Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 2000)
londay, September25,a stats [Monday, September 25, 2000 STATE Page 7 A THE BATTALION State employees leave system u uuu traces oi netp -a • j I'S^XS-jexas turnover rate above national average el Messina, with nent of of Forest d that traces other •e is the largest user trees in the state,sot s very importantto said. "Some regit types of water ptt ers, so many expe es and cities across: | ; to give a J inference of them the state, fexas is not theo: mire water problei j that as third wet ,ratt said of his former job. me industrialized.: ould escalate, le water needs of billion people by entury, the Worlds >n says that $1801 needed to man the. id. “At present, EL PASO (AP) — Weldon Jarratt has road building in his blood, and he is warning Texas drivers to expect a bumpy ride ahead. I Jarratt, a former Texas Depart- |ment of Transportation employee, is one of a growing number of people ,who have left state employment for higher wages and the promise of up ward mobility in the private sector. “To be promoted any further, somebody had to die or retire,” Jar- Raises were not a sure thing, either. “It was strictly up to whether the Legislature gave us any raises,” he said, “and the Legislature has not ■been too favorable to the state in the past 15 years.” State employees repair roads, guard prison inmates, administer e world invest ^welfare and maintain computer sys tems. They oversee agricultural pro grams, fight wildfires and patrol the state’s highways. And in 1999,17.6 percent of them 25,421 people — left the system. m was sponsorec iternational Univa l-Kingsville and": Resources Ces| ic College of 'ollege of Agrici :es and the College is A&M Univeii That is slightly higher than the 1998 rate of 17.4 percent and above the na tional average of 14.9 percent. “Gov. Bush values the work of state * employees, and his staff is con cerned about our turnover rate” — Mike Jones spokesman for George W. Bush The result is that lost productivi ty and constant training are costing the state between $127 million and $254 million each year, according to a March report from the state audi tor's office. Advocates for state employees at tribute the accelerating turnover mainly to a gap in pay between state and private sector employees who do similar jobs and a lack of upward mobility. In 1998, the average Texas work er in the private sector earned $32,090 a year, compared with $28,653 for the average state gov ernment worker, according to a May study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationwide, government workers made $32,931, according to the study. Mike Jones, a spokesman for Gov. George W. Bush, said state employ ees received $100-a-month raises in both 1998 and 2000. Additional pay raises were given to child welfare workers, key computer staff and prison guards, he said. “Gov. Bush values the work of state employees, and his staff is con cerned about our turnover rate,” Jones said. “If the governor is in office next year, he will look forward to working with legislative leaders on ideas to re tain our best public servants.” News in Brief med from Page lias no teaching ass cing professors to : with their student tor boosting Blit the open-enrollffi ; several students: eptance into A&M fhree thousand ito A&M annually inn's minority-enrt irdly fluctuated in nstitutionlagsbel xas A&M’s, » have some we is is said, her clarified tween Blinn’s® d other commimi e reflective ofBlid Two burned bodies identified SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Two of the bodies found burning last weekend in South Texas have been identified. The bodies of Sean Michael Cain, 32, and Nelley Esmerelda Bravo, 23, were found wrapped in carpet and burning along a re mote stretch of road in Frio Coun ty. The third victim has not yet been identified. Police arrested and charged three men in the slayings. Miguel Paredes, 18, John Anthony Saenz, with other state cfj 28, and Greg Alvarado, 21, were arrested this week. All three were ty breakdown \sit charged with capital murder. ;j All three men were being held Saturday in the Bexar County Jail, according to the San Antonio Ex press News. The bodies were found late Sunday by a farmer investigating a grass fire near his home. Au thorities still have not identified one of the bodies or the manner in which the men died. mnity colleges hai ,” Parson said is 13 different ted /e have an especit ition when dea lie atmosphere." er was the first til lectronic registrat he telephone orlii cent of the Blinn5 l for this newsysit 40 percent used 10 percent registei emaining 40perci jh the Blinn office ORS 'merits ting ov. 30"’ ‘t you ready to ne week design miss it - see thei idprinting.com embrance Displ^ ■aduate Notepad* ing.com ion Cool-acting bird helps launch youth message AUSTIN (AP) — Hip-hop music plays and a smooth-talking animated duck disses a stressed out smoker. “Tobacco is foul,” says the rebellious duck, definitely a bird with an attitude. It’s the centerpiece of the state’s new youth anti-smoking ad campaign — the first to be paid for with some of Texas’ $17.3 billion tobacco settlement money — that gets going Monday. Teen-agers from across the state who were recruited to help create the $2 million anti-smoking ad campaign selected the duck mascot. The advertising and public relations effort is part of a pilot project tar geting parts of East Texas and overseen by the Texas Department of Health. The initiative is aimed mostly at young people between ages 11 and 18, with a particular emphasis on sixth- through eighth-graders. Hence, the hip-talking duck. “It will be hard-hitting, realistic, timely and speak to kids in a language they can relate to,” said Dr. Phil Huang, chief of the health department’s bu reau of disease, injury and tobacco prevention. Statewide research has shown that sixth-graders are at the highest risk of starting to use tobacco, Huang said. The anti-tobacco campaign is intended to have a special focus on Hispanic, African-American and Asian-American youths. Speaking in English and Spanish, the duck will be featured in television, radio and billboard ads in four media markets: Houston-Galveston, Beau- mont-Port Arthur, Tyler-Longview and Bryan-College Station. TAMU Career Center Applying to Grad School Get input from university representatives about how to tackle the job of applying to a graduate program. Tuesday, Oct. 10 5:15 p.m. Rudder 308 For more information contact the Career Center at 845-5139, come by 209 Koldus, or check us out on-line at http://careercenter.tamu.edu Some Of The High Tech Tools You'll Work With At Smith & Associates. At Smith & Associates while we take our business seriously we also work hard at having fun. It's this great environment where people can wear shorts, play Ping-Pong and Basketball that we believe enables ideas to run freely. This kind of thinking has enabled Smith & Associates to become one of the world's leading independent distributors of semi conductors, electonic components and peripherals, and we're growing every day. COMPONENT SALES/PURCHASING We currently have exceptional opportunities for Sales and purchasing professionals who are aggressive, interested in making money and love the challenge of the "deal". Candidates must be self motivated go-getters with excellent relationship building and negotiating skills, as well as pos sess a true, natural sales ability which is what it takes to be successful in this competitive industry. Proficiency in a sec ond language is a plus. We invite you to attend our Career Info Session on Wed., Sept. 27 ,h 5:30 p.m. - 6:45 p.m., Room 707 Rudder On campus interviews will be held Thurs., Sept. 28 ,h & Fri., Sept. 29' h We offer great benefits including: • Paid time off • Matching 401 (k) Program • Free health club membership • Full medical, dental and • Casual dress code everyday vision benefits • Competitive salary and bonuses • And more! www.smithmart.com An equal opportunity employer M/F/D/V ition ■ Wr & closing registration \ 1-Entry Fee $40 Per Team i: -Division is completely CoRec I-Highly and Moderately Skilled, and Novice Classes Available -Teams will consist 5 men, 5 women -Captain's Meeting at 6 p.m. in