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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1985)
Seniors, juniors support Twelfth Man tradition The Battalion 180 Mo. 120 GSRS 045360 12 pages College Station, Texas Wednesday, March 27,1985 Bright resigns from A&M Board of Regents By SARAH OATES Staff Writer H.R. “Bum" Bright, who served four years as chairman of the Texas A&M University Board of Regents, was replaced as chairman Tuesday, then resigned from the board, say ing (i»v. Mark White insisted on Bright's support it W'hite runs for re-election. Bright said W'hite told him “you have served as chairman for the past four years at my pleasure because I control the voles of the board.” He said White told him he had done an excellent job and asked if Bright would support him if White ran for re-election. “He said 'If I decide to run for re- election, I've got to know that the chairman of the board of Texas A&M is going to be supporting me,” Bright said. “1 told him that I think any mem ber of a state agency board, be he chairman or be he a member, should support the governor in his exec utive decisions. ... I do not believe this mandates a support of a candi dacy of anyone to an elected posi tion. I would not make that deal.” White said Tuesday in a prepared statement that “I would not have thought his loyalty to Texas A&M would have been limited to serving as chairman of the regents board.” The board by a 7-0 vote elected Houston businessman David Eller as chairman. Joe Reynolds, a Houston attorney serving his second term on the board, was elected vice chair man. Both men were appointed to the board by W'hite. Eller and Bright abstained from voting. Bright said he wished to make an “editorial comment.” He objected to Reynold’s election as vice chairman, saying Reynolds has too many ties to White. White once worked for Reynolds’ law firm, Reynolds, Allen and Cook. Bright also said he believed a vice chairman who did not graduate from A&M “would be a detriment to the A&M system.” “My objection is not personal,” Bright said. “When Mr. Reynolds was suggested as vice chairman, I made a personal appeal to him to withdraw. This is the first time in my 60-year history and knowledge of A&M that a non-Aggie has been on this board as an officer.” S.B. Whittenberg was vice presi dent of the A&M Board of Directors from 1973 to 1974. He was not a graduate of A&M. “I felt that with Mr. Reynolds be ing a fellow graduate of the gover nor’s from Baylor University, and with the governor professing to me that he controls the votes on this board, I felt this would be poorly re ceived by one of our constituents, the former students’ group of Texas A&M,” Bright said. He said his objection to Reynolds was not personal. “As a consequence of our new of ficers of the board, and based upon the governor’s statement to me that he controls the board, 1 leel that it is inappropriate and serves little conse quence for me to continue to serve on the board,” he said. “So I shall submit my resignation to the gover nor when I return to Dallas.” When Reynolds said White does not influence his votes, Bright re plied, “I’m only telling you what your governor said.” Bright said that he had enjoyed his service on the board, and turned the meeting over to Eller, who H. R. “Bum” Bright thanked him for “ushering in a new era at A&M.” “You’re a hard act to follow,” Eller said. “You took a business approach at a time when a university like A&M desperately needed to be run like a business.” Bright told Eller, “Of the people sitting at this table, I probably know you best. I know you’ll make a good chairman. You’ll give it everything you’ve got. I just see little purpose in continuing to lunction on the board in a minority role when the governor controls the votes as he professed to me.” Bright then left the meeting, say ing the minutes of the meeting should note he was present and left early. Reynolds said as vice chairman he will “endeavor to serve the System and the people of Texas, not any cli que or group.” Regent John Mobley, one of the Gov. Mark White’s new appoint ments to the board, said Bright had See Bright, page 6 Caperton reveals bill to counteract budget proposal By DOUG HALL Reporter State Sen. Kent Caperton said Tuesday that a new proposal in the state legislature possibly will coun teract the budget cuts proposed ear- liei this year by Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby. Caperton, addressing the Texas A&M Board of Regents and a host of faculty members, said the pro posed bill would allow state colleges and universities to maintain current faculty salaries and flexibility in ma naging their own funds. “This plan would result in the re duction of not one dollar in faculty salaries from the 1985 level,” Caper ton said. “We are not going to retreat in Texas. We are strong in our commit- I tment to higher education. We are I going to make it clear that when fac- I ulty go looking, they look first at Texas. We can do that and we will.” Caperton’s statements coincided I with a Tuesday message by Hobby — which proposes an additional $487.9 million spending on higher education. This increase includes $22 million for worthy research pro jects and $35 million for a new re- j search fund. “I’m advised that A&M will proba bly do pretty well when it came time to participate in their share of that $35 million,” Caperton said. proposed 1985 levels, which also will increase non-resident tuition to $120 per credit hour, only two states in the country will have a cheaper tu ition than Texas. Hobby said the tuition hikes, which will cover only 10 percent of the cost of education in 1986, will raise $277 million over the the next two years. The difference in that amount and $487.9 million will be made up by reductions in other areas. “It is time to make adjustments in the cost of tuition,” Hobby said. “But even making adjustments, Texas still of fers to T exas students and to non resident students a great deal, a wonderful opportunity ... to come learn in this state. And that is good policy, it encourages quality educa tion, it’s strong policy.” Hobby said colleges should use the additional funds to “address the concerns of our faculty, particularly the bright young middle rank who are on their way up.” Caperton said the proposal has “been in the works for some time” and that he met with Hobby and other senators Monday to discuss the proposition. Caperton also said the idea was later presented to a large number of senators who come close to making the necessary two-thirds support. Making possible the additional funding for state colleges and uni versities is a proposal to raise in-state tuition from $4 per semester credit j hour to $ 12 per credit hour this fall. \ The price will rise to $16 in 1987. I Caperton said that even at the “1 am particulary excited about this plan . .,he said. “I implore for your help, the help of the citizens of the Brazos Valley in seeing that we get this plan adopted. It is too critical to the future of Brazos County not to have it, and to the state ofTexas.” Election commission says Royall within limit Members of Squadron 10 compete in Tues day’s Corps of Cadets Bloody Cross compe tition. The competition is a three-mile run around the Quadrangle. AH of the units in the Corps participate and the unit with the fastest time and the least number of mem bers to drop out wins. The Corps Public Re lations Officer Albert Muller said the results are pending approval by the Corps sargeant major and will be released today. Panel reviews plan calling for closure of universities Associated Press AUSTIN — The House Appro priations Committee on Tuesday be gan a retreat from decisions to close state colleges in Odessa and Galves ton. “We’ll work it out some way,” said Chairman Jim Rudd, D-Brownfield. “If it’s not here, it will be done some where else.” The panel voted Monday night to phase out the University ofTexas of the Permian Basin and Texas A&M at Galveston. Rep. Paul Colbert, D- Houston, proposed the closings and said the move could save the state $61 million. Colbert conceded Tuesday that the votes are there to undo the Mon day decisions. Rudd began looking for the parliamentary path to recon sideration of the votes. He said the committee would take another look at UTPB and A&M at Galveston when the rest of the budget is com- See PANEL, page 6 CS absentee voting starts today Shuttle for students available By ELIZABETH MICKEY Reporter Students who wish to vote absen tee for the April 6 city elections will be able to take advantage of a shuttle service which starts today sponsored by a city council candidate. Mike Hachtman, a Texas A&M junior who is running for Place 3 on the College Station City Council, or ganized the shuttle to make it easier for students to vote absentee. The election is scheduled for March 30, the day before Easter Sunday. “Devising the shuttle system is not me the candidate, but me the citizen being fed up with students not being able to vote,” Hachtman said. Shuttles are scheduled to leave from the staff parking lot between Haas and Walton halls and from the circle drive in front of the Commons at 4 p.m. today through Friday of this week and Monday and Tuesday of next week. Absentee voting closes April 2. Hachtman said the shuttle will go directly to College Station City Hall and back. It takes about 15 minutes to vote, he said. Hachtman also said that those needing a ride but are unable leave with the shuttle may call him at ' home and he will drive them to city hall. “If I drive someone over, that one vote could make the difference,” he said. Another reason Hachtman said he is sponsoring the shuttle is be cause the City of College Station combined the three campus pre cincts used in the November election into one precinct. All on-campus stu dents now will vote in the College Station Municipal Building on Church Street behind Northgate. Students care about what, is going on in College Station, and the com bining of these precincts makes it very inconvenient for students to vote, Hachtman said. In order to vote absentee, stu dents must sign an affidavit stating that they cannot vote on April 6 and why, said Dian Jones, a secretary at City Hall. The State Election Code lists physical handicaps, religious be liefs or absence at the time of the election as reasons for voting absen tee, Jones said. Those wishing to vote absentee may vote in Conference Room A in City Hall at 1101 South Texas Ave. through April 2. 1985-86 school catalogs available but now students will pay for them By JERRY OSLIN Staff Writer The Student Government’s elec- lion commission said Monday night that Sean Royall, a candidate for stu- S dent body president, did not exceed | the spending limit for campaign | materials. After reviewing Royall’s printing I receipts, Jim Collins, election co commissioner, said he is convinced j Royall did not go over the $300 c spending limit. The rules of the election commis- sion prohibit a presidential candi- { date from spending more than $300 | on campaign materials. 3 Collins said he saw Royall’s print- ! ing receipts and the receipts from ! the lumber and paint Royall used to build his campaign signs. Collins said the cost of the materi als Royall has used in the election so far totaled $286.86. “I consider this whole situation to be very unfortunate; however, at this point I don’t think it will have an effect on my campaign,” Royall said. A complaint was filed by two Texas A&M students Thursday accusing Royall of exceeding the spending limit. The complaint contained price es timates by three local printers esti mating the cost of Royall’s campaign materials at more than $300. Karl Brock, one of students who signed the complaint, said he met with Royall Sunday night and looked at some of Royall’s receipts and at an itemized list of his printing ex cuses. Brock said he decided Royall ad not gone over the spending limit after looking at the receipts and the list. By DAINAH BULLARD Staff Writer Texas A&M students who go to Heaton Hall to pick up a 1985-86 undergraduate or graduate catalog are in for a surprise. The catalogs are no longer available at Heaton Hall — and they’re no longer free. They can be purchased at the bookstore in the Memorial Student Center. Undergraduate catalogs are $3 each, or $4.15 if ordered through the mail. Graduate catalogs are $2.50 each, or $3.63 through the mail. Mary Helen Bowers, director of educational information services, says the change was made to save the University money. Toyas A&M spent $125,443 for 80,000 1984-85 undergraduate catalogs, and $36,672 for 36,110 1984-85 grad uate catalogs. “It’s just an awful lot of money,” Bowers says. “The University simply couldn’t afford it any more. We ex- ect quite a savings to the University y selling them (the catalogs).” By selling the catalogs, Texas A&M joins the ranks of other uni versities (such as the University of Texas, the University of Arizona and the University of Oklahoma). The University bought 51,500 copies of the 1985-86 undergrad uate catalogs for $86,000. Fewer cat alogs will be needed because stu dents will be buying them instead of just picking one up anytime they need one, Bowers says. “I suspect the fact that we gave them away encouraged waste,” she says. The cost of the undergraduate catalogs for Texas A&M was about the same for both issues (about $ 1.57 each for the 1984-85 issue and about $1.67 each for the 1985-86 issue). But the University will recover the costs of the 1985-86 catalogs, Bowers says. The University is supplying fac ulty and staff members with 1985-86 catalgs. However, the price students pay for their own catalogs does not fund the faculty and staff copies. “We don’t want students to have the feeling that when they buy cop ies in the Book store, they’re paying for the ones the faculty is using.” Bowers says. “The University pays for those.”