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WEAR’ISSUE 90 *10 PAGES
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COLLEGE STATION • TX
FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 13 • 1998
Conference focuses on Hopwood effects
By Jennifer Wilson
Stajf writer
rticjjpants in the Second Annual
irerfce on Minorities and Policy Is-
net at the George Bush Presidential
jrence Center yesterday to discuss
positions while expanding their
about the Hopwood decision,
we [Murdock, director and chief
)grapher for the Texas State Data
sr apd professor and head of Rur-
ciology, opened the conference
hislassessment of unmet needs
ost ppportunities of students due
i dec ision.
jrdock said it has caused a loss of
Iment of minority students in Texas
c universities and colleges. He said
presents a challenge for these
)ls, especially Texas A&M.
nlypne-third of African-American
mtslwho were accepted to Texas
A&M in the fall actually enrolled,” he said.
“The other two-thirds attended schools
outside of Texas.”
Murdock said this loss of students is
directly linked to the Hopwood decision
and is a problem that is being addressed
by the conference.
Legislators from the Texas State House
of Representatives attended the confer
ence to present their views on the deci
sion to participants and Dr. Ray M.
Bowen, president of Texas A&M.
They presented their perspectives on
the decision and how it is mainly affect
ing Texas.
Donald R. Haragan, president ofTexas
Tech University, Charles A. Hines, presi
dent of Prairie View A&M, and Bowen had
a round table discussion on the decision.
Hines said it has had a reverse effect on
his campus because the Anglo-American
population is the minority. It has result
ed in lost opportunities for these - students
because the entire scholarship program
for them has been canceled.
Hines said Prairie View A&M has de
veloped creative ways to comply with
the law.
He said their partnership with the A&M
College of Medicine allows a direct transfer
of top students into the school without
having to take the MCAT. He said this helps
to prevent a loss of talented African-Amer
ican students to other schools.
“The major crisis facing the state is los
ing the best and brightest students to oth
er schools outside ofTexas,” said Hines.
Curtis Childers, A&M student body
president and a senior agricultural devel
opment major, met with other student
leaders from the University of Texas and
North Carolina State University to present
their standpoints regarding Hopwood and
the impact it has had on their campuses.
Please see Conference on Page 2.
stuff
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Students voice opposition
to proposed hall changes
By Amanda Smith
Staff writer
The student protest of the modern
ization of a Texas A&M residence hall
continued Wednesday night as The
Residence Hall Association (RHA) vot
ed to support a bill that opposes a Uni
versity proposal to add air conditioning
to Walton Hall.
Proponents of the bill said the De
partment of Residence Life proposal
lacks adequate research to consider
adding air conditioning to a currently
non-air conditioned residence hall.
Peter Schultz, Residence Hall As
sociation (RHA) executive vice pres-
"TderfTofadmirilst’rafiofTand a sopho
more business major, said Residence
Life needs to consider the voices of
student residents.
“On campus, there are residents
adamantly opposed to the change,”
Schultz said. “Walton is slated to get air
conditioning after the spring semester.
Walton residents came to RHA. We (are
here) to fight for the resident’s needs.”
The decision to rewire and add win
dow air-conditioning units to Walton
Hall accompanied a proposal an
nounced on Feb. 9 by the Department
of Residence Life to open Hart Hall, a
male non-air conditioned residence
hall, to female residents.
Kern Rudely, the associate director
of Residence Life, said the proposals
will not be finalized until after spring
housing contract renewal, Feb. 28 to
Mar. 3. Hart may be opened up to fe-
fnale residents based on the numbers
that express interest, Rudely said.
“The reality is that we have to wait un
til after contract renewal to determine
whether Hart will be opened up to fe
male residents,” Rudely said. “Our intent
is not to destroy community or tradition
or to do away with low-cost housing. If
we install window units in Walton, then
it gives us an additional housing option.
We always want to provide increased op
portunities for students.”
The proposal to add window air-con
ditioning units to Walton Hall would in
crease a resident’s rent from the current
$525 per semester to $956 per semester,
according to Residence Life.
Jeremy Nelson, the Walton resident
“I think that the
changes will hurt
Waiton Hall and
segregate the
leadership within
the hall."
Jeremy Nelson
Walton Hall resident
who authored the bill and a junior
computer science major, said bringing
air-conditioning into Walton Hall
would increase costs and force many
students to find cheaper housing.
“Half of the people living in Walton
are living there because they can’t af
ford to do anything else,” Nelson said.
“Now because of these changes, people
are going to leave. I think that the
changes will hurt Walton Hall and seg
regate the leadership within the hall.”
Jerry Smith, an associate director of
Residence Life, said the proposal is
open to change and current residents
may select housing options for next
spring during the contract renewal pe
riod, Feb. 28 to Mar. 3.
“At this time, nothing is chiseled in
stone for Walton Hall,” Smith said.
“We are looking to upgrade facilities.
We hope to add to the retention of
current residents and incoming stu
dents by installing window air-con
ditioning units.”
Opponents of the Residence Life
proposal said installing window air
units compromises the traditions of the
all-male, non-air conditioned resi
dence halls on campus.
“Non-air conditioned dorms con
tribute a lot to organizations on cam-
puST Nelson said. “You don’t have res
idents locked up and enclosed in
air-conditioned cages (inWalton). Peo
ple interact with the others in the hall
because there doors are open. They are
proposing to change not just our hous
ing but our communities.”
According to Residence Life, all stu
dents who sign up for air-conditioned
dorms will first be placed in Hart Hall
and any overflow residents will be
placed in non-air conditioned rooms in
Walton Hall. The installation of window
units will be determined by the num
ber of students who request non-air
conditioned housing during the re
newal period.
Smith said that the Residence Life
proposal demands that residents adapt
to change.
“Change is something that we have
to embrace,” Smith said. “We can look
back at the 1960s when women were
first allowed to come to Texas A&M
University. I think that has made a pos
itive impact and we feel that allowing
women to come to Hart could be a pos
itive change.”
Please see Changes on Page 2.
ROBERT MCKAYAhe Battalion
evin Welch, a senior mechanical engineering major, lifts a sand casting with tongs before
unking it in water during a mechanical engineering manufacturing lab Thursday afternoon.
University to use $5 million
atch scholarship donations
By Kelly Hackworth
Staff writer
i an effort to increase non-athletic scholar-
s, Texas A&M University has established a $5
onimatching-gift program of which $1 mil-
will be for President’s Endowed Scholarships,
he matching-scholarships program encourages
lirs to establish endowed
Jars 11 i ps to benefit A&M
'amir'p" MATCHING
scholarship pro-
|t, in effect since
1, has 18 different
jilarships for both
ergraduate and
uate students.
>r.|Ray M. Bowen,
1 president, said that
had a sum of money
er his discretion and de-
d to use it to promote scholarships.
|ft's a great opportunity for someone to sup-
scholarships at Texas A&M,” he said.
Jtoi Palincsar, senior vice president for devel-
hent at the Texas A&M Foundation, said that
(interest is great because donors get to lever-
IHpr own gift by creating an extra one.
SCHOLARSHIPS
“Endowing scholarships is one of the most pop
ular among our former students to fund because they
want to help the students,” Palincsar said. “It helps
our work and fund- raising efforts. This matching-
scholarship program is a win-win situation.”
Melissa Baird, Texas A&M Foundation communi
cations specialist says that the
program “encourages those
who give now to get the sec
ond scholarship named in
their honor.”
Undergraduate schol
arships will be matched
on a one-to-one basis,
with a minimum $25,000
donation. Graduate
scholarships also will be
equally matched by the
University, with a $50,000
minimum donation. Eligi
ble gifts may be made in five
annual installments if there is a
signed gift agreement or written pledge.
Students can contact the Department of Stu
dent Financial Aid to find out more about the
scholarships. Anyone interested in contributing
to the matching-scholarship program can contact
Durwood Lewis, director of development opera
tions at the Texas A&M Foundation.
SGA looks to increase
awareness of J-Board
By Stacey Becks
Staff writer
Texas A&M students may not know
that the Student Government Associa
tion (SGA) has an active judicial branch
to interpret rules and constitutions. The
Judicial Board is trying to increase aware
ness of its service of resolving disputes
and interpreting legislation about possi
ble violations of SGA or SGA organiza
tions’ constitutions.
David Muckerheide, a member of
the J-Board and a junior finance ma
jor, said students wrongly think the Ju
dicial Board is limited to questions of
the SGA constitution.
“The power of the J-Board is not
limited to interpretation of the Stu
dent Government constitution and
election regulations,” he said. “We
also have jurisdiction to hear appeals
based upon bylaws of other Student
Government constitutions.”
Muckerheide said J-Board is planning
to speak to organizations within the SGA
to convey what their rights are in the up
coming elections and to tell about the
service J-Board has in resolving disputes.
Students can file a complaint in the
form of an appeal to J-Board when they
think legislation has been compromised
or misrepresented. The J-Board will inter
pret the bylaw or regulation in question
and rule on its constitutionality.
Charles Williams, J-Board chair and a
sophomore political science major, said
the board does not handle all items
passed by the Student Senate, but only
those conflicting with constitutions.
“A lot of legislation that is passed
would not be challenged for its consti
tutionality,” he said. “We do not handle
things like Q-drop dates or deal with
the PTTS.”
The board is reviewing old J-Board
cases and plans to meet with a dis
trict judge to prepare for possible
hearings this semester.
Jody Pollard, a member of the J-Board
and a junior agricultural development ma
jor, said the board is hoping they will learn
the way hearings are held outside of the
A&M community.
“We plan to go out of our way to be
familiar with hearings in the real
world,” he said. “By going out and vis
iting with real live judges we would be
better equipped to make better judge
ments on campus.”
Students can submit appeals to the J-
Board chair.
INSIDE
itggielife —■
Valentine’s Day
takes on new
meaning with
electronic mail.
See Page 3
sports
A&M Track and Field Teams
head to Colorado Springs for
Sprint Classic.
See Page 7.
opinion
Voss: Rebellion of Generation
X-ers quickly changes in
“real world.”
See Page 9.
online
http://battalion.tamu.edu
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