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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1983)
Wednesday, May 11 1983/The Battalion/Page 7 Newest comet Risible tonight 0‘Connor by Donn Friedman Battalion Reporter B If you saw an extra light on wfrie outer edge of the Big Dipper j I’uesday night, you may have Mjeen the newest comet known to Hnan. Tonight you can again see the comet — known as IRAS- -Alcock — between the ion tellations Gemini and Leo. Barring a cloudy night, the ;omet should be visible to the aked eye. Being the fourth new ;omet of 1983, it is known to cientists as 1983-D. The first new comet of 1983 was known as 1983-A. The comet was disco- lered by three different obser vers at the same time. The infrared astronomical satellite (IRAS) detected the lomet by using a type of heat- Imission tracking while astro- liomers on the ground — Araki in japan, and Alcock in England I— observed the comet through ^telescopes. Hence the nickname, IRAS-Araki-Alcock. I Professor Pat Lestrade, who leaches astronomy courses at exas A&M, says the comet ffords a rare opportunity, omets rarely pass so close to earth. Since the comet will be close to the Earth, about 3 million miles — much closer than any star — it should be visible without using a telescope, he said, but a pair of binoculars would give a star gazer both the magnification and mobility to catch a glimpse of the comet. Even though the comet may appear to be a flaming ball of fire like a star, it’s actually made up of chunks of ice, Lestrade said. The glowing flame mirage is a result of the evaporation of gases. These gases become he ated and condense as the comet passes by the sun, causing the comet to glow. About a dozen comets pass within viewing range of the earth every year, many of which have been by the earth before, he said. But this may be the only opportunity to view this comet, Lestrade said. It is not one of the comets that periodically jour neys by earth like Halley’s Com et, which was last observed in 1910 and is expected to return in 1986. “This comet is something like a visitor from outside our solar system,” he said. “This may be our one chance to see it.” continued from page 1 worse than had been rumored.” What exactly were the changes? Natowitz said that so far there haven’t been any, “At the moment, there are no changes planned and nothing has been decided.” Natowitz added that once changes are made, they probably will be minimal. However, O’Connor said the committee was reviewing more than just the courses. “I was later informed in a letter from the department head that the committee review was my personal faculty review,” he said. “I felt this was strange since this is normally done by the per sonnel and tenure committee of the University.” The committee was not for bidden to talk to O’Connor, Natowitz said, nor were they re viewing O’Connor. “I instructed the committee to submit the draft of the report to me, and not to him,” Natowitz said. “I didn’t think it was appropriate for him to see the review before me.” Review committee chairman Emile Schweikert added, “Of course O’Connor was allowed to meet with us. He had more in put into the review than anyone else.” iny liver recipient n stable condition United Press International MINNEAPOLIS — A tiny ild from Cahokia, Ill., who re- ■ived a new liver Tuesday at ■niversity of Minnesota Hospit- lifeguHs is now the country’s youngest d is liver transplant recipient, ice nujl Amy Lynn Hardin, 11 lina. months, was in stable condition the pediatric intensive care nit following the five-hour (fperation. Doctors said she would remain in intensive care jt least for the next several days rad would be monitored closely for infection or rejection. I Surgeons flew to Florida Monday and returned with the Bmor liver early Tuesday. The rrnationii itonor was a 10-month-old Tal- >ou( b^Bhassee, Fla. baby who died in t hom< an accident. rofho*r aand' an dies entangled n hose )WS iter Amy’s grandfather, Jack Roark of Cahokia, called the operation “a good success,” adding “Oh boy, it’s been a long wait.” Roark said he waited up all night and received a call from Amy’s mother, Robin Hardin, at 6 a.m. saying the operation had been completed. Last week the Hardins’ hopes were dashed when doctors learned that the family of a potential organ donor thought an organ donation “inapprop riate.” A nationwide search then be gan for another donor. Amy’s aunt, Cindy Roark, 21, of Cahokia, said the Hardins were notified Monday that parental permission had been granted by the family Florida child for use • have study of □layers who to traditio^ erbatii® -ight-l®i f Scienti lefties -each Ik* n doi □f the -xceptii efties, *■ equal! 1 both fa tobeth- United Press International (AUSTIN — An Austin man, 35, apparently became entang led in a garden hose and strang led himself while trying to get free, authorities said Monday. The body of Richard E. Fres- quez was found early Sunday be hind a frozen food plant. A gar den hose was wrapped around his waist and chest. F Dr. Robert Bayardo, Travis County medical examiner, said Tresquez had strangled, but his death appeared accidental. ■ “It looks like he tripped over ■garden hose and got tangled in it and died when he tried to get put,” he said. B Bayardo said results from toxiology tests Tuesday were ex pected to show the victim was anioxicated when he died. ft Everyday prices atTSO are lower than most advertised discount” prices. Compare price, compare quality — you cannot beat the values on prescription eyewear at TSO. And that’s true for all TSO eyewear, including famous designer frames. Doctor’s Prescription Required Texas State Optical; Prices you can afford. Quality you can see. 216 N. Main Bryan 779-2786 Post Oak Mall College Station 764-0010 Wednesday Night is 50 c Margarita Night at j Margaritas by the glass 50* Margaritas by the pitcher *6°° Buy a pitcher & we’ll throw in an order of nachos for $1.00 ze ting Butte 1 ' f any Culpepper Plaza 696-7 ‘mm But O’Connor disagreed. “The department head told me that he wanted to be sure the committee made suggestions he wanted to see. He wanted results that he felt were satisfactory. And he was allowed to meet with the committee and make his own suggestions, but I wasn’t. “The department head told me that any changes would be made by him, and that I would have to agree with that,” O’Con nor added. Responding to this charge, Natowitz said, “I don’t believe I ever said anything like that, but if the department feels that cer tain aspects of the program should be changed, then as de partment head I should make sure those changes are made.” O’Connor said Natowitz would not make a commitment to a suggestion of the profes sor’s. “I offered a compromise that if they would let me retain my authority for a year, and in form me by September of my future status, then I would post pone my resignation.” “The whole thing could’ve been solved by a simple agree ment — to leave me with the same authority for one more year,” O’Connor said. “That would have given us time to go over the review and relieved my family of this trauma.” O’Connor said he has not filed any lawsuit against the Uni versity, but that he has secured a copy of the committee review in court because, “three different people have told me that the re port might be destroyed before the University could conduct a review of the process. If the re port was destroyed,- I would have no evidence of why I’m upset. “The only legal action I took was to secure a copy of the re port in a court until an impartial review could be held,” he said. “We’ve got a copy in court and we’ve offered to withdraw the report if some non-involved person will keep the copy and an impartial review is held. “I have every confidence that I would be perfectly satisfied with the results of an impartial review,” he said, “and I’m ex tremely hopeful that that will occur.” Natowitz said the thought of him destroying the draft report was “ludicrous“. “There’s no evidence what soever that O’Connor has the in terest of the department or the University in mind,” Natowitz said. “He believes that he should have absolute power and that he should be the only one who should decide what happens in the program. He told me that the only way to change the prog ram was to remove him. “I resent his remarks that he will not make changes which are detrimental,” he said, “because that makes it look like the de partment’s suggestions are de trimental to the students — and that’s garbage.” From a teasip’s mouth Lynn Ashby, columnist for the Houston Post and honorary Aggie, received a standing ovation Saturday morning after his humorous speech to graduating seniors. He praised Texas A&M for its prestigious image in Texas of the of the organ. Amy suffers from biliary atre sia, a congenital disease that causes bile to build up in the liv er. It is the same disease that afflicted Jamie Fiske, the Bridgewater, Mass, girl who was a few days older than Amy when she became the country’s youngest liver transplant reci pient last Nov. 5 at University Hospitals. Also waiting for a new liver at the hospitals is 8-month-old Ashley Bailey of Abilene, Texas. 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