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PAGE DESIGN BY : LAUREN ROUSE
IHotard Hall to remain open one more year
m
By Melissa Sullivan
THE BATTALION
After a week of Texas A&M students express-
ling opinions and attending open forums regarding
jallocation of campus space, A&M President
|Robert M. Gates said Monday that Hotard Hall
ill remain open until May 2005.
On Feb. 16, members of the Council on the
|BuiltEnvironment told Hotard residents that they
ild need to find new living arrangements for
2004 because it planned to convert the resi-
|dencehall into office space for incoming faculty.
Gates met with members of the CBE and
[otardHall President Shaun Shaikh Monday, and
Ip after hearing student concerns about the lack
of consultation and advance notice of the decision,
that he decided to postpone the closing.
“It seems to be the fair thing to do,’’ Gates said.
“If you are going to make changes with student
living, give advance warning.”
Shaikh, a freshman electrical
engineering major, said he was
noT sure what to expect from WWW.tlieliaW.C0m
Gates, hut said that he went into
the meeting prepared to express
student concerns about the lack of communication
between students and University administrators.
“The Resident Hall Association and the
Student Senate both passed resolutions supporting
Hotard,” Shaikh said.
Shaikh said most residents were pleased with
Gates’ decision because it gave them a chance to
show the administration they won’t give up.
“A few people from the dorm were upset
because the dorm was still closing,” Shaikh said.
“But a lot were happy and now we can show how
indispensable we are.”
Shaikh said closing the hall
conflicts with the goals of Vision
2020 because it states that it wants
everyone to live on campus, but if
the A&M administration contin
ues to close residence halls, that will not happen.
New residence halls will not be built on cam
pus until 2009, Shaikh said.
“It’s moving backwards,” he said.
Austin Main, a sophomore mechanical engi
neering major and project manager of “Save
Hotard,” said residents effectively gained support
for Hotard’s campaign and said he hopes the sup
port continues.
Main said former residents of Hotard Hall
have expressed their disappointment toward the
decision of closing the residence hall, and some
even sent donations.
“They are behind us 100 percent,” he said.
The Web site for “Save Hotard” will still be
updated with news and upcoming events. Main said.
Student Body President Matt Josefy said that
many times in the past the administration has lis
tened and respected student’s voices.
“This is a certain voice in the future of our
campus,” Josefy said.
See Hotard on page 2
from left: 4-year-old Chae-rin Yun representing
Korea, 3-year-old Won Young representing Korea,
5-yeor-old Sophie Dallis representing Greece and 4-
yeor-old Jasmyn Burns representing America from
lie Montessori School House in Bryan sing "The
More We Get Together" in the MSC Flag Room for
International Week events
promote cultural diversity
SHARON AESCHBACH* THE BATTALION
the kickoff to International Week. Each child is
dressed in traditional clothing from her country of
origin. The children represented 18 different coun
tries and they each counted to 10 in English, Spanish,
French, Korean and Hindi.
Luncheon kicks off
International Week
at Bush Library
By Elizabeth Knapp
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates hosted the
Consuls General Luncheon at the Annenberg
Presidential Conference Center at the George Bush
Presidential Library on Monday. The event was a
kicked off International Week 2004.
Approximately 30 countries were represented by
their consuls to celebrate the diversity that encom
passes the University.
“We are here to support the activities of the
University as consul generals of our countries arid to
create a positive (relationship) with the University,”
Consul General of the State of Qatar Mohamed Al-
Hayki said.
Al-Hayki also spoke on the recent opening of
A&M at Qatar, a branch of A&M at College Station.
The new campus offers four undergraduate engineering
See Luncheon on page 2
Opening ceremony
led by Aggies from
around the globe
By Michael Player
THE BATTALION
The opening ceremony for International Week
at Texas A&M began with the voices of children
and a ribbon-cutting by local and University offi
cials Monday.
The Memorial Student Center Flag Room was
abuzz with activity with more than 100 people in
attendance. Twenty-three Aggies presented the
flags of their homelands and greeted the audience
in their native languages. ••
“Texas A&M has students from 122 countries,”
said Royce Hickman, president and CEO of the
Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce, in
his address to the crowd. “The true meaning of
International Week is to reach beyond borders.”
Hickman stressed the importance of embracing
See Ceremony on page 2
Gates addresses Faculty Senate
on restructuring plans, tuition
U
By Aerin Toussaint
THE BATTALION
Members of the Texas A&M Faculty Senate said
|Monday that A&M University President Robert M.
|Gateshas some effective ideas lor A&M's future, but
[some members remain skeptical on how
|tlieideas would help the University.
Gates addressed proposals on tuition,
(administrative restructuring and the fac-
llyreinvestment plan.
Gates said the administrative restruc-
(turingproposal is still in the early stages
(of draft and discussion. Restructuring
(willreorganize the administrative portion
(of the University, making management
more efficient and more cost-effective.
Gates said.
One of the major proposed changes is
|to move business venues such as Reed
Irena, Rudder Theater and the Memorial
f Center Hotel, to management
[jnder the Department of Finance for better accounta-
ilityand cost savings.
Gates said no layoffs are planned in the proposed
Restructuring.
The University plans to hire 101 new faculty every
pil year until 2007, to bring the total of new hires to
Wl.This faculty reinvestment program hopes to bring
lie student-to-faculty ratio down from 22:1 to 16:1,
pates said.
“Wehave the opportunity to make an enormous dif
ference in the future of the University through these
hires,” Gates said. “A more diverse faculty will help
lead to a more diverse student body.”
Martyn Gunn, secretary-treasurer of the Faculty
Senate and a professor of biochemistry, said he sup
ports Gates’s faculty reinvestment plan because it is a
method of recruiting minority students
without putting a face on race.
“Every student deserves to be here
based on merit, not on the color of their
skin,” Gunn said.
David Myers, an English professor
at A&M, said he is skeptical of the fac
ulty reinvestment plan because it does
not lay out a clear plan on how to
improve teaching.
“Gates wants to increase the quality
of teaching by increasing the number of
professors, but it doesn’t naturally fol
low that smaller classes mean quality
classes,” Myers said.
Gates said the University is experi
encing a downturn in the number of international grad
uate students as a result of homeland security taking
over the issuing of visas. The strict homeland security
policy makes it difficult for international students to
get in and out of the United States. As a result of this;
Gates said Australia and the United Kingdom are see
ing an influx of international students who are turned
away from the the United States.
See Senate on page 8
A more diverse
facuhy will help
lead to a more
diverse student
body.
— Robert M. Gates
University president
Li. Morgan Cook, along with firefighters Misty
Vargas (L) and Brad Ballard (R) of the College
Station Fire Department, dump Shag Sorb, an
JP BEATO III • THE BATTALION
environmentally-safe, biodegradeable absorbent,
on spilled diesel fuel on the intersection of George
Bush and Wellborn Road Monday afternoon.
Train derails on Bush, Wellborn
By Jason Hanselka
THE BATTALION
A work train for Union Pacific jumped
track and spilled diesel fuel at the inter
section of George Bush Drive and
Wellborn Road Monday afternoon.
Lt. Morgan Cook of the College Station
Fire Department said the incident occurred
at about 4:30 p.m. Cook said a crew from
Union Pacific set it back on the track and
it headed toward Bryan. Firefighters Misty
Vargas and Brad Ballard of the CSFD
dumped Shag Sorb, an environmentally-
safe, biodegradable absorbent, on the
diesel to soak it up. The scene was cleared
about 6:15 p.m. Cook said Union Pacific is
about to start work on the tracks.
SILVER TAPS
hrlstopher Anthony Lawler
Petroleum Engineering
Tonight
10:30 p.m.
Academic Plaza
A&M participates in Child Survival campaign for first year
By Aerin Toussaint
THE BATTALION
Rachel Fort has experienced life
in third world countries for 14 years
while living in Africa with her mis
sionary family in the Ivory Coast and
Ghana. She said witnessing poverty
can be devastating.
“Poverty in third world countries
is sometimes overwhelming, and it
seems like there is nothing big
enough to help,” said Fort, a sopho
more psychology major.
However, povertyfighters.com is
helping to give those in need all over
the world a hand up, not a hand out,
said Paul Adler, media coordinator
for the third annual Collegiate Click
Drive, which ends on March 26.
This is Texas A&M’s first year to
participate in the drive, which is
being promoted by the Student
Campaign for Child Survival, an
organization that focuses its efforts
on improving the lives of the poor.
“I think that the more people that
participate, the more impact it will
have,” Fort said.
The money generated by the dick
See Survival on page 2