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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1977)
The Battalion Vol. 70 No. 114 12 Pages Thursday, April 28, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Weather Partly cloudy and mild today and fair tomorrow. High today in the mid-80s. Low tonight in the mid- 60s. Winds south southeasterly at 8-12 m.p.h. Increasing cloudiness tomorrow with a high in the mid- 80s. No precipitation in sight. 9 Spending bill reduced $57 million cut from welfare program ''X United Press International IUSTIN — The Texas House has made jfirst major strides in reducing a pro- led $15.7 billion state spending bill, miming $57 million from health and wel- 1 programs and moving toward deletion Bnother $100 million in funding for state Incies and prison construction. In its longest work day of the session, the Imakers debated the mammoth spend- j bill from 9 a. m. until after 11 p.m. «sterday, sharply reducing proposed Inding increases for welfare programs 1 mental health agencies. [’he proposed $100 million reduction liding before the House today would Jcel plans for construction of a $72 mil- i prison facility and cut $16 million from a rural loan program of the Texas Industrial Commission. It also would abolish funding for several small agencies such as the Gov ernor’s Commission on Physical Fitness and the Greater South Texas Cultural Ba sin. Rep. Jimmie Edwards, D-Conroe, un successfully tried to save the $72 million prison construction program, warning House members overcrowding could pro duce serious prison problems. “If you’re for law and order, and if you’re for sending people to the pen for longer periods of time, then you’ve got to provide the cell space for them,” Edwards said. House members rejected an attempt by Rep. Frank Collazo, D-Port Arthur, to withdraw funding for the Texas Good Neighbor Commission. Collazo said he had found nothing concrete the agency had done except take occasional trips to Mexico. South Texas legislators strongly de fended the agency, however, saying it is essential to maintain good relations with Mexico. “Mexico is rich in natural resources such as oil and gas, and abolishing this commis sion is a slap in the face of our neighbors to the South,” said Rep. Ruben Torres, D-Brownsville. The sharpest cuts made during yester day’s debate were in proposed increases in welfare payments to families with depen dent children. An amendment by Rep. Michael Ezzell, D-Snyder, reduced the proposed increase from $8.68 per child to $3 per child per month. That proposal cut $43.1 million from the spending bill. “This is not a proud moment in this legis lature,” said Rep. Matt Garcia, D-San An tonio. It s a national scandal how we take care of our cows, take care of our wheat fields, take care of our hogs, but ignore our chil dren, said Rep. Al Price, D-Beaumont. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, asked for higher welfare payments to the families with dependent children, telling House members, “We’re not asking you to take care of lazy shiftless people, these are children who did not ask to be born.” riscoe statement upsets Hill United Press International |SAN ANTONIO— Atty. Gen John Hill, >has indicated a desire to replace Gov. tolph Briscoe in 1978, says the governor’s Itements about possibly withholding jatural gas from the intrastate market ^croaches on his territory as Texas’ top I officer. IHill yesterday said, Briscoe’s statement, nich was made in response to President liter’s energy proposal, was an irrespon- lile one. JWhen Briscoe threatened legal action to lad off any federal price controls being placed on intrastate gas in Texas, Hill bris tled over the possible encroachment of his territory. “I was elected by the people of this state to handle the legal department, and I’m trying to do that, and I’ll continue to try to do that. And if I have something I think that can legally be done. I’ll say so and I’ll ad dress it, but I don’t think this is the time to be making statements along that line,” Hill said. “The first approach to undertake is to defeat it in the Congress, because in my judgement it would not be in the best interest — totally speaking of our state, ” he said of the proposal to regulate intrastate gas. The extension of price regulation to the heretofore unregulated intrastate market is one of the key provisions of Carter’s energy plan. “I would say I would certainly look at that area of the proposal of the law, should it become law and I don’t think it will be come law. If I thought there was a basis, I certainly wouldn’t leave anything un turned. “But that’s a different proposition than to if ter three years, women are earning places at Texas Maritime Academy say you are going to prevent j^as from flow ing out of the state which is dedicated to contract. Now maybe the governor has some other gas in mind that I’m not aware of but the only gas I know anything about going into interstate commerce is gas going there under contract.” Hill added that “I think all of us in public life should be very, very careful in our statements in regard to. this new energy policy, particularly in regard to statements that have legal overtones. We should be very precise and exact in what we say. This is a time for responsibility for all public officials and citizens because I think a lot of what President Carter proposed is going to be implemented. “ . . . But you don’t challenge the Presi dent of the United States legally for exercis ing free speech and all President Carter has done at this time is make some proposals that he thinks should be considered by tbe Congress.” Battalion photo hy Pam Elmore What do I do? This little girl busied herself scribbling with a pad and pen while her mother displayed woodcraft in the Arts and Craft Fair yesterday. The Fair was sponsored by the MSC craft shop. By JIM CRAWLEY Battalion Staff Lynn Bell s first Christmas gift from the all-male sophomore class at the Texas Maritime Academy was a Christmas tree decorated with pornographic pictures, beer cans and cigarette butts. That year, Lynn and the other two female cadets were sub- Ijected to hate letters, verbal rebukes and doors slammed in |their faces. All were from their male classmates. During her second semester at the Galveston school, Lynn [was ready to quit the academy and go to another college. “When I told my mother that I wanted to quit, she turned [around and shouted, ‘Gawdamnit, no one in my family is going [to quit.’ Then, she threw a pan at me. So I had to stay.” The women have stayed to form a small, cohesive group at [the academy (abbreviated TMA). Presently, 17 women are [members of the academy’s Corps of Cadets, a para-military [program subsidized by the U.S. Maritime Administration [(USMA). The female contingent has three juniors, eight [sophomores and six freshmen in a Corps of 145 cadets. Men at [TMA outnumber the women by a ratio of five to one. Women were allowed to enter maritime academies in 1973, [with the revision of USMA General Order No. 87 — a regula tor! establishing requirements for merchant marine cadets. Since Lynn’s kitchen confrontation with her mother, the [hostility toward women has decreased. Some of the older [cadets still dislike the presence of “girls” in the previously jail-male vocation. But the majority consider the coeds as [equals within the academy. This is the third year that women have attended TMA. Susan [Carter, who became one of three female cadets when she entered two and a half years ago, toured Europe after finding her first tour of duty aboard ship “boring”, according to classmate Lynn. Susan was the first woman to graduate from I the academy. Women cadets at TMA haven’t brought concessions from the administration of Moody College (TMA’s parent school) or from the academy. Rear Adm. John W. Smith, TMA superin tendent, said the coeds have the same duties and respon sibilities as the male cadets. Moody College Provost Dr. William Clayton said, “We recognize that they’re ladies and that’s about the only credit we give them. They do the same work as the guys. ” Among the cadets’ duties during the school year are standing watch, drilling and attending formation calls. While on the annual summer training cruise aboard the T.S. Texas Clipper, they chip paint and rust from the decks, stand bridge watch and handle the ship’s helm. Male cadets have the same chores on the cruise. The ostracism during Lynn’s freshman year has turned into benign quips from the men. Most of the younger coeds haven’t had any serious harassment. “Now it’s cush for the girls because most of the guys realize they will have to live with us for the rest of their school life, ” says cadet Margy Card, a blonde-haired sophomore from New York. The only recent insult toward the female cadets has been from “The Great White Sea Gull.” The Sea Gull is a pseudo advice column with an unsigned columnist that has turned into a campus farce. The Sea Gull received a letter from a coed complaining about her lack of date offers from the male stu dents. Still claiming anonymity, the Gull proclaimed that the distressed girl was obviously a cadet and thus unworthy of a date. This outraged some of the women cadets. But the women say the dating problem is common at TMA. Lynn, 22 and attractive, said in a half serious, half jovial remark that her most significant event at the academy was “... in 1974, I had a date.... We come down here with all these guys and you’d expect that we could get a date, but that’s not true.” “The people here are strange; most are loners; and most of the guys never had a date before coming here,” she said. Another reason for the lack of social relations between the sexes was expressed by a male cadet. “I tiy not to socialize with people I have to work with, espe cially women, because it’s difficult to give orders to someone (See ALL, Page 7.) Chimpanzee most like man, anthropologist Goodall says m / / EXASlA&M UNIVERSITY T.S. TEXAS CLIPPER Battalion photo by Jim Crawley Chimpanzees, the closest relatives to the human species, may be important in understanding man’s social behavior, says Dr. Jane Goodall, a scientist who has de voted 16 years to studying chimpanzees. Goodall, who spoke in Texas A&M Uni versity’s Rudder Auditorium last night, conducts research on animal behavior in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park. • Goodall said her acceptance by a com munity of 35 chimps was slow. She said it took more than a year for the chimps to overcome their shyness and let her ob serve them more closely. Monkeys most resemble humans in the way they use nonverbal communication, Goodall said. Chimpanzees will use touch to comfort their companions, and, when excited, they huddle together, kiss each other and scream like a football team celebrating a victory. When meeting after a long separa tion, chimps will greet each other with an embrace. The life cycle of the chimpanzee also resembles that of humans, Goodall said. An infant remains close to its mother for three years and enters puberty at nine. Young chimps learn accepted behavior by imitating adults, Goodall said. They grow and live in a male-dominated soci ety, males being larger and stronger than the females. The struggle for domination among the high-ranking males is often long and in volves the use of intimidation and vio lence, she said. Goodall expressed concern over the ap parent increase in aggression between chimpanzees. Attacks on neighboring communities are becoming more frequent, she said. There are also reports of cannibalism. Goodall cited one case in which an older female killed and devoured the infant of another chimp for no apparent reason. Violence and aggression in chimps can be studied and applied to human be havior, Goodall said. But, she said, there is much more to be done. Like humans, chimpanzees con stantly are changing psychologically and socially. Goodall’s lecture was sponsored by Great Issues and the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation. GOODALL Substance in household products Asbestos potential cancer threat United Press International WASHINGTON — There is a potential cancer threat from asbestos in a number of common household products, ranging from imitation fireplace ash to modeling clay used by children, an environmental group told the government today. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) made the allegation to the Con sumer Product Safety Commission in ad vance of the agency’s meeting to decide whether a crackdown on asbestos is war ranted. The council last July 15 asked for a ban on spackling compounds and other wall patch ing mixtures containing asbestos, saying such preparations were exposing millions of unsuspecting consumers to a “substan tial risk of cancer.” At that time it said asbestos, a known carcinogen, is released into the air when such compounds are mixed or sanded and Senate passes resolution delaying allocations for Day Care Center A resolution passed Tuesday night by the Student Senate will recommend to President Williams that a $41,000 Day Care Center allocation be postponed. Last month, the Senate recommended establishing a day care center that would serve 32 children of Texas A&M students. The service was to be provided next year. The resolution depended on financial assistance and staff workers from the Col lege of Education. Since that meeting, “the College of Education is unwilling to provide man power or financial assistance for the proj ect,” according to Tuesday’s resolution. Dr. John Koldus, vice president of stu dent services, also has recommended that the funds not be allocated. He said he would not recommend the proposal with out support from the College of Educa tion. In other action, John Oeffinger was elected Speaker of the Senate and Joe Beall was elected Speaker Pro-Tempore. Nancy Bunch was elected recording secre tary, and Geri Campbell will serve as executive director. Robert Harvey, student body presi dent, also appointed Lynn Gibson as Sen ate parliamentarian. later on when “walls are sanded or repaired or torn down for replacement.” To underscore its request for a more general move against asbestos beyond that used in construction, the NRDC told the commission it believes there is an additional asbestos hazard in such items as fake fireplace ash, used in natural gas-fired fireplaces, which glows when heated. It also said Some modeling clays used by children have been found to contain up to 50 per cent asbestos. In addition it said there is a potential problem with vinyl floor tile because the adhesive used to keep it in place contains asbestos, which is released into the air when the floor is sanded after the tile is taken up. “We feel it is an imminent hazard be cause a brief and very low-level exposure can induce cancer,” an NRDC lawyer said. The council’s original petition said that from one-third to one-half of the patching compounds sold in the United States con tain asbestos, and reach more than a mil lion consumers a year. The Consumer Product Safety Commission staff has re ported that some manufacturers are mov ing away from it and using other materials as a substitute. Inhaling asbestos can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a fatal malignancy of the lungs.