Last Summer Issue Weather ^^0 Today I ■ «9p I ft# Sports ... see Page 3 Opinion ...see Page 5 IGH W i it Tomorrow 1 llVfHKSH , LC 10 1104 ,H TEAK • ISSUE 182 • 6 RAGES Sunday of It -ounty media Monday. It 83, who Iv >f Valley Vie, died Friday) ome, where i Roane, a ja -ounty, said. : is, I v\'alkeo' ner and turned esaidMond of theautop f me that he i ■fthaUucw ; ts tex) much, inued itstol the state. 'f Hmergena i fines now ha 1 ! acres statewj TEXAS ASM UNIVERSITY ■ COLLEGE STATION. TEXAS Aggielife: Floral-design judges create arrangements based on Stark Gallery exhibitions. WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 5 • 1998 Night watch B-CS residents participate in safeguarding neighborhoods me Graphic By Quatro Oakley/The BArrAUON By Rod Machen AND Jake Schrickling Staff Writers Residents of Bryan and College Station took part in the 15th An nual National Night Out, a na tionally held crime and drug pre vention event. Events were held all over the Bra zos Valley as citizens had the op portunity to interact with their neighbors and police in a friendly setting. Last year, Bryan alone had 22 block parties to celebrate the event. Johnny Herrera, organizer of the Westwood Estates Annual Night Out, thinks the event can help neighborhood watches. "1 hope to get more awareness of crime prevention in the neighbor hood, everybody looking out for everybody else," he said. Duane Hill, a school resource of ficer in the Bryan Police Depart ment, was impressed with the Night Out block party he attended. "This is one of the best Tve ever seen," he said. "1 think there's a few less than last year, but they are a lot better organized." Hill believes the real benefit of the event is the interaction between neighbors. "It gets the neighbors together," he said. "It allows the neighbors to get to know each other." Doug Thompson, Class of '96, was a first time participant of the Night Out. "I think it's great," he said. "Meeting neighbors is great. Tve met 10 times the amount of neigh bors tonight than [1 have] living here for two months." Annette Brittain, a resident of Bryan, is a big fan of the event. "I think it's wonderful," she said. "It's a good idea to bond people so we know who lives where. see Night Out on Page 6. A&M Football Coach R.C. Slocum addresses the Brazos County A&M Club at Coach's Night at the Hilton Monday night. Slocum spoke of the changes the A&M Football team will endure during the upcoming season. Photo By Greg McReynolds/The Battalion tr, recogi 80 percent :h student i, up from/t: t rate musltfl i, and atteiri t 94 percent 18 school cfe, ■d this year,' I last year. | ipuses weir! oared witlil ;ts rated afil able rosefc) ear. districts wffil e due tospi such as fj lent andfiM; n three last' uses got ting, down it of this i pen easily It of administri] ach and t ] prove acadf] oses said red, becompM est and viji trict or car l able, at ients andij ust pass ( it's up frofl Tkketmaster GREG MCREYNOLDS/The Battalion Caroline Lyons, a Parking, Traffic and Transit Services officer, gives a ticket in front of the Student Recreation Center Tuesday. ; e also nioi nd attend*] percent- ehool distf es were r<| ar. Last' 679 canfl Changes ahead for A&M football. Coach Slocum says By Robert Hollier Staff Writer Texas A&M football coach R.C. Slocum summed up in one sen tence what will be different about next year's team to a packed room at the Brazos County A&M Club Coach's Night. "We're going to throw the ball deep," he said. With practice starting in less than 24 hours, he and the rest of the staff have a lot of work to do to get ready, Slocum said Monday night at the Hilton. "Starting to morrow (Tues day), we'll be do ing our talking on the field," he said. "We have our freshmen coming in, and they'll be here for about two or three days before we send them off to Fish Camp. "The Varsity is coming in on Friday, but we can't start practice with them until Monday. The freshmen will miss a few work outs, but I really think this (Fish Camp) is a long-term investment in their futures in understanding the uniqueness of Texas A&M and all of our traditions and what ft Starting (Tuesday), weTl be doing our talking on the field.” — R.C. Slocum A&M Football Coach we're all about." Slocum recognized his assis tants for all the time, effort and sacrifices they made during the off-season to prepare for the up coming practices. He thanked their wives for their support, as well. The Aggies' first game is the Kickoff Classic against Florida State on Aug. 31 in The Meadow- lands, N.J. Slocum said the Aggies only have four weeks to prepare for the game. "That is close," Slocum said. "I think this game is a big positive for us. It pro vides some fo cus for our team coming in. "We know we've got to go to work the ab solute first day and not miss a beat because we've got a great challenge ahead of us in our opening game against the Seminoles." After a season that saw the Ag gies finish 9-4, a Big 12 South title and a trip to the Cotton Bowl, Slocum said there would not be any great changes in the offense, but there would be some new for mations and some new wrinkles. see Slocum on Page 2. News Director of Student Activities’ search continues Briefs for the s‘f from staff and wire reports ;; Students take on teal-world problems icedm* Aggies are ready to help solve the : ts with)® iroblems of the real world. Eighty students of junior standing it Texas A&M University will work this t all on solving management and pol- nffi ifl plated problems for various non- arofit and public agencies in Texas ind the United States. As part of the Eisenhower Leader- adeC 011 '' ihip Development Program in the l6-f sh Center for Public Leadership Studies in the George Bush School of Gov ernment and Public Service at A&M, students from agriculture, business, engineering and liberal arts will con duct research and develop problem solving strategies for "real clients." At the end of the semester, stu dents will present their findings to their clients. "The semester-long course is a I# Very intellectually challenging and Work intensive experience," Arnold ^edlitz, director of CPLS and an A&M Political science professor, said. NB‘ terview , rant (A rianne) 1 ’' Diane* ctedo vvhile^ tria -was » ns. ■ The fourth of six candidates was addressed by A&M students and staff in an open forum Tuesday afternoon at Rudder. By Andrea Brockman Staff Writer There was standing room only as Dr. Ben D. Welch addressed students and staff during an open forum Tuesday. Welch is one of six candidates for the Director of Stu dent Activities. He is currently the Director of the College of Business Honors and Fellows Program and a senior lecturer for the Department of Management. Though an outsider to the division of student activi ties, he has had over 13 years of related experience in tjie field of higher education and has been a Texas A&M stu dent, staff member and adviser. "I thank the Lord every day for my job at this Univer sity," he said. "A&M is where my heart lies." Welch said he approaches everything with a collabo rative spirit. "We all should share the same goal which is the edu cation process," he said. "The student is most important." His philosophy for student relations is similar to that of a Mary Kay representative, he said. "I see a label on a person's head that reads, 'make me feel special,' and when they leave my office, they will have been treated with dignity," he said. Welch said he uses similar tactics in staff relations. "I motivate my staff through positive reinforcement," he said. "I want them to feel appreciated, which will, in turn, lend to a healthy working environment." If selected, Welch said his first goal is to schedule ap pointments with every staff member to gauge the divi sion's strengths and weaknesses. "I want to know where the staff is and what excites them about their jobs," he said. "Communication is the key during the first six months." He also plans to continue teaching an introductory business class if chosen. "We are here to educate the whole person," he said. "I still want to be there for students in an academic setting." Welch has given over 200 presentations to various cam pus groups. He also has been honored as a namesake for a T-Camp and a Fish Camp and has been campfire speaker at vari ous Fish Camps. Welch said his most valued experience came when he was presented an Aggie Ring by the students he advised in Squadron 17 of the Corps of Cadets. "My great strength is working with students," he said. Welch also is an adviser for Aggie Men's Club and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Association Photo By Ryan Rogers/The Battalion Dr. Ben D. Welch, Director of the College of Business Honors and Fellows Program, answers questions at an open forum Tuesday. of Former Students Award for Student Relations which rec ognizes superior student relations. "The students are my heartbeat," he said, "the reason for my joy."