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-