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Gore’s fight for presidency continues By Ron Fournier Al Gore, his fight for the presidency spread across five courts, sought a speedy recount of Florida’s contested ballots Tuesday to ensure “no question, no cloud” hangs over the nation’s 43rd president. Republicans said the votes were counted, recounted and now “it’s time to wrap this up.” “To stretch it out, as Vice President Gore is doing ... is really unprecedented and it’s going to create some problems,” GOP vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney said two days after Florida’s top election official declared George W. Bush the winner. The declaration triggered Gore’s extraordinary election contest. Three weeks after voters thought they had settled the 2000 presidential campaign, the political morass stretched to the U.S. Supreme Court. In legal papers supporting Bush’s appeal of a state Supreme Court ruling extending hand recounts, GOP lawyers asked the nation’s highest court Tuesday to bring “legal finality” to the election. The case has the “potential to change the outcome of the presidential election in Florida, and thus the nation,” Bush lawyers wrote. Gore’s legal team argued in its high court brief that the issue “does not belong in federal court.” They want the justices to back the Florida Supreme Court, a Democratic-leaning body that extended the deadline for recounts. U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments are set for Friday. Fearing the public is growing impatient, Gore asked a Florida court to approve his plan to count 13,000 questionable ballots in two Democratic counties — a process he said would take seven days starting Wednesday. The judge scheduled an emergency Tuesday evening hearing. Gore’s timetable allows for appeals by either candidate and a decisive ruling before Dec. 12, when state electors must be assigned. “What is wrong with counting the votes?” Gore asked. Bush’s team quickly noted that the southern Florida ballots had already been tabulated by machine. “He proposes yet another count and another deadline,” Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes said. Common sense does not allow it.” Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a Bush partisan, certified the Texas governor’s 537-vote victory Sunday. If the totals stand, Bush would be awarded the state’s 25 electors, putting him a single vote over the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency. With their presidential dreams at stake, the fierce public relations campaign roared onward: Democrats scoured the courts for a quick legal victory to bolster Gore’s sagging public opinion polls; Republicans tried to shut down the far-flung legal machinations while Bush was still ahead. An NBC poll showed the country divided. With a fraction of those polled having watched Gore’s Monday night plea for patience, half said he should concede and half said he should fight. The country was equally split on who should be the next president. Though Democratic leaders remained firmly in Gore’s corner, there was talk that the election needed to be settled. “The time has come for this to come to a close,” Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Ala., said in statement that mentioned neither Bush nor Gore. An aide, Grace Robinson, later said Cramer “does not think that Gore should concede at this point.” A number of Gore advisers privately expressed fears that the public will soon grow weary of the political drama unless an end is in sight. Gore’s speedy hearing proposal was designed to buy his lawyers time. “We’re very mindful of what’s good for the country and we certainly don’t want this to go on for very long,” Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph Lieberman told CBS. A bare majority of those polled by NBC said Bush jumped the gun by declaring victory and plunging into his presidential transition, but that didn’t stop the Texan from moving ahead. He was heading to his ranch late Tuesday, where aides said he was likely to meet in seclusion with some candidates for the presumptive Bush cabinet. Cheney was joining him Thursday or Friday. President Clinton’s staff offered to organize daily security briefings for Bush so he’ll be ready to serve if Gore’s protests fail. The Secret Service also proceeded with “parallel” transition operations — giving both the Democratic and Republican tickets the same training sessions, briefings, and help securing personal property for the move into the White House or vice presidential residence at the Naval Observatory. Xu finds Asia in Bolivia By Angie Chang Mike Xu, an assistant professor of Chinese studies, may include South America in his research on pre-Columbian contacts between China and Mesoamerica after visiting Bolivia. Xu was one of three American delegates attending the First International Conference on Pre-Columbian Trans-Oceanic Contacts two weeks ago. His research had focused extensively on Mesoamerica, a region extending from north central North America to Nicaragua. But after the trip to Bolivia, there was evidence that there has also been Asianic influence in South America, Xu said. Xu said Asianic influence was evident as soon as he set foot in La Paz, Bolivia. “When I landed in La Paz, it felt like I had landed in Lhasa (Tibet),” Xu said. “The colors of dresses, the language and dancing (had) a strong resemblance to those in Tibet. It felt like déjà vu.” Xu said the conference included a trip to an archaeological site in Tiwanaku, about 120 miles northwest of La Paz. The site existed from 600 B.C. to 600 A.D. and was home to the ancient peoples of Tiwanaku, he said. Xu said at the site, there were artifacts that were the same as the ones in Mesoamerica. “The artifacts show that there was cultural diffusion between Mesoamerica and South America,” Xu said. “Because of this new discovery, it was necessary to have several people from different disciplines to look at the evidence there.” The conference was held at la Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino in La Paz, and was sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Xu said there were more than 200 participants from across the world at the conference. The South American scholars provided more support and were more cooperative than the Mesoamerican scholars he had encountered in the past, Xu said. Xu was also awarded a special certificate by la Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, granting him the highest academic recognition from the university. Officials at the university couldn’t be reached for comment. Jim Henley, associate dean of Add Ran College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said Xu’s research has received national and international attention and that in turn gives TCU visibility. “Xu is a good example of the teacher/scholar model,” Henley said. “He is active in his research and is recognized in professional outlets.” Xu said certain phrases and names of places in Bolivia resembled Tibetan ones and there were also customs that were similar. “(The representatives) were welcomed with white handkerchiefs and chinco tea,” he said. “That is the same as the custom that is carried out in Tibet. They even serve the same kind of tea.” Xu said he has not made a decision as to whether or not he will include South America in his studies. “I did not expect for (evidence) to be (in Bolivia),” Xu said. “I just thought I was making a presentation.” Xu was given a $10,000 archeology grant in October by the Foundation for Exploration and Research on Cultural Origins to cover travel expenses while conducting his research. He and two other Chinese scholars will travel to Mexico, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and to the Southwest to visit Indian tribes next year. Angie Chang Nursing school cited twice for being outdated By Elise Rambaud The Harris School of Nursing has been cited twice this year for the outdated condition of its facilities. nadequate classroom furniture, carpet worn to the rubber and antiquated research and teaching equipment were just a few things that a visitor from the Texas State Board of Nurse Examiners pointed out. Rhonda Keen-Payne, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, said she was embarrassed that a nursing school with such an outstanding reputation had to apologize for the condition of its building. The College of Health and Human Science Task Force of the Commission on the Future of TCU has made the need for facility improvements a priority recommendation to the Board of Trustees. All of the task forces’ prioritized recommendations will be integrated into the budget and are subject to approval from the board in March, said William Koehler, provost and vice-chancellor of academic affairs. “When trying to attract graduate and undergraduate students to your programs, your physical space is really your calling card; it can define who you are,” Keen-Payne said. “If prospective students see equipment made in the 1970s, they may seek a university with more modern facilities.” All four departments in the college, nursing, kinesiology, social work and communication sciences and disorders, share the need for upgrades. Keen-Payne asked all department chairs to take a detailed inventory of all equipment, documenting the age of the equipment and all repair and replacement costs. Implementing the most urgent improvements to the kinesiology department alone would cost at least $500,000, Keen-Payne said. Darryn Willoughby, assistant professor of kinesiology and task force member, said they can get by on the equipment they have, but learning on older equipment may be a hindrance to a students’ technological competence upon graduation. Simple improvements such as permanently mounted instructional equipment would be a great help, Keen-Payne said. “The instructors at the Miller Speech and Hearing Clinic have to alter their teaching schedule on rainy days because they can’t get someone to bring an audio/visual cart across campus in the rain,” Keen-Payne said. The nursing school also needs a $90,000 software program that assesses and develops plans to improve clinical competence, Keen-Payne said. The college would also like to establish an organization to facilitate research and consultation such as an Institute for Human Health Development. All four departments have an interest in gerontology — the study of aging. “The departments could combine their expertise and resources to research ways to improve the quality of life across the life span,” Willoughby said. The institute would require little additional funding and would not need another building, but may need an assistant dean, Keen-Payne said. “The institute would serve as a source for obtaining and managing grants,” Keen-Payne said. Lynn Flahive, clinical coordinator of communication sciences and disorders described how the disciplines could work together. For example, an elderly person recovering from a stroke may have speech, swallowing and movement problems. Speech pathology, nursing and kinesiology could research ways to improve and accelerate recovery. “The institute would bring prominence to university,” she said. Elise Rambaud TCU works to be a better Traditionally, a neighbor has been that person you feel comfortable borrowing a cup of flour from, someone to help you fix a flat tire or to have over for a barbecue. A person that you can count on and who can count on you. TCU wants to be that neighbor, and the final report from the Commission on the Future of TCU recommends creating a Community Relations Office to become that neighbor to the Fort Worth area. The office, developed by the Community and Strategic Alliances task force, would bring together all the university’s efforts involving the community, serve as a contact for the community and help better utilize the university’s resources toward projects with the community, said David Grebel, director of extended education and task force member. “It’s a place that would identify a need in the community and
then have TCU address and help fulfill that need,” he said. “It
would not be a place that told people what they could and could not get
involved in.” TCU has been highly involved in the community, but there has been no organization of those efforts, resulting in ignorance on the part of the entire community as well as the university itself, said Robert Seal, university librarian and facilitator of the task force. “We talked about people in the community not knowing what TCU was doing, but a lot of times there are people here at TCU who don’t know,” he said. “It is just different departments not promoting what they’re doing, just doing it and doing it well.” Grebel said when the task force began addressing the issue of community involvement, members informed the group of ways departments and schools were involved, showing how disjointed the university was in its efforts. This led to the notion that the university needed a central place where interaction between TCU and the community could be localized. Seal said some areas of need were TCU’s relations with the Fort Worth Independent School District, minorities and the economic development of the immediate area around the university. “We don’t operate in isolation,” Seal said. “We’re important to the community and they’re important to us. It makes good sense to be a good neighbor and have good relations with the community.” Efforts such as tutoring and mentoring programs, workshops and speakers have all been done by different departments, but the lack of a central office has allowed only the people involved with the programs to know about them, Grebel said. Fernando Costa, planning director of Fort Worth and member of the task force, said TCU and the city have a symbiotic relationship, where what one does affects the other. “Mayor (Kenneth) Barr is fond of saying that a great university, such as what (Chancellor Michael) Ferrari is trying to build at TCU, and great cities go hand in hand,” Costa said. “That’s why it’s important to take advantage of the university’s resources and for TCU to keep interacting with the community.” Costa said TCU and Fort Worth could work together to achieve more than they might without each other. Areas where TCU could make an impact on the community are numerous, Costa said. Contributing in areas of art, music and simply being available as a community resource would do much to enhance the university’s relationship with the city, he said. Coordinating community involvement Bob Bolen, senior adviser to the chancellor and former mayor of Fort Worth, said there is a lack of communication within the university. “I’ll get stuff in here that I didn’t realize was happening until it’s over,” Bolen said. A person who served as a TCU liaison to the community would improve the situation, said Nancy Styles, administrative assistant to Larry Lauer, vice chancellor of marketing and communication. “Right now there’s not a targeted person that the community and TCU can communicate with to get ideas flowing,” said Styles. “We need somebody who would fulfill that role. They could turn five or six steps into one.” William Ryan, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders, said an office dealing specifically with community relations would get everyone on the same page about TCU’s involvement. The concept of an office that coordinates the efforts of a university makes a lot of sense, said Rebecca Bergstresser, director of community involvement at Southern Methodist University, which deals mostly with volunteer efforts of students, faculty and staff. “I think that idea would be excellent because it’s one way for everyone in the university to have a common point of access. That way you wouldn’t have to go through a lot of trouble getting something together if someone’s already done it,” she said. Avoiding duplication is just one of the benefits of such an office, said Bergstresser. Being able to use the university’s resources to better serve the community would be a help to any institution, she said. “There is no such entity at SMU that someone could approach that would direct them to other entities. We’ve suggested it in the past, but it hasn’t happened yet,” she said. Who would run the office? The reasons for such opposition is due to the current method of community involvement, Bergstresser said. SMU, much like TCU, has multiple departments working on different projects competing for funding, unaware of what the other is doing. She said control is why it works this way. “It boils down to turf issues,” she said. “And the concern is, ‘If it’s not in our department, will it meet the needs of our department?’ “I think everybody fears someone saying, ‘No, this is what we’re going to do.’ They want to maintain control of the department’s efforts. I’m sure there’s a way to do things in an efficient way and still give people their authority.” Taking over all the efforts is not what the TCU office would be about, said Ryan. “This office would not function independently from other already existing programs. It would work with them, not take them over,” he said. The placement of the office will be determined by the chancellor and the vice chancellors, but Ryan said it needs to be high in the system to be effective. The written recommendation for the Community Relations Office stated the office would not only connect the community with TCU and help in joint efforts, but would also assist in starting some programs. Grebel said he sees this as a nurturing aspect of the office, a place not unlike an incubator where programs would have help getting started until they were able to thrive on their own. Seal said having the office under Lauer would allow its efforts to be publicized, but answering to Ferrari would display the importance of community to TCU. “If you put it at a lower level under a lot of administrative stacking,
you defeat the whole purpose,” he said. “I think it will make a huge difference if it’s given the
authority,” he said. “One of the things I always say is ‘You
never give someone the responsibility to do something without the authority
to do it.’” Seal said funding issues such seed money and salaries would also be determined by the chancellor’s cabinet. “We were told we didn’t have to be specific in terms of money,” he said. “We just came up with the concept. Ultimately it’s up to Ferrari to see if he wants to do it and how he wants to do it.” Ryan said the office would cost the university a minimal amount of money but would help TCU gain standing in the community, visibility and support. Grebel and Seal both said they knew of no other colleges that had such an office, but that it will be researched before implementation. If such a model can be found, it will seriously be considered. Another facet of the office would be the development of a Community Relations Advisory Board, a group of appointed people from the community that would provide an outside perspective for Ferrari and the university, Seal said. “It would be a chance to get direct feedback from the community
and have the top man hear it,” he said. “It’s not just getting the word out. It’s coordinating what we’re doing and doing more,” he said. “There’s always room for improvement.” Costa said the community is taking notice of TCU’s efforts to become more involved and coordinated in their outreach efforts. “We’ve heard many people say that TCU is taking important steps to overcome some previous perceptions on and off campus that the university was inwardly oriented,” Costa said. “The willingness of the administration to do this is impressive.” Justin Roche
Holiday lights brighten night By Michael Davis Order of Omega begins the holiday season with its annual Christmas tree lighting at 9:30 p.m. today outside Sadler Hall despite initial problems with insufficient funding for the event. Ashley Nevin, a senior biology major and Order of Omega president, said the event was made possible by Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Don Mills and Susan Adams, associate vice chancellor and dean of campus life, who allocated more than $2,000 to help put Christmas lights on Sadler Hall. Order of Omega gave more than $1,400 for the tree, refreshments and fliers. The House of Student Representatives funded the event last year, but was not allowed to fund the same event for two consecutive years, Nevin said. She said Order of Omega didn’t have enough money to cover all the costs. “Other than the initial problem of funding the tree lighting, everything went really smoothly,” Nevin said. The tree lighting marks the end of the Bank One Spirit of Christmas campaign. The campaign seeks to grant needy children’s Christmas wishes. Students, faculty and staff who picked one of more than 600 Wish Cards can bring their wrapped gifts with the attached Wish Cards to the ceremony. Order of Omega has been working with Bank One since 1980 to provide presents to children who are less fortunate. After the ceremony, people at the tree lighting will form a human chain to help load the gifts onto a truck. The gifts will then be taken to Bank One and distributed by Child Protective Services on Christmas, said Catherine Collins, a senior history major and vice president of programming for Order of Omega. “The most amazing part of the night is seeing the over 600 gifts that people have brought,” Collins said. The Word of Truth Gospel Choir will perform from 9:10 p.m. until the event begins, Collins said. At 9:30 p.m. Chancellor Michael Ferrari and his wife Jan Ferrari will arrive in a horse-drawn carriage along with two retired TCU faculty, who will dress as Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Ferrari will address the crowd and then turn on the lights of the 20-foot tree and those lights decorating Sadler Hall. Unlike last year, this year the Focus Band from Christ Chapel Bible Church will lead the singing of Christmas carols. “I think it is going to be much better than last year,” Nevin said. “We are really organized this year, and we expect around 2,000 (people to participate).” Last year more than 2,000 people attended the event, said Tom Sullivan, director of fraternity and sorority affairs. Order of Omega seniors will read “Twas the Night Before Finals.” The Junior Panhellenic, composed entirely of freshmen, will hand out awards for the Light the Campus competition. They will announce the winners of the best decorated residence hall, fraternity house and sorority house, Collins said. Nevin who worked in last year’s Holiday Tree Lighting said the event has gotten even better. Everyone in Order of Omega is involved in some capacity working on committees, she said. “I’m very excited,” Nevin said. “This is the second-longest running tradition on campus.” Michael Davis |
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