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Rutocuwc Stcriuzhiio*
Clchn Modcrn Studio
WEDNESDAY
February 16, 2000
Volume 106 ~ Issue 92
12 pages
k mm ;^Wi\ * I I«i 21 k»i ^ I t i
esidence hall fee to increase Substance free
housing for Fall
FULL SET
20.00
BY MAUREEN KANE
The Battalion
On-campus residents will once again dig a little deeper into
leir pockets for rent next year because of an average rent in
lease of 5 percent for the 2001 fiscal year.
According to the preliminary budget information released by
je Department of Residence Life, this increase is necessary be-
puse "an insufficient amount of money has been spent in the past
j repair and upgrade the residence halls and apartments.”
The increase is expected to generate $1,152,010, which will
:spent on increased utilities, supplies, increased costs of res-
fence hall maintenance and repair, and increases in donnito-
administration costs, such as salary increases and general
perational cost increases.
This percentage increase means students living in the res-
pence halls can expect an increase of about $30 to SS2, de
ending on the hall in which they live. Rent in non-air-condi-
loned halls will increase b\ $30 and rent for modular hall
psidents will increase by $82.
Julie Cast, president of the Residence 1 lall Association (RHA)
pid a junior marketing major, said the increase was anticipated.
“Every year rent goes up a little to make up for inflation
and deferred maintenance,” Cast said. “From a student per
spective — they are happy the rate isn't as high as it has been
the past couple of years.”
The money generated by the rent increase will also be spent
on deferred maintenance tasks which are prioritized into crit
ical maintenance, potentially critical maintenance, necessary
but not yet critical maintenance, recommended maintenance,
and new code requirements.
The goals of these tasks are to “upgrade/improve current
residence hall facilities by increasing spending on renovations,
maintenance, and furniture replacement; to renovate and up
grade the balcony style residence halls; and to design and con
struct additional on campus housing for the future.”
The Department of Residence Life compared rental rates
in the Bryan-College Station community to those of on-cam-
pus residence halls and found that rental rates in the commu
nity did not increase in the 1999 fiscal year, and increased 2.7
percent in the 2000 fiscal year. On average, rental rates have
increased over 55 percent during the period from 1990-1999.
Residence hall rental rates increased 9 percent in fiscal year
1999, and 7 percent in fiscal year 2000.
RESIDENCE HALL
n p ai v
INCREASE
2001 FISCRL VERB
STUDENTS CRN EHPECT
RN INCRERSE OF
$30 TO $80
THE INCRERSE IS
EHPECTED TO PRODUCE
$1,152,010
THE INCRERSE UJILL BE
USED TO OFFSET
INCRERSED COST OF
RESIDENCE HALL \ ’
UTILITIES, SUPPLIES,
RND MAINTENANCE
RUBEN DELUNA/Thk B vitai ion
worry
BY BRANDIE LIFFICK
The Battalion
Sophomore journalism major
Lynley Shults was surprised when
she filled out a student information
form in one of her classes.
Students were asked to list their
birthdays on the form.
“[My professor] then went to the
rosters and got our Social Security
numbers, and then went into Bonfire
or something and looked up our grades
from past C/asses,” Shults said. “My
prof was really great. But I wonder
about other profs who do this I
wonder if it makes a difference in the
end. If they look at one student’s
grades and say ‘Oh, this is a straight A
student, I'll just bump his up to an A.
But this one is used to making Bs; that
one can stay.' ”
The professor (whose identity
Shults would not reveal) placed the
students into groups, appointing
those with higher grades as team
leaders.
“He told us that he did this after
ward. and that was what our groups
were going to be based off of,”
Shults said. “1 know he was just try
ing to create better groups, but I was
upset about it.”
With seven open access labs fea
turing over 1,200 computers, stu
dents are given ample opportunity to
take advantage of online services
presented by Texas A&M. In some
cases, professors also take advantage
of these online services.
Steven McGinnis, lab supervisor
at the Blocker Building open access
computer lab, said he has never
heard about security problems, like
other students trying to break into
each others’ accounts.
“If a student were to come to us
and felt like their account has been
violated, we refer them to the secu
rity department of CIS [Computer
Information Services],” McGinnis
said. “No individual has the right to
go into someone else’s account.”
To use a computer in any one of
the open access computer labs, stu
dents must first claim a password
and set up their account. This pass
word is then required every time stu
dents want to use a computer.
McGinnis said students who forget
their password must go to one of the
labs and present a form of photo
identification.
“We require a photo so that no
one could possibly pose as someone
else. You must come yourself; we
don’t allow you to get passwords for
roommates, family members, or over
the phone,” McGinnis said.
Senior political science major
Dave McCaughrin uses the Student
Computing Center two to three times
a week to check e-mail, look at Web
sites, and use the Bonfire system
when scheduling his classes.
“I feel that my information is over
all pretty safe — at least I like to think
so,” McCaughrin said. “Those that
use it for other things — well, I guess
we just have to hope that they are us
ing it strictly for honest activities.”
Lazy day
STUART VILLANUEVA/1 hi Battalion
Brian Robertson, a senior industrial distribution major, relaxes in a hammock that he set up in the
trees outside the Academic Building.
BY MAUREEN KANE
The Battalion
Trying to keep beer out of the
minifridges of underage students living
in on-campus dorms will not be a con
cern of the resident advisers because of
the latest housing option offered at Texas
A&M.
Over 700 incoming students have
registered to live in substance-free hous
ing in Fall 2000.
Substance-free housing was ap
proved by the Residence Hall Associa
tion (RHA) last spring.
This type of housing has been suc
cessful on other campuses, and because
of student and administrator support, the
Department of Residence Life has de
cided to implement this program at
A&M, said Chareny Rydl, Associate Di
rector of Dormitories Administration.
To be eligible for substance-free hous
ing, students must sign an agreement.
“Residents living in substance-free
housing will not use alcohol, tobacco, or
illegal drugs there, and will not return
under the influence of these substances,”
Rydl said.
Students living in substance-free
housing will also be expected to refrain
from participating in any behavior that
disrupts the life of the community, such
as going off campus and drinking and
then returning to the residence hall.
While many universities have desig
nated specific residence halls as sub
stance-free, Sue Foster, assistant direc
tor of donnitories administration, said at
A&M, “it would not be practical to sud
denly take over four buildings. There
needs to be a more gradual change, so we
decided to go with the option of making
different floors substance-free.”
Foster also said that trial substance-
free floors will be located in different
styles of dorms on each side of campus
to give students with varying financial
situations an equal opportunity to live in
a substance-free environment.
Substance-free floors will be locat
ed in Eppright Hall and Wells Hall, on
Southside, and in Davis-Gary Hall and
Mcfnnis Hall, on Northside.
“The students who want to live on
these floors have an easier time finding
other people who don’t share substance
use as a recreational pursuit. We feel con
fident we'll fill it — hopefully with a
nice mix of returning and new students,”
Foster said.
Julie Cast RHA President and a junior
marketing major, said the RHA organized
surveys for all on-campus residents last
year, and they expressed a need and de
sire for substance-free housing. Cast said
a lot of student input was taken into con
sideration by the Department of Resi
dence Life when making the decision to
implement the new housing program.
“A majority of the students thought
there was a need for this. Hopefully, it
will expand to more floors and halls,”
Cast said.
The Department of Residence Life
does not expect any residents of sub
stance-free housing to break their hous
ing agreements. However, if a resident
does break the agreement, the resident
may then be relocated on campus, or
possibly removed from on-campus hous
ing, Rydl said.
Condolences to be
sent to Prairie View
BY JEANETTE SIMPSON
The Battalion
The Student Senate will consider the approval ofa $1 library usage fee increase
and two referendum bills Wednesday — but first, they are taking some time out to
send condolences to a university which has found itself in a situation similar to
one that Texas A&M University experienced three short months ago.
A resolution is on the Senate’s agenda to send the condolences of A&M to
Prairie View A&M for the loss of four of their students in a car accident last Thurs
day night.
“ft is important that we include this resolution in our meeting this evening, be
cause Prairie View A&M did so much for (Texas A&M ] during the Bonfire col
lapse,” said Brian Minyard, speaker of the Student Senate and a senior biochem
istry and political science major.
The four members of the men’s track team were killed on their way to a meet
in Pine Bluff, Ark., when their van swerved to avoid a stopped car and flipped over.
The Senate will also consider a bill which recommends a $1 increase in the li
brary usage fee, making the fee $6 per credit hour.
“The library has been consistent in responding to the needs of the students.
This bill is important because it ensures the library will continue in their trend of
See Student Senate on Page 2.
Speaker calls
world to Jubilee
BY DANA JAMUS
The Battalion
Both Jewish and
Christian faiths con
sider 2000 to be a Ju
bilee year, where
slaves are set free and
debts are forgiven. Ju
bilee 2000, an organi
zation demanding the
relief of Third-World
countries from all
debt, hopes that the
people of Third-
World countries will
be freed from slaving
to repay debt.
Seydina Senghor, cofounder of Jubilee 2000, spoke Tuesday
about the mission of the organization at a presentation sponsored by
the Students for Peace, Students for a free Tibet, Amnesty Interna
tional and the India Association.
Jubilee is a religious concept adopted from Hebrew scripture
which states slaves should be freed, debt forgiven and land redis
tributed for a new beginning every 50 years, Senghor said.
Jubilee 2000 asks that debtor countries alleviate the debts of
Third-World countries so they can focus on abolishing poverty
issues.
Senghor said Bill Clinton has already agreed to remove 100 percent
of bilateral debt from developing nations. England and France have fol
lowed suit but to a much lesser degree and with less commitment.
See Jubilee on Page 2.
IP BEATO/The Battalion
Seydina Senghor, cofounder of Ju
bilee 2000, called for cancelation of
Third World debt.
News in Brief
A&M, Palo Alto College announce partnership
The Texas A&M System and Palo Alto College in San Antonio have formally an
nounced a partnership that will bring junior, senior and graduate level course of
ferings to the college in south San Antonio.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the new additions Jan.
27, after the state legislature requested that the A&M system create a Texas A&M
University-Kingsville System Center-Palo Alto.
“The future of Texas depends heavily upon access to higher education for all of
its residents,” said A&M System Chancellor Howard D. Graves in a press release.
“1 believe this center will be another important advance in providing that access to
South Texas.”
The center will begin offering classes in Fall 2000.
Higher Education Board holds annual conference
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s annual conference will be held
Wednesday, Feb. 16 through Friday, Feb. 18 at the Bush Presidential Conference Center.
The board oversees all public universities, health-related institutions and com
munity and technical colleges in Texas.
The conference will address on campus planning issues like facility inventory proce
dures, space project models, room utilization and construction delivery methods and leg
islative updates.
Campus planning, construction and maintenance officials, physical plant directors
and other administrators from public colleges and universities will attend.
Registration for the conference begins at the College Station Hilton at 2:00 p.m.
Comstock re-enrolls full-time via the Internet
John Comstock, a Texas A&M student injured in the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse,
has enrolled as a full-time student at A&M just days after transferring from College Sta
tion Medical Center to a Dallas rehabilitation center.
Comstock, who remains partially paralyzed, will be taking classes via Internet-
based distance-learning.
Comstock has already expressed a desire to return to A&M and live in his old
dorm, Moses Hall.
•Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9
at 1:57 p.m. for details on
the Light party.
Batt Online
•Check out The Battalion
online at
battalion.tamu.edu.