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The Battaijon
Vol. 73 No. 22
10 Pages
Tuesday, October 2, 1979
College Station, Texas
USPS 045 360
Phone 845-2611
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irigade in Cuba
( United Press International
WASHINGTON — President Carter
s won an assurance the 2,600 Soviet
rupie. ai Hoops are no t in Cuba to fight — but could
lour. ShonlMt persuade Kremlin leaders to order
during tl ftem home.
onday tli J The president, in a nationwide televi-
3:30-6:06 Jjon and radio address Monday night, an-
)-6:00 p.m, lunced a series of steps the United States
^sted inpnMill take to offset the Russian brigade
ig expend ll 1056 presence he called “a serious mat-
ation, or»J 1 " 1
ince WiljAsenior Pentagon official told repxjrters
"arter — as a show of firmness in the
aribbean region — has ordered Marines
) the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo,
uba, and is increasing the readiness of a
1,000-man rapid deployment force.
I have concluded the brigade issue is
trtainly no reason for a return to the
ImWar... We do not face any immediate,
pncrete threat that could escalate into
wor a major confrontation, ” Carter said.
The speech ended a month-long series
of top-level planning sessions in Washing-
Im and negotiations with the Soviets, in-
luding an exchange between Carter and
applicants.
Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev on the
hot line.
In the speech, Carter revealed the
Soviets refused to withdraw the brigade —
or even admit it is a combat unit.
But Carter flatly rejected the Soviet as
sertion it is a training unit, saying, “we
have persuasive evidence that the unit is a
combat brigade.”
He listed five steps the United States
will take in light of the Russian refusal to
withdraw the troops. Among them were:
—Increased monitoring of the troop
status in Cuba.
—Assurance that “no Soviet unit in
Cuba can be used as a combat force to
threaten the security of the United States
or any other nation in this hemisphere.”
—Establishment of a permanent, full
time Caribbean Joint Task Force Head
quarters at Key West, Fla. (Administra
tion officials said it would consist of 60 to
100 staff people, who will be augmented
from time to time with other units.)
—Increased U.S. economic aid to coun
tries in the Caribbean area.
—Direction to the secretary of defense
to enhance the Rapid Deployment Forces,
including a proposed Fire Brigade that
could be swiftly airlifted to trouble spots.
Early reaction to the speech indicated
the “hawks” felt Carter had been out-
punched, while the “doves” applauded the
president s turn-away-wrath approach.
“A confrontation,” Carter said, “might
be emotionally satisfying for a few days or
weeks for some people, but it would be
destructive to the national interest and the
security of the United States. ”
The president, as well as senior admin
istration officials who briefed reporters,
emphasized the unit is not a military
threat to the Unites.
Carter renewed his call to the Senate to
ratify the arms limitation treaty, and said:
“politics and nuclear arsenals do not mix.”
Carter pledged “we shall not rest on
these Soviet statements alone,” and told
other hemispheric nations they “can be
confident the United States will act in re
sponse to a request for assistance in meet
ing any threat from Soviet or Cuban
forces.”
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vying, Americans watch
scanal changes hands
United Press International
PANAMA CITY, Panama — The
lanama Canal Zone passed into history
Monday, becoming a part of Panama 76
fears after Yankee ingenuity and determi-
lation carved it out of the jungle.
I Dabbing the tears from their eyes with
handkerchiefs, many of the 12,000 “Zo-
fians in the American enclave watched
j the Stars and Stripes lowered over a way of
life that ended officially at 12:01 a. m.
■ Vice President Walter Mondale flew in
Bunday aboard Air Force 2 to join a half-
Bozen Latin American heads of state for
I the ceremonies marking the end of an era.
1 Many Americans, fearing violence when
, in( j (J an estimated 200,000 Panamanians
n [inarched into the zone Monday to cele-
t of moneiB
brate their takeover, packed their bags
and left during the weekend.
A few such as Max, a beefy American
working for the Panama Canal Co., fon
dled the handle of his ax and promised to
“crack some heads” and “defend the flag.”
Slouched over the bar at the VFW 7 Hall,
Max obviously did not share Mondale’s
view of the ceremonies handing
overuare-mile zone.
“The Panama Canal becomes a young
symbol of an ancient ideal — equality and
respect between two sovereign and inde
pendent nations, ” Mondale said upon ar
rival Sunday.
“We will stand with you in partnership
to operate the canal efficiently and fairly
and to defend it ... against all threats for
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New route
Buses connect east, west campus
By ANGELIQUE COPELAND
Battalion Reporter
A new intra-campus shuttle bus
route opened Monday, and should
make it easier to reach classes across
the tracks on the west side of the
campus.
The new route was made possible
by the completion of Agronomy
Road, which parallels Wellborn
Road and connects the Veterinary
Medicine Complex with the west
campus.
Buses stop by Beutel Health Cen
ter and Bizzell Hall on the east side
of the tracks and on Agronomy
Road, halfway between the Soil
Crop Science and Entomology
buildings and the vet school, on the
west side.
The service is free to all Texas
A&M University students, faculty
and staff. Buses run from 7:30 a. m.
to 5:30 p.m. at seven to 10 minute
intervals.
Gene Oates, chairman of the
shuttle bus committee, said the
service should also prove useful to
students and staff members who
park in the outlying lots near Olsen
Field. Those areas lie on the south
intra-campus route.
The service is paid for by the Stu
dent Services department.
South
- lot™ Gt'-'pvj
- ‘Bo-fW
Another intra-campus bus route opened Monday. The new northern
route runs past the Veterinary Medicine Complex. The flags on the map
above show the stops served by the two routes. Buses run from 7:30 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m.
the benefit of world commerce. ”
Part of the change-over ceremonies took
place Sunday, when the American flag was
lowered from the towering flagpole in
front of the Panama Canal Co. in the heart
of the enclave that straddles the 51-mile-
long canal carved out of Panama 76 years
ago to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific
oceans. - • . > - .
Some 5,000 Americans watched and
wept as the American flag came down with
the setting sun and Canal Zne Gov.
Harold Parffit told them: “The Canal Zone
has no tomorrows, only yesterdays, but it
leaves us with memories for a lifetime.”
Some were resigned but others were de
fiant, shouting “Canal Zone Forever” as
the Star Spangled Banner was played.
Some, like Max, got drunk.
By contrast, Panamanians outside the
chain-link fence that once was a border
and now is just a fence celebrated with
firecrackers and dancing in the streets.
Groups of men wearing the traditional
straw porkpie hats and women in color
fully embroidered skirts danced up and
down the avenues, tying up traffic for
blocks.
The Panamanian march into the Canal
Zone was expected to be led by Gen.
Omar Torrijos, Panama’s charismatic
leader who, along with President Carter,
negotiated the 1977 treaties abolishing the
zone and leading to Panamanian sover
eignty and control over the canal itself by
the year 2000.
“It’s going to be hard,” said Clara
Cooper, a long-time resident of the Zone.
“Today we re in the United States. Tomor
row we re going to wake up in a foreign
country.”
Bridge House, 1506 S. College Ave., offers
food, shelter and clothing for runaways or
juveniles awaiting trial or hearing.
Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
Alternative to jail for kids
By SYLVIA FELLOWS
Battalion Reporter
Thanks to a renewal of federal funding,
Bridge House will continue to offer food,
shelter and clothing for runaways or
juveniles awaiting trial or hearing.
Bridge House, at 1506 S. College Ave.,
received one of three criminal justice
grants recently awarded to Brazos County.
The three grants totaled $66,566.
The grant awarded to Bridge House will
cover 60 percent of its operating cost with
Brazos County paying 40 percent.
This service is slowly becoming more
dependent on local funds. When the pro
gram began three years ago, it was funded
entirely by federal money.
Last year. Bridge House received 80
percent from the federal government and
20 percent from the county. The federal
contribution will be reduced by 20 percent
each year.
According to Ernie Wentrcek, chief
probation officer. Bridge House offers ref
uge to runaways seeking help. He said
runaways are welcome and many have
been to the house from throughout the
country.
Social Science graduate students from
Texas A&M University counsel the chil
dren or listen sympathetically to their
problems, said Wentrcek. There are cur
rently five students working there, all of
whom receive pay for their services.
Bridge House uses organizations like
the Student Y to coordinate sports and
craft activities. Wentrcek said the staff is
also trying to get a Big-Brother, Big-Sister
program started.
A paid staff member is at the house at all
times. The doqrs are never locked, said
house supervisor Ron Huddleston, and,
with some exceptions, the kids are free to
leave if they wish.
However, juveniles waiting a trial or
hearing are usually required by the court
to stay at the house. Huddleston said if
these kids leave the house without permis
sion, they will most likely be picked up by
the police and ke'pt in jail.
“It’s more of a privilege to be here
rather than in jail,” Huddleston said.
“We re here to serve the kids.”
The house's capacity is 10 juveniles, but
Wentrcek said the average number of
housed at one time is three. The longest
anyone is allowed to stay is 145 days, but
he said the average length of a stay is three
to four days.
The second grant, of $11,890, was
awarded for the eighth year to the Brazos
Valley Development Council for training
police officers.
The BVDC reviews and comments on
all grants requested from counties in the
region.
Police officer training is conducted by
the Law Enforcement and Security Train
ing Division of the Engineering and rice,
at Texas A&M University.
Texas law requires newly hired police
officers to have 240 hours of training be
fore they are certified. Three certification
courses are conducted each year at the
Texas A&M Research Annex, according to
Claude C. Stewart, director of Criminal
Justice for the BVDC.
This training involves everything from
first-aid to learning the Penal Code of
Texas, said Stewart.
The third grant of $25,955 will provide
Max Rogers, presiding judge of the Sec
ond Administrative Judicial District, with
administrative assistance.
Rogers, whose district includes Brazos
County, lives in Huntsville, but his main
office is in Houston, where he does the
bulk of his work.
South’s governors make request
for 40 percent solar energy funds
United Press International
NEW ORLEANS — A panel of energy
experts of the Southern Governors Associ
ation recommends that the Sunbelt re
ceive 40 percent of the federal funding for
development of commercial solar energy.
The solar energy letter was one of sev
eral energy-related issues approved Sun
day by representatives of the Regional
Energy Advisory Board of 17 Southern
states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The resolutions will be discussed and
voted on by the governors this week.
The delegates also called for immediate
deregulation of oil prices and a financial
aid program to help the poor meet rising
energy bills.
The panel approved four other letters to
be sent to Energy Secretary Charles Dun
can dealing with price and supply controls
on gasoline, clean air regulations, a pro
posed energy mobilization board and re
gional energy corporations.
Paul Essex, a special assistant to Gov.
Jim Hunt of North Carolina, said the solar
energy letter would require the govern
ment to allocate 40 percent of all the
money spent to develop solar energy.
President Carter announced this summer
a national goal to obtain 20 percent of the
nation’s energy from solar and renewable
energy sources by the turn of the century.
Organizations must
get signature cards
Student organizations that wish to be
recognized by the Student Activities Of
fice must get signature cards into the Stu
dent Finance Center by Oct. 10. The of
fice is located in Room 217 of the Memo
rial Student Center and is open from 8
a.m. until 4 p.m.
The cards are available in the Student
Finance Center or the Student Activities
Office, Room 221 of the MSC. They must
be turned in for recognized student or
ganizations to reserve rooms, pay bills, set
up tables in the MSC and post fliers.
A procedures manual for recognized
student organizations should also be
picked up with the card.
“It says the South has the potential to
provide 40 percent of the goal,” Essex
said. “And, therefore, the South ought to
get 40 percent of the funds. ”
Essex said the program to make energy
assistance payments to persons with low
and fixed incomes would be based on the
person’s ability to pay for needed energy
as measured by per capita or family in
come.
“Per capita income in the South is lower
than the rest of the country, but more than
one-half of the women in the South work.
So, it makes a tremendous difference in
per family income,” Essex said.
The panel opposed a proposed regional
energy development act that would direct
money into projects studying how to in
crease energy supplies in certain regions,
espcially the Northeast.
“The Regional Energy Development
Act would funnel an enormous amount of
money into the Northeast at the expense
of the rest of us,” said Essex. “That to me
is enough for us in the South to be against
it.”
Sam Hammons, a senior administrative
assistant to Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh,
said the regional energy act would allow
government agencies to make “investment
decisions with a lot of money. ”
Hammons said he would, however, pre
fer the regional energy corporation con
cept to the national energy security corpo
ration proposed by President Carter.
Other letters drafted by the advisory
board include support for the President’s
Energy Mobilization Board, opposition to
the governors’ gasoline pricing authority
and a request that the Environmental Pro
tection Agency refrain from placing
additional requirements on state clean air
plan approvals other than those specifi
cally required in the federal Clean Air Act.
’79 Aggieland
distribution starts
at 10 tomorrow
Distribution of the 832-page 1979
Aggieland is scheduled to begin
about 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Books will be given out in the
small building called Lounge C, be
tween Walton and Schmacher
dorms. All students who have paid
for them need only show their stu
dent ID cards to pick up their books.
. More than 16,000 copies of the
nation’s largest university yearbook
have been sold this year.