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Aggielife Holiday Special • Page 4
THE BATTALIO
(Volume I IO • Issue 68 • 16 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
www.thebattalion.net
Thursday, December 4,
Gates: Race will not be a factor
By Eric Ambrose
THE BATTALION
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JP Beato III • THE BATTALION
University President Robert M. Gates answers questions after his open forum
about proposals for admissions requirements for Texas A&M Wednesday
evening.
Race will not be one of the factors consid
ered in admitting students to Texas A&M,
said University President Robert M. Gates at
an open forum Wednesday. Instead, Gates dis
cussed programs that will be used to attract
minority students to A&M.
“Students at Texas A&M should be admit
ted as individuals, on personal merit — and
on no other basis,” Gates said.
The announcement came after the
University of Texas at Austin submitted to its
Board of Regents a plan to include race as a
factor in its admissions policy. In June, the
U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is constitu
tional for universities to use affirmative action
in admissions policies.
A&M will undertake new efforts to
encourage minority students to enroll and feel
welcome on campus, Gates said.
There will be more visits by counselors
and current students to socioeconomically
targeted high schools, more applications
workshops at target schools and more trips to
campus for students from under-represented
high schools. A program has also been devel
oped, called “Parents Program,” to encour
age minority students to enroll by responding
to questions and concerns of their families.
“I think he had some valid points and some
pretty good proposed changes,” said Tiffany
Johnson, a sophomore mechanical engineer
ing major. “I like the ideas he had for recruit
ing minorities, and I think they might actually
be effective.”
Currently, only 44 percent of black, 48
percent of Hispanic and 33 percent of Asian-
American students admitted to the University
actually enroll, Gates said. This contrasts with
62 percent of white students who are admitted
and then enroll.
“We must persuade more minority stu
dents who we admit and who we want to
come here to actually do so — to see
.Texas A&M as their university of choice,”
Gates said. “Some argue that promoting
diversity itself is a mistake. I believe they
are mistaken.”
To persuade minorities to enroll, the
Office of Admissions and Records will
increase direct contact and personal com
munication with minority students admitted,
Gates said. Admitted students will be con
tacted by minority and non-minority faculty
as well as minority and non-minority former
and current students.
See Gates on page 2A
Regents to discuss
creating Gates chair
By Sonia Moghe
THE BATTALION
The Texas A&M Board of Regents
will meet Thursday and Friday to dis
cuss whether to approve the formation
of the Robert M. Gates Chair in
Intelligence and National Security for
the George Bush School of
Government and Public Service.
Candidates for the chair-are expect
ed to be experts in the fields of nation
al security and intelligence, much like
University President Robert M. Gates,
— who is a former director of the CIA
tion 695-9194 and interim dean of the Bush School,
non Peer Co.' Money for the creation of the chair
was provided by the estate of Eugenia
Stewart, who donated $210,000, said
Arnold Vedlitz, executive associate
dean of the Bush School, according to
the Bryan-College Station Eagle.
The Bush School is also seeking to
create a joint research division with
the Texas Transportation Institute
(III). The TTI is currently involved in
a project to determine infrastructure
spending with Houston area officials.
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The board will also discuss the
need for a budget increase for
improvements to A&M's Easterwood
Airport. A growth in travel to the
Bryan-College Station area during
University events has contributed to
the need for more parking spaces, said
John Happ, director of aviation for the
airport, as reported in the Eagle.
Admissions standards for incoming
freshmen of the 2005-06 academic
year that were discussed Wednesday at
the open forum with Gates will also be
proposed to the regents.
“We will ask to raise the standard
for automatic academic admi/sion
from the top half of the high school to
the top quarter,” Gates said at the
forum. “We proposed that a student
must have at least a 600 in each of the
two components of the SAT.”
Also to be discussed are improve
ments to the fire safety capabilities of
the west side of Kyle Field, which met
fire safety standards when built, but
needs to be updated. The estimated
cost of the project is not currently
available.
The Texas A&M Board of Regents is meeting in the
MSC Thursday and Friday to discuss the following:
^ A budget increase for improvements to
Easterwood Airport
^ New undergraduate admissions standards for
potential A&M students for the 2005 - 2006 year
► Five safety improvements that need to be
made to the west side of Kyle Field
Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION
Source : BOARD OF REGENTS
Rainbow bright
Two-year-old Erin Minnich of College Station takes a break from
her Play-Doh to create a picture of her mother at the Children's
Museum of the Brazos Valley Wednesday afternoon. The
Joshua L. Hobson • THE BATTALION
museum will be hosting holiday arts and crafts, such as tree
ornaments, wreaths and cookies. The museum is open Monday
through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A&M professor recovering from accident
By Erin Price
THE BATTALION
jiclilef
Sin
Texas A&M mechanical engineering pro
fessor Ozden Ochoa remains hospitalized
after being hit by a drunken driver Nov. 22 in
Dayton, Ohio.
Henry Geneczko, Ochoa’s boyfriend, said
she had just completed a 20-mile run and was
driving in her BMW when a drunken driver
in an SUV hit her broadside. Ochoa had been
training for the Walt Disney World marathon
to be held next month in Orlando, Fla. She
[was only blocks away from her home when
the accident occurred.
Ochoa was taken to the
hospital and sustained
numerous injuries includ
ing a collapsed lung,
injuries to her internal
organs and a gash in her
head, Geneczko said.
“She had to be stabi
lized with medicines to
keep her from injuring herself further,”
Geneczko said. “Her heart stopped for a
while on Sunday morning.”
Ochoa underwent three surgeries, the last
on Thanksgiving day, Geneczko said. She
OCHOA
Texans hope to win millions
11 :
By April Castro
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Texans lined up early
Wednesday for their first chance at the Mega
Millions multistate lottery game and a shot at
the $44 million jackpot.
Texas lottery officials said tickets began
selling at 6 a.m. CST at more than 16,000
retailers statewide.
Reagan E. Greer, executive director of the
lottery commission, called it an exciting day
for players and retailers and said the game.
“will allow us to increase our contribution to
the Foundation School Fund for public edu
cation in Texas.”
Tickets were selling sporadically at the
Piggy Bank convenience store in Canutillo,
about one mile from the New Mexico state
line just north of El Paso, as players tried to
figure out how the game works.
Richard Holland, of Canutillo, was among
the first at the Piggy Bank to buy a Mega
Millions ticket. “The reason I like Mega
See Texans on page 2A
was unconscious from Nov. 23 to Nov. 27.
She was moved out of the intensive care unit
on Dec. 2 and has begun talking, he said.
Walter Bradley, Texas A&M professor
emeritus of mechanical engineering, said
Ochoa has been on sabbatical leave in
Ohio working at the Wright Patterson Air
Force Base Research Laboratory. Ochoa is
well-liked by her students and colleagues,
he said.
“I am personally very upset to learn of
this tragic accident,” Bradley said. “I hope
and pray that she is able to make a full
recovery because she is a very special per
son and a valuable asset to Texas A&M.”
MEGA MILLIONS LOTTERY
Texas joins in for chance to win big
Texans just got a little richer on Wednesday - or at least a chance
to - when they became the 11th state to join the Mega Millions
lottery. The jackpot averaged $42.3 million over the last year.
Lottery member states* i Mega Millions Powerball
‘The U.S. Virgin Islands is a Powerball member.
Candidates filing
for 2004 elections
r
By Kelley Shannon
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Candidates for
president, Congress, the Texas
Legislature and other offices
began filing papers for the 2004
primary election Wednesday,
even as a dispute simmered over
which congressional districts
will be used.
Democratic U.S. Rep.
Martin Frost of Arlington filed
to run in the district he has rep
resented for 25 years. Frost said
he was confident a federal court
will uphold existing congres
sional boundaries and toss out a
GOP redistricting plan
approved this fall.
The Republican map,
which Democrats claim vio
lates minority voting rights,
decimated Frost’s heavily
minority district.
“I will run for re-election
even if the proposed plan is
upheld and would make a
decision at that time as to
where I would be a candi-
SOURCE: Associated Press
date,” Frost said.
A federal trial begins next
week over a Democratic chal
lenge to the Republican redis
tricting plan. Texas
Republicans, seeking to over
come the Democrats’ 17-15
advantage in the state’s con
gressional delegation, pushed
for new districts that could give
the GOP as many as seven
additional seats.
Democratic state lawmakers
tried to thwart the GOP plan and
staged two out-of-state boycotts
to block it, but Republicans
dominate the Legislature and
ultimately prevailed.
All candidates running in
the March 9 primary have until
Jan. 2 to file their election
paperwork with their respec
tive parties. Those running for
Congress will have an addi
tional period, from Jan. 11-16,
to file under the new congres
sional map if it gets federal
court approval and is used for
See Election on page 2A