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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1998)
University 04 th YEAR • ISSUE 101 • 10 PAGES COLLEGE STATION • TX TODAY 1Ps3 65 TOMORROW MONDAY • MARCH 2 • 1998 Crisis hits students ^.sian financial market woes drives foreign students to ook for alternative means to cover their tuition costs By Stacey Becks Staff writer The economic problems in Asian Dun tries are putting a financial strain n Texas A&M University internation- . students, requiring some of them to nd idternate ways of financing their allege education. In many Asian counties such as In- onesia, Korea, Thailand and lalaysia, currency rates are unstable, his is having an effect on the ability families to finance international udents. Susan Drolenskey, director of in- irnational student services, said the :opomic problems in these coun- ie& are affecting international stu- ents across the nation. “It’s a microcosm because all U.S. istitutions are having this problem,” telsaid. “We hope all international udents will apply for scholarships, grants and loans for which they are el igible. We will help anybody who needs assistance.” Drolenskey said U.S. institutions are putting these students on installment programs, delaying payment of tuition and fees, providing scholarships and loans and locating jobs. A&M already has an installment plan and emergency tuition and fees loans available to all students having financial troubles. “A lot of institutions are planning on doing things A&M already has in place,” she said. “I think it speaks well of A&M.” Drolenskey said people who work in international student offices are trying to get Immigration and Natu ralization Services to allow interna tional students to fall below the full- status requirement so they will be able to save money. Gwanghyeok Ju, president of the Ko rean Association and aerospace engi neering graduate student, said he had to take out an emergency tuition and fees loan for the first time this semester. “Tuition is a problem for my wife and me right now, so we had to take out a loan for the first time,” he said. “It isn’t enough though. Most Koreans in this town are facing the same fi nancial problems.” Ju said many Korean students are having problems because they rely on their parents to pay for school. Asia has the highest percentage of students who study abroad, and many of them come to the United States. Norberto Chaclin, president of the International Student Association and a junior chemical engineering major, said they want to make sure students explore all financial assistance options so they will not have to leave A&M. “We want to make sure if interna tional students are enrolled in A&M, they will not have to drop out for fi nancial reasons,” said. A&M prof indicted, receives death threat By Amanda Smith Staff writer ATexasA&M University tenured professor said he received a death threat over the phone Friday morning, the day after he was indicted on two felony counts that charge him with misap propriating state funds for per sonal profit. Dhiraj Pradhan, once the school’s highest paid comput er science endowed chair who was suspended with pay last August, said he believes the death threat is a response to several quotes that ran in a Feb. 27 article in the Bryan- College Station Eagle. The quotes were taken out of con text from private faxes he had sent to his col leagues, Pradhan said. “These comments were off-the-cuff remarks,” Pradhan said in a phone interview. "I apologize to anybody who was offended by the comments but somebody called and threatened my life.” Pradhan said he testified in an unexpected grand jury hearing on Feb. 26 to dispute the accu sations made against him by the county. Texas A&M Univer sity is also conducting a sepa rate investigation of Pradhan. “The district was not going to indict me the night before (on Wednesday),” Pradhan said. “They told me that I was free of possible charges. Then, on Thursday morning I got a call about the grand jury hear ing, but I have nothing to fear. 1 have done nothing wrong.” District Attorney Bill Turner said Pradhan’s attorneys re ceived a letter postmarked Jan. 30, which an nounced the grand jury hearing. Please see Pradhan on Page 2. “They are wanting to indict me to get rid of me and to protect somebody in the chain of command.” Dhiraj Pradhan Computer science professor Jerald Brown, a sophomore guard for the A&M Men’s Basketball Team, wildcats after the Aggies won their first confer ence game of the season against the Baylor Bears. The win also marks the final basketball game to be played in G. Rollie White Coliseum. Please see page 4 for The Battalion’s special section commemorating the Coliseum. N S I D E Am—M P give audiences two films with Jxas A&M Men’s Basketball Jam wins historic game /er the Baylor Bears con- uding G. Rollie White oliseum’s tenure. See Page 10 Bgpmaaaa )nes: Discussing possibility f life on Mars sends merica into space frenzy. See Page 9 ESKMSSSS ittp: / /battalion.tamu.edu ook up with state and na- onal news through The /ire, AP’s 24-hour online ews service. Fish Camp kicks off Counselors announced today in Koldus By Kelly Hackworth Staff writer Fish Camp planning leaders will be chosen today as the 1998 counselors are announced beginning at 8»a.m. in the Koldus Governance Room. This year’s theme is “Dreams Be coming Reality.” The Fish Camp office received over 1,500 counselor applications this year, up 100 from last year. Jessica Wallace, assistant Fish Camp director and a senior biomedical sci ence major, said the focus of this year’s camp is a return to the basics and less of a production. “We want to focus more on the fears and problems of the freshmen and how we can help them,” she said. BJ. Egenes, Fish Camp director and a senior marketing major, said an ad ditional 72 counselors will be added this year to reduce the discussion- group ratio. “This will allow for more one-on-one interaction between counselors and their DG (discussion group),” he said. The counselor results are no longer posted on a list as in previous years. Each applicant now receives an indi vidual envelope containing either a camp or regret letter. The regret letters also include information about Fish Co., formerly called Fish Crew. Fish Co. is the official hospitality and 1 7 ' 7 ^ TmTm A MS, •fc££OM/N/6 l welcoming committee for Fish Camp. Applications for Fish Co. will be available this month in 131 Koldus. Fish Co. is open to anyone with Fish Camp qualifications. Qualifications include being in good standing with the University and en rolled in at least 6 hours in either class es, student teaching or co-oping in the spring and fall semesters. It is not re quired to be in Bryan-College Station during the summer and camp experi ence is not necessary. The 24 Fish Co. members also pay to attend camp, but their charge is less, Egenes said. They welcome guests, speakers and University officials and run the mixers. Fish Camp runs its entire program through student fees, Egenes said. Fish camp is $100 for new students. Fish Camp staff consists of the direc tor, who has a two-year commitment; an associate director who takes over the following year; six assistant directors; 72 co-chairs; and 902 counselors. Week showcases array of international cultures By Jennifer Wilson Staff writer Cultures from all over the world are being celebrated dur ing the 19th annual Internation al Week, which begins today. The celebration is sponsored by the International Student Asso ciation (ISA) and features cultural displays, an international buffet, entertainment and fashion. Norberto Chaclin, president of ISA and a junior chemical en gineering major, said Interna tional Week is an opportunity for the entire campus and com munity to come together and learn about the 116 countries and cultures present at Texas A&M University. “A&M is an extremely diverse campus and has the potential to be the most diverse university in the nation,” he said. "This week is organized for people to experi ence unity and acceptance while sharing their diversity.” Chaclin said the theme of this year’s celebration, “A Kaleido scope of Cultures,” is intended to show how cultures are different and similar. “Many cultures have origins that overlap just like images in a kaleidoscope overlap,” he said. “When you bring all these cul tures together, they form one image of many different things, as if you were looking through a kaleidoscope.” The festivities begin today at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremo ny in the MSC Flag Room. After the ceremony, arts and crafts rep resenting the cultures of more than 40 countries wilhbe-on dis play in the MSC until Wednesday. Fen-Ju Tsai, vice president of MSC programs and a junior ar chitecture major, said the cultur al displays are presented by inter national clubs at A&M who will be representing their country. Tsai said the displays provide a chance to travel around the world without leaving the campus. She said over 2,000 students from 116 countries will represent their country by making models, displaying flags, presenting trav el information, baking food or writing participants’ names in their country’s language. “The cultural displays pro mote multiculturalism and are a way for the community, especial ly children, to learn and experi ence new things,” she said. A televised symposium on China-U.S. higher education will take place Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m at the George Bush Presi dential Conference Center, fol lowed by an international buffet at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the MSC. Tatsuki Ohashi, director of the buffet and a junior international 'studies’-majoT; said the buffet is one of the most popular events of the week. He said 30 countries will be represented and each country will bring 300 servings of three dishes for a total of 900 servings of food from each country. “There will be some very un common and unknown foods that people will be able to enjoy without having to actually visit that country,” he said. Thursday, delegates from countries represented at A&M will attend a consuls general luncheon. Please see ISA on Page 2. Free library entry lures COSGA By Helen Clancy Staff writer Free admission to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum attracted not only Texas A&M students, but representatives from universities across the nation. “Student Weekend” at the Bush Library coin cided with the Conference On Student Govern ment Associations, which drew visitors from as far as Hawaii. Brandon Garrett, a COSGA host and a sopho more international studies major, said the delegates responded enthusiastically to the exhibits. “They loved the Southern hospitality,” he said. “We got great feedback from the delegates.” Visiting the library was the last activity COSGA planned for the delegates before their departure Sunday evening. Naomi Rodriguez, COSGA delegate and stu dent body president from Long Beach State Uni versity, said her strong ties to the Democratic par ty did not hinder her appreciation of the Bush Li brary. A photo of George W. Bush even brought her to tears, she said. “ [The library] brings you into the life of our for mer president,” she said. “I’m a hard-core Democ rat, but it changed my opinion of what I thought of George Bush as a president.” Rodriguez said she was hesitant to tour the fa cility, but consented when she was offered free admission. Bush Library directors organized the weekend to encourage students from A&M and Blinn College to feel welcome at the facility, Museum Curator Patri cia Burchfield said in a press release. About 400 students toured the Bush Library Lri- day and Saturday. Please see Library on Page 2. HELEN CLANCY/The Battalion Brandon Garrett, a COSGA host and sophomore international studies major, examines an exhibit on Bush’s ’92 campaign during Student Weekend at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.