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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1983)
Page 4/The Battalion/Thursday, April 7, 1983 8th Derby Day to raise money Agenda by Larry C. Couvillon Battalion Reporter Sigma Chi Fraternity will sponsor its eighth annual Derby Day festivities this week to raise money for mentally retarded children in Colorado. The five-day event is a con test between 11 teams, mostly consisting of sorority women. The Sigma Chi Fraternity will donate proceeds from Derby Day to Wallace Village in Broomfield, Colo. — a school where mentally retarded chil dren can learn worthwhile skills. Last year, the Texas A&M chapter of Sigma Chi donated $5,000 dollars to Wallace Vil lage, said Don Marable, the 1982-83 Derby Day coordinator. “It was the most we had ever sent in the past,” Marable said he spent about 9 months planning for Derby Day last year. “It was a lot of fun for the girls, and we raised a good bit of money.” he said. Derby Day coordinator Mark Mitterlehner said he expects the teams will raise about $5,000. The Final events of Derby Day will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. Each team will compete in three relay games and three mystery games at Post Oak Mall. The winners of Derby Day will be announced Saturday night during the Derby Day dance, which will be held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Starlight Ballroom in Snook. Mitterlehner says he expects a large turnout because the teams will be interested in which team won the competition. Patriotism speech tonight Retired Army Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez will speak on pat riotism today at 5 p.m. in Rud der Auditorium. He received a Medal of Hon or in 1982 for a 1968 incident in which he saved the lives of eight men of a special forces team in Vietnam and was wounded five times during the rescue. The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor given by congress for the risk of life in combat, beyond the call of duty. During his First tour in Viet nam, Benavidez was an infantry soldier. He then became a green beret — a soldier specialized in jungle warfare — and was oper ations sergeant of a green beret unit during his second tour. Benavidez will speak for ab out 45 minutes and will accept questions from the audience during the last 15 minutes. Admission is free. Debate on defense tonight The Texas A&M debate team is sponsoring a public debate at 7 tonight in 601 Rudder Tower. Villa Oaks West apartments “Smart Move!” This week’s debate is the third in a series of four spon sored by the team. The topic of the debate is “Resolved: A Unilateral Freeze on Production and Develop ment of Nuclear Weapons by the United States Undermines and Endangers National Security.” Dr. Wayne Kramer, debate instructor and adviser for the series, says the debate will be run with a pro-con speaker format. One speaker will deliver a seven- minute speech in favor of the topic. The opposing seven- minute speech will follow. After the second speech is made, the debate will be opened to the public for comments. At the end of the hour, a vote will be taken to determine which side the audience favors. The fourth debate in the series is planned for May 2. Around tom Science Fair to be held at Zachtj The ninth annual Brazos Valley Science and Engineering Fair will be held April 6-7 at the Zachry EngineeringCenter. This year’s regional fair is expected to draw more than 130 entries from junior and senior high schools in a Id. county area. It provides outstanding students with an oppor tunity to exhibit their projects. Awards include two al- expense paid trips to participate in the International Science and Engineering Fair. Projects will be exhibited in Five categories: botany,be havioral and social sciences, life sciences, physical science! and applied sciences. Bicycling race to be held here The Aggieland Stage Race, a major bicycling competition I featuring many top-ranked United States cyclists, will be I held this weekend starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. Both men and | women will race in either junior or senior divisions. On Saturday the racers will ride a four-mile time trial-ij race ridden against the clock. This will be followed by am race of distances of 36 miles to 60 miles, dependingont racer’s class and category. Sunday features the criterium, a one kilometer or .7m loop on the east end of the Texas A&M campus. Racesttifij begin at 8 a.m. and are highlighted by the women’s raccat 10:30 a.m. and the men’s open at 12:30 p.m. This event is being run by the United States Cycling | Federation, and is sponsored by Lowenbrau and Cycles Etc | The public in invited to watch free of charge. If you have an announcement or item to submit for thij column, come by The Battalion office in 216 ReedMcDo] nald or contact Tracey Taylor at 845-2665. Herpes killing famed Lippizaners Interferon donated for treatmen Convenient to campus Brand new Spacious floor plans On-site leasing and management Pool, fireplaces, laundry room United Press International HOUSTON — Texas officials confirmed they will supply free doses of the cancer drug, inter feron, for use in checking an outbreak of deadly herpes virus, decimating the ranks of Au stria’s famed Lippizaner horses. “We’re going to supply the interferon as long as they need it — free,” said Oliver Bright, president and chief executive officer of Immuno Modulators Laboratories, producers of the substance. The action was encouraged by a medicated mare’s successful delivery of a healthy colt this week. He said scientific and huma nitarian reasons caused the com pany to donate the Austrian government 15 doses of the ex pensive substance, which is ex tracted in tiny quantities from human cells. Interferon is being tested as a possible weapon against cancer in humans. Bright said the type of inter feron being used on the horses is called agriferon. “Our agriferon has been tested for six months in Texas against broad viral infections in animals, and we fell it would work against herpes,” Bright said. gave premature birth toat Ire Before the agriferon was given to three pregnant mares last Friday, 33 Lippizaners had died. One pregnant mare died as it born foal Monday. Another ill horse gave Sunday, and both horse am: are fine, Austrian officials “We think the interferra had some effect. After days of injections, one gave birth and both art thy,” Bright said. “Thatgivei optimism 111 HEP Now preleasing! 1107 Verde Drive Pushers may get harsh penalty between FM-2818 and Villa Maria Road 779-1136 United Press International AUSTIN — Bills to provide harsh penalties for the sale of look-alike drugs and to remedy legal technicalities that negated a key 1981 marijuana law have won the endorsement of Texas’ foremost anti-drug organiza tion. The Texans War on Drugs Committee urged approval Tuesday of a bill that would make it a felony to sell or manu facture look-alike drugs — pills comprised of caffeine and other legal substances but packaged to resemble illegal drugs. The committee also endorsed a bill that would re-enact a 1981 law, struck down by an appeals n'-.i <£ present mini II nr (isIbi lift court because its title was too vague, that required stiff sent ences up to life in prison for the possession of more than 50 pounds of marijuana. Members of the House Cri minal Jurisprudence Commit tee voted Tuesday to send both measures to subcommittees for further study. Rep. Gary Thompson, D- Abilene, a co-sponsor of the look-alike drug legislation, said the simulated substances were the first step toward the use of illegal drugs. “These look-alike drugs are really sort of a nursery school for harder drug use later on," Thompson said. “They are pur ported to produce a legal high, but they also produce tragedy.” He said the substances fos tered an attitude of tolerance to ward drug use and could result in deadly overdoses if an unsus pecting user were sold an actual drug instead of the weaker, fake substance. Another look-alike drug bill sponsored by Rep. Tony Polum- bo, D-Houston, would make the violation a misdemeanor, but the War on Drugs Committee said the sale of look-alike drugs — even if they contained no- more than poittb | or baking powde; thing sugar should be a felony. “Make the penalty thesasBjU if they were selling the ^' controlled substance,” te f n Rick Salwen, chief Ic the anti-drug group. “Then no laws now, and makind misdemeanor is no determ Salwen also pushed reenactment of the 191 juana law that was neg cause of its vague title. Thdj was considered the most si? cant part of former Gov.l Clements’ 1981 anti-druglti lative package. oN Pit dog owners against proposed fighting laws United Press International AUSTIN — Advocates of a bill to stiffen penalties for dog fighting say animals trained for the illegal sport are subjected to a “living death” that current laws are nearly powerless to stop. “If you go down to the city dump, you will find the mangled bodies of the losers,” said Toni DeStefano of the Wichita Coun ty Humane Society. “Death is kinder than the living death these animals experience in the ring.” Hereford, and Hugh Parmer, D-Fort Worth, drew strong cri ticism from the breeders and owners of pit bulldogs — anim als prized for their ferocity and loyalty. A Harris County Animal Control officer said 90 percent of the animals involved in illegal fights were pit bulldogs. Critics of the proposed legis lation said it was vague and too harsh to fit the crime. bus’ bill, people involved the “instigation, encouti! ment, promotion, training all acts in furtherance” oft fighting would be guiltyd third-degree felony. “Our main concern is dogfighting in Texas is on5 increase,” said John Davef of the Texas Humane Fed* DeStefano made her remarks Tuesday to the Senate Jursis- prudence Committee, which was studying a bill that would change illegal dogfighting from its current status as a misde meanor to a felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison. But the measure, sponsored by Sens. Bill Sarpalius, D- Wes McCormick, a pit bull dog owner from Beaumont, said he used the animals for protec tion and for farm chores, such as herding hogs. “If two of my dogs got into a fight, I could be found guilty under this law,” he said. “I would have to go to court and prove that I did not intend for the dogs to fight.” Under Parmer’s and Sarpa- Davenport said that i dogfighting in Texas creased because Texas weaker laws than neig states. However, one wi said the illegal fightswereM sary to test dogs for theirs! na and courage. “Without these fights,tl no way to select dogs ofexirj, dinary courage, toughnessjj love,” said Mitchelljonesof.fj stin. “The people that raise ’ dogs deserve praise, non® tion.” 8 |>fl) Now you know Police beat United Press International A technique that allows doc tors to view fetuses in the womb — ultrasound — is now being used on the operating table to pinpoint obstructions in arteries supplying blood to the heart. Using a new ultrasound probe, the April issue of Science Digest explains, surgeons now may direct high-frequency sound waves at the heart’s blood vessels. As the waves bounce back, they produce images that can be viewed on a video screen. doctors even had to use their fin gers to feel for the blocked areas,” says David Sahn, a pediatric cardiologist who helped design the ultra-sound probe. The new technique pro vides a way to look inside arter ies during the operation, so surgeons can better judge where to place a bypass graft). Until now, to pinpoint the obstructed area surgeons had to rely on angiograms — X-rays of vessels Filled with a radioactive dye — taken prior to coronary bypass operations. “Sometimes Sahn explains that by placing the ultrasound probe, which is about the size of an electric toothbrush, directly on a beating heart over the coronary arteries for 5 to 8 minutes, healthy and damaged arteries can be disting- The following incident'J reported to the UniversityH Department for April 5 THEFTS: 1 •A Sears battery, fronii Soil and Crop Scien 1 Entomology Center. •A desk calculator, from Plant Sciences Building. •A parking sticker, fro 1 resident of Walton Hall. •A backpack, from ouii the Texas A&M Bookstore •A 10-speed bicycle, ( [ outside G. Rollie White! 1 uished. Normal arteries appear black on the screen, while ones blocked with fat and calcium appear to be Filled with bright, globular structures. tseum. •A 12-speed bicycle, outside Zachry Engine^ Center. The bike was found outside SterlingCi' 1 Library. CRIMINAL MISCHIEF • The bugle stand in 1 Quadrangle was blown-up • The gate arm to pari 1 lot 13 was broken.
