Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2004)
^ T-'t Wednesday, March 24, 2004 The Battalion ime 110 • Issue 114* 10 pages A Texas A&IM Tradition Since 1893 SPORTS: Aggie football players in trouble with the law. Page 5 www.thebatt.com PAGE DESIGN BY : LAUREN ROUSE HA endorses non-reg Scher for junior yell By James Twine THE BATTALION Residence Hall Association has endorsed Scher, a non-reg, or not a member of the ] of Cadets, running for junior yell leader for [ring 2004 student body elections. since Boo Boo Davies was elected as a yell leader in 2002, there has not been a ^candidate elected to the position, but this hat trend could change, her, a sophomore marketing and manage- |major has been involved in many programs apus, including Aggies of OAK, Caring are Watching Over our Lives (CARPOOL), Weekend, Fish Camp counselor and the Texas A&M Sophomore Leadership Academy. Although in previous years there have been numerous candi dates running for yell leader who were non-regs, none since Davies have actually been elected. Scher said non-regs should be given a fair chance to represent Texas A&M, and that he would love nothing more than to be a yell leader. “I love the spirit and tradition of A&M; being a yell leader is the epitome of representing A&M,” he said. Chris Mahaffey, president of RHA and a senior civil engineering major, said he is surprised the stu dent body has not elected more non-reg yell leaders. “It’s odd that yell leader is such a figurehead role, yet we have few non-Corps yell leaders,” Mahaffey said. Scher said he wants to raise awareness among students that it is OK to vote for non-regs. “I respect the Corps (of Cadets) greatly, but the whole student body is not equally represented by yell leaders,” Scher said. Justin Woods, public information officer for the Corps of Cadets and a senior communica tions major, said he feels the five students in the Corps running for yell leader positions are the best qualified. Woods said it was not just because they are in the Corps, but because they have good work ethic. “Anyone can lead a yell,” Woods said. “But (the one elected) is the one who will serve the University best, and I feel the five from the Corps will do it.” Matt Laue, a senior economics major who helped with non-reg yell leader candidate Matt Geise’s campaign in 2001 and 2002, said he thinks it is great to see different people having an inter est and passion in wanting to represent the University and its students. “Because our yell leaders are a representation of our student body, its composition should reflect that of our student body; one that is rich in tradition See Scher on page 2 to relocate offices off-campus location IB . By Natalie Younts THE BATTALION THE Mil exas A&M’s Transportation ices will relocate its offices ; marking the beginning of years of planned departmental to make room for 447 new members that A&M plans by 2008. relocations were planned |the Council for the Built ironment, a group of 10 isers to A&M’s president in tiofiJuiiicelrge of finding space for the oming faculty. What we’re trying to do is, by iving administrative offices to edge of campus, make room wgh the central part of the lupus for faculty to join us,” said (fai Perry, vice provost and |ylainfthe CBE. Calk department is scheduled to w »se today so employees can ^■f*Cr ve fr° m t * ie J°h n J- Koldus ^ J JJilding to its new space at 702 E liversity Drive, Building E, lind Golden Corral restaurant. A customer service center will oain in Koldus 108. Students can chase parking pennits and pay or )eal parking citations at the cen- saidTS Director Rodney Weis. Weis said being off campus will a temporary inconvenience, but ts, HI long-term plans. TS will move to Agronomy Road, where transit and fleet oper ations are currently located, in 18 months to two years, Weis said. “That will be a huge benefit to the department because it will help communication and coordi nation,” he said. Weis said TS could have a drive-up window and a more enhanced, efficient customer serv ice area after it moves to Agronomy Road. The Office of the Registrar will also be temporarily moving off campus in May. The office will move from Heaton Hall to 3833 South Texas Avenue, said Donald Carter, an A&M registrar. “I hate leaving campus,” Carter said, “but I understand why we have to move.” Dave Parrott, dean of the Department of Student Life, said he is also looking forward to hav ing his department consolidated into one location. Student Life currently has offices at five locations, including the Grove, Koldus and the east wing of Sbisa Dining Hall. Parrott said Student Life will move to Cain Hall in June. dsthal said he is looking forward to the See TS on page 2 idude ughts. ion or oving Right Along asportation Services Departments Where Moving When 11 move to a location off liversity Drive to make om for 447 new faculty Office of Vice President for Student Affairs Koldus April jns 003 jutes. tier departments iming to move during e following months ilude: Office of the Registrar Off Campus May Zolot 32J Department of Student Life Cain Hall June >rozac Vt 'SPtt, 'imfmmxism ffexo f SOURCE: G RAC IE ARENAS • THE BATTALION COUNCIL FOR BUILT ENVIRONMENT 18 jtSBP candidates set campaign goals for 2004 election jrugsJf get IIK V , iy c Ci: je. ^ RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION Senior mechanical engineering major Lucas Krammjleft to right) sen ior agricultural economics major Thomas Wynn and sophomore agri cultural systems management major Conrad Davis and members of the Young Conservatives of Texas protest the possible tuition raise across from the Chemistry Building Tuesday. If approved, an increase from $55 per credit hour to $74.50 per hour would be implemented. Students can voice their opinions at the Board of Regents meeting this Thursday in MSC 292. YCT ‘Tuitionville’ protests tuition increase By Michael Player THE BATTALION In a scene reminiscent of 1930s Hoovervilles, the Young Conservatives of Texas have established a temporary encampment called “Tuitionville” locat ed in the fountain area across from the Chemistry Building in protest of the future tuition increase. Tuitionville was constructed Monday, and will be occupied on a 24-hour basis until 4 p.m. Wednesday. The town con sists of cardboard box houses with signs bearing statements such as “The end is near” and “Already work for tuition.” “We want to get the word out about the drastic increase in tuition and draw attention to the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents meeting that will take place on Thursday,” said Weston Balch, director of the Tuitionville demon stration. “The main reason that we are doing this is that we believe that the stu dent voice has not been heard.” Balch said A&M President Robert M. Gates is proposing a 33 percent increase in tuition from last fall, and that is not the gradual increase that was promised by administrators. Balch said Gates has commented on the lack of student attendance at the pre vious tuition hearings held earlier in the semester, and that this demonstration is one way the YCT can get the attention of the student body and try to get more stu dents to attend. “The hearing held on Jan. 27 was very well attended by students, and most of us felt that the questions and concerns voiced by the students were adequately and appropriately addressed,” said Rodney McClendon, chief of staff for Gates. “It is important to note that the $19.50 raise comes after the cuts we made and more administrative cuts will be made to ease the burden for students and parents.” Balch said the e-mail that was sent to students’ neo accounts prior to spring break concerning Gates’ hearing on Thursday was probably overlooked by many students, so the YCT chose this kind of demonstration because it felt that it would draw more attention to its cause. See Tuitionville on page 2 Hildebrand aims to maintain traditions By James Twine THE BATTALION eens. 09 f ide-f^ dies jd s entscifl Jack Hildebrand said the cor- ^erefll nerstones of his campaign for student body president are to last.® 1 ! focus on ways to maintain Texas A&M’s traditions and increase efficient communication between students and the d# administration through the stu dent government. “I want students outside of student government to under stand what’s going on; commu nication is definitely impor- t,” he said. Hildebrand, a senior accounting major and the vice president of Student Government Association’s finance committee, said he not only wants incoming students to come to A&M for a great h education, but also to come HILDEBRAND here for addi tional reasons. “Academics is important, but I would like to make sure that people come in and see the University’s uniqueness; I don’t want A&M to be just another state school,” he said. Hildebrand said all student money should be accounted for. “We need to see results and evidence of where and what stu dent money is going,” he said. When it comes to diversity and admissions, Hildebrand said the merit system that is in place right now is the right way to go, but there are other ways to increase diversity on top of the admission process. He said the idea of diversity has developed a negative connotation, and he hopes he can change that. “I would like to see collabo ration of resources to speed up the process. It is the job of stu dent government and other stu dent organizations to educate students on diversity,” he said. Hildebrand said he would like to see Bonfire back on campus to keep tradi tions alive, and he would like to see every stu dent at the opening c e r e - monies of the Bonfire Memorial Nov. 18. “I am all about what the tra dition is all about,” he said, “As long as it is done the right way, See Hildebrand on page 2 Carter to focus on community outreach By Rhiannon Meyers THE BATTALION Narietha Carter said that if elected student body president, she would focus on community outreach, finding solutions to pressing parking problems and emphasiz ing glob alization o v e r diversity. “I want to have a lot more of the stu dents to reach out and affect change on campus and in the Bryan-College Station area,” Carter said. Carter, a senior English major, said she would install a mentorship program where fac ulty and administrators would CARTER mentor stu dents, and then those stu dents would go out into the community and mentor families and other students. “I feel like students can really go out and affect change in the communi ty,” Carter said. Carter also plans to alleviate campus parking problems by working with Transportation Services to get every student an assigned parking lot where they could park every day. Carter said the parking assignment sit uation would work on a senior ity system, with seniors having the first pick of parking lots. “Every student should be promised a parking spot,” Carter said. Carter said she will work to change 30-minute parking spots to 45-minute parking spots, and will attempt to change some 24- hour reserved parking areas that are never filled into 45-minute parking areas, especially near the Memorial Student Center and the Academic Building. Carter said she wants to focus on globalization within Texas A&M and push the study abroad program. “I think that globalization is definitely going to take the place of diversity,” Carter said. “Globalization is much more important, because globaliza tion allows our students to be more marketable and more accepting when its time to go into the work force.” Carter said A&M is currently See Carter on page 2