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.