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Opinion: Heroes or religious fanatics? • Page 5B
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THE BATTALION
flfolunic 109 • Issue 8 • 14 pa$»es
www.thebatt.coni
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
A&M prepares to bid on ocean drilling contract
By Rob Phillips
THE BATTALION
I As the United States and Japan pre
pare to embark on a massive interna-
ti< nal ocean drilling research program
beginning October 2003, Texas A&M
will have to wait and see whether it will
renew its role as Science Operator of
thu project or become a mere spectator.
I For the past two decades, Texas
A&M has acted as Science Operator
for the existing Ocean Drilling
Program (ODP), an international part
nership of scientists and research
institutions throughout 22 countries
dedicated to scientific discovery
through ocean drilling. A&M’s •on-
tract with the National Science
Foundation (NSF), which ends in
September 2003, has put the
University on the map in the earth sci
ence world and has pumped millions
of dollars into the Texas economy. By
the time A&M’s contract is through,
NSF will put the new contract out for
bid, creating competition among uni
versities, said Dr. David Prior, interim
provost and executive vice president
at A&M.
“NSF is constrained to in fact have a
public competition,” Prior said. “Of
course we want to be the successful
bidder, but you can’t preordain the out
come of these things. We have assem
bled a very powerful package that we
will be able to present in support of our
case to continue this role.”
A&M’s role in the drilling program
has brought significant international
recognition to the school. As Science
Operator for the premier oceanograph
ic earth science research program in the
world, A&M is granted $38 million a
year to contract the JOIDES Resolution
drilling ship. The funds come from
NSF and the prime contractor of the
project is Joint Oceanographic
Institutions (JOI), a consortium of U.S.
academic institutions and ODP manag
er, said Dr. Jack Baldauf, deputy direc
tor for science operations at A&M.
In addition to operating the
Resolution vessel. A&M is responsible
for science labs, technical support, pub
lication of the crews’ volumes, curation
of samples, management of the data
base and engineering development.
“We are seen internationally as hav
ing provided technical and scientific
support for these 22 countries over 20
years, drilling all over the world and
supporting hundreds of scientists and
students in terms of scientific discov
ery,” Prior said.
A&M has sent a proposal to JOI
expressing interest in acting as Science
See Drilling on page 2
Weird science
TA
RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION
Fourth year graduate student Mervin Brazile sets up a reac
tion to create magnetic materials in the Chemistry Building
Monday afternoon. The project is designed to synthesize
new magnetic materials.
UT tickets scarce
Staff Report
THE BATTALION
Students who camped out in front of Kyle Field this weekend
found out early Monday that there were only 437 tickets to be
claimed for the game against the University of Texas. Many of those
students were, as a result, turned away empty-handed.
UT sent a total of 3,850 tickets to Texas A&M, the majority of
which went to the 12th Man Foundation, the football team, and the
Aggie Band before students were given access to them. The minimum
amount of tickets one school has to offer to another is 3,850 tickets,
said Tim Allen, associate commissioner of the Big 12 Conference.
“We are only able to issue 437 tickets to those who camped out
at Kyle Field,” Texas A&M Athletic Ticket Manager Jim Kotch said.
“The decision to issue so few tickets was determined last year.”
In 2000, the last time A&M played the Longhorns in Austin, UT
sent 7,000 Koch said. In 2001, A&M sent UT 6,850. A&M sent 150
fewer tickets due to a Big 12 cutback on visiting tickets.
Texas A&M plans on sending UT the minimum 3,850 tickets
next year, Kotch said Monday.
UT’s football facility, the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial
Stadium, holds 80,082 fans. With only 3,000 tickets coming A&M’s
way, A&M students and fans will fill only 0.5 percent of UT’s sta
dium this November.
Senate debates report
By Sarah Walch
THE BATTALION
A motion to approve the Minority Conditions Subcommittee
Revised Report was tabled until the next Faculty Senate meeting
next month after much discussion.
One senator expressed a concern that several ethnic and religious
minority groups would not benefit from the changes presented
because the report focused only on blacks and Hispanics. Dr. James
Flagg, chair of the Minority Conditions subcommittee, said the
emphasis was not meant to be discriminatory.
“The intent was to focus on under-represented minorities,”
Flagg said.
Dr. C. J. Swearingen, an English professor, said the changes
See Senate on page 2
;*
A&M to receive more than $9 million from new fee
•ski
In ew|student|iees
Will total about $9 million for
2002-2003 year.
• 10% devoted to financial aid
• Some will go towards A&M's
$6 million deficit
• Remaining will fund faculty
pay raises
! Source: Office of T he Vice President for Finance
TRAVIS SWENSON • THE BATTALION
By Ruth Ihde
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M will rake in $9 million during
the course of this year from fees charged to new
students.
At more than $900 per semester for each newly
enrolled student, part of that grand total goes
toward the University’s $6.2 million budget deficit
and the rest is disbursed to student financial aid
and faculty raises. Vice President of Finance Dr.
William Krumm said the money needs to supply
each of the branches of the University’s budget,
with about 10 percent going to financial aid for
undergraduates and graduate students.
“The budget is like a three-legged stool made
up of student tuition, private donations and state
contributions,” Krumm said. “In order for the
stool to be balanced, all three legs must be of
equal length.”
Some freshmen and transfer students paying
the extra fees say they think there is a lot of weight
placed on their shoulders.
“I don’t think the fee should be applied to only
new students,” said Tim Stech, a freshman gener
al studies major. “Of all people, I don’t think we
should be accountable for it. I don’t think it will
benefit our education.”
After forking over more for their education
than older brothers and sisters attending A&M,
other freshmen said they didn’t understand where
the money was going.
“It sends an unfair message that you don’t
understand what your payment is for or what it is
going to,” said Michael Savage, a freshman chem
ical engineering major. “In a way it is respectful to
upperclassmen, but it is unfair to new students.”
Fees for new students total about $30 per cred
it hour, divided up between additions to various
fees found on a student's bill. For new A&M stu
dents, the library use fee is increased $15.80 per
credit hour and the computer access fee is $4.80
per credit hour. In addition, there are two new
fees, the advising fee at $8.85 per credit hour and
the Bursar Services fee at 55 cents per credit hour.
Krumm said the administration presented sev
eral options to the Board of Regents, and the
regents decided that charging the fee increases to
only new students would be the best option. He
said it would be unfair to shock students who were
already here with the $30 per credit hour increase.
“We tried to be very open and public about it,”
he said, “so students who would be enrolling after
See Fees on page 5
Economic forecast remains strong for B-CS
University keeps unemployment numbers down, economy stable
By Melissa McKeon
THE BATTALION
| The economic forecast for the
Bryan-College Station area is supe
rior to most areas around the coun
try, economist Karr Ingham said.
“This community is the envy of
others because you have a magnifi
cent economic engine in Texas
A&M University,” Ingham said.
‘'There is a stability with that, and
you (Brazos County] are known as
the metro area in Texas with the
Ipwest unemployment rate.”
Some economists say there will
be a drop in the stock market this
month and an increase in retail
sales at the end of the year, but
Ingham said the economy in
Brazos County is stronger than
most. For the most part, the Texas
economy is weaker than last year,
Ingham said. But Bryan and
College Station have a solid foun
dation underneath them.
“The people here have great con
fidence in the economic situation ”
Ingham said.
Sean Danby, managing partner at
Kona Ranch in College Station,
agrees that Texas A&M is a major
part of the stable economy in the
surrounding area.
“Events such as [football]
games and Parents Weekend draw
students, parents and alumni and
that’s a big boost for all business
es” Danby said. “Right now the
overall outlook for businesses in
Bryan-College Station is positive
as compared to last year.’
Ingham said employment is the
biggest economic gauge of an area’s
success.
Employers do not have to look
very hard to find people to fill the
job openings in the community,
Danby said.
“[Because of A&M students]
there are a lot of people looking for
jobs,” Danby said. “There is plenty
of applicant traffic.”
Joni McDaniel, a senior biology
major, said her job at Post Oak Mall
is representative of many students
at A&M as well as other employees
there.
“I’ve noticed that business defi
nitely kicks in all around once stu
dents come into town,” McDaniel
said. “Students take up most of the
jobs so much so that hiring slows
down a lot when school starts.”
Dr. Jerry Strawser, dean of the
Lowry Mays School of Business,
said the college’s next career fair in
October is expected to provide
more opportunities for upcoming
graduates than in previous, slower
years.
“We’re seeing companies coming
back to recruit who had been here
and had taken last year off,”
Strawser said.
Senior business major Robyn
Jones said the Bryan-College Station
area is improving the economic out
look for the community.
“A&M is a great asset for Bryan
and College Station,” Jones said.
“Students work a lot of the jobs here
and spend a lot of the money, too.”