Texas Prisoners See Penalties for Lawsuits
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Fond Farewell Serving Texas Tech Texas Tech's soccer star prepares to leave the University game she loves. Read about what lies ahead for Red Raider Kristi Patterson. since 1925 5c:umWEST Crr_LF_CMON see page 9 Texas treth niversity LUBOCK, .S 79409 Wednesday Lots o' November 20, 1996 laughter Texas Tech students can have a 85 High Volume 71 hearty laugh before finals. THE UNIVERSITY DAILY University Center Programs brings Issue 62 comedian Wendy Liebman to the 45 Low UC Allen Theatre. see page 6 Tech reviews transferring credit hours by Ginger Pope/UD its electronically, and it will apply to when they register as a junior and find class, and it becomes a hassle:' ing a national trend, and we want to "A central office for credit trans- The Texas Tech Admissions and their records immediately." they are really a sophomore, he said. A centralized location will greatly take advantage of it," Bailey said. fers would be a good idea," Moore Records Office soon will solve part of With a centralized transfer office, Ida Jones, mass communications help in advising, she said. Centralization is managerial, and said. "It would save time, and it the age-old problem of transferring students will find more consistency in adviser, said the transfer of classes and "When I'm looking at what a stu- deans still will decide what courses wouldn't lose as many records." credits. the transfer of their credits, he said. credits not applied in a timely manner dent has from another school, I'm not can transfer, she said. Medley said another advantage of Gene Medley, director of Admis- Students seem to complain the is the biggest complaint she hears from sure how it will be accepted here," "We are looking at policies and pro- the new system is the information sions and Records, said Tech is imple- most about the transfer of credits be- students. Jones said. "Sometimes students get cedures that could be standardized stored on it will be available to the menting a new Tech Student Informa- cause often they try to register and the "They go to register, and there is into classes they've already had:' throughout the campus," Bailey said. Bursar's Office, the Financial Aid Of- tion System to automate and central- number of hours they have completed nothing on the screen about the hours Jill Bailey, Tech SIS project man- Kelly Moore, a junior elementary fice and Tech's Housing and Dining ize the transfer of credit hours. is not in the computer, Medley said. they took, and they have to go through ager, said the software is in place for education major from Abilene, said Services. "All transferred credits will go Often this is because deans only the process of getting a letter from centralizing credits but the project still she has not had problems with trans- "We will be able to keep up with through this central office;' Medley accept certain courses for a degree their adviser," Jones said. "Sometimes is getting started. ferring credits, but knows other stu- students better the more everyone can said. "Other schools can send us cred- plan, so some students are surprised their teacher will call them down in "This is an area where it is becom- dents who have. see what's going on," Medley said. Texas prisoners see penalties for lawsuits by Tomi Rodgers/UD cases, but research has shown that 95 percent Four Texas prison inmates were the first to of the lawsuits are counted as frivolous. fall victim to penalties recently implemented "Most litigators are inmates that can't get by a new state law penalizing prisoners for fil- along in an inmate situation, and can't handle ing lawsuits with no merit. authority," Rives said. "Many still haven't Chapter 14 became a law June 8, 1995, stat- taken responsibility for their own actions and ing any prisoner that files four or more frivo- blame society for their problems:' lous lawsuits in a one-year period will have Of the four inmates penalized so far, sen- six months of good time taken away from tences range from 60 years for convicted bur- them. glary, six years for involuntary manslaughter, Amber Rives, pro- 15 years for burglary of grams director for litiga- habitation and 15 years tions support at the for burglary of a vehicle Texas Department of Most and delivery of a con- Criminal Justice, said an trolled substancr. inmate's first frivolous litigators are in- Between the inmates, lawsuit is overlooked, more than 15 lawsuits but after the second, 60 mates that can't have been filed this year. days of good time are get along.... Complaints included in- taken away for each sub- mates not being served sequent lawsuit declared Amber Rives, programs farm fresh produce and by a court to be without USDA meat, problems merit. director for litigations sup- with mail service to in- Inmates file about port mates, strip searches and 400 suits every month inmates in administra- against the state, with 75 tive segregation not re- percent of them in federal courts, according ceiving desserts. to information released by the TDCJ. At any Along with the new law, a new teleconfer- given time, about 3,500 suits are pending. encing system has been devised that will let "The problem when inmates file a ridicu- prisoners handle their court cases from prison, John Woolkir/IM lous or frivolous lawsuit is that it is a waste of cutting down on trips to the courthouse. Go fish: Tech graduate The Mad Hatter plays a game of Magic: Hatter, a candidate for mayor, said if elected he would make our time and the taxpayers money," said Larry "The teleconferencing system will be very The Gathering in his store, The Mad Hatter's House of Games. Lubbock a wet town. The election is in January. Todd, information officer for the TDCJ. beneficial because many times an inmate will Rives said some prisoners do have viable See Prisoners, page 3 Legislature needs $1.6 billion for education AUSTIN (AP) — The Legis- dent growth, Sharp's estimate $1 billion in school property tax spent on education." Unsolved murder leads to lature would need at least an ad- includes court-ordered measures relief. The governor said that be- The state is projected to ditional $1.6 billion to cover the to maintain financial equity sides the tax-relief money, an spend $18 billion on public edu- essentials for public education among school districts. additional $1.2 billion would be cation in the 1996-97 budget fund for ex-Tech professor for the 1998-99 biennium, "You've got to do the equal- available to cover 115,000 new cycle. Comptroller John Sharp says. ization — otherwise (the state) students expected to enroll in Sharp, a Democrat, also said by April Castro/UD No sign of supportive of the College of That's $400 million more could end up in court," Sharp Texas public schools in 1998-99. he intends to release a list of pro- The Oct. 29 murder of a forced entry Business Administration, than the amount Gov. George W. said. Bush emphasized Tuesday posed budget savings within the former Texas Tech professor was found. said Deborah Finlayson, di- Bush last week said would be Bush made his comments during a stop in Fort Worth that next three weeks equal to the $1 remains unsolved by Lub- "His rector of the college's devel- necessary just to cover enroll- about school aid in announcing the $1.2 billion "is not all of the billion in tax relief proposed by bock authorities. daughter who opment. ment growth. In addition to stu- an effort to provide Texans with money that I will propose be the Republican governor. The unsolved case re- lives in Hous- Other faculty members sulted in a fund established Taylor ton flew to agreed that Taylor was in- for information leading to the town, and when he was not at valuable to the university. arrest and conviction of the the airport, she called him at "I called him Mr. Texas United States vetoes Boutros-Ghali re-election person responsible for the home and got no answer," said Tech because he was always UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Boutros-Ghali's candidacy be- Ghali, claiming he has not pur- date, but it's important for them homicide. Bill Morgan, Lubbock Police pushing Texas Tech to be out Alone among Security Council comes implausible. attention sued U.N. reform vigorously to come forward with an Afri- The reward was estab- Department public information front," said Herschal Mann, members, the United States ve- would focus first on other Afri- enough. can candidate" other than lished through the Crime officer. an accounting professor in toed Secretary-General Boutros can nominees. U.S. officials said the Repub- Boutros-Ghali, said U.S. Am- Line, a service to help locate "She became concerned and the College of Business Ad- Boutros-Ghali for a second term As ex- lican-con- bassador Madeleine Albright. criminals. called a neighbor to go check on ministration, in a previous Tuesday and appealed to African pected, the trolled Con- The United States offered no "We offer rewards for in- him." interview with The University states to offer other candidates United gress was alternative candidate, and Afri- formation for felony, fugi- Morgan said no new informa- Daily. "He was always so up- to avoid a diplomatic deadlock. States cast ...we will unlikely to can diplomats appeared divided tives and thefts," said Jeff tion is available to the public beat." But the 74-year-old Egyptian the lone give special pref- pay the over how to respond.