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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 1985)
- - .-inn. <• . S3 v \\: & -y •/ v % ' v : s . ^ ' ' •• : '•• ss Conoco donates gift A&M gets land in Brazoria County Page 6 Hit! SWC baseball forecast Road to '85 title runs through Austin Page 9 m Texas ASM m m W # he Battalion Vol. 80 No. 117 CJSPS 045360 10 pages College Station, Texas Friday, March 22,1985 &M claims Bullock’s report is misleading By SARAH OATES Stuff Writer State Comptroller Boh Bulloc k's Jreinarks Monday that I exas < olleges land universities have billions in local Bunds that onh the\ can spend is a |“hiisstatement of fact," Texas A&M fUniversitvoflicials Thursday a speech to the l exas Daily per Association, Bullock said Istate colleges “have their noses in a [$3.4 billion bowl of gravy, which is in liheir bank accounts and which the [legislature never sees.'' i he figures were based on a spe- Icial financial report prepared bv [Bullock’s office. State- universities Iget local revenues from such sources |as library lines, ticket sales to athletic events and dormitory tent, the re- [port said. Bullock said he no longer sup- ||M)itecl a college tuition increase af- [ter discovering the amount of local Ifunds. Hut A&M officials s.iid Bul- llock s report is misleading. A statement issued 'Tuesday by Ithe A&M System (Comptroller’s of- Ifice to < l.uil v points made in Bui- A&M By MICHAEL CRAWFORD Staff Writer Texas A&M’s new microcomputer bequisilion piogtam. designed to provide students, faculty and stall [with significant discounts on miexo- omputers, has angered some local oraputer vendors and raised the possibility that some of them may be iriven out of business. “I think it really stinks,” says Da- id Lethe, vice president for Digital ^Computing Systems. “The Univer sity should not compete in the busi ness market. 11 they’re going to do [that why don’t they just start selling [cars or anything else. Why comput ers? Why pick on that field? There’s no logic behind it. The next thing they can do is put up a university [store, a grocery store or compete in automobiles. They shouldn’t be in that business." Associate Vice Chancellor William Wasson says the University does not intend to compete with local busi nesses in any other areas. lock’s report “tells the story pretty well,” A&M Chancellor Arthur Han sen said. "We’ve studied the report in det ail." he said, “and there are a couple of misstatements of fact we’ve at tempted to point out. “Bullock tried to show something was discovered, which is not true. I hat money has always been there. The legislators know the story.” Hansen said the local funds, most of which pay for services not pro vided by the state, cannot be re- channeled into other budgets, such as tuition. “ The implication about tuition is mat it could come from local funds, but the local funds are not a slush fund,” Hansen said. “We could raise dorm fees, for example, but it would be unfair to penalize students. You just can’t do tnat.” A&M President Frank Vandiver said the local funds are not “new money,” but are part of the cost of running the University. “I think the problem is the comp troller has identified a body of money that has always been used for the University.” he said. “It’s part of the cost of running the University and I’m surprised he’s only just now found it. What we tried to emphasize is that clearly, there is nothing hid den. “Local funds are essential because they’re flexible. If that money was taken back into the state treasury, we’d just have to get it back out again because it’s already earmarked and budgeted for long down the road.” Bullock’s report stated no Perma nent or Available University Funds are included in the local funds. A&M System Comptroller Wil liam A. Wasson said over $111 mil lion or 45 percent of the $247 mil lion in local funds is AUF money given to A&M by the Legislature. Additionally, $38 million of PUF bond revenues go to local funds for System administration. The report also said colleges can raise their fees at will and that most fee money is put into local funds Death March Photo by ANTHONY S. CASPER See Bullock, page 6 Sigma Alpha Epsilon member Mark Ru dolph pays his last respects to Paddy Mur phy, alias Steve Stonecipher, in Thursday’s bogus funeral promoting a SAE party. Mur phy was an SAE bootlegger killed by A1 Ca pone’s gang during Prohibition. worry local vendors Wf- have no intendon of selling things like cars,” Wasson says. ‘ We re selling computers because they arc important to our curric- ulun). They are absolutely essential.” If some retailers go out of business, Wasson says, he does not believe it will be because of the University’s ac tions. A&M’s program gives discounts between 25 percent and 44 percent >n certain Apple, AT&T, Hewlett- Packard, IBM and Zenith microcom- putevs T he University is able to sell the terminals at a discount by pur chasing the equipment in large vol umes Those savings are then passed on to the buyer. Smaller businesses that don’t place large orders usually can’-, offer the same discounts, and local businessmen say their sales have suffered. Judy Wright, president of Yes Computers, says she expects the University to “drastically change the retail environment of Bryan-ColJege Station.” “It’s hard to determine what the iilV •' Ctv' • ' 111 By MICHAEL CRAWFORD Staff Writer The new microcomputer acqui sition confer will open Monday in the recent! v renovated section of the student textbook store in the Memorial Student Center base- ment. ; '•[ And the plan to locate the new computer store in the area now , occupied by Rumours appears to $ beonhold.iiiili -rnkTocompmet acquisition pro- S 'am. part, of die proposal in- uded finding a permanent site for a computet store A&M Sys tem administrators; wanted to lo cate the store in Rumours, but heavy opposition to the plan from various MSC committees has forced the new center to locate in temporary quarters. • The renovated section in the basement will house the center When Texas A&M began its See Computers, page 6 exact impact will be,” Wright says. “We haven’t sold one Macintosh (computer) since the program started. T he reason I can't match the Macintosh price is because Apple Computer is selling it to the Univer sity for less than I can buy it. Actu ally. they are selling it to the students for less than I can buy it.” Wright says she expects some computer ven dors to be driven out of business. Although Yes Computers does not sell the Macintosh through the University, they do sell the Apple lie and the Apple He through the pro- gram. Other vendors who don’t use the program worry about competing with the University. Bert Frenz, Computerland owner, says the marker, for computers is strong enough to support small ven dors, but not in competition with the University. He maintains local deal ers will be in trouble from the com petition. “We are disturbed by the micro computer acquisition program,” Frenz says. “We are in conference with the University in examining the long-range effect this program has,” Computerland recently began of fering 38 percent discounts on IBM, AT&T and Compaq systems. Frenz would not comment on how his store can offer discounts larger than the University’s. Candidates discuss role of A&M students By TAMARA BELL :• Staff Writer The role of students and Student [Government in the Texas A&M ad I ministration’s policy-making process : was discussed by candidates Tot stu- | dent body president Thursday night. The five candidates at the debate j agreed Student Government should act as an intermediary between the student body and the administration [in order to accomplish policy-mak jing goals. A sixth candidate, Jeff Dan/inger, was unable to attend be j cause of a death in the family. Speaking to a crowd of about 40 [people, the candidates said Student Government needs to work to get students involved in campus activ ities. Responses differed, however, when the candidates were asked what programs they would ern- phasize within Student Government. Bob Stephan, a senior mechanical engineering major, said would make changes within the individual branches of government. “There should be committees within the executive branch that deal with the concerns of the minorities,” he said. Bret t Shine, a junior finance ma jor, said the current Student Gov ernment constitution is restrictive. Shine said he would reconstruct the three branch system by getting rid of t he judicial board. “In an ideal situation, i would consolidate the executive and legis lative branches to create a system Presidential candidates are (from left): Ma- delcm Yanta, Bob Stephan, Mike Cook, Sean Photc by ANTHONY S. CASPER Royall and Brett Shine. Jeff Danzinger was absent because of a death in the family. Some vendors worry not only about competition from the Univer sity in hardware, but also about com petition in selling the actual com puter programs. According to Wasson, when the University began planning for the microcomputer program, it agreed not to sell large amounts of computer software. But, some software is available through the University program, and that has at least one vendor worried. “Software (competition) would hurt the most,” Lethe says, “because there is going to be a lot of pirating. The situation is ripe for that type of environment. We’ve even seen it on campus.” 11 the University starts offering more software, Letne says, some re tailers would be reduced to provid ing maintenance and support serv ices. “There’s little money in that,” Lehte says. “Support is answering questions and fixing little problems and things like that.” Seat belt bill gets tentative approval Associated Press AUSTIN —- The Senate on Thursday tentatively approved a bill that would require persons riding in the front seat of automobiles and most pickup trucks to strap on a seat belt. Sponsor Ted Lyon, D-Mesquite, predicted the bill would save “tons of dollars” and 1,000 lives in Texas next year. See Seat belt, page 6 that stresses working together,” Shine said. Mike Cook, a junior economics major, said he would put less em- phasison government committees that subscribe to bureaucratic “mumbo jumbo.” Madelon Yanta, a junior finance major, said she would increase exter nal communication by emphasizing Muster, the Big Event, and other campus-wide activities. Sean Royall, a junior economics See Discuss, page 6 Reagan wants super summit, MX funds Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Reagan, renewing an offer to meet with newly installed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, said Thursday night it is “high time” for a super power summit and that there is a good chance it will take place. Reagan, speaking at his third tele vised news conference in as many months, appealed to the Democrat- controlled House of Representative to approve funds for the MX missile in a pair of votes next week. He said there is little prospect of success at arms control talks with the Soviets in Geneva without congressional ap proval for 21 additional missiles. “No request by an American presi dent for a major strategic system deemed vital to the national security has ever been denied by an Ameri can Congress,” said Reagan. On other domestic matters, the president said that when he meets Senate Republican leaders today, he will be prepared to discuss changes i m his unpopular fiscal year 1986 budget. But he seemed to rule out canceling next year’s Social Security cost-of-living increase, as some sen ators want. And he said further cuts in his defense budget “run the risk of lowering our capability at preserv ing national security.” Reagan also described the police shootings of black demonstrators in South Africa as “tragic,” but said the racial troubles in that nation result in part from those who want “violence in the streets.” in addition.to his desire to engage in a superpower dialogue, the presi dent said the United States is willing to meet with a joint Palestinian and Jordanian delegation to promote peace in the Middle East, so long as the Palestinian Liberation Organiza tion is excluded. But he ruled out di rect American involvement in peace talks. Even as he appealed for biparti san support for his MX missile, Rea gan set up a fresh confrontation with Congress when he said he would op pose an extension of federal unem ployment benefits for those whose state payments have run out. The president also said the clo sure of 71 state-insured savings and loans institutions in Ohio had no na tional implications. “This is not a major threat to banking systems, and not a problem anywhere else,” he said. Correction In Thursday’s Battalion the story about Sully’s Symposium in correctly reported a statement from student body president can didate Sean Royall. The story incorrectly said that Royall said knowledge of issues is not what is important, but rather knowing who to talk to. However, what Royall said was that knowledge of the issues is only half of the issue for the stu dent bodv president. He said the other half of the issue is being able to work with the policy mak ers because they are the ones who can make a difference. The Battalion regrets the er ror.