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75 No. 178 USPS 045360 10 Pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, July 27, 1982
rain sales to Soviets may continue
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I twodealBVASHINGTON — President
enablesi lleagan favors a one-year extension
low the Mm existing grain sales pact with the
ffer thejviet Union rather than negotiating
ide-of-t Blew long-term agreement, adminis-
liatHin sources say.
pairs oft® “It’s my understanding that he has
lh to watfMt made a Final decision,” one offi-
the sidi jdal said Monday following a White
id. SheHffiouse meeting. However, he said,
it the reflleagan has been leaning toward a
first timeiSe-year extension,
tands A final decision on the agreement,
ae theattiPid i fi limbo by the sanctions Reagan
imposed over repression in Poland, is
expected before the president
addresses the National Corn Growers
Association in Des Moines, Iowa, on
Monday.
Agriculture Secretary John Block
and the Financially strapped agricul
tural community have urged the pres
ident to begin talks on a new Five-year
agreement with guaranteed mini
mum export levels.
However, Reagan’s foreign policy
advisers have argued against such a
move, warning it would undercut the
economic leverage the administration
has sought to use to influence Soviet
behavior in Poland and elsewhere.
U.S. Trade Representative William
Brock and other presidential advisers
have said new negotiations on grain
sales — at a time when Reagan has
restricted Western participation in a
Soviet natural gas pipeline — would
infuriate the European allies.
Critics of the sanctions have argued
there is inconsistency in selling grain
to the Soviets while refusing to sell
them equipment for the pipeline.
By merely extending the current
agreement, political observers on
Capitol Hill said, Reagan could
appear to placate farmers without
making a major overture to the
Soviets.
The current pact, extended to a
sixth year last year, expires Sept. 30.
It requires the Soviet Union to buy at
least 6 million metric tons of U.S.
wheat and corn a year.
CBS news reported the agreement
will be extended with minimum pur
chase levels unchanged.
Sources on Capitol Hill said a series
of options were considered at a July
15 Cabinet meeting and two were re
jected — entering into negotiations
on a new long-term agreement and
allowing the current pact to lapse,
which would require the Soviets to
buy grain on the same basis as any
other foreign buyer.
All that remained to be decided af
ter the meeting, the sources said, was
the duration of the desired extension
and whether to increase minimum
and maximum purchase levels, as
Block and some Farm Belt lawmakers
have urged.
Most American farmers favor
guaranteed minimum sales because
their share of the Soviet market was
reduced after President Carter
embargoed grain in reaction to the
December 1979 Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan.
Reagan lifted the embargo last
year, but the historical U.S. share of
the Soviet market has fallen, from
more than 50 percent to 33 percent
last year. Other nations, especially
Argentina, have picked up the slack.
The Soviet market is especially im
portant this year because the Russians
are expected to harvest their fourth
poor crop in a row.
Sudan offers PLO refuge
United Press International
Israeli gunners kept up a relentless
barrage against suspected Palestinian
guerrilla positions in the besieged
western half of Beirut today after a
night of air strikes that destroyed a
PLO ammunition dump and dam
aged an orphanage.
Sudan raised hopes for a break
through in the Lebanon peace talks
by offering refuge to the 6,000 Pales
tinian Liberation Organization guer
rillas trapped in west Beirut, but there
was no immediate indication of
whether the PLO would accept the
invitation.
Israel awaited the arrival of U.S.
special envoy Philip Habib today but
gave a chilly reception to a U.S. con
gressional delegation that won a state
ment from PLO Chief Yasser Arafat
interpreted as a Palestinian conces
sion.
The shelling continued through
most of the night and was resumed
early today, covering the same west
Beirut and southern suburban areas
that have been the targets of similar
attacks for the last several weeks.
Dozens of buildings were set ablaze
in the suburbs. The Palestinians re
turned the fire and several artillery
shells and rockets crashed in Christ
ian neighborhoods in east Beirut,
security sources said. y
West Beirut remained without
power, cut off Monday by the Israelis
from a station in the eastern sector.
The power shutoff also stopped water
pumping, Beirut municipality offi
cials said.
The Palestine news agency,
WAFA, said 79 people were killed or
wounded in Monday’s two air strikes,
which also damaged several buildings
including the A1 Bar A1 Ihsan
orphanage in the Fakhani region of
the beleagured capital.
The Israeli military command said
the two Monday air strikes were
aimed only at the PLO’s hidden
ammunition centers, one of which
was hit by the attacking aircraft and
set ablaze in flashing explosions.
The air strikes the Palestinians said
lasted 90 minutes, were followed by a
massive artillery and naval barrage
against a string of Palestinian neigh
borhoods in the city and the Ouzai
coast south of the capital.
The Palestinians had no immediate
comment on an offer by Sudan Presi
dent Jaafar Nimeiry Monday to open
his country to the PLO.
“Sudan is ready to receive the
Palestinian fighters in Lebanon, who
are exposed to the conspiracies of
many parties,” the official Sudan
news agency quoted Nimeiry as
saying.
In Washington, the State Depart
ment said it had not yet confirmed
Nimeiry’s offer, and some observers
questioned whether the Palestinians
would be willing to gofto the Sudan, a
country far removed from Israel and
the center of Mddle Eastern affairs.
Israeli authorities said today they
had dismissed the mayor and town
council of Khalkilya for staging a two-
month strike that disrupted municip
al services.
Architect selection process debated
Regents hear Cisnero, Zachry
We don’t do windows
Firefighters get a ride in this aeriel platform which was
on display by Rudder Tower Sunday. Private companies
were showing and, in this case, demonstrating new
equipment as part of the kick-off of this year’s
firefighters’ school.
by Terry Duran
Battalion Staff
A bid by San Antonians for a re
search center and controversy over
architect selection procedures high
lighted Monday’s day-long meeting
of the Texas A&M Board of Regents.
The second day of the Regents’
July meeting saw San Antonio Mayor
Henry Cisneros and Aggie construc
tion magnate H.B. “Pat” Zachry head
a 45-minute presentation asking the
Board to establish an agricultural re
search and extension center in San
Antonio.
The group — which included
spokesmen from city and county gov
ernments, the business community
and research facilities — pledged sup
port for the center if the Board
approves it. Their support would in
clude making land available and
assistance with legislative and other
funding efforts.
Regents John R. Blocker and H.C.
“Doolie” Bell expressed approval for
the plan.
Regents Chairman H.R. “Bum”
Bright told Cisneros:
“We are not in a position to give
you a quick answer, but we are in a
position to be impressed. We will cer
tainly give earnest consideration to
this matter.”
Several bids for construction pro
ject designs within the System were
accepted by the board’s planning and
building committee. Discussion dur
ing Sunday’s committee meeting ab
out selection procedures for design
firms prompted a Monday morning
briefing to the board on the estab
lished selection process.
Vice Chancellor for Facilities Plan
ning and Construction Wesley E. Peel
said his technical staff would decide
on three firms. Preference would be
given based on standardized criteria
including technical competence,
prior work for the System and others
and proven support to the Texas
A&M University System.
Regent William A. McKenzie com
plained when recommendations for
design firms presented later Monday
morning listed only the top choices
for each project, not the top three.
When Regent Royce E. Wisenbak-
er moved to substitute another firm
for the one recommended to design
the engineering and physics building,
more controversy arose. The $21.5
million structure is scheduled for
completion in the spring of 1986.
Planning and Building Committee
Chairman Bell charged Wisenbaker
with favoritism.
“The greatest opportunity for mal
feasance is where big bucks are con
cerned in constructing something for
this University,” Bell said.
Wisenbaker said his suggested firm
should be given extra consideration
because of prior work they’ve done
for the System and because of the fact
that the head of the firm was once
Aggie Club president.
Board Chairman Bright warned
against too much extra consideration,
but told System Chancellor Arthur G.
Hansen to use his own judgment in
giving “some extra consideration” to
proven supporters of Texas A&M.
The committee eventually
approved the planning staffs recom
mended design firm, 7-2; $149,000
was set aside for preliminary design.
In other action Sunday and Mon
day, committees of the board:
— Withdrew a recommendation
for a new student parking lot on the
west campus to compensate for spaces
staff photo by Diana Sultenfuss
Regent H.C. Bell of Austin reviews the agenda for
Planning and Building Committee of the Board of Regents.
the
lost to the engineering and physics
building to be built where Lot 7 is
now. The board decided to wait until
a study analyzing the parking situa
tion is completed.
— Approved a $315,000 approp
riation for a detailed two-story design
for a medical sciences library.
— Approved $20,000 for prelimin
ary plans for an exterior renovation
of the Academic Building.
— Accepted a $ 10.1 million bid for
construction of a horticulture and
forest science building.
— Approved a proposal for estab
lishment of a master of science degree
in journalism. The proposal must
now come before the state Coordinat
ing Board.
— Approved $32,000 for prelimin
ary designs for a chapel and a central
receiving warehouse at Prairie View
A&M University, and $95,000 for lib
rary expansion plans at Tarleton
State University.
Engineer says CSISD
plans meet fire codes
by Hope E. Paasch
Battalion Staff
A&M Consolidated High School
dll meet city fire codes by the time
lasses start in the fall, a local engineer
old the CSISD school board Monday
light.
Bill Purcell, of Ned Walton & Asso-
:iates in Bryan, said he met with the
College Station city manager on Mon-
lay to determine what other revisions
were necessary to bring the high
ichool up to city fire safety standards,
fiuringthe meeting, they determined
:he planned revisions would be suffi
cient.
Those planned revisions of the
liigh school addition should be com
plete or close enough to complete by
:he end of August to satisfy city codes,
Purcell said. The sprinkler system,
the most extensive job, will not be tot-
jlly finished in time for school, he
aid, but will be installed in occupied
areas.
The task of extending walls on exit
corridors and removing some un
rated wooden construction will be
finished by the end of the summer.
Other modifications include re
placing some glass panels next to cor
ridor doors, installing door closers
and possibly putting a water curtain
sprinkler system in some windows in
the gymnasium, library and office
area.
Still in question, however, is
whether or not to replace damaged
ceiling tiles when the sprinkler system
is installed. The College Station
school board was told last week by a
Houston architecture firm that the
tiles would need to be replaced. The
firm put a $92,000 price tag on the
job.
The board will wait until they can
discuss the recommendation in more
detail before making any decision.
inside
Mothers’ attitude important
United Press International
A mother’s attitude about her job
outside the home has a major impact
on how her children view it, says a
family life education specialist.
“When mothers feel good about
their work outside the home, the
effect on their children is more like
ly to be positive,” said Diane Welch,
who conducted a study of working
mothers for the home economics
program at Texas A&M’s Agricul
ture Extension Service.
For the first time in history, statis
tics show a majority of American
women are in the work force, Ms.
Welch said this week. More than
half of all Texas mothers of school-
age children are employed, and 40
percent of the mothers with chil
dren under 6 work outside the
home.
Because researchers and the gen
eral public alike are asking what
effect that has on children, studies
have been conducted to document
what children think about their
mothers not being home all the
time.
Ms. Welch suggests some guide
lines for concerned working
mothers, including sharing your
work and reassuring the children.
Children who understand what
their mothers do at their jobs are
more likely to accept the situation,
Ms. Welch said. Mothers should talk
about their work, in general and
specifically each day, and if possible
take the children to their places of
work and introduce them around.
She also suggests mothers con
centrate on communicating when
such familiar refrains as “we miss all
the fun” or “we have to do too much
around the house” are heard. If
children can be made to realize at an
early age that they must bear re
sponsibilities, they will accept them
and eventually take pride in their
contributions.
Women also must make certain
their children are reassured that
they still play an important role in
their mothers’ lives. Hei* advice,
which is equally applicable to work
ing fathers, is to make time to listen
to children’s stories about their day’s
activities.
Ms. Welch said there can be a cyc
lical nature to mothers’ and chil
dren’s attitudes about work.
“The better a mom view& her
work, the better her children will
feel about how that work personally
affects them — and the more likely
they are to think of mom’s job itself
in favorable terms,” she said.
“The more favorable children are
toward the mother’s work, the more
likely her own attitude will stay posi
tive.”
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forecast
Partly cloudy with a 20 percent
chance of rain this afternoon.
Highs near 100; low tonight in the
70s.