Wednesday, May 25, 1983/The BattaIion/Page 3
Citizens’ group
releases report
on local
cable
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by Scott Griffin
Battalion Staff
The Cable Improvement
Association has released a re
port in which they complain of
local cable service and outline
possible methods of improve
ment.
CIA spokesman George Ed
wards said the group is a collec
tion of “citizens who are in
terested in improving cable tele
vision locally.”
Edwards said the group has
four general goals:
•To improve programming.
Edwards said that both cable
companies in Bryan have taken
three superstations off the air,
and that many citizens would
like to see a return of those sta
tions or a reduction in their
rates. He said that even though
the superstations were taken off
the air, no rate reductions have
been proposed.
•To improve signal quality.
Edwards said the group wants a
clear and uninterrupted signal.
• To establish a mechanism
for citizen input. Edwards said
citizens can now only complain
to cable companies when there’s
a problem. He said the com
panies are not responsive to the
public, and he favors either
forming a commission that
would hold hearings on cable
disputes or letting the City
Council hold hearings to allow
the public to respond.
• To hire consultants to study
the problems of local cable ser
vice. Edwards said the city
should hire consultants to re
view the current situation. He
said the money to hire the advis
ers could come from the 2 per
cent franchise tax levied on cus
tomers.
Citing additional problem
areas, Edwards said, “The fran
chise ordinances (city laws re
garding cable services) need to
be re-written. They’re vague
and outdated.
“One ordinance says the com
panies must provide first-class
service with maximum efficien
cy, but nowhere are the terms
defined.
“Many people are not receiv
ing first-class service, and some
are not getting any service,” he
said.
Edwards said that due to the
ambiguities, subscribers are vul
nerable to further program cuts
without rate reductions. He
added that the group would like
to see published financial re
ports of the cable companies.
“There is no information
available about the earnings of
the companies,” Edwards said.
“There’s only one line of infor
mation available to the public,
and that only lists their total
yearly revenues.
“The city has the power to
approve rates, but the city coun
cil cannot exercise their power
with the information provided
now,” he said.
Edwards also said that the
range of programs being
offered to Bryan residents is
considerably smaller than in
other cities.
At the Bryan city council
meeting Monday night, Ed
wards noted a petition included
in the report which was signed
by over 1,000 residents who cal
led for improvment in local
cable service.
Regents OK
industry park
Replanting the garden
~ staff ph oto tv Diana Sullcnfuss
The garden in front of the System
Building is replanted twice a year
between the spring and summer
semesters and again in October or
November. The center bed will be
done in two colors with a colorful
non-flowering plant. The side beds
will be planted with Copper plants,
plants with a dark copper-colored
foliage.
College desegregation plan
approval expected by Friday
By Angel Stokes
Battalion Staff
A proposed amendment, by
Texas A&rM Chancellor Arthur
G. Hansen, to the System’s Ob
jectives, Rules and Regulations
dealing with the consumption of
alcoholic beverages was with
drawn from discussion at the
Tuesday meeting of the Texas
A&M System Board of Regents,
but other agenda items were dis
cussed.
The amendment would have
allowed the presidents of each
part of the University System to
establish regulations concerning
consumption of alcoholic bever
ages on property under their
jurisdiction.
Tuesday, regents appropri
ated $110,000 for development
of a master plan for the 318-acre
industrial research park to be
built on the Texas A&M
Campus.
The board also approved a
detailed design for a new Admi
nistration Building, a prelimin
ary design for a Central Receiv
ing Warehouse and a new 190-
room dormitory to be built at
Tarleton State University.
Preparation of a master plan
for Prairie View A&M Universi
ty and a $845,000 contract for
landscaping at Prairie View also
were approved.
Robert G. Cherry, currently
the vice chancellor for public
affairs, was named executive
secretary to the board of re
gents, effective June 1.
In other business, the re
gents:
• Authorized an increase in
student services fees for Texas
A&M to begin in the fall semes
ter, 1983. The fee would be
$4.30 per semester credit hour
or a maximum of $51.50 per
semester.
• Confirmed the appoint
ment of Dr. William H. Mobley
as dean of the College of Busi
ness Administration at Texas
A&M. Mobley has been serving
as interim dean.
•Approved a report recom
mending no relocation of Eas-
terwood Airport but to make
efforts to improve existing facili
ties.
by Scott Griffin
Battalion Staff
Federal approval or rejection
of Gov. Mark White’s proposed
college desegregation plan is ex
pected by the end of this week,
says John Fainter, secretary of
state.
“I’m hopeful that it will be
approved. They’ve been nego
tiating the plan for over two
years,” he said.
The final copy of the plan was
sent to the Department of Edu
cation on May 9 after U.S. Dis
trict Judge John Pratt
threatened to order the depart
ment to begin cutting off federal
aid.
Some civil rights groups have
been saying the plan is incom
plete and outdated.
For Texas A&M, the five-
year plan calls for a doubling of
black enrollment and for a 67
percent increase in the admis
sion of Hispanics.
As of 1980, the state reported,
Texas A&M had 33,370 white
students and only 256 blacks.
While the program might
pose a major problem for the
University, Fainter said, “I have
tremendous confidence in
Texas A&M to do what is neces
sary to enroll more minority stu
dents. There’s no doubt that
Texas A&M will be able to adopt
the plan.”
The state’s goal for the next
five years is to enroll an addi
tional 2,432 blacks and 3,190
Hispanics statewide, which rep
resents an 1 1.5 percent increase
from the number enrolled in
1978.
While 12 per cent of the state
population is black and 21 per
cent is Hispanic, enrollment in
undergraduate institutions was
only 9.5 percent black and 12.3
percent Hispanic.
Reagan gives A&M
prof science medal
President Ronald Reagan
presented a Texas A&M scien
tist with the National Medal of
Science in a ceremony at the
White House Tuesday.
Dr. F. Albert Cotton, Welch
Distinguished Professor of Che
mistry and the second most-
published scientist in the world,
is the first Texas A&M resear
cher to receive a National Medal
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The medal honors Cotton for
a lifetime of work in inorganic
chemistry. Cotton was one of 12
researchers to receive the award
Tuesday.
The Department of Chemis
try will host a reception honor
ing Cotton from 3 to 5 p.m.
Thursday in Room 224 of the
Memorial Student Center.