local / state
Battalion/P|f
February 2,
Around town
Washington D.C. trip planned
The MSC Political Forum is sponsoring a trip to Washing
ton D.C. on March 13-19. The total cost is $525, and a
deposit of $200 is required by Feb. 9. The trip is open to
everyone, but space is limited to 30 people. To make a
reservation or put down a deposit, come by Room 216 MSC
or call 845-1515.
College Republicans sponsor speaker
The College Republicans will host Eddie Chiles at their
next meeting. The meeting is scheduled for Feb. 9 at 8 p.m.
in Room 701 Rudder Tower. The Texas A&M community is
invited.
Rape prevention topic of program
The Department of Student Affairs is sponsoring a rape-
prevention program tomorrow at noon and 7 p.m. in Room
302 Rudder.
The program, entitled “Rape: What’s Your Best De
fense?” includes a short film and a short discussion to be
presented afterwards.
Library to offer reference tours
Have you ever spent hours trying to find information amid
the 1.4 million books in the Sterling C. Evans Library? If so,
then help is on the way.
On Feb. 7-11 the Evans Library will offer sign-up tours.
These tours last approximately 45 minutes and provide a
great deal of information about the materials and services
available in the Evans Library.
Sign-up sheets for the tours are posted close to the Refer
ence Desk on the first floor of the library. Tour times are:
Monday, Feb. 7: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 8: 9 a.m., 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 9: 9 a.m., 1 1 a.m., 2 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 10: 9:30 a.m., 2 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 11: 9 a.m., 1 1 a.m.
MSC committee to sponsor ski trip
The MSC Travel Committee is sponsoring a ski trip to
Crested Butte, Colorado over spring break.
The trip will be from March 11-19 and will cost $349.
That covers five days and six nights.
To sign up for the trip come by Room 216 MSC or call
845-1515.
■ /
fickets on sale for sophomore ball
The Class of ’85 is pleased to announce the Sophomore
Class Ball, Feb. 4 from 9-1 a.m. in the Memorial Student
Center Ballroom. The theme for this year’s dance is “Run for
the Roses.”
Music will be provided by the Debonaires and tickets for
the show will be on sale through Feb. 4 at the MSC Box
Office.
Applications being taken for show
It’s not too late! Applications for the 1983 MSC Variety
Show are still available in the Student Programs Office in
Room 216 MSC. The deadline for turning in applications is
Feb. 4. at 5 p.m.
Auditions for the show will be held on Feb. 22-23. The
Variety Show staff is asking that you get your act together
and come show off your talent.
The show is scheduled for Parents Weekend on April 15.
MSC Travel plans Mardi Gras trip
The MSC Travel Committee has announced a Mardi Gras
trip to New Orleans on Feb. 11-13. Total cost for the trip will
be $100, which includes the hotel and bus charter.
For further information or to sign up for the trip come by
the Student Programs Office in Room 216 MSC, or call
845-1515.
If you have an announcement or item to submit for this
column, come by The Battalion office in 216 Reed McDo
nald or call Tracey Taylor at 845-2611.
Now you know
Aggie safari to Africa planned
by Mallous Kazemzadeh
Battalion Reporter
An African safari and moun
tain climbing trip is one unique
offering being planned for May
1984 by the Texas A&M Out
door Recreation Committee.
Jay Elliston, director of fund
ing for the trip, said the expedi
tion will last about six weeks.
The trip has 12 people signed
up to go.
“The thought of pure adven
ture and getting to Africa is ex
citing and satisfying. For most of
us, this is the only way we could
ever go to such a place,” Elliston
said.
He said the group will climb
Mount Kenya and will travel to
other parts of Africa to study
and view African life styles and
cultures.
“We will hopefully live with
the tribes and study their en
gineering levels, linguistics and
agricultural skills,” Elliston said.
Since the trip would examine
a foreign culture, he said, the
committee is trying to get
academic credit for the trip.
In preparation for the trip,
the participants will study Afri
can lifestyles, political condi
tions and wilderness survival
techniques. They will also
gather all information about
vaccinations and equipment.
“It will be like a safari,” Ellis
ton said. “We will need people to
transport our equipment and
guide us through the trip.”
Elliston said now the trip is in
the planning phase. Expedition
members are contacting sources
in Kenya and are gathering sup
plies and funding.
Cost of the trip is about
$1,500 each. Elliston said that
since funding is the most critical
aspect of the trip, they are trying
to get equipment and money
donations.
Elliston said the group has
certain goals to accomjS
fore leaving for AfricaJ
elude gaining dimbingc
ence, establishing
patterns and testing eadij
ber’s abilities. Hesaidthtj
has half-way reachediis|
Anyone with climbinga
ence who would like top
pate should contacttheo
tee’s sponsor, RenaKoi
the Student Programs(
the MSC.
Conviction of drunk drivers hard
MADD: Jury sentences too leniei
by Cheryl Burke
Battalion Reporter
The major problem in con
victing drunk drivers is that the
public still does not realize the
seriousness of the crime, says
Brazos County Court at Law
Judge Carolyn Ruffino.
Riders Wanted
Go Greyhound round trip to Houston for
just $15.70, Waco for $15.80 and
Dallas for only $23.35. Convenient
campus departures and return trips.
Call 696-0209 for schedules and infor
mation.
“The public still does not be
lieve that we are serious, that
DWI is a serious offense,” Ruffi
no said Tuesday night in a meet
ing of the Brazos Chapter of
Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.
“We have failed to inform peo
ple that they will be expected to
pay for their conduct.”
JTis attitude is a result of the
courts’ failure to convict even re
peated offenders. But, Ruffino
said, the problem does not lie
with the judge or the county
attorney, but with the jury.
As an example, Ruffino told
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AT THE COMMONS
of a case recently heard in her
court in which three Depart
ment of Public Safety officers
testified that they had seen the
defendent drunk, while the de-
fendent claimed that he was
tired after driving all day.
“The jury found his testi
mony more believable than the
officers’,” Ruffino said. “It com
es down to whom to believe. Is
officer testimony alone enough?
It would be for me, but not for
some jurors.”
In that case, she said, the jury
was not allowed to know that the
defendent had refused a breath
analyzer test and that he had
been convicted twice before for
public intoxication.
When defendents realize that
a jury trial could result in a more
lenient sentence than a plea be
fore a judge, “you can bet they
are going to go to a jury,” Ruffi
no said.
THE
EPISCOPAL I
CHURCH
& STUDENT CENTER .•
Announce
ji CLASSES FOR
THOSE INTERESTED |
:■ in >:
PREPARING FOR
CONFIRMATION
i; and or learning more about ij;
i; the Episcopal Church i?
CLASSES MEET
IN THE CHURCH |
j:! Beginning 8:00 P.M., ij:
Sunday Feb. 6
906 Jersey,
College Station
i; (So. Side of Campus)
Ph. 696-1726
United Press International
PHILADELPHIA — People
with family problems “tell
friends, spouses, Deal Abby,
psychiatrists and counselors, but
never the people who need to be
told,” says psychology professor
James Framo.
The Temple University pro
fessor says talking honestly with
parents, brothers and sisters
may help resolve problems with
spouse or children, because
these problems may arise from
your “family of origin.”
Framo is among a handful of
psychologists to use “family of
origin” therapy.
“When two people marry,
each partner brings to the mar
riage a different family history
and way of doing things,” he
says. “Romance dulls the fear of
conflict that might arise from
these differences. Couples in
love tend to ignore all the poten
tial problems or trouble signals.”
Eventually, he says, the dif
ferences may create problems
involving such things as money
management, in-laws, violence,
alcoholism or sexusal dysfunc
tion.
Too often, she said, DWI de
fendents are released with de
ferred adjudication — a form of
probation in which there is no
conviction and no record if the
defendent is not convicted of
another DWI offense within a
specified time.
Current legislation sup
ported by MADD, if passed,
would eliminate the use of de
ferred adjudication.
Ruffino said that the incon
venience of losing driving pri
vileges most upsets the DWI
offender. And often this incon
venience can be overcome by
proving that it is neces
drive to keep a job.
“They should be depi
their license for at
months," she said.“Thaii|
it really hits home-t
probably be carpom
people they can’t standT
Ninety percent of tlit|
Ruf fino hears are
she said. That adds up it
cases a month—SOcaseil
“I believe driving isi
vilege, and whenyoudu
drive you are abusing £
vilege and should havetj
away.”
Highway repaii
proposal toutd
United Press International
AUSTIN — A highway re
search group today touted a 20-
year, $51 billion road repair
program for Texas. The group
recommended increasing motor
vehicle license fees and state
gasoline taxes to pay for the re
pairs.
The Road Information Prog
ram of Washington and the
Texas Good Roads and Trans
portation Association urged the
Legislature to approve a three
fold increase in current highway
funding or risk falling behind in
road maintenance needs by $ 1
billion each year.
Eugene Robbins, president
of the Good Roads Association,
said Texas must reform its sys
tem of financing highway re
pairs.
“The present systemo
ing highways in this stale
ly antiquated,” Robbinssaf
news conference. “We
change the basis of the
they’ll change with ii
over the years.”
He said motor vehicle^
t ration fees, which curreiil
based upon theweightofl
mobiles, should bebasedf
value of the vehicle. Hen
mended that the 5-centp
Ion state gasoline tax, whi
remained at the samel
25 years, also be increat
The Program saidthe2l
highway repair program^
sustain 64,500 newconstr
jobs in Texas.
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