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By LIZ NEWLIN
Battalion Staff
hey bih assistant professor of aerospace
he. Hies at Texas A&M University faces a
scomelible reprimand from his commanding
Cedent^Bbr blowing the whistle on a cheat-
has st j incident here.
’oldGlJapt Joseph O. McNabb has received
] jn Col. Kenneth W. Durham, com-
der of the Air Force ROTC unit at
A&M, a letter of reprimand that
be placed in his Undesirable Informa-
Files. That would hurt McNabb’s
es in future Air Force promotions,
ments and special programs.
^scholastic dishonesty, which oc-
o hit last semester, prompted an Air
n to daRSinvestigation to determine if the
get iniflent should be “disenrolled”; that is,
ation ether his contract to become a commis-
i neverled officer should be withdrawn.
it thretlarly this semester the student re-
hungryled the contract and later withdrew
igry." m the Corps of Cadets. No further ac-
'ps tall was taken then.
)n Billlatei McNabb told the dean of the stu-
afl college and University officials of
incident. The University took discipli-
t|ction against the student, whose
is still not decided.
^However, that didn’t end McNabb’s in-
MveBent in the case.
( The letter of reprimand was dated Feb.
19179, and Durham gave McNabb
lays to reply. As of Tuesday night,
lb had not received notification of
in’s disposition of the letter. Air
Regulations state that an individual’s
immediate superior has “sole prerogative”
on whether the letter will be placed in the
file. In this case, Durham is McNabb’s
immediate superior.
Despite the regulation, McNabb has
legal recourse if the letter is approved. He
can force Durham to take him to court to
prove the charges or employ a lawyer to
challenge the letter, which might involve
sending the letter and reply to Durham’s
commander, Col. Hosea Skinner at Ofiutt
Air Force Base in Nebraska.
The Battalion has received the letter
(stamped “For Official Use Only“),
McNabb’s reply, and supporting state
ments.
Neither Durham nor McNabb would
comment on the case.
“I will not discuss internal Air Force
business with the news media,” Durham
said Tuesday morning, “especially before
it’s consummated.” Professional ethics
prevent an explanation, or other com
ment, he said.
Other University officials, however, and
the documents describe the series of
events that led to the reprimand.
Some members of the academic com
munity and cadets have come to McNabb’s
defense, most at his request to help rebut
the letter. Some even say he should be
commended for his action, not repri
manded.
The cadets and at least one professor be
sides McNabb say the incident was cov
ered up by the administration. Others,
generally higher in the administration, say
the situation was a result of poor com
munication, different interpretations of
Texas A&M University Rules and Regu
lations, and poor decisions.
“You have blatantly violated a lawful
order and have embarrassed the United
States Air Force,” Durham’s letter stated.
“Such conduct places your judgment se
riously in question.”
McNabb said in his reply that he was
acting as a former student of Texas A&M,
which he is, and so his action did not dis
obey the order. Otherjstatements say that
he earlier asked Durham if he could pur
sue the matter as a former student, and
was told that the aeroscience professors
could pursue it only as former students.
Different interpretations of regs
The central question in the handling of
the contract cadet’s scholastic dishonesty
is whether the information should have
been forwarded to the cadet’s academic
dean.
Gen. Ormond Simpson, head of the
School of Military Sciences, decided not to
forward the information. He and Dr. John
Koldus, vice president for student serv
ices, interpreted Texas A&M University
Rules and Regulations to mean that the
information could be kept in the Division
of Student Services. Simpson is also liaison
for the Corps of Cadets in the division.
“I made the decision not to move fur
ther,” Simpson said. “It got all muddled
because of rumors of other incidents.” At
that time, he said, he did not know of
cheating by the student in a business
course, or his other dishonorable acts.
“I thought the penalties were commen
surate with the infractions.” The student
soon resigned his contract for commission
ing as an officer in the Air Force and with
drew from the Corps.
Dr. Clinton Phillips, acting dean of the
College of Business, said that Simpson
should have forwarded the information.
The Rules and Regulations say, “Cases of
apparent scholastic dishonesty ... may be
reported by the instructor through the
head of the department to the dean of the
student’s college.”
Phillips said that means he should have
been told.
“He’s probably right,” Simpson said. “It
was a judgment call on my part. ” As soon
as Phillips, prompted by Capt. McNabb,
asked about the incident, Simpson told
him what he knew.
“Hindsight is 20-20,” Simpson said. “I
think they all, except the student in
volved, acted in good faith.”
Koldus said the problem was one of poor
communication and misunderstanding,
he Battalion
ol. 7 No. 111
P|ages
Wednesday, March 7, 1979
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
T have not violated any lawful order nor
have I exercised bad judgment,” McNabb
wrote in his reply. “Moreover, if I had not
taken the steps that I did, none of this
critical information would have reached
the proper University officials. ... I have
conducted myself the only way in which
my integrity and moral responsibility
would allow me.”
The series of events goes like this:
—The student cheated in an aerospace
studies course, and received an “F.”
—The student cheated in a course in the
College of Business Administration (also
his own academic college), and dropped
Ihe course, passing, when caught. The
professor did not pursue the matter, which
is his option under Rules and Regulations.
cited
and he proposes to clarify the Rules and
Regulations so administrators will under
stand their responsibilities when faced
with a cheating incident.
Koldus said that handling the incident
was unusual because the military is more
strictly structured than academia.
Dr. Haskell Monroe, dean of faculties,
agreed. He said McNabb’s action — going
outside regular channels — would be
more readily accepted by the academic
community.
“In an academic sense, this would not
be considered as unusual or extreme as in
a military sense.“
—The Air Force began a disenrollment
investigation based on the cheating in the
aerospace studies course, not knowing
about the cheating in the business course.
—Simpson (head of the School of Mili
tary Sciences and liaison for the Corps of
Cadets in the Division of Student Serv
ices) and Dr. John Koldus, vice president
of that division, decided not to pass along
information about the incident to the act
ing dean of the business college. Dr. Clin
ton Phillips.
—McNabb learned of the cheating in
the business course and confirmed other
dishonorable acts by the student.
—The student resigned his contract and
from the Corps.
—McNabb knew the information, in
cluding the business cheating, had gone
from him to Durham and Simpson, and
wanted to know why it had not gone
farther.
—He suspected a cover-up and talked
with Dr. Charles McCandless, associate
vice president for academic affairs, and
later wrote a letter to him outlining the
incidents, in both the business and mili
tary colleges. Acting as a former student
he also talked about it to Glenn Dowling,
President Jarvis Miller’s assistant.
—Phillips and others in his college
began a series of meetings with Koldus
and other University officials to discuss the
matter. Phillips began a disciplinary ac
tion, which is still unresolved.
—McNabb received notice of the letter
of reprimand.
Cancer quicker
A Texas A&M University re
searcher uses these little dishes
in finding out if metals can con
tribute to cancer. His method is
significantly quicker and
cheaper than by current
methods. See page 11.
dge nominee denies
nowledge of slush fund
United Press International
ApJSTIN — Saying they want to study
es on a former Gulf Oil Co. attorney’s
e i| slush fund scandal, members of a
nats committee have postponed action
the man’s nomination to a district
dgeship.
William B. Edwards, a Houston attor-
| Rnies he did anything illegal while
Hs a Gulf attorney or knew an
velope he delivered from a company
ibyist to former Gov. Preston Smith
ntained money.
Kovyever, one senator said Edwards
H to the Senate Nominations Com-
ttee appeared inconsistent with a 1976
tement he gave state officials.
rhewmmittee Tuesday then postponed
ion for a week on Gov. Bill Clements’
ition of Edwards to be judge of the
ffiDistrict Court.
ritics said they want more time to
lies on state investigations into the
company’s political slush fund and a
idavit Edwards gave on his role in
ndal.
e voluminous file on Edwards and
contains affidavits Gulf officials gave
;n-Secretary of State Mark White and
mey General John Hill after the Secu-
S and Exchange Commission accused
firm of operating a $5.5 million slush
told the committee Tuesday. “I have done
nothing wrong.”
Edwards said he was maligned by a re r
port prepared by order of Judge John J.
Sirica detailing Gulfs illegal campaign
contributions and indicating Edwards ad
mitted delivering corporate funds to Smith
from Gulf lobbyist Oscar C. Wild Jr.
“This is unfair and misleading,” Ed
wards said.
Edwards said he never opened the
sealed brown envelope Wild gave him to
deliver to Smith, and denied he had any
“actual knowledge” there was money in
side.
But Sen. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin,
suggested the denal was inconsistent Ed
wards’ 1976 sworn statement that the
envelope for Smith was the only occasion
“any funds (were) ever given to me ear
marked for a specified recipient. ”
Schlesinger: gas shortage
possible, despite Iran’s oil
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Even though Iran
has resumed exporting some oil, Ameri
cans face the possibility of tight supplies of
gasoline this vacation season and next.
Energy Secretary James Schlesinger said
Tuesday.
Schlesinger testified at a House approp
riations subcommittee considering the
Energy Department budget.
“In Iran today, we have had the first
export of oil that has occurred for months,”
Schlesinger said.
But he added there is little chance Iran
)
Ssttreeeeeeettccchh!
Although it’s National Health and P.E. Week, Texas A&M University
dents out jogging and exercising say they didn’t know it. They say they
st like to exercise and keep in shape for the fun of it. Here, Kris
Simpson, a junior landscape architecture major, stretches on the
Aerobic Track infield. Battalion photo by Lyle Lovett
will get its exports up to its former level
and the shortage has lasted long enough to
affect American inventories of oil.
Oil customers of Iran “have been going
into the hole by 2 million barrels a day in
excess of the normal drawdown (from in
ventory),” Schlesinger said. “In the longer
run, we cannot afford to do that. We can
not afford to borrow against the future.”
By summer, oil companies will have to
be building their inventories for next
winter, he said.
“We have the possibility of some spot
shortages of gasoline this summer and
some shortages next summer,”
Schlesinger said.
“Pernicious price controls” have kept
refiners from expanding their capacity, he
said, and, “We face the possibility of tight
supplies and spot shortages this summer
and next.”
Schlesinger said the United States
should not look for “panaceas” from
Chinese, Mexican or even Saudi Arabian
oil in the long run. He said China has oil
but also an industrial development plan
that will consume oil.
Mexico has huge supplies but a mea
sured plan for exports, he said. And Saudi
Arabia’s production, on which the United
States depends heavily, may not expand as
much as formerly hoped, Schlesinger said.
“When a lawyer gives up his or her time to save a
life, we are too many times from all quarters casti
gated for giving those efforts,” said Richard “Race
horse” Haynes, speaking on “Criminal Justice.”
Haynes was presented Tuesday afternoon by the
Memorial Student Center Political Forum Com
mittee.
Battalion photo by Lee Roy Le.schper Jr.
‘Racehorse* says time, effort
earn criticism for trial lawyers
By RICHARD OLIVER
Battalion Reporter
Lawyers are too often criticized for giv
ing “time and effort to save a life,” Richard
“Racehorse” Haynes said at Texas A&M
University Tuesday.
The prominent defense lawyer, best
known for his part in the T. Cullen Davis
trials, said, “When a lawyer gives up his or
her time to save a life, we are too many
times from all quarters castigated for giv
ing those efforts.”
Speaking before about 500 people,
Haynes outlined many aspects of criminal
law. His lecture was sponsored by the
Memorial Student Center Political Forum
Committee.
“It is important, indeed, very impor
tant, that we pay particular attention to
the business of going about denying
people life or liberty,” he said, “and that
we be as exact as possible in our pursuits of
justice.
Haynes was given the name
“Racehorse” by his high school football
coach for his motions on the field.
Davis, the Fort Worth millionaire who
is Haynes’ most famous client, was
charged with paying FBI informant David
McCrory $25,000 to arrange the murder of
Joe H. Eidson, Davis’s divorce judge. His
first trial, among the longest in Texas his
tory, ended in a hung jury, but officials say
they plan a retrial.
‘Mills’ send catalogues, use charge system
Selling term papers is big business
By PAUL BARTON
Special to The Battalion
Ordering a research paper through the
mail is not exactly like dealing with Sears
Roebuck or Montgomery Ward, but it
does bear certain resemblances.
The “term paper mills,” as they are
called, will, like the retail giants, let you
charge your purchase. And they have
catalogs to browse through as you make
your selection.
Their names range from International
Term Papers Inc. to Research Assistance.
They all pursue the same customer: the
student with too little time or competence
to write a research paper.
One company that advertised last fall at
Texas A&M University is Pacific Research
of Seattle. For $1, it will send you a 236-
page catalog that describes papers like this
one:
2366 THE NEW DEAL AND THE
RADICALS OF THE NINETEEN THIR
TIES
— Distinguishes between the radical
right, which was economically oriented,
and the radical left, which vieibed eco
nomics as a means to a social end. The
proliferation of radical groups is shown to
be unsurprising: the intact survival of
American institutions is attributed to in
stitutional flexibility and to FDR. 9
pages^!6 footnotes. 7 sources in bibliog
raphy.
But Pacific Research carries more than
just history papers in its “warehouse.” The
topics it offers include music, dance, phi
losophy and social sciences like psychology
— and none of them come cheap.
Pacific charges $3 per page, and all pa
pers over 24 pages cost $70. But — let it
be said — the student is not charged for
the table of contents, title page, outline, or
bibliography.
If not pleased with choices available in
the catalog, the student can order some
“custom research. ” This costs a little more
— $6.50 a page for an undergraduate
paper and $8 for graduate work.
Rush orders, completed in one week,
cost $1 more per page.
On the other hand. Pacific also offers at
cost to edit, criticize or outline a paper you
have written yourself. They call these
“Writer’s Guide” services.
Purchased term papers are nothing
new.
Some of the first companies to do big
business in this dubious trade were lo
cated in Boston in the early 1970s. Accord
ing to Time magazine, the boom in the
number of Ph.D.s at the time gave these
firms “a readymade crop of writers. ”
Today, the situation is much the same.
Phyllis Zagano, an English teacher at State
University of New York at Stonybrook who
has written several articles on the subject
for national magazines, said in a telephone
interview that the writers who work for
these companies are well educated and
multi-degreed. Some companies even
claim to have College faculty on their staff.
For their efforts, they are paid from $2 to
$15 a page.
It is not entirely a lawful profession,
however.
Several states — among them New
York, California, North Carolina, Illinois,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania
and Maryland — have laws against selling
term papers. In New York, for instance, it
(Please turn to page 5.)
Haynes stressed that particular atten
tion should be paid in trials dealing with
human lives, with no limit on trial length.
“A human life is at stake,” he said. “In
the name of expedience we have cheated
and robbed our country of the one thing
that makes it strong and wonderful — and
that is a government of law and not of
men.
“For example, when two giant corpora
tions are suing each other in an anti-trust
matter, that litigation may take up to 15
years with literally hundreds of lawyers
and hundreds of man-hours spent to re
solve the case. No one gets upset with
that.
“But, on the other hand, if there is a
case that involves a citizen accused of a
crime which goes on for six months to a
year, then it’s viewed as taking much too
long. I think what I do is just as important
as are the things lawyers representing cor
porations do.”
Haynes was adamant in his view of capi
tal punishment.
“I think everyone is capable of taking
the life of another human being if
provoked. As a matter of personal philoso
phy, I’m against the taking of a man’s life.
“I do recognize that some fact situations
are so gross that until you sit on the jury
and hear the facts yourself it’s difficult to
say. I think, and studies have shown, that
capital punishment has not deterred
crime.
“To take a human being and fatten him
up with whatever he wants for a last meal,
then walk him down to a spot where you
fry the juices out of him seems sort of bar
baric to me.”
Rather than capital punishment,
Haynes says he believes in rehabilitation.
“Taking a man’s life will not bring back
the deceased. Taking his life will not pre
vent anyone from his neighborhood from
committing a crime,” he said. “It will only
mean he will be forgotten after a year or so
by everyone except his immediate family.”
Haynes said if another Davis trial is
held, he will once again be the defense
attorney.