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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 1982)
Texas A&M A-.' ' p y&v' IP m wi Serving the University community 76 No. 9 USPS 045360 10 Pages College Station, Texas Monday, September 13, 1982 rRocket launches investors’ hopes H at qmX JL 'aNeljjB United Press international tors and clients it can launch satellites tor’s Matagorda Island ranch at 10:15 we’re eoine to eo do is cro and drink a Houston nilm^n <ssimin=>l r “T t ■ROCKPORT — The Con- 8aylor »toga 1 performed so well in its sub- > State,)®)bital test shot, America’s first pri- ichter&:|»tr rocket company wants to begin ttimecci launching commercial satellites in two The 37-foot blue and white rocket [eiivered a 1,000-pound dummy yload Thursday in a performance s owner, Houston-based Space Ser- ces Inc., hopes will convince inves- and clients it can launch satellites by early 1984. The flawless 195-mile-high, 326- mile-long flight over the Gulf of Mex ico by the Conestoga, named for the covered wagons that took American pioneers across the West, was a big step toward a hoped-for first com mercial satellite launch in 1984. The 37-foot rocket roared from a milk-stool-shaped launch stand in an oceanside cow pasture on an inves tor’s Matagorda Island ranch at 10:15 a.m. CDT, only 15 minutes behind schedule for its 10.5-minute flight. As observers cheered, applauded and wept in an observation tent a half- mile from the pad, the rocket accom plished simulated satellite-orbiting maneuvers and plunked into the Gulf 275 miles east of Mexico. “Super, just like it was supposed to do,” Mission Director Donald K. “Deke” Slayton said. “The next thing we’re going to go do is go and drink a lot of beer. After that, we’re going to put together an orbital launch vehi cle. And we’ll see y’all in two years.” “It shows a group of private indi viduals and private investors can band together and launch a commer cial rocket that potentially can take advantage of a huge market,” SSI Chairman David Hannah Jr. said. One potential investor Hannah might add to his list of 47 faithful was Houston oilman Samuel Logan: “I was impressed. I’m going to talk to Mr. Hannah.” SSI, which failed in a test flight last year, has raised about $6 million so far, about $2.5 million of which went for Thursday’s test launch, and needs another $15 million for a full-scale program. SSI received considerable govern ment help, notably NASA’s letting the firm purchase a $365,000 Minute- man I second-stage, solid-fuel engine for the Conestoga, along with clear ances from the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies. But building the rocket around the 46,000-pound thrust engine and launching it was SSI’s problem. They hired experienced contractors — Space Vector Corp. of California, Eagle Engineering of Houston and DFVLR of Germany — to help. Students turn to illegal stickers staff photo by Janet Joyce Thomas Parsons shows some counterfeit stickers. by Maureen Carmody Battalion Reporter In an effort to avoid parking problems faced by some students, a few people have turned to a more creative way to beat the system — counterfeit parking stickers. Thomas Parsons, University di rector of traffic and security, said he collected 39 such parking stick ers last year and sees no relief in sight. “It may be a lot more prevalent than that,” Parsons said. “That’s just all we’ve found, and if we find that many, there are surely more we don’t find.” Most of the bogus stickers either are made with cardboard and col ored pens or are legitimately issued stickers that have been altered from one-semester stickers to annual ones, he said. The penalty for using such parking stickers is primarily monetary. If the individual is caught, the car is towed and held by police, Parsons said. The individual then must pay the price for parking that semes ter, pay the towing fee and pay whatever ticket violations are on his or her record, he said. The person then is sent to the Department of Student Affairs, but instances of further disciplin ary action by that office are rare, Parsons said. “Occasionally we do take them to the J.P. court,” he said. “It de pends upon attitude primarily. We can with all of them, but we’re not in the business to give people re cords.” Parsons said the majority of people who use counterfeit stick ers either do so because they find it easier to alter one they already have than to get a new one, or try to create a staff permit so they can park closer to their classes. Parsons said University officials are continuing to work on the parking problem. “The master planning commit tee at least has addressed the prob lem,” he said, “and has, in concept, said that we need to look into park ing garages.” But the cost of such an alterna tive is a problem, he said. Howard Vestal, vice president for business affairs, told the mas ter planning committee that a 1,000-space parking garage would cost $5 million, Parsons said. And considering insurance costs and debt services, a garage parking space would cost $585 a year to rent. He said the committee decided not enough people would pay that price. As long as a parking problem exists and as long as people feel they can get away with using coun terfeit parking permits, it’s going to remain a problem, Parsons said. Israel bombs more targets in Lebanon Study credits Mexican heritage Migrant child-abuse said ‘rare’ United Press International Israeli warplanes today bombed Syrian targets in the Bekaa Valley and near Tripoli, the fourth bombing run in five days and the first in the Tripoli area since before Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, security sources said. The warplanes struck Syrian posi tions in the mountains overlooking the Christian town of Zahle, 30 miles east of Beirut in the Bekaa valley and near the village of Dahr el Baid’r, further west, the sources said. Unconfirmed reports from secur ity sources said the Israeli planes also bombed the Palestinian refugee camp of al Biddawi in the suburbs of the northern Lebanese port city of Tri poli. The strikes came as Israeli troops were given orders to tighten ranks against raids by roving Palestinian guerrillas and to prepare for a possi ble winter war against Syrian forces in the eastern Bekaa Valley. Israel on Sunday had sent its war planes over the strategic valley, knocking out a Syrian SAM-9 missile battery — the third put out of action since Wednesday. Israeli officials threatened more strikes if Syria fails to restrain attacks by Palestinian fighters harbored be hind their lines. “We will not tolerate a war of attri tion in Lebanon,” an Israeli official said in an announcement of the big gest air strikes since the siege of Beirut ended last month. The Voice of Lebanon radio run by the right-wing Phalangist Party said the attacks left as many as 30 dead, hitting a Lebanese army position and a Catholic school as well as Syrian military targets. also streaked not drop any Israeli warplanes over Beirut but did bombs. In Beirut, Lebanese leftists firing rocket-propelled grenades ambushed a convoy of the French peace-keeping force Sunday, blowing up 20 tons of ammunition and triggering the worst outbreak of fighting since Palestinian guerrillas were evacuated from west Beirut. Police said three people were killed and 44 wounded. UPI correspondent David Zenian, who was in the Bekaa Valley today during the Israeli raids, said the war planes came in waves, hitting Syrian military concentrations along the main highway from Beirut. “Our car had just pulled up at a roadside cafe in Shtaura when the Israeli warplanes first appeared at 7:30 a.m.,” Zenian said. “The air strike was brief and there was no re sponse from the Syrians in the area. “No sooner had a black pall of smoke covered the skies, when another wave of Israeli warplanes attacked the mountain road leading up from the Bekaa Valley to the Mdeireh hills. “This was followed by several more air strikes,” he said. Israel accused Syria of aiding a guerrilla force of up to 5,000 men to establish a new front line in eastern Lebanon while committing 98 cease fire violations in seven weeks. Israel estimates total Syrian forces in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Leba non, just miles from the Syrian bor der, to number 40,000 troops, includ ing three divisions in Lebanon and one division just inside Syria. United Press International SAN ANTONIO — The Mexican- merican migrant families who fol low the crops in the United States have a very low incidence of child abuse—a surprise to researchers who thought poverty and transience would take an emotional toll. Fred Cervantes, a political science professor at Corpus Christi State Uni versity, said the results of his 1981 study to learn about migrant families’ attitudes toward child abuse and neg lect were unexpected. “We assumed that more abusive tendencies would occur in this group, being more rural, more traditional and under more economic stress,” he said. “Not only was this not the case, but it was the reverse. “The lower socio-economic class of the migrants, the lower the educa tional levels and the more traditional the attitudes were, the lower was the tolerance toward child abuse.” Cervantes was in San Antonio last week for the second annual confer ence on the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. His study was based on a question naire that measured the incidence of physical, sexual and emotional abuse in migrant families and the families’ attitudes toward it. “We asked, for example, ‘Do you consider abusive: severely biting your child, beating your child with a coat hangar, putting your child in scalding water’ all the way down to spanking the child with your hand,” Cervantes said. “In relation to sexual abuse, we asked questions pertaining to incest, pornography, all the way down to hugging and kissing an unrelated child. “Questions of emotional abuse dealt with berating the child, insulting the child in front of his peers, down to reprimanding the child. Neglect questions centered on denying the child adequate food, down to neglect ing religious education.” In every area, Cervantes said, the Mexican-American migrants indi cated they rarely abused their chil dren and frowned on those who did. They did acknowledge, however, that they sometimes were forced to neglect their children, even though they consider it a form of abuse. “There are simply not sufficient re sources to care for migrant children in many cases,” Cervantes said. “The migrant parent realizes that by not providing sufficient medical care, education, dental care or food, he is neglecting his child.” In general, Cervantes credited the migrants’ strong, loving family re lationships to their Mexican heritage. “We found migrants who still see themselves as ‘Mexicano’ and those who speak Spanish predominately also show less tolerance for abuse,” he said. The evidence of his study and two others that corroborated his findings could be used to argue against attempts to assimilate Mexican im migrants into American culture, Cer vantes said. “Their culture may be one of the true, viable tools they have to cope with stress,” he said. “When these migrants move to urban areas from their rural homes, their culture is vul nerable.” Important dates for fall semester Graduate students and seniors can pick up their tickets for the Texas A&M-University of Texas at Arling ton game today until 4 p.m. at G. Rol- lie White Coliseum. Juniors can pick up their tickets on Tuesday, sopho mores on Wednesday, and freshmen on Thursday. Anyone can pick up tickets on Friday. If students miss their assigned pick-up day, they can pick up their tickets any day thereafter. The ticket windows are open from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. The game begins Saturday at 6 p.m.; it will not be televised. Midnight yell practice begins at midnight Fri day in Kyle Field. Other important dates: •Tuesday — Last day for drop ping courses with no record. •Sept. 30 — Last day to order com mencement invitations for December graduates. •Oct. 1 — Last day for dropping courses with no penalty (Q-drop). Shortage of agricultural experts seen by Patrice Koranek Battalion Reporter Enrollment in colleges of agri culture — at Texas A&M and across the country — is declining, causing problems for many schools. But a more serious prob lem may arise 10 years from now. Signs of a shortage of agricul ture scientists, teachers and mana gers already are showing as profes sionals from the post-World War II era near retirement age. And College of Agriculture deans and faculty members fear adequate replacements aren’t at hand. They blame much of the problem on “image” problems that have sent bright, young people scurrying into other fields. The misconceptions, they said, range from high school counselors who see agriculture as an easy ma jor for shallow students, to the per ception that raising cotton and corn is all an agriculture graduate can do. “A lot of people say if you can’t do anything else, major in agricul ture,” Associate Dean Dwayne Su- ter said. “Too often people believe the only career opportunities are in farming and ranching.” Even people reared on farms tend to think that way. “I know it’s more than farming,” said one student who grew up on a farm, “but you think of it that way.” Linda Holman, a senior geogra phy major from Emory, said she came to college looking for a career that would allow her to live in a big city. Many agriculture graduates do live in cities and they follow a varie ty of careers: research scientist, sales representative, magazine edi tor, agri-business manager, food scientist, recreation specialist, association executive, banker, in ternational consultant. Few college graduates with de grees in agricuture return to full time production agriculture, un less it is a family farm, Suter said. The amount of money needed to start a farming operation is too much for someone just out of col lege, he said, because agriculture today involves a level of capitaliza tion and sophistication of manage ment not realized by the general public. By 1985, Suter predicted, there will be a severe shortage of people to work as plant scientists, agricul tural engineers, media specialists and entomologists. Uel Stockard, state leader for county extension programs, said too few agriculture majors in Texas are studying to be scientists. He said agricultural scientists for basic research soon will be in short supply. A supply-and-demand report prepared by Allan D. Goecker, assistant dean of agriculture at Purdue University, supports the predictions of Suter and Stockard as they apply to agriculture and food science. The report said the demand for agriculture majors will exceed the supply by 15 per cent during the 1980s. According to the report: “The most extensive shortages are ex pected in agricultural engineer ing, agricultural business manage ment, food sciences and plant sci ences.” The report said 6,184 agricultu ral administrators, managers and financial advisors will be needed from 1980-1985, but only 4,293 graduates will be available. In spite of the predicted shor tages and an overall decline in agriculture enrollment across the nation, not all departments are ex periencing a drop in enrollment. For example, in Fall 1975, when 4,917 students, or 20 percent of the University student body, were enrolled in the College of Agricul ture, 616 students were agricultu ral economics majors. By Fall 1981, enrollment in that major had jumped to 941 students. However, total enrollment in the College of Agriculture had de clined to 4,887, or 14 percent of all Texas A&M students. Ronald Kay, associate professor of agriculture economics and undergraduate adviser, said many students transfer to agriculture see AGRICULTURE page 6 inside Classified 6 National 5 Opinions 2 Sports 7 State 4 Whatsup 4 forecast Today’s Forecast: High in the low to mid 90s, low in the low 60s. Forty percent chance of afternoon showers.