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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 1999)
WEDNESDAY January 27, 1999 Volume 105 • Issue 79 • 10 Pages College Station, Texas n average TMi -year period, gthei ie student won \AS scores lie a five year per inkle said. ; :hers sail mi a decree ' A helprecru j af qualifier af the incte hers’ prefe: i fewer stude ing class sia acting more: eachers beta; nailer class; ctive option Vrinkle said ays the effe aolicy changi over time it iate and lonj will haveo; ion in Texas ects of high; d changes in performanc .1 over a pen: because it 0 hanges topi; er said, tments pay is of time.ar. ?aping thefn emented ovei B enefits of tuition increase discussed BY AMANDA SMITH The Battalion ^Bxas A&M officials introduced the pro- osed University Authorized Tuition (UAT) icrease to fund salary increases for facul- r and staff, library improvements and lassroom technology upgrades yesterday t a state-mandated public forum. ^ne Texas A&M Board of Regents is ohetluled to vote on the $4 increase in UAT, rhich would take effect in the fall 1999 se- lester. B-esident Ray Bowen said there was not demand to increase UAT for fiscal year 998. Texas A&M’s proposal to increase the (AT for fiscal year 1999 would bring the (AT to $38, the maximum level mandated y the state. The revenue generated by the $4 in crease will generate $4.4 million over a two- year period, which will be applied to a fac ulty pay increase of an estimated 3 percent. Texas A&M University continues to pay faculty members less than most Big 12 uni versities, according to a report from the TAMU Office of Institutional Studies and Planning. William Krumm, vice president for fi nance and controller, said Texas A&M Uni versity continues to lag behind the Univer sity of Texas at Austin in professors’ salaries. “We think we should be leaders here,” Krumm said. “We are followers on every level.” A Texas A&M professor earns an annual salary of $73,400, compared to $82,400 at the University of Texas at Austin, according to a re port from the Office of In stitutional Studies and Plan ning. A Texas A&M associate! professor earns $52,400,1 compared to $53,700 at the| University of Texas. A bowen Texas A&M assistant pro fessor earns $45,800, compared to $49,700 at the University of Texas. In a comparison with institutions throughout the state.Texas A&M University ranked at 92 percent of average salary pay for fiscal year 1998, compared to 92 percent in 1994 and 95 percent in 1990. Krumm said the objective goal for Texas A&M University is to be at 95 percent, in comparison to peer institutions. “We are barely sustaining ourselves in comparison with our peers,” Krumm said. “We need to see some good budget years. What our staff earns in comparison to the marketplace is relatively low.” Krumm said he hopes to see an increase in student financial aid, as the cost of edu cation increases. “Our objective is to look at the cost of education for students,” Krumm said. “The university student is continuing to have more support on paying the cost of education. That is a show of public sup port.” The average Texas A&M student received $4,121 in financial aid in fiscal year 1999, compared to $3,706 in financial aid in fis cal year 1998. New head of geo-geo Roof work | ITyL ~esaepartment named BY APRIL YOUNG The Battalion *d>r» to ce 1984! EMS! NBtWOOW) ft^^Br. Andrew Hajash, professor in ta ! ,, . (^Department of Geosciences and brfner assistant department head, THilal been appointed as the head of he Department of Geology and ’Miphysics. fiajash, who won the Distin- flushed Teaching Award in 1982 rom the Association of Former Stu- lents, said he plans to continue the radition established by the previ- ms head, Dr. Phillip Rabinowitz. j^HI plan] to lead wisely, while lis- " ening to the needs of the students ind faculty,” Hajash said. ■The Department of Geology Jlfcnd Geophysics is dedicated to I© eeting the challenge of protecting ., : he quality of life and the health of gtntnB/ww™ pi anet through teaching, basic a comrriS5 ‘ 'esearch and service,” Hajash said, enjoy 9 re ^‘J|pr. David B. Prior, dean of the acation esc q 0 j[ e g e 0 f Geosciences, said Hajash :y to travel'm, a pp 0 j n ted because of his sup- scoverhc' )0It 0 f t j ie f acu ity anc j hjg appreci- Force can 0 f q ae W ork done within the J-USAE c ■ ienaYtment. w.airforce.co[Hajash] will bring new ideas —flhnnt expanding courses offered to .■dents.” Prior said. “[He will also ""^ripg about] a keen sense of how to address the challenge that Geology ideo seek 1 OMANC Carino Casas/The Battalion Dr.Andrew Hajash is a professor at Texas A&M. and Geophysics faces in improving the national ranking.” Hajash said the department is of fering a bachelor of arts degree in geology for students who plan to use geology as a basis for careers in other disciplines. “Science-based careers will help immensely to improve science lit eracy of our society and to integrate science into policy discussions and decisions,” Hajash said. r m0 } :Tv wintr.'- TERRY ROBERSON/Thk Battalion L. Jim Rhodes and R. John Locke, workers for Area Maintenance 7, spray Polymeric MDI on the roof of Bizzel Hall East while replacing rotted spouts. Committee looks into details of sculpture BY RONDA COOK The Battalion The creation of an on-campus cultural diversity sculpture was the topic of discussion at Monday’s meeting of the Commemorating Di versity at Texas A&M Sub-commit tee, a branch of the President’s Ad visory Committee on Art Policy. The committee, which consists of a diverse group of faculty and students, considered many aspects of the sculpture including funding, artists and location. Laurie Nickel, student body president and sub-chair of the com mittee, said the committee mem bers are trying to create a program to portray the diversity of the stu dent body in the art. “We realize that art is some thing that is in the eye of the be holder and we want to accomplish something positive for the future and positive for the student body,” she said. She said she hopes the sculpture goes beyond being a piece of art and becomes a landscaped envi ronment. The location of the sculpture has yet to be determined. Nickel said one suggestion is the plaza be tween the Academic Building and Cushing Library because the un healthy trees and asymmetrical walkways create an ideal environ ment for the sculpture, but she said she wants to allow the artist to evaluate the options. Dr. Rodney Hill, associate dean of the College of Architecture, said that the sculpture will have to be abstract to fully consider and con vey the depth of the issue of diver sity. “My concept would be an all-in clusive land sculpture, a place for students to gather and conducive to student unity,” he said. see Sculpture on Page 6. ■ HHHHi Health Beat Rules of disclosing HIV test results changed Prof to speak about link between fiber and cancer its of the q tional meetiij >9 Rudder ttee at 845-. ; f BY MEGAN WRIGHT The Battalion The Texas Department of Health (TDH) has adopted a new policy to change disease reporting rules to require providers and lab oratories to report confirmed HIV infections by name, unless pa tients choose to be tested anony mously. Since the adoption of the poli cy, patients have the option of § testing confidentially or anony mously. Heather Clark, a health educator for Planned Parenthood, said the difference between the two types of testing is indicated on the sample label. “On an anonymous test, there is no identifying information. The patient is given a pseudo nym and a number,” Clark said. “Confidential testing provides the Texas Department of Health with the name and identifying information of the patient.” When a person is tested confi dentially and is returned positive. the case information is sent to the TDH in Austin. TDH will remove identifying information and send the case information to the Cen ters for Disease Control and Pre vention in Atlanta. Margaret Griffith, a health ed ucator coordinator and HIV/sex ual health specialist for A.P. Beutel Health Center, said there is a fear of a decrease in the number of people obtaining HIV tests due to what some would call an invasion of privacy. “I think once students under stand how important this is, they won’t be afraid to continue test ing,” Griffith said. “People take these tests anyway. We are marching towards having all states requiring reporting HIV cases by name, eventually. We are marching towards being more open about the entire process of testing.” According to the Texas Depart see Results on Page 6. BY NONI SRIDHARA The Battalion Joanne Lupton, professor and William W. Allen Endowed chair, will speak tonight on whether fiber is protective against colon cancer at 7:30 in Blocker 457, as part of the Ethel Ashworth-Tsut- sui Memorial Lecture and awards ceremony. Robert Kennedy, vice president for research and associate provost for graduate studies, said Lupton is one of the premier biomedical scientists on campus. “She is an expert on her spe cialty, which is the relationship between cancer and nutrition, and is funded by the National In stitute of Health,” he said. Dr. Ethel Ashworth-Tsutsui was a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at Texas A&M from 1969 until her death in January 1988. Ashworth-Tsutsui helped in the establishment of women’s pro grams at Texas A&M by serving as a member of the program adviso ry Committee for Women’s Stud ies and as director of women’s studies. Ashworth-Tsutsui served as the first chair of the Faculty Sen ate Committee for the Status of Women in the University. Becky Morrow, staff assistant for the College of Science and a member of Women In Science and Engineering (WISE), said when choosing the speakers, the lecture sponsors alternate be tween a scientist who works on campus and one who does not annually. The lecture will be the seventh annual lecture for the WISE con ference. Nancy Magnussen, direc tor of WISE and program coordi nator in the Office of the Dean of the College of Science, said Ash worth-Tsutsui was the co-founder of WISE, and upon her death last year, members of WISE decided to dedicate this year’s conference to her memory. “We wanted to have a female scientist who was very well known on campus, and Dr. Lup ton is a world-renowned scien tist,” Magnussen said. see Cancer on Page 6. Newest date rape drug difficult to detect BY MEGAN WRIGHT The Battalion Gamma Hydroxy Butyric Acid (GHB) is quickly gaining expo sure as the replacement of the narcotic Rohypnol, commonly re ferred to as the date rape drug. According to Alcohol and Drug Education Programs of Stu dent Life, GHB is used in Europe as a general anesthetic and in treatment of anxiety, stress, in somnia, narcolepsy, alcoholism, alcohol withdrawal and as an aid in childbirth. It has been pro moted as a steroid alternative for body building. In the United States, GHB is relatively new but has gained fa vor as a recreational drug because of its intoxicating effects. Lorna Breault, coordinator of first-year student alcohol educa tion programs, said GHB was originally an over-the-counter medication. (G)amma (Hjydroxy (B)utyric other names include. G.H.B, GrieiHous Bodily Harm, Cherry IBcth, liquid S, Liquid fcslasq, Easy lay, 6-juice, Energy Drinh Rohypnol other names Include: Runitrazepam, the forget pill. Mexican Uallum, R-2, Rib. Roaches, Rootles, Rophies. Ruffles, Rples, Roofenot, Roofers “Drugstores sold GHB over the counter for a number of years as a dietary supplement, until the FDA stopped the distribution in 1990 because it was allegedly linked with cases of date rape,” Breault said. see Ghb on Page 6,