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DThe Battalion
l/ol. 73 No. 62
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4 Pages in 2 Sections
Thursday, November 29, 1979
College Station, Texas
USPS 045 360
Phone 845-2611
in
Rest in peace, elephants
Elephant Walk, a tradition for graduating seniors at Texas A&M Univer
sity, began Wednesday afternoon in front of the Academic Building and
ended on Duncan Intramural Field. Seniors wandered aimlessly around
campus, imitating elephants looking for a place to die. Senior yell leaders
(left) stand by “Sully” to lead the Class of ’80 yell before the walk.
Elephant walk also included a walk through a “graveyard” for the “dying
elephant” seniors (right). Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
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indents call council ‘Carter s loudspeaker
Iran plans boycott of U.N. meeting
ISI
United Press International
EHRAN, Iran — Moslem militant stu-
[its holding 49 American hostages said
dnesday Iran would boycott the “sata-
United Nations Security Council
eting on the embassy crisis.
'he students’ declaration, broadcast by
state radio, appeared designed to influ-
:e the government decision on whether
end Acting Foreign Minister Abol Has-
ari Bani-Sadr to the meeting in New York,
eports from New York said Bani-Sadr
arrive at the United Nations Saturday
|er a countrywide referendum on Iran’s
lew Islamic constitution and Shiite morn-
pg ceremonies. The Security Council
fleeting was postponed until at least Satur
day night.
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“What is the Security Council? Is it any
thing except Carter’s own loudspeaker?”
the students’ declaration said.
It said the Islamic Revolutionary Council
“of course will not send any representative
to the so-called American Security Coun
cil, which is ridiculing our revolution.”
In another move Wednesday, the official
Pars news agency said the Iranian govern
ment has converted all its dollar-
denominated letters of credit into major
European and Asian currencies.
Morteza Movahedizadeh, head of the
State Trading Company, said the letters of
credit had been converted into British
pounds. West German marks and the
Japanese yen. He also said “there is no
need for alarm” about Iran’s food reserves
in the wake of the current Iran-American
crisis.
U.S. Congressman George Hansen, R-
Idaho, left Tehran Wednesday after a con
troversial week-long visit. Before boarding
a British Airways flight for London, Han
sen told reporters he hoped to set in motion
the process for the release of the hostages.
Officials in Washington, from the White
House to Congress, criticized Hansen’s un
official mission, saying it blocked U.S. di
plomatic efforts to free the Americans.
Hansen, who spoke with the militants
holding the hostages, has angrily accused
U.S. officials of covering up their “tragic
decision” to admit the shah into the United
States.
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arter says ‘grave consequences’
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United Press International
WASHINGTON — A grim President
[arter has sent Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah
Jhomeini an unmistakable message: Let
my people go — or else.
Carter, the burdens of power written in
le lines on his brow, said he spends every
aking hour worrying about the American
astages in Iran. He stopped short of set-
ing a deadline or revealing his military
ptions lest he spark reprisals.
In an opening statement televised na-
onally Wednesday night the president
arned of “the grave consequences which
result if harm comes to any of the hos-
iges.”
Carter indicated he considers the hos-
iges already harmed — at least psycholo
gically — by their “inhuman and degrad
ing” treatment in Tehran.
The president made an indirect threat of
military action as a last resort by saying “a
peaceful solution is preferable” to the other
remedies available to the United States.
But he repeatedly refused to explain ex
actly what options would be considered if a
peaceful solution does not come about.
Carter said America’s patience is being
sorely tested but “it would not be possible
or even advisable for me to set a deadline
about when or if I would take certain action
in the future.”
He described the embassy takeover as an
“unprecedented and unique occurrence,”
not a sign of “any sort of cold war with
Islamic countries.
Carter declined to comment on former
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s critic
ism of his Iranian policies, and denied re
ports Kissinger had influenced Carter to
allow the shah to come to New York to
receive medical attention.
Carter also said he did not regret his
decision to allow the shah to enter the U.S.
and would not pressure the shah to leave.
He only managed one light note during
the news conference — in response to a
question about whether the United States
intends to let more Iranian students into
the country.
“It’s very difficult for an Iranian student
to get a visa at the American Embassy in
Tehran now,” he replied with a faint smile.
Professor studies ancient fecal remains
to learn prehistoric man s eating habits
nerfl
es
By MARJORIE McLAUGHLIN
Battalion Reporter
An anthropology professor at Texas
k&M University is unraveling the myster-
is of prehistoric man’s diet using very un-
iual research material. He examines
ncient fecal remains called coprolites.
With coprolite research, we can get an
ccurate picture of the precise foods that
rehiftoric man ate,” said Dr. Vaughn M.
ryant Jr. in a Wednesday night speech
tonsored by the Faculty Lecture Series.
Coprolite analysis is painstaking work,
ryant said. It often takes three years to
tmplete testing on 100 samples.
I The first step in the analysis process is to
determine chemically whether the samples
are human or animal, Bryant said. The
samples are then prepared for analysis.
“It is smelly work,” Bryant said. “My
first lab was in the condemned part of the
geology building.”
Bryant uses electron-scanning and light
microscopes to analyze the samples. Pollen
grains and fibers found in the samples show
what types of plants were eaten by early
man.
Bryant said that a wide range of animal
materials found in the coprolites, such as
fish scales, animal hairs and bones, are
used to identify the types of animals eaten.
His research has shown that prehistoric
man had a primarily high fiber, low fat and
salt diet.
Even the individual’s health can be de
termined by examining the coprolites,
which often contain the eggs of parasites
that plagued early man, he said.
Although his research reveals facts about
man in the past, Bryant said this informa
tion can also aid man today.
“We don’t have to go back to the cave to
profit from this information,” he said.
Bryant said that over 80 million people in
the United States are overweight and that
statistics show that six out of 10 major dis
eases are caused by dietary problems.
“If we adopt some of the criteria of pre
historic man’s diet, we would lose weight
and feel healthier,” Bryant said.
In Washington Tuesday, Carter said the
treatment of the Americans was reprehen
sible and “a disgrace to everyone who be
lieves in civilization.”
Khomeini, in a statement Tuesday from
his headquarters in Qom, a city whose airs
pace was declared off-limits to all commer
cial airliners, said the hostages, whose “act
of espionage has been proven to the Iranian
nation,” would be put on trial as spies, but
he did not specify when.
Bonfire stack
on schedule
By CYNTHIA THOMAS
Battalion Reporter
The rise of the 1979 Aggie Bonfire
has been a slow and steady process,
but no slower than usual, redpots said.
Redpots are students who coordinate
the building of Bonfire.
Sterling Price, head civilian redpot,
said the stack is about as far along as it
usually is at this time of Bonfire week.
The stack will probably be about the
same size as last year’s, he said.
Redpot Arthur Wolfskill said that
the 60-foot center pole went up in
October and that they have been
Related story, page 12
working on the stack for almost a
month.
“We have two different shifts that
work at night,” Price said, “one from 9
p.m. to 1 a. m. and the other from 2
a.m. to 6 a.m., each with about 300
people.” Price said very few people
work during the ay.
“We like to have people to come out
at all times during the day so we can
run all the time, but they don’t come
out very often, ” Wolfskill said. He said
when shifts do work during the day,
there are few people on them.
“We ll be working on it right up
until it burns,” Wolfskill said. “The
last thing we’ll do is put the out house
on, fuel it and then bum it.”
Price said that no matter how far
along Bonfire is, it will be lit at 7:30
p.m. Friday.
Immigration service to meet
Iranian students next week
The Immigration and Naturalization Service will be on
campus Wednesday to meet with Iranian students.
INS officials will be in the International Center, Room
251ofBizzelI Hall, from 10a.m. to4p.m. Students need to
bring their passports and Form 1-94.
CS police deny
mutilation rumor
By RICHARD OLIVER
Battalion Staff
Once again rumors have surfaced con
cerning the investigation of the killing of
LeShan Muhlinghaus, and once again
police have denied they are true.
An unidentified source in the district
attorney’s office Wednesday told The Bat
talion that the body of LeShan Muhling
haus was disfigured in addition to the num
erous stab wounds reported by police.
Edgar Feldman, College Station assis
tant police chief, said the rumor was not
true.
“No, the body just had numerous stab
wounds, and that’s all,” he said. “There was
no mutilation.”
The police originally reported there was
a single stab wound on the body, then later
reported there were two dozen.
The Battalion also was told a suspect in
the case had refused to take a polygraph
test, but Feldman denied this.
He said the investigation is still under
way, and nothing new has surfaced.
“Our detectives have had meetings with
the University police to compare notes,”
he said. “We’re still checking out leads.”
Feldman would not say whether any
connection had been found between the
Muhlinghaus miirder and a murder inves
tigation in Amarillo.
A police officer, who preferred to remain
anonymous, said the investigation had
turned up many suspects, but he would not
confirm or deny any of the rumors reported
to The Battalion.
The officer said all information was part
of the investigative process, and any re
lease of information would be detrimental.
“There are just a whole lot of people
involved in this,” he said. “The news media
already know more than we want them to
know. By letting the media know anything,
we’re letting the murderer know every
thing we know.”
The officer also said he thought the
media had made a mistake by printing the
composite sketch of the murderer.
“They (the media) don’t realize just how
important this is, ” he said. “By printing the
sketch, the murderer can change his
appearance in any way to do what he
wants.”
Woman injures one
in Kennedy’s office
United Press International
WASHINGTON — An incoherent
woman armed with a hunting knife burst
into Sen. Edward Kennedy’s reception
office Wednesday and slightly wounded a
Secret Service agent before she was sub
dued and arrested.
The Democratic presidential candidate
from Massachusetts was in his private office
at the time of the incident, which occurred
in an outer reception room.
The woman, identified as Susan Osgood,
38, of Boston, was arrested by Kennedy’s
Secret Service detail and Capitol Police
after she entered the small reception room,
let out a loud yell and was asked to leave.
Instead, she brandished a 6-inch hunting
knife and scuffled with agents, who took it
away.
Agent Joseph Meusburger, 26, received
a nick on the hand in the scuffle, but re
turned to work after receiving first aid at
the scene. He is a member of Kennedy’s
protection team — one is assigned to each
presidential candidate.
“It was fine. The Secret Service handled
it,” Kennedy was quoted by aide Rick
Burke. Burke said Kennedy did not see the
woman.
The woman was scheduled for arraign
ment in federal court later in the day.
“She didn’t get anywhere near the sena
tor,” said Melody Miller, a spokeswoman
for the Kennedy campaign. “We have no
idea what she wanted to see the senator
about. No one could understand what she
was saying.
“She was incoherent and the agent tried
to take care of the situation. The Secret
Service asked her to leave,” said Miller.
“It was then she pulled the knife.”
“Most of the people are people who just
need to be listened to,” said Miller, who
served for 11 years as a receptionist for
Kennedy, She is now a Kennedy campaign
press assistant.
Miller’s successor, Mary Ann Mikulich,
and another woman aide reacted swiftly
when the attack occurred, according to a
plan arranged for such an emergency.
“The two of us went to lock the other
doors (in the suite)” while the Secret Ser
vice agent sitting at her left wrestled the
assailant to the floor.
Kennedy, campaigning later in the day
in Mason City, Iowa, commended the Sec
ret Service for the manner in which they
handled the incident.
Since Kennedy began publicly talking of
a presidential campaign, Secret Service
agents have guarded him around the clock.
Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
Bonfire redpots attach the top cross-member, which will support logs on
the 60-foot Bonfire stack. The fire will be ignited at 7:30 p.m. Friday.