12
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
THE BATTALIOS
Lawmakers threaten to pull
school from UT system
By John Kirsch
KRT CAMPUS
AUSTIN — Tanant County law
makers are threatening to pull the
University of Texas-Arlington out of the
University of Texas system as concerns
mount about the campus' future.
The move is a reaction to UT system
Chancellor Mark Yudof s plans to make
the University of Texas-Dallas a nation
ally ranked research campus.
The lawmakers say they fear that
goal will be accomplished at the
expense of UT-Arlington, the second-
largest school in the UT system with
nearly 24,000 students.
"We in the Legislature are looking at
every possible alternative to find anoth
er system that would appreciate what
our campus has to offer," said state Sen.
Chris Harris, R-Arlington.
The lawmakers move comes on the
eve of Yudofs visit to Arlington on
Wednesday to discuss UT-Arlington's
status with university and community
leaders.
UT system spokesman Michael
Warden said Monday that Yudof is
aware of the concerns about the future
of UT-Arlington and plans to address
those issues on Wednesday.
"What the community is going to
hear from Chancellor Yudof will greatly
allay their concerns about the future of
the University of Texas at Arlington.
They will hear from him that UTA is an
extremely valuable member of the
University of Texas System,"
Warden said.
Warden noted that the University of
Texas System Board of Regents recent
ly approved a $39.9 million chemistry
and physics building at UT-Arlington,
and that the campus has grown steadily
in recent years as part of the UT system.
Lawmakers said they hope the meet
ing produces a firm commitment on the
part of UT system officials not to ele
vate UT-Dallas at UT-Arlington's
expense.
If not, the lawmakers are preparing
legislation to make good on their threat.
State Rep. Toby Goodman, R-
Arlington, said he has had a bill drafted
to make UT-Arlington an independent
university. The measure has not been
introduced, he said.
"If we can get what we want and
we're happy in the UT system, we
would prefer to stay in the UT system.
But if not we can go another path,"
he said.
Harris said the Texas Tech,
University of Houston and Texas A&M
University systems are viable options.
He said he did not have a preference but
noted that UT-Arlington was once part
of the A&M system. UT-Arlington left
the A&M system in 1965.
A&M system Chancellor Howard
Graves acknowledged the Arlington
campus' past affiliation with the A&M
system while noting that any decision
about changing the campus affiliation
was in the Legislature's hands.
"However, it is our hope that any
such transfer include the concurrence of
the boards of regents of the A&M sys
tem and UT system as well as the Texas
Legislature," Graves said.
If the lawmakers decide to move for
ward, the goal is to get legislation
passed this session because the
Legislature will not meet again in regu
lar session until January 2005,
Harris said.
"If we continue to hear from Yudof
that his priorities are changing to make
the UTD campus a more advanced cam
pus than our UTA campus then I will
explore every opportunity we can," said
state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth.
An official with the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board, which
oversees public colleges and universi
ties, said the Legislature has the author
ity to move UT-Arlington out of the UT
system.
But Marshall Hill, assistant commis
sioner for universities and health-related
institutions, cautioned that such a move
would likely create political problems.
"There would be a lot of uncertainty
that faculty would have I'm sure, a lot of
questions of whether this is something
that had been thought through thor
oughly enough," he said.
Huff n’ puff
Volume 1
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By Jar
THE
JP BEATO III • THE BATTALION
Krista Knox, a freshman education major, and Kevin Doffing, a
sophomore psychology major, fill balloons with clues and air
before Camp Hermann’s Fish Camp counselor revelation. Nine
hundred counselors start training for the four-day summer
freshman orientation program this weekend with the first of
three development programs held on campus.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Bush: Saddam will try "to
fool the world" again
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Iraq is pro
viding new information about its
weapons and has reported the discov
ery of two bombs, including one possi
bly filled with a biological agent —
moves that the chief U.N. weapons
inspector said Tuesday signal real coop
eration.
President Bush, however, predicted
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein would try
to "fool the world one more time" by
revealing the existence of weapons he
has previously denied having. He urged
the United Nations to back U.S. action
against Iraq.
Bush said he would welcome a U.N.
Security Council vote supporting the
U.S. position on using force against Iraq
"but I don't believe we need a second
resolution."
Pentagon officials have said that U.S.
forces massed in the region number
about 200,000, about half of them
Army.
With the Security Council deeply
divided over whether Iraq has squan
dered a final opportunity to disarm,
Canada was trying to bridge two coni'
peting plans that were introduceJ
Monday: a U.S.-British-Spanish resolu
tion that seeks U.N. authorization fa
war; and a French-Russian-Germanpro
posal to strengthen weapons insper
tions and continue them at least into
July.
Canada, which isn't on the Secuiitf
Council, circulated a document to coun
cil members Tuesday proposing a series
of benchmarks Iraq would havetomeel
by the end of March. The council would
then be asked to vote on whether Irai]
was complying with its U.N. obligations
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Will pay "111 for these
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Offer expires 3/6/03.
February is African Americ
History Month.
.
1
In College Station: 2004 Texas Ave S.
In Bryan: 725 Villa Maria
Liberal Arts Career Week
All majors welcome!
Tonight: Career Fair Networking
5:30p.m.
Koldus 111
Thursday, Feb. 27 th : Alumni Forum
Panel discussion and reception with former students
6:00p.m.
Reed Arena
»th.
Friday, Feb. 28'
Liberal Arts Career Fair
And
Communications Career Fair
10:00a.m.-3:00p.m.
Rudder Exhibit Hall
For a complete list of companies attending the career fair and other info
please check out our website.
www.lasctamu.org
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