thebattalion ● wednesday,
june 3, 2009
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2009 student media
Board of Regents: No merge of chancellor, president in progress Meagan O’Toole-Pitts The Battalion Discussions among Board of Regents members about a possible merger of the chancellor and president positions are not new, said the spokesperson for the Board of Regents and for the chancellor Tuesday. “There is an ongoing, long-standing conversation about a merger,” said Rod Davis, spokesperson for the Board of Regents and for the chancellor, and director of communications. “It was
mentioned at a routine meeting, but it’s been mentioned many times.” The possibility of a merger of chancellor and president has come up in discussion before and has come again to try to get the system through hard economic times, Davis said. “Because of the economy they’ve been looking at a lot of options,” Davis said. “But it would require board action; it’s not on their agenda.” A merger of the two positions has not been proposed or approved by the Board of Regents, Davis said, and therefore doesn’t exist.
“There’s nothing happening other than a discussion, and it’s an old conversation,” Davis said. “Talking about a cost-cutting idea doesn’t mean it’s anything near what you should call a reality. If any changes were to occur, it would require a formal proposal and it’s nowhere near that. If anything were to change we would post it on our system Web site, send out a news release, and we don’t have any reason to post it to our Web site.” It is legally required that the Board of Regents post a proposal on the system Web site, www. tamus.edu, Davis said.
“It was brought up at a working meeting, around May 20, in which they were talking about budgetary ideas,” Davis said. “Rudder and Williams both shared those duties.” The chancellor and president positions at the University have been merged twice before in the past.“It’s not like it hasn’t happened before,” Davis said. “[The Board of Regents] is trying to keep education quality high at A&M. The next legislative session, 2011, will be a lot tougher. See Chancellor on page 4
world | 2
Air France Flight 447 Brazil military pilots find debris confirming the crash of Flight 447. The Air France flight carrying 228 people went down while traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris Sunday night. If no survivors are found this will be the worst aviation disaster since the crash of American Airlines jetliner in Queens, N.Y. in 2001. ■2
nation | 2
D-Day Memorial The 65th anniversary and celebration of D-Day is Saturday, June 6th; however, the foundation responsible for the memorial is struggling financially. President George W. Bush attended the memorial’s opening ceremony eight years ago in Bedford, Virginia. ■2
J.D. Swiger — THE BATTALION
Counselors and co-chairs dance to the Macarena at the Impact fall retreat. The purpose of the retreat is to prepare for Impact and discuss logistics.
reel
fish
in the
Orientation programs prepare to help freshmen connect Julie Rambin nation | 2
Healthcare overhaul The United States healthcare system faces potential overhaul as Obama considers taxing health care benefits, an idea he previously campaigned against. “It’s on the table. It’s an option.”
Special to The Battalion This summer, around 70 percent of the Class of 2013 will attend an extended orientation program before coming to Texas A&M, said Fish Camp director and senior wildlife and fisheries sciences major Kim Putnam. Some will attend Fish Camp, a freshman orientation program at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center in Palestine, Texas. Some will attend Impact, a freshman nondenominational Christian orientation and retreat at Latham Springs Baptist Encampment in Aquilla, Texas. The programs are meant to educate students about college life and give students a community to rely on during the first semester of college, said Putnam. “[Freshmen] get started off on the right track coming to Texas A&M,” said Putnam. At Fish Camp, students participate in discussion groups of 10-12 freshmen and two upperclassmen leaders. Over the four-day camp, students will view skits and participate in programs put on by students, organizations and University departments, covering subjects
including academics, traditions and campus life. “We’re just still continuing to grow and expand,” Putnam said. “With the large incoming freshman class, Fish Camp is experiencing that boom as well.” Last summer, 5,151 freshmen attended Fish Camp, and this year, only a week into registration, almost 4,000 students have signed up to attend, said Putnam. “We’re meeting a more diverse population, making sure that everything we do is very intentional and in line with our mission and values,” Putnam said. Impact, which was organized in 1999, focuses on faith during college, said Impact director and senior finance major Jillian Klaver. “Our goal is to show them how they can keep their faith in college, and how they can do that with lots of friends and lots of support,” Klaver said. At Impact, students are split into “basic groups” of eight freshmen and two upperclassmen counselors. Morning and evening speaker sessions are led by Ben Stuart of Breakaway and feature See Fish on page 6
Junior wins prestigous Goldwater scholarship Patrique Ludan The Battalion The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program has named junior mechanical engineering major Joel Turtle as a scholar for the upcoming school year. Turtle is the 35th Aggie to receive the scholarship. “I feel fortunate to be a recipient of the Barry M. Goldwater and am incredibly happy,” Turtle said. “I am also invigorated and excited to continue my studies and research at Texas A&M.” Turtle filed his application for the scholarship last December and was informed in March that he
had become a Goldwater Scholar. “Every year we hold a preliminary application process and then submit the applications to the honors committee,” said Kyle Mox, the National Scholarship Coordinator at Texas A&M. Turtle “The Honors Committee, made up of faculty members, then select up to four nominees.” Turtle is from Washington and considered schools such as Purdue, University of Illinois and University of Michigan before deciding on Texas A&M University.
“A&M has a really good mechanical engineering program,” Turtle said. “The support and opportunities available at Texas A&M are extraordinary: scholarships provided by the Honors Program and the Dwight Look College of Engineering.” Turtle conducted research last semester with the assistance of Yassin Hassan in the nuclear engineering department. “Opportunities to share new ideas, collaborate on significant projects and provide learning experiences for others continue to motivate my academic and career choices,” Turtle said. See Turtle on page 4
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Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship The US Congress created the scholarship in 1986 to honor Senator Goldwater for his 30 years of service in the US Senate. The purpose of this award is to encourage individuals in the pursuit of careers in engineering, science, and mathematics. American College Testing
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