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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1979)
/ol. 72 No. 108 5 2 Pages he Battalion Friday, March 2, 1979 News Dept. 845-2611 College Station, Texas Business Dept. 845-2611 Three fates — all bad The Aggie basketball team fell one point short, 63-62, of beat ing the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Houston Summit Thurs day. See page 10 for details. <jj| aChina asks for Sivar settlement ^ V; United Press International ^iViemam said Thursday it has repulsed a f/Vee-j>ronged Chinese drive against the _ ategic provincial capital of Lang Son in Ujiat could be the decisive battle of the r. jf]hina formally asked Vietnam to ■^^gotiate a settlement of the border war “as as possible.” ""Wesjtern intelligence sources said the u]3tnainuse remained in control of the des- j7:ed|own of Lang Son at least partly be- ^isel division of regular infantry — about £Bi|roops — h a cl been thrown into the flense. a In Peking, China announced it has sent a te to Vietnam calling for negotiations at cabinet level to settle their 13-day-old ew China News Agency said the S^oposal was made by the Chinese foreign inistn to the foreign ministry of Vietnam -id delivered to the Vietnamese Embassy ^ Peking Thursday. O The Chinese npte said the meeting ould take place “as soon as possible at a 3 utuall\ agreed place. The proposal also id Peking would “welcome Vietnamese easlas to level, location and other mat ers concerning the proposed negotiations. kjThe proposal called for high-level meet- /^gs between government representatives VU- “that each government appoint a vice 3 inister of foreign affairs as representa- ,e; ’ If #as China s first formal appeal for negotiations since Chinese forces pushed ^to Vietnam Feb. 17. The Chinese made earlier formal request for negotiations — (D“ but it was issued just hours before they sent their troops across the border. In the meantime, numerous official but informal appeals have been sent out — by Senior Vice Premier Teng Hsiao-ping in talks with foreign visitors, in editorials in the official Communist Party newspaper People s Daily, and in “authorized state ments” by the equally official New China News Agency. The Vietnamese rejected the appeals, saying they would not negotiate until the Chinese pulled back across their borders. The broadcast reported “nearly 2,000” casualties on Wednesday on hills, ridges and roads overlooking the province capital. Vietnamese officials evacuated civilians from Lang Son early last week, then set up defense lines on three sides of the town of 25,000. Vietnamese reports said the Chinese were pushed back in two days of heavy fighting and were “heavily beaten” in the attacks on Vietnamese-held high points and small villages on provincial Highway 403 to the east of the Lang Son. Vietnam did not claim final victory, how ever, and analysts said more fighting was almost assured. At the United Nations, the Security Council, paralyzed by threats of a Soviet veto, adjourned its debate on the war be tween the Asian communist nations with out setting the date for a new session. The movement of the full division, one of the four crack divisions defending Hanoi, was the first concrete indication that Vietnam intends to fight to hold Lang Son. W&xas senator predicts warters gas ration plan Wd favor northern states United Press International AUSTIN — Texas motorists will be pay- -tjflg $2l25 a gallon for gasoline — $1 for the $1.25 to buy a ration coupon — within i year under President Carter’s ra ining plan, a Houston senator predicts. ® Seif Walter Mengden, R-Houston, said irtefs plan would cut Texas’ gasoline A pplies to 66 percent of what the state .TwjgHi 1976 and force Texas motorists to ta 'irdfese ration coupons from residents of )rth and Northeastern states, which he ^puld be allotted more fuel than they 'a use. 7i-“Am>on as this plan is implemented our isolipe bill is going to be doubled,’’ engiien said Thursday in a personal ivil^ge speech to the Senate. Mengden said federal officials outlined ^ tails of the rationing plan and other oves to curtail energy consumption at a setingof the Southwest Regional Energy mncil where he represented Texas. ' are predicting within a year we 11 be in gasoline coupon rationing,” engden said. IgjiMejngden said the rationing system fed- ial qffidals are planning would enrich the III 1 orth and Northeast at the expense of Sun :lt slates. “Wt have a reverse Robin Hood effect of ^ x are-the-wealth in that the poor are going to be helping the rich under this plan,” Mengden said. “It’s being represented as an equal sacrifice for all citizens. The ulti mate effect is to the contrary.” Mengden said the formula federal bureaucrats have drawn up for rationing gasoline will give states in the North and Northeast more fuel than they currently' use while cutting Texas to 65.9 percent of the state’s average monthly consumption in 1976. “What we re getting into with this gasoline rationing plan is redistributing the wealth from the South and Southwest to the North and Northeast,” Mengden said. “They’re going to get more gasoline than they can possibly use while we here in Texas will get cut back. We here in Texas — and we produce all this gas and oil — are going to be supporting them. The Houston senator said the ration sys tem will drain $66 to $88 million a year from the Texas economy while boosting the economies of states such as Pennsylvania where he said so-called “white market” sales of ration coupons would bring resi dents $90 to $120 million a year. Mengden said for a typical motorist who drives a car that gets 15 miles per gallon and pays 70 cents a gallon to fuel his auto, gasoline bills will jump from $58 a month to $125 a month. The windows of the Sterling C. Evans Library addition reflect the Oceanography and Meteorology Building. The move to the new addition will begin over Spring Break, but only for administrative offices. Books and other materials will be moved after classes are out in May. Hotard residents first to arrive^ on scene Fire coverage leaves students cold By ANDY WILLIAMS Battalion Staff Several Hotard Hall residents, passed over in the first media reports, were among the actors in Tuesday morning’s fire drama at the old Board of Directors Quarters. Rob Colburn says the fire marshal told him his report of the fire was the first. Ben Bryan was one of the first inside the house, and he thought to turn off the electricity by throwing the main breaker switch. And Bill Pruitt thinks he saw the light bulb that is believed to have started the fire. The three of them said a number of other Hotard residents were involved in the story. The building was the home of Dr. and Mrs. Jack K. Williams and housed the o-name more By LOW SHULER Battalion R«] Members of the ■rmed by the merge ations that represent o idents are hoping for an ' iding from Texas A& /• The group, which has no name ^et, will combine the Off-Cam student Association and Hass ^ree. Scott Terry, OSA treasurer, and ^ayne Morrison, student govern ment vice president for finance, both 1 they hope the new group will be mvited to submit an itemized budget guesting administrative funds. ~ > receive adminstration funding, organzition must be invited to bmit a budget request, said Dr. irolyn Adair, director of student tivities. Adair said that last year 17 groups, hiding the Resident Hall Associa- R, the Aggie Band and the Student V,” received administrative funding Jmore than $80,000. All 17 of iese groups have been asked to Jbmit budgets again this year. Adair, Dr. John Koldus, vice pres ent for student services, and How- rd Perry, associate vice president >r student services, are in charge of ig the administrative funds, ise funds consist of profits from MSC Bookstore, donations from Sonner students and the Parent campus not used in adminis- y-1 * « 1 I . , , X, , ..3 1- -IT aistnmitea to ail ganizations are planning and how much they are requesting before amounts can be determined. Glenna Witt, student develop ment coordinator and adviser to both OSA and Hassle-Free, said she is “very, very optimistic” about getting funding this year because the group will be submitting a detailed budget with plans and projects listed. “I think OSA should be included (in administrative funding) and I’ll probably indicate that to Dr. Kol dus,” Adair said. The off-campus student organiza tion will most likely be considered for administrative funding if they a sound budget. the group m Morrison s; has “recognized the funds for off-campus students. He said they are willing to pump some money into the organization because it does represent the “vast majority of the student body.” Terry, Morrison and Jill Hall OSA president, that zation will r L . are all optimistic s student organi- administrative said nothing is “And that’s a tough one. They have a real job to do coordinating activities for off-campus students,” she said. “And I’m going to do every thing in my power to help them.” Hall said they hope to eventually get as much money, is not more than, the Residence Hall Associa tion, which represents the 8,000 student living on campus. RHA re ceived $2,000 from the administra tive fond last year. Morrison said that while an off- certain yet. campus student organization repre- “I haven ’t thought about it yet, so 1 sents a greater portion of the student really don’t know,” Koldus said. body than RHA, the off-campus or- Budgeting of the organizations will ganization will probably not be able begin after March 15. He said he will to get as much money until it de- have to see what the different or- velops its program. Texas A&M University Press. The couple was not hurt. The fixe burned from about 2:45 a.m. until about 5 a.m. Colburn, a sophomore architecture and building construction major, saw the fire on his way home from the architecture build ing, where he’d been doing work for a class. “I was walking down Asbury Street over by the Physical Plant when I saw it, Col burn said. He ran to the dorm and called the fire department. Bryan, a junior biology major who hopes to be an emergency medical technician in Dallas when he graduates, said he ran from the dorm to the house, where two police men were standing in the lawn. “They probably had just got there,” he said. Bxyan first wanted to know about the Williamses. “Are they out? Are they out?” he yelled at the policemen. But he said they didn’t know anyone lived in the building. “I ran around and started yelling at the front windows of the house,” Bryan said. “Mrs. Williams came and opened up the curtains and said, ‘What is it? What’s the matter?’ “And I said, ‘Y’all get out, y’all’s house is afire!’ “She went on back inside, and I ran around to the door. While I was xunning, I heard glass breaking. The breaking glass was in the front door, where University policeman Michael Janecek had broken out the window to un lock the dead bolt. Bryan went into the house thxough the now-opened front door. “They’d gotten Dr. Williams out, but gone off and left Mrs. Williams in the bed room. She was gathering up a lot of stuff. “She asked me if I thought they ought to move the cars (which might have blocked the fire trucks), and I said, ‘Yes ma’am, it might be a good idea. ” He found the main bleaker switch and threw it. Bryan helped firemen cany' a hose into the house. Later, he stood in a second-story window and hauled up lengths of hose. Pruitt went to the house as soon as he heard what was happening. When he heard that fixe officials had determined the blaze had been set by a light bulb, Pruitt recalled an image. “There was a light on up near the chim ney on the second floor, and I saw it while I was running over there, ” he said. “It was a light and not the fire because it was con stant. “I could see a painting inside there. And I remember thinking when I saw the light that maybe Dr. Williams was up there look ing at the fire.” Pruitt was irritated because he thought the fire could have been contained much more quickly than it was. “They took at least five to seven minutes to get the water on after they were hooked up,” he said. Lt. Tim Fiekey of the College Station fire department agreed that it had taken a long time to begin pumping water, but said it was because of the size of the fire. “We were in the middle of the house, where nobody could see us,” Fiekey said. “We were flowing water on the inside a good 15 minutes before anybody outside knew what was going on.” He said safety precautions for such a big fii-e took time to complete. “We don’t jump into something like that. We take at least enough equipment in there to where we know we can escape.” Colburn remembered a moment of grim humor from the evening. “Six or eight of us moved some cars. There was a little Toyota in the way, and the steering was locked. “We picked it up and kind of carried it across the street." Temporary lights in campus house. caused fire marshal says College Station Fire Marshal Harry Davis said Thursday that the fire that burned the old Board of Directors Quarters Tuesday morning was started by temporary' lights being used by carpenters. The workers were using two 100-watt bulbs while they paneled a room on the second floor of the house. The bulbs were placed inside the ceiling’s new sheetrock when it was installed. Plans called for a hole to be cut in the sheetrock when permanent light fixtures were installed. Davis said the room’s light switch was off when the carpenters left Monday night, but it was apparently turned on later. The bulbs appeared to have been on for eight or nine hours. “What this made was a little oven, with those 100-watt bulbs next to wood joists and stuff like that,” Davis said. The building was the home of Dr. and Mrs. Jack K. Williams. Both escaped unin jured. Williams is former chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. The Texas A&M University Press was also in the stnxcture. The fire was reported to the College Sta tion fire department at 2:50 a.m. Tuesday. It burned until about 5 a.m. No decision will be made on whether the remains of the two-story structure will be demolished until the Board of Regents scheduled meeting March 26-27. Howard Vestal, Texas A&M University’s vice president for financial affairs, said he met with board Chairman Clyde Wells Thursday afternoon and decided the re gents should decide the matter. Vestal said he and Wells also,discussed relocating the Texas A&M University Press, but he declined to give any details. Proposed bill would give time off for political meets United Press International AUSTIN — Employees may get time off from work for county and state political conventions with a bill introduced Thurs day by Sen. Carl Paxker, D-Port Arthur. Parker’s bill would require employers to allow employees time off from work to at tend county or state conventions as a dele gate. Under current law employers must release workers attending precinct conven tions, but this does not extend to counties or the state. “In effect, many people are eliminated as choices for delegate posts to county or state conventions because^ they cannot get off work,” Parker said. “It is enough penalty when a person does attend a convention and he is not paid for that day’s woxk.”