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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1978)
9 yo. 3 PI -Ugh) U The Battalion Vol. 71 No. 144 Wednesday, April 26, 1978 News Dept. 845-2611 14 Pages College Station, Texas Business Dept. 845-2611 Inside Wednesday The YMCA — once more than an office building, p. 8. Industry in space, p. 11. Earl Campbell to join the Houston Oilers, p. 12. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper, Jr. University Police Investigator J.D. Gossett holds what appears to be a marijuana plant that was found growing in a flower bed near the Academic Building Tuesday. Israel's Dayan wants to stop arms sale to Arabs United Press International WASHINGTON — Congress awaited President Carter’s controversial Mideast warplane package today just as Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan began try ing to persuade U.S. officials to withhold the jets from the Arabs. Dayan arrived Tuesday for talks ex pected to center on the $4.8 billion pack age as well as attempts to find a com promise plan for the future of occupied Arab lands as part of a Middle East peace agreement. Special Middle East envoy Alfred Atherton returned from Cairo late Tues day to help Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and other U.S. officials prepare for today’s session with Dayan. Dayan’s visit coin cides with Carter’s formal submission of the arms package to Congress. The admin istration wants to sell 60 F-15s to Saudi Arabia, 50 F-5E’s to Egypt and 15 F-15s and 75 F-16s to Israel. The president told a news conference Tuesday he sees the aircraft sales as a single package. “If the Congress should accept one portion and reject another, then my intent is to withdraw the sales proposal all together,” he said. “These proposals are in the national interest and it is important for our country to meet our commitment. I will make my consideration to the Congress based on what I consider to be in the best interest of our own nation.” Dayan said as he left Tel Aviv that Israel would rather do without planes it has on order from the United States than see Saudi Arabia and Egypt get sophisticated U.S. jet fighters. Carter said the United States “would not sell the planes to the Saudis if we thought their desire was to use them against Israel. But I am completely con vinced that the Saudis want the airplanes to protect their own country. ” Dayan said he and Vance also will dis cuss the Israeli-occupied areas of Jordan and Egypt. “What we have to discuss really — and I MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A combination of drugs and chemotherapy has eradicated leukemia symptoms in 80 percent of the children undergoing the program, the di rector of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital said Tuesday. Dr. Alvin Mauer said 300 children have undergone the 2y2-year program and 80 percent of them no longer exhibit symp toms of leukemia and are able to resume normal lives. Some of the children, most of whom live within a 200-to 400-mile radius of Mem phis, have been off treatment for 10 to 12 think this comes as the top priority — is whether there is a practical plan about Judea and Samaria (the West Bank and the Gaza strip) or about Sinai over which we can reach an agreement with the other party.” In commenting on Middle East peace prospects. Carter said, “I have reason to be optimistic ... if there were no hope Dayan would not be coming to Washing ton to explore forther avenues for prog ress. years with no recurring symptoms of the lymphocytic leukemia, which strikes nearly 2,000 a year, Mauer said. But Mauer refused to call the programs a “cure.” Mauer said none of the children freed of symptoms for six years after treatment was discontinued have suffered relapses. He said recurrence of the disease after such a period of time is “unusual, especially with lymphocytic leukemia.” Leukemia causes bleeding problems and infection complications. Mauer said the treatment program, developed over 16 years of research, centers on clearing the blood. “I am firmly convinced that both Israel and Egypt want peace. My commitment is deep and irreversible, and as long as I am in the White House I will continue to pur sue without any slackening of my com mitment the avenue toward peace.” It is not yet clear whether Dayan will see Carter, but the State Department an nounced this week Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin will attend a White House reception Monday in honor of the 30th anniversary of Israel’s independence. When the disease is diagnosed, children are given three drugs that flush the leukemic cells from the blood and bone marrow. OncC the remission process begins, additinal drugs are combined with radia tion treatments to clear the leukemic cells from the nervous system. In the final phase, two drugs — 6-Mercaptoparine and Methodtrexate — are administered. The reivew of the treatment program at the Memphis hospital and its results will be presented by Dr. Steve George, head of the St. Jude’s biostatistics section. Drug treatment program erases leukemia symptoms United Press International Misplaced for two years vopos- s wtiict StfOf d. It* oice wet eanri? 5TATII 393-8i Marijuana plant found on campus By JAN BAILEY The grass is always greener on the other side, and in this case that was the other side of the Academic Building. There amid pink, spring poppies grew one, lone cannabis sativa plant, more commonly known as marijuana. Dr. Ed McWilliams, associate professor of horticultural sciences, identified the plant after observing a leaf sample under a microscope and comparing it with dried samples in the horticulture departrment. “I feel confident that it is marijuana,” McWilliams said Tuesday. He added that the plant is sometimes hard to identify because of its varied leaf pattern. Some types have five leaves in a cluster, while others have seven or nine: McWilliams said the plant near the Academic Building was proba bly a few weeks from flowering. He said it could have grown there from seed or been transplanted from a seedling. J.D. Cosset, special investigator for the University Police, said the plant was probably three or four weeks old. Gossett said he believes the seeds got there one of two ways: dropped by “vandals who wanted to make us look bad” or carried in bird droppings. However, don’t waste your time looking for the plant on your next nature walk across campus. Gossett uprooted the plant and said he’ll keep it in his office until it dries. He plans to run chemical tests on it. y £x-Aggie quarterback running for United Press International I AUSTIN — For the first time in 36 ears, the name of the late Treasurer Jesse )mes is missing from the Texas Demo- ratic primary ballot. Another treasurer with a famous name - appointee Warren G. Harding — is Iseking election to a full term as James’ accessor and is being challenged by )rmer Texas A&M football player Harry edbetter and former Bexar County au- itor Charles R. Sanderson. Harding, former Dallas County trea- arer, was appointed state treasurer by lov. Dolph Briscoe after James’ death last ear and has been the frontrunner boughout the campaign because of the leumbency status and his support by the tate’s bankers, who traditionally have layed major role in election of the trea- urer. Ledbetter, who as an Aggie quarterback tore than a decade ago was involved in ne of the state’s most talked about foot- iall plays, had campaigned hard and laims to have the momentum in the final feeks of the campaign. As the Aggie quarterback in 1965, Led- letter threw a “bounce pass” to Dude IcClain, who scored on the play and pro- lelled A&M to a 17-0 lead, even though he Longhorns eventually won. This year, Ledbetter has driven a pick- ip loaded with $500,000 in fake dollar bills iround the state to demonstrate to tax- layers how much money he contends Texas is losing because of Harding’s lolicies for investing state revenue. He also has criticized Harding’s connec- ion with what he terms the “downtown Dallas gang” — an apparent reference to najor banking interests — and accused he incumbent of using strong-arm tactics o persuade bankers to contribute to his campaign. treasurer Harding conceded his campaign is adequately financed, but says no unusual tactics were used to generate the contribu tions. He ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 1956, losing to James, and said he had considered a 1978 race even before James’ death. Unlike Ledbetter and Sanderson, Hard ing carefully avoids any personal criticism of his opponents, repeatedly telling re porters, “I don’t run against anybody, I just run for the office.” Questioned about his predictions of the campaign outcome, Harding responds, “I would hope I will win without a runoff and I feel reasonably certain I will, but to stand out on the porch and yell that would cer tainly be naive.” Ledbetter disagrees, saying, “About the only thing he’s got going for him is his famous name, or should I say infamous? “Whichever, its clear Texas voters have ahd their fill of famous names and incom petent leadership. The people will not be deceived this year.” Ledbetter ahs borrowed $100,000 from geologist Joe Moore to finance his cam paign, and says if he loses hel’ll have to work for Moore to repay the loans. “Talk about incentive to win, I’ve got it,” Ledbetter said. “I’m not going to lost the race, but the agreement is that if I do. I’ve got to go to North Dakota and work in his oil field to pay him back.” Sanderson, one of the first candidates to announce for office this year, did little public campaigning in the early stages but has said he will attempt a blitz in the final week before the May 6 vote. There is no Republican candidate for treasurer, so the winner of the Democratic primary nomination is assured of election in November. Confidential records burned By LIZ NEWLIN Battalion Campus Editor Texas A&M University officials burned two boxes of student records containing grade slips Monday night to correct a mis take made two years ago. It’s normal for the Department of Stu dent Affairs to burn confidential records when they are no longer needed, said Dr. Charles Powell, director of the depart ment. These records, dating from 1972-73, were discovered in a closet Monday eve ning in the student lounge between Crocker and Moore halls on the north side of campus. A student telephoned The Battalion Monday afternoon and said the records could be obtained easily from the study lounge, which is open 24 hours a day. The Battalion found the boxes of records were not being supervised by officials and that the locked plastic folding door covering the closet could be lifted back to reveal the records. No sign was posted to mark the closet an unauthorized area. Students’ grades are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. The act states that an institu tion shall formulate and adopt a policy “not disclosing personally identifiable informa tion from the educational records of a stu dent without prior consent.” The Univer sity requires written permission from a student before his transcripts can be re leased. Chris Kling, students’ legal adviser, said the law “implies reasonable security pro cedures to see that the information does not get out.” After finding the records, The Battalion called several University officials, and Powell was informed of the records’ loca tion. In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Powell said he and Assistant Area Coor dinator Rick Crow, whose name was on the boxes, went to the lounge, retrieved the records and destroyed them Monday night. “I burned them,’ Powell said. “We don’t know how they (the files) got in there.” He said the closet was a storage area for a now-defunct student radio sta tion. Powell speculated that the records were “shuffled in there during an office move about two years ago. “That’s not where the records were stored,” Powell said. Confidential reoerds would not be stored in the closet because students involved in the radio station had access to the area, he said. The records belonged to Rick Crow, a former counselor for some of the north side dorms. “I just overlooked a box of grades I should have destroyed four or five years ago,” Crow said in an interview Tuesday morning. He said he burned “hundreds” of records when he moved his office from the Crocker-Moore lounge and had in tended to bum these files. “They’re old files that I had on students in previous years,” Crow said. “I should have destroyed them.” Powell said that in his opinion Crow was “negligent.” “Closed personnel files” dating from 1972-73 were discovered by The Battalion in a closet in the student lounge between Crocker and Moore halls Monday evening. After University officials were Leaving the records in the closet was a the thre , e are ? coordinators’ offices contain “mistake,” Powell said. But it was not a minor disciplinary complaints and direc- eritical mistake, he said, because the rec- tor y information. Directory information ords were not “critical,” mainly because of includes such items as birthdate, address, their age awards or membership in student orgam- The student who told The Battalion zations. about the records had told assistant area Powell began changing the contents of coordinator Tom Murray the records were the counselors’ records when he became in the closet two weeks ago. head of the department in 1972, he said. “I couldn’t find them at the time,” Mur- Now, Powell said, all critical records are ray said in an interview Tuesday morning. kept in his office. Each year the discipli- “I couldn’t get into one of the offices. After nary files are cleared of “minor” informa- that I just forgot about it. tion by his staff. Files are destroyed when “I didn’t think to look behind the cur- a student graduates, Powell said, unless tain. I probably should have checked a lit- the information would pertain to an inves tor farther than I did. tigation of a former student for military se- Murray said the student only told him curity clearance, about the records “in passing” and didn’t „ , , . . come to him about them specifically. s P ent ^ a great deal of our tiiri c Area coordinators no longer keep studying manuals to find out what s legal academic or serious disciplinary records in an “. legal to keep in records, Powell their offices. Disciplinary records of a seri- said. He said his depaitment has pres- ous nature and a book of grades are kept in ent ^ d seminars for other universities on the main office of the department. student disciplinary records. When Crow was a counselor for the Ide emphasized that students have the north side dorms, grade slips were dis- right to review their records in h,s office or tributed in bulk to the counselors’ offices, their ^demic records. Crow said. The counselors would look Original grade slips are stored in the over the grades for students in the dorms records section of the Admission and Rec- assigned to the counselor. ords Department in Heaton Hall. Dave If a student appeared to be having Worley, assistant registrar and head of the academic problems, Crow said, he would records section, said any student may see “call them in and see if there was anything his permanent academic record if he has I could do for them. the proper identification. Student records Counselors, renamed area coordinators in the fireproofed room date back to the or assistant area coordinators, have not early 1900s, Worley said. Microfilm copies routinely reviewed grades for at least of the records are stored in bank vaults, he three years. Crow said. Now records in added. Battalion photos by Liz Newlin and Lee Roy Leschper, Jr. informed of the confidential records’ location, they retrieved them from the closet and burned them. Officials say the records should have already been destroyed.