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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1983)
Texas A&M talion Serving the University community IVol. 76 No. 189 USPS 045360 16 Pages College Station, Texas Tuesday, August 30,1983/The Battalion/Page 1 egm to resign Vo ds art wand" United Press International JERUSALEM —- Prime Minister jMenachem Begin, his personal and political troubles overriding pleas lironi his allies to remain Israel’s lead- jer,has made a final decision to resign, jlsrael radio said today. The authoritative radio did not Identify its sources, but said everyone vho met with the prime minister to- llay was convinced Begin’s decision to Buit was final and that he would ten- (iei his resignation to President thaim Herzog. Another report on Armed Forces feadio quoted an unnamed partner in [the ruling coalition as saying Begin ivould resign. None of the reports could be im- nediately confirmed. Before meeting with coalition [leaders to officially inform them of his final decision, Begin held talks vith U.S. envoy Robert McFarlane. Israel Television said McFarlane carried a personal message from President Reagan, apparently asking Begin for a further delay in Israel’s planned military redeployment in Lebanon, where two U.S. Marines died Monday in fighting between reli gious factions. The Israeli troops nevertheless appeared poised today to begin the redeployment, with Israeli newspap ers reporting the pullback to south Lebanon was near. In Santa Barbara, Calif., where Reagan is vacationing, aides declined immediate comment on Begin’s res ignation, except to say it was an inter nal matter. Begin, 70, kept Israel in suspense Monday, agreeing to delay his final decision at the request of coalition leaders. “I gave a commitment to make up my mind by tomorrow morning and I will do it,” Begin was quoted as saying Monday by Ehud Ulmert, a member of the prime minister’s Likud Party. Emerging from a meeting with Be gin at the prime minister’s residence Monday night, Ulmert said, “Nothing transpired this evening to change my opinion (he) is resolved to retire.” Israeli news media reports said Be gin, in his second term as prime minister, would quit and name Fore ign Minister Yitzhak Shamir as his successor. “Everyone begged the prime minister to change his mind,” Deputy Prime Minister David Levy said after Begin’s three-hour meeting with coalition leaders Monday. “I hope that everything we said to day about the future, about the tests facing the nation, about Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) will indeed have their effect,” Levy said. The television said three key coali tion partners, Tami, the National Re ligious Party and the right-wing Tehiya Party decided Begin’s resigna tion would have no effect on their participation in the government. est Texas drought raws federal aid FENCE JG OVH FENCE EEL NO ICT fOl[ United Press International WASHINGTON — Drought- jstricken Schliecher, Reeves and Lov- piig counties in West Texas were de clared disaster areas Monday, Rep. Tom Loeffler, R-Texas, said. Loefller said the formal declara tions were made by Agriculture Sec- petary John Block. Loeffler’s office released the Announcement as Loeffler made it to those attending the West Texas Asso ciation of Soil and Water Conserva- [ion District Directors in San Angelo. The federal disaster area decTara- Iion enables affected farmers and ranchers to qualify for the emergency loan programs administered by the Farmers Home Administration. They are also exempted from paying federal taxes on livestock they must sell because of the drought. Loeffler said through a spokes woman that the Small Business Admi nistration informed him by letter that it will soon designate the 23 stricken West Texas counties as an economic injury disaster area. Once that happens, owners of small businesses will be eligible for economic injury disaster loans, if they are unable to obtain credit and work ing capital from private sources. The loans, at 8 percent interest, will be for amounts equal to the loss due to ' drought, with a ceiling of $500,GOG per small business. “This is further good news for those who have suffered economic hardship due to this terrible drought,” Loeffler said in his state ment. The other counties which have already been declared disaster areas are Brewster, Crane, Midland, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Sutton, Terrill, Up ton, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Ward, Winkler, Coke, Martin, Mitchell, Nolan, Howard, Andrews and Ector. staff photo by John Makely we hope Shown making the best of a bad situation are Rex Woods and Brian Livingstone, from Spring, along with Rusty Stapp and Todd Trostel, from Dallas. The four freshmen are currently housed in a study carrel in Aston Hall. limit lOWAf JIB* 4 0$ 5 ho’s Who Selection process undergoes changes by Karen Schrimsher Battalion Staff A different procedure will go into effect this year for selection of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Col leges. Instead of being nominated by other students, faculty and staff, eligible students will apply for selection by filling out an applica tion and depositing it in one of nine boxes stationed around the campus, or turning it in at the De partment of Student Services. The procedural change was made be cause of the difficulty of obtaining nominees’ updated addresses. To be eligible for application to Who’s Who, a student must fulfill the following requirements: • An undergraduate student must have 92 credit hours as of September, at least 30 of which must have been taken at Texas A&M. This year veterinary medi cine students will be eligible if they became seniors in May, and medic al students that became seniors in June. • An undergraduate student must have an overall grade-point ratio of 2.5. • A graduate student must have completed one semester at Texas A&M in which he has completed a minimum of 12 credit hours for which he receives grade points. This excludes hours for 681 and 691 courses since those courses do not earn grade points. A graduate student must have a grade-point ratio of a least 3.5. • A professional student (enrol led in either the College of Veter inary Medicine or the College of Medicine professional curricu lum) must have an overall grade point-ratio of at least 3.0. • The student must be active in campus and/or community activi ties and show qualities of leader ship as indicated by positions held in various organizations. • Applicants must not be on probation of any kind as of this Wednesday. Fifty-two students will be selected by a committee composed of faculty, staff and students appointed by the vice president for student services and the student body president. Applications may obtained from boxes located in the Housing Office, the Corps commandant’s office, the Memorial Student Cen ter, Sterling C. Evans Library, the Kleberg Center, the office of the dean of veterinary medicine, and the office of the vice president for student services. The applications will be accepted Sept. 12-30. The awards will be presented at a Who’s Who reception in conjunc tion with Parents’ Day Weekend on Friday, April 13, 1984. Questions concerning applica tion for Who’s Who should be di rected to Christine Carter, senior secretary. Department of Student Services, 110YMCA. ‘It’s something our alumni deserve’ Former Students plan new building by Angel Stokes Battalion Staff The Texas A&M Association of Former Students is making plans for a new home. The Association, now located in the Forsyth Alumni Center in the Memorial Student Center, has experienced such rapid growth since 1970 that it has outgrown its present location, associate ex ecutive director James M. Jeter said. He said he wants the new building, which is to be located at the corner of Jersey and Houston Streets, to be a symbol of Texas A&M for everyone. “It’s something our alumni deserve,” he said. Jeter said the Association has leased a little more than three acres of land from the University to build on. The building will have between 25 and 30 thousand square feet, he said, and probably will be a two or three story building. He said he wants a $20 donor to feel as comfort able in the building as a million dollar donar. Jeter said the Association of Former Students is different from those at other universities because it is smaller and younger. But, he said that the Asso ciation has national recognition for having a large amount of participation from members. The asso ciation has about 100,000 members. The Association began as the Ex-Cadets Associa tion in 1879 and the first Alumni Association was formed in 1888. Jeter said the Ex-Cadets Associa tion was established to try to receive funding for a place where ex-cadets could come and stay. The Association operates independently from the University and is directed by alumni. It is gov erned by a council, made up of representatives from each chartered A&M club, each organized class and 40 designated areas of Texas, the United States and the world, which meet semi-annually- The council approves all major policies. The Association also has an elected board of directors. Detailed administrative matters and in terim decisions are determined by the executive committee of the board. The Association has three fund raising arms — the Annual Fund, the Aggie Club and the Develop ment Foundation. Each part operates separately on individual annual giving, Jeter said. Funding and gifts to the Annual Fund support alumni programs and University and academic projects. The Annual Fund raises over $2 million each year, he said. He said because the money is unrestricted — which means it can be spent in any capacity — it is very valuable to Texas A&M. Be cause Texas A&M is a land-grant university, the State monies received are restricted. The Development Foundation, founded in 1953, receives restricted funds and gifts. They in clude major gifts, real estate, endowments, wills, corporate gifts and long-term capital gifts. The Foundation has trustees appointed by the Associa tion Board of Directors. The Aggie Club supports Texas A&M athletic programs through scholarships. The Aggie Club has an annually elected Board of Directors that has an Executive Committee which is the policy making body for the Aggie Club. Jeter said that at other universities the alumni, development and athletic fund raising arms com pete, but here they overlap. People have to look hard to find a university with three different areas for fund raising, he said. Another thing that makes the Association diffe rent is that it keeps records of alumni that are 85 percent accurate at all times, he said. This is accom plished with an in-house computer. The Associa tion was the first alumni association to keep compu ter records, he said. The alumni directory that comes out every three years probably is 95 percent accurate, Jeter said. Jeter said that the Association has an open door policy. He said that the emphasis is to spend time with undergraduate students and faculty by becom ing more involved with student clubs. Night launch successful for shuttle United Press International CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The shuttle Challenger rocketed a black American and his four crewmates into orbit early today, riding a bril liant plume of orange flame that turned night into day in a spectacle seen 400 miles away. It was like an instantaneous sun rise. The flame gushing from Chal lenger’s twin booster rockets cast an eerie orange glow that brightened in seconds to virtual daylight intensity over the rain-soaked spaceport. “It was daylight almost all the way up,” commander Richard Truly re ported from an altitude of 29 miles, 2 minutes into the unprecedented night flight. Truly, co-pilot Daniel Branden- stein and mission specialists Guion Bluford, Dale Gardner and Dr. Wil liam Thornton flew the winged space freighter first into a preliminary orbit and finally into a safe orbit about 184 miles high. Bluford is the first American black in orbit and Thornton, at 54, is the oldest man ever to reach orbit. A major test objective was achieved 1 V2 hours after launch when the Chal lenger’s communications w’ere re layed to Earth for the first time by NASA’s new $100 million tracking satellite for 34 minutes, bypassing ground stations across the United States. Challenger, making its third flight and the eighth in the shuttle prog ram, began the six-day mission when its three hydrogen engines and two booster rockets roared into life at 2:32 a.m. EDT — 17 minutes late because of rain and clouds in the area. It was the first shuttle launch delay since the third shuttle flight 17 months ago. Oklahoma prison riot over United Press International HOMINY, Okla. — Officers rounded up the last of nearly 750 in mates and moved them from a fire- gutted prison early today, ending a riot that left one prisoner dead and 23 inmates and officers injured. A Corrections Department spokes woman in Oklahoma City said the prisoners, who had battled guards and burned buildings Monday night, were fed, loaded onto buses and taken to other facilities. Department spokeswoman Joyce Jackson said officers regained control of the Conner Correctional Center, all fires were out, food was taken in and the prison was evacuated. She said me inmates were being taken to other state prisons and none would be housed in county jails. Authorities identified the man slain in the rioting as Greg Hodges, 27, who was serving a 12-year sent ence from McCurtain County for second-degree murder. Corrections Department Director Larry Meachum said an autopsy would be required to determine the cause of death, but Dennis James, a hospital administrator in Hominy, said Hodges suffered gunshot wounds to the chest. All of the inmates were rounded up by 4 a.m. CDT, officials said. Meachum had said an hour earlier that 130 inmates still were “not cooperating,” and a spokesman for Gov. George Nigh said earlier that only 200 inmates were under control and another 500 were believed to be loose within the medium-security facility. John Reid, the governor’s news secretary, said the facility housed 748 inmates and “the entire prison was involved” in the rioting. Officials said 20 inmates and three guards were injured. Nigh declared a state of emergen cy and summoned 100 members of the National Guard from Bartlesville and Ponca City and at least 120 High way Patrol troopers to help quell the riot and regain control of the prison. Retiree recovers $100,000 bond left on copy machine United Press International HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A 70-year- old retiree who left a $ 100,000 bearer bond — his life savings — on a copy machine more than a month ago had it back today, minus a $25,000 re ward, in what he calls an “unbeliev able” happy ending. Bob Weinberg said when he real ized he had lost the bond “I was so sick about it, because me and my wife needed the income for our remaining years. And then we had willed the rest to our three children.” Weinberg discovered he had lost the bond Aug. 17. When his plight was reported in the newspapers Mon- day, he received a call from Robert Platt of Hallandale, Fla., who said the man who had the bond had been trying to return it by advertising in the same papers. Weinberg then got in touch with Vincent Panaro, also of Hallandale, who said he had the bond. Weinberg had promised a $25,000 reward and he came through. On Aug. 17, he had gone to a sav ings association to clip and cash his first $4,000 coupon. When he opened the bond envelope, he found it emp ty. That’s when he realized he had left it in the Xerox machine. inside Around towm 4 Classified 6 Local 3 Opinions 2 Sports 13 State 5 Principal goal of the mission is to launch a $50 million three-in-one satellite for the government of India Wednesday morning. The satellite is designed to relay up to 8,000 tele phone calls simultaneously across In dia, beam television directly to 100,000 rural antennas and take weather pictures. The astronauts also will make the first night landing. They are sche duled to glide in the darkness to a landing on a brightly illuminated de sert runway at 12:25 a.m. local time Labor Day at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.