b «»«i> UONDAYAPRIL 15, 2002
ihol
VOLUME 108 • ISSUE 130
Hrurr? r> a r r r r a t j r\
1 rllj CAl 1 AJLlvJ
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
owen keeps prof accused of plagiarism
(AP) — A Texas A&M University professor
accused of plagiarism will be allowed to keep
her job. University President Dr. Ray M.
B wen has ruled.
V The ruling reverses the decision of the
U iversity’s chief academic officer to fire tenured
ricultural economics professor Mary Zey, who
nies the plagiarism charge.
In a letter dated April 4, Bowen writes, “My
cision not to terminate you is based upon a respect
fo your full career, a hope and desire that the events
the past will serve as a learning experience for
yt . and a desire to give you the opportunity to
Zey gets second chance, ruling reverses
decision of A&M Provost Ron Douglas
again become a respected member of our faculty.”
Bowen maintains that Zey plagiarized in a 1998
research publication, stealing data analyses and
prose from A&M professors Harland Prechel and
John Boies. It was Zey who first made the charge of
plagiarism against the two professors, saying their
1998 publication on corporate change was lifted
from the paper she had published.
An investigation committee instead found that
Zey was the one who plagiarized and attempted to
cover up the theft of data and prose.
The determination of guilt was made by an inter
nal investigation committee, prompting A&M
Provost Ronald Douglas to fire Zey. Upon appeal, a
separate hearing panel found that she had not pla
giarized and should not be tenninated.
Zey is living in Austin and would not com
ment, said a lawyer who represented her while
she appealed the dismissal.
Meanwhile, Prechel, one of the A&M professors
who accused Zey of plagiarism, will move forward
with a defamation lawsuit against her, his attorney
said.
“Prechel would have been interested in pursuing
his options in not proceeding with the lawsuit,”
College Station attorney Gaines West told The
See Zey on page 2
;y is the tradfe
Christ and has:
itorical significa - :
in Catholics
Iver star in white
ce in 1717. Itrs
in 1847 and
ovemmenl in 1K
Through the looking glass
narm. HassanHote
front of an aft
, reducing it it
f broken conct:
i and clothes«;
■ knee-deep slab>
ncrete.
right, a bulltfc
n an alley, sheii-
wall of apartir
Jes of the ste
mid the deb:
red view into j
of each home,
e back wall, cab-
plates andgfc
hed. Diplomat^
from the »i8
r walls, a biJ® :
e fine.
II
\ ■
Freshman community health major Crystal llshner and soph
omore Megan Stephenson look at a glass piece at the Aggie
JOHN LIVAS • THE BATTALION
Moms Boutique Saturday afternoon. Reed Arena was host to
more than 80 Aggie Moms Clubs for Parents' Weekend.
A&M departments
awarded grants
Money aims to increase degrees in
computer science, electrical engineering
By Araceli Garcia
THE BATTALION
The Departments of
Computer Science and Electrical
Engineering were awarded
grants on April 8 from the Texas
Engineering and Technical
Consortium to increase the num
ber of computer science and
engineering degrees in the state
of Texas.
The electrical engineering
department was allotted two
grants in the amount of $459,256
and $31,330, and the computer
science department received
$228,329. The departments will
use the money to recruit more
freshmen and allow faculty to
interact more closely with degree
candidates, officials said.
“The departments should start
a new one-hour course for fresh
men, to make them familiar with
the computer science and electri
cal engineering fields, and have
more intimate contact between
the students and faculty, by pro
viding things such as a help desk
in order to ensure that students
receive a stronger foundation,”
said Dr. Chanan Singh, head of
electrical engineering.
Singh said the electrical
engineering department plans to
use the second grant in cooper
ation with the Infinity Project.
This project is funded by Texas
Instruments and geared toward
educating high school teachers
on the electrical engineering
and computer science fields.
High school teachers will be
able to give more guidance to
students, especially females,
who are typically underexposed
to computer science and engi
neering, STgnh said.
The Texas Engineering and
Technical Consortium is a public
and private partnership to pro
mote education in the fields of
See Grants on page 2
College of Agriculture celebrates 90 years of growth
By Anna Chaloupka
THE BATTALION
In 125 years, Texas A&M has gone
°ni a college to a world class univer-
•y Following close on the
diversity’s tail, the burgeoning
allege of Agriculture and Life
fences has its roots in the
gi'icultural & Mechanical College’s
birth, constituting the heart of what
began in 1876 as a military college for
farmers.
Agriculture and life sciences cele
brates its 90th anniversary this year as
a vital part of A&M’s beginnings and a
continued piece of its future.
In 1951, a young Aggie was work
ing on his post doctorate at the
University of Wisconsin. Just when the
temperature fell below 32 degrees, the
man received a telephone call from
Texas A&M offering him a job as an
assistant professor in biochemistry.
Without hesitation, the young
Aggie accepted the offer and returned
to the home he loved so much. Little
did he know he would spend the next
50 years working and teaching in the
College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences at Texas A&M.
Now, as the college celebrates its
90th anniversary. Dr. H. O. Kunkel,
dean emeritus, reflects on the College’s
many years of teaching and research.
When the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Texas opened
its doors in 1876, Kunkel said instruc
tion in agriculture had an unsure begin
ning and A&M was not the agricultural
leader it is today. The public thought
A&M should educate students to be
farmers and mechanics, Kunkel said.
Manual labor was required, and stu
dents were expected to raise crops and
cattle. Agricultural and scientific
courses included chemistry, farm
See Ag on page 2
Arafat calls for Israeli withdrawal
RAMALLAH, West Bank
‘R) — Palestinian leader
asser Arafat rebuffed
-'vretary of State Colin
I swell’s demand Sunday for a
M't to violence, saying Israel
l rs t must withdraw its troops
r °m the West Bank.
Powell, shuttling back to
r r ael for a meeting in Tel Aviv,
l len pressed Prime Minister
Sharon for a complete
ailback, a U.S. official said.
I Sharon renewed his pro-
losal for an international
leace conference among
,rae l an <J Arab states includ-
'S Saudi Arabia, Syria and
I e banon and the Palestinians,
but not Yasser Arafat.
Sharon said the United
States would lead the confer
ence, and “I imagine that with
in a short time a conference of
this sort will convene to debate
the diplomatic arrangements in
the Middle East.”
Palestinian negotiator
Saeb Erekat said the proposal
was an attempt to “turn the
clock backward.”
A senior U.S. official said
the idea was discussed “as
part of a way to move for
ward politically,’ but more
talks were needed.
Arafat, 72, appeared in good
health as he met with Powell in
his rocket-scarred headquarters
that is surrounded by Israeli
tanks and troops. Arafat has
been under pressure that is
“unreal for an old man like
him,” said Zeid Abu Shawish, a
Palestinian doctor in the com
pound.
Powell was driven to the
besieged compound in a motor
cade of armored-plated SUVs,
shielded by U.S. security per
sonnel with submachine guns.
The headquarters showed
the effects of Israeli bombard
ment. A gaping hole marred the
See Mideast on page 5
KRT CAMPUS
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, left, shakes hands with U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell as they meet in the West
Bank town of Ramallah.
REMINDER
• April 15 is the deadline to
file taxes with the IRS
• Post offices will be open
until midnight tonight to
accept late filers
• File for an extension online
at www.irs.gov
Source;
ww *».lr».gov
CHAD MALLAM • THE BATTALION
Audits likely for lower bracket
WASHINGTON (AP) — The wealthy and low-
income people stand a better chance of being
audited than the typical middle-class family,
which is paying the lowest share of its income to
the Treasury since 1957.
Rich, poor and the middle class all are affected
by one tax trend — the 17,000-page, 2.8 million-
word tax code is more complex than ever. One
estimate is that it now takes 28 hours and six min
utes to tackle the Internal Revenue Service’s 1040
form and do the necessary record keeping.
This year’s filing deadline is midnight Monday
for most of the country.
IRS data and reports from several tax
research organizations depict a tax system that
does not treat everyone equally but is, by far,
the single biggest source of government paper
work and red tape.
“An abomination,” Treasury Secretary Paul
O’Neill calls it.
Consider IRS audits. Individuals making
$100,000 or more and those making $25,000 or
less are much more likely to face an audit than the
See Taxes on page 5
Sports, Pg. 7
A&M holds off
KSU, 6-5
Opinion, Pg. 11
Weight relief
IRS creates good incentive
for people to combat obesity
HIGH
84° F
LOW
63° F
TUESDAY
HIGH
81° F
LOW
65° F
FORECASTS COURTESY OF
www.collegeweather.com
30%