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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 23, 2002)
n STAI HE BATTALii Aggielife: Summer watering holes • Page 3 Opinion: Britain should be praised for legalizing pot • Page 5 ATTAT TO JL jL JL JL / * Jl J m V Jr Olume 108 • Issue 171 • 6 pages 108 Years Serving Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Tuesday, July 23, 2002 xaminer to ensure accuracy for WorldCom NEW YORK (AP) — The federal udge overseeing the WorldCom bank- uptcy case approved the appointment Vlonday of an independent examiner to ensure an honest accounting of the com- jany’s value and investigate for mis- nanagement, irregularities and fraud. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur jonzalez granted the Justice Department’s request after approving $2 billion in financing to keep WorldCom operating as it reorganizes its finances. The examiner would have the power to request documents detailing the company’s transactions. WorldCom has agreed with the request, according to court documents. John Byrnes, a lawyer with the U.S. trustee’s office, said after the hearing that it was important to have someone with no vested interested in WorldCom. “We’re going to get a guy who’s dis interested and on the job and off we go,” he said. Gonzalez must approve the person selected for the post. Daniel Golden, a lawyer representing several WorldCom bondholders objected to the appointment, saying it would fur ther entangle the WorldCom case. There was no clear signal in the opening bankruptcy hearing, held Monday in federal court in New York, as to whether WorldCom’s major lenders and bondholders favored a restructuring of the $41 billion debt they are owed rather than the sale of major assets. Most of the hearing was dominated by procedural matters such as the $2 billion interim financing agreement approved by Gonzalez, who also is overseeing the Enron Corp. bankruptcy. Before WorldCom’s bankruptcy fil ing Sunday night, Enron was the largest in U.S. history. The Justice Department also is See WorldCom on page 2 e or RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION Senior wildlife and fisheries science and ento mology major Thomas Decker inspects a group of butterflies at the Entomology Museum in the Minnie Belle Heep Building. The butterflies are part of the educational outreach program, which is designed to give visitors a broad view of ento mology. The collection contains over one million different insects from all over the world. Student Conflict Resolution Services offers free mediation for students is®, apt je/i m. ,.TM By Molly McCullough THE BATTALION The Student Conflict Resolution Services (SCRS) offers free and confidential services such as set ting landlord and tenant disputes to Texas A&M students and will . soon be temporarily relocated near v Cain Hall while the YMCA build- ■ng is under construction. ‘Most students have no idea ^nat services our office provides,” s ‘iid Mike Collins, assistant director °f student life. “If we just get the w °rd out, I think we can help a lot students here.” SCRS is divided into three main services: legal, judicial and media- '°n procedures. Student Judicial Tocedures, has the responsibility ^ conducting judicial proceedings w nen it is alleged that a student has ^ornmitted a violation of the todent Code of Conduct. Although most of the Student °de of Conduct applies to events JJ 1 Ca mpus, violations of the code a f occur off campus or at n| versity sponsored events may ea d to judicial proceedings. University sanctions vary for dif- ffent offenses as well as whether e student is a repeated offender. n y student accused of violating a rule receives a letter of charge stat ing the specific rule that the student . is accused of breaking. After the student contacts SCRS, a judicial hearing is scheduled to determine if a violation of the Student Code of Conduct has occurred. If guilt is determined, the student is then subject to the appro priate university sanctions. Sanctions will vary greatly depending on the offense and more information can be found on the A&M website. All decisions made by the hearing may go through an appeal process. “In all letters of charge, we include infonnation on a student’s Alcohol Violation Sanctioning Residence Life, Corps of Cadets, Student judicial Services 3rd Offense -i Violation 1st Offense 2nd Offense Underage Possesion/ Consumption Conduct Probation Deferred Suspension Consumption in a public place Conduct Probation Deferred Suspension Public Intoxication Deferred Suspension Suspension Driving While Intoxicated Deferred Suspension Suspension 2001-2002 Academic Year *221 alcohol violations • 37 hazing violations Courtesy of Mike Collins at Student Conflict Resolution Services TRAVIS SWENSON • THE BATTALION Suspension Suspension No student has received suspension Kaplan ranks A&M Career Center No. 2 By Christina Hoffman THE BATTALION The Texas A&M Career Center has been ranked No. 2 in career services by Kaplan’s “Unofficial, Unbiased Insider’s Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges,” the same study that ranked A&M first in best freshman housing. Dr. Leigh Turner, executive director of the center, said this is the first time it has been nationally ranked. The Career Center educates students in resume writing, interviewing skills for internships, co-ops, jobs and helps students build contacts and interview for finding permanent jobs. Turner said all students can participate in every aspect of the career center over the Internet including registering with the center or learning how to write resumes. “We try to make services easy to use,” Turner said. “Students can do everything online except face to face interviews.” She said the career center has many strong qualities which helped in the ranking, includ ing continual efforts to improve customer service to students and employers. “We have a student advising counsel that assists us in [student services],” she said. Each month a committee meets with the student advising counsel and asks for advice for improvements. Turner also said a 3-year-old partnered program with the center and specific colleges on campus helped in the ranking. The program specializes on students’ needs depending on their college, major or potential careers. The program has five individuals from the career center each assigned to either the College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts, the Corps of Cadets and the life sciences majors. Having five individuals who specialize in specific student career options makes search ing for internships and jobs much easier for students and employers. Turner said. See Career Center on page 2 Career Center ranks #2 in career services 2001 - 2002 Statistics 24,300 on-campus interviews 905 participating companies 65,000 student contacts MANDY ROUQUETTE • THE BATTALION Ag journalism department doubles total enrollment By Brad Bennett THE BATTALION The agricultural journalism major will have 100 students enrolled this fall, doubling the size of last years total of 50. Dr. Gary Wingenbach, one of two profes sors for agricultural journalism, credits the growth to students wanting jobs in the com munication field rather than the decision by the major to double its size. He said new media offers more avenues to communicate and that jobs in the major are a timely market. “My goal is for agricultural journalism to be the best in the country within three years,” Wingenbach said. To become the best program in the coun try it must pass other schools including Kansas State, the University of Florida and Texas Tech. Even with its continuing growth, agricul tural journalism is not seeking to break away from the Department of Agricultural Education where it is housed. “[Breaking from agricultural education] is so far beyond the horizon we haven’t even considered it,” said Dr. Deb Dunsford, agri cultural journalism professor. Dunsford cited costs, both financial and bureaucratic, as reasons for not breaking off and agreed with Wingenbach that having its own department was not necessary. To obtain a degree in agricultural See Ag Journalism on page 2 legal rights,” Collins said. “We don’t want students to feel helpless.” 789 cases went to SCRS during the 2001-2002 academic year. Of the majority of cases that have gone through Judicial Procedures in the past year, 221 were alcohol- related and 37 involved hazing. The number concerning alcohol- related cases was down from the previous year by 20 percent and there has never been a third-time violator of any rule of the University, Collins said. Student Legal Services’ main See SCRS on page 2 Texas Aggie Band receives endowment for instruments By Sarah Walch THE BATTALION The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band received a donation of $25,000 from the combined funds of David P. Marion, Class of 1965 and former band member, and the Texas Aggie Band Association (TABA). The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band Instrument Endowed Fund set up an alternative route for the band to fund instrument repair and replacement. Dr. Timothy Rhea, direc tor of university bands, said normally such repair is fund ed through the University. Rhea said there are several reasons the fund will improve the quality of the band. “The quantity [of instru ments needing repair] com bined with how much they cost requires a substantial amount to ensure the band has proper equipment,” he said. According to a press release, sometimes larger instruments can cost as much as $6,000 each. Trevor Voelkel, public relations officer for the Corps and a former member of the band, said replacing instru ments can be very expensive “Being in the marching band is quite an experience,” he said. “The band constant ly makes complex moves which require members to march very close to each other. It often happens that instruments may get banged up when it’s so tight. There can be substantial damage to the instruments.” However, Voelkel also realizes that the tight forma tions and difficult maneuvers are what attract the crowds. “For many people, the band is the reason to come to the football games,” he said. “The band adds a great feel to Kyle Field. Whenever we perform away from campus, people will give us standing ovations. “The music and the show add a great aspect to the game,” he said. “The fund is definitely justified.” Marion, a former presi dent of TABA, created the fund with a donation of $10,000 and TABA con tributed the remaining $15,000. Marion was not contacted as part of any fund raising and made the dona tion to help out the band, Rhea said. See Band on page 2