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CS development p. 3
Gun control p. 5
Vol. 68 No. 111
College Station, Texas
Friday, April 25, 1975
Athletic user fee
in
1 Compromise made?
By JERRY GEARY
Campus Editor
The Athletic Department is wil
ling to accept the Student Senate’s
recommended athletic user fee if a
contingency fund is established to
cover any financial losses to the de
partment.
The agreement, which includes a
$10 season pass or $3.50 for indi
vidual games without the pass, must
still be approved by the Athletic
Council and President Williams.
The Athletic Department had de
layed its earlier plan of $17.50 per
season pass or $7 for individual
games when the executive commit
tee of the Student Senate
threatened to boycott the user fee.
Student leaders argued that the
proposal had not passed through
proper channels and had not re
ceived any student input.
Student Body President Jeff
Dunn said the recent turnabout of
events resulted from a meeting of
Student Government leaders with
President Williams Thursday after
noon.
At the meeting, Williams exp
lained that he was led to believe the
Senate Executive Committee had
approved the Athletic Depart
ment’s $17.50 user fee.
In reality, the Senate Executive
Committee had never met to ap
prove the measure.
Dunn said that last week Bob
Shokes, student member of the Ath
letic Council, led him to believe
that $17.50 was a reasonable com
promise with the Athletic Depart
ment.
“He (Shokes) felt $17.50 was a
justified, reasonable demand,” said
Dunn.
In his meetings with the Athletic
Department, Dunn said, “We
Chairs meet barrier
Hassles becoming fewer
^ i. . , ^ ^
i "-1 n ' : !
Photo by Jack Holm
Bicycles Obstruct Wheelchair Paths
Jim Crawley, Battalion campus reporter, through the maze of bicycles at the Library
tries to maneuver a borrowed wheelchair entrance ramp.
Phone rates may go up
Acres Subdivision on Miller’s and
Morgan Lanes from single family
residential to commercial and in
dustrial districts.
Two other rezoning ordinances
will be considered by the council.
One of the ordinances will rezone
two lots located southwest of Col
lege Main between Louise and
Church Avenue from a duplex resi
dential district to a general com
mercial district. Another proposed
ordinance would rezone the five lots
in the Lakeview Acres Subdivision.
The council will also present a
motion calling for a public hearing
on rezoning a tract of land on the
comer of Southland and FM 2154.
By JERRY NEEDHAM
Staff Writer
Bill Erwin, division manager of
General Telephone, will present a
rate increase request to the College
Station City Council at its monthly
meeting Monday night at 7.
The requested revenues will raise
the rate of return on invested capital
on telephone rates from 5.43 per
cent to 8.4 percent.
Both the Bryan and College Sta
tion City Councils must approve the
requests before the rates become
effective. Public hearings are ex
pected to be held at a later date.
Also on the agenda is a public
hearing on the Thomas Street pav
ing assessments. The council will
levy assessments for part of the cost
of improving a portion of Thomas
Street.
Thomas Street was the last to be
paved in College Station under the
old rate of $4 per linear foot. The
council recently passed an ordi
nance raising the assessed cost for
each property owner on the street
paving program to $8 per linear
foot.
A mayor pro-tem will also be
elected. Fred Brison, who did not
run for re-election, held the posi
tion. The mayor pro-tem acts as
mayor at council meetings in case of
Fish Pond’
needs cash
The Fish Pond” may not remain
the saddest structure on campus
should the Class of 1977 have its
way.
Class of ’77 members are cur
rently planning a complete renova
tion of the memorial, and with the
specifications for the work project
already drawn up, they need only to
acquire the necessary $8,800.
Kelly DeWitt, Class of’77 Presi
dent, hopes that construction can
begin prior to May 15 to avoid in
creases in building costs. The foun
tain would then be completed by
football season for use by the yell
leaders.
To raise the needed funds, the
class plans to collect contributions
from class members during pre
registration, sponsor a Country-
Western dance on April 25, and
hold a class picnic on April 27 at
Hensel Park.
the mayor’s absence. Board and
committee members will also be
appointed by the council.
City Manager North Bardell will
give his report to the council. It will
include discussions on the paving of
streets in the Carter’s Grove sub
division, the Texas Highway
Department’s recommendation to
raise the median on a portion of Jer
sey Street and bids on electrical
equipment.
The council will consider five bids
for lighting equipment for the prop
osed tennis courts next to Bee
Creek Park.
A public hearing will be held on
rezoning five lits in the Lakeview
By JIM CRAWLEY
Staff Writer
During the past few years the
TAMU campus has become less of a
hassle to students using wheel
chairs and crutches but the final sol
ution is still far in the future.
The state of Texas currently has a
law requiring all new or renovated
public buildings to be accessible to
the handicapped. This means wheel
chair users, the blind and people
using crutches must be able to enter
the buildings.
The university has been respon
sive to the needs of the wheel chair
students, ” said Don Gardner, coun
selor for the Texas Rehabilitation
Commission.
The main needs of the “chair stu
dents are the elimination of ar
chitectural barriers around campus.
Barriers include curbs, steps and
stairs. Phones, water fountains and
restrooms also provide problems
unless properly designed with the
handicapped in mind.
“The response from the administ
ration is mostly positive toward the
introduction of ramps on campus,”
said Gardner.
Wheel chair students have access
to 24 campus buildings. Thirteen of
these buildings have classroom
space, with the other buildings
mainly office, dorm and recreational
areas. Many other buildings have
elevators which make access by stu
dents using crutches possible.
Although most of the major build
ings are called “accessible” by the
administration, some of the wheel
chair students still find it difficult to
enter the accessible buildings.
An often quoted complaint from
students is the use of wheel chair
ramps at the Library and Academic
Buildings as bicycle racks. Also the
current construction programs have
disrupted the entrances and
sidewalks of several buildings.
The Battalion has discovered that
construction crews have repeatedly
placed obstacles at the Bolton Hall
ramp during the past week. Yester
day was the second annual Wheel
chair Awareness Day and during the
day the Bolton ramp was fenced off.
Presently, older campus build
ings are being renovated with the
addition of ramps and elevators. Re
cent renovations including the con
struction of ramps were Bolton
Hall, Fermier, Geosciences and
Nagle Hall, according to Gen. A. R.
Luedecke, executive vice presi
dent. The Physics Building has
been made partially accessible by
the addition of a temporary wooden
ramp. Luedecke termed this as “not
satisfactory. ”
Once a student has entered an
“accessible” building other prob
lems also crop up. Too high water
fountains are a common complaint.
Old and small elevators also tend to
make it harder for wheelchair stu
dents. Small restrooms without
special equipment are also a recur
rent source of trouble.
Luedecke said the Coke Building
is scheduled to receive a special
wheel chair elevator on the outside
iso handicapped students may use
Ithe offices of the Fiscal Office and
the Registrar. The Admissions Of
fice is also located in the building.
The new additions to the
Krueger-Dunn complex will he
equipped to handle handicapped
residents as the existing complex
does.
The Battalion was told by
Luedecke the Systems Administra
tion Building was completely acces
sible to wheel chairs. A survey of the
entrances indicated this was not the
case. The two main entrances are
fronted by a 12-15 foot high series of
steps. The only other entrances are
reached by two steps.
A small step for man, but a giant
leap for a wheel chair.
“I don’t think the handicapped
students are the ones who complain
the most, they’re just happy they
can go to school,” said Gardner.
didn’t start arbitrating about the
$17.50 plan because we thought it
was impossible to get it lowered. ”
Dunn further explained that stu
dent leaders were only questioning
the $7.00 individual ticket cost.
Dunn said the Athletic Depart
ment assumed, “Because we didn’t
say anything against it, (the $17.50
plan) they thought we favored it.”
He said Wednesday afternoon
was the first time he was informed
there was an alternative to the Ath
letic Department s $17.50 plan.
In order to bring the fee back to
$10, Williams said he would take
$80,000 out of the athletic budget
for improvements on Kyle Field and
fund them through another source.
Later, Assistant Athletic Director
of Business Affairs, Wally Groff exp
lained to Dr. Williams that this
$80,000 was not included in the Ath
letic Department’s budget and the
situation reverted back to its origi
nal stalemated form.
The stalemate was broken when
Groff increased projected revenue
from football games anticipating a
“very optimistic season.
Still, Groff did not have enough
money from estimated student fees
of $257,500 to cover the Athletic
Department’s revised, estimated
279,000 budget.
Dunn said he saw no sense in es
tablishing a contingency fund to
cover the $22,000 deficit within the
athletic budget since the football
team in all probability would have a
very successful season and would
not need the money.
Dunn argued that the fund
should be established outside the
budget.
Groff agreed, saying Student
Services Fees had a monetary re
serve that “could help us out if the
Athletic Department suffered any
financial losses.
A final decision on the con
troversy will be reached early next
week.
Young says
Business’ reputation low
Trying his wheels
Handicapped for a while
By JIM CRAWLEY
Staff Writer
Whoosh! Another bicyclist;
speeds by as I diligently try my hand
at navigating a wheelchair to the
Library.
Along with dozens more, I
wheeled across the campus yester
day as participants in TAMU’s sec
ond annual Wheelchair Awareness
Day.
As part of the special day, stu
dents could sign out wheelchairs
and see what the campus is like to
the handicapped. Students used the
chairs as long as they wished or until
they tired. It was usually a combina
tion of both.
For me, the key to the day was to
see how many buildings I could get
into without “cheating. Cheating
in this sense was not to use my feet,
outside help to get out of the
chair. All impossible for a real hand
icapped student.
Unfortunately, I had to break the
rules a few times.
My first challenge was the
Academic Building. This building
has a ramp and even an elevator but
little else. The ramp’s most common
use is a place to park bicycles during
class. Then the elevator tried to at
tack my feet a couple of times during
my several trips up and down. The
“several trips were necessary be
cause I couldn’t turn the chair
around inside the elevator. Now I
know why you always back a chair
into an elevator.
The next obstacle was the Old
Biological Sciences Building. This
elevator is very unusual, to say the
least. The doors close from the top
and bottom, instead of from the
sides. Another wheelchair novice
described the beast as “a giant set of
jaws waiting to gobble you up.” I
tend to agree.
Next a friend and I set out to con
quer the Reed McDonald Building,
home of The Battalion. I had been
told it was impossible.
After 45 minutes, a trip down the
middle of Spence Street, strange
looks from people in Lot 7 and a
sense of victory we entered the of
fice to the surprise of all, including
ourselves.
We only cheated once, when a
van didn’t see us while we were try
ing to hop over a curb-
During a break I talked with
others trying out their new wheels.
The story about the student who got
five friends to carry him up the steps
of Sbisa for lunch, only to be
stymied by the turnstile, brought a
few laughs to a serious problem.
After the long-needed rest, I
journeyed to the MSC and the first
building I encountered designed to
be accessible to the wheelchair stu
dents, long as they don’t want to
make a pay phone call.
That’s right, the pay phones can’t
be reached easily by a wheelchair
user. At least I didn’t have to stoop
down to my post box.
I want to thank the maintenance
man who held the door at the Rud
der Tower. I had been trying to
leave through the door for at least
three minutes before the man ar
rived. The doors are just too heavy.
I ended the day with a special
driving lesson from Dr. William
Hyman, bioengineering professor.
He allowed me to drive a hand-
control equipped car he was
evaluating for the government. I re
ally enjoyed it and think I could
enjoy driving my car without using
any feet. It’s a really strange feeling.
To all the people who gave me
ugly looks, and there were a few, I
hope you have to use a wheelchair
sometime so you’ll learn what it’s
really like. To the many people who
offered their aid in my times of ap
parent need, I congratulate you for
your humanitarianism. Finally, to
all the handicapped students at
TAMU, thanks for sharing your
problem so I could better under
stand it.
By DAVID ROOP
Staff Writer
“The reputation of business today
is as low as it has ever been,” said
Lewis Young, editor of Business
Week Magazine, Thursday night.
Young gave his views on prob
lems faced by American business for
the Great Issues series on the
American Economy.
This low reputation, Young said,
was not difficult to predict, with
America in the midst of the most
severe depression since the 1930’s.
The stock market is 30 per cent
below that of 1973, and industrial
production is 12 per cent below the
level of last fall, he said.
“The depression will end, ” Young
said, “but will the bad reputation?”
The fundamental question in de
aling with American business today,
jYoung said, is “what kind of
economic society will the United
States have?”
Will the government make the
decisions, or will the people? he
asked. More and more large corpo
rations are relying on government
funds to help them out of financial
difficulty, and, as Young said, “All of
this adds up to unprecedented gov
ernment intervention.”
How did the United States get to
this point? The main problem said
Young is poor management of cor
porations. They simply cannot cope
with the size and complexity which
many businesses have attained.
“The enterprise has gotten so big,
the management doesn’t know how
to run it,” he said.
“There is a growing belief that the
U.S. economy must change from a
consumption-oriented to a
savings-oriented economy,” he
said. Conservation calls for more
durable products and while this
might cause some markets to
shrink, he felt it would create new
repair markets.
As an example of an industry
based on consumption, Young
pointed to the automobile industry.
Auto companies, he said, have got
ten out of touch with public needs.
“The fact is that in the last five
years, very few new innovations
came out of American auto manufac
turers. Real participation by auto
management,” he said, will be
needed to produce the type of car
Americans need.
Another problem Young spoke on
is that of U.S. companies diversify
ing into other businesses.
“The idea of getting into a busi
ness they know nothing about has
almost a magnetic attraction to most
American corporations.” The idea
that a company must diversify to
survive must be re-examined, he
said.
Failure to communicate with the
public is also hurting many com
panies, Young said.
“A new atmosphere demands an
emphasis on candor,” he said.
Three factors have led to this new
atmosphere. First, there is “a dis
enchantment with establishments
in general.” Also, the improved
level of education, helped by wide
spread television, has led to a grea
ter public awareness.
“In an open society,” Young
stated, “a company’s executive must
consider the impact of their actions
on the public. ”
“The corporation is under great
strain,” he said. It has lost its drive
and focus, and the government, in
turn, is trying to run and finance
many of them.
“The real solution,” Young said,
“is making corporations more resi
lient, able to handle their own prob
lems” by focusing more energy and
attention on products.
Photo by David McCarrolI
Business Week Editor Speaks
Mr. Lewis Young, current editor of Business Week
Magazine, presents his views on American indus-
try.