Page 10 NEWS THE BATTALION ThursU Early registration may end after AOC votes for changes B> ROLANDO GARCIA The Battalion I The elimination of early registration 1 for student workers came one step clos er to reality after the Academic Opera- j tions Committee (AOC) voted Wednes- 1 day to recommend changes to the registration process. Under the AOC’s proposal, student ! workers and co-op students would lose early registration status, but a grandfather clause will allow those who registered early this spring to continue doing so. Honors students, currently among the first group to register, would now regis ter before other members of their class, as opposed to being able to register before the entire student body does. Also, those honors students designated its committed to and milking progress toward Universi ty or Foundation Honors would register before other honors students. Athletes and students w ith disabilities will keep their early registration status. Dr. Edward Funkhouser, interim ex ecutive director of the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships and AOC member, said the committee con sidered the plight of student w orkers but decided the status quo was unacceptable. “It was thoroughly discussed, and we wanted a fair and equitable policy,” Funkhouser said. "I would ask students to look at the issue beyond self interest.” Funkhouser added that the Faculty Senate and Student Senate would have the opportunity to weigh in on the mat ter before administrators make any fi nal decisions. ‘‘I’ve realized that when one com mittee looks at things, we might over look a concern or perspective. It takes time to have all the voices heard,” , Funkhouser said. Leanna Divine, Student Govern ment Association representative on the AOC and a junior international studies major, said the proposals are still works in progress. “It’s kind of a rash decision, and there’s still a lot to talk about. This is just a starting point.” Divine said. Divine said she supported the rec ommendations because the current sys tem created unfair advantages for stu dent workers. “There are people who can't get the classes they need to graduate on time. This would make registration more equi table,” Divine said. Brent Spencer, Student Senate repre sentative on the AOC and a senior mi crobiology major, who also supported the proposal, said the grandfather clause was a fair compromise. “It’s the best students can hope for. Current student workers can retain early registration, but there’s definitely in equalities that needed to be addressed,” Spencer said. Funkhouser said the committee re visited the issue of early registration af ter several groups asked for early regis tration status. “We needed a reasoned policy for deciding w ho needed to register early,” Funkhouser said. “The advantage of registering early is lost if half the stu dents can do it.” Funkhouser could not elaborate on any specific problems with the current system but said the early registration pol icy was long overdue for a review. Student Body President Forrest Lane, a senior political science major, said he is still studying the issue and hopes to get more student input before any decisions are made. Blue lot parking chanjj;. OK’d by Student Senr enters tl BY JEANETTE SIMPSON The Battalion As students return from summer va cation, they may learn that parking areas on campus have been reassigned. Due to concerns about conges- tion and safety hazards, the Student Senate approved a bill which rec ommended that parking areas 48, 49,62,69 and 91 be changed to red lots. Red lots are designated for res ident parking only. Parking areas 61, 63 North and 63 South — the lot across from Fish Lot and the lots near Olsen Field, respectively — would be blue lots, reserved for commuter parking only. The bill also recommended that Parking, Traffic and Trans portation Services (PTTS) provide “Our first priority is the safety of the resident students as they move from their cars to main campus,” Wine said. “We want the student body to understand as we develop plans [that] we are not mak- road closures and constaJ [century. W mgerou ,ng, sad Peter ScMt* mid|i tor and a senior inform!!: major. “Even the Universi detu its citiz “Our first priority is the safety of the resi dent students as they move from their cars to main campus. ...” — Sherry Wine PTTS executive associate director reliable and appropriate transportation to main campus for commuters. PTTS Executive Associate Director Sherry Wine said that they w ill take these recommendations into serious consider ation as they design the plan to accom modate the traffic problems caused by the construction of the West Campus garage and road work alone Wellborn Road. ing arbitrary' decisions; we are making decisions that w ill help e\eryone.” Not everyone at Wednesday’s meet ing supported the changes to the com muter lots. “I feel we did not have enough in formation to make this decision on parking areas for next year because w e do not have any idea what impact the knouu hut impacttL ownatlons - is going to have.” it$ s k s I os in Student Body Fret l influence, b Lane, a senior politic iefend abrou jor, must approve the Alflok at the is officially passed, nt out that th “I Lei that before, g er feels just cision on this bill,!; ] C ual ai sues addressed by thi S * /u ^ thet be considered. Lanes* * . , n,andcror l heCo T ,, :, f ec !y el yj don't feel tta alltit * erVVllsl '" questions have been w 'fl' not swered.” Perhaps the A bill proposing that; of this is the be created across Agntig immigrat and a bill supporting a Ri jnls say the I Association proposal to tMj nce he h racks outs.de of the N*ay dStalesll garage were also approved, i , ,, ' The Student Senaleapft d E Ft e V a f " on nf fun n^w sfiiimt l d “> 11 aVRMHBi A Corporate lesson #1 Never pass up a great offer. CORPORATE LESSON «2: COME PREPR RED. We’ve got you covered there. When you buy any new 1999 or 2000 Mazda, you can choose the ’’Get Professional Kit” ond we’ll hook you up with a / ^ Palm \lx Connected Organizer and a 1-year subscription to FaSKqMPANY OR 180 DAYS DEFERRED PAYMENT (D With purchase of any new 1999 or 2000 Mazda vehicle. if you’re into instant gratification, get *400 CUSTOMER CASH on the spot! Either way, if you purchase, you won’t have to fork out any monthly payments for 180 days. 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The Best Buy Seal is a registered trademark of Consumers Digest, Inc. ation of two new student committees, the LupeMe::. e J° 11S * at K and the Student Leadersoffe ® c governn Conference. tion to avoid t drevolt in the Stion of Miam Kiilc the eii ■sail admir rinot afford to PrairieVi j* stem lo keep t contmuestrs tomouni; rarnment to s 1 |snation in an ■s of the po| ■The same in PRAIRII Vli:W(AP)-t>:fOUsands of im of what Prairie View A&M Li-beach year sh believe was a murder-suicidt ,’umn boy who chitecture student and oneofis merican watei benefit from a special univerego; America w rollment program. j rlftloads will Kirsten Tarver, was a 22-ve-* nior architecture major froirlw the investigation. Autopsies wef] ing at the FJarris County medico] iner’s office. Campus police who arrived immediately after the shooting'Qq»v|q10 persuade Burroughs at gunpoint 1 '* his pistol. But he put the gun to ( DfOVlciGC and pulled the trigger several if fore it fired, investigators said, t Shortly after the shooting, tfcfjSsponse to A/ students milled about the scene ai] cordoned off the area where thef B I must be he which authorities covered, reniai l8 h as a Secc the ground. %iod for elen A student prayer vigil was quie P a I to believe up for Tuesday evening. Eftory skills. “We try to do as much counsel sj My skeptici we can because of the wreck « i enrolled in about two months ago,”Barroiw s °Phomore yec On Feb. 10, four members plainly not th Prairie View track team were kilt' 0 Besides his the van they were in flippedthrei : r|glish and sci on State Highway 43 near ,v'p^§e America about 20 miles north of Marshall-j ^ class, the Texas. The van was en route to ; - meet in Pine Bluff, Ark.