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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2002)
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M aiKil \ s|s (n I heir stocks, nerica likes. has list* analss; curities b» anics from o analysis • >e general 1 I chat ofier J icers aboui: inances and lah on and cor ; analysts et a dixir slam- get any (jur I aren’t im:.r nes or diMn* h help due Inisincss is M titutional dr icct with tec | ising custorr ' angry rec s sued sell t» of reser 'tiers sen • “Company 't , > who hr heir (the an. > Gerard ) >n w |»cn ht: n Casino t is reasing or uction dtsm tic. i director L’C W .isn't £T ecutives, » with managr sensitive to , gatherings IcGowan sis IN BRIEF i skate lent in (AP) other chr fered theiifi ser at M& to raise sc id honor i n the ter event - e & Skates"- c gold me: i, silver me- snze me: I, and the lal champic Lang and ^ Aggielife: A Modern Day Shrine to Bonfire • Page 3A Opinion: A disrespectful Tradition • Page 11A gement lc major tf £i y destro' 2cord con 1 ; |y objected company he Cer^ BATTALION |VoIunie 109 • Issue 5 • IS pa^es 109 Years Serving Texas A&M University vvww.thebatt.com Thursday, September 5, 2002 Students rank A&M in Princeton Review survey The ^ I Princeton j I Review J J mms'j AMIRI By Melissa McKeon THE BATTALION Texas A&M students are among the least happy students in the nation and are some of the most nostalgic for for mer President Ronald Reagan, accord ing to The Princeton Review. In a survey conducted of 10(),0(X) students at 345 colleges, A&M appeared several times in categories such as “Best academic bang for your buck” (#12), “Students pack the stadi ums” (#18) and “Least happy stu dents" (#12). “1 think A&M is one of the friend liest campuses anywhere.” said senior chemistry major Jeff Johnson. “The traditions are great, the classes are superior, and just living in the College Station area in general is fun. Students don’t have a reason to be unhappy." But senior business major Sara Adams said she understands how A&M could make that list. "A&M is very cliquish. If you’re not in the corps, a frat, sorority or in sports, you’re left out,” Adams said. “Many students here are also close- minded and not representative of a large university in tenns of diversity.” Lists of the top-20 ranking colleges in these and 60 other categories appear in the 2003 edition of The Princeton Review’s annual college guidebook, "The Best 345 Colleges.” The ranking lists can be seen at www.PrincetonReview.com. A&M is also listed under the Politics section as “Most nostalgic for Reagan" (#7). Sophomore chemical engineering major Jill Hopson said the ranking illustrates the political climate at A&M. “Everyone knows that A&M is a very conservative school,” Hopson said. "Seeing us listed as ‘nostalgic for Reagan’ shouldn’t be that much of a surprise to anyone.” Robert Franek, editorial director at the Princeton Review, said the survey is valuable to students deciding where to attend college and also allows current students to see where their college stands against others. "All of the colleges in this book are outstanding academic institutions," Franek said. "We compile ranking lists in many categories based on what stu dents tell us about their campus experi- v J 2 BEST ACADEMIC BANG FOR YOUR BUCK #'J2 LEAST HAPPY STUDENTS # J a STUDENTS PACK THE STADIUM ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES NOT AN ALTERNATIVE DON'T INHALE STUDENTS (ALMOST) NEVER STUDY BASED ON A SURVEY OF 100.000 STUDENTS AT 345 COLLEGES ences. We do this to help students and their families decide which of these colleges is best for them." Other list categories include best profs, students most satisfied with financial aid, frat & sorority scene biggest, happiest students, best campus dorms and best campus food. Mandy Rouquettk • THE BATTALION The survey asks students 70 ques tions about their school’s academics, campus life and student body. See Review on page 2A Finger painting Randal Ford • THE BATTALION Three-year-old Ryan Adams of Bryan, top, laughs after getting paint in his face as sisters three-year-old Brooke and two-year-old Brielle Waite paint the Volkswagen Beatle at the Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley Wednesday. Among other activities at the museum, paint ing is one of the most popular attractions. Prairie View A&M president search suspended By Brad Bennett THE BATTALION The 23-member search committee assigned to find a new president for Prairie View A&M has been off to a slow start — they haven’t met yet. The committee, named last month by the Board of Regents to seek out a replacement for embattled former President Dr. Charles Hines, has run into schedule problems and road blocks in setting a meeting time. The committee was supposed to have met last Monday, but that meet ing and two others were canceled when certain committee members couldn’t attend. But Prairie View Student Body President and commit tee member Hendrik Maison said once the committee gets going, it will meet its spring 2003 deadline with time to spare. Hines stepped down last month after clashing with faculty on campus and in the courtroom during two sepa rate lawsuits. Dr. Willie Tempton, for mer vice president for finance and administration at Prairie View, has been the interim president since May. In a discrimination suit brought against Hines last year, Dennis Judd, a Prarie View A&M physics professor, claimed Hines tried to have him fired for criticizing the former president’s leadership. Judd also blamed Hines for his loss of a prestigious $673,000 grant. Less than a month after the Judd lawsuit was settled in March, a second lawsuit was filed against Hines. Six plaintiffs, all of whom were black, claim to have been racially discriminat ed against by Hines, who is also black. That suit is still unsettled. The search committee will address the issues that Hines left behind when choosing candidates, Maison said. “Being willing to listen to the stu dents and work with [students, adminis tration and alumni j are the characteris tics I am looking for,” Maison said. Maison said race would be a minor consideration for the new president of Prairie View, a predominately black university. “I am not going to base my recom mendation on race,” he said. “But it is essential for the new president to be a role model students can relate with.” The search committee will make a recommendation to System Chancellor Dr. Howard, who will share his choice with the Board of Regents. Maison said a final candidate will be chosen from the committee’s recom mendations. The regents have final say on who becomes the new president of Prairie View. Catholic Student Association protests Playboy signing By Sarah Darr THE BATTALION Catholic students gathered Wednesday out side Hastings to protest the scheduled signing of Playboy’s October issue by some of the students who were featured in the article, “Women of the Big 12.” Members of the Catholic Student Association protested in the parking lot for two hours, dis tributing flyers and talking with Hastings patrons. Inside the store, Texas A&M student Mary Beth Decker and University of Texas stu dents featured in Playboy signed autographs and chatted with customers. The other A&M student featured in the magazine, Kim Hiott, a junior information and operations management major, was not at the signing. Decker is a junior agri cultural journalism major. The protest was to demonstrate that pornog raphy is harmful, said Michael Murray, a mem ber of St. Mary’s Catholic Center. “The pornography industry does harm to women and men because it makes it difficult to develop a healthy sexuality,” Murray said. Students in line to buy a signed issue of Playboy said both sides were exercising their first amendment rights. “Just as we have our constitutional right to exercise free speech by being here, it is also their right to protest,” said Justin Howell, a freshman aerospace engineering major. Senior Vince Kessler said the protest was not neccesary. “It’s not any different than athletes signing autographs,” Kessler said. Playboy publicist Jody Grimaldi said protests have sprung up from time to time, but Wednesday’s demonstration outside Hastings didn’t deter Playboy fans. Everything is a choice, both for those who buy the magazine and those who pose in it, Grimaldi said. “We don’t feel like it objectifies women,” he said. “It makes them look and feel beautiful about themselves. It is their choice and they are proud.” Some onlookers said they agreed with the demonstrators. Pornography has a negative effect on all aspects of society, said philosophy graduate student Ginger Gruters. “Pornography destroys respect and love between men and women,” Grutes said. “More than anything it is sad.” Local businessman Adam Hughes observed the demonstrators and the line of people waiting to get their autographs.He said that both sides had a right to be doing what they were doing. “They are perfectly within their rights, just like she is, and they both have an intelligent argument,” Hughes said. Experiments show diet drug affects brain similar to cocaine By Ruth Ihde THE BATTALION The active ingredient in the weight-loss drug Metabolife has the same effects on the brain as cocaine, according to a study conducted by Texas A&M behav ioral pharmacologist Dr. Paul Wellman. Ephedrine and cocaine stimu late the nervous system and alter the level of dopamine in the brain, which plays a significant role in mental health. In Wellman’s tests, lab rats on thep- hedrine did show reduced appetite but also alterted activity as a result of the drug. People who have too much dopamine can suffer from schizo phrenia, while too little dopamine can contribute to degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease. The U.S. Justice Department has brought charges against Metabolife in light of reports to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of adverse health effects stemming from the weight-loss product. Although Metabolife has denied any reports of harmful effects from its product, the FDA has received nearly 200 reports nationwide of negative effects from the stimulant ephedrine, found in Metabolife and other new weight loss supple ments. Wellman testified in 1999 in front of the Texas Department of Health about the effects of the herb on the nervous system and the similarities between ephedrine and cocaine Wellman said both drugs stimulate increased locomo tion in the rats. “The point is, cocaine and ephedrine have the same profile of action,” Wellman said. Ephedrine is an herbal med ication found in plants, which allows little regulation of the drug. See Drug on page 2A Ephedrine is one of the most dangerous dietary supplements • Over 800 related injuries have been reported • More than 50 deaths have been reported • Can cause heart attacks or high blood pressure • May lead to bleeding in the brain or stroke soukv wvwvephedrine ephedra com REUBEN DeLuna • THE BATTALION