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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1977)
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION The Battalion 1977 Vol. 70 No. 146 12 Pages Wednesday, August 31, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Weather Partly cloudy and hot with east- northeast winds today. Increasing cloudiness with 30 per cent chance of showers tomorrow. High both days mid-90s; low to night mid 70s. On campus convenience won 100 campers given dorm rooms after all-night vigil at the ‘Y ? carry, IMiilU. M nl c rtest pla four otb other ts 19' v) and 11 Dormitory rooms were at a premium Tuesday, and students spent night and day in the hall of the YMCA Building for the chance to obtain on- campus housing. By JAN BAILEY When Ron Blatchley associate director of student affiars, arrived at his YMCA building office at 7:30 Monday morning, he found three people waiting in the hall. Two of them were mothers of Texas A&M students who wanted to make sure their daughters got dormitory rooms for the fall. The vigil began at 6:45 Monday morn ing, when dorm-room hopefuls began fill ing the long hall on the first floor of the building. By 8 p.m. Monday there were 51 names on the women’s list and 39 on the men’s. By 10:30 Tuesday morning the numbers had climbed to 63 and 57. The rooms were assigned at 1 p.m. Tuesday. But as the word spread on cam pus that the waiting line had begun, stu dents arrived with pillows and radios — planning to spend the night in line. Ann Sparkmann and Barbara Johnson, both of San Antonio, were waiting in line for their daughters, Linda Sparkmann and Becky Johnson. The girls were numbers one and two in line. Carol Maser, another student, had stopped by the Housing Office at 6:45 a.m., but after seeing no one, she went to class. She returned to become number three. ompetent to stand trial Berkowitz declared paranoid h an All [Riston), s (Don) 5MU M nipbell !arl, Ti»i oster send J. Conv United Press Internationa) ^ YORK — Court hearings will be i October to determine if David itz is mentally competent to stand ■ the shooting death of the last of Sam’s” murder victims, iklyn Supreme Court Justice Gerald tOct. 4 for the start of formal hear- Jter reading a psychiatric report on [idgy 24-year-old former postal The report, filed yesterday, con- Berkowitz suffers from paranoia ere at uincapable of standing trial, re nok b iight-p a ge report, signed by two Faimi wppointed psychiatrists who exam- xas AajBerkowitz for 11 hours, stated, “Said ndv Ii«» an f as a result of mental disease or [ornedFp lacks the capacity to understand Boceeding against him or to assist in defense.’’ led by I ;et a IwJ ithaW ftir reading the report, Held re- pd Berkowitz to his room at Kings County Hospital where the psychiatric tests were made. District Attorney Eugene Gold im mediately asked that Berkowitz undergo an examination by a prosecution psychia trist and chief defense attorney Mark Jay Heller asked that a doctor for the defense conduct an independent test. Gold said he would call on Dr. David Abraham son, a Columbia University pro fessor who wrote “Nixon vs. Nixon,” a best-selling psycho-history of former Pres ident Richard Nixon, to examine the young defendant. “This report is not a surprise,’’ Ira Jul- tak, one of Berkowitz’ defense lawyers, told reporters after the hearing. If Held rules him incompetent after the October hearing, Berkowitz will be com mitted to a mental institution, a spokes man for Gold said. If Held overrules the psychiatrists’ report and declares Ber- or Sept| whi ter. ■ners a eel) iillj urricane Anita Storm may hit tonight kowitz competent, he would be brought to trial for the July 31 murder of 20-year-old Stacy Moskowitz, Son of Sam’s last victim. Berkowitz faces similar competency hearings on his ability to be tried for the five other “Son of Sam” murders in New York City. Six people were killed and seven were wounded in eight sneak attacks in lovers’ lanes around New York by the killer known as “Son of Sam.” Berkowitz was ar rested Aug. 10 and the .44-caliber gun police said was used in the attacks was found in his car. Berkowitz’ attorneys have entered in nocent pleas in his behalf to indictments charging him with all six murders and have indicated they will use a defense of insanity, should their client face trial. Berkowitz, wearing a grey-checked suit and blue shirt with the collar turned in at the neck, whispered to his three defense attorneys as the psychiatric profile was read into the record. He did not address the court. It was the first time he was seen dressed in street clothes since his first arraignment in the same courtroom two weeeks ago when he was arraigned for the murder of Moskowitz. At two subsequent arraignments, at which he was charged with five other murders, Berkowitz appeared in a hospital gown in bullet-proof chamber 50 feet from his prison ward at Kings County Hospital where the tests were made. In another development, the City Cor rections Department disclosed yesterday that Berkwitz was punched by another inmate at Kings County while taking a shower Sunday morning. A spokesman for the department said the other inmate, Carmelo Colon, was being escorted into the shower room when he accused Berkowitz of stealing his slip pers and threw a “glancing blow” at Ber kowitz’ head, stunning Berkowitz momentarily. gem »1 LEN ION E J Arts > United Press International I GALVESTON — Hurricane Anita I was causing eight foot waves along [ the coast today, and the National Weather Service said the storm could threaten the upper Texas coast by tonight. j Anita was 350 miles east- ! southeast of Corpus Christi and j drifting slowly to the west early to- i day. Highest sustained winds were 95m.p.h. Gale winds extended 150 miles to the west of the storm’s cen ter. Two Galveston school districts al ready have suspended classes and . officials have evacuated an isolated | community on the Bolivar Penin sula as a precaution against Anita. School officials yesterday said the districts on Galveston Island were closed because of high tides which already were threatening roadways. The 500 residents of Port Bolivar, a small town on the southern tip of the peninsula, was being evacuated as a precaution against the storm. The coastal highway from Galves ton to Sabine Pass at the Louisiana border also has been closed with of ficials reporting surf already over the roadway. The Galveston County SherifFs office also has told the 70,000 resi dents of the Galveston Island to prepare to evacuate, but has not yet issued an evacuation order. A hur ricane has not hit Galveston directly since Hurricane Carla came ashore in September 1961. Officials said the Coast Guard and disaster relief officials were ready to move on short notice to open emergency shelters and begin re scue operations should the storm move into the Texas Gulf Coast Baytown, at the tip of Galveston Bay, was ready to evacuate on five-minutes notice and Red Cross officials were being flown in to set up storm watch stations along the coast a short time after waves up to eight-feet were reported on the coast. City council tables concrete controversy Galveston m Hurricane Aniti By DARRELL LANFORD Battalion Staff Wary of possible increases in the cost of concrete and recognizing difficulties in regulating concrete trucks, the College Station City Council yesterday tabled con sideration of an ordinance establishing maximum loads for ready-mix concrete trucks. The council was worried about the heavy loads of the trucks, which now carry about eight to nine yards of concrete. Eight yards of concrete weigh about 58,000 pounds. The trucks weigh about 27,000 pounds. Elrey Ash, city engineer, said the streets were designed to hold a maximum of 36,000 pounds. The council had planned on restricting gross loads to 48,000 pounds, but three ready-mix contractors at the meeting warned of possible price increases result ing from additional trips made necessary by the smaller loads. Presently, an average house slab re quires six loads of concrete. The ordinance proposes that trucks can carry only six yards of concrete, so therefore nine loads would have to be used, not six. Problems concerning regulation arose because the city has no adequate place to weigh the trucks. Trucks must be weighed quickly because the barrel cannot stop rotating for more than an hour. Because of the regulation problems, the concrete contractors have been violating the existing ordinance for about 16 years, they said. “I think it’s ridiculous for us to change policy after this point, said council member Gary Halter. Council member Anne Hazen suggested limiting routes to certain roads. Councilman Larry Ringer suggested de signating certain loads for specified streets. The ordinance would apply to city- maintained streets only, not county roads or state highways. The ordinace would have made it illegal to operate a tandem-axle load exceeding 36,000 pounds, a single-axle load exceed ing 12,000 pounds, and a gross load ex ceeding 48,000 pounds. Violations would be considered a misdemeanor, with a fine not over $200. “4 When asked why she wanted her daughter on campus, Mrs. Johnson said, “so she can enjoy a full campus life.” Mrs. Sparkmann agreed, adding that the girls’ fathers also felt it was important to live on campus. “You must consider the monetary value,” said one waiting student. “I think it costs more to live off-campus.” Convenience of on-campus residency was a major factor for many. Edward N. Mery, from San Antonio, was No. 1 on the men’s list. He said living on campus would be more convenient, and that he wanted to live in either Hart or Walton Halls. Steve Stine, number 32, echoed the convenience theme. “Right now I’m living in a trailer five miles from campus,” he said. And Kay Bailey, who was number 50, gave her reasons for wanting dorm space. “Being a freshman, it will be easier to meet people. Everything happens on campus. . . and you don’t have to hassle with parking, either.” Comraderie between the waiting kept the late-night talk flowing and the Monopoly dice rolling until 1:30 a.m., when shouts for “lights out” and “turn off that music” made many students stretch out on their sleeping bags and mattresses. Just before noon Tuesday, the long wait was over. The first 38 women and all of the men on the list were assured of dorm rooms. Bellard yells for unity at All-University night President Jarvis Miller and Athletic Director-Head Football Coach Emory Bellard led the Texas Aggies’ first school- year yell Monday at All-University Night. Miller asked students to become part of the Aggie Spirit, and Bellard challenged the football team to match it in dedication. About 8,000 students attended the event. Dr. Miller, who had shed his coat and tie and rolled up his sleeves, joined Bel lard on the stage to lead two yells. Bellard called for a second yell, saying that the first lacked unity. The pair of un practiced “yell leaders’ may have had something to do with it. A university offi cial said that the yells led by Joe Reagan sounded better. “The Aggie Spirit is an intangible thing that binds Aggies together wherever they are,” observed President Miller. “It’s an attitude that says we ll be the best at whatever we do. It means going the ulti mate distance for a fellow Aggie. ” “This institution has never been stronger,” said the new president. “We’ve challenges ahead, but we can do it, you and me.” “There’s no better place to play football than right out there, said Bellard, “espe cially if you’re wearing Maroon and White.” Student Body President Robert Harvey opened the All-University Night program, and Dr. John Koldus, vice president for student services, spoke briefly in introduc ing President Miller. Reagan, master of ceremonies, an nounced that yell practice will be held at the Grove once a week — and that an additional midnight yell practice at Kyle Field precedes home games. The first Grove yell practice is planned Thursday. Lo-Vaca denied increase for remainder of year The matter will probably be taken up at the council meeting next Wednesday or Thursday. The council also decided to change their Tuesday meetings to Wednesdays at 4 p.m. The council approved purchase of 40,000 telephone stickers for ambulance, fire and police service for distribution to College Station citizens. They will be lime-green. United Press International AUSTIN — Lo-Vaca Gathering Co. has been ordered to wait at least four months before increasing natural gas rates. The Texas Railroad Commission this week ordered Lo-Vaca Gathering Co. to suspend tentative rate increases for 120 days and indicated the pipeline company must maintain present rates until lengthy hearings are completed. The railroad commission also refused for the third time in a month to permit Lo- Vaca to sell natural gas to eight cities fac ing loss of their interstate gas supply. Lo-Vaca had announced plans July 8 to change rates Sept. 1 to charge customers for its fuel costs plus 16.7 cents per thousand cubic feet of gas. Since 1973 the company has collected 100 per cent of its fuel costs plus 5 cents per mef under a special commission order allowing the pipeline to collect rates in ex cess of prices specified in its longterm con tracts with Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and utilities serving most of Cent ral and South Texas. The commission said hearings have been underway for two months on Lo- Vaca’s petition to set aside the 1973 special order and increase its handling cha from 5 to 16.7 cents per mcf. I), - ■ large The commission also said proposed sales of natural gas by Lo-Vaca to the utility company supplying Bellville, Brenham, Columbus, Eagle Lake, Hempstead, Navasota, Sealy and Waller could result in curtailments for Lo-Vaca’s existing cus tomers. The commission has instructed its spe cial counsel, Rex H. White Jr., to file a brief with the Federal Power Commission seeking an order to force an interstate pipeline company to continue current service to the eight cities. Texas Eastern Transmission Co. has an nounced it will cease deliveries in mid- October to Texas Southeastern Gas Co. In addition to the eight cities, Texas South ern’s direct customers include Prairie View A&M University and the Brenham State School for Retarded Children. An interstate pipeline, Texas Eastern, has been Southeastern’s principal supplier since 1957 under a 20-year contract that expires Oct. 17. Southeastern officials testified at a hear ing July 11 the company could meet cus tomer needs on average demand days without the Texas Eastern gas but would face a deficiency of up to 12 million cubic- feet per day on peak demand days in the winter. 1 iPN’ Stepping out for a break After sharing the narrow hallway of the YMCA Building all night with scores of other students waiting to take over vacant dormitory rooms, these early risers retired from the stuffiness for a breath of fresh air. Many co-eds waited in vain as it became apparent there were far fewer women’s vacancies to fill than co-eds at the ‘Y.’