Wednesday, AugMij
>i Listen to KAMU 90.9 FM at 1:57 p.m.
for details on the research and writing of
beorge W. Bush's acceptance speech.
• Gene scheme
Completion of
human genome
mapping could
spawn new kind
of predictive
discrimination
Page 5
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THURSDAY
August 3, 2000
Volume 106 ~ Issue 179
6 pages
* i sKfiWfiWj I IK I k’i A 11'
the urging of AdultsHi
which has members*:
ie Republican Leaden
1 crasl
business, Liberal Arts
lave most graduates
April Young
The Battalion
or at Hauke Academic! M ore than 1,900 graduates will receive their
igh School in Conroe. (jjLlomas next week at the Aug. 11 and 12 com-
iuchinger, 18, of Cor.» ncemen t ceremonies. This year, two colleges
ay afternoon at a Hou' lve the largest number of graduates for the Au-
■ also would havebeenMst ceremonies: the Lowry Mays College of Busi-
ke. Bssand the College of Liberal Arts, which tied for
>her Freeman, 18, the® number of graduates.
iry "G.T." Thompson I ^‘ c ^y Griffin, executive associate dean for the
Woodlands, were inBusiness, said the high number of grad-
a in intensive care Wf es in the colle 8 e is consistent with the percent-
, t-i leeof Texas A&M students enrolled in the college,
d Thompson were grtf’ . ,
■ Really, it s just a matter of numbers, he said.
ft're one of the biggest colleges on campus, and
" 1 1 1,1 ‘ jtwould just stand to reason that we would have
n\ cling south at about I ^ ^jg^ggi- num ber of graduates, if not the
•mph zone in Conroe,e:|^ eS ( ; num b er ."
/hen the car left theroif Griffin said the reputation of the college and the
owing economy have also contributed to the
[umber of business graduates.
"The business school is consistently ranked in
etop 10 for undergraduate programs, so it at-
orp. took part in Cell actsquality students," Griffin said. "The fact that
jrtesy Week in Safi leeconomy is so strong also contributes to the at-
Ivert.
ly, handing out
kers to businesses,
an Golding started (be
after 73 percent of
)0 people responding
m on her Web site said
red restricting cell
jublic places.
Ts murder
argets judge
fONIO (AP) - At#
:er coach and social
:her is accused of tiy
;e the murderofastate
e for a friend in prison,
arker Jr., describedb) 1
students at McCollum
as a devoted teactiei
was held TuesdayaL.
jail in lieu of a recoit' t0 re ‘ at:e t° and be enthusiastic about hearing.
0,000 bond. | "Randy is a good example of a tremendously
warrant named Park £ llcce ssful former student," Griffin said. "He was a
)od student when he was here — he excelled in the
assroom and in athletics. He epitomizes Aggie
:activeness of the department — there is a huge
lemand for business graduates."
Kristi Haverstick, a graduating psychology ma
il, said the high number of liberal arts graduates
probably due to the growing importance of good
Dmmimication skills.
"A lot of majors fall under liberal arts, like
[peech communication, journalism, psychology
md sociology," Haverstick said. "In all of these
majors, communication is the emphasis. We live in
society where a lot of emphasis is placed on the
iced to communicate effectively."
Past commencement ceremonies suffered from
lack of involvement from the graduates, includ-
walking out after receiving their diplomas, but
riffin said the commencement speaker for the
ug. 11 graduation ceremony, Randy Matson, ex-
utive director emeritus for the Association of For-
er Students, is someone all students should be
spirit because he could have made a lot more mon
ey had he chosen to work in the business world, but
he decided to work for the University."
Haverstick said it will be hard to increase stu
dent interest in the graduation ceremony because
it is hard to find speakers who appeal to graduates
in all majors.
"It's hard to get speakers that everyone will be
interested in," Haverstick said. "You have people
graduating from different majors at one ceremony,
and not all of the majors have the same interests."
Griffin said students who leave commencement
ceremonies early show disrespect for peers.
"Students who leave the commencement after
receiving their diploma show a lack of respect for
their peers," Griffin said. "It says, 'All that's im
portant to me is getting my diploma.' "
Griffin said students should appreciate the re
sources the University spends to hold a quality
commencement ceremony.
"We are one of the only major universities in the
country that actually hands diplomas to students,
and that's one of the special things about A&M,"
Griffin said. "Students need to realize that if they
don't take the ceremony seriously and help main
tain dignity, it becomes increasingly difficult for
the University to have the type of ceremonies
we're having."
u m m
:tion with solicitation
apital murder, accofd
day’s editions oft
Express News.
3, was arrested Mon-
n Antonio restaurant
' lunch with a fete
tors stated that
idge Mark Luitjen,45,
1 inside the prison at
Parker’s childhood
rt E. Lee, who is sen i
ar sentence for con
immit murder.
IW
stems
SCHOOL
FRIDAY AUGUST 11
Agriculture
Architecture
Business
Veterinary Medicine
SATURDAY AUGUST U
Education
Engineering
Geosciences % ™
Liberal Arts
Medicine
Science
B-CS uses video
Cameras implemented for efficiency
Chris Cunico
A pair of cameras watch over traffic
at the corner of Bush and Wellborn.
The Battalion
Bryan-College Station (B-CS)
residents may notice cameras at
various intersections around the
area, but the Texas Department of
Transportation says they are not
an attempt to catch drivers break
ing laws. They are intended to in
crease efficiency at traffic lights.
Older magnetic loops,
which currently serve most of
the intersections in the area, are
being replaced with cameras.
Kirk Barnes, transportation
operations engineer for the
transportation department,
said video detection technolo
gy has been around for sever
al years, but the price de
creased recently and is now
comparable with the older,
less convenient loops.
In times of road mainte
nance or construction, Barnes
said, the cameras are more
convenient and do not require
the special attention of cutting
See Cameras on Page 2.
Got milk?
Sara Sellers, a junior animal science major, attaches milking hoses to the udders of a Holstein cow at the Dairy
Center Tuesday. The cows are milked daily, and the milk is transported to Navasota, where it is pasteurized.
Student group criticizes
administration over bonfire
COLLEGE STATION (AP) — A stu
dent group working to keep the Texas
A&M bonfire tradition alive lashed out
at school administrators Tuesday, ac
cusing them of leveling threats to pre
vent an off-campus re-creation of the
suspended event.
"We have addressed the concerns
that have been brought before us in a
mature, responsible manor that should
make the administration proud," the
student group Keep the Fire Burning
said in a written statement.
"Yet for some strange reason, a
handful of administrators are engaging
in heavy-handed tactics to try and
thwart our efforts, including threaten
ing disciplinary action against those
who participate."
In June, A&M President Dr. Ray M.
Bowen put the 90-year-tradition on hold
for two years after the 2-million-pound
log stack collapsed Nov. 18, killing 12
Aggies and injuring 27 others.
Two members of the group met pri
vately with A&M Vice President for
Student Affairs J. Malon Southerland
for about an hour Monday to discuss
their efforts to organize an off-campus
bonfire.
Southerland warned them of poten
tial punishment if they proceed with
plans for a renegade bonfire. But the
University has acknowledged it would
be difficult to punish students who par
ticipate in an off-campus event not
sponsored by a student group.
“Yet for some
strange reason, a
handful of adminis
trators are engorging
in heavy-handed
tactics to try and
thwart our efforts”
— Keep the Fire Burning
written statement
"We are not telling the students they
cannot assemble off-campus," A&M
spokesperson Keith Randall said. "They
have the authority to do whatever they
wish off campus. 'Nevertheless, it is
possible that some University rules
could be broken, and if so, the Univer
sity would have to determine if disci
plinary action is necessary."
Keep the Fire Burning has been talk
ing to engineers, security companies,
fire safety officials and lawyers. Aside
from a student-led tree cutting, the
group's leaders contend they have fol
lowed every guideline laid out by
Bowen for a return of the tradition.
"We respect that the University is
unable to continue bonfire on campus
this year and hope they would respect
our decision to look into the feasibility
of an off-campus bonfire," the statement
said. "We are deeply committed to the
fact that we will not go forward with an
off-campus bonfire unless several inde
pendent engineers certify it is safe.".
In May, a five-member commission
appointed and funded by A&M
blamed the collapse on flawed con
struction techniques and a lack of ade
quate supervision of students assem
bling the stack.
In response, Bowen announced bon
fire would not return until at least 2002
and not without major changes, includ
ing greater University supervision aiid
a professionally engineered design.
The bonfire event annually draws
thousands of Aggies to the College Sta
tion campus on the eve of A&M's foot
ball game against its archrival, the
University of Texas.
I
l Easily
awarded
student
(24 hr.
award notice
l Private thru
advanced
training
i Aircraft renie
i Pilot Shop
l F.A.A.
approved
school
VA eligible
Benefits
t&M student killed in
:ar accident Saturday
Courtney Brymer, 23, a junior so-
jciology major, was killed in a car ac
cident last Saturday when her fami
ly's Ford Explorer
peered off U.S. High
way 287 in Donley
County, according to
The Bryan-College
Station Eagle. De
partment of Public
Safety troopers say
the vehicle flipped
2.5 times before
coming to rest up
side down. Christel Brymer, Court
ney’s mother, was driving when she
apparently fell asleep at the wheel.
BRYMER
News in Brief
The family reportedly was traveling
to a family reunion in Colorado.
Brymer died at the scene. Her fu
neral will be held at Grace Baptist
Church at 11 a.m. Thursday,
Brymer was from College Station
and transferred to Texas A&M at the
beginning of the first summer ses
sion. She will be honored at the
Sept. 5 Silver Taps.
Dayion Holt to sign
with Oakland A’s
Texas A&M outfielder Daylan Holt
has decided to sign a major-league
contract with the Oakland Athletics
Class A team, foregoing his senior
year of college.
After a period of contract negoti
ations about the Oakland A’s origi
nal offer of a $290,000 signing
bonus, Holt received a $450,000
signing bonus to join the Vancouver,
British Columbia-based team. The fk
nal details of the contract were
closed Tuesday.
Following his freshman year, in
which he hit 34 home runs, Holt was
predicted to be selected in the first
round of major league drafts. How
ever, after hitting only 15 home runs
his junior year, Holt was not picked
until the third round.
A&M baseball coaches said they
expected to lose Holt, and they have
acquired two new recruits, outfield
ers Ben Himes from University of
Virginia and Eddie Lang from Navar
ro Junior College.
UT-Austin seeks control of tuition
HOUSTON (AP) — With backing of powerful
alumni. University of Texas System officials want
state lawmakers to give them the right to set tu
ition and eventually boost rates at the Universi
ty of Texas-Austin (UT).
"There's a great demand for that institution,
and it's becoming more expensive to provide ex
cellent service," UT Interim Chancellor Dan Bur-
ck told the Texas Journal of The Wall Street Journal
Wednesday's.
University System officials contend the cur
rent tuition of $600 a semester at UT-Austin is not
enough to provide high-quality education. The
Legislature currently sets tuition rates.
But, as the country's largest public university
campus with more than 37,000 undergraduate
students, some key legislators argue that UT-
Austin is responsible for providing low-income
Texans with a high-caliber education.
University officials have not said how much
tuition would increase.
"We're not going to have a two-tier system of
schools with the rich going to one school and the
poor going to the other," vows Rep. Rob Junell,
chair of the House Appropriation Committee.
Though a tuition hike would not be popular,
university officials maintain it is justified, since
over the years state funding has covered less of
See Tuition on Page 2.