Vol. 73 No. 23
14 Pages
The Battalion
Wednesday, October 3, 1979
College Station, Texas
USPS 045 360
Phone 845-2611
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7,000 fewer student seats
available for U of H game
By DARRELL LUECKEMEYER
Battalion Reporter
Construction setbacks at Kyle Field will
leave about 7,000 fewer seats available
than previously anticipated for the football
game Oct. 13 with the University of Hous
ton, officials said Tuesday.
Assistant Athletic Director Wally Groff
said only 19,000 student seats will be
available — 5,000 fewer than last fall. An
additional 3,000- 4,000 seats will be on the
track. As of Monday, 22,000 student tick-
etbooks had been issued.
When completed, the stadium will ac
commodate approximately 71,600 people.
Capacity last year was 54,000.
A spokesman for the contractor said
Tuesday that two sections of the upper
deck — one on each side of the stadium —
will be usable for the University of Hous
ton game, with progressively larger
number of seats available for games later
in the season.
Next week, students who do not receive
seats will have three options:
— Accept seats on the track.
— Watch the game on closed circuit tele
vision.
— Receive a refund for the ticket.
KAMU-TV will provide the closed cir
cuit television coverage for the game in G.
Rollie White, which has a seating capacity
of 8,000. Seats not claimed before the
game will be sold for $3 to students and $5
for non-students.
Student Body President Ronald Kapavik
expects students to be angry over the situ
ation, but says the athletic department is
doing the best it can.
“Freshmen have always been discrimi
nated against in the seniority system,”
Kapavik said. “We’ll just have to put up
with it for a while.”
Groff said with construction running
behind schedule, the total seating capacity
will be 57,000 for the U of H game, 1,000
more than last years’ capacity.
Many Aggie Club season ticket holders
will find themselves on the Texas A&M
student side of the stadium once again.
More than 2,200 Aggie Club members —-
who pay from $600 to $1,200 for the right
to order season tickets — will be moved
from the west side to the east side.
Also, Groff said 1,500 tickets allotted for
the high school students attending Career
Day Oct. 13 have been canceled to make
room for more Texas A&M students.
“We hope to accommodate all students
for the SMU game Nov. 3,” Kapavik said.
Completion of the Kyle Field expansion
is expected Nov. 17.
Like predecessor, pope pleads
for peace before U.N. assembly
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Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
Construction workers, silhouetted against the evening sky, work long
hours to make Texas A&M’s Kyle Field ready for the first game against
University of Houston Oct. 13. The U of H game ill be in the stadium,
although fewer seats will be available than previously anticipated.
‘No fuel like an old fuel’
United Press International
UNITED NATIONS — The talk was
reminiscent of the first papal visit to the
United Nations 14 years before, but Pope
John Paul II went a step further.
John Paul Tuesday repeated the call for
peace and “never again war” that Pope
Paul VI delivered when he addressed the
world body in 1965.
But then, John Paul said peace will be
elusive so long as human rights and human
dignity are not upheld; so long as the
human spirit is oppressed by politics, eco
nomic plight or tyranny.
“Every human being is endowed with a
dignity that must never be lessened, im
paired or destroyed ... if peace is really to
be built,” he said, depicting the Universal
Declaration of Human rights as the cor
nerstone of the United Nations.
The pope said the “frightful disparities
between excessively rich individuals and
groups on one hand, and on the other
hand the majority made up of the poor or
indeed the destitute” was a threat to
peace.
For six hours, the pope excited the dip
lomatic routine at the United Nations with
his appeal to mankind to respect human
rights and bring peace at last to the world.
The heavily guarded U.N. building was
packed with diplomats, politicians, reli
gious groups, reporters and staff when
See related stories, pages 7, 8 and 11
John Paul made the rounds in the confer
ence halls and lobbies — waving, blessing
and lifting the spirits of the world’s repre
sentatives.
The highlight of his visit was a 70-
minute speech in the General Assembly to
2,000 delegates and guests. Thousands
more watched on closed-circuit television.
The pope said there was a “second sys
tematic threat” to peace in “the various
forms of injustice in the field of the spirit. ”
He spoke for the advancement of civil
liberties “under any political regime or
system.”
He also urged a settlement of the Mid
dle East crisis, but pointedly said it must
include the rights of the Palestinian
people. He warned huge arms stockpiles
mean that “sometime, somewhere, some
how, someone can set in motion the terri
ble mechanics of general destruction. ”
“The speech has made a mark in the
spiritual and political history of the United
Nations,” said one diplomat.
The Albanians, as Communist purists,
boycotted the visit. The Chinese, unhappy
about the Vatican’s continued relations
with Taiwan, played it low-key — attend
ing the speech but avoiding two social
functions.
The two principal Middle East rivals,
Farouk Khaddoumi, delegation head of
the Palestine Liberation Organization, and
Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Blum, each
had brief friendly chats with the pontiff
and each interpreted the speech in his
own way.
Blum liked the specific condemnation of
the World War II holocaust. “There was a
very moving passage about Auschwitz, ” he
said.
Khaddoumi was delighted with the
pope’s recognition of Palestinian rights
and his idea of a special statute and inter
national guarantees for Jerusalem, which
Israel claims as its capital. Khaddoumi
urged the pope to visit Palestine.
The pope did not respond immediately.
Liquid propane becoming popular
By KENT DUNLAP
Battalion Reporter
With all the talk about gasohol and grain
alcohol as alternatives to gasoline, an old
fuel that bums cleaner and allows cheaper
operation is becoming more attractive.
The conversion of a gasoline-powered
vehicle to liquid propane may be a logical
alternative to spot gasoline shortages and
increasingoline prices.
Dr. Ashley Lovell, area economist with
the Texas Agricultural Extension Service,
said there has been a sudden increase in
demand for liquid propane conversion kits
for gasoline-powered vehicles, due to the
widening gap between gasoline and pro
pane fuel prices.
Savings will increase over a given period
of time, Lovell said, because of the in
creasing difference in prices between the
two fuels and high mileage use of the vehi
cle.
“A major conversion benefit is the an
ticipated lower fuel cost per mile,”
Lovell said.
Since propane produces only about 75
percent as much energy as gasoline, a
20-30 percent decrease in miles per gallon
could be expected.
“If reduced fuel cost per mile is the
major savings considered, then the annual
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14-year-old threatens
to shoot classmates
United Press International
HOUSTON — A 14-year-old boy, de
scribed as a good student who considered
himself “mistreated by everyone,” Tues
day pulled a .45-caliber pistol in class and
threatened to shoot his classmates and
himself before surrendering, police said.
Assistant Principal Ben Lenamon of
George Thompson Intermediate School
said the boy sneaked his father’s pistol
away from home, wrapped it in a news
paper and brought it to school in a grocery
bag.
Lenamon said the boy, whose name was
withheld, pulled the gun about 9:20 a.m.
in math class, threatening his teacher and
about 30 other students. Eight students
ran from class the moment the boy pulled
the gun.
“He brought it out and told everyone in
class to freeze and then he began to talk
about how he was mistreated by
everyone,” Lenamon said.
The principal talked the boy into sur
rendering the ammunition clip.
Lenamon said the gun at that point was
unloaded but officials were uncertain so
they waited for police, who persuaded the
boy to give up the gun. Police released the
boy to his parents.
amount of savings is directly related to the
annual mileage,” Lovell said.
For example, assume a vehicle gets 15
miles per gallon from gasoline and 11.25
miles per gallon from liquid propane.
Gasoline is $1 per gallon and liquid pro
pane is 55 cents per gallon. The rate of
savings is 10 percent.
“Driving 10,000 miles a year, you would
save about $865 in seven years,” Lovell
said. At 15,000 miles a year, the dis
counted savings would be $845 in four
years, and if you drove 20,000 miles annu
ally, you would save $884 over three
years, Lovell said.
The total savings received from reduced
fuel costs is not the onlyavshnwr will
realize.
Since liquid propane burns cleaner and
has a higher octane rating than gasoline, it
should cause less engine wear.
Savings should also include longer life of
spark plugs and crankcase oil.
The liquid propane conversion kit in-
Firefighting dispute
eludes a tank for storing the fuel; a conver
ter, which vaporizes the fuel; and a mixer,
which mixes the propane gas with air. The
cost is about $1,000, including installation.
These kits are sold and installed by most
propane dealers.
Lovell said the conversion represents a
major capital investment and should be
considered carefully before the change is
made.
As for power and work efficiency, Lovell
said that he has heard both pros and ons.
“I’ve heard both sides. Some have said
that there is some loss of power, while
others have said they couldn’t see any dif
ference,” Lovell said.
Since the gas lines have disappeared
and the price of gasoline has leveled off
does not see the system having a strong
impact at the present time.
When gas lines and soaring prices re
turn, the system could have a far greater
impact.
Chief wants solution
Mexican bus accident
called worst in 15 years
United Press International
LAREDO — A passenger bus collided with a semi-trailer truck 14 miles south
of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, early Tuesday, killing more than 10 persons and injur
ing up to 40 others.
Reports from the scene indicated at least 11 and perhaps as many as 18 persons,
including the drivers of both vehicles, were killed instantly in the wreck. The
accident was described as the worst in 15 years for the Nuevo Laredo area.
A spokesman for the Laredo Fire Department said the Red Cross in Mexico
telephoned at 1:12 a.m. Tuesday seeking assistance from its rescue squad in
removing the victims from the wreckage of the bus and a truck loaded with soft
drinks on the Pan American Highway between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey.
The spokesman said the victims were rushed by ambulances and private vehi
cles to hospitals in Nuevo Laredo.
“When the men returned, they reported 12 persons killed instantly and 38 to 40
injured persons,” the Fire Department spokesman said.
Mexican newspapers reported 11 deaths, while Spanish radio broadcasts indi
cated 14 to 18 persons died in the collision.
By RICHARD OLIVER
Battalion Staff
Negotiations between the College Sta
tion city council and Brazos County over a
new firefighting contract have not begun
yet, but College Station fire chief Douglas
Landua is ready for a solution.
The City of College Station is involved
in a contract dispute with Brazos County
over fire services. Under the present con
tract, which expires Dec. 1, the county
pays College Station whenever the city
fights a fire outside the city limits.
According to several city council mem
bers, College Station has not been paid for
several calls made during the summer.
Landua said he wishes the city council
and the commissioners court could get to
gether to settle the issue.
The city had given Brazos County an
ultimaumn to be accepted or rejected
within 30 days, at the beginning of Sep
tember to solve the problem or face ter
mination of fire services. The deadline was
extended until Dec. 1 at the Thursday
council meeting.
In that meeting. City Manager North
Bardell listed communication between the
area volunteer fire departments as a major
problem which needs to be solved in the
new contract.
Bardell said there have been instances
when the city fire department and both
volunteer units have shown up to fight a
fire outside of the city limits.
“We really don’t have a whole lot to do
with them,” Landua said about the volun
teer departments. “We have had no prob
lems with the volunteer fire depart
ments.”
Until the situation is settled, the station
will not alter its response to emergency
call outside the city limits, he said.
“As far as I’m concerned,” Landua said,
“each call will be answered as quickly as
possible.
“We will continue to do so until the
court tells us to do otherwise,” he added.
“Until Dec. 1, we will not change our pro
cedure at all.”
Bardell told the city council he expected
some changes in the new contract.
One of the changes Bardell mentioned
would involve the creation of a central fire
dispatching office for the county. Another
idea would create a new fire unit in the
county that would respond to rural calls.
Landua, however, has steered clear of
any of the decision making.
“I haven’t been involved in negotiations
at all,” he said. “Really, I don’t see any
thing wrong with the way we re doing it
now. As far as who pays who, I suppose
that’s an important part, also. I’m sure all
of that comes into it, but we are still here
to give protection, and that’s what we are
going to do.”
Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
Aggieland editor Pat O’Malley displays one of the 1979 yearbooks which
will be distributed starting today. Behind O’Malley are a few of the
16,000 Aggieland yearbooks published this year.
"79 Aggieland now here;
’78 Aggieland gets award
Distribution of the 1979 Texas A&M
University yearbooks, the Aggieland,
starts today in Lounge C, which is bet-
weealton and Schumacher halls. Students
who have bought a yearbook need to show
their student I. D. s to pick up their books.
The Aggieland is the largest college
yearbook in the nation. More than 16,000
copies were sold this year.
The 1978 Aggieland, edited by Norine
Harris, won a Certificate of Award in the
1979 graphics arts competition of the
Printing Industry of America in the college
yearbook category.
The purpose of the contest is to promote
high standards in the production and de
sign of printed material and is open to us
ers, creators and producers of printing of
all designs and processes.
Awards, which include plaques and cer
tificates, will be presented in dinner
ceremonies in Washington, D.C., this
month.