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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 1984)
Hernatii he re latives 1 in an Elfj ld Th ursd, ! 0,1 oft K I f fie contr, are not rans POft, s,i K : ‘tio nof| Texas A&M m m Vj # The Battalion L ‘ d ,x> 'h th c ® ,fric J Vol 79 No. 170 GSPS 045360 10 pages *. N.M l d °n Coif, s. Calif, ■ Cynthia were ki| en the the side of loded Serving the University community Tuesday, July 17, 1984 he invesi ver ch' t'e shown s 4.5 But the r traffic n Foster re and f right at Photo by Peter Rocha This runner takes advantage of what appears to be a mis- from Monday’s 90-degree heat. More of the same is expected placed sprinkler by the floral test gardens to gain some relief today: highs in the 90s with a small chance of rain. Democrats’ convention opens _ . ■ United Press International IVY AN FRANCISCO — The Demo- ratic Party opened its 1 984 conven- on Monday as Walter Mondale elp their Dught to clear the final hurdle to touse I arty unity by agreeing to a summit [reeling with his rivals, Sen. Gary Thursdaylart and Jesse Jackson. The move came midway in the it increaSipeuing session of the convention at for soin9hidr former President Jimmy Car- i, begin |, |r launched the first volley in what nS expected to be a four-day con- lyees Rdeinnalion of the administration of iate chaiRoirald Reagan. e eniplojf Mondale, expecting his party’s m. residential nomination Wednesday lion of flight, made a triumphal arrival at districishe convention city earlier in the 11 telepilay, with running mate Geraldine 'imaryc'fenaro stealing much of the atten- r . .ion. way agC Mondale, who at first said he t road (" wanted to meet one-on-one with his ain exist ■w consi 1 ! rivals, told reporters he relented to the request for a joint meeting Mon day evening because it was the desire of both Jackson and Hart. “I really had no deep objections so I went ahead and that’s what it’ll be today,” he said. “That’s what each wanted to do.” “There is no agenda that I am aware of,” said Mondale. “It will be a general discussion.” As a sea of blue “Mondale” post ers and red “Hart” posters swept across the vast floor of the cavernous Moscone Convention Center, Mon dale aides nailed down the Monday night meeting. Both Hart and Jackson insist they are still battling Mondale for the nomination even though he has 109 delegates more than the 1,967 needed for nomination, but have pledged to support the eventual nominee of the party. While loyal delegates continued the Democratic party rivalries, their wild enthusiasm swept across the convention floor for Ferraro — due to become the Democrats’ first-ever vice presidential candidate. And Hart said she was his choice too for vice president. A big cheer went up when Demo cratic Chairman Charles Manatt pounded the gavel to formally open the session at 2 p.m. PDT — a cheer sparked as much by Manatt’s surviv ing a purge attempt by the Mondale forces as it was marking the begin ning of the 39th quadrennial con vention of the nation’s oldest politi cal party. The intraparty squabbling largely over and rapidly forgotten, the Democrats gathered in rare scripted harmony to unite behind the pre acher’s kid from Minnesota and the daughter of an Italian immigrant from New York’s Queens in the uphill battle against Reagan in the November election. In the bright sunshine outside the hall, San Francisco police arrested at least 100 demonstrators in the heart of the city’s financial district Monday for blocking traffic. It was the most serious incident in the series of dem onstrations that have led to the con vention. Carter launched what was ex pected to be a steady stream of speakers who would blast the Rea gan administration policies through out the four-day convention. He said that since 1979 “little real effort has been made to reduce the world’s nuclear arsenals. In fact, we have seen a serious retrogression.” Carter said that because of the policies of his successor at the White See DEMOCRATS, page 3 i the iagenie ||[ | I appref] ate's an"' 'roposed drinking age upsets locals By SARAH OATES Stall Writer K BPresident Reagan will sign a bill today that could spell the end of one S>f the strongholds of social activity ECollege Station for about 14,335 ifijdenls — drinking at the local nightclubs. KThe bill issues an ultimatum to states: raise the minimum drinking age to 21 or risk the loss of federal highway funds. The bill has stirred up a storm of protest among some legislators, businessmen and college students. E The 27 stales that do not yet have ^minimum drinking age of 21 could f lose 5 percent of federal highway funds, an estimated $260 million in fiscal 1987. i However, the bill also gives states ichance to qualify for a 5 percent in- Rtease in the highway safety grants |from Washington if they impose fmandatory jail terms and license re- pocalions for drunken driving of fenses. ■ Legislators have two years in ece scinch to make a decision. i But Rep. Neeley Lewis and Sen. S Kent Caperton are not happy with "the threat of the loss of highway Ifunds if the bill is not enforced. ■ “I’m violently opposed,” Lewis taid. “It’s coercion and it’s a poor jnethod for legislation. If Congress Wants to raise the legal drinking age, fine, but this is not the proper way for legislature to do it. With estimated losses of up to $150 million in highway revenues if the state doesn’t comply with the hill, Texas legislators probably will con cede. “There’s no way out, from a state standpoint. We desperately need highway funds,” Lewis said. Caperton said he thinks “states can take care of their business with out Congress telling them how to do it.” “I resent Congress’ heavy-handed approach to this issue,” he said. Students and businessmen also have expressed deep concern about the effects of the bill. For example, if the bill immedi ately became law, local nightclubs would lose a sizable chunk of busi ness from the 19 to 20-year old stu dent population at Texas A&M. “I think it’s wrong,” said Kathy Barnhart, a 20-year old education major at Texas A&M. “Unless the law is retroactive, they’d be taking away our rights.” Lewis also said he feels the bill dis criminates against young people be cause the problem with drunk driv ing is not necessarily a function of age. “I have never been convinced that the problem we have is age,” Lewis said. “They think the solution is to raise the drinking age,” he said. “That flies in the face of my experi ence with people under 21. I know of many 19 year olds who are re sponsible.” But Kirk Brown, president of the Brazos County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, vehemently disagrees. “Hogwash,” he said, citing federal safety statistics showing that people from between the ages of 18 and 20 are more than twice as likely to be in volved in alcohol-related automobile accidents. Statistics from the National High way Traffic Safety Administration predict that 1,250 lives will be saved per year if the minimum legal drink ing age is raised to 21. Brown said statistics from a recent Callup poll show that 58 percent of the nation’s 18-lo-20-year-olds ap prove of raising the drinking age to 21. “We’re not saying don’t drink,” Brown said. “We’re saying be re sponsible. Maturity is a factor.” “Tough,” was Brown’s reply to the problem of state loss of highway funds. “I’ve been pushing for this bill for 10 years,” he said, “and at the last legislative session they had a chance to pass it, but they laughed at us.” College Station is largely pop ulated by college students, many un- Tarleton prof suing System By KARI FLUEGEL Staff Writer Texas A&M University System of ficials are waiting for information about a $10.5 million suit against the System filed by a former Tarleton State University faculty member late last week. News of the suit, filed by Dr. James W. Shores, reached System officials Monday. System Chancellor Dr. Arthur C. Hansen and System General Coun sel Ted Hajovsky Jr. said Monday they did not have enough details to comment about the suit. Shores claims he was denied ten ure because of his race, United Press International reported Saturday. He was denied tenure at Tarleton, a Sys tem school located in Stephenville, in 1983. Shores, formerly an assistant pro fessor of criminal justice, was the first full-time black faculty member at Tarleton. His employment at the university was terminated when he was denied tenure. UPI reported that Shores filed the suit in a Fort Worth federal court claiming that Tarleton objected to his advocacy of black students and his opposition to a student organiza tion which he called a “prejudiced, sexist group.” Shores claimed his civil rights were violated, in part, because he challenged the Purple Poo, a campus spirit organization formed 85 years ago. The members of the Purple Poo wear purple hooded robes, and their identities are kept secret. Tarleton President Dr. Barry B. Thompson, however, said that 'Shores misunderstood the function of the group and described it as a “society that promotes the spirit of Tarleton State University.” Shores’ suit was filed as a chal lenge to the entire Texas A&M sys tem, and asks relief for a whole class of minority academicians he says has been discriminated against in the granting of tenure, which guar antees university-level teachers a job for life. Drought threatens Texas ‘water war’ United Press International The worsening Texas water crisis has forced large-scale livestock liqui dations and water rationing across western and central portions of the state, and threatens to erupt into a full-fledged “water war,” pitting ur ban against rural interests, authori ties predicted Monday. “We’ve had bad droughts before, but we’ve never faced one which caused such an impact on urban areas,” said Martin Wilson, staff at torney with the Texas Department of Water Resources. “In the past, drought has been mostly an issue for farmers and ranchers,” he said. “But the latest census shows Texas is more urban than rural. Cities, with their greater populations and industrial needs, are demanding priority. “We could see a major water war,” he said. The opening salvo came when the agency issued orders halting the pumping of water for irrigation from the Brazos River and has threatened to duplicate the action elsewhere, despite reports ranchers have had to liquidate herds and stock ponds have dried out. In related developments: • Austin Monday joined more than 65 cities in enacting tough con servation measures, prohibited lawn sprinkling and car washing between noon and 8 p.m. Landscapers have threatened suit, claiming their busi ness will shrivel with the shrubs and grass. • The state’s largest cattle organi zation predicts many ranchers must liquidate “100 percent” of their cattle and sheep herds, and grasslands have been scorched “plumb to the roots.” • Authorities report an outbreak of “water piracy” in South Texas, thefts which have robbed down stream waters users on the Guada lupe, Nueces, Rio San Antonio and Atascosa rivers. • Citizens of Corpus Christi, en tering their third week of mandatory controls, held special weekend prayer sessions to bring rain. But the director of the city’s water supply said it may take a major tropical storm to solve the crisis he .termed “damn scary.” In Today’s Battalion der 21, and liquor sales in both clubs and stores provide a substantial per centage of city revenues. For example, in 1983 the state comptroller’s office received $995,219 from bars and restaurants in Bryan and College Station under the state’s 10 percent mixed drink tax. That doesn’t include revenues from beer and wine sales at conve nience and grocery stores. The state comptroller’s office cannot provide a breakdown of sales taxes from those stores. Some local businessmen feel en forcement of the bill will lead to clandestine drinking. “Young people are getting the short end of the stick,” said Edmund -Mah, owner of the Malibu Beach club. “This bill takes away their right to choose. If you’re old enough to fight for your country, you’re old enough to choose whether or not to drink. Hopefully, the public will make a ju dicious decision. It’s a matter of pub lic awareness and education,” he said. He said he thinks raising the drinking age would cause a “slight decrease in business.” Ben Bailey, owner of Ben Bailey’s liquor store in College Station, said he isn’t sure how much his sales will be hurl if the drinking age is raised. Local • John Hatch, director of the Texas A&M Legislative Study Group, tells why the group is not allowed to lobby on national issues. See story page 3. • College Station-area apartment rents may be as low as they will get. See story page 4. State • Owners of 1979 or newer vehicles who have to renew their license plates in July or August will save money if they do so before Aug. 1. See story page 3. World • Secretary of State George Shultz defends the United States’ defense alliance with New Zealand and Australia, while the New Zealand Labor Party is calling for renegotia tion. See story page 3. ■all