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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1976)
plans fund-raising, lobby try By RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN Battalion StaiT Voter registration drives on member lipuses, lobbying efforts concerning ils, affecting Texas college students and [•raising plans were discussed at the meeting of the Texas Students As- Htion Saturday at Texas A&M Univer- Je A&M chapter of TSA will conduct voter registration campaign in late Sep- |er or early October, said Jerri Ward, Student government vice president for ejjfnal affairs at A&M. The University of ouston is planning a three-day cam- Ti, beginning August 30. Most Iber campuses will conduct similar ves. In the past, most registration drives at ?M consisted of a few tables set up in ylemorial Student Center, with un- sred students having to go to them, year, however, the Aggies will try to bmething more imaginative. Ward said. Just what action might be taken has not yet been decided, she said. The student organization is working for the passage of a bill which would establish a fund for educational grants. The fund, to be known as the Texas Assistance Grants, would contain $3 million the first year and $5 million thereafter. The bill has passed a Texas Senate committee on a 7 - 6 vote. Texas has the second highest unmet finan cial need in the nation, behind New York. Students want control of fees TSA supports legislation that has been proposed that would give students control of the allocation of the student services fee. HB 2060, if passed into law, would require that student governments on state-supported campuses determine budgets from the fee. The budget would be subject to approval by the board of re gents of the school. A&M already uses a similar system. However, the president must approve the budget before it is sent to the regents. Coordinating Board of Higher Educa tion in Texas has a vacancy and the TSA wants a voice in choosing the person to fill it. While no one has yet been suggested, the organization hopes to have a minority member appointed. Gov. Dolph Briscoe has proposed a budget for the next two years which will include $825 million for the construction and repair of highways in Texas. $200 mil lion of that would come from the federal revenue- sharing money which helps sup port state colleges and universities. A&M received $14.3 million in revenue-sharing funds during the present budget cycle. TSA is fighting the proposal. Another legislative proposal would af fect students nationwide. A bill currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress will, if passed, prevent students with federally-insured loans from declaring bankruptcy until five years after gradua tion. The bill makes an exception for stu dents who would experience “undue hard ship” if prevented from going broke. The National Students Association (NSA) is lobbying against the proposal. TSA is a member of the national organization. TSA supports tax reform The U.S. Senate has passed an amend ment, which the TSA strongly supports, to the tax reform bill. The amendment would allow students or their parents to write off the costs of tuition on their income tax. A credit of up to $250 would be available. TSA is also lobbying for the passage of an amendment that would require stu dents who are consulted about the medical service fee to be accountable to other stu dents. A bill passed by the last legislature required that students be consulted about the fee, but because of the wording of the bill, the students were not required to an swer to their peers. TSA expects little trouble in this particular endeavor. In order to raise money to support their lobbying activities and to provide services for students, TSA is looking into the possi bility of having Willie Nelson stage a bene fit concert for them. Although there are, at present, no concrete plans, Nelson has in the past expressed an interest in and gratitude to Texas students. Last year, Nelson played a benefit at North Texas State University. A&M won’t endorse insurance plan The National Students Association has endorsed a life insurance plan for college students. The underwriters of the plan have offered to pay the students associa tion five cents for each name and address of incoming freshmen each year. Several member schools of the TSA have ex pressed an interest in the plan. Texas A&M refused to endorse the plan. Two years ago, A&M had trouble with a similar program because many people did not want their names released, said Ward. In addition, A&M already has an insurance plan. TSA is considering raising money with a program similar to A&M’s Student Con ference on National Affairs (SCONA). The student government at A&M solicits funds from alumni and corporations to finance conferences on important national issues. SCONA has been very successful and TSA is interested in establishing it state-wide. A proposal to establish a “Trade Fair” at the fall convention was adopted. Trade Fair would be an advertising medium for companies with products aimed at college-age persons. For a given sum (probably $100), a company could buy a booth at the convention in which to dis play its wares. The fall convention this year will be held the first weekend in November on the campus of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. TSA will conduct its next board meeting October 2 at North Texas State University in Denton. The weather Partly cloudy and hot through jmorrow. High today 98. Low tonight 73. High tomorrow 98. No rain. Wind southeasterly 8*12 mph. Che Battalion c, P&M Ufy/. Vol. 68 No. 135 College Station, Texas Wednesday, August 11, 1976 ampus police seek burglar leone in grade trouble apparently p 1 into a Texas A&M University profes- ■ office sometime Monday night or lelday morning and stole the grade book. Muthematics Professor Charles K. Chui poited to campus police yesterday morn- Ig that his office had been burglarized aring the night. The office is located on ielhird floor of Harrington. iCampus police took fingerprint speci- ens and are still investigating. Cliui said the thief apparently broke through the ceiling tile of the hallway out side the office and entered the office through the ceiling as evidenced by broken tile on both sides of the office wall. He said the grade book was in his desk. “I have never locked my desk because I trust everybody,” he said. Although papers were scattered all over the room, Chui said the only thing he has found missing so far is the grade book. With final examinations for the term coming up Friday, the missing grades pre sented Chui with a problem. He resolved it by asking the 37 students in his Math 210 class to bring in their old tests for the past session. He said most of the students are being very cooperative. Chui said that those who bring in their tests but are not making satisfactory grades and those who do not bring in their tests will have to take a “very difficult final.” So if the thief does not know his math, it looks like he is going to get it in the end anyway. teelman campaigns in B-CS By JERRY NEEDHAM Battalion Editor gjU. S. Rep. Alan Steelman of Dallas Loiight his campaign for U.S. Senator to LoSge Station and Bryan yesterday, f Steelman, who is facing incumbent l^loyd Bentsen in the November general tion, lunched with community leaders’ pen walked door-to-door in downtown |n meeting with voters. During a question-and-answer session sir lunch at the Aggieland Inn, Steelman ade several points. “I think one of the greatest single threats the survival of the small independent isiness and the family farm is the estate ffirocemptioh which is unrealistically low. Steelman is the cosponsor of a House bill increase the estate tax exemption from to $200,000. Isked whether he thought Texans would willing to fill both its senatorial spots [dth Republicans, Steelman said that a uvey conducted last November indicated jffi77 percent of the 17,000 polled did not •■if the two senators were both Republi cans or both Democrats. I think that the people of Texas don’t Ire whether they have a Republican, a emocrat, an independent or a vegeta- ml think what they want is a principled presentation.” he said. • Queried aoout a socialistic pattern evolv- kin the United States, Steelman replied, jWe are not irretrievably on the road to ^■ilism, but there’s danger if we aren’t [plant now to defeat approaches that say Jjat government can arbitrarily set wages fnd prices and productivity goals. [ t “Most of the western European coun- iries have taken such approaches, and fiost of their economies are not nearly as ig as ours. In fact, I think they have H the spark that’s necessary to keep |ple working and to keep a good system Tee enterpise going,” he said. What I would like to see us do is defeat le Humphrey-Hawkins Bill, defeat . rmmon site picketing, keep our right- o-woi'k law on the books and enact the sunset Bill,” he said. jhe Humphrey-Hawkins Bill, now he re Congress, proposes a system of na- |al health insurance. The common site (cetingbill, also before Congress, would [lire all unions working on a common irojeet to go on strike if any other union |Vorking on that site declared a strike. Steelman is the principal sponsor in the Mo' ise of the Sunset Bill which would re- juire every federal agency to prove to Igress every four years its need for con- inued existence. If the agency could not |w the need, it would be phased out or jlished. Battalion photo by Scott Sherman Rep. Alan Steelman, candidate for U.S. Congress “The Sunset Bill would be a way of re ducing the size, the cost, the regulation of government that would free up the free enterprise system to operate and to con tinue to make this a system of democratic capitalism rather than a system of demo cratic socialism which a lot of our demo cratic allies are. Steelman said. On pollution of the environment, he said, “I think the best way to deal with it is to have federal standards that the states meet in whatever way they can come up with. That way we don’t have a lot offederal guidelines that arbitrarily tell the com panies and the states not only what standards they have to meet, but how they have to meet them.” Asked why Bentsen should be unseated, Steelman said, “I’ve said throughout the campaign that Congress is dominated by big government, big labor and big business rather than sitting as elected representa tives of people and representing the rank and file union member, the small busi nessman and the average taxpayer. It’s these large, impersonal special interest groups that get all the representation. Mr. Bentsen is the very epitome of this kind of elite, special interest, privileged senator. ‘ I’ve raised the question whether Bentsen is doing the public’s business or his own and asked him to do as I have done. Every year I’ve been in the Congress, I’ve disclosed my income tax returns and my financial statement to let the people see that I’m not becoming wealthy at their ex pense.” Bentsen makes a campaign swing into College Station and Bryan next Monday. ack of funds halts center By LILLIAN FOREMAN Battalion Staff The chances for opening a day care cen- itei at A&M are slim, said Dr. Douglas odwin, assistant professor of Education Curriculum Instruction. I -JWe haven’t been able to get any finan- ial support from the possible sponsors that -“‘have contacted,” said Godwin. "he first funds that are received will be Bel for the renovation of the facility and to [quire the necessary equipment that is iquired by law, he added. committee has been researching the proposed day care center idea since last fall. Funding inquiries have been sent to various agencies that sponsor non-profit organizations. ■‘The usual answer from these agencies is that there are no funds available at this time, said Godwin. Ms. Nelda Bravo, committee member, said that the committee also circulated day care center survey forms last spring which indicated that the parents of at least 200 children were interested in day care for their children. “We are striving to provide a day care center that is close to A&M, convenient for the student parents, and that will allow parents to pursue their educational goals and also have a close relationship with their children,” said Bravo. The committee is in the process of finalizing requirements for the day care center and also in the acquisition of a build ing. Committee member, David Scarfe, said that the program must be approved at the university level. “The program needs to be put forth to the administration, the dean of education or other university officials for their ap proval and sponsorship. At this time we are pursuing many different avenues such as the state and federal agencies, private foundations and trusts and have even been considering The Former Student’s Associa tion for possible funding,” said Scarfe. He also said that the committee is hoping to get the day care center incorporated as a department or even a sub-department which would probably involve many stu dents from various other departments and interests. “We are also looking for qualified people to work in the day care center,” Scarfe said. Those interested should contact Scarfe at 693-9374 or Godwin at 845-6811. Electric power from the sun; use and feasibility discussed By KEVIN VENNER Battalion Staff Some like it hot. Others like it hotter because they like to be cooler. Sound strange? Not if you attended the Applied Solar Energy Seminar this last weekend. The full-day conference, which was cosponsored by the Texas Engineer ing Experiment Station and the Texas A&M University System, featured several solar energy proponents, who presented applications ranging from greenhouses to providing one-third of the United States’ energy needs within 30 years. Mr. Kurt Toliver, a representative of the Boeing Co., detailed the latter appli cation, which would utilize a power station in space. Toliver said that Boeing’s studies of the system economics indicate the power satellite (powersat) is possible and that commercially competitive electric power from satellites is promising. Powersat will consist of four modules, weighing about 15 tons each, that will provide 10,000 megawatts of useful power. Each module will use 10,000 to 12,000 14-acre lightweight mirrors to con centrate sunlight into a cavity, heating the cavity so it serves as a boiler, said Toliver. This heat absorber is surrounded by twelve 300 megawatt helium tur bogenerators, which will convert about a third of the input heat energy to electric ity. Toliver added that the excess heat energy would be radiated away from Earth. The electricity from the generators will be converted to a microwave beam for transmission to a receiving antenna on Earth. After this beam is reconverted to electricity, Toliver said that the power would be commercially distributed. Toliver said that in order to provide about one third of the U.S. power supply by the year 2000, Boeing would have to put 30 of these satellites into synchronous orbit, 22,000 miles above Earth. He said the initial program costs, which include the development and application of power generation and transmission, space trans port, ground systems and orbital systems, would total $60 billion for the first power sat. Toliver added that each satellite fol lowing would cost only $13 billion and that all costs would be amortized in 30 years at an 8 per cent discount rate. Each powersat is so large, 60,000 tons and 12,000 acres of plastic film mirrors, that they will have to be assembled in a low Earth orbit and then transported to its working orbit, Toliver said. A space freighter will drop its 250 tons of building materials at the assembly station, which will utilize over 200 men, return to Earth and reload within a 24-hour period. To liver said that the freighter will be stored, launched and landed on a lake because “no crane on Earth is capable of lifting it, so we have to float it.” Toliver said that an orderly three-phase development program could place the first operating powersat in service in about 15 years with projected costs of the electrical service about equal to those projected for nuclear power in the 1990’s. Boeing’s study showed this to be slightly more than most current coalfired power, but cheaper than current oil-fired electric power. Dr. R.R. Davison, a professor of chemi cal engineering at Texas A&M University, said yesterday that the powersat project is technically feasible, but the costs will probably be prohibitive. “If you had to pay your electricity bill from that thing, you would switch to candles,” Davison said. At the seminar, Davison pointed out the good and bad characteristics of solar energy. Although the sun’s energy is clean, plentiful and renewable, its abun dance is to some extent an illusion, Davi son said. “The problem is that solar energy is dif fuse, intermittent, and even capricious., .it doesn’t always rise,” Davison said. Davison, as did most of the speakers at the conference, emphasized the cost feasibility of a solar energy system. He said that hot water heating is the most at tractive use of solar energy at the present time and that he does not think cooling with solar energy to be economically at tractive for the time being. Dr. Fred Kettleborough, a professor of mechanical engineering at Texas A&M, said that solar energy cooling is eco nomically feasible now, but that it would be best to design a cooling system into a new house instead of adding the solar sys tem. Anna Fay Friedlander, editor of “Solar Engineering,” gave various reasons for consumer use of solar energy. Indepen dence from the utility companies is the consumer’s first priority, she said. Con servation reasons are next, Friedlander said, because of our depleting energy sources and the “clean” power of the sun. The novelty of having your own solar energy device was third on her list, with economic reasons being the least consid ered by today’s consumer. State legislation and its effects on solar energy was presented by Texas State Rep resentative Bill Presnal. Presnal, who is normally a “state’s rights” advocate, said that he wants the national government to regulate solar energy standards to facili tate rapid advancement in this source of energy. Dr. Stephen Riter, associate director of the Center for Energy and Mineral Re sources at A&M, said that this seminar and other activities of this division of the Energy Advisory Service for Texas is to inform the public of research and results of power experimentation so people can take advantage of advancements in technology. y - ■ Microbes clean oil spills on land Oil, that dirty, smelly lifeblood of the world’s economy, has been an environ mental nightmare since Texas became a major producer over a century ago. Oil spills can happen in many ways when millions of barrels of oil are produced and transported thousands of miles in Texas alone. Pipelines, which crisfc-cross Texas and other states such as Alaska, also bring the risk of high-pressure spills. However, Texas A&M University and Exxon scientists have come up with a rela tively inexpensive way to get oil-damaged land productive again in as little as nine months, a far cry from the years it would take in nature. A microorganism named “Acineto- bacter-caboaceticus” is the hero (if such a term applies) of this breakthrough. These microorganisms, working in the soil, can clean up oil spilled on the land. Dr. Fred Turner, a soil scientists with A&M’s Texas Agricultural Experiment Sta tion has been working with 20 foot by 20 foot plots of earth soaked with the equiva lent of 10,000 gallons of oil per acre and has brought them back to life within a year. When a spill occurs all surrounding crops, grasses and trees and even weeds die and the land remains unsightly and un productive. “Now our research shows that in many soils these microorganisms can be encour aged by the proper fertilizers,” Turner said. “Where they do occur, they can be added by applying cultured strains in con junction with the fertilizer.” The key seems to be to provide the microbes with the correct nutrients so that they can utilize the carbon in the oil,” he explained. “The oil damaged land is high in carbon and low in nitrogen. The fertilizer supplies the microbes with the necessaiy nitrogen and phosphorous needed to de compose the organic material in the oil.” In addition to its potential usefullness to individual landowners, this technique, while under development, is of value to industrial interests since many oil spills occur near factories and industrial sites. Exxon Research and Engineering Com pany helped fund and cooperated with Turner’s research. Texas coast rapidly eroding The Texas coast around the mouth of the Brazos River is eroding at the accelerated rate of 30 feet per year, a change A&M scientists have traced back to man-made reservoirs along the river. Larry L. Minter of Dallas and his faculty advisor. Dr. Christopher Mathewson, both of the department of geology, say they have noticed a correlation between erosion rates at the ocean and a decrease in the amount of sediment coming down the river. The pair, and four undergraduate stu-' dents, are working on the project which is funded by the Office of Water Resources and Technology, Department of the Inter ior, through the Texas Water Resources Institute. The funds were matched by A&M. “I decided to look at the river and the dams that were built on it to see what had happened,” Minter explained. “The two basic changes we examined were what was the dam doing to the amount of water flow ing through the river and what was the change in the amount of sediment moved down the river. “Another parameter was the decision to look only for sand-sized material which would relate to the beach material that is being deposited and washed away at the delta,” he continued. “We found that the same amount of water is passing down the river, but the rate has changed significantly,” Minter said. “Before the dams were put in, the flow of water would come in peaks. The construction essentially smoothed out the peak flows and eliminated the flooding stages. “From our study we discovered that 75 per cent of the sand-sized particles pro duced in the Brazos River Valley is trapped behind the dams annually,” Minter said. The Soil Conservation Service did a study to show the amount of sediment pro duced during the 1950s. Minter took into account modern conservation practices, which stopped about 25 to 30 per cent of the losses, and calculated the deposition currently taking place in the Brazos River reservoirs. “However, by eliminating the flooding, the ability to move large amounts of sand was also eliminated,” he said. "The sand which was lost to the coast is now sitting in the reservoirs. “There are 150 million cubic feet of sand-sized particles trapped each year by the dams out of a total produced of 195 million,” Minter said. “All this, which was normally used to hold back erosion at the ocean, is gone. “In 1930, the beach was receding at an average 13 feet per year, ” he said. “Today it is aii average of 20 feet per year since major dam construction which corresponds to an extra loss of 49 million cubic feet of beach sand.” With charts he produced, after taking more than 400 sand samples all along the Brazos River and in the reservoir areas from Lake Whitney to the delta, Minter has put together a method to predict the amount of recession at the ocean any new reservoir will cause. "We calculate that a reservoir, for exam ple, the proposed Millican Dam, would have reduced the sand delivered to the ocean by an additional 5 million cubic feet per year, which is almost another foot of coastal erosion per annum,” Minter said. The details of this study will soon by published in a Texas Water Resources In stitute report entitled “Impact of Water Resource Development on Coastal Ero sion, Brazos River, Texas. Assisting in the project were Joe Watson of Hammond, La., Jack Oswalt of Austin, Bill Thomas of Godley, and Doyle Wilson of Houston.