Reagan asks Court
for 'silent momenf
See page 10
Amtrak train, truck
collide; two killed
See page 3
Libyan embassy
bombed in Beirut
See page 3
TexasA&M - - V •
The Battalion
Serving the University community
Vol 79 No. 169 USPS 045360 10 pages
College Station, Texas
Thursday, July 12, 1984
urn lo i
“iishipa
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Mondale chooses Ferraro for V.P.
:onfiii(
to nu
United Press International
NORTH OAKS, Minn. — Walter
mondale has chosen Rep. Geraldine
jump fferraro, D-N.Y., to be his running
, ^ mate, and she llew to Minneapolis
inipn early today to appear with him at a
liews conference, sources said today.
I The sources said that Mondale de
rided on the 48-year-old congress-
Ivoman Wednesday and informed
her immediately.
I Asked if Ferraro was in the Min-
^ A ^teapolis area early today, the source
said, “yes.”
If the Demtxrratic National Con-
I'ention meeting next week in San
. . Francisco nominates Mondale and
ornu' Ferraro as expected, it will be the
First time in American history that a
by 6 [*
natio:
ffSSpt jvornan h as been on the ticket of a
major political party.
the decisit
Reaction to the decision was swift.
Jesse Jackson, who sought the
lamoi Democratic presidential nomination
himself, said on ABC, “If she is the
nominee, we must be positive about
it. There are some advantages about
a woman ... It’s a step in the right di
rection and as far I’m concerned, a
real victory for the rainbow coali
tion.”
Ohio Gov. Richard Celeste said
Ferraro was “a great choice, the
right choice and a historic choice.”
Ferraro’s husband, John Zaccaro,
told CBS in New York, “I’ll be sup
porting my wife. I don’t know what
to say at this point. It’s really over
whelming ... we’re very straightfor
ward people and we’re trying to do
whatever we can to help the ticket.”
Ferraro, an attorney and three-
term member of Congress, was put
in the spotlight earlier this year as
chairman of the Democratic Party
Platform Committee, which writes
the document that states the party’s
Rep. Geraldine Ferraro
position on the major issues of the
times.
The job is full of pitfalls, but Fer
raro managed to satisfy Mondale’s
desire for a “thematic” platform
without too many specifics while
keeping both Gary Hart and Jesse
Jackson relatively happy about the
document as well.
Mondale planned to announce his
choice formally at a noon EDT news
conference at the Minnesota State
Capital in St. Paul.
San Francisco Mayor Dianne
Feinstein, a strong contender, was
notified she was not chosen, as were
others on Mondale’s list of candi
dates.
Mondale apparently bypassed
Cary Hart, his chief rival, and ruled
out Jesse Jackson, the only other
challenger whose name will be put in
nomination next week at the party
convention in San Francisco.
Ironically, Hart said Wednesday
he would accept the second spot it
Mondale offered it.
Mondale campaign chairman
James Johnson announced Wednes
day night that the former vice presi
dent called his choice about 6 p.m.
CDT and made his offer, which was
promptly accepted.
“Earlier this evening, Vice Presi
dent Mondale came to the decision
as to who his running mate will be in
the 1984 election,” Johnson told a
crowded room of reporters.
“He has spoken with that person
on the phone and asked his selection
to be with him tomorrow at noon at
the Minnesota State Capitol where
he will announce his choice,” John
son added. “He is very pleased.”
Washington attorney John Reilly,
who was the chief adviser to Mon
dale on the selection, appeared to
rule out Hart when he said Mondale
had not talked to Hart.
Ferraro will accompany Mondale
Friday to his boyhood home of El
more, Minn., and then to Lake Ta
hoe, Calif, where Mondale plans to
remain for three nights before going
to San Francisco Monday for the
convention.
Others interviewed by Mondale
for the post included San Antonio
Mayor Henry Cisneros, Philadelphia
Mayor W. Wilson Goode, Los An
geles Mayor Thomas Bradley, Ken
tucky Gov. Martha Layne Collins
and Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas.
Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark.,
pulled himself out of consideration
Tuesday, and Mondale was unsuc
cessful in convincing New York Gov.
Mario Cuomo that he should allow
his name to be considered.
Massachusetts Gov. Michael Du
kakis, a close ally of Mondale, was
also considered in the running, al
though never interviewed.
,3 mil
Engineering dean chosen
nd
J
From Battalion news services
| Texas A&M University has hired
| new dean for its College of Engi
neering as part of an $8 million
pledge to build up the engineering
Ichool.
I Dr. Herbert H. Richardson, 53,
currently second in command of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technolo
gy’s world-renowned engineering
program, will become dean and vice
chancellor for engineering at Texas
A&M sometime in October.
| Appointment of the eminent en
gineer/educator was jointly an
nounced by Dr. Frank E. Vandiver,
president of Texas A&M University,
Land Dr. Arthur G. Hansen, chan-
jcellor of the Texas A&M University
System Wednesday. The appoint-
stnent is subject to appr oval by Texas
' A&M regents, several of whom al-
Beady have met Richardson and en-
Bouraged the administration to pur
sue him.
In the last three years, Texas
A&M has spent millions to recruit
big names such as football coach
Jackie Sherill and Nobel laureates
Sheldon Glashow and Norman Bor-
laug. Officials consider Richardson’s
hiring a similar coup.
“I think it’s going to be a national,
maybe an international statement
that when we go for academic
achievement, we go for the very
est,” Vandiver said.
Richardson will have responsibil
ity for Texas A&M’s 1 1,600-student
College of Engineering — the na
tion’s largest — and for the state’s
three engineering-related research
and public service agencies that are
part of the Texas A&M University
System: the Texas Engineering Ex
periment Station, Texas Engi
neering Extension Service and
Texas Transportation Institute.
“We are extremely happy that Dr.
Richardson is coming to head our
engineering programs,” Vandiver
said. “His appointment will make an
international declaration ofTexas
A&M’s commitment to excellence in
all respects.”
The $8 million package includes
an agreement by Texas A&M offi
cials to hire at least 50, and possibly
as many as 100, more engineering
faculty members over the next five
years.
The University also agreed to pro
vide more money for engineering
facilites and programs and more en
dowed chairs to lure internationally-
renowned faculty to the school.
Hansen cited Richardson’s ties
with industry and noted they com
plement his academic credentials.
“Not only does he bring excellent
qualifications in the academic area
but his great interest in developing
cooperative relationships with indus
try should do much for continuing
A&M’s long-standing tradition of
contributing to the state’s economy,”
Hansen said.
Dr. Gordon Eaton, Texas A&M’s
provost and vice president for aca
demic affairs, said announcement of
Richardson’s appointment will send
out a “highly positive signal.”
“Dr. Richardson’s acceptance of
our invitation to join the faculty and
staff here sends out a.highly positive
signal to engineering faculties
throughout the nation,” he said.
In accepting the appointment,
Richardson said he was impressed
with the pride, enthusiasm and can-
do spirit he witnessed at Texas
A&M.
“I saw an obvious determination
on the part of the regents, the ad
ministration and the faculty selecti
vely to create world-class engi
neering activities at Texas A&M,”
Richardson said.
“I am looking forward to working
to develop the people and programs
which will be increasingly important
in serving the needs of Texas and
the nation in engineering education,
new technology for human services
and economic development, and
new fundamental knowledge for the
future.”
Richardson said he intends to fos
ter collaboration and cooperation
among engineering activities in all
parts of the Texas A&M system and
joint activities in all parts of the
Texas A&M management, educa
tion, architecture, medicine and the
physical, biological and social sci
ences.
Texas A&M Senior Scholars Com
mittee also has recommended that
Richardson be named a Distin
guished Professor of Engineering in
conjunction with his appointment as
See RICHARDSON, page 3
Wishful thinking Photo by ERIC EVAN LEE
Chris Heltzel, a senior microbiology major Education 475 class. The class is aviation
from Midland, sits in the cockpit of a Cessna education and is taught primarily for those
152 during the last meeting of his Industrial interested in a private pilots license.
In Today’s Battalion
Caperton, Lewis praise education bill
.:i2i
Local
• Tips on how to conserve energy in the summer. See
story page 3.
State
• The Dallas Morning News won’t press theft charges
against one of Michael Jackson's security guards. See story
page 10.
• An attorney asks a court to consider “parent-child priv
ilege’’ in the case of a Houston couple asked to testify in a
murder trial against their son. See story page 4.
National
• Reagan administration orders automakers to install air
bags or other automatic passenger protections in cars by
1989. See story page 10.
By BILL ROBINSON
Senior Staff Writer
Brazos County’s legislative dele
gation praised educational reforms
and defended accompanying tax in
creases at a news conference in the
Ramada Inn Penthouse Tuesday.
Sen. Kent Caperton and Rep.
Neeley Lewis said the reform pack
age approved by the Legislature last
week is in Texas’ best interests.
“It’s significant,” Lewis said.
“There’s a (reform) movement
across the country and I think Texas
is one of the leaders in that
movement. We have made a firm
committment to put Texas where it
needs to be.”
Caperton agrees, but says imple
mentation of the reforms won’t be
easy. He was especially critical of the
provision calling for teacher compe
tency testing.
“I frankly don’t know how you
qualify the chemistry that goes on
between a teacher and students,” he
said. “I am at a loss to say how we’re
going to go out and measure compe
tency. That’s my biggest disappoint
ment.”
But Caperton says the positive as
pects of the reform package — the
appointed State Board of Education
in particular — more than offset the
bill’s low points.
“This board is accountable in
stantly,” he said. “We will have 15
members the state can focus on.”
Caperton said the current 27-
Rep. Neeley Lewis
member board is not accomplishing
what it is supposed to accomplish.
Lewis agreed, saying the smaller
board is necessary to “drive the re
forms forward.”
Both men said the Legislature’s
Sen. Kent Caperton
job reforming the state educational
system wasjust beginning, though.
“We have set the framework, but
we have a continuing job,” Lewis
said. “There may be some fine tun
ing areas.”
One area Caperton wants adjust
ments in is the career ladder.
“Librarians — who are certified as
teachers — are left out of the career
ladder plan,” Caperton said.
He says the oversight was a result
of the Legislature’s desire to get
more money to the classroom teach
ers.
“The money was put into the
classroom,” he said. “I think that’s a
clear policy choice.”
A $4.8 billion tax plan was en
acted to fund the educational re
forms and highway improvements.
Caperton and Lewis say that in
crease was necessary.
“I think the people ofTexas real
ize the time had come to bite the bul
let,” Lewis said. “We needed to broa
den the sales tax base. It was a
tougher way to go, but I think it is
the right way.”
Caperton said the tax was de
signed with fairness in mind.
“I won’t say it’s the fairest,” he
said, “but I think we recognized
where the loopholes were and closed
those loopholes.”
The legislators also discussed the
deletion of a college tuition hike
from the tax bill and the possibility
of its being reintroduced during the
regular session in January.
“We need to have an analysis of
where we are and make adjust
ments,” Lewis said. “I was opposed
to having it crammed down our
throats without proper notice.”