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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 2000)
mm apply. Ask tor del* 1 ' Wednesday, Febmar. THE THURSDAY February 24, 2000 Volume 106 ~ Issue 98 14 pages prote ieques :h leaders’ increasing® mi-Navy protests has® (-statehood politicians, tear the protests could make Puerto Rico-u 1 billion in federal feus the 51 st U.S. state, inti-American, anti-Nav ;ontributetothe seriousi Rossello has done to® ’s exit,” said Housesp! iisla Aldarondo. bristled at the criticism i though we’re veter® e our service, I want tots of the United States to :e for Vieques," saidMk Alvarado, 72, a U.S..- f Korea and Vietnam, n and Rossello agreed illou the Navy to resume ng using inert bombs, act calls for a refereti; e held in 2001, than esidents two choices: .nine exercises, include : bombs. ercises w ith dummy hr idrawal bv the Naw I * i Vi 1 rW i U Distance learning increases BY STUART HUTSON Tire Battalion Why should Texas college students order just books and class notes online — when they can get the entire class? This question was answered by Texas Lieutenant Governor Rick Perry' Wednesday in a letter to the press concerning the fu ture of online college courses in Texas. In tire letter. Perry noted that an estimated 2.2 million U.S. college students will be taking distance learning courses by the year 2002, three times as many as in 1998.' “Online, Internet-based classrooms can offer real solu tions to overcrowded schools and the shortages of teach ers, engineers and technology workers the new Texas econ omy needs," Perry said. “Technology is breaking down barriers to college. Vast distances can be overcome with the click of a mouse. And classes can be made available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.” Pierce Cantrell, associ- RHA meets with bonfire adviser Association also discusses new cable channel, residence hall RISE IN ON-LINE DISTANCE LEARNING IN US. - E»llmateti 2.2 million studwnts (15 p«reem of all college etudents) will be laklng on-line distance learning courses by 2002 720,000 student* took on-line distance learning In 1998. ty D«u Corporation JEFF SMITH/Thk Battamon A 1 def wxyz ! es x>ot ate provost for academic use of computers at Texas A&M, said A&M is play ing an active part in break ing down these barriers. “We have been work ing on these technologies for quite a few years now, and we keep trying to increase the number of options available,” he said. “This is something that can be extremely beneficial to a great number of people, like those who are trying to get another degree to help them in their work.” Cantrell said the uni versity provost provided | $500,000 last semester to increase the number of degrees that | may be obtained by means of online education. “Masterdegrees in mathematics and technology educations 1 have already been set up by this, along with pilot programs for masters in construction science, petroleum engineering, and en- gi'neeqngsystem management,” he said. Cantrell said these programs are only the newest additions to A&M’sdistance education program. Tie program includes computer-assisted services, such as a program which offers over 180 courses to more than one hun dred locations across Texas and Mexico via a two-way, digital video conferencing network. The network allows a professor at A&M to interact with mul tiple classes in other Texas cities by means of a video and audio feed that is digitally transferred by a serving computer. Kevin P. Jackson, director of student activities and distance learning consultant to the vice president of student affairs, said this form of distance learning is constantly being improved by Web-based interactive tools. “We are trying to introduce more tools with which students can interact with the professor via the Internet,” Jackson said. “Students can have classroom discussions by means of chat rooms, they can get notes and assignments from Websites, and professors even can have virtual otlice hours during which stu dents can talk with the professor.” He said these classes arc confined primarily to graduate lev el courses because graduate students often are attempting to pur- sueamasters or doctoral degree while working full-time or rais ing a family. “We really want to focus on the on-campus experience for undergraduate students, but these classes show a great deal of promise for the graduate programs,” Jackson said. BY RICHARD BRAY The Battalion Bonfire adviser Rusty Thompson said no bon fire leadership positions will officially exist until the investigation into the 1999 Aggie Bdnfire col lapse has concluded and decisions have been made about the future of bonfire. At the Residence Hall Association [RHA] meeting Wednesday night, Thompson said the University is doing everything it can to help the investigation. “It is very important to the University and [the Vice Pres ident of Student Affairs. Dr. J. Malon] Southerland that we go about this investigation the right way,” he said. “The right way to do this is to wait for the investigation and let the committee do their work. The University is going to do whatever it can to make sure that they can do their job.” Thompson said that residence halls may elect leaders if a bonfire is approved for next year, but they may not use bonfire terminology in their title until the investigation is completed. “The University is asking that since we don’t have [a] bonfire planned, we shouldn’t have any bonfire positions,” he said. “We’re basically asking you not to use the titles.” “The only positions that we have right now are the se nior red pots and those students are finishing up some things from 1999,” he said. Red pots are the leaders ultimately responsible for the planning and construction of bonfire. RHA also passed a bill to approve University consider ation of bringing the College Television Network [CTN] to campus. CTN provides free broadcasting to colleges and universities and is currently in use at over 700 colleges and universities. Cameron Cushman, RHA director of public relations and sophomore political sci ence major, said “CTN will only be in fifty percent of the dining halls.” Cushman said CTN can also be broadcast on one of the currently unused channels available for student programming in the residence halls. The University will be offered the option of channels fo cusing on news or music. Cushman said the project could potentially be profitable. “If we set up the contract the right way, from rev- “The University is asking that since we don't have [a] bon fire planned, we shouldn't have any bon fire positions. We're basi cally asking you not to use the titles." — Rusty Thompson Texas A&M bonfire adviser enue-sharing we can actually make money from this,” Cushman said. CTN must be approved by Southerland before it can be brought to campus. The former Law and Puryear location is the pro posed site for the new resi dence hall, said Ron Sassej^t* rector of the DepartmenCfvjf Residence Life. The donu-aj estimated to cost $12 million-: The new residence hall is stilD in planning stages, but it is proposed to be roughly t£ie size of Lechner Hall and inf S modular style. The residence hall, built to replace the rooms lost when Law and Puryear halls were torn down because of structural damage, is esti mated to provide 200 beds! When Law and Puryear wer^ torn down, 400 beds were lost. Sasse said everyone on campus would face fee increast es to pay for the new residence hall because it is the only way Residence Life knows to pay for new projects. “Historically, charging everyone [living on campus) is the only way we can do it financially," he said. Aloha baby CODY WAGES/Tm: Batiauon Darrie Durham, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, and Deanna Scrimpshire, a freshman general studies major, talk to bikini clad Eastmark Apartment sales persons, Ghana Overland, Elaine Wigginton and Amy Schwanntes at the MSC Housing Fair Wednesday. Students were able to speak with many representatives from B-CS housing communities. Widnall gives speech to help new student BY DANA JAMUS The Battalion Sheila Widnall visited Texas A&M for the second time Wednesday night Mhis time, with no strings attached. Widnall gave the May 1997 com mencement address as a deal struck with Dr. Ray Bowen. She had received a letter from the mother of a young air man who wanted to attend A&M and was having difficulties with admission. Bowen agreed to allow this young man’s admission, but only if Widnall gave one of the commencement addresses. “So, Smith, wherever you are, I’m tack!” Widnall said jokingly Wednesday. Widnall is the only woman to be the U.S. Air Force Secretary. Widnall spoke as part of the Distin guished Lecture Series. Widnall discussed her recipe for an organization’s success: a strong and positive culture. This atmosphere makes people proud to be associated with that orga nization and proud of any accomplish ments they make. Strong, positive cul ture is cultivated at A&M, she said, and “not only because when you search the Web for Aggie jokes you get more than 2,000 hits.” As head of the Air Force, Widnall decided that she would focus on the “people element” in the organization and let the technology and organiza tional part take care of itself. Widnall defined leadership as “steering, not rowing.” She said she trusted the people at the Air Force to complete the tasks that needed do ing, so she concentrated on taking care of those people. In her role as leader of the Air Force, she stepped out of her office and displayed what “management by walking around” means. She en joyed flying every airplane in the Air Force’s inventory, a joy which she said was a big factor in accepting the position. Widnall said this experience made her feel like “one of the luckiest people in the world.” She said it was hard for her to identify her favorite plane, but the F-16 was near the top of the list. She was the first woman and only the third civilian to fly a B-2, an “incredible experience,” she said. Widnall said emphasizing and artic ulating core values help set an institu tion’s ideals and have a psychological reward for the people of the organiza tion by reflecting their worth, who they UT, A&M show jump in enrollment figures BRADLEY ATCHISON/The Battalion, Sheila Widnall, first female secretary of U.S. Airforce spoke at the Bush Presidential Conference Center. are and what they do. “The best leader is a teacher,” she said. Widnall said the same is true in the Air Force. Recruitment must occur from within and, so if “We want a colonel, we must grow a lieutenant.” Widnall said her background as an educator was the most useful experi ence she took with her to Washington. Widnall was also the first female president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of many other government and academic See Widnall on Page 2. AUSTIN (AP) — Freshman applica tions at the University of Texas - Austin have hit an all-time high with more mi nority students tiying to get in. More than 20,800 applications have come in for just slightly more than 7,000 spots for the new freshman class, the Austin American- Statesman report ed Wednesday. Texas A&M offi cials also say ap plications are nearing record levels. “We’re excit ed about this,” said UT Admis sions Director Bruce Walker. “If [the enrollment figures aren't] a record, it's pretty close to one." — Joe Estrada A&M Admissions Director “The next part will be the hard part, mak ing oiir enrollment decisions and dealing with the students who don’t get an offer — and their parents.” ■Last year, UT received about 18,200 applications and Walker said he expects this year’s figures to surpass 21,000. The application deadline was Feb. 1 and of ficials are still counting. A&M, has tallied 18,069 applica tions for its 6,300-seat freshman class. The application deadline at A&M was Feb.15. “If it isn’t a record, it’s pretty close to one,” said A&M Admissions Direc tor Joe Estrada. As for minority students, UT Austin had 3,013 applications from Hispanics, compared with 2,688 in 1999. African-Americans submitted 1,121 applications compared with 976 last year. Mi nority application figures at A&M were not avail able Wednesday, said spokesper son Lane Stephenson. A 1996 feder- al court ruling, known as the Hopwood decision, led to a dismantling of affirmative action programs in Texas higher education and declines in black and Hispanic student enrollment. UT rebounded last fall, and credit ed the new scholarships and a state law that grants automatic admission to stu dents in the top 10 percent of their high school class. Officials at UT and A&M also said their schools are benefitting See Enrollment on Page 2. Check out The Battalion online at battalion.tamu.edu