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THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12,1975
Bill extends oil controls
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The House
passed a hill Thursday to extend
domestic oil price controls until
Oct. 31 to gain more time to work
out an energy compromise with
President Ford.
But the Senate, working on a
similar extension, abandoned the ef
fort until Monday after Democrats
insisted on restricting Ford’s ability
to raise oil prices during the ex
tended period.
Under the House bill, Ford still
would be able to impose price in
creases, as he was in the price con
trol law that expired Sept. 1, unless
either house voted against the in
crease within five days.
The House, on a quick voice vote,
approved an extension to Oct. 31,
retroactive to Sept. 1. Senate
Democrats refused to accept that
version on grounds it would have
allowed Ford to offer his own
energy plan to Congress on a take-
it-or-leave-it basis.
Despite the Senate action, it still
is possible for Congress to agree on a
price-control extension and send it
to Ford for his approval late next
week.
Ford is reported ready to sign the
extension voted by the House. But
Griffin said the Senate bill, with the
restriction on Ford’s powers and
what amounts to an extension until
at least Nov. IS, invites a veto.
The House action came only a
single day af ter the Senate sustained
Ford’s veto of a six-month extension
of oil controls.
Generally, Democrats have been
pushing for lower price lids on
domestic oil and a longer time for
decontrol than the President has
been willing to accept.
Ford has supported removing
controls to raise fuel prices to fora
consumers to save on energy, and
channel more funds into the pet
roleum industries to encourage in
creased production in this nation.
The President has indicated lie
would consider gradual rather than
sudden decontrol.
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Associated Press
HOUSTON — More than $70
million in federal funds spent here
has had little effect on improving
the academic performance of poor
children and more than one in five
of Houston school children are still
functionally illiterates, an official
said here.
Houston School Superintendent
Billy R. Reagan cited lack of paren
tal interest and “social promotion
as two causes of continued poor
education for Houston’s disadvan
taged.
Speaking at a meeting Wednes
day, Reagan said a massive infusion
of between $70 to $75 million in
federal aid has not helped sharpen
the basic skills of the poor children.
“We have no evidence that the
federal money earmarked to help
deprived students is making a dif
ference in the academic perfor
mance’’ of poor children, he said.
He said some 45,000 of the dis
trict 206,000 pupils are not acquir
ing the fundamental skills in reading
and math necessary to function out
side of school and are, in effect,
functional illiterates.
More and more money and addi
tional teachers, he said, will not
help the situation. The key is the
parents.
“We have to have the support and
interest of the parents, said
Reagan.
Another factor is the so-called
“social promotion. Pupils are pro
moted who should receive failing
marks, he said, because teachers
cave in under pressure to keep chil
dren with their own age group.
Reagan said that often when pa
rents know their child will be prom
oted regardless of performance,
they lose interest in encouraging
the child to make good grades.
The Houston Independent
School District this year will receive
between $14 and $16 million in fed
eral money to help the economically
deprived.
Reagan said that during the past
two years the Iowa Test and Basic
Skills scores, which assess academic
performance in schools over the na
tion, have reached an all-time low
here.
Houston has participated in a var
iety of federal programs, including
Head Start and bilingual education
programs aimed at the poor.
older students
Those persons who are returning
to school or who haven’t been to
school in a matter of years are rep
resented by Students Older Than
Average (SOTA).
The social organization is for
people who feel they are out of place
in classes filled with 18 to 21-year-
olds, said Jean Bailey, SOTA presi
dent.
Groups similar to SOTA are rec
ognized on the University of Texas
at Austin and University of Houston
campuses. The A&M group is char
tered with the university.
The organization is open to men
and women, undergraduate and
graduate, single or married.
The first fall meeting will beheld
Tuesday beginning at noon in the
Memorial Student Center social
room, in tbe older part of the build
ing.
It is a brown-bag program with
Dr. Wade Birch, personal counsel
ing service, speaking on services av
ailable at his office.
“SOTA charges no dues and offers
the returner a chance to orient him
self with the university, said
Bailey.
Workshops planned
Workshops dealing with finance, adv ertising and organizing ol
student groups will be held Sept. 15-18, 3p.m. to 5 p.m.
Sept. 16 and 17 meetings will be a quick overview on how to use
the Student Finance Center. How to write checks, pay bills and keep
records will be taught. The program will be the same both days, held
in the Student Finance Center, second floor Memorial Student
Center.
Sept. 15 and 18 meetings will teach people how to organize using
campus sponsored activities such as the Memorial Student Center
Graphics Arts lab, how to place ads, how to raise money and plan
programming. These identical sessions will be in room 301, Rudder
Tower.
Summer twining worldwide
ROTC cruises high seas
By DON MIDDLETON
Battalion Staff Writer
Texas A&M University’s Reserv e
Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
cadets trained world-wide this
summer on naval ships and at camps
and military installations as close as
San Antonio, and as far away as the
Phillipines.
•k vi'
ships in the Pacific, Atlantic and the
Mediterranean.
Sophomore and senior cadets
were sent in groups to one of several
areas. One group cruised the West
ern Pacific, anchoring at ports in Ja
pan, Hong Kong, the Phillipines
and Taiwan. The tour also included
shore leave in Tokyo, Japan.
Another detachment was de
ployed in the Middle Pacific, stop
ping at the Hawaii Islands. A third
group was stationed in the Mediter
ranean, calling at Athens, Rhodes,
dots .served aboard Na'C'v' Greece:-'and Barcelona, Spain
The rest of the 29 seniors and 46
sophomores were split into two
groups. One cruised the West Coast
of the United States, stopping at
Seattle, Wash.; Monterrey, Calif.;
San Francisco, Calif; Long Beach,
Calif; and San Diego, Calif The
other group sailed down the East
Coast, calling at Newport, R.I.;
Norfolk, Va. and Charleston, S.C.
Junior Naval Cadets participated
in a four-phase summer program.
The first two weeks were spent in
flight orientation at Corpus Christi
Naval Air Station. A second two-
week period was spent in Little
Creek, Va., undergoing amphibious
assault training.
The third phase consisted of a one
week cruise on Naval destroyers out
of Norfolk, Va. The final stop was a
week-long submarine orientation
course in Charleston, S.C.
Six Naval ROTC cadets were in
volved in nuclear power training
aboard nuclear ballistic missile
submarines, attack submarines and
surface ships.
A total of 87 juniors attended Air
Force. ROTC summer camps; 82 at
Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Wal
ton, Fla.
At the first four-week session
Richard Ingenloff was given the
Commandant’s award as the out
standing cadet in attendance. Bryan
Miller received one of four Vice-
corn man dan t s awards.
Cadet James Patterson received
the Commandant’s award at the
second session, with the Vice
commandant’s awards going to Scott
Logan and Floyd Carpenter.
Four 2-year cadets those who
have not had basic ROTC were
stationed at Lackland Air Force
base in San Antonio, while one
cadet was stationed at Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California to re
ceive missile training.
Foi-f Riley; Kan. \vas the site of
Army ROTC advanced summer
camp, with 83 Aggie seniors in at
tendance. Marcus G. Dudley was
awarded the Association of U.S.
Army medal for superior achieve
ment at the session.
Also receiving recognition were
Paul W. Toler, who earned the
American Logistics Association
Award, and Charles A. Ellison who
received the Camp Commanders
Leadership Award.
Six junior cadets attended basic
ROTC camp at Fort Knox, Ken.,
and four completed Ranger training
at Fort Benning, Ca. Ranger school
consists of basic training, mountain
training and swamp and survival
school. . , ••
A toftll ofsit cwlets from Vrfrth
branches of the service participated
in Airlxrrne training, also held at
Fort Benning.
Sixty-one Army cadets were
awarded Recondo badges for suc
cessfully completing a water train
ing course and the Army physical
fitness test. Cadet Ronnie O Neal
compiled the maximum possible
score on the physical fitness test.
Meetings
scheduled
The Saddle and Sirloin Club will meet Tuesday at 7:30 p in. in
Room 225 of the Memorial Student Center.
Guest speaker will be J. T. White, world reknowned Brahman
cattle breeder.
Alpha Phi Omega will have a regular meeting Sunday in Room
229 of the Memorial Student Center at 8 p. m.
Alpha Phi Omega will have a pledge meeting Sunday at 7 p. m. in
Room 229 of the Memorial Student Center. All students interested in
joining should attend.
The Engineering Technology Society will meet Tuesday at 8
p.m. in Room 304 of Fermier Hall.
The Agricultural Economics Club will meet Tuesday at 7:30
p.m. in Room 112 of the Plant Science Building. All interested
agricultural economics students should attend.
The American Meteorological Society (TAMSCAMS) will meet
Tuesday in Room 110 of the Oceanography and Meteorology Building
instead of Room 112.
The Muslim Students Association will meet Sunday at 4 p.m. in
Room 510 of the Rudder Tower. Order of business will be elections
and Ramadan.
Students Older Than Average (SOTA) will meet in the Memorial
Student Center social room at noon Tuesday, Sept. 16.