Amendments at Polls Today If Proposition One Passes: *") It Will Authorize Issuance of $300 Million in General Obligation Loans to Finance Student Loans
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FROGS TACKLE MUSTANGS - PAGE 6 TCU DAILY SKIFF TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7,.1995 TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, FORT WORTH, TEXAS 93RD YEAR, NO. 42 Amendments at polls today If Proposition one passes: *") It will authorize issuance of $300 million in general obligation loans to finance student loans. Student loan issue highlights Texas voter's ballot □ $75 to $80 million would initially be sold to provide loans for about four years. BY CHRIS HAYS Proposition one, if passed, will Scott, interim director of financial Loan Program. This program, which TCU DAILY SKIFF authorize issuance of S300 million in aid and scholarships. These students is operated by the Texas Higher Edu- general obligation loans to finance have borrowed the maximum cation Coordinating Board, has pro- If Proposition one fails: L Texas voters will go to the polls student loans. allowed from the federal programs vided more than S900 million to today to vote on 14 proposed amend- Many Texas college students, and depend on the state to finance the more than 240,000 Texas students. ments to the already bulging Texas including 40 to 50 TCU students, remainder of the costs. The money the state uses to back "1 At TCU. about $200,000 could be lost by constitution. depend on this money to finance their "We have a number of students the loans is issued through general students. Most voters have shown little education. Thus, the fate of their col- right now who TCU has approved for obligation bonds, which must be paid ~1 Statewide, the pool of student loan money would interest in the amendments, which lege education may lie in the hands of state loans, but they cannot get their from general funds. Under Texas law. cover a variety of topics, including the voters when they go to the polls money unless this proposition the issuance of these general obliga- drop from about $80 million to about S20 million per the abolishment of state offices and next week. passes," Scott said. tion bonds must be specifically year. providing aid for veterans' housing. The TCU students most affected The state has provided the loans authorized by Texas voters. ~l About 15.000 students receiving loans would lose But one proposition has a large by the program are typically inde- for Texas students since 1965 interest in the college community. pendent, adult students, said Mike through the Hinson-Hazelwood see Loans, page 2 funding in the spring. House to vote on conference funding BY CHRISTI GIFFORD "You pay tuition to be a part of TCU DAILY SKIFF Concert Chorale." and the music department ha> a budget to help sup- The House of Student Represen- pon the group. Groves said tatives will vote on only one bill 81 The committee also thought it its meeting tonight. Another bill, was similar to paving for new foot- which was tabled Oct. 31 to be re- ball jerseys or the Showgirls, which presented to the House today, was is not necessaril) House policy, killed by the finance committee last Groves said. week. He said he would help A\a The bill that was killed asked for Mason, the waits Hall representa- the House to help pa\ for the mak- tive who wrote the bill and a mem- ing of new uniforms for the Concert ber of the Concert Chorale, lo Chorale. petition other groups for mone> lor Shawn Groves, House treasurer, the uniforms. said the Finance Committee wanted The House will debate and vote to help fund the group's new uni- on a bill to help fund the 1996 lexas forms, but felt giung the group Catholic Student Conference, which money was not under House ideals. is being hosted b\ the TCI Catholic The bill requested $750 to pay for Community March 15-17. about one-third of the total cost of The bill originally requested the new uniforms lor the choir. House give S3.904.33 to pay the Groves said because the group « as budget deficit of the TCS( essentially funded by the university, The finance Committee decided TCU Daily Skiff/ Blake Sims it did not fit with the House concepts Ihe speaker stipend ol SI.O(H) wa- Homecoming escort J.R. Greene, a junior business major, and Chancellor William Tucker watch as 1994 Homecom- that the House should find campus ttle most important aspect of the ing Queen Dana Cummings crowns Gina Blackstone as the 1995 queen. Cummings is a senior coordinated dietetics organizations which do not receive major and Blackstone is a senior majoring in fashion promotion. money from specific departments. see House, page 8 Controversy abounds with TAAS test APO members offer People question Texas schools' modification of curriculum to help prep students professors a night off the performance of the teacher, and with their sophomore years, students the change in focus of the test. Mead- BY CHRIS HAYS with members, allowing close TCU DAILY SKIFF with so much focus on the test, they are given as many opportunities as ows said. Originally, the primary pur- BY BARBARA KASUJJA are beginning to devote a significant are needed to pass the test. pose of the TAAS test was to evaluate TCU DAILY SKIFF supervision. Thorp said. Teachers in Texas's public schools portion of class time to it." "It is intended that students have teachers in the public schools, she "There will be at least 50 Alpha are expected to teach the basics: The TAAS test is the third test of multiple opportunities to meet said. Members of Alpha Phi Omega, Phi members to help out with the reading, writing and arithmetic. its type administered by the TEA, expectations on the exit level during The state has placed greater a national co-ed sen ice fraternity, kids." Thorp, a senior education However, some experts are both- following the Texas Assessment of their sophomore, junior and senior emphasis on the test recently in com- will baby-sit children of TCU fac- major, said. ered by a trend that may be directly Basic Skills (TABS) and the Texas years," Albertson said. "Beginning paring schools based on overall test ulty and staff at the Rickel Build- Parent participants include taking time away from these essen- Educational Assessment of Mini- with the class of 1995, students have scores. ing Saturday night. writing center employee and tial elements. mum Skills (TEAMS) tests. The first up to eight opportunities to pass the This concept is furthered by the The free baby-sitting, which Alpha Phi Omega adviser Steve Students in Texas are required to two tests measure minimum skills in exit-level TAAS before the end of recent reforms under Senate Bill 1. marks the fraternity's sixth bian- Sherwood. take the Texas Assessment of Acade- reading, writing and mathematics, their senior year." Schools are categorized according to nual Professors' Night Out. takes Sherwood, who has been a mic Skills (TAAS) test periodically said Deatta Albertson. spokeswoman In addition, a student who has not their scores, and if a certain percent- place every fall and spring semes- member of the fraternity since this throughout their school careers. for the TEA. passed the TAAS but has fulfilled all age of students in each grade level do ter and gives TCU faculty and semester, said the program However, over the past few years, She said the changing require- other graduation requirements may not pass the exam, the school is staff an opportunity to enjoy a allowed him and his wife to have more and more emphasis has been ments of education in recent years take the failed seetion(s) as many labeled "low performing." night on the town. a "rare night out without paying placed on the test by the school dis- have caused the TAAS, which was times as needed. Under the reforms, a student may Nicole Miller, a sophomore for a baby sitter." tricts and the Texas Education designed in 1990, to extend and At Lamar High School in Arling- opt to transfer out of such a school speech pathology major, said the He also said one of the reasons Agency (TEA), which governs the expand on the previous tests. ton, assistant principal Mike Pringle and into any other school in the state. fraternity's baby-sitting event he joined the fraternity was test. The TAAS test follows the pattern said the school has responded by set- "The changes under Senate Bill I would be fun for the students and because of its involvement in ser- As a result, teachers and educators of its predecessors in that it is crite- ting up classes in the afternoon that make the test all that more important useful for the faculty and staff that vice. are debating the importance of the rion-referenced, linking test items to help students who have failed the test because, for the first time, low scores choose to participate. "It's one of the few service fra- test. Some feel the test is simply a specific learning objectives. Albert- prepare for retakes. can financially hurt a particular "1 think it's a neat idea and a ternities on campus that directly measure of skills that should be son said. The students all take the classes school," Pringle said, "because if a great thing to do." said Miller, seeks to benefit the faculty and taught anyway, so there is no conflict These criteria are drawn from the after their normal schedule and student leaves, the money the state who is also one of the organizers staff at TCU," Sherwood said. between test preparation and the essential elements outlined by the receive no high school credit, he said.