Battalion
Vol. 68 No. 67
College Station, Texas
Friday, Jan. 30, 1976
City council rejects
‘out of line’ contract
Consol classroom space
pic of citizens 7 meeting
By CAROL MEYER
lele Station citizens presented their
ins about a proposed school bond
mlit last night’s meeting of the A& M
ilidated Citizen s Advisory Commit-
(jeeting was held to discuss the
oladditional classroom space in the
I district.
Huch meetings have been held in
ist two weeks involving an architect,
^ l oli ials, citizens and the Consulta-
I Bnmittee of the College Station
* ition Association. From these as-
Hthe advisory committee will pre-
ecoinmendations to the school board
iiug a bond election.
Moard is expected to consider the
imbndations within the next month.
p.|2 million bond election was held
Hfcmber, but was narrowly defeated.
ul| have provided funds for a new
mtpry school on the site of the old
■Biehool at 13(X) Jersey Street.
(m B. Longley, chairman of the Col-
itajion Planning and Zoning Commis-
ucgested that the fifth and sixth
could he accommodated at the old
Bchool. He said, however, that the
lonal traffic on Jersey Street could
Jproblem.
. 0 C. Cooper said that Texas A&M
■ City of College Station have ex-
Hinterest in the old Middle School
He suggested another location for the
3sed elementary school.
Secity is growingsoiith,” Cooper said,
h Knoll (elementary school) is getting
er number of children,
member of the committee said the
l district would save about $2 million
ildjing the school on the old property,
rbara Tipple, special education
e> at A&M Consolidated Middle
>l, emphasized the problem of noise in
lassroom.
r room and another are divided by a
k*|>od partition. She said the problem
lUHldren in special education “is that
ire easily distracted. They need acon-
0 Environment. She played a tape
ding made in her classroom that day
t exemplified the high noise level,
be committee needs to look at the
from the children’s point of view, ’
Middle School teacher Barbara LeB-
s,i£f‘Help the children in the areas in
and |they are willing to leam, namely the
il education program.”
ndex
ggie Heart Award to be given
morrow night. Page 6.
One woman advised using the elemen
tary schools’ cafeterias for indoor physical
education. She also suggested that the
existing unused buildings on the Jersey
Street site could be used to “buy time to
determine the community’s growth.
“Teachers and instructional materials are
what’s best. Walls don’t make much differ
ence, she said.
The need for vocational facilities at the
high school was also discussed. Such
facilities, along with additional classrooms
at the Middle School and College Hills
Elementary, and space for elementary
physical education, were also included in
the previous bond election.
“The kindergarten is going to a state-
recommended full day in 1977, said one
citizen who emphasized the need for
additional space in that area also.
By JERRY NEEDHAM
Battalion Staff Writer
Bryan’s newest utility rate proposal was
unanimously rejected by the College Sta
tion City Council yesterday.
The council took the action upon rec
ommendation of the city’s Utility Rate Ad
visory Committee.
Jim Dozier, committee chairman and
councilman, said that after giving the pro
posed contract a detailed study, the com
mittee found the proposed rates “to be
completely out of line with those of other
available sources. The council has re
quested that Bryan submit a new proposal
within 14 days containing competitive rates
and terms or else the City of College Sta
tion will begin negotiating for electricity
from Gulf States Utilities.
The council also voted to present its spe
cific objections to the contract to the Bryan
Council even though most of the council-
men echoed Councilman Larry Bravenec’s
doubts that any further negotiations would
be fruitful.
Mayor O.M. Holt agreed, “We’ve done
all we could do all along. I think once we
have put our objections on paper and pre
sented them to Bryan, we will have gone
the last mile.’
A meeting of the College Station Council
is scheduled for 2 p.m. today to draw up the
objections. A joint meeting of the two city
councils is still possible within the next two
weeks to try one last negotiation.
Dozier said the principle objection to the
proposed contract is the rates. “We specifi
cally object to Bryan charging its residents
42 cents per 1,000 gallons of water while
they charge College Station 47 cents per
1,000 gallons,’’ he said.
Bravenec said, “We feel that since we
(College Station residents) are Bryan’s best
customer, we deserve their best rate.
College Station councilmen contend that
under the present contract College Station
is partially supporting Bryan’s installation,
distribution and billing system. Bravenec
pointed out that, in addition. College Sta
tion has to wholly maintain its own distribu
tion and billing system.
“We recognize that Bryan may not be
able to make a better offer than this. If not,
we would like them to say that. There is no
malice involved,’ said Dozier.
Councilman Gary Halter said, “I get the
impression from people working on this
committee that Bryan has not acted in good
faith.”
The Bryan Council rejected a proposal
by the College Station Council in De
cember to jointly hire a consultant to de
termine what the true costs are in supply
ing utilities to College Station.
Under the proposed contract. College
Station would have a perpetual five-year
contract with Bryan because it would be
renegotiable annually. Also, College Sta
tion would have to give five year’s notice
before termination of the contract.
The rate committee determined that the
proposed Bryan rates for electricity are 40
per cent higher than what the city coidd be
obtaining from Gulf States.
Bravenec told The Battalion that the rate
offered by Gulf States is a standard rate for
municipalities and not a special rate to get
College Station on the Gulf States system.
The difference in the rates is indicated by
a representative bill for the month of De
cember, 1975, as calculated by City Man
ager North Bardell.
A resident of Caldwell (which is served
by Gulf States) would have paid $59 for
3,400 kilowatt-hours of electricity in De
cember, including fuel adjustments.
Under Bryan’s proposed contract these
same 3,400 kilowatt-hours would have cost
a College Station resident $98, a difference
of 60 per cent, Bardell said.
Another point of disagreement over the
proposed contract is the provision that Col
lege Station must purchase at least 80 per
cent of its annual water requirements from
Bryan “unless the parties mutually agree
otherwise.”
A private firm has been conducting
studies of an area southwest of College Sta
tion to determine the quality and quantity
of water available in several wells there.
Results of the tests, commissioned by Col
lege Station, have shown the water to be
potable.
The tests have also shown that the wells
can produce up to 2,000 gallons of water
per minute which, when added to the
amount College Station gets from its own
well and from Texas A&M, would provide
at least 50 per cent of the city’s current
water needs, Bardell estimated.
College Station has contracted for its util
ity supplies since its incorporation in 1938.
2 classes canceled
for Monday events
All classes will be dismissed between 1
and 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2 in recognition
of Texas A&M’s Centennial celebration.
The announcement was made earlier this
week by University President Jack K.
Williams.
The first of four major Centennial events
will be held tonight.
Marcel Marceau will perform in Rudder
Center Auditorium tonight at 8.
On Monday, a Centennial sculpture by
Houston artist G. Pat Foley will be un
veiled at the University Center. Gov.
Dolph Briscoe will attend the ceremony.
Approximately 200 persons, including
Briscoe, distinguished alumni and the
A&M Board of Regents, will attend a noon
buffet.
At 1:30 p.m. the Aggie Concert Band will
perform in Rudder Tower to begin the af
ternoon’s events.
At 2 p.m. in Rudder auditorium Briscoe
will speak at a general ceremony proclaim
ing 1976 as A&M’s Centennial year.
The program will also include remarks
by Clyde H. Wells, chairman of the Texas
A&M University System Board of Regents;
Dr. Betty M. Unterberger, vice chairman
of the university’s Academic Council; Jeff
Dunn, student government president, and
Williams.
The day’s events will be concluded by a
presentation of the Houston Symphony in
concert with the Singing Cadets at 8 p.m.
in Rudder Center Auditorium.
The second major event of the year to
recognize the Centennial will be Aggie
Muster on April 21. Commencement for
the Class of 1976, to be held May 8, will be
the third celebration event. The fourth and
last major feature will be on Oct. 4, the date
A&M was instituted as a college in 1876.
— LeANN Roby
Section of Texas law
called discriminatory
Leading the hand
Jim Hendrickson
The Commons area was treated to live music
Thursday night. Larry Foster led the Dunn-
Aston band in its second practice session.
EORGE BUSH is to be sworn in as
n Mnew director of the CIA. Page 4.
10ROCCO CLAIMS victory in the
ipanish Sahara. Page 4.
FORMER SKIER says Olympics
liould he open to professionals.
’age 5.
REPORT was released today
■ut alleged irregularities in the
iuirt Worth Police Department.
Page 3.
Weather
E FORECAST for Friday
s fair and mild with a high of 72
rees. The low tonight will be
1 degrees. Partly cloudy and
Jljiontinued mild Saturday.
Fee committee hears appeals
Only five of 14 student organizations
were represented last night at the final
hearings on the budgeting of the 1976-77
Student Service Fees
The Student Fee Allocation Committee,
headed by Bill Flores, vice president of
student finance, heard pleas from the rep
resentatives but made no changes in Wed
nesday night’s committee recom
mendations.
The Athletic Department, first group to
approach the committee, felt they would
either have to cut programs or increase
ticket prices in order to operate on the
$90,000 allocated them.
An Athletic Council representative said
he felt the $15 ticket books would be ac
cepted by his organization. However he
said he did not feel it was within the juris
diction of of the committee to budget the
entire Student Service Fees.
“The committee’s recommendations will
be taken back to the Athletic Council and
used as a base figure, but it’s back to the
drawing board,” the representative said.
Extramurals, which were cut due to lim
ited student involvement and limited par
ticipation in fund raisings, expressed its
need for support at a level high enough to
draw participation.
Suggestions to increase access to In
tramural facilities included scheduling Fri-
day, Saturday and Sunday afternoon
events.
According to a representative, “In
tramurals is the fastest growing organiza
tion on campus and has the largest mem
bership.
Committee member Joe Marcello rec
ommended a user fee be attached to the
Intramurals budget recommendation re
questing teams pay a minimal entry fee to
aid the program.
Great Issues also pleaded that their re
quested funds were necessary' to obtain
high caliber speakers and to keep up with
increased speaker costs.
The Student Government programs
were last to be heard and simply said they
appreciated the increase they received.
The overall tone of the past committee
meetings was summed up by a committee
member who said, “Nobody wanted to give
anything up, but everybody wanted to cut
back.
The recommendations will be discussed
before the Student Senate at its next meet
ing on Feb. 4, before going to the vice-
president of student services and to the
president’s office for his final endorsement.
— Louis Hejtmanek
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Justice De
partment says it will reject part of a new
Texas law which would prevent the Raza
Unida party from conducting a statewide
primary election this year.
The department ruled Thursday that one
section of the law restricts political parties
from holding primaries in a way that could
be discriminatory to Mexican-American
voters.
The law provides that political parties
whose gubernatorial candidate in the last
general election received less than 20 per
cent of the vote must nominate candidates
this year by convention, rather than pri
mary elections.
The department noted that since Raza
Unida’s candidate for governor received
only about 6 per cent of the vote in 1974,
that party would be unable to conduct a
primary under the law this year.
The state reimburses parties holding
primary elections for election costs but the
state does not pay for political nominating
conventions.
mg distance telephone rates
AT&T wants increase
Associated Press
'ASHINGTON — If you make long dis-
e telephone calls, the chances are your
thh telephone bill will be going up on
■2
American Telephone and Telegraph
filing for rate adjustments Thursday,
the average residential telephone bill
Bcrease by about 10 cents per month,
average business customer will pay
at §2 a month more if the Federal
^lirinriications Commission approves
Pnew rates as expected.
Jill Erwin, division manager for Gen-
Telephone in Bryan, said that the raise
ites was not a local raise. The increased
cost of long distance calls will be felt by
people here just as it will be felt anywhere
in the United States, Erwin said.)
The new rates submitted to the FCC
would increase the cost of long distance
calls made over short distances, while re
ducing the cost of calls made over longer
distances. Calls in which operator assis
tance is required would undergo the shar
pest increase.
For instance, a three minute direct-
dialed evening call from Chicago to San
Francisco would drop from 84 cents to 80
cents, but a station-to-station call between
the same cities requiring operator assis
tance would rise from $1.90 for three min
utes to $2.15.
AT&T says the hikes will make long dis
tance calls about as expensive as in 1953
when the company began lowering its long
distance rates.
The FCC approved a similar rate pattern
on an interim basis last March 9, increasing
about two-thirds of the interstate long
distance rates and either decreasing or
keeping the others the same.
The precise amount of increases faced by
each customer would depend upon the
number and type of interstate calls made,
their distance and duration, the time of the
day and the day of the week.
Art of the troubadour
Douglas Winship
Martin Best, assisted by Edward Flower, pre
sented a program of songs and guitar and lute
music in the Rudder Theatre Thursday night.
His music ranged from the Renaissance to Amer
ican Indian texts which he set to music.