholm said. “We have confirmed the $30,000, but we’re looking to make sure no additional moneys have been taken.” McNeill was released on $5,000 bond set by Justice of the Peace Carolyn Hensarling. Dr. Walter Moore, director of the Center for Construction Ed ucation and a professor of civil See Employee, Page 8 Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Corner |0OCketl ^ stewart Loftis, a fifth year English major, plays pool at the MSC Wednesday afternoon during his lunch break. He plays pool at least three times a week. r o graduate, or not to graduate Other education’ delays graduation By Wesley Poston The Battalion Only about one-fourth of the ' Texas Aggie Class of 1994 ac- ally graduated that year. By 1995, otal of 58 percent graduated. Don Carter, Texas A&M registrar, id non-academic activities are the ison students are here longer than traditional four years.. A large percentage of students rk,” he said. “And many of them involved in ‘the other education,’ which is important.” Students take lighter course loads, Carter said, because of their extra activities. The average student takes between 13 and 14 hours each semester. But many degree plans re quire students to take heavier course loads to graduate in four years. Carter said a greater focus on grade- point ratio also keeps students from taking heavy course loads. “There’s more concentration on the classes they’re taking,” Carter- said. Sallie Sheppard, the associate provost for undergraduate programs and academic services, said work and activities often hinder ‘on time’ graduation. “A lot of students are involved,” she said. “They’re enjoying experi encing leadership development in their organizations.” Carter said the pre-med and ath letic programs are also responsible for some delays in graduation. Many pre-med students spend three years in professional school, one year in medical school, and then to finish their degree, he said. Some athletes sign professional contracts without finishing their degrees, but later return to earn their bachelor’s. Vanessa English, a senior secre tary for the undergraduate programs office in the college of business ad ministration, said some of the de gree programs make an extra year necessary. See Undergraduate, Page 8 A&M athletes graduate at higher rate than average By Marissa Alanis The Battalion Texas A&M’s athlete gradua tion rate surpassed the Nation al Collegiate Athletic Associa tion’s graduation average by 4.5 percentage points. Wally Groff, A&M athletic director, said he is glad to be above the NCAA average but he would still like to see the graduation rate climb. A&M’s athlete graduation rate is above the NCAA’s aver age of 53.5 percent, but the overall graduation rate for A&M students is 68 percent. “Our goal is to equal or beat the graduation rate of the A&M student body,” Groff said. In contrast to the men’s ath lete graduation rate of 52 per cent, the women athletes had a higher rate of 68 percent. Lynn Hickey, A&M senior associate athletic director, said several factors con tribute to the higher gradua tion rate among female stu dent athletes. In particular, Hickey said, women grow up with pressure to academically excel. The fourth annual NCAA re port compiled information on athletes who enrolled as fresh men at institutions in Fall 1989. The NCAA obtains its graduation percentage by calculating the number of freshmen who entered col lege and earned a degree within six years. A school’s athlete gradua tion rate is lowered by col lege athletes who opt for professional careers before receiving a degree. See Athletes, Page 8 Regents amend renovation plans By Melissa Nunnery The Battalion Admission standards for the 1997-1998 school year will be adopted in a session that starts today by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The Board will hear recommendations re garding admission standards and enrollment management plans today and Friday at a session in the Memorial Student Center. Terri Parker, director of communications for the System, said the recommendations pertain to policy revisions in the Board’s pol icy manual. “The change is that enrollment manage ment plans and admission standards would be submitted to the Board for approval in stead of just information,” Parker said. Regents are also expected to grant autho rization to enter into a settlement agreement with Tenneco Power Generation Co. The Board originally set a settlement deadline of Oct. 1 at its July meeting. But the new agree ment would extend the deadline to Nov. 30. The Board will also vote for the approval of $2 million from the Permanent University Fund for classroom renovations on the Col lege Station campus. The University has already budgeted $650,000 from the general use fee for renova tions, and administrators anticipate the fee will generate another $425,000. Parker said the Board will also hear re ports on campus activities from A&M stu dents and A&M President Ray Bowen. In other business, the Board is expected to: •Grant academic tenure to two A&M pro fessors. •Hear recommendations for naming the College of Business Administration and the Graduate School of Business for L. Lowry Mays, Class of ’57, who pledged a $15 million endowment to A&M. trcjer Mttieel, kangmum (stard & mayo, lew?] •kies, and red onion ir choice of white, or ’e wheat, bun, ice of tea, softdrithA tic Draft &jymhp > j Jn, a rock band ■arge groups uitW . w™,,D«> lAustm - tells all Shuffleboardq t its style and e Battalion ODAY )h it out Foosball 2SS. Aggielife, Page 3 e Opening Oth-rankedA&M v'ball Team swept ATIONS llexas in three vay Square fes in Big 12 opener. ,D 9 rtoe St Sports, Page 13 ve., Bryan * l,iHlll(l 11 " peri n| ugh work FREE FREE fents too bu y e bag of chips ^ ting to focUS OH ics at regular , , . . ol due to rising per visit. Dunts. Expires 12/31 to costs. Opinion, Page 17 Car chase concludes with capture Morales stresses diversity, opposes Affirmative Action By Brent Montgomery Special to The Battalion A carjacking Wednesday morning left an A&M stu dent with a few minor in juries, a suspect in jail and two damaged College Sta tion Police cars. Timothy David Cooper, a 20-year-old Bryan resident, has been arrested and charged in the carjacking. Mandy Lewis, a sopho more animal science major, said she had just gotten into her 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser in the Post Oak Mall parking lot when a man approached her and tried to enter her car. Lewis said the car door was open and her first reac tion was not to let him in. “At first I didn’t see the knife and said ‘no,’” she said. “And then he showed it (the knife) to me. So I got over.” Lewis said the intruder forced her into the passen ger’s seat. The perpetrator then asked for instructions on how to drive the standard-trans mission vehicle, Lewis said. “He kept asking me how to work it (the vehicle),” she said. “I just said ‘OK, that’s first, second, third.’” She said the carjacker asked her for directions to Bryan, so she assumed he was not familiar with the area and decided to mislead him. Lewis said she told him to go straight down Holleman Road. Her intent was to lead him by Vikings Apartments at 1500 Holleman, she said. “I know the people in the office, so I just made him come straight here,” she said. After driving for several miles, Lewis jumped out of the moving vehicle. “I jumped out when he was trying to slow down, coming around the corner,” she said. She escaped with a few minor cuts and scratches to her face, arms and legs. Lt. Scott McCollum of the College Station Police De partment, said the perpetra tor then led several of their vehicles on a chase through College Station and the Texas A&M campus. The police said they caught up with the driver at the 2400 block of Texas Avenue. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Cooper allegedly fled north on Texas Avenue and then crossed over and drove against traffic. After cutting through a parking lot at the corner of George Bush Drive and Texas Avenue, the suspect allegedly drove through the A&M cam pus on Bizzell Street, McCol lum said. After leaving the A&M campus, Cooper allegedly drove straight for a motorcy cle officer. The officer, believ ing his life was in danger, fired shots at the carjacker. McCollum said officers were able to corner the ve hicle in a vacant parking lot, but the suspect escaped in the car. The suspect was appre hended on Villa Maria Road, police say, after an officer shot out one of the vehicle’s tires. By Carla Renea Marsh The Battalion Poor weather conditions did not stop community Pat James, The Battalion Dan Morales spoke to a crowd at the Grove. members and Texas A&M students from gathering at the Grove to hear Attorney Geheral Dan Morales ad dress affirmative action Wednesday night. As a guest speaker for the Aggie Democrats, Morales was invited to speak on current political issues from a democratic standpoint. But Morales said he is op posed to affirmative action. “On a personal basis, I support diversity and in clusion, but I oppose gov ernment-enforced discrim ination,” Morales said. “An individual ought to be evaluated on individual merit. Schools should look at subjective factors. It’s unfair to set higher stan dards for one group and lower standards for anoth er group.” Rosalind Winn, a junior English major, said affir mative action is not a quo ta, it is an effort to make things fair. “Affirmative action is about opportunities,” Winn said. “It’s a chance to give the same things to people that others are given.” The Aggie Democrats of ficers provided the crowd with information on mem bership, dues and voting be fore Morales arrived. Kristina Perez, president of Aggie Democrats and an educational psychology graduate student, said the purpose of Aggie Democ rats is to promote the De mocratic Party and en courage citizens to vote. Visitors were offered campaign buttons, T-shirts, fliers, voter registration cards and refreshments. See Morales, Page 8