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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 4, 1985)
'e$ e and Victor rch parking ition, where tackled the •eating her, pulled the d the scene, Hernandez I blind man le. The fire- <ed for four halation al as attending »f a friend’s as called on lild. The 3- on cookies nconscious, |>er formed iver on the > throat, re won Her- •f connnen- in Antonio Royall elected student body president By JEFF L. BRADY Stufi Writer Sean Royall is Texas A&M’s new student body president. I “The people have shown that they believe in me and what I can do,” Royall said late Wednesday upon the I release of the election results. The run-off election swept Royall into office for the 1985-86 academic lyear with 1,083 votes, or 60 percent. I About 5 percent of the st tdent body turned out Wednesday to elect Royall into office by a five-to-three margin. “This campaign has exposed not onlv the experience of tne candi dates but also the role of student government at A&M and what can be done to make it as effective as possible,” Royall said. Mike Cook, Royall’s opponent, re ceived 658 votes, or about 86 per cent. “I’m proud of the campaign we ran,” Cook said. “We raised some important issues and created a lot of enthusiasm.” Cook said his only disappoint ments were the low turnout Wednes day and the rumor and innuendo that was raised near the end of the campaign. “People won’t vote until someone stands up and gets something done,” Cook said. "That's when people think they can make a difference.” Cook also said he wishes Royall luck in making Student Government as effective as possible. “My plans are the same as if 1 was elected," he said. “I’m ready for stu dent government to start represent ing the students and speaking for their viewpoints.” Election committee members were slowed in their tabulation when the wrong magnetic tape was used at first in recording votes. “The student body president votes were all counted by hand,” Jim Collins, election co-commissioner, said. The rest of the votes were tal lied and released by 10:30 p.m. Student voters also decided Wednesday that next year’s Class of ’86 will be led by Mark Feagins and that Robert Brian Temple will be the senior class historian. Ward 2 senators will be Gayle Cougot, Mark McCann, Stephen Parke, David Klosterboer, Merrill Swans, Mike Wood, Susan Baker, Martha Bellens, Sandy Bennett and Joe Lloyd next year. Sophomore senators from the College of Engineering will be Rob ert Russ, Brian Hopkins and Sean Dempsey. Next year’s Sophomore Class Treasurer will be Traci Ryan. The election results w'ere released to a small gathering in front of the Academic Building Wednesday night. Campaigners cheered as the winners’ names were announced in front of the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue and the Bell Tower tolled in the distance. Election results also revealed that more freshmen voted than any other single class. The second biggest turnout came f rom the junior class, Sean Royall followed by the sophomores. The se nior class had the lowest turnout. A total of 1,799 students voted in the runoff. The Battalion Vol. 80 Mo. 126 GSPS 045360 16 pages College Station, Texas Thursday, April 4, 1985 ners hlicans argiK aying politic, sy are going u election,” wi “r Connie Leti as many vow nd.” ns care aboui nilies who art uise they can! Ixxly is unsra- y who is uf to speak. In 1 people in thi ,evi said. Republicans lx- vili help < inners. It *1 le said, becaux ■e reluctant lose their legi lateral. Attorney says copy of roster in Cuadra case not lost after all Associated Press A copy of the list of exercises that led to the August death of cadet Bruce Goodrich has been in authori ties’ hands for more than a month even though they said it was lost, an attorney said Wednesday night. Hank Paine, defense attorney for Gabriel Cuadra, 21, who was con victed in connection with the death of Goodrich, said he was “shocked and outraged” that Brazos County Attorney James Kuboviak had not told him about the list and said he learned about it by accident Tues day. Cuadra was sentenced to one year’s probation after he pleaded guilty to destroying the original list to keep it out of the media’s hands. But Cuadra hand-wrote a copy of the list after destroying (lie original and gave that copy to Paine, who said he in turn gave it to the grand jury investigating the case. Good rich, 20, was a transfer student from New York who died of a heat stroke after being forced to participate in “motivational exercises.” Kuboviak later said the list had been lost, and although a judge or dered it to be produced, it never came to light during the trial that netted Cuadra the probated sen tence for tampering with evidence. A woman who would not identify herself said Kuboviak would not be available for comment until Thurs day when The Associated Press called his home Wednesday night. Paine told the AP that the list “is an exact duplicate of that specific night’s exercises. It’s most helpful to us because it establishes that Gabe had no culpability, that he had no in tent to hide anything from police.” Three other former Texas A&M cadets pleaded guilty to reduced charges Feb. 25 in the hazing death and were given probated 90-clay sen tences. Paine had already submitted mo tions for a new trial for Cuadra, and initial arguments have been sched uled to be heard by Brazos County Court of Law Judge Carolyn Ruf- fino on April 10. In his motion, Paine accused Ku boviak and the trial jury with mis conduct. He says Kuboviak twice mentioned punishment for Cuadra when jurors were were asked only to decide guilt or innocence. White supports panel to review state colleges Associated Press AUSTIN — Gov. Mark White and legislative leaders Wednesday en dorsed creation of a blue-ribbon committee to give higher education in Texas the same kind of study that H. Ross Perot’s panel gave public schools. “Now that we have completed a total review of public education, I believe it is time w'e gave higher edu cation the same scrutiny,” said Rep. Larry Don Shaw, D-Big Spring, sponsor of the resolution to create the select committee. “We must try to maximize the use of our tax dollars in higher educa tion, but we must also look for possi ble duplication in programs in our colleges as well as the quality of the Currieu 1 u tn offered. ” H the Legislature approves its cre ation, the select committee would look at all aspects of higher educa tion, including funding, cost-effec tiveness of various programs and the possibility of closing some campuses, of ficials said. The plan calls for an in-depth study of our entire system of higher education, House Speaker Gib Lewis said. “Its ultimate goal is to establish that system as the finest in the United States,” he said. Lewis said the select committee would be the proper group to study possible consolidation or dosing of some state campuses, adding that he is working to reverse the House Ap propriations Committee’s tentative decision to close the University of Texas at the Permian Basin and Texas A&M at Galveston. The legisaltive leaders compared the new panel to the Select Commit tee on Public Education, headed bv Dallas businessman Perot, whicn made the series of recommendations that became the controversial House Bill 72 last summer and overhauled Texas’ public schools. Polishing The Brass Photo by JENSKOEPKE Da Bihler, from Leander, concentrates on getting jewelry ready for the craft festival at the Memorial Student Center Wednesday. Thirty-eight vendors sold their goods at the festival that was sponsered by the MSC Craft Center. Poison Outbreak of food poisoning blamed on milk Associated Press SPRINGFIELD, III. — An out break of food poisoning that has stricken as many as 937 people in three states almost certainly was :aused by milk contaminated by salmonella bacteria, health officials laid Wednesday. Tests on 10 cartons of milk indi cted the product was contaminated >y the disease-causing bacteria, said Barbara Weiner, assistant director of the state Public Health Department. She said officials were confident that conclusive results expected Thurs day would confirm the finding. Symptoms of those stricken by the bacteria include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and headache. No serious or life-threatening cases have been re ported, health officials said. The number of reported cases has risen to 937, with 515 of them con firmed, Weiner said. Of those, 898 were in Illinois, 30 in Indiana and nine in Iowa. Although reports of salmonella are expected to increase in the next few days, Weiner said onset of the illness should have ended Tuesday. The only contaminated product identified was 2 percent fat-content milk sold under the Bluebrook brand in Jewel and Eisner food stores, she said. CS and Bryan set for weekend election By MICHAEL CRAWFORD Staff Writer Most Texas A&M students won’t go to the polls this Saturday to cast ballots for a host of positions on Col lege Station’s and Bryan’s city coun cils and school boards. In 1984, only 27 people in three predominantly student precincts voted and most city officials don’t expect this year’s student turnout to be any better. This year, the elec tions fall on an Easter weekend lengthened by Friday’s state holiday. But those who do trek to the polls in College Station will elect three city councilmen and answer a non-bind ing survey on the establishment of a library. Bryan has five positions up for grabs, one of them is the mayor’s job. Seven candidates in College Sta tion are vying for the city council. Although each is concerned about expanding the region’s tax base, maintaining the quality of life and improving the city’s industrial park, they don’t always agree on how to reach the goals. Below is a summa tion of some of their views. Place 1 Fred Brown, owner of Fred Brown Mazda-BMW, has lived in College Station for 2'/‘2 years and says he sold profitable car dealerships in other cities to move here. He says he liked College Station’s low crime rate, its quality of life and its park system. But the city needs to be run like a business, he says, and his experience in private industry would help him lighten control on the city’s budget. More industry could be attracted to the area, he says, if the city’s in dustrial park was turned over to the Industrial Foundation and if Texas A&M was used as a carrot. More important than that, he says, is encouraging improvements in Easterwood Airport: “In the past we’ve had major industries come to town and like everything about our city except the airport.” He also says the city should scrutinize each de- f iartment’s budget and buy as much or a dollar as possible. Roy W. Kelly says he’s semi-re tired but that he wants the job of councilman. Kelly has lived in Col lege Station for 25 years and served one year on the council as well as three years on the planning and zon ing commission. His top goals are making the city adopt a “no frills” budget, bringing in more industry and keeping citi zens involved in the community. He says re-evaluating the city’s fi nancial position now that funds for federal revenue sharing and Texas A&M are in danger of being cut is very important. The city’s budget should be trimmed where necessary, he says. The council should attract many small businesses to the area, he says, rather than a few large ones so the impact of one or more failing wouldn’t damage the economy. Place 3 Roy Hann Jr., an environmental en gineering professor, says his top priorities are attacking problem areas which exist and improving the quality of life for residents. Hann says his experience in engineering and business management gives him the qualifications he needs to be a councilman. The city’s industrial park, now rel atively undeveloped, should be im proved and the city must examine all possible alternatives to help it, he says. Hann says he prefers to think in terms of community development rather than industrial development. For example, he says, the possible es tablishment of a city library is part of the cultural development of College Station. See ELECTION, page 15 It’s official: No classes on Friday Associated Press Texas A&M students and faculty will get a Easter break this weekend because of legislation passed and signed by Gov. Mark White Wednes day. The legislation designated Good Friday as a state holiday. Food preparation for students, campus security and physical plant activities are among the service oper ations that will be working despite the holiday. The Memorial Student Center also will remain in operation, includ ing the bookstore, cafeteria and Rudder Tower. The Student Pro grams Office, 216 MSC, will close at noon Friday. Intramural facilities will remain open. Sterling C. Evans Library will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fri day, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Sunday. Negotiators propose budget cuts GOP leaders struggle to agree Associated Press WASHINGTON — Negotiators for the White House and Senate Re publican leaders struggled Wednes day to complete agreement on a multi-billion dollar package of spending cuts to reduce federal defi cits, but said differences remained over Social Security, defense and ed ucation. “We hope to conclude prelimi nary work today,” Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole, R-Kan., told re porters after meeting with President Reagan at the White House and a few hours before the formal talks re sumed on Capitol Hill. White House spokesman Larry Speakes said any deficit-reduction plan would be brought to Reagan for his review, but added, “I would anticipate that the president would give a nod very quickly.” He said there was a “good chance” that could take place before the president’s scheduled departure for a California vacation Friday. But after reaching tentative agreement on a $14 billion, three- year package of farm program cuts Tuesday, sources said negotiators at a preliminary morning session quickly ran into difficulty when some senators objected to Reagan’s call for sharp reductions in education pro grams, including student loans. Sources dose to the negotiations added that while no final decisions had been made, there was an “incli nation” to accept Reagan’s recom mendation to eliminate (he federal subsidy for Arntrak, most Small Business Administration functions and the Urban Development Action Grant program. On the other hand, the sources said Reagan’s proposal to end grants for mass transit was likely to be re jected in favor of a reduction in funding. Dole told reporters the two sides had yet to discuss defense spending and Social Security, but other sources said any overall agreement would probably call for after-infla tion spending increases of 3 percent a year through 1988 for the Penta gon. Correction On Tuesday The Battalion in correctly stated that two Texas A&M students were killed in train accidents at the Holleman Drive crossing. In fact, the accidents were at the Luther Street cross ing. The Battalion regrets the er ror.