status of presidential list in limbo
By BERNIE FETTE moreday it is, "Williams said. “Either he’ll shoot The first question concerned whether the along with the rest of the candidates. Dromgoole said. “Now they re reft
By BERNIE FETTE
Battalion Staff
: Attorney General Mark White’s opinion com-
f'-If jiittee has reaffirmed their June 16 ruling that
rapames of some 500 candidates for the Texas
&M University presidency must be disclosed,
■^University officials have yet to release that
iformation.
|:“I foresee a whole lot of problems,” said
Res Bond, vice chancellor for legal affairs,
ond said it would take more time for the dis-
ute to be resolved.
»$oard of Regents Chairman H.R. “Bum”
•NVAVityiright said Monday he did not know anything
bout the opinion committee’s response. “I
”*" l, ^^*on’t know a thing about it,” he said.
But John Williams, president and publisher
Arp fthe Bryan-College Station Eagle, said he be-
^ ped he would know by late today what course
I CD Akt*^ 011 wou ffi probably be taken by the Eagle
• L K/V' He (Bond) wanted one more day, so one
d.
st
more day it is,” Williams said. “Either he’ll shoot
straight with us or we ll do what we have to do.
“We have the option of pursuing this through
legal means,” he said.
In February The Eagle requested the list of
candidates from the regents. After the board
refused to release the list, White was asked to
determine whether the list was a public record.
White ruled June 16 that the list of500 initial
considerations for the post must be released but
that the list of finalists could be kept confiden
tial.
After White’s ruling was handed down, the
board, through Bond, requested a clarification of
that ruling.
Bright said the request for clarification was
made because the regents did not completely
understand White’s ruling.
Bond had requested clarification on three
specific points, said Mary Hardesty, an informa
tion assistant on White’s staff.
The first question concerned whether the
entire list of some 500 nominees and applicants
must be released. Secondly, Bond asked
whether the names of some 171 persons which
were screened by the search committee had to
be released. Bond also asked whether the identi
ties of the finalists for the post could remain
confidential.
According to an article published Friday in
the Eagle, Bond said he did not believe the
names of all 500 nominees and applicants should
be released since only 171 of them were actually
considered. Susan Garrison, chairman of the
attorney general’s opinion committee, said the
entire list of candidates must be released regard
less of whether they were seriously considered
for the position.
Concerning the finalists in question, the rul
ing states that those persons recommended to
the board need not be distinguished as a distinct
group but that their identities must be released
along with the rest of the candidates.
The ruling also provided for the release of the
qualifications of the candidates.
Garrison closed the response to Bond’s clarifi
cation request by saying, “We can see no reason
for delay in carrying out your statutory obliga
tion to make the records in question available to
the persons who requested them.”
If the regents refuse to give up the list, the
Eagle’s next course of action could be to seek a
writ of mandamus, a court order forcing the
regents to release the information. Failure to
comply with the writ of mandamus can result in
citations for contempt of court.
“We expect to pursue the various options,”
Williams said. “Those options include meeting
them at the courthouse.”
Eagle Editor Glenn Dromgoole said last week
he believed the board was stalling.
“The board of regents asked the attorney
general for an opinion and now they’ve got it,”
Dromgoole said. “Now they’re refusing to abide
by it.
“I’m very disappointed with the way A&M
has responded in this matter,” he said. “They’re
obviously stalling.”
Dromgoole said the Eagle’s primary intention
in this dispute is to serve the public interest by
making the identities of the candidates known to
the public.
A presidential search committee began its
screening process of the nominations and appli
cations for the presidency following Dr. Jarvis
Miller’s dismissal by the board of regents a year
ago. The 22-member committee in January re
commended a list of 20 candidates to the board.
Since that time, a committee including
Bright, Vice Chairman John Blocker, Regent
Clyde Wells and System Chancellor Frank W. R.
Hubert have interviewed candidates for the
position.
fRCH.
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j Southwood
wedPiew! Serving the Texas A&M University community
r student urfl
Page 5
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Vol. 74 No. 174
110 Pages
Serving the Texas A&M University community
Tuesday, July 14, 1981
College Station, Texas
USPS 045 360
Phone 845-2611
Get em while they're cheap!
Staff photo by Greg Gammon
David Holan, a sophomore student from Pasadena, displays three
of the eight puppies he had for sale in front of Rudder Tower
Monday afternoon. The sale price of the mixed breed pups was
nearly nothing: just a good home and some tender loving care.
Policy change may endanger civil rights
u Ui. a i„ a, TY u
apper
id you
ycle Push
)NLY $ • United Press International
NLY$699i WASHINGTON — The Reagan
idministration is leaning toward a
:hange in the government’s sex discri-
nination policy that seems likely to add
o the furor triggered by allegations it
las weakened civil rights enforcement.
■Clarence Thomas, director of the
education Department’s Office of Civil
fights, told the National Coalition for
^gcgyWomen and Girls in Education Monday
he administration probably will take
compel 1 he p OS ition sex discrimination in em-
. mowe ^°y ment should not be covered by Ti
le IX of the Civil Rights Act.
The issue is now before the Supreme
e the qualit|® rt -
‘He said the final decision had not
ORE!
been made. He said he thought the de
partment would take the position Title
IX does not cover employment,” said
coalition member Holly Knox of the
Project on Equal Educational Rights.
Neither Thomas nor Secretary of
Education Terrel H. Bell was available
for comment.
Title IX prohibits sex discrimination
in education. Civil rights activists want
job discrimination included under Title
IX so schools found in violation could
have their federal aid terminated.
Many activists consider Title IX a
major weapon in fighting discrimination
in education. Its use also is less cumber
some than alternative means of seeking
relief.
As paraphrased by coalition mem
bers, the possible change in policy
would reverse the stance of Jimmy Car
ter’s administration and likely lead to
criticism from feminist and civil rights
groups already unhappy with Reagan’s
antidiscrimination policies.
Another participant, who asked not
to be identified, said Thomas indicated
the administration was leaning toward
backing job discrimination complaints
under Title IX only if such complaints
are shown to affect students.
The Supreme Court has before it two
cases dealing with whether victims of
job-related sexual discrimination in
education can use Title IX to gain relief.
“If the Supreme Court should rule
Today marks
enrollment
deadline
Today is the last day to enroll in
Texas A&M University for the
second summer session, and it’s the
last day to add classes.
Today is also the last day to pay
registration fees without penalty. As
of Wednesday, a late fee of $10 will
be added to the registration fees.
Cashiers’ desks are set up in G. Rol-
lie White Coliseum.
Wednesday is also the last day to
drop classes with no record. July 22
is the last day to drop classes with no
penalty (Q-drop).
Friday is the application deadline
for graduate and undergraduate de
grees to be awarded in August.
Texas A&M vets study unusual
Gulf coast redfish deaths
A Texas A&M microbiologist says he
still has no clues as to what is killing the
thousands of redfish that have washed
up on the beaches along the lower Texas
coast.
Dr. Donald Lewis and a team of
scientists at Texas A&M’s College of
Veterinary Medicine have been Sent
several carcasses and are conducting
autopsies to determine what is killing
the species.
“Some have suggested toxic agents
are killing the fish, which is a possibility
but unlikely since all the fish killed were
about the same size,” Lewis said. “Right
now we don’t really know what hap
pened and I don’t want to speculate
before we get some results from our
tests.”
The microbiologists are examining
cell structures in tissue samples from
the brain, heart, kidney and liver for a
variety of infectious agents and results
of their analysis will be ready later this
week.
“The most puzzling aspect of the kill
is that all the fish were approximately
the same size and age,” Lewis said.
Nearly 3,000 redfish, all about 36-45
inches long and weighing up to 30
pounds, began washing ashore from
Padre Island to Port Aransas last week.
Speculation has centered on redfish
artificially hatched by parks and wildlife
hatcheries transmitting a disease that
has infected redfish offshore, but wild
life officials dispute the argument. They
say a disease transmitteed from fingerl-
ings would have shown up in die-offs of
bay redfish rather than the big spawners
in the Gulf.
While explanations for the kill have
ranged from dynamite to seismographic
explosions, marine biologists have spe
culated that a parasite or virus is respon
sible for the kill.
The biologists said they know of no
disease restricted to redfish, but say pa
rasites can be selective about which
animals to infect.
Redfish were m the news earlier this
The Weather
Today
Tomorrow
High
95 High
96
Low
75 Low
75
Chance of rain.
10% Chance of rain. . . .
. . . 20%
MSC lounge ruling
given by council
By KATHY O’CONNELL
Battalion Staff
The MSC Council Saturday approved
a temporary policy regarding the MSC
lounges which is in effect until the
Building Studies Committee can estab
lish a permanent policy.
MSC Council President Doug Dede-
ker said he and MSC Director Jim
Reynolds established the interim rules
because the MSC main desk staff has
complained of continual abuse of the
lounges by groups gathered to play
“board games.”
A memo from Rick Olivarez, custo
dial shift superintendent, to Reynolds
outlined several complaints from custo
dians and hotel staff members that furn
iture has been rearranged, the areas
have been littered and that the student
groups are loud and disruptive.
MSC Assistant Director Richard
Reynolds said members of the facilities
staff have considered a proposal to
charge University students an extra
building use fee to pay the custodial staff
for working extra hours if the abuse of
the lounges continues.
“I think they (the facilities stall) are
exercising sensitivity in bringing the
problem to the council first,” Richard
Reynolds said.
The temporary policy says, “The pur
pose of the MSC lounges are for study
ing, relaxation and quiet conversation. ”
They are also intended as “a gather
ing place for those attending scheduled
functions in the meeting or banquet
rooms and programs or receptions sche
duled through the MSC-University
Center scheduling office.
The policy also states that food and
beverages are not allowed in the lounge
areas, except in conjunction with a sche
duled program. It also prohibits card
and board games in the lounges.
The policy points out that space is
provided for recreational activities in
the basement snack area.
Vice President of Student Develop
ment Kirk Kelley questioned the tem
porary rules: “If we re calling the (MSC)
the living room of the campus, as we’ve
called it before, I have questions about
writing a specific policy. I don’t see how
we can try to limit the activities of all the
students.’
Richard Reynolds said these rules
will be in effect immediately, and will
remain in effect until the Building Stu
dies Committee presents a permanent
policy at the August 8 MSC Council
meeting.
He said a sign has been placed in the
Serpentine Lounge (second floor) pro
hibiting food and drink. Reynolds said
other temporary signs will be placed in
the Schiwetz Lounge (first floor, near
the main desk).
In addition to presenting that policy,
Paul Fisher, vice president of opera
tions, said the Browsing Library will be
closed this week for carpet installation.
The new carpet will replace defective
carpet that was installed last October.
Richard Reynolds said the University
was sold a type of carpet that did not
withstand heavy traffic.
Reynolds said the MSC doesn’t have
to pay additional installation charges,
just the difference in price of the more
expensive carpet.
Title IX does not cover employment it
means women in education will have no
practical recourse when they’ve been
discriminated against,” said Ms. Knox.
“This is a really important employ
ment issue because large numbers of
women are employed in education. Ab
out one-third of the nation’s women
professional workers are in education, ”
said Ms. Knox.
She said if the court rules Title IX
does not cover employment, “it would
keep the Education Department from
acting on a blatant case of sex discrimi
nation in employment. It would mean
federal education funds could go to an
institution that is discriminating.”
year when the Texas Legislature passed
a bill banning commercial fishing for the
fish effective Sept. 1 along the Texas
coast. However, sportsmen who wish to
fish will be allowed to catch the redfish,
which are among the top sportfish in the
state, said Dr. James Davis, a Texas
A&M fisheries specialist.
Davis reported the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department has proposed a
rule that would cut down on the number
and size of redfish sportsmen could
catch. The proposal would also limit the
number each could have in possession.
“The effect of the ban may cause re
staurants to buy redfish from outside
the state,” Davis said, “and many have
turned to Louisiana for additional sup
plies.”
Davis and a team of fisheries experts
with the Texas Agricultural Extension
Service are presently looking at possibi
lities of raising redfish for commercial
purposes in ponds. The team is raising
redfish in ponds at the University’s
Aquaculture Research Center.
Killer Tomato
Photo by Janet Joyce
Phil Spector, a graduate student in the Institute of Statistics from Roches
ter, N.Y., came dressed for The Grove’s showing of “Attack of the Killer
Tomatoes.” When he heard that his picture might appear in The Batta
lion, Spector said, “That’s great! Before this, the closest my family ever
got to fame is a bottle of Hunt’s ketchup.”