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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 1977)
^“Urnam e =tee\»il| g the sj| e c °nceni (e to he proa =lonelij = 'Pionsfii Battalion Vol. 70 No. 91 8 Pages Wednesday, March 16, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Regents may increase dorm, apartment rent 0 Call Fot Times Cherry Blossoms at A&M? No, the white trees surrounding the Academic Building mall have not turned white. With the use of infrared film, the photographer captured a dif- . Paul Getty had more money ferent spirit of A&M on a bright sunny day like yesterday. Battalion photo by Steve Reis By LEE ROY LESCHPER JR. Texas A&M University students will pay more to live on-campus this fall if the Board of Regents approves recom mendations to raise dormitory and Uni versity apartment fees. The board will consider the recom mendations, which would raise dormitory fees 7.2 to 8.8 per cent, in their 8:30 meet ing Tuesday morning. According to their agenda, that would mean an increase of from $12 for the most inexpensive dorm room ($135 to $147) to $28 for the most expensive dorm rooms ($390 to $418). Married students would pay $5 to $13 more per month in rent for University married student apartments. Also to be considered will be a $5 per semester increase in the price of shuttle bus tickets. Citing increased enrollment, a need for more buses and an anticipated increase in operating costs, Howard Vestal, Univer sity assistant vice president for business affairs, has asked the board to raise indi vidual student tickets to $20 per semester, student husband-wife tickets to $30 and faculty-staff tickets to $25. The Regents will also decide whether to issue $9 million in permanent University fund bonds this summer. The bond sale, if approved, would be made in conjunction with a similar University of Texas System bond sale. The A&M and UT Systems have made joint bond sales since 1958 to keep one system from receiving a better bond rate than the other. Patent rights for three inventions de veloped by A&M researchers may be awarded during the Regents’ meeting to the scientists responsible. Under the University s patent agree ment, if approved, the researchers receive the right to obtain a patent for their inven tion. In exchange, he must recognize the Agricultural Extension Service’s role in developing the invention, allow the Uni versity free use of the invention, and share any money he receives for the invention with the extension service. Construction contracts the Regents may award Tuesday include: $730,000 for im provements in Duncan Dining Hall; $251,000 for construction of sidewalks on campus, and $126,000 for construction of greenhouses at the Texas Forest Service research center in Lubbock. The board will also review construction earlier approved by W.C. Freeman, sys tem executive officer, including $6,400 spent to move the sign in front of the Col lege of Veterinary Medicine. The sign had blocked the view of traffic on Hwy. 60 from vehicles leaving the vet school park ing lot. The Regents will also consider a bid for $29,720 which Freeman awarded in January for construction of two shelters at shuttle bus stops on campus. Students will be able to purchase next year’s A&M campus directory when pre registering for fall classes if the regents approve a recommendation to make the directory an optional item on student fee slips. The directory would cost $3 if bought then, $3.50 if bought over the counter later. The first summer school sessions ever at A&M’s Moody Campus in Galveston will begin this summer if the Regents approve such action. Most board decisions will have been made the preceding Monday during one of the board’s several committee meetings. Of these, the planning and building com mittee will meet at 8:30 Monday morning, the committee for academic campuses is at 10:30 a.m. and the executive committee at 1:30 p.m. The official meeting Tuesday in the Board of Regents’ room adjoining the Memorial Student Center is open to the public. The committee meetings Monday are not. Most board decisions will be made Monday during one of the board’s several committee meetings. Of these, the plan ning and building committee will meet at 8:30 Monday morning, the committee for academic campuses is at 10:30 a.m. and the executive committee at 1:30 p.m. Both the committee meetings and the official meeting Tuesday in the Board of Regents’ room adjoining the Memorial Student Center are open to the public. Hughes not a billionaire, public accounting shows United Press International LASVEGAS— Howard Hughes was not billionaire or even close, according to a Durt-ordered tally of his wealth that is lied with puzzling entries reducing the ze of his fortune. It pictures Hughes as a run-of-the mil- onaire eccentric who had only $168.8 mil- [ion,less than 10 per cent of the $2 .Sbillion more he was reputed to be worth. By comparison, the estate of Jean Paul petty, a contemporary often mentioned lith him as among the world’s richest men, uns to more than $3 billion, 20 times the eputed size of Hughes’ fortune. The day Hughes died, April 5, the cash nhand, $1,799, would not have bought a Volkswagen, but he did have more than $671,000 in bank accounts. The first public accounting of the Hughes fortune, filed yesterday with the Clark County Clerk’s Office for use in set tling his estate, was made by the invest ment banking division of the prominent brokerage, Merrill, Lynch,Pierce, Fenner & Smith. A final report is expected in three or four weeks, but the total is not expected to change much, said attorney William Morse, who filed the appraisal on behalf of the administrators of the estate — its caretakers until a Probate Court decides who inherits it. The complicated appraisal does not re veal what happened to the $546 million Hughes received for his interest in Trans World Airline in the mid 1960s and $142 million for the oil tool division of Hughes Tool Co., which alone would be more than four times the total given. It values his personal 22 per cent of Hughes Air West airline at $850,000 ap praising the whole airline as worth $3.8 million — a fraction of the $41 million Hughes paid for it. The Silver Slipper Casino in Las Vegas, for which Hughes paid $5.5 million, was listed as worth one dollar. The value of the Summa Corp. — the corporate umbrella which held much of his ownings — was lumped with the Hughes Television Network at $110.7 million. Summa lawyers have told Nevada courts within the past year that corporation alone was worth more than $450 million. Summa and the television firm between them control six Nevada hotel-casinos, the Hughes Helicopter Co., the other 78 per cent of Hughes Airwest and vast land hold ings including most of the undeveloped land on the prosperous Las Vegas hotel “strip” and 40 square miles west of the city. The Hughes Aircraft Corp., estimated to be worth $800 million, was not included. The accounting said it is owned by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Miami, a nonprofit institution. Burning the Baseline Members of the Aggie baseball team helped dry the infield last Friday before the game with SMU. Under the watchful eye of coach Tom Chandler, they dried the playing field and then proceeded to beat SMU during the first in a three-game series. Battalion photo by Steve Reis President tries to keep promise Carter begins ‘close to people’ trip Different View Battalion photo by Steve Reis Not all the eyes were on the baseball players last Friday. Some people were watching other sights during the pleasant afternoon game. This is one of the Diamond Darlings who attempted to add a little more interest to the game. Math professor emeritus died last week after Houston surgery Dr. John T. Hurt, professor emeritus of [mathematics at Texas A&M University, died Thursday evening in a Houston hos- [pital following surgery. Funeral services were conducted Saturday, with burial in Cedar Crest [Cemetery in Baytown. Hurt, 68, retired from A&M in 1974 [after 38 years on the faculty. Most of his [career was devoted to mathematics in- jstruction, but he taught for three years in [the electrical engineering department. ■ He joined the University faculty in 11936, one year after receiving his Ph.D. Ifrom Rice University where he had earned a B.A. in 1931 and an M.A. in 1932. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and held membership in numerous professional or ganizations, including the American Mathematics Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Sci- Hurt, who was born in Waco, resided at 804 Lazy Lane in Bryan with his wife, Mrs. Ches Lee Hurt. Other survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Maxine Fisher of Baytown; a brother, W J. Hurt of Houston; two grandchildren and three great grandchildren . United Press International WASHINGTON — President Carter, continuing his effort to fill a campaign promise to stay close to the people, headed for a New England town meeting tonight on the first major trip of his presi dency. Before leaving. Carter scheduled meet ings with Japanese Ambassador Fumihiko Togo and Irish Foriegn Minister Garrett Fitzgerald. Carter will ride Air Force One for the first time as President on the overnight trip taking him to a private home in Clin ton , Mass., the coal country of Charleston, W. Va., and New York City. His wife, Rosalynn, will remain in Washington. His previous out-of-town trips were by helicopter to Pittsburgh during the winter cold, and by an Air Force command plane for his only trip home to Georgia. He has ridden Air Force One once — in Georgia soon after the election as a courtesy from Gerald Ford. Carter’s appearance at a town meeting was one of the suggestions made during the transition period when Carter sought ideas on how he could stay close to the American people. He goes first to Clinton, an old textile mill town of 13,000 near Boston, to spend 90 minutes at a town meeting. As he did frequently during the presidential primaries, he will spend the night in a pri vate home. He will stay with Edward and Katherine Thompson, parents of eight whose big house was chosen because it was close to the town hall. Carter is likely to use an energy- environment round table tomorrow in Charleston W. Va., deep in coal country, to boost conversion from natural gas to coal, which will be an important part of his comprehensive energy plan to be revealed April 20. Carter will speak in the United Nations later Thursday — an appearance, said Press Secretary Jody Powell, dating back to transition planning. Powell said it was thought “at this point into the administration it would be wise to present to the American people and the world at large a general view of this admin istration’s priorities and attitudes in foriegn policy.’’ Powell said yesterday the “broad brush variety” speech would not be an attempt to announce new initiatives or departures from present policy. He said the speech would contain at least some discussion of human rights, the dominant theme so far of the Carter administration. Earlier yesterday, Powell told reporters Carter personally approved shipping emergency supplies to Zaire in response to that country’s appeal for aid, but is giv ing “no thought or consideration to send ing ground troops there.” He said there were no weapons in the $1 million shipment of supplies Zaire re quested to meet a reported invasion from Angola. Senate committee passes bill to give the terminally ill euthanasia choice United Press International AU STIN — A Senate committee has voted to give terminally ill persons the right to decide if their lives should be con tinued by artificial means. The Senate Jurisprudence Committee passed The bill yesterday and sent it to the full Senate after emotional arguments in which opponents said it was nothing more than “passive euthanasia.” This bill opens the door to massive abuse of the unwanted elderly,” said Lewis Berry Jr. of Houston. “It’s aimed at facilitating relatives who would like to encourage un wanted elderly to made a death decision. “We’re not talking about Dr. Frankenstein-like devices or Rube Goldberg-type machinery. This would allow the withholding of any medical treatment.” Bill Buckner, a Georgetown attorney and minister, said proponents were not being candid about the bill. “Let’s call it what it is — voluntary, pas sive euthanasia,” Buckner said. “One could withdraw food — intraveneous feedings — from a comatose patient and let them starve to death under this bill.” Among those speaking in favor of the bill was Sally Tullos of Austin, a 31-year-old victim of acute leukemia. She urged ap proval of the bill so she could be sure her life would not be prolonged indefinitely while she is dying. T believe in the quality of my life versus the quantity,” Ms. Tullos said. “I just don’t want to be prolonged by machines.” Dr. Harold Skaggs Jr., an Austin neurologist, said many patients express concern at the prospect of being trapped in machines which would prevent them from dying in peace and exhaust their financial resources in futile medical treatment. “The fear of dying is much greater than the fear of death,” Skaggs said. Zorena Bolton of Austin, a social worker and teacher, said the bill would permit the natural process of dying to take place with out intervention. She said it will not permit mercy killing. “For most of us more fearful than death is the period of time when we are neither dead nor alive but lingering,” she said. Weather Surmy and windy loday and tomor row. Clear and cool tonight. High today in the low 80s, low tonight in the mid-50s. Winds out of the northeast 10-15 mph shifting to the southeast tonight, 5-10 mph. No precipitation predicted. 1