Rangers lose
to Blue Jays
See page 13
I
Commencement
times and speakers
See page 9
Dorm move-out
made easier
See page 3
■ we bal,
nd learnK
ihe monei
ses focus
)r, commiit
and sexual
the workpl
s deal will)
s, handily
md arm
TKe Battalion
Serving the University, community
beaver? /ol 79 No. 145 USPS 0453110 16 Pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, May 2, 1984
Photo by KERRI MULLINS
Many graduating seniors gather outside Heaton Hall early
Wednesday morning to see if the ‘dreaded red dot’ is by their
name.
Debate quiet
as Democrats
gear for Texas
ught cusiJ
^■his weekend about 3,300 slu-
'e Moris etus will graduate from Texas
lote, ruli . &M-
trides tk;w> other words, 3,300 students will
i beUeriijB tlieir diplomas, 3,300 students
the race Jll have their names printed in the
tvitabluJgram. 3,300 student’s names
fer from Just be pronounced correctly and
on thatAh students will shake the hand of
Kidenl Frank E. Vandiver.
■or the registrar’s office, the grad-
lon weekend is kicked off with the
■ling of the senior clear list.
** a sen * or * s not cleared to grad-
lj y noon today, he will not walk
|h>ss the stage Friday or Saturday,
It Gardner, assistant registrar,
t access:: fid
■ concerted effort is made by the
■strar’s office to make sure seniors
:s are ex|/|n graduate.
in uptheMWe’re in the business of gradua-
in TexasS>u,” Gardner said. “Sometimes the
compan e gislrar’s office has the reputation
■lephone ffirying not to graduate people, but
'e do everything in the world to gel
:d that b> 0,1 oulot here -
ipanies lo®^ students only knew how hard
le rate I ,e wor ^ lo g et them out, they might
tne of ttif'PP rec * ale us more.”
ell systeirl^ 0011 today may be the deadline
e Texas IF sen ' or clearance, but the week-
more foi hd ^ ias OI1 ly begun for the registrar’s
ffice staff.
Diplomas were ordered earlier in
fl year after students applied for
jraduation. Once they come back
rom the printer, the diplomas are
froofed for the correct spellings, de-
transplanfets, majors and dates.
) percentI'After they are checked, the diplo-
a transptps are rolled and stacked in the Pa-
Hunt said ilion until the final list of graduates
lleared today. Then the diplomas
ic firstb re stacked, in reverse order, onto
exas to arts especially built for the diplomas
L FlightsM wheeled over to G. Rollie White
■iseum for the commencement
nificant fifemonies.
or farailfT 0 prevent handing the wrong di-
n ts” aiiHma to the wrong student, slu-
Ijead dent’s names first are checked before
plant ’ihey g° U P lo stage and once
( igain when they get on the stage.
SdbJ We give one wrong di-
w '..jloina out of the three ceremonies,
810 Gardner said.
The commencement programs
also are printed after the noon dead
line. The final graduation list is taken
to the printers to be printed between
noon today and the first graduation
ceremony Friday.
“There is an awful lot of coordina
tion and a lot of time and effort put
in,” Gardner said.
Dr. Bryan Gole, associate dean in
the Gollege of Education, and Dr.
Rodger Feldman, associate professor
of veterinary medicine, will an
nounce the names of the 3,300 grad
uates.
Gole and Feldman get the list of
students who have applied for grad
uation in March, Cole said. They di
vide up the list by colleges and con
tact students by phone for
pronunciations they are not sure
about.
“The key is going over it so many
times that the entire list is somewhat
familiar and making sure there are
no suprises,” Cole said.
Cole and Feldman get the final list
a few hours before graduation. After
the students line up for graduation,
they find those students whose pro
nunciations they are not yet sure of
and clarify it again.
Cole phonetically spells out names
for quick reference during the cere
mony, he said. The names are read at
a rate of one every four seconds.
Vandiver also takes part in the
commencement ceremony by pre
senting diplomas and shaking hands.
“President Vandiver prides him
self in shaking everyone’s hand,”
Gardner said.
Vandiver wears a white golf glove
on the hand that he receives the di
ploma.
“They really pop that diploma in
there,” Gardner said. The glove pre
vents Vandiver’s hand from getting
sore, because with 3,300 diplomas
popped into the hand, the hand gets
raw, Gardner said.
Texas A&M is one of the few ma
jor universities that still gives diplo
mas at the commencement ceremo
nies. Texas A&M is also one of the
few universities which only lets peo
ple who have actually graduated walk
across the stage.
“Nobody ever crosses that stage
that’s not graduating,” Gardner said.
Gardner attributes the 95 percent
attendance record to these factors.
“We try to treat everyone as an in
dividual,” Gardner said. “Each one
of those diplomas is unique.”
“We would hate to see it change,”
Gardner said. “We hope that, even if
seniors have to take their final ex
ams, we can continue with gradua
tion as it is.”
United Press International
DALLAS —■-The three Democratic
presidential candidates Wednesday
carefully avoided personal attacks on
each other in a debate where they
were on the defensive only when
questioned sharply by the moderator.
Just three days before Texas cau
cuses pick the third largest dele
gation to the Democratic National
Convention, Walter Mondale, Gary
Hart and Jesse Jackson for the first
lime took no direct attacks on their
rivals.
They found themselves in
agreement on many of the issues —
amnesty for illegal immigrants who
have been in the country a long Lime,
greater recognition of the economic
and social needs of the third world,
and especially the failures of Presi
dent Reagan’s economic program
and foreign policy.
The debate came as the campaign
heads into a crucial period in which
Mondale could virutally lock up the
nomination, especially if he scores a
big win in Texas on Saturday and in
Ohio’s primary next Tuesday.
With 771 more delegates at stake
over the next 10 days, the latest UPI
count now shows Mondale has 1,212
of the 1,9(37 delegates needed for
nomination, Hart has 644 and Jack-
son 209.
The candidates seemed pleased
with their debate performances, per
haps because none faired poorly.
Jackson said the debate was “great”
and Mondale said: “The debate helps
the Democratic Party ... this was en
couraging.”
The only spark of hostility came
when television reporter Sander
Vanocer of ABC, the moderator of
the League of Women Voters debate,
addressed personal questions to each
of the candidates.
Mondale was grilled on the dele
gate committee he ordered dis
banded after they had spent thou
sands in support of his candidacy,
and Hart was asked whey he should
be elected when he has not carried a
single industrial state — the political
backbone of the Democratic Party.
But the most heat was put on Jack-
son who was quizzed at length on his
refusal to repudiate Louis Farrak-
han, the black Muslim minister who
made death threats against the black
reporter who disclosed Jackson had
used the term “hymies” to refer to
Jews.
And on this point Mondale and
Hart were quick to jump on their ri
val — whose candidacy they have
been reluctant to attack in the past.
Jackson responded that it was
enough that he had disassociated
himself with Farrakhan’s statements.
He said he embraced Farrakhan as a
matter of religious principle of re
demption and forgiveness, just as he
had embraced Gov. George Wallace
of Alabama and former Gov. Orville
Faubus of Arkansas, once two of the
nation’s most racist public officials.
“Moral leadership is known not
for purity and perfection, but re
demption,” Jackson insisted. “When
I reached out for George Wallace
and Orville Faubus it was considered
growth and maturity ... I will keep
bearing whatever scars I must bear to
reach out to people.”
Mondale and Hart disagreed.
“I really thought what Farrakhan
said was poison,” Mondale said. “I’m
a preacher’s kid and I believe in re
demption, but that was going awful
far.”
Hart said if Farrakhan “threat
ened the life of a human being, that’s
against the law. I don’t know why the
authorities haven’t acted.”
e Graduation
y 1980 anil
nally awar
he next*
nee Pain
Making it work for A&M seniors
By KARI FLUEGEL
Stall Writer
sayi
Local congregations worshiping with foreign flair
nol
By WANDA WINKLER
• £\l Reporter
BCongregations of the twin cities
sing different songs, hear different
ernati 0 ii® Ermons > unite in different prayer
e "fed follow different religious tradi-
— Potions — often vastly different,
in a ' (Jl f You’ll find more than white, An-
cled al J|p-Saxon Protestants packing the
;alened pews Q f local churches. Hispanics,
>lomaU c Koreans an< j Chinese are flocking to
countr) local churches to worship in their na-
tojeru'tive language and unite with people
of their heritage.
^ m0S ’JP anta Teresa Catholic Church in
_ ..Jvan sifts about 1,000 Hispanics
P, . through its two Spanish masses. But
Jewish an | v people attend its one En-
olt se ‘glish mass
rad cap "\^ e ' re t r yi n g t 0 preserve the His
panic flavor,” says the Rev. Tom
Frank, Santa Teresa’s pastor, who
speaks Spanish fluently.
Father Frank’s congregation is
ripe for expansion and has grown by
15 families in the past seven months.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Lat
ter-day Saints in Bryan also has been
raking in churchgoers to its Spanish
worship service. Planted with a seed
of three members, this Latin Ameri
can group has sprouted to 45 people
in the past year.
“People of like backgrounds want
to worship together and grow toge
ther,” says Kent Hall, president of
the Spanish group.”
Locally, there’s a growing need to
receive the gospel in Spanish, Hall
said. So, the Mormans are reaching
out, ministering to Spanish-speaking
people in the area.
Hall predicts the religion boom
will remain healthy in the twin cities
because he says people learn about
change and growth through religion.
There’s a chunk of Latin America
alive in Bryan, but you’ll find more
than just a taste of old Mexico at St.
Mary’s Catholic Church in College
Station.
About 170 Latin American Catho
lics head for St. Mary’s on Saturday
evenings for a special Spanish mass.
The majority of these Spanish-speak
ing people are students at Texas
A&M and members of the Latin
American Catholic Student Associa
tion, a religious support group at St.
Mary’s.
Like a pinata that flows with candy
and other goodies, this Spanish mass
spreads its treasures — more mem
bers — to the area.
The Rev. Leon Strieder, associate
pastor of St. Mary’s, began this mass
with 30 people in December 1982
and has nurtured it to 180 church
goers.
Strieder, fluent in Spanish, said he
enjoys celebrating the mass in Span
ish and mixing with the Latin Ameri
can students. Strieder also meets with
these students for weekly Spanish Bi
ble study.
The Spanish heritage is blooming
in the twin cities, but local Koreans
are on a religious roll, too.
The Korean Church of A&M, a
non-denominational Christian con
gregation, sings, prays and worships
in Korean. This church began in
1981 with about 20 Koreans meeting
in Rudder Tower, but it quickly
popped the top off Rudder.
Dr. Kwang Ro, a political science
professor who is co-founder of the
congregation, said his church focuses
on serving the religious needs of Ko
rean students at Texas A&M.
The church must be meeting those
needs — its membership has grown
to 100.
To cope with this growth surge,
the Korean church struck a deal with
Calvary Baptist Church in Bryan.
Calvary Baptist provides the congre
gation with meeting rooms at no cost;
in return, the Koreans donate money
for utility expenses.
Ro said his church growth reflects
more than just the growth of Korean
students at Texas A&M — 100 to 125
Koreans were Aggies in the past
year. This growth also comes from
students turning toward religion and
desiring spiritual growth because of
the times, says Ro, who emigrated
from Korea to America in 1955.
And Chinese are getting their
share of church loo.
The Chinese Fellowship, a non-de-
nominalional church, meets for Sun
day worship at First Baptist Church
in College Station. First Baptist pro
vides a free meeting place for the 80
worshipers, who are mainly Chinese
students at Texas A&M.
Although these nationalities have
their own special alphabet, each acts
like a magnet that attracts and bonds
people in a common goal — to
worship God and support their
neighbors down a religious path of
life.
inances
By MELISSA ADAIR
Assistant City Editor
Editor’s note: This is the second of a
lo-part series on international students
IiouY ; al Texas A&M.
| ; Last year the money stopped com
ing for Josue Leos.
iced coi'f He was on a scholarship from a
the IMtniversity in Mexico to study ento-
Telocai ( r ,,0 logy at Texas A&M Univeristy
-usalenifUd all of a sudden there was no
ppositiffUioie money. His professors tried lo
get the scholarship renewed but
puldn’t.
said S Fortunately, for Leos, his profes-
lieavilv Sors offered him a research
uniikelfsisumtship so he could finish his
-ashingif! 0ctorate - expects to finish some-
1 time this year.
I Of the almost 2,200 international
i ploniA
nd 0#
:sl their
; ir en^
jrusak 11
►residefl 1
is was a
of Ej?
>e applir
hinder international
students at Texas A&M, most have
enough money to complete their
studies in the United States. But be
cause of the economic turmoil in
some countries, this situation may
not continue. Already a few interna
tional students have had to leave
Texas A&M without a degree after
many years of schooling. There was
no more money.
Internationals from Mexico can
testify to this.
Tina Watkins, international stu
dent adviser at Texas A&M, said that
last year about 15 Mexican students
had to go back to their country sim
ply because they or their parents
could no longer afford school.
“It’s extremely embarrassing for
them to go home without a degree,”
Watkins said. Their family and
friends are so proud and excited
when they leave to study in the
United States, she said, and the stu
dents feel empty-handed if they go
home without a degree.
And many of the 160 or so Mexi
can students still here are trying
frantically to finish their degrees be
fore the peso devaluates further.
Some Mexican students are taking
22 hours or more so they can finish
their degrees before the money situa
tion in their country gets any worse,
Watkins said.
“I’m really in a hurry to get out
now,” Leos said.
About three years ago 20 Mexican
pesos was the equivalent of one U. S.
dollar. Now it takes almost 170 pesos
to equal one dollar - a 750 percent in
crease.
students
The University estimates that it
costs about $10,200 annually for an
international to come to Texas A&M
for one year - that’s 1.73 million
Mexican pesos for just one student,
for just one year.
And the situation in Bolivia isn’t
much better.
I vo Luis Lopez, a junior agricultu
ral engineer from Bolivia, said he
was fortunate that he could come
here. He has an aunt in Houston that
offered to help him with expenses so
he could come to the United States to
study.
See INTERNATIONAL page 9
In Today’s Battalion
Local
• Finding a hotel in the area for graduation may be
next to impossible this late. See story page 3.
^ Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative polit
ical group, forming in time to attend the Republican con
vention. See story page 4.
State
• Democratic party chairman sees possible Hart upset
Saturday. See story page 5.
• Tornado season’s peak month opens with violent
storms. See story page 9.