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The Battalion
bliunc 111* Issue 24 • 12 pages
A lexas A&M IVadhion Since 1893
SPORTS:
Aggies beat
Sam Houston
State, 10-0
page 5
www.thebatt.com
PAGE BY LAUREN ROUSE
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We want you!
\Rock the Vote’ encourages the younger demographic to go to the polls
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By Pammy Ramji
THE BATTALION
n Greene, president of “Rock
: Vote,” an organization that tries to
;rease youth voter turnout and fo-
iseson youth in the political process,
icouraged 18- to 35-year-olds to vote
Ithe2004 presidential election during
jionline press conference Tuesday.
)st of the polls 1 have seen are ad-
ig ‘likely voters,’” Greene said,
this generation probably doesn’t
alify for what traditionally would be
light of as likely voters, I think these
inadequately assessing where the
hundreds of thousands of new voters are
on the issues. These other polls sure aren’t
calling cell phones to ask their questions.
1 think they miss young voters.”
Greene is managing a nationwide ef
fort to get out the youth vote for the 2004
election. Greene makes appearances on
national television programs such as
CNN’s Inside Politics and NBC News
and has provided commentary for The
New York Times and Time magazine.
Maroon 5, which has been with
“Rock the Vote” all year, kicked off the
bus tour and joined “Rock the Vote” at
the Democratic National Convention.
“Rock the Vote” has also worked with
Hoobastank, Snoop Dogg’s 213, Q-Tip,
Jada Pinkett Smith, the Dixie Chicks
and many others.
“The biggest impact the musicians
and celebrities have is to draw attention
to the need to register to vote and learn
about what’s at stake in the election,”
Greene said. “In a lot of ways, we have
a celebrity-driven society and they help
to get massive media attention.”
Greene said if either candidate
hopes to have young voters in his cor
ner, they need to address issues such
as jobs and the economy, the war in
Iraq, the rising cost of higher educa
tion and providing adequate health
care for all young Americans.
“Students are more engaged, and
candidates cannot afford to ignore
them,” Greene said. “Students have
to fight for their right to register to
vote on campus this year.”
To vote in Texas, registration
must be postmarked by Oct. 4 for
the 2004 election.
President of Aggie Democrats Doro
thea Pitikas, a junior sociology major, said
everyone should vote regardless of living
in a dominantly conservative district.
“Of course 1 think Democrats should
vote. I don’t think that should stop
anyone from voting,” Pitikas said. “I
think the youth should vote because we
should have a say in the government
and what goes on.”
Amanda Hahn, a junior management
information systems major and A&M
College Republicans communications
director, said it is important for A&M
students to vote in the presidential and
congressional elections.
“Texas A&M students definitely need
to go out to vote to show that President
Bush will win the popular election as well
as the electoral college,” Hahn said. “Also,
we as college Republicans need to vote for
See Vote on page 7
Job
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Enrollment figures increase
for minority students at A&M
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By Stacy Thompson
THE BATTALION
Minority enrollment has increased at Texas A&M
this year with minority scholarships and improved
recruiting from the University, said A&M Vice Pro
vost Bill Perry.
Although enrollment figures show that overall en
rollment decreased from 44,813 to 44,521 last year,
minority enrollment increased across the board.
According to preliminary 12th day enrollment
figures, African-American freshman enrollment is
up by 35 percent for a total of 213 African-Ameri
can freshmen. Hispanic freshmen also increased
by 26 percent after the addition of 177 students for
a total of 869 Hispanic freshmen. Asian-Ameri-
can freshmen enrollment increased by 34 students
to a new total of 268, an increase of 15 percent.
Finally, Native-American freshmen experienced
an increase of 41 percent with 11 students being
added, for a total of 38.
Although the enrollment data became official Fri
day, Lane Stephenson, deputy director for Univer
sity Relations, said the data was not yet available to
the public. According to an e-mail from Dr. Cindy
Dutschke, director of Institutional Studies and Plan
ning, there should not be much of a change from the
12th day figures to the official 20th day data.
A&M President Robert M. Gates said he is im-
Minority Enrollment Increase
Minority enrollment has increased at A&M this
year despite a decrease in overall enrollment,
according to preliminary data.
# African-American freshman enrollment
increased 35 percent, for a total of 213.
$ Hispanic freshman enrollment increased26
percent, fora total of869.
m Asian-American freshman enrollment
increased 26 percent, for a total of268.
W Native-American freshman enrollment
increased 41 percent fora total of 38.
ANDREW BURLESON - The Battmion
SOURCE - Lane Stephenson, Deputy Director of Univerisity Relations
pressed with the minority gains.
“We are obviously pleased to have reversed the
downward trend in minority freshman enrollment,”
Gates said. “And (we) expect to see continued prog
ress as our new initiatives take full effect even as we
See Enrollment on page 7
Language split
Department forms two studies programs
DAVE MORRIS - The Battalion
dents in the A&M Construction Science Department
tend the fall semester career fair in the Langford
pitecture Building Tuesday afternoon. Many com-
foiies from all over the United States send represen
tatives to talk to students about careers in the field of
construction science, and students have the opportu
nity to pass out resumes and schedule interviews with
prospective employers.
By Emily Guevara
THE BATTALION
The Department of Modem and
Classical Languages split into two
departments this fall; Hispanic
Studies and European and Clas
sical Languages and Cultures or
“Euro Studies.”
As of Sept. 1, Spanish language
and cultural studies were placed into
the Department of Hispanic Studies,
and French, German, Russian, Clas
sics (Greek and Latin), Italian and
Japanese make up Euro Studies.
Richard Golsan, head of Euro
Studies, said the split allows each
department to go after its own goals
and better serve the students.
“For Euro Studies, it gave us
a chance to pursue a new iden
tity. We’re looking to create
a Ph.D. in Euro Studies, (and)
we’re working to create a major
in Classics which has never ex
isted before,” Golsan said.
Golsan said because relations
between the United States and
Europe are increasingly impor
tant, Euro Studies tries to facili
tate an awareness of this through
its curriculum.
“Creating a Euro department
allows us to work more in that di
rection,” Golsan said.
See Language on page 7
Renovated Duncan Dining
|Center welcomes public
By Ji Ma
THE BATTALION
For more than 60 years, Duncan Dining Hall has been a part
|ofmany Coips members’ lives.
From the family-styled dining before 1988, where food was
bassed around among the cadets, to the cafeteria-style mod-
p dining facility, it has catered to the cadets’ dietary needs
fhroughout the years.
“We have breakfast there Monday through Thursday and
funches as well,” said freshman computer engineering major and
2orps member Adam Friedli.
A half million-doilar renovation project on Duncan began
barlier this year. Completed in late July, this facelift bestowed
Juncan with top dining environment to serve Coips members
^nd regular students alike.
“Students from the Corps wanted something done to im-
brove aesthetics of the facility,” said Assistant Director of
food Services Cynthia Zawieja. “They took their concerns
the commandant, Gen. Van Alstyne, who then made the
Inquest to food services.”
The refitted dining hall features classic columns, palla
dium styled windows, skylights, new painting and ceiling
files, two crystal chandeliers and new outfit signs on the
}valls,” Zawieja said.
In addition to University funding, the project was also
See Duncan on page 7
Biology and math merge in new curriculum
By Liang Liang
THE BATTALION
The National Science Foundation granted
the College of Science $1.25 million to de
velop an interdisciplinary undergraduate pro
gram at Texas A&M that will incorporate bi
ology with mathematics and statistics.
The 1,144 undergraduate students in the
Department of Biology are required to only
take basic mathematical classes. Students
on the biology track in the integrated pro
gram will be required to have 23 credits in
mathematics, six credits in statistics and
104 credits in biology, chemistry and genet
ics. Students on the mathematics track will
need 61 credits in mathematics, six credits
in statistics and 60 credits in biology and the
biology-related sciences.
Dean of the College of Science Dr. H.
Joseph Newton said the Interdisciplinary
Training for Undergraduates in Biological &
Mathematical Sciences (UBM) program is a
four-year experiment and A&M is one of five
places chosen to conduct the experiment.
“Biology is becoming more and more
mathematical, (although) it historically had
been the least mathematical,” Newton said.
“For example, the students in biology were
not required to take calculus. Now it has
changed. Research projects like the Gene
Project indicate a trend for biology majors
to know about math.”
The program is designed to recruit 10 stu
dents to concentrate on biology with a minor
in mathematics and 10 students to concentrate
on mathematics with a minor in biology, but
has recruited only 12 students this fall.
Adam Stevenson, a senior computer en
gineering major, has been studying in the
program since last December, even before
it officially started.
“I came to the program because it inte
grates computer science with math and biol
ogy. My goal is to be able to use mathematics
to learn and understand concepts that cannot
be understood without mathematics because
of their abstract nature,” Stevenson said.
“Mathematics allows us to reduce complex
biological problems into simple equations
and to gain further insight into those prob
lems that were not originally noticeable.”
Having studied in the program for nine
months, Stevenson said he is planning to go
to graduate school to pursue an advanced
degree in biology.
Some undergraduate students in biology
who are not involved in the integrated pro
gram expressed different points of view.
“I think biology and mathematics are dif
ferent things. I don’t see much mathematics
involved in biology. The program should
be designed as a graduate program which
is more geared toward research,” said Barry
Hamilton, a senior biology major.
Clayton Smith, who is also a senior biology
major, said math is not essential to biology.
The National Science Foundation recently
gave A&M $ 1.25 million to start an inter-
disciplinery undergraduate program that
incorporates biology, math and statistics.
Biology Track:
credit hours in four years
Math Track:
6 credits in statistics
00 credits in biology and biology-
related sciences
WILL LLOYD - The Battalion
SOURCE - Vincent M. Cassone, Head of the
Department of Biology
“The more you know about math the
more theory it becomes. I took calculus I
and II. They didn’t help a lot,” Smith said.
Dr. Vincent M. Cassone, head of the biology
See Merge on page 7