The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 05, 1978, Image 2
Viewpoint The Battalion Wednesday Texas A&M University April 5, 1978 G. Rollie falling behind It’s great to finally have a fitting home for the Texas A&M baseball team. Olsen Field is a fine tribute to these contenders. We certainly hope the University will not stop here, however. Our basketball team has, over the years, developed quite a rec ord itself, including the Southwest Conference Championship two years ago. The team and the school deserve more than G. Rollie has to offer. More than once we’ve heard visitors’ comments about the coliseum where the south end of the court ends in an army barrack wall. If the 24- year-old facility is not out of date, it will be before the hoops need new strings. Some administrators say that since the coliseum is not consistently filled during the season, a new facility is not in order. Perhaps if students thought they stood a chance at a decent seat more would show up. But looking past the current scene, SWC basketball is getting hot. Arkan sas and Texas made it big nationally this year, and we can expect the entire conference to pick up the pace with such competition. It would behoove the University to get rolling on a new coliseum and keep up with the chang ing times. JA. Briscoes, Hill in close race By JIM CRAWLEY John Hill is a small man. In stature, only. The Attorney General of Texas is taking the role of the giant-killer in this year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. And like David, his weapon is small and his opponent is a giant. Dolph Briscoe, the two-term governor, is endeared by some and loathed by others. At best he is often misunderstood because of his apparent shyness. To use the words of his wife and confidant, Janey, “Dolph Briscoe is a simple man.” Briscoe may be a simple man, but the machinery behind his campaign has all the tooling and precision of a finely tuned race car. With a month left be fore the primary the campaign is turning into a race for the nomination and probably the governor’s mansion. Briscoe has the decided lead in the race, at least in campaign resources and political backers. He has people from every imaginable profession and trade, from doc tors to common laborers, lined up “ for Briscoe” committees. He also has big ranchers and Houston oil behind him. How’s that for a start? Hill is considered by many Texans as the best and hardest working attorney general in the last few decades. He has transformed the A.G.’s office into a con sumer protection agency for Texas resi dents and has fought for Texas in the com plicated Howard Hughes will cases. His advocacy for the consumer has drawn the fire of many businessmen and large com panies that have felt the hand of justice tap them on their shoulders. Politics While Hill may not have the support of many large corporations, Houston oil and Dallas clout, he does have a potent follow ing in the middle-class neighborhoods of the urban areas. The cities are the key to the Hill campaign. Briscoe has the rural farm vote, so Hill must march through the streets for his support. Briscoe’s power in the farmlands of Cen tral Texas and the ranchlands of the High Plains is tied to his occupation. Before be coming a politician he was, and still is, a rancher. His Uvalde ranch is one of the largest in the state and he is well respected in ranching circles. The attorney general can’t get the rural vote. His platform is moderate to liberal. The farmers are inherently conservative. They aren’t the Reagan reactionary con servative — just old-fashioned, keep the status quo, conservative. That’s the true division in Texas politics. Not Republican or Democrat. The split is between liberals and conservatives. Within the past month, Hill has made substantial gains in his race for the nomi nation. He is continually closing the gap between himself and the governor. By the time of the primary the race should be too close to call. Both candidates will have sol idified their support and will have to flip a coin over the undecided Democratic vot ers of the state. In bygone times Briscoe might have had to worry about the Republican vote in the Democratic primary. Texas election laws are such that a person can decide at the poll which party primary he wants to vote in. No pre-primary party registration for Texans. The Repubicans have tried to “spoil” the Democrats by voting for a weaker candidate in the Democratic pri mary. This year the problem should be minimized with the increasing strength of the Texas GOP and the GOP gubernato rial primary between Hutchinson and Clements. Most observers will base the outcome of the election on the abilities and strengths of either Hill or Briscoe. In this instance the pivotal personage in the election is not a candidate, but a candidate’s wife. Betty Jane Slaughter Briscoe. She alone can determine the outcome of this close race. What magical powers does she possess that can determine an elec tion? Janey, as almost everyone calls her, is the perfect woman and wife. She keeps Dolph out of political trouble and makes sure that he’s in the limelight (even if it’s aimed at her). She is called “The Gover ness of Texas” by the governor’s friends and enemies. On the campaign trail, Janey is the per fect campaigner. Much better than her spouse. She is poised, can carry on a con versation with a Houston oil tycoon, and turn around and speak on the same level as the oilfield roughneck. She is a doll that won’t break under pressure and with hair that’s perfectly coiffured. If Dolph didn’t have Janey, Briscoe wouldn’t follow Governor. And John Hill would have an feasier time being the giant-killer. Letters to the editor Baseball team thanks enthusiastic supporters Editor: We, the 1978 baseball team, would like to take time right now and thank the stu dent body for your tremendous support this year. Never was it more evident than this weekend in Waco where it helped us sweep a big three-game series from Baylor. We also would like to mention how much we appreciated the telegram we received in Austin before the t.u. se ries there, because at that time we were struggling and the continued backing of the over 5,000 students who signed it was a big lift. Again, thanks and your con tinued support will help lead us to our second consecutive SWC championship. — The Aggie Baseball Team A dance too loud Editor: I hope that the dance held at the Grove Monday night was a great success. I also hope that those residents of Law, Puryear, Hart, or Fowler who were studying for tests or doing homework enjoyed the disco music that was blasted across campus for several hours. It seems ironic that with the dorms’ concern for relative quiet and its related enforcing rules, the University would allow a dance of such incredible volume to be held on a school night. I’m not knocking dances at the Grove, I would just like to see them restricted to weekend nights or at least toned down to a noise level that is a little more considerate of others. — Christopher Liles, ’80 Response Editor: In response to the response to George Welch’s letter Wednesday, I must say I hope the apathetic attitudes of these 32 cadets isn’t exemplary of the Corps as a whole. Nonetheless, the Corps doesn’t own this school, nor do they run it. If they don’t like that they can go to t.u. — Olin L. Hartin ’79 C larification Editor’s note: In the student govern ment election guide published Tuesday in The Battalion, some of Paul Knudson’s responses to questions were inadvertently left out. Knudson is running for vice pres ident for finance. Should the Athletic Department have been cut off completely from student service fees? Four years ago, student government, with the tacit approval of the Athletic De partment, decided to gradually phase out its funding from student service fees. The process was completed this year. The lost funds will be replaced by purchases of the newly created All-Sports Pass. I feel that the new user fee basis will be more equi table and fair to the entire student body. Would you ever advocate raising stu dent service fees? When? As a student senator, I have voted against raising student service fees and would continue to do so as your Vice- President of Finance. I would only advo cate raising student service fees when the students want them raised and right now students are tired of higher costs, and so am I. Quiet, please Editor: We have a complaint that certainly many other Ags share with us. We have put up with it for a long time, but we are getting pretty damn tired of people going to the library to carry on their conversa tions. We’ve heard everything from lover’s quarrels to bragging about one’s accom plishments the previous night. Come on, Ags! The library is supposed to be a place where you can get away from the noise to concentrate on your studies. If you have to talk, there ae places that are designated just for that. So, please, re spect your fellow Ags and let them study in peace and quiet. — Scott Terry, ’80, Tom Knightstep, ’80 Mayor on dogs Editor: Th is letter has reference to Flavia Krone’s excellent news article of March 24, relating to the destruction of two pet dogs by the City of College Station. The City regrets that the two pet dogs were destroyed while the owners were search ing for them. We certainly will take steps to guard against such a recurrence. To those who value their pet dogs and wish to guarantee that they are not inad vertently destroyed by the City (through occasional human error), I would like to point out that you can take two steps: 1. Keep your pet dog fenced or re strained. Not only will you thereby com ply with City ordinances, but you will minimize the likelihood of the pet’s theft (unaccountable disappearances) or of the pet’s injury or death caused by an au tomobile. Further, you will show to your neighbors who don’t have dogs that you have consideration for their feelings. If you don’t understand how your dogless neighbors can object to dogs running loose, please ask a dogless neighbor, par ticularly one with children. 2. Have your pet dog registered and tagged. You will thereby comply with the City ordinances and make it relatively easy to identify your animal if it breaks loose and wanders. In addition, because the City requires the pet’s vaccination against rabies, you will protect the pet against this dreaded disease. Needless to say, you will also protect your fellow citizens against rabies. The cost of vaccination and of regis tration is nominal. Do it now. — Lorence Bravenec Mayor, City of College Station Pro abortion ad Editor: I would just like to voice my agreement with you in regard to the abortion ad pro test letters. Whether or not you or The Battalion support abortion is not the issue. Abortion is a legal operation and advertis ing, a by-product of free speech. Unfortu nately, even in this day and age sex educa tion is very poorly explained to some people. Result: sex between consenting and often ignorant youths. Therefore I be lieve abortion information should be avail able — even in an ad. To an impregnated girl it could be as important as knowing where to go for wheel alignments and tuneups. As for Mr. Walter’s comment concern ing a woman’s right to “terminate” a child she has given birth to, I can only ask him to open his eyes for nowhere is mercy kill ing legal. — Amanda Creighton, ’80 Con Correction Editor: In regard to your AggieCon article of 3 April: A Con is a get-together of Fans to party, socialize, and discuss SF, not to promote it. The word “Con” is merely an abbreviation of “convention ”, not a word per se. Also, the Con is called “Ag gieCon”, not “the Aggiecon”, and is the largest Con in the Southwest. The dealers room (in 212-224, not the ballroom) concentrates mainly on used SF paperbacks and collectors editions, and al though it holds a place near and dear to every fan’s heart. Con is also day and nighttime film programming, author’s re ceptions, readings and discussions, art displays and contests, auctions, demon strations, and exhibits, all of which are equally important, yet all take a backseat to the real Con — the parties, the all-night bull sessions, the impromptu gatherings of fans and authors, dealers and workers, to discuss and argue, to talk and to exchange ideas, and in general to have fun. That is the real Con. The off-campus organization CRAB Nebula (sic) is not affiliated with A&M in any way, and was in fact organized to be a separate organization independent of the MSC Student Union due to bureaucratic difficulties encountered by CRAB mem bers in the past. Aggiecon’s Author Guest of Honor was Damon Knight, Toastmaster was Bob Tucker, Special Guest was Alan Dean Fos ter, and attending Neopros were Howard Waldrop, Lisa Tuttle, Roger Stine, and Joe Pumilia instead of the one author men tioned. I appreciate the emphasis on the dealer’s room and the use of my state ments, but would rather have seen an arti cle truly representative of the Con as a whole and properly quoting and repre senting both myself and CRAB Nebula. — Stephen D. Poe Top of the News Campus Volunteers needed for elections Student election commissioners are asking for volunteers to oper ate polling locations today and Thursday. Workers are needed at Sbisa, Zachry and the bus stops of Reed McDonald, Rudder and Commons. Anyone interested can sign up in room 216 Memorial Student Center or call 845-3051. The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. State Bell seeks $298 million increase The dedf Kleb The Texas Supreme Court in Austin will hear arguments today on Southwestern Bell Telephone Company’s suit for a $298 million statewide rate increase. Bell officials are challenging the formula used by the Public Utility Commission in determining the rates Bell and other telephone companies in Texas are allowed to charge. The re quest for the $298 million rate increase was the first filed before the PUC when it assumed jurisdication over utility rates in Texas Sept. 1, 1976. After weeks of testimony, the PUC authorized Bell to increase rates by $57.8 million. Bell filed suit challenging that decision, con tending it is losing more than $350,000 a day in Texas because the utility commission did not allow it to charge the requested rate. View K Solicitation calls may be banned Telephone customers should not be annoyed by automatic dialing devices which call their homes and play solicitation messages without allowing the customer to end the call, the attorney for the Public Utility Commission in Austin contends. John Bell, general counsel for the PUC, has proposed a regulation banning the use of the au tomatic dial devices in some circumstances. The commission has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed ban and about 70 other changes in its rules for May 9. Members of the three-member com mission think the ban on junk calls will be popular among customers, but point out it will not apply to all calls in which residential numbers are automatically dialed and recorded messages played to the person who answers. Bell’s proposed rule change would apply only to solic itation messages the telephone customer cannot terminate, ones that tie up the telephone line until the entire message is completed, even if the person called hangs up immediately. Texas Bight a nomicn)\ Gov. Bil dedicati sitv’s ne Animal The $ in honoi Hie lege headed for mon lich ti Jertrud UH fires top official, demotes two University of Houston Regents, concluding an investigation into the quality of financial management at the school, have fired one top administrator and demoted two others. Douglas G. MacLean, chief financial officer of the UH system, was fired and Dr. Roger Singleton, executive vice president and Dr. Patrick J. Nicholson, vice president of development, were stripped of official duties. The action came after a 10-hour meeting which ended Monday night. Regents re ceived a report from an investigation into short-term financial in vestments made by a fired analyst, Samuel Harwell. The extent of the losses because of Harwell’s pyramid-type of investments in govern ment securities known as Ginnie Maes has not been determined because of problems in record keeping. A report is expected next mon th. general] of wildli "t “The Texas is horizon sltuatio th e. “\ tential human! He si b( do enhano able po f. “Win prist, of agrii Hobby The 1 agiiculi ing soi econon partin e Livestc cates tl Diet linked to breast cancer A noted health researcher in Houston Tuesday called for a study to see if dietary changes can affect the risk of developing breast cancer. An association between fat intake and breast cancer has long been known. Dr. Ernst Wynder of the American Health Foundation in New York said new animal studies suggest both animal and vegetable fats may increase production of a hormone which seems to promote tumor development. Since numerous studies on breast cancer — the killer of 34,000 American women annually — have not identified any other factor that might be linked to the disease, Wynder said in creased emphasis should be placed on diet. He suggests studying a group of women who already have had cancer in one breast. Half could remain on their normal high fat diet and half could be placed on a diet low in saturated and unsaturated fats. Nation ‘Duke’ comfortable after surgery John Wayne, king of the western movie industry, is recuperating well and also “comfortable, awake and in good spirits” one day after open heart surgery in Boston to replace a failed valve, his doctors said Tuesday. “Mr. Wayne will continue an uneventful post operative course following the surgery,” a hospital spokesman said. The tube placed in the 70-year-old actor’s windpipe to support his breathing during anesthesia and the immediate post-operative period has been removed. Barring complications, Wayne will be released from Mas- sachusett General Hospital in 12 to 21 days, “the normal length of recuperating time,” the spokesman said. Followers ‘Keep the Dream Alive Le Al The dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. were re-lived by 1,700 friends and followers Tuesday who took to the streets of Memphis for a peaceful march. The civil rights leader was slain in Memphis by an assassin’s bullet 10 years ago. Those who marched did so quietly, carrying only memories and posters with the plea, “Keep the Dream Alive. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King founded, led a similar peaceful march in Gadsden Ala., to protest the shooting death by police of a young black man. There were scattered me observances elsewhere in the country, including Atlanta. Weather Considerable early morning cloudiness today, becoming partly cloudy this afternoon and evening. Slight chance of thundershowers today, tonight & Thursday. High today mid-80s, low tonight low 60s. High tomorrow low 80s. Winds from the south-southeast at 15-20 mph. 20% chance of rain today, 30% tonight and 20% on Thursday. 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 Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise oper ated by students as a university and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to feeing 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. McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 7784* United Press International is entitled exclusively 1 use for reproduction of all news dispatches credit® Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein rtf Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX ' MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Represented nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. 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 school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216, Reed Editor :... Jamie Managing Editor Mary Alice VV< Sports Editor Paul News Editors Marie Homeyer, Carol ^ Assistant Managing Editor Glenna" 1 City Editor Karen ft Campus Editor Kim' Reporters Liz Newlin, David 8°! Mark Patterson, Lee Roy LeschperJr C Welch, Jim Crawley, Andy"^ Paige Beasley, Bob Photographers Susan Webb, David Cartoonist Doug Student Publications Board: Bob G. Rogers, Cht Joe Arredondo, Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. CharlesMcC^ Dr. Clinton A. Phillips, Relyel Rite. Director of ^ Publications: Donald C. Johnson.