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Weather
Vol. 67 No. 310
College Station, Texas
Friday, November 2, 1973
FRIDAY Fair & mild with tem
perature range from 60 to 91.
FAYETTVILLE, ARKANSAS
—A front is moving through
Arkansas presently bringing
rain and slightly cooler temper
atures. Make sure you take an
umbrella and a raincoat — it’s
most likely going to be a repeat
of last week-end!
r
Ford Says Impeachment Investigation
Should Continue, Doesn’t See Grounds
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice
President - designate Gerald R.
Ford said Thursday the House Ju-
liciary Committee should pursue
its investigation of grounds for
the possible impeachment of Pres-
dent Nixon.
“I don’t believe there are
rounds—but that’s a personal
judgment,” he told a Senate com
mittee examining his fitness to be
dee president. “But that’s the way
to clear the air.”
Ford, sounded out on a broad
range of subjects, said he thought
“it might have been much more
helpful” if Nixon had disclosed
earlier that no tapes exist of two
key conversations connected with
the Watergate investigation.
He also said no president has
an unlimited right to invoke ex
ecutive privilege, but must weigh
any such claim against the right
of the public to information from
confidential White House conver
sations and documents.
He said he had recommended to
high White House officials more
than once that Nixon release the
White House tapes requested by
the Watergate grand jury.
The question of impeachment
was raised by Sen. Mark O. Hat
field, R-Ore., who said that, along
with other members of Congress,
he has received a flood of mail
calling for impeachment or the
resignation of Nixon.
“Impeachment is the problem
that is paramount in everyone’s
mind at this time,” Hatfield said.
He asked Ford how the national
concern caused by such a potential
upheaval could be eased.
Ford replied that the inquiry
now launched in the House by
the Judiciary Committee should
be continued until it leads to a
determination that grounds for
impeachment either exist or do
not exist.
Police Women to Meet Coeds
By WILL ANDERSON
University Police has increased
the size of its force this year with
the addition of two women,
TAMU’s first female police.
The women, recent graduates
of Sam Houston State, are Nancy
Preslar and Mary Helen Gass.
Gass has been on the job since
the first of August and Preslar
arrived a month later.
Pat Self, women’s counselor,
said a series of talks has been
arranged to allow coeds to meet
them.
Gass and Preslar will present
a program in the Krueger-Dunn
dining area Monday. They will
speak to the coeds from Fowler,
Tuesday; Hughes, Wednesday;
and Keathley, Thursday in
Lounge A-l. These programs
will begin at 9 p.m.
Workshops for the larger
apartment complexes will be held
next week. All coeds in the Mon
aco Apartments are urged by
Self to be in the game room to
see them on Nov. 12. The fol
lowing day, Gass and Preslar will
speak at the Barcelona Apart
ments. This program is also in
tended for coeds from Travis
House and Tanglewood South.
The workshop at the Plantation
Apartments on the 14th is for
the surrounding area also.
All these workshops will begin
at 9 p.m.
“They will discuss basic safety
precautions a woman should fol
low on this campus or in any
metropolis,” Self said. “There
will be demonstrations of self-
defense and the coeds will be
given a chance to get an honest
answer to any question they
want to ask.
“I consider these two an im
portant contribution to the cam
pus. First, they can go to the
girls’ dorms with no difficulty.
Also, some people find it easier
to relate to people of the opposite
sex, so they could be a real help
to the male students.”
Preslar majored in social re
habilitation at Sam Houston
State. “I started in psychology,”
she said, “but became interested
in police work and changed my
major. I don’t intend to remain
a policewoman, though. Later I
might become a parole officer or
something similar.”
Preslar said Gass had studied
law enforcement at college and
would probably remain as a
member of a police force.
“Our duties are the same as
the men’s,” Preslar continued.
“Our uniforms are very similar
to theirs—we even carry guns.”
Chief of Campus Police O. L.
Luther originally conceived the
idea of women on the A&M police
force when he learned Fowler,
Keathly and Hughes Halls would
be occupied by women this year.
Bicycle, Auto Registration
Finance New Lots, Racks
By KATHY YOUNG
The price of a parking space
has risen from $271 per space to
over $400 since Lot #50 was con
structed behind the Zachry Engi
neering Center a couple years
ago.
“The construction and repair
of student, staff and visitor park
ing lots ore paid for in part by
vehicle registration and fines
from motor vehicles,” according
to Chief 0. L. Luther, head of
the University Police. The money
jcollected from registration and
fines is put into the Parking and
Facilities Account. At present
the account is empty due to the
construction of a new 500-space
parking lot west of the campus
across the railroad tracks.
“The new lot which is still
under construction cost a half
million dollars which came from
the University Available Fund,
in addition to $165,000, which had
to be borrowed from other
sources,” said Robert Smith,
assistant controller for TAMU.
All of the money collected this
year in the Parking Fund will go
toward paying off the $165,000
which was borrowed. The Uni
versity estimates that they will
collect $200,000 this year from
all sources in the Parking Ac
count, said Smith.
“The Parking Fund pays only
Professor
Places Fourth
With Picture
Roy C. Pledger, associate pro
fessor at Texas A&M University,
placed fourth in the Southwestern
Photography Exhibition 1973 at
the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts
recently.
Pledger, a member of the fac
ulty of TAMU’s Department of
Environmental Design, placed
fourth among some 1200 entries
from the southwest. He was
awarded $250 from the Houston
Museum of Fine Arts.
The prize-winning photograph
was a panned shot of Pledger’s
son Jonothan on a large plastic
tricycle.
The professor received his B.-
Arch. and M.Arch. degrees from
TAMU in 1960 and 1965. He join
ed TAMU in 1965 and has prac
ticed architecture for four years.
a small amount of the cost of a
parking lot, according to Smith.
Lot #50, behind Zachry, cost
$271,263, a $271-per-space cost in
the 1,000-car capacity lot. Now
a 400-car lot such as the one
under construction south of the
Rudder Conference Tower costs
$163,000, or $400 per space.
“Increased enrollment in the
University makes it difficult to
provide enough parking lots to
keep up with the University’s
growth,” according to Luther.
Grad Student
Found Dead
Graduate student James Floyd
Scott from Edmond, Okla., was
found dead at his off-campus resi
dence Thursday evening.
The body of the 28-year-old
physics student was discovered by
College Station police who were
called to the 1005 Foster residence
by neighbors. Justice of the Peace
Jess McGee ruled death by self-
administered poisoning. He esti
mated the time of death as 9 p.m.
Wednesday.
Funeral services are pending in
Edmond. Local arrangements
were made by Callaway-Jones
Funeral Home.
He added that “presently three
percent of the parking spaces in
any student lot are vacant most
of the time because day students
only use the parking lots for a
few hours at a time and then
leave campus.”
He also said that there were
usually 350 vacant spaces in Lot
#50 and additional spaces in the
lot south of campus across the
railroad tracks.
“Enforcement is necessary to
keep traffic under control and
to insure parking in the proper
spaces,” said Chief Luther.
Luther said money collected for
bicycle registration and fines is
put in a separate account. The
money is used to purchase bike
racks which cost over $200 apiece.
It is estimated they will collect
$3,600 this year. As of now they
have only collected $1,172.
Traffic tickets should be taken
to the University Police in the
YMCA where they will determine
the cost of the ticket. A first
offense costs $2, however, a $5
penalty is assessed for being over
72 hours late. Questions about
tickets can be directed to Assist
ant Police Chief Murdock and a
further plea can be made to the
Traffic Committee. The commit
tee consists of students and fac
ulty and meets in the Memorial
Student Center.
“I recommended we get two
women and when the board passed
the idea, I contacted Toby Schrei-
ber, the dean of women. She
heard Sam Houston State had a
good department of Criminology
and went to see its dean. Through
her efforts, we now have two very
qualified policewomen.”
“As far as I know, A&M is the
first university to have women
on the force who were really
police and not just meter maids.”
Grads Ask
Awards for
Best TAs
Honors, scholarships and study
carrells were discussed by the
Graduate Student Council Thurs
day.
A proposal for selections of dis
tinguished graduate assistant
teaching was presented. Three
awards of $200 each were recom
mended.
Foreign student financial aid
was also discussed. Both short
term and long term loans are
available at the University. Stu
dent financial aid will provide
short term loans, while a few
federal loans, bank loans and
perhaps the student’s own con
sulate can provided for a longer
time period.
There are some departmental
scholarships available and the
“Good Neighbor” scholarship can
be applied for by international
students from the Western Hemi
sphere.
Study carrell regulations were
modified in a proposal. A $2 fine
is to be levied for every day after
the key is due, with the fine not
exceeding $10. After 10 days and
one day grace period, the contents
of the room will be boxed.
Also discussed was the Dean’s
annual luncheon with the gradu
ate council to be held Nov. 27 at
the Ramada Inn.
Ford was questioned at morn
ing and afternoon sessions and
agreed to return Monday, when
the committee expects to finish
with him.
During the hearing, the first
ever held on the confirmation of
a vice president, Ford denied alle
gations of wrongdoing in his
handling of campaign funds and
other financial transactions.
“I’m no saint,” he told the com
mittee, but he said a close scru
tiny of his 2-year career in pub
lic life would show that he was
“clean” and had a reputation for
truthfulness and honesty.
Such a scrutiny was promised
by Sen. Howard W. Cannon, D-
Nev., chairman of the Senate
Rules Committee, which is con
ducting the hearing. Under the
procedures of the 2th Amend
ment for filling a vacancy in the
vice presidency, the House is con
ducting a similar inquiry.
Secretary of State Mark White
Secretary of State Claims/
Texas Ahead in Reforms
By CAROL JONES
“Texas is one step ahead of
the nation in trying to correct
abuses of the past,” said Mark
White, Texas Secretary of State.
White spoke before a small
Political Forum crowd Thursday.
He explained House Bill 4, the
Campaign Contribution and Ex
penditure Act, as an attempt
toward election reforms. “Texas
is in the forefront of regulating
political contributions,” he said.
HB4 requires that all candi
dates and political parties make
complete reports of all campaign
contributions and costs. Also,
the name and address of con
tributors must be included in the
report.
White said that failure to re
port such information in the past
has led to many problems con
cerning abuses of contributed
funds. “In the future, anyone
can see in the county clerk files
what contributions have been
given,” he said.
The statute also requires every
candidates to have a campaign
manager before he receives any
contributions. The candidate may
not keep a contribution if he
decides not to run. Candidates
must keep report filing deadlines
and no corporation can make
Coordinating Board Approves
Three New Degree Programs
The Coordinating Board, Texas
College and University System,
Wednesday approved three new
degree programs for Texas A&M
University, including a unique
doctor of engineering program
designed to produce engineers
with technical and corporate lead
ership abilities.
TAMU also received authoriza
tion to issue tuition-backed reve
nue bonds of $3.5 million for con
struction of dormitories and re
lated facilities at its Mitchell
Campus on Pelican Island in Gal
veston.
In addition to a new doctor of
engineering degree program, TA
MU received Coordinating Board
approval to offer a B.A. degree
in anthropology and a B.S. in eco
nomics. The university currently
offers several courses in anthro
pology but has not previously
been authorized to offer a degree
in that field. The new B.S. in eco
nomics will complement a B.A.
and graduate degree programs
already offered in economics.
The doctor of engineering pro
gram, developed through the ef
forts of Engineering Dean Fred
J. Benson, will be the only such
program in the country.
campaign contributions. Failure
to meet these requirements is a
felony.
“The statute still permits for
individual help to candidates. You
can spend your own money to
travel for him or to speak for
him,” White said. “But spending
more than $100 of your own on
behalf of the candidate without
reporting it is prohibited. After
you spend $100 it must be re
ported.”
But there is one way to move
around the system of reporting
funds up to the sum of $300,
White said. An individual can
give a candidate $100 before the
first primary. If the candidate
makes it to the run-off, the indi
vidual can give him another $100.
And if he enters the general elec
tion, he can receive another $100
from the same individual.
White said this statute covers
anyone who makes abuses on
campaign contributions. “It cov
ers anyone in Texas, any cam
paign, any measure, fund raising
dinners and all funds for any
political purposes,” he said.
White also discussed student
voting registration. To change re
gistration to the university county
precinct, a student must show he
will live in that county after grad
uation. This law is presently un
der appeal. White said he hoped it
will be appealed.
“Each individual student and
individual person should have to
meet only regulations of resi
dency,” he said.
Amendments Cover Yet Bonds,
Probate Cases, Debts, Taxes
Editor’s Note: This is the last in
a series examining the arguments
both for and against each of the
amendments in the Nov. 6 special
Winning Picture by Professor Roy C. Pledger
election. This article covers
amendments 6 through 9.
By RICK BROWN
Amendment 6 on the ballot will
allow probate cases (such as
wills) to be tried in either a dis
trict or county court. All appeals
would go directly to the court of
civil appeals. Presently all such
cases must go through county
courts presided over by judges
who are not required by our con
stitution to be lawyers. Appeals
go first to the district court, then
to the court of civil appeals.
Those favoring amendment 6
point out the need for a judge
competent enough to decide the
complex questions of law some
times arising from contested will
cases. They also say the amend
ment specifies that simpler pro
bate matters can still be directed
to the county courts.
Those against amendment 6 say
county judges are already experi
enced in such matters. The pro
posed changes would cost the tax
payer more while providing no
better service. The district courts
are already overloaded; adding to
their docket is only going to wors
en the backload of cases. Also, the
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
Adv.
court costs to the parties in con
flict are higher in district courts.
Others point out that amend
ment 6 is only an attempt at
patchwork reform where overall
judicial reform is needed.
Amendment 7
Passage of amendment 7 would
result in a $100 million increase
in the bond limit issued for the
Veteran’s Land Fund. The bonds,
presently limited to $400 million,
provide long term loans to war
veterans for purchase of farm
land.
Supporters of the amendment
say the land fund program has
been highly successful through
the years in providing low cost
loans not otherwise available to
vets. The bonds are not paid for
by taxpayers so passage would
not give rise to any tax increase.
Also the new level of $500 million
would probably be sufficient to
make the program self-perpetuat
ing. No requests for increases
would ever again be needed.
Opponents cite the $200,000
limit on state debt specified in
the constitution. Constitutional
amendments authorizing bond in
debtedness circumvents the con
stitution and breeds disrespect for
the “pay as you go” spirit of the
constitution.
Amendment 8
Proposition 8 deals with the
method of setting limits on mu
nicipal indebtedness. Current
Texas law limits the tax rate
which may be levied to pay bonds.
Proposition 8 would change the
limit from a tax rate ceiling to a
debt limit ceiling currently set at
10 per cent of the assessed valu
ation of the taxable property in
the district.
Proponents stress the fact that
amendment 8 will not affect city
taxpayers’ rights to veto addi
tional municipal debt or tax in
creases. They also add that it is
not designed to allow higher mu
nicipal taxes. Current average
tax rates are far below the max
imum allowed under the consti
tution. They point out that chang
ing the method of settling limits
would affect the type of bonds
that cities could issue. The result
would be lower interest rates and
annual savings of approximately
$30 million a year to Texas tax
payers.
Opponents counter by question
ing passage of an amendment
which would supercede any home
rule city charters now in effect.
Currently, they say, there is a
constitutional limit on how much
(See AMENDMENTS, Page 4)
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