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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 2002)
m UESDAYAPRIL 23, 2002 VOLUME 108 • ISSUE 136 nnYYT? 1 ncj TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY layboy magazine coming to A&M By Marianne Hudson THE BATTALION Irexas A&M fans and students will see Te than Aggie football in Big 12 features this fall with the October 2002 edition of Plftboy magazine. ■Playboy will be interviewing and pho- Haphing female Texas A&M students this week for an issue featuring “Women of t a Big 12.” B’layboy publicist Karen Ring said the magazine has published college editions fof 25 years, photographing students from different conferences each year. The Big 12 was last featured in 1996. Students who want to be in Playboy must call and make an appointment. Ring said. Playboy will then tell them the location of the interviews, which she would not disclose. Playboy will be interviewing Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All applicants must bring their driver’s license and student identification card as proof of their enrollment at Texas A&M. In addition, she said, they should bring a swimsuit or piece of lingerie. At the interview, applicants will fill out information forms about their hobbies and interests. Ring said. A photographer will then take two or ’s accreditation rocess changes By Emily Peters THE BATTALION | r ■Southern Association of ( Alleges and Jin Ihonls (SACS) this month as part of ■aH a pilot program revolutionizing the kr; , 'raniuous process for Southern schools, a mardii™^ 6 P rocess °f accreditation usu- ‘ (h |aly takes three years, April* "" 01 5t takes three years, with two Stages of on and off-campus reviews | bj a committee from SACS of facul ty from peer institutions. I A&M introduced a Web-posted database of information that skimmed the review process to only a year-and- a-half, said Dr. Arthur M. Hobbs, .leadership team member and A&M fy'fessor of mathematics. The report can be found at sacsreview.tamu.edu. I “They had access to everything they wanted to know about our .Jniversity online,” said Jon Pitts, pro- irresteddc issorof math and special assistant to rotesters»: the provost in accreditation efforts, i undersrt# | Provost Ronald Douglas said many sleeping ihools probably will follow suit with ; said pofc the Internet system of posting infor- i lation for the review committee. rthenexii 11 “The committee had praises for ere “goiigW&M and our role in this pilot proj- when A'pct.'' he said. “It was very successful.” jeted dunl SACS is the recognized regional •crediting body for higher educa- s 14,0001*M 011 in 11 U.S. Southern states, ets protesii 1 ! lid. Man* n, andcarnt| to repns cl Accreditation means the University has been formally reviewed and verified as a legitimate institution, Hobbs said. Accreditation is vital to a school because many government and private funding agencies will not grant funds to unac credited universities, he said. Hobbs said the review committee was also interested in A&M’s innova tive Quality Enhancement Plan and its promise to reassess how A&M programs measure success. Under the plan, two stipends for $5,000 will be assigned to each college to fund research efforts to find new ways to measure student success. For instance, Hobbs said a pro posed plan may trace graduates for two years past graduation to see if their degree program prepared them sufficiently. The research will start in Fall 2002. Hobbs said SACS is interested in programs that look into creative ways to assess student learning. The SACS committee that visited campus for three days this month is currently composing a report for review by A&M before SACS makes the ultimate approval, projected to occur in December. Douglas said A&M’s approval for reaccreditation is ultimately guaranteed. three shots of them in their swimsuits or lingerie. The selection of who will appear in the issue will be based upon physical appearance. Ring said. “We want someone who is pretty and well-proportioned,” she said. “It helps if they have interesting hobbies, but that is not what we are primarily looking for.” George Gerogiou, Playboy photog rapher, said between 30 to 100 girls interview, depending on the college. Several students are usually chosen from each university. He said 12 to 15 pages have been allotted in the issue as Bug on a stick pictorial pages representing students from the Big 12 universities. There will probably be no articles about the uni versities in the pages, he said. Gerogiou said he will photograph the chosen students this weekend. Most of the photo shoots will be in bars or private residences, but none will be on campus, he said. Gerogiou said Playboy has not spo ken with University officials about pho tographing Texas A&M students. “We haven’t had any problems whatsoever with college campuses,” he said. “We wouldn’t do anything to get the girl in trouble.” Gerogiou said the photographs range in nudity levels. “There are three levels,” he said. “They can be nude, topless or clothed. We leave it up to the girl on how much they want to wear.” Cynthia Kaye, Playboy stylist, said the models’ pay varies depending on their level of nudity. “Rates are between us and the model,” she said. “They can make any where from $100 to $1,000.” Gerogiou said models gain more than monetary benefits for posing for Playboy. “A lot of them have gone on to be Playmates. Good things happen,” he said. Sophomore agricultural business major Aaron Fritz exam ines a grasshopper as part of his entomology project in the STUART VILLANUEVA* THE BATTALION MSC Flagroom Monday. Fritz spent the semester hunting various insects to complete his collection. the with acli'S larling what poll 1 Hies iny Police stress bike safety By Sarah Szuminski THE BATTALION jimilar '0 ce stopp^ n the id on i To most students, visitors and residents, |!ollege Station is a safe town, but this does not ean that it is free from crime. Students should ^rnember to be aware of safety issues on and off Campus, police officials say. )W seatfo'l To help students remain safe, the University )iit Pres'*' ipendin? ential fid fmao- Internal^ protester* i forces > | > with Source: University Police Oeiwirtmeiit “Our goal is to try to ensure the safety of every one on campus,” Sergeant Allan Baron of the UPD crime prevention unit said. Students are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings and keep an eye on people who are in front of and behind them. They should stand tall and make quick eye contact with people when walking alone, Baron said. The UPD has targeted the top three safety con cerns on campus as bike theft, car burglaries and an area code phone scam, said Baron. Although the number of bike theft incidents has decreased since last year, Baron said the num ber is still high and requires attention from the department. From Sept. 1, 2001 to April 9, 2002, there were 181 reports of stolen bicycles, down from 239 reported the previous year, Baron said. The UPD recommends that bike owners secure their bikes to racks using a quality U-bolt style lock to prevent theft and register their bike’s serial number with the Department of See Bike on page 2 irizes) 33 Splice Department (UPD) has come up with three guidelines to ensure personal safety: students should stay alert, communicate the message that they are calm, confident and know where they are g°ing and trust their instincts. PREVENT BIKE THEFT Properly lock bikes with a case-hardened U- bott lock securing the bicycle frame to a rack Secure quick release front wheels on all newer-model bikes Don't use cable locks, or inexpensive chain locks that can easily be cut or broken CHAD MALLAM • THE BATTALION Arafat meets with U.S. envoy A&M ranks among top 12 for economic impact By Christina Hoffman THE BATTALION The economic impact of Texas A&M ranks efforts to help state and local agencies with eco nomic development. A team of 40 research experts considered a list of 164 Universities based on development and research expenditures. The survey was con ducted by the Southern Technology Council and titled “Innovation U: New University Roles in a Knowledge Economy.” A&M was the only university in Texas included in the study. William Perry, executive associate provost, said A&M provides a major impact for the econo my in Texas because of the amount of effort put forth by the University and the quality of that effort. There is no doubt about the amount of impact we can have (with our research), but you have to look around to see the quality of our research. “The economy of any state is driven by dif ferent industries. Texas’ economy is driven by universities, technology, manufacturing, agricul ture and oil,” Perry said. “We help people in these areas with research and service.” A&M contributes in research and service in the areas of agricultural improvements that help drive the Texas economy, and also medical research that may impact the health care industry. “The research and service has a positive impact on the economy,” Perry said. “There is no doubt about the amount of impact we can have (with our research), but you have to look around to see the quality of our research.” Perry said the quality of the research A&M pro vides for the state helped rank A&M in the top 12. See Economic on page 12 — William Perry executive associate provost RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — While an Israeli army bulldozer pushed cars in the parking lot outside, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met Wlt h a U.S. envoy in his besieged office Monday to discuss the standoff there and at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. The armed standoffs have persisted °r three weeks and neither appears close to a settlement. Until they are resolved, there is little hope for a cease-fire between the Israelis and Palestinians. Gunfire exchanges were heard again Monday at the Church of the Nativity, where an Anglican envoy said the situation was worsening steadily. The shrine is built at the traditional site of Jesus’ birth. In new violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, five Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed Monday. Israel’s army said a unit came under fire between the northern West Bank villages of Talouza and Assira See Arafat on page 12 IWStOlf Sports Pg. 7 Ags look to bounce back against Rice A&M faces No. 2 Owls for 2nd time Opinion Pg. 11 Dangerous Games Sports clubs should implement safety precautions WUMKUR HIGH 86° F LOW 70° F HIGH 86° F LOW 70° F