e Battalion
Vol. 70 No. 115
8 Pages
Friday, April 29, 1977
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
ouncil to investigate
ales of pornography
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By DARRELL LANFORD
Battalion Staff
The College Station City Council voted
st night to let the city attorney investigate
he legal problems involved in prohibiting
ale of pornographic material to minors.
Aside from banning sales to minors, the
ouncil also wants to stop sale to all persons
pornography featuring children. The
ouncil asked the city attorney to find out
nd impose the maximum legal restrictions
nvolving child pornography.
The council also wants to limit the dis
play of sexually-oriented material by forc
ing storeowners to partially cover up the
books and magazines leaving only the titles
visible. The council wants magazine racks
constructed to meet certain height re
quirements so children cannot reach the
material.
Councilman Jim Dozier said banning
sales to minors would be ineffective be
cause of the difficulty of enforcing the ban.
He said he doesn’t believe many minors
buy pornographic material.
ampus police officer
becomes an Aggie
By TOUMONAVA MULLINS
If one cold night you find yourself on the receiving end of an Aggie
joke, wrapped in sheets and hanging from a tree, just hope that Officer
Jerry Sechrest comes to your rescue.
Sechrest, 37, has been a full time member of the University Police
force since August 1972. Last September he also became a student at
Texas A&M University.
“We deal with everything — assault cases, attempted rapes, burglaries,
thefts and Aggies’ antics,” Sechrest said.
“I’ve also unchained students from trees and watched water fights and
panty raids. And if it’s a holiday and a student is locked out of his dorm,
we help him.”
Sechrest is approximately 30 hours away from his degree in sociology.
Until last September, he had not been an active student since 1967.
After missing out on two higher paying state jobs because he had no
degree, Sechrest enrolled in the University. He is carrying six hours this
semester.
Sechrest said being a student has given him a new perspective. “I can
see certain problems I didn’t see before. It puts me in closer contact with
the students.”
The officer-student relationship can often be awkward, Sechrest said.
He added that many of his classmates are surprised to learn he is an
officer.
Sechrest is married and the father of four children. Over a cup of
coffee, he said he was unable to spend much time at home. T’m in the
doghouse most of the time,” he said with a laugh.
In spite of his busy schedule, Sechrest finds time to camp and work
with Boy Scouts.
Sechrest said being a law enforcement officer used to mean being the
biggest, meanest man in town. “But police work is becoming profes
sionalized. It has to, because crime is so well organized.”
To earn a basic certificate, Texas requires officers to take a 240-hour
police course within one year of service, Sechrest explained. Additional
points are earned for time on the force and extra schooling.
The University Police patrol members are state-certified officers, Se
chrest added.
‘All of our officers go out of their way to help the students,” he said.
But, unfortunately, the majority of the student contact is through tick
ets.”
Sechrest said he would like to see the Battalion and University Police
work together more on such problems as bicycle registration.
“We can prove that we can recover a bike faster when it’s registered, ”
he said. Sechrest added that bicycle thefts are down since the police force
has become more spread out.
He said the most satisfying aspect of his job is helping people and
getting to know the students. “I thoroughly enjoy Aggies and I get a kick
out of their games, ” he said.
“You’ve got to let them get their kicks—as long as no one is hurt and no
property is damaged. Our philosophy is to be firm, but fair. I try to go by
that.”
Battalion Photo by Jim Crawley
University Police Officer Jerry Sechrest fills out an accident report
describing the damage on this automobile. Sechrest is a junior sociology
student at A&M
Councilman Gary Halter countered, say
ing those persons selling pornography to
minors could be caught and that an ordi
nance would lessen overall sales to minors.
The council also adopted an ordinance
that makes parking in bicycle lanes illegal,
with certain exceptions. Originally, the
council proposed to make no exceptions,
but Halter argued that people attending
certain social centers, such as the Epis
copal Student Center on Jersey Street,
would be inconvenienced too much by not
being able to park on the highway.
The council decided that after A&M
Consolidated school hours, the children
using the bike lanes would, for the most
part, be gone.
The council then passed an amendment
allowing the city staff to determine certain
places which at designated times, will be
eXempt from the ordinance. All other vehi
cles parking illegally will be towed away,
except during football games and the bon
fire.
In other action, the council postponed a
decision o: the matter of $11,500 in
hotel-motel tax money. The city is required
by law to spend the revenues on direct
promotion of tourism.
The council wanted to spend $5,000 of
the money to print up maps of Bryan, Col
lege Station and Texas A&M University,
and the rest on brochures, an advertise
ment and organized solicitation.
Councilman Jim Dozier proposed the
money be given directly to the Bryan-
College Station Chamber of Commerce,
who would decide on its use.
The council then voted to table consid
eration of the money to see what Texas
A&M did with the tax money it received
two years ago.
A citizen’s committee will meet May 4 at
7 p.m. in City Hall to discuss proposed
revisions to the Comprehensive Plan, a city
chart of projects and zoning plans. The
public is invited.
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Do the bump
Battalion Photo by Jim Crawley
The Texas A&M Sports Car Club passes the
halfway mark in its effort to break the record
time for bumper car riding. The club set the
record at 12 hours yesterday at fooh’s Park on
Texas Avenue. The record should be verified in
the near future.
Energy plans ready for Congress
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The deadline has
been extended twice, but White House
energy staffers think they have finally
finished writing all the legislative details
needed to turn President Carter’s energy
policy into reality.
There was an all-out push by the Presi
dent’s energy team yesterday to polish
each proposed law into final form and get
the package ready to send Congress today.
Lawmakers planned to take it up next
week and predicted sharp fights over such
controversial issues as the gasoline tax.
Efforts to draft legislation for the energy
plan, which Carter outlined for Congress
and the nation April 20, fell more than a
week behind original schedules. Adminis
tration sources said the initial deadlines —
first April 20, then April 25 — proved im
possibly optimistic.
Members of the White House energy
staff predicted they would meet today’s
deadline, although with difficulty.
“There’s a real crunch on,” one said
Thursday.
Other members of the President’s
energy staff neared the end of an equally
frenzied effort to produce a 100-page book
detailing in everyday terms Carter’s policy
and its impact.
The completed legislative package was
expected to differ little from outlines given
last week by Carter and energy chief
James Schlesinger, which included tax
credits for conservation and tax penalties
for gas-guzzling cars and for excessive
gasoline consumption.
Several sources said delays in complet
ing the legislation have been caused by
the need to spell out nuts-and-bolts details
on such issues as how to rebate new
energy taxes to consumers.
On Capitol Hill, two House committees
planned hearings next week on Carter’s
proposals.
A special bipartisan energy committee
scheduled hearings on the proposed re
duction in total energy growth, gasoline
consumption and oil imports. The sub
committee on energy and power planned
to consider increasing natural gas prices
and extending federal controls to intra
state gas.
Much of Carter’s policy was expected to
go to the taxwriting Ways and Means
Committee, which planned to take up the
energy legislation May 16. An aide said
Chairman Al Ullman, D-Ore., expects
sharp battles over such proposals as a
gasoline tax hike that could total 50 cents a
gallon over the next decade.
“In terms of the controversy, we have
most of it,” said one Ways and Means staff
member.
Most area apartments to sign
long-term leases for next fall
By DEBBIE LIGHTFOOT
Apartment dwellers may have to stay in
one place longer beginning this fall, as most
area apartments are now signing only nine-
and 12-month leases.
Of 23 local apartment projects surveyed,
only Country Place and Tree House will
sign one-semester leases, and then only for
graduating seniors or graduate and co-op
students.
Martell Properties apartments (Scandia I
and II, Taos, Sevilla, Sausalito and Aurora
Gardens) will sign only 12-month leases for
next fall.
The minimum lease length for others
surveyed is nine or nine and a half months.
These apartments include Barcelona,
Briarwood, Bryan Arms, Doux Chene,
Fairway, French Quarter, Monaco, Old
College Main, Plantation Oaks, Posada Del
Bey, Southwest Village, Tanglewood
South, Travis House and Varsity II.
Several of the above apartments wifi also
sign 12-month leases that give a discount of
about 10 per cent off the regular monthly
rates.
All apartments surveyed will continue to
sign three-month leases for the summer
only.
The manager of Scandia II and Sevilla
said that Martell Properties went to 12-
month leases to keep the apartments full as
long as possible.
If apartments in the group start losing
money because 12-month leases discour
age people from living there, the owners
may decide to go back to nine-month
leases, she said.
Martell Properties will allow students to
sign nine-month leases for any apartments
that are available when preleasing begins
in June. These leases will run from Sept. 1
to May 31. Otherwise, leases signed now
for this fall will run from June 1 to May 31.
Martell Properties’ tenants with 12-
month leases will get one month’s rent
free, probably next May’s rent.
Also, Tree House apartments will give
40 per cent off of June’s or July’s rent to
tenants with 12-month leases who will be
gone part of the summer. Tree House does
sign nine-month leases, however, for ten
ants who plan to be gone all summer.
David Frost interviews
Jaworski to reveal everything
about Watergate if Nixon doesn’t
United Press International
DALLAS — Former Watergate prose
cutor Leon Jaworski has promised to make
public his knowledge of former President
Nixon’s role in Watergate if Nixon does
not make the confession himself in upcom
ing television interviews.
Jaworski says he has information on
deeds Nixon “wasn’t proud of’ and he will
reveal it if Nixon does not admit he
obstructed justice in the White House.
Televised interviews of Nixon by com
mentator David Frost are scheduled to
begin Wednesday.
Jaworski said yesterday Nixon should at
the very least admit to obstruction of jus
tice even though there were other offenses
that could have been brought against the
former president.
“There was a question to the matter he
had with H. R. Haldeman, particularly as
related to the possibility of Haldeman
committing perjury,” Jaworski said.
When asked if he would reveal Nixon’s
role in Watergate if the former President
did not do so in the interviews, Jaworski
said, “Yes, I intend to.”
The former special prosecutor said he
does not expect Nixon to face up to
charges of abusing his office in the inter
view and will try instead to shift the
blame.
“I have the feeling, between you and
me, that he’s going to lay a lot of this off on
his staff,” Jaworski said. “If I were in his
shoes, I just would not know how to tackle
this situation unless I was prepared to say,
‘Yes I was guilty of wrongdoings.’ I don’t
think he’ll ever say that.”
Jaworski said he had listened to several
taped conversations between Nixon and
his aides which have not been made pub
lic.
He said one conversation between
Nixon and Charles Colson “revealed
something about some of his other ac
tivities, some of his staff members and
some of his own reactions to things.”
Jaworski said while the conversation did
not relate to Watergate, “they related to
some things I’m sure he wasn’t proud of. I
know I wasn’t as an American citizen.”
Last year, following the publication of
his book, “The Right And The Power,”
Jaworski said the Nixon-Colson conversa
tions reminded him of “two ward heelers
talking in the rear room of a neighborhood
dive.”
Jaworski, 71, said his reaction to the
Nixon interviews will appear in a national
publication. He did not identify the
periodical.
Aide calls reports on Nixon inaccurate
United Press International
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Former
President Richard Nixon’s highest aide has
angrily denounced a number of recent
news reports about Nixon as inaccurate.
Jack Brennan told a Republican group
here he had never commented on news
reports in the past but, “Now I’m getting
irritated.”
He said it was not true that Nixon called
President Carter three or four times to
offer counsel, that Nixon called once, say
ing reports gave the erroneous impression
that “President Nixon is just sitting out
here waiting for an opportunity to call.”
He denounced a story that quoted two
interior decorators as saying Nixon “chose
every piece of furniture” on the set used
for taping his interviews with British tele
vision personality David Frost, a showing
“terrible taste.”
He called reports that Nixon talked with
former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
every day for guidance during the tapings
“absolute bull.”
“He talked with Kissinger three times
during all the tapings.”
Brennan, then a lieutenant colonel,
spent five years as Nixon’s Marine Corps
aide, and left the Marines three years ago
to remain as the chief of Nixon’s four-
person staff.