Fhe Battalion
'Ol. 75 No. 59
6 Pages
2
B
n
o
Spy
Serving the Texas A&M University community
Monday, November 23, 1981
College Station, Texas
USPS 045 360
Phone 845-2611
The Weather
Today
Tomorrow
High
.. ..80
High
.. .77
Low
... .50
Low
. . .47
Chance of rain. . . .
. . 20%
Chance of rain
. 10%
nterim measure axed
board committee
By DENISE RICHTER
Battalion Staff
interim measure to alleviate space
rtages in the College of Engineer-
previously approved by the Texas
JM System Board of Regents, was
led Sunday by a committee of the
pHI In September, regents authorized
3 $2.8 million conversion of the base-
it of the Engineering Laboratory
iter to academic laboratories and
ie space. The basement of the cen-
I now under construction on the
a ftli side of the Zaehry Engineering
■ter, was originally designed for
hgd However, System Chancellor Frank
^ I.li Hubert recommended Sunday
0 1 the Board consider completing the
■ineering Laboratory Center accord-
Itoits original plans and that space in
^ Engineering and Physics Building
inverted to academic laboratories
r ead.
Mb (he cost of the 141,000-square-foot
y U jneering and Physics Building, to
—j. ucatedon the south side of the Cyc-
jn, is an estimated $17.5 million,
building is scheduled for comple-
in the fall of 1983.
The conversion of the Engineering
oratory Center changes the original
r I :tion and design of a building, which
ady had been agreed upon and ...
fcme out with converted space that
| Band-aid to the problem (of over
ding),’ Hubert said,
iboratory space could be included
Engineering and Physics Build-
atacost of 12 to 14 months (addi-
time), Hubert said.
The advantages of moving in this
ction far outweigh the disadvan-
s of time lost, he said,
lommittee Chairman H.C. Bell of
in said the committee woidd re-
mend the acceptance of Hubert’s
;estion.
Discussion concerning a $50,000
ropriation for the detailed design of
Transportation Center expansion
5f
M
3
n
fueled a debate over Texas A&M’s ven
ture into the bus business.
The proposed $1.3 million building
would provide service and maintenance
areas, parking space for 34 buses and
space for future expansion.
The appropriation was undebated;
however, several of the regents voiced
opposition when they learned that the
original cost of the 32 buses had been
underestimated and that an additional
$200,000 would be needed to pay for
the buses.
Board Chairman H.R. “Bum Bright
of Dallas said, “Anything would be
cheaper than trying to do this — this is a
big mistake.’’
Regent Joe C. Richardson of Amarillo
asked whether the Board’s attempt to
See related story on page 3
improve bus service by owning and
operating its own fleet wasn’t just ‘“pick
ing up more headaches.”
The University plans to operate its
own fleet of buses starting in the fall,
when the present contract with Trans
portation Enterprises, Inc. ends.
Vice President for Business Affairs
Howard Vestal told the Board that the
buses had not been ordered and the
program could be stopped at any time.
Bell then suggested discussion of the
bus system be tabled.
The committee also discussed the
appropriation of $142,000 for the de
tailed design of the food service com
missary, to be constructed on the east
side of Agronomy Road.
A model of the commissary was pre
sented by the project’s architect-
engineer Fred Buford, of Fred Buford
and Associates. According to the model,
a railroad spur will be constructed to
link the commissary to the main railroad
line.
Bell said, “This is the building that is
going to save us $1 million a year ... and
will pay for itself in four or five years. ’’
The commissary will enable the food
Staff photo by Rose Delano
Fish detail
Steven Thompson, right front, helps other freshmen unload
Drum Corps equipment for the performance at the Texas
A&M-Texas Christian University football game. James Morris, left
front, looks on as Wendall Skolaski, left back, and John Ripley
help in the process.
services department to receive larger
food shipments by train instead of by
truck.
The committee also discussed a
$60,000 appropriation for the detailed
design of an expansion of the Universi
ty’s electrical capabilities. Wesley E.
Peel, vice chancellor for facilities plan
ning and construction, said the expan
sion will provide a back-up source of
power and will fulfdl Texas A&M’s elec
tricity needs through the year 2000.
The $5 million expansion calls for the
campus to receive additional power
from the Brazos Electric Power Cooper
ative.
In an previous interview, JOe J. Estill
Jr., director of the Physical Plant, said
the maximum electrical power now
available from the Brazos Cooperative is
20 mega-watts. Under the new system,
the maximum power available will be 40
mega-watts initially and eventually will
reach 120 mega-watts, he said.
In other action, the committee re
commended the following items to the
full board for approval:
— a $1.7 million contract to the Belco
Construction Co. of Temple for the con
struction of the Animal Science Pavilion
— a $133,600 contract to the J.W.
Cox Construction Co. of Alta Loma for
the relocation of the dishwashing area in
the Memorial Student Center
— a $35,000 appropriation for design
of the first phase of the Systems Build
ing renovation. Total cost of the renova
tion is an estimated $950,000.
The Planning and Building Commit
tee meeting resumed at 8:30 a.m. today
to discuss a proposed special events
center and appropriations for the pre
liminary design of the Biological Con
trol Facility.
The full Board will act on the com
mittee’s recommendations at their
meeting Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in the
MSC regents quarters.
As System Board of Regents Chairman H.R.
“Bum” Bright looks on, architect-engineer Fred
Buford presents a site plan of the proposed Food
Staff photo by Dave Einscl
Service Commissary. The plan was presented
during Sunday’s meeting of the Planning and
Building Committee.
Reagan vetoes emergency bill
United Press International
WASHINGTON — President
Reagan, carrying out his pledge to fight
“budget busting’’ by Congress, today
vetoed a $427.9 billion emergency
spending bill, forcing an unpre
cedented shutdown of “non-essential”
government operations.
Reagan issued the veto — the first of
his presidency — nearly 12 hours after
the bill, hammered out by a House-
Senate conference committee during
the weekend — received final passage
by the Senate.
The measure gave Reagan only about
$2 billion of the $8.5 billion in budget
cuts he requested.
In his veto message, Reagan said he
had offered to meet Congress halfway,
but the compromise that reached the
White House only this morning repre
sented neither fair compromise nor re
sponsible budget policy.
“The failure to provide a reasonable
.resolution means that some citizens
may be inconvenienced and that there
is a possibility of some temporary hard
ship,” Reagan said. “Nevertheless, afar
greater threat to all Americans is the
sustained hardship they will suffer by
continuing the past budget-busting
policies of big spending and big defi
cits.”
The president, who had used his veto
threat in an effort to persuade Congress
to shave more spending from the bill,
immediately convened an emergency
Cabinet meeting to discuss how to close
down government agencies that ran out
of money at midnight Friday. It was
estimated about 400,000 government
workers — 8 percent of the federal
workforce — would be laid off without
pay Tuesday.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers who
openly defied the president were
angered by the veto, and the House
prepared to try to override it — an un
likely possibility in view of the narrow
margin by which the spending bill was
sent to Reagan on Sunday.
“I suppose the president intended all
along to use this for a confrontation with
the Congress,” House Democratic lead
er Jim Wright of Texas told NBC News.
“Every member of the conference
committee — House and Senate, Re
publican and Democrat, had the full
expectation and was led to believe the
president would sign the bill,” Wright
said.
House Democratic leaders prepared
another stopgap measure that would
keep spending at its current levels until
Feb. 25.
The veto followed a weekend of long
hours and occasionally flared tempers as
Congress worked to renew funding for a
government cut off.
Elephant Walk set for Tuesday
Seniors will gather in front of the
Academic Building Tuesday at noon
for the annual Elephant Walk.
The event, previously scheduled
for Wednesday, was moved to Tues
day to allow ample time on Wednes
day for final preparations on the Bon
fire, Director of Student Affairs Ron
Blatchley said.
Head Civilian Redpot Mike Tho
mas said ax handles will not be allowed
on the walk except for symbolic hand
les carried by members of the Bonfire
Committee.
The seniors will wander through the
campus to Kyle Field, through the
north area and then to the Corps
Quadrangle and hold a final yell prac
tice at the Bonfire site, Thomas said.
Head Yell Leader Mike Thatcher
said this year the seniors will stay away
from the academic building to avoid
disturbing classes.
Overprogramming, ticket costs
raise questions about concerts
By NANCY WEATHERLEY
Battalion Staff
Overprograming and high ticket costs by the MSC
Town Hall Committee have prompted questions con
cerning how Town Hall brings entertainment to Texas
A&M University.
Town Hall is responsible for bringing the Universi
ty contemporary entertainment through a variety of
concerts and theater performances.
This semester, the organization has presented eight
shows: Hall and Oates, the Commodores, Best Little
Whorehouse in Texas, Chuck Mangione, Charlie
Pride, Pablo Cruise and Sugar Babies. Michael Mur
phy will perform after bonfire.
With so many shows in one semester, four of which
were in October, and with tickets that range from
$2.50 to $15.50, many students have not been able to
afford to attend all the performances. Consequently,
members of the MSC Council and Directorate recent
ly discussed the possibility that Town Hall may be
overprograming.
However, Richard Reynolds, assistant director of
the MSC, said he doesn’t think Town Hall has over
programed this year because it has offered a greater
diversity of entertainment to the Texas A&M campus
than in past years.
The committee’s prime goal is to offer a show the
weekend of each home game, Lauren Pennington,
Town Hall committee chairman, said.
This semester, shows like the Commodores, Best
Little Whorehouse in Texas and Sugar Babies added to
the variety of programs offered, but they were in
cluded at the last minute because they were only
available for the fall semester, Reynolds said.
“We felt an obligation to present these shows even
though we knew they would play during the fall
semester,” Reynolds said.
In most instances, the risk worked. Sugar Babies,
even though a hit on Broadway, was the only show that
wasn’t a financial success. Reynolds attributed this to
high-priced shows falling within 15 days of each other,
right before Sugar Babies played.
“We do realize that students are limited (finacial-
ly),” he said.
To help Town Hall members decide which acts to
get, the committee sends out a survey each spring
semester which contains a list of artists in the enter
tainment field.
“We derive the list by going through the trade
publications to find out what artists are doing well with
their album sales and how much airplay they’re getting
in different radio markets,” Reynolds said.
A selection committee, picked by the Town Hall
chairman, looks at the returns and lists acts they would
like to come to Texas A&M.
“We use the list to find out if the groups are avail
able, if the entertainers are going to be out,” he said.
“If they are out, we start talking to the agents to find
out how much they’re going to (cost), what time of year
they’ll be through our area, what the technical re
quirements are.”
But, shows like Charlie Pride and Pablo Cruise,
which were selected because they did well on the
survey, didn’t do as well as Town Hall would have
liked. Reynolds said tastes change and this fall people
just weren’t interested at the time.
A major problem in getting acts to come to Texas
A&M is the G. Rollie White Coliseum, where major
concerts are held, he said.
For example, some students say they would like for
more rock and new wave bands to come to Texas
A&M. But, even though Town Hall is trying to book
these acts, Reynolds said, the problem has been get
ting the highly technical and large stages, common to
bigger-name acts, in the coliseum.
“Realistically, we try to go for the biggest-name acts
possible, the Cars, Kenny Rogers, the Commodores,
the Rolling Stones,” he said.
“G. Rollie White is an old facility and it’s just not
capable of handling the technical aspects of some
shows,” Reynolds said.
The small seating capacity of the coliseum is another
problem Town Hall encounters. G. Rollie White holds
8,500 people. And when equipment or a large stage
starts taking away seating space, the size of the col
iseum can shrink to 5,500 seats.
The shortage in seats can lead to higher ticket
prices, which might take away a percentage of the
audience, Pennington said.
“When the price goes over $10, you start to compare
with Austin and Houston,” she said. “We’ve learned
students are wary of ticket prices and they’ll usually
pay from $5 to $10.”
Reynolds said they like to keep ticket prices one-
third the cost normal promoters ask.
Pennington said the committee looks seriously at
shows with $10-plus ticket amounts and will only use
those that they think will stand up to the price and be
successful.
But even with the more expensive acts, Pennington
said ticket prices only reflect what it costs Town Hall to
put on the show.
“Town Hall is non-profit and is only trying to break
even,” she said.
Even though some of their shows haven’t been suc
cessful this year, Reynolds said the huge successes of
Whorehouse and the Commodores have balanced the
budget.