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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1972)
Cbe Battalion Vol. 67 No. 96 College Station, Texas Friday, March 17, 1972 Warm and windy Saturday — Partly cloudy, southerly winds 10-12 mph. High 79°, low 57°. Sunday — Partly cloudy, light and variable winds. High 82°, low 61°. 845-2226 Nixon urges halt to busing orders WASHINGTON UP) — Declar ing that some federal courts "have gone too far,” President Nixon urged Congress Thursday night to legislate an immediate halt to all new pupil-busing orders. And he proposed to chan nel $2.5 billion into poor-neigh borhood schools. In an address prepared for live television-radio delivery from the White House, Nixon coupled his appeal for an end to busing with a proposal to “concentrate fed eral school-aid funds on the areas of greatest educational need” — the rural and central-city school districts which do not match sub urban standards. “The great majority of Ameri cans, black and white,” said Nix on “feel strongly that the busing of school children away from their own neighborhoods for the purpose of achieving racial bal ance is wrong. The chief executive, who for two weeks had been pondering what he termed “one of the most difficult issues of our time,” did not spell out exactly how long his proposed “moratorium on new busing” would continue. Nor did he give details of the “equal educational opportunities act” he is submitting to Congress. The fine print will be filled in Friday when Nixon sends Con gress a special message on bus ing and educational opportunity. The President made a direct appeal to citizens to put pressure on Congress in behalf of his program. The President outlined his stand 48 hours after Florida res idents voted against busing by a 3-1 margin, and George C. Wallace, campaigning against busing, swept the Florida Dem ocratic presidential primary. The White House said Nixon, who often has spoken out against busing, had made his decision be fore Tuesday’s vote in Florida. Asserting that states, cities and school districts “have been torn apart in debate” over bus ing Nixon said: “What we need now is not just speaking out against more busing but action to stop it. Above all, we need to stop it in the right way — in a way that will provide better education for every child in America in a de segregated school system.” Nixon said some “courts have gone too far — in some cases beyond the requirements laid down by the Supreme Court — in ordering massive busing to achieve racial balance. The de cisions have left in their wake confusion and contradiction in the law — anger, fear and tur moil in local communities and worst of all agonized concern among hundreds of thousands of parents for the education and the safety of their children who have been forced by court order to be bused miles away from their neighborhood schools.” Nixon said he is certain his proposals will not satisfy those on the left and right extremes on the busing issue. But he added: “I believe I have ex pressed the views of the ma jority of Americans.” Nixon said the possibility of ment to deal with the question “deserves a thorough considera- Aggie Sweetheart to be a coed in the future, senate decides tion by the Congress on its mer its.” However, he said that “as an answer to the immediate prob lem we face of stopping more busing now the constitutional- amendment approach has a fatal flaw — it takes too long.” Estimating it would take at least a year to 18 months be fore an amendment could become effective, he said, “what we need is action now — not action two, three or four years from now.” In outlining his program, Nix on said: “First I shall propose the leg islation that would call an im mediate halt to all new busing orders by federal courts — a moratorium on new busing.” As enacting a constitutional amend- for his companion measure, Nix- on said administration-drafted legislation “would require that every state or locality must grant equal educational opportunity to every person regardless of race, color or national origin.” He said this would mark the first time that “the cherished American ideal of equality of educational opportunity would be affirmed in the law of the land . . .” In reporting that his proposal would “concentrate federal school-aid funds on the areas of greatest educational need,” Nix on said, “That means directing over $2.5 billion in the next year mainly toward improving the education of children from poor families. He said everyone knows that there are central-city schools “so inferior that it is hypocrisy even to suggest that the poor children who go there are getting a de cent education, let alone an edu cation comparable to that of chil dren who go to school in the sub urbs.” Without going into details, Nixon said the legislation also would “establish an educational bill of rights for Mexican-Amer- icans, Puerto Ricans, Indians and others who start their education under language handicaps to make certain that they, too, will have equal opportunity.” On one point, Nixon did not have to wait for congressional action. He announced he is di recting the Justice Department to “intervene” in select cases where the lower courts have gone beyond the Supreme Court’s re quirements in ordering busing.” Next year’s Aggie Sweetheart will be selected from A&M coeds only it was decided in Thurs day’s Student Senate meeting. The proposal was made by Dick Zepeda (Grad) in the clos ing, and disorganized, minutes of the meeting. There was no de bate on the issue at all except for a question from Nick Jiga (Jr.-Arch) who asked why A&M needed a sweetheart. Moans from several coed members of the sen ate ended any debate on that subject. The Student Senate also ruled that “students may not file for more than one student govern ment position as defined by the constitution or for more than one class office position.” Yell leaders are not classified as class officers. The judgment developed out of senate approval of the by-laws of the election board. The sen ate had earlier passed such a proposal for the by-laws to take effect next year. In arguing for such a Aule, Zepeda said that theoretically a student could file for three dif ferent elected positions. This would be done by filing for a position as living area senator, college senator and an at-large college senator. Double filing has been a com mon practice in the past and several senators at the meeting had already done so. Candidates for more than one position have until March 23 to withdraw from duplicate races, though Mark Blakemore (Geo) asked that those who have double filed to please withdraw quickly. The senate defeated another part of the election by-laws that required a certain number of sig natures on a petition to file for offices. Previously a nomination peti tion with 200 signatures was re quired for the president and vice president of the student body. At large offices required 150 signatures and all other positions at least three per cent of the constituency. Most of the slowly passing meeting was occupied with min or changes in the by-laws of the election commission and senate. The senate by-laws passed with only a minor squabble over the percentage of votes required to pass the previous question. Proposed judicial procedures also gained senate approval. The procedures are a set of methods and rules created to “guarantee all students a fair hearing in all procedures of all judicial agen cies,” said Bill Hartsfield. The procedures apply to rul ings by the office of the Dean of Students, review boards, and the residence hall judicial coun cils. They are to be included in next year’s Rules and Regula tions handbook. Within the procedures, an established path is created for disciplinary action and appeals. For Baylor, A&M System Medical partnership created Baylor College of Medicine and the A&M System will reveal plans this afternoon for a far-reaching partnership in medical and allied health fields, a private-public af filiation being termed “a new dimension in higher education.” Included in the plans is the construction of a large building in Houston’s Texas Medical Cen ter. Dr. Jack K. Williams, A&M president, and Dr. Michael E. De Bakey, Baylor College of Medi cine president, will reveal the plans at a joint conference in the Texas Medical Center. The two presidents called the plans for affiliation between a large state-supported university and a well-established private medical school “a new dimension in higher education.” They noted that collaboration between a pri vate medical school and a large public university will result in programs of high quality, coupled with minimum cost. The program also will benefit Prairie View A&M College, par ticularly its School of Nursing, Dr. Williams noted. Prarie View, part of the A&M System, con ducts the last two years of its four-year nursing program in Houston. While precise plans have not been finalized for the proposed A&M-Baylor Medical building, of ficials of the two institutions vis ualize it as “an architecturally important addition to the Texas Medical Center.” The building will be designed to house Baylor’s expansion pro gram, including the Center for Allied Health Manpower Develop ment, the Center for Reproductive Biology, the Prairie View nursing program, the Institute of Com parative Medicine which includes a vivarium, and facilities for bio medical engineering research and graduate studies. A&M currently conducts sev eral medically-related projects through its College of Veterinary Medicine, Activation Analysis Research Laboratory, Biomedical Engineering Program and through several departments of its Colleges of Engineering, Agri culture and Science. The College of Science includes pre-medical and pre-dental curricula. The joint planning provides for close co operation in development of careers in allied health fields, such as laboratory technicians, X-ray technicians, physical thera pists, medical librarians and a new class of individuals known as physician assistants. Additionally, A&M and Baylor will jointly establish the Insti tute of Comparative Medicine and cooperate in biomedical engi neering, graduate programs and marine biomedical research. Protections of student’s rights are also in the statement. The meeting was relatively small, with some doubt being expressed as to whether or not there was a quorum at the be ginning. “All I can say is that after tonight we are going to lose quite a few senators” to abscences Barb Sears, senate sec retary said. Day student applications being taken Applications for day student permits for the fall semester are being accepted at the Texas A&M Housing Office through March 31. Housing Manager Allan M. Madeley said after March 31, undergraduate applications will not be accepted until the close of pre-registration. Students who have not quali fied for the permit by March 31 must pre-register for the fall 1972 semester as residence hall students, he added. Non-quali- fied day student applicants should also reserve rooms at the start of the fall room signup period to avoid loss of room priority. “Permission for single under graduates to live off campus will be granted only under very un usual circumstances,” Madeley noted. Parents' permission for students under 21 applying for day permits should be mailed to Ed Morris in the Housing Office. Applications will not be con sidered until parental permission is received, but permission does not guarantee approval. prrr* H. B. Zachry stands in front of the Engineering Center, recently named for him. The famous TAMU graduate was here for dedication ceremonies Thursday. Education, technology topic of center dedication talk Higher education has been drawn into the global struggle for technological leadership and a dominant position in the world market, Dr. Philip G. Hoffman said Thursday at the dedication of A&M’s new Engineering Cen ter. “The current U. S. posture in world trade is described as steadily deteriorating inspite of still reassuring surface manifes tations,” the University of Hous ton president told 3,000 persons in the student commons area of the $9,000,000 building. “This becomes apparent when we di vide our balance of trade into so-called ‘high technology’ prod ucts and all other imports and exports.” Institutions of higher learning must train and educate students equipped to defend and reestab lish sorely-challenged American leadership in world markets, Hoffman continued. “Above all, our institutions of higher learning must recognize and accept the responsibilities in areas such as world trade which inevitably touch the very core of the national well-being and the quality of life in America,” he concluded. A&M President Jack Williams praised H. B. Zachry for whom the building was named as a man devoted to youth, to educa tion and to his alma mater. A 1922 engineering graduate of A&M, Zachry heads a world-wide construction firm based in San Antonio. Zachry said he hoped the cen ter would have a role in helping Texas “build the men to make this state and nation’s place in the sun even brighter.” Clyde Wells of Granbury, pres ident of the A&M System Board of Directors, read the resolution naming the 324,000 square foot, four-story structure for Zachry, a former board president at A&M. Engineering Dean Fred Ben son accepted the center in be half of the faculty and students. He pledged the structure will be utilized for “the development of competent engineers with faith in the American free enterprise system who are good citizens using their talent for the bene fit of their fellow men.” Gen. Forsythe says Army experiencing period of transition First Bike-to-Work Day scheduled for March 22 A&M Wheelmen members have set their first annual Bike-To- Work Day for Wednesday, March 22. Wheelmen President Carl Cus ter said A&M faculty and staff members are urged to dust off the family bicycle and ride it to work, especially if they live with in five miles of the campus. He said the purpose of the event is to demonstrate the prac ticality of two-wheelers as com munity transportation and as part of the answer to automobile traffic and parking problems. University National Bank "On the side of Texas A&M.” —Adv. The A&M Wheelmen is an organization of bicyclists that promotes cycling as a healthful, non-polluting activity for all ages. Members emphasize safe ty and adherence to traffic reg ulations. Custer said Bike-To-Work Day also will serve as a prelude to establishment of bikeways on the campus. He said the one-day campaign will end with a brown bag sup per (bring your own) at 5:30 p.m. in Hensel Park. Soft drinks will be available at cost. Banking is a pleasure at Finst Bank & Trust. Gen. George Forsythe By DUANE BYRD “The U. S. Army is in a period of transition,” Lt. Gen. George Forsythe said during a Great Issues Presentation Thursday night in the Memorial Stu dent Center Ballroom. The Special Assistant to Gen. Westmoreland told the audience of about 65 persons the Army is hold ing to the values of its creation. Forsythe said the Army was planning to limit their dependence on the Selective Service for man power by July 1973 before the President directed the Department of Defense to do so. The general cited lack of stability in the Army to form into proud units as one of the major prob lems. He said this was due primarily to the rapid turnover rate. Forsythe said the turnover rate of the 1st. Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam was 110 per cent each year. “I give great credit to the nation’s youth that the Army was about to fulfill its mission in spite of the turbulence. This turbulence caused centrali zation and centralization caused thing to happen we didn’t like.” Forsythe said Gen. Westmoreland’s goal was to make the Army better. Westmoreland’s program was to be challenging and he hoped the men con sidered their Army experience as upbuilding. In keeping with this theme Forsythe said the Bootstrap Program for noncommissioned officers had been expanded and programs for commissioned officers had been eomnlofoiT- i The Montana native said there were oojections to gradually taking soldiers off of kitchen police details. “This is not to make the Army softer but is a professionalism measure,” he maintained. Forsythe favors having civilians drive vehicles and other assorted duties the soldier had previously been burdened with. He estimates the cost of a soldier at $11,000 per year. The non-military details could be done by a civilian for $7,000 per year per person, he said. “The way you motivate is not through punish ment but by hammering out to the individual his role in the unit’s goal,” Forsythe said. “95 per cent of our young soldiers can be trusted. They will always want to know why something is being done and they are entitled to know why,” the general said. “The recent pay raise was aimed at the two year soldier,” Forsythe said. He commented that 80.000 soldiers were on relief last year. Since then the pay was doubled and Forsythe said he expects another pay raise for these people next year. “With no draft the Army must become a good employer,” Forsythe said. In order to maintain the proposed 850,000 troops of the Volunteer Army, Forsythe estimates there must be 20,000 volunteers per month over the next three or four years. He said 5,000 of each month’s 20.000 must be combat arms volunteers. Forsythe gave this brief progress report: In October 1970 there were 26,000 men coming into the Army each month. 6,000 were true volunteers oon -frw romhat arms. In January larz tneie were io,uo0 true volunteers, 3,200 of them volunteering for combat arms.