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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1980)
Battalion Vol. 74 No. 25 12 Pages Serving the Texas A&M University community Friday, October 3, 1980 College Station, Texas USPS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 The Weather Yesterday Today High 86 High 86 Low 62 Low 55 Humidity. . . 53% Humidity ...80% Rain .. 0.0 inches Chance of rain. . . .. . none Congressman fights ouster United Press International WASHINGTON — Michael “Ozzie” Myers, a former hiladelphia dockworker who became the first congress- an expelled by his House colleagues in nearly 120 years, fighting his ouster in the federal courts. Myers, 37, a two-term congressman, is the fourth per- lin history to he expelled from the House. ■barging he was entrapped by the FBI in its controver- B^bscam operations, Myers battled his expulsion to the R vote Thursday. But House members, many of whom had seen FBI joeotapes showing the Pennsylvania Democrat seeking ■ taking funds from undercover agents voted, 376-30, 3 Ixpel him. Myers promptly sent lawyers to file suit in the U.S. Rriet Court for the District of Columbia, charging his Rulsion was unconstitutional. House Speaker Thomas jSs'eill, House Clerk Edmund Henshaw and three other louse officials were named as defendants. In a separate action, Myers' lawyers filed papers in the Rreme Court asking it to review whether the executive ■nch exceeded its authority in the FBI’s Abscam opera- iji. The only other three House members in history to get expelled from the House were ousted on treason charges in 1861 for joining the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Seventeen unsuccessful attempts have been made to expel members, the last one almost 60 years ago. Myers was convicted by a federal jury in August for accepting a bribe from undercover agents he thought were the business associates of an Arab sheik. He has not yet been sentenced. After the expulsion vote, Myers told reporters: “I was not given a fair trial (in the House).” He said the House had “violated its own rules” and denied him due process. “I want this Abscam matter completely aired out.” Myers ceased to become a member of Congress and left its payroll as soon as O'Neill announced the vote, autho rized the clerk to take over Myers’ office, and ordered the governor of Pennsylvania be informed of the action. Myers is up for re-election Nov. 4. If he wins, the House would have to seat him, but could move to expel him again. “I know what it feels like now to sit on death row. In a way, I’m waiting for execution,” Myers said shortly before the vote. Speaking in his own defense, Myers noted he has not been sentenced yet and asked his colleagues not to join “a lynching mob, because that is exactly what I think this is.” As for the tapes, he said, T was set up from the word g°” In Philadelphia, Mayor William Green said, “The ex pulsion of Ozzie Myers by the Congress was an expression of the Congress’ disappointment in his conduct, a dis appointment I share.” And David Clancy, head of the Democratic City Com mittee in Philadelphia, said, “I think the House’s action was proper,” adding he had been trying to persuade Myers for three or four weeks not to seek reelection. Three other House members implicated in the Abscam investigations voted to keep Myers in the House. Reps. Richard Kelly, R-Fla., Raymond Lederer, D- Pa., and John Murphy, D-N.Y. — all defendants in Abscam cases — voted against expulsion. Two other House members implicated in the Abscam scandal — Reps. John Jenrette, D-S.C., and Frank Thompson, D-N.J. — did not vote. Iraqi troops halt moves in Iran, ire on besieged Iranian port city United Press International •BAGHDAD, Iraq— Iraqi troops halted Kir advance into Iran today, dug in for a ■ig war and pounded the besieged port of ■turramshahr with artillery, but Iran said itjl army counterattacked and turned the tide of battle. ■InTehran, the Iranian parliament Thurs- ■y picked the militant mullah who led the Back on the U.S. Embassy to head the Bmmission charged with studying the fate ■ the 52 American hostages, in their 335th day of captivity today. i Iranian President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, spurning Iraq’s call for a four-day truce to end the 12-day war, Thursday said Iran’s army and Revolutionary Guards were on the offensive in four key cities — Khurram- shahr and Abadan in the south at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and Ahvaz and Dizful in Khuzistan to the north. Iraq Radio reported downing two Iranian warplanes over Basra. One pilot died in the crash of his jet, but the other “was killed by citizens because of his strafing of civilian targets.” UPI correspondent Joseph A. Reaves re ported from Salamja, 1 mile inside Iran, that Iraqi forces were digging in solidly, bracing for a long fight. For the first time, the Iraqis also were calling reserves and new recruits into the fighting, Reaves said. At Khurramshahr, Iran’s major Persian Gulf port on the Shatt al-Arab waterway, Iraqi reinforcements and artillery were dig ging in around the besieged city and shell ing its outskirts fiercely, Reaves said. The Iraqis had taken at least half the city a few days earlier, but Iran claimed to have routed them Wednesday. The new Iraqi shelling of positions their own troops occu pied earlier in the week indicated the Ira nian claim was true, though the battle was far from over. “The heroic struggle for Khurramshahr goes on,” Bani-Sadr said in a nationwide radio address. “Escalate your struggle; (the enemy) is being reduced more and more every day.” Farther north in Khuzistan, the Iranian Joint Staff Command issued orders for a “general mobilization” of the populace to defend Ahvaz and Dizful 65 miles inside the border. c3 C=30 m Q-drops end 5p.m. today Today is the last day to drop classes with no penalty. A grade of “Q” will be given |for classes dropped before 5 p.m. Stu dents wishing to Q-drop courses should go to their academic adviser and fill out a drop slip. The advisor will tell the student where to take the drop slip for final approval. Bob Hope to arrive this afternoon By BECKY SWANSON Battalion Staff Bob Hope is scheduled to perform to a “thoroughly packed house in G. Rollie White Coliseum tonight. The performance is the second MSC Town Hall presentation of the semester. Town Hall Chairman Michael Parkman said details of Hope’s performance had not been finalized as of 12:30 this morning, but Hope’s promoters said he flew to California from England Thurs day, and would be arriving in College Station this afternoon. T.A. Burrows, a Houston comedian will open the show for Hope; then Linda Fae Moore, former Miss Tennessee, will sing a variety of songs, Parkman said. Hope is expected to perform for at least an hour, Parkman said. The length of Hope’s act will depend on the audience’s reaction and behavior, he said. The show, which sold out Sept. 26, will begin at 8 p.m. Mem bers of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and several regents from Texas Tech University are expected to attend the concert, as well as Chancellor Frank Hubert and Acting President Charles Samson. While in College Station, Hope plans to film a scene to be used for promotion of his upcoming NBC television special, “Bob Hope for President,” which will involve about 70 members of the Aggie Band, and several hundred students who will stage a “rally” for Hope to “announce his candidacy” for the presidency, Parkman said. Town Hall was not notified until Thursday afternoon of the filming plans, Parkman said, but the crowd, band and mock campaign placards were readied by Thursday evening. Summer ends historically as College Station's driest By VENITA McCELLON Battalion Reporter In addition to putting up with too hot temperatures and high utility bills this past summer, College Station residents also had to endure another hardship — the driest summer in the town’s history. In the 100-day period from May 28 to Sept. 4, rainfall in College Station was only 0.64 inches. The figure was low enough to help Brazos County qualify as a disaster area, although it was only in effect a few days, said County Agricultural Extension Agent Jack Hunter. College Station failed to break overall heat records despite having 40 to 55 days of 100-degree readings, according to reports from the state climatologist’s office. The average high temperture for the three-month period of June-August was No explanations given for action Shiny water Staff photo by Pat O’Malley After looking for a while it still may not be obvious what this is. A microscopic view of some new organism? A mistake made in the dar kroom? No, it’s just a picture taken looking through the airborn water in the fountain in front of the Chemistry Building. Award aimed for research Prairie View gets grant 97.5 degrees, said Bob Strauss, assistant state climatologist. The average high for the month of July was 100.3 degrees. “The last July that averaged over 100 degress was 1934, and 1917 was the hottest July on record,” Strauss said. The high temperatures in July caused utility bills to rise significantly from June to July, said Sherry Albrect, energy manage ment coordinator for the city of College Station. “The city consumption was up signifi cantly,” Albrecht said. She estimated the average apartment customer paid $75 a month for electricity during the June- August period, and the average household paid $100-$300. Although temperatures were high, Col lege Station fell 18 days short of tying the 1917 milestone of 58 days in the 100s. Prairie View A&M University is one of five predominantly black colleges that will share $320,000 in research grants from the Energy Department to study the impact of rising energy costs on America’s poor and minorities. Prairie View will spend the $65,466 grant to size up the effect of the energy crisis on minorities in the South. In awarding grants to college officials Thursday, Energy Secretary Charles Dun can said the research was needed to make sure no Americans are “left behind” in a losing struggle with rising energy bills. “This is the kind of effort we are going to have to make to get a f^eal understanding about the dimensions of the problem,” he told the educators at a brief ceremony. The research grants are the agency’s first response to President Carter’s Aug. 8 ex ecutive order calling on federal agencies to foster participation by black schools in fed erally sponsored programs. They absorbed about 20 percent of the agency’s total budget for studying energy impacts on minorities, said Louis Moret, director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact. Accepting grants for their schools were Dr. Alvin Thomas of Prairie View A&M in Prairie View; Dr. Carl Spike of Atlanta Uni versity in Atlanta; Dr. John Peoples of Jack- son State in Jackson, Miss.; Dr. William Butts of Kentucky State in Frankfort, Ky.; and Dr. David Shannon of Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va. “Many of the people sitting here today would not be here without the life support system offered by our black colleges, ” Her man Coleman, White House coordinator for black colleges, told the group. “Black colleges have been the cornerstone of black progress in this country.” But he complained that black schools have been shortchanged on federal re search grants. Duncan said his agency’s grant “testifies to the qualitative strength of black schools’ and Peoples, the Jackson State president, added that it would help black colleges “get out into the real mainstream” of American education. Atlanta Univerity will study the effec tiveness of housing and transportation programs in the Southeast with its $63,000 grant. Jackson State will spend $69,088 to sur vey energy consumption patterns and ex penditures of 1,000 Mississippi families in all walks of life. With its $50,000, Kentucky State will focus on energy costs for 1,000 mostly black households. Virginia Union was given $68,114 to study the implications of the energy crisis on minorities in its state. Ingram dismissed by Wilson Staff photo by George Dolan Freshman physical education student, Philip Plocheck, looks like he is taking life easy while casting his fishing rod out on Texas A&M Universi ty’s own “Lake Cain What lurks out there to be hooked? When asked what he was trying to catch, he responded, “I’m fishin’ for an ‘A’.” By RICHARD OLIVER Sports Editor Kenny Ingram, the sophomore linebacker who was cleared by a University disciplinary hearing Wednesday of allegations involving possession of illegal drugs, was suspended from the team Thursday by Head Coach Tom Wilson. No explanation was given by Wilson. “I’m the one who decides who’s going to play and who’s going to live in Cain Hall,” said Wilson Thursday night. “As far as I’m concerned, the matter’s over with and it’s time to play ball. ” Ingram was the eighth player investigated by the Uni versity Student Affairs offices, and the third kicked off the team by Wilson. He was, however, the sixth player cleared by the Student Affairs hearing boards. Ingram and four other teammates were implicated in a statement sent to the Student Affairs offices last week by linebacker Cal Peveto, who was dismissed from the team at that time for alleged illegal drug possession. The other four players, Doug Carr, Jay Dale, Stuart Clark and Leandrew Brown, were all cleared Tuesday and allowed to return to the team by Wilson. Ingram, however, was called back to appear before the hearing boards Wednesday and Thursday before the com mittee reached a decision. Ingram and his father met with Wilson Wednesday afternoon, but were told by the coach that a decision on Ingram’s team status would not be made until Thursday. Thursday morning, Wilson dropped Ingram from the team and told him to move his possessions out of Cain Hall. Ingram was not available for comment. The Student Affairs investigation into possible drug possession by Texas A&M University football pWers be gan last Tuesday morning, when free safety Elroy Steen was arrested by University police after a “controlled sub stance” tentatively identified as marijuana and some “roach clips” were found in his car in the Cain Hall parking lot. The substance was found when police were conducting an inventory check of the car before towing it away for numerous parking violations. Later thaj afternoon, Cain Hall Dorm Supervisor Leroy Sutherland conducted a search of the players’ rooms and reportedly found “things in several rooms,” according to an Athletic Department source. The search was made after the Athletic Department checked with the Department of Student Affairs as to its legality. That evening, it was announced that Steen had been dismissed from the team by Wilson. On Wednesday, defensive players Cal Peveto and Dar rell Adams were added to that list. Peveto admitted later that day that a “black molly,” or amphetamine pill, had been found in his room Tuesday. Adams, however, vehe mently denied anything illegal had been found in his room, saying the drugs found were prescribed. Subsequent Student Affairs hearings Friday morning upheld the suspensions of Peveto and Steen, but cleared Adams of allegations after team doctor H. Duane Laban testified the drugs found in his room were indeed pre scribed for heart palpitations. Also Friday morning, the University announced that five more players had been sent letters of charges against them, and they would appear Monday. The players had been implicated by Peveto in a signed statement. Peveto would also be required to attend the hearings. On Monday, the five hearings were held, and Carr, Dale, Brown and Clark were cleared because Peveto was not present at the hearings, and there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations against them. However, Ingram was asked to return Tuesday for an additional hearing. After Tuesday’s hearing, Ingram was told a decision would be made Wednesday afternoon.