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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 1980)
THE BATTALION FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1980 Page 3 „ocal uyingcheaper than renting? 1 Parents can be home brokers Listen to your plants signal by Robert R. Green S Battalion Reporter Kien parents buy a home for their son or Kiter to live in while at Texas A&M Universi- |the idea is to make money — or lose it. Brents may rent out part of the unit to other :y from troiMT ntS anc * t * ien se ^ t ^ ie P ro P ert y when their , . i .... m or daughter graduates, hoping to make a pro- 1111 ’ ^)r they may set the rent payments below what ■ pay for the unit to get a tax write-off. imiliar to tv Becky Rogers, a sophomore pre-vet major who jeople know res with two other women in a three-bedroom K in Bryan that her parents bought, said they tie first Mv iffiosing money on purpose to deduct it from >eing a farmei ir | axes - ming one o( pit s become a lot more popular in the last few ne world. B,” she said. “maturedas Rogers said her parents, like most people who itical strategi’Rhought a house for their children, plan to sell as “not chant S en she graduates ' ■me people are looking to make a profit by t she can real Idling roommates for their son or daughter who iosalynn and inpay rent that will pay for the parents’ costs on ireciate Car |e unit. But this is getting to be “a little bit she explain lu $ lcr g ame > ’ sa * d Dr. Arthur Wright, a re- “xtraordinariliw^ economist with the Texas Real Estate Re- (. • , larch Center in College Station. I k 11 (dght said the problem is setting rent high n mg trails, ■gg t0 cover R ouse payments, which are far ter as saying, »j place to get i® nor of the Vjj e alone with c about what k to focus on eauty and pei more now than they would have been two years ago. — In 1978, a standard duplex in Bryan-College Station sold for about $45,000; today, it sells for over $60,000. — The down payment on a 1978 duplex would have been about $5,000; today, it would be closer to $6,200. — Total monthly payments on the 1978 purch ase would be around $425. Because of inflation and high interest rates, payments on a 1980 pur chase would run close to $730. Wright said the situation for single-family homes is similar. “It’s not quite as good as deal now,” he con ceded, “but it still might be a good deal.” One reason it might be profitable, he said, is that a duplex may appreciate to $75,000 in two years. And considering a $45,000 price tag in 1978, “the payoff on the thing would have been the $15,000 you made when you sold it ($60,000 in 1980)” This takes money to start with, of course — particularly for the down payment, about 10 per cent on owner-occupied property. Realtors and others say this is the main reason more parents don’t buy houses or duplexes: they simply don’t have financing. But Evelyn Lowery, an associate broker with the Richard Smith Co. in College Station, said that for people who can afford it, buying may make more sense than renting. “Who are you buying the apartment for? I pre fer when I spend my money to buy it for myself, ” she said. Wright agreed, saying that if financing is avail able and if inflation continues, “you’re likely to be better off owning an asset than not owning it.” The Off-Campus Housing Center does not keep exact records on such things, but Jim Thorn ton, a student worker there, estimated that about 2,000 students are living in housing units, includ ing trailers, that their parents bought as an invest ment. In almost all cases, he said, other student are renting one or more rooms in the same unit. “They’re hoping to save some money in the long run, to beat the rent crunch,” he said. “And this way, if they go ahead and hold on to some thing, they can write it off. ” James Thompson, a senior animal science ma jor, found a cheaper alternative. His parents bought a trailer house for him to live in. He rents out one room in the trailer, and he said this takes care of most of his monthly bills. But for those who can afford it, a house or duplex looks like a good investment. “If you just sit down and put the pencil to it and look at it, ” Thompson said, “I don’t see how one of these things can’t make money.” By BARBARA LYNCH Battalion Reporter That plant in your bedroom that’s turning yellow and dropping its leaves is trying to tell you something. If you haven’t watered it for a month, it’s undergoing water stress. The yellow leaves are not only a sign that you need to take some quick action but are also a defense mechanism against the lack of water. Dr. Page Morgan, a plant physiologist at Texas A&M University, says plants have hormones which aid in regular development of the plant and increase during periods of stress to help the plant survive. During a drought trees may drop their leaves prema turely. This, Morgan said, is simply induced by the hormone ethylene to reduce loss of water through the leaves. Growth of the plant is inhibited, water uptake through the roots slows down, and the plant survives the drought for a moderate period of time. Drought is not the only cause of stress, Morgan said. “Some people have houseplants that they ‘pet. Rubbing the leaves with your fingers can bring on stress. ” Over watering, bugs, micro-organisms and mineral deficien cies are also harmful to plants, Morgan said. Although stress hormones primarily help a plant cope, Morgan said, during extreme periods of drought they can actually contribute to the plant’s death. When the leaves drop, the plant can no longer synthesize food. The food transportation system within the plant becom es plugged up, and the plant dies. Houseplants in a well-regulated environment can sur vive without water for up to four weeks, he said, but greenery exposed to the elements can survive only for about two weeks. During the droughts, the best way to ward off stress in your plants, said Morgan, is to keep them watered. “Just water moderately,” he suggested. “Use rainwater as much as possible. Water only as a supplement.” If there is no rainwater available, Morgan said, use a distilled water of horticulture grade. “It’s best not to feed your best Boston fern the same water you drink every day,” Morgan said. “Bryan and College Station water contains a high level of salt, which can build up in the roots.” If you do use tap water, Morgan advised that you water abundantly with distilled water or rainwater when it is available, in order to wash all the salt from the roots. faculty organize as mentors, vow to yelp students seeking a friend to talk nitwit | tonic, irs. l^By STEPHANIE WILLIAMS Battalion Reporter In loco amici. This Latin phrase jas “Being available in the place friends.” Recently a program at Texas A&M diversity set its goals to be just that I fin available friend. [last fall 18 professors developed a rogram they named “Free Love.” |e program was formed to benefit he students at Texas A&M. For «mce, if a student at this univer ity had a problem of any kind, the taff members who joined the pro- Ha, would be available to talk nth the student and try and help lim with his problem. During the first semester of the ram s development, the name ' ‘"changed to “Mentor”, which is ned, “a trusted couselor or d“. Not only had the name been ged, but the number of mem- | had almost quadrupled. At the of the fall semester, the Mentor ;ram included 172 faculty mem- icrs. What’s inspiring is that these staff members are devoting their time for volunteer work to aid the students. Dr. Rod O’Connor, professor and director of first year programs, is the creator of the mentor program. O’Connor says, “the mentors are not a crisis hotline, they’re not trained for that, but are simply a friend who will listen to your problems.” No other university in the nation, to O’Connor’s knowledge, has ever tried such a program. He says the program was “unique” at the time they started, but since then, several places have contacted him for infor mation on how they can organize a similar program. The members of the Mentor orga nization are not trying to replace campus counselors or advisors, just help them out. In fact, once a month the mentors meet with advisors from guidance offices here on campus for additional training and information in helping the students. The organiz er of the meeting is Dr. Garland Bayliss, director of academic ser vices. Dr. Bayliss feels it is important to let the volunteers know where to send students for additional gui dance, if needed. “Another avenue of communication between students and staff,” is how the Mentor Prog ram is described by Bayliss. Bayliss emphasizes, “it will not work unless the students take advantage of this program,” and he encourages all stu dents to do so. If a staff member is not involved in the Mentors Program, it does not mean he does care about the stu dents. Many professors and teacher assistants have been doing similar voluntary work for years on their own. O’Connor and Bayliss simply want to organize and publicize this group of volunteer workers who are interested in helping the students. They plan to print and post a for malized list of all the mentors, and the times they will be available. Lists will be posted in Heldenfels Hall, where Dr. O’Connor’s office is lo cated. Copies of the list will also be on reserve at the Learning Resource Center in Heldenfels Hall for any group or organization that is in terested. In summing up the purpose for the Mentors Program, a recently joined member said, “there can never be too many advisors for a university this size, and the widening of com munication between students and fa culty will always be encouraged.” ruck collision creates fire hazard rass, billboards and portable Idings caught fire Thursday after- when two tractor-trailer trucks idedjust north of Bryan on High- Sp 6 and EM 2818. One of the trucks, an 18-wheeler ing 20,00 tons of gunpowder caught fire causing an explosion hazard. Bob Holmes, the owner of Tri- State A&M Sporting Goods, said the truck was on its way to his magazines on Highway 6 when the accident occurred about 2:45 p.m. got when the)* m cold m ed for iguanas t ekers in their! e passed Perhaps one® gned to i ile who havenf 1 ale of hay, or, I e of bovine e »far as torecalb ather bands, fr ' brass be belt buckles# ; down and mal! armadillos oaf social disease tl ough “hai ing the u arlors, and dn Arthur M' <*0OP [Vide The Corps of Cadets gets its news from the Batt. He was in front of the truck lead ing the way when he looked out of the rear-view mirror and saw another truck hit the back of the 18- wheeler as it made a sharp turn. Holmes said the truck was car rying smokeless gunpowder to be used in small firearms. Three persons were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital. 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