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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 1975)
r Weather Mostly cloudy Wednesday with chance of showers to night and Thursday. Winds from the south 8-16 mph. High today 79°; low tonight 54°; high Thursday 67°. Cbe Battalion Vo! b % L 4' College Station, Texas Wednesday, January 29, 1975 Inside Community meet p.3 Rape forum p.5 Prairie View p.6 House to decide raises; speed essential for effect AUSTIN (AP) — Legislative sponsors of an emergency pay raise bill for state employes knuck led under to Gov. Dolph Briscoe today and cut the proposed increases by $15 million. Their substitute measure was laid out when the House began consideration of the Senate-passed bill. Instead of the $108 million measure sent to the floor Tuesday by the House Appropriations Com mittee, Rep. Fred Head, D-Troup, the sponsor, argued for a $93 million total raise. Briscoe had indicated he might veto any bill that was not close to the $90 million he had recommended. The Senate passed a $93 million bill, but with a different schedule of raises, last week. Head said he believed the Senate would accept his substitute bill. The Head substitute would provide 13 per cent raises for lower ranked employes — most of whom make less than $10,000; 9 per cent for those in middle level jobs, earnings up to $23,220 a year; and a flat $174 a month for those in higher pay categories. Speed was essential because pay raises would be delayed until March 1 if the bill did not pass both houses and obtain Briscoe’s signature by midnight F riday Raises provided by the House committee’s bill range from 14.2 per cent for lower echelon emp loyees to a flat $203 a month for those making $1,935 a month or more, all the way up to the $63,000-a-year governor. The Senate’s bill concen trated percentage pay raises in the lower ranks, giving only 5.5 per cent a year to those making $20,500 a year or more. State employees salaries were increased 3.4 per cent on Sept. 1, 1974, and the Legislative Budget Board has recommended further raises to take effect Sept. 1, 1975. In his message to the legislature a week ago, Briscoe recommended a blanket raise of 10 per cent for all state employees, from top to bottom. Senators passed and sent to the House two measures Tuesday that were designed to ease the inflation pinch on retired teachers and state emp loyees. They would cost nearly $125 million. Both, however, are contingent on voter ap proval in April of a constitutional amendment rais ing from 6 to 10 per cent the maximum amount of a teacher’s or state employee’s salary that can be deducted for retirement and matched by the state. Each bill, however, anticipated approval by providing at least one check at the higher rate before the election on the amendment. The measures provide a flat 12 per cent in crease for the 9,600 retired state employees and from 5 to 18 per cent for 40,000 retired teachers. I $33.160 extra I 1 MSC desires ( I bigger budget I Can women yell? Senate to decide issue By JUDY BAGGETT Staff Writer A resolution recommending no restriction on the sex of yell leaders will be read for the first ime at the Senate meeting Wednesday night. The meeting will be at 7:30 p. m. in 204 Harrington. Another resolution concerning yell leaders recommends that the yell leader with the most votes get the position of head yell leader. Presently, the yell leader committee selects the head yell leader. Several other resolutions will have a first reading. The spring break resolution will recommend that all Texas universities break at the same hme. The idea came from the Texas Tech Senate. Also on the agenda is the approval of $400 to buy Gathright awards. Each department selects three students for academic excellence and leadership to Set the award. The senate will hear the first reading of the “Nutshell resolution. Nut shell is an interest magazine for students and is bought and distributed by tudent/Senate each year. The Senate will decide whether or not to put the Magazine in the budget for next year. Blue Book revisions resolution on Section I will be heard for the first time. Also at the meeting a vote will be taken on the general election by all students of yell leaders and on state legislative affairs. The affairs would be •he students on governing boards, student input on service fees and legisla- tio n on building use fees. By JUDY BAGGETT Staff Writer Town Hall and MSC Student Programs will request $33,160 addi tional funds at Thursday night’s Student Service Fee Allocation Committee meeting. Curt Marsh, student vice-president of finance, said Monday. Student Services Fee Reserve is five per cent of the total money brought in by the $19.80 per semes ter student service fee. It is used to cover deficits, fill gaps and for addi- tional programming. Town Hall is asking for $5,000 to program a TAMU special attraction in conjunction with Black Aware ness Week. MSC Student programs is re questing $28,160. $480 — to purchase leather, batik and lapidary workshop equipment for the Arts and Crafts program. $4,860 — installation of heating and air conditioning in the Basement Coffeehouse. $21,170 — establishment of a video tape program $1,550 $100 — publicity for MSC pro grams. to print Free University in structor handouts. Both groups will give a presenta tion explaining why the additional money is needed. Marsh said. The committee and spectators can then ask questions. The recommenda tion made by the committee will go to Dr. John Koldus, vice president of student services, and then to President Williams. Marsh said that Dr. Koldus “will essentially approve, assuming the recommendation is logical.” This is the first time for student input concerning reserve fee alloca tion. Marsh chairs the committee. Senators on the committee are Tom Dawsey, Davis-Gary-Moore- Moses; Rajesh Kent, Law- Puryear-Cain; David McCabe, Utay-White; Joe Marcello, graduate, science; Carol Moore, off-campus, undergraduate; Bob Shokes, off-campus, graduate; David Stockard, graduate engineer ing; Lisa Swanson, freshman senator. Karla Mouritsen, record ing secretary for the student gov ernment, is also on the committee. The committee’s recommenda tion for reserve funds will not go to Student Senate, as do allocation re commendations. Marsh said he felt more student input was not needed and it will be faster not to go through the senate. Tharrr she blunders! Photo by Jack Holm Workmen unleashed Tuesday evening near this gusher quitting time. Raindrops kept falling on the heads of passersby for over an hour and a half. Shoes become casualties of building programs By JUDY BAGGETT Staff Writer Muddy shoes and long treks around construction sites have be come the norm on campus lately. Ross Street is the main problem area, said Chief Luther, Tuesday. Six crosswalks have been installed across the tom up street, after sev eral girls complained to R. L. Melcher, Administrative Officer, about muddy shoes. Lateral board walks were also installed along the street because of sinking sidewalks due to rain. Houston Street is a problem, too. Luther said that he had reports of two or three persons slipping and falling, but there were no injuries. The University Hospital also had no reported injuries due to construc tion. Some students and faculty have accepted the inconvenience caused by construction as part of life at A&M. “The toughest thing is just getting from one place to another, espe cially when it rains,” said Dr. Wil liam Pride, marketing professor. “I’m not complaining though. The noise (of construction) is the worst part.” Several students said they had no problem getting to class, but pointed out that it took a bit longer. Others are not complacent about the hassle. “Yesterday I tripped over an iron pipe on the sidewalk and some of the sidewalks have been slippery,” said Gwen Gable, stenographer for the English Department. “It is just inconvenient.” Another student commented on the dust in the air on dry days near construction areas. “You get dirty because of the heavy equipment stirring up the dirt when you walk by, he said. “I damn near fell flat on my nose,” said Barbara West, junior, explain ing that the crosswalk had a split between the boards. Melcher summed up the situa tion as “just the general inconveni ence of construction. ” Throat dry? No relief in sight Photo by Kevin Fotorny Elegance of Scarlatti ^y'ng pieces from Scarlatti and other Theater Tuesday night. He delighted f 'assical composers, Minoru Nojima per- everyone there. 0rr ned magnificently in the Rudder “One thing that I think people have to get through their heads is that the university is an autocratic society,” said Dr. John Koldus, vice president of student services. “That’s right!” said Mark Rankin, chairman of the MSC Great Issues committee. Great Issues didn’t sponsor this debate over liquor on campus, the Student Y did; but Rankin was walking toward the front of the room for an after-program de bate. Koldus, representing the administration’s view, stepped backed to the chalkboard and began diagramming a simple organiza tional chart to illustrate his point. “The governor appoints the board, said Koldus, drawing the first box at the top of the chart. “The board appoints the presi dent. The president appoints the vice presidents. And so on,” con tinued Koldus as he drew more boxes and lines in his example chart. Then he lowered his chalk to the bottom of the chalkboard near the chalkwell. “And the students are way down here. He drew a squiggly line. “That s right,” said Rankin again as he began explaining the legal status of university organization. “I don’t think this institution will ever get to the point where it will be totally democratic, ’ Koldus had said earlier. “We will never take a vote on every issue. Koldus was explain ing why a student vote favoring a pub would not be enough reason for for campus Bill Davis changing the university policy against liquor. “Contrary to what The Battalion says, the administration is receptive to what students have to say,” said Koldus. He said there may be a misunderstanding on the meaning of input: For instance, he said when he has a staff meeting, he takes a poll of his staff. But if the staff votes for a policy which turns out to be bad, he must change that policy. “So what can students do to get a pub on campus?” asked Keith Sing leton, who was reading questions submitted by the 60 students in the room. Right now the policy is set by the board of directors. The board would have to change that policy,” said Koldus. With that issue settled, the dis cussion tumed a different direction. The most telling discussion was prompted with the following question: What effect does a pub have on academic performance? “Harvard has a high average Grade Point Ratio, I understand,” said MSC President Bill Davis. “A pub is not fatal one way or the other. Five years from now, there would be no major effect on the school or the happiness of the students. It would just be a nice place for stu dents to go and have a beer with lunch or a place where students could go at 5 o’clock for a beer or two.” “That could still be done off cam pus,” said the remaining panel member. Senior Class President Louie Gohmert. “But I’d like to see an academic community that was comfortable. Alcohol is part of our culture,” said Davis. “It’s not necessary to get Louis Gohmert drunk. It’s a mixer . . . It’s part of our society.” “So is rape,” countered Gohmert. “. . . I’d just like to see it served as something for those who would like to take advantage of it, ans- (See PUB, p.3)