Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2003)
Sports: Aggies ease past Arkansas State • Page 1B Opinion: A commanding removal • Page 11A THE BATTALION An Aggie tradition since 1893 Volume 110 • Issue 2 • 18 pages Monday, September 1, 2003 Graves resigns from System as illness worsens Howard D. Graves Chancellor of the Texas A&M Gnixersily System Ail”. 1. 1000 - Ail”. 31. 2003 • Oversaw creation of A&M's Central Texas and San Antonio campuses • Was involved in the expansion of the A&M Health Science Center [ • Implemented an initative to increase the quality of educator preparation programs RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE : TEXAS A61M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM Ag department caps admission By Justin Smith THE BATTALION Texas A&M students will no longer be admitted into the degree programs in the Department of Agricultural Education — agricultural devel opment, agricultural journalism and agricultural science — beginning today due to budget constraints within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The affected students include those transfer students who do not have a preliminary degree plan dated before the Sept. 1 cutoff. With a potential salary deficit of more than $57,000 and an overcrowding of students within agricultural education, the col lege cannot afford to hire new faculty to teach the already bur geoning classes. Dr. C. R. Creger assodnle. dean for agriculture, said he hopes new students can be admit ted by the end of the semester, but said it all depends on when funds to hire two more faculty members will be available to the college. The majors, Creger said, will not be abolished. “We guarantee that no majors are going away,” Creger said. “They are way too impor tant to us.” Glen Shinn, head of the Department of Agricultural Education, suggested the admis sions cap. He said the deficit stems from a budget cut of 6.25 percent for the department and a lack of operating money for teaching outside of student fees. Shinn said he feels the dis tribution of money within the college is unfair. In 2002, the Department of Horticultural Sciences received $1.08 mil lion for its 150 students, Shinn said, while agricultural educa tion was forced to contend with $1.3 million for its more than 1,100 students. “1 know that a horticulture lab costs more than an ag journalism class, but there needs to be some kind of balance,” Shinn said. Two problems prompted Shinn to recommend limiting student enrollment: lack of fac- ulty to sci vc the swelling stu dent population and a worry that establishing a grade point ratio cutoff would deny otherwise qualified students from major ing in agricultural education. . “There is the problem with the growing tension between the number of students we can serve and the number we have,” he said. See Ag on page 2A By Lauren Smith THE BATTALION Texas A&M University System Chancellor Howard D. Graves made his official farewell at Saturday’s Board of Regents meeting. Graves resigned after bat tling cancer for 2 1/2 years. Regents accepted the 64-year-old chan cellor’s resignation at Saturday’s meeting after Graves said he felt he is no longer able to be the energetic and dynamic leader the institution needs. “When you are leading an organization, you want to finish strong,” Graves said. “I am not able to go full-energy all day long.” Lowry Mays, chairman of the board, said the new chancellor will have “large boots to fill.” As Graves bowed out on Saturday, regents announced the selection of Graves’ interim replacement, former business school dean A. Benton Cocanougher. Cocanougher came to A&M in 1987 and currently serves as a special assistant to A&M president Robert Gates and as dean emeritus of the Mays Business School. Cocanougher’s appointment as interim chancellor is effective today, and it remains unclear as to how long he will hold this position. Mays commented on his respect and admiration for Graves’ commitment to his job throughout the past few years. “(Graves) has a great amount of courage and character to have run the System so effectively since his illness arose.” Mays said. “He will always be remembered for his dedication to the System through his period of health problems.” On Aug. 1, 1999, Graves became chan cellor of the A&M System, which includes nine universities, seven agencies and a health science center. Prior to taking over the chancellor posi tion for A&M, Graves, a fonuer Army gen eral and Rhodes Scholar, served as the superintendent of his alma mater, the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., as well as assistant to chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff William Crowe and Colin Powell. While holding the position of chancellor, Graves has overseen the creation and devel opment of two new A&M System universi ties in addition to working with the Texas Legislature to meet the state’s need for See Graves on page 2A Saw Varsity’s horns off Texas A&M football coach Dennis Franchione and his wife Kim join #30 Kyle Field after Saturday's 26-11 victory over Arkansas State. The vic- junior Jacob Young and #99 sophomore David Ross in "sawing Varsity's tory marks Franchione's first win as head coach. For more sports cover- horns off" during the Aggie War Hymn in front of the student body on age, see page 1B. Convocation greets freshmen By Bart Shirley THE BATTALION University President Robert M. Gates wel comed Texas A&M’s newest class of students Sunday in the first event intended to welcome freshmen with a commencement of their own. Calling A&M’s Freshman Convocation “a commencement of your college years,” Gates told the freshmen that they were entering a time of unparalleled freedom. “Most universities have a brain and no heart. A&M has a brain and a heart,” he said. The event drew about 1,-500 members of the Class of 2007 to Reed Arena. Karan Watson, dean of faculties and associate provost, presided over the ceremony, calling it “a renewed tradition.” “I thought it was a good idea, and a good way to launch the students,” Gates said. “I think it’s a good way for the freshmen to experience some of the pomp and put their focus on the academics.” Keynote speaker Douglas A. Brooks, associ ate professor of English, related the intellectual controversy which has arisen over Shakespeare’s true identity to the audience as he addressed the new students. A list of academics and celebrities have expressed doubts about whether or not William Shakespeare wrote the works that are attributed to him. Brooks reasons that the Stratford Shakespeare wrote the plays through collaboration, which, he said, is a major key to creativity, and therefore academic excellence. Freshmen, faculty and families braved rains See Convocation on page 2A )P BEATO III • THE BATTALION Dr. Karen Watson, Dean of Faculties and Associate Provost, presides over the inaugural Freshman Convocation to formally welcome freshman entering Texas A&M's scholarly community. The ceremony was held Sunday at Reed Arena. )P BEATO III • THE BATTALION Fish Camp Shylock counselors Elaine McChesney, a junior business major, and Karis Casswell, a senior marketing major, lead newly arrived freshman through yells and wild- eating at Olsen Field before they depart by bus to Lakeview Camp in Palestine, TX. Fish Camp trains new Aggies By C.E. Walters THE BATTALION Whether a counselor, a co-chair, a campfire speaker or a freshman, few Aggie traditions conjure up as many fond memories and provide as many opportunities as Fish Camp. Randy Rohlfs, a campfire speaker, said Fish Camp provided him with the chance to make new friends, including a group that he met at camp and later played intramural soccer with for four years. Through his years at Texas A&M, Rohlfs attended Fish Camp as a fresh man and served as a counselor for two years and a co-chair for one. “It provided me with a lot of friends but also an opportunity to give back to Fish Camp and to the University,” he said. Rohlfs, who spoke to freshmen from Aqua Camp Walters, has served five times as a camp fire speaker. “I loved watching the nervous excitement, the energy they had,” he said. Chris Surley, a counselor from Purple Camp Boleman and sophomore industrial distribution major, said he remembered feel ing nervous when he attended Fish Camp as a freshman. Describing it as “nerve-wracking,” Surley said his initial reaction was that he wanted to go home, but in the end it was a beneficial experience. “It gave me a group of friends. Having peo ple there for you is awesome,” Surley said. Surley, a discussion group leader for DG Mean Skibbies, said he and his camp had been See Fish on page 10A Bars extend closing to 2 a.m. By Sarah Szuminski THE BATTALION The College Station City Council voted 6-1 Thursday to allow bars to stay open until 2 a.m., bumping back closing time by 45 minutes. The city was forced to change its 1:15 a.m. clos ing time to either midnight or 2 a.m. in compliance with state law. Council members voting for the later time cited concerns about the possible effects of a midnight closing time. Unregulated after-hours parties in res idential areas topped their list of worries, as well as potentially intoxicated bar patrons hitting the roads at midnight alongside high school students heading home to make curfew. College Station police chief Ed Feldman gave a brief presentation to the council, explaining the College Station and Bryan police departments’ rec ommendation for a 2 a.m. closing. He said closing the bars at midnight would only increase the num ber of private parties, in which there are no regula tions on alcohol consumption. “It is our belief that by going to 12, it won’t change the amount of alcohol consumed. It will change where it is being consumed,” he said. “If we go until 2 a.m., at least we know where the drinking is going on — in the bars.” Feldman said that because bar managers are held liable for their customers, they enforce alcohol- related laws such as the drinking age. Alcohol con sumption is better-off left in the establishments rather than parties at private residences, he said. Thirteen people at the meeting signed up to comment on the issue. Although the item was not set for public hearing, the council voted to allow the citizens to speak. Eleven spoke in favor of a 2 a.m. closing, with their reasons paralleling those in See Bar on page 8A