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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 1988)
Vol.87 No. 176 8 Pages College Station, Texas Friday, July 15, 1988 obley rumored as new president By Richard Williams Editor and Stephen Masters Staff writer William Hodges Mobley, executive deputy hancellor of' the Texas A&M University Sys- Jm, will be named as A&M’s next president,- a knowledgable source told The Battalion ■ hursday. The Battalion was unable to con- ■nn the report with any members of the residential Selection Committee or the A&M oard of Regents. Another source said the new president ould be named by Monday but would not comment on the report that Mobley would be the choice. Both sources spoke on the condi tion of anonymity. President Frank Vandiver could not be reached directly for comment, but he relayed a message to The Battalion that “he (Van diver) could not comment about that report, and that all questions would have to be di rected to the chancellor.” The Battalion was unable to reach Chan cellor Perry Adkisson Thursday night, and a secretary in his office Thursday afternoon told The Battalion that Adkisson would be out of town Friday morning. Herman Saatkamp, deputy speaker for the Faculty Senate, said he did not know who the next president would be, but said Mobley would be “a very good choice.” Samuel E. Gillespie, assistant dean for the. College of Business Administration, said he would be “ecstatic” if Mobley was named as the new president, but he said he did not know if that decision had been made. “I think he is clearly of presidential cali ber,” Gillespie said. “He has good interperso nal skills, good communication skills, good planning skills and is clearly an excellent choice. “The College of Business would be partic ularly pleased since he was our interim dean, our dean and also chosen to be the deputy chancellor. He is a person who has good lead ership skills, and if he were to be named the next president of Texas A&M, we would think he would be a good choice. “To say they made the right choice would be wrong because we don’t know who the other candidates were. But clearly a very, very, very good choice.” Dr. Dean Corrigan, dean of the education college, Dr. Herbert Richardson, dean of the engineering college, and Dr. Melvin Fried man, dean of the College of Geosciences were all out of town and unavailable for comment Thursday night. The Battalion was also un able to reach Dr. Charles Arentzen, dean of See President, page 6 Splash and spike Photo by Scott D. Weaver Shane Daniel of Bryan jumps to hit a volleyball during a game at Bryan Aquatic Center Thursday. A&M gets $5,000 NRC fine for radiation safety violations By Loyd Brumfield Senior Staff Writer The Nuclear Regulatory Commis sion has slapped the nuclear science center at Texas A&M with a $5,000 fine for violations of radiation pro tection requirments, a commision of ficial said Thursday. Joe Gilliland, a public relations of ficial with the NRC regional bureau in Arlington, said the Texas Engi neering Extension Service, which is responsible for the center, was in formed of the findings Wednesday. The violations in question are as follows: • Failure to provide and properly place the correct personnel monitor ing equipment; • Failure to establish proper ac cess controls for high-radiation areas; • Failure to provide radiological instructions for people working in designated-radiation areas. A statement released by the NRC said workers received unnecessary exposure to radiation because of these violations, but Gilliland said the NRC didn’t believe the workers had been overexposed. “We have no reason to believe that there was significant overexposure or that lives were threatened in the process,” Gilliland said in a tele phone interview. Federal guidelines limit exposure levels to three rem — a measuring system of radiation and its effects on human tissue. A&M did not exceed federal limits. The University has 30 days to pay the fine or to protest it. If a protest is denied, A&M can request a hearing. The usual fine is $2,500, but Rob ert Martin, NRC regional adminis trator, said in the statement that the fine was doubled because of “the multiple nature of the violations and the length of time they existed.” Dr. Kenneth Peddicord, assistant director for research at TEEX, said A&M has no plans to appeal the fine at the moment. “We want to meet all the proce dures, make sure they are satisfied,” he said. “We don’t have dis agreement with what they have found and we want to do things right. We have no plans to appeal.” Gilliland said the NRC inspected the science center last March 7-9 and again on April 11-12. The statement said the violations occurred between Aug. 19 and Nov. 17, 1987. Peddicord said A&M identified possible violations first and reported them to the NRC, halting a neutron defraction experiment being con ducted at the science center. “The NRC looked at our report and verified the three things we had listed,” he said. Peddicord said the wrong radia tion badges were being used in the experiment at the science center. In a statement released by TEEX, director Herbert Richardson said the experiment station is committed to a safe operation of the nuclear re actor and observing all NRC regula tions. “Besides the NRC’s review, the ex periment procedures and radiation protection measures have also been reviewed by a University subcommit tee of nuclear safety scientists and professionals, and I have called for an independent procedural audit by outside professionals in the field,” he said in the statement. Richardson was out of town and could not be reached for comment. UN calls for investigation of jet downing MONTREAL (AP) — Iran failed Thursday to get a clear condemna tion of the United States for the July 3 attack on an Iranian jetliner, but a special session of the International Civil Aviation Organization resulted in officials saying they deplored the use of weapons against a civil air craft. The United Nations agency’s 33- member governing Council unani mously agreed to an independent ICAO investigation into the disaster, with results to be reported at the next ICAO session Sept. 15-16. “We are delighted by the results,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard S. Williamson said at the end of two-day meeting. “Temptations and efforts to poli ticize this session were rebuffed,” he said. Iranian spokesman Seirous Naseri said his country had hoped for a strong condemnation of the United States and warned that the July 3 tragedy could recur unless U.S. forces withdraw from the Persian Gulf. Naseri blamed “political con straints” for the Council’s mild re sponse, citing American “influence and power.” Williamson rankled when asked at a news conference if he had engaged in arm-twisting. “That’s a ridiculous and insulting assertion by the Iranians,” he said. “We didn’t have the right kind of badges on personnel for that kind of experiment and they were oversensi tive,” he said. Peddicord said the science center has since implemented training pro cedures to correct the problem. On the third violation, concerning people in radiation access areas, he said the science center was control ling how people could go into cer tain areas, but that it was set up in correctly. Gilliland said the University should have been alerted by three advisories circulated that detailed steps for additional control in in high-radiation areas. Early diet linked to cholesterol levels Discrimination lawsuit against A&M rejected By Juliette Rizzo Reporter Stonnie Jones was a bright, fun- loving six-year-old, but she was dif ferent from other children. She was growing old befqre her time. Inter nally, her body was like the body of m old person, not knowing which beat of her heart would be its last. Her heart was encased with cho lesterol. In 1983, Stormie became the first person to survive heart and lung transplants that were needed be muse of high cholesterol. Adults everywhere are concerned about the amount of cholesterol in their daily diets, but now doctors are ttoncerned with the amount of cho lesterol needed for normal growth fcnd development of children. Dr. Ricardo Uauy, associate pro- essor in the Nutrition Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, has found that early diet may affect the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Uauy’s studies involve the relationship between the high amount of cholesterol in breast-fed infants’ diets and the build up of cholesterol in later life. Cholesterol, at low levels, is im portant in maintaining normal phys- iogical processes but, in tests it has been known to cause arteriosclerosis, a thickening of the arteries that can lead to heart attacks. High choles terol is caused by diet or genetics. “Because cholesterol can do dan gerous things to people, especially their hearts, we need to start with the young,” Uauy said. “We may find a way to prevent premature cor onary heart disease.” Uauy and his associate, Dr. Robert Kramer, a clinical professor of pedi atrics at UT Southwestern, are studying the diets of 20 babies in their first year of life. The infants in the study are receiving breast milk or specially-formulated baby formu las. Their cholesterol levels are being monitored and Uauy expects to con tinue this study by monitoring these children at different ages. Dr. Joseph Goldstein and Dr. Mi chael Brown, also at UT Southwes tern, won the Nobel prize in 1985 for their research on the genetic causes of high cholesterol. Receptors in the liver act like magnets to pull cholesterol from the bloodstream; therefore, a genetic defect can result in the loss of receptors and the loss of the body’s ability to flush choles terol out of the bloodstream. Dr. Scott M. Grundy, Director of the Center for Human Nutrition in Dallas, said detection, evaluation and treatment of high cholesterol is important for healthy living, regard less of age. Once a person reaches 20, they should be tested for high cholesterol every five years. Grundy said therapy begins with diet therapy, not drug therapy. A low cholesterol, low fat diet of vege tables, fruit and minimal red meat along with a daily exercise program may reduce cholesterol levels to 200 mg., which is the “desirable” blood cholesterol level. The American Heart Association recommends a 300 mg. maximum cholesterol intake per day. Free cho lesterol screening is being offered in the MSC today from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. By Alan Sembera Staff Writer A jury unanimously rejected an employee discrimation suit against Texas A&M Thursday night after a four day trial in the 361st District Court. The suit was filed three years ago by Yvonne Z. Fares, an A&M Printing Center supervisor, who charged the University with pass ing her over for wage increases and promotions because of her sex, age and race. Fare also had c harged that the University retaliated against her for filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1984. But A&M, which is being rep resented by the Texas Attorney General’s Office, maintains that Fares is using discrimination as an excuse for not being pro moted. Fares, who is a native of Egypt, has worked at the Printing Center since 1974, and has been art products coordinator since 1977. Houston attorney Carol Nel- kin, who represents Fares, said she hasn’t decided if she will ap peal the verdict. Fares’ attorney based the sex discrimination part of the charges on the fact that the female em ployees of the Printing Center are paid less than their male co-work ers. As evidence, Nelkin compared the salaries of male and female supervisors at the Printing Center since 1981. According to the 1987-88 Uni versity budget, the average salary for male supervisors at the Print ing Center, not including the manager, is $5,600 higher than the average salary for female su pervisors. But Assistant Attorney General Lauri J. Schneidau, who rep resented A&M at the trial, de fended this ptractice by saying the comparison is unfair. The female supervisors generally have art re lated work, she said. “The other supervisors she’s comparing herself with work with machinery, and sometimes the work is strenuous,” Schneidau said. “Those types of jobs just generally pay more. “Maybe its not right . . . but for some reason the market just determines that they pay more.” Fares, who is 57, had also charged that the Printing Center discriminated against her because of her age by giving a younger, less experienced woman more pay and assistants. Fares’ attorney Nelkin said the younger woman and Fares have equal status and responsibilities. But the younger woman overtook Fares in pay, Nelkin said, and was given four assistants to make her job easier. The University has maintained that the younger woman had got ten the raises only because of the quality of her work. A&M’s attor ney, Schneidau, said a tighter budget has forced the University to give merit raises only to those who perform outstanding work. Another part of Fares’ suit, race discrimination, was based on allegations that her coworkers mimicked her Egyptian accent. Her attorney said this created a hostile working environment. Attorneys for A&M admitted that one incident had occurred when someone mimicked Fares over the public address system, but they denied that there was a hostile work atmosphere. uncan Field considered for temporary parking By Ashley A. Bailey Staff Writer Duncan Field may be one of three areas that will be used to help solve the Universi- iy’s short-term parking problems, while the Texas A&M Board of Regents took action on one of the proposed additional parking garages it hopes will provide the long-term answer to the parking crunch. A special committee on parking formed ay the Board to evaluate the parking situa tion on the A&M campus presented its findings to the Board Monday morning. Robert Smith, vice president for fiscal af fairs, said it is important to develop a park ing system that provides convenient, secure and affordable parking. This includes pro viding a bus service for day students who are not able to park on campus, he said. Marry Miller, assistant vice president for finance an operations, said the existing parking system provides 16,688 parking spaces. About 20 to 30 thousand parking permits are sold each semester, she said. “The gap between available spaces and cars is big and will temporarily increase be cause of new construction and a population increase,” she said. Miller, who has been involved with the parking and planning for six months, said the addition of parking garages will help, but the loss of about 2,000 spaces because of 1988-89 construction will have to be dealt with now. The solution, Miller said, is to construct temporary parking lots on Duncan Field, adjacent to Olsen Field and around the southside apartment area. The lots will be constructed with gravel at a cost of $300 per space, she said. The proposed lot on Dun can Field would not be used during bonfire construction, she said. Miller also said that, depending on loca tions chosen for proposed parking garages, A&M could gain up to 5,000 parking spaces. A&M has gained 2,000 spaces from the construction of the northside parking ga rage, she said. A reservation process started Monday for the 2,000 parking spaces in the garage, which will open January 1, she said. Two additional parking structures re main to be constructed, Miller said. The site for one of the facilities has been established and will be incorporated into the plans for the Mamorial Student Center expansion, she said. A 1,000-space garage will be con structed over an existing 391 space lot, a gain of 609 parking spaces. Board member Douglas R. DeCluitt of Waco said he thinks a 2,000-space garage should be considered instead of the pro posed 1,000 space garage. “If we make the Parking Annex 60 ga rage five stories tall it would accommodate 2,000 cars and it wouldn’t be any taller than G. Rollie White Coliseum,” he said. Regent William A. McKenzie of Dallas said he agrees with the addition of 1,000 spaces in the proposed PA 60 garage. A motion, made by McKenzie, to accept aproposal for a 2,000 car garage in PA 60 with one sub-ground story and four above ground stories was passed by the Board. The location of the one remaining park ing garage, planned for the southside of campus, has not been established, Miller said. Several locations for the garage have been suggested, she said. A golf course location has been elimi nated, she said. Another proposed location is on the re maining 679 car parking lot adjacent to the new southside dorms, she said. Smith said he is opposed to this location because it would only net 1,321 spaces. Duncan Field also has been suggested as a possible location for the southside garage, she said. Because it is vacant it would pro vide a net gain of 2,000 parking spaces, she said. Smith said providing adequate parking for dorm students is a must. “We’ve made a substantial long-term committment to our dorm students,” Smith said. “We need to always be aware of their environment. They have a different set of needs than we do, so adequate parking in important in attracting future dorm stu dents. “We need to keep focusing on their needs if we want to keep our dorm stu dents. We have to realize that we are in competition with the private sector.”