The Battaijon
Senate vote recommends
that Harvey resign office
Thursday, February 9, 1978
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Inside Thursday:
Mardis Gras in all its glory, p. 10.
The slide rule is forgotten but not
gone, p. 7.
A&M signs 21 high school football
prospects, p. 11.
91,
Be kind to dirty buses
It’s hard to resist writing messages on a traveling billboard — like
the back of a shuttle bus. The author here seems undecided about
kindness toward humans, animals and mud sharks, but the request
for the shuttlebus drivers comes out loud and clear.
Battalion photo by Liz Bailey
By LIZ NEWLIN
Battalion Staff
Texas A&M University’s student senate
recommended Wednesday night that Stu
dent Body President Robert Harvey
should resign his office because he posted
below a 2.0 grade point ratio last semester.
Senators voted 26-24 to adopt the
suggestion, “The person in question
should resign according to regulations as
stated. This is to be applied to all members
of student government currently shown to
be deficient in posting a 2.000 GPR per
semester.”
One member abstained, and 27 mem
bers were absent.
The vote came after nearly three hours
of procedures and debate on the issue.
The senate departed from its agenda to
consider the controversy first.
“This item has been hanging over all
student government,” said Bobby Tucker,
speaker of the senate. “This matter ought
to be settled, and it ought to be settled
now.”
After the ballot, Tucker said, “I don’t
think anyone has a sense of victory in this
vote.
“One thing many people seemed to be
hanging on was the feeling of the senate.
... I feel like our voice has been heard,”
Tucker said.
Harvey said he would not resign during
the meeting and that he wanted to con
sider the vote.
Earlier in the meeting, Harvey told
senators they needed to make the senate’s
opinion clear.
Harvey said he would act on the senate’s
recommendation “seriously and accord
ingly.”
The request does not name Vicki
Young, vice president for student services,
or Joe Young, senator, who also were is
sued writs of mandamus last week asking
them to give evidence of their scholastic
proficiency.
Chris Farmer, acting chairman of the
judicial board which issued the writs, re
fused to reveal the results. But he noted
that two of the three forms had been given
to Tucker. The forms showed the students’
college, whether their semester and over
all GPRs were above 2.0, or whether they
are on scholastic probation
Senators did not ask Tucker for the re
sults.
Harvey volunteered that his GPR last
semester was below 2.0, adding that his
overall GPR is above 2.0.
Part of his defense is based on the dis
tinction between overall and semester
GPRs. The student body constitution, he
said, is unclear on grade requirements.
“These rules have not been enforced
and they should not be enforced in this
arbitrary manner,” he said. “Acting on
precedent, I should have acted as I did.”
Senators dropped formal procedures to
discuss the issue.
Arguments centered around constitu
tional and ethical questions:
Can the president be removed only if he
is on scholastic probation? That require
ment appears within the article describing
the legislature.
Which should serve as the final authority,
the constitution or University Regulations?
Do these conflict?
Does University regulation require a 2.0
overall or semester GPR?
Should senators follow results of an
informal Battalion opinion survey taken
last week? A poll in Wednesday’s Battalion
showed that a majority of students
questioned favor an overall 2.0 GPR
requirement.
Should the senate make a new rule,
abandoning current requirements?
The senate did not decide any of these
particular questions in detail. Instead,
they requested that Robert Harvey resign
and continued the session.
Other action taken at the meeting will
be reported in Friday’s Battalion.
Judge says Republicans
should build ‘uv’ not ‘down
By PAUL BARTON
Collin County Judge Nathan White Jr.
said Wednesday night that the Republican
Party needs to “build from the county cour
thouse level, up” instead of from the White
House down. White spoke at a meeting of
the Texas A&M chapter of College Repub
licans at the Memorial Student Center.
He pointed out that Republicans control
county judgeships in only eight of 254
Texas counties. “We really have a lot of
work to do as far as establishing ourselves
at the courthouse level,” White said.
White, a candidate for re-election this
year, also criticized the structure of Texas
county governments. He said county
judges have too little authority over elected
officials who perform poorly.
1
rairie
illing
View students still
out questionnaires
The only thing they can do. White said,
is “badger, cajole, coerce or threaten. It’s
really a weak form of government.
White also spoke out against the amount
of authority held by county commissioners.
“In too many counties a commissioner
has absolute say over whether a road will be
repaired or not.” The position, said White,
“has the potential for abuse.”
According to White, many Texas coun
ties need to raise their tax levels so they can
“perform the responsibilites they have.”
He also said they need to raise their salary
scales so they can attract better personnel.
During a question and answer session
following his speech, White termed reve
nue sharing “not a particularly good idea. I
would prefer that they leave the taxes down
here,” said White, adding that revenue
sharing money has too many strings
attached which limit how it can be spent by
local governments.
In regard to the current political year,
White predicted that Jimmy Carter will
have an adverse effect on Democmatic
candidates in Texas elections.
“We have a president who told a lot of
people one thing and went up to Washing
ton and did another, and a lot of people are
WHITE
mad about it,” he said. White said Texans
are upset over Carter’s failure to keep his
campaign promise to regulate the natural
gas market.
White also said Republicans need to im
prove their standing with minorities. “The
conservative philosophy is the better phi
losophy for all people,” he said. “We’ve
done a poor job of communicating the con
servative philosophy to minorities.”
By GARY WELCH
and
KAREN ROGERS
Battalion Staff
ost Prairie View A&M University stu-
:s are still required to fill out a ques-
naire as part of registering to vote in
Her County, despite a state order is-
Ito stop the procedure,
ist September Secretary of State Mark
ite issued an emergency order to stop
Her County tax assessor-collector
oy Symm from requiring some stu-
ts to fill out the questionnaire in addi-
to voter registration applications,
am is still using the questionnaire.
It’s used when I don’t know the people
can’t tie them to anything,” Symm
Tuesday. He said voter registrars in
st Texas counties take a “no care” at-
idewhen letting college students regis-
to vote.
’otential voters in Waller County first
out a voter registration application. If
ther Symm nor anyone on his staff
3ws the applicant personally, Symm
cks the county tax rolls to verify the
ilicants permanent residency. If resi-
61
dency is verified, the applicant is issued a
voter registration certificate.
A Prairie View student who owns prop
erty in the county has no trouble getting
his certificate, Symm said.
But if the application lists a dormitory as
the applicant’s address, Symm mails him
one of the controversial questionnaires.
Harold Brown, president of the Omega
Psi Phi fraternity at Prairie View, said he
tried to register to vote in Oct. 1976, filled
out the questionnaire and never heard
from the tax office again. When he asked
to see the form, he was told by the secre
tary that the files were not open to public
inspection.
He said he also tried to register again
last year but never received his certificate.
The questionnaire begins by asking,
“Are you a college student?” and “If so,
where?” It also asks a series of questions
about the student’s claim to residency, fu
ture plans, and affiliations with organiza
tions that are not college related.
Federal judges Joe Ingraham, Woodrow
Seals and Finis Cowan are now deciding
the Prairie View students’ fate in the vot
ing controversy. A hearing in the civil
rights suit brought by the U.S. Justice
Department ended Feb. 1, but the three-
judge panel has yet to hand down a deci
sion.
The Justice Department is attempting
to show that Symm’s use of the question
naire is unconstitutional and is denying
students the right to vote. Justice De
partment attorney John Maccoon said
Waller County is the only county in Texas
that prevents college students from vot
ing.
Symm said issuing a registration card
without verifying the student’s residency
“makes for an unclean voter registration.
“We go to the extreme to find out about
a person, Symm said. “We go all the
way.”
Brazos County tax assessor-collector
Gerald Winn said he sees no reason to
deny Texas A&M students the right to
vote in this county.
“If they come down and register, we
register them,” he said. “Most of the stu
dents are going to be here four years any
way. I never did see why I should question
anyone trying to register to vote. ”
deadline is April 6
Omega Psi Phi, which sponsored voter
registration on the Prairie View campus, is
holding all voter registration applications
until it is “safe” to turn them in, said R.E.
Carreathers, associate vice president for
student affairs at Prairie View. If the three
federal judges issue a court order forcing
Symm to stop using the questionnaire, the
fiaternity will turn in all the applications.
“I think we ll get a decision in time for
the 1978 elections,” Symm said. Voters
must register 30 days in advance for the
May 6 elections, he said, so if the court
decides by April 6 that Symm can not use
the questionnaire, then students can regis
ter to vote for the May elections.
“I feel like the student will be given the
option to vote where he wants to,” Symm
said. Students are the only group in the
country who have that option, he added.
Symm said if the court orders him to
allow the students to register without
providing any more information, then he
will stop using the questionnaire.
“I don’t want to go to jail any more than
you do,” he said. “We’ve argued our case,
they’ve got theirs, now it’s in the hands of
the court.”
Houston construction
under the weather
United Press International
HOUSTON — Cold, rainy weather in
the past six weeks has delayed an esti
mated $1.5 billion in construction projects
and cost workers an estimated $24 million
in lost wages, an industry spokesman said
today.
“We’ve only had one full day of sun
shine in the past six weeks,” said M. A.
Graham, executive secretary of the
Houston-Gulf Coast Building and Con
struction Trades Council. “It’s meant a
tremendous loss in wages.”
Graham said the foul weather has af
fected 20,000 of the 40,000 workers in 17
crafts in the 23-county Texas Gulf Coast
area. He said about half those affected
work in the Houston area.
“Work has really been terrible. Just
about all outdoor jobs have shut down,”
said Joe Johnson, business manager of
Carpenters Union Local 213. He said
about 1,000 men out of the 3,400 in the
local are out of work.
J. O. Dempsey, secretary-treasurer of
the Cement Masons Local 681 said all 400
men in his local are out of work.
“We won’t work again until the grass
turns green,” Dempsey said. “How can we
work in freezing weather and rain?”
About $15 million in construction on 10
projects has been held up at the Port of
Houston, officials said.
Dick Lewis, executive director of the
Associated General Contractors of
America, said construction work has
slowed down 50 percent since a month
ago, while all new projects have been
brought to a halt.
“Many construction companies haven’t
hit a lick since November. There has been
a significant amount of money in terms of
payroll and of time lost in completion of
jobs.” Lewis said.
Students eligible to vote here
u
■P
ts
By KAY WALLACE
Students may register to vote in Brazos
unty for the upcoming city and county
actions.
To register, a voter must be at least 18
oter registration
ertificiates expire
t end of month
Instead of trying to figure out who’s
toning for what, the first thing a prospec-
*6 voter needs to do is check his voter
igistration certificate and see if it has ex
ited.
Bill McLeod, president of Texas Voting
Istems Inc., said, “We expect there will
j^-i^adrop (in registration) because this is
iyy' to end of the two-year period.”
The current registration certificate, a
^| te card, expires Feb. 28 of this year.
# ! lie new certificate being issued, a yellow
^ ird, expires Feb. 28, 1980.
Texas Voting Systems Inc. is a private
rm which contracts with Brazos County
provide voter registration services and
ipply the printed ballots for the elec-
Jns.
| To vote in the May 6 elections, voters
tost have the yellow registration certifi-
Ite. Those holding the blue certificate
Imld receive the new certificate if they
'e at the same address as is printed on
e blue certificate.
Itlltl
years old and live in Brazos County. Stu
dents who are registered in their home
county must vote in that county unless
they choose Brazos County as their official
residence. There is no minimum resi
dency requirement.
If students do register to vote in Brazos
County, previous registration in any other
county will be automatically cancelled.
A voter must register at least 30 days
before an election to be eligible to vote in
that election. The registration card does
not become valid until 30 days after a reg
istration form is received by the tax as
sessor. Residents must have their applica
tions in by April 6 to be able to vote in the
May 6 elections.
Registration forms are available in the
student government office in the MSG.
Thirty-four candidates filed for county
office by the Feb. 6 deadline.
Primaries will be held May 6 for the
November general elections. New officials
will take office in January 1979.
Candidates are as follows:
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
District Judge:
W. T. McDonald Jr. — William R.
Vance
District Attorney:
Travis D. Bryan III — Roland M.
Searcy Jr.
County Attorney:
John M. Barron Jr. — O. E. Elmore
Judge, County Court-at-Law
J. Bradley Smith
County Judge:
Steve Garza Jr. — R. J. Holmgreen
Thomas A. Janik — Lloyd Joyce
Royce Watson
County Clerk:
Frank Boriskie
District Clerk:
W. D. Burley
County Treasurer:
Billie V. Elkins
County Tax Assessor-Collector:
Gregory M. Rodriguez — Gerald L.
“Buddy” Winn
County Commissioner, Precinct 2:
F. J. Conrad — George R. Dunn Jr.
Walter Wilcox — Glynn A. Williams Jr.
County Commissioner, Precinct 4:
W. A. “Bill” Stasny
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1:
Clyde W. Day — John R. Dockery
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3:
Jerry Hutchinson
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4:
Place 2: Carolyn Hensarling
Frank Kahn
Joe M. Marin
Frank J. Nemec
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5:
Joe Daniel Novosad
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 7:
Place 2: A. P. Boyett Jr.
REPUBLICAN PARTY
County Judge:
W. R. (Bill) Owens — John Raney
County Tax Assessor-Collector
Edward W. Valenta
Strrrretch\
Battalion photo by Jan Williaim
Rainy days may curtail outdoor exercise sessions,
but women in the Corps of Cadets found a way
out. Spence Hall became a fitness center for
members of W-l Wednesday, and the only prob
lem came when someone wanted to walk through
the first floor of the dorm.
VEMwnnn -J KOSS ... KENWOOD ~ SANSUI ^