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104 YEAR • ISSUE 172 • 6 PAGES
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TEX433 43&M UNIVPI2SITY ■ COLLEGE STATION TEXAS
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Today
msi
Tomorrow
Aggielife:
One A&M student broadens
his college education in the
field of play writing.
MONDAY • JULY 20 • 1998
Request denied
Coordinating Board quashes A&JVTs attempt
to implement law and legal studies program
By Rod Machen
City Editor
I There will be no law diplomas with
tlie A&M seal on them — at least not any
■me soon.
I Last week, the
■exas Higher Educa-
■on Coordinating
Board rejected Texas
A&M University's re
quest to add the
|Mtudy of law to its role
Hnd mission.
I The request was
Blade after the Uni-
Bersity signed an af-
Bliation in January
■vith South Texas Col-
Bege of Law, a private
Bchool in Houston.
I If granted, the re
quest would have allowed the Universi
ty to develop a law and legal studies pro
gram. A&M planned to then grant a law
I think public-
private partnerships
are essential. I think
we are sending the
wrong message.”
— William Atkinson
Coordinating Board member
degree through South Texas.
The Board, which had all members
present, voted 15-2 against the request on
Thursday at its quarterly meeting and fi
nalized the vote on Friday.
After the vote on Thursday came back in
the negative, Texas A&M
President Ray Bowen was
still optimistic.
"We will come back,"
he said. "I believe they'll
eventually pass it."
Bowen reinforced his
statement that A&M
would not go the legisla
ture to bypass the Board.
"We believe this is a
sensible, good group of
people," he said. "We
have no reason to sub
vert what is historically a
good process."
Inflexible rules are the reason for the
whole debate, Bowen said. He said there
are no rules to address this unique pub
lic-private partnership.
"We want them to review their rule
making," he said.
In the meantime, the two schools will
go ahead with the affiliation as planned,
including having the A&M Board of Re
gents appoint six members of South
Texas' board.
"We will continue the affiliation,"
Bowen said.
Texas Higher Education Commission
er Don Brown began the debate by going
step-by-step through the considerations
of the request.
With any expansion of a university's
table of programs. Brown said there are
four considerations: is there a need for it;
would it compliment the university's ex
isting programs; is it an unnecessary du
plication; and will there be a critical mass
of faculty and students to support it.
These considerations are examined with
both state and local considerations.
On the first point. Brown said there is no
foreseeable need in the state or the Houston
Soutn Texas
COLLEGE OF LAW
area for the program within the next five or
six years. He also said there is no need for
an increase in the number of places avail
able in law schools, even though Bowen
said there would be no such increase.
On the second point. Brown said a law
program would enhance the University's
academic image. However, he said A&M
has other ways of doing this without
adding a law degree.
On the third point. Brown determined
that with two public law schools in
Houston, University of Houston and
Texas Southern University, and a total of
six public law schools in the state, there
would be an unnecessary duplication.
see Program on Page 2.
/C
Y
I.
Snll
mm
. •«*
MIKE FUENTES/Tj/e Battalion
Patrick Zapalac, a junior dairy science major, feeds Holstein and Jersey cows Sunday afternoon at the Dairy
Center. Zapalac said each cow is producing about eight to 10 pounds less milk during the summer because of
the heat. Water misters and a change in feeding habits have helped the cows acclimate to the high temperatures.
Triple-digit temperatures places
health of Texas residents at risk
By Sarah Goldston
Staff Writer
With temperatures in the 100s, the Texas heat has af
fected people around the state, causing several deaths.
Staff at St. Joseph's Hospital said they have seen a
number of cases of dehydration, heat exhaustion and
heat stroke.
No deaths have been reported in the Brazos Valley,
but as many as 60 heat-related deaths have been re
ported across the southern states.
Dr. Don Freeman, staff physician at A.P. Beutal
Health Center, said those dying from the heat are
mostly people with no air conditioning.
He also said older people dying from heat-related
conditions have other complications such as diabetes
or high blood pressure.
"Because of the lack of cooling and dehydration,
this can cause a heart rhythm in the older people,"
Freeman said.
He said people should avoid the heat as much
as possible> wear loose clothing and drink plenty
of fluids.
"If you are working outdoors, you should drink an
extra gallon of water," he said. "If you weigh yourself
in the morning and again at night and experience any
weight loss, you need to drink that weight back in. You
should also be urinating the same number of times a
day that is normal for you."
Freeman said water is the best fluid to drink rather
than sugared and carbonated drinks because they
tend to not be absorbed as easily.
Serious dehydration develops over a period of
several days, and the best way to protect against
the heat is to stay cool and drink a lot of fluids.
Freeman said.
Sherry Allen-Wright, a nurse at Beutal, said if stu
dents have to be outside, swimming is the best activ
ity for staying cool.
"When temperatures stay in the 90s at night," she
said, "the best times to do things outside are early in
the morning or in the evening."
News Briefs
SSBSSSUBSBtBU '■ SB
from staff and wire reports
Central Parking Garage
opens for campus parking
The Central Campus Parking Garage will open for
contract parking at 7:00 am today.
Visitor parking will become available beginning
July 27.
Tom Williams, Director of Parking, Traffic and
Transportation Services said the 600-space garage will
be for visitor and staff contract parking.
The toll booth at the entrance of Bizzell Street near
the Commons serves as the point of entry because
there was no room to build it directly at the opening
of the new garage.
"Visitor parking in the garage will be one dollar an
hour," he said. "The cost of parking permits will not go
IPK
»*
Hi
*68
!*ii
HI III HI*
Photo By Brandon Bollc
/The Battalion
up to pay for the garage. The revenue gained from vis
itor parking in the garage will go to cover the cost."
Mosquito advisory issued after death of 4-year-old
To Reduce the Risk of Mosquito Bites
• Kiimmalc breeding sites of 8taai<|ii.>fi \yater.
• Rejurir wimiow/ifoor screens or keep home sealed.
• Eliminate early in o ruing 1 a ml earl? jputdoox' activities.
• Avoid heavily Wuode<t areas.
• Jj.sc tnoscuKD re pel ion Is. citroneila camiles, mosquito heater
or mqsqtiito dunks, \ \
• Don't altraet hird* to your property.
Turn oil t! hug ssappers."
Source: Brazos County Health Dept.
By James Francis
Editor in Chief
With the ongoing drought and
health problems related to Texas
heat, the mosquito now seems to
be an equally important concern.
On July 10, a 4-year-old boy
from Bryan died at the Texas Chil
drens Hospital in Houston from a
suspected mosquito-to-human
transfer of the encephalitis virus.
Dr. Jim Olson, professor and
medical entomologist in the De
partment of Entomology, said the
cause of the boy's death still is
uncertain, but collecting mosqui
to specimens around the child's
residence may help confirm or
rule out the possibility of the
transfer of encephalitis.
"We just finished surveying
sites where the little boy played,"
Olson said. "We sampled live
populations in the areas. Every
where he'd been, we sampled."
Olson said the samples were
sent to the State Health Depart
ment's Bureau of Laboratories
Virus Screening Section in Austin.
"We'll know something mid
week at the earliest," he said. "It
takes that long to process the tests."
But the mosquito dilemma
does not end with this one child's
story.
On Friday, a mosquito advi
sory was released from the
cities of Bryan and College Sta
tion and the Brazos County
Health Department. It requests
all residents take part in help
ing eliminate mosquitoes in
and around homes.
The advisory, prompted by
the boy's death, is an attempt to
make people more aware of the
possible dangers associated with
mosquito-to-human contact.
The report details ways to re
duce the risk of mosquito bites
and gives information on aspects
of the mosquito's lifestyle.
The report reads, "Anything
that might collect water should
be eliminated when possible,"
citing this as a major breeding
area for mosquitoes.
It also states, "Always wear
protective clothing when out
doors. Mosquito activity increas
es during the period between
sundown and sun up."
Although these preventative
measures may decrease the
chance of an individual coming
in contact with a mosquito, res
idents also should realize that
the mosquito population in
Bryan-College Station cannot be
totally eradicated.
In Texas, the odds are high that
everyone will come in contact
with a mosquito at some point.
see Mosquito on Page 2.