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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1980)
in (Davis). M 1 he was unatj with it as farjl coaches and W ayers,” hesaill was unavailall Kan., said it is I of an inStitutjJ y about allege(i| arently isnottd I The Battauon Vol. 74 No. 6 12 Pages Serving the Texas A&M University community Monday, September 8, 1980 College Station, Texas US PS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 The Weather Yesterday Today High 88 High .. .90 Low 75 Low ... 77 Humidity. . 100% Humidity . 95% Rain . . 1.70 inches Chance of rain .... . 60% audis to raise oil price by $4 per barrel United Press International BEIRUT, Lebanon — Saudi Arabia, America’s biggest oil supplier, is about to jack up its price by $4 a barrel, an increase of nearly 15 percent, says the president of thi Arab-dominated OPEC oil cartel. ■Belkacem Nabi, who doubles as Algeria’s H minister, also indicated in an interview the Saudis may soon cut back oil production f*— a reduction that other oil experts say could reach 1 million barrels a day. BSuch a move would have a solid impact in the United States. America relies on Riyadh for nearly 24 percent of its daily oil imports and has capitalized on Saudi contri butions to a world oil glut to build its own reserves. Saudi oil presently sells at $28 a barrel, lowest among the 13 members of the Orga nization of Petroleum Exporting Coun tries. Nabi, current OPEC president, told the Beirut weekly newsletter An-Nahar Arab Report and MEMO, T think the Saudis will raise their price to $32 (a barrel).” Asked whether Riyadh might set the in crease before or during a meeting of OPEC oil, finance and foreign ministers set for Sept. 15-16 in Vienna, Austria, Nabi re plied, “You must ask the Saudis.” “All I know is that Saudi Arabia will raise its oil prices.” Other oil experts have suggested the Saudis might set up a $4 increase in two steps — $2 soon, and.another $2 by the end of the year, to reach the $32-a barrel official floor price OPEC established in Algiers in June. A price hike and a production cut are the weapons Saudi Arabia has to drive OPEC back to the unified price structure Riyadh has sought for months. OPEC prices presently range from the Saudi low of $28 to more than $37 charged by Algeria and other cartel members. The present Saudi production level of Reclining reader Charlene Gay, a senior from Buna, does some laid-back reading Thurs day in front of the Academic Building. Sunday’s thundershowers brought a halt to the plans of weekend sunbathers, good for today. Staff photo by Pat O’Malley • prospects for more rain were 9.5 million barrels a day, coupled with its low price, has helped contribute to a buil dup of world oil stocks that some experts say now stand at 5 billion barrels. The United States has taken advantage of the glut to increase its reserves in under ground salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana — a project that has angered some Arab hardliners who, in turn, have put heavy pressure on the Saudis. “At the moment,” said Nabi in an ob vious reference to Saudi Arabia, “some members of OPEC are producing crude at an excessively high level, and this has had an adverse effect on the market.” But, he said, “personally I do not believe that this situation will last. I think that the organization will revert to producing oil in accordance with the needs of its members and not to flood the market.” Saudi Arabia has 33 percent of the world’s known oil reserves. Carter secures UAW support United Press International President Carter was philosophical ab out the bad news from New York’s Liberal Party, but he hopes it could be offset with good news from Detroit. The big United Auto Workers voted overwhelmingly to endorse him for re- election, and President Douglas Fraser promised Sunday, “The full resources of our union will be mobilized to defeat Ronald Reagan.” The UAW’s secret ballot vote by nearly 3,400 local union leaders gave Carter 89 percent to 3 percent for Republican Reagan, 2 percent for independent John Anderson, 2 percent for Citizens Party can didate Barry Commoner and 4 percent for no endorsement. But the decision of Liberal Party leaders to urge Anderson’s endorsement was a blow. It would be the first time in its 36- year history the party failed to support a Democratic president, and it appeared cer tain to cost Carter thousands of votes that could mean the difference in a close elec tion for the state’s 41 electoral votes. When asked about it by reporters on his return to the White House from Camp David Sunday, Carter did not appear taken aback. “We ll try to win anyway,” he said. Reagan began a five-day campaign trip Sunday in Philadelphia, with Kokomo, Ind., and Chicago on his schedule today. The Republican nominee began his trip by attending a “Super Senior Sunday” gala, and in a speech promised that Social Secur ity will be “strong and reliable and pro tected” if he becomes president. While Reagan spoke, Carter-Mondale volunteers mingled with the crowd and dis tributed accounts of Reagan’s past state ments on Social Security, including a sug gestion that parts of the system be made voluntary. Reagan was asked last week if he had ever proposed making Social Security voluntary, and he replied, “I have never said such a thing, never in my life. Sunday, he noted that the system is “the foundation of the economic life of millions of Americans. ” The crowd, estimated at more than 1,500, cheered as the Republican nominee danced on the podium with his wife, Nan cy, to the strains of “In the Mood. Later, at a pep talk at St. Joseph’s Uni versity, Reagan — briefly interrupted by a few young people chanting, “Christ is bet rayed by nuclear weapons” — asked, “Is there anyone in the world who does not believe that Christ is betrayed any time we find ourselves embroiled in that greatest of man’s stupidity — war against our fellow man?” He got a standing ovation. Anderson appeared on ABC’s “Issues and Answers,’ saying Reagan “treated the country to the rather unedifying spectacle last week of hearing the president of the United States being labeled a security risk.” “I haven’t done that,” Anderson said, but he added his regrets that the secretaries of state and defense had become involved in a “strictly political campaign” in recent weeks. “Traditionally, under administrations of both Republican and Democratic presi dents alike, we haven’t involved those two departments, I think, he said. i your -639. radio layton’s United Press International HOUSTON — House Speaker Billy Clayton goes on trial Tuesday in the first Irilab case, believing he can stay out of jail and avoid political ruin by arguing he was the victim of a fast-taking con man who all hut forced him to take $5,000. Clayton and his attorneys will be facing ■TBI tapes, agents and an informer who (thrust the money on him last November at the state Capitol. Clayton is confident he will be acquitted, despite admitting he kept the informant’s Tuner I Political shakeup ie Nikko NT-798; i strong ones# \L '((i hits China United Press International PEKING — Under pressure from moderate opponents, Premier Hua Guofeng resigned Sunday and hand ed China’s top government job to economist Zhao Ziyang in a major shake-up designed to create a new collective leadership of more vigor ous leaders. Seven elderly vice premiers, in cluding strongman Deng Xiaoping, also resigned voluntarily or in dis grace in the reshuffle announced by Hua in his last state of the union address to the National Peoples Con gress. Vice Premier Zhao, 61, a charis matic economist who was chosen by Deng to work an “economic miracle” with China’s ailing economy, is the fastest rising star in Chinese politics. But underscoring the undoubted animosity between the two groups, Hua virtually ignored him during his speech, saying briefly “The party central committee believes that Zhao Ziyang is a suitable choice and worthy of trust.” Hua’s long anticipated resignation was a major victory for Deng after months of bitter behind the scenes political infighting. It set the stage for a second showdown later this year between the two men for control of the ruling Communist Party. Brilab trial to start Tuesday “political contribution” for months while planning all the time to return it when convenient. The three-term speaker will be tried with two Austin lawyers who prosecutors said aided and abetted the government- inspired scheme to bribe Clayton by buying his influence in the handling of a $76 million insurance policy for state em ployees. U. S. District Judge Robert O’Conor Fri day postponed the start of the trial until Tuesday because attorneys disagreed on the exact wording in some of the FBI tapes for preparing transcripts. Buffeted by O’Conor’s expressing “grave concerns” about the government’s motives and tactics during a seven-day hearing last month, prosecutors already have exposed possibly their strongest evidence — a tape recording in which the money changes hands and an FBI agent who said Clayton denied receiving any cash as late as Feb ruary. Clayton believes he can hurdle those ob stacles by arguing the money was forced upon him by a fast-talking con man in the presence of a political ally whom Clayton sought not to embarrass. As for telling the FBI agent that he didn't accept anything, Clayton says he will have to depend on a jury sympathetic to his claim that he considered the November meeting so insignificant and so brief that he was startled and confused by the agent’s questions. “Nothing was received in the way of quid pro quo (this for that),” Clayton said. “You have to understand his (the FBI agent’s) questions. I wish they had been taped. Basically it was ‘were you given something to do something?’ My contention is I did not take any money for doing any particular thing. I just didn’t.” Prosecutors will argue Clayton violated the law when he failed to report the cash contribution but defense attorneys claim that only supports the wealthy Spring Lake farmer’s contention that he never intended to keep the money. Clayton’s lawyers are determined to force jurors to contrast Clayton’s behavior and personality with that of the FBI infor mant dispatched from California to find labor and political officials willing to accept bribes. The informant, Joseph Hauser, is a twice-convicted racketeer who has looted insurance companies and trust funds from Florida to Massachusetts to California but whose expertise in under-the-table deal making so impressed the government that he was paid $65,000 in salary and expenses to “ferret out” corrupt officials. Hauser’s operation moved from Los Angeles to Texas after word spread among his associates that he was an informant. After calling old friend and Waco insurance exeuctive Bernard Rapaport and claiming that his legal problems were behind him, a series of introductions led Hauser to L.G. Moore, a five-state representative for the Union of Operating Engineers of suburban Houston. New year for Blatchley’s new team Student Affairs shifts personnel By LIZ NEWLIN Battalion Staff From his athletic build and the Aggie football schedule prominent on his office wall, you’d guess Ron Blatchley admires team play. He does. And now he says his own “team,” the Department of Student Affairs, is finally shaping up — after a summer of moves, terminations and hirings. “For the first time I can honestly say I’m beginning to feel confident with our team, ” Blatchley said. He became acting director of the 350-employee department in sum mer 1978 and permanent director in Janu ary 1979. He made his first changes in the depart ment last summer, he said, with the under standing they would be re-evaluated a year later. “Some of our people chose to go on, ” he said of the recent changes. “Then I wanted to do some further shuffling. I’ve never been very bashful about that.” Six new people were hired over the sum mer, including Bill Kibler, the new assis tant director in charge of discipline. He takes the job of Jerry Mainord, who went to Moody College in Galveston to supervise the Corps of Cadets there. Larry Pollack was terminated as coordi nator of housing services and he has been replaced by Ron Hilton, formerly an assis tant coordinator for the Corps. Four of the new employees are assistant area coordinators, two for south and two for north area dorms. One of the spots, an additional assistant area coordinator for the north side, was just created. The other, off campus student advisor, was vacated by Dena Todd, who became coordinator of special services. Blatchley said important parts of his team are the student resident advisors and head RAs. Because of that, he said, he’s looking for staffers who can work well with students. The selection process is designed to find that type of student affairs professional, he said. Blatchley interviews a prospective employee, but so do the other 15 or so professional staffers in the department. They evaluate the applicant using a form that is returned to the “hiring agent,” the person who would supervise the applicant in the job. photo by Becky Swanson Never strikes twice Physical plant workers remove loose brickwork from the northwest cor ner of Dorm 7 after it was struck by lightning Sunday afternoon. Debris from the building was scattered across to the dorms on the opposite side of the Corps area.