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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1984)
i the El J n listed iif igs from 1 Nortli; md a I iso. ] Aggie spikers teach Owls 3-game lesson See page 9 The Battalion ion set trdable piid| Outlet Serving the Gniversity community Vol. 82 No. 51 GSPS 045360 14 pages College Station, Texas Thursday, November 8, 1984 DIU.MUW' iHOSTHUftl EKWTtttim SALlYFIEUlSt iTrmi* J. MW *THE I A70irSED«f Resolution referred to committee By DAINAH BULLARD Staff Writer w 11 & tes pe on 3/84 ,-stem j I The Texas AX:M Student Senate K0Y$" vote( * Wednesday night to refer to a w, Ao committee a resolution recommend- ’“'“'"l ing that the University encourage women to participate in the Aggie land. I The senate heard comments ■bout the issue from Brian Hay, the senator from the Graduate College Iho created the resolution, and land commander John Ripley. The senate debated for about 1 ‘A hours before reaching their decision. 8 Introducing the resolution, Hay Iresented both sides of the issue. He ■sted several factors which favor the Hesolution, including the equal treat- Mienl rules listed in A&M’s Rules j||iid Regulations handbook. The strongest argument against the reso lution is tradition, he said. “I’m not anti-tradition, I’m not nti-Corps, and I’m not anti-band,” hay said. “All I’m doing in this reso lution is asking for equality for all.” Ripley surprised some senators by ointing out that women have not denied membership in the Stand since Melanie Zentgraf first Jiled her lawsuit in 1979. Though some women have con sidered joining the band, they panged their minds when they real- iized it was a military band, not a Show band, he said. Ripley said band members will Ibide by the decision made by a fed- ral court of law' concerning the fentgraf case. “Whatever the decision is, we are law abiding citizens, and we will do Iwhat the University says,” Ripley said. “My people will deal with this as best they can.” Ripely said he believes the student body is interested in maintaining the traditional all-male band. Nicaragua says U.S. ship, plane in their territory Hello Photo by MIKE SANCHEZ Jean Ross, left, a freshman marketing major from Waco and Lynn Allen, an elementary education major from Houston make good use of the phone booths for sitting as well as for talking. The two say these booths at the Commons are often used this way. United Press International CORINTO, Nicaragua — Nicara gua charged Wednesday that a U.S. warship entered its waters and un loaded speedboats as a Soviet bloc freighter possibly carrying Soviet combat jets arrived under heavy se curity in the Pacific port of Corinto. The red-and-black freighter Ga- kuriani, identified as Soviet, pulled in at noon at the main Nicaraguan port of Corinto, some 60 miles northwest of Managua, Sandinista port authorities said. Reporters usually are allowed on the pier but were barred Wednesday by port officials, who cited special Defense Ministry orders. The ship could be seen only from afar, and its cargo was not discernible. There was no unloading. The officials said they did not have a manifest for the contents of the ship. Two hours before the ship ar rived, a suspected U.S. spy plane flew over the port and was fired upon, but was not hit. Foreign Min ister Miguel d’Escoto said. The leftist Sandinista government denied any Soviet-bloc ship was car rying a cargo of combat aircraft for them, and said reports of any such shipments were a pretext for a U.S. attack. The government told its peo ple to be prepared for a general mo bilization. In Los Angeles, President Reagan said the United States was “keeping a close watch” on the ship because of the reports it possibly was carrying MiG-21 jet fighters. He said intro ducing MiGs to Nicaragua would in dicate the country is “contemplating being a threat to their neighbors here in the Americas.” Administration officials have warned that the United States would not tolerate introduction of ad vanced military aircraft in Nicaragua See SHIP, page 13 ver, rionds Repaid World leaders react to re-election > Ave. o, Bryan) > 19«*| “We’re the last one around,” he, laid. “There are no more all-male suTTu^i inarching military bands. That’s why mvNrcHA 1 Ivc feel this love for it. We are the last of our kind.” CONSOL®^ Eric Thode, speaker pro tempore, referred the resolution to the Stu dent Services Committee. The reso lution will be a topic at the Nov. 19 Issues and Grievances Meeting, at :;7:30 p.rn. in Rudder 604. All stu- Kdents are invited to attend the meet- | The senate heard reports from judicial Board Chairman Lindsey ■Dingmore and the vice presidents of ■the senate’s five committees. Brett Shine, vice president of ex ternal affairs, and Mike Hachtman, liasion to the College Station City Council, reported that the city has received permission from Missouri Pacific Railroads to close the Luther treet crossing and open a new rail- ■road crossing at Holleman Street. The project will be funded by the ity and the businesses on the west ide of the railroad tracks, Hacht- an said. United Press International The Soviet Union, in unusually conciliatory statements, congratu lated President Reagan Wednesday on his re-election and said improved U.S.-Soviet ties would “radically” lessen global tensions. Western leaders pressed for re newed arms talks with Moscow while hailing Reagan’s landslide victory over Democratic challenger Walter Mondale in a deluge of congratula tory messages. Newspapers around the world bannered the Reagan electoral romp with British newspapers using head lines like “Here I Go Again!” and “The Eagle has landed.” Latin American reaction was mixed. Conservative leaders ap plauded the Reagan victory, but oth ers lamented the re-election of a leader whose economic policies they blame for prolonging recessions and increasing their heavy foreign debt. Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon pressed for a new U.S. Middle East peace initiative, and China said Rea gan’s re-election came as “no sur prise.” Black African nations urged Rea gan to focus on abolishing apart heid, South Africa’s official System of racial segregation. South African President Pieter Botha, whose government enjoys U.$. support, urged Reagan to “turn back the forces of international ter rorism and frustrate Marxist at tempts to create chaos. Moscow, in a Tass news agency re lease containing little of the usual harsh criticism, acknowledged “there are many problems” in its re lations with Washington. “However, experience shows that a positive, constructive approach to solving them on the basis of equality and equal security is entirely possi ble,” it said, in sharp contrast to pre election tirades condemning Reagan as a warmonger. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, the na tion’s government, congratulated Reagan and said “It is to be hoped that the coming years will be marked by a turn for the better in relations between our countries.” “For its part, the Soviet Union is ready to improve Soviet-American relations on the basis of equality and respect of each other’s legitimate in terests, for removing the threat of war and radically improving the in ternational situation.” In a statement about Reagan to a special German television election program, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said “I am sure he will use his victory to take steps that can lead to disarmament.” Norway and Sweden also pressed for a reduction in East-West tension. “It is most important to keep in mind President Reagan’s expressed desire to seek an agreement with the Soviet Union on limitations of nu clear arms,” Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme said in a statement. In Paris, President Francois Mit terrand said “I am certain the friendly and confident dialogue be tween our two countries will develop and serve peace and progress in the world.” In Britain, Prime Minister Marga ret Thatcher told Reagan in a con gratulatory message, “You can count on Britain to work closely with you in meeting the challenges which lie ahead.” Neil Kinnock, leader of Britain’s opposition Labor party, and David Owen, leader of the middle-of-the- road Alliance party, urged Reagan to press ahead with arms talks. “President Reagan now has the strength of a second term of office based on a substantial majority. He should use that strength to promote nuclear disarmamnt talks between the USA and the Soviet Union,” Kin nock said. Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi and Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda congratulated Reagan but urged him to use his influence to help abolish apartheid in South Af rica. Alex Haley: idea for ‘Roots’ was no accident ' 1: . mm * 1 'N J Alex Haley By KIRSTEN DIETZ Reporter Mankind needs to get to know each other better, Alex Haley, lec turer and best-selling author told an audience of about 200 Wednesday night. “It’s as if we live in separate rooms in the same house,” he said. Haley said this realization came as he traveled around the world talking to people of different ethnic back grounds after the publication of his second book, “Roots.” The book became the biggest best seller in publishing history, selling over 7 million hardback copies. It was translated in 37 languages and earned Haley the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Haley’s speech, the highlight of Racial Awareness Week, dealt pri marily with the conception of the book, except for a comment about the government. He said the government is not suf ficiently sensitive to the country’s needs. He pointed to the high per centage of blacks in the prisons and said when the administration is not sensitive to the reasons for this, they will one day have to deal wiih social combustion. Haley said “Roots” promoted black awareness in its readers. “Prior to ‘Roots,’ the biggest single image maker for the history and cul ture of Africans was Tarzan,” he said. “As ridiculous as that is, many people, both black and white, have said that.” The highest praise he said he re ceived for the book was when the West African Teachers’ Association asked for permission to condense the book for children. “They felt this sort of a book would afford the African children a better perception of their history and culture,” Haley said. He said he has experienced an emotional response 'to the book around the world. Haley stressed that the idea for “Roots” did not just happen. “‘Roots’ was born before I was able to spell the word book,” he said. He told of listening to his mater nal grandmother and her sisters sit on the porch in Henning, Tenn., and reminisce. Gradually, they re counted the family history back through the generations to the Afri can, Kunta Kinte. “I remember so well how ‘Roots’ got born that summer I was six,” he said. But the book was not written for many years. After finishing his first book, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” he found himself outside the U.S. National Archives in Washington, D.C. He went in and asked to see See HALEY, page 12 lyWigS"" 8:00 P-J litor!^ jrds we.) MU-FM station manager’s humor impromptu By TONY CORNETT Staff Writer The emerald green Goupe de Ville leapt into the lunchtime traffic ol Texas Avenue, its tires screaming. Melissa Cotropia had been sitting t the stop sign long enough. “I’ve never done that before,” she chuckled. Cotropia’s impulsive. She’s at her lest when she’s having to think and ict quickly and creatively. Working in radio, as the station manager at KAMU-FM, the 27-year- old host of “Thank Jazz It’s Friday” and “Cafe Eclectic” is constantly re lying on her ability to work produc tively wdlh creative impulses. She looks through her large- lensed glasses with her brown eyes and smiles her ready smile. She’s been known to change the color of her slightly wavy, shoulder length hair, but the current chestnut brown is the real color. She’s also a big ham. She’s not the kind of hammy per son who tries to crack a funny, fails, and then doesn’t realize it. She’s got the timing and the sensitivity to pull off disarming impromptu humor. She concedes that she’s a rotten teller of jokes. But in a conversation, her incisive wit shines through. Sometimes Cotropia is so sharp that she’s misunderstood, or not un derstood at all. * “My biggest fear is people who don’t get the joke,” Cotropia said. “It gets me in trouble a lot. “Don’t you want to know what my guiding theme in life is? Never un derestimate the value of a good time. _ Anybody who thinks that dedicating your life to entertaining people is of any less value than being a doctor or a lawyer is missing the point. That’s why I’m in radio.” KAMU-FM is a public radio sta tion and a member of National Pub lic Radio, which means that there is a significant amount of solicitation of donations from the public to help fund station operations. Being artic ulate and persuasive helps. Being an entertainer certainly helps as well. Cotropia became station manager in December of 1983. Since then, she and her staff have set fund raising records and continued to in volve interested members of the communitv in station programming. “The key to my success is that whenever I have an idea, I write it down,” Melissa said, “That’s the rea son our station does as well as it does with only three full-time employ ees.” Cotropia’s a thinker. She’s work ing on a master’s degree in English. She’s done a great deal of thinking about her motivations, strengths and weaknesses. She smokes cigarettes occasion ally, but you really don’t notice too much. Your eye gets distracted by the red earrings, red bracelet or that smile. She explained that smoking is a substitute for some of her emo tional expression. “I don’t show anger any more,” she said, “I used to just cry for every emotion. Now, I smoke. I think it’s the pressure of broadcasting. I think that’s why so many broadcasters smoke. I link smoking with the pres sure situations that I’m used to smoking in.” She keeps a photo on her bulletin board of her cat sitting in the bath room sink. Jonathan E., named after the character in the movie “Rol- lerball,” is a large cat. “Jonathan is my son,” Cotropia said, “He keeps me from chewing my fingers off until I can have a baby. That’s one of the biggest pre occupations of my life *— babies and children.” Cotropia’s husband is about to en ter medical school — she figures that means another five years of human childhood for Jonathan E. Cotropia is a little bit eccentric and says she comes from a family of zany people. She has an older brother and and an older sister, but See COTROPIA, page 13 Melissa Cotropia