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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1985)
f \lo\. 80 No. 110 (JSPS 045360 16 pages College Station, Texas Wednesday, March 6, 1985 1 ■ i Federal budget reductions State may lose $56 per person Associated Press WASHINGTON — Texas would lose $56 in federal cash for every state resident under President Rea gan’s proposed domestic spending cuts in fiscal year I98(i, according to a study released Tuesday. Texas would get $900 million less than the amount of federal money it would need to maintain current lev els, according to the report from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The public employees’ union said the cuts would amount to a $14 bil lion reduction below the amount of money needed to maintain the status quo nationwide. In per capita reductions, Texas ranked fourtn among all the states, the union said. The list included federal grants to local and state governments for pro grams such as bilingual education, job training, subsidized meals, wel fare and transportation programs, and programs that pay individuals, such as food stamps. Supplemental Security Income and college student aid. The biggest reduction in Texas’ share of the federal money would be in general revenue sharing, which Reagan proposes to eliminate. The state would need $239 million in fis cal 1985 stay even, the AFSCME re port said. Next largest would be a reduction in Medicare of $188 million from the projected need of $3.7 billion, the report said. Other large reductions would come in federal highway funds — $78 million less than the projected amount needed to maintain current levels; urban mass transit — $72 mil lion less; child nutrition programs — $44 million less; and Medicaid —$38 milllion less. Texas would have to get $ 19.9 bil lion for fiscal year 1986 to maintain current program levels, the report said. Under the Reagan budget, 'it would receive $19 billion. Van de Walle named to head 1985-86 A&M Corps of Cadets By DAINAH BULLARD Staff Writer The 1985-86 . commander and deputy commander for the Corps of Cadets were announced during the evening meal Tuesday in Duncan Dining Hall. Curt Van de Walle, a civil engi neering major .from Hondo, will be Corps commander. Henry Werchan, anelectrical engineering major from Houston, will be deputy com mander. The two cadets were interviewed last week after being nominated f or the positions. John Koldus, vice president for student services, and Gen. Ormond Simpson, assistant vice president for student services, approved the nominations. Frank E. Vandiver, president of Texas A&M University, gave final approval Tuesday. Van de Walle, the sergeant major of the Corps for the 1984-85 school year, said he and Werchan haven’t nad time to make concrete plans for the forthconring year. However, they do have some ideas, he said. “We want to get back to the basics of the Corps of Cadets,” he said. “Well be eliminating people we don’t feel are contributing to the mission or purpose of the Corps of Cadets, and making sure people fiave a purpose, have a mission.” Van de Walle said he and Wer chan will start developing their ideas now so the Corps will be in order when the fall ’85 semester begins. “Anything we want to get done next year, the groundwork’s going to have to be laid for this year,” he said. “The Corps kind of had its feet knocked out from under them (this year). We’ll get to build it up, take it back to the straight and narrow. We want to produce good officers and civilian leaders.” Werchan, 1st Brigade sergeant major for die 1984-85 school year, agreed that it’s time to start plan ning. However, the cadets must first finish their business this semester, he said. “A lot remains to be done this Curt Van de Walle year,” Werchan said. “But we do need to kick things off for next year. We have to be sure of ourselves be fore we leave for the summer. And we have to set realistic goals.” Curriculum proposal hearing set for today By KIRSTEN DIETZ Staff Writer Students and faculty can voice Then opinions on the Faculty Sen- 1 -*'’s proposed core curriculum ay during a public hearing on the recommendation. The Core Curriculum Sub- tmtte of the Faculty Senate bold its second of three pub ic hearings at 3 p.m. in 140 and 40A MSC, The nearing will last tntil 4:30 p.m., Dr. Paul Parrish, vice chairman >f the subcommittee, says stu* lews should come because they e the best ones to judge the ngihs and weaknesses of the mimended curriculum. He says they should show some See HEARING, page 12 Student Senate Pari-mutuel betting, housing bills By JERRY OSLIN Staff Writer The Student Senate will vote on a bill tonight that calls on the Senate to support pari-mutuel betting and horse racing in Texas. Tamara Grubb, the bill’s sponsor, said the state needs the revenue that horse racing would bring. “Since horse racing would bring more agricultural jobs to Texas, Texas A&M graduates would be of fered more opportunity,” she said. Slate Rep. Richard Smith, R-Col- lege Station, will speak to the Senate about higher education and the bud get crunch in Texas. The Senate also will vote on two student housing hills. The first bill recommends that the University Housing Office reserve dormitory space for single graduate students entering Texas A&M for a one-year duration. The second bill calls for the estab lishment of a coed dormitory on campus. The bill says the one coed dorm would be established on an ex perimental basis. The Senate also will vote on an open forum bill that would allow stu dents to voice their opinions during Senate meetings. Approval of the bill would allow students three minutes to speak if they reserve a time slot in advance with the Student Government secre tary. The bill also says that the student shall be subject to removal if he “ex- As Corps commander, Van de Walle will be the leader and spokes man for the Corps and the liason be tween the Corps and Trigon offi cials. The duties of the deputy commander include presiding over cadet court and a number of boards, standing in for the Corps com mander when necessary, and “a lot of paperwork,” Werchan said. The two cadets said they will func tion as a team. Their first official du ties will include selecting the rest of Corps staff. Juniors (seniors in 1985- 86) will be interviewed for staff posi tions the week of March 18 to March 22, Van de Walle said. Interviews for sophomores (juniors in 1985-86) will follow. The current Corps staff and Commandant of Cadets Col. Donald Burton, or a representative from his office, also will participate in the in terviews, Van de Walle said. After Corps staff positions are filled, major and minor outfits will select their commanders, Van de Walle said. up for vote ceeds the bounds of good taste and decency.” Wayne Roberts, vice president of student services, said the open fo rum bill is needed because the Sen ate is not getting consistent input from students. Vice President of Finance Mike Kelley will introduce a bill with rec ommendations for the spending of the $3.8 million in student service fee allocations for the 1985-86 school year. The Student Govern ment Finance Committee is respon sible for making spending recom mendations on the student service fee allocations. The bill also recommends that the University’s student service fee re main at $54.50 per semester for the 1985-86 school year. The Senate meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in 204 Harrington. Homeless not a major problem in area Editor’s note: This is the second artide in a three-part series examin ing the plight of Brazos County’s homeless. By DAINAH BULLARD Staff Writer Twin City Mission in Bryan, the only shelter for homeless peojde within a 100-mile radius, aided from. 105 to 141 transients each month in 1984. But even considering these num bers, officials from the police de partments of Texas A&M Univer sity, Bryan and College Station say homeless people are not a major problem in the area. And when they do discover homeless people, offi cials find help for them, usually at the Mission. Bob Wiatt, director of security and traffic at Texas A&M, says there have been some isolated cases of homeless people sleeping in campus buildings. “Basically we don’t have any prob lems,” Wiatt says. “We are very dil igent to make sure these people don’t use the campus as a sofa for a weary head.” University Police usually discover transient people within two days of their arrival on campus and tell them to leave, Wiatt says. The police tell the transients they will be ar rested for criminal trespassing if they are found on campus again, he says. One of the more recent cases han dled by University Police concerned a woman who slept in Reed McDon ald Building for a few nights last spring. “We had to advise that particular individual to leave Reed McDonald,” Wiatt says. “She then slept for two nights on the golf course. We even tually turned her over to the local welfare agencies.” University Police make efforts to find help for the homeless people they fina on campus, Wiatt says, but the safety of Texas A&M students is their top priority. Wiatt says homeless people are a problem in many cities. These peo ple haunt vacant housing projects and construction sites, and sleep un der bridges, in sewers and card board shanties, he says. However, the word is out that the Texas A&M campus is not a good camp ground, he says. “In all your cities, be they Bryan- College Station, New York or Chi- See HOMELESS, page 12 Scaffolding Art A construction worker makes his way through the scaffold* ing that surrounds the Engineering Physics Building. The scaffolding has been put up for the bricklayers to stand on as they work on the outside of the building. The bricklayers work at heights of up to five stories.