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The Battalion
olume 103 • Issue 77 • 10 Pages
The Batt Online: Bat-web.tamu.edu
Thursday, January 23, 1997
fell Leader Runoffs
board to hear case for referendum
By Melissa Nunnery
The Battalion
A concerned student will peti-
nthe Student Government Asso-
aer.Thekneeltion Judiciary Board to clear up
bothering^ econfusion surrounding last se-
ester’s referendum on yell leader
n-off elections.
Last spring, the Student Senate
ked the student body to vote on yell
ider run-off elections in a referen-
im. The referendum passed, but
to the tableie Student Senate rejected consid-
Jn’t know if
play him. As
ie was needs:
because of
iblemswith
iroud papa
he brings to
Ige. VVhathe
s a guy who
one else bett
iard, that's
est gameofi
s. He tallied a
ists and thro
th three re-
ustle plays
a stick at. His
ing the referendum last semester.
Chris Williams, a senior political
ience and speech communication
major, said he feels his Student Gov
ernment failed to do something it
committed to do when it tabled dis
cussions concerning the referendum.
Williams, also MSG president,
emphasized that he is not acting
as,a member of Student Govern
ment or the MSC, just as a con
cerned student.
“I want students to know if they
think Student Government has
done something it shouldn’t or has
n’t done something it should... they
have the right and the responsibili
ty to go to the j-board,” Williams
said. “That’s why it’s there.”
Williams said whether he supports
yell-leader runoffs
is irrelevant. He
said he just wants
to make sure that
when students
raise their voices,
they are heard.
Kevin Jordan,
a finance gradu
ate student and
member of the j- Williams
board, said
Williams’ petition is a question of the
Student Government Association
constitution’s stand on referendums.
“If the j-board rules it [the refer
endum] was binding, then the [Stu
dent Government] executive
branch will implement that [yell
leader runoffs],” Jordan said.
Another group of students has
started a petition regarding yell
leader run-off elections. The stu
dents will attempt to get the signa
tures of 10 percent of the student
body to ensure there will be yell
leader runoffs in the next election.
If the petition gets the required
number of signatures, it would
force a referendum that, if passed,
would not need Student Senate ap
proval to be implemented.
Jesse Czelusta, Residence Hall Asso
ciation president and a senior agricul
tural economics major, is helping to
promote the petition. He said yell-leader
runoffs should be given a chance.
“First and foremost we want to
represent the student body,” Czelus
ta said. “ [There were] 6,300 students
who thought they were, giving the Stu
dent Government Association a man
date [with the referendum], and they
found out it was just an opinion.”
Eliot Kerlin, student service chair
and a senior finance major, said he
hopes the j-board will act on
Williams’ petition.
“There’s not much other alter
native than to organize a petition
drive,” Kerlin said.
“ [We want to] make it clear this
isn’t Student Government or Stu
dent Senate covering their tracks.
We’re just concerned students.”
Matt Mayfield, Student Govern
ment executive vice president and
a senior animal science major, said
students should know all the facts
before they sign the petition.
“I urge them [students] not to
sign flippantly,” Mayfield said.
“Take time to read it and know
what’s going on. I’m not saying sign
it or don’t sign it, just know what
you’re signing.”
See Referendum, Page 6
ive-legged frogs baffle
esearchers, scientists
o spend
lership'stigtii-
shards oftliai
lust alongside
tion for losing,
season when
st.
hat title was;
and $38 mil-
lad hoped to
vroll around.
fid
S Stew Milne, The Battalion
A researcher examines a five-legged frog that was found near College Station.
Durchaselhe leg is attached at the knee joint of the hind leg.
j want. I
I
Professional Organizations
By Kathleen Strickland
The Battalion
On September 21, 1996, three chil
dren playing near a pond in Burleson
County, 20 miles from College Station,
found a frog laying oji a dirt path.
Upon closer inspection, they realized
the frog was deformed, possessing an
extra back leg protruding from a knee.
The frog was taken to Texas A&M Uni
versity for scientific research.
The discovery could be linked to
a series of discoveries of deformed
frogs in the northern region, from
South Dakota to Quebec. Vast num
bers of ponds have been found to
contain these abnormal frogs, par
ticularly in the Minnesota area,
raising concern with residents, sci
entists and the Environmental Pro
tection Agency. Scientists nation
wide have been puzzled by this
new phenomenon.
However, as some Texas A&M re
searchers well know, this phenome
non is not as new as it seems.
See Frogs, Page 6
Groups help guide careers
Laura Oliveira
The Battalion
Nationwide professional black orga-
izations at Texas A&M University help
S udents become familiar with their
losen fields of work,
f lemia Midget, former president of
-jjational Association of Black Journal-
Its and a senior journalism major, said
Thur. at | cus * n g on specific professions pre-
enter. Only {f res members for the work force.
11 “It is important for any student to
• • • ■ larticipate in their specialized career,”
do lie said. “It helps African-American
& Wed. oijjudents to seek out jobs and scholar-
ireatprice, |hips that may not be available to them
pierwise.”
The association is the largest African-
uerican media organization in the coun-
r . The group strives to strengthen ties
th black journalism students, helps
onsor activities to enhance the perfor-
friance and effectiveness of its members,
■ jm lid expands coverage of African Ameri-
RjB ans in a balanced manner.
Midget said the organization urges
lembers to involve themselves in jour-
ialistic activities on campus.
"It also encourages students in jour-
alism to participate in the radio, The
Battalion and The Aggieland,” she said.
ervicei H’his will help develop good commu-
iication skills, which will help them
Ihen they enter into the work force.”
^ I The National Society of Black En-
fifrican-fimerkan
aIwi
e classes
&Thurs. d
iss session*
II
TEXAS A&M,
gineers is the largest student-run or
ganization in the country. The
group’s symbol is a torch, which
symbolizes its everlasting burning
desire to achieve success in a com
petitive society and to affect change
in the quality of life of all people.
The organization is strongly in
volved in high school tutoring and
community activities.
Pierre Catala, adviser for the society
and an engineering technology profes
sor, said he would like to see more stu
dents get involved in the group.
“Although we would like more
African-American students to get in
volved, there are still many members,”
he said. “It looks very encouraging.”
Monica Gonzalez, president of the so
ciety and a senior civil engineering major,
said this year’s unusually low membership
is because of a decreased African-Ameri
can freshman enrollment.
“There was a decrease in minorities
because of the Hopwood decision,” she
said. “But it is not just at this school. I
know (The University of) Texas has
gone through it, and people in the
Louisiana area.”
Gonzalez said the falling minority en
rollment is unfortunate but it prompts the
association to become stronger.
“Blacks are under-represented in en
gineering and this organization helps
us to unify and become a force to be
reckoned with,” she said.
Patrice Miller, president of the
National Association of Black Ac
countants and a junior accounting
major, said the organization wants
to help incorporate minorities into
the business world.
“We do basically what all the busi
ness majors do,” she said, “but we have
a special group to give minorities some
thing to relate to.”
Miller said being at a university with
few African-Americans can make one
isolated, and suggested that getting in
volved in minority organizations can
help ease the transition from high
school to college.
"Sometimes we are a little intimidat
ed in class,” she said. “It is nice to see a
familiar face and get comfortable in an
organization.”
Miller said finding a familiar envi
ronment first helped her to break away
to non-minority organizations later.
“Once I felt comfortable with the
college scene, I broke away and joined
other organizations,” she said.
the RecCerf
Rec Center attendance increases
Shikonya Cureton
The Battalion
After all the pounds are added and
resolutions made over the holidays,
students and faculty look forward to
working off the extra weight at the Stu-
! dent Recreation Center.
This fall, 93.6 percent of A&M stu
dents and faculty visited the Rec Cen
ter, compared to this semester’s recent
total of 85 percent.
See Rec Center, Page 6
Semester
Week 1
Total
Semester
Total
Number of
Different People
(in a semester)
Fall 95
35,700
379,794
30,121
Spring 96
28,596
474,634
32,024
Fall 96
44,058
460,140
37,882
Crusln"
Tim Moog, The Battalion
Two-and-a-half-year-old Grant Hughes-Whitlock crosses Ross
Street on his mini four-wheeler Wednesday afternoon. His mother,
Robin, is agraduate student in education.
Plagiarism problem plagues profs
By Joey Schlueter
The Battalion
Rising classroom plagiarism prompted the Fac
ulty Senate to send a memorandum to Texas A&M
University teaching staff earlier this month with in
formation about copyrighted course material.
See related Editorial, Page 9
James D. Palmer, The Battalion
Because of complaints of plagiarism and
other forms of cheating allegedly encouraged
by some off-campus tutoring services, the Fac
ulty Senate at Texas A&M has urged professors
and teachers to inform students about scholas
tic dishonesty and its consequences. Professors
and teachers are asked to elaborate on the
meaning of plagiarism and misrepresentation.
A memo from Dr. Steven Oberhelman,
speaker of the Faculty Senate and head of the
modern languages department, was given to
A&M faculty and staff suggesting adding infor
mation to each syllabus defining plagiarism of
class notes, tests and handouts.
“The memorandum has two motives,” he
said. “First of all, it is to inform the professors
and teachers that they can copyright any class
material. And second, it is to suggest that teach
ers inform their students about this copyright,
and that students purchasing lab problems,
term papers, or other homework and turn it in
are in violation of plagiarism.”
The memo encouraged instructors, espe
cially those of lectures and labs at the freshman
and sophomore levels, to warn students that all
material and handouts used in the class are
copyrighted. With this stated in the syllabus or
other handouts, instructors could bring charges
of plagiarism against any student who violates
the copyright.
Violations include copying and distributing
notes or selling them to tutoring services.
The Faculty Senate committee on off-cam-
pus tutoring services stated that “ideally, pro
fessors and tutoring services work in concert to
provide students with a maximum learning op
portunity. But sometimes the desired syner
gism does not occur.”
It stated the main problem was with tutoring
services copyrighting reports or documents con
taining material written by A&M instmetors.
One tutoring service, The Quantum Cow, re
quires students using their service to sign an
agreement stating that the students are not al
lowed to turn in any documents, make photo
copies of work, share materials or give away
materials at the end of the semester.
To inform students about the dangers of pla
giarism, The Quantum Cow issues a memo enti
tled “Don’t Be a Dumb-Ass!!!” to each of their stu
dent clients, warning against these violations.
Cindy Justitz, owner of The Quantum Cow,
said faculty and students need to become more
informed about what is copyrightable.
See Plagiarism, Page 6
The Battalion
INSIDETODAY
L#9J>cte>; For some students
who are children of old Ags, the
family bloodline runs maroon.
Aggielife, Page 3
What's Up
Sports
Opinion
Page 6
Page 7
Page 9