Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1977)
,1 News Campus m CHARLES S. MOTT Founda tion Fellowships for graduate studies in community education are now being offered at the Center for Community Education. The 12- month fellowships offer $400 to 600 a month with awards contin gent on a candidate’s degree status, rofessional experience and demon- trated community education lead- rship. Information may be ob- ained from the College of Educa tion. Letters of interest are due Feb. 15. TEXAS A&M’s basketball team neetsTCU tonight at 7:30 in G. Rol- trlie White Coliseum. The A&M wo- nen’s team will host Prarie View A&M at 5:15. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY stu dents attending school on the GI Bill must present fee slips to cam pus Veterans Administration offi cials by Jan. 31 in order to continue receiving educational benefits. Slips should be presented to the VA rep resentatives at Ramp B, Hart Hall to insure continued payment in the spring semester. fori Texas 6I\ nel MORE TAPE RECORDINGS will be introduced into the federal trial of “Mama June Bunch Men doza and two other persons arrested for possessing $10 million worth of heroin. Chief U.S. District Judge Adrian Spears overruled defense ob jections yesterday and allowed more than two hours of the scratchy rec ordings to be played for the jury at the trial. The recordings were made by an undercover agent who posed as a drug trafficker. Mrs. Mendoza, , who formerly operated a federal halfway house in Corpus Christi , her husband, Arturo Mendoza, and er brother-in-law, Oscar Mendoza ere arrested Aug. 22 in connection ith the trafficking of 26 pounds of ALTHOUGH TEXAS has allo cated more than $38 million in fed eral funds for development of parks, Lt. Gov. William P. Hobby said yes terday that the state needs more park and recreation facilities. “Infla tion and price escalation have hit land and water areas particularly hard, Hobby said at a University of Texas workshop on the future of the Texas parks system. TEXAS PUBLIC UTILITY Commissioner Garrett Morris says he does not believe the commission P‘ should force utility firms into in terstate commerce. Morris made his comments yesterday at a hearing on whether the commission has author ity over an interconnected utility system which engages in interstate commerce. Another hearing on the issue will be held Feb. 7. )$ iel iGt 0 Ft ' N National World weather Mostly cloudy and mild today. Winds from the south 6-12 m.p.h. High today 61. Low tonight 46. High tomorrow 66. Ten per cent chance of rain today and tonight. Con tinued mostly cloudy and mild to morrow. The Battalion Vol. 70 No. 64 16 Pages Wednesday, January 26, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 BILLIE SOL ESTES, jailed when his multimillion dollar empire of fictitious storage tanks ended in a nationally publicized collapse 15 years ago, today awaited the result of efforts to end his parole supervision. The U.S. Parole Commission was considering whether to remove parole supervision of the 51-year-old Texas farmer who built his $150 mil lion empire by mortgaging non existent fertilizer storage tanks and ^other equipment. FBI DIRECTOR Clarence Kel ley has told Attorney General Griffin Bell he wishes to remain in his job the rest of this year and then retire Jan. 1. Bell indicated during his con firmation hearings that Kelley would be removed as FBI director soon after the change of administrations. Later Bell stated he would work out with Kelley the timing of his depar ture. COUPLE who run a restaurant on the Monterrey Highway in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, believe they may have found a rare Stradivarius violin inside an old piano they bought from the Salvation Army. While cleaning the piano, Mr. and Mrs. Ernesto Placentia removed the bottom and discovered a violin case tied with a string. The case contained a violin in good condition with one string bro ken. An inscription inside the in strument links it to the 18th-century violin maker. Bill could change PE grading The option to grade required physical education classes on a satisfactory/unsatis factory basis was part of a bill introduced to the Texas A&M University Student Se nate at its meeting last night. Another bill was read proposing that the College Station City Council install better lighting on University Drive next to the campus. Both bills will be acted upon in two weeks. Action was taken on three bills written by Mike Gerst, Grad.—Ag., affecting conduct and operations of the Senate. Ap proved was a bill sending all bills except those on emergency action status to a standing committee of Student Senate for study. The committee would present vari ous aspects of the bill before action at the next Student Senate meeting. Jeb Hensarling, Undergrad,—off- camp., stated in the P.E. Revisement bill that grades in P.E. are based on “innate physical skill or dexterity, as opposed to the knowledge one acquires from hard work and study.” In order to check un necessary fluctuation of grade point ratios due to P.E. grades, the bill asks for op tional grading on the satisfactory/unsatis factory basis. The bill was sent to Academic Affairs for consideration before the next meeting. Another bill read last night proposes dropping one senator from the College of Science’s current five and adding a senator to the College of Medical Education. Student Body President Fred McClure updated the status of ongoing projects and recommended new directions for the Se nate in his State of the Campus speech. McClure commended Academic Affairs for success in Professor Information Sur veys, Distinguished Achievement Awards for faculty, and future discontinuation of evening exams in some daytime classes. Ten of 21 bills last semester dealt with senate “housekeeping" which took up much of the senate’s time, McClure said. “This has succeeded in providing a do-; nothing image for student government,” McClure continued. “This cannot and should not have to endure.” McClure concluded by suggesting re moval of Student Government vice presi dents from the Senate to the executive branch of Student Government. Senate Speaker Lynn Gibson tightened discipline of the senate with a letter of five policies for operation. Gibson said they stemmed from "Robert's Rules of Order.” The policies dealt with courtesies and de tails of recognition and speech in meet ings. Northgate problem for 20 years Off-campus parking: a migraine Student Body President Fred McClure tells the Student Senate too much of its time is wasted with “housekeeping” procedures. Carter for gas Hy DARRELL LANFORD Battalion Staff Writer With the influx of students after the Christmas break, the Northgate shopping area is once again feeling the strain of il legal and extended parking during school hours. Car towing services and stepped-up police patrols have been used to discour age the students who park their cars in shopping center parking lots to escape on-campus parking fees. "There’s been a problem at Northgate for the last 20 years,” said Marvin Byrd, College Station police chief. "The busi ness area wants parking for their custom ers. The biggest problem is students park ing in the street and remaining there all day long.” Other areas, such as the small shopping center south of the campus, do not have a parking problem, except during football games, he said. Byrd estimated that College Station police issue 300 tickets every month. “One-half to two-thirds of the tickets are written at Northgate,” he said. The tires of cars suspected of staying in a parking space too long are marked, he said, with three or four trips around Northgate made each day, he said. One officer works exclusively giving parking tickets. Police are not permitted to patrol pri vate property such as Skaggs Albertsons, he said, and police do not generally tow- away cars. Oliver Bishop, Skaggs store director, said, “The parking problem is not neces sarily our own. The stqre leases the prop erty. The misconception that a lot of people have is that we authorize towing. The towing service does not operate under our authority. The Texas A&M Wrecker Service has an agreement with the people who control the surrounding land.” “We re not necessarily against it, Bishop said, “because we do have a park ing problem.” A spokesman for the Texas A&M Wrecker Service knows the problem well. “We never try to pull more than 10 cars a day away from the Skaggs area,” he said. “It’s the students’ fault. There are 16 warning signs on the Skaggs lot. People don’t care, the students know the chances they are taking. Some people come back, see that their cars are gone and get really irate.” When asked if he thought the $30 tow ing fee is too high he said, “It costs us $23 to start a truck up.” He cited the high cost of various insur ance policies as the major expense. ‘We don’t appreciate all the hell we get, and the students don’t appreciate getting their cars towed away. I admit it’s dirty, but it’s got to be done,” he said. Regent appointment legality questioned United Press International WASHINGTON — Moving to ease a natural gas crisis so severe that supplies for homes are endangered, President Car ter was ready today to ask Congress for authority to control distribution and de regulate gas prices. A White House official said the main thrust of Carter’s request was for standby power to make natural gas companies shift supplies to the most needy areas “in a crisis situation.” He said a second major aspect of the emergency proposal would enable in terstate gas companies to buy supplies for the next six months at a higher price than they now are allowed to pay under Federal Power Commission rules. That would increase gas prices to con sumers, a spokesman said, but it also would result in increased supplies. The natural gas shortage apparently is caused by heavy demands for heat in un 1 usually severe winter weather and has forced some schools and industries to shut down. White House Press Secretary Jody Powell said Carter considers it a “crisis” situation, and a high administration official said even gas supplies for homes are endangered. “The really serious thing is the prospect of closing off gas to homes,” the official said. “You run into serious safety threats to ask Congress price deregulation cutting gas off on a major scale” because of the possibility of explosions. The official said concern over lack of gas for residences is serious enough that “it would be irresponsible for a government not to take action” to head it off. While the final touches were put on the energy package Tuesday, Carter met with congressional leaders and discussed the economic stimulus plan he will unveil by Jan. 31. Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus Tues day attempted to “jawbone” natural gas producers into quick production in creases. He urged operators of federal leases, which produced 24 per cent of all United States marketable gas last year, to step up production, and he urged suspen sion of a rule limiting production to the “maximum efficient rate for more than 50 offshore oil operators in the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico. Carter’s legislative packet will seek clear emergency authority allowing gov ernment regulated interstate companies to buy natural gas from intrastate companies, which charge higher prices and are unreg ulated. The authority to force companies to transfer supplies to needy areas if there is a “certification of crisis,” the official said, covers contingencies such as a governor seeking gas on grounds of danger to “life, health or property.” In a related development, Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, D-Ohio, asked the adminis tration to investigate whether producers “are withholding substantial amounts of natural gas in their continuing effort to de control the price of natural gas.” Confirmation hearings for the appoin tees to the Texas A&M Board of Regents have been delayed by a Texas sub committee screening the candidates. The delay will allow the committee more time to examine the legality of Gov. Dolph Briscoe’s appointments. Possibly violated is a 1913 state law which requires the governor to select regents from differ ent parts of the state. Two of Briscoe’s appointees. Dr. John B. Coleman and John Blocker, are from Houston. If they are approved by the Se nate, the board will have three Housto nians serving on the hoard. “It appears to me that the governor is in gross violation of the ,1913 statute,” Sen. William Moore, D-Bryan, told United Press International reporters. Moore also said the governor is ignoring East Texas, the Panhandle and the Valley. Coleman said he recognizes the statute as the law. “But,” he said, “it is just as important to have diversified experiences and input from different facets of life of the state as it is to come from different geographic loca tions.” Although Senate approval has been postponed, the two new members have assumed their posts. Clyde Wells, chairman of the Board of Regents, said “We will go right on with the work. ” He said the delay will not affect the activities of the board. Blocker said he is proud and honored to serve on the board. And Coleman said he will strive for continuing excellence in education. “ I strongly feel that good education can solve a lot of social problems that exist,” Coleman said. Legal requirements call for majority ap proval by the Senate. Once the procedure is carried out, the members may serve six year terms. Dr. Herbert Roller is designated Distinguished Professor of Biology Dr. Herbert A. Roller has been desig nated Distinguished Professor of Biology at Texas A&M University. The highly coveted designation, held by only 1.2 other current members of the A&M faculty, was confirmed yesterday by the board of regents upon recommenda tion of the University’s administration. Distinguished Professor designation is a title reserved for faculty members whose teaching and research activities clearly place them foremost in their fields na tionally or internationally. Dr. Roller, director of A&M’s Institute of Developmental Biology and a faculty member here since 1968, was recently elected to the Academy Leopoldina, one of the oldest and most prestigious scien tific societies in the world. He is the first Texas scientist in residence to be elected a full member of this German-based academy, which presently includes 69 U.S. members. Dr. Roller is a 1976 recipient of the Dis tinguished Achievement Award in Re search, given jointly by the University and the Association of Former Students. His research work deals with the control of developmental processes in hormones. Part of this work has led to new concepts and strategies in insect controls. He was instrumental in the founding of the Inter national Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya. Part of Carter s economic stimulus $200 tax rebate possible for families United Press International WASHINGTON — President Carter’s economic stimulus program, if approved by Congress, would send a check for $50 to $200 dollars to almost every family mak ing less than $17,000 a year. Budget Director Bert Lance yesterday revealed more details of Carter’s tax-jobs plan, although he did not answer all the questions as to who would get what. House Ways and Means chairman Al Ullman, D-Ore., promised to try to push the plan through the House by the end of February, but like other congressmen he did not promise to accept it without change. There have been numerous calls for a larger program, particularly in the job-creating area. According to Lance, Carter’s program would include rebates plus a smaller per manent tax cut at the lower income level and a slightly larger stimulus for business than originally planned. He said it would cost the treasury $15.8 billion in fiscal 1977 and $15.5 billion in fiscal 1978 after the jobs program was thrown in. But what would one get out of it? Here is what is known: — Each taxpayer making less than $17,000 a year would get a rebate of $50 for each family member up to a maximum $200. — For those making more than $17,000 the picture is a little foggy, but usually such rebate plans do not end abruptly at some specific income level. They are “phased out” with the amount of the re bate decreasing as income increases. — Very low income persons who pay little or no tax, social security and welfare recipients also may receive federal pay ments, -but the details have not been worked out and this proposal might be dropped if costs become prohibitive. — Lower income workers would have a few dollars a week more take-home pay as withholding is reduced and everyone is al lowed to claim the maximum standard de duction. — For business. Carter’s original pro posal for $2 billion in incentives would be increased by another $2.5 billion by allow ing businesses a tax credit of either 4 per cent of the social security payroll taxes they pay or an additional 2 per cent in vestment tax credit on top of the current 10 per cent. Dr. Herbert A. Roller