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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1981)
Battalion Serving the Texas A&M University community Thursday, October 22, 1981 College Station, Texas USPS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 The Weather Today Tomorrow High 68 High . ..66 Low 58 Low ...55 Chance of rain. . . . . . 70% Chance of rain . 30% Student Senate rejects emergency status vote Veterinary Medicine Complex along with others and are used for breeding purposes by the College of Veterinary Medicine. By NANCY FLOECK Battalion Staff The Student Senate voted down a motion Wednesday night that would have allowed immediate voting on a bill that recommends sugar-free drinks be sold at University functions. Under regular procedure, the Sugar- Free Drinks Bill would have been intro duced at the meeting, but debated and voted on at a later date. Laura Furr, Spence/Briggs/Underwood senator and author of the bill, moved that the bill be put on emergency status so it could be voted on Wednesday night. Furr said research on the bill is finished and, if approved, the bill would recommend that sugar-free drinks to be sold at the Texas A&M-SMU football game and other functions following the game. The bill would aid students and alumni who must watch their intake of sugar, she said. Joe Jordan, student member of the Texas A&M Athletic Council, said that US calls nuclear several requests for sugar-free drinks at games had been made to interim Athle tic Director Wally Groff. Groff, who favors the idea, discussed the proposi tion with concession operators but they were not receptive, Jordan said. The bill would prove to these oper ators that a demand for sugar-free drinks exists, he said. Arguing against emergency status for the bill. Bill Price, senior engineering senator, said the bill was not important enough to warrant immediate consider ation. Bills dealing with Q-drop poli cies, summer pre-registration and local consumer safety weren't given the same type treatment, he said. “What are our priorities here? Can you go to your constituency and look them in the eye ... I don’t think so,” he said. The Senate also refused second con sideration of a bill, which was killed in committee, that dealt with changes in requirements for scholastic honors. The bill recommended that the Academic Council set May 1984, in stead of May 1982, as the last month during which a 3.25 GPR would be con sidered the minimum requirement for distinguished student status. However, several senators suggested the committee members were confus ing the requirement for graduation with honors that is set by the Academic Council as a 3.5 GPR with distinguished student status established by deans as a 3.25 GPR. Furthermore, members of the bill’s committee, said they voted to kill the bill because undergraduate catalogs say a 3.25 GPR is the standard, and catalogs are considered contracts between the University and students. Students gra duating May 1984 or before have en tered the University under this assump tion, they said. In other business, the Senate passed a bill that recommends the building of a women’s softball facility. NATO meeting missile victory United Press International LONDON — Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger won the backing of Byrd: Ultimately, US would lose Senate leader opposes arms sale NATO nations for the deployment of new U.S. nuclear missiles in western Europe, but faced expected anti nuclear demonstrations at his speech today to a London think tank. A six-page communique issued by the 13 North Atlantic Treaty Organiza tion defense ministers at the end of a two-day meeting Wednesday in Gleneagles, Scotland renewed their commitment to modernize European defenses with U.S. nuclear missiles aimed at the Soviet Union. “Any objective comparison ... re veals a wide and growing disparity of nuclear systems in the European thea ter in favor of the Soviet Union,” the communique said. Weinberger said he was “particularly pleased with the degree of unanimity” about the Soviet buildup. U.S. officials considered the docu ment a victory in preparation for the U.S.-Soviet talks in Geneva Nov. 30 on controlling the number of nuclear mis siles. United Press International WASHINGTON — Breaking his long silence, Senate Democratic Lead er Robert Byrd has announced his oppo sition to the administration’s proposed sale of AWACS radar planes to Saudi Arabia, and thereby made President Reagan’s selling job tougher. Reagan had just left for' Cancun, Mexico Wednesday when the West Vir ginia Democrat announced his decision on the Senate floor. “It was not unex pected,” said Reagan’s spokesman in Washington, Larry Speakes. “I do not believe this sale serves the best interest of the United States,” Byrd said in a speech that criticized the admi nistration’s neglect of the Camp David peace process. “Quite the contrary, I believe it places these interests in jeopardy. “In my estimation, if the AWACS CS City Council to consider proposed street repairs The College Station City Council is scheduled to consider plans tonight for improving portions of two streets. The proposed plan calls for paving and installing drains, inlets and storm sewers on Poplar Street between Eisenhower and Turner streets and MacArthur Street between Cooner Street and East University Drive. Two-thirds of the cost of the im provements will be charged to owners of adjacent property for the paving and construction of curbs in front of the respective properties, while the city will pay the remaining costs. The improvements are scheduled to be considered on an emergency basis in order to advertise for bids and start construction as soon as possible. sale were to proceed-at this time, the Saudis would lose, the Israelis would lose, the Egyptians would lose, the Jor danians would lose, and ultimately, the United States would lose.” Opponents must have at least 51 votes to veto the sale or it goes through, despite a 301-111 rejection by the House last week. Byrd’s decision was immediately wel comed by opponents to the proposed $8.5 billion sale of five Airborne Warn ing and Control System aircraft and an F-15 enhancement package. “I believe this is a crucial turning point in the debate,” said Assistant Sen ate Democratic Leader Alan Cranston of California, the Democrats’ key vote counter. How crucial will be seen today when Sen. Warren Rudman, R-N.H., consi dered as leaning for the sale, announces his decision during a Speech on the Sen ate floor. Cranston said Byrd’s decision “sure helps.” But he declined to predict a victory on the Senate floor for oppo nents to the sale when the issue comes up for a vote on Oct. 28 — three days before the Oct. 31 deadline. Cranston said there are now 55 sena tors against or leaning against the sale — 49 of them “hard” votes. “I expect other uncommitted senators to come out in opposition to the sale,” he said. The AWACS sale “makes sense only within the context of a realistic Middle East policy which focuses on the fun damental issues separating Arabs and Israelis — the future of the Palesti nians,” Byrd said. “The Middle East peace process must be brought back to the forefront of our policy. If we do not recognize this, then we are launching on a path of upping the ante for Israel and the Saudis — escalat ing the arms race.” Byrd offered the alternative of keep ing the U.S.-owned AWACS now in Saudi Arabia in that area. “Why not continue this arrangement?” he asked. 100 wines at KAMU By LAURA WILLIAMS Classes to be dismissed if A&M defeats Texas “so campus offices will be open Nov. 30, regardless of the outcome of the game. ” In 1979, President Jarvis Miller dis- * I missed classes after Texas A&M defe- - t ated UT 13-7; however, classes were I held last year despite a 24-14 victory I over UT. This year’s game will be held Nov. * 26 in Kyle Field. The game is sche duled to start at 2 p.m. I | available for tasting benefit Monday The “burning desire” to defeat the University of Texas Longhorns prob ably will intensify as a result of a state ment made by Texas A&M President Frank E. Vandiver Wednesday. Texas A&M students will be ex cused from classes on Monday, Nov. 30 “when our team is victorious on Thanksgiving Day,” Vandiver said. But, “It is, of course, not possible to relieve the faculty and staff of their responsibilities on this day,” he said, Vandiver will direct MOB during A&M-Rice halftime By DENISE RICHTER Battalion StafT Texas A&M President Dr. Frank E. Vandiver will serve as “director emer itus’ of the Rice University Marching Owl Band, better known as the MOB, during halftime of Saturday’s Texas A&M-Rice football game. “He (Vandiver) will help us through the finale,” Rice Band Director Ken neth Dye said. “It will be a patriotic salute. He’ll direct the band from the podium on the sidelines. ” Vandiver spent 24 years at Rice as a professor, acting president, provost (vice president for administration) and vice president. While he was provost, he “had direct responsibility for the hand over a period of years, ” J. Malon Southerland, assistant to Vandiver, said. Vandiver stressed that his intentions in accepting the MOB’s invitation were positive: “It was done in fun and for old time’s sake, and it was on that basis that I accepted. “Besides, this way I may at least know in advance what the MOB has up its collective sleeve, even if I can’t do any thing about it. ” The MOB is known for its unusual halftime entertainment. During last year’s performance at Texas A&M, the band formed a large dancing cockroach, and saluted country and western music by playing the “Cotton-Eyed Joe” while in a boot-and-spur formation. During the song, the band members forming the spur did the dance of the same name. The MOB also is known for the secre cy that surrounds each halftime show. “No one ever knows what they’re going to do until halftime,” Bruce Davies, editor of The Rice Thresher, the university’s student newspaper, said. Midnight yell practice and the Corps of Cadets parade will be held in down town Houston this weekend. Yell practice will be held Friday night in the parking lot at the Cattle- guard Restaurant at 2800 Milam in downtown Houston. “The yell practice in Waco turned out really well,” Senior Yell Leader John Nisbet said. “We hope this week’s practice turns out as well.” Nisbet said yell practice will also be held Thursday in Kyle Field as usual. “We hope to have a big turnout to sup port the team,” he said. Other pre-game activities include the Corps of Cadets traditional march through downtown Houston Saturday. Step-off will be at 9:45 a. m. from the But, regardless of what Rice has plan ned for halftime, Vandiver said he isn’t worried about the Texas Aggie Band’s ability to hold its own against the MOB. As the visitors, the Texas A&M band will perform first and “(the Rice band) will have a tough — in fact, unbeatable — act to follow,” he said. intersection of Main and Clay streets. The Cadets will move northeast on Main Street to Texas, turn right to Fan nin and right again back to Clay. Reviewing the outfits will be retired Brig. Gen. E.D. Woellner of the Un ited States Air Force. Woellner is a member of the National Security Coun cil in Washington, D.C. The march is part of the traditional activities of the Corps trips held twice each year. Corps trips began in 1878 and are now held twice each fall to games in Houston and Fort Worth on odd-numbered years and to Dallas and Austin on even-numbered years. The Corps will travel to Fort Worth Nov. 21 for the Texas A&M-Texas Christian University game. Battalion Reporter If you occasionally enjoy replacing a longneck with a good bottle of wine and want to learn more about how to choose one, over 100 domestic wines will be available for the novice and the expert to try Monday at the Friends of KAMU- TV/FM Second Annual Wine Tasting. The KAMU benefit tasting will be the perfect chance for someone who knows nothing about wines to begin learning. Bill Leigon, representative of the California Wine Institute, said. Legion, who is also branch manager for J. Lohr Wines of Southern Califor nia, will be representing the company and the California Wine Institute, which is providing the wine. He recommended that interested persons take advantage of the chance to learn from the experts while tasting the products of over 30 wineries, including a Texas vintage. “I think it’s a tremendous experi ence. You don’t get this many wines in one room very often,” he said. “With over 100 different wines, anyone can find and learn about one they like. In recent years, California wines have often been preferred over French and Italian wines, Leigon said. “Most California wines have an ex tensive label telling you what vineyard it’s from and what type of wine to ex pect,” he said. “You just can’t get that in European wines.” “But comparing California wines to French wines is like (comparing) apples and pears. I like them both, but I don’t compare them. You can’t,” he said. Legion said this is because the 433- member California Institute has been making wines seriously for about only seven years. And, most vines don’t pro duce a good quality fruit before at least that many years, he said. Youthful wines seem to be good enough for most Americans, however. Leigon said seven out of every 10 wines sold in America are domestic, and 90 percent of those are from California. Americans prefer the “cleaner” taste of California wines because “they are fruitier and bigger,” he said. Leigon said drinking the proper wine with a meal is important, but a matter of preference. “There are certain charac teristics of certain wines that merry with a food, and this is the purpose for drink ing wine,” he said. “But the bottom line is drink what you like to drink; other wise, what’s the point?” Booklets will be given at the door explaining how and where the wines are made and what type each is. Develop ment Director Penny Zent said. She said she expects more than last year’s 450 to come to the tasting to be held in the ballroom of Ramada Inn at 7 ( p.m. “We made $1,600 for the radio and ) television station last year, and we’re ( hoping to do better,” Zent said. Tickets are $7.50 in advance or at the door. Yell practice, parade scheduled in Houston