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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2002)
Sports: Spring sports wrap-up • Page 3 Opinion: Board of Regents controversy • Page 7 Volume 108 • Issue 143 • 8 pages 108 Years Serving Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Monday, June 3, 2002 Board of Regents call emergency meeting By Christina Hoffman THE BATTALION The Texas A&M Board of Regents called an emergency meeting to be held either this Thursday or Friday in order to appoint an interim president at Prairie View A&M University. At that time, they will also officially appoint the new president for Texas A&M University, said Erie Nye, Chaimian of the Board of Regents. On May 11, in a special open ses sion meeting, the Board of Regents named Robert Gates as the sole presi dential finalist. In accordance with state law, the Board needed to wait 21 days before officially naming Gates as the next president of Texas A&M. “We needed to call an emergency meeting to name an interim president (at Prairie View A&M), so we decided to take care of the final decision on Gates also,” Nye said. Nye said they will consider and pos sibly name Dr. Willie Tempton as interim president of Prairie View. Tempton is currently serving as the acting president of Prairie View and also previously held the position of vice president for finance and administration. Nye also said the meeting will most likely be a phone conference because of the difficulty of gathering all the Regents members on short notice. He did not confirm whether the meeting will be held Thursday or Friday, but the Board will give notice early this week. “It is pressing that we hold this emergency conference because we need to confirm the interim at Prairie View,” Nye added. Concerning Texas A&M’s next pres ident, Nye said it is most likely that Gates will be named as the next presi dent of Texas A&M. Even if Gates is officially named as the new president this week, he will not begin service until August 1. Nye said Gates has other obligations that he must attend to before permanently beginning at Texas A&M. The Board asked President Dr. Ray M. Bowen to extend his stay until the end of July, because of Gates’ delay. Bowen was originally set to step down from the presidency by June 30. “The Board asked me to stay until August, otherwise they would have needed to appoint an interim,” said Bowen. “I am not making any major decisions concerning the University. If any major decisions arrive I will talk to Gates about them when he takes office.” Bowen said this is only assuming Gates is named president because Gates still remains the “sole finalist.” Bowen is happy with Gates as the final candidate, but he did not favor one candidate over another. He said all the presidential candidates held exceptional qualifications for the presidency. “I am pleased with Gates and the work he did at the Bush School,” Bowen said. “To be fair to all the can didates, I did not favor Gates over any other candidate, we had several top notch candidates.” Prairie View president retires after agreement By Melissa Sullivan THE BATTALION Emerging from the shadows of law suits and controversies, Charles A. Hines, president of Prairie View A&M University, announced his retirement after eight years as president effective September 1, 2002. “1 have been talking with Dr. Hines for sometime about the future of Prairie View,” said Howard Graves, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University system. “In May we had some focused discus sions about his future and those discussions led to an agreement he would retire. We provided him a fair band generous retirement agreement.” Hines had a shaky tenure at Prairie I View, where he frequently disagreed I with faculty members who claimed he [ retaliated against them for criticizing i his administration policies. Last year he was sued by physics [ professor Dr. Dennis Judd, who I accused Hines of retaliation for efforts I to have him fired and for causing Judd | to lose .a $673,000 U.S. Energy I Department grant. I In April, six current and former employees of Prairie View A&M a University filed a discrimination law- I suit alleging they were punished for criticizing Hines. HINES Hines’ administration has undergone a major transformation since he first became president in 1994. Among his many achievements, Hines cites an increase in student enrollment from 5,400 to more than 6,800, an increase in the university’s endowment from $4 million to nearly $30 million and built, at no expense to taxpayers, a $38 mil lion housing complex that can accom modate about 60 percent of the on-cam pus population. “Dr. Hines has provided leadership to Prairie View A&M University for almost eight years, nearly twice as long as the average university president’s term,” Graves said. “I am grateful for his dedicated service to the Texas A&M system and wish the best for him and his family in his retirement.” Hines and Graves signed an agree ment on May 18, indicating that Hines, the regents and officials of the system and university may not make “critical or detrimental” remarks about each other in private or public forums. Any future claims by private parties will be waived as well. In addition, Hines will be paid $400,000 in a separation agreement with the Texas A&M system. As president, Hines earned an annu al salary of $176,000 a year and received a $40,000 housing allowance for his home in Houston, A&M system spokesperson Ann Kellett said. See Hines on page 2 Moving in RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION Preparing to organize his belongings, Danny Davis, a ing at Schuhmacher hall for the first and second sum- senior physics major, unloads the last of his things in mer school sessions. Students began moving in this his new dorm room on Friday afternoon. He will be liv- past weekend for the first five week summer school ses- Indian, Pakistani leaders head for summit, peace talks unlikely NEW DELHI, India (AP) — As the Indian and Pakistani leaders headed to a summit where they are unlikely to talk peace — or even talk at all — India’s defense minister said Sunday that his nation will not be “impulsive” and sought to ease fears of a nuclear war. U.N. staffers in India and Pakistan have been ordered to send their families home, while the United States and other countries have advised their citizens to leave amid fears that the stand- Nuclear war within reach / With India and Pakistan both possessing nuclear weapons S and the means to deliver them great distances, any conflict f \ could quickly escalate, resulting in millions of deaths in both countries. 1,550 ml. 112 ml. ITT1I||M : . -iso mi. i 372 mi %:?// Missile ranges: —* — India —- — Pakistan • Cities over 500.000 A gni 1 Agni 2 Prithvi 1 Prithvi 2 i Hatf 2 Hatf 3 Hatf 4 Hatf S 69.3 66 28.2 2,200 2,200 1,760 1,550 2,170 93 495 330 165 INDIA "Single warhead ""up to 1,650 lbs. 26.2 I 28 33 1,100** i 1,100 1.100 155 i 112 180 248 I 660 n/a 39.6 2.200 372 660 52.5 2.640 930 8.250 PAKISTAN SOURCES: Associated Press: Pakistan Armed Forces; Jane's information Group off— punctuated by daily shelling and gunfire across the line that divides Kashmir — could escalate into war between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes, speaking at a security conference in Singapore, assured the world his country “will not be impulsive” despite what he called heavy public pressure for military action against Pakistan, which India accuses of responsibility for attacks on its soil. “We don’t see the makings of any kind of an escalation that takes one to the extreme,” said Fernandes, who reiterated India’s pledge to avoid first use of nuclear weapons. “There is no way India will ever use a nuclear weapon other than as a deterrent,” he said. Pakistan, which has a smaller military, has not ruled out a first strike, but Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, in an inter view with CNN on Saturday, said that no “sane individual” would let tensions between the two nations escalate into a nuclear war. Musharraf has said for months he wants dia logue with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but Vajpayee says he will not hold talks until Pakistan puts an end to cross-border attacks earned out by Islamic militants based in Pakistan. Fernandes said a meeting between Musharraf and Vajpayee at a summit that starts Monday in Almaty, Kazakhstan is not possible. “I do not see that possibility at all, because if there is to be any kind of talking then the cross- border terrorism has to stop forthwith,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Most of the cross-border attacks are in Kashmir, a divided Himalayan province claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan. Hopgood retires, candidates coming to campus this week By Christina Hoffman THE BATTALION Two prominent candidates for the 38th position of Commandant of the Corps of Cadets will be interviewing on Texas A&M’s campus during the next two weeks. Maj. Gen. M.T. Hopgood offi cially retired from his position as the 37th com mandant last Friday. Lt. Gen. John Van Alstyne, Class of 1966 will be on campus this week meeting with the selection committee, faculty, students and Corps personnel. He currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy in Washington, D.C. Lt. Gen. Randolph House, Class of 1967, will arrive the week of June 10-14, said Major Doc Mills, spokesperson for the Office of the Commandant. House recently retired from the U.S. Army in 2000. One of these two finalists will most likely be named as the 38th commandant during the sum mer, said a spokesperson from the Department of Student Affairs. Dr. Wynn Rosser, assistant vice president for the Department of Student Affairs was not available for comment. Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice president of student See Commandant on page 2 New band director announced By Don White THE BATTALION The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band will march to the beat of a slightly different drum this fall. Dr. Timothy Rhea was announced as the Director of University Bands in a press con ference on May 21. Rhea is the fifth permanent band director and succeeds Col. Ray Toler, who announced his retirement in November 2001. Toler served as band director for 14 years. Rhea has served with the Aggie Band for 10 years, including briefly serving as the assistant director of university bands. Rhea said that he plans no major changes in the Aggie Band, but he would like to start a push towards improving the band’s facilities. “When you possess the great reputation this band pro gram enjoys, you must work hard to maintain those things that have made you successful in rhea the past,” Rhea said. “Although there are always small improvements that can be made in any organiza tion, I am not aware of any major changes that need to take place in our current band pro gram.” Two other directors, Lt. Col. Jay Brewer and Lt. Paul Sikes, will continue their service to the Aggie Band, he said. “Although I will be the direc tor of the Aggie Band, we approach that group as a team effort,” Rhea said. Dr. Bill Kibler, associate vice president for student affairs, served as co-chair for the com mittee that chose Rhea. He said that Rhea brought the most comprehensive package of experience and academic skills to the position. See Rhea on page 2