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.