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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1975)
Weather Mostly cloudy with 20% chance scattered showers Thursday. Winds from the northeast 7-12 mph. De creasing cloudiness tonite and tomorrow. High today 63°; low tonite 41°; high Friday 66°. Che Battalion Today in the Batt Music review p. 3 TV Review p. 4 Alamo for sale p. 8 Vol. 68 NO. 61 College Station, Texas Thursday, January 23, 1975 Briscoe pledges reforms In school finance, privacy areas AUSTIN (AP) — Gov. Dolph Briscoe laid out his legislative prop osals Wednesday, topping the list with school finance reform and again pledging to veto any spending that would require more state taxes. In an address that representatives and senators interrupted 18 times with applause, Briscoe also placed special emphasis on the right to pri vacy and health care. Some legislators thought the 45-minute speech was as notable for what it left out as for what it in cluded. Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby said in ans wer to a question that he attached no particular significance to Briscoe’s failure to mention public utilities regulation or constitutional revision, but added: “I would have hoped that he would have men tioned them.” House Speaker Bill Clayton withheld detained comment until he could read the address but called the governor’s proposals, “a very ambitious program. I think it is a pretty balanced program.” In bare outline, Briscoe’s school finance proposals would require a mix of state and local expenditures based on a formula that takes into account the actual cost of various instructional programs, using the best 42 districts as a model. The governor received some of his heaviest applause when he de clared: “I will not, as governor, approve an appropriations bill that requires new or increased taxes.’’ He suggested that state agencies, through attrition, reduce the number of state employes by 5 per cent and recommended only a 6.8 per cent per year pay raise for gov ernment workers in the two years that start Sept. 1. The Legislative Budget Board has recommended a 24 percent raise over the next two fiscal years. Briscoe asked for three bills to protect the right of privacy: -Prohibiting secret or unau thorized use of information about any individual and guaranteeing everyone access to the information about them in records of credit rat ing bureaus, schools and govern ment. -Setting “strict guidelines” for state and local police intelligence and record-keeping. “We cannot to lerate and will not have politically motivated investigations on our citi zens. -Prohibiting electronic surveil lance. However, once that bill pas ses, Briscoe will ask for legislation permitting wiretaps in “extreme cases . . . when organized crime is involved.” Briscoe said he would recom mend appropriations that would en able the state’s medical, dental and other health-oriented schools to in crease their enrollments by 30 per cent over the next two years. He also said he wanted expendi ture of $39 million for new alterna tive care services for the mentally ill and the retarded, plus $51.2 million for the state’s institutions for the re tarded. And he endorsed the concept of Health Maintenance Organizations, which provide a wide range of med ical services for a particular group in a specific geographical area for a fixed monthly fee, similar to an in surance premium. “I recognize that individual Tex ans have the right to make a choice. This is a very personal matter and it is their personal decision to make this choice,” Briscoe said. Briscoe was applauded several times as he recommended new laws expanding the authority of the Texas College Coordinating Board to give it a veto power over any college con struction and new degree programs, departments or divisions. He repeated a recommendation he already had made publicly dur ing his campaign for re-election: Repeal of the sales tax on gas and electric bills. Without referring to his own troubles in court, Briscoe recom mended legislation requiring all campaign contributions over $10 to be in the form of personal or cashiers’ checks. Briscoe was re cently embarrassed by disclosure that his campaign manager in 1972 accepted $15,000 in cash from South Texas banker and rancher Clinton Manges. Briscoe said in a deposition taken by attorneys for former Rep. Frances Farenthold that he had tried to return the money but had not made connec tions with Manges. Mrs. Faren thold is suing Briscoe for alleged campaign finance violations. Other recommendations: -Prohibit the growing and cul tivating of marijuana, now legal be cause of a loophole in the 1973 Con trolled Substances Act, Briscoe said. -Enable prosecutors to use volun tary oral confessions as evidence in criminal cases. -Remove habitual traffic offen ders from the highway — something Briscoe sought in 1973 but could not get through the legislature. -Give the governor authority to negotiate contracts with other states for water for import to Texas. -Merge the Texas Mass Transpor tation Commission into the Texas Highway Department, with a dedi cated fund for support of urban pub lic transportation. The mud and detours encountered by students like the one to the left are caused by construction in the problem areas shown on the map below. Campus update A&M undergoes changes during students’ holidays By ALAN KILLINGSWORTH Staff Writer Even though the students go home for the Christmas holidays there is still a little hum of activity around campus. The following is a series of briefs to inform the stu dent of campus happenings over the holidays. The Battalion took a survey of, other schools and found the total expenses were as follows: Economic effect Rice-$ 1,580 Southern Methodist-$l,225 Texas Christian-$1,187.50 Texas A&M-$204 Texas-$202 Houston-$164 Texas Tech-$146 A&M’s economic impact on the Bryan-College Station area totaled a record $118,700,000 for 1974, re vealed a survey conducted by the university. Board appointees This survey was based on a stu dent taking 16 hours and excluded room and board. The A&M Board of Directors has two new members and one reap pointee following appointments by Gov. Dolph Briscoe. Joe Reynolds, (reappointed) Houston attorney; Alfred I. (Al) Davies, vice-president of Sears and Ross C. Watkins, Uvalde bridge contractor were appointed by Bris coe on Jan. 10. All three of the appointees ex pressed their desire to be a part of the A&M system and looked for ward to meeting the needs of the university. The sharp increase is attributed to the university’s enrollment growth and expanded research ac tivities. TAMU’s 2,943-student in crease, for a total of 21,463 last fall, is expected to place the university among the nation’^ fastest growers. Board payoffs Board of Directors appointment are costly political payoffs, said Richard “Buck” Weirus, executive director of the TAMU Former Stu dents Association. Addressing a student govern ment reunion, Weirus contended that TAMU president Jack K. Wil liams is not consulted enough on the appointments. KKs need men plus new cars Fees lowest? “When president Williams calls me to find out who an appointee is . . . something is wrong, Weirus said. Nope TAMU does not have the lowest education cost of Texas schools. Williams said that he and Gov. Dolph Briscoe have many confer ences but never on the appointment of board members. By BARBARA WEST Staff Writer Even the University Police are caught in the crunch of shortages and delays, as evidenced by vehi cles which have been out of service for maintenance. Necessary repairs have taken longer than expected because of the unavailablity of certain parts. Beauty overlays road renovation By JUDY BAGGETT Staff Writer Beautification of the campus be fore the Centennial and protection of pedestrians are reasons for cam pus reconstruction and landscaping, said R. L. Melcher, administrative officer, Wednesday. Melcher said the most complaints caused by the construction have been about parking because several lots have become inaccessible. Cars usually parked in these lots have been assigned to lots on other parts of the campus. There have also been complaints about having to walk farther. No significant change has occur red in the number of parking tickets issued because of renovation, said Chief O. L. Luther. He estimated that 300 tickets a day are given. About 30 per cent of these are ex cused when brought in. The area around the loop from the MSG to Fowler is planned to be completed in January 1976. Other areas under construction will be finished in September. In the future, several streets will be renovated, resurfaced or de molished. Street renovation: Coke from Joe Routt to Lewis, and extension to Jersey Spence from Ross to Roberts Bizzell from Lamar to Jersey and from Ross to University Drive Street resurfacing: Throckmorton from Joe Routt to Dorm 12 Houston south from Joe Routt for one block Joe Routt from Clark to Well born Road Clark from Lamar to Joe Routt Lamar in front of MSG Hogg from Power Plant to Sbisa Ireland from Ross to Univer sity Lamar from Nagle to Bizzell Lubbock from Nagle to Bizzell Street demolition: Lamar from Houston to Throckmorton Roberts Street Hubbard Street Morris A. Maddox, assistant police chief, said Wednesday that the work cannot be completed until maintenance crews receive the needed parts. One patrol vehicle has been in the shop since last week, and another was only recently re turned to service. Until then police used the chief s car, not ordinarily used for routine patrols, to fill the gap created by the inoperative vehicles. Only two cars patrol at any one time, Maddox said. The total police motor ileet in cludes five automobiles and three Cushman motor scooters. Police efficiency was not affected by the temporary vehicle shortage, Maddox reported. He also noted that there are new patrol cars on order, and one is due next month. The order has been in since last September, but must go through the state comptroller’s of fice, which causes delay in delivery. Wade Aday passes construction marker blocking Ross Street. * Photo by Jack Holm In addition to the vehicle shor tage, police are below their allo cated manpower levels. There are five unfilled positions on the force, and seven officers are still in a six- week basic training program. Maddox said that with the current unemployment status, he thought more individuals would be in terested in applying for the posi tions. Ill 1