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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1972)
BdttdliOfl r ol. 67 No. 90 College Station, Texas Wednesday, March 8, 1972 Cloudy and mild Thursday —■ Partly cloudy. Easterly winds 10-15 mph. High 71°, low 48°. Friday — Partly cloudy to cloudy. Southeasterly winds 15-20 mph. High 76°, low 54°. 845-2226 onstitution passes referendum vote f HAYDEN WHITSETT iitor The new constitution was ap- loved in referendum Tuesday fa vote of 1,621 for and 1,237 ;ainst, announced David Moore, iction commission president. Only 2,858 voted in the elec- in, he told the Student Senate. The largest amount of debate ithe senate meeting dealt with is recent increase of the Me- lorial Student Center Complex (from $5 to $10. The increase as approved by the Board of (rectors in its meeting last Kk. Senators questioned both the Mons for the increase and the mount of the increase. “Last year Howard Vestal (di- ettor of management services), lid the senate that this fee nildnotbe increased,” said Bill Wield (Sci-at large), “now le board has doubled it. I’d like to know why.” Unseen expenditures plus a lack of surpluses and profits made the difference, Clark Die- bel, controller, told the meeting. The extra funds from the in crease, about $158,000, would be used to equip, maintain and oper ate the complex. In response to questions from several senators asking why $5 was picked for the increase when the Student Senate had recom mended $2, Diebel would only say that it was an “arbitrary figure” decided upon by the ad ministration. “This figure has my backing and Tom Cherry’s (Vice presi dent for Business),” Diebel said. “I would assume it has the pres ident’s and the board’s support as well, since they approved it.” “We have to plan ahead for things,” he said in explanation. First to ask where the funds would be going, on an itemized basis, was Spike Dayton, treas-t urer. “Frankly, I don’t know,” said Diebel, “we haven’t got a budget worked up yet.” “All the money is going for the operation of the Memorial Student Center complex,” he said. These statements came under attack by Bill Hartsfield, (Sci-at large) who quoted from a Texas Senate bill requiring that budg ets be submitted before funds were appropriated. Hartsfield said he questioned the legality of the board’s action in approving the increase with out an itemized budget and men tioned that an injunction could tioned that an injunction could be brought against the university. “I’m no lawyer,” he said, “but this doesn’t seem legal.” Diebel promised that the Stu dent Senate would get a copy of the itemized budget when it was prepared. “We have to know what is go ing on though,” Bruce Clay, pub lic relations chairman, said. “Stu dents have a right to know about things that are going to mean greater expenditures for them.” At the end of the extended de bate Hartsfield proposed a reso lution censuring the office of the Vice President for Business Af fairs, Tom Cherry, and requesting that the president see that the senate be kept informed on mat ters pertaining to fees. “I know censure is a strong word,” he said, “but we have pro tested before about things like this and they are still happen ing.” “Last year this happened, and we expressed ‘extreme disapprov al.’ What are we to do now?” A REFERENDUM VOTE of the student body decided the future of the new constitution Tuesday. The ballot was multiple choice (yes or no), with no right or wrong answer but even with those odds it required a group effort to make the decision at the voting poll in front of Sbisa Dining Hall. (Photo by Mike Rice) few; constitution adoption muses mixed reactions jJOHN CURYLO The approval of the new con- iltion by a referendum vote fthe student body caused mixed (actions after the Student Sen- I te meeting Tuesday night. The result, the turnout and the : institution itself were hashed wfrom several different points i view. Senate President John Sharp (iterated his previous thoughts i the document, but he added tat he considered the, 2,858-stu- ent turnout for the election a ood number. "It’s as many as we’ve had in egular elections,” he said. “I 'as pleased with the turnout. "The result of this election is lat we’re becoming an all-Aggie j ampus,” he continued. “The stu- (nts are to be commended for his. Senators didn’t vote for or jainst the constitution because hey were in the corps or were : ivilians.” Jack Carey, deputy corps com- lander, expressed discontent ith the constitution itself, but ie said he was willing to accept he results of the referendum. "Apparently, it’s what the stu- bts and the senate wanted,” «explained, “because they voted tor it. My main objection is that io limitations are placed on stu- Ifflt government. It appears that the senate has put itself on a pedestal, giving itself all the powers. “I’m surprised other organiza tions on campus, such as the Civilian Student Council, the YMCA and the MSC Council didn’t object to it,” Carey con tinued, “because they were rele gated to purely advisory roles, and that advice is limited to the executive branch.” Gordon Pilmer, president of the CSC, said he was happy with the outcome of the whole constitu tional revision process. “It’s been a long time coming,” he explained. “I believe the Stu dent Senate has put its interest in A&M rather than in its in dividual factions. “The turnout was good, con sidering the notification,” he add ed. “My main objection is that it was drummed into everybody’s heads, but then they had a hard time finding out when the elec tion actually was.” Layne Kruse, chairman of the life committee, said that he saw the 1,621-1,237 vote as an indi cation of the general feeling of the student body. “The turnout was about what you’d expect for an election of this kind,” he said. “I hope this stirs up interest for next month’s general election. This vote was a good, representative sampling of all the students.’’ Bruce Clay, public relations chairman, looked at the respon sibility aspect of the new con stitution, saying that the involve ment and effectiveness of the senate would be improved. “The new structure facilitates the work of the senate,” he ex plained. “It possibly will increase its output. I hope the new re apportionment plan will encour age individuals to accept more responsibility and activity as stu dent senators.” Barb Sears, recording secre tary, pointed out that the number of students voting in the referen dum was more than usual for a special election. “I was happy to see the large student turnout,” she said. “The turnout was good, considering the lack of publicity the referendum received.” Sharp emphasized the unity and teamwork of the senate in getting a new constitution into effect. He said the new document has been needed for a long time, and it was a personal victory for him to have it pass the ref erendum. “This is a goal I’ve worked for since I was a freshman,” he said. “Ever since I’ve held any office at Texas A&M, I’ve wanted to do something to improve stu dent government.” The motion, after some discus sion of the definition of the word censure, was tabled. Changes in computer preregis tration were reported on by Sandy Eichom and Stan Friedli. Eichorn said that the resolution would call for students being able to pick specific sections of courses and professors. The present system assigns sec tions to the student to fit into a workable schedule. The student has no choice of sections or pro fessor. Also included is an easier meth od for blocking out times for work and study on the schedule. Friedli said that Registrar Rob ert Lacey said they had been (See Constitution, page 6) Opera star cancels show for Thursday Cancellation of a Thursday performance by opera star Jean- nine Grader was announced Tues day by the Town Hall committee of A&M. Miss Grader obtained an ex tension in Portland, Ore:, and will not appear this week under Artist Showcase billing at TAMU, according to Town Hall chairman Kirk Hawkins. The Memorial Student Center committee may try to arrange another performance by the ope ratic diva later this spring. Next on the Artist Showcase agenda is the San Antonio Sym phony April 11. Bomb threats, ransom start worldwide search by TWA NEW YORK (A>) _ A threat that one of its planes would be blown up every six hours for a day unless Trans World Air lines paid $2 million touched off a worldwide bomb hunt of TWA’s jet fleet Tuesday. The threat sent one jetliner streaking back to Kennedy airport where two trained dogs sniffed out a pow erful plastic bomb in an attache case in the cockpit. The bomb had been timed to go off at 1 p.m. The second deadline, 7 p.m., passed without incident and the search was continuing through the night, with two more dead lines impending. Neither the FBI, TWA nor lo cal authorities would comment late Tuesday on what was being done about the demand for $2 million. Airports were searched from coast to coast and some TWA planes made emergency landings for precautionary reasons. An airline spokesman said: “We have 485 flights a day. We are carefully searching every air craft.” One plane, carrying Demo cratic presidential hopeful Eu gene McCarthy, was searched at Tulsa, Okla., and a flight from Chicago to Hartford, Conn., came down at Dayton, Ohio, for a check. The bomb found in the plane at Kennedy consisted of about five or six pounds of C4 explo sive that “would have blown the plane apart,” said detective Wil liam Schmidt of the city police’s bomb section, which defused the device. The plane, a Los Angeles- bound Boeing 707 with 45 pas sengers and a crew of seven, landed at 12:10 p.m., just 50 minutes before police said the bomb was timed to go off. The plane had been in the air 30 min utes. TWA incoming flights at both Kennedy and LaGuardia airports here were checked out by the explosives-sensing dogs, who were split up between the two airports after they found the bomb on the Los Angeles flight. An anonymous caller told TWA officials the bomb was aboard and instructed them to look in locker No. 930 at the airport. In the locker was a note demanding a $2 million ransom and threatening that a bomb would go off every six hours in one of the company’s planes until 7 a.m. Wednesday if the money were not paid. The note told TWA to put the cash in two duffel bags and be ready to drop them. This was done, according to a TWA se curity man. The time and place of the demanded delivery were not disclosed. The airline immediately insti tuted the international search, but said all flights would con tinue as near on schedule as pos sible. The two dogs, a German shep herd named Brandy and a Labn rador retriever called Sally, were acquired by the New York City Police Department in December. They were already at the air port for a demonstration to Fed eral Aviation Administration of ficials of how dogs could be used to sniff out explosives and nar cotics. They went to work in earnest after Flight 7 had taxied to a remote runway and those aboard removed to safety. Police said the pilot had paid no attention to the black case with the bomb during his pre flight inspection, because it had a crew tag tied to the handle. As a precaution, detectives be gan a check of every locker in the TWA terminal, a separate building at Kennedy, and of the luggage of all TWA passengers. Police Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy arrived to take charge of the investigation. The explosive device was tak en to a police range in the Bronx and defused at 12:48 p.m. — just 12 minutes before it was timed to go off. A TWA staff member who (See bomb threats, page 6) Pilot and mechanic wounded ky hijackers bound for Cuba MIAMI, FLA. (AP)—Two men armed with shotguns and revolvers band wounded a pilot and an airline mechanic Tuesday and hijacked %o-engine seaplane to Cuba. They forced the copilot to take off following an exchange of jnfirewith policemen on the ground. Five passengers who had boarded the Chalk International Airline ! he for its scheduled flight to Bimini, in the Bahamas, were aboard he craft, flown by copilot Bob Wallis. A sixth passenger jumped off and sounded the alarm. The hijackers shot pilot James Cothron, 49, and Douglas MCenzie, 48, an electrical engineer, in commandeering the craft at he airline’s island station, between Miami and Miami Beach. It landed in Havana two hours later. Both wounded men were left behind. MacKenzie was critically hjured. FBI agent Kenneth Whittaker said the gunmen jumped aboard he plane as it prepared to take off for Bimini. Shooting began after hey met with opposition from crew members, Whittaker said. Police information officer C. L. Reynolds said Miami police drived on the scene while the Grumman Goose plane was still on the Nnd. Officers exchanged gunfire with the gunman and at one point ■occeeded in blocking the plane’s path to the takeoff runway with Mier aircraft, Reynolds said. The blockading plane was removed when the hijackers threatened hkill the copilot, he said. Bette Tumpson, who runs a marine gas station on the dock area •lithe island, said the passenger who escaped, Harry Davis, ran into her Won “hollering that a hijacking was taking place and to call the jolice.” Davis later told officers he managed to escape when the plane’s toorwas opened and the injured pilot was pushed out. Jackson Memorial Hospital reported MacKenzie in critical con ation. Cothron was listed in fair condition with wounds in the arm and Davis, from Bimini, later identified the gunmen as “two colored W in long brown coats.” LADIES CONFER AT A TEA held Tuesday for Miss TAMU contestants and judges. From left to right are Fern Hamman, one of the judges and hostess of a local tele vision talk show, Jan Ritchey and Tangia Abernathy, both contestants. The contest, featuring 14 coeds, will be held at 8 tonight in the Zachry Engineering Center. (Photo by Mike Rice) Muskie departs far Florida without large primary victory MANCHESTER, N.H. <A>) _ Sen. Edmund S. Muskie of Maine, the winner of New Hampshire’s leadoff Democratic primary, is heading today for a tough contest in Florida next week without the overwhelming New England send- off that would have strengthened his bid for the White House. Sen. George S. McGovern of South Dakota enhanced his presi dential credentials by polling more than one-third of the vote in a strong second place showing he said would give him a big boost across the country. Muskie, battling McGovern and three other significant challeng ers, appeared to have fallen just short of the absolute majority that his managers had set pri vately as a New Hampshire goal. The result thus encouraged Mc Govern and the rest of the large field of Democratic presidential contenders who will face Muskie next Tuesday in Florida’s 11-way primary contest. In the Republican race, Presi dent Nixon polled about 70 per cent of the vote in a sweeping victory over two GOP opponents of his bid for a second term. Nixon loyalists won all 14 dele gate races. Democratic returns covering 94 per cent of the anticipated vote gave Muskie 48 per cent to 37 per cent for McGovern with the rest scattered among a long list of on the ballot and write-in can didates. Backers of the South Dakota senator also were putting up a stiff battle in the contests for delegates to next July’s Demo cratic National Convention. The count running far behind the pres idential preference totals showed four McGovern candidates and 16 Muskie delegates in the lead. The 20 delegates will split up 18 convention votes. Muskie had contended before the balloting that his chief New Hampshire opponent was a phan tom rival in the form of an un written percentage—to be deter mined after the votes were in— which he needed to score regard less of whether he won the pri mary. McGovern, Sen. Henry M. Jack- son of Washington and a spokes man for Sen. Hubert H. Humph rey, the latter two among Mus- kie’s Florida rivals who shied away from a New Hampshire con test, immediately cited the Maine senator’s apparent failure to reach 50 per cent as a sign of weakness by the front-running contender. University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M.” —Adv.