Tuesday, September 14, 2004
ilume 111
Issue 13 • 10 puges
A Icxas AA:!M Tradition Since 18*)3
SPORTS:
If they only had
a heart
page 5
www.ihebiilt.coin
PAGE DESIGN BY: LAUREN ROUSE
j Fish for a day
/\&M staffer tastes a slice of Corps life
Hy Emily Guevara
THE BATTALION
(Freshmen in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets have a
|on their plate. Morning formation at 6:45, eating while
ting at 90-degree angles and afternoon physical train-
ing are Corps activities those on the outside see. Under-
Bnding the Corps, however, comes from experience.
■For 30-year-old Dale Tracht, a Kansas State Uni-
■•sity graduate, Monday was a once-in-a-lifetime
■perience to get an idea of what the Corps is like
■r a freshman.
■Tracht, assistant director of experi-
■tial education for the A&M Career
■nter and Squadron 2 academic vol-
■teer, became a fish for a day after
■iking a promise to the Squadron 2
■shmen of 2000 as a motivation to
■prove their academics.
■The outfits are ranked for academ-
leach semester, Tracht said.
I U 1 promised them if they got first in
■ides for a semester (...) I would be a
■h for a day,” Tracht said. “It was for
■rtivation.”
■As an academic volunteer for the
■st four years, Tracht was responsible
■ helping Squadron 2 Corps mem-
■rs with their academics by provid-
in;;thcm w ith the necessary resources
Ky needed to succeed at A&M.
■“1 made sure to meet with the fish
■d eat with them every other week, go to football
■mes with them, (hold) workshops and get them to
Ic right resources to help them succeed on campus,”
■acht said.
■ Academics were not a priority when he began
■lunteering in 2()()0, Tracht said, and he wanted to
■ange that.
■ Jordan Wiersch, 1st Sgt. of Squadron 2 and a ju
nior agricultural development major, said that when
he was a freshman. Tracht gave him a binder filled
with supplemental help such as free tickets for A-
Many people
thought I was an
actual fish. Some
(co-workers)
knew in
advance, but
not many.
— Dale Tracht
xperiential education
assistant director
Plus tutoring and study group information.
“We had every facet of academic help right at our
fingertips,” Wiersch said.
Four years later the fish of 2000 became first in
academics in the Corps as seniors in 2004.
“The first few years, they fluctuated,” Tracht
said. “The last few they were in the top 10. It was
gradual increases.”
Linda Powell, graduate teaching assistant in agricul
tural development and a Squadron 2 academic volunteer,
said Tracht went above and beyond the call of duty.
“This shows his commitment to the squadron itself
and the loyalty he has formed with all
the cadets and his larger commitment
to excellence in the Corps,” she said.
Tracht said he did not sleep well
Sunday night because he was nervous.
He participated in morning forma
tion with the squadron and ate break
fast in Duncan Dining Center.
Freshman economics major and
Squadron 2 member Joseph Stryhal
was assigned the task of showing
Tracht around Duncan.
“Everybody thought it was a great
morale booster,” Stryhal said. “It was
a relief trying to see one of our advis
ers going through our daily routine
with us. It showed us how much he
cared about us.”
After breakfast, Tracht went to
his regular job, where he got more
than a few stares.
“Many people thought I was an actual fish,” Tracht
said. “Some (co-workers) knew in advance, but not
many. Most were in total shock and surprise. They
were very accepting and excited.”
Tracht said he tried to whip out as he walked
around campus, but most Corps members knew
something was up.
After work, Tracht returned to the Quadrangle where
See Fish on page 2
Dale Pracht, assistant director of experiential educa
tion at the Career Center, has his head shaved by
senior marketing major Tyler Smith Monday evening in
White Hall. Pracht was the Gator Company academic
coordinator for the past four years and challenged the
company to obtain the highest GPR in the Corps. They
acheived their goal so Pracht shaved his head and
joined the fish for drills and formations Tuesday.
Bonfire Memorial
nears completion
By Sara Foley
THE BATTALION
Iks the fifth anniversary of the 1999 Bonfire Collapse approaches,
he construction of the Bonfire Memorial has reached its final stages
H is slated for completion in late October or early November.
■The construction is ahead of schedule, but not ready for pub
ic viewing, said Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
■nn Rosser.
fit is still an active construction site, so we ask that students don’t
opok at it yet,” Rosser said.
■ he dedication of the memorial is scheduled for Nov. 18 at 2:30
.m. and will feature University choral groups and speakers who will
announced as the date approaches.
A private memorial service will be held for the families of the 12
udents who died in the collapse on the evening of Nov. 17.
Student Advocate for Bonfire Legacy and Continuance Abby
iowell said students should visit the Bonfire Memorial Web
te to learn about the significance behind the memorial before
£ dedication.
(The architects have put a lot of thought into it. Everything (on the
lemorial) has significance behind it,” Howell said,
irhe memorial’s architects will give a presentation describing the
■holism of the memorial on Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. in Rudder.
In addition to the dedication service, MSC Hospitality, the host
tonmittee for the Bonfire Memorial, will distribute 40,000 maroon
bbons in Rudder plaza for students to show their support for Bon-
re. said Vice Chair of MSC Hospitality Charles Glover.
■Hover said the event is being planned with the expectation that up
140,000 people could be in attendance.
||enior history and political science major Kris Plummer, who
orked on Bonfire during the 1999 collapse and has since been in-
alved in the off-campus Bonfire, said the importance of the memo-
al transcends the animosity between students who are for or against
ie return of an on-campus Bonfire.
| “A lot of people think that the administration has set up this day
)r political reasons, but their reason isn’t what is important. What is
nportant is honoring those who died,” Plummer said.
BLOODY COOP JOBJ
I-
-ast week's Red Cross blood drive sponsored by Alpha Phi^
Dmega met 98 percent of its goal.
1,075 pints of blood were donated in five days
More than 4,500 lives can be affected by the
week's worth of blood donations
6,077 pints of blood have been donated since
April 2003
WILL LLOYD • THE BATTALION
SOURCE : JAN HALE
Gates aims to enhance undergrad programs
By Sara Foley
THE BATTALION
University President Robert M. Gates
said at the Faculty Senate meeting Monday
night that the enhancement of undergradu
ate programs is the principle goal for this
school year, targeting enrollment manage
ment, the honors program, summer school
and electronic courses as the principle ar
eas for improvement to the Faculty Senate
Monday afternoon.
“We will review, adapt and adopt the best
practices identified from peer institutions
that serve to enhance the quality of under
graduate education here,” Gates said.
In other action, the Faculty Senate out
lined a plan to assess the effectiveness of
the core curriculum requirements and is
sued a new requirement for faculty mem
bers to clearly outline learning objectives
for each course in the core curriculum.
Gates said that by next year, 245 new fac
ulty members will have been hired under the
faculty reinvestment program, and that 145
new faculty members have already been hired.
English associate professor David My
ers said he worried that the hiring of new
faculty could have unfavorable effects on
undergraduate education.
“Those of us in the liberal arts caucus are
worried that new hiring decisions under the
faculty reinvestment program are being driv
en by nairow research agendas to raise the
profile of a department,” Myers said.
Gates said the Faculty Reinvestment
Program has multiple purposes, only one of
which is teaching, but that every new fac
ulty member would be required to teach.
“This is being financed by students,”
Gates said. “Every new faculty member
should be told from the outset partly where
their new salary is coming from and that’s
See Gates on page 2
Open house opens doors for women
By Erin Price
THE BATTALION
There are many more oppor
tunities for women today, and
Women’s Open House, which
kicks off today, could shed some
light on how Aggie women can
reach their full potential, said
Sara Bendoraitis, a graduate as
sistant in Gender Issues Educa
tion Services (G1ES).
Texas A&M still has a male-
dominant attitude, Bendoraitis
said, and events such as the
Women’s Open House, which is
sponsored by GIES, help raise
awareness for women’s issues.
The campus is still traditional,
with most upper administrative
positions and tenured professors
being male, she said.
“Our campus has been mak
ing small steps each year to pro
vide more avenues for women,”
Bendoraitis said. “The Women’s
Open House gives everyone, not
just women, the chance to see
what A&M has to offer them.”
The open house will be held
Tuesday in the MSC Flag Room
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. About 25
tables, sponsored by the Wom
en’s Center, Recreational Sports,
University Police and the Health
Center, will offer information,
prizes and resources pertaining to
women’s issues, she said.
Bendoraitis said that after a
mass e-mail was sent to
See Women on page 8
Qpp.n Hnufift
The Womert Open House, sponsored by
(render Issues Education Services,
kicks off Tuesday.
O 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the MSC Flag Room.
O Tables from Women's Center,
Recreational Sports, University Police,
the Health Center and others.
0 Will focus on issues pertaining to
Aggie women.
ANDREW BURLESON • THE BATTALION
SOURCE : SARA BENDORAITIS
Red Cross blood drive achieves 98 percent of goal
By Stacy Thompson
THE BATTALION
Last week’s Red Cross blood drive took
in 1,075 pints of blood in five days, achiev
ing approximately 98 percent of its goal.
“It was an amazing blood drive. Texas
A&M University is always our No. 1 provider
of blood. We affected over 4,500 lives in one
week,” said Jan Hale, marketing and commu
nity relations manager of the Southwest divi
sion of Red Cross Blood Services.
The service organization Alpha Phi
Omega (APO) sponsored the drive to en
gage students in the service of their com
munity. APO holds five blood drives a year
with various blood donation organizations.
There are two in the fall, two in the spring
and one in the summer. The primary adviser
to APO Darby Roberts said the blood drives
are spaced out according to the statistic that
an average human can donate every 56 days,
roughly five times a year, or approximately
every two months.
“It’s a tradition — blood drives are here
five times a year (so that) students can plan
for it,” Roberts said. “It is a quick, easy and
fun thing to do that students can get involved
in the community.”
There is enormous pressure for college stu
dents to donate blood because of the constant
necessity for blood in hospitals. Some students,
for health reasons, cannot donate blood for health
reasons. Sophomore business administration
major Kellie Logan cannot donate because she
does not meet the weight requirements.
“Well there’s nothing I can do about it,”
Logan said. “I’d love to, but I don’t want
anything harmful to happen to my body.
There are regulations for a reason.”
Theresa Evangelista, territory manager
for the Bryan-College Station Red Cross
Center, said there is no substitute for blood
and that blood is crucial in saving lives.
“We hope that if they (college students)
start as donors in college that they
See Blood on page 8