The Battalion
Monday
Texas A&M University
October 13, 1980
Amenca i
G. Rollie W
"‘ reaction of
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“I just couldn’t stay awake beyond halftime, and when I woke up I was
locked in the Astrodome. Who won?
‘Despera te ’ Carter
needs Chicago’s votes
By MARCIA STEPANEK
United Press International
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Tattered and
bloodied by bitter local rivalries, the remnants
of Chicago’s once-mighty Democratic machine
are being drafted into national service — this
time by a desperate president.
It is uncertain, however, whether the neg
lected legacy of Chicago’s late Mayor Richard J.
Daley can hold up under the pressure.
While supporters of both President Carter
and GOP challenger Ronald Reagan are calling
Illinois a toss-up, it is clear Carter is in trouble.
Since mid-August, polls have shown Reagan
with a slight lead. In recent weeks, that lead has
been blurred by a high percentage of unde
cided voters — 35 percent at last count.
The candidates have been devoting an in
ordinate amount of time to Illinois. Since Labor
Day, Reagan has visited the Chicago area three
times and his running mate, George Bush, has
been in the state twice. Carter has visited Illi
nois four times and Vice President Walter Mon
dale twice. “Surrogates” for the candidates also
have toured the state.
“If the election were held today, there is no
question Reagan would carry Illinois,” said Car
ter spokeswoman Karen Scates. “But it’s not
being held today. The key will be all the unde
cided votes in the Chicago area.”
These votes, both sides agree, are hidden
among wavering backers of independent John
Anderson who live in the liberal lakefront wards
of the city and among the more affluent, liberal
northern GOP suburbs. The recent closing of a
steel plant on the city’s Southwest Side, said
Scates, apparently has turned a large bloc of
angry blue collar ethnic Democrats away from
Carter.
The Rev. James Wall, one of Carter’s earliest
supporters in 1976, says, “What worries me is
that this whole bloc will turn out to be one big
protest vote, with much of the people being
liberal and-or regular Democrats.”
Anderson has launched a “grass roots” cam
paign in Illinois to “keep the undecided unde
cided,” said Anderson’s state coordinator David
Schulz.
GOP state Chairman Don Adams, however,
predicts those votes will split.
“We’re probably the only state in the union
where the major media endorsed Anderson in
the primary and they did one super job of boost
ing him. Now, a lot of voters don’t know where
to turn,” Adams said.
Much of the confusion has been blamed on
Chicago’s volatile Mayor Jane Byrne. A general
attitude of fatalism and frustration, whispered
among Illinois’ top Democrats, has renewed old
fears Carter will be sandbagged by Byrne in
Chicago, devastated by Reagan in suburbia and
polished off by downstate farmers. Carter was
able to woo much downstate support in 1976
because of his rural and religious background
but now faces a growing number of nonbe
lievers.
Democratic state Treasurer Jerome Cosenti-
no — a state party leader — insists the presi
dent cannot win Illinois’s 26 electoral votes un
til he wins Cook County and makes peace with
Byrne.
This peace so far has been cosmetic, too little
too late, throwing even still more uncertainty
into the contest. And while Carter’s recent
visits to Illinois have been sweetened by a gush
of federal loans and grants, Byrne’s support of
the president has vacillated.
Byrne, an early supporter of Sen. Edward M.
Kennedy, is refusing to back away from a Jan.
25 prediction, repeated Aug. 1 and again last
month, that Carter will lose in Illinois.
Each time she is asked whether she’s
changed her mind, she has said only, “He has a
lot of work to do It’s no piece of cake in Illinois .
I’m working as hard as I will be able to for him,
and I think other people are.”
Her bitter feud for city control against state
Sen. Richard M. Daley — son of the late mayor
— has made pro-Carter politics and loyalties in
Illinois less stable.
As a result. Democratic ward committeemen
have been tentative in their backing of Carter
and are pushing him merely for the sake of the
local ticket, Cosentino said. He said Carter’s
decision to phone ward committeemen during
his last Chicago visit helped, but Carter’s fai
lure to visit the city until late last year has not
been forgotten.
Secretary of State Alan J. Dixon, who once
viewed an easy road to the U.S. Senate this
year, now is threatened by the prospect of a
Reagan win. The GOP’s quest for the seat now
held by the retiring Adlai E. Stevenson HI has
has been formidable.
“A president can usually control events but
this time around, these events in this city are
controlling him,” said Consentino. “He desper
ately needs Chicago. I just hope it can deliver.”
Sit-in protests ridiculousness
of late A&M-Houston game
two countri
The Litth
“down unde
capacity cro
new ones.
The warn
I was a Bad Ag Saturday night.
I sat down during part of the Aggie game.
I realize that Highway 6 runs both ways, but
I’m not taking it in either direction. I’m going to
stay here in Aggieland and confess my sins.
I couldn’t help it. About the middle of the
third quarter the absurdity of the whole situa
tion hit me.
There we were, watching the Ags play foot
ball on a modified baseball diamond, at 1:30 in
the morning, 10 feet from the top of the Astro
dome.
It was ridiculous, and I was tired, so I sat
down.
I stood patiently as pictures of UH players
flashed across the king-size Lite-Brite Astro
dome scoreboard. When the words to the UH
school song appeared, I expected a bouncing
ball to lead us through it.
The little cowboys hopping around above the
board are cute, but I was ready to pull the plug
on the whole thing when the third Cook Paint
commercial came on.
A small, brave group of Ags in our section
stood, even though we were a definite minority
in that half-full section of nosebleed seats. I
want to thank the C.T. s standing in front of me,
because without them I would have given up a
years ago as
out smokin’,
to a wide va
min’ cajun i
The Dirt ]
versatile voi
Sidetracks
:‘tr
J1K
m:
By Cathy Saathoff
lot sooner. Those Astrodome padded seats
looked inviting, even with trash from the Astros
game stacked ankle-high around them.
Watching the sidelines helped keep me
awake and on my feet. Reveille showed a defi
nite desire to bite the Houston mascot’s tail off,
just like last year. The only difference was that
this tail was on the real thing, not a coed in
tights and whiskers.
I was dying of thirst, but of course I was
sitting next to a former Astroworld employee
who told me some rumors about Astrodome
concessions that made me decide to stay
thirsty.
When halftime came I was the first one
down, and the first one back up when the Aggie
Band took the field. They made the cutest little
footprints on the dirt left in the middle of the
field from the Astros’ game.
I guess three years of watching
Band has made me lose my acceptaj
tain Fantastic band outfits and wi^
on the sidelines. t0 J amaic ^>
We have a rule at The Battalia^ 1 r a
University of Houston is nottobecalla^Tg^ it ^
High, but the name fits so well 1 co(|j et ’ s .be-gla
break that rule. ^ at had G
Little plastic footballs thrown outbiijWhen The
with ostrich feathers in their blad ^chords of “B
brought it all back to me. My high scr. -ended with
out little footballs at the games, too ntystified.
I stood again after halftime, untillll,, u
thing become too much. It was som#scl!. sU ‘ r
the two school bands had a play-off toHfri U ir
the loudest. (We won.)
So I sat down. I didn’t stay down it,
exercise jumping up and down, andstxfl/T Ol
voice when we made the touchdc'i^T
wasn’t-a-touchdown.
Around 2:30 a.m., when the ^
losing their battle with UH, thel
won his battle with me. I gatheredniyl
ings (which did not include a World’sOiF B y BE
Day NCAA Football Game T-shirt 1? Batt
Sol
Astrodome, and headed home to Ageif. The concep
on Highway 6.
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Area citizen
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It’s your turn
Cuban refugei
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“cheekei
Changing of ‘parking situa tion ’ urged
favorite clothe
Editor:
I think something really ought to be done
about the parking situation here at A&M. I, for
one, am sick of seeing those little yellow tickets
on my windshield every time I turn around. I
had never had a parking ticket of any type until
I came to A&M, and in under one week’s time,
I have had two. I have several reasons for this.
The parking areas here on the immediate
campus are at best crowded and poorly plan
ned. Freshmen have few convienent places to
park on campus, except across the railroad
tracks on the west side. This is inefficient for
those on the north side dorms, and impossible
for the rest of us, especially those at the Ave. A
Apts. Being a resident of Ave. A, I am already
far off campus, and am forced to ride bikes as
the only means of transportation. We have no
shuttlebus service. My class schedule is
arranged so that I have straight classes 8-2 on
Wednesday and Friday, and I have no time
between classes to waste. Add to this the loca
tions across campus, and bad weather, especial
ly rain, which frequents this area. Many of us
here, especially the engineering and architec
ture majors, have large drawing pads and de
sign kits to carry. Several of us have been tick
eted while attempting to pick up class materials
to bring home.
I feel that the main reason for this large
amount of ticketing is negligence on the part of
the University Police to inform students where
restricted areas are. All parking lots on campus
are at best only badly marked — signs are vague
and far separated. No information in form of
pamphlet regarding parking areas has been
given to most students, although a map is avail
able at the police station. Many students are
simply unaware or confused of the regulations
of these areas, and hence are justifiably mad
when ticketed. As an example, an incident
occured at Ave. A earlier this week. Police
threatened to give tickets to cars parked in spe
cifically designated parking areas, because of an
attempt to start a lawn there. The fact is, no
prior warning had been given. Here again, the
police fall back on the “Ignorance of the law is
no excuse ...” cliche, and regarding on campus
parking, make some curt reply “You should
have seen the map ...” (as in my personal ex
perience). However when maps are not distri
buted, we can’t help but feel that entrapment is
the case.
Warped
By Scott McCallar
The Battalion
instructors, bt
that most of th
little interest i
Daily “survi
With the revenue acquired on these[|waiting^rese
violations, I feel that several things «>t»nsolidated ii
done. Firstly, more limited time parkiiiitelocation cen
such as those marked for 15 or 30 w But instruct
should be designated. New signs desijjrftherefugees
exactly where restricted parking areaPu-hourlesso
possibly with the use of a simple coloN® ™ se . r ^8 istl
system, should be designated. A better e e e . ra
mation program on the part of the Udi^ ^ ^
Police should be distributed, logically * p oriner L itt
time of car registrations. Possibly the pendent Dr.
multi-level parking garages at key !oc%g the langu
such as the present site of Lot 60 near the volunteer ager
complex, facilitating student and conv®d sponsors
conference parking needs. The moneyhj^dest on ph
in by these tickets should be used t°war^ at ‘ east
terment of this terrible parking situation, 1 ^ ^ ^
we happen to see shiny, new police JEerstandTln
semester, we’ll all know where it went ^ t ^ e i angua
Tom Kostelf' quiring the re
Editor’s note: This letter was accompa^only would bri
10 other signatures. disruptive” e
■brooms.
Instruction
U S P S 045 360
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Rhonda Watters
Asst. Managing Editor Scott Haring
City Editor Becky Swanson
Asst. City Editor Angelique Copeland
Sports Editor Richard Oliver
Asst. Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy
Focus Editor Scot K. Meyer
Asst. Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
News Editors Lynn Blanco,
Gwen Ham, Todd Woodard
Staff Writers Kurt Allen, Nancy Andersen
Marcy Boyce, Mike Burrichter,
Pat Davidson, Jon Heidtke, Uschi Michel-Howell,
Kathleen McElroy, Debbie Nelson,
Liz Newlin, Rick Stolle
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photo Editor Pat O’Malley
Photographers George Dolan,
Brent Frerck, Jeff Kerber
Questions or comments concerning any editoriil <
should be directed to the editor.
Johnson said
a Pparently are
Spanish-speak
leave Fort Ch
many oth
dtem out of cl
LETTERS POLICY
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Columns and guest editorials are also welcome,
subject to the same length constraints as letters. bwF
inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The
Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College StotW
77843.
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