■
■Hi ■ Texas ASM
The
lion
Serving the University community
Vol. 76 No. 99 USPS 045360 16 Pages
College Station, Texas
Thursday, February 17, 1983
Reagan wants jobs package;
discusses EPA controversy
staff photo by David Fisher
Caught in the middle
Jennifer Bedgood, a junior business major from
^Commerce, can’t help but laugh from the sudden attack
by Snoopy and Woodstock, characters in Charles
Schulz’s Peanuts cartoon. Woodstock, a costumed Alan
Quintero, and Snoopy, alias Chris Wilson, were
publicizing this Saturday’s muscular dystrophy
Dance-athon which is being held to raise money for the
battle against M.D.
L
\&M may start
)WI program
United Press International
WASHINGTON — President
Reagan, while heralding “encourag
ing news” on the economic front, says
too many Americans are still unem
ployed and hopes Congress can agree
on an emergency jobs bill for him to
sign next month.
Reagan outlined for the first time
the highlights of his $4.3 billion jobs-
recession relief package at his nation
ally broadcast news conference
Wednesday night.
He rejected Democratic sugges
tions he had “changed his mind” and
now realized the “harsh realities” of
the recession, and insisted “it funds
no make-work” projects.
The president said the comprom
ise would include:
—$4 billion in accelerated con
struction resulting in 470,000jobs di
rectly or indirectly.
—$2.9 billion to fund through the
end of 1983 supplemental unemploy
ment benefits after expirations of
regular and extended benefits.
— $300 million for “humanitarian
relief’ for those in serious distress be
cause of unemployment.
Reagan said the compromise is
consistent with the administration’s
long-term economic recovery prog
rams. Insisting it is not a quick fix, he
said “instead we are speeding up pro
jects that are already planned and
needed.”
In an opening statement, Reagan
described as “encouraging news” an
increase in industrial production in
autos and steel and a big jump in
housing starts in January.
“As a result of the economic prog
ram already in place, the recovery is
already beginning to flex its muscles,
but far too many Americans are still
unemployed,” he said.
On other major subjects, Reagan
said he retains full confidence in
Anne Gorsuch, the embattled dire
ctor of the Environmental Protection
Agency, in the face of investigations
by six congressional committees.
Reagan said the Justice Depart
ment would look into allegations of
wrongdoing and declared he will not
insist on withholding documents
from Congress that deal with such illi
cit activity.
He also said he would not withdraw
his nomination of Kenneth Adelman
to head the Arms Control and Dis
armament Agency, despite indica
tions it may not clear the Senate.
Reagan said a defeat would under
mine U.S. arms control efforts.
Reagan confirmed U.S. military
units had gone on exercises in Egypt
and the Mediterranean at the same
time as an apparent Libyan buildup
along its border with Sudan, but said
it was “not an unusual happening”
and something “that we’ve done be
fore.”
Lebanese attack
Israeli vehicles
by Maureen Carmody
Battalion Staff
Education is better than punish-
ent for driving-w’hile-intoxicated
Ifenders, a Texas A&M safety edu-
ition professor says.
Dr. Mauri Dennis said he has ap
plied to the Texas Commission on
coholism to approve an educational
logram at Texas A&M for people
ho have been convicted of DWI.
“Many people don’t know their
|pgal (drinking) limits or the laws,”
nnis said. “And you don’t punish
way ignorance. This program is set
p to try to overcome this ignorance.”
He said the program was not a pun
ishment for being charged with DWI,
'Ut rather an addition to it.
Dennis also said he supports a few
fthe new proposals of Sen. Bill Sar-
llius, D-Amarillo, including tighten-
hg probation laws and eliminating
eferred adjudication. Under this
item, a DWI offense is taken off an
ffender’s record if he is not con-
feted of another DWI offense within
■pecified time.
|:He added that making laws too
ict has a tendency to backfire.
(“There is research that shows that
when laws are made too strict the con
viction rate goes down,” Dennis said.
Congressman
named whip
in first term
I United Press International
WASHINGTON — Rep. Ron Col-
tan, D-Texas, has been appointed
an at-large majority whip by House
Majority Leader Jim Wright, an un-
|sual appointment for a freshman
scongressman, Coleman’s office
announced Wednesday.
I Coleman, 41, is one of 17 at-large
whips appointed this week by Wright,
Iso a Democrat from Texas. A for-
her state representative from El
*aso, Coleman represents the 16th
longressional District.
I “We have researched it and we
can’t find another instance where a
P'eshman in his first year has been
appointed a majority whip,” said John
Jackley, a spokesman in Coleman’s
oifice.
As an at-large whip, Coleman will
meet with other at-large and zone
whips each week to determine Demo-
ratic strategy for floor legislation
I and will help poll the delegation to
help on problems with bills.
“This gives him a pipeline. He’s
going to be able to take the problems
§>f the district to the speaker and the
najority leader on a weekly basis,
something few congressmen and
nost freshman can’t do,” Jackley said.
“You’re not going to have a jury who
will send a young man or woman up
to Huntsville for four years for a first
offense DWI. They’re going to think:
‘I’m not going to ruin this person’s
life.’”
Educating the public is more be
neficial than making laws more strict,
he said. His program is set for two
hours a night for four nights, with the
first two hours serving as an introduc
tion to the course, Dennis said.
“This first part is called ‘Introduc
tion to the Nature of the Problem,’”
he said. “Our main task here is to
eliminate hostilities.”
At this point, people are angry be
cause they have to be at the session
and are paying for it, too, he said.
The second part is called “Effects
of Alcohol on the Driving Task.” It
will teach both the physiological and
psychological effects of driving while
intoxicated.
The third phase, “Problem Drink
ing and Alcohol Problem,” treats the
aspects of problem drinking.
“Although this is not a course on
alcohol abuse, one third of the people
arrested for drunk driving have alco
hol problems,” he said.
The final phase is entitled “Person
al Actions to Avoid Future DWI Be
havior.
United Press International
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Gunmen
ambushed a pair of Israeli military
vehicles, killing two soldiers and
wounding two others in the second
attack against Israeli forces in two
days, the Tel Aviv military command
said today.
The attack Wednesday near Ayn
Zhalte, 12 miles southeast of Beirut,
came as Lebanese troops took com
mand of Christian east Beirut for the
first time in eight years.
The Israeli command said the gun
men fired Soviet-made, AK47
Kalashnikov rifles from a car parked
with its engine hood open — as if
stopped for repairs in an ambush
of two passing Israeli military vehi
cles.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed
and two others slightly wounded in
the rear vehicle before the attackers
drove away and escaped, the military
command said in an announcement
from Tel Aviv.
“We’re speaking about terrorists,
not Lebanese civilians,” an Israeli
spokesman said. The attack occurred
in an area of the Shouf Mountains
controlled by Druze Moslem militias,
he said.
Israeli soldiers Tuesday killed two
guerrillas who attacked an Israeli
roadblock at Monte Verde, 3 miles
east of Beirut. No Israeli casualties
were reported.
Renegade Lebanese Maj. Saad
Haddad’s forces extended their
Israeli-backed mini-state in southern
Lebanon Wednesday from Sidon on
the Mediterranean to the Bekaa
Valley.
The expansion of Haddad’s
Israeli-armed forces raised fears of a
partition of Lebanon unless the coun
try agrees to Israeli-manned early
warning stations in south Lebanon
and some measure of normalization
in diplomatic relations.
Haddad began his sweep across
Israeli-occupied south Lebanon by
establishing a new garrison in Sidon
on Monday, on the eve of the army’s
move into east Beirut.
The commander of the Phalange
Lebanese Forces, Fadi Frem, warned
Wednesday Syria would attempt to
maintain its occupation of Lebanon if
Israel created its Lebanese security
zone by force if peace talks fail.
staff photo by Bill Schulz
1983-84 Corps Commander
Preston Abbott, a junior petroleum engineering major
from Longview, accepts congratulations from freshman
cadets on his appointment as 1983-84 Corps Commander
Wednesday. Abbott will take command of the Corps
from out-going Corps Commander Mike Holmes, a senior
electrical engineering major from Grand Prairie, at Final
Review in May. Brian Terrell, a junior agricultural
economics major from Plainview, will replace Ronnie
Taylor, a senior finance major from Troy, as Deputy
Corps Commander.
PUF referendum date still uncertain
United Press International
AUSTIN — Disagreement over
when to submit to voters a proposed
constitutional amendment that would
set up a fund for schools not sharing
in earnings from the Permanent Uni
versity Fund is preventing the Senate
Education Committee from voting on
the measure.
Introduced by Carl Parker, D-Port
Arthur, the measure would enable
schools outside the PUF to divide at
least $125 million annually, with the
amount appropriated each year
based on fluctuations in the Consum
er Price Index.
Parker said Wednesday he would
prefer his proposal, originally in
tended to go before voters in a state
wide referendum in November 1983,
not be submitted to voters until
November 1984.
“That would allow us to get
through this biennium without hav
ing to guess how the public will vote
and how to come up with a formula to
divide the money if it passes,” said
Parker, chairman of the Education
Committee.
The House gave unanimous com
mittee approval earlier this week to a
similar proposed amendment. It calls
for an April 30 submission to voters.
The distribution formula for the
funding would be subject to periodic
legislative review and the schools
would be able to bond against the de
dicated fund.
Presently, the University of Texas
at Austin and Texas A&M University
share in earnings from the PUF and
they are limited to using the money
primarily for new construction.
The committee hearing on the bill
drew favorable testimony from sever
al higher education officials, but
lvioi. er rnce inciex. ^uxxxc w^xx ^ « cxx xxxgtx^i wun
Technical writing teachers may lack
practical experience, professor says
by Anarel Stokes HMME the English department 1
evoked a warning from Kenneth
Ashworth, Commissioner of Higher
Education.
He said former Gov. Preston
Smith, chairman of the Coordinating
Board, Texas College and University
System, has asked for an attorney
general’s ruling on whether proposed
amendment would remove the Leg
islature’s ability to review in advance
how dedicated funds would be spent.
Parker’s amendment would extend
coverage under the PUF to all schools
within the UT and Texas A&M sys
tems and ease restrictions on how the
money could be spent.
by Angel Stokes
Battalion Staff
An article by a Texas A&M tech
nical writing professor has
brought attention to possible
teacher incompetency here as well
as nationwide.
In the article, Robert Scott Kell
ner, assistant professor of English,
said there is a cycle in education in
which teachers w’ithout “real
world” experience have become
authors of textbooks for other
teachers without real experience.
This helps explain the decline in
academic standards at universities
across the country, he said.
“Too many teachers in college
have never been out of college,”
Kellner said. “They get their
bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. and
immediately start telling students
what to expect from the real world
w’hen they themselves have never
worked in the real world.”
The article, “The Degeneration
of Technical Writing: A Question
of Teacher Competency,” was
published in the September issue
of the American Business Com
munication Association Bulletin.
Kellner — who has worked as a
technical writer for Honeywell
Inc., IBM and the U.S. Navy —
received the Award of Merit from
Robert Scott Kellner, assistant professor of English,
discussing his article on technical writing teachers.
the Society for Technical Com
munication for his article.
Graduate students here are
allowed to teach not only lower-
level writing classes, but also up
per-level technical writing classes,
Kellner said. Since up to 50 sec
tions of technical writing may be
taught in an average spring semes
ter, it is difficult to find enough
qualified instructors.
“All too often, departments do
what is expedient at the expense of
academic standards,” he said.
Approximately 25 percent of
the technical writing classes in the
spring are taught by graduate stu
dents who have no practical ex
perience, he said.
“Some of these graduate stu
dents have only a bachelor’s de
gree, not even a master’s,” he said.
“If I were an undergraduate stu
dent, I wouldn’t stand for that. I
think it stinks.”
Dr. David H. Stew r art, head of
the English department here, said
he would not comment on Kell
ner’s article until he has reviewed
it.
At a recent department meet
ing, Kellner said, he was the only
person who voted against allowing
graduate students to teach technic
al writing.
But graduate students are not
the only problem in the program,
Kellner said. Many technical writ
ing instructors lack full-time work
experience in technical writing,
first-hand knowledge of the day-
to-day writing transactions of
American industry, undergradu
ate or graduate study in technical
communications, and academic
study or work experience in scien
ce or technology, he said.
Kellner’s suggestions for impro
ving the program include: having
technical writers come as visiting
instructors to give weekly seminars
to teachers who have no field ex
perience, having instructors from
other departments — especially
the sciences — discuss the needs
for technical writing and requiring
all undergraduate English majors
to take technical writing.
See TEACHERS, page 5
inside
Around Town 4
Classified 8
Local. 3
National 10
Opinions 2
Police Beat 4
Sports 13
State 6
What’s up 12
forecast
Clear to partly cloudy skies today
and a high of 66. Light southeast
winds at 5 to 10 mph. Becoming
mostly cloudy tonight with a low
near 46. Partly cloudy on Friday
with a 20 percent chance of show
ers and a high near 67.
almanac
United Press International
Today is Thursday, Feb. 17, the
48th day of 1983 with 317 to follow.
Those born on this day include
American novelist Dorothy Can-
field Fisher, in 1878, and actor Hal
Holbrook, in 1925.
On this date in history:
In 1801, the U.S. House of Rep
resentatives named Thomas Jef
ferson as third president of the Un
ited States. Aaron Burr, who tied
with Jefferson in the Electoral Col
lege, became vice president.