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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