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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1998)
MORE THAN IUST THE BLUES —^Campus services offer ^^mnts help in coping ith depression. GIELIFE, PAGE 4 NEW ADDITION • Michelle Cole brings fresh perspective to Texas A&M Volleyball Team. SPORTS, PAGE 7 CHECK OUT THE BATTALION ONLINE h ttp://battalion, tamu. edu TUESDAY October 6, 1998 Volume 105 • Issue 28 • 12 Pages - ion 105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY tart Hall Hearing to examine Pradhan suspension tegratton women BEATO CUt S3' D drop nent, s ■ningro junced on on( ?s-Benz vueCoi BY AMANDA SMITH The Battalion partment of Residence Life refior Ron Sasse asked a Hart ■rommiihT Monda> night to ok into the possible integration of pal« residents into the non-air Htioned hall. “We have an interest in finding lov-rent housing option for omen,” Sasse said. “We need to Bte details of finding a low-rent lusing option. I am committed to Hng with the community.” Hart is one of the only two non- Bnditioned halls on campus. Mere than 50 residents of Hart ■ attended the open forum ■ng and asked Sasse questions nchning the integration of omen into Hart Hall. ]Blowing the forum, 10 members imihe committee met with Sasse fopsider integration alternatives, rt and Walton halls are the o non-air conditioned dorms nt for $572 per semester. 4sse said there was a “page f women interested in a low t,|non-air conditioned housing lion during the spring semester. Ppyis Vice, a Hart Hall resident iVi|or and a junior mechanical ^Jeering major, said the resi lts support the integration of Imen into the hall. want to find a way to inte- ate women into Hart,” Vice said, lyou integrate by floors, then you ^ a greater chance to fill the s than integrating by ramp.” The Department of Residence has considered opening up one two of the ramps in Hart Hall to Hie residents. S^sse said University adminis- n has not been supportive of ration by floor, which would ' male and female access to lame floors. ivid Rickerson, a resident of all and senior computer engi- pg major, said women should tegrated into the community ot be secluded on a ramp. see Hart on Page 6. BY AMANDA SMITH The Battalion An administrative hearing will be held today to consider the cir cumstances under which Texas A&M University professor Dhiraj Pradhan was placed on adminis trative leave in August 1997. Six Texas A&M faculty members make up the committee. The hear ing is scheduled for 6 p.m. A University audit accused Prad han of misappropriating more than $100,000 in University funds for use in his two personal businesses. Pradhan returned to Texas A&M Crash course in September, after a year’s paid administrative leave. In the audit report released last year University officials said Prad han used University funds for per sonal travel and lodging expenses associated with three private com panies he owns and made graduate students perform work exclusively for his private companies. Pradhan, a native of India, filed a lawsuit against Texas A&M in August saying that he has been the victim of discrimination and has had his First Amendment rights violated. Pradhan could not be reached for comment. In a separate investigation, Pradhan was indicted for abuse of official capacity by a grand jury in the district court in September. Pradhan faces charges of misus ing government property valued at more than $25,000 and less than $100,000. If found guilty at the Dec. 3 trial, Pradhan could face two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Pradhan accepted the en dowed chair position as a profes sor in the computer science de partment in 1992. As the endowed chair, Pradhan was giv en discretion over the endow ment funds for the department. Prior to coming to Texas A&M, Pradhan was a professor at the Uni versity of Massachusetts in the De partment of Electrical and Comput er Engineering from 1983 to 1992. He served as an associate pro fessor in the Oakland University School of Engineering from 1978 to 1982. He was an associate profes sor in the summer of 1979 at the University of Stanford. Pradhan has served as a consul tant to Mitre, IBM and AT&T in the areas of fault-tolerant computing, computer architecture and com puter-aided design. NEWS IN BRIEF Library vending machines move The vending machines located outside the Sterling C. Evans Library have been moved to the covered, air- conditioned atrium between the Pavilion and the Library Annex. Fred Heath, dean of libraries, said the new location of the vend ing machines should be more con venient for the students. The ply wood partition which previously separated the vending machines will be removed. Tables may be placed in the area between the library and the annex, Heath said. JAKE SCHRICKLING/The Battalion Scott Harris, a senior business analysis major, assesses the damage done to his Chevrolet Blazer after a collision with a Ford Mustang Monday afternoon on Marion Pugh Drive. Convocation celebrates ideals of academic life BY AMY CURTIS The Battalion The contributions of Texas A&M University faculty and staff, both past and present, were rec ognized at last night’s second Academic Convocation. Janis P. Stout, dean of faculties and associate provost, applauded the efforts of those that have helped the Texas A&M University System. “Convocation is the time we can come together to celebrate the ideals of academic life,” Stout said. Ronald G. Douglas, executive vice president and provost, said the staff and faculty at A&M are a “community of scholars.” Don Powell, chair of the Board of Regents, said within the next 60 days, the Board will hear a recom mendation to institute an incentive plan for faculty and staff. Powell said the relationship A&M has with South Texas College of Law will help A&M achieve the goals set in the Vision 20/20 pro gram. The program was established to help the University become one of the top 10 universities by the year 2020. Powell said legal education is necessary to achieve this goal. Robert M. Berdahl, chancellor at the University of California at Berke ley, gave an address about the future of flagship universities. He said the term “flagship” is actively discour aged because it sounds elitist. “You’re only safe in using that term in the company of alumni,” Berdahl said. Berdahl said universities and : ' '' ii Battalion Don Powell, Board of Regents chair, greets guests at Monday night’s Academic Convocation. institutes of higher education have been rapidly expanding since the 1960s. Between 1960 and 1980, the number of students enrolled in isti- tutes of higher education increased from 2 million to 9.5 million and is now approaching 13 million. Berdahl said the expansion of higher education was also encour aged by the infusion of federal funds. Between 1965 and 1975 federal fund ing to public institutions of higher ed ucation increased 263 percent. Berdahl said some states higher education systems have become large and unwieldy, while others have de veloped organization structures. He cited California as an exam ple. Berdahl said the state’s three tiered system meets all the needs of higher education. PD cracks down on bike violations Freshman class readies BY MEGAN WRIGHT The Battalion Itudents riding bicycles on cam- lare being targeted for citations |he University Police Depart- |H Pent bicycle patrol. ^'w BBob Wiatt, director of UPD, said % ■crackdown on cycling viola- is the result of recent auto- [•ile-bicycle accidents and nu- xis complaints. IVarious officers have received Igh amount of complaints re- ling bicyclists,” Wiatt said, sy have ranged from not stop ping at the stop sign on Joe Routt Boulevard, to weaving in and out of traffic.” The concentrated effort began yesterday morning when a large number of citations were given. “One officer worked the morn ing shift and gave eight citations and seven warnings,” Wyatt said. “This number of violations in a short time shows that the com plaints do have validity. Some of the people receiving the citations became belligerent, but they need to be held responsible for breaking the law. ” Wyatt said bicyclists need to be aware that they need to follow the same laws as automobiles. Citations are classified as Class C misdemeanors and are directed to Justice of the Peace Judge Boyett. All bicyclists who are presented with a citation must pay a $55 fine. “With the number bicyclists, pedestrians and cars on campus this year, people need to remember to behave and be prudent,” Wyatt said. “People don’t seem to pay at tention and this causes problems. Everyone needs to be concerned with safety.” for run-off election voting ommittee explores experimental ideas BY BETH MILLER The Battalion The three resolutions resulting the Oct. 1 Munson Avenue Iffic Committee meeting will be jcussed by the College Station ’Council Thursday at 7 p.m. at ’ Hall. The College Hills neighborhood jild soon experience a change in |ffic flow if the city council ppts the proposal. Committee member Rosemary Schoenfeld said during the Oct. 1 meeting Vergil Stover, committee member and Texas A&M professor of civil engineering and urban plan ning, presented the committee with five options he and city employees had formed from suggestions made by committee members regarding the traffic on Munson Avenue. The committee rejected the sug gestions made by Stover and ac cepted a different proposal made by one of the committee members. Committee member Sharon Col son said three other resolutions were combined to form a proposal that was presented to the committee. Col son said the resolutions were derived from previous suggestions made by committee members. The committee voted on and approved the proposal. The proposal constitutes a series of three experimental measures. see Munson on Page 6. BY MEGAN WRIGHT The Battalion Freshman election runoffs will be held today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Commons, the MSC, Sterling C. Evans Li brary, Duncan Dining Hall, Sbisa Dining Hall, the Student Recre ation Center, Kleberg Animal and Food Sciences Center, Wehner, the Blocker Building and Zachry En gineering Center. Michael “Hoy” Haughey, a se nior mechanical engineering ma jor and member of the Election Commission, said participation in the runoff election is crucial. “It’s important to vote during the runoffs,” he said. “If you support the candidate during the general election, you should follow your support through in the candidate’s time of need. A decision should be easier to reach, because there are only two candidates on the ballot for each position.” Haughey said he believes voting in student government elections is an important aspect of college. “It is, in a sense, a freshman’s duty to vote in their freshman elections,” Haughey said. Election Commissioner Chris Chase would like to see every freshman participate this election. “My goal would be to see every freshmen come out and vote,” Chase said. “It would be great to see a total of 7,400 votes in those ballot boxes. It is an op portunity for the freshmen to make a difference in their class and on campus.” Students participating in the runoff are as follows: • Worden Babcock and Beth Weems for class president • Jessica Miller and Jay Moore for vice president • Kristi Austin and Jennifer Wise for secretary • Bobby Wright and Nikki Ogan for social secretary • Kory Hamman and Ryan Plesko for treasurer • Melissa Magdelena and Jen ny Martin for historian. Results from the election will be announced at 10:30 Wednes day night in front of the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue. Silver Taps will be held tonight at 10:30 in front of the Academ ic Building. Silver Taps honors Texas A&M stu dents who died the previous month. Tonight’s ceremony will honor Carl Baxter Collins III, a senior en vironmental design major. see Related Story on Page 3.
