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.