Texas A&M
Battalion
Serving the University community
ol. 76 No. 104 USPS 045360 18 Pages In 2 Sections
College Station, Texas
Thursday, February 24, 1983
EPA firings will not quiet
scandal
congressman says
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The White
House says the ouster of two more top
Environmental Protection Agency
officials will give the agency a “fresh
start,” 1 but a congressman warns “sac
rificial lambs” will not quiet the EPA
scandal.
Administration officials disclosed
the firings of EPA Inspector General
Matthew Novick, whose office has
been enmeshed in controversy, tend
Assistant Administrator John Hor
ton, who is under FBI investigation.
They said President Reagan was
involved in the decision.
The dismissals brought to seven
the number of EPA officials fired
since the agency’s troubles bubbled
forth Feb. 4 with the announcement
of the resignation of Rita Lavelle, for
mer chief of the agency’s toxic wastes
cleanup unit.
Three days later, it was disclosed
President Reagan fired Lavelle when
she refused orders to quit her post.
Horton, confirming Wednesday
that he was asked to resign, said he
agreed because “the White House is
trying to get things back under con
trol so the agency can get back to
work.”
But Rep. Elliott Levitas, D-Ga.,
head of the House subcommittee that
first brought a contempt of Congress
citation against Anne Burford (for
merly Anne Gorsuch) last fall when
she failed to turn over files on toxic
waste cases, said the scandal is still
unfolding.
Levitas said if fresh allegations that
Burford allowed a close legal adviser
to participate in meetings affecting
his private industry clients prove cor
rect, she should also resign.
To suggestions the administration
is trying to control damage by firing
some vulnerable officials, Levitas
said:
“As far as sacrificial lambs are con-
Hcippy feet
staff photo by Bill Schulz
Plan to rescue
Social Security
passes first test
l iss Texas A&M Scholarship Pageant contestant Moira
Hankin, a junior studying animal science, tap dances
B^ednesday for an audience in the Memorial Student
Venter during a talent preview for Friday’s pageant.
lood bank keeps
mpus contract
r:
by Kathy Wiesepape
Battalion Reporter
Tie Wadley Blood Bank will con-
mie its monopoly of campus blood
I'ivlsat Texas A&M despite protests
joni the Brazos County Red Cross,
dent representatives decided dur-
ig a meeting Wednesday.
■Representatives from Wadley
■d Bank and Red Cross met with
plesentatives from Student Gov-
Sitnent and two service organiza-
pns, Alpha Phi Omega and Omega
|lil\lpha, to evaluate the campus
ood drive program. Those three
baps have contracted with Wadley
ice 1959 to hold three blood drives
yeai- on campus.
But Red Cross protested that it also
ould be able to solicit blood dona-
ini on campus.
Chris Lang, Brazos County Red
bis chairman, said the group wants
held campus blood drives because
hospitals use blood from the
ntral Texas Red Cross supply in
a|o. When Texas A&M students
itllfaculty are in hospitals here and
ed blood, they deplete the Red
loss supply.
Wadley Blood Bank is affiliated
with the American Association of
Blood Banks. Blood donated by
Aggies through campus blood drives
goes to the central blood supply in
Dallas.
According to the Wadley Blood
Bank system, all Texas A&M students
and faculty are members of the Aggie
Blood Club. For each blood unit don
ated by an Aggie, a credit is added to
the blood club account. When an
Aggie needs blood, the accumulated
credits are exchanged for blood from
the Wadley Blood Bank.
Blood from the Wadley Blood
Bank is shipped to hospitals nation
wide, but is not used in Brazos County
hospitals because they are not affili
ated with the American Association of
Blood Banks.
Lang said the Red Cross holds 12
community blood drives and 12 blood
drives for organizations each year to
replenish the county blood supply.
But the Red Cross needs an addition
al 175 units of blood per month, Lang
said, and a campus blood drive would
See BLOOD, page 5
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The $165 bil
lion Social Security rescue package
passed its first congressional test
Wednesday on a party-line vote, indi
cating the plan may undergo some
changes before it wins crucial biparti
san Support.
The panel adhered closely to a na
tional commission’s recommenda
tions to raise money through the end
of the decade but added some of its
own ideas to deal with the system’s
long-term deficit, including curbing
benefits of future retirees and raising
payroll taxes. Both proposals would
take effect early next century.
The Democrat-led House Social
Security subcommittee repeatedly re
jected attempts by the panel’s Repub
licans to raise the retirement age as a
means of reducing the system’s long
term costs. That prompted the GOP
members to vote against the entire
package.
The subcommittee also approved a
“fail-safe” mechanism that allows So
cial Security to dip into general Treas
ury funds in emergencies.
“This is just the first step in a long
process,” subcommittee chairman IJ.
Pickle, D-Texas, said after the vote. “I
believe the public will feel we have
advanced the bill and it will relieve
their fears and anxiety.”
Pickle said he is not concerned ab
out the party-line vote, saying, “I do
not think this is any indication that it
will not be a bipartisan package.
There should be.” But, he said that he
expects some changes when the Ways
and Means Committee acts on the bill
next week.
Rep. Willis Gradison of Ohio, one
of four Republicans to vote against,
said, “Something is going to be done
about the retirement age, however re
luctant the majority is to talk about it
today.”
Several of the subcommittee’s
Democrats, including Pickle, person
ally favor raising the retirement age.
But Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo.,
said they felt compelled to design a
long-term deficit strategy that was
“saleable” to mainstream Democrats
who vehemently oppose raising the
retirement age.
The bulk of the package, which re
flects last month’s recommendation
by the National Commission on Social
Security Reform, would raise payroll
taxes, delay this year’s cost-of-living
hike six months and tax benefits of
higher-income pensioners for the
first time.
It also would force new federal
workers — and the president and
members of Congress — to join Social
Security next year.
Congressional leaders hope to send
a bill to Reagan by Easter but have
reiterated the need for bipartisan
support.
After rejecting several conservative
amendments to raise the 65-year re
tirement age or cut benefits in other
ways, the subcommittee agreed on a
long-range change that depends on
curbing payment checks and raising
taxes next century.
It includes a 5 percent cut in the
benefit formula for new retirees in
2008, so the average worker will get
back 40 percent of his last paycheck
instead of 42 percent, and a payroll
tax hike of 0.24 percent each for em
ployers and employees beginning in
2015, raising the tax to 7.89 percent.
inside
A.roundTown 4
Issified 8
al 3
fational 7
inions 2
’olice Beat 4
ports 9
pte 6
that’s up 8
■ forecast
Mostly clear skies today and a high
pi. The winds will be light and
Mbm the south. Clear skies for
bnight with the low near 45. For
Ppday, mostly clear skies and a lit-
|| cooler with a high of 64.
almanac
United Press International
■bday is Thursday, Feb. 24, the
5th day of 1983 with 310 to follow.
B American Painter Winslow
K>mer was born on this date in
®6 and John Phillip Holland, in
ventor of the submarine, in 1842.
[On this date in history:
[In 1920, a group of Germans
organized the National Socialist
Patty, forerunner of the Nazi Party
(ha later would be led by Adolf
Hit ler.
Student Senate approves
student service fee increase
by Kelley Smith
Battalion Staff
Student senators approved a re
commendation to raise the 1983-84
student service fee from $43.50 to
$51.50 at their meeting Wednesday
night. They also approved budget re
commendations made by the depart
ments that receive funds from those
fees.
The Student Government Finance
Committee recommended the
changes, which were approved unani
mously.
Blaine Edwards, vice president for
finance, said the $8 increase is justi
fied .
“We’re getting by cheap,” Edwards
said. “It’s going to take eight bucks to
give us the services we want.”.
Edwards compared the student
service fee at Texas A&M to that of
other Texas public universities.
Texas Tech has a $58 fee and the
University of Texas has a $60 fee.
Texas A&M’s fee is lower than
other schools because operations are
run efficiently, Edwards said.
Fees are being increased because
of increases in utility costs, the end of
President Frank E. Vandiver’s hiring
freeze, mandated state wage increases
and the addition of the International
Student Services program into the
student services funding jurisdiction,
Edwards said.
Because of last year’s hiring freeze,
many departments are understaffed,
Edwards said.
“Everybody’s hurting for people
now,” he said.
The A.P. Beutel Health Center has
asked that another doctor be added to
its staff. Six doctors now are em
ployed at the center. A request also
has been made to add a lawyer to the
Student Legal Department. The com
mittee approved those requests.
Of the $8 increase, $2 will go to the
International Student Services prog
ram. Senators debated whether stu
dent service fees should fund this
program, w'hich was previously in the
academic affairs department.
This year, the international stu
dent services program received
$124,553 from student service fee re
serves. If the program was not
budgeted for next year, he said, it
probably would have to be funded
with reserves again. The senate
approved a budget for next year of
$119,158.
If the Legislature passes a bill call
ing for International Student Service
cerned, they’re wasting their time.
Congress has got to complete an in
vestigation that has already been
launched, because the American peo
ple are entitled to no less.”
He cautioned, however, that the in
vestigation should be carried out re
sponsibly with “no rush tojudgment.”
Rep. James Scheuer, D-N.Y., chair
man of another of six congressional
panels investigating EPA, said there
are rumors Burford “will be looking
for new employment opportunities in
the near future.”
Horton said he and Novick were
asked to resign by Helene Von
Damm, director of White House per
sonnel. One source said Novick was
advised of his fate on Sunday when he
attended the wedding of Burford, the
former Anne Gorsuch.
Novick, who could not be reached
for comment, was the first Reagan-
appointed inspector general to be
fired.
A White House official said Bur
ford, who was in Arizona giving a
speech Wednesday, was “fully con
sulted” about the changes, which he
said were made as “part of an effort to
strengthen the middle level manage
ment at EPA, particularly in Super
fund (for toxic waste cleanup), and
were intended to give a fresh start” to
the agency’s managerial team.
“This will be helping Anne by giv
ing her stronger managerial person
nel,” the source said.
An administration official said the
Horton and Novick were released
“without prejudice,” emphasizing
there was “no determination of
wrongdoing” and they could be in
vited to join the administration again
“in some other capacity.”
Scheuer charged that Novick was
dismissed as EPA’s chief internal
watchdog because of his recent
efforts to clean up the agency, an alle
gation a White House official dis
puted as “outrageous.”
staff photo by Eric Evan Lee
New world record
user fees, the money budgeted for the
program may be decreased, Edwards
said.
Departments showing the greatest
budget increase are extramurals, in
creasing 21 percent from $37,000 to
$45,000; the A.P. Beutel Health Cen
ter, increasing 23 percent from
$610,000 to $755,000; and the
Memorial Student Center adminis
tration, increasing 18 percent from
$560,000 to $662,934.
The extramural budget increase
was caused by the addition of seven
new programs including soccer,
which is no longer a varsity sport, Ed
wards said.
The increase for the MSC adminis
tration is due to the hiring of addi
tional staff and increases in costs of
food and supplies, he said. Student
service fees account for about one-
third of the MSC administration and
programs budget.
The recommendations will go to
Dr. JohnJ. Koldus, vice president for
student services. He either will accept
these recommendations or make
some changes in them. Both of the
recommendations, those by the sen
ate and Koldus, will go to Vandiver
and then to the Texas A&M Board of
Regents for final approval.
Holding his trophy, Monty Morris has a reason to smile.
The freshman pre-vet major set a new record Wednesday
in the 18-year-old division for the Guinness Book of
World Records by bench pressing 470 pounds.
Airline company cited
in price-fixing suit
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The Justice
Department filed ativil antitrust suit
Wednesday against American Air
lines Inc. and its president, Robert L.
Crandall, charging the airline execu
tive unlawfully attempted to fix prices
with Braniff Airways in 1982.
The government’s suit said Bra
niff, which filed for bankruptcy in
May, rejected the alleged attempt.
Braniff spokeswoman Barbara
Potter said Braniff officials had de
cided not to make any public com
ment on the lawsuit.
She said the lawsuit also would
have nothing to do with the proposed
agreement Braniff has signed with
the California-based Pacific South
west Airlines under which PSA plans
to lease some 30 idled jets of Braniff
and rehire about 1,500 of its em
ployees.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District
Court in Dallas, charged that Cran
dall proposed in a telephone conver
sation with Braniff president Howard
Putnam that the airline raise its prices
by 20 percent.
Crandall assured Putnam that if
Braniff raised its fares, American
would follow with higher rates.
The government filed its suit as a
result of the conversation between
Crandall and Putnam on grounds
that Crandall and American unlaw
fully attempted to acquire joint and
collusive monopoly power between
American and Braniff in a number of
city-pair markets served by the Dallas-
Fort Worth airport hub.