The Battalion
Vol. 71 No. 12
6 Pages
Friday, September 16, 1977
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Prairie View: One vote, one questionnaire
By MARK POWER
and
JULIE SPEIGHTS
IPRAIRIE VIEW — Students at Prairie View A&M University
^quietly registering to vote this week at a booth set up in their
ident center. The applicants come to register at a rate of’250 a
1
phc organizers of the project, members of a black social and
pice fraternity, say their goal is to have a successful voter
Ive at Prairie View. But in view of the controversy that sur-
Jimds black applicants in this college town, the drive represents
ears of Waller County politics.
IStudents of Prairie View have had difficulty registering to vote
IWaller County because of a questionnaire that LeRoy Symm,
County Tax-Assessor-Collector, requires in addition to the regu
lar voter registration forms.
Symm s refusal to register students from Prairie View on the
basis of this questionnaire brought charges that the voter regis
tration practices in Waller County are discriminatory.
“In lieu of the ability of other Texas students to vote at their
schools, there is no reason our county should discriminate
against our right to vote, says Harold E. Brown, president of
the fraternity that sponsors the drive.
“About 50 per cent of the students registering know of the
problems with the county officials ahead of time, says Brown.
So far more than 1,000 students have participated in the drive.
The questionnaire begins with such questions as, "Are you a
college student? If so where do you attend school? and “Do you
intend to reside in Waller County indefinitely? Other questions
Diez y seis
Battalion photo by Kathy Curtis
Guitars and soft lights set the mood as this
mariachi band performed last night in front ol
the MSC fountain. The group s performance
highlighted a Mexican Independence Day cel
ebration, sponsored by the MSC Committee
for Awareness of Mexican-American Culture.
1, „
â– AA study could mean lost funds
â– Easterwood tower faces closing
By GARY WELCH
Easterwood Airport is expecting a con-
jued increase in air traffic despite a dis-
uraging study made recently by the
deral Aviation Administration, says
uett Smith of the airport’s business of-
e.
The study named Easterwood’s control
wer as one of 73 in the country (six in
xas) whose cost exceeds its benefits,
sterwood face* the loss of federal funds
eded for operating the tower. Without
Dse funds, the tower would probably be
ced to close.
The FAA study set up a specific cost-
ectiveness formula which indicated that
illege Station’s tower will cost more than
will help from 1978-1992.
I have not seen the criteria for this
jdy,” Smith said. “Apparently it is some
criteria which they (the FAA) have
plied.”
He said the official FAA air traffic count
pt by the tower shows a total of 104,000
ke-offs and landings from September
176 to August 1977 compared to 88,000
;r the same period a year earlier.
The FAA is considering five alternatives
r the 73 towers in question.
First, it may choose to keep all 73 in
leration without regard to losses.
Second, the FAA may revert to an older
udy released in 1975 that takes a short
Tm look at costs and benefits. Under the
d study, Easterwood would remain
)en.
The third alternative would be to use
ie new study to judge tower effective-
ess. If the FAA chooses to implement
lis option, all 73 towers would be closed.
“We could still operate if the tower
ere closed,” Smith pointed out. “People
mid expect increased delays in any kind
finstrument approach. We would have to
perate on an individual see-and-be-seen
asis.”
Smith said Easterwood’s tower handles
nything from jets and turboprops to low-
peed trainers. Even supersonic jets have
assed through Easterwood’s traffic pat-
irn and have relied on the tower to guide
'lem safely through the air traffic flow.
"From a safety standpoint, our tower is
etessary to maintain traffic separation,”
imith added.
The fourth option would be to close the
So least profitable control towers and allow
he other 38 to remain in operation. The
FAA study lists 60 towers that are not
xpected to break even in the near future,
lut Easterwood’s tower is not one of
them.
“Ours is one of 13 towers expected to
yield an economic profit within the next
two years,” Smith said.
That asset could also exclude Easter
wood from the fifth alternative, which
would have the FAA keeping all unprofit
able towers open until 1980—to allow time
for organization of state and local opera
tions.
Such operation of Easterwood has not
been discussed at the airport, Smith said.
“We are not even considering it, we are
just working to show Easterwood’s useful
ness,” he added.
Smith said Easterwood handles much of
Houston’s air traffic and some from other
major cities. “We have more traffic than
some carrier (major passenger airline) air
ports,” he said.
“We have a lot of people coming into
this community for business reasons,”
Smith said, “and there is some freight
handled here also.”
Easterwood also handles a lot of instru
ment approach training because Houston
is too busy, Smith said.
He predicted that Easterwood’s tower
will show its usefulness in time. “I feel we
will be able to justify its continuing opera
tion,” he said.
The FAA is inviting public comment on
whether these airports towers should be
closed. The deadline for comments is Oc
tober 15.
Humane society seeks
funds for new shelter
By KAREN ROGERS
The Brazos Valley Humane Soci
ety failed Monday at a public budget
hearing to convince the Bryan City
Council to allocate revenue-sharing
funds to build a community animal
shelter.
“It’s a matter of priorities,” said
Louis Odle, Bryan city manager.
“Bryan has an animal shelter, so'the
council as a whole felt this wasn t a
high priority item in a community
trying to bold the line on taxes.”
He said, however, that he did not
think the animal shelter in Bryan
had adequate facilities.
The proposed animal shelter was
voted on by the people of Bryan in a
July 9 bond election. The proposi
tion was defeated by 162 votes.
Betty Schier, a member of the
BVHS, said they had taken a survey
prior to the bond election.
“Most of the people indicated
they were for it, but preferred that
it be financed some other way than
through tax money, Schier said.
The BVHS has been collecting
private donations and sponsoring
fund-raising events such as flea
markets to raise the money for the
shelter, Schier said.
She added they were far short of
their $65,000 goal.
Members ol the BVHS feel the
Bryan facility is inadequate.
Kathy Nemee, another member
of the Society, said because of the
small size of the pound it is impossi
ble to separate sick animals from
healthy, large animals from small, or
passive animals from active.
Charles Hunnicutt, animal con
trol officer for Bryan, said that 432
dogs have been picked up and put in
the Bryan shelter at various times
since July.
Nemee said that animals are kept
at the Bryan pound for a certain
number of days and are then taken
to the vet school either to be used
for research or to be destroyed.
The BVHS has secured a contract
with the Houston Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
which allows them to take animals to
the Houston animal shelter. There
is no charge to the BVHS.
“It’s not the ideal situation, be
cause being in such a large area,
there is less chance of the animals
being adopted out, Nemee said.
But until the BVHS can either
raise enough money to finance the
shelter or find funding somewhere
else it will have to do, she added.
Charlotte Woods, treasurer of the
BVHS, said they will continue try
ing to finance it themselves and may
eventually ask the Bryan City
Council again for help.
concern affiliation with Waller County organizations other than
those related to the college.
Symm, who has held the office since 1946, was unavailable for
comment.
The legality of the questionnaire has been challenged several
times in state and federal court. In 1967 the Legislature
amended the Election Code to make the Secretary of State the
chief election official with the power to enforce the Election
Code.
“The kids couldn't care less when you really think about it.
It ’s not a big problem to anyone but (Mayor) Sams. These are
not Waller County people.'' jack Taylor,
Waller County Judge
In 1972 the Secretary of State issued an order to Symm asking
him to refrain from using the questionnaire based on the
amendment to the election code. Symm refused to comply and
fought the state on the grounds that the Secretary could not stop
him.
The court ruled that the Secretary could issue such an order,
but stopped short of preventing Symm from using his question
naire and turned the matter back over to the state.
On September 1, 1977, Secretary of State Mark White issued
an emergency order stating “No questionnaire or additional in
formation shall be required prior to the registraion of any appli
cant for a voter, registration who has properly completed a voter
registration form which has been prescribed by the Secretary of
State.
But a September 6, 1977 affidavit shows that four students
from Prairie View attempted to register through Symm s office.
They were given a questionnaire along with the regular voter
application form.
A key figure in the Waller County dispute is Prairie View
Mayor Eristus Sams. He is helping the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
in their voter registration drive and has been actively opposing
Symm and his questionnaire since 1972.
“We have a grave legal problem on our hands. If you talk to
the students they will tell you that they feel they re being led
on,” said Sams Tuesday morning. “We’ve battled this so many
times they get turned off, he said in reference to the Prairie
View students.
Mayor Sams is currently suing Symm because the Tax
Assessor-Collector refuses to make Sams a deputy registrar. In
the registration process, the deputy registrar assists in filing reg
istration forms and carrying out the process of registering citi
zens to vote. Sams has been a deputy registrar in the past.
“He (Symm) told me be won’t make me a deputy registrar
because I won t do what he tells me to do. the mayor said. Sams
said the attitude of the student body is general restlessness over
this issue. He said that it's time to honor the applications from
the student community and dispense with the (questionnaires.
Waller County officials feel differently about the (question
naire.
“This is old hat to us. Mayor Sams and his suits, said Waller
County Judge Jack Taylor. Taylor said the Waller County (ques
tionnaire just asks for a “little more information.
“We just haqqx'n to enforce the law,” Taylor said referring to
retaining the (questionnaires. “We re doing exactly what we’ve
always done, we re just doing the job like it should be done. If
they have any claim at all, he (Symm) lets them vote.
Judge Taylor said the students are not really concerned.
"We think that students should be interested in politics but
we want them to be interested at home where they are ac
tively involved. " Chrystal Carr,
Chief Deputy Tax Assessor-Collector,
Waller County
The kids couldn t care less when you really think about it. It
is not a big qnoblem to anyone but Sams,” Taylor said. “These
are not Waller County qjeoqile.
The judge added that students who were not satisfied with
their registration status and (questionnaire could ask for a hearing
before Synim.
(See Questionnaire, page 3)
One dose of medicine could
turn into an overnight stay
By KIM TYSON
Battalion Staff
Students who go to Beutel Health Cen
ter after 5 qr m. may have to be admitted as
in-patients if they want care, said Dr.
Claude Goswick, director.
Goswick said that as of August 1977, the
center began comqjlying with Texas qxhar-
fnaey laws which say only pharmacists and
doctors can disqjen.se drugs. Because only
nurses work at night, the center would be
operating illegally if drugs were given out
as in the daytime.
Out-patients are the only ones affected
by the new enforcement, Goswick said.
In-patients can receive any necessary
drugs from a (qualified nurse.
If a student doesn t want to be admitted
overnight but still wants medicine, Gos
wick said, the law permits a nurse to ad
minister one dose of any medicine — if it
is consumed in her sight. The student
would have to come back later for the next
dose.
Frances Gough, coordinator of nursing
services, said nurses do not administer
anything but over-the-counter drugs un
less they call a physician.
Students who don t want to come back
for medication during the night can stay in
one of the 44 beds at Beutel, Goswick said.
The Health Center had a “standing or
ders policy before August. A pharmacist
would pre-dispense drugs for certain
illnesses, such as colds, sore throats, or
tonsilitis, and when a student came in a
nurse would give out the pre-dispensed
drugs.
Goswick said he sees this as only a small
change.
“It affects very few students, he said,
“and most of these are not emergencies.
Most of the students who visited the
center after 5 p.m. last week had cuts.
Authorities advise
pre-professionals
to study with tests
By MARGIE SANT AM ARIA
All pre-professional students and pro
spective graduate students at Texas A&M
University have one common goal, to pass
the entrance exam of their prospective
school.
Some authorities on testing recommend
using study tools such as the Graduate
Record Exam (GRE) study guides and tak
ing courses that deal with specific test
(questions. Others say the same goals can
be achieved without such aid.
Throughout the school year, various
agencies offer intensive test preparation
programs, some lasting only one weekend,
says Nancy Zettelmoyer, administrator of
the Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Center
in College Station. These programs, in
cluding Kaplan’s, are not designed to
teach but to provide students with mate
rial that is on the real tests, Zettelmoyer
says.
The Kaplan program in College Station
concentrates on preparation for several
tests requested by students. These are the
Medical Careers Aptitude Tests,the Vet
erinary Aptitude Test, the Graduate Rec
ord Exam and the Law Scholastic Aptitude
Test. The VAT, however, is no longer re
quired for applicants to Texas A&M s col
lege of Veterinary Medicine. Vet school
applicants now take the GRE instead.
Some consider the course expensive,
Zettelmoyer says, but in the long run, it
(See ‘Passing’ Page 5)
muscle aches and sore throats, Goswick
said.
An average of 33 students came in after
hours between Saturday and Thursday last
week.
Gough said she has heard few com-
qjlaints about the new qjolicy.
“Were getting fewer comqjlaints than
we thought we would, ” Gough said. "We
do have injuries at night but I think most
students who come in should ve come in
earlier to see a doctor.
If the annual flu eqjidemic affects stu
dents again, Goswick said he doesn t ex-
qject any qjroblems.
“We can accommodate 44 of them and
then we send them home to their beds as
before, Goswick said.
Goswick explained that the pharmacy
law is to protect patients and qjharmacists.
He added, “Most of all it s because phar
macists lobby for it.
Goswick said he didn t know the law
existed before, and that he learned about
it from a pharmacist win) began working
last August. Previously, there was no
Health Center pharmacist.
“We thought it was all legal, Goswick
said.
Goswick said he heard a rumor last year
that local qjharmacists were going to reqjort
the Health Center.
“We were definitely in contradiction
(with the law) the whole time before,
Goswick said.
A representative of the Texas Pharmacy
Board unofficially notified him that the
center wasn t comqjlying with the law,
Goswick said.
To follow another qjart of the same law,
amber safety-caqjped bottles are reqjlacing
the white qjaqjer packets the center qne-
viously used to disqjense drugs.
Goswick said the bottles will cost over
$3,000 more a year than the qjaekets.
Battalion photo hy Ken Herrera
Skylights
The sun hid behind a cloud long enough yesterday afternoon to create
this view on a lightpole on the Texas A&M campus.