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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1977)
he Battalion M 71 No. 46 lO Pages Thursday, November 3, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Inside Today: Thor: not your average bull, p. 8. City streets: 87 rough miles, p. 5. Kevin Monk: more than just a linebacker, p. 9. enate backs trial on-campus busing #i By LIZ NEWLIN Baltulion Stall rial of an on-campus, internal shuttle system next semester was recom- lided by the Texas A&M Student Sen- Wednesday night. The proposal, which could cost $45,000, ist be approved by Dr. John Koldus, president for student services. The oiution lists service to the vet school, campus, three shuttle bus stops, the rtligate area, parking lots across llborn Road, and an area near Zaehry gineering Center. The trial, if approved, will be funded by student service fees reserve account. Wednesday’s bill, under normal senate icedure, could not receive action until next senate meeting Nov. 16. William man, chairman of the subcommittee on ernal shuttle service, moved that the I be placed on emergency, and the sen- approved. The senate may vote on Is on emergency. It is our feeling we need this now, said bert Harvey, student body president, administration had much “input on )ill and needed time to prepare for a ig trial, he said. Altmans subcommittee held a public aring Oct. 24 to determine student erest in the service. just about everybody who came said felt a shuttle service woidcl be good, man said. His subcommittee report ommends using six shuttle buses from ansportation Enterprises, Inc., at a con ic! cost of approximately $7,500 per mester. The recommendations are not jding on Koldus, he said. We imply a route (in the bill) but we do not force them to use a certain route, Altman added. The project began last spring when an ad hoc committee, appointed by then- President Jack Williams, investigated the feasibility of an internal shuttle system and recommended next semester as “an oppor tune time for a trial.” Koldus recommended further study by Student Government because the trial would probably be funded by student service fees. Several senators objected to both re ceiving and voting on the bill Wednesday because of the short time period and amount involved. The resolution passed on a roll call vote 55 to 9. Senators also approved the $44,919.96 Student Government budget for 1977- 1978. The grass around the Memorial Student Center is the central subject of two reso lutions before the Student Senate which were introduced during the three-and-a- half-hour session. “Keep off the grass reso lution II. recommends “at least two appropriately-worded signs be placed at advantageous locations asking for protec tion of the grass surrounding the Memorial Student Center... It cites “unsightly worn spots in front of the MSG and the need for “more attention in landscape pro tection as reasons for the signs. The “Dedication of MSG grass resolu tion requests “that the grounds surround ing the Memorial Student Center be for mally dedicated as a memorial to those Aggies who have given their lives in the defense of the country . . . and that signs be placed in appropriate locations to in form students, faculty, and visitors of the memorial status of the grounds. “The grass around the Memorial Stu dent Center has for many years been con sidered a memorial to these former stu dents, and . . . this grass has never been officially dedicated,” the resolution states. A move to place the dedication resolu tion on emergency status failed. “If we do it tonight, it’ll look like an emotional response (to the MSG Council s rejection of a similar bill last week), ” stu dent senator Richard David said. “I want it to look like we thought about it. The Student Senate passed a similar bill last year to memorialize the grass around the University Center. Last week the MSC Council rejected the bill and ap proved a policy that use of MSC grounds “will not be discouraged.” Discussion of the “Keep off the grass resolution II came earlier in the meeting. “The main objective is to keep the land scape looking nice,” said student senator Gail Jolly, who introduced the bill. Senator Ben Schrader asked why the resolution calls only for signs around the MSC if the object is to protect the land scape. “Why don’t we put up signs for all the grass? ... If it s for a memorial, why not state it?” he asked. Action on the resolution is set for the next senate session. Letters to professors asking them to par ticipate in the Student Government pro fessor evaluation program are set to go out this week, said Mike Humphrey, vice president for academic affairs. The evalua tion is scheduled for the last week in November and first week in December, he said. “We almost had to get a new question naire,” Humphrey said, because the old form contained “meaningless questions. His committee evaluated the old form with help from the Liberal Arts Depart ment, which conducts its own professor evaluation. The new forms cost $200. Edwin Cooper, dean of admissions and records, asked the Academic Affairs Committee to investigate and report on Academic Counseling procedures, Hum phrey said. Campus Chest revision also received a first reading. The bill proposes “that the Campus Chest Fund be considered an emergency fund; emergency situation being defined as one that occurs unexpec tedly, so that money cannot be obtained from the Financial Aid office in time. Proposed terms for loans, director Fred Pheiffer said, are any amount for 60 days. After 60 days, a late payment charge of 50 cents per month will be assessed unless the borrower contacts the Campus Chest and asks for more time. Pheiffer may also block students’ regis tration or transcripts until full payment is made. The fund claims about $3,600 in out standing loans. An audit by a professor in the accounting department is underway, Pheiffer said. About $300 is in the fund now, he added. In other action, senators approved pol ling places for today s runoff elections for freshman class officers. They also heard first readings of resolutions on a University Committee structure study, By-Laws and Constitution effective date, status of legis lation, parliamentarian and ballot election, a budget amendment, a blood drive re search committee and three election pro cedure charges. The meeting marked the first attended by five newly-elected freshmen senators. )ld College View apartments o be razed this fiscal year BY DONNA SCHLABACH Four Texas A&M University married- dent apartment buildings will be torn wn during the current fiscal year, says irtment manager F. Ken Nicolas. Hie Old College View apartments, lo- ed on Avenue B across from the Texas M campus University Drive are litary-style barracks. Nicolas said last iek that the buildings, constructed in have become so deteriorated that :y are impractical to maintain. No definite date has been set for tearing Wn the buildings, said Jerry Smith, as lant director of management services. Smith could not estimate the cost of raz- §the apartments, but said it will depend whether the job is done by apartment iployees or by a commercial firm. The 11 be paid by the student apart- ents office, Smith said. Since 1969, 26 of the original 58 build 's have been torn down, Nicolas said. Never intended as a permanent facil ity, the barracks will be razed over the coming years as directed by the board of regents, he added. Nicolas said the buildings were torn down in 1969 to provide space for con struction of the College View brick apart ments on University Drive. The barracks were dismantled at air bases in Texas and transported to the campus in 1946 to accommodate the influx of married veterans enrolling in the col lege, Nicolas said. “Each barrack was transported in eight sections, re-erected on campus, and re modeled into eight two-bedroom apart ments. Though they cannot compare with the more modern apartments, rental rates for the barracks are very cheap. Monthly rent is $70 for an unfurnished two-bedroom and $84 for a furnished two-bedroom apartment. Each apartment is equipped with a space heater and may be air con ditioned with window units operated from metered lines. Smith said tenants will not be forced to move out of the buildings, because stu dent apartment personnel have allowed normal turnover rates to vacate the build ings. A study concerning the necessity and cost of new apartment buildings is- being conducted. Smith said. The results will be presented to the board of regents for a final decision. Haven t we met before? This curious canine seems doubtful about whether he wants to take a dip with the familiar-looking friend he sees in the fountain beside the Memorial Student Center. The dog’s master at left, appears otherwise occupied. Battalion photo by Liz Bailey School property tax rate rises Tax reevaluation causes troubles By J. KARL JACKSON A tax increase usually means more penny pinching and budget cutting by taxpayers. But in College Station it also means lawsuits and hard feelings. AY//-//R-II3CPJ: mummy is oldest man on campus By KYLE CREWS Who is the oldest man on campus? This was a favorite “campusology ques- )n at Texas A&M University since early the century. Freshmen in the Corps of adets were required to memorize and cite the man’s name when asked by an iperclassman. The gentleman’s name is ANH-HR- H3CPJ. He resided behind the Systems Administration Building, in a small struc ture once used as a University museum. ANH-HR-H3CPJ is a mummy. According to the inscription on the lid of his sarcophagus, or coffin, the mummy is the remains of a tax collector who worked for Pharoah Rameses II approximately 4,000 years ago. This was before the time of King Tutankhamun, whose^ treasures are currently on tour in this country and have stirred up much interest in ancient Egyptian artifacts. The “Aggie Mummy”, more commonly referred to as the Tax Collector, was moved to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in June, 1970. The inscription also included a formula for the offering of the dead. It said that the deceased who was lord of. . . districts, that he was to receive, by the grace of a local god, food, drink and clothing for ever and ever. This local god was to have been in good favor with Amon-Re, the chief God of Egypt. But the name of the Tax Collector’s district could not be deciphered. Carl Aiken, associate director of the museum, said Wednesday that in addition to the mummy, the museum has a skull, some fossil plants and other artifacts once belonging to the Texas A&M museum. “The Museum Committee, which gov erned the use of the building, asked us to come and get these things so that they might be kept in a safe place,” Aiken said. “Some graduate students were using the museum as office space, and most of the things on display were in bad condition. In fact, some wasps had built a nest in the mummy’s skulk’ Aiken said that the mummy was not on display to the public because of its poor condition. A major portion of the remaining ar tifacts housed in the University museum were divided among the various depart ments on campus. Some of the relics, along their with display cases were given to the museum in Bryan, now known as the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural Sci ence. No one seems to know how A&M inher ited the remains of the Tax Collector. Ac cording to Frank Tolbert, columnist for The Dallas Morning News, the mummy was turned over to the University early this century when the side show it be longed to went broke while in the College Station area. The A&M Consolidated Independent School District, the Property Owners As sociation (POA) and the school district’s tax assessor-collector have locked horns over the recent property tax revaluation for the school district. Although the Consolidated school board lowered the tax rate from $1.81 to $1.40 on Aug. 15, the district s revaluation upward means a tax increase for most taxpayers. According to the current assessment formula printed in a tax office pamphlet, property is evaluated on its full market or speculative market value. The tax is based on 80 percent of that figure multiplied by the tax rate of $1.40 per $100 of evalua tion. “The reason that we are going through such an emotional period, said Dr. Joseph Natowitz, president of the school board, “is because there was a lot of prop erty on the school district’s tax roll that had not been currently assessed. The school district spent $30,000 to re assess all of the 3,700 properties within the 97 square miles that make up the district. The total assessed value went from $167,061,192 in 1976 to $270,611,665 in 1977, representing a 62 percent increase in one year. Tax Assessor-Collector Jewell Ellis said that in some instances the property evalu ation was almost 20 years old. “In 1965 the tax ratio was raised from 40 to 80 percent and the property taxes were just doubled, Ellis said. “In most cases, the assessment value of the property wasn t changed at all. Many of the prop erties were still valued at their original cost during the 1950 s without any in crease for rising land values or inflation. “Many people don t even know what they are paying in property taxes, said Dr. O. D. Butler, POA president. “Most banks or savings companies that have a mortgage on the property require the owners to pay into an escrow account and then they pay the taxes from it. That means monthly payments for land owners so they won t default on their taxes and lose the property to the state. Butler was one of the first organizers of the College Station POA. He is also the head of the animal science department at Texas A&M University and has land hold ings to the south and west of College Sta tion. According to the constitution of the group, their purpose and objective is “to insist on effective and conservative public school and government operation. The POA was formed in November 1976 and has 163 members. The POA has for some time threatened to file a lawsuit against the school district for unfair assessment of open land. “It is our contention that Mr. Ellis didn t use any income analysis in the rural land as sessment, said Butler. The income analysis formula would lower the assess ment value of any land that earns money'. According to the tax office, land value is determined by sales comparison, income analysis and if possible, replacement costs. Properties are supposed to be cross checked to eliminate abnormally high and low sales prices. Contrary to what some of the land owners are saying, the tax office says one isolated sale does not establish Security Council agrees to embargo United Press International The U.N. Security Council has infor mally agreed to impose a mandatory arms embargo against South Africa. And, the United States says it will withdraw two top diplomats from the white-ruled nation. The United States and the 14 other council members agreed in a closed meet ing Wednesday on a compromise resolu tion slapping the Pretoria government with a comprehensive arms embargo. “We have reached agreement, said Ambassador Mansur Rashid Kikhia of Libya, council president for November. British Ambassador Ivor Richard said the agreement was reached after the five Western members of the council accepted an African demand to prohibit cooperation with South Africa in the development of nuclear weapons. In Washington, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance said the Carter administration had taken a further step in protesting South Africa’s Oct. 19 crackdown on black dis sent by recalling the naval attache from Pretoria and the commercial officer from Johannesbu rg. The Security Council is expected to formally adopt the historic resolution Fri day. It would be the first time it has im posed mandatory sanctions against a U.N. member. The compromise resolution directs all states to halt the sale or transfer to South Africa of weapons, ammunition, military vehicles, equipment for the manufacturing of weaponry and spare parts. the market value of the land in the area. In response to Butler s charges, Ellis said, “Sure, we use the sales and income analy sis formula in the computation of the tax rolls. “We re dealing with mass appraisal of the rural land here, Ellis said, “and we just didn't have the time to use all the methods to assess each piece of property. It s the owners of the large tracts of rural land that have been hit hardest by the re valuation. This open-space land makes up some 35,360 acres, or about 55 square miles of the district. If the POA had its way, this land would be taxed on the esti mated productivity value instead of the current market value. This would mean a tremendous loss of revenue to the district because the average estimated pro ductivity value per acre is $71.71, while the average market value per acre is $1,719.99, according to a Governor’s Of fice of Education Resources report. And it is very possible that they might have their way. The state Legislature re cently passed House Bill 22 which allows open-space land to be valued on its pro ductivity. But the bill faces many obstacles before it becomes law. An amendment to the state constitution that would make the valuation legal failed to garner the neces sary votes. Gov. Dolph Briscoe, House speaker Bill Clayton and Comptroller Bob Bullock are still pushing ahead with plans to implement the new tax break on Jan. 1. Most legislators feel the state courts will declare the bill unconstitutional before it can go into effect. “We 11 just have to wait and see what happens, said Ellis. “But until then, we are going ahead with our market value as-) sessment. Currently there are five exemptions or reductions available for people who live in the district. Those age 65 and over are eli gible f or a homestead exemption of (See School, page 3) Runoff election scheduled today Runoff elections for Freshman Class vice president and social sec retary are set today at the Com mons, Sbisa, Corps Guard Room and the MSC. Polls will close at 6 p.m. Candidates for vice president are Jess Mason and Brenda Kallina. Candidates for social secretary are Kav Whitcombe and Tammi Dod-