The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 10, 1978, Image 2

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 10, 1978, Image 2

Newspaper Page TextViewpoint The Battalion Friday Texas A&M University March 10, 1978 Quality first When astronaut appointments were announced recendy, much was made of the fact that the group included some blacks and women. We are inclined to agree with their feeling that being among the first of their race or sex to be chosen is less important than their having made the grade. They decidedly do not want to be considered token appointees, and we understand that. One of them put it aptly: “I feel like I’m one of the people that they selected to be an astronaut; it is a coincidence that I’m a woman.” That is the essence of the matter. It is heartening that women and blacks have at last been chosen to participate. But happily there is good reason to think they were chosen not for that but for outstanding capabilities. The Monesson Pa. Valley Independent The presidential primary prelims By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — If you need a chill ing thought on this late winter day, try this: As of this past week, we are now closer in time to the New Hampshire pres idential primary of 1980 than to that of 1976. Those readers who are sane enough to take their politics in small doses can prob ably afford to ignore that fact. But those of us who make a living covering politics, and the poor devils who are just hooked on the subject, will understand instantly its im plications. It means that the surcease from presi dential speculation is just about over. Washington was awash in such gossip last week, when the resident White House and congressional politicians were joined by almost all the 50 governors, in town for their annual conference. The pushiest presidential hopeful in the group was a member of the party of the incumbent President — which gives you some hint that 1980, like 1976, may be a two-ring circus. He was, of course, California Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown, Jr. (D). Commentary For three days, no journalist within a 15-block radius of the conference hotel was safe from being accosted by the eager Brown and being offered another “exclu sive” interview. When he ran out of re porters, the challenger the Carter White House fears most shared his thought with everyone from Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin to Sen. Russell B. Long(D-La.). Neither, so far as is known, has accepted Brown’s invitation to run for vice presi dent on his ticket. But the rumors are thick. So, too, is the field of Republican con tenders. In the Senate, you have Sens. Howard H. Baker, Jr. (R-Tenn.), Bob Dole (R-Kan.), Richard S. Schweiker (R- Pa.) and Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (R-Conn.), taking them alphabetically and in increas ing order of physical magnitude, although not necessarily of political prowess. Among the Republican governors, neighborliness has given way to presiden tial elbowing, with Illinois’ Jim Thompson being crowded by Iowa’s Robert Ray on one side and by Michigan’s Bill Milliken on the other. All three are up for re- election this year, and, naturally, wish each other the best of luck. The Republicans are a small party, which probably explains why the field looks so overcrowded. California has its two aging resident warriors — Jerry Ford and Ronald Reagan — neither of whom seems willing to quit until the other keels over. But that is not as touchy as the situation in Houston, where Republican hostesses must decide whether to invite John Con- nally or George Bush to dinner, knowing full well that the wrong guess may well cost them the embassy in London. That almost completes the Republican list — unless you want to include Rep. John B. Anderson (R-Ill.). Inspired by the 1976 example of his friend, Rep. Morris K. Udall (D-Ariz.), Anderson is eager to prove that on the Republican side, too, the House is the best breeding ground of that precious political type, the gracious • guy who can lose with class. With Anderson in the field, there would be an even dozen Republican hopefuls. And that raises the exciting possibility that in 1980, the New Hampshire primary winner may break new ground by becom ing the “invincible front-runner” with a share of the total vote small enough to be counted on the fingers of his two hands. It could be the first 9-percent landslide in our history. And think of it, now; it’s less than two years away. (c) 1978, The Washington Post ‘People s’ president loses popularity mZK TO BASICS By HELEN THOMAS WASHINGTON — President Carter has a lot riding on the Senate vote on the Panama Canal treaties. His diplomatic ad visers believe that Carter’s leadership and authority will come under question in the global sphere if he is unable to swing sup port to his side. Washington Window There is a changing climate in the inter national picture, and U.S. power and prosperity is being challenged on many fronts — tested, some might say. Without public backing, as expressed on Capitol Hill, Carter’s foreign policy initia tives will suffer severely. A repudiation of the treaties undoubtedly would be inter preted as a major setback for the president and a blow to his personal prestige. Moreover, the U.S. image would suffer throughout the underdeveloped world if the treaties are rejected, and Carter’s policies — that is the power to implement them — would be severely questioned by other powers. Since he came into office, Carter has at tempted new approaches in the foreign policy field. In some instances he has had to do a 180-degree turn and fall back on the familiar policies of the past. Two such examples would be the resort ing to shuttle diplomacy again in the Mid dle East with Ambassador Alfred Ather ton, the mediator, flying back and forth from Egypt to Israel, carrying messages from Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin. Shades of Henry Kissinger. Then there is the question of linkage. The Soviet-Cuban adventures in the Horn of Africa are viewed as threatening and the United States is now trying to put pressure on the Russians to withdraw. The pressure is in the form of making it clear that detente is total and comprehen sive, as Carter put it in welcoming re marks on the arrival of Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. Detente, the president said, “must be reciprocal in nature, and it must be a demonstration constantly by the super powers of mutual restraint and a constant search for peace.” He was obviously addressing his re marks to the Soviet Union. In recent weeks, there reportedly has been some division among Carter’s diplomatic advis ers on the approach to Soviet moves in Africa. Disarmament negotiator Paul Warnke, for one, would not like to see the strategic arms limitation talks linked to worsening relations in the Horn of Africa. But other advisers view it as inevitable that all issues are entwined in the U.S.- Soviet relationship. Linkage came into vogue in a big way in the Nixon-Kissinger era and Carter seems to be falling back on it now. In a recent interview, Carter expressed the view that a summit meeting with Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev would probably be needed to solve the last knotty problems involved in a SALT agreement. It’s Brezhnev’s turn to come to the United States in the reciprocal arrange ment that was set up in the Nixon ad- minstration. But Brezhnev has shown no inclination for a summit meeting, at least until a SALT agreement can be nailed down. Car ter would like to have a get-acquainted meeting to take the measure of the man. Since last fall. Carter has lobbied untir ingly for acceptance of the treaties, hold ing White House briefings sometimes three times a week. Meanwhile, some other important foreign policy matters have been put on the back burner — rela tions with China, for example. Failure to win the confidence of his own people in the matter of the canal treaties will not help the president when he seeks to impress his policies on other world leaders. Letters to the editor Off-campus students , polling place discrimination Editor: We want to publicly let it be known that we are very disappointed in the polling places that were approved by the student senate Wednesday night. Sixty-five percent of Texas A&M stu dents live off campus yet only one bus stop was designated to serve as a polling place. The seven places approved were Com mons, Corps Guard Room, MSC, Sbisa, Zachiy, the Reed McDonald bus stop and the Soil and Crop Sciences Building. We re glad the senate saw fit to include a polling place on West Campus. However, the only bus stop designated as a polling place serves only 24 percent of the off- campus students or approximately 4,300 people. This figure is quite low when you consider 18,300 students live off campus. The off-campus students have clearly been discriminated against. Every year following elections people are up in arms about a “Corps bloc vote” and the apathe tic voter turn-out of off-campus students. How can you expect the voter turnout to improve when you take away bus stop polls instead of increasing the accessibility of polling places to accommodate the in crease in off-campus population? This is blatant discrimination against off-campus students and should not be tolerated. We voted against this motion as did the vast majority of off-campus representa tives. In all sincerity I can sympathize with the election commission concerning their lack of personnel and voting machines, but a more equitable system should be estab lished. After all, off-campus students com prise 6 percent of this University’s enroll ment. We should be given the considera tion we deserve. — Laura Brockman, Sharon Taulman, Dorothy DuBois, Michael Jones, Mark Smith Off-campus undergraduate senators Evasion advise Editor: Dormitory rooms may be subject to search but there are a few things the resi dent can do to protect himself-herself from an untimely intrusion. Prop a chair or a board up against the door, change the lock, add a second lock, or use one of the various door jamming devices on the mar ket. If you live in one of the dorms with ceil ing tile, climb up into the ceiling to avoid detection. Or if you live in one of the other dorms and are not on the ground level, climb out of the window and down a rope to escape the gestapo. But I suggest you practice these last two methods before you have to use them. Abolish Visitation Rules! Legalize Dormitory Cooking! Legalize Marijuana! — Blaine Kinnebrew, ’78 Fights successful Editor: I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest appreciation to all Aggie spectators who came out to our Sec ond Annual Sigma Phi Epsilon Fight Night. Both nights proved a success for both us and also for the spectators and par ticipants as a means of getting away from the atmosphere of school and studies. Al though a little disappointed in the team turnout, we are confident that next year more dorms and organizations wil partici pate in the competition. I would also like to thank all the teams that did enter the boxing competition, for without them the fights would have not been possible. Special acknowledgement goes to Moses Hall and the Rodeo Club for having the only complete teams in the open competition. Also, thanks to the Greek teams for their support and partici pation for the second year in a row. I feel that organized events such as this are one step closer to better campus rela tions between the Greeks and the Univer sity. — Don Mason, President, Sigma Phi Epsilon Cost of life Editor: I read Mr. Bonney’s letter on Wed., March 8 concerning the cost of moving the railroad tracks away from the campus. I agree that it would be very costly for the Southern Pacific to move the tracks, but I ask what is more important, cost or human life? The tracks adjacent to the campus are maintained in good condition, however they are frequently used and equipment failure, human error, or other factors can also cause derailments. The recent explo sion in. Florida did happen to be sabotage, but the rail explosion in Tennessee which killed 13 was caused by a broken wheel. Although the chances of a derailment involving hazardous material occurring alongside A&M are very minute, the danger can never be totally eliminated while the tracks are there. The possibility of a bad derailment occuring during a football game at Kyle Field is slim, but very frightening. The board of regents and the Southern Pacific must consider these issues and come together on a decision which will hopefully benefit the safety of the Univer sity without greatly decreasing the effi ciency of the railroad. — Joseph Udemi, ’79 Corrections In Wednesday’s Battalion, Greg Propps’ story on the GSSO incorrectly stated that the Gay Lib vs. Missouri case did not go beyond the appellate court. On Feb. 21, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal of a lower court that requires recognition of Gay Lib as a student group on the four University of Missouri campuses. Also, in Thursday’s Battalion, an article on football ticket distribution incorrectly implied that pairing upperclassmen’s and underclassmen’s ticket books was a new policy suggested by the student senate at their Wednesday meeting. However, this is already part of the football ticket distri bution policy. The Battalion regrets the errors. Top of the News Campus P ft Budget request gets approval A preliminary 1978-79 budget of $191,560 has been approved for the Texas A&M University Center for Education and Research in Free Enterprise. The Center’s Board of Consultants gave unanimous approval Wednesday to the budget request. The board also an nounced the center had received $25,000 from Thomas Frymire, class of ’45, chairman of the board of Frymire Enterprises in Dallas The center also donated $1,000 to the Texas A&M economics de partment for use in the Alfred F. Chalk scholarship award program The scholarships are given annually to outstanding graduate and un dergraduate economics students. State subcommittee to meet hen A meeting of the Texas House of Representatives subcommitteeon alternate energy sources for agriculture will be held Monday Tuesday at Texas A&M University. The subcommittee, which is of the House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, will heat feature presentations by Texas A&M engineers and scientists. The hearing is planned for 10:30 a.m. in Memorial Student Center Members of the subcommittee attending will include Chairman Bil Keese, Somerville; Dan Kubiak, Rockdale; Luther Jones, El Bill Goody, Weatherford; Susan Gurley McBee, Del Rio and Elmer Martin, Colorado City. Rep. Bill Presnal of Bryan is among thosewho will testify. Parents award ceremony set Aggie Parents of the Year will be selected on April 16 at a cere mony in Rudder Auditorium. The couple will be selected from among the parents of students currendy enrolled at Texas A&M University by the Parents’ Day Committee of the student government. Selection will be based on family and community involvement as well as the parents’ guidance in the personal development of their children. Fol lowing the ceremony, a formal luncheon will served for the couple, their family and members of the Parents’ Day Committee in Rui Tower. Last year’s Aggie Parents of the Year were Dr. and Mrs Durwood Clader of Midland, Texas, whose son is a senior in the Corps of Cadets. Fra of the press* 25 ye: Int licati Ward pFra Walt* others For has se A&M found' He the l 1950, his pi Unive Wa tive S his wi Wh theT will ci editoi assign “Tc the ri; derst; Cham was t the jo qualit such: the b have ‘W tinue weak lishin will o influe our p Wi Press brigh T brigh comp have State Tankers deraiL leak chemicals Fifteen cars of a Santa Fe freight train, including five tankers carry ing combustible chemicals at mild temperatures, derailed northol Dallas before dawn Thursday, forcing evacuation of about 60 persons in the rural community of Justin, Texas. The fire department initially reported chlorine gas was leaking from the derailed cars, but Santa Fe officials said the tankers were filled with less dangerous chemicals Becky Shaw, wife of the chief of the volunteer fire department, said the tankers were leaking butyl alcohol and butyl acetate with flash points of 78 and 83 degrees respectively. The morning temperate was near 40. There were no reported injuries in the derailment. — an Th * * ♦ * * * ♦ Bell seeks another rate hike Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. asked the Public Utility Com mission in Austin Thursday for permission to increase rates to cus tomers in 488 Texas cities by $214.3 million annually. The request, second largest filed since the Utility Commission began regulating rates in Texas Sept. 1, 1976, would affect residential and business rates, installation charges and other Bell service calls. Bell officials, contending the telephone company is losing $300,000 daily under the rates set by the commission in a 1976 rate increase granted to Bell, challenged the commission’s action in court. On April 5 they will argue before the Texas Supreme Court that the commission used an improper formula in determining Bell’s Texas rates. Bell’s latest rate proposal would increase charges for one-party residential service by 75 cents a month in small cities and $1.20 a month in the states largest cities. Rates for two-party residential phones would increase by 5 to 80 cents per month. Nation Short circuit blamed in blackout ♦ * 4 U S >,air A power outage, striking San Diego during the daytime, blacked out most of an area of 1.7 million inhabitants Wednesday, jamming traffic and trapping some elevator passengers, but ending with no serious injuries or damages. The blackout hit at 3:11 p.m., affecting 400,000 of the San Diego Gas and Electric Co. 600,000 customers. The 4Vi-hour blackout, caused by an explosive high-voltage short circuit in a generating plant, covered most of the city of San Diego and much of San Diego County from the Mexican border to Orange County. Police in high-crime areas were issued shotguns, but there were no reports of looting and the guns remained out of sight. Power was restored by sections, with the last linkups made at 7:40 p.m, about an hour after dark. Weather Partly cloudy and warm today, tonight and Saturday. High today mid-70s, low tonight low 50s. High tomorrow upper 70s. Winds from the south at 10-15 mph. becoming westerly to night. 20% chance of light showers tonight. The Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the University administration or the Board of Re gents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporttng enterprise operated hy students as a university and com munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined hy the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The Battalion,'Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas United Press International is entitled exclusively use for reproduction of all news dispatches credit 1 Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein re^’ Second-Class postage paid at College Station, The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from September through May except during exam and holiday periods and the summer, when it is published on Mondays, /Wednesdays and Fridays. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per f school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates fur nished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216, MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Jamie! Managing Editor Mary Alice Wod Sports Editor Pau!^ News Editors Marie Homeyer, Carol'*' Assistant Managing Editor Glenni^ City Editor Karen ^ Campus Editor Kia^ Reporters Liz Newlin, David W Mark Patterson, Lee Roy Leschperjr Welch, Jim Crawley. Andy ^ Paige Beasley , Bob Photographers Susan Webb. Ke* I**' Cartoonist Douj:^ Student Publications Board: Boh C. Rogm, Cl** Joe Arredondo, Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. ClmrlnMr>- Dr Clinton A. Phillips, Rebel Rice. Dimloniffr Publications: Donald C. Johnson.

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 10, 1978, Image 2

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