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^■■TexasA&M ^ ^ J.X ^ I ■ ^ ^
The DattaMon
Serving the University community
76 No. 100 DSPS 045360 32 Pages in 2 Sections
College Station, Texas
Friday, February 18, 1983
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United Press International
iAIRO, Egypt (U1M) — The Un-
States confronted Libyan leader
wnmar Khadafy by sending four
WAGS planes and an aircraft car
er to monitor Libyan military move-
int amid “extremely heightened”
tision in North Africa.
‘Our armed forces are fully pre-
Jed to repel any aggression against
pi's security,” Chief of Staff Lt.
i. Abd Rah el Nabi Hafez told re-
ters Thursday, commenting on
orts of troop buildups along
jya’s borders.
I In Khartoum, Presidents Gaafar
"meiry of Sudan and Hissene
bre pf Chad met Thursday to dis-
Is the reported Libyan threats to
lir nations’ security.
Aides to Habre have warned Libya
was massing troops, armor and war
planes along the border for an inva
sion of Chad. U.S. officials say there
also has been a buildup of Libyan
troops along the border with Sudan.
In Washington, officials said four
AW ACS early warning planes were
sent to Egypt and the nuclear-
powered aircraft carrier Nimitz sailed
near Libyan waters in a show of
strength aimed at deterring the re
ported Libyan threat.
By late Wednesday, the Nimitz had
moved back into the Mediterranean,
the officials said. ABC N£ws reported
that the carrier was sitting off the
coast of Egypt today, its jets within
minutes of the Libyan coast.
The Reagan administration denied
it dispatched the U.S. forces in re
sponse to a Libyan military buildup,
but a senior official said there was an
atmosphere of “extremely height
ened danger” in the north African
region.
The U.S. official’s carefully
worded statement appeared designed
to send a clear signal to Khadafy the
United States will not tolerate hostile
intentions toward its allies.
In Tripoli, Khadafy defiantly reas
serted Thursday that Libya was ready
to fight to defend the Gulf of Sidra,
which it claims, against American in
cursions.
Khadafy said he would “not permit
any state to enter our territorial wa
ters . The Libyan people are ready to
fight to defend their lands, waters
and skies.”
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United Press International
pXBOURNL, Australia — Some
[)() firefighters brought under con-
la two day “holocaust” of fire that
d at least 69 people and razed
|dreds of miles of parched south-
| Australian brush, officials said
S of BfiCfhPrime Minister Malcolm Eraser
led for a national weekend of
juming and described the loss of
fe and an est imated $400 million in
[Image as one of the greatest disas-
trs in history.
South Australia and Victoria have
Jit devastated by a holocaust and 1
tend my sincerest sympathy,” a
pned Fraser said, after surveying
two stricken states from a helicop-
id
ter. A 1939 Australian fire killed 71
people.
One blaze burned out of control
today in the Warburton area north
east of Melbourne in the state of Vic
toria, where firefighters rescued 83
people who escaped the raging infer
no by hiding in a 1,000-foot-long
tunnel.
The group of 83 included three
pregnant women, 20 children and 15
pet dogs who fled to safety in the 3-
foot-wide tunnel in the Upper Yarra
dam near Warburton Thursday when
the brushfires threatened their
homes. The group spent Thursday
night in the tunnel, officials said.
About 1,000 firefighters today con
tinued battling the last stubborn fire.
Officials said no houses or lives were
believed threatened but the Country
Fire Authority in Melbourne warned
some spot blazes could flare again.
Burned out cars and the carcasses
of animals littered the countryside.
Hundreds of kangaroos, wallabies,
cattle and sheep had to be shot after
suffering serious burns. Ranchers re
ported staggering losses.
Officials said 26 people died in
South Australia and 43 in Victoria,
the two states where fires fanned by
gusty winds raced across parched
plains.
Most were trapped in their homes
by walls of fire or incinerated in vehi
cles while trying to escape. Hundreds
more were injured.
Looks good guys
staff photo by Rob Johnston
The U.S. Ambassador to Argentina was
among the many at the main drill field
Thursday afternoon to witness the Texas
A&M Corps of Cadets review. From left to
right are University President Frank
Vandiver, Ambassador Harry Shlaudeman,
Col. Donald L. Burton, Col. Henry C.
Hill, and Col. Donald J. Johnson.
State senate approves bill
to ban ‘cop-killer’ bullets
V&M researchers say mild
flu epidemic a possibility
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by Donn Friedman
■ Battalion Reporter
;Flu researchers say there may be an
illuenza epidemic on the Texas
M campus this year, but say there’s
eason for students to hide in their
ms or wear surgical masks where-
they go.
From the outbreaks of flu in the
ea and the analysis of data obtained
Texas A&M, there appears to be a
Dod chance that a llu epidemic will
it the College Station area, said Dr.
ohm Couch, director of the in-
tirnza research center of the Baylor
College of Medicine.
■'Flu has been reported to he wide-
bread throughout the country,” he
a'd. ;
■“A mild to moderate epidemic has
Ip observed in Houston during the
last three weeks. Some sort of out-
ptak of the flu also has been re-
wmed at the University of Texas and
he Austin area, and Baylor Universi-
y and the Waco area.”
jtVebster defines an epidemic as an
unarrested spread of disease, but Dr.
Claude Goswick, director of the A.P.
Beutel Health Center, refers to an
epidemic as more than an average
number of cases of a sickness.
“It’s like when you say hemor
rhage,” Goswick said. “You reallyjust
mean bleeding — it could be a little or
a lot. It means different things to dif
ferent people.”
Last year only slightly more than
the 150 to 250 cases usually reported
a week were reported at Texas A&M,
he said.
“Last year we were told to antici
pate a much bigger epidemic, but it
never materialized,” Goswick said.
This year’s outbreak of the flu is
not of epidemic proportions, said
John Quarles, a microbiologist who
works with the Texas A&M flu study.
“An epidemic occurs when a dis
ease is out of control in a certain
area,” Quarles said. “The flu is under
control here.”
About 10 cases of the flu — Bang
kok virus Type A — have been iso
lated here, he said. But this may rep
resent only a small percentage of the
total because everyone who gets sick
doesn’t come to the health center for
treatment, Quarles added.
Using computer programs to
graph the data pertaining to the num
ber of flu cases, Quarles developed
the following figures:
Normally about 150 to 250 people
a week come to the health center with
respiratory complaints, but during
the fourth to eighth weeks of 1983 the
number rose to almost 500. Figures
from 1978-81 also indicate the same
rise in complaints. Those include
colds, runny noses and flu cases.
The number usually drops back to
normal levels after spring break, he
said.
“It has been about three weeks
since we isolated the flu virus on the
A&M campus — usually it spreads
much more rapidly,” he said. “This
year we don’t expect a large number
of cases at once, but rather a longer,
drawn-out season of the flu.”
United Press International
AUSTIN — Legislation that would
ban the use, possession, sale of manu
facture in Texas of powerful armor
piercing bullets has been unanimous
ly approved by the state Senate.
The Senate Thurday also sent to
Gov. Mark White a bill that establishes
new guidelines on protective custody
procedures for mental patients, and
sent the House a bill that would create
a registration and training program
for lay midwives.
Law enforcement officers are lob
bying for passage of the so-called
“cop-killer” bullet bill because they
are worried about criminals gaining
access to the special Teflon-tipped
bullets.
Tests have shown the ammunition
is capable of penetrating most bullet
proof vests used by police. Several
other states have already banned the
bullet.
The bill’s co-sponsor, Sen. J.L.
Brown, R-Lake Jackson, said it would
“effectively control” the spread of the
bullets “so our peace officers won’t be
exposed to this hazard.”
The midwives bill would require a
$50 fee for training by the state
Health Department, but Sen. Ed Ho
ward, D-Texarkana, said the fee
would not cover the cost of the
training.
Sen. Hector Uribe, D-Brownsville
said midwives would not be able to
afford the $200 fee originally sug
gested by Howard.
“These people assist the very very
poor,” he said. “They’re in no better
financial condition than the people
they serve.”
White questions emergency
funds request from TDC
United Press International
AUSTIN — An emergency request
from the Texas Department of Cor
rections for $81 million to build a
prison housing facility prompted
Gov. Mark White to question the
propriety of the buildings being re
quested.
“I’m very disturbed by the seem
ingly unending requests for approp
riations to build prisons,” White said.
“I’ve seen now a range of numbers
associated with prisons that have in
cluded approximately 1,500 beds for
$2.7 million and then it seems for
4,000 its going to cost $81 million.
“That raises the question in my
mind as to alternatives to that type of
expensive construction.”
White then added that the Texas
Board of Corrections needed changes
in its membership.
“I’m going to be very closely in
volved in the selection of board mem
bers,” he said.
Three members’ terms — T. Louis
Austin, T.L. Roach and Joe La Mantia
— expired Tuesday and White said
he will name his appointees as soon as
possible.
The TDC board has asked White to
grant emergency status for its
appropriation to complete a 1,000-
bed maximum security prison and
start work another 2,000-bed max
imum security facility.
In other matters, White refused let
a sharp reduction in expected re
venues move him from his campaign
promise to support a 24 percent pay
hike for the state’s public school
teachers.
The governor has held off deliver
ing his budget address for several
days while his staff prepares the
appropriations proposal.
Local residents to get 409 area code
by Tracey Taylor
Battalion Staff
The local area code will change
in four weeks because of growth in
the Houston metropolitan area.
FTfective March 19. the area
code will change from 7 13 to 409 in
Bryan-College Station and in 178
other southeast Texas cities. Hous
ton and 29 other cities will retain
the 713 designation. Local seven
digit telephone numbers will not
change.
When the area code change is
completed, telephone numbers
originallv used in this area can be
used iu the Houston area.
John Wallace, public affairs
manager for General Telephone
Gompany of the Southwest, said
the change has taken more than a
year of intense planning and
cooperation.
“It's an extensive process, " he
said. “It had to be coordinated
through G I L, Southwestern Bell
and all the independent and/or
cooperative phone companies that
serve this area.”
Although t he new area code offi
cially takes effect Match 19, there
will he ;i three-month grace period
before the 713 area code is
changed, Wallace said.
“The March 19 date is to encour
age people to begin using the 409
area code — to change their dialing
habits.” he said.
“II someone in Dallas wants to
call someone in Bryan and doesn't
know that the area code has
changed, he can dial 713 until June
19 and still get Brvan. After that
time, however, there will get a re
cording saving that the area code
has changed and to hang up and
dial again."
Brvan-College Station residents
mav receive a new rate hike along
with the new area code.
On Feb. 1 1, G I L asked the Pub
lic L’tilitv Commission of Texas for
$85.5 million in new revenues.
G I L of f icials said a need for mod
ernization and new service im
provement programs prompted
the rate increase request.
If the proposed rate increase is
approved, the total monthly charge
in this area would be raised from
$9.10 to $ 13.10, an increase of ab
out 44 percent, he said.
Currentlv, the monthly charge
of $9.10 includes a $7.90 c harge
for service and $1.20 charge for
extended area service. The prop
osed $4 increase would be for the
set v ice c harge, not the extended
area service c harge. Wallace said.
Extended area service enables
citizens to call surrounding com
munities lot local rates instead of
the long-distance rates that nor
mally would he c harged.
Wallace said the LAS charge,
which everyone receives, will re
main the same.
“LAS is not an optional service
such as call-forwarding." he said.
“It s something that everyone in
the comimmitv has to agree on."
Hav ing a rate increase approved
involves up to a year of extensive
study, detailing expenses and re
venues, Wallace said. The phone
company decides how much re
venue is needed f or expenses, then
files proposed price hikes with the
Public Utility Gommission.
Testimony from phone com
pany representatives is presented
during a hearings. A hearing ex
aminer then presents a report of
the proceedings to the three-
member PUG for a final ruling.
inside
Around Town 4
Classified 8
Local 3
National 19
Opinions 2
Polic e Beat 4
Sports 13
State - • ■ • 5
What's up 12
forecast
Mostly clear skies today w'ith the
high reaching 70. Northerly winds
at 10 to 15 mph. Mainly clear for
tonight with a low near 43. Clear
and warmer on Saturday with a
high around 74.