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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2004)
IATTMi ^ ^ Wednesday, June 23, 2004 he Battalion )lume 110 • Issue 157 • 6 pages A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893 SPORTS: Get a recap of the Texas Aggie baseball team’s 2004 season. Page 3 www.thebatt.com PAGE DESIGN BY: RACHEL VALENCIA 1 \ U d ^8cM Faculty Senate names Fike speaker-elect By Chelsea L. Sledge THE BATTALION John Fike, speaker-elect of the Texas A&M F|iulty Senate, has led an interesting life. He w rked at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Clpe Canaveral, was employed by NASA in the BdOs when man first landed on the moon and he lo es riding trains. “Last spring break, we took the Freshman * Maming Committee to London,” said Martha Loudder, former speaker of the Faculty Senate and accounting professor. “And all he did was ride the trains!” Fike, an associate professor for the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, was recently named the first speaker- elect of the A&M Faculty Senate. Next year, Fike will serve as speaker of the FIKE Faculty Senate. In addition to presiding over meetings, this title deems the speaker a represen tative of the entire A&M faculty. There are three components of the University — the faculty, the administration and the student body. The Faculty Senate is similar to the Texas Legislature in that proportional numbers of fac ulty representing each college make up the Senate. The Student Senate and the Faculty Senate make recommendations to the adminis tration, which is the governing body of the University. “We are very fortunate in that we have an administration that believes in shared govern ment,” Fike said. “They don’t always make the decisions we like, but at least they’re good about listening.” The Faculty Senate deals with issues such as parking, salaries, standards for grading and new courses and degree programs. Most importantly, See Senate on page 2 Cheer up! DAVE MORRIS • THE BATTALION ol Over 600 junior high and high school cheerleaders from around the state Association. During the camp's weeklong run, the cheerleading squads s wel gather at the Texas A&M Student Recreational Center basketball courts divide into intermediate, advanced and elite classes based on the squads' ■ vill Tuesday for a cheerleading camp put on by the Universal Cheerleading skill level, rvicenf 1 A&M health school gets accreditation By Shawn C. Millender THE BATTALION After a five-year evaluation process, the Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health received full accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health. The process began in 1999, and the school was granted pre accreditation status in 2001. The school is now one of 36 public health schools accredit ed by the organization and the only accredited school of rural public health in the nation. The school’s goal is to improve the health of commu nities with an emphasis on TEXAS A&M SCHOOL OF rural and underserved popula tions, according to the school’s Web site. The accreditation will last for seven years, the maximum duration granted. CEPH accreditation is an endorse ment that adds value for grad uates, prospective students, the school and prospective employers. Dr. Nancy Dickey, president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and vice chan cellor for health affairs, said she was proud of the school. “This is a superb recognition of how hard and effectively the See Health on page 2 RURAL PUBLIC HEALTH Received full accreditation from the Council on Education or Public Health. -The evaluation process took five years -A&M now has the only accredited school of rural public health in the nation -The school's research dollars have 1 increased to $6 million annually -The accreditation will last for seven years, the maximum duration granted T Will Lloyd • THE BATTALION Source: GIRO SUMAYA, DEAN, SCHOOL OF RPH Brian Wills • THE BATTALION /thor Harold I. Gullen signs copies of his book, "First Fathers" in the rotunda of the orge Bush Presidential Library. ‘First Fathers’ know best for their sons By Suzy Green THE BATTALION The main characteristic that fathers of United States presidents have in com mon is their pursuit of happiness, said Harold Gullen, author of “First Fathers: The Men Who Inspired Our Presidents,” Tuesday at the Bush Museum Issues Forum to an audience of 50 people. “First fathers care more about high achievement than politics or high office,” said Gullen, who recently appeared on C-SPAN’s “Book T.V.” The fathers of presidents are diverse in background and social class, but all of them inspired and motivated their sons in different forms, Gullen said. “I can’t think of any father who did n’t make some contribution in some way to his son,” he said. Even the worst fathers, such as those of presidents Fillmore, Clinton and Lincoln, influenced their sons, Gullen said. For example, former President Grant’s unimpressive father forced him to go to West Point, a decision that led to a much better life than Grant would have had otherwise, Gullen said. The only father who specifically wanted his son to become president was Joseph Kennedy, Gullen said. However, Kennedy’s second oldest son, John, was actually his third choice to take the position after himself and his oldest son, Joe, failed to achieve it. Many presidents greatly respected their fathers. Reagan declared his father, a shoe salesman, the strongest man of principle he had ever met, Gullen said. Jefferson saw his father as the exam ple of what he wanted the new republic of the United States to be, Gullen said. Gullen is the author of other books, including “Faith of Our Mothers,” which is about the mothers of American presidents. iOard reviews A&M s performance By Natalie Younts THE BATTALION The Texas Legislative Budget Board is jommissioning a review of Texas A&M to pjll gather opinions of students, faculty, staff and alumni on the University’s manage ment and performance. MGT of America Inc., a national higher ducation consulting firm, is conducting ti e review. As part of the review, MGT held an open forum from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ifuesday in Room 301 of Rudder Tower. Seven notepads, each labeled with a dif ferent category, were posted on the walls of Bie room, where markers were available for writing comments. Alvin Larke, professor of agricultural jducation, wrote his comment with an range marker on a pad titled “University vemance and Leadership.” “Someone really needs to be accountable )r the hiring of faculty,” Larke wrote, “You nnot depend on search advisory commit- es. They are composed of the majority race and they seek to hire their own.” The open forum was just one part of the review, which began May 15, said Mary McKeown-Moak, MGT project director for the A&M review. She said student focus groups will be chosen by the vice president for student affairs. The students will be asked about class availability, their experience at A&M and whether A&M is contributing to their success. “We definitely want to get more student input than we had today (at the forum),” McKeown-Moak said. A&M President Robert M. Gates, vice presidents, deans, department chairs and other administrators will also be inter viewed, she said. “We’re asking them about how their offices function and how decisions are made and how resources are allocated,” she said. McKeown-Moak said MGT is See Board on page 2 Suicide attempts at prison came after new general takes charge By Matt Kelley THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Three months after a get-tough general took command of the Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects, prisoners began a flurry of suicide attempts, according to military records. Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller took over as commander at Guantanamo in November 2002 after interroga tors criticized his predecessor for being too solicitous for the detainees’ welfare. Between January and March 2003, 14 prisoners at Guantanamo tried to kill themselves, according to Pentagon figures. That’s more than 40 percent of the 34 suicide attempts by 21 inmates since the prison was opened in January 2002. Our concern is that the totality of the conditions at Guantanamo ... may have... pushed people to attempt suicide. — Alistair Hodgett member, Amnesty International Miller is now in charge of all mil itary-run U.S. prisons in Iraq, a job he took after news broke of beatings and sexual humiliations last fall at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. Miller had visited Abu Ghraib in August and September and recom mended interrogation techniques that military lawyers said had to be modified to comply with the Geneva Conventions on treating prisoners of war. Human rights groups say the sui cide attempts at Guantanamo Bay may be evidence that conditions there amounted to torture. The Bush administration calls the men “enemy combatants,” sim ilar to traditional prisoners of war but not subject to the guarantees of the Geneva Conventions against torture and other abuses. The administration contends their treat ment nevertheless is humane. “Our concern is that the totality of the conditions at Guantanamo — starting with the prolonged detention See Suicide on page 2