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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
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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