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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 1981)
THE BATTALION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1981 Page 5 at 7:30 ; C, iote (tie iver. fcnts of gat 6:45 a Bhud iJp,a son tie AT: Tie in 342 itTp.ffl, ■ectorof :30 p.m. lOHar- will be will be COUN- ?gins at n. in 302 neetsat e Inter- a work! 'ladesb. relation free, rat 7J uture, p.m.ia SOW ’ litera- issionis s White to the p.m. in > Com- Bible will be n show ng t® udder- supper -tudent n. in 203 j utter ter- Local Location makes B-CS a potential prime drug market Staff photo by Chuck Chapman Mescaline, barbituates, heroin are a growing part of drug traffic in area. Bryan and College Station are at a crossroad of movement from Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. This loca tion makes the area a mecca for drug dealing. Juniors can order rings after mid-term Battalion Reporter Juniors at mid-term who are passing enough credit hours to give them 92 hours credit will be eligible to order senior rings after mid-term grades are processed. Students must be in good stand ing with Texas A&M University to be eligible to order, and 30 of the credit hours earned must have been while in residence at the University. To be in good standing the student must not owe any fines or fees. Students can order the rings at Heaton Hall with the ring clerk, and the last order for the semester will be accepted May 1. The prices for the student rings are set by Balfour, although part of the money a student pays goes for processing the ring order, said Donald Carter, associate registar. “We are not involved with the money except for accepting the checks, ” Carter said. “This is a pri vate operation.” Through Feb. 20 the price for the traditional men’s ring was $301.16, Carolyn Swanzy, ring clerk, said. The price for a woman’s ring was $129.19, she added. “The price now is lower than it’s been in a year,” she said. Prices for the rings will vary with the manufacturer, she said. Alterations open sex discrimination suit United Press International NEW ORLEANS — Should a woman pay to have her clothes altered while men don’t? Mary Hotard Becnel doesn’t think so — and she’s filed a $30,000 federal court suit to prove her point. Becnel has charged six depart ment store chains, including Sears Roebuck and Co. andJ.C. Penney Co. Inc., with sex discrimination because they charge for altera tions on women’s apparel but not on menswear. The Reserve, La., attorney filed the suit in federal court, seek ing $5,000 in damages for financial losses and another $25,000 for humiliation and emotional dis tress. Becnel said the stores arbitrari ly discriminate against women by not offering them the same free alterations that are made on men’s clothing. She said she bought clo thing from all six of the store chains and was told on each occa sion that she would have to pay for any alterations. Business students. If you are studying economics, fi nance, accounting, busi ness or related fields, you can begin to make your education pay off before you graduate. Learn how to earn in real estate without selling. Act quickly as the laws are expected to change soon. Call for infor mation about the Brazos Valley Referral Company at 846-4302 or 779-3725 after 5:30. By TRACEY BUCHANAN Battalion Reporter Because of its location, Bryan- College Station is potentially a prime area for drug distribution says Brad Lamb, director of the drug abuse prevention program at the Brazos Valley Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center. The Brazos Valley area is char acterized by rurality, but three of the country’s ten largest metropo litan areas (Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio) and major highways from these areas intersect it. Location is a key factor in understanding the drug problem, he said. The Brazos Valley consists of Brazos, Leon, Madison, Grimes, Burleson, Washington and Robertson counties. All seven counties are affected by the flow from big cities. Lamb said. Small rural towns are usually the drug dealers’ distribution points, said Lamb, the only drug prevention authority in Brazos Valley. If a drug dealer receives a ship ment of heroin or cocaine, he’s not going to “cut it open” in Dallas or Houston, Lamb said. He will take it to a small rural town where the [police department is not as well j staffed or specialized. I A group of area residents headed by Dr. Gil Trevino recent ly organized a chapter of Gov. Wil liam P. Clement Jr.’s program Texans’ War on Drugs to fight loc al drugs. Trevino is a professor of veterinary pathology at Texas A&M University. “The problem here in this com munity has been ignored,” Trevi no said. “We feel the only reason why such a group has not hereto fore been established is because people have hoped that the prob lem will go away, and they have swept a lot of filth under the carpet.” A drug problem in Bryan- College Station exists although there are not accurate statistics to reveal it. Lamb said. The Department of Public Safety has had a narcotic service since the mid-50s; but, prior to Aug. 1, 1980, only one man work ed in Bryan-College Station, said Sgt. Rick Stewart, head of the DPS narcotics division in this area. The staff now consists of three investigators who handle a 10 county area, Stewart said. Since the addition to the staff, a $100,000 laboratory in Cherokee Co. (near Rusk) has been seized, he said. In 1980 the DPS narcotics divi sion made 31 drug-related arrests, three of which involved juveniles. In 1981, they hope to increase their staff by at least two, Stewart said. The sheriff department’s re cords show only five drug-related arrests in 1980. Chief Deputy Jim Beamer said the number of re corded arrests is low because re cords have not been kept accu rately. Bryan police department 1980 statistics show that 51 adults and 21 juveniles were arrested for marijuana-related offenses, one adult for dangerous drugs (such as barbituates) and one adult for nar cotics (such as opium derivatives, heroin or cocaine). The College Station police de partment made a total of 62 drug- related arrests, only one of which involved a juvenile. Of the 61 adult arrests, 48 were for mari juana-related offenses, one for dangerous drugs and 12 for narco tics. Both city departments said these figures indicate only what drug abuse is reported, not neces sarily the actual drug usage in the area. Texas A&M University police recorded 17 drug-related arrests for the 1980 school year. Lamb said, “Law arrest rate is not indicative of a low drug prob lem. It is indicative of an under staffed and non-specialized police department. ” Trevino said the first step in combatting the drug problem in this area is to admit a problem ex ists and to unite the law enforce ment agencies, school officials, ministers, psychologists and pa rents. A drug awareness rally featur ing Texas millionaire Ross Perot, chairman of the Texans’ War on Drugs committee, launched the Bryan-College Station group’s efforts Feb. 19. A MH-MR Center survey of Brazos County shows that 28.8 percent of 1,365 students sur veyed have used marijuana. The results are most indicative of ex perimentation, the report said. The same survey shows that 10.3 percent use marijuana at least once per month. “Marijuana is the single most often used substance, but other ‘harder’ drugs as a group at least equal and often surpass marijuana use,” the report stated. “Out of 1,358 students, 165 report fre quent drug use across all subst ance categories.” Perry Pope, Bryan High School principal, said anybody in Texas who deals with teenagers is going to encounter drugs because there is a drug market and an interest in it. Because statistics say a drug problem exists does not mean the majority or even a high percen tage of students are drug users, he said. “If you have one kid with a problem, you have a problem,” Pope said. “We (at Bryan High School) are trying to establish a program that has empathy for stu dents and respect for the indi vidual.” Pope said if a student is caught using drugs, the school officials try to get to the root of the problem. talk with his parents and then refer him for treatment. Two students have been referred to Greenleaf Psychiatric Center this school year, he said. Lamb said students have also been referred to the MH-MR Center, which uses drug-free treatment and counsels families and individuals. USED GOLD WANTED! Cash paid or will swap for Aggie Ring | ^ Diamonds. < ^diamond brokers International, inc.^ 693-1647 rieaM, no plated, layered or gold-filled items aa their precious metal content it minimal. "" servIng™""' BREAKFAST 7 DAYS A WEEK! 7 A./VI. - 10 A.M. SPECIAL THIS WEEK! Day or Night . . . her image is cooly feminine. For a special luncheon or for evening cocktails she has that sophisticated allure. Soft yet reserved. Sensual, yet restrained. When night falls, she wears her womanhood sweetly. Her night look mirrors the loveliness of yesteryear, with a touch of poetry. Whether you’re a man or a woman, let That Place create a new hairstyle especially for you, to compliment your individuality. 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