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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 30, 2004)
npni—■'» ■■Ml IF M ^ Wednesday, June 30,2004 The Battalion tali OPINION: Intolerance is the answer Page 5 blume 110 • Issue 161 • 6 pages wAvw.thebatt.com PAGE DESIGN BY: RACHEL VALENCIA from Jan. 1 to June 30 S To rs 20 25 30 35 <vo ] Average 02004 iinfall in June — -3 T I Average —7T □ 2004 10 12 This month was the third wettest in recorded history due to the jet stream moving farther south, along with increased gulf moisture. It’s raining cats and dogs! By Erin Price THE BATTALION Yearly average rainfall is 39.08 inches The record annual rainfall is 61.04 inches The wettest June on record was in 1905 with 15.03 inches Will Lloyd • THE BATTALION Source: TRAVIS HERZOG, METEOROLOGIST, KBTX-3 Every summer Grant Rybak, a senior physics major, plays ultimate frisbee out side with his friends, but this year has been a different story. Rybak said the games are few and far between because of the wet weather. "This summer has been a real bummer for us," Rybak said. "Summertime is usu ally spent outside in the sun, but we haven't been able to do that a lot this year." According to the National Weather Service, the yearly average of rain for this area is 39.08 inches, and Easterwood Airport has already received 36.79 inches since Jan. 1,2004. Travis Herzog, meteorologist for KBTX-3 and 2004 Texas A&M graduate, said this is the third wettest June ever with a recorded 11.50 inches of rain thus far. There have been 19 days in June with at least a trace of rain recorded at Easterwood, and the average number of days is six, he said. "In 1968 we had the wettest year ever with over 61 inches of rain," Herzog said. "We're well on pace to get over 70 inches of rain this year." Herzog said the rain typically slows down in the months of July and August, but that there has been a strong increase in gulf moisture this year coming from the south and southeast. "The jet stream has also been further south than normal," Herzog said. "It has been bringing more storms to the entire state." Summer fun is not the only thing See Rain on page 2 He has chemistry Senate approves $20 million for A&M’s NERRTC \. % V. By Lacy Ledford THE BATTALION ensuring homeland u The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $20 mil lion in funding for the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center at Texas A&M. The June _ 17 approval was prompted by a funding request by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison for fiscal year 2005. “Texas A&M plays a critical role in preparing first responders across the state and the nation,” said Sen. Hutchison, a member of the Appropriations Committee. “The The (NERRTC) Center is an invaluable 'one stop shop' for learning howto fight terrorism and save lives. — Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison Appropriations Committee help for security. “Sen. Hutchison is a stead fast supporter of the NERRTC and wanted to make sure that they could continue their critical mission,” Schweers said. According to Jason Cook, spokesman for the Texas Engineering Service, the $20 million would fund the training program that the NERRTC pro vides for the Department of Homeland Security Office for Domestic Preparedness. “The training program consists" of 17 courses that encompass the entire continuum of emergency BRIAN WILLS • THE BATTALION Chemistry Ph.D. student Joohoon Kim loads target DNA laced with uorescence into a machine that will expose ultraviolet light on the ample to identify hybridization within the DNA when the target DNA finds its probe DNA compliment. Kim will use the information gathered to fabricate DNA that can be used to reduce chemical waste less expensively. center is an invaluable ‘one-stop shop’ for learning how to fight terrorism and save lives.” Kevin Schweers, Sen. Hutchison’s spokesman, thinks the funding will provide crucial response and management of a weapon of mass destruction event,” Cook said. The training includes areas See NERRTC on page 2 gets send-off ■to A&M-Commerce By Joanna M. Jemison THE BATTALION jldfl Frank Ashley erAl began his teach- iun ing career at Texas “ »&M 18 years ASHLEY il ago, but what bewany people may 114 not know about hoMshley is that he 3111J climbed the ranks iap' at A&M from the atio rung of dance instructor. “My first love is teaching,” itef s #shley said. After more than 18 years of serv ice at Texas A&M University, Ashley become dean of the College of ducation and Human Services at exas A&M University-Commerce. Once Ashley got a few ballroom mcing lessons, a spot of square lance and a lot of laughs under his pfi delt, he said he became known by is students as “Dr. Dance.” After earning a doctorate in |986, Ashley formed the Sports Management degree plan at A&M ii 1988. He ran the program until |Q< 1988. 1996, when he moved to the College mi) of Education as the associate dean for undergraduate studies. J “My roots are in the College of .jMducation,” Ashley said. ,j,il Ashley was the director of ■dmissions for three years until he reached his current position at &M as the interim assistant Irovost for enrollment. “I’m really going to miss A&M. Ive got so many friends here and liy wife is a Class of ’84 Aggie, so ■ feel that I’ve been adopted as part |f the Aggie family,” Ashley said. “Now I’m a part of the extended Aggie family.” Nancy Sawtelle, director of com munications for the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, is the organizer of the recep tion, and said Vice Provost Bill Perry, Associate Dean Jim Kracht, Associate Provost and Dean Mark Weichold and Registrar Don Carter will be speakers at the reception. The reception will take place at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries in the Memorial Student Center. The pres entation will begin at approximate ly 4 p.m. The University will present Ashley with small token of its appre ciation for his many efforts as a fac ulty member. Sawtelle said the reception is an opportunity for people to wish Ashley well and thank him for his many years of outstanding service to the University. “Ashley has a fantastic personali ty,” Sawtelle said. “He’s a very thoughtful person who’s brought a lot to the position of interim assistant provost for enrollment.” Sawtelle believes that Ashley has proven himself indispensable as a strong advocate for minority recruitment. “With him (at A&M-Commerce), I’m sure it will shine even brighter,” Sawtelle said. The move to Commerce is some thing that Ashley said he is excited about because he sees Commerce as the “undiscovered jewel” of the A&M system. Ashley is keyed up See Ashley on page 2 Program brings honor students to campus By Shawn C. Millender THE BATTALION More than 600 high school students have visited Texas A&M’s campus this summer and more than 200 more will pass through as a part of the Summer Honors Invitational Program. Aimed at recruiting the nation’s best and brightest for matriculation at A&M, the two-day program orients prospective applicants on A&M’s honors program, traditions and academics. Dr. Edward Funkhouser, SHIP direc tor, is also the executive director of the honors program. He says the summer program is a year-round effort. “We start recruiting in February or March all across the United States on the basis of achievement,” Funkhouser said. ”We look for those who have done well on the PS AT, because they have the potential to be National Merit finalists. We aim for the top 5 percent of those kids.” Funkhouser said that about half of those who participate in the program and 25 to 40 percent of those who are National Merit finalists apply here at A&M. “For honors students, A&M is not usually a place they consider applying. But if we can bring them to campus the Aggie family leaves a good impression,” Funkhouser said. The program relies heavily on the contributions of undergraduate volun teers, such as senior accounting major Emily Semlau. She is in her second summer with the program. “I had a friend on campus who rec ommended I get into this,” Semlau said. “I enjoyed it so much I decided to be on the Honors Invitational Program council so I could work on it all year long instead of just summers.” See Program on page 2 Free service helps keep ticket prices down By Suzy Green THE BATTALION “Beat the hell outta scalpers” is the slogan of Alpha Phi Omega’s TicketMart, a free service that helps fans sell Texas A&M football tickets they can’t use to interested buyers before every home game. “The inflated prices that scalpers ask for are outrageous, and it’s not fair to Aggies,” said Shiloh Venable, a senior human resource development major and TicketMart chair. TicketMart has been in. operation for more than 10 years, but many students do not know that it exists. “We are trying to spread the word across campus and the Bryan-College Station community so that as many people as possible who have the opportunity can use it,” Venable said. Anyone who wants to sell football tickets can fill out a- form on or before any home game day and Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity, will try to sell the tickets for face value in the Memorial Student Center during the three hours before kickoff. If the tickets are sold, the money is mailed back to the sell er within two weeks. Alpha Phi Omega does not charge a service fee but will accept donations, Venable said. Unsold tickets are destroyed or can be mailed back to their BEAT THE HELL OUHA SCALPERS! TicketMart, a free service by the members of Alpha Phi Omega, buys unwanted Aggie Football tickets. Last year, 150 tickets were sold through TicketMart before each game W‘ The service reduces ticket scalping $ Accomodates Aggies who cannot attend games ^ The service is free, but donations are accepted Will Lloyd • THE BATTALION Source: SHILOH VENABLE, TICKETMART CHAIR original owner. Tickets with seating anywhere in Kyle Field are accepted and TicketMart serves both students and visitors to Aggieland. “Everyone who wants to enjoy Aggie football should be See Service on page 2
