The Battalion
i City Hal ' ——*
;blockf »B Serving the Texas A&M University community
Vol. 74 No. 177 Tuesday, July 21, 1981 USPS 045 360
6 Pages College Station, Texas Phone 845-2611
The Weather
Today
Tomorrow
High
96 High
97
Low
75 Low
76
Chance of rain.
20% Chance of rain. . . .
. . . 20%
court action against University
'ip with i®.
Eagle requests
iSSSSSSSi ^^
By BERNIE FETTE
Battalion Staff
The Bryan-College Station Eagle has
for a writ of mandamus to obtain
>m Texas A&M officials the list of
56(j Will me 500 candidates for the University
of mandamus is a court
IS Tax, Jer instructing the University to re-
the specified information. Failure
comply with the writ could result in
) 7:OOP »ations for contempt of court.
Eagle Publisher John Williams said
believes there is little chance the
"SOAY ur * s w '^ reac ^ a ^ ina ^ decision before
Sept. 1, but that the Eagle intends to
pursue the matter regardless of how
much time is required. Members of the
Texas A&M Board of Regents have re
peatedly said they would like to appoint
a new president by Sept. 1.
James B. Bond, vice chancellor for
legal affairs, said he believes the Uni
versity will appeal the decision if the
courts rule in favor of the Eagle.
Bond said the University has two
major reasons for not releasing the in
formation to the Eagle.
“The issues in our particular case do
not have sufficient legal precedents to
draw from,” Bond said Monday.
The second reason involves the pos
sibility of invasions of privacy. There is a
chance, he said, that some of those can
didates on the list may bring privacy
action against the University.
However, Bond said he believes that
if the attorney general’s ruling were up
held by the courts, the University
would be fairly well insulated from the
possibility of candidates’ bringing forth
successful invasion of privacy action.
The Eagle requested in February the
list of candidates from the Board of Re
gents. After the regents refused to re
lease the list, Attorney General Mark
White ruled June 16 that the list of some
500 initial considerations for the pres
idency is a public record. White said the
list of500 must be released but that the
identities of the finalists for the post
could remain confidential. The Board
then requested a clarification of the
ruling.
Susan Garrison, chairman of the
attorney general’s opinion committee,
July 8 reaffirmed White’s ruling and
again instructed the University to re
lease the names of the candidates.
The ruling also provides for the re
lease of the qualifications of the candi
dates.
Garrison closed the written response
to Bond’s clarification request by
saying, “We can see no reason for delay
in carrying out your statutory obligation
to make the records in question avail
able to the persons who requested
them.”
Larry McGinty, an information assis
tant on White’s staff, said it is “very
unlikely” that White would take any
type of legal action to get the list re
leased because “it would be very awk
ward, constitutionally, for the attorney
general to do so since the University is
almost a client of the attorney general.
A presidential search committee be
gan its screening process of the nomina
tions and applications for the presiden
cy following Dr. Jarvis Miller’s dismis
sal by the Board of Regents a year ago.
After the committee recommended a
list of 34 final considerations to the
board, another committee including
Board Chairman H.R. “Bum” Bright,
Vice Chairman John Blocker, Regent
Clyde Wells and System Chancellor
Frank W.R. Hubert have interviewed
candidates for the position.
SPECIA1
Pummer
not good
for health
Space colonies may not be far out of reach
NASA official offers vision into future
By JANE G. BRUST
K. Battalion Staff
Bespite the hot and humid weath-
Hbrevailing over the Texas A&M
Bmunity, the University health
■mer director says there have been
tolserious heat-related complaints
xtining into the A.P. Beutel Health
y~~~( Center.
g|Dr. Claude Goswick Jr., M.D.,
aid that this summer he has heard
ome, but not many, complaints of
teat exhaustion and no complaints of
teat stroke. He said that’s due to a
elatively healthy community that
K the common sense to stay in-
loors when it’s hot.
iw'Heat stroke is quite serious,” he
■. “People don’t sweat and the
KEY DIM ieat builds up inside them. They can
id with iecome comatose, with body tem-
rySauce ieratures of 108 degrees plus.”
d Dressy Boswick said heat stroke victims
tread Be: hould be packed in ice immediate-
y, in order to reduce the body heat.
3rain damage and even death can be
i result of heat stroke.
i|“Anybody, anytime could get
ieat stroke,” Goswick said. He said
Ider people, as well as people who
ixercise heavily, frequently fall vic-
im to heat stroke.
In contrast, heat exhaustion is a
jT a® >it more common, Goswick said.
Jut like heat stroke, anyone can be a
fajg actini. He said that in humid cli-
nates, like the Bryan-College Sta-
ion area, perspiration doesn’t eva-
. —oorate as easily so there is not as
nuch body cooling.
“Heat exhaustion happens when
)eople get out and exercise — they
iecome overheated, and they lose
:alt and fluid,” he said. “That goes
way with drinking fluids.”
Taking salt tablets, Goswick said,
s definitely to be discouraged.
— — f St “It’s questionable how much salt
Ijhmdss there is,” he said. “Fluid loss
Rxtoc doesn’t mean salt loss.”
uwrthWAiw The doctor said one’s body will
ake care of itself by increasing the
ndividual’s desire for salty foods
when salt intake should be in
creased.
‘Goswick said other health prob-
ems that come into the health cen-
:le Push :er during the summer months in
clude eye and ear infections.
Swimmer’s ear is a bacterial infec-
:ion that comes from swimming in
unclean water in lakes or pools, he
explained.
“In spite of chlorine, the water is
aot sterile.”
During the summer months, Gos
wick said, there’s also an increase in
insect bite victims coming into the
iealth center.
re becauS “There are ant bites and chigger
,, oites,” he said, “because people are
•'°mP p uut in the bushes, wearing skimpy
ty mowe^lothing.
“Some people have very serious
reactions. There are allergic reac-
the quail!Sons with swelling of the tongue,
pprflips, face and breathing difficulty.”
Goswick also said summertime re
creational activities can bring va
rious injuries into the health center.
“There are injuries from water
skiing, swimming, cuts on bare feet.
People walk into Lake Somerville,
and who knows what’s down there,”
He said.
Sunburn is another common sum
mertime health problem.
“Ultraviolet radiation is not heal
thful,” Goswick said. “It has an aging
effect, making skin dry and leathery.
Excessive ultraviolet radiation is
definitely linked to skin cancer, the
doctor said, and he recommended
that sun screens be used before ex
posure.
Other, possibly less obvious,
warm weather health problems re
sult from tight clothing and moisture
retention on the skin.
“Yeast infections and jock itch like
mth and moisture,” Goswick
:aid. “In the summer you’re hot,
ere’s moisture from sweat, and
fungi like that.”
Goswick said individuals should
wear light, loose clothing and avoid
exercise and being out in the hot
weather as much as possible.
iper
you
ILY
LY 3
>REI
By JANE G. BRUST
Battalion Staff
More than 300 persons toured the
solar system Monday night, courtesy of
Walter Scott and the MSG Great Issues
Committee.
Scott, who works in the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration’s
Mission Planning and Analysis Divi
sions, incorporated a movie of the re
cent space shuttle flight and slides of the
planets and their moons in his program
presented in Rudder Theater.
The film of the space shuttle’s launch
prompted many whispers of awe. The
film was slowed to prolong the spectacle
of the igniting engines, but, as Scott
explained, “That thing really shot out of
there like a turpentined cat.”
The landing shots of the space shuttle
were similarly remarkable. “It used
9,000 feet of runway,” Scott said. “That
was using only the vehicle’s weight to
pull it down.”
Scott, whose work involves system
analysis for launch and mission support
in addition to work in advanced technol
ogy programs, said the shuttle is just the
beginning of operational space vehicles.
For example, he said, there are plans
in the making for a manned module in
corporated into the space shuttle to
serve as a space lab.
“We can do an awful lot in terms of
weather definition, as well as studies of
agricultural resources, minerals and
crops.”
Scott also said there are plans for de
veloping a space shuttle telescope cap
able of seeing three or four billion light
years into space. “It could be controlled
from the shuttle and from the ground
(on Earth) and could be used by astro
nomers.”
The telescope would be especially
useful in viewing Haley’s Comet as it is
expected to pass near the Earth’s sur
face in 1985 or 1986, Scott said.
“We really don’t know much about
the composition of comets, but we hope
to learn more when Haley’s Comet
comes near the earth.”
Staff photo by Greg Gammon
With slides depicting space vehicles, Walter Scott, who works in NASA’s Mission Planning and Analysis Divisions, discusses the space program*
Scott speculates that those persons
viewing the comet from Earth should be
able to see a “spectacular nighttime sky.
“We should see a lot of glitter with
the light reflected off the ice and dust
particles.”
Going far beyond the decade of the
eighties, Scott discussed the possibility
of future space colonization. “In order
for any of us to do anything in space, we
have to build in space.”
Scott showed a slide illustration of
what he called a “beam builder,” a com
puterized device for producing support
beams of various lengths for space con
struction. “We could use this to pro
duce beams of any length we want, and
there’s no force of gravity working
against us.”
Several other slides depicted a space
settlement to accommodate 10,000 peo
ple. “It would be set up at lunar dis
tances, close to the moon,” Scott said.
“It would have a communications sta
tion and a docking port.”
He explained that the space colony
would also have farms of rich lunar soil
capable of producing limitless crops.
Cattle on ranches and fish in water tanks
would also be included, Scott said.
“There would be enough foliage and
vegetation to maintain the enclosed
atmosphere, and it would be self-
supporting,” he said.
“This won’t be achieved in your or
my lifetime, but technologically it can
be done. Economics is still a big prob
lem — it would require nations to work
together.
“We had a good shuttle, a successful
flight, and this is only a beginning. ”
In closing, Scott mentioned another
historical beginning which coincided
with his July 20 presentation: “Exactly
12 years ago today,” he said, “Neil Arm
strong first set foot on the moon.”
Summer heat can hurt pets;
care and protection needed
Summer enrollment
breaks record again
Texas A&M University has once
again set an enrollment record, this
time with 11,308 students registered
for the second summer session.
“I can’t remember anytime in the
recent past when we’ve had a decline
in enrollment, ” said Associate Regis
trar Donald Carter.
The record-breaking enrollment,
however, is unofficial. Since some
students have not paid their fees,
their registration is subject to cancel
lation, he said.
On-campus students are being
housed in Aston and Mosher halls in
the Commons and Dorms 3, 6, 7, 9,
10, and 11 in the Corps area.
Aston and Mosher are also being
used to house persons attending
short-courses at various times during
the summer.
University student killed,
others injured in accident
By SUSAN HOPKINS
Battalion Staff
Many dog and cat owners are fond of
the expression, “Pets are people, too. ”
Although pets clearly aren’t human, a
Texas Veterinary Medical Association
official says pets do share a problem
with humans during the summer
months: heat stress and overexertion.
When Texas temperatures soar into
the 80s, 90s and even 100s, a five or six
degrees rise in a dog’s temperature can
cause brain damage, blindness or death,
said Dr. Ben Johnston, president of
TVMA, in a TVMA press release.
Dr. Neil Vanstavem, assistant pro
fessor of small animal medicine and
surgery at the Texas A&M University
College of Veterinary Medicine, said
leaving animals in closed automobiles is
one of the most common causes of over
heating.
“If it is 85 degrees outside,” Van
stavem said, “the temperature inside a
closed car can easily reach 108 or 109
degrees in 30 minutes; and with even
higher outside temperatures and
humidity in College Station, the tem
perature inside a car would be much
higher.”
Vanstavem suggests that if a pet must
be left in a parked car, the vehicle
should be completely shaded, and win
dows should be left far enough down on
both sides to allow a “good breeze” to
blow through. However, he says, the
best solution is to leave pets at home on
hot summer days.
Johnston says that if a dog exhibits
signs of heat stress — heavy panting, a
staring or anxious expression, failure to
respond to commands, warm, dry skin,
extremely high fever, rapid heart beat
and is prostrate — the best first aid
treatment is to immerse the animal in
cold water immediately. Cool water
from a garden hose and ice packs are
also options, he says.
After taking these first aid measures,
the dog should be taken immediately to
a veterinarian for further treatment.
Vanstavem says that although all
dogs are susceptible to the effects of
heat stress, short-nosed breeds — box
ers, pugs and Pekingese — and heavy-
coated dogs, are more easily affected
than others. Johnston said older dogs,
puppies and overweight animals are
also affected easily by heat.
Vanstavem says, he has never seen a
case of heat stress in a cat. “Cats are just
too cool to overheat.”
Dogs left chained outside also are
prone to heat stress. Vanstavem advises
dog owners to chain their pets in a place
where shade is available at all times of
the day. In addition, he says, the chain
should be such that the dog will not get
tangled in it, thus preventing him from
moving to a shaded area. He also sug
gests that a cold tub or bowl of water be
available on hot days.
“Heavy coated dogs often enjoy sit
ting in shallow pools of water,” Van
stavem says.
In addition, joggers who like to take
their dogs along for the run should rec
ognize that animals require condition
ing to get in shape, just as humans do,
Johnston says.
“You can’t expect a dog to run five
miles in the hot sun his first day out just
because he has four legs,” Vanstavem
adds. “They need time to get in shape
just like us.”
A Texas A&M student was killed and
three others were injured Thursday in a
one-car accident on FM 1463 in Fort
Bend County.
Nancy Powell, 20, of Houston, was
pronounced dead on the scene. Tina
Hmcir, 21, and Glenna Hrncir, 20,
both of Copperas Cove, and Glenn Mar
tin, 22, of College Station, are listed in
stable condition in Houston’s Memorial
City Hospital.
The driver of the car, David Collins
of College Station, was also injured and
hospitalized. Collins is also a Texas
A&M student.
A Department of Public Safety
spokesman said the accident occurred at
approximately 3:45 a.m. Thursday,
when the car ran off the road, rolled
over and landed upside down.
Powell was a member of Delta Delta
Delta Sorority and a little sister to the
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.
Silver Taps will be held in her honor
in September.