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FRIDAY
March 26, 1999
Volume 105 • Issue 116 • 10 Pages
College Station, Texas
105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
:ism
aggielife
• Science fiction and
fantasy to bring actors,
authors and others to
theAggieCon XXX.
PAGE 4
today’s issue
Toons 2
Sports 7
Battalion Radio
Information about the Bryan
Easter egg hunt will be given at
1:57p.m. on 90.9 KAMU-FM.
opinion
• Elizabeth Dole's vast
experience makes her an
excellen t presiden tial
candidate.
PAGE 9
3N
■ 70-hour rule revised
fftenate bill changed to accommodate students
rial 1 BY NONISRIDHARA
ing I The Battalion
pronounce® note Bill 345, which changes the fixed 170-hour cap
rights tie to an individual cap of 45 hours more than each stu-
irredenr ent s degree program requires for graduation, was
l^vd in the Texas House of Representatives yesterday,
dered an; we original bill, which passed in the Texas Senate ear-
rowdedf ertliis year, would have prohibited the state from fund-
uls, nun ig undergraduate semester credit hours that exceed 170
ncing act >tal hours while authorizing institutions of higher edu-
tions, pc itiln to charge a higher tuition rate for hours above the
1 Br OUI ca P- ^ ie origin^ bill and amendment will go
uiu ito effect in Fall 1999.
t nppealt Tiffany Britton, a spokesperson for Senator Ogden,
whose s tid the bill went back to the House to be amended after
IP prime-te Higher Education Committee received complaints
attoiv, om students and schools.
[bout who' The bill that passed yesterday includes a grandfather
^ in Xoveitause that applies to students who enrolled in an institu-
*lf real® on prior to Fall 1999. A subsection of the bill prohibits the
k. idon axas Higher Education Coordinating Board from includ-
s vole shoig funding for semester credit hours earned by a resident
the presiittidergraduate student who has previously attempted 45
hours more than that required to complete the student’s
degree program, rather than a total of 170 or more hours.
There are several exceptions to the bill that make stu
dents exempt from the 45-hour extension. The first is se
mester credit hours earned by students before receiving
a degree previously awarded to the students.
The second is semester credit hours earned by exam
ination or under any other procedure in which credit is
earned without registering for a course.
The third is credit for a remedial education course, a
technical course, a work force education course funded
according to contact hours or another course that does
not count toward the students’ degree programs at the in
stitution.
Finally, there are semester credit hours earned by stu
dents at private institutions or out-of-state institutions.
Students with double majors are exempt from the amend
ment.
The bill states the importance of this legislation and
the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses
created an emergency, so the bill was a top priority in the
House. Due to the bill amendments, it will go to the sen
ate for reapproval and, if approved, will proceed to the
Governor.
Blushing Bride
CARING CASAS/The BATTALION
Ronald Mauldin sets his camera as Linda Mauldin adjusts the train on Katheryn Blaschke’s
dress. Blaschke and her twin sister Amy, both Class of ’98, had their wedding photos taken on the
A&M campus. The Houston natives chose the campus because their fiances are also Aggies.
ugging off (
nee on abortii
i portent issue.
he added,
h waded gi
debjieowabi
lonth, after;
of his pi®
nmittee, act'.v
found room I
Licensing debate
inay lead to lawsuit
BY NONI SRIDHARA
The Battalion
villingness to ■ y exas a&M University adminis-
) cases o: ators ma y fj n( j themselves in a
le, incest or i. lWSL1 jt due to the termination of a
ith of some - 3 ]]egiate license.
>, who refuse: Mj c helle Brenckman, Class of
e" label on In '9 ant j a former licensee, is work-
ame time, an ig toward the filing of a lawsuit
1 is running tele )C j a y because of the termination of
1 New Hampsti' er tollegiate license,
id Elizabethf- The individuals named in the
mg a president i W suit include Frank Shannon,
g their “extrett armer executive director of the
ks from both: 2th M an Foundation; Rod Step,
who calls hie [current president of the 12th
mate consflan Foundation; Frank Clarke,
peal tonian#ead of internal audit with the
ay. bxas A&M University System,
activists on th ifally Groff, athletic director; Pres-
vant a candid lent p) n R a y m. Bowen; and the
etely to their^ ; 2th Man Foundation and Texas
their candidh&M University.
:o, a UnivershLj—^ BB1
Shi”' “Regardless of
Z'Z\t K «i>whether the
MenaS fo p >f * a/ / team wins
ilation makin 0# . / oses AggieS Will
Texas Legist 7 00
0 adoption h buy A&M
; stirred cfitittl
md gay rights merchandise”
ider and gently
i Dianne Hat
i rector of th
ghts Lobby
otry nonetl#
— Michelle Brenckmen
Former A&M licensee
Brenckman said she originally
received a license in 1986 to pub-
id and disapitfhsh A&M Magazine, which she
colleue expef^V 8 focused on A&M’s history and
——^aditions.
s the place so “This magazine was very pro-
al and difficult niversity,” she said,
inswers. checK Brenckman said in 1992, the
magazine expanded to include all
versitysecrt’if dm System schools.
Brenckman claims that in 1995,
owon terminated her license and
stablished an agreement with a
iend, the publisher of Aggies II-
tstrated, and allowed his friend to
Operate without a license. She
,. aims that after seven months of
^ceiving her complaints about the
||ct that Aggies Illustrated was op-
ating without a license, the Ath-
ith st„ Bryan 77^tic Department offered to buy the
ticeopensAUxuhlication for $760,000.
mg-Todays G ro ff denied the allegation and
ttJjRj mid the department never offered
—buy the magazine.
Rick Floyd, associate vice presi-
for finance, said Brenckman’s
-"cense was not terminated by
wen, but expired, as all colle-
eaw
IN OP (PG) ~
HI (B)
□0 (PG13)
giate licenses eventually do. Floyd
said, Brenckman’s magazine start
ed to endorse candidates such as
Phil Gramm which suggested that
A&M was supporting Gramm.
“As much as many people may
support Gramm, we cannot sup
port any political candidates as a
University, “ Floyd said.
Rule one of Texas A&M Univer
sity Collegiate Licensing Art Guide
lines states “the University’s marks
are to present a positive image,”
and rule 15 states, “uses of the Uni
versity’s marks associated with cer
tain other mark(s) and/or words
will not be licensed.”
Toby Boenig, director of colle
giate licensing said, rules one and
15 are the regulations most abused
by licensees.
Brenckman said her greatest
concern is not the loss of her li
cense, but who is benefitting from
licensing revenue.
In information provided by
Brenckman, she said a 1981 edition
of The Bryan-College Station Eagle,
had quoted Don Powell as saying
“all (Licensing) funds would be
placed in the student activity fund
for student organizations. ”
Brenckman said Powell, who
was managing the licensing pro
gram at the time, approved an
emergency rescue of the Athletic
Department with a one-time trans
fer of licensing revenues to Athlet
ics, under orders from immediate
supervisor Robert Smith, former
vice president of finance and ad
ministration.
Brenckman claims, in 1994
Bowen was named University pres
ident and approved a plan present
ed by Groff to transfer 65 percent
of the annual net revenues from li
censing to the Athletic Depart
ment’s operating budget.
Groff said he did propose a plan
to Bowen for the Athletic Depart
ment to receive 65 percent of the li
censing revenue, but there was
nothing secretive at all.
Groff said the Athletic Depart
ment originally did not receive any
collegiate licensing revenue.
“Many Division I schools
throughout the country receive 100
percent of the licensing revenue,”
Groff said.
Floyd and Groff said they are
proud of the fact that A&M has re
frained from incorporating into tu
ition a student athlete fee for all
students, a common practice at
other universities. Brenckman has
accused Bowen of transferring
see License on Page 2.
New regents assume seats
Board set to vote on projects, tuition increase
BY BETH MILLER
The Battalion
Presentations to the Texas
A&M Board of Regents yesterday
showcased the proposed in
crease of University Authorized
Tuition (UAT) and preliminary
designs for possible future A&M
projects.
A public hearing updated the
Board on the University’s most
recent action regarding the UAT
increase proposal and the pro
posals for a pedestrian walkway
under Wellborn Road and the
West Campus parking garage.
Student Body President Lau
rie Nickel spoke at the hearing
on behalf of A&M students and
elaborated on the Student Sen
ate’s Wednesday-night decisions,
which included approving the
proposals for the pedestrian
walkway and the tuition in
crease.
Nickel said she fully supports
the walkway, which would re
place the overpass at the inter
sections of Wellborn Road and
Joe Routt Boulevard. She said the
walkway would be more fre
quently utilized because the pre
liminary design allows it a grad
ual, linear slope as opposed to
the long, winding ramps on each
end of the overpass. She said it
would also benefit bicyclists and
the handicapped, who experi
ence difficulty using the steeper
overpass.
The proposed walkway con
struction budget is $10,000,000.
A representative of Prozign
Architects of Houston described
the preliminary plan for the West
Campus parking garage.
He said the garage would be
similar in physical appearance,
design and operation to other on-
campus garages. The garage
would contain 2,800 spaces,
most for student use.
Nickel said while she and the
Student Senate support the UAT
increase proposal, she does not
agree with allocating a portion of
the revenue from the parking-fee
increase to the West Campus
garage project. She said the Uni
versity should either wait to be
gin planning for and construct
ing the garage or maintain
Parking Area 56 and build it clos
er to the Wehner Building than
the plan calls for. She said it
would be better utilized by stu
dents on West Campus if it was
near the classroom buildings.
In other business yesterday,
two officers and three members
were elected to serve on the
Board. Don Powell of Amarillo
was reelected as chair of the
Board, Frederick D. McClure of
Dallas was elected as vice chair
man and Lionel Sosa of San An
tonio, R.H. Stevens of Houston
and Susan Rudd Wynn of Ben-
brook were selected as new
board members.
Don Powell
Chairman
Powell was
elected by
the Board of
Regents to
serve a
second term
as chairman.
Powell, of
Amarillo, is
president of
First National
Bank in
Amarillo.
Frederick D.
McClure
Vice
Chairman
Also elected
by the Board,
McClure, of
Dallas, is
managing di
rector of Pub
lic Strategic
Inc. He served
as assistant
for legislative
affairs for For
mer president
George Bush.
Lionel Sosa R.H. Stevens
New Board
member
Stevens, also
appointed by
the governor,
is a senior
partner in
Arthur Ander
son L.L.P. He
is a graduate
of Texas A&M
University
and a former
member of
the Corps of
Cadets.
New Board
member
Sosa, of San
Antonio, was
appointed by
Gov. George
W. Bush. Sosa
is chief execu
tive officer and
partner for
Garcia*LKS.
Susan Rudd
Wynn
New Board
Member
Wynn is an
M.D. special
izing in allergy
and clinical
immunology
at Fort Worth
Allergy and
Asthma Asso
ciates. She
earned both
her degrees at
Texas A&M.
Big Event
to draw
thousands
BY AMANDA PALM
The Battalion
More than 4,500 students will
volunteer their time and energy to
serve Bryan-College Station Satur
day.
The largest one-day, student-
run service project in the nation.
The Big Event, begins at the steps
of the Jack K. Williams Adminis
tration Building at 9 a.m. and will
last until mid-afternoon.
Robert Goodwin, chief execu
tive officer for Points of Light
Foundation, will be the keynote
speaker for The Big Event and will
be joined by Student Body Presi
dent Laurie Nickel, the yell lead
ers and Parsons Mounted Cavalry.
Bowie Hogg, student involve
ment sub-chair for The Big Event
and a sophomore business ad
ministration major, said Goodwin
was chosen to speak because he
is dedicated to service.
“He loves service and has giv
en his life to it,” Hogg said. “He’s
a former member of the Board of
Regents who can relate to stu
dents and motivate them.”
There are more than 320 stu
dent organizations participating in
The Big Event including fraterni
ties and sororities. Aggie Sisters
for Christ and Alpha Phi Omega
usually send more than 100 mem
bers to volunteer, Hogg said.
Volunteers for The Big Event
will spend the day doing a variety
of service activities including
cleaning and painting homes,
helping with a fair at an elemen
tary school and cleaning streets in
downtown Bryan.
The volunteers are divided into
smaller groups to work at numer
ous locations during the day.
“Most jobs are for groups of six
to 10 people, so a group of 20
would be assigned to three jobs,”
Hogg said. “The organizations
know prior to Saturday morning
what job they have and where in
the community they will go. We
send people all over and try to
cover the majority of Bryan and
College Station.”
Lisa Cassidy, community devel
opment sub-chair for The Big
Event and a junior marketing ma
jor, said anyone in the community
can be served by event volunteers.
SEE RELATED STORY ON PAGE 6.