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.