Ihe Battalion Serving the Texas A&M University community ••75 No. 1 Tuesday, September 1, 1981 USPS 045 360 ■Pages College Station, Texas Phone 845-2611 I— ■■■■- — The Weather 1 Today Tomorrow High 90 High ... 88 Low 70 Low ... 70 Chance of rain .... 20% Chance of rain. . . . . 40% ewly enacted Texas laws hit home any changes in Texas law made by 1981 Legislature take effect this k as the state begins a new business The following items describe :ts of some of the 902 bills passed by iregular legislative session. I- Teenagers must celebrate their p birthdays before buying alcoholic rages in Texas. -Confessions made by a crime sus- t can be recorded or videotaped if suspect is advised beforehand. -Dnig dealers can be fined up to $1 lion for selling illegal drugs. - Sale or delivery of par aphernalia 1 in drug abuse will be prohibited. -Wiretaps can be planted in homes business offices by police officers Idng for illegal drugs. - Auto liability insurance will be- ie mandatory. Higher interest rates will be jwed on new life insurance policy is, applicable only to new policies. A 15-member advisory committee be established to set guidelines for ilic officials’ conduct. Deductions from state employees’ pgy, including dues check-offs, will be hibited unless approved by the Leg- ture. - Persons convicted of aggravated and sexual abuse of a child will pay reused penalties. - Law enforcement officers will re- re compensation for hazardous duty, ’wo controversial items passed by tbe Legislature and effective this week ire being challenged in court. One is a law that would ban commer cial fishing for redfish and speckled trout. That legislation is being chal lenged in a Brownsville federal court. Another controversial law calls for bilingual education from kindegarten to the eighth grade. That legislation could be affected by the outcome of a federal court order that calls for bilingual edu cation through the 12th grade. That order is being appealed. See accompanying stories for a more detailed explanation of two of the newly enacted laws. ‘Head shops’ By DENISE RICHTElt Battalion Stall Several bills which today became law in the state of Texas will be greeted with boos and hisses as ihey call for many constituents to alter their lifestyles, while still others will be applauded as a welcome change. As of today, stores commonly known as “head shops†that continue to special ize in drug paraphernalia are dealing in illegal goods. A new state law outlawing the sale or delivery of drug paraphernaha goes into effect today. Violations of this law can result in charges ranging from a Class C misdemeanor to a third degree felony. This law won’t affect Bryan-College Station as much as it will affect Houston or Dallas,†said College Station police Lt. John Kennedy. “This law was mostly geared for cities where there are head shops.†Sgt. Rick Stewart with the Texas De partment of Public Safety said: “There are no head shops in this area (Bryan- College Station). Basically, I think there have been some stores that have sold paraphernalia ... some record stores and pipe and tobacco stores sell equip ment that could be used for smoking marijuana and hashish but they haven’t been strictly drug shops.†Kennedy said every store that sold cigarette papers (used by some mari juana smokers) could theoretically be accused of dealing in drug parapherna lia, although the new law does not clas sify the papers as such. Kennedy said the new law wouldn’t cause the College Station Police De partment any problems. “This will strengthen the laws concerning drug paraphernalia. We’ll be able to enforce the laws where we weren’t able to be fore,†he said. Sen. Kent Caperton (D-College Sta tion) said he feels the law is constitution al and will be upheld. “The law will probably be challenged but I feel it is tightly drawn enough to be upheld,†Caperton said. “A lot of the (drug paraphernalia) laws have been so broad in an effort to stem the drug prob lem that they were found unconstitu tional.†But while the formerly legal para phernalia was today outlawed by drug- related legislation, dimethylsulfoxide — a controversial product formerly ban ned by the Food and Drug Administra tion — was legalized. The law makes the manufacture and sale of the drug, commonly known as DMSO, legal when it has been pre scribed by a physician. Dr. Claude B. Goswick, A. P. Beutel Health Center director, said although DMSO has been used as a solvent for many years, new uses for it have been discovered. “When DMSO is applied to the skin, it is absorbed nearly 100 percent,†Gos wick said. “People thought since it could go through the skin, maybe it could carry medication, like aspirin, through the skin also.†Goswick said DM SO was found cap able of carrying medication through the skin and, when it is used alone, has been found to be relieve arthritis pain. “The controversy stems from the fact that, though DMSO was approved for use in labs, it has never been approved as a treatment by the Food and Drug Administration,†Goswick said. Caperton said the new law authorizes DMSO for use in Texas under a licensed physician’s prescription but prohibits promoting DMSO as a cure-all because no conclusive scientific evidence has been gathered. Auto liability By PHYLLIS HENDERSON Battalion Staff If you’re stopped at a police check point after Jan. 1, don’t automatically pull out your driver’s license — they may want to see your insurance policy. Texas already requires vehicle own ers to have mandatory auto liability in surance, but the 1981 Texas Legislature has passed a law enabling the Depart ment of Public Safety to now enforce that law by demanding proof of insur ance. Injuries for which the driver is liable are covered by liability insurance. The statute requires a minimum coverage of $10,000 per person, $5,000 for property damages and $20,000 in accident cov erage. DPS officials expect to have a plan developed for enforcing the law in two or three weeks. “We’re still formulating the policy we’re going to use,†David Wells, public information officer of the department, said. The department does have the au thority, however, to make random stop- checks, such as those made to check drivers’ licences. The Legislature authorized fines ranging from $75 to $200 for the first offense and up to $1,000 and 180 days in jail for further violations of the statute. This law should not encourage car owners to cancel other types of insur ance, Dixie Abbott, information spe cialist at the State Board of Insurance, said. “Having this kind of law doesn’t mean someone should drop their unin sured coverage,†she said. Owners should be aware that out-of- state cars are not subject to the statute and others may simply not comply, she said. Vatchful eyes on 19-year-olds Liquor law may stifle dorm life liter’s note: This is the second in wo-part series about a new Texas v which raises the legal drinking e in Texas to 19 years of age. The n goes into effect today. By CATHY SAATHOFF Battalion Staff The first two weeks of school offer Irm mixers for almost every night of pweek, but the festive atmosphere at Bse get-togethers may be dampened 1 a new Texas law which today raises Hje legal drinking age to 19. 1 Bill Kibler, assistant director of stu dent affairs at Texas A&M University, Hid dorm mixers will have to be closely lipervised to assure compliance with the law. The type of supervision de- ends on the type and location of the Irty, he said. Because of the new age limit, open Bgs and bars may no longer be avail- feat mixers held at the Quonset huts. I‘They’ll have to be supervised by Ome kind of staff member,†Kibler aid. For large mixers where alcohol is served, the head resident of the dorm will be responsible for supervising dis tribution of alcoholic beverages; for smaller gatherings a resident adviser will do, Kibler said. Kibler said staff members will be in structed not to serve any kind of liquor to persons under 19, years old or to those who are obviously intoxicated. “They (students attending the party) will be required to have some method of identification,†Kibler said. Students who are under the legal drinking age will still be admitted, but all must wear some kind of identification indicating if they are of legal drinking age. One method being considered is for students attending the functions to have their hands stamped or to be given tags to wear. The policy regarding alcohol in dorm rooms won’t change, Kibler said. Offi cially, alcohol is not permitted on cam pus but because the University consid ers dorm rooms to be private residences students can have it in their rooms, as long as it is contained in the rooms only. Students may not have alcohol in public areas of the campus, including hallways inside dorms, Kibler said. But what the dorm residents do inside the rooms is their business, he said. “The choice of whether or not to drink there is the student’s,†Kibler said. “As long as the alcohol is kept in the room, there is no problem.†But, Kibler said, University author ities reserve the right to enter a stu dent’s private room during an emergen cy or if they suspect the student is violating University regulations in his room. Outside of campus, the Texas Alcoho lic Beverage Commission is responsible for enforcement of the law. Local bar owners have indicated they plan to check identification at the doors of their establishments, but ABC inspectors are expecting a busy week. Robert Donahoo, an inspector for the local ABC office, said the new law is almost identical to the old law, except the age is raised from 18 to 19. “The purpose of the Legislature was to assist high school administrators to remove alcohol from high school cam puses,†Donahoo said. “We will enforce the law as it is writ ten,†he said. “We hope that there won’t be any problems. We would like to have voluntary compliance.“The Bryan ABC office patrols a 14-county area. Donahoo said the law will be difficult to enforce because of the large number of people which it restricts from drinking. According to Texas law, people be tween the ages of 10 and 16 are consi dered juveniles, Donahoo said. If any one in this category is found in posses sion of liquor or in a state of intoxication, they will be tried in juvenile court, and their records will be erased at their 18th birthday. The offense would be a matter of per manent record for violators 17 to 18 years old because by law they are consi dered adults. If any bars are found serving alcohol to underage people, the person serving the liquor can be tried in county court, Donahoo said, and assessed a fine of from $100 to $1,000 and/or sentenced up to a year in county jail. The establishment which has the li quor license will be tried in a civil case, Donahoo said. It is not unusual for viola tors’ licenses to be suspended, he said. Beat the hell outta Cal Berkley (Whoop!) Head football coach Tom Wilson leads more than 7,500 whooping Aggies in G. Rollie White Coliseum Monday night as students welcome incoming freshmen and another semester at the traditional All-University Night at Texas A&M. University. Whoops and standing ovations seemed to be the order of the night as the enthusiastic crowd interrupted speakers Ken Johnson, student body president; Dr. John Koldus, vice president for student services; and Dr. Charles Samson, acting Texas A&M president. Spirit was high as Wilson spoke to the overflowing crowd and introduced the football team and coaching staff. Mike Thatcher, head yell leader, led the students in the first yell practice of the year. Shuttle bus offers parking for day By KATHY O’CONNELL Battalion Staff If off-campus students opt for a shut tle bus pass, they can save time, money for gasoline and the frustration accom panying the search for a parking space. The shuttle bus service, operating with a contract between Transportation Enterprises Inc. of Austin and Texas A&M University, provides students, fa culty and staff transportation to and from campus Monday through Friday. During finals week, the shuttle service operates on a modified schedule. All routes begin at 7 a.m. and are scheduled to leave campus every 10 mi nutes. If a student has an 8 a.m. class, it is suggested he be at the bus stop no later than 7:30 a.m. The last bus leaves campus at 10 p.m. Students who have pre-paid for a pass can pick them up for the next two weeks at a table set up on the first floor of Rudder Tower. After the next two weeks students can purchase a pass in the Business Service Office (103 Rudder Tower). Semesterly passes for students cost $40; passes for students and their spouses cost $58 and passes for faculty and staff cost $53. A coupon book with tickets for 10 individual rides can also be purchased for $10. Following is a list of bus routes and stops along those routes: North Route — Villa Maria Villa Maria at Wellborn Rd. Fairway Apartments Tri-State Sporting Goods Triangle Bowling Alley Country Place Casa Blanca College Main East Route — Scarlett O’Hara Plantation Oaks solution students Briarwood Woodstock/Gardena East Route — Munson Drive Sausalito Sundance Cripple Creek East Route — Puryear Drive Tanglewood Lexington/Village Green Travis House/Courtyard Barcelona Stallings Drive South Route — Holleman Drive University Terrace Monaco Viking Sevilla Scandia Taos South Route — FM 2818 Valley View Drive Doux Chene Longmire Peppertree Deacon Drive Oak Forest Brentwood South Route — Anderson/Parkway Cheyenne/Denver Bandera/Durango Parkway/Arbor Square Southwest Village West Knoll W illowick/ Oakwood The campus bus stop for the north route is the Reed McDonald Building at the corner of Ross and Ireland streets; the stop for east routes is the Olin Teague Building at the comer of Bizzell and Lubbock streets; the stop for south routes is across from Rudder Tower at the comer of Throckmorton and Joe Routt.