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R4TTALION
Friday, November 17, 1978
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Cagers are back!
The 1978-79 basketball team
has made its debut and Coach
Metcalf says they are looking
good. For details see page 10.
s D.K. Perry
t returns and
returns. Er
iwttery mate,
> this year
oe competitor
once scoring;
'ore than fi
2 p.m. kids
andX-lii
li is a surprisini
Inflation uncertainty:
farmers greatest risk
Slip-slidin away
These members of the Corps seem to he having
Itrouble getting a good grasp on this pig at the
greased pig race which took place at 8 p.m. Thurs
day night in the Animal Pavilion. Forty teams com
peted and Outfit D-2 took first place.
Photo by Paige Beasley
otline needs volunteers to train
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Farmers are surviv
ing the nation s surging inflation better
than the large food processing and retailing
companies, an agricultural economist said
Thursday.
The real risk for farmers lies in the uncer
tainty about whether the inflation spiral
will go up or down, Bruce Gardner, a pro
fessor at Texas A&M University, told the
Food and Agriculture Outlook Conference.
Gardner said the large food firms are not
necessarily better protected from inflation
by their ability to manipulate prices in their
search for profits.
“Even the giants face constraints from
budget-conscious consumers and the com
petition of rival giants,” he said.
“Moreover, one would expect whatever
market power these corporations can exer
cise would be used year-in and year-out —
inflation or not.
Gardner said he reviewed the pre-tax net
earnings of 18 large food processors and
retailers from 1948-1977. His analysis indi
cates that “in fact these corporations have
been worse off in inflation periods in real
terms.”
A review of farm income however, shows
that farmers “have done fairly well in the
recent inflationary environment,” he said.
“Of course, there have been both good
and bad years; the point here is that the rate
of inflation does not appear to be a strong
influence on which are which. If anything,
the farm sector seems to have done rela
tively better in years when inflation has
accelerated.”
Gardner said the situation is nothing
new. In the late 19th century, farm
spokesmen saw deflation as the chief eco
nomic evil facing farmers. Between 1865
and 1895, the cost of living indexes de
clined by one-third, while the prices of
farm products fell by over one-half.
“The point of William Jennings Bryan’s
‘cross of gold was that cheaper money
would help farmers, he explained.
Increases in costs — such as prices for
energy supplies — are a problem for farm
ers, hut post-war data indicates the periods
of increases in farming costs do not coincide
with the periods of general inflation.
Gardner said the ups and downs of infla
tion are hardest on farmers.
Interest rates paid for large land pur
chases may be bargains if inflation sets in,
but if inflation is curbed “the increases in
land prices, as other prices, will tend to
decelerate. The interest costs will not. The
resulting net losses can easily be large, ”he
said.
“The overall result is an extraordinary
element of risk imposed by an inflationary
environment. Farmers, like the rest of us,
simply have no way of forecasting whether
inflation will accelerate or decelerate in
the years immediately ahead. But the eco
nomic uncertainty they face in this
environment is much greater than for most
of us,” he said.
P
K.J
ounselors aid people with problems
By CHARLES HARPER
Battalion Reporter
lone, depressed, and experiencing
idrawal from the drugs she’s been tak-
[ a teenage girl is driven to taking her
.. Jilife. There’s no one she can call, no one
lean turn to. She accepts the seemingly
itable.
he case of the girl here is fictitious, but
uld have been real. This situation could
|sibly be avoided with the help of a
ied volunteer on the “hotline” at the
os County Mental Health-Mental Re
lation center.
evolunteer, trained in crisis interven-
techniques, could have helped the
[im of drug abuse or alchoholic addiction
egain their perspective, understand
trproblems and to deal with them. The
|ons of a trained volunteer telephone
jnselor are designed to help such per-
s out of severe depressions and save
Is. The MHMR center is seeking volun-
htoman their crisis hotline. Volunteers
trained in crisis intervention tech-
|ies, which aid the counselor in handling
tonal-problem type calls. The counselor
armers plan
jrst nationwide
ractorcade’
United Press International
ilOUX FALLS, S.D. — American Ag-
Iture Movement (AAM) delegates from
fates are planning a massive tractoreade
Washington to “dramatize the plight of
farmer,” an AAM leader said Thursday,
/ayne Peterson, a Holabird rancher,
in a telephone interview that dele-
iS, meeting this week in Oklahoma
decided the demonstration would
imatize the plight of the farmer and the
lomic effects farm income has on the
on.”
recise details and times for the planned
Ohwide protest have yet to be made,
srson said.
We don’t like to use numbers about how
y people will participate, he said,
scant even project that at this time,
replanning to make the drive to Wash-
|oh last 18 days from several tentative
ing points. ”
[eterson said American Ag Movement
hers plan on beginning their trip with
:ors and other farm vehicles on in-
Itate systems stretching from North
;ota to Texas.
eople in South Dakota will probably
use Interstate 90 while others in North
»ta will use 1-94, he said.
|We’ re trying to get all starting points to
el about 100 miles a day and reach
hington at the same time, coming in to
from all roads,” Peterson said.
^legates in Oklahoma City also
feized President Carter’s action on two
related measures, he said.
|We feel his action on the set-aside pro-
and Meat Import Act reinforces our
f that the goal of this adminstration is
stray the family farm as we know it,”
!rson said.
Ifre administration with its vetoes has
jffect come right out and told us that.
^ we must convince people in rural
of America that this is Carter’s goal.”
also learns how to refet a caller to one of the
several types of psychiatric help available
locally.
According to Ralla Spotts, intervention
resource coordinator at MHMR, the center
needs at least 20 volunteers to work the
hotline at least four hours each week.
“People will volunteer for different
periods of time. On the average, they want
to work only about four hours a week. We
want to require that our volunteers work a
minimum 12 hours a month,” she says.
Spotts says that almost anybody can be a
volunteer telephone worker. “The only re
striction is a person who might fall apart
under pressure. People with bad problems
of their own are unacceptable.” There is,
however, a minimum age of 16 to volun
teer. The center would like to have a large
number of trained volunteers available,
Spotts says. As soon as we get 20 trained,
we ll get 20 new volunteers and start a new
training course. We’d like to have about 60
volunteers altogether.”
Training sessions for the volunteers are
scheduled to start Nov. 29, running
through Dec. 9. Sessions will be held
Wednesday and Thursday for 6 to 9 p.m.
and Saturday from 9a.m. to noon. Make-up
sessions for latecomers will be available but
as yet remain unplanned.
At present, the hotline is being operated
by the seven-member staff during regular
hours, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The service will
become 24-liour after volunteers have
completed the training course. Volunteers
will he allowed to answer calls with a staff
member present after partial completion of
training, thereby obtaining practical ex
perience handling crisis calls.
The line was started to aid in the preven
tion of drug and alchohol abuse, and
providing a way to educate callers about the
dangers of drug and alchohol abuse. The
line also provides a telephone crisis coun
seling service.
“The need existed in the community for a
24-hour service,” says Spotts. “The city is
getting bigger.”
The center offers positive, confidential
service with callers remaining anonymous
if they wish.
Any persons wishing to volunteer may
call the MHMR center at 779-2000. Those
persons who are interested, but can’t vol
unteer for work, can help in other ways.
“People could help, even if they didn’t
volunteer, by simply telling us of new facil-
ties available to people who call us.” At
present, there are no volunteers to fill the
positions open at the center.
No warm-up show
before Leon Russell
Town Hall presents Leon and Mary
Russell tonight at 8 p.m. There will be no
warm-up acts before the main act. Those
who wish to see the beginning of the per
formance should be at G. Rollie White
Coliseum at 8 p.m.
The next Town Hall presentation will be.
David Gates and Bread with Ian Matthews
as the warm-up act, on Nov. 30 at 9 p.m.,
immediately after the Bonfire, in G. Rollie
White Coliseum.
Some of Bread’s more popular songs in
clude “If,” “Lost Without Your Love,”
“Baby I m A-Want You” and “Diary.”
Tickets may be bought at the MSG Box
Office, Monday through Friday from 9
a.m. until 4 p.m. General admission is $4
for TAMU students and $5 for the general
public. Reserved seat tickets are $6. For
more information on tickets, call the MSG
Box Office at 845-2916.
Battalion photo by Michelle Scudder
Mosher mafia” kidnaps
yell leader for ransom
By MARK BEATTY
Battalion Reporter
Jeff Hancock, head yell leader, was kidnapped by the “Mosher Mafia” Thursday
as he was leaving his class in Francis Hall.
His reaction and first comment as four girls from Mosher, dressed as gangsters
and carrying toy machine guns, approached him...well, let’s just say he was
surprised.
The kidnapping was an effort made by Mosher dorm to collect as many canned
goods as students could muster, for his ransom. The canned goods will go to six to
10 needy families in Bryan for Thanksgiving.
The girls, Pam Freeman, Andrea Montgomery, Michelle Rowland and Joanne
Xaveir, took Hancock to the Commons, Sbisa, the Quad and then over to the
Memorial Student Center, where stations were set up to collect canned goods and
money donations.
Contributions for the cause were taken at all four stations until 5:30 p.m.
Thursday. For those students who did not have a chance to contribute, a station
will be set up at the Commons reception desk today.
Hancock was released in time to go to the 5 p.m. yell practice at Kyle Field.
This was Mosher’s first attempt at a service project.
Pam Freeman, treasurer for Mosher, said they are pleased with the response
from the kidnap. Fifty-five canned goods and $200 were collected.
Delay in reporting rapes makes
prosecution extremely difficult
Fine hike postponed
The Texas A&M University Traffic Panel
discussed the possibility of raising the fine
for parking violations from $5 to $10 in a
meeting Wednesday afternoon.
W. G. Ferris, chairman of the Traffic
Panel, said the proposal will be discussed
further at the next meeting, but he said it is
unlikely that fines will be raised because
there is so much opposition to the idea.
Ferris said the proposal was raised in an
effort to persuade more people to park in
their assigned lots.
By DIANE BLAKE
Battalion Staff
Editor’s note: This is the second of a
three-part series discussing the medical
and legal aspects of rape.
Immediate medical attention followed
by a report to police should be the first
concerns of a rape victim, said James W.
Locke, assistant students’ legal adviser.
“A long delay in reporting a rape makes it
extremely difficult to prosecute,” Locke
said. “Since it is such a serious crime, a
claim of rape after all evidence is gone,
raises serious questions about consent and
the rights of the defendant.”
“It must be established that a crime has
been committed,” he said. This is virtually
impossible, say, a week after the rape.”
According to Texas law, a rape has been
committed if a person “has sexual inter
course with a female, not his wife, without
the female’s consent.”
A woman can be charged with rape only
if she aids a man in raping another woman.
A man cannot file criminal charges against a
woman for rape in Texas.
There are seven circumstances under
which the intercourse could be defined as
being without the woman’s consent.
The first is if the man compels the woman
to submit by force. Another is if he compels
her by any threat that would prevent her
resisting.
Rape has occurred if the woman has not
consented and the man knows she is uncon
scious or physically unable to resist. It is
also rape if the man knows that due to men
tal disease or defect the woman does not
realize the nature of what she is doing.
The intercourse is without the female’s
consent if the man knows that she submits
because she erroneously believes that he is
her husband. This can result either from a
fake marriage ceremony arranged by the
male or if the male enters her bedroom and
pretends to be her husband.
A rape has occurred if a the woman has
not consented and he knows that she is
unaware that sexual intercourse is occur
ring. This definition concerns intercourse
performed under the pretense of making a
medical examination or performing an op
eration.
Intercourse can be defined as rape if the
man has intentionally impaired the wo
man’s control over her control conduct by
giving her any substance without her
knowledge.
Rape is a second degree felony and is
punishable by two to 20 years imprison
ment and a fine of up to $10,000.
Aggravated rape is committed if a person
causes serious injury, attempts to kill, or
threatens to kill the victim or causes her to
submit by threat of death or bodily harm in
the course of the rape. It is a first degree
felony, punishable by five to 99 years of life
imprisonment.
Statutory rape is committed when a per^
son has sexual intercourse with a female not
his wife and she is under 17 years old.
There are two defenses for statutory
rape. One is if the defendent was not more
than two years older than the victim.
The other defense for statutory rape is if
the female was 14 years old or older and had
previously engaged promiscuously in sex
ual intercourse.
“Promiscuity is defined as a variety of
consentual sexual conduct with a variety of
partners,” Locke said. “This clearly
excludes a single prior act of sexual inter
course.”
Locke said that women would probably
always have to give evidence in trial con
cerning the circumstance of the rape. “The
state has to prove lack of consent, he said.
“As a good defense, the defendant will try
to disprove part of the state’s case. If he
can’t prove that intercourse has not taken
place, he will try consent,” he said.
A woman can also file suit in civil court
against the rapist for assault and battery
charges. “However, there aren’t many
rapists who can pay the judgement, Locke
said.
If there is a case, though, it is usually
settled out of court.”