Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1981)
inside The Battalion ager, eona Vol. 74 No. 81 I 16 Pages Serving the Texas A&M University community Thursday, January 22, 1981 College Station, Texas USPS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 The Weather Today Yesterday High 52 High 50 Low 32 Low 40 Chance of rain 20% Rain .... none Hostage horror stories begin to emerge I! * K,» — 1„ . ii/ifxr TK« voirl in Av\**il an rl nrV\ f c£*r\’ i m n {^ivPTl OlllV 1. I miniltf^C tn^\/ wrf^rfi vol cnrl fnic f^lavtov \xrhrx tl oxx; frx \A/ i o c Vx a rl o n on hie tivcf rla\/ ae a For more on the hostages, please see page 9. United Press International j/IESBADEN, West Germany — The American hostages jepunished for the abortive rescue attempt in Iran and at least captive faced a mock firing squad, the liberated hostages losed in mounting tales of torture about their 444-day impris- icnt. nWashington, the Reagan administration said it would take a plookat the agreement to free the captives, and one congress- n ^ b called for a congressional investigation of the deal struck in Sewaning days of Jimmy Carter’s administration. ■he Wall Street Journal called for an outright repudiation of |“worthless” accord “made with a kidnapper, and the father of ital," Marine captive urged the new Reagan administration to liate against Iran and “punish the Moslem nation, hree of the hostages— Barry Rosen, William Royerand Bruce ■man—talked briefly with reporters at the gates to the hospital their way to dental appointments today, ill three said they felt fine, but were anxious to get home, lerman said he still liked the Iranians as people, but added hs “a renegade country and has a long way to go politically.” he tale of the mock firing squad, as punishment for the rescue I, emerged from a conversation Marine Sgt. William Gallegos, l of Pueblo, Colo., had with visitors about his MVa-month captivity. The raid took place in April, and eight servicemen were killed when a helicopter and an aircraft collided. “William Gallegos said he was actually put before a phony firing squad, ” a visitor said. “They were punished for the desert raid — mentally punished.” The visitors said some of the hostages learned of the rescue attempt only through their punishment. The hostages were then told “any time the Americans did something positive for them, they would be punished,” the sources who talked with GalegOs said. The sources also confirmed for the first time a number of the hostages were moved around after spending their first months in the U.S. Embassy, which was seized by the militants Nov. 4, 1979. But the sources did not specify whether the Americans were moved after the April raid to foil further rescue efforts as the militants have claimed. At least one hostage has said he spent part of his captivity in a prison near the Caspian Sea. It also was learned the hostages worked out a tapping code system to communicate from cell to cell. Their diet often consisted of worm-infested greens, visitors said. “I think some people had it worse than others,” said a visitor who talked with three hostages. U.S. State Department officials said earlier some hostages were given only 15-20 minutes notice before they were released this week, while others knew it for days. In Krakow, Mo., Virgil Sickmann of Krabow, Mo., father of Marine Sgt. Rodney “Rocky” Sickmahn, 23, said the United States should punish Iran for imprisoning his son. “I think it should be a matter of a little get-tough game with Iran,” he said. “I’d like to maybe see them suffer for what they’ve done.” The inhumane treatment, patched together from phone calls made by the hostages and interviews with earlier released cap tives, included playing Russian roulette with the Americans, solitary confinement in a windowless cell dubbed the “Mushroom Inn,” beatings, telling hostages their parents died and tantalizing them about letters from home. Former President Carter himself hinted at the mistreatment of the liberated Americans after he visited the two women and 50 male hostages at the Wiesbaden Air Force hospital, where they are recuperating from their 444-day imprisonment — in the words of one of the freed Americans, “the madness of Iran.” “One very serious fact is becoming evident and that is our Americans in Iran were mistreated much worse than had been previously revealed,” said Carter, who broke into tears earlier when he embraced each of the freed captives. Carter, who flew to Wiesbaden on his first day as a civilian, said the hostages had emerged from a “despicable act of savagery. ” The liberated Americans, mainly diplomats and military per sonnel, have been officially designated as “returnees,” but Presi dent Reagan said twice on Inauguration Day, “I refuse to call them hostages, they’re prisoners of war.” And on its first day in power, the Reagan adminstration refused to commit itself to carry out the remaining provisions of the agreement that ended the hostage crisis by returning $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets. “The Reagan administration does not want to commit itself without having had a chance to study the documents,” said State Department spokesman William Dyess. “There are many financial and legal ramifications,” Dyess said, adding secretary of State Alexander Haig and President Reagan will study it closely. The bulk of the assets have been transferred to Iran but some provisions of the agreement still have to be carried out to com plete the complex deal. Rep. Peter Peyser, D-N.Y., called for an investigation of the executive agreements and urged Reagan “to carefully reconsider our agreement to lift the remaining economic and trade sanctions on Iran.” earch committee m rows list today Hie committee searching for a president Texas A&M University will trim down ilist of candidates today in what may be final meeting. The list presently contains the names of candidates. The committee will finalize a list that Ithen be presented to the Board of Re sts. The regents will interview those persons imake the final selection. "We hope to narrow down the nominees iwrapit up this time,” said Mike Lytle, irdinator of the committee meetings, tie is staff associate in the office of the fficellor. It is not known how many persons the ard will interview, though it will prob- he less than 10. The committee comprised of 22 busi nessmen, faculty members, students and regents was organized in August after Dr. Jarvis Miller was fired by the Board of Re gents in July. A personnel consulting firm has also been contracted to help the search. Dr. Charles Samson, a former depart ment head of civil engineering, has been acting president since July. Regents Chairman Clyde Wells has not ruled Samson out as a possible permanent president. The committee will not release the names of those under consideration, but nominees for the job come from both inside and outside the Texas A&M System. Since September the search committee has met five times to review 500 candi dates, Lytle said. loneymoon period legins for Reagan — * please PARK BIKES IHTHE PROVIDED RACKS Park here or else... StafT photo by Greg Gammon United Press International WASHINGTON — President Reagan e strict marching orders to his Cabinet lices today, telling them to stick with his «Iy ordered federal hiring freeze and Ip him cut the government budget. 'an witnessed the swearing-in of a mber of White House staff members, m met with his Cabinet choices at m id ling at a table dominated by a U/z-foot- ih jar of jelly beans. He gave his prospective Cabinet a quick iefingon former President Jimmy Car rs mission to West Germany “to greet rreturning POWs.” Reagan, as he explained Tuesday night, id he just could not get used to calling the freed Americans “hostages,” believing it »re correct to call them “prisoners of V Carter, designated a special envoy by his ffiessor, left for Germany on a presiden- Ijetthis morning accompanied by sever- members of his former administra- The new president then settled into a brief discussion of the economy, telling his advisers, “We’ve got to get control of the budget. It’s out of control.” Reagan said they should start by en- forieng the hiring freeze for federal em ployees, which he signed moments after being sworn in. Reagan, flanked by Secretary of State- nominee Alexander Haig, and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, conceded there may be some exceptions to his new order, but for the most part, “I urge all of you to stick with that.” Later today, Reagan arranged to have lunch in the Oval Office, and scheduled a National Security Council meeting and a reception for inaugural planners and backers. Reagan’s inauguration was dramatically entwined with freedom for the American hostages. While their freedom was a belated triumph for his predecessor, Reagan said, “I am more pleased than anything I can say . It makes the whole day perfect now.” New signs have been put up at the Memorial Student Center concourse asking around the MSC-Rudder Tower complex to alleviate heavy pedestrian-bicycle students to park their bikes in the new racks. Several racks have been added congestion in the area. Senators discuss organ bank, housing By TERRY DURAN Battalion Staff No bills were voted on in Wednesday’s student senate meeting, but senators discussed a registration drive for potential body part donors and a new Housing Office policy. Eric Langford, vice president for student services, introduced the first bill, “The Eyes of Texas A&M,” along with a representative from the Houston-headquartered Living Bank, an international clearing house for donated organs. The representative, Joyce Cook, challenged 10,000 Aggies to sign up as potential organ donors. She stressed the total legality and reversability of the registration. “You can change your mind,” she said, “and so can your kin.” The non-profit Living Bank does not store organs; in stead, at the time of the donor’s death, the Bank contacts the nearest appropriate facility and coordinates with eye banks, kidney transplant centers and hospitals. Langford’s bill was passed to the student services committee for study. Student Affairs Director Ron Blatchley, appearing be fore the senate to discuss what his department does, was quizzed at length by the senate for background informa tion on another first-time bill, that would reverse a Hous ing Office decision excluding unmarried fifth-year seniors and graduate students from University housing, effective in Fall 1981. Blatchley said the University’s present policy guaran tees 80 percent of available on-campus spaces to incoming freshmen, 10 percent to transfer students and 10 percent to returning upperclassmen. Blatchley defended the recent decision to exclude unmarried fifth-year seniors and graduate students from on-campus slots, saying many parents were “screaming” at him about their freshmen living off campus. He also cited weakening traditions as being caused by freshmen living off campus. “I would like to capture them (freshmen) first and make them aware of A&M traditions such as Silver Taps and Aggie Muster,” he said. The “Discrimination Against Old Folks” measure is actually four separate bills, all sponsored by senator Fred Seals. The bills in the series would 1) censure the Depart ment of Student Affairs for adopting the policy without input from those affected, 2) call on the Department of Student Affairs and Acting President Charles Samson to call a moratorium on the action and 3) request student affairs to, in the future, consult those affected by an action before reaching the decision. The four bills listed under “Old Business” — a recom mendation for an increase in the student service fee to hire new doctors for the A. P. Beutel Health Center, a bicycle parking bill, some recommended changes in the University Rules and Regulations, and a request for an official policy regarding whether or not classes are to be held if Texas A&M beats the University of Texas in foot ball — were all held in committee. Article makes some feel Heft out’ Staff photo by Greg Gammon Dan Quinn, a cadet and senior yell leader, adorns the cover of this month’s Texas Monthly magazine. Many student leaders feel the accom panying article gives a distorted view of Texas A&M. By MARCY BOYCE Battalion Staff Wrong, folks, it isn’t a joke. The Aggies hit the big time this month, squeezing and yelling, pushing and kissing, puffing and grinning across ten glossy pages of Texas Monthly Magazine and its cover. A brief article in the January issue accompanies 16 pictures which feature members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets participating in what writer Al Reinert terms “important Aggie rituals or traditions.” And the cover promises to reveal what “Aggies are really like.” Highlighted are some basic University traditions ing rained in the minds of every Ag, like it or not, from the time he first enters College Station. You know, the kind of traditions University recruiters bill as the Spirit of Aggieland and the kind the so-called “two percenters” would just as soon ignore — bonfire, yell practices and after-touchdown kisses. But alongside those pictures, also peering off the pages, are shots of cadets taking part in other not-quite- so-publicized rituals, certainly not the kind featured in freshman orientation guides. And that’s where a problem arises. Many of the pic tures give the wrong impression of the Corps to people who aren’t familiar with it, several Corps leaders say. “People who are Aggies probably got a good laugh because they know that’s not the whole way of Corps life, just part of the game,” Doriot Mascarich, comman der of the Third Battalion said. “But those who know nothing about A&M or the Corps probably think, ‘What is that? Some kind of a sadistic institution?”’ she said. One of the pictures featured Mascarich, with her saber drawn, making three juniors do push-ups for her. Although she had no objections to that picture, she said she thought several others were “vulgar” and “tasteless.” Take for example the one of three grimmacing fresh men in sweatsuits squatting between toilets, arms ex tended from their bodies at right angles, clenching and opening their fists. They’re “catching butterflies,” a physically exhaust ing punishment imposed by upperclassmen during a “crap-out,” the caption informs readers. A “crap-out?” Right. That’s a series of demanding exercises which is supposed to prepare cadets mentally and physically for ‘T would have liked it to have some indication of the kinds of things non-regs at A&M do. Everyone will get the idea that A&M is still all Corps. “ whatever might lie ahead, Head Yell Leader Mark Out law said. And then there is the shot of Yell Leaders Mike Thatcher, Ed Franza, Mark Outlaw and Dan Quinn “squeezing” for the Ags. It’s not so much the picture most object to, rather the caption underneath it which notes what the yell leaders are squeezing in order to “share pain with the team.” “I was kind of embarrassed," Outlaw said. “You know, I could just see older people ... and people outside A&M saying, ‘Do y’all really do that?’ But, I guess I’m not mad because it’s really true,” he said. Reinert, himself a former Texas A&M student, ob viously thought all the pictures were truly representa tive of students attending the University. He wrote those pictured “are all being Aggies. None of them are faking it. Nobody can fake being an Aggie.” True or not true, however, Senior Yell Leader Dan Quinn, who is featured on the cover, mouth open wide, said he thought the article should not have just shown what th6 Corps does, but why it’s done. The Corps has reasons for doing all those rituals, reasons like promoting unity or creating discipline, he said, and he thinks those reasons should have been more fully explained. Mascarich’s sentiments about the article were a little more adamant. “It makes the Corps look like one big crap-out. And it might have given people the wrong impression of what the Corps is all about,” she ?aid. Student Body President Brad Smith also said he thought the article was somewhat unfair. Specifically the pictures showed life at Texas A&M “only through the Corps and basically only the hazing aspects,” he said. Gordon Frutiger, Residence Halls Association vice president, cited what he thought was another problem with the article. “I would have liked it to have some indication of the kinds of things non-regs at A&M do,” he said. “Every one will get the idea that A&M is still all Corps,” he said. Dr. John Koldus, vice president for student services, also mentioned the narrow view depicted in the article and said he thought some of the pictures were unfair. But, he said he didn’t think the article’s intent was to fairly represent the University’s students body, per se, rather to “poke a little fun” at one dimension of it. Agreeing with Frutiger, Aubrey Johnson, president of the Graduate Student Council, said he felt the article was very limited in scope. “I felt left out, and I’m an Aggie too,” he said. So, by the way, what are Aggies really like?