Black South African awarded Nobel Peace Prize
United Press International
I OSLO, Norway — Black Anglican
Bishop Desmond Tutu won the
1984 Nobel Peace Prize Tuesday for
his passionate but peaceful “hero
ism” in leading a non-violent cru
sade against South Africa’s system of
acial discrimination.
Tutu, 58, said in New York City
vhere he is a visiting professor at the
ieneral Theological Seminary that
ie would accept the $190,()00 award
in behalf of “all those who have
jeen involved in the liberation strug-
i|e, working for a new society in
South Africa.”
“I want to thank the committee
for honoring us and for saving so
loudlv and so clearly that those who
appose apartheid are in many ways
like those who oppose communism,”
said a joyful Tutu. “They oppose a
system that is totally evil.”
The bishop, who regards himself
as a church leader rather than a poli
tician, said when word of his award
came by telephone from a diplomat,
“My wife and I were pinching each
other.”
Tutu has strived peacefully to
eliminate South African apartheid
— the institutional racial segregation
and discrimination of the nation’s 22
million blacks by the 4.5 million
whites. He is seen as that nation’s
Martin Luther King, Jr., who won
the award 20 years ago.
“The committee has attached im
portance to Desmond Tutu’s role as
a unifying leading figure in the cam
paign to resolve the problems of
apartheid in South Africa,” the
Norwegian Nobel Committee said in
announcing the award.
Tutu, secretary general of the Jo
hannesburg-based South African
Council of Churches, is depised by
the right-wing Afrikaner establish
ment in South Africa but has also
been criticized by some black ex
tremists for being too moderate.
He has frequently appealed to the
proclaimed deep Christian belief s of
South African whites, saying “Jesus
Christ is involved in the liberation
struggle” of the blacks for equality.
Tutu, whose home is in the black
township of Soweto, was the second
black South African to win the
award.
The Peace Prize for 1960 was re
served and awarded the year after to
Albert Luthuli, head of the African
National Congress who fought
against apartheid, which was insti
tuted in 1948 when the Afrikaner
National Party came to power.
Although some easing of South
Africa’s racial laws has occurred in
recent years, the plight of blacks
there has changed little since Luthu-
li’s award. Tutu’s selection was a
clear call by the Nobel Committee
for the elimination of apartheid.
“This year’s award should be seen
as a renewed recognition of the
courage and heroism shown by black
South Africans in their use of peace
ful methods in the struggle against
apartheid,” the five-member award
ing committee said. ,
Asked later if the Committee
wanted this award to influence the
situation in South Africa, Committee
Chairman Egil Aarvik said, “Yes”.
It was also the second time in as
many years that an anti-communist
fighting for a plurastic society in his
homeland was honored. The 1983
prize went to Lech Walesa, founder
of the banned Solidarity union who
has led a non-violent struggle
against the communist Polish goern-
ment.
Tutu supporters in South Africa
shouted and danced when the an
nouncement was made and hailed
the decision, saying it was likely to
focus international attention on
apartheid. Workers and priests at his
church council held a thanksgiving
service.
It “is a recognition that there is in
South Africa a movement — a mov
ing of the indomitable spirit of man
struggling against terrible odds,”
said Chief Gatsha Buthelezi, political
leader of 6.3 million Zulus, South
Africa’s most populous tribe.
Many feared, however, it would
have as little effect on the system as
Luthuli’s award.
“I don’t think it will have any im
pact politically,” said Sylvia Gon, act
ing president for the liberal South
African Institute of Race Relations.
pap] Texas A&M •
The Battalion
Serving the University community
Vol. 80 Mo. 35 (ASPS 045360 14 pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, October 17, 1984
Graham Central Station explosion
Photo by DEAN SAITO
A pre-dawn explosion Tuesday rocked the
Graham Central Station nightclub. The
cause was not specified as officials continue
their investigation. See story page 4.
Mattox stands
by band ruling
United Press International
AUSTIN — Attorney General
Jim Mattox, ignoring opposition
from Texas A&M regents, said
Tuesday he will stand by his decision
to sign a court order clearing the
way for women to participate in the
Aggie band.
Mattox, acting as the University’s
lawyer, agreed earlier this month to
settle a 1979 lawsuit filed by former
A&M student Melanie Zentgraf who
allegedly was excluded from the
band because of her sex.
Although the Corps has been
open to women for several years, the
band has remained a male-only insti
tution.
“I have stated very clearly in docu
ments filed with the court that I be
lieve the exclusion of women from
the Aggie band violates, among
other things, the Equal Rights
Amendment of the Texas Constitu
tion,” Mattox said.
However, Mattox’s decision an
gered at least two members of the
Board of Regents.
In separate letters, board chair
man H.R. “Bum” Bright and Vice
Chajrman William McKenzie both
said they opposed the proposed set
tlement and also claimed Mattox had
ignored their opposition.
McKenzie said allowing female
band members would be akin to let
ting them play on the school’s foot
ball or baseball teams.
A group of A&M alumni who
were in the band also has opposed
the proposed settlement, claiming it
would weaken the nation’s defense.
“I don’t know how any of the peo
ple at A&M can make that conten
tion with a straight face,” Mattox
said. “I think it’s ludicrous to suggest
it.”
Mattox noted that all of the na
tion’s military academies, as well as
all other Southwest Conference
schools, currently have coed bands.
But Bright, a part owner of the
Dallas Cowboys, said the Regents fa
vored continuing the lawsuit, and he
questioned Mattox’s authority to en
ter into an agreement opposed by
the school.
Mattox said he found it hard to
understand that Bright allowed the
scantily clad Dallas Cowboys
cheerleaders to be associated with
his football team, yet opposed allow
ing A&M women to perform in the
band’s traditional military garb.
Mattox also said that a U.S. 5th
Circuit Court of Appeals ruling ear
lier this year upheld the attorney
general’s authority to enter into
court settlements without the
agreement of the state agency being
represented.
Propostition 2 is important part of election
By ROBIN BLACK
Senior Staff Writer
Editor’s note: this is the first in a
three part series on Proposition 2.
Texans will be choosing more
than their next president when they
R ote in the Nov. 6 general election,
’hey also will be deciding the future
)f higher education in Texas.
Proposition 2, one of eight pro-
losed amendments to the state con
stitution, would restructure the
■unction of the Permanent Univer
ity Fund. The PUF is Texas A&M’s
primary source of construction reve
nue.
The PUF, established by the state
n 1876, is a constitutional endow-
nent of 2.1 million acres of West
Texas lands which is administered
for the benefit of the Texas A&M
and University of Texas systems.
The fund is used as collateral for
construction bonds. Income from
the oil-rich land is invested and the
profits make up the Available Uni
versity Fund, which finances enrich
ment programs such as endowed
professorships and scholarships.
The UT system receives two-thirds
of the AUF and the A&M system re
ceives one-third.
If it passes, the amendment would
create a special higher education as
sistance fund from general revenue
that would be used by schools that
do not use the PUF now. The fund
would provide money for construc
tion for the non-PUF schools.
If the amendment does not pass,
the University will lose its portion of
the revenue from the AUF. Most of
the loss would be seen in academic
programs.
The University would lose the
money — about $50 million — be
cause the non-PUF schools will prob
ably file a lawsuit if the amendment
does not pass. This action would halt
any use of the PUF or the AUF, cut
ting off the funds that both A&M
and UT receive.
The amendment also would allow
Prairie View A&M and other system
schools to receive money from the
AUF. Only A&M’s College Station
campus and UT-Austin currently
have access to the AUF, which pro
vided about $156 million in total rev
enue in 1982.
Aside from providing A&M with
money for construction, AUF reve
nue also helps fund various aca
demic programs including matching
funds for endowed faculty chairs.
The amendment, if passed, would
make four basic changes in the way
state higher education is handled:
• It would provide $100 million
from general revenues to be ded
icated each year for Use by 26 state
universities not currently included
in the PUF. It would be called the
Education Assistance Fund.
• Use of PUF bond proceeds
would expand to include major re
pairs and rehabilitation of existing
buildings, purchase of capital equip
ment, acquisition of library books
and materials and purchase of land.
See PROPOSITION, page 4
University leaders
push Proposition 2
Tuesday morning the LSG,
with four University officials,
held a presentation/news confer
ence in the Memorial Student
Center to talk about the proposi
tion.
A panel including Johnny
See PUF, page 13
By ROBIN BLACK
Senior Staff Writer
Student Government’s Legis
lative Study Group has been
working hard to inform students
of the importance of Proposition
2, the proposed amendment to
the state constitution that would
restructure the Permanent Uni
versity Fund.
Forum stirs talk on abortion
Salvadoran leader says
cease-fire offer refused
Photo by PETER ROCHA
Kris Parsons, from NOW,
speaks at Rudder Fountain.
By KEVIN S. INDA
Reporter
Conflicts on the issue of abortion
arose between a member of the Na
tional Organization for Women
(NOW) and an audience of about
200 Tuesday during an open air
symposium at Rudder Fountain.
The open air symposium, spon
sored by Students Working Against
Many Problems (SWAMP), featured
Kris Parsons from NOW speaking in
favor of a woman’s right to have an
abortion.
“A woman should have the right
to do anything she pleases with her
body,” Parsons said. “How much
power do you want to give the gover-
ment to control our bodies?”
While Parsons was speaking, the
audience began to voice their opin
ions of what they thought about
abortion and arguments broke out
between people in the crowd.
Garrett Russell, who opposes
abortion, argued with Parsons that
everyone has the right to life.
“A fetus is a living thing and it has
rights just like any other living
thing,” Russell said. “Abortion is
murder and the people who con
done it are murderers.”
Parsons retaliated by saying that a
fetus is not alive and non-living
things have no rights.
“If an embryo is a person, is it not
slavery to be forced to carry every
pregnancy to full tetm no matter the
circumstances or consequences?”
Parsons asked.
Brad Dacus, another member of
the audience who opposes abortion,
argued that a fetus is a living thing.
“According to a Congressional
study that took place this last year,
many doctors and lawyers were
asked to define life,” Dacus said.
“They defined a fetus to have a
heartbeat, a functioning mind and
functioning organs at the age of six
weeks. How can you justify the mur
der of something that is functioning
the same way as a human being?”
Parsons said a woman still should
be responsible for her body no mat
ter what the situation.
“If you take away a woman’s right
to have an abortion, you are telling
her that the goverment has more
right to her uterus and the contents
See NOW, page 4
United Press International
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador —
A rebel leader Tuesday accused the
U.S.-backed government of “flatly”
refusing a cease-fire offer made dur
ing Monday’s historic peace talks
and ignoring a chance to end five
years of civil war.
But other rebel leaders contra
dicted the statement made by Guil
lermo Manuel Ungo, saying it was
“ridiculous” to think El Salvador’s
five guerrilla armies would stop
fighting immediately.
Calm was reported on El Salva
dor’s military fronts Tuesday. Guer
rillas said they planned to proceed
with a drive to shut down transport
on major highways Thursday.
Ungo was one of six rebel leaders
who met Monday with a five-mem
ber government delegation led by
President Jose Napoleon Duarte for
a historic peace summit in La Palma,
a mountain village 43 miles north of
San Salvador.
After the 5 Vs-hour talks, Salvado
ran Archbishop Arturo Rivera y
Damas read a joint statement saying
the two sides agreed to form a com
mission to hold ongoing peace nego
tiations. Another meeting was sched
uled for November.
Rebel Commander Fermin Cien-
fuegos said the main achievment of
Monday’s talks was “the government
recognized for the first time that we
are a legitimate power,” but he
charged the Reagan administration
backed the dialogue solely “to gain
time” until 1986, when Gen. Paul
Gorman, head of the Panama-based
U.S. Southern Command, has pre
dicted the Salvadoran army would
be strong enough to defeat the re
bels.
Duarte said in a nationwide tele
vision appearance late Monday he
expressed to the rebels his “vital”
concern the fighting be “human
ized.” He said he asked the guerrillas
“not to keep destroying bridges, not
to keep burning buses and not to
keep destroying crops.”
Ungo, who returned to his exile
home in Panama after the talks, said
during an interview by Colombian
radio that the rebels had offered a
cease-fire “but the answer of the
government was to refuse our pro
posal.”
“They flatly ruled it out, which in
dicates that the government itself
wants us to keep killing each other,”
said Ungo, president of the Demo
cratic Revolutionary Front, the polit
ical wing of the guerrilla coalition
Fighting to topple the U.S.-backed
government.
There was no immediate response
from the government on Ungo’s
claim. Defense Minister Gen. Carlos
Eugenio Vides Casanova, who ac
companied Duarte to the talks, indi
cated earlier an immediate cease-fire
was unlikely.
In Miramundo, top guerrilla mili
tary comfnanders appeared to con
tradict Ungo and gave no indication
the five-year war that has claimed
some 50,000 civilian lives would end
soon.