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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 1975)
Che Battalion Vol. 68, No. 131 College Station, Texas Wednesday, August 13, 1975 Cadets hit snags in contracts North plaza Shown in the above picture is the North Plaza area located in front of the old chemistry building. When finished, the mall will feature a fountain and areas for leisure activities. photo by Tom Kayser City approval expected on flood damage claim By JERRY NEEDHAM City Editor A damages claim filed with the College Station City Council by a College Station resident is expected to be approved this week. The resident, Robert Cornish of 1214 Orr St., alleges he sustained $1,023 worth of damage to his home during flash floods on May 5 and May 8. Cornish filed the claim with the city on May 19 after he determined the flooding was caused by negli gence on the part of the city. 'The house had been there 23 years without ever being flooded,’’ Cornish said. “A city crew had dumped a bunch of excavation material in a city easement in such a way that it im peded the flow of storm water,” Cornish said. Cornish said he returned home on the evening of May 5 to find the floors covered with two inches of water. He said that at that time he could not determine the cause of the fl(X)ding. After dark on May 8, another flash flood left Cornish’s floor covered with water. Since it was dark, he said he still could not ascertain the cause of the flooding. After checking the area during the day, he said he thought a pile of dirt left by a city crew working dur ing the rebuilding of a manhole might be causing the problem. Cornish said he then hired some help on May 12 to make a trench through the dirt and to construct a small dike to hold back the water. While at home the following af ternoon, another flash flood struck and Cornish said he was able to ob serve the effect of the excavation material on the storm water but av oided flooding because of the trench and dike. He said the material had been diverting water directly into his house. Educators hear Presnal on state appropriations The state appropriations that get the most press are the ones in which the least amount of change are likely to result, Rep. Bill Presnal told a group of vocational directors at TAMU. Presnal, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, spoke Monday to a conference of voca tional education directors, telling them that the stages of appropria tions where the most changes were made were at the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) and in commit tee. The 10-member LBB and its staff have the longest time in preparation of appropriations, he said, and items recommended by the LBB are well respected. Both Presnal and State Sen. Bill Moore of Bryan-College Station are on the LBB, he said. By the time the bills are brought to the floors of the Texas House and Senate, the only changes will usu ally be in wording or in “rider” amendments. Few involve actual amounts of money, Presnal said. He said that 11th hour passage of appropriations intimidates the chamber leadership. Appearing after Presnal, Lowell Burkett of the American Vocational Association (AVA) noted that Texas had the largest membership in AVA of any state. Burkett, executive director of AVA, said that on the federal level, Congress was very supportive of vo cational education although the Ford Administration appeared to favor less federal ties. Burkett said Congress is impaired by two factions in each party. He explained a study on the needs of vocational education that asks that support be doubled and that states have a single agency to oversee vocational education. TAMU seeks routes of least resistance Thousands of Texans, at one time or another, yield to progress in the form of a new road, super highway, or urban freeway. The Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transporta tion (SDHPT) has started studies for road routes that are “the least dis ruptive but at the same time the most productive.” Dock Burke, associate research economist with the Texas Transpor tation Institute at TAMU, and sociologist Dan Davis have been asked to help SDHPT make road route decisions. “We were initially called in to counsel on a freeway proposal for the Harrisburg area in Houston,” Burke said. “It was decided that sociological factors should be given as much weight as engineering fac tors. “As a result, we analyzed 12 diffe rent locations for this five-mile stretch of road and recommended the one with minimum social, economic, and environmental im pact,” he said. “This was our con tribution to part of the more general problem that SDHPT wants to sol ve. “In parallel with this original study has evolved an ‘Action Plan’ for statewide application of this socio-economic, and environmental analysis in highway planning,’’ Burke said. “It’s a broader-based program on how the highway de partment will bring these non engineering factors into road plan ning decisions. “Some of the things we look at in making recommendations for a cer tain route are land value analyses, house to house interviews, citizen attitude, and estimates of the number of people who will be dis placed,” Burke said. “This is coupled to sound and noise pollu tion and the standard traffic en gineering studies. “As a matter of fact, the Harris burg study turned out to be one of the most complete studies of its type ever done in the state,” he said. By JERRY NEEDHAM City Editor Forty-four TAMU Air Force ROTC cadets are unhappy with changes made in their military plans by the Air Force. TAMU has approximately 100 AFROTC cadets working toward commissions as officers in the Air Force upon graduation. Because of a reduction in the number of military forces by Con gress, 380 cadets nationwide have not been offered full-time commis sions in the Air Force. Seven of those cadets are from TAMU. Colonel Robert Elkins, TAMU professor of Aerospace Studies, said, “What has happened is that we cannot bring into active duty all the AFROTC cadets available. Those seven cadets have the choice of tak ing a commission and going on ac tive duty for 90 days and then into the Reserve for eight years or not taking the commission. I think three will take commissions and the other four will not. “In addition to those seven, we also determined that the Air Force will have more pilots than we need so 800 cadets nationwide who wanted to be pilots were told they could not be, Elkins said. “Thirty- seven of those were from A&M. Elkins said these cadets were given three choices. Cancel their contract, take a commission for 90 days active duty and then go into the Reserve or change to another categ ory other than pilot. Two-thirds of the 37 cadets have opted for another category. How ever, their choices are still subject to approval by AFROTC headquar ters. According to Elkins, the deci sions as to who would not be offered commissions were based on the “whole-man concept.” Academic standing, extracurricular activity, and character were some of the items taken into consideration. There were rumors of feelings among some cadets that the Air Force was breaking contracts, but Elkins pointed out that the contract in effect says, “I’ll take a commission if you offer me one.” The contract states, “The applic ant understands that selection as a . . . cadet does not commit or bind the U.S. Air Force to permit con tinuation as a member or to tender an appointment as a commissioned officer. ” “A&M students did better in the cutback that the national average,” Elkins said. TAMU has the largest AFROTC program in the U.S. and consis tently commissions more officers yearly than any other ROTC school. He said he immediately called the city manager concerning the problem. Several city employes were sent to the location. The excavation material was re moved and Cornish states there have been no problems since. North Bardell, city manager, said that the investigation by George Ford, director of public works, re vealed that the city was at fault. Cornish said he has had no trou ble in advancing his claim to the city. According to Cornish, the city will pay 80 per cent of replacement costs under the expected settle ment. He said he agrees that this is a fair market value. Cornish said he found in checking with his insurance company that his policy does not cover ground-water damage. “The people next to me have a constant drainage problem on their property because the city easement is not shaped properly. Unless it is properly contoured to direct the flow of storm water, we ll have con tinuing problems out here,” Cor nish said. “The city is aware of the problem and has agreed to reshape the ease ment — it’s just a question of when,” Cornish said. Teague to staff area office this week Rep. Olin E. Teague, D-Tex., said last week that he is sending a member of his staff to Bryan- College Station for three days this week. Mr. Teague sais his Bryan District Office in the old Bryan Post Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Fri day, the 13th-15th of August. The Congressman also said he in tends to have a staff member in Bryan regularly each month for 2 or 3 days. The purpose of having staff members in the district office is to handle any constituent requests. Honor reception set for Speaker Clayton Texas House Speaker Bill Clayton will be honored at a public reception Friday after noon at the Ramada Inn prior to delivering the address at TAMU’s summer commence ment exercises. Rep. Bill Presnal, who is coordinating arrangements for Clayton’s Bryan-College Sta tion visit, said the reception will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the hotel ballroom. “We hope as many people as possible will take this opportun ity to come by and meet Speaker Clayton or, in many in stances renew acquaintances with this outstanding legislator and Aggie,’ Presnal said. “Everyone is welcome. Clayton, a 1950 TAMU graduate, will make the com mencement address for sum mer exercises at 8 p.m. in G. Rollie White Coliseum. He was elected Speaker this year after serving for 13 years in the House of Representatives. In the House he compiled a dis tinguished record of achieve ment and has long been a leader in the field of water conserva tion, Presnal said. “He has probably passed more bills through the House of Representatives than anyone else in the same period of time, ” Speaker Bill Clayton Presnal said, “and he has served on all major committees of the House and chaired several dur ing his tenure. Clayton was recently elected chairman of the Southern Legis lative Conference. He also is a member of the executive com mittee of the National Confer ence of State Legislatures, member of the governing board of the Council of State Govern ments and former chairman of the Intergovernmental Rela tions Committee of the National Legislative Conference. Workmen plant shrubs The workmen in the above picture are planting shrubs as one of the final steps in completion of the wall that will soon encircle the entire TAMU campus. Today. Inside Whale p. 2 Meteors p. 5 Sports p. 6-12 Weather Partly cloudy and hot Wed nesday and Thursday. Southerly winds 8-12 mph. High both days 93; low to night 72. 20 per cent chance late afternoon and evening showers today. Gl deadline set Veterans discharged before June 1, 1966 have less than 10 months left to take advantage of GI Bill training and school benefits. Deadline on eligibility for such veterans is May 31, 1976. All veterans have a 10-year period in which to begin and finish schooling or training at academic technical, apprentice or cooperative programs. TAMU’s veteran’s representatives explain that tutorial as sistance is also available through the GI Bill for veterans who have been out of school. The upcoming fall and spring semesters are the last availa ble times left for veterans discharged before the 1966 cutoff date. Fireman injured Mexican fireman Hector Cavazos was injured last Thursday at the Spanish Firemen’s Training School. He was treated and released from St. Joseph’s Hospital. A hospital spokesman said the fire fighter was “okay.” Cavazos, from Monterrey, cut his right hand fighting a building fire at Brayton Training Field. The blaze was one of the regular training evolutions of the field. The school, third of an annual trio conducted by the Texas Engineering Extension Service at TAMU, ended at noon last Friday. Enrollment at 24,000 TAMU admissions officials’ early estimates of a 24,000- student enrollment this fall are holding up. The latest report of acceptances of new undergraduate students show a 24.4 per cent increase over the same period last year. The Admissions Office’s August report indicates 1,852 more first-semester freshmen and transfer students have been ac cepted to date over the corresponding period in 1974. Estimates of 24,000 students are based on the university’s normal retention rate for previously enrolled students and an assumption that 70 per cent of the newly accepted students will actually enroll, said Dr. Bill Lay, TAMU’s director of admis sions. The 70 per cent estimate for enrollment of new students takes into account that many students make applications at several different institutions. TAMU has been a national leader in enrollment gains throughout the 70 s. Its 2,500-student increase was the largest among the nation’s public senior colleges and universities in 1973-74. It had an even larger increase last year when a total of 21,463 students were enrolled. The Colleges of Engineering, Business Administration, Liberal Arts, Science and Agriculture are showing the largest increases among the new students. Cummings to speak at TSU STEPHENVILLE— Dr. Joe F. Cummings, associate pro fessor of education and psychology at Tarleton State University, will be the featured speaker at the TSU summer commence ment exercises August 17 at 3 p.m. in Wisdom Gymnasium. John M. Whiting, TSU registrar, said 200 students had applied for master’s and bachelor degrees. Dr. Cummings, a former football star at the U niVersity of Alabama, joined the TSU faculty in 1970. He was formerly a teacher and coach at Las Vegas, Nev., and served as high school principal and superin tendent at Anton, Texas. Cummings served two years in the 101st Airborne Division and played one year of professional football with Ottawa in the Eastern Canadian Football League before entering the teaching profession. He holds a master’s degree from West Texas State University and a Ph.D. from Texas Tech. Chinese sponsor film A color film of the funeral of former Nationalist Chinese President Chang Kai Chek will be aired Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on Channel 3. The film is being sponsored by a group of Chinese students at TAMU. Economics seminar set The TAMU Economics Department will conduct an economics seminar Friday at 1:30 p.m. in room 216 of the Harrington Education Center. Dr. David Barton, professor of economics at Cornell University will discuss “Benefits and Costs of Public Housing in New York City. TAMU to study continental shelf The Bureau of Land Management has given TAMU and other Gulf of Mexico institutions the task of studying the Continental Shelf as oil drilling increases. TAMU received a substantial part of a $3,147,800 grant to monitor the environment in drilling areas off Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. TAMU researchers are working with Florida’s State University Sys tem Institute of Oceanography (SUSIO) on their studies in the Eastern Gulf. Dr. Robert Smith, SUSIO direc tor, described the $3 million grant, and the fact that no oil has yet been discovered, as “God sent”. He said it will allow scientists more time, perhaps two to five years longer, to “further document the environ ment before man’s exploration of oil commences at high speed. ” Seven ships will be used for the various studies which will cover roughly 40,000 square miles. They will study all types of plants and animals living in the ocean or on its bottom. They will also research sed iments and water currents in addi tion to conducting surveys and chemical analyses of the water. Florida scientists say the effort is “collecting data which can be used to tell if there is an impact when drilling begins. We’re looking at the area before anyone starts impinging on it with oil, drilling muds or wnat- ever.” John Trefry, research assistant at TAMU, said their work is part “of an enormous base line study that we participated in. Now we re going to do the followup study to see what effects the drilling has on the heavy metal levels that they have re corded.” The Bureau of Land Management is doing the studies in preparation for massive drilling in the offshore United States. TAMU is also involved with a baseline study of the Texas Conti nental Shelf. The Texas project is just one step behind the other Gulf study. The duties of the Texas study are shared by TAMU, U. S. Geological Survey, University of Texas at Port Aransas, and NOAA. With preliminary study for Texas done, the contract is being made up for monitoring to start in 1976.