Viewpoint
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.