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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2002)
ONDAYAPRIL 29, 2002 VOLUME 108 • ISSUE 140 ies nr tu t? ATTAI TON TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY erman withdraws from presidential race Rice. I off a m<- which fa shutout By Sommer Bunce THE BATTALION Against a backdrop of hearsay and a 'rumored vote tally that had U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm and Robert Gates dueling for the Texas A&M presidency, candi- l§ate Richard Herman withdrew from the presidential selection process Friday. I The Texas A&M System sent out a short news release just after 5 p.m. Friday announcing Herman’s deci sion, but provided no reasons for his withdrawal. I Hemian, provost and vice-chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, was one of three candidates favored by A&M’s presidential search committee as a possi ble leader for the A&M system’s flag ship school. “I wish to compli ment the committee on its outstanding membership and process,” Herman said in the news release. “I wish Texas A&M the best in its bright future.” The two other named candidates, Robert Gates and Jon Whitmore, HERMAN remained in the running this weekend, along with two unnamed candidates. Last month, the Presidential Search Committee announced that Gates, Whitmore and Herman were candidates for the University’s top spot. Just days later, A&M System Board of Regents Chair Erie Nye revealed that the Board was considering two other unnamed contenders. The regents may consider any can didate for the job, including those not previously recommended by the search committee. In April, the committee rec ommended its top choice among the three known candidates to the chancel lor and the Board of Regents. Their rec ommendation remains secret. But last week. The Associated Press reported that three sources with ties to the national Republican party knew who each of the regents wanted for the presidency: three favored Gramm, widely rumored to be one of the two unnamed candidates, while five would place their votes for Gates. Regent Wendy Gramm, Phil Gramm’s wife and a 2001 Gov. Rick Perry appointee, reportedly abstained from the vote. Unidentified sources later told the Houston Chronicle and The Bryan-College Station Eagle that the tallies were correct. . Now, with the number of candidates down to four, the likelihood that the next president of Texas A&M will be one who went through the official applica tion and interview process and met with students and faculty during the past few months drops to fifty percent. In a previous interview. Regent Dr. Susan Rudd Wynn said the two unnamed candidates would not be unfa miliar to the campus. “Everybody’s frustrated that the regents are being so tight-lipped,” Wynn said last week. “[But] employment deci sions should be confidential.” raves moves for edical reasons i just let Isj Eissine dvice I ie way i an saying to the tof| : season,: ed sickttc injuriesi g a qu® Arizona (.:{ ) do it all' j. “That's lot work, j » archery- fou don'i> By Brandie Liffick THE BATTALION I Texas A&M System Chancellor Howard Graves and his wife will be moving to a newly bought College Station home, due in part to Graves' continued cancer treatments. I According to The Bryan-College Station Eagle, Graves announced the move in a letter dated April 10 sent to his employees. Though leaving the state-owned Reed House that as served as his home since he accepted the chancellor post in 1999, Graves said he is not stepping down as chancellor. “I want you to know from me that the timing of this move is a direct result of GRAVES u This move is a direct result of my doctor's strong recom mendation that we make the move now. my doctor’s strong recommendation that we make the move now, rather than months or years later,” he wrote. Graves has been undergoing radiation and chemotherapy since he was diag nosed with a rare form of soft-tissue sar coma in his abdomen in January 2001. Last September, doctors discovered the cancer had spread to his lungs. In the letter. Graves said the growth in his lungs had stabilized in the past few months, but doctors have now found that the tumors are again growing. Doctors will now increase the chemotherapy in an effort to stop the can- cer from spreading. The Eagle reported. “The extended chemotherapy and surgery, if the new regimen works, will )e debilitating for some time, and it will be better to make the move prior to surgery,” Graves wrote. I As chancellor. Graves oversees nine universities, eight state agencies and a health science center. — Howard Graves Texas A&M System chancellor Aggie reception Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah arrives on campus Friday to a saber arch by the Ross Volunteers. Former President George Bush met informally with Abdullah and Morrocon King Mohammed VI at the STUART VILLANUEVA • THE BATTALION George Bush Presidential Library. The visiting digni taries traveled to College Station from Crawford where they met with President George W. Bush to discuss Mideast tensions. JG Ags present designs for hospice By Carol Treece THE BATTALION I Seven architecture teams from exas A&M presented their design lodels Friday for a new headquarters |jfor Houston Hospice, a center for the ||terminally ill that serves 10 counties. Fourteen students have been orking on the assignment since ebruary as part of a design studio project to provide solutions for the Hospice’s increasing demands for space, said course instructor, George J. Mann, the Ronald L. Skaggs endowed professor of health facilities design at Texas A&M. “We meet with the client, listen to the client’s needs, pin some things up and show the client what [we] heard [them] say,” Mann said. The project called for an adminis trative building, an educational build for ter SPECIAL TO THE BATTALION Ana Perdiz stressed the Architecture students Lorena Holguin and - lrr >portance of light, water and trees in their design for the new Houston ■Hospice. Teams from A&M presented their designs Friday in Houston. ing, a 24-bed residential unit and a parking lot for 300 vehicles. Hospice aims to provide a nurturing environ ment for patients, families and employees, Mann said. A circular design was recommended to reflect the Hospice’s philosophy for the con tinuum of life, he said. “The Hospice administrative cen ter will hold records and staff, and the educational center will be used for seminars, continual education and meetings,” Mann said. Students April Struss and Mitchell Rider designed their model using a “campus” approach with the build ings arranged in a circle. They includ ed a lot of glass to allow for incoming light and a more natural feeling, Struss said. A water sculpture was placed in the central area between the buildings so residents could enjoy the sound of water, she said. “The Hospice had a vision but didn’t know where to start,“ Struss said. “We took their vision and put it into form.” Students Reynold Magnuson and Pedro Bodegas proposed that the Hospice design their campus in phas es so additional funds can be raised as the buildings are needed. By See Hospice on page 2 Reveille VII continues in summer obedience school By Melissa Sullivan THE BATTALION Texas A&M mascot Reveille VII will remain in obedience school this summer after a semester of training found that the purebred, year-old collie needs more time with her handlers before facing the crowds at another Aggie football season. When Reveille VII first arrived on the Texas A&M campus last spring as a puppy, a lot was expected of her. Filling the paws of Reveille VI was not an easy task. During the pre-game performance of the A&M-Texas Christian University game in December, the puppy’s nervous, high- pitched barks could be heard above the band. In January, after conferring with offi cials, members of the Corps of Cadets sent the mascot to obedience school. After sev eral months of training, a small committee of Company E-2 cadets and faculty met to determine Reveille’s role on campus. ‘‘Reveille’s training is progressing very well,” said Wynn Rosser, assistant to the vice president and adviser for the outfit. “However, we thought this spring, while she was gone for training, would be a good time to look at the big picture and make sure things are in place to ensure that the Reveille tradition is around for years to come.” Reveille has successfully completed four months of training and will work closely with her professional trainer. Dr. Kay Stephens, this summer, along with the newly-appointed mascot corporal Jordan Caddick. Junior E-2 Company Commander des ignate Justin Fountain said the training will ease the pressures that come with being the campus’ first lady. “The training is meant to better equip Reveille to handle the stressful environ ments that she is subject to as our mas cot,” Fountain said. When Reveille began training in January, the goal was to have her back on campus in the fall, and that is still the goal. Reveille made appearances at sever al Parents’ Weekend events, and things went well, Rosser said. “One thing I have learned is that dog training never ends,” he said. “So even after Reveille returns to campus, she will still need ongoing training.” Reveille’s current handler, sophomore See Reveille on page 2 loyef Rodriguez trial opens in new venue MOUNT VERNON, Texas (AP) — Dallas County Prosecutors, who easily secured death sentences for two prison escapees convicted of killing an Irving Police officer, will present their case in a different part °f Texas on Monday. Lawyers for Michael Rodriguez, the third inmate to go trial in the Christmas Eve 2000 slaying ot Aubrey Hawkins, successfully lobbied for a change of venue r °rn Dallas, where the earlier cases received heavy niodia attention. Opening statements in the trial, which was moved to the Franklin County seat of Mount Vernon, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas, were set for Monday morning. Assistant District Clerk Rebecca Cates said 1,200 jury questionnaires were sent to residents, the most ever can vassed in the county. “Somebody from every family here likely got a jury See Rodriguez on page 2 lUSIDlE AggieLife Pg. 3A The ride of a lifetime Student athletes tell the ups and downs of their time at A&M Sports Pg. 1B Aggies falter in finals of Big 12 tournament ftSfllMBK FORECASTS COURTESY OF