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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1979)
tea ' f 0 n New %f 1 Uenvp,,,;),' . env er«f; : ru pp°f^ ln g Punter (i. ft“ d S ( L P4rcl Baalists, 11 will be ^ “PPionwbkl Playoffs. K are elimjj t er record^ J 5 in Han Diego ( i Miami, /er' nd CleveQ] The Battalion USPS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 Monday, December 17, 1979 College Station, Texas Vol. 73 No. 74 14 Pages Campus United Way drive hits 63 percent The final amount collected by the 1979 Campus Un ited Way totaled $47, 279, according to a release from Don Hellriegel, campus chairman. This amount is 63 percent of the $75,000 for the campus. hah move to Panama angers Iranians United Press International ONTADORA ISLAND, Panama — deposed shah of Iran spent his first day 'anamanian exile Sunday on Contadora md, a millionaires’ hideaway that once : the setting for Panama Canal treaty 'otiations. ingered by the shah’s departure, the dent holding 50 Americans hostage in Qj U.S. Embassy in Tehran said Saturday " hostages would definitely be paraded hre an Islamic court as spies. j ources sa i c l the exiled monarch, his wife eight others had moved into the holi- home of Samuel Lewis, the brother of [briel Lewis, Panama’s former ambassa- ■ to Washington. The sources said the residence was one of belonging to wealthy Panamanians on [e remote tropical Pacific island, 35 miles of Panama City, with a permanent mlation of only some 200 people and one -room luxury hotel. he island, sources said, is promoted as a sn for snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing [fishing. The island also has casinos, golf rses and tennis courts, e chief of security for Panama’s Na- alGuard, Col. Manuel Antonio Norieg, charge of guarding the shah, moved a tingent of soldiers to the island, author- s said. hah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi left San tonio’s Lackland Air Force Base Satur- ^ and flew to Panama, ending a two- mth visit to the United States that led to izn* Ub the seizure of 50 hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Iran’s revolutionary Islamic government announced Sunday that as a result of the shah’s departure from the United States, trials of the hostages as spies would begin sometime before Christmas or New Year’s. Panamanian President Aristides Royo Saturday said his country had granted poli tical asylum to the shah “to contribute to the solution of the world crisis.” “He (the shah) comes to Panama without restrictions as to time and without condi tions from Panama and his stay will not cost the Panamanian people anything. Panama is a hospitable country and the shah will be well received. He will not be a cause for problems in Panama,’’ Royo said. The shah, in a television interview, thanked authorities for his invitation, saying, “I hope that your country will al ways have a future of happiness with pros perity and progress.” Panama’s decision to accept the shah fol lowed a marked improvement in relations with the United States after the Oct. 1 turnover of the Panama Canal. The shah had lived in Mexico for five months, from June 10 to Oct. 22, when he went to New York for cancer treatments. But Mexico’s sudden Nov. 29 announce ment that the shah was not welcome to return left the fallen monarch without a home in exile until Panama accepted him. The shah, accompanied by his wife, Empress Farah, flew out of Texas secretly Saturday morning and by mid-afternoon he had settled into a hotel on the Pacific Island of Contadora — 35 miles from Panama City. “The government of Panama has stated its hope that the provision for a place of residence for the shah in Panama will help to bring about a peaceful resolution of the present crisis,” White House spokesman Jody Powell said. Although administration officials indi cated they hoped the departure would mean freedom for the 50 Americans still at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iranian mili tants holding the diplomats said it now is certain they will be put on trial for spying. The final authority on the matter. See related stories, page 11 however, was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and he had no immediate com ment. Pahlavi’s dramatic departure occurred just as the World Court at the Hague ruled Unanimously that Iran must release the hostages. The court has no power to enforce its ruling, but it is part of the United Nations and a statement issued at the White House said the United States hopes the U.N. Security Council will “deal with any failure by Iran” to comply with the decision. The deposed monarch arrived in New York from Mexico Oct. 22 for cancer treat ment and gall bladder surgery. His arrival sparked the seizure of the U. S. Embassy in Tehran and the taking of American hos tages by radical followers of Ayatollah Ruhollab Khomeini. The radicals demanded the shah’s extra dition as ransom for the hostages, saying Pahlavi must be tried for crimes against Iran. But President Carter refused to talk with the Iranians about the shah until the American hostages are released. The Iranian students released some black and women hostages, leaving 50 Americans captive at the embassy. Iranian students staged demonstrations in the United States, and angry Americans shouted them down in counter demonstra tions as tensions grew over the crisis. The shah was moved to Lackland Air Force Base Dec. 2 amid tight security and secrecy. The official Pars news agency quoted the militants as saying that spy trials for hos tages held captive for the past six weeks are now “inevitable” because the shah’s depar ture meant the United States could no lon ger be forced into extraditing him to Iran to face trial. In the first reaction by a government official, Finance Minister Abol Hassan Bani Sadr, considered the Islamic regime’s most moderate figure, also said, “We must hold this trial.” The armed militants occupying the U.S. Embassy issued a brief statement through Pars saying that spy trials for the Americans would be “the minimum step” taken against the United States for allowing the shah to go to Panama instead of sending him back to Iran. “Now that the ex-shah has left the U. S. A. for Panama, the trial of the U.S. hostages in Iran is inevitable,” a spokesman for the embassy militants said. “This is the minimum step we will take, ” the spokesman said, adding further com muniques would be issued later. Despite the militants’ reaction, diplo mats said the final word on whether or not the Americans will be tried as spies — a charge that carries the death penalty — would have to come from Khomeini him self. Sheikh Sadeq Khalkhali, Iran’s senior Islamic judge, told reporters earlier Satur day Khomeini had not yet decided whether to try the hostages as spies. But he added if the trials be held then “the trials of the hostages will be the trial of President Carter.” Iran, which boycotted the U.N. court’s hearing, did not immediately comment on its ruling, which it had served notice in advance that it would not heed. The anger over the shah’s departure appeared to upset what diplomats earlier said were hopeful signs that Khomeini and the militants in the embassy might be sof tening their position on the crisis, which dragged into its 42nd day Saturday. Foreign Minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh meanwhile reported in a letter to Khomeini Saturday that preparations were going ahead to convene an international commis sion of “anti-imperialists and anti-zionists” to “investigate” alleged American spying activities in Iran. He reiterated Iran’s intention of drag ging at least some of the hostages before that panel for interrogation. The purpose of that questioning, he said, would be “to in form the world about the extent of Amer ica’s crimes and expose the corrupt moral ity of international expanionists.” For the captives themselves, there was a bit of Christmas cheer — several thousand pounds of it in fact — but it was waiting at Tehran’s Intercontinental Hotel to be deli vered. Christmas cards by the thousands — sent by Americans of all ages and from through out the United States — poured into the hotel, where reporters covering the Irnian crisis said they would collect and begin delivering them to the embassy on Monday. The cards came from children, from elderly people, from students, teachers and Americans from all walks of life. Nearly all were addressed to “Our fellow Americans” and they all expressed the hope that the hostages would be home for Christmas. A card designed and signed by Ray Kish, who said he was 10, summed up the feel ings of Americans young and old. “Dear fellow Americans,” Ray wrote, “I hope they let you go for Christmas, cause if they don’t it won’t be Christmas.” Halhouty tells 935 graduates not to let others think for them m\ i graduate student gives his opinion. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr. By LAURA CORTEZ Battalion Staff Michel T. Halbouty, consulting geolog ist and petroleum engineer, told 935 Texas A&M University degree candidates Satur day democracy in the United States will only exist as long as people participate in public and political affairs. “This country is crying out for leadership at all levels of government. You owe it to the country to use your prestige and intelli gence,” he said in his commencement address at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Halbouty, a recipient of the Texas A&M University Distinguished Alumni Award, urged the graduates not to let “the other fellow” do their thinking for them. He also said that the concentration of power is destructive. “Never underestimate the influence of an individual or of an organization in public affairs,” Halbouty said. During the last decade, he said, federal agencies increased more than 400 percent, and that has resulted in the federal govern ment becoming more involved in the affairs of society and of the economy. Halbouty urged the graduates never to forget “the law is made for the people and not the people for the law. ” In ceremonies Friday night, Texas A&M President Jarvis Miller conferred degrees upon 995 graduates, making the total num ber of December graduates 1,930. In his commencement address, Harold J. Haynes, board chairman for Standard Oil Company of California, told Friday’s gra duates that over-regulation has become the “Achilles heel” of our economic system. “To revitalize the tremendous produc tive potential of this great nation, America will need the spirit symbolized by the 12th man — the willingness to participate if cal led upon,” he said. Haynes graduated from Texas A&M in 1947, and is a recipient of the Disting uished Alumni Award. Seventy-seven of the graduates received military commissions from Rear Admiral Paul C. Gibbons Jr., U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Education and Training, in cere monies Saturday. Michel T. Halbouty Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr. he night-time exam blues Use of standardized tests at Texas A&M broadening in freshmen and sophomore level course By JETTIE STEEN Battalion Reporter Standardized exams in freshman and iophomore level courses at Texas A&M are lothing new — in fact their use is broadening. Standardized or common exams are of wo types, one of which all the questions are exactly the same and the other which measures the same abilities on an equiva lent difficulty level but questions are not identical. The math and biology departments have mplemented common exams into their freshman course curricula this fall. Howev er, the chemistry department at A&M has used the standardized exam system for over seven years in their first year program. Due to the large number of students in generalized freshman courses, said Dr. Rod O’Connor, professor of chemistry, there isn’t any other kind of exams one can give. He said it is not a matter of choice but one of necessity. The necessity stems from there not being enough manpower to grade individualized exams and no budget allocations to grade the exams other than by computer. “I’m not sure you could find enough peo ple qualified to grade the exams if you did have the money,” O’Connor said. This fall there are approximately 5,000 students in Chemistry 101, 102 and 106. These students are given exams that test abilities on equivalent difficulty levels. According to O’Connor, there are 18 forms of each exam with 26 variations of each type of exam question used on the 18 forms. Standardized testing doesn’t make the course material any easier for students, O’Connor said. It does, however, make it easier for some people to get a better grade than they would otherwise because, “a lucky guess is just as good as knowing what you’re doing,” he said. O’Connor said some students do poorer on the multiple choice exams because they can’t get any partial credit. They may set up a problem right and punch wrong numbers on a calculator. They miss the question as much as the guy who didn’t know anything, he said. O’Connor said to justify giving common exams, one must clearly specify what stu dents are to be responsible for, to spell out the objectives of a course. If students are willing to work they can learn the right material for a particular ex ams in a reasonable amount of time. Other wise, a student may have so much material due to undefined objectives, he ends up spinning his wheels and learns nothing, O’Connor said. Students could learn more if an indi vidualized exam could be used but that is an impossibility, he said. The math and biology departments have also found giving individualized exams im possible due to increasing course loads. These two departments began using com mon exams this fall in their introductory courses. Dr. William L. Perry, associate profes sor of math here, said the mathematics fa culty came up with the plan, however, it is not new as it is used in many different universities. “We decided to implement the system because we noticed a difference in difficul ty of exams across sections and we thought it would be fairer to the students if every one took the exact same exam,” Perry said. “There are 1,800 students enrolled in Math 102, college algebra, and if you are going to give a common exam you don’t want to be giving one at 8 a. m. and one at 4 p. m. because there could be statistical diffi culties.” Therefore, a common time had to be set for which the exam would be given. Perry said this is a major drawback of the system as many students work at night and there are many courses now being offered at night. “We have to give the exam at night be cause so many hours of the day are used up and there is no one place large enough and available to give the exam in the daytime,” he said. Students are assigned to one of two exam periods on Wednesday night according to their section numbers. Students are allowed to change the exam period if they have work conflicts or other valid excuses. The math departments gives three, one- hour exams during the semester which are multiple choice, identical question tests. Only the correct answer is acceptable — no partial credit is given because the exams are graded by computer. These exams are designed by the 12 in structors of the 18 sections of college algeb ra. In three committees of four members each, the faculty rotates duties of the exam make-up during the semester. One makes up the exam, the second critiques it and the third proofreads the exam, has it copied and at the exam site at the proper time. “We did not decide to give common ex ams to lower our Q-drop rate which is is probably the highest in the university — we just thought is would be fairer to stu dents,” Perry said. “So far this semester, the scores have been more uniform and we know now that we have all the mechanics of such a system done. The averages across all the sections have not varied more than five points so I think its been fairer than in the past and in that sense achieved our objectives,” Perry said. As for the improvement of grades due to the use of standardized exams there are conflicting results. The math department is predicting no significant changes in grade distribution. However in the chemistry de partment, they have experienced a 50 per cent cutback in the number of F’s and Q- drops. Both departments claim that common exams are set up to be-fairer to and students and both said their programs would con tinue as such as long as they received approval. To receive approval for a common exam proposal, a department must first file a petition with the dean of that college and then the proposal goes to the Vice Presi dent for Academic Affairs, Dr. John Pre scott. According to Dr. Charles McCandless, associate vice President for Academic Affairs, Prescott places two stipulations on the proposals before approving them: — A student has to have released time from regular scheduled classes equivalent to the time of that exam. — Every student has an option to take a make-up exam at another time if there is a legitimate conflict such as work or a univer sity excused absenses. “There is a common body of knowledge that should be diseminated among all sec tions of a course and common examinations increase the probability there will be a uni formity of material covered in all sections, ” McCandless said. In most cases there will be a better exam formulated, he said. “However, if some professors begin to teach only for the examination, that is a prostitution of the system of testing,” McCandless said. Dr. Garland Bayliss, vice president for academic services, said the complaint he has heard most often of common exams is the scheduling problem and the conflicts the scheduling creates. Despite the complaints. Perry said, the testing would continue in the math depart ment. “As long as I am in charge of college algebra and we can receive approval, tbis new testing system will continue in our department,” Perry said. Farmers’ costs rising faster than prices United Press International Prospects are bleak for the state’s far mers and ranchers in 1980 because produc tion costs are rising faster than the prices producers receive, an economist says. Dr. Carl G. Anderson, a marketing eco nomist for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service at Texas A&M University, says cow-calf operators may do better than most producers next year, however, because fewer calves are available. Demand, he said, should keep calf prices near levels attained this year. But Anderson said ranchers battling drought in south and southwest Texas are not expected to share that prosperity and are dispersing their entire herds. He also predicted a sluggish fed cattle market in 1980 due to increased pork and poultry competition and a national reces sion that may decrease beef demand. An abundance of hogs, broilers and tur keys is expected to depress prices in those markets until latter 1980, when a possible reduction in supply may bolster things, he said. Lamb prices also may be slightly low er than in 1979, Anderson said, because of a sizeable meat supply and an expected slight increase in U.S. lamb and mutton produc tion. Virtually no price fluctuation is exhected for cotton and grains, Anderson said, but soybean prices could dip because an in crease in world soybean consumption this year failed to offset a supply increase. Vegetable, fruit and nut production also is up, evidence of lower prices to come in those markets, he said. U.S. farmers paid $1.16 in 1979 for the same supplies that cost them $1 a year be fore. “For irrigated farming in Texas, the in crease will be much higher because of ris ing fuel and energy costs,” he said, adding there is no relief in sight. “Early this fall, prices paid by farmers for fuels and energy were 44 percent higher than a year earlier. Prices for tractors and other machinery were 11 percent higher, and for building and fencing, prices were up 10 percent. “Interest rates on narm mortgages had jumped 25 percent during this period,” Anderson said. Federal investigators say high degree of racial segregation exists in Texas state universities United Press International WASHINGTON — Federal investiga tors have found a high degree of racial seg regation in Texas state universities, it was reported Sunday. The New York Times said a 400-page report by the investigators is being re viewed by the Department of Health, Edu cation and Welfare in Washington, D.C. The newspaper, quoting officials in Texas and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, said the in vestigators found that the student bodies are heavily white or black at most Texas state colleges. “At most of the 38 state-supported senior colleges and universities and 47 commun ity colleges in Texas, the student body is either overwhelmingly white or over whelmingly black,” the Times said. As an example, it said there were only 721 blacks and 2,277 Hispanic-Americans compared to 28,213 white undergraduates during the 1976-77 school year at the Uni versity of Texas in Austin. The newspaper said the minority per centages fell far short of actual represention in the population of Texas — 12 percent black and 18 percent Hispanic. The Times said the report could provide a political dilemma for President Carter, hurting his standing in the state if the admi nistration begins desegregation action against Texas. Under the law, the government is requ red to withhold federal funds from segre gated colleges. The administration has yet to go that far, but it has forced several states to overhaul their higher education systems.