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
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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