Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 1982)
Battalion Serving the University community College Station, Texas Tuesday, June 29, 1982 IT Y! ) staff photo by Peter Rocha And It Didn’t Even Hurt Junior Douglas Stohz, a computer science major from Cullowhee, N.C., takes his turn giving blood in the ey parked by the Rudder fountain. The drive continues today. --Academic Council sets alendar, clarifies rules iy ED by Rebeca Zimmermann Battalion Staff — The American Association of Uni- Ifcrsity Professors voted to remove Texas A&M from its censure list at its Iriday meeting in Washington, D.C. ■ Dr. Charles McCandless, acting pice president for academic affairs, Ipld the Texas A&M University Academic Council at Thursday’s eeting that the recommendation as being made. Texas A&M had been placed on e censure list in 1968 after the AUP decided the University had flailed to follow academic due process [ in the dismissal of Dr. Leon Gibbs, a ■trofessor in veterinary medicine. BDibbs was a tenured professor. Also during its meeting, the cademic Council approved the reposed 1983-84 academic calen- ar. The 1983 Fall Semester will be- in Aug. 29. The last day of classes ill be Dec. 9, and finals are sche- uled for Dec. 12 to 16, 1983. Classes for the 1984 Spring Semes- iter will begin Jan. 16, spring break will be March 12 through 16, classes will end May 4 and finals are sche duled for May 7 through 11. Com mencements will be May 4 and 5 and Final Review is scheduled for May 5, 1984. Summer sessions in 1984 will run from June 4 through July 11 and from July 12 through Aug. 17. Sum mer commencement will be held Aug. 18, 1984. The council also made several changes and clarifications in the Uni versity Rules and Regulations. The graduation gradepoint re quirement now states “the undergra duate student must complete with at least a C average all undergraduate course work attempted at Texas A&M University.” The policy on repeated courses was clarified with the addition of “the ori ginal grade will remain on the stu dent’s permanent record, and both grades will be used in computing the GPR. Credit for each repeated course may only be used once toward degree requirements.” ‘Gloomy’ prospects for Beirut solution United Press International BEIRUT, Lebanon — PLO leader Yasser Arafat huddled with Lebanese leaders today seeking to avert an all- out Israeli assault on west Beirut and the threatened “liquidation” of his organization. Sources close to the meeting said prospects for a political settlement appeared “gloomy,” but Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin indicated there might be a resolution without having to “storm their last redoubt.” There was no official word on the negotiations, which started shortly before midnight at the residence of Prime Minister Chefik Wazzan. But unofficial sources said the Lebanese were reporting to the Pales tinian delegation on talks Monday be tween President Elias Sarkis, Wazzan and U.S. envoy Philip Habib. They said a major obstacle was convincing Israel to move its troops back from Beirut, enabling the Pales tine Liberation Organization to nego tiate “honorably” without the threat of military pressure. Arafat reportedly agreed Monday to Israel’s key demand to evacuate most of his 6,000 guerrillas trapped in west Beirut. But officials warned numerous details remained unsolved and Israel may invade the last PLO stronghold if a full settlement is not reached soon. Begin’s Cabinet Sunday called on all the PLO guerrillas in west Beirut to surrender their weapons to the Lebanese army and leave Lebanon under Red Cross escort. The Cabinet specified Syria as the destination, but did not bar an “alternative route.” Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon told Israel’s Arabic television service Monday Israel was very close to achieving the liquidation of the PLO. He said the guerrillas in Beirut were hopelessly surrounded and ex pressed hope the problem be solved without another drop of blood being shed. Sharon told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knes set (the Israeli parliament) he thought there was a “good chance” the guerril las would leave Beirut by sea. Israeli Radio Monday quoted Be gin saying: “there is reason to hope that the government’s offer for the removal of the terrorists from Beirut and its environs on fair terms will not be in vain, and then there will be no need to storm their last redoubt.” A high-ranking Lebanese govern ment official said new proposals sub mitted to Habib by Wazzan and Sarkis called for one or two brigades of Palestinian fighters to be incorpo rated into the regular Lebanese army and for the remainder to be rede ployed elsewhere. Under this plan, the PLO leader ship would “relocate” its headquar ters at an as yet undetermined loca tion outside Beirut. The latest Israeli-declared cease fire apparently held into its fourth day Monday, although three Israeli soldiers were wounded Sunday night in a guerrilla ambush in Israelioccu- pied Damur. Arafat Monday addressed a morale-boosting message to his troops. “You are stronger than their planes, their whole navy, their tanks and their rockets,” the Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted him saying. “This revolution continues until vic tory.” Dismissing as ridiculous stories re ports that thousands of Palestinian fighters would leave Beirut under a white flag, Arafat said: “What they (the Israelis) fail to achieve militarily they will not achieve through the media or any other means.” For the second time in two days, Israeli planes rained leaflets over Beirut, urging residents to flee for their lives because “time is running short.” “The more you delay,” the leaflets said, “the more you expose your life and the lives of your loved ones to danger.” reached soon. and for the remainder to be rede- danger.” 2 VP posts eliminated in streamlining effort by Terry Duran being considered at System level; he “This reorganizatr Incomplete course work must be completed “before the end of the next fall or spring semester in which the student enrolls in the university.” Drug paraphernalia has been added to the list of forbidden items to have, manufacture, sell or use on Uni versity property. Also, policies for readmission to the University following dismissal or suspension were specified. When a student has been dismissed from the University, “readmission to the University may be possible in the future, but no specific time for a deci sion is established.” A student who has been suspended “is not guaranteed readmission at the end of such period of time, but is guaranteed a review of the case and a decision regarding eligibility for readmission.” Other action taken included the approval of 16 new courses and the filling of vacant positions in Academic Council committees. Student repre sentatives were named to five of the committees. by Terry Duran Battalion Staff University Vice Presidents Charles H. Samson and T.R. Greathouse have resigned, effective Thursday, as part of an administrative streamlining effort. University President Frank E. Vandiver said Monday he requested and received the resignations, elimi nating the two posts, in order to “achieve greater efficiency and eco nomy and make the administration more responsive. “I hope we can get a little quicker turnaround time on things that need to get done,” Vandiver said. “We’re trying to cut down on ex penses and people throughout the University. We can’t do it on the facul ty level if we don’t do it in the adminis tration first. It’s not fair.” An announcement in May said reorganization at the vice presidential level was being considered, although University officials declined to say who would be affected. Vandiver also said his plans for overall reorganization of the Univer sity’s administration are currently • • being considered at System level; he said he hopes they will be taken up at the next meeting of the Board of Re gents July 26. Samson had served as vice presi dent for planning since September, when he ended a year-long stint as acting University president and Van diver took over. Samson will return to full-time teaching and research in the Department of Civil Engineering. Vandiver said the planning office will, in the future, report to the vice president for academic affairs. Greathouse, who holds a faculty position in the animal science depart ment, had been vice president for in ternational affairs since May 1979. Vandiver declined to say what Great- house’s future will be, but said he will remain at Texas A&M. Greathouse will be replaced by Dr. Jack Cross, who will hold the title of director of international affairs. Cross is currently a research associate with the Center for Strategic Tech nology in the Texas Engineering Ex periment Station. Cross will continue to report to the University president’s office, at least for the present. “This reorganization,” Vandiver said, “is in no way a reflection oti Dr. Samson or Dr. Greathouse. Both men have served in an extremely effective manner.” Samson said Monday he gave his resignation to Vandiver in May. “It’s the president’s prerogative to decide on the organization he consid ers best,” Samson said, “and I accept that decision.” In responding to Samson’s letter of resignation, Vandiver said: “The ser vice you have rendered this Universi ty stands beyond repayment and will linger in the affections of Aggies everywhere.” Vandiver was also complimentary of Greathouse’s service. “I am grateful to Dr. Greathouse for the energy and enthusiasm that he brought to international affairs and for the development that took place under his administration.” Greathouse was also coordinator of Title XII activities — federally assisted activities dealing with inter national students at selected universi ties across the country. Six journalists disappear United Press International SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Six journalists, including a U.S. resi dent, disappeared from a combat zone where leftist rebels and army troops fought a bloody daylong battle over a strategic garrison town. Peasants on the road south of Suchitoto, a town of 10,000 some 24 miles north of the capital, told UPI Monday rebels apparently had taken at least one of the journalists from a battle site. They said the six — five TV repor ters and a print journalist — arrived in two cars just south of Suchitoto where rebels were burning a bus headed for San Salvador. Guerrillas ordered the passengers off the bus, set fire to it and shot dead a soldier and two civilians who tried to run when identified as militiamen. Moments later, an army helicopter arrived and began firing on the re bels, who told the civilians and appa rently the journalists to head for the surrounding hills with them, the peasants said. They said the guerrillas left with “a gringo” — apparently Julian Harri son, 32, a cameraman and resident of Hillsborough, N.C., for 10 years — as well as Latin men who may have been the other journalists. ops fig jured 15 in fierce street fighting in Suchitoto that began at dawn Mon day. Judicial and National Guard sources also reported 10 civilians kil led and 21 wounded in the fighting. The clandestine rebel Radio Venceremos reported new U.S.lent A-37 “Dragonfly” fighter planes dropped 500-pound bombs on rebel positions near the town. A National Guard source said the journalists had been taken hostage. But in March 1981, a Seattle, Wash., news crew was hustled away from a battle zone by guerrillas to protect them from fighting. A UPI correspondent said he saw the journalists’ two cars parked a few yards from the burned bus. Doors and windows were open, indicating a hurried departure. All their equip ment was gone except for one of Har rison’s bags. Two of the six were identified as Harrison, a British citizen, and Eduardo Vazquez Becker, an inde pendent Guatemalan journalist and former Associated Press correspon dent in El Salvador. Academic stress conducive to suicide spe P; and Robert Curlin Battalion Reporter The suicide rate is 50 percent | higher for college students than for their peers who are outside of col lege, Dr. Wade G. Birch, the dire ctor of the personal counseling ser vice at Texas A&M, says. “Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death among peo ple 15 to 24 years of age,” Birch said. “Texas A&M is a very highly com petitive institution and there’s a lot of stress here. “If you strike a rough average, our counseling office sees about 21 attempted suicides a year and one completion,” he said. The statistic includes any student who the PCS has had contact with, even if the stu dent has left the University. Nation-wide, the suicide rate in creases as students get farther up the academic ladder, meaning that graduate students are more likely to commit suicide than freshmen. Also on the national level, liberal arts ma jors tend to be more likely to commit suicide. “That’s possibly reflected in their majors; for example, liberal arts in cludes philosophy, English and psychology — where people are looking for answers to questions ab out life that aren’t always nice, neat things,” Birch said. An unstable home environment can also contribute to suicidal ten dencies, he added. “There’s an old adage in psychiat ry that it takes as long to get well as it did to get sick,” he said. “Well, if you’ve lived in an unhealthy en vironment for 18 years, there will probably be some recurring prob lems while you’re in those four years of college.” The death of a loved one or di vorce in the family can contribute to suicidal thoughts among students, he said. Goals that a student realizes he won’t make, such as earning a degree in a certain amount of time, can also trigger suicidal thoughts. “Sometimes, students just can’t meet expectations; that is, the ones that other people put on them, like parents, or the ones they manufac ture themselves,” he said. “And some students are very adept at set ting goals and standards that are so high they’re almost impossible to meet. “We get students who just gener ally say that different phases of their life are coming apart and they can’t keep control. Interestingly, in that kind of situation, the suicide becom es the act where they exert final con trol over everything.” Birch explained that students who think about suicide tend to ex- E ress feelings of hopelessness, help- :ssness, alienation and guilt. “Often, there’s the feeling that there’s no support around them in the middle of a crisis — no one to turn to for comfort,” he said. While it is important for a room mate or close friend to be generally 3 ortive and available to talk to, :ssional counseling for the per son is a necessity. “Other than a decent amount of human support for that person, I think you have an obligation to work very heavily at getting them to a pro fessional person,” he said. “People who are actively suicidal can drain a lot of energy from another human being. “Sometimes by being a good lis tener, if you’re a layperson, the per son really gets deeply into their situation and you don’t have the training to deal with everything they’re expressing. “The listener who’s concerned can become so bogged down that he begins to have problems. If he really worries about this person, being around this day after day can cause See SUICIDE page 10 inside Classified 6 Local 3 National 5 Opinions 2 Sports 7 State 3 What’s Up 5 forecast Today’s Forecast: Partly cloudy, hot and humid. High today of 95. Low tonight of 72. Highs and lows continuing the same through Wednesday. Chance of showers and thundershowers continuing.