Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1984)
Page 8/The Battalion/Tuesday, January 31, 1984 Child abuse cases up R! by Paul Di H£y t RANDV,mAr AL-L. of ms sruff? United Press International HOUSTON — Cases of sex ual abuse of children have in creased dramatically in the last 13 months, a Harris County offi cial said Monday. Elizabeth Scarborough, a director of the county’s Chil drens’ Protective Services office, said childrens heightened awareness of the problem prob ably accounts for a 19 percent increase in reported cases from 1982 to 1983. “We suspect there is a lot more abuse going on in the com munity than we hear about,” she said. For instance, she said there were 31 deaths of children from neglect or abuse in 1983, and that the county was not aware of “the majority” of those before the youngster was killed. “It is hard to say whether abuse is increasing. All we see are the cases reported. We think it may be worse because people are under stress because of their financial situations,” she said. There were 929 cases of sex ual abuse of a child in 1983 in Harris County, compared to 643 in 1982, Ms. Scarborough said. im/mYMAA/5 HZLriET, "M/ARCWST CCOKS OOK*. a s, AAsrtFteLD Manual. HvsT be/XT's samPnew FbRP.E. HE’S iMiAJCr- SCWEAJEW TRlAL'&AStS* 'CU&S. ...WELCOME TO "Hm EREA/ADETHFCbJ!^: And in the first month of 1984, the county has received 85 sexual abuse cases, compared to 60 in the first month of 1983. Despite the increase in sexual abuse, the overall number of cases of abuse and neglect leveled off in 1982. Figures over the past three years are 7,303 cases in 1981; 8,660 in 1982 and 8,003 in 1983. OFF CAMPUS AGOIES General Meeting February 1, 1984- 6:30 p.m. 601 Rudctei* Spring activities will be discussed • Chairman positions available -Pizza at Pastas after meeting- AUTO INSURANCE FOR AGGIES Call: George Webb Farmers Insurance Group 3400 S. College 823 8051 Muster to remain on Easter weekend / has boi we: tui Te ap] Pa' By KARI WEEKS Reporter Battalion Classifieds Call 845-2611 The Muster Committee of the Student Government has voted to keep Muster on April 21 even though it falls during Easter weekend, Muster Chair woman Nancy York said. In a December meeting, the Muster Committee voted 18-7 to keep San Jacinto Day as the tra ditional day to honor students and former students who have died, York said. “We researched both sides of the issue for about 2-‘A months,” York said. Even though an in formal poll showed that 553 out of 857 students wanted to change the date, the committee decided to hold the ceremony on the traditional day. she said. “Some students threatened not to attend if it was changed," York said. Those in favor of April 21 did not want to break tradition, York said. However, many hometown musters are not held on the traditional San Jacinto Day, she said. » she said. “There was concern i!n| split would occur between campus Muster and the Bn County muster,” York said I Brazos County A&M cided to hold its muster Apn ' , even if the campus Mue| changed, York said. There was a similar in 1968 when the Student Vork said some students wanted to change the dale be cause attendance might decline. They thought everyone should have the opportunity to attend Muster without having to choose between it and Easier weekend. ate planned to reschedule ter for April 22. Alter stn student opposition Mustet mained April 21. “It is the feeling that cot not the dav,’’ York said. “He that we can ho* is no way after the 21st if we made right decision.” BEAT THE RUSH! ENTER IM SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL TODAY! * Entries will be accepted through 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 the IM-Rec Sports Office, 159 East Kyle. * Remember to bring your ID and Team Entry Fee * For further info call 845-7826 in , * r *u8ni Mi Dallas chimpanzee also nominated Watt leads ‘boneheadi United Press International DALLAS — Music critic and environmentalist James Watt Monday topped the list of nominees for “Bonehead of the Year,” an award given annually by a Dallas civic group to honor monumental goofs and their perpetrators. Past winners have included former President Richard M. Nixon, the Susan B. Anthony Dollar and Texas A&M University. A spokesman for the Bone- head Club of Dallas said Watt was selected because of the way in which he “established himself as a music critic, sociologist, en vironmentalist, comedian and all around loveable government employee” during his tenure as Secretary of the Interior. During his stint as Interior Secretary, Watt repeatedly drew criticism for his remarks and ac tions, among them his ban of the Beach Boys from a July 4th con cert in Washington. The group also nominated "U.S. weather forecasters who did not see the 1983 deep freeze coming, could not believe it was here and didn’t know when it would leave.” Also vying for the prize are ' dor ners of football games Iasi Others singled out by the. included the Glen Rosefirt partment's on-the-job trait program in which thtirl trucks, rescue boat and ambulances were destroyd their fire station burned lo ground. “the Cabbage Patch dolls that somehow slipped between Dar win and Creationism and found ed a whole new concept of ori gin” and “Kanda,” the Dallas chimpanzee, that made monk eys out of the nations’ pro foot ball experts with her ‘on the money’ predictions.” The Dallas Zoo chimpanzee repeatedly bested sportswriters by correctly predicting the win- Jacob Friedrich BnA who years before the Wn| brothers sucessfully achiewj sustained, controlled fli[ powered aircraft of his om sign in 1865, was nominaW was “1984” author Get: Orwell for being “right al the whole thing.” Final selection ofthewii is set for next week. A trophy be presented to the view/ Feb. 10. A Ce Ki Ri pe P r vit in su Pa pc Gi dc cu P 1 Fr V. R; ev te 95 Divorce rate increases again United Press International WASHINGTON — Divorces increased in 1981 for the 19th straight year to a record 1.21 million, up slightly from the pre vious year, the government said Monday. In its report on final divorce data for 1981, the National Cen- POLITICAL FORUM The Raging Controversy: Preservation vs. Development FORMER INTERIOR SECRETARY JAMES WATT Students: 50<t/ Non-Students: $1 WED. FEB.l 8:00 PM RUDDER AUD. i ^^TTlemomal Student Centen— 1 all geographic divisions except ter for Health Statistics said its information indicated the di vorce rate was 5.3 for each 1,000 people in the total population, up from 5.2 in 1980 ana equal to the record set in 1979. Preliminary statistics released by the center late last year for 1982 show the number of di vorces fell in that year for the first time in 20 years to 1.18 mil lion and the divorce rate fell to 5.1 per 1,000 Americans. Pre liminary figures are not yet available for 1983. In its new report, the agency said the 1.21 million divorces in 1981 compared to 1.19 million the previous year. Increases were recorded in oi in the eastern North Central;-^ - of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, gan and Wisconsin, wherf*JjJ vorces dropped to 206,9‘lf l ^ 1981, down from 212,405|p 1980, the agency’s report» California had 11 percent all divorces in the countni 1981, or 133,578, followed! Texas, with 101,856. Ver® t recorded fewer divorces^ NE1 any other state, 2,263. Ameri The divorce rate also‘J er ho: highest in the West, whereS 1I JK nii statistics measured 6.3 dim An for every 1,000 people, w] P ercei percent more than the Norl re gula east’s rate of 3.6. In the !\ ri «F Tc ei Central States, the rate tvaij Asl per 1,000 population andin J °‘f° 0 South, 6.1, the agency said. B Tickets go sale Monday, Jan. 30. ouVe$! “A MUSICAL TREASURE FOR FAMILIES TO SHARE’ Presented by MSC Town Hall/Broadway Texas A&M University, Rudder Auditorium February 9,8:00 p.m. Tickets $ 10.00, $ 9.00, $ 8.50 MSC Box Office V isa/Master car d Call 845-1234 1