The Battalion
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Page 4
Big winner
*ir
(w days before winning the New Hampshire primaries, U S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry,
Aass, talks to customers at Maryanne's diner in Derry, N H Kerry was trying to rally support in N.H. for the Jan. 27
locratic primary
Kerry defeats Dean
in N.H. primary
By Ron Fourner
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANCHESTER, N.H. — John Kerry
overpowered Howard Dean to win New
Hampshire’s primary Tuesday, a second-
straight campaign victory for the newly mint
ed Democratic presidential front-runner.
“I ask Democrats everywhere to join us so
we can defeat George W. Bush and the econ
omy of privilege,” Kerry told supporters
cheered by his political revival. He promised
to “reduce the poverty of millions rather than
reducing the taxes of millionaires.”
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and
retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark battled for
third, but far behind the two leaders. Sen. Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut, sagging to fifth
place, rejected advice from some advisers to
abandon his bid.
After trooping through coffee shops,
country stores and livings rooms of Iowa and
New Hampshire, the candidates now move to
the cold realities of a national campaign —
airport rallies and multimillion-dollar ad buys
in seven states holding contests next Tuesday.
Kerry, who reshaped the race with his
stunning win in Iowa’s caucuses Jan. 19,
pledged to carry his momentum to every
state. He assumes the weighty mantle of
front-runner, a title that drew scrutiny to
Dean’s record and every lapse.
“He hasn’t been in that position,” Dean
said of Kerry in an Associated Press inter
view. “We’ll find out what happens.”
The four-term senator said he can handle
it.
“I’ve been in public life for a long time,
and I have been in tough races before and
have been scrutinized,” Kerry told the AP.
“I’m ready to lead our party to victory.”
With 95 percent of the precincts reporting,
Kerry had 39 percent. Dean had 26 percent,
Clark 13 percent, Edwards 12 percent and
Liebennan 9 percent.
An AP analysis of the delegate count
showed Kerry winning 13 delegates and Dean
capturing nine, while Edwards and Clark
appeared to finish below the 15 percent vote
threshold needed to win any delegates.
It has been a topsy-turvy Democratic race,
with Dean leading New Hampshire polls by
25 percentage points when the year began,
Kerry seizing a similar lead after Iowa and
Dean gaining a bit of ground after an 11th-
hour political overhaul.
“We were written off for months, and
plugged on and showed people the detenni-
nation we have to defeat President Bush,"
Kerry told the AP.
Dean, the former five-term governor of
Vennont who finished third in Iowa, lost New
Hampshire by double digits — less than he
needed for a complete rebound or to erase
See Kerry on page 2
niversity replaces SIDs with UINs
we;
ifTiJ
isti
sa:
Beginning thi
By. Erin Price
thE battalion
- &' mes,er ’ T exas A&M
iped posting Social Security numbers
sy Mpped posting social occumj numncrs
) arciciass rosters and assigned each student,
sa.'Iulty and staff member a Universal
lapBntification Number (UIN), to prevent
^■ntity theft.
‘We would like to get away trom using
ial Security numbers for student iden-
Jcation purposes altogether, said Tom
piara, director i, i ( omputing and
formation Services. “ I here is no reason
Hiave them on the class rosters.
■The use of the UIN began this semes-
H. but has been in the process for years.
Putnam said. The new. nine-digit UINs
were randomly assigned by a computer
program, he said.
“There has been a lot of concern about
identity theft," Putnam said. “The request for
this change came from faculty and students.”
All students, not just new students will
receive a UIN.
Putnam said students will need to
know their UIN if they have classes that
use scantrons for exams.
Students can view their UIN by logging
onto myrecord.tamu.edu using their NetlD.
Ed Walraven. journalism adviser, said
the new identification numbers will not be
a big adjustment for faculty.
“It will be safer for our students, but
overall, it’s not going to be that big of a
difference.” Walraven said.
Under the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act, professors are not
allowed to post grades with a student’s
whole Social Security number or even
portions of it,-The same procedure will
be followed for the UIN.
Walraven said if professors must post
grades publicly, that they must have the
student pick unique identifiers or use
WebCT. Potentially, some professors could
wait until grades are due and post them on
myrecord.tamu.edu, Walraven said.
Chris Hickman, a junior finance major.
See UIN on page 2
UNIVERSITY IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS
University Identification Numbers
(UINs) will replace student Social
Security numbers to prevent theft.
♦ Began this semester but has been
L in the process for years
$;• Numbers were assigned by a
| computer program at random
l* Students can find their UIN by
logging on to myrecord.tamu.edu
CRACIE arenas • the battalion
SOURCE : CIS
ates announces potential tuition increase
By Anthony Woolstrum
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M President Dr. Robert M. Gates announced Tuesday
potential tuition fee increase of nearly S20 per credit hour.
The $19.50 increase will take effect fall 2(X)4. pending approval
)t|the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.
‘This is a significant increase," Gates said. "I acknowledge that.”
Last year, students paid $46 per cretlit hour. Now, with this pro-
xFal, coupled with the increase of $9 per credit hour last semester,
u ion would increase to $74.50 dollars per credit hour.
■The revenue from this increase provides for the faculty rein-
/e ment program, which is aimed to attract more high-quality,
eiure track professors to the University, Gates said.
■Currently, A&M leads the nation in classes with more than
■ students. A&M also has the lowest percent of classes that
we less than 20 students. With this new initiative, Gates said
1 plans to bring these numbers into balance to make A&M a
tiore competitive university.
I Already, the student-faculty ratio has dropped from 22-to-l
o21-to-l, Gates said.
I “If the students are going to pay more.then the students
ihfiild see the benefit,” he said.
1 Beyond the increase in faculty, $3.4 million will be desig-
ta:ed to increase financial aid, Gates said.
I Gates has announced previously the Regents Scholars
fngram, which is designed to help offset increases in tuition
ay providing financial aid to students who come from low-
income households. The administration wants to continue to
icxnnmodate as many students as possible, Gates said.
The need to increase tuition comes from a decrease in state
JOHN C. LIVAS • THE BATTALION
Texas A&M University President Robert M. Gates addresses the audi
ence during the Proposed Tuition Increase Forum Tuesday night in
Rudder Tower. Gates attributed the need to raise tuition in the fall 2004
to a decrease in state funding. Areas targeted for funding increases
included an increase in faculty and building beautification.
funding. The state revenue level is the most significant factor
in the University’s budget. Without that funding, A&M is
forced to find the difference elsewhere, resulting in students
paying more tuition.
See Gates on page 2
itudent Senate to consider fee referendum
By Sonia Moghe
THE BATTALION
J Texas A&M’s Student Senate will
|te Wednesday on whether to support
increasing student service fees and
Blether to call a referendum on the
pease in April.
Current student fees are at $1.1.86 per
Imester credit hour, but students cannot
ly any more than $142.32 total in fees.
J lere is currently a state-mandated cap
(j $150 per semester that the fee falls
ider. The Student Service Fee Advisory
lard(SSFAB) is proposing to raise that
fee to $12.51, which will surpass the
$150 cap by 12 cents, said Joe Williams,
MSC vice president for diversity and a
member of the SSFA .
Mark McCaig, president of the stu
dent government watch, warned voting
delegates to pay attention to the details
involved in voting for an increase that
will surpass the cap.
“I do not believe the SSFAB made
their recommendation to increase the stu
dent service fee one cent above the state
mandated (per semester credit hour) cap
because they believed it was in the inter
est of the student body,” McCaig said.
“The student body made it very clear last
year that they don’t support a student
service fee increase.”
Speaker of the Senate Matthew Wilkins
encouraged students to come to the Student
Senate meeting to voice their opinions.
“We can only voice student opinions
if we know what they are,” he said.
Bill Kibler, interim vice president of
student affairs said according to the
Texas Education Code, that if the student
body votes in favor of increasing student
See Senate on page 12
Athletic banners returned,
suspects remain unknown
By Joaquin Salcedo
THE BATTALION
The athletic team banners repre
senting Big 12 Conference schools
stolen from G. Rollie White
Coliseum Dec. 6 were returned
anonymously behind the eagle stat
ue in Cain Park a few days after the
incident, according to Athletic
Department officials.
The five members of the group
who stole the banners have yet to
be identified.
The eleven banners stolen are
worth about $3,000.
The University of Texas banner
was the only banner left behind.
Images of the five unidentified
individuals, one female and four
males, were recorded at the time of
the incident by one of the security
cameras in G. Rollie, but were inad
equate in supplying the evidence
needed to locate those involved.
Details of how the individuals
broke in remain unknown because
the buildings are presumably
locked down each night, said Rob
Stewart, promotions and game
operations coordinator.
“It was a break-in. The doors
were not unlocked before the inci
dent,” Stewart said. “I think that to
a degree it may have been a prank,
but there is nothing that would lead
me to believe that they were from
Texas rather than A&M or A&M
rather than Texas.”
An anonymous phone call was
made to the Athletic Department a
few days after the burglary saying
the banners had been dropped off
at Cain Park.
The banners were in the same
shape they were before they were
stolen except for the University of
Oklahoma banner. The banner was
damaged by being cut off of the
were stolen out of G. Rollie
White Coliseum Dec. 6 by five
unidentified individuals.
The University of Oklahoma
banner was damaged and it
will cost $300 to 400 to fix
There will be additional fees
to rehang all banners
Stolen banners worth a total
of $3,000
RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION
PHOTO BY : SHARON AESCHBACH
SOURCE : ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
wooden bowel rod from which the
banners hang rather than being
untied in the same fashion as the
others, Stewart said.
“I don’t know why they cut that
particular one over any of the oth
ers,” he said.
It will cost $300 to $400 to
replace the banner as well as addi
tional labor costs to rehang all of the
recovered banners, Stewart said.
The Athletic Department has
gone as far as requesting that the
University Police Department step
aside from the investigation.
UPD has agreed to transfer any
leads that it receives directly to the
Athletic Department, said UPD
Dectective Travis Lively.
“At the time of the burglary, they
See Banners on page 12