TALII
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Battalion
On the Web:
The role of women in
biology.
Volume 110 • Issue 110 • 12 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
www.thebatt.com
* Watkins steps down
iafter dismal season
By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
IE BATTAl®
am play!
Texas A&M men's basketball head coach
Melvin Watkins resigned Wednesday fol
lowing a 7-20 regular season record, capped
off by a 0-16 Big 12 conference record.
The resignation will be effective after the
finishes its season. A&M starts play in
Big 12 Tournament Thursday against the
diversity of Missouri at 8:20 p.m. at the
lerican Airlines Center in Dallas.
Bill Byrne, A&M athletic director
lanked Watkins for his time at A&M.
“I have accepted head coach Melvin
itkin’s resignation effective immediately
the end of the season,” said A&M Athletic
:ctor Bill Byrne. “I thank Melvin sin
gly for the high class and positive image
(with which he represented Texas A&M.”
Watkins was hired as head coach prior to
ilie 1998 season after he led his alma mater,
Jie University of North Carolina-Charlotte, to
10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appear-
in his only two years as head coach.
He never made a postseason appearance
A&M. collecting a 60-1 1 1 record during
six years.
Tm grateful for the opportunity the
(Diversity gave me, but it’s time to move
oi,"Watkins said. ‘‘I’m proud of the young
men on this team. 1 regret that we weren't
able to enjoy more success this year, but I
feel confident that we have built a solid
foundation for the future of the program.”
Watkins signed a three-year contract
extension during the current season, but it
reportedly has a low buy-out. Financial
details of Watkins’ resignation were dis
closed Wednesday.
The focus now turns to who will replace
Watkins as head coach at A&M.
”1 want to attract a coach who can recruit
basketball players and coach them,” Byrne
said. “I go to experts in the sport and ask for
their advice.”
Watkins is the second coach to leave dur
ing Byrne’s tenure. Former women’s bas
ketball head coach Peggie Gillom was
released shortly after Byrne accepted the
athletic director position in December 2002.
Byrne said the A&M head coaching job
is one of the better positions in college
basketball.
“We’re Texas A&M University,” Byrne
said. “We’re one of the two flagship uni
versities in Texas. We live within 100
miles of (Houston). It’s a great opportuni
ty for a coach.”
Watkins said he isn’t sure where he will
go after this season, but that he feels he is
leaving a program on the rise.
“It’s been great, but you have to win
games,” Watkins said. “We feel the program
is in better shape than when we got here, but
it’s time to step aside and let someone else
get it turned around.”
PACE DESIGN BY: EMILY HENDRICKSON
Buckle up
John C. Livas • THE BATTALION
Senior Texas state trooper of the Department of Public Bush Parent Center parking lot in College Station. Parents
Safety Eddie Carmon instructs Devon Lee (center), Class in the Head Start Program received free child safety seats
of 1 999 of Bryan, how to properly fasten child safety belts and training for proper child seat fastening,
for Rachel Lee, 2, Wednesday morning at the Barbara
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VP of student
£ ! affairs candidate
visits campus
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By Sonia Moghe and
Melissa Sullivan
THE BATTALION
A, candidate interviewing
for the vice president for stu
dent affairs position will be on
campus Thursday to answer
questions and meet and greet
Texas A&M students, faculty
and staff.
Ken Reeves, executive direc
tor for business development at
Nolacomputer services, will be
in the J. Stark Galleries from
2:30p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The position has been
vacant since May 2003 when
J, Malon Southerland retired
s indiif after serving in the position for
nine years.
Reeves is currently working
on his doctorate, and is a for
mer A&M student.
Matt Josefy, student body
president and a senior account-
ingmajor, said the vice presi
dent for student affairs serves as
an advocate for students and
oversees all aspects of student
life from residence halls to the
Corps of Cadets to the
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a of || “The vice president of stu-
trop-b® dent affairs position is the sin-
3 nonpl gle most important position
Jsjlyfois when it comes to students
being involved on campus,” See Candidate on page 2
Josefy said.
Josefy said Reeves’
strengths lie in his background
in human resources and his
affiliation with A&M.
Josefy said student input in
choosing the right person for
the job is vital, and meeting all
the candidates is the best
opportunity to understand
where each one stands.
There will be several candi
dates visiting the campus over
the next three or four weeks,
Josefy said.
“The person who ultimately
fills this position is someone
who needs to be an advocate
for students,” Josefy said,
“someone who students feel
comfortable going to with any
type of concern.”
Chris Mahaffey, Residence
Hall Association president, said
he wants someone who under
stands the students and spirit at
A&M, and who upholds the
kind of availability of the
administration that students at
A&M are lucky to have.
“I want someone who is
open to that kind of access,”
he said.
Mahaffey said the vice pres
ident for student affairs is the
head of the “other education,”
Gas prices deplete wallets nationwide
By Jason Hanselka
THE BATTALION
As gasoline prices ignite nationwide,
spring break travelers may have to dig deep
in their pockets to come up with enough
money to get to their intended destinations
next week.
Most local prices for regular unleaded
gasoline average about $1.59
per gallon and may cause
travelers to rethink their
plans for the break.
Beth Rodgers, a junior
communications major, said her plans are up
in the air.
“My boyfriend and I were planning on
going to the Red River, but his mom didn’t
think that was a good idea,” she said. “She
just got back from an expensive trip, and she
is concerned about how much gas will cost
for us to go to the river.”
Rodgers said she spends about $25 a
week on gas traveling back and forth to
Temple for work every weekend.
“Sometimes it feels like it’s not worth it
if I’m spending a lot of money on gas just to
get to work,” she said.
Ryan Carriage, a freshman business
major, said high gas prices will not change
his planned trip to Colorado.
“We really can't afford to fly, so we’re
stuck with driving,” he said. “We’re proba
bly going to spend a lot of money on gas.”
Carriage said gas prices play a role in
whether he decides to
drive back home to
Tomball, Texas, which is
about an hour and 15 min
utes from College Station.
“I don’t necessarily have to go back home,
so I usually only go once a month,” he said.
“I don’t go more often because I don't
want to spend the money on gas.”
Kyle Loveless, owner of Tigerland
Express, said the highest jump in his gas
prices was 16 cents in one day a few
weeks ago.
“There are regular increases in gas prices
on Fridays, but they usually decrease on
Monday,” he said. “Now there are increases
on Friday that don’t decrease on Monday.”
•Local regular unleaded prices
currently average $1.59 per gallon
• Gas prices
normally increase
every Friday and
decrease on the
following Monday
• Prices will
continue to
increase as the
year progresses
Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION
Source : KYLE LOVELESS, OWNER OF
TIGERLAND EXPRESS
Loveless said increases in gas prices start
at the corporate level with commodities
exchanges on gas and large purchases of gas
by hypermarts such as grocery store chains.
See Gas on page 2
Greek students get glimpse of A&M life
By Natalie Younts
THE BATTALION
Four students and their teacher from the
American Farm School in Greece are get
ting a glimpse of Texas life as they spend
nine days learning about the Texas culture
and farming.
The group arrived in Texas Friday, and
were on the Texas A&M campus Wednesday
to compare their agricultural school to A&M.
Their A&M visit included a trip to the
College of Veterinary Medicine, where they
played with A&M’s cloned animals: c.c. the
cat and Dewey the deer.
Seventeen-year-old Lefteris Konstan-
toulakis said the cat was just like any other cat
and that he enjoyed seeing it.
The students will also visit the Department
of Horticulture, the Vegetable and Fruit
Research Center, the Poultry Research Fann
and the George Bush Presidential Library and
Museum over the next few days.
The group is staying at Doubletree Hotel
in Houston, and attended the Houston
Livestock Show and Rodeo and visited
NASA, said Catherina Diafa, the teacher from
the American Farm School.
Konstantoulakis said he was impressed
with the livestock animals he saw.
The American Farm School is a private
agricultural technical school and boarding
school in Thessaloniki, Greece, founded in
1904. The students are part of the
International Youth Leadership Exchange
program.
See Greek on page 2
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Students urged to click their mouse in elections
of-
By Aerin Toussaint
THE BATTALION
Students are encouraged to vote online
or the upcoming student body elections
will be held March 31 and April 1,
Said Craig Wellington, a graduate student in
lanagement information systems and the
inline voting director.
Open positions include stu-
lent body president, junior and
(enioryell leaders, class councils
or the Classes of 2005,2006 and
Student Senate and Residence Hall
Association seats and Class of 2004 agents.
“A&M is one of the only schools that
tnplemented online voting while keeping
laper ballots available also,” Wellington said
Wellington said that last year, 75 percent
f 80 percent of votes were cast online.
Wellington said that this year, the online
voting system will require users to provide
their University Identification Numbers
instead of their Social Security numbers.
Election campaigning begins March 21,
said Melissa Graham, a senior biomedical
sciences major and the Texas A&M elec
tion commissioner.
In addition to voting online, students
may also vote in the Memorial Student
Center, West Campus
Library, Commons
Lobby, Student
Recreation Center
and Sbisa Dining Center from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m.
Being involved in elections provides a
chance to meet a lot of interesting people,
Graham said.
“The main goal of the election
See Elections on page 2
StudentBQdyElectjons2004
(-March 31 and April 1
-Campaign begins March 21
-Voting locations:
oMemorial Student Center
©West Campus Library
oCommons Lobby
©Student Recreation Center
Sbisa Dining Center
-Voting times: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- For more election info log on to:
www.thebatt.com
V
Andrew Burleson •THE BATTALION
Source: : MELISA GRAHAM, ELECTION
COMMISSIONER
Sharon Aeschbach • THE BATTALION
MSC OPAS & Phoenix Productions formance was held in Rudder
and Magic Arts & Entertainment pres- Auditorium Tuesday and Wednesday
ent Fame - The Musical - the per- nights.