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THE BATTALION Page 5
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1981
Hightower declares
candidacy for office
By NANCY FLOECK
Battalion StafF
Farmers and consumers are being gouged by
high food prices and something must be done, Jim
Hightower said Monday as he announced his candi
dacy for Texas agriculture commissioner.
“This gouging of food prices is the number one
issue that the next agriculture commissioner has got
to address,” he said.
Hightower, a former editor of the Texas Obser
ver, is seeking the Demoncratic nomination for the
office. He announced his candidacy here at the
Ramada Inn before flying to Austin to announce it at
the capitol. The candidate said he wanted to make
the first announcement in the Brazos Valley, since it
is the “heart of agriculture” in Texas.
Using a bag of groceries to illustrate his “gouging”
point, Hightower told a group of about 20 commu
nity residents that farmers get 25 cents from an 83-
cent box of rice, 4 cents from a $1.57-box of cereal, 8
cents from a $ 1.09-bag of Fritos and 6 cents from a
61-cent can of tomato sauce.
“Supermarket prices are up; farm prices are
down,” he said. “That’s a curious kind of arithmetic.
Somebody’s making a killing. ”
Hightower said 80,000 small farmers have gone
broke in the past few years, and that Reagan Brown,
incumbent candidate for the office and Hightower’s
opponent in the May primary, hasn’t used the
resources and power of his office to prevent it.
Reagan is a “do-nothing” official who has ducked
responsibility and not promoted legislation of his
own to aid consumers and farmers, he said. And the
agriculture commissioner’s office has provided him
plenty of opportunities, he added.
“It’s been the most embarrassing performance of
a state official in the past four years,” Hightower
said. “And you’ve got to go a long way to achieve
that in Austin.”
However, Hightower said, he would put “com
mon sense” back in Texas’ food economy if elected
agriculture commissioner. Texas residents are suf
fering because of food, land and water issues—
issues that the Texas agriculture commission office
has the resources to deal with, he said.
This isn’t Hightower’s first bid for public office.
He ran for railroad commissioner in 1980, and
captured 49 percent of the primary vote. He ran on
a populist platform, fighting for environmental con
trols and against big business and industry.
|im Hightower, Democratic candidate for Texas agricultural
lommissioner, holds up a loaf of bread to illustrate his claim
high food prices are gouging farmers and consumers.
Staff photo by Creg Gammon
Inflationary prices will be the key issue of his campaign, he
said.
Target 2000 group to meet
lairman of the Target 2000 Pro-
k
JThe Target 2000 Project Gom-
littee, a 230-member advisory
By DENISE RICHTER
.Battalion Staff
The organizational meeting cf
e Target 2000 Project, a long-
nge study to determine where
f shift* Texas A&M University Sys-
J20(ftn) s academic and service
I ich priorities will lie by the
ar2000, is scheduled for Thurs-
yatlp.m. in 701 Rudder,
i {|The project, scheduled for
isfcl pletion and presentation to
ViSCle Board of Regents in Decem-
bt 1982, will determine “what
\jewish to be in the year 2000, ”
George P. Mitchell, general
!per|
pbf
Ithe]
! y |oup, will carry out the work of
'' file project.
^1 This committee will he divided
j UL into three task forces: one dealing
with the four academic institu-
tfons, one dealing with the four
■ricultural agencies and services
>pe: ffle! one dealing with the three
ered§ngineering agencies and
on Services.
Each task force will he divided
itofour work groups. Each work
oup will deal with one of the
llowing areas — programs,
J ientele, resources or organiza-
in and management — of the
stitutions or agencies that fall
iderthe scope of the task force.
Dr. Robert E. Shutes, project
aff director, said committee
embers were chosen by the
oard of Regents from nomina-
tins submitted by the system’s
iefexecutive officers, by former
Indents and by the regents
themselves. More than 1,000
Sominations were received, he
"Members were chosen so each
jency and institution is repre-
uted,” Shutes said. “We tried
to strike a balance between for-
ierstudents and non-former stu-
Jents. We have about 55 percent
60 percent Aggies on our com-
littee.’’
No faculty member or students
erveon the Target 2000 Project
-oramittee, but “careful efforts
dll he made to obtain input from
loth groups,” he said.
“Some faculty members will
serve as resource team facilitators
— they will provide information
and serve as a pipeline to bring
faculty and staff recommenda
tions to the committee,” Shutes
said.
“The students of each institu
tion will be represented on the
academic task force by the vice
president for student services (of
each institution),” he said. “We
expect those people to bring stu
dents to some of the meetings.”
Dr. John J. Koldus, vice presi
dent for student services, will
represent the Texas A&M stu
dent body on this committee.
Shutes said the academic task
force will survey students on cer
tain issues facing the group. “The
interest of the academic task force
members in student opinion is
high,” he said.
Speaking at the Target 2000 ex
ecutive committee meeting Sept.
25, System Chancellor Dr. Frank
W. R. Hubert said issues facing
the committee include to pre
serve the Permanent University
Fund.
The PUF is an endowment
fund shared by the University of
Texas System and the Texas A&M
System.
The PUF plays a vital role in
the support of “this mega-buck
conglomerate of higher education
in the state of Texas,” Hubert
said. “We hope that growing out
of this study will he a network of
support and assistance that could
be used in the protection of the
PUF.”
The Target 2000 Project will
encompass the 11 major parts of
the Texas A&M System: Texas
A&M University, Prairie View
A&M University, Tarleton State
University and Texas A&M Uni
versity at Galveston.
The seven service branches in
cluded under the study are: The
Texas Agricultural Experiment
Station (TAES), the Texas Ag
ricultural Extension Service
(TAEX), the Texas Forest Service
(TFS), the Texas Veterinary Med
ical Diagnostic Laboratory
(TVMDL), the Texas Engineer
ing Experiment Station (TEES),
the Texas Engineering Extension
Service (TEEX) and the Texas
Transportation Institute (TTI).
The Target 2000 Project is the
first long-range planning study
since 1962. The Century Council
was established in 1960 to de
velop plans for the University to
be applied through 1976.
“The Century Council assisted
the University in making changes
in policy and organization and set
the groundwork for A&M to be
come the University it is today,”
Hubert said.
Issues addressed by the Cen
tury Council included changing
the name of the A&M College of
Texas to Texas A&M University,
the admission of women to the
then all-male institution and mak
ing membership in the Corps of
Cadets voluntary.
MSG
TRAVEL
WINTER PARK SKI TRIP
Jan. 9-16, 1982
Package includes:
• Round trip bus transportation
• 5 days — family style food/
2 meals daily
• 5 days — Lodging at Timberhouse Lodge
• 5 days — Lift tickets
• Parties
*$100 Due upon Sign up
Sign up at secretary's desk, Rm. 216 MSC or call 845-1514 for more
information.
CARE IS
CONTAGIOUS!
WE'RE HOPING
TO START
AN EPIDEMIC!
JOIN US SUNDAY AT 9:15
OR 10:45 A.M.
Fellowship Supper 5:30 p.m.
Worship with Folk Setting 7 p.m.
Service of Meditation this
evening at 10 p.m.
UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHAPEL
315 N. College Main — 846-6687
Hubert Beck Pastor
nr
Find it in Battalion Classified
845-2611
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TTIIIIIIIIIIIIUTIIII III XI
MSC OPAS proudly presents
Victor Borge
October 18/8 p.m.
Rudder Auditorium/TAMU
Tickets available at MSC Box Office or
Telephone MasterCard / VISA orders & pick up at the door
845-1234
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