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,