Thursday, July 15, 2004
Battalion
SPORTS:
Leo Goertz:
keeping A&M
beautiful
Page 7
olume 110 • Issue 170 • 10 pages
OEAffl DM IN GRAD SCHOOL
n- Preliminary enrollment figures for the
1 Fall 2004 indicate increased diversity
mong graduate studies at Texas A&M.
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Will Lloyd • THE BATTALION
Source: JOHN GIARDINO, OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893 www.thehatt.com
PAGE DESIGN BY: RACHEL SMITH
Diversity increases in graduate studies
By Shawn C. Millender
THE BATTALION
The Office of Graduate Studies at A&M an
nounced it has made significant strides in increas
ing diversity among graduate studies programs.
Overall graduate enrollment is up as well.
“These increases reflect our commitment to
the goals articulated by President (Robert M.)
Gates,” said Dean of Graduate Studies John R.
Giardino. “But we realize we have far to go to
attain the levels of overall graduate and minority
graduate enrollment we would like.”
While graduate admissions numbers for fall
2004 have not been finalized, preliminary figures
indicate a 105 percent rise for black students from
2003, and a 29 percent rise in Hispanic students.
White enrollment, meanwhile, is down 3 percent
and international enrollment is down 23 percent.
The rise in minority admission has been aided
by new financial initiatives aimed at allowing
more students the ability to afford another few
years of school.
The A&M University System unveiled its
“Pathway to the Doctorate” program to funnel
students from all system schools into post gradu
ate studies programs.
Dean of A&M’s Graduate School of Biomedi
cal Sciences John Quarles said deans from the
system started working on this project three to
four years ago.
“Something it does is bring information
about graduate programs to schools in the sys
tem,” Quarles said. “It introduces a lot of ca
reer pathways to students they might not have
thought of.”
The program is valued at $21,752 for Texas
residents and $27,416 for out-of-state students.
Attracting qualified minority candidates in the
past has been a challenge for the school. After
implementation of programs aimed at underrep
resented minorities, enrollment has increased.
In June, the Board of Regents voted unani
mously to allow A&M’s Health Science Center
to use race-based admissions.
Nancy Dickey, Health Science Center presi
dent and vice chancellor for health affairs, said
that while the school does have language in its
admissions policy about increasing minority en
rollment, it is not satisfied with what it has.
James Hallmark, dean of graduate studies at
West Texas A&M University, said the program
helps his students by offering them opportunities
they wouldn’t have otherwise.
“We have 1,600 grad students here and
only one doctoral program,” Hallmark said.
“If I can tell them that if they do well here I
can guarantee them a spot in A&M’s graduate
school with a good stipend, it’s a good thing
for my students.”
The Diversity Fellowships, a program offered
See Diversity on page 2
Hstronaut to speak
Tat Bush Library forum
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By Chelsea Sledge
THE BATTALION
oie* The first time Lisa Steiner visited the
nsepJJt mson Space Center, she told her par-
evyfei is that she was going to be an astro-
ge h;» ut - Although her plans have changed,
Sieiner, a senior education major, still
enjoys learning about astronauts and
Bading about space missions.
‘n J P e ggy Whitson, astronaut and depu
ty chief of NASA, will be speaking at
flie George Bush Library Issues Forum
hursday, July 15 at 7 p.m.
“I’m really excited that an astronaut
is coming to A&M,” Steiner said. “I’d
like to go hear her speak because there
. I are a lot of things I’ve always won-
sn ®ered about living in space.”
• Whitson-was a-member-ef the Expedi-
ion-5 crew that docked in June 2002 with
the International Space Station for six
months. While in orbit, Whitson installed
the Mobile Base System, the S1 truss seg
ment, and the PI truss segment and acti
vated the Microgravity Sciences Glove-
box and a facility class payload rack; all
of which were crucial to the progress and
stability of the space station itself.
“Being in space is a rare opportunity
that most people will never experi
ence,” Nicole Cloutier, spokeswoman
for NASA said. “It’s especially neat
because not that many astronauts log
as many hours as Dr. Whitson. She has
also received a lot of honors.”
Whitson was named the first NASA
Science Officer during her stay, and she
conducted 21 investigations in human
life sciences, according to the NASA
See Forum on page 2
coi
ASTRONAUT IN AGGIELAND
them > e ggy Whitson, astronaut and Deputy Chief of NASA, will speak at the
H jeorge Bush Library Issues Forum tonight at 7 p.m.
Whitson will speak in
the Museum Orientation
Theatre
Admission is free to the
public
Reservations preferred;
not required
Will Lloyd • THE BATTALION
Source: NICOLE CLOUTIER, NASA
Clowning around
DAVE MORRIS • THE BATTALION
Bello the Clown provided non-stop antics and performed Arena. Bello's stunts include tightrope walking and battling with
daredevil stunts during Wednesday afternoon's performance of a bouncy bungee. Bello has been named America's Best Clown
the 133rd Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Reed by Time magazine.
S receives
awards for services
By Natalie Younts
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M received two awards from the International Parking
fstitute June 20 in New Orleans for the design of the West Campus
rking Garage and Wellborn Road pedestrian passageway.
The 3,700-space garage and the passageway earned A&M sec-
d place in the category “parking facilities design with more than
0 spaces” and third place in the “aesthetics and architectural
dtievement” category.
Kim Jackson, interim president of the Parking Institute, said she
as impressed when she toured the facilities at A&M.
eAsf|“The pedestrian passageway is a feat unto itself,” Jackson
said. “The garage is high tech, built to suit surroundings and the
, in; fact that it is multi-functional, for academics, football and other
r t(i; large events, is great.”
The awards ceremony took place during the 2004 International
irking Conference and Exposition.
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Jackson said the event was the largest parking exposition ever
held in the United States.
A&M Transportation Services staff were also asked to speak on
marketing approaches and trends at the conference.
Peter Lange, TS associate director, said being selected as a
speaker was exciting.
“Over 80 percent of the attendees for our marketing session were
other universities from around the nation looking to us as leaders in
this area,” Lange said.
Lange said he focused on the January 2003 name change from
Parking, Traffic and Transportation Services to the name Transpor
tation Services.
“(We talked about) the products and services we have in
troduced over the past 18 months in order to back up the name
change and further distance ourselves from the old way of doing
business,” Lange said.
See Awards on page 2
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Congress approves bio-weapons vaccines
By Jim Abrams
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTOTsi—Lawmakers who ex
perienced the dangers of anthrax firsthand
sent President Bush legislation Wednesday
to give private companies $5.6 billion in
incentives to develop antidotes to biologi
cal and chemical weapons.
“This is the largest first responder pro
ram ever enacted in American history,”
Homeland Security Committee chairman
Christopher Cox, R-Calif., said before
the House voted 414-2 to pass the Project
2
Bioshield Act.
Over the next 10 years, the act would
give the pharmaceutical industry the finan
cial guarantees it says it needs to research
and produce vaccines and antidotes for
bioterror agents. Otherwise, the industry
said, such products would have little mar
ketable value.
“What’s the incentive today to develop
a vaccine for Ebola or for the plague when
there is no real market for such a vaccine
in this country?” asked Rep. Billy Tauzin,
R-La., a chief sponsor of the legislation.
With the House vote, Congress com
pleted work on legislation Bush requested
in a State of the Union speech 18 months
ago. Agreement between the House and
Senate was delayed by a dispute over how
to guarantee a steady stream of funding
to drug makers without taking away Con
gress’ authority to make annual decisions
on spending levels.
Protection against the weapons is of
personal interest to many lawmakers, who
have seen their offices closed and their
lives disrupted twice by biological threats
See Vaccines on page 2
NWS A elects Bethman
as Women s Centers chair
By Joanna M. Jemison
THE BATTALION
The Texas A&M Women’s Center has earned
bragging rights after receiving national honors.
Brenda Bethman, Women’s Center program
coordinator, was elected by the National Wom
en’s Studies Association to be the new chair of
its Women’s Centers Committee. Bethman will
serve as chair for three years and will assist the
organization in its goals to promote feminist edu
cation, research, and professional and community
service across all grade levels.
“Given Brenda’s talent and intelligence, we at the Women’s Cen
ter are not surprised,” Rollyn B. Carlson, office manager at the Wom
en’s Center, said.
Bethman received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in German
Literature from Dickinson College and Temple University, respec
tively. Currently, Bethman is a candidate for a doctorate in Modern
German Literature and a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Feminist
Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
The NWSA is a politically active organization that promotes re
search and development that advances the study and knowledge of
all women.
Bethman has taught courses within the Women's Studies Program,
the Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Modem and Classical Lan
guages Department.
As the program coordinator of the Women’s Center, Bethman has
helped create a library of more than 400 books for students to become
more informed on feminism and a positive environment for people to
discuss women and gender issues.
“I’m very happy to be elected,” Bethman said. “It’s a wonderful,
supportive group that helped me figure out what I was doing (with
the Women’s Center) and what I needed to be doing.”
With the growing importance of women’s centers within the
See Bethman on page 2
BETHMAN