Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 2004)
BATTA lr ■ Monday, July 12,2004 The Battalion ilume 110 • Issue 167 • 6 pages A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893 OPINION: Kerry is unfit to be president Page 5 www.thebatt.com PACE DESIGN BY: RACHEL SMITH If MOTHER WATCHING? Jar its of A&M students are now able to access student records through ittp://myrecord.tamu,edu. Students must set up a password for parents to view any information Once activated, parents will have access to grades, class schedules, enrollment status and financial services The University cannot provide passwords for parents Will Lloyd • THE BATTALION Source: ASSOC. REGISTRAR SU-ZAN HARPER Parents may access ‘myrecord’ By Andrew Burleson THE BATTALION As of June 10, parents are able to access their childrens’ records through myrecord.tamu.edu. Using a login password created by their student, parents will have access to a student’s grades, class schedule and enrollment status, and as well as to financial services such as AggiE-pay. The new service may only be activated by students. To grant parental access to their information, students may log in to myrecord.tamu.edu and set a parental password. Parents must ask their student for the password to use the service, and the University cannot provide it. Associate Registrar Su-Zan Harper says the decision to implement this system was the result of discussions between various University departments. “We stopped mailing grades several years ago to save mon ey,” Harper said. “We decided that this would be the best way to provide information to the parents.” Harper said the system complies with the Family Educa tional Records and Privacy Act of 1974, which allows parents access to their child’s records if the student is claimed as a See Parents on page 2 Nice ride 1 share aid. "I'ni ierstand share vai« nron charg« -Thef* n o ( )US * top ofle ith the cn lip ecutive I told Tin iistedhe'Senior civil engineering student Tyson Duncan drives a water ski boat, nancial oulling his cousin, senior agricultural management systems major Reed aectedtiwiner, while skiing at Lake Bryan on Friday evening. Duncan and RANDAL FORD • THE BATTALION Kainer are avid water skiiers and wake boarders who frequent Lake Bryan every week. They are also members of the water ski team from El Campo, Texas. Physical Plant’s efforts reduce energy costs By Lacy Ledford THE BATTALION Texas A&M’s Physical Plant began its ongoing building commissioning program in 1996. The re sult of subsequent years of effort has been saving millions of dollars in energy costs and improved building comfort. Director for Facilities Lee Swick said the primary benefit derived from recommissioning buildings is energy savings. “With today’s cost of energy production, we can avoid thousands of dollars each year per building in energy costs when the building’s air conditioning and heating systems begin working properly,” he said. There are also secondary benefits from the recom missioning efforts. “Everybody benefits,” Swick said. “The build ing’s tenants get better indoor air quality, mainte nance receives fewer service calls and energy costs are reduced for the University.” The commissioning teams take the functional ity of the buildings into consideration before mak ing improvements. Physical Plant Energy Manager Homer Bruner said certain research projects may be negatively af fected by variations in temperature. “Some research is not repeatable if the temper ature does not remain at a constant level,” Bruner said. “We are very sensitive to that and move See Plant on page 2 Research fellow says ublic is uninformed By Shawn C. Millender THE BATTALION Despite advancements in the areas of bioethics and stem cell earch, the public remains uninformed about the bioethical stem c|! debate, according to a thesis by undergraduate research fellow gan Boatman. Boatman said those who do not actively seek out information ut bioethics and adult stem cell research will be oblivious to at issues face them. [“I’d say the media has only given a very basic view of the scien- tife and moral issues at large. It doesn’t really go into any depth,” atman said. Stem cells are unspecified “master cells” that the body can use to ;enerate organs. Since they can be harvested from only embryos, bioethics debate centers on whether those embryos are alike, ■d Wendy Covert, an ‘03 Aggie graduate who holds a bachelor’s dtree in chemistry. Meatman, a senior history major from McKinney, Texas, said hi was trying to find a middle ground between his major and future. I have a personal interest in this. I’m a history major, and I’m ^ng to med school so I wanted to combine those two interests,” atman said. “Stem cells are a pretty heavy-hitting issue in sci- e today.” [Boatman analyzed four major media outlets and how they rtrayed the debate on stem cell research. In his study of e New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine Id Newsweek, he found their coverage leaving much to be pired. [‘They haven’t missed it entirely; it’s more of an error of omis- n,” Boatman said. “I’d like to see more attention paid to what’s sing on in science. Your typical article will merely rehash the ole debate without telling you anything new.” [Boatman has worked closely during the process with his advis- J Anthony Stranges. Stranges said Boatman has been a pleasure o work with. '■Tve had Logan for two classes: a history of science class and liitory of science seminar,” Stranges said. “He’s an excellent stu- t; he speaks well, he writes well and his paper was exceptional, ’s a an exemplary student all around.” (Both Boatman and Stranges agree that an educated public is im- rtant because it determines the direction policymakers in Wash- ton, D.C., will take. It’s a sensitive issue. Most of the public is not really well- nformed,” Stranges said. nd^yTliere are so many misconceptions out there about what nture' Bm cells can do. It’s total misinformation, and in many cases See Research on page 2 Students earn exchange program scholarship By Shawn C. Millender THE BATTALION Two Texas A&M students are among 79 nationwide recipients of the 2004 Baden- Wurttemberg scholarship. They will travel to Germany next month as part of a reciprocal education exchange program. Victor Ryan Holmelin, a senior poultry sci ence major from Crosby, Texas, and Diana Yandell, a senior international studies major from Harker Heights, Texas, will spend the 2004-05 academic year at Universitat Tiinbin- gen south of the city of Stuttgart. The A&M reciprocal exchange programs provide students the opportunity to spend a year studying overseas. According to its Web site, the program currently has students studying in Eng land, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland and Japan. Laura Weber, the study abroad adviser for the reciprocal exchange program, started working with Holmelin in October and Yandell in January. She says the application process was very selective. “We only had one other person win this scholarship last year,” Weber said. “These students have a sense of purpose. They know what they’re looking for and are able to plan practically so they can make things happen.” Weber said having a poultry science major in the program isn’t atypical. “We get quite a variety of majors,” Weber said. “We’ve had everything from ag education to business to biochemistry and biophysics.” The scholarship covers tuition for the students and gives them a monthly stipend. All other costs are the recipient’s responsibility, Weber said. Yandell initially learned to speak German as a child growing up in Stuttgart. “It faded when I moved back to the States,” she said. “I took French when I was in high school,” Yandell said. “I found that I pick up languages faster than most.” Yandell said she would pay for tuition in Germany the same way she does here. “My parents have been very generous and supportive,” Yandell said. “My only extra costs will be actually getting over there, so I think it’ll cost me about $5,000.” She said participation in this program will be beneficial for her future. “I hope to gain more understanding of Ger man culture and politics. I hope to gain friends,” Yandell said. “I want to live over there eventu ally. I want to work in an embassy.” GIITEN TAG AGGIES! Two A&M students have been awarded Baden-Wiirttemberg Scholarships Victor Ryan Holmelin, a poultry science major, and Dianna Yandell,an international studies major, will be studying in Germany for the 2004 - 05 academic year • Only 79 scholarships were granted The scholarships help students studying abroad in A&M’s reciprocal exchange program • The program has students studying in England, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland and Japan Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION Source: LAURA WEBER, STUDY ABROAD ADVISOR FOR RECIPROCAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM Sept. 11 panel nears completion of report By Hope Yen THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Working in secret, the Sept. 11 commission is finishing a fi nal report that several members believe will be done by week’s end and have unan imous support. The endorsement of all 10 commission ers is important if the findings and rec ommendations for improvements — most notably in intelligence-gathering — are to avoid charges of partisanship in a presiden tial election year. “They are all taking their broader respon sibility seriously,” said Norm Omstein, a political analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. “They know this is not about scor ing political points in the heart of a campaign but about making sure the attacks don’t hap pen again.” A report without any dissenters would be an accomplishment given the charges of partisanship that surfaced during public hearings featuring officials such as national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Attorney General John Ashcroft and former counter terrorism chief Richard Clarke. As recently as last month, former Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., and several other commissioners on the panel of five Repub licans and five Democrats said unanimity might not be possible. The meetings since then have changed his mind. “We’ve had a good personal relationship in our internal deliberations, with no traces of partisanship,” Gorton said. Added Democratic commissioner Jamie Gorelick, a former deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration: “We have a lot of consensus.” The commission was established by Con gress in 2002 to investigate government mistakes before the attacks and recommend ways to better protect the country against ter rorists. Commissioners and their staff have interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses, in cluding President Bush, and reviewed more than 2 million documents. The final report is due July 26. The com mission hopes to have the report finished this week and wants to release the 500-plus-page document on July 22 to avoid competing with the Democratic National Convention, See Report on page 2