Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1977)
)e disat !t of tli e t n °rro\v () ^ f° COjj The Battalion Vol. 70 No. 111 Friday, April 22, 1977 News Dept. 845-2611 8 Pages College Station, Texas Business Dept. 845-2611 nergy plan leaves some Texans United Press International 5° in gto_ *t. insteil* liere aren t many lexans saying any- gng good about President Carter’s p-gy plan. he kindest comments received from officials and energy company officers Rerday indicated the proposal was a [pulash of good and bad ideas; ’ the ihest suggested it was “unreasonable R un-American.” d it I me l wait ut ofheit ike if k will Y role ifoi otta^ ^ ’ li of take away here and give back igh thei ze 6-l ire, Speaker Bill Clayton said. “I per sonally believe the proposal is a taxpayer’s nightmare and a bureaucratic dream. “It is another usurpation of states rights. I believe the proposed energy policy is un fair, unworkable, unreasonable and un- American.’’ George P. Mitchell, chairman of the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association, praised Carter’s call for conservation but said more had to be done to provide incentives to petroleum producers. “It is a goulash of good and bad ideas, cleverly seasoned with politics,” he said, “the answer is, we need a largescale, na tional committment to find and develop more domestic oil and gas. I don’t find that in the President’s program.” “What I find, with regard to oil and gas, are more controls, more confusion and more bureaucratic red tape.” Gov. Dolph Briscoe also said he was disappointed in the plan, saying it could force utility bills in Texas up as much as 50 per cent. “It could have a very disastrous effect on Texas,” said Briscoe, who unsuccessfully lobbied for deregulation of oil. He said the proposal for federal regulation of intrastate natural gas prices was an unwarranted in vasion of Texas enterprise. “I feel it is my duty to fight to protect Texas industry, Texas jobs, and to fight to protect them in Congress and in the courts if necessary,” he said. Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Langdon urged Carter to ask the petro leum and other industries to help resolve the nation’s energy dilemma. “I would do what a number of wise pres idents have done in other times of grave national emergency; I would call on this country’s industry for help,” Langdon said in a speech last night before the Glen Rose Chamber of Commerce. “The President is not really asking a government-industry partnership — a joint effort to meet the needs of the coun try,” he said. “In effect, he is placing the oil and gas industry in a form of peonage and saying ‘you do it or else.’ Texas state Republican chairman Ray Hutchison said Carter’s proposal posed Weather Fair and mild today through Sun day, with no rain in the forecast for the weekend. Winds will be north erly today 10-15 m.p.h. The high temperature today will be 77 de grees, with the low tonight, 52. To morrow the high temperature will be 79 degrees. aghast the most severe economic threat to Texas since the government attempted to seize the state’s tidelands in 1952. “Through a series of proposals which are anticonsumer, antitaxpayer, inflationary, which prohibit new growth and develop ment, assure enormous energy shortages in Texas and increased dependence on foreign oil resources, the Carter-Mondale plan amounts to a declaration of economic war against the homeowners, farmers, ranchers, businesses and other consumers of Texas, Oklahoma and other oil pro ducing states,” Hutchison said. great infe I __ ^Muster speaker Maj. Ray says A iiscipline is the key to success By SUE MUTZEL Battalion Stall I. Rollie White was still, the quiet inter- ted only by vibrant echoes of the Ross unteers’ 21-gun salute. The reverent strains of Silver Taps that owed accented the solemn atmosphere, and a few sniffles could be heard in the crowded coliseum. The April 21, 1977 Texas Aggie Muster was almost over. The solemn crowd that slowly filed out after the Roll Call for the Absaent was a marked contrast to the crowd that had laughed and whooped to jokes by the Mus ter Speaker, Maj. James Edwin Ray. Dan Kasper, this year’s muster chair man, opened the ceremony. Univeristy President Jack K. Williams and Dr. Jack M. Knox, president of the Association of Former Students, welcomed the crowd by speaking of Texas A&M tra ditions and thanking the students who worked on this year’s muster. Williams then introduced and payed tribute to Ray. “Major Ray represents in every way the highest traditions of this University and its graduates,” he said. Ray is a 1963 graduate of Texas A&M. While here, he was president of the MSC council and member of the Ross Volun teers, among other activities. After gradua tion, he was in the Air Force as a career officer. He holds the Silver Star, a Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for Viet Nam service. Ray was a prisoner of war from May 1966 to February 1973. “I think most of all Maj. Ray is a tremen dous Aggie,” Williams said. “And that’s the highest compliment that I can pay him.” Ray recieved a standing ovation after the introduction. “Dan asked me if there was anything I didn’t like to talk about — especially in view of many of the traumatic experiences a prisoner of war did face,” Ray said. “I said, ‘Who me? After almost seven years over there, man I love it when it’s my turn to speak to a captive audience. ”’ Ray continued to joke with the crowd. “Some of the women here might be more interested in how I got captured the second time.” He was referring to his marriage to his wife Becky after his release. This drew whoops and applause from the crowd. “Rest army — it will happen,” he predicted. He spoke briefly on his experiences in POW camp — of the torture, harassment and humiliation the prisoners had been through. “Our praying, coupled with our humility and our dedication to duty, honor and our country helped us to succeed in maintain ing our moral and ‘esprit de corps’ in that difficult circumstance that was based on the same type of spirit that we developed being here at Aggieland.” Ray prefers not to dwell on his POW experiences, or becoming a “professional ex-POW” as he called it. His speech then concentrated on two major trends he noticed when he returned to this country after seven years with little or no communication with the world. He said he noticed a general decline in discipline and cited as examples the es calating crime rate, welfare problems and problems in schools. His other concern was for the rights of individuals, regardless of race, national origin or sex. “Discipline is the key to success, the key to creativity, the key to victory,” he said. Ray stressed that discipline and respect for human rights must work together. “Only when we can combine discipline and effective human relations can we ex pect to achieve all the solutions to the basis of these problems.” r Battalion photo by Jim Hendrickson Maj. James Edwin Ray, a 1963 graduate of Texas A&M, gave the main address at muster to a packed G. Rollie White Coliseum. Most of nation turns clock AHEAD one hour Sunday United Press International WASHINGTON — Most of the nation turns the clock ahead one hour starting Sunday, beginning six months of Daylight Saving Time. The “fast time” becomes official at 2 a.m. EST April 24, but the De partment of Transportation, which handles time zones and changes in the country, adivses setting the clock ahead one hour before retiring Saturday night. If you go to bed, say, at 10 p.m., then you turn the clock to 11. You lose an hour, but get it back again on the last Sunday in October when clocks are turned back one hour to Standard Time. The common formula advocated by the department to remember the always confusing time change is “Spring forward, fall back.” There are exceptions to the time change, however. Arizona and Hawaii, as well as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa, have never come under Daylight Time. Those residents need not change their clocks. All of Indiana will come under the same time on Sunday, lasting for the six-month duration of Daylight Sav ing Time. Eighty counties around In dianapolis, Fort Wayne and South Bend never did go on Daylight Time, electing to remain on Standard Time year around. Those counties, however, are in the East ern Time Zone. Six counties in the northwest, around Gary and Hammond, and six counties in the southwest, around Evansville, observe Daylight Time and will turn clocks ahead on hour. But since they are in the Central Time Zone, that brings them even with the rest of Indiana. The present system of starting Daylight Time on the last Sunday in October was set up in the 1966 Uni form Time Act. Bills are introduced annually in Congress to revise the act, but have never won final approval except iti 1973 when an emergency act called for year-round fast time in response to the energy crisis during the Arab oil boycott. That act was repealed in 1975 after heavy protests that children were endangered going to school in the dark and claims that only a minimal amount of energy was saved. \ggieland unrecognized organizations issue rises again The old and new leaders of Student Gov- nment asked the Student Publications )ard Tuesday to reconsider a decision at time has already made for this year. The decision was to include unrecog- zed student organizations in the 1977 iggieland” yearbook on an equal paying isis with student organizations officially cognized by Texas A&M University, lese leaders were former Student Presi- intFred McClure and his newly- elected ccessor Robert Harvey. McClure came to present a request issed earlier this year by the Student Se- itethat the board reconsider its decision. “It’s my feeling and likewise the feeling the Senate that those organizations that ivegone through the recognition process ive had their rights abused,” McClure id. Including unrecognized organizations the yearbook was not being fair to recog- zed organizations, he said. To be recognized, an organization must >ply to the Student Organizations Board ter meeting certain requirements. These include filing a statement of pur pose and depositing all funds in the Stu dent Finance Center. The Student Organi zations Board reviews, approves or rejects these requests periodically. Among the advantages of being recog nized are use of university facilities for meetings and use of the Finance Center for handling funds. The only unrecognized organizations to be included in the 1977 “Aggieland” are 12 Greek letter sororities and fraternities. Di rector of Student Publications Gael L. Cooper told the board. In the past these Greek societies were included in the “Aggieland” advertising section at a higher advertising rate than recognized organizations had to pay to be included in the book’s organizations sec tion. The question of where to put the unrec ognized organizations arose when the Pub lications Board decided last fall to drop all advertising from the yearbook in an effort to reduce yearbook size and cost. The Board has since reconsidered the matter once and decided to follow its origi nal decision. A second request for recon sideration died when no board member would second the request. “In effect, we have to deal with the ’78 book,” Board Chairman Bob G. Rogers said. “Were past the point of no return on this year’s book.” No changes could be made in the 1977 yearbook without greatly increasing its publication cost, Rogers explained. “It’s hard for me to see any relation between recognizing organizations and the Aggieland,” Board member John Hanna said. Dr. Charles McCandless, a member of both the publications and student organiza tions boards, said that many organizations seek recognition simply to get their pic tures in the Aqgieland. Rogers said the Student Senate request was the first objection to the board decision he had received. On a motion by board member Jerri Ward the board voted to not accept any contracts from unrecognized organizations for space in the 1978 Aggieland until a deci sion is made in September on how to handle those organizations in the book. The board could have as many as four new members then, because positions for three students and one faculty member wi 11 1 up for appointment. Alcohol may affect unborn children United Press International WASHINGTON — The director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism wants the government to warn pregnant women that more than two drinks a day — a total of one ounce of alcohol — might harm the unborn child. Dr. Ernest P. Noble said he reached that decision on the basis of a finding by a panel of 40 experts that human and animal evi dence shows excessive alcohol consump tion can lead to physical and behavioral abnormalities in offspring. Among the human birth defects believed caused by heavy alcohol drinking are ab normalities, heart defects, abnormal limb development and lower-than-average in telligence. Noble said he has forwarded his recom mendation to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare for action. “As far as I’m concerned, being the di rector of this Institute, a physician and a scientist, I’m convinced there is enough concern here that people should be aware of it,” he said. “What we are saying essentially is that if you have six drinks or more a day, and that’s taken throughout pregnancy, or maybe during a certain phase of preg nancy, there’s a significant risk for abnor malities in the young. “Below six drinks, the risk is questiona ble. In order to be on the safe side, we are saying that two drinks a day or less is what people ought to be taking,” he said. Noble said he was talking about a limit of one ounce of alcohol daily which he said is equal to two mixed drinks, or two glasses ol beer or two glasses of wine. Concern about the effects of excessive drinking by pregnant women dates back to the 1700s, but Noble said the issue was not raised as a significant potential health prob lem in the United States until about 1970 when researchers began studying offspring of heavy drinkers. *\ Jalepeno-eating contest causes wrinkled faces Eating jalepenos can be grueling business as contestants in the annual Gas Week jalepeno-eating contest found out yester day. David Svarez won the contest by swallowing 74 jalapenos. His closest com petitor, Robert De La Garza (pictured), put away 55 of the hot peppers. The con test was held in front of the Memorial Student Center. Contestants jumped into the MSC fountain to cool off after the con test. Battalion photos by Kathy Curtis J