The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 22, 1977, Image 1

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    Battalion
Vol. 71 No. 16 Thursday, September 22, 1977 News Dept. 845-2611
10 Pages College Station, Texas Business Dept. 845-2611
Lance resigns from post;
Carter maintains loyalty
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The Bert Lance af
fair is over. President Carter, deprived.of
his closest friend and adviser in govern
ment, must find a new budget director.
No matter who fills Lance’s chair at the
Office of Management and Budget, the re
lationship will not be the same.
T don’t think there is any way I could
find anyone to replace Bert Lance who
would be as competent, as strong, as de
cent and as elpse to me as a friend and
adviser as he’s been,’ Carter said, near
tears during a nationally televised news
conference Wednesday.
‘His replacement will be adequate, of
course,” Carter added. “But I don’t think I
can find anyone to (truly) replace him.”
Lance, who remained popular and ami
able to the end, gave no indication of when
he intends to leave the nation’s capital and
return to Georgia.
Carter promised there would be an “or
derly transition” in the budget office.
He said Lance’s chief aides at OMB —
deputy director, James McIntyre, Bow
man Cutter and Harrison Welford — were
“highly competent” and would carry on
until a new budget director is selected.
Because McIntyre handled most of the
day-to-day activities at OMB, speculation
has centered on his taking over Lance’s
job. However, Carter may want to bring in
an outsider with stronger ties to the busi
ness community. Lance was considered
the administration’s “ambassador” to busi
ness.
The reason for Lance’s exit from na
tional politics involved subjects that were
foreign to most Americans — "corre
spondent relationships” between banks
and the double pledge of collateral to ob
tain loans, for instance.
Also, there were allegations almost
everybody understood — check overdrafts
and contradictions of sworn testimony.
Lance and Carter met for 45 minutes
before dawn Monday to discuss the situa
tion and review each allegation that had
been lodged.
“I told Bert I thought he had exonerated
himself completely,” Carter said at his
news conference. He said he asked Lance
“to make his own decision about what his
choice would be.
The decision came Tuesday afternoon
when, according to Carter, Lance told him
he thought it was best to leave Washing
ton.
The President was somber and unsmil
ing throughout the news conference. He
made it quite clear he would remain loyal
to the end.
“Bert Lance is my friend, he said. “I
know him, personally, as well as if he was
my own brother. I know him without any
doubt in my mind or heart to be a good
and an honorable man.”
Carter read the letter from Lance,
drafted with the assistance of respected at
torney Clark Clifford, which said it was
important to Lance "that my name ami
reputation be cleared. . . I believe this
has been done. As I said at the Senate
hearings, my conscience is clear.”
And then came the line that hurt Lance
— and obviously Carter —- the most.
“I have decided to submit my resigna
tion as director of OMB. I desire to return
to my native state of Georgia.
May qualify
Some students eligible for food stamps
Battalion photo by Ken Herrera
Ummm good!
tk Johnston, new Saddle & Sirloin Club member, used his face to
rch for a jelly bean buried in a mound of floor at Wednesday’s
iation. (See related story this page.)
By KARIN KNAPP
Food stamps aren’t just for the poor.
Many Texas A£cM University students are
unaware that they may be eligible to re
ceive food stamp benefits.
Georgie Heyde, food stamp supervisor
for the Brazos County Department of
Human Resources in Bryan, said she is
trying to enroll more eligible people in the
Food Stamp Program.
The program was originally established
to improve the nutrition levels of low-
income families.
"I don’t feel we re reaching people
adequately,” Heyde said this week. "I
doubt if we have 50 or 60 student house
holds using food stamps. Students either
cases reported in 6 years
Many co-eds fear rape on campus
By JOHNNIE HENDON
irts of rape may just be rumors, but
ittack is a reality on the Texas A&M
. Many women admit being afraid
the campus alone after dark or ride
ittle bus at night.
Jones, a sophomore, said she heard
ere many rapes at A&M before she
1.
lever. Colonel Parsons, director of
jty and traffic with the University
e Department, said there has not
^reported case of rape on campus in
Kt six years.
pre are reports of minor attacks,”
Is said, “such as guys grabbing girls,
py don’t turn out to be serious rape
of the victims of a “minor attack”
|eincident was not very serious, but
Is disturbed because it occurred in a
lit area on a main campus street,
cadded that there was no one around
dime of the attack.
veral other women have said they
f feel safer if lighting was better in all
especially around the Rudder eom-
and )n the north edge of campus.
Ions said that although some areas
are better lit than others, the campus is
patroled at night and is safe.
He said the A&M campus is safer than
most college campuses because of a
friendlier attitude students here have to
ward each other.
Many students agree that rape is not as
likely to happen here because of the fear of
retribution from other students.
“There is less chance of rape because of
the spirit,” said sophomore Dennis Webb.
“Aggies are more grouped together like
brothers and sisters. We re protective of
our fellow students.”
Despite this attitude, fear of attack is
one of the main reasons most women
enroll in the self-defense classes offered by
Free University, said Mike Buttle, self-
defense intructor.
Buttle said common sense, such as stay
ing away from poorly lit areas, is the best
defense against attack.
Steve Powell, owner of Brazos Valley
Karate and Nautilus, said he was recently
asked to give self-defense demonstrations
to various wives’ clubs and sororities.
“I think they’re especially interested
now that the campus has gotten so big.
There are bound to be some deviants out
there,” he said.
\ity Councils at odds
er Northgate area
By MARK POWER
ible disruption of sanitary sewer serv-
Northgate businesses and residents
e College Station City Council in a
la.
regular session Wednesday after-
the council considered several pro
to solve the fight between Bryan
»llege Station over sewage disposal.
troversy centers around a 10-year-
lim by Bryan that the sewer lines
g the area of Northgate within Col
lation city limits are overloaded and
;ed to be replaced or re-routed soon,
sently, College Station and Bryan
sewer lines along their city limits in
Northgate area.
'an has claimed in the past that the
are being used to capacity and that
rannot handle the required load,
liege Station officials are unsatisfied
hat approach and took measures yes-
' to break from the Bryan sewage
n.
ryan is going to make us spend
y,” said Councilman Jim Dozier,
should get out all the way.”
zicr referred to a plan that woidd
the city build a new pipeline to a
Je treatment plant west of the High-
i by-pass.
lat City Manager North Bardell
ed “the most economically feasible
would have College Station build an
indent pipeline incorporating 8, (XX)
>f gravity flow piping. A new lift sta
tion for pumping the sewage would be
built near the intersection of University
Drive and Texas Avenue.
The cost of the project was not im
mediately available, but Bardell estimated
the construction costs at $815,(XX).
A recent bond election allots $360,000
for sewage construction, leaving $450,000
that would have to be provided by the city'
before construction could begin.
Bryan currently is considering a plan
that would construct a new pipeline in the
Northgate area parallel to existing lines
and linking up with other Bryan city lines,
a plan that might force College Station to
adopt the plan considered in Wednesday' s
meeting.
Council member Gary Halter suggested
that the city manager inquire about shar
ing the costs of construction of a new
pipeline with Bryan. Halter was also con
cerned about how the city was going to pay
for this proposed plan.
“We need a capital improvements
committee, said Halter during the meet
ing. “It is time for a comprehensive review
of our capital needs.
Mayor Lorence Bravenee placed the
pipe financing plan on the agenda for the
first city council workshop following Wed
nesday’s meeting.
In conjunction with the proposed plan,
it was recommended that Bardell pursue
an old plan attempting to create a Brazos
County regional authority that would con
trol disposal of both cities’ sewage, in addi
tion to Texas A&M University sewage.
are unaware they may qualify or have
qualms about applying for the stamps,
maybe because of their status or because
their parents wouldn’t appreciate them
using food stamps.”
A “common” student household, Heyde
explained, consists of a graduate degree
candidate with a family. Such a household
might pay $0-142 for $166 worth of stamps
monthly, she said.
Students whose parents claim them as
tax deductions are not eligible to receive
food stamps, but Heyde said there is no
way to be certain that a student is a tax
deduction.
“It’s easy when you’re filling out the ap
plication form to check no’ in the box that
asks if you are a tax deduction,” Heyde
said.
It may sound simple to lie on the eight-
page application, but Heyde said candi
dates for food stamps are interviewed for
an hour as part of the application process.
The social workers who interview the ap
plicants are highly trained and experi
enced, she said, and can usually spot a
person who is lying.
“We’re not looking for dishonesty,”
Heyde said. “We look at the case as a
whole. If an applicant is telling us a big
story, we can usually tell.”
Heyde said there has been no problem
with students using food stamps fraudu
lently this year because most of them
withdraw from the program before they
receive benefits.
“I believe they get scared,” she said. “If
we suspect a case of fraud, we call the
fraud unit in Austin and they do a com
plete investigation.”
Food stamp fraud has been a felony
since May, 1977, punishable by fine or
imprisonment, Heyde said.
Misuse of food stamps is uncommon in
Bryan-College Station because recipients
are counseled on the use of the coupons,
she said. Since the program came to
Brazos County in 1971, merchants have
become familiar with what food stamps can
and cannot buy, she added.
Oliver Bishop, store director of Skaggs,
said he has not noticed any intentional
misuse of food stamps at Skaggs.
“We have our checkers check these
things carefully,” Bishop said. "Sometimes
people misunderstand what can and can’t
be bought with the stamps, but I don’t
think many people do it intentionally.”
Only edible items may be bought with
the stamps; dog food, paper produc ts, de
tergents, alcoholic beverages and ciga
rettes cannot be obtained with the* stamps.
Eligibility is determined according to
nationwide standards for income and work
registration. The amount of coupons allo
cated is based on the number of persons in
a household and their net income after de
ductions.
Deductions include expenses for educa
tion, child care, income tax, shelter costs,
social security, required union dues,
court-ordered child support, medical ex
penses over $10, arid 10 per cent of earned
income up to $30 per month. A household
may not have resources worth more than
$1,500. A house, ear (two if needed for
work), personal belongings, household
goods, life insurance policies and pension
funds are considered resources.
One person living alone w hose monthly
income is not more than $262 is entitled to
$52 worth of food stamps. A household of
four persons, whose monthly income is not
more than $567 a month, is eligible for
food stamps worth $166 a month. The food
stamps represent an average saving of 40
cents on the dollar.
To apply for food stamps, an application
must be filled out and the candidate inter
viewed. Rent receipts, bank statements,
utility bills, proof of medical bills and
proof of all income in a household must be*
brought to the interview.
“As long as someone fits the rules for
income and resources and w e can see how
they pay their bills, we have to give them
stamps, social worker Bonnie Rahe said.
After eligibility is established, food
stamp recipients get an ATP (authorization
to purchase) card which must be pres
ented to buy the stamps. Stamps are sold
at post offices, and only cash is accepted.
Heyde said she wants more people to
benefit from food stamps, which are no dif
ferent than any other type of grant-in-aid,
she said.
College Station backs
Easterwood operation
Battalion photo by Dick Wells
Walking across Texas A&M’s “friendly” campus at night may not be safe
for women.
Initiation unpleasant at times;
but, there’s always next year
By MARSHA MOULDER
“Let me out!” cried Shirley Williams as
her teeth chattered on a warm Wednesday
night at the Saddle & Sirloin Club initia
tion.
About 200 new members of the Saddle
& Surloin Club were inflicted with the
chilling experience of standing in a tub of
ice water w hile old members drilled them
with questions concerning the club. The
club is made up of students interested in
the animal industries.
The new members also were subjected
to an “egg bombing”. They had to lie on
their backs and hold paper cups in their
mouths while initiators tried to hit the
cups with the eggs. More often than not,
the egg-tossers missed the cups.
“This is a good way to get to know
people,” said Dennis McBroom, an offi
cial tormentor, as he introduced oiie of the
races in which the initiates had to com
pete.
There was a “down on the farm atmo
sphere during the penny-finding test. The
penny was submerged in a bucket of cow
feces.
The new members were “branded w ith
syrup and flour. First, they were in
structed to pick a piece of candy out of a
bowl of syrup with their teeth. Then,
using only parts of their faces, they had to
find a jelly bean in a mound of flour.
After all the new members completed
the tests, Pete Gibbs, Agriculture Council
Representative for the club, welcomed
everyone to “the largest club at Texas
A&M University." He expressed his con
fidence that everyone would feel that the
initiation was worth while once they lx*-
came involved in the club’s activities. Pete
reminded the new members that next year
they would get their chance to bring dis
comfort to the club’s newcomers.
By GARY WELCH
The College Station City Council Wed
nesday passed a resolution supporting con
tinued operation of Easterwood Airport's
control tower, joining the Bryan City
Council and Texas A&M University in
protesting the tower’s proposed shut
down.
In a unanimous vote, the council re
quested that the Federal Aviation Admin
istration (FAA) keep the tower open.
“I think this whole proposal to close the
tower borders on the absurd. Council
man Lane Stephenson remarked.
He w'as referred to an FAA study re
leased earlier this month that projected
Easterwood s tower would cost more than
it s worth from 1978 to 1992. The study
named 73 towers in the nation, six in
Texas, whose costs outweigh their bene
fits.
If the FAA implements this study, Eas
terwood s tower will be closed.
Stephenson said he believes the idea of
closing the tower resulted from adminis
trative error. He noted that the FAA re
cently upgraded the airport.
He pointed out that Easterwood serves
a five county area, and that from Sept. 1,
1976 to Aug. 31, 1977 the airport experi
enced a 16.5 per cent increase in service
over the same period a year earlier. He
said people need to support the airport
more than in the past.
Mayor Lorence Bravenee suggested tax
ing commercial passengers and using the
revenue to support the airport. He ap
pointed a committee comprised of Coun
cilman Jim Dozier, Stephenson and him
self to enger tax.
fA&M-Tech game
to be broadcast
on closed-circuit
The Class of 78 and the* Texas
A&M Athletic Department are
sponsoring a live, color, closed-
circuit broadcast of the Texas
A&M-Texas 'l ech football game.
Student tickets with IDs are S3
and date tickets are $5. Tickets will
be on sale Thursday and Friday
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at C. Rollic
White Coliseum.
If available, general public tickets
will go on sale Saturday at 4 p.m.
and will cost $5.
“We set this up lx*cause so many
students wanted to go to the game.
Wally Groff, assistant athletic direc
tor for business affairs, said.
The doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
The game will bo shown on a 12- by
15-foot screen. Concessions will be
available.