The Battalion
Vol. 70 No. 76
12 Pages
Wednesday, February 16, 1977
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
ule may increase student suspensions
By WENDY TAYLOR
tudent suspensions may increase be-
se of Texas Atty. Gen. John Hill’s recent
ing on student’s rights to their tran-
ipts.
'he ruling says students cannot be de-
d a copy of their transcript if they owe
ney to the University.
The University will have to take some
recourse in order to guarantee re-
uption of funds,” Dr. John J. Koldus,
president for student services said last
idnesday. “Before, we had the options
lot allowing students to graduate, with-
ing their transcripts or blocking
ollment. What’s left now but suspen-
i?”
)ne of the Student Service staff mem-
upset by Hill’s ruling is Dr. Charles
Powell, director of student affairs,
ell said Friday that Hill’s ruling is typ-
of legislation originally thought favor
ing students, but when applied proves
disadvan tageous.
“This ruling won’t help students,” Pow
ell insisted. “It’s going to hurt them. The
way the laws are written today makes the
counseling service inflexible. Where be
fore we could try to work through the
problem with the student, whether it be
money or what, now we re going to be
forced to come down harder on him to in
sure payment.”
Powell said Hill’s ruling has taken away
the University’s only deterrent against de
btors — the transcript.
The transcript has to be cleared by the
Registrar’s Office before a student can
graduate. The student needs the tran
script to transfer to another university,
and to apply for graduate school. Fre
quently the transcript is also required as a
job reference.
“Hill had no idea what he was doing.
None of them (lawmakers) ever do when
they make a ruling like this,” Powell said.
Powell explained that the University’s
previous procedure of handling debtors
depended on the debt.
“If it were a great amount of traffic fees
or something of this nature, we’d try to
hold them until payment was possible,
usually to the end of the semester or even
right up to graduation,” Powell said. “If
the debt involves room and board pay
ment, it’s the University’s policy to sus
pend, but only after a long period of time
when nothing else could be worked out.”
Powell said instances of such suspen
sions have been few. “Before, it’s just
been an unnecessary thing to do,” he said.
He explained that Hill’s ruling could
change all that.
“It’s going to put those students owing
money more into a financial bind” he said.
“We re going to have to hit them up for
payment earlier or we’ll be forced to take
the ultimate recourse—suspension. We
just can’t afford to carry them on any
longer.”
Powell said he’s afraid the majority of
the students will favor the ruling without
considering its implications. He said he
expects many students to try to get past
the suspension through legal appeals.
“Unfortunately,” Powell pointed out,
“they just don’t win many of these, but
they don’t know that. I’m afraid they’re
going to have find out about this ruling the
hard way.”
Powell questioned the authority of
Hill’s ruling.
“Just because Hill ruled on it does not
make it law,” Powells said. “A ruling is not
a law, it’s just one man’s interpretation of
that law. It has to be tested before it be
comes a law, and in order for that to hap
pen a court must rule on it.”
Powell said it could be as long as a year
before that ruling occurs. “But sooner or
later, it will be tested,” he said.
Until then, Koldus said the ruling prob
ably will not have any immediate effect on
the University unless it incurs a significant
increase in delinquent payments.
“Then you can bet the fiscal office would
waste no time recommending suspen
sions,” he said.
Powell added that the broader implica
tions of the ruling are just as devastating to
universities as the apparent ones.
“This ruling can reach even further,” he
said. “It can be interpreted to imply we
can’t block records. Then we couldn’t re
fuse readmission to a student previously
suspended for failure to pay his debts.
From there it could be said to mean we
can’t refuse students any other University
services for failure to meet their financial
obligations.”
roblem getting worse
tray animals burden
inadequate facilities
By SUSIE WILLIAMS
ncreasing numbers of stray animals in
Bryan-College Station area are putting
arden on the Humane Society of Brazos
mty(HSBC), a society spokesman said
day.
ack of funds prevents HSBC from of-
ng food and shelter to stray dogs and
in the B-CS area, according to Kathy
aec, a board member of HSBC. And
ice records show that about 1,800
ysin Bryan and 517 in College Station
picked up in 1976.
The problem is getting worse because
ther city has the facilities to handle the
yanimals,” Nemec said,
lollege Station does not have a pound,
city uses the Anderson Ridge Veteri-
y Clinic at 1101 Anderson as a holding
iforits stray animals. Bryan’s pound is
small to handle the number of incom-
animals.
lemec said that individual HSBC
nbers had been taking strays into their
les. However, the number of strays
grown so much they had to discon-
ie this practice.
ght now the stray animals not re-
med by their owners or adopted by
pie looking for pets are donated to the
A&M College of Veterinary
dicine. The animals are either disposed
)y euthanasia (putting to death pain-
or are used to train veterinary stu-
its.
“The only times the vet school disposes
of an animal by euthanasia is when the
owner requests it or the school knows
there is no hope of survival for the ani
mal,” said Noberto Espitia, supervisor of
the small animal clinic in an interview last
week.
Animals that have fatal diseases or have
broken backs as a result of automobile ac
cidents are two examples of animals that
would be disposed of by euthanasia, he
said
Owners of the animals or people wish
ing to adopt a pet from the pound have a
certain amount of time in which to do so.
The maximum length of time College Sta
tion holds an animal is three days. Bryan
holds its animals eight days.
“HSBC has placed all its energies for
the past year in trying to get an animal
shelter built here,” Nemec said.
Ann Barrow, president of HSBC, said
Sunday that the society has been unsuc
cessful in dealing with the Bryan City
Council on the shelter project. She also
doubts the society will get a shelter from
the College Station Council.
Barrow said the HSBC is trying to build
a shelter using private funds. She feels it
has the best chance this way.
“The shelter would provide facilities for
spaying and neutering animals to reduce
unwanted breeding,” Barrow said.
Kent Caperton, Bryan attorney and
former assistant to Hill, said Monday he
believed the ruling to be misunderstood
by the University and defended Hill’s de-
“A large majority of people do not
understand the basis of an attorney gener
al’s rulings,” Caperton said. “They’re not
always his personal opinions. They’re usu
ally based on court decisions that have
been upheld in the past, and what will
probably be upheld in the future. Of
course, there’s always the chance he’s
wrong, but I have a great opinion for the
attorney general’s interpretations.”
James H. Colvin, vice president for
business affairs at the University of Texas,
requested Hill’s opinion when two former
students were denied copies of their tran
scripts.
Student flu
cases
fill
Battalion photo by Tracie Nordheim
Tennis facility under construction
Eight varsity and 14 practice tennis courts have
been under construction since Jan. 1 and are
expected to be completed Jan. 1, 1978. The tennis
complex, which will also include stands to seat
600 people, showers, storage facilities and office
space, will cost about $710,000.
legislators debate farm tax proposal
United Press International
IUSTIN — Admidst epitaphs for the
all farmer and warnings of suburban
gration, the Texas House has formed
ssfor its first urban-rural confrontation,
louse members today planned to con-
tie debate on a proposal by Rep. Bill
livant, D-Gainesville, to tax farmland
ording to productivity.
The House yesterday adjourned with-
voting on the measure to allow corn-
tees to hear testimony on controversial
coal slurry pipeline and public school fi
nance legislation.
Sen. Bill Moore, D-Bryan, said he
would try again to bring up for Senate con
sideration his bill to prevent insurance
companies from penalizing drivers tick
eted for driving 55-70 miles per hour.
Moore yesterday was two votes short of
the four-fifths majority needed for Senate
debate. However, three senators were ab
sent, and Moore said he will try again to
day.
Sullivant said his proposal, supported
by rural lawmakers, would protect agricul
tural farmland and keep it productive.
Opponents claimed the plan would
force suburban homeowners to subsidize
taxes normally paid by farmers and sub
stantially reduce tax collections, thereby
hurting public school finances.
“What’s happening in Texas is you’re
driving the little farmer out of business,”
Sullivant said. “Only big corporations that
are able to subsidize farms from some
other businesses will be able to maintain
farms near metropolitan areas.”
Rep. Joe Robbins, D-Lubbock, said 50
per cent of the undeveloped land within
the Lubbock city limits would qualify as
agricultural land under Sullivant’s plan.
He said city, county, school and hospital
tax districts would lose three-fourths of
their tax base on the undeveloped land.
“The American urban homesteader has
a problem — big tax burdens,” said Rep.
Tony Polumbo, D-Houston, who con
tended the plan also would close many
“mom and pop” groceries that could not
afford added tax burdens.
The House defeated an attempt by Rep.
Ron Waters, D-Houston, to postpone con
sideration of the bill for one month.
Waters said lawmakers needed more time
to consider the bill’s effects on school
taxes.
The House then approved an amend
ment by Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas, de
signed to prevent large corporations from
buying agricultural land and using it for
marginal operations.
“What are you and I, who are not farm
ers, going to do for food if we keep turning
farmlands into concrete parking lots?” Sul
livant asked.
“I’m not trying to make money for the
farmer,” Sullivant said. T’m trying to
make it easier for him to stay on the land
and produce food and fiber. If it takes a
corporation or corporate structure to
provide us with our food and fiber then I
see no reason we should discriminate
against this type of enterprise.”
Beutel beds
By JAN BAILEY
Battalion Staff
An influenza epidemic is responsible for
filling most of the beds at the A.P. Beutel
Health Center, said Dr. Claude Goswick,
director of the student health center. The
epidemic began about two weeks ago.
Goswick said no statistics are kept on
the number of influenza cases treated each
day, but he estimated that of the 500 stu
dents examined at the health center
Monday, 300 to 350 were flu cases.
He said 40 of the hospital’s 44 available
beds were filled last Monday with a great
majority of flu patients. Goswick said the
number has been fluctuating, but this
weekend more than 35 beds were filled.
He said a Texas A&M University Medi
cal School virologist, John Quarles, has
tested the virus that is infecting most of
the flu patients, and identified the sick
ness as either the A-Yictoria or the
B-Hong Kong strain. Goswick said it is not
an epidemic of swine flu that some federal
health officials had predicted for this
winter.
Goswick said there is no specific
number of cases that must be confirmed
before declaring an epidemic. He did say,
however, that the students’ illness now is
in epidemic proportions.
“In a sense we always have mini
epidemics going on around here,” Gos
wick explained. He blamed this on the
close living conditions and general life
style of students.
Goswick identified the symptoms of this
type of flu as a headache, sore throat,
muscle aches, fever and a general feeling
of illness. He suggested the standard med
ical advice for flu—drink lots of fluids, get
plenty of rest and take aspirin. He said
that little else would help, and that an
tibiotics were of no value in such cases.
Goswick said the average case lasts from
36 to 48 hours, although some have lasted
a week. He said that most of those patients
kept at the hospital were there only a few
days, mostly to insure proper care and
rest-
Goswick said this is an airborne type of
flue that can be avoided by following some
common sense health precautions. He
warned students to avoid close contact
with those who have the illness.
“I can almost promise you it will last
until spring break,” he said. When asked if
this was a psychological or physical reac
tion, the doctor laughed and said,
“Both...the students are happy and they
take their germs home.
Highway bill up for consideration
United Press International
AUSTIN — A Senate committee has
voted to give a subcommittee two weeks to
decide which is more important: schools or
highways.
The Senate Finance Committee yester
day was considering Gov. Dolph Briscoe’s
$561 million highway bill, but critics said
if the bill passed there would be no money
left to fund teacher salary increases.
“If we don’t do something to improve
these roads we re going to be in worse
trouble now than Mississippi was 15 years
ago,” said Sen. William Moore, D-Bryan,
who sponsored the bill in the Senate.
“The issue is whether we’re going to
fund these highways or give the school
teachers all they think they need.”
Grace Grimes, president of the Texas
State Teachers Association, said teachers
were not opposed to good roads but want
legislators to look at all state needs before
designating money for highways.
“Education has the same problems that
Power station to be ready June 1
Looking for a job?
The Career Planning and Placement Office on
the 10th floor of the Rudder Tower is a good place
to start. Paul Tyler, a senior management major,
uses the employer information section of the
Placement Office library to acquaint himself with
the opportunities he may have with certain com
panies. The library also helps students to prepare
for interviews that are arranged for students
attending Texas A&M University. (See story in
tomorrows Battalion for more information on the
Placement Office.)
Battalion photo by Kevin Venner
College Station city officials hope to
have an electrical power substation with
one 25 megawatt transformer in service by
June 1, City Manager North Bard ell said
Monday.
“The substation will be capable of han
dling three 25 megawatt transformers, so
therefore the substation should be able to
handle College Station’s projected load for
six to seven years” Bardell said.
He said the city probably would need 42
megawatts this summer, and between 50
to 52 megawatts in the summer of 1979.
The substation marks a change in the
city’s power supplier. The city has pre
viously contracted with Bryan, but when
Bryan’s electric rates and fuel charges in
creased, College Station officials looked
elsewhere for power, Bardell said.
In 1976 the city signed a contract with
Gulf States Utilities to supply electricity.
The city will supplement electricity from
Gulf States with electricity from Bryan
until a complete switchover to Gulf States
can be made.
“Gulf States will be able to deliver
power for less than Bryan can,” Bardell
said.
“Under current rates, if we were on
Gulf States today, we would be saving in
wholesale power costs between $3,000
and $6,000 a day.”
Bardell said the substation will be lo
cated near the intersection of Highway 30
and the east bypass.
He added that the city has negotiated a
contract to construct a permanent switch
ing station by 1979 that will tie into the
Gulf States transmission line 700 feet east
of the east bypass. A temporary switching
station should be built by June 1, Bardell
—Darrell Lanford
the highway department has — reduced
purchasing power and increased needs,”
she said.
Moore asked the Finance Committee to
approve the highway bill for full Senate
debate, but Sen. A.R. Schwartz,
D-Galveston, won the 8-4 vote to send the
bill to a subcommittee for two weeks,
subcommittee for two weeks.
Lt. Gov. William Hobby, a chief critic
of the bill, was summoned to Briscoe’s of
fice shortly before the committee hearing
began.
“He said he wants his bill,” Hobby said.
“I said, well it’s being considered.”
Comptroller Bob Bullock told the com
mittee approving a special $561 million al
location for roads would leave only $792
million in the state treasury to provide
additional aid to public schools and fund
teacher pay raises and pensions.
Weather
Clear and mild today with tem
peratures in the low 60s. Low to
night in the high 30s. Partly cloudy
and mild tomorrow with a high in
the upper 60s. Winds will be
southeasterly at 5-8 mph today
through tomorrow with no precipi
tation forecasted.