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Battalion
allege Station, Texas
Vol. 68 No. 81
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 1976
llillican Dam coal deposits
lay lead to alternative site
nets!
reposed Millican Reservoir site.
By JERRY NEEDHAM
Battalion Staff Writer
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will
consider alternative sites on the Navasota
River for the proposed Millican Reservoir,
said Col. Charles Tracy, executive officer
for the Fort Worth Corps district.
Tracy said yesterday the U.S. Bureau of
Mines has reported that a band of economi
cally extractable lignite coal, approximately
four miles wide and eight-to-ten feet thick,
lies in the vicinity of the proposed dam site
southeast of College Station.
Approximately two miles of the width of
the deposit lies in the proposed reservoir
site, Tracy said.
The Texas Municipal Power Pool has ex
pressed a strong interest in using lignite to
fuel a power plant.
Tracy said the Corps will begin consider
ing new sites, but they will not know the
complete lignite situation until June, when
the Bureau of Mines finishes its studies.
If the Millican site is abandoned, there
would be a one-to-two year delay in plans
for the projected reservoir, Tracy said. The
Corps earlier had hoped to start construc
tion on the dam within the next two years.
The Corps has already spent two million
dollars on the Millican project for pre
construction plans and studies.
“We would not be starting from scratch if
we changed sites,” Tracy said. “The en
vironmental studies on the Navasota River
would not be lost. ”
He said new archeological and founda
tion material studies would have to be
made, but hydrological, basin yield and
flood control studies of the river still would
be applicable to other sites on the
Navasota.
Over the past ten years, the Corps has
investigated six other sites but selected the
one near the lignite field. The lignite only
became important with the energy crisis.
The Brazos River Authority (BRA) says it
needs dams on the Navasota River to al
leviate flooding downstream and to supply
the increasing water needs of the area.
BRA Manager Walter Wells said yester
day, “I would imagine that the Corps will
look for the nearest suitable site upstream. ”
The BRA Master Water Plan also calls for
another reservoir that would be built 30
miles upstream from the Millican site in the
1990’s.
The proposed 42,000 acre Millican Re
servoir has been criticized by several local
citizen groups who contend the reservoir
would be environmentally and economi
cally unsound.
The lake wovdd flood the heavily wooded
Navasota bottomland which is now used
mainly by ranchers and hunters. The
groups also charge that the official cost-
benefit ratio for tbe project is inaccurate.
The Bryan and College Station City
Councils last year asked Congress not to
approve further preconstruction funds
until lignite studies were made.
Staff photo by Jim Hendr
We won
Dr. Shelby Metcalf (right) and friends celebrate after
winning, for the second consecutive year, the Southwest
Conference Basketball championship Tuesday night. The
A&M team defeated Rice by a score of 98 to 67 in Houston.
See story page 10.
ast food increases participation
By OWEN RACHAL
Fred Dollar is a worried man. He’s
10 successful.
Dollar, the food services director
r Texas A&M Univer
ity, has established the first fast
|ood restaurants for board plan col-
ge students in America and it’s
orking too well.
“We count on 25 to 30 per cent of
11 students missing one of their
deals each day, Dollar said, “but
ince we opened this new facility in
bisa Dining Hall we are getting up
:o98 per cent participation.
Ed Davis, director of management
■ervices, explained the only way to
uintain an average meal cost woidd
with 100 per cent of the students
[laying for all their meals and only 70
o80 per cent eating all their meals.
Dollar said the Aggies could be
ating themselves out of their cur-
ent hoard plan prices. Higher costs
or meals could be tbe end result.
Dollar said but before prices are
aised he woidd cut the number of
lersonnel working in the dining hall
and restrict menu choices. “We will
strain every sinew to prevent an in
crease to the students,” said Dollar.
Collecting and consuming food on
he redesigned system doesn’t take
long. “A student can come in, get his
food, eat and leave in about 20 mi
nutes,” Dollar said. There is a choice
of fried chicken, hamburgers, hot
s, pizzas or sandwiches.
But no matter how fast the 2,800
Sbisa waiter Gary Ploch prepares pizza for fast food service
patrons in Sbisa. The food served by this service has become
very popular and is causing Food Services some financial
problems.
students per meal eat, they can’t de
vour the food faster than machines
and humans can prepare the plate
fuls.
The conveyor belt running
through the pizza ovens can plop out
1,600 pies per hour. Hamburgers are
charbroiled at a rate of 1,000 per
hour.
Food business managers are
watching Dollar’s operation. From
New York City, “Cooking for Profit”
magazine is asking Dollar how and
why it’s working so well. The Uni
versity of Houston sent representa
tives to study Dollar’s new concept.
How will he explain to them his
system works too well?
Ford barely wins
in New Hampshire
By The Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. — President Ford
edged out Ronald Reagan todav in New
Hampshire’s leadoff primary, and Jimmy
Carter strengthened his claim to frontrun
ner status with a comfortable triumph in
the crowded Democratic field.
With only a scattering of votes remaining
to be counted after a see-saw race, Ford
had 53,959 or 51 per cent of the vote to
Reagan’s 59,652 or 49 per cent.
Former Georgia Gov. Carter defeated
four major candidates on the Democratic
ballot.
Final returns were slow in coming in,
partly because officials in Keene, a Ford
stronghold, delayed release of their totals
until a more complete picture of the city’s
voting was in.
“I feel what’s happened tonight is a vic
tory,” a tired Reagan told a post-midnight
news conference before the final results
were in. He claimed at least a moral victory
compared with his stated pre-election goal
of 40 per cent of the vote.
But Ford supporters called claims of
moral victory “a lot of baloney” and said “a
victory is a victory.”
Carter, who like Reagan waged a cam
paign against the Washington establish
ment, flashed a victory sign to cheering
supporters in a Manchester hotel ballroom
and declared he would win the Democratic
nomination on the first ballot.
Carter’s closest challenger was Arizona
Rep. Morris K. Udall, who like Carter bad
campaigned here for more than a year.
Udall said his showing vaulted him to the
front of the liberal pack.
With 91 per cent of the anticipated vote
counted, the lineup was:
—Carter 22,578 or 30 per cent.
—Udall 18,131 or 24 per cent.
—Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh 12,268 or 16
per cent.
—Former Oklahoma Sen. Fred Harris
8,614 or 11 per cent.
—R. Sargent Shriver, 1972 Democratic
vice presidential nominee, 6,500 or 9 per
cent.
Reagan said his showing “far exceeds our
expectations.” He said that he originally
had expected to get only about 40 per cent
against an incumbent president.
Ford’s campaign officials scoffed at
Reagan’s claims.
“A victory is a victory, particularly for an
incumbent who has been making tough de
cisions every single day of the week, ” de
clared Rep. James Cleveland, Ford’s state
campaign director.
Howard H. Callaway, Ford’s national
campaign chairman in Washington the
President expected to finish just ahead of
Reagan and that it would be an important
triumph because, he said. New Hampshire
is Reagan’s best state outside the South.
The candidates still face 30 more
(See Reagan, page 9)
Index
Ann Landers reports that many
parents would not have children if
they had it to do over again. Page 7.
A fire in the Oceanography and
Meteorology building damages the
4th floor. Page 8.
Nixon’s toast Sunday night in
China has caused controversy in the
United States. Page 6.
The Corps dorms were searched
last night for fireworks and explo
sives. Page 6.
THE FORECAST for Wednes
day and Thursday is partly cloudly,
warm and windy. Today’s high 77;
tonight’s low 45; Thursday’s high 76.
Voter registration
in MSC this week
Anyone interested in registering to vote
may do so in the lobby of tbe MSC from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Friday.
Registration qualifies students to vote in
all upcoming elections, including the pres
idential primary and November presiden
tial election.
Anyone wishing to transfer his registra
tion from another county, wishing to regis
ter for the first time, or wishing to renew
his registration can do so.
Apology given
to Smolensky
League survey conducted by Park ® r
V s ^ If the University of Hou;
in hopes of federal money
The following article is the second in a series concern
ing bike path studies in the Bryan-College Station,
campus area.
Returning to the continuing saga of
green-eyed Anne and her fight for survival
against the man-made elements of motor
vehicles, the Brazos County League of
Women Voters is studying the feasibility of
a bike path system in the Bryan College
Station area.
Although the University attempted to
construct such a plan on campus four years
ago, the idea was dissolved by student op
position. Groups are now submitting new
plans for a bike system that would encom
pass both cities and the campus. These
plans are being offered to D. D. William
son, supervising-planning engineer for the
Bryan district of the Texas State Highway
Dept, in hopes of receiving federal funds to
help finance the path system. There is $6
million in federal funds available for this
type of construction, says Tim Rose, A&M
Wheelmen Committee. The final drafts
will be submitted to the public around the
first of March.
On January 15, the League presented
their study to the College Station City
Council. The study consisted of two sur
veys taken on Tuesday, Sept. 16 and on
Friday, Sept. 19 between 7:30 a.m. and
6:30 p.m. The bike path study was done in
conjunction with a walkway study proposal.
Pedestrian, bicycle and motor vehicle
traffic was surveyed at 13 intersections on
those two days. They also surveyed chil
dren at A&M Consolidated Schools on
Sept. 9 as to bicycle ownership, as well as
interviewing 150 bicycle riders as to the
adequacy of current bikeways.
Chief Marvin Byrd, College Station
Police Dept., told the League that if a car is
parked in a bike path, it cannot be ticketed
unless it is illegally parked. Merely being
parked in the bike path is not illegal.
Concern was expressed about the danger
of biking on narrow streets such as Haines,
Langford and Boswell by South Knoll Prin
cipal B.B. Holland. The College Station
Police Department supplements the
school’s bicycle safety program with a film
shown every year. Captain Feldman, how
ever, says he worries about the older chil
dren becoming bored as the same film is
shown every year.
The League study revealed that the most
(See Study, page 9)
If the University of Houston mascot at
tendant wants an apology, Barry Davis says
he’ll get one. “My number is 845-XXXX.
I’m not paying for the call.”
Davis, a Texas A&M basketball player
who was involved in a courtside scuffle last
week along with teammate Sonny Parker,
said in an interview last night, “I shouldn’t
have done what I did, but one of my team
mates was involved so I went to help.
Bill Smolensky, the UH student, said he
is still thinking about filing assault charges
against the two Aggies. On Monday he said
he was still waiting for an apology.
Parker said he’s answered that request.
“I wrote a letter to him and apologized
for what happened,” he said, adding that
the letter was mailed Monday.
Parker explained that he was keyed up
for the game. When the ball went out of
bounds and into Smolensky’s hands, Parker
said, “I went to get it from him and he
threw it the other way, as if to say, ‘go get
it. ”
Smolensky said he was just throwing the
ball to the referee.
Concessions may reap $80,000
Staff photo by Douglas Wjnship
Commissions from the various vending machines on campus go into
the President’s Special Concessions Account. Money is appropriated
for such uses as dinners, insurance for MSC art objects, dish
washer, dorm repairs and other items by the Board of Regents.
By RAY DANIELS
Battalion Staff Writer
Texas A&M, by contract with the Coca-
Cola Bottling Co. of Bryan, currently col
lects between 10 and 25 per cent of the
gross sales from campus vending machines.
$80,000 may be collected this year, ac
cording to Robert Smith, assistant control
ler in the A&M Fiscal Department.
The bottling company provides and ser
vices machines selling gum, candy bars,
peanuts, hot drinks, cigarettes and both
canned and bottled cold drinks.
Gross sales returned to the University
include:
•Candy, crackers, cookies,
peanuts, gum, and
snacks 4 cents per purchase
• Hot drinks 4 cents per cup
• Cold drinks (10 oz. bottles
and 12 oz. cans) 6.25 cents per drink
•Cigarettes 5.5 cents per pack
Commissions go into the President’s
Special Concessions account. The money
in this account is appropriated by the Board
of Regents for use by various parts of the
University.
Items frequently appearing on purchase
vouchers for the account include coffee,
chocolate, flowers, dinner expenses, U.S.
flags, various printing expenses, postage
stamps and office supplies.
Occasional and one-time items include:
• Boneless roast for the Resident Advisors’
party ($130).
• Speakers for commencement ($250 —
$500).
•An insurance policy for art objects in the
MSC ($1,260).
•A dishwasher installed in the home of
Executive Vice-President Alvin Luedecke
in September 1974 ($363). (Luedecke’s
home is owned by the University.)
• Football tickets for guests of the presi
dent.
•Transportation of guests for functions
prior to football games.
Appropriations of $1,500 each are made
to the vice-presidents for academic affairs,
business affairs and student services. Addi
tional allocations of $300 to $500 are made
to the dean of admissions and records, and
the directors of the Texas Agricultural Ex
tension Service and Experiment Station,
and the Texas Engineering Experiment
Station and Extension Services. The direc
tors of development and the Junior En
gineering Technological Society also re
ceive funds.
According to vouchers, funds are used
for functions such as dinners for visiting
officials.
From $20,000 to $30,000 per year are
appropriated to President Jack K. Williams
with another $6,000 to $7,000 allocated to
the Commandant of the Corps. The addi
tional money is appropriated by the Board
or referred to the Special Concessions-
Reserve Account at the end of the fiscal
year. Appropriations may be made by the
board from this account at any time.
One such allocation is made annually to
Student Welfare and Recreation. This
money goes to the campus dormitories at a
rate of $1 per person in each dorm. The
money can be used by the dorms for repairs
and improvements, but the area coor
dinator is responsible for designating
where the money will be spent. $8611 was
spent for the 1975-76 fiscal year.
Funds can be transferred to other ac
counts. For example, $10,000 was transfer
red to Food Services from the Special Con
cessions account in 1972. This paid for buf
fets in the president’s box during football
games, receptions and dinners on campus.
The Coca-Cola contract was signed in
July 1975 and is binding from Sept. 1, 1975
to Aug. 31, 1977.
The contract provides the Coca-Cola
Bottling Co. of Bryan with the exclusive
right to sell the vending items on the A&M
campus. Under the contract the University
may specify type and location of the
machines and may require that a machine
be replaced if it has a history of malfunc
tions. In addition, the vendor is responsi
ble for setting up a working refund system
for the machines.
Each month thq vendor must deliver the
commission to the University controller ac
companied by an itemized list of gross sales
bv commodity.