/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.”