Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 1979)
Wednesday, March 14, 1979 College Station, Texas Battalion News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Basketball fortunes roll on... Tickets went on sale this morning for Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. game against Alabama in the Summit. Only students and season ticket holders may buy tickets here until 1 p.m., when general admission tickets go on sale for $8. Student tickets are $3 and may only be purchased here. General admission tickets are also on sale at the Summit and See pages 8 and 9 for details. Approval of Carter’s ideas could mean peace in Egypt Enjoying the peace and quiet , niis University worker seems to be making the most of the relaxed 7 W>*phere which has settled over the Texas A&M campus during stu dents’ spring break this week. But he wasn’t sleeping on the job —just H ;‘ Ilt ^Moping during his lunch break. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr. t 9 a.m.If KACC United Press International JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s Cabinet met in emergency session today to vote on Presi dent Carter’s proposals on two issues that could mean peace with Egypt in a week. Carter and other U.S. officials said they expected the Cabinet to approve the pro posals. Deputy Prime Minister Yigael Yadin also predicted approval, but only after a “tough debate.” The meeting started at 3:10 a.m. EST and was expected to last several hours. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Samuel Lewis personaly delivered to Begin a copy of the American proposals approved Tues day at Cairo Airport by Egyptian Presi dent Anwar Sadat, the national radio said. The radio said Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan submitted to the Cabinet a docu ment he and Justice Minister Shmuel Tamir prepared that enumerates the U.S. economic and political commitments to Is rael and is to be attached to the treaty, the report said. From the Cabinet, the draft treaty will be submitted to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, for ratification. The remaining issues apparently involve U.S. guarantees to supply Israel with oil in case Egypt refuses to provide it from the Sinai oil fields, and the timing of imple menting full diplomatic relations between the two countries. Israeli sources said all the other out standing issues, including linkage of the peace treaty to implementation of Palesti nian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza strip, were settled. Begin put his political future on the line, much as had Carter during his dra matic six-day peace mission. The Israeli leader said if the Knesset does not approve the new proposals, “it will be my duty to resign.” With Knesset approval. Begin said, “the signing (of a treaty) may take place next week or in the following week. ” Following Begin s lead, President ocal artisans featured April 2 to auction art, antiques pril 2 will be a special night for art j young®! Bryan-College Station and the mong as more than 60 pieces of art im Kt r k are auctioned during the “Great iMPTV Auction." ^[pyglinpeientirc second night of the three-day hree intF' 0 !' W *N devoted to arts and an- ilking n l ues > un d the large number of items do ted tlms far indicates that the Monday {pifwill probably be one of the auc- ost popular nights, said Ann Sac- p|ba] arts and crafts chairman for the ion. elrts and antiques will be auctioned ft pin. on April 2, with the possibility ^ k'tailcasting time extending beyond 10 iiall items are not sold, e auction will sell items and services a | ited and apply the revenue from the y i to the operation of KAMU, Texas A RJniversity’s public broadcasting ity pEe-auction showing of all art items Tie of the auction’s major donations H from 2-6 p.m. March 25 in the del Exhibit Hall. The showing is free and open to the public. The art items donated include hand- painted Ukranian eggs by Bryan artist Luba Rozsa; pottery by Jadwiga Ramza, Inger Garrison, Rhoda Kramer, Joan Moore and Rebecca Hirsch; feather jewelry by Pam Reynolds; sculpture by Pat Ryan and photography by Karen Hill- ier. Drawings, paintings and reproductions have been donated by the Martin-Hargis Gallery (a sketch by Joe Donaldson) and Anco Insurance (reproduction of a pencil original of an early Texas Ranger by James Harvey Johnson). Watercolors by Virginia Groneman, a framed reproduction of a Buck Schiwetz watercolor of the Texas A&M University Systems Building do nated by the Miter Box and paintings by Alan Stacell, Bob Schiffauer, Tina Watkins and Graham Horsley will also be up for bids. Three portraits by Jim Raatz will be commissioned during the auction. A sam ple of Raatz’ work will be on display so bidders can view his portraiture tech- inate OKs tuition aid bill kids in private colleges nique. Works by several of the winners in the recent College Station Municipal Art Contest will also be up for bid, including the work of J.M. Hutchinson, Mary Sas- low, Sally Tullos and Olive Black. A drawing by cartoonist Jim Earle will be for sale, as will weaving by Maggie Mazzera, silver and ebony cufflinks by Maraget van Bavel, batik by many local artists and numerous items of needlework and macrame. Both Full Moon Crafts and Walton Stained Glass have donated stained glass windows to benefit the station. Antiques up for bid will include a 2-quart Depression glass pitcher from Mi gration Antiques, a china set for serving hot chocolate from B&B Antiques, a pressed glass pedestal cake plate from Pic ket Fence, a white iron double bed from the turn of the century from The Unicorn Antiques, and a hardwood gilt frame from Van Dykes Studio. Also a sewing rocker with upholstered seat given by Amity Antiques, an antique tool set from Ann’s Antiques, a small hob nail milk glass fruit bowl from the Blackshears and four Victorian fiddleback silver-plated serving spoons from the col lection of Sidney and Meta Brown. Citizen stunned by Hopson case By DOUG GRAHAM Battalion Staff AUSTIN — Taxpayer Oran Jones was overwhelmed by A&M Consolidated School District’s legal expertise when he carried his “right to know” campaign to Austin Tuesday. He will have to wait around two weeks for a decision, but he indicated he won’t pursue the matter further if he loses. Jones was in Austin at a Texas Education Agency (TEA) hearing concerning the Nov. 20, 1978, contract termination of Consol’s former school superintendent, Fred Hopson. The superintendent’s contract was terminated two years early in a $54,400 settlement. Since then, Hopson has become superintendent at Leander, north of Austin. Jones’s complaint was that the school board never explained why they “fired” Hopson. Thus, funds were improperly used, he said. He requested a TEA hearing, over which a TEA senior staff attorney, David Ryan, presided Tuesday. Jones advanced his arguments at the hearing, but was soon stopped. The Consol board’s attorney, Jack Woods, said TEA had no jurisdiction over the case because the Texas Education Code says a school board — and no one else — has discretion over its funds. He argued that Jones had no standing, or right to appear, in the court. He made a motion for immediate dismissal. Ryan withheld making a decision on the motion, which he finally denied, until after he heard the case. The hearing dragged through several recesses from 9:30 a.m. until after lunch. One thing became evident: The ramifications of Jones’s complaint might be far-reaching. Jones’s contention that he, as a taxpayer, had a right to know why the school board terminated Hopson’s contract could cause headaches for school boards all over Texas, said Bill Wasson, a Consol board member. “If a single taxpayer can haul a board up before the TEA over anything he’s unhappy about, there will be 2,000 cases up here,” he said. “That’s why I think they will rule in our favor.” But the decision will not be made before court transcripts are made available for review, Ryan said. The TEA attorney said the transcripts will take at least two weeks to prepare. After he reviews them, he will hand down a proposal which Jones and the school board can file exceptions to. The case then goes to the education commissioner, and then to the State Education Board if necessary. After that, civil courts are available, Ryan said. Jones’s case may be unique. “As far as I know, this is a case of first impression, on whether a taxpayer can demand an explanation, ” Ryan said. “We never had a taxpayer challenging an expenditure of funds of a local school board. “That’s why I refused his (Woods) motion for dismissal.” Motion for dismissal was not the only tactic used by the board’s attorney, by whom Jones admitted he was “outclassed.” Woods instructed board members to remain silent when questioned because the TEA “tribunal” had no legal jurisdiction over the Consol school board. Board president Bruce Robeck refused to even identify himself in response to Jones’s first questions. That action led to a recess. Woods speculated that Ryan was conferring on the political aspects of the case, but Ryan said he was checking his lawbooks. “I went out to review my books,” he said later. “It was the first time I encountered anything like that. Although it was rude, I have no power of con tempt.” Ryan then called Jones to his bench, and Ryan said he offered Jones the chance to ask for a delay of the trial to subpoena witnesses. Jones refused that offer and others for a chance for a continuance. “A continuance sure wouldn’t have hurt his case,” Ryan said. Anwar Sadat of Egypt also decided to put the peace-treaty package before his Cabinet and Parliament for approval be fore signing. The Middle East News Agency said if the treaty wins approval of the Egyptian and Israeli Cabinets and Parliaments, it will be signed in Washington within two weeks by Carter, Sadat and Begin. Sadat and Begin later will sign an Arabic version of the treaty in Cairo and a Hebrew ver sion in Jerusalem, the agency said. News of Carter’s success brought ex pected cries of condemnation from the Palestine Liberation Organization, which warned that “this tripartite conspiracy will never be forgiven. Sadat will pay the price for his treason.” On the occupied West Bank, Palestinian Arabs demonstrated against the pact Tuesday but were confronted by gun- toting Israeli settlers who forced some youths to remove barricades of burning tires. Unofficial surveys showed at least 80 legislators would vote for the accord, a comfortable two-thirds majority. In Egypt, treaty approval was certain. Sadat’s group, which includes more than 300 deputies, has a sweeping majority in the 360-seat House. Egyptian officials said Sadat was sending letters to Arab kings and presidents — with the exception of the “rejection” lead ers — explaining the treaty terms and em phasizing continued commitment to Pales tinian rights. One-hour NY-LA service? United Press International NEW YORK — By the year 2029, you’ll be able to get on a subway in New York and arrive in Los Angeles 54 minutes later, if the predictions in the 50th an niversary issue of Travel Trade are accu rate. Herman Kahn predicts travel 50 years from now in the issue — and says it’ll be faster and cheaper. What he calls a “planetary subway” will link New York with Los Angeles in 54 minutes and ultrasonic flights at 6,000 mph would put New York and Sydney, Australia, within three hours of each other. There will be. resorts in China and on the moon, in the middle of the Sahara and beneath the sea, as conventional desti nations feel the pressure of billions of holiday-makers, Kahn predicts. There’ll be so many people traveling that the most popular destinations will be “rationed,” he predicts. But throw-away clothes will eliminate the bother of baggage. United Press International UbTIN — The Senate passed and sent the House a tuition equalization bill ichlwill provide more grant money to rate college and university students, ^darthquake day rocks exico City L United Press International MEXICO CITY — An earthquake eked a wide area of Mexico for 60 sec- BRarly today, toppling buildings and using blackouts in a residential section of exico City. More than a dozen people reported injured. Early reports from the Red Cross said people in the capital had been injured th^ quake. No casualty reports from uer[areas were immediately available. Police said two two-story buildings at e Iberoamericana University in south exico City collapsed during the quake d several night watchmen may have enjtrapped in the rubble. A television Won reported a movie theater in the nter of the capital collapsed. Power blackouts were reported in two- uds of the capital. The Tacubaya Seismological Center said f earthquake registered 7.0 on the Rich- r ||Cale with its epicenter 188 miles uthWest of Mexico City in the mountains Mlchoacan State. The University of difornia’s seismograph station at Berke- 1 raited the quake at 7.5 on the Richter ale. IT 35 s t ron g es t quake since last ^ 29, when two sharp earthquakes “ed at least nine people and left 100 04vj rs injured. Those quakes registered Bfcd 7.9 on Richter scale. iOt 0** c*" and extend grant eligibility to part-time students. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Grant Jones, D-Abilene, will allow students who are enrolled for at least one-half of a full course load in a degree plan in an ap proved private college or university to re ceive a grant equal to 50 percent of the average state appropriation for a full-time student at a public college or university. Sen. A.R. Schwartz, D-Galveston, op posed the bill and lectured the Senate for more than one hour about the dangers in herent in its passage, including what he called the danger to the constitutional mandate for separation of church and state. “This bill will bring around full regula tion of church-supported schools,” Schwartz said. Schwartz also said the bill was improper at a time when the Legislature was seeking to cut $1 billion from the state budget, and that the bill would help the wealthy at the expense of the poorer taxpayer. “What this does is subsidize the part of our society that can afford $3,000 tuition because they elect to pay $3,000 tuition,” Schwartz said, in reference to the price of tuition at private schools. Schwartz and Jones engaged in several shouting matches over the bill, especially over appropriations for the grant program. Jones said he did not know the amount the private college lobby would request, but Schwartz insisted he did. “Senator, all my life I have undertaken in my legislative career to always speak the truth and for you to insinuate that now I am lying is an insult,” Jones angrily told Schwartz. But Sen. Bill Meier, D-Euless, said most of the senators believed the bill would give much-needed help to students who wanted to attend private colleges. A Schwartz amendment failed that would have placed the grant program under the Sunset Advisory Act, where it could be discontinued in 1985. The Senate passed the bill 25-6 and sent it to the House for approval. Kyle Field keeps growing Good weather has helped speed construction on the third-deck expan sion of Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. Workmen for Zachry Engineering firm, which is handling the stadium expansion, were busy Tuesday raising into place sections of concrete that will form the second-story level floor in the expanded stadium. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.,