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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1983)
The Battalion Serving the University community A losing battle photo by Stephen Shatto College Station firemen fight an automobile fire at the intersection of Wellborn Road and Joe Routt street Wednesday. Mary Pittman, the owner of the car, was on her way to work when a match started a fire in an ashtray. The flames soon engulfed the car. Pittman was not injured in the blaze but the car was totaled. s* :—; ; TT - Palestinians protest Carter s visit United Press International BETHLEHEM — Jewish settlers ed submachine guns and pistols to n'd a crowd of stone-throwing ilestinians in Bethlehem Wednes- ly amid spreading protests against rmer U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s iil to the occupied West Bank. No ic was injured. | Minutes after Carter arrived at sthlehem’s town hall for a sche- iled meeting with Palestinian ayor Elias Freij, Arab youths sent a etoated in gasoline skidding down iide street into Manger Square. Sol- ers intercepted the tire before it add ignite. Hi wo hours earlier, Palestinian )ilhs shouting “PLO, PLO” burned es in the streets and stoned Israeli vehicles, forcing pedestrians to leave the streets and storekeepers to close down. At least four Jewish settlers opened fire with Uzi submachine guns and small arms on the crowds of protesters before Israeli soldiers moved in to disperse the crowds. No arrests were reported in the clashes, the latest in a series of shoot ings and attacks involving militant Jewish settlers. In Jerusalem, 150 Arabs marched through the Old City waving Palesti nian flags and shouting slogans in the spreading protests against Carter for his role in mediating the 1978 Camp David accord between Israel and Egypt- I he east Jerusalem-based news agency also reported stone-throwings near the Deheisha Palestinian re fugee camp outside Bethlehem. The camp is under curfew. Carter, who has met with regional leaders and PLO officials during a private tour of the Middle East, met Tuesday with Prime Minister Menachem Begin on talks about the withdrawal of 30,000 Israeli, 40,000 Syrian and 10,000 PLO troops from Lebanon. Begin aides said the prime minister told Carter that a breakthrough in the U.S.-mediated talks could be ex pected soon and Israel radio quoted Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir as saying Israel was prepared to drop its demands to permanently station Israeli troops inside Lebanon. “I look forward to the realization of our shared hopes and dreams,” Car ter, who hammered out the 1978 Camp David accords with Begin and the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, said after meeting Begin. The Camp David accords, which led to the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, envisaged talks among Israeli, Egyptian and Jordanian delegates on autonomy for the 1.2 million Palesti nians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Carter flew in Tuesday from Egypt where he told reporters that he had met with Palestine Liberation Organi zation officials as a “private citizen.” The United States refuses to speak with the PLO until it recognizes Israel. Spouse passes bill; retirement age up United Press International WASHINGTON — Bolstered by erwhelming House approval of a )cial Security financing bill that irbs pensions, raises taxes and raises it- retirement age, the Senate now arts work on a similar measure. Hhebill won bipartisan support on > 282-148 vote, but also encountered partisan opposition — from conser- uives unhappy with tax hikes and aerals angered at benefit curbs and ic retirement age change. IfThe Senate Finance Committee arranged to vote on provisions in its own bill today. The House vote to increase the retirement age erased the biggest possible difference be tween the two bills, since the Senate is expected to follow suit. A spokesman said President Reagan also supports having Americans work longer. In the Senate, the problems may be of a different sort. Senate Finance Chairman Robert Dole, R-Kan., is de termined to push the bill through in tact, but there is a move afoot to amend it by repealing interest with holding provisions of last year’s tax act. After Wednesday’s House vote, Speaker Thomas O’Neill, who called the bill “landmark legislation” com mended members for a good job even though he opposed raising the retire ment age. He said he hopes for a Sen ate vote next week, and wants a bill sent to the White House by Easter. The retirement provision, approved by a narrow vote of 228- 202, calls for raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 in two steps. Amer icans born in 1943 or later would have to wait until 66 to retire with full be nefits; those born after 1960 would wait until 67. The House took a second vote nailing down approval of the retirement age change, 230-200. To meet the system’s short term money needs, the bill would increase payroll taxes, delay this year’s July cost-of-living payment by six months, tax checks of better-off pensioners and require new federal workers to join beginning next year. Thursday, March 10, 1983 EPA head resigns job United Press International WASH INGTON — Anne Burford resigned as head of the Environmen tal Protection Agency with President Reagan praising her “personal cour age,” but the controversy that forced her departure is not over. Burford ended weeks of specula tion and delivered her resignation let ter to Reagan Wednesday. Deputy White House press secretary Larry Speakes said: “It was entirely her de cision.” Reagan told Burford, “You can walk out of the Environmental Pro tection Agency with your head held high.” But the resignation came as press ure intensified for Burford’s removal and she was threatened with yet another congressional contempt cita tion for failing to yield toxic-waste cleanup files. “Mrs. Burford’s departure is not the issue. The issue is the operation of the EPA and the implementation of our environmental laws,” said Rep. Mike Synar, D-Okla., chairman of one of the subcommittees investigat ing the EPA. Former EPA head Anne Burford Said House Democratic Leader James Wright: “It’s my view it isn’t the individual that has to be changed, it’s the attitude that has to be changed, and that has to come from a different source than Mrs. Burford.” Drinking age: SG OKs lobby by Kelley Smith Battalion Staff The bill to raise the drinking age from 19 to 21 probably will pass in the state Legislature, former House speaker Billy Clayton told the Student Senate at its meeting Wednesday night. But even with that warning, the senate authorized the Legislative Study Group to represent the Texas A&M student body and lobby against raising the drinking age. The group also will lobby for stric ter enforcement of current alcohol- related laws and the establishment of state-wide educational programs on alcohol awareness. “If we had strict good enforcement of the current DWI laws, we wouldn’t have the problems we have today,” Clayton said. Mothers Against Drunk Driving has created a strong grassroots cam paign that is going to be “very effec tive,” he said. Because of MADD and other lobbying groupSj Clayton said he foresees strong DWI laws being passed this session. Clayton, who is working with a lob bying firm in Austin, offered his assistance to the Legislative Study Group, which will be lobbying during spring break. The group will work out of his offices. The student senators also autho rized the group to lobby in favor of an increase in faculty salaries and fringe benefit policies. The senate also sup ports using funds for minority re cruitment that were appropriated by the Texas Legislature rather than us ing Texas A&M funds. The senate also voted to oppose a tuition increase. However, the sena tors voted to support an increase by a fixed percentage of a predefined set of costs if an increase seems to be in evitable. The legal drinking age bill was the most debated of the issues. Some senators argued the age should not be raised because by the time a person is 19 he has the responsibilities of an adult and also should have the free dom and privileges of one. Others argued that the drinking age shotild be raised because of the higher inci dence of alcohol related traffic deaths among the younger age groups. Some senators argued that the group should not represent the stu dents on the issue because it is not an academic issue; however, Fred Bill ings, administrative director of the group, said that the group has a re sponsibility to represent the students on any issues that affect them. “It is the responsibility of the Stu dent Senate to represent the stu dents,” Billings said. “If we don’t, we’re shirking our responsibility. Consitituents will be let down greatly if we don’t take a stand for their best interests.” The senators also approved a bicy cle committee bill recommending changes in bicycle policies. The changes include: — mandatory registration of bicy cles through the University Police De partment at a cost of no more than $5 per year. — all bicyclists would be required to obey the laws set forth by state law. — a reward system would be set up for information leading to the recov ery of stolen bikes followed by an arrest resulting from the theft. Funds from bicycle registration would be used for the construction of additional bike racks, better lighting for rack areas, bike paths away from the flow of traffic and registration administration. Keepers of tradition ’ not always cadets Former yell leader urges ‘unity’ by Donn Friedman Battalion Reporter Yes, Rock, civilians can be yell lead- rs, too. gin fact, there have been at least our — senior Frank Shannon in 977, juniors Ron Plackemeier and oe Hughes in 1973 andjunior Garry rtBuro in 1968. 1 During the 1950s, a civilian yell Jader led civilian students in yells, his position was created so the veter- ns of the Korean War — who were lack on campus to finish their de uces, but weren’t in the Corps — ould have a leader on the football ield. As the veterans graduated, the ivilian yell leader position was >hased out. ■The next chance for civilians to sad the Twelfth Man didn’t come un- K1968, when Garry Mauro entered he race for junior yell leader. Mauro, now Texas land commis- ioner, said: “I ran for yell leader on a >iatform of unity — getting both non- egs and Corps members involved in the traditions of Texas A&M.” At that time, almost 11,000 stu dents were at Texas A&M, with about 2,000 in the Corps. “How could they expect civilians to participate without at least one yell leader to represent them?” he said. “When I was a freshmen no one told me about yell practice. There was no leadership for the civilians. Fish Camp was run by the Corps only for the Corps fish.” Mauro said he wanted all Aggies to become involved in Texas A&M tra ditions. “Yell leaders were a real leadership role then,” he said. “I wanted to get non-regs involved in the traditions of Aggieland.” He said he received a large number of votes. “It must have meant that I really had that good old fashioned fightin’ Texas Aggie spirit,” he said. But after he was elected, “Gig ’Em” and “Farmers Fight” weren’t the only sounds filling the Texas A&M campus. “There was a hell of a conflict after I was elected,” Mauro said, “but our attitude was that we were going to unite the whole campus.” Mauro entered Texas A&M during the first year in which Corps member ship was not mandatory. About 700 students took that option. Before that year, students were required to be in the Corps at least during their fresh man and sophomore years. During the first yell practice of the year, which consisted of an equal number of civilians and cadets, fresh men from Spider D Company charged out of the stands toward the civilian yell leader. But the officers of the day stepped in to protect Mauro. Slowly the conflict lessened, the campus began to unite and Mauro was accepted — or at least protected — from those who wouldn’t accept a civilian as a leader of Texas A&M tra ditions, he said. “We knew that A&M was going to grow into one of the biggest schools in the state,” he said. “At that time A&M was about the same size as Stephen F. Austin and we knew that if the civilian students were not integrated into the traditons of A&M, the traditions would not survive.” As a senior, he ran for student body president but was defeated. The fol lowing year his roommate, Kent Caperton, now a state senator from Bryan, was elected student body pres ident on a “unity ticket” that consisted of both civilians and cadets. “The Corps will always have a spe cial place at A&M, but you don’t have to be in the Corps to be a true Aggie,” Mauro said. Last year, Dale Whittaker, a senior agricultural engineering major, ran for yell leader. Whittaker is not a member of the Corps. “I wasn’t running for non-reg yell leader,” W’hittaker said. “I felt I was qualified to be a yell leader. I’m as much an Aggie as anybody. I wanted them to vote for me — the person.” Whittaker narrowly missed See YELL LEADER, page 12 Election filing ends on Friday Filing for positions with Student Government, Off-Campus Aggies, Residence Hall Association ancl for yell leaders will continue until Friday. Make-up pictures for candi dates for student body president, yell leader, vice presidents, class presidents, RHA president and OCA president will be - taken tonight from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in 216 Reed McDonald. The pictures are for the Voters’ Guide, a supple ment to The Battalion. No pictures will be taken after today and no other pictures will be accepted. Only candidates for the offices listed above need to have pictures made. All candidates must fill out a Voters’ Guide questionnaire when they file for office. The forms are available in the Student Govern ment office and should be turned in as candidates file. All forms must be returned to the Student Govern ment office by 5 p.m. Friday. Elections will be March 29 and 30. inside Around Town 4 Classified - 12 Local 3 1 Opinions 2 Sports 13 State 6 National 9 Police Beat 4 What’s up 16 forecast Clear skies today with a high of 64. Brisk northwesterly winds at 10 to 15 mph. For tonight, clear and cold with a low near 36. Mostly sunny skies Friday with a high near 67.