wmm ■ Texas A&.M
The
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'ol. 76 No. 81 USPS 045360 14 Pages
College Station, Texas
Boviet satellite falls from orbit
Monday, January 24, 1983
United Press International
fcbris from a crippled Soviet spy
itellite burned throught the atmosh-
ere Sunday, blazing a trail in the sky
pove the middle of the Indian Ocean
efore disappearing far from land,
J.S. space trackers said.
In its final orbit, the runaway nuc-
■powered satellite tumbled over
le United States, Scandinavia and
le Middle East before the fragments
jmed through the sky. A Pentagon
pokesinan in Washington said the
craft “completed its burn” at 4:21
p.m.
“It’s all over,” said Jim Holton, a
spokesman for the Federal Emergen
cy Management Agency, which laid
E lans to cope with any radioactive de-
ris that landed in the United States.
“We no have taken our several
hundred peopole on standby off
alert, and the Department of Energy
is advising their Nuclear Emergency
Search Teams, who have been on
standby in Las Vegas, to unload their
special aircraft,” he said.
Governments throughout the
world had issued warnings that any
debris from the satellite would be con
taminated.
“Every region of the globe is in a
state of tense preparation,” an official
Chinese national television news
broadcast reported.
The fiery demise of the main
chunk of Cosmos-1402 ended a
three-week international watch, but
the saga of the space derelict will not
end until next month, when a second,
smaller radioactive piece is expected
to plunge to Earth.
The remaining portion, thought to
be the nuclear reactor that powered
the sensitive radar andother electro
nic instruments aboard the satellite,
still is wobbling above Earth. U.S. ex
perts said that the 100-pound atomic
pile and related hardware —
weighing several hundred pounds —
probably will lall to Earth between
Feb. 7 and Feb. 13.
The plunging debris from the
spacecraft blistered through the layer
of air — the final act in the “critical
decay” of its orbit — within sight of
U.S. forces on the British-owned is
land of Diego Garcia, about 800 miles
southwest of India, the Pentagon
said.
The heaviest portion of the satel
lite, estimated to have weighed about
4 tons, completed its burn at a point
above the Earth’s surface at 25 de
grees south latitude by 84 degrees
east longitude, about 1,800 miles
southeast of India, officials said.
There was no indication whether
any of the vehicle actually reached the
surface.
Faculty concerned
about senate’s role
by Kim Schmidt
Battalion Staff
Texas A&M faculty members have
expressed optimistic support but also
uncertainty and caution in accepting
the Academic Council’s approval of a
new faculty senate.
Although the Academic Council
approved the proposed senate by a
two-to-one vote Wednesday, many
council members are concerned ab
out the consequences of the new
senate.
“We’re entering a new era with the
faculty senate and it will probably be
very useful,” said Dr. Lyle Schoen-
feldt, head of the managment depart
ment and Academic Council mem
ber. “But it is really unknown who will
be elected and how things will be
handled.”
Schoenfeldt’s reactions are like
those of many faculty members who
are unsure about the role of the new
senate and the future of Texas A&M
under the new system.
The new system requires a division
of the current Academic Council to
form both a faculty senate, comprised
of elected members, and the Acade
mic Administrative Council, compris
ed of deans, department heads and
other University administrators.
The future of the Academic Admi
nistrative Council after the split is one
matter in question under the estab
lishment of the new- senate.
“I think that it will be needed for a
while but probably not over the long
haul,” Schoenfeldt said.
The Council will be necessary to
preserve continuity during the transi
tion from a single body to a bicameral
system, he said. But he predicts that,
in a few years, no one will care about
the Council.
“But that will be a good sign,” he
said. “It will show that the faculty sen
ate is doing its job effectively.”
Many administrators disagree with
Schoenfeldt, including University
President Frank E. Vandiver, who
feels the Council always will be
needed as a communication feedback
mechanism.
“I see the Academic Administrative
Council as a body in the role of a
house of lords,” Vandiver said at last
week’s meeting. “When I get a recom-'
mendation that requires University
wide attention, I intend to get admi
nistrative opinions on the decisions.”
But despite Vandiver’s reassur
ance, some still fear they will lose their
influence in decision-making when
committees once under Academic
Council jurisdiction move to senate
control.
Administrators are particularly
concerned about being “left out of the
approval loop” in curriculum
changes. Dr. William Smith, director
ot the Institute of Statistics, said he
fears that he might not be alerted to
curriculum changes occuring outside
but still affecting his own department.
"Regents consider establishing
computer science department
by Denise Richter
Battalion Staff
The newly appointed Texas A&M
egents didn’t face any major issues
uring their first meeting Sunday,
nit they probably had more on their
nilds than the meeting.
| On Friday, Senate Democrats re
timed to Gov. Mark W’hite 59 of the
02 lame-duck appointments made
■former Gov. William Clements,
ppse appointments include three
nen appointed to the Texas A&M
Bard of Regents — former House
ipeaker Bill Clayton, Michel T. Hal-
touty and John R. Blocker.
Blocker is vice chairman of the
rd and chairs the committee for
idemic campuses,
he new regents’ fate as members
of the board still is uncertain. Legally,
however, the appointees are regents
until White decides whether to keep
Clements’ appointments or submit
new names for Senate approval.
During Sunday’s meeting, mem
bers of the committee for academic
campuses considered a proposal to
create a Department of Computer
Science. The computing science
program currently is included in the
Department of Industrial En
gineering.
A consultant for the Coordinating
Board, which commissioned a team of
consultants to review state-supported
doctoral programs in computer scien
ce, recommended creation of the new
department.
The new department, which will be
included in the College of Engineer
ing, will offer bachelor’s, master’s and
doctoral degrees.
Discussion on the possibility of
building additional “prestige” boxes,
or suites, in Kyle Field was postponed
until the regents’ March meeting.
At that meeting, representatives of
the Aggie Club are expected to re
quest, the construction of 48 suites in
the north end zone of Kyle Field.
In other business, committee mem
bers recommended the following
items:
• A $ 110,000 appropriation for the
design of civil engineering complex
renovations. The project, which is
scheduled to be completed in January
1985, is expected to cost $2.5 million.
• Raising the uniform rental fee for
non-ROTC cadets from $150 a year
to $200 a year.
• Establishment of the Chester J.
Reed Chair in Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Stephen H. Safe, an environmen
tal toxicologist, was recommended as
the first holder of the Reed Chair.
Regents met as a committee of the
whole today. Items scheduled for dis
cussion included the establishment of
a President’s Reserve fund, which
would be used to compete with faculty
salary offers from other universities.
The committee also will consider the
purchase of computer hardware and
software needed to set up a system of
automated instruction and testing.
All committee action is subject to
approval of the full board, which will
meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Regent Michel Halbouty and University President Frank Vandiv
er confer at Sunday’s meeting.
dll shows A&M views still conservative
How would you describe
your political views?
The survey
When was it taken? Nov. 3 to
Nov. 6, 1982.
Who sponsored it? The fall
semester Journalism 403, interpret
ing contemporary affairs, class.
How many students were pol
led? The survey results are based on
351 completed questionnaires.
How was it taken? The names
were randomly selected from the
1982-83 Campus Directory. Stu
dents were telephoned and asked 40
questions.
How accurate is it? Because we
only sampled 351 out of the 32,000
undergraduate students at Texas
A&M, the survey does contain a
small amount of sampling error. For
every percentage reported, the
actual value could range 5.2 percent
higher or lower. For example, a per
centage of 50 percent could actually
be as high as 55.2 percent or as low
as 44.8.
Agreed
71%
Disagreed
23%
Don’t know
6%
1 1
^President Reagan is doing a good job in strengthening
America’s economy.
Editor’s note: This is the first part
of a four-part series based on a
recent survey of Texas A&M
undergraduates.
by Gary Barker
Battalion Staff
Texas A&M was once an all
male, all-military institution — tra
ditional, rural, conservative.
Today Texas A&M is co
educational, military training is
optional and more students call big
cities their home — but it’s still con
servative.
In a survey conducted in
November, 54 percent of the
undergraduate students surveyed
said they were somewhat or quite
conservative. About 29 percent
said they were middle-of-the-road
and 17 percent said they were
quite or somewhat liberal.
In addition to their overall poli
tical views, students were asked ab
out their views on such specific
topics as nuclear arms, the draft,
abortion, Reagan’s economic poli
cies and prayer in public schools.
While the majority of students
took the traditional conservative
stance on most issues, the survey
revealed at least one incongruity:
abortion.
Although Texas A&M students
might be expected to be strongly
against abortion, 73 percent of the
students surveyed said they agreed
that a woman who wants an abor
tion should be able to have one.
On Saturday — the 10-year
anniversary of the landmark case
that legalized abortions in the Un
ited States — thousands of people
across the country also were stat
ing their views on abortion. Abor
tion foes, including 26,000 in
Washington D.C., demonstrated
nationwide as did abortion sup
porters, who celebrated ten years
of “reproductive freedom.”
The Supreme Court ruled in
the 1973 case of a high-school
dropout who had been raped that
American women have a constitu
tional right to have an abortion.
The mother’s right to privacy
must be balanced, the Supreme
Court said, against the interests of
the state that increase as the pre
gnancy continues and the fetus is
capable of sustained independent
existence.
But while the students’ opinions
on abortion were somewhat out of
line with their stated political
views, a Texas A&M political scien
ce professor says the result of the
abortion question probably is still
accurate.
“Questions about specific be
liefs are probably more accurate
than questions about political be
liefs in general,” said Dr. Norman
Luttbeg. “There is some confusion
over what ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative’
mean (in political belief questions).
Also, people probably ignore dif
ferences between what they be
lieve and their stated political posi
tion.”
On other topics, Texas A&M
students responded largely
according to their stated conserva
tive viewpoint:
— 66 percent disagreed that
gun control would help reduce
crime.
— 83 percent said they thought
prayer should be allowed in public
schools.
— 66 percent said they dis
agreed that living together is an
acceptable alternative to marriage.
— 77 percent disagreed that the
gay student organization at Texas
A&M should be recognized as a
campus organization.
Students also strongly sup
ported President Reagan; 71 per
cent said they thought he was
doing a good job in strengthening
the economy.
That opinion came at a time
when most Americans thought
Reagan was doing a poor job, cit
ing 10.8 percent unemployment in
November and a projected deficit
for 1983 of $196 billion — more
than double the amount of any
other president.
Also in November, the time the
student survey was taken. Demo
crats won back many seats in Con
gress that they had lost in 1980.
Many political analysts interpreted
this as a mandate against Reagan’s
economic policies.
In other national issues, 72 per
cent of the students surveyed dis
agreed with the statement that,
“Peace would become closer to
reality if the United States placed a
freeze on the production of nuc
lear arms.” Even among those stu
dents who said they were liberal,
56 percent said they disagreed
with the statement.
In another military issue, 67
percent of the students questioned
said they disagreed with the state
ment: “People who have a moral
objection to war should not be re
quired to serve in the military.”
Luttbeg said that the Corps of
See Survey page 8
inside
Classified 8
Local 3
National 9
Opinions 2
Sports ; 11
State 7
What’s up 10
forecast
Sunny and nice today with a high of
about 66. The winds will be light
and variable. Tonight’s low will
reach 39. Mainly clear and a bit
warmer on Tuesday with a high
near 68.
almanac
United Press International
Today is Monday, Jan. 24, the
24th day of 1983 with 341 to
follow.
On this date in history:
In 1965, the world mourned
the death of English statesman Sir
Winston Churchill, known as the
“first citizen of the Free World”
and leader of Britain during the
darkest days of World War II.
In 1978, a Russian satellite car
rying an atomic reactor fell from
orbit and crashed near the town of
Yellow Knife in Canada’s North
West Territory.
A thought for the day: Sir Win
ston Churchill said, “Nothing in
life is so exhilarating as to be shot
at without result.”