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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 10, 2003)
NEWS THE BATTALIOS ■ H • THE BATTALION titude of flavors, oves map te before debate is The Senate is split nd 11 of the 11 s would be enough tt ate. was among tl( s who criticizd ns for taking up redis- a year that doesii'l :ly follow the U.$. lost Democrats saii ig congressional dis- Id remain in place, cans who were push- I said they were fill- r constitutional dut) district lines. Pern hat elected officials. I judges, should h ie boundaries. 'P contends the exist ts don’t reflect tk easingly Republic! terns. All statewidf Tices are held b) is and have been House Republicans ie plan. oting against it wert Iton of Mauriceville. hes of Mineola, Bob Abilene, Delwin Lubbock and Sid ephenville. laid he supports con- redistricting, but reserve rural repre- r his region, this map certain!) way to give Texans sessional districts, ar map was not in rests of my district.' d, Aaron Sauer with sfety Board said, owed a crumpled lob 1 passenger compart' I over the cockpit idison Airport north /lonarch Air, a flight Sheriff's Sgt, Mild News. a was registered in llton. Aggieufe: Where's the beet? • Page 3 Opinion: Abortion funding under fire • P,age 5 ATTALION 'TUI? i nr, Volume 109 • Issue 167 • 6 pages Gates: 40 jobs will be lost in budget crunch 109 Years Serving Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Thursday, July 10, 2003 By Melissa Sullivan THE BATTALION Layoff numbers originally proposed to be in the triple digits will now result in less than 40 people losing their jobs, said Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates in a memo Wednesday announc ing his final decisions on the University budget for fiscal year 2004. Gates said the University will elimi nate approximately 250 positions, but because of the hiring freeze implement ed last January, 211 of those positions are currently vacant. A “match-up” process will further reduce the number of employees being layed off. Gates said. “We intend to see if we can reduce that number further by matching indi viduals being laid off to currently vacant positions that are being kept,” he said. “If a clerical staff member were to be laid off by one component of the University, is there an open clerical staff position in another component?” Gates said if an employee cannot find a job at the University, the University will help him find a job in the community. “Letting go even one member of the Aggie family is tough and clearly is a last gates resort,” he said. Gates said large increases are in the works for health insurance and all employees will see the costs rise significantly. Gates said the University will pro vide a pay increase of $50 per month to help offset the increase in the health care premium for full-time employees making $30,000 or less per year. “I wish we could do more, but that is all we can afford,” he said. Last month, Gates said the University will increase compensation by $145.60 for graduate students who enroll in a University health care plan. “For those with families and those in other health plans, this amount will help defray your original cost,” he said. Gates said the University is still awaiting a response from Attorney General Greg Abbott regarding the System retirement bills passed earlier this month, and said the University is working closely with the System to provide the most timely, up-to-the- minute update for employees. “We will inform (the employees) of what we learn just as quickly as we possibly can to aid in your decisions about the future,” he said. In a previous memo sent in June, See Crunch on page 2 Relishing relationships ‘Grandma Jane’ Bailey shares her love of life with MSC student leaders By Dallas Shipp THE BATTALION A lot of people display pictures in their office but, walking into Jane Bailey’s office, you can’t help but notice the hundreds and perhaps more than 1,000 pic tures of former students that cover nearly every inch of wall space. These are students whose lives have been touched by Bailey, assistant to the director of the Memorial Student Center. These students are what Bailey says keep her going and make her job so much fun. “I truly like students, and working with students is what makes this job worthwhile,” she said. “If there weren’t stu dents here'it would just be another job. I love life and I love to be surrounded by peo ple that are alive and full of life and that’s Aggies, that’s young people.” After spending her first 20- plus years as part of the work force in four different career fields, Bailey finally found her calling in 1985 when she applied for a job at Texas A&M working in the MSC. Now, 18 years later, she says it is the best thing that has ever happened to her. “I’ve had five careers but this is the most important to me,” Bailey said. “My relation ship to the students and former students is what makes my job so worthwhile.” Amy Bacon, Class of 1991, worked in the MSC with JOSHUA HOBSON • THE BATTALION Jane Bailey, assistant to the director of the Memorial Student Center, leadership for the upcoming school year. Behind Bailey are the pho- looks at photos from a recent student leadership trip to Italy with jun- tos of former students that have filled her office, and her life, for the ior marketing major Nicole Hoegg, vice president for development past 18 years. Bailey for four years. Bacon said Bailey had as big of an impact on her life as anyone, including her parents. “She had a knack for draw ing you out, making you want to talk to her, making you into an extrovert,” Bacon said. “She would see what your strengths were and try to pull them out of you.” During the course of her college career and after gradu ation, Bacon’s relationship with Bailey turned into more of a mother-daughter relation ship than a student and her adviser. “Jane just became a part of my family,” Bacon said. “Jane was there for all the major milestones in my life: my grad uation, my wedding, when my first child was born. She’s always been there for me.” Bacon’s daughter Elena, who is now 4 years old, refers to Bailey as ‘Grandma Jane.’ “When Elena was born we always sent her Mother’s Day cards, Christmas cards and everything,” she said. “We always put ‘To: Grandma Jane, Love Ellie’ and that’s just how Elena knows her, ‘Grandma Jane.’” When Bacon and her family come to town for football See Bailey on page 2 Colleges to discuss affirmative action use By Natalie Younts THE BATTALION Director of Admissions Frank Ashley will attend a national College Board meeting today and Friday in Chicago to discuss the impact of the Supreme Court affirmative action ruling. “Our next step is when I get back from Chicago to meet with individuals here on campus to try to figure out what we’re going to do,” Ashley said. “We’re going to decide whether or not we even want to use race as a factor for admission.” The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that giving minority applicants automatic bonus points in admissions con sideration is unconstitutional, while considering race as one factor among many is legal. The inclusion of race as an admis sions factor has been banned in Texas since 1996 when it was ruled unconstitutional by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Hopwood v. Texas. “The meeting will provide a forum for higher education pro fessionals to come together and work through implications and come to a better understanding of the new legal landscape,” said Kristin Carnahan, associate director of public affairs for the College Board. More than 50 directors of admissions from across the country and the lawyer who argued the case will attend the See Colleges on page 6 UNIVERSITY AIDS GRADUATE STUDENT) Those enrolled in a University health care plan will receive ^ an additional ££EEQt] fik compensation per month ■■ Graduate students with families will see health care premiums rise approximately!^^ Increased aid for graduate students will cost the Universityl $3 million RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION Grad students receive extra compensation By Jodi Rogers THE BATTALION In a University-wide memo, Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates announced Wednesday that graduate students enrolled in a University health care plan will see increased compensation by $145.60 per month for the 2004 fiscal year. The compensation will cost the University $3 million. For gradu ate students who are single, the increased compensation will cover their monthly premium. Those married with children can expect health care premiums to jump from $108.80 per month up to $281.07, an estimated percent increase of 258. Graduate Student Council President Josh Peschel said in an earlier interview with The Battalion that the CSC recom mended that the University pro vide full coverage for all health insurance premiums. It also sug gested the option of offsetting some of the increase with a pay SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT raise for graduate assistants. Andreas Mershin, a graduate student in the Department of Physics, said in a previous inter view that he and his colleagues plan on collecting signatures on a letter asking A&M’s administra tion for greater financial support for graduate students. Chris Lavergne, a graduate assistant in the Department of Agricultural Education, said he welcomes the extra compensation. Lavergne, married with two chil dren, is from Kansas State University, where he said the multi-billion dollar budget deficit hit Kansas hard, too. “Everybody is hurting,” he said. “We knew it was going to be tough to come to grad school. It’s an investment. Ten years down the line I’m going to have my graduate degree from Texas A&M, and the last thing on my mind is going to be that I had to pay an increase in health insurance.” Lavergne said he was impressed that the University appropriated $3 million so quickly in such a short amount of time. Christa Catchings, another grad uate in the Department of Agricultural Education, said the cur rent health insurance increases will be hardest on doctoral students. Fran draws record crowds for 2003 Coaches’ Nights By Jeff Allen THE BATTALION Texas A&M football coach Dennis Franchione will take center stage at Coaches’ Night 2003 presented by the Brazos County A&M Club two weeks from today on July 24 at Reed Arena. Franchione, who has been drawing record crowds to similar events across the state, is the featured speaker, but will be preceded by a short address given by Director of Athletics Bill Byrne. franchione Brian Bishop, Brazos County A&M Club president, said the pur pose of the event is to help fund the many scholarships given by the organization. Each year, the club gives out at least six scholar ships ranging from $1,500 to more than $3,000 a year for the recipient. The majority of the funds for the scholarships are derived from the annual Coaches’ Night, which can fund as much as 70 percent of the scholar ships. This year’s event has become especially important with the addition of Franchione to the lineup. The extra excitement swirling around Aggie football has spilled over into ticket sales for the club. “Last year we sold around 700 to 750 tickets,” Bishop said. “We have already hit that number this year with two weeks to go. Last year we sold 31 reserved tables, and this year (we’ve already sold) 72.1 think that speaks to the excitement (Franchione) brings to the table.” The ground swell of support for the Coaches’ Night also means an even more vibrant source of income for the Brazos County A&M Club. The club now has an opportunity to extend its scholarship program. “We started a new $25,000 scholarship and the goal was to pay it in four years,” Bishop said. “Now we will be able to pay it off this year...we may cut (the Texas A&M Foundation) a $17,500 check to fully fund that scholarship, and that allows us to start looking for more scholarships.” The Coaches’ Night will also feature a silent auction with sports memorabilia, restaurant certificates and a variety of other items that have been donated by merchants and individuals from across the state. Tickets for the event are still available at $50 per person. However, due to the increased amount of interest, 30 student tickets will be available for $25 each. Students can purchase tickets by calling Bishop at (979) 218-3882 by Friday, July 18.
