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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 1981)
[The Battalion Serving the Texas A&M University community \/o\. 74 No. 180 Tuesday, July 28, 1981 USPS 045 360 3 Pages College Station, Texas Phone 845-2611 MTough standards to take effect in 1982 ^ Regents may limit enrollment By JANE G. BRUST Battalion Staff Students wishing to enter Texas v&M University in the fall of 1982 will ace tougher admission standards if the mlj'd of regents today approves prop- mJ ised measures to limit enrollment. ^^fefThe number of students has stimu- ^yyyjated the need for enrollment manage- ,nent, ’ Texas A&M University System ttoamellor Frank W. R. Hubert told ^■•egents. System regents met Mon- lay in committees. Today’s meeting of he I .11 Board was schedided to begin at f:30 a.m. “H University officials have developed ^Biterim plan which, if approved by ^■ull board, will increase the mini- ^ nun i grade point averages and/or Scho- ^ asti< Aptitude Test scores for transfer H Students and incoming freshmen. The — allowing admission standards would ■ effect in the fall of 1982 for incom- nglfreshmen who are Texas residents: Jrl- for students graduating in the Second quarter of their high school clas- iesi minimum SAT scores would in- reav from 800 to 950 'l-for students graduating in the third jlUprter of their classes, minimum SAT coles would increase from 900 to 1,100 ^ L# for students graduating in the bot- ^ iom quarter of their classes, minimum E >At scores would increase from 1,000 0 j| 200 ' fapie current admission standards for jnning freshmen residing in Texas , HI graduate in the top 25 percent of D heii classes would not change; those Indents must score 800 on the SAT. Incoming students who do not reside In Texas would have to score a minimum bore of 1,000, the current minimum ^_Jcobc, but they also would have to gra- u|jj luate in the top quarter of their high ^ — chool classes. Transfer students within the state of —-“vexas who wish to enroll in Texas A&M ^vith fewer than 45 hours must have a K minimum grade point average of 3.0. itudents with 45-60 hours must have a niniinum GPA of 2.5. -J Transfer students coming from chools outside the state would have to jave a minimal GPA of 2.5 regardless of l— ne number of completed college hours. Jnder current admission standards, all HLsfer students must have a minimal JPA of 2.0. Acting University President Charles I. Samson said the plan, if approved by B board, definitely would increase ompetition among students wishing to poll in Texas A&M. “Seventy percent if our students now come from the top K|rter of their classes,” Samson said, le said tightening the admission stan- (ards is something he doesn’t relish, is;“This is only an interim plan,” he Bussed. “We ll test it out, but there are 'ther alternatives.” One alternative, Samson pointed out, irould be for each academic college to etits own admission standards, instead if following University standards. That University officials will be rying out something else hey haven’t done before if he board today approves a proposal to establish a Uni- ersity-operated shuttle bus ystem. 'Olid create problems, however, for rudents wishing to change to a major in different college, Samson said. He said the interim plan, if approved, (> ,.’ould be put into effect indefinitely, ,,id the Target 2000 committee could \i| ossibly recommend further changes at /l* )mc time in the future. The Target y 000 project involves extensive study of System branches to determine what irection the System will be taking in le year 20CX). A record 35,000 students ^ fe expected to enroll in the University ^is fall, an increase of 2,000 students. —-• Another proposal to be voted on to- ay concerns repair of the All Faiths i*" lhapel roof. Regents serving on the lanning and Building Committee re- ommended repair of the roof, which w all cost an estimated $90,000. ||| Committee Chairman H.C. Bell of oistin Sunday told committee mem- IZZA ers the chapel roof is in desperate need ITEM f repair. “Water has leaked inside the ppel, there’s an odor in it, and the /hole building is deteriorating,” he — pd. Committee members Sunday agreed 9 recommended removal of the ex- ,.;sting roof and installation of a new roof nade of anodized aluminum. However, he regents were unsure of how the re- iairs would be funded. JJ The chapel, dedicated in 1958, was a jlftof the Former Students Association. ^ ’ormer students covered the costs of iuilding and furnishing the chapel, ince then, state money has been used o cover maintenance expenses. ; After further discussion Monday, re lents decided that because the chapel is ..•' i building owned by the state, state lM ^und.s can be used for the new roof. Roof Regent John Coleman of Houston, left, listens to Fund, as State Senator Peyton McKnight, D-Tyler, State Senator W.E. Snelson, D-Midland, discuss looks on in the regents’ meeting room, legislation concerning the Permanent University Regents pressured again for legal fees By BERNIE FETTE Battalion Staff The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Monday heard Attorney General Mark White’s second request for $117,(XX), Texas A&M’s share of legal fees incurred when attorneys were hired to provide legal assistance to the University and three other schools, in cluding the University of Texas. Attorneys from outside the Texas A&M System helped System officials develop a minority recruitment plan acceptable to the Department of Education. Thus, Sys tem officials avoided receipt of a letter of non-compliance with Title VI. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act calls for the desegregation of public institutions of higher learning. Institutions found in violation of Title VI must develop plans to correct the deficiencies; loss of federal funds is the penalty for non-compliance. White says Texas A&M is responsible for paying its share of the legal fees incurred in the development of the recruitment plan, but System officials maintain they had not been advised of any financial obligation. Following White’s initial request, Texas A&M regents June 9 declined to pay the University’s share of legal fees totaling $117,000. Board Chairman H. R. “Bum” Bright said the situation requires further discussion upon examination of the pre cedents claimed by White. Bright said the board was advised by Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs James Bond that there were no precedents in which a state agency was compelled to pay for legal fees in such instances. A year ago, when the chancellors from Texas Southern University, the University of Houston, the University of Texas and Texas A&M met with White, he requested assistance in the development of the minority recruit ment plan. He said Monday that he believed the chancellors understood the assistance he sought was financial assist ance since his office’s budget could not handle the total cost. Texas A&M University System Chancellor Frank W.R. Hubert said that he had had no idea White was seeking financial assistance. “We accepted with enthusiasm General White’s prop osal to hire outside counsel, ” he said. “But I was not aware of any specific discussion regarding fees, incurred or otherwise.” In June the University of Texas Board of Regents agreed to pay UT’s half of the bill. Texas Southern and the University of Houston were not asked to pay a share of the legal fees because White said those two schools were experiencing financial problems. White said his office never would have hired outside counsel if he would have been held liable for the cost. He also said that UT and Texas A&M “have more significant Staff photo by Greg Gammon Attorney General Mark White addressed the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Monday. problems” (with minority recruitment) than the other two schools. The legal assistance was worthwhile. White said, since Texas was the only state of 15 which did not receive a letter of non-compliance with Title VI. “We always try to provide the best representation possible,” he said. “And that sometimes involves hiring outside counsel.” A few of the regents strongly defended the Board’s June 9 decision not to pay the fees. Regent Royce Wisenbaker of Tyler reminded White that all the regents are successful businessmen who are experienced in legal matters. They surely would not have agreed to something they were unsure of, he said. Bright said he did not believe Hubert had knowledge of agreeing to pay the fees. “If it harelips the Pope, we’ll back Dr. Hubert,” he said. Bright told White that the Board’s declining to pay the fees was in no way responsive to White’s June 16 Open Records decision which said the University must release the names of some 500 candidates for the University presidency. repair is part of chapel maintenance, they said. However, Vice President for Busi ness Affairs Howard Vestal expressed some uncertainty regarding that fund ing as a maintenance expense. “This is a $90,000 project,” he said. “We’ve never done anything like this before.” University officials will be trying out something else they haven’t done be fore if the board today approves a prop osal to establish a University-operated shuttle bus system. Hubert said he was reluctant to go along with the plan at first but he now goes along with the idea. “University officials are convinced they can offer students better service than they’re now receiving. ” The proposed plan would allow the current contract with Transportation Enterprise Inc. of Austin to expire in 1982. The University would begin run ning its own shuttle buses beginning in September of 1982. The shuttle bus proposal recom mends appropriation of $1.4 million to purchase 40 buses to be used for on and off-campus transportation. Vestal said the 9,000 students depen dent on the shuttle bus system are in need of better service. Service has been poor due to driver absenteeism, poor route supervision and equipment fai lure, he said. The proposal also calls for an approp riation of $1.1 million to build a facility on West campus, near the existing ‘We came here to bring you up to date, to ask for your support and to disseminate it to the former students, " said Peyton McKnight, D-Tyler. motor pool, to house the buses. Regents have also reviewed proposed System budgets which are expected to meet with the full board’s approval today. Proposed operating budgets for the System’s four universities and seven agencies total $528.6 million, an in crease of $118 million over the current budget. Texas A&M University’s proposed budget of $294.8 million includes a 28 percent increase over the current budget figure of $230.8 million. Three state senators also visited with Board members Monday. Kent Caper- ton, D-Bryan, Peyton McKnight, D- Tyler, and W. E. Snelson, D-Midland, came to discuss legislation concerning the distribution of the Permanent Uni versity Fund, currently shared by Texas A&M and the University of Texas. “We came here to bring you up to date, to ask for your support and to dis seminate it to the former students,” McKnight said. “Time is of the essence — we’ve got to have a united front.” McKnight is a former regent of the Texas A&M Board. Snelson, chairman of the Senate edu cation committee, addressed the board as an authority on a bill which would create a $.03 ad valorem tax. Portions of revenue generated by this tax would be available for use by schools that do not have access to the PUF. To be effective, the bill must be acted upon before the end of the current special legislative session. The Weather Today Tomorrow High 95 High 96 Low 76 Low 76 Chance of rain. 30% Chance of rain. . . . . . . 30% Accusations fly as Reagan plugs tax cut program United Press International WASHINGTON — Like candidates fighting for votes in the waning hours of a close campaign, President Reagan and his Democratic opponents fired off final volleys of public oratory and resumed private arm-twisting today for their competing multibillion-dollar tax cuts. The president’s nationally televised speech Monday night, in which he ac cused House Democratic leaders of playing “political fun and games” with economic recovery, and the quick, sharp Democratic response charging Reagan’s bill was “geared for the weal thy,” lent credence to predictions of a garrison finish on the key House vote Wednesday. The president said the Democrats wanted only “a political victory for themselves” and didn’t care about the American people. The Democrats framed the issue as “a $50,000 ques tion,” which they said was the income Americans would need to benefit from the administration tax cut. The Senate, where the Democrats have been in full flight, was expected to easily pass Reagan’s 33-month, 25 per cent tax cut today. But in the House, where the Demo crats are making a major fight for a 21- month, 15 percent alternative tax cut, the margin could be within 10 votes. Less than two hours after the speech, the White House said it had received 629 favorable telephone calls and 148 unfavorable. There still were wavering votes and those were the lawmakers Reagan urged his audience to sway with tele grams and telephone calls: “Tell them of your support for this bipartisan prop osal; tell them you believe this is an unequaled opportunity to help return America to prosperity and make gov ernment again the servant of the people.” Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, one of a platoon of Democrats who re sponded within minutes to Reagan’s speech, said the Democratic tax plan was drafted to avoid “adopting a remedy that could make the problem worse” by causing deficits that might force cuts in Social Security benefits and defense spending. Research will grow, says board chairman Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Chairman H. R. “Bum” Bright told a Bryan-College Sta tion Chamber of Commerce group Monday that he envisions a high- technology research park here within 20 years that will rival California’s “Silicon Valley.” Speaking at an early-morning break fast, Bright said the research park here will be a planned by-product of step ped-up research activities by Texas A&M University, the Texas Agricultu ral Experiment Station, the Texas En gineering Experiment Station and the Texas Transportation Institute. Research and development expendi tures at Texas A&M have increased three-fold within the past decade and now total approximately $80 million annually, placing it among the top 20 universities nationally. The Dallas businessman said re search will be emphasized at Texas A&M in concert with efforts to enhance the University’s teaching activities. Bright, noting the overall attractive ness of Texas A&M and its booming Sun Belt location, said opportunities to move here will be made to preeminent faculty members throughout the nation. He indicated specific target areas will be in depressed areas such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Pennsyl vania. “We will recruit their outstanding brains, the likes of which you have not seen,” Bright emphasized. Last year Texas A&M began a fund- raising program in the private sector to establish prestigious chairs and named professorships for outstanding faculty members in both teaching and re search. Thus far, 11 chairs have been funded, requiring a minimum donation of $500,000 each. Eight professorships have also been funded at $150,000 each. Controversy over list to go to Travis County The ongoing battle between the Bryan-College Station Eagle and Texas A&M University over the list of candi dates for the University presidency will continue in Travis County next week. In the 85th District Court of Brazos County Eagle attorneys said Friday they would re-file the suit in Travis County. The hearing was to have been held at that time, but after an hour’s private discussion in the judge’s cham bers, Eagle attorneys announced the change. Eagle Publisher John Williams said the lawyers representing the University claimed that a state agency must be sued in Travis County. “We felt that we could expedite the hearing on substantive issues,” Wil liams said. “We felt that an extra week wouldn’t be such a long time in the overall scheme of things.” System Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs James Bond was unavailable for comment Monday, but Associate Gen eral Counsel Gaines West said the hear ing had to be moved because “the domi cile of Texas A&M University is Travis County.” The suit was intended to compel the University to release the names and qualifications of the candidates after Attorney General Mark White ruled the list a public record June 16. Bond said University officials have not released the information because they fear that some of the persons on the list may sue for invasion of privacy if the list is made public. Williams said he had not yet been contacted by the Eagle’s lawyers and did not know when the rescheduled date for the hearing would be. Crowds begin to gather to watch royal wedding United Press International LONDON — Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer danced into the morning hours today at a Buckingham Palace ball celebrating the event which has all Britain in bubbling ferment — their royal wedding Wednesday morning. A sense of quickening excitement filled the air. Central London was jammed solid with smiling sightseers. Parties and celebrations, including a fireworks display billed as the most spectacular in 232 years, accelerated toward their Wednesday peak. The 32-year-old heir to the throne and his 20-year-old bride-to-be were the focus of every eye at a glittering palace reception and ball for 1,500 guests. The ball, which followed a gold-plate dinner for 90 in the palace’s state dining room, substituted for a big reception after the wedding. Only two of the Three Degrees, Prince Charles’s favorite pop group, were there to play at the dance — the third is expecting twins. Charles and Diana mingled with friends, foreign royalty, Nancy Reagan, estate employees and wedding ceremony participants. “There was no protocol about it,” a palace spokesman said. “It was purely a party for friends and friends of friends.” It was the last time Charles and Diana will be together until they join hands at the altar before the archbishop of Canterbury and the world’s gaze.