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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1979)
PEC United Press International GENEVA, Switzerland — Thirteen PEC nations decided Tuesday to imple- jentkpril 1 the full increase in oil prices for 1979 bringing the cost per bar- si u| to $14.54 right away. [last December OPEC decided on a 1.5 lercent increase for 1979 to be car ed put in quarterly stages, iThe price went up 5 percent in January ! ;13 34 a barrel and was scheduled to go 3.6 percent on April 1 to $13.84 a bar- but now will be hiked by 9 percent on latfcate instead, an OPEC oil com- umique said. HE OPEC members were left to impose ieir own premiums, according to the prices, allows surcharges boosts quality of their oil and its proximity to the marketplace. The decision to permit a surcharge opened the way for a pricing free-for-all which would permit various oil producing countries to charge as much as the market could bear. After one-and-a-half days of sometimes heated debate, the ministers said the entire price increase planned for 1979 should be imposed on April 1 rather than in quarterly stages. According to an agreement last De cember, the price was to have increased by just 3.8 percent on April 1, to $13.85 per barrel. The $14.54 price had been planned to come into force Oct. 1. An official communique read by OPEC Secretary General Rene Ortiz of Ecuador said that besides going directly to the end-of-year level, each OPEC state is free to add to their oil prices, “whatever pre mium they deem to be justified.” Many OPEC countries are already charging premiums of as much as $5 per barrel on top of the official OPEC price level. The immediate move to the Oct. 1 price level was based by the OPEC countries on disruptions in the oil market following the cutback in Iranian production and what they called the “unjustified windfall prof its” being reaped by the major oil com panies. “In spite of the large gaps that currently exist between prices prevailing in the open market and the OPEC official selling prices, the conference decided to under take only a moderate and modest adjust ment in the price by bringing forward ^he price adjustment of the fourth quarters, 1979, decided upon by the 52nd meeting of the conference in Abu Dhabi in De cember 1978 and applying it as of 1st Ap ril, 1979,” the communique said. “The application of this adjustment on the marker crude would make its price U.S. $14,546 with effect from 1st April, 1979. “Besides this adjustment, it is left for each member country to add to its price market premiums which they deem justi fiable in the light of their own circum stances.” The ministers also called on all consum ing countries “to take such measures as to prevent oil companies from charging them prices beyond the price decided upon by OPEC countries.” OPEC countries as well as the oil com panies recently have been charging as much as $20 per barrel and more on the spot, or free, market. Radical OPEC members such as Iran and Iraq said they would be charging pre miums of $2 to $4 above the OPEC price — although industry sources said it re mains to be seen whether they would in feet be able to get such prices. Mana Saeed al Otaiba, oil minister of the United Arab Emirates and conference chairman, said after the meeting that his country would not be charging any pre miums but would stick to the official OPEC price. Saudi Arabian officials, who had argued against any additional increase at all but wanted to stick with the original 3.8 per cent hike on April 1, also said they doubted whether Saudi Arabia would be going beyond the OPEC level. CS gas supplies—‘tight’ but won’t get critical By KAREN ROGERS Battalion Staff [oline supplies in the Bryan-College area are not expected to become despite cutbacks in Iranian oil snts, say several local distributors, rough they consider gasoline Jes to be “tight,” Amoco, Gulf and illdistributors say they will be able to Ithe demand. j companies are allocating supplies ^■ly to distributors on the basis of the mouiit of gasoline sold during the period ^■977 to June 1978. tki means if a service station bought ,000 gallons in April 1978 its distributor would receive that same amount next month. The distributors are allocating to service stations on the same basis. Most distributors and stations are on 100 percent allocation, although Shell has cut back to 95 percent. K.D. Timmons, the area Gulf dis tributor, says he expects to go to 90-95 percent allocation within the next few months. Pump prices have been escalating at a rate of one to three cents a gallon as wholesale price increases have been passed to the distributor who in turn passes them to the station operators. None of the three distributors inter viewed were selling their gasoline at the ceiling price. This price is determined by the individual oil companies based on 1973 price regulations. Distributors say competition is keeping the prices low. “Wholesale prices are rising fester than retail prices and we’re losing profit money,” said Kelly Broach, the area Amoco distributor. “We’re not charging the maximum al lowed price right now, but that really will depend on the supply picture. If we don’t have enough gallons to sell, we don’t have any choice but to raise the prices to the ceiling because we still have to operate on the same overhead.” Dick Broach, the Shell distributor, says he has raised prices three cents a gallon in the last 60 days and predicts another price increase by the end of this month. The 9 percent price increase agreed upon by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Tuesday will raise pump prices another two cents a gallon in coming months. This increase will affect about 65 per cent of the nation’s oil supply: the 50 per cent of crude oil that is imported and the 15 percent of the domestic supply that is exempt from price controls. That 15 percent is comprised of oil supplies from the north slope of Alaska and wells that are producing minimal amounts of oil per day. The United States is experiencing a shortfall of about 700 barrels of crude oil per day. A spokesman for a major oil com pany said that if this shortage lasts into the summer, reductions will be required to allow building of product inventories to meet winter demands. “If the current crude supply situation can be effectively communicated, con sumers are capable of reducing energy demand enough to offset at least a signifi cant portion of the shortfall,” he said. A few area service stations have felt the crunch. Some are combatting the shortage by closing two-to-three hours earlier during the week. Some are closed on Sunday to conserve supplies to meet demands for the next week. Most are on 90-100 percent al location. None of the station managers could es timate how their operations would be af fected in the coming months. As one manager said, “If it comes, it comes. I’ll have to worry about it then.” The Battalion Vol. 72 No. 122 16 Pages Wednesday, March 28, 1979 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Change in the wind One of today’s top news stories is the regents’ decision to look for a new chancellor for the Texas A&M University System. One of today’s top Battalion car toonists, Doug Graham, com ments. See page 2. irday ‘79? g wit 'Jonei le Tech’, old i k e: nly tfiifij I is wi#! te n ’ bout [i ie egent Wells to head arch for chancellor By STEVE LEE Battalion Staff Texas A&M University System still frwot have a chancellor. Bui steps were taken in a Board of Re- ;ents meeting Tuesday toward selecting a si ucceisor to Dr. Jack K. Williams, who Bied as chancellor in January. Clyde l Wells, chairman of the board, will head ■ rsea. n committee with Regents H.C. lell Jr., Alfred I. Davies and Joe H. ■molds to find the successor. Wells gave no indication of when the election may occur. He is serving as nteiim chancellor and will hold the posi- ion until a new chancellor is chosen. Earlier Tuesday, the board passed a iroposal to approach the Texas Legislature ^Jig the designation of Prairie View 1 University as a special purpose in- Ition. This would be in addition to its present status as a general purpose and land-grant institution. “This will help us in receiving funding from both private and federal sources,” said Dr. Alvin I. Thomas, president of Prairie View. He said the university serves a distinct clientele, mainly low-income or minority students. The special purpose designation would help get these people into profes sional jobs, such as law or medicine. “The minority student is still grossly misrepresented,” Thomas said. Prairie View is directing a vertical de livery of technology program, which works to upgrade the living standards of native villages in certain Third World nations, and Thomas said the special designation would also help the school in this program. The school is now working with Liberia in one phase of its program. Reynolds asked that Thomas work with Dr. John C. Calhoun Jr., the executive vice chancellor for programs, and Bob Cherry, secretary to the Board and legisla tive liaison, on the wording of the proposal before it is presented to the legislature. The board also passed a proposal raising room and board rates for the fall semester at Texas A&M. Dorm rate increases will be 6 percent, and board rates will be in creased 5 percent. Howard Vestal, Texas A&M vice president for business affairs, said the increases are needed to break even and added that the increases are in line with inflation. In order from least expensive to most expensive, the rates per semester will be: Hotard Hall, $175, up from $165; Hart, Law, Puryear and Walton halls, $199, up from $188; Corps dorms, Crocker, ' Davis-Gary, Moore and Moses halls, $321, up from $303; Fowler, Hughes, Keathley, Mclnnis and Schumacher halls, $354, up from $334; Legett Hall, $371; the new modular dorms, $475; and Krueger, Dunn, Aston and Mosher halls, $496, up from $468. Board rates for five-day plan will in crease $20, up to $427 a semester and seven-day plan will go up $23, to $478. Regents, with the endorsement of the Texas A&M Student Senate, passed a pro posal adding a $5 per semester medical services fee. The new fee will be in addition to the present $15 hospital fee. Acting on a recommendation made by Dr. John J. Koldus, vice president for stu dent services, the student senate ap proved of the new fee as an alternative to assessing a user fee per visit to the health center. Koldus had said the raise in fees was needed to maintain present medical services. In other business, an appropriation of $650,000 to was passed for the design of the Medical Sciences Building. Regents also passed these bids: —$2,888,700 by H&G Construction Co. Inc. of Abilene for 11 student apart ment buildings with eight units each; —$34,860 by Hamilton-Woodard Con struction Co. of Bryan for exterior im provements to Heaton Hall; —an appropriation of $20,000 for light ing design for C.E. Olsen Field; —$114,731.45 by Abel Contract Furniture Co. Inc. of Austin, $42,135.44 by Rockford Furniture Carpets Inc. of Austin, and $17,727.30 by Fingers Office Furniture of Houston, all for classroom and office furni ture; —$495,000 by Ed A. Wilson Inc. of Fort Worth for a slaughterhouse at Tarle- ton State University. Sun worshippers Recent hot daytime temperatures have brought both students, and spring flowers out into the sun shine. This quartet of cadets was catching rays alongside the University’s Wofford Cain pool Sun day afternoon. The pool is now open noon to 1:30 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr. Battered Boot Award hopefuls must have pledges in by Friday By RUTH GRAVES Battalion Reporter Cadets competing individually and as outfits have until 7 p.m. Friday to solicit pledges for their 14-mile March to the Brazos Saturday for the March of Dimes. The Corps of Cadets has set a goal of $13,000 for this year’s march. They will know by Saturday how much money has been pledged, said Steve Manley, the public relations coordinator for the march. The Corps raised $8,000 in its March to the Brazos in 1977 and $11,500 in 1978. Several awards will be given to top money raisers as incentives for cadets to solicit pledges, Manley said. Football jerseys, donated by the Dallas Cowboys, will be given to the ten cadets who individually raise the most money. The “Battered Boot Award” will be given to the outfit that collectively raises the most money. The prize includes a keg of beer provided by Loupot’s Bookstore. The top three overall outfits — based on the percentage of participation, money raised and standings in the competition held at the Brazos River — will be awarded streamers for their guidons (outfit flags). Six Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders will meet the Corps at the Brazos River to of ficiate the contests. These contests will be held to deter mine outfit champions in tug-of-war, the sack race and the stretcher race. This year the women’s units will partici pate in the contests at the river. “They have marched in the past but ha ven’t participated in the events once we got out there,” said Stephen Greenwade, the chairman of the march. The U.S. Army Reserve will furnish first aid personnel and six two-way radios for the march. They will also provide a “water buffalo” — a tank on wheels that holds about 1,000 gallons of water, Greenwade said. The Corps will form a column over a mile long that will take from 12-15 minutes to cross a certain point. So College Station police will aid the Corps when they cross the two major intersections between cam pus and the Brazos River. fate committee hikes foreign tuition United Press International fUSTIN — A bill to increase tuition for foreign students in state colleges I universities was approved Tuesday by ecial Senate Subcommittee on Higher ucation. Jhe bill, sponsored by Sen. Oscar |uzy, D-Dallas, provides that foreign Idents pay the same tuition rates as non- pdents — students from other states, -urrently Texas residents pay $4 per nester hour, with a minimum of $50 per semester tuition at state-supported col leges and universities. Foreign students must pay $14 per semester hour and not less than $200 per semester, while nonres idents pay $40 per semester hour, with no minimum requirement. A companion bill, also sponsored by Mauzy, allowing certain alien students to be classified as residents for tuition pur poses was approved by the subcommittee. It provides that aliens who are classifed as refugees by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Office may be considered residents for tuition purposes. James Mau from Hong Kong, represent ing the Chinese Student Association at the University of Texas, spoke against the tuition-increasing bills and warned the committee about possible repercussions. “An increase in tuition here may affect schools in other countries to increase their costs for American students,” Mau said. adding that no universities in other coun tries charge American students more than residents are charged. The subcommittee took no action on a bill by Sen. Betty Andujar, R-Fort Worth, whicb would increase Texas resident tui tion fees to $6 per hour, nor on a bill by Sen. Bill Moore, D-Bryan, and Sen. Roy Blake, D-Nacogdoches, which would in crease foreign students’ tuition to $75 per semester hour. Campus office contenders should be taken out, shot Shot with a camera, that is. Tonight and Thursday night, 7-9 p.m., are the only times The Battalion will take photographs of candidates for campus of fices to be included a special election tab loid, “For the voters.” Candidates should come to Room 216, Reed McDonald, and bring their com pleted questionnaire. The tabloid, which will appear next Wednesday, will also in clude information on city council and school board races. Campus races to be profiled include yell leader, student body president, the five student government vice presidents. Res ident Hall Association president, and Off-Campus Student Association presi dent. To be fair to all parties. The Battalion will not accept letters that raise questions about a candidate after next Wednesday.