Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1979)
Battalion 2 No. 80 Pages Tuesday, January 23, 1979 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Firemen, police visit council Members of Bryan’s police and fire forces got what they asked for when they visited the City Council Monday night — placement of a civil service act on the April 7 ballot. Wayne Gibson is one of three council- men whose term expires this year. See page 5. strial declared avis on bond botheredi but ii‘ was satiq mbert. '% fits now -if I) ring.” Bl United Press International back MdfPUSTON — A district judge Monday s began I Bd a mistrial in the murder-for-hire Idly late il 7. Cullen Davis and within c got p, ites the Fort Worth millionaire posted ■0 bond in cash and walked away s t ribbingB le J a if arm-in-arm with his mis- Ae were* but a p 1V > S - 45, charge with paying an FBI g 0 out an jHmt $25,000 to arrange the murder te judge in his divorce case, Joe de receiv on ’ smiled and waved as he left the :>f HenJ t | h()u f • , , , , utiful I m S a d to he out. That s the main Hi m going skiing, pretty soon, but lid he did: J? ni £ ht >” he said. il the Strict Judge Wallace Moore ordered nistrial after jurors, who had heard 11 pset Hi ;s testimony and deliberated 43 0 f : s, insisted they could not resolve the that we km' 7hey said they had voted 14 ilkln t nialH n ^ *hat the vote was eight to four ,1 . /Hne. They would not say which way najonty leaned. ivis, 45, partner with his brother in a n-dollar industrial empire headquar- ii[ Fort Worth, was acquitted in 1977 urder of his stepdaughter, Andrea , during a sensational murder trial rillo. Davis was also accused of 'ft leifing his estranged wife’s lover, Stan p j^ 1 '^ wounding his wile and a family Rlla Davis, who still lives in the Horth mansion Davis built for her, lor said she put flowers on the graves of her daughter and lover earlier Monday. “Today was Andrea and Stan’s birth day,” said Mrs. Davis. In the Amarillo murder trial, Haynes argued Mrs. Davis named her husband as the assailant even though she was not sure who shot her. In the Houston murder- for-hire trial, Haynes argued Mrs. Davis and her friends conspired to frame Davis. “I think (Davis) is a very dangerous person,” she said. “The only way he’s changed since we separated is he’s gotten meaner. I made the statement after the vedict in Amarillo that he would try again and I was right. “It’s incredible. I think this time there is more than enough evidence. There is a problem with Haynes dragging things out and I knew that. Haynes has two long suits: he drags things out and tries to divert people’s attention to smut that has nothing to do with it.” Jury foreman Mary Carter, 47, a medical secretary, said the jurors were fair and worked hard and conscientiously. Jurors contacted by UPI said they felt evidence against Davis — particularly audio and video tapes of meetings with the FBI informant — was strong, but some said other testimony undermined the tapes. (Please see Jury, page 7.) Norman Moser, left, and Royce Wisenbaker chat just before being Regents, sworn in as members of the Texas A&M University System Board of in. Clyde Wells, reappointed for his fourth six-year term, listens Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr. Regents hear San Antonio plans iks IARGE iund for profs - 17 million goal I A&M University officials have ced plans for a $17 million fund- igl campaign to endow academic Fand professorships. Hnitial goal is at least one endowed R| 2 f n eac b °f the university’s 10 smic or professional colleges and at He endowed professorship in each of Q-.aaemic departments, said Dr. Jarvis 93-y/tiler, Texas A&M president. "msi; endowments are the top priority ■■■^development program,” Miller said, ■ve, we feel, put together one of the \ fendowed scholarship programs in Bion and it has been instrumental in pg top academic students to the rsity. Ijiiow must concentrate on retaining attracting outstanding scholars who l3ltf$ ha,lenge and stimulate our brightest ■ mts. Chairs and professorships the resources and prestige to FRY tior retain outstanding faculty,” he Hs A&M currently has one chair and i professorships, Miller said. |rt L. Walker, vice president for ^opment, said a minimum of $500,000 bijdow a chair amd a minimum of 000 will endow a professorship, pr reported several commitments jtding for chairs and professorships (established through trusts, wills, nth retained life income and ions to current gifts. ts ts This is an exciting long-term program, one with potential far beyond our initial $17 million goal, and we expect it will especially interest individuals considering estate planning,” Walker said. It very effectively supports Texas A&M’s academic excellence goals.” Walker expects contributions from alumni, friends of the university, busi nesses, corporations and private foun dations. The chairs and professorships can be named to honor individuals, companies or foundations, he said. The Robert A. Welch Foundation of Houston endowed a chair in chemistry 15 years ago. The university has recently received funding for the following endowed profes sorships: the Dresser Industries Professor ship in Business Administration and Engineering, from the Dresser Industries Foundation, Dallas and the E.D. Brockett Professorship in Business, Engineering and Geosciences, from the Gulf Oil Foun dation honoring the corporation’s former chairman and chief executive oflicer. Also, the Roy B. Davis Cooperative Agriculture Professorship, from friends honoring the Lubbock agricultural leader; the T. A. Dietz Memorial Professorship in Mechanical Engineering, from the Gulf Oil Corp.; and the Joseph H. Shelton Professorship in Medicine, from his son, Robert Shelton of Houston. By LIZ NEWLIN Battalion Staff Committees of the Texas A&M System Board of Regents approved two extension projects Monday -4- one in San Antonio, U.S.A., and one in Kataka, Liberia. The board’s committee for service units voted to accept 260 acres in land gifts in San Antonio on which to build a vocational training school. The committee for academic campuses approved an agreement for Prairie View A&M University to assist the Republic of Liberia in upgrading a technical high school in the African country. Prairie View A&M helped in development of the school, the Booker Washington Institutue, from 1955 to 1961. The full board was scheduled this morning to approve or disapprove this and other committee action from Monday. They also were to announce the newly- elected chairman of the board and committee assignments. Although Clyde Wells, who has been chairman of the board 10 years, was reappointed by Gov. Briscoe, the regents had the option to elect a new chairman during the executive session Monday afternoon. The two new regents and Wells were sworn in Monday. State Sen. Bill Moore, D-Bryan, gave the bath to Wells, Norman Moser of DeKalb and Royce Wisenbaker of Tyler. Moore is dean of the Texas Senate and as chairman of the Senate State Affairs Committee is one of the most influential members of the Legislature. He is also an Aggie. For the first time the ceremony was on campus. Usually it’s in the governor s office in Austin. Moore said little during the ceremony except that the men were on Briscoe’s final list of six potential regents. Several other state representatives and senators from the regents’ home districts also attended. Following their usual pattern, the regents were scheduled today to vote on recommendations made by the board’s committees. Generally the full board follows the suggestion of a committee. Any disagreement over proposals usu ally occurs at the committee meetings on Mondays, when regents who are not members of the called committee often attend the session. Yesterday afternoon the most heated discussion concerned expansion of the South Central Texas Regional Training Center in San Antonio. The Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), a part of the Texas A&M System, has administered the training center since last January. During the summer the regents were offered land by groups in San Antonio for construction of a new regional training facility. They did not accept the land then, and the board was split over whether Texas A&M should continue in that direction — teaching vocational skills or other subjects that junior colleges usually offer. At the meeting Monday, Regent Alfred Davies of Dallas objected to the San Antonio Center because, he said, the local junior college should be teaching those couxses. “Why should we go in and be big papa,” he said, when a junior college exists and when rural areas still need the extension service. He said the center would dupli cate courses already offered in the area. Chancellor Jack K. Williams and Texas A&M President Jarvis Miller defended the center, saying that San Antonio Junior College had dropped the center and asked the system to administer it. “The junior colleges refused to offer the skills program,” Williams said. “They had first chance at it.” James Bradley, director of the Texas Engineering Extension Service, said that it was his practice to stop teaching courses when local colleges offer them. The order approved by the committee states that the Coordinating Board and institutions in San Antonio have been assured that the programs “will not duplicate existing programs and will not depart from the published xole of the Texas Engineering Extension Service.” The 260 acres of land offered comes from three sources: the Southeast De velopment Foundation, 30 acres; H.B. Zachry, 30 acres or $100,000; and the Bexar County Commissioners, 200 acres. The Zachry land is several miles from the other two parcels, which are at the intersection of IH 37 and Loop 410 in south San Antonio. After the vote, Davies, who chairs the committee, continued his objection. Another regent, John Blocker of Hous ton, was also concerned that the system was taking on additional, unnecessary duties. “We need to decide where we re taking this school,” he said. President Miller suggested that the regents visit the San Antonio facility and set aside some time in a future meeting to consider the role of the TEEX. They agreed. Repoxtedly, the regents also discussed tenure and promotion of faculty in executive committee and “had no ques tions” about any the 90 professors up for tenure or 88 promotions. Other business during the Monday meetings including building contracts, a new option in “engineering geology” at Texas A&M and the system investment policy. Texas ex-felon voter system upheld United Press Internationa] WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court Monday let stand Texas’ system of granting ex-felons convicted in state courts the right to vote but denying that privilege to persons convicted of felonies in federal courts or those of other states. The justices turned down appeals by a Texas couple convicted on federal felony counts of lower-court rulings that uphold their disenfranchisement — denial of their right to vote. The couple, Claude and Eva Shephexd, were convicted in federal district court. Claude Shepherd, 56, was found guilty of smuggling liquor and received an 18- month suspended sentence and five years probation. Eva Shepherd, 65, was con victed of misappiopriating postal funds and placed on five years probation. Each was discharged early from proba tion for good behavior, but in 1975 their voter certificates were canceled. The Shepherds filed a class action suit, seeking to regain their right to vote, against the Hidalgo County voting regis trar, the county chief deputy of voter registration and the Texas secretary of state, the state’s chief election officer. The Texas Constitution denies the right to vote to all convicted felons but permits some exceptions, which, under the Texas election code, include “those restored to full citizenship and right of suffrage or pardoned.” Under the state criminal procedure law, former felons convicted in state court who have successfully com pleted probation may have their citizen ship — including voting rights — re stored. The Shepherds claimed this law, which provides no mechanism for successful felony probationers from fedexal or other state systems to regain the vote, denies ttiem equal treatment under the law because they were “permanently and unconditionally” denied the right to vote. The federal district court dismissed their suit and the 5th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, saying the Texas scheme was “rationally related” to the state’s interest in limiting the franchise to responsible voters. A three-judge panel noted that the court in which a person is convicted is “in a particularly advantage ous position to gauge the progress and rehabilitation of a convicted felon. ” The couple appealed to the Supreme Court, saying that Texas system is arbitrary because it denies or restores the right to vote on “a wholly arbitrary basis, having no relation to the gravity of the crime charged or the circumstances under which it was committed.” 23 lonsol priorities need attention By KAREN ROGERS 267 "|| Battalion Stall &M Consolidated School Dis- t should begin taking care of top jority maintenance needs as soon |possible, said John Hoyle, chair- of the Maintenance Needs ssment Tearri, at a school board Meeting Monday. Hoyle and his staff visited each tiool in the district and assessed items that need immediate ention. He said he is not suggest- |lg how the problems be solved but, essed that “unless these priorities 5 taken seriously, then it’s going be very difficult to take care of |ilding custodial needs building- -building. “However, the personnel and ■ uipment are not sufficient to do what the committee feels needs to be done.” Trustee Elliott Bray said cost for some of the items may be prohibi tive. “It may be a high priority item, but I don’t know if we can get to them all in order until we know the cost.” President Bruce Robeck suggested the board “look at the resources we have so we re working on preventive maintenance and not simply putting off problems for the future. ” After a unanimous vote, the board directed Superintendent Fred Hop- son to draw up any necessary admininstrative policy decisions to proceed with the work. Some members of the board expressed interest in beginning the actual work. Trustee Bill Wasson urged mem bers “not to get bogged down in a discussion process” while Trustee Bill Fitch suggested the board “not itemize and take bids, but approxi mate the cost so the board can take action at the next meeting.” In other action, the board agreed to “draft a somewhat reluctant recruit” to take Bill Springer’s position on the Board of Equaliza tion. The position must be filled by May 1, when the board will begin property assessments for district residents. High school faculty members discussed the possibility of offering additional vocational programs to students. A survey taken last week indicated that 61 students would enroll in the new programs. The survey also indicated that about 26 percent of the students Bruce Robeck plan to enter the work force upon graduation. “This would seem to indicate the need for additional vocational pro grams,” said Dr. H. R. Burnett, assistant superintendent of instruc tion. Robeck suggested that the stu dents should have some way of knowing exactly what the program involves before they enroll. No action was taken. Overcrowded school buses and too few drivers have been a problem in the district for several months. The overcrowding has been eliminated in all but the Dowling and College View I routes, where there have been up to 75 and 91 students counted on each route. Parking, grass — Volatile’ issues to be heard by student senate By DILLARD STONE Battalion Staff Two perpetually volatile issues — the Memorial Student Center grass and on-campus parking — will be considered at Wednesday’s Texas A&M University student senate meeting. Whatever decisions are reached on the two proposals, the outcomes are certain to disturb a significant number of students. One bill asks the University officially to recognize the grass surrounding the MSC as a “living memorial” to Aggies who have given their lives in defense of the United States. The bill recommends that shrubbery be planted around the entire perimeter of University Center grounds, although only the grass surrounding the MSC would be memorialized. J.C. Colton, vice president for academic affairs and co-author of the bill, says that officially recognizing the MSC grass as a memorial is the bill’s basic intent. Long-standing tradition is the main rea son, he said. “We’ve been able to talk with people from as far back as 1955 who remembered the grass as a traditional memorial,” said Wayne Morrison, vice president for finance, and the bill’s other author. Tradition holds that the grass is a memorial. However, many students don’t share this point of view. As a result, several conflicts have occurred in recent years between those who view the grass as a memorial and those who don’t. Colton said opposition to the proposal is from two major groups — those who don’t think of the grass as a memorial, and those who don’t recognize Texas A&M’s tra ditions at all. “There are lots of people coming into this University with different ideas. Can we traditionalists coexist in a time of progress vs. tradition?” he asked. “I don’t know.” Preserving the aesthetic value of the grounds is another of Colton’s motivations in presenting the bill. “We’ve always had comments made to us about how beautiful our grounds are compared to other universities,” he said. Grounds get torn up through student use, he added, especially with the heavy clay type of soil prevalent on campus. The parking bill, submitted by Brian Gross and Steve Hageman, suggests several changes in he on-campus parking regulations for male dormitory students. Under the bill, all freshmen and sophomore males would be classified as “underclassmen,” while juniors and seniors would receive “upperclassmen” designations. Underclassmen would be required to park across the railroad tracks on the West Campus. Currently, sophomores are included with juniors and seniors in the upperclass category, and only freshmen are required to park across the tracks. There would be no proposed change in the current system of female dormitory student parking. If passed by the senate, the bill would be forwarded for approval to either the University Traffic Panel or Dr. John Koldus, vice president for student serv- MSC council president: a memorial to he used By DILLARD STONE Battalion Staff “Respectful use” of the Memorial Student Center grass was a term used frequently by Ray Daniels, president of the MSC Council and Directorate, in describing his opposition to the student senate grass resolution. “In my mind, it’s a memorial, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it in a normal manner,” Daniels said, speaking of the grass. A resolution to be voted on Wednesday by the student senate would recognize the grass around the MSC as a memorial to Aggies who died in the armed forces. The bill would also ask for shrubbery to be planted around the University Center grounds to discourage their use. Such activities as sitting, studying, and playing frisbee “fall well within reasonable and respectful use,” Daniels said. “We shouldn’t be so uptight about its use that people can’t use it in a reasonable fashion,” he added. Wednesday’s senate vote is crucial, Daniels said, because defeat of the measure could draw attention to the fact that the grass has no official designation as a memorial. However, he said, “I doubt that people will take it as an encouragement to use it, because there are enough good Ags’ around to still discourage its use.” Daniels was unhappy with the student senate for taking action on something he says is under the MSC Council’s jurisdic tion. Legally, the council cannot declare the grass a memorial, Daniels said. That is the responsibility of the Board of Regents. However, in the past, the grass policy has been set by the MSC council. The council’s curreny policy says that the grass is a “living memorial, ” but that its use will not be discouraged.