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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 1977)
The Battalion weather Wednesday, August 3, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Fair to partly cloudy and hot today. No precipitation. High in the upper 90s, low in the low 70s. Winds northeasterly at 5-8 mph. No signif icant change expected for tomor row. Vance, Sadat propose Arab-Israeli meeting iothei kuigs. lineitiu er^| dor hi ck tol oogei* ) stay, up. Hf| > deci ginnin r thepi ortune end w| aitee sustaii nable s exhl ago Be sho 'he Jet m. Uii ;ck sad in tk Oops! She missed the target Battalion photo by Phylis West Holly Jones, a junior at Texas A&M University, does not let the heat stop her from enjoying her ice cream. She may have left a sticky spot on the stairwell of the Travis House apartments, but the chocolate chip ice cream from the Creamery was too hard to resist on a hot summer afternoon. re killer was here . Liithorities believe message written by girl scout killer 6-l United Press International OR, Okla. — The taunting message was scrawled in bold rs on the walls of the remote cave: “The killer was here, bye fools.” iuthorities said yesterday they believed the message was n by the killer who murdered three Girl Scouts at nearby Scott June 13. e Leroy Hart, a convicted rapist who has eluded law ement officers since his 1973 escape from jail, has been d with the slayings. Officers say they believe Hart has hiding in the region where the girls were killed. vs County Sheriff Pott- Weaver discounted the possibil- ; message was a hoax. t(the cave) is very remote, very difficult to get to. If it had a prankster they would have found an easier way, I be- ” Weaver said. message, dated 6-17-77, was written with what seemed a black felt-tip pen with bold letters one and a half to two |s high and about an eighth of an inch wide, he said. ;arette butts and whittling scraps were found in the cave fot imprints were left in foliage outside, he said. <j said state and federal investigating teams will test sam- om the discovery, but he would not reveal what officials to learn from the tests. Officials found the cave south of Locust Grove Saturday and Weaver took a group of reporters there yesterday. Weaver said there was nothing to indicate if the person who wrote the message was Hart. Asked why tbe killer would have left such a message, Weaver said, “I don’t think anyone could consider him a ra tional person.” It was the second recent bizarre development in the Girl Scout case. An American Indian Movement member told the Tulsa World that 15 AIM members met with Hart at an undisclosed site recently and Hart denied the killings, the World said Sun day. The World quoted the AIM member as saying Hart was afraid to surrender because he feared he would be shot. Weaver has said he does not believe any AIM members met with Hart. The sheriff said yesterday the FBI interviewed a Locust Grove area resident to see if he could provide any leads to Hart’s location. Weaver refused to identify the man, but said he was be lieved to have known Hart’s whereabouts as recently as two weeks ago. United Press International ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — Egypt and the United States are proposing that a working group of Middle East foreign ministers meet in the United States next month in what could be the first direct Arab-Israeli negotiations in 30 years. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat an nounced the plan yesterday after failing to reach agreement on American proposals for a full-scale resumption of the Geneva peace conference. U.S. officials said Vance, who leaves today for Beirut on the second leg of his 13-day Middle East tour, would bave to win approval of other Middle East leaders for the working group arrangement. After Beirut, Vance will go to Damascus to meet Syrian President Hafez Assad, whose acceptance of the preliminary meet ing will be crucial. Sadat said the working group would deal with matters of procedure and substance and would thus be a prelude to a Geneva conference — if not a partial substitute for it. As Vance and Sadat described it, the working group would include the foreign ministers of all the “confrontation states” — Israel and the Arab neighbors it has fought in four wars. Vance, who would chair the group, said it would meet “as long as it is useful.” Sadat said he would have no objection to Small boy causes three-car collision United Press International SILVER CITY, N.M. — State policeman Gilbert Bernal arrived at the scene of a three-vehicle traffic accident to find an 8-year-old boy in the driver’s seat of the car appar ently at fault. “He had the door open and was just sitting there behind the wheel,” Bernal said yesterday. “I figured the kid had just climbed behind the wheel while his father (also in the ear) was waiting to talk. “I didn’t believe he was actually the driver until the other people said he ran them off the road,” he said. “He couldn’t even see over the windshield he was so small.” The auto, a late model car with an automatic transmission, forced two pickup trucks off New Mexico 90 about one and one-half miles south of Silver City last week, then skid ded off the road itself, Bernal said. No one was injured in the accident. “He apparently had driven for a couple of miles before he ran the vehicle off the road,” Bernal said. “Apparently he was doing all right, but the old man might bave been talking and distracted him.” He said the youngster’s father, whom he desribed as “sort of passed out” from apparently having had too much to drink, was cited for allow ing an unauthorized minor to drive. direct talks between Israel and the Arabs collectively but not bilaterally. Participa tion by the Palestine Liberation Organiza tion or the Soviet Union was left open at the news conference. Despite the fact that Vance must win approval from Israel and other Arab lead ers, the joint announcement made it ap pear certain there will be some sort of Middle East negotiations in the United States in mid-September to overcome the difficulties that could not be resolved dur ing Vance’s visit. Sadat showed a flash of anger at the news conference when he was asked about the linkage of a timetable for a Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories with the establishment of “a full peace” between Israel and the Arab states. Sadat said, his voice sometimes rising to a shout, “Lm willing to sign a peace agreement with Israel tomorrow. If f sign (a peace treaty) it means that I automati cally recognize Israel. These, other things— diplomatic relations and open borders—shouldn’t be mixed in if we are going to achieve peace.” According to Egyptian and American of ficials, one of the ideas that Vance brought with him on fiis Middle East tour involved the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories, including the West Bank of the Jordan river. The rejection of that idea at what Sadat called "a crucial moment — meant that Vance’s mission alone could not achieve the necessary framework for a Geneva conference. Insurance agents mad about profit-cut bill United Press International AUSTIN, — Insurance agents angry about a proposal to cut their profits on auto insurance policies are demanding the State Insurance Board take no action on the proposal until they cand an alterna tive. More than 200 insurance agents at tended hearings yesterday at which the board considered modifying its rate set ting formula in a way that would cut ex pense allowances. The proposed change could reduce the insurance industry’s requested $192 mil lion rate increase to a $19.9 million in crease. The board postponed consideration of the statistics until Aug. 18 at the com panies’ request, but listened to vehement complaints from insurance agents. “We oppose any reduction in the com mission and brokerage factor that will lead to a further cut in our commissions, ” said Robert D. Bergman of Weatherford, pres ident of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. Bergman said insurance companies used a reduction in the formula factor in 1969 to cut agent commissions from 18 to 15 per cent of the premium dollar. “This was really a reduction of 17 per cent in income for agents,” Bergman said. State rate setting formulas allow com panies 20 cents on the dollar for payment of agent commissions and other produc tion costs for liability coverage. Charles Edwards of Dallas, a private ac tuary hired by the board, said his survey of 43 companies writing 90 per cent of the auto insurance in Texas showed their ac tual expenditures were only 16.7 cents on the dollar for 1976. Edwards also said allowances in the formula for general expenses are higher than companies actually spend. He suggested cutting the allowance from 6.5 per cent to 5.7 per cent — the average amount his survey showed companies spent in 1974-75. With such changes, Edwards said, in surance companies would need only a 1.8 per cent statewide increase in auto rates instead of the 17.4 per cent requested by industry representatives and the 10 1 per cent raise recommended by the State In surance Board staff. “The results of that, in our judgment, would be catastrophic,” said Wade Spillman, lobbyist for the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. Remains of dead infants displayed; exhibitor arrested United Press International WAUKEGAN, 111. — Lake County Coroner Robert Babcox said it was “abso lutely ghoulish of a local sideshow “Won dercase Exhibits to display the preserved remains of 20 deformed infants. But Babcox did more than register his disgust. He confiscated the infants' re mains and arrested the operator of the sideshow at the Lake County Fair in Grayslake on a charge of illegal disposition of bodies. “When we first saw the exhibits we thought they were plastic or rubber, Babcox said. “But our pathologist. Dr. Vernon Zech, examined them and found them to be human monstrosities . . , malformed babies, ranging from gestation beyond live birth. lie said, “The sideshow Operator was billing them as the Elephant Nose Baby, the Cyclops and the Frog Girl. It was ab solutely ghoulish.” Chris Michael Christ, 29, of Gibston- ton, Fla., the exhibitor was ordered Monday to appear in Lake County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing on Aug 15. He was freed on $2,000 bond. “They (the bodies) are all in our county morgue and will be given a decent burial. Babcox said. Miller wants public access for A&M know-how By LEE ROY LESCHPER JR. Battalion Editor [Talking to Jarvis Miller for the first time can be an tinerving experience. [Texas A&M University’s brand-new president never |kes his unblinking, gray-blue eyes from visitors to his ice. He doesn’t bat an eye answering questions, either. I make no pretentions at knowing very much about the academic programs, other than in agriculture,” he » Bid yesterday in the Texas Agricultural Experiment Sta- i dm office he’s leaving today. Most of his 22 years at IHexas A&M have been devoted to agricultural research. J But he doesn’t hesitate to show he understands the ’ university’s needs and problems in areas such as enroll- jnent. I think number-wise we re big enough, that we don’t ave to continue to grow. But I think we do have to grow quality,” he said. And I’m not in favor of limiting enrollment,” he em- asized. “If people want to come here, I think as a ublic institution we have an obligation to accept them, d do the best we can with the facilities we have avail- i)le.” He speaks often of the University’s obligation to serve the people of Texas. In agriculture, this institution has been very suc- igessful in taking the programs to the people. But I think ■lere’s a tremendous opportunity for other parts of the niversity to capitalize on this system, doing for other arts of the university what we’ve done for agriculture,” e said, leaning back behind his heavy walnut desk. Veterinary medicine, engineering and business ad- inistration could all be applied to cooperative eduea- ■on and research programs between the University and exas businessmen, he said. Research could and should even be applied to educa- fon itself, the long-time researcher said. “Too much of our wisdom in the area of education has ome from trial and error rather than from research,” he aid. “I think we have a tremendous opportunity to apply the kinds of things we know in other areas of research to e field of education.” “Every professor on this campus has learned by him- jjelf to teach. We haven’t had a program to find out what Miakes effective teaching in the classroom.” “And the thing that concerns me is that we re growing so big in these big sections that I’m afraid we may lose some of the things that have set A&M apart.” Here, as in many areas, the researcher in 48-year-old Miller is very apparent. He confided with clear pride that Texas A&M has just risen in rank to 18th in the nation in expenditures for research. He smiles often and laughs easily. He admits to being a family man. Two of his four daughters and his wife stood by, watching proudly when the University board of regents appointed him president last Friday. He emphasizes accountability, both for himself and for everyone connected with the University. Texas A&M’s employees are responsible public servants who have an obligation to Texans to justify the money and resources they use, he said. “I think this can set us apart from other institutions, that we can do a good job of justifying it, ” he said. Universities have had problems receiving enough money from the state legislature recently because those funds haven’t been justified well enough, he said. “One of the problems we’ve had in the legislature in recent years is a feeling that college and university pro fessors are fat cats. If we have any of that kind of problem — and I don’t think we have much, if any — we are going to be looking at teaching loads, and the whole thing, being sure we re able to justify what we do. ” Miller is inheriting an organization of administrators set up by his successor. Dr. Jack K. Williams, which includes three vice-presidents reporting directly to Mil ler. Because the former vice-presidents for business and academic affairs have become vice-chancellors, Miller is shopping for two new vice-presidents to fill those posts. A new academic vice-president to succeed ur. John C. Calhoun should be appointed by Sept. 1, Miller said. The qualifications the new president has required for that vice-president reflect the kind of University he plans to run. “I want a strong leader. I want a man who stresses excellence in his programs and a man — or woman for that matter — who puts a great deal of stress on respon sibility and accountability. After all, as administrators and professors we have to remember that we re public servants.” The inevitable comparisons that will be made between his administration and that of Dr. Williams don’t bother him, he said. “I think each of us is an individual and we have to develop our own style and our own way of operating. Each of us has our strengths and each of us has our weaknesses.” What kind of relationship does he expect to develop between his office and the newly-formed chancellor’s of fice? “I have tremendous respect for Dr. Williams,” Miller said. “He has four academic institutions to be concerned with. And so we, the college and university presidents, and he will be working out some sort of working relation ship. I don’t foresee problems with it. There’s so much to be done that there’s more than enough for every one of us to have a very substantial role in the responsibility.” He said he intends to follow the board of regents di rective to be the president in full command of the Uni versity. He emphasized that he wants to establish good rap port and communications with the University’s students. “I intend to be accessible to students and to show concern and to try to understand the problems they have. I think I do have an ability to listen to people, and I think this is a key factor in trying to establish rapport and understanding. I want to listen and I’m serious about student concerns.” “I don’t intend to be an apologist for the status quo. One thing that you learn in a graduate program is that your best resource is keen young minds and there’s bound to be a lot of innovative ideas floating around the student body of this institution if we can find a way of channeling it into improvements.” He said he wasn’t sure that more students on univer sity committees was the best way to improve that stu dent input. “I want an open administration,” he said. Did he ever expect to be the president of the univer sity from which he received his bachelors degree in ag ricultural economics 27 years ago? “No, not really. Of course, you always, I guess, fan tasize a little bit, but not seriously. In fact, I’d say not even five years ago I’d have thought the situation seemed pretty remote,” he said with a laugh. Battalion photo by Jo Ann Tola ml Jarvis Miller, the new president of Texas A&M University dis cusses some of his achfevements before coming to his new position-