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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 1979)
f* omen charge discrimination; } Corps suit seeks injunction By KIM TYSON and DIANE BLAKE Battalion Stall \ federal sex discrimination lawsuit has en filed against Texas A&M University the American Civil Liberties Union on half of women members of the Corps of dets. Ihe lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District mrt in Houston Friday, charges the uni- Bity with discrimination in admittance some of the Corps’ honor organizations, aintiffs in the class-action suit are ffinie Zentgraf, a junior Air Force cadet, d other women in the Corps. There are rrently 54 women in the 2,100-member Hs. The suit, sponsored by the Brazos mnty and Houston chapters of the ]LU, seeks a declaratory statement say- j that there has been sex discrimination A&M, an injunction to prohibit further HSrimination, and damages. It charges that policies, practices and stems of the Corps of Cadets violate the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Equal Rights Amendment, and the Texas Constitution. Zentgraf, a member of the Corps for three years, contacted the Brazos Civil Liberties Union (BCLU) earlier this year saying that women in the Corps were being harrassed and discriminated against; the BCLU then announced an investigation. On March 21 Zentgraf s charges made na tional news as columnist Jack Anderson critized the A&M Corps for mistreatment of women members and cited Zentgraf s specific complaints. James Bond, general counsel for Texas A&M, said preliminary meetings were held with members of the BCLU and that the university had been advised of the impending lawsuit. However, earlier last week negotiations about the situation with the women and the suit broke down. “The condition for not filing (the suit) was that we make a public admission that there’d been discrimination against women on the basis of sex in the Corps of Cadets,” President Jarvis Miller said Friday. “We’re not prepared to admit it. In feet, we have a strong case in court. “When we saw what they wanted, we wouldn’t accede to their demands,” Miller said. “We think the way to handle it is in court. They’ll have their day in court and we’ll have ours.” A five-man, three-woman cadet commit tee — including Zentgraf — was organized in January to study the problems caused by both men and women in the Corps. A re port, including assessment of the problems and possible solutions, was expected to be complete by the end of April. However, Corps commandant Woodall has returned the report to the group for revisions. Specific Corps organizations named in the suit are the Ross Volunteers, the gov ernor’s honor guard; Parsons’ Mounted Cavalry, another honor guard, Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band; Rudder’s Rangers, a field training organization; the Fish Drill Team; a freshman rifle drill squad; and the color guard, a flag-bearing group. None of Inside Today The end of the American love affair with cars leaves a lot of bro ken hearts. See page 2. The Battalion id Vol. 72 No. 151 10 Pages Wednesday, May 16, 1979 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Report critizes U.S. Embassy s.oofbr not being alert to cult moves 7.50 United Press International WASHINGTON — A House staff report ■day criticized the U.S. Embassy in ■ina for not keeping alert to irregular jnt WhCtavities of the People’s Temple commune the months preceding the 1978 massacre 909 cult members in Jonestown. The 782-page report for the House jlreign Affairs Committee was made pub- : at a crowded session with strict security force to guard against a possible distur- He by still-loyal members of the San Bcisco-based cult that was led by the 6v. Jim Jones. Fi/e relatives of Rep. Leo Ryan, a Wornia Democrat shot to death during ^investigation of the jungle commune, pn the front row, blinking back tears ||n Ryan’s courage was eulogized by )mmittee members. They included :E BUflyaii’s daughter, Erin, and his sisters, Jheila Ryan and Mrs. Shannon Tophy. The report covered events leading up to, during and after the mass slaughter in the South American country on Nov. 17, 1978. Among its conclusions: —The U. S. Embassy in Guyana “did not demonstrate adequate initiative, sensitive reaction to, and appreciation of the progressively mounting indications of highly irregular and illegal activities in Jonestown. ” The embassy made an attempt to warn the State Department in June of 1978, but the Washington reaction was negative. —The embassy and the State Depart ment, however, “performed with distinc tion” in managing affairs after the tragedy. —The State Department and the em bassy avoided investigating the commune before the massacre because of excessive concern that the cult might claim it was protected, as a religion, under the Privacy and Freedom of Information Acts. Battalion photo by Clay Cockrill re Archers—to your hows Robert Massey (left), Ruth Rowe and John Johnson were practicing in the '[Kilo field Tuesday for a national archery tournament to be held here this Thursday through Sunday. The winners may eventually end up in an international tournament July 14 in West Berlin. — The Guyana government did not cooperate in the investigation. “There is evidence of a strong working relationship between the People’s Temple and some officials of the Government of Guyana, especially in the areas of customs and im migration.” Large supplies of guns and drugs were allowed into the commune. —Jones " was a genius in the area of human psychology; a master of mind con trol; of brainwashing,” but also suffered “extreme paranoia ” Although he amassed an estimated $12 million from his followers, “He was not driven by greed for money but for power and control over others.” Ordinance will affect liquor sales By ROY BRAGG Battalion Staff The Bryan City Council approved the first reading of a new ordinance Monday night that would prohibit the sale of al coholic beverages near a church, school or hospital. The law, if put into effect, would only affect new establishments built within 300 feet of a church, public school or public hospital. There would be two exceptions to the law, said City Attorney Charles Bluntzer. Existing establishments would not be af fected by the law. In addition, establish ments built before a church, school or hopi- tal built in the same area would not be subject to the law, Bluntzer said. However, Bluntzer said, an exempt es tablishment would not be allowed to get its liquor license back if it ever foiled to renew the license. Violaters of the law could be fined up to $200 a day if found guilty, Bluntzer said. At a public hearing about the ordinance at the last council meeting, a resident spoke in favor of the law because she had heard a Seven-Eleven store was to be built on the comer of Haswell and 29th. She didn’t want the store in her neighborhood because it would protect the residential sections of town. Bluntzer told the council Monday night the store would not be affected by the law. Five citizens spoke out in favor of the ordinance. The ordinance will become effective fol lowing a second reading at the next council meeting and after publication in the Eagle. The publication and effective dates for the ordinance have not been set, Bluntzer said. In other action, the council: —awarded $125,000 in bids for work orders and equipment purchased by the city. The largest single bid was for $40,000 for a gar bage truck by Davis Truck & Equipment of Waco. —also approved the plans for the Richard P. Lopez fire station. The cost of the station is projected to be $196,000. —ordered payment for estimates and in voices for electrical system and street con struction totaling $660,000. —approved the first ordinance of an or dinance renewing the franchise of Com munity Cablevision Corporation. these organizations has ever had a woman member. The suit charges that “the plaintiff and the class have been subjected to extreme humiliation, harrassment, verbal abuse, physical danger and threats when they have sought to participate. ” Texas A&M has “refused to institute non-discriminatory policies with regard to the plaintiff and the class in blatant disre gard of the Equal Protection Ammendment of the Constitution of the United States, Title IX,” the suit says. Relief measures sought include a prelim inary injunction against harrassment, sex segregation in the school’s activities, and compensatory and punitive damages. De fendants named in the suit are Dr. Jarvis Miller, Texas A&M president; John Kol- dus, vice president for student services; James. R. Woodall, commandant of the Corps; and Robert Kamensky, cadet Corps commander. Bond said that A&M had acted in good feith to address any grievances by setting up a committee within the Corps to discuss problems with the women and recommend changes. The counsel said the university will solidly deny that discrimination has taken place. “We have no indication that the majority of women feel they are harrassed or dis criminated against (in the Corps),” he said. “The university has certainly made no admission of discrimination against women in the Corps,” Bond said. Sadat extends peace symbol, with a catch United Press International CAIRO — Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, feeing mounting isolation in the Arab world, cautiously extended an olive branch to the Soviet Union Tuesday declar ing he was completely prepared to “recip rocate friendship with friendship.” But Sadat hedged his offer by announc ing that he would reject any Soviet attempt at interfering in Egypt’s affairs or imposing communist ideology on Egypt. Sadat was addressing a political rally at a small village southeast of Alexandria at the conclusion of a week-long provincial tour of the Nile Delta. “Moscow radio broadcasts abuse of the Egyptian people every day, Sadat said. “Moscow incites the actions of the Arab dwarfs around us and rejoices in the rup ture of Arab relations” with Cairo. “And yet, we are completely prepared to reciprocate friendship with friendship,” he said. “But the Soviet Union should know that we reject interference in our affairs, we reject its methods and reject any attempt at imposing its regime on us,” he said. In Lebanon, after four days of bloody clashes, the two largest right-wing Chris tian militia groups said today they had merged into one organization. The move was seen as an effort to pre vent further violence. Police sources said at least 25 people had been killed and about twice as many wounded in the fighting with rockets, mortars and machine guns — the worst between rival Christian militias in 11 months. The battles were particularly se vere in the southeast suburb of Fum Al Chebbak and Ain Rummaneh. The right-wing Phalangist radio said that the Phalangist and National Liberal parties formally merged at midday Tuesday into a unified political command. Earlier Eygpt Prime Minister Mustafa Khalil said Arab nations spurning the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty have failed to come up with a working alternative to the pact and Egypt’s policy was the “sole, path” toward a solution. Proposed amendment Look out below Battalion photos by Mike Stone Mickey Gilleys’ hot-air balloon got off to a good start Sunday morning, but eventually fizzled out when it ran out of fuel about a mile from downtown Snook. The balloon from Houston ran out of gas and landed in a pasture around noon after taking off from the polo field on campus earlier that morning. Local residents offered help, but no one was injured. Voters could make own laws United Press International AUSTIN — The House Tuesday tenta tively approved a constitutional amend ment giving citizens indirect initiative and referendum but proponents must find another 11 votes for final passage of the proposal. The constitutional amendment by Rep. Carlyle Smith was adopted 89-33 but 100 votes are needed for adoption of constitu tional amendments. Fourteen members were recorded as present not voting. Under the proposal, citizens would be able to submit to the Legislature proposed statutes and constitutional amendments and would be allowed, through referen dum, to repeal existing laws. Both initiative and referendum pro cesses would require signatures from 15 percent of the citizens casting votes in the last gubernatorial race. Each petition would have to be signed by 15 percent of the registered voters in at least 50 of the state’s 254 counties. The petitions would have to gathered during a nine-month period and have to be submitted at least 60 days before a statewide general election. The legislation is not what Gov. Bill Clements has asked for, but he has said he would accept the compromise. Reps. Mary Polk and Luther Jones, both D-El Paso, tried separate approaches to make major changes in Smith’s measure. Ms. Polk offered a substitute that called for at least 15 percent participation in peti tion gathering in 20 of the state’s 31 senato rial districts. Her proposal would have al lowed citizens to request adoption or re peal of certain laws. Any bill proposed through initiative would have to be intro duced in the Legislature by the speaker and the lieutenant governor. But Smith argued Ms. Polk’s proposal was not true initiative and referendum. “This is a petition bill, it’s not initiative and referendum,” he said. “They’ve got to do it (gather petitions) in 20 senatorial dis tricts just to let you know what they want. ” Jones’ amendment was an appeal to Clements, who made initiative and re ferendum one of the central themes of his campaign last fall. Jones’ proposal would given citizens the right to draft and repeal legislation without the consent of the Legis lature. Jones urged members to ignore threats by Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby that the Senate would defeat any initiative and referendum legislation. “Experience has taught us that when the pressure is on. Gov. Hobby folds. So don’t worry about him,” Jones said before his proposal was defeated 66-70. 10,000 refugees a month expected from Vietnam United Press International JAKARTA, Indonesia — Hanoi an nounced Tuesday night it was ready to send 10,000 refugees a month directly from Vietnam to countries of resettlement, mainly the United States, Australia, and France. Vu Huong, head of the Vietnamese dele gation to the conference on Indochina ref ugees here said Hanoi has already accepted 20,000 applications by Vietnamese seeking to escape the Communist nation. He said he plans to submit the pa perwork May 23 to the U.N. High Com missioner for Refugees in Hanoi for final approval by the resettlement countries. Huong said that if the Commisssioner approves the Vietnamese plan, the Com munists would send 10,000 refugees next month to resettlement countries, mainly the United States, Australia, and France and added that Hanoi will not oppose in any way the human outflow. He said Hanoi could send 10,000 ref ugees a month for an unspecified period of time. He said Vietnam decided to send the refugees directly to countries willing to ac cept them on a permanent basis because Hanoi wanted to alleviate the “boat people” burden on neighboring countries. Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong have shared the brunt of the arrivals.