ge 12
1982
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The Battalion
Serving the Universily community
75 No. 123 USPS 045360 20 Pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, March 31, 1982
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Paratroopers killed
in parachute drop
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United Press International
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Four para
troopers were killed and 71 injured in
war games in the Mojave Desert — the
largest airdrop since World War II —
but an Army general denied the sol
diers were dropped into dangerous
winds.
Reporters said cold winds were
gusting up to 40 mph Tuesday as little
as an hour before the nearly 3,000
troopers of the famed 82nd Airborne
Division from Fort Bragg, N.C.,
bailed out of their 90 Air Force C-14 1
cargo planes.
But Army Gen. Robert Kingston
said winds were at an acceptable
velocity shortly before the jump at
6:05 a.m. FST.
Kingston, commander of the
Rapid Deployment Force, whose
military readiness is being tested in
the Gallant Eagle 82 war games, said
two soldiers died because their para
chutes did not open and one was kil
led when he landed on a piece of
heavy equipment. The fourth victim
was killed, or seriously injured, on im
pact, then was dragged by his para
chute.
“This is why airborne soldiers get
intensive training with frequent para
chute jumps,” Kingston said. “Para
troopers get hazardous duty pay be
cause it is hazardous duty — other
wise the Army wouldn’t pay them
hazardous duty pay-”
Kingston told reporters winds were
about 7 mph in one of the two jump
areas and 1 1.5 mph in the other.
. T 1 -
maximum allowable wind velocity in
peacetime training exercises.
Volatile Palestine issue
heats up A&M debate
by Laura Williams
Battalion Staff
“The Middle East: Where to Draw
the Line” was the issue, and over 300
people attended a heated debate pre-
W;
staff photo by Sutnanesh Agrawal
International Week begins
President Frank Vandiver cut the ribbon at
the opening ceremony of International Week,
in the MSC, this morning. Seen looking on is
Oussama Qawasmi, chairman of the cultural
displays. Qawasmi is a graduate student from
Palestine. Aside from the cultural displays in
the MSC, is an international talent and cos
tume show, and a food fair.
Dr. Hatem I. Hussain
sented bv MSC Political Forum Com
mittee in Rudder Theater Tuesday
night.
David Schoenbrun, long-time
journalist in the Middle East, and Dr.
Hatem 1. Hussain, director of the
Palestine Liberation Organization’s
Information office in Washington,
D.C., debated Palestine’s right to
statehood for more than an hour as
audience members shouted com
ments and interrupted with applause
more than 10 times.
Many participants were asked to be
seated as they shouted accusations to
ward the speakers, and one man was
removed from the theater.
“The only Arab who got his land
back from the Jews was Sadat,”
Schoenbrun said. “Why? Because he
offered his hand in peace.” Schoen
brun said the Palestinians would nev
er obtain statehood through violent
means.
Hussain countered saying: “No
body leaves his home or farm because
someone tells him to get out. They
fight for it, and so will the people of
Palestine.
“The house of Israel has been built
on the ashes of the house of Pales
tine,” he said in opposition to Schoen-
brun's claim that Palestinians were
destroying Israel while trying to
form their own country.
In 1948 a United Nation’s parti
tion ended British control of the
countries of Palestine, Egypt and Jor
dan, and the country of Israel was
formed and Israeli occupation of
Palestine began. Egypt and Jordan
became Arab states.
“Palestine has always been a geog
raphic area. It has never been a state
David Schoenbrun
with its own government,” Schoen
brun said, defending the Israeli occu
pation of Palestine. “ 1 he people of
Palestine will be more likely to gain
their own state if they recognize the
right of Israel to exist as a state."
Target 2000 completes preliminary talks
Group writing draft
by Hope Paasch
and Daniel Puckett
Battalion .Staff
A comprehensive plan for Texas A&M University's next two
decades came one step closer to completion Tuesday when part
of the Target 2000 Project completed its preliminary discussions.
Target 2000 was created by the Board of Regents last year to
define problems the System may face in the next 20 vears and to
recommend solutions for them.
The project’s engineering task force wound up its meeting
when the chairman, Kenneth E. Montague, appointed a commit
tee to write a first draft of the task force’s report.
The draft will be completed by the end of May. The task force
cancelled its next meeting, scheduled for May 6, and decided to
»-ote on its report July 8.
After the report is approved, it will be sent to the I arget 2000
executive committee, which will combine and edit the reports of
all three task forces and submit a finished proposal to the regents.
The final report is expected by December.
The engineering task force is one of three such groups within
the project; it focuses on the Texas Engineering Extension Ser
vice the Texas Engineering Expenment Station, the I exas
Transportation Institute and the I exas A&M College of En-
^ On Tuesday, task force members discussed a number of prop
osals which may be included in the task force’s final report.
'.Trommeffi'fol'an advanccd-KchnCogy ,ndu„r a ,
complex in College Station;
•A request that the ceiling on the amount of money a professor
can earn from honorariums — usually money earned from
speaking engagements — and consulting jobs be raised from us
ptoem limit of $5,800; ._ rr
•A plan for a public affairs office to publicize System efforts in
foearch and oevelopment; and
•Suggestions for strengthening System programs in pmU ssum-
^ continuing education, which is keeping engineers and mana
gers abreast of the latest developments in their fields.
Those proposals, and others, will l>e considered bv a drafting
committee but they may not l)e included in the task force’s final
report. None of the recommendations was presented in its final
form I uesday and none of them was specific.
1 ask force members said the proposals were meant as broad
guidelines for the development of a final report.
Another part of the project is still in the discussion stage.
I he academic task force, which deals with the System’s four
campuses— I exas A&M L niversity. Prairie View A&M Univer
sity, I arleton State University and T exas A&M University at
Galveston — spent Monday and Tuesday discussing the System’s
problems. However, task force members said they need at least
one more meeting before thev will he able to write a preliminary
report.
At the task force wrap-up meeting Tuesday, work groups
delivered reports which contained ideas for discussion at future
meetings. The task force mav endorse none of the ideas; it could
accept some or all of them.
I he reports included:
Admission and Records: The committee said that more
undergraduate courses in marine sciences are necessary and that
the library at 1 exas A&M-Galveston is “completely unaccept
able. It cited problems at the College Station campus, including
too few endow ments, a perception of deterioration of standards,
a possible decline in teaching effectiveness, and defective promo
tion policies. It also recommended that the System consider not
hiring professors who cannot speak English well.
Student Services: The group endorsed maintenance of the
RO I(, program and suggested that new dormitories be equip
ped with telecommunications devices to allow students to audit
some courses from their dorm rooms. It also raised the possibility
of moving the School of Veterinary Medicine to Tarleton State
and changing that school’s name to Texas A&M-Stephenville.
finally, it suggested raising admission requirements at Prairie
View-.
Work groups examine
agricultural topics
by Johna Jo Maurer
Battalion Staff
A Target 2000 group will soon have proposals to hopefully
solve foreseen problems of the future at Texas A&M University
System.
The agriculture task force work groups Tuesday completed
their preliminary discussion of proposals w hich w ill eventually be
submitted to the System Board of Regents for possible im
plementation.
Agriculture task force members focus on the agricultural
extension service, the agricultural experiment station and the
College of Agriculture.
Each task force is divided into work groups w hich limit discus
sion to specific topics.
Four work groups — mission and programs, clientele served,
resources, and organization, management and interagency rela
tions— w ill now begin writing reports of their recommendations
to be presented at the next Target 2000 meeting May 26-27.
Recommendations proposed bv the missions and programs
work group include a national study to assess the actual cost of
graduate research at Texas A&M. Graduate research is an im
portant prov ider of manpower for other agricultural agencies, a
group spokesman said.
This study would generate tangible data to be used to lobby
Congress for the Farm Bill, a part of which provides for competi
tive grants for both land grant and non-land grant universities.
The group also recommended that agricultural students be
required to get a better foundation in agricultural business struc
ture and biological sciences.
A need for expansion of continuing education programs in the
college of agriculture was also expressed.
Continuing education and skill training is important toward
thev ear 2000. Dr. HO. Kunkel.dean of the College of Agricul
ture, said.
inside
Classified 16
Local . 3
National 6
Opinions 2
Sports 17
State 5
What’s Up 12
forecast
Today’s forecast. Partly cloudy,
warm and humid with a high in the
mid-80s; low near 70. I hursday s
forecast calls for partly cloudy skies
with a high in the mid-80s.