The Battalion
Vol. 80 No. 137 (JSPS 045360 12 pages
College Station, Texas
Monday, April 22, 1985
Campus
flowers
might get
budget ax
By SARAH OATES
Staf f Writer
■ Texas A&M’s floral test garden,
one of the brightest spots on cam
pus, may be pruned out of the Uni-
■rsity’s budget as A&M cuts costs in
anticipation of a 4 percent reduction
in state f unding.
■ However, University officials say
Closing the garden is only one option
.tinder consideration if the budget
cuts become law.
■“There's no way to tell what’s
going to happen until the appropria
tions picture becomes clearer,” said
Jit Ferguson, associate vice presi
dent of operations, which maintains
the garden.
■“If it’s a question of jobs or main
taining the garden, the garden goes,
jlthink I can safely say that they (the
.University) would hate to see it go."
■Ferguson said University opera-
;tions is considering other options be
sides closing the test garden, which is
Totaled near the aerobics track on
Hbuston Street.
■“We may get rid of some flower
leils, or reduce the numbei of times
plants are turned over in the color
ijped.s, he said. “We may reduce
mowing schedules so that employees
are free to do other jobs.”
■Ferguson said the University
would consider accepting private do-
nations to maintain the garden.
■“If we could get some kind of en
dowment for funding, we’d love to
entertain that kind of proposal,” he
said.
Speed Racer
A cyclist speeds past the stop sign at the intersection of Bizell
and Spence streets in defiance of the law. Under the law, bi
cyclists are required to obey the same rules as motor vehicles.
Bpace ride
Fish to be port of shuttle experiment
| By MARY McWHORTER
Reporter
■ About 15 students from Texas
A&M and Clear Creek high school
in Houston are planning to send fish
on a ride through space on the space
shuttle’s future “gel away special.”
■ The experiment, designed to
study the effects of weightlessness
on fish and how they adjust to grav
ity changes, was the idea of A&M
fieshmen David DeVore and Kim
Ka trick.
■Devore and Karrick said they
wanted to develop a self-sustaining
s|stem that can be used on future
space missions to keep any organism
alive for use as food. The compact
electronic equipment under devel
opment also should be useful on
other space shuttle projects.
■“We are clearing a path for future
get away specials,” Karrick said.
The students began the experi
ment at Clear Creek High School as
a science fan project.
‘We thought it would be so easy,”
DeVore said.
However as the project grew, De
vore and Karrick realized that it
would take several years to plan and
build the equipment. Along with
other students, they have already
spent three years developing the ex
periment tentatively scheduled for
the summer of 1986.
Karrick, a computer science ma
jor, is in charge of designing and
building the hardware for the pro
ject. DeVore, a bio-chemistry major,
is studying the behavior of platys —
the fish that will be used in the ex
periment. He also is designing a life
support system for the fish.
DeVore said platys (small, semi-
tropical fish) were chosen because
they exhibit physical changes that
are easily observed when they’re un
der stress and are in danger of going
into shock.
“They display a lot of behavior
patterns that we will be able to pick
up on camera,” DeVore said.
' This characteristic will make it
easy to determine if the fish are ad
justing well to their new environ
ment. For example, under normal,
healthy conditions, platys are a
bright blue. But if they disagree with
changes in their environment, their
color fades rapidly
The Space Center Rotary Club
bought the five square foot container
that will contain the experiment for
110,000.
The entire experiment must fit in-
See SPACE, page 6
Simpson speaks on values,
integrity of the True' Aggie
Being an Aggie is more than -
wearing an Aggie ring, attending
Midnight Yell Practice and going
to Muster, Lt. Gen. Ormond R.
Simpson said Sunday at Muster in
G. Rollie White Coliseum.
“None of these, taken singu
larly or as a group, make a real
Texas Aggie,” Simpson, Class of
'36, said before a capacity crowd.
“They are symbols, not the real
substance of a true Aggie.”
Simpson, assistant vice presi
dent for student services, said in
tegrity is the key to being a true
Aggie.
“I believe integrity is the is the
basic building block for the Aggie
Spirit in any real Texas Aggie,”
he said. “Being a Texas Aggie is
not of the flesh — but of the
spirit. In a very real sense it is a
'state of mind.’
“You are confident without be
ing cocky, proud without being
arrogant, competent without be
ing overbearing, considerate but
never subservient, steadfast but
not stubborn, humble in victory,
gracious in defeat.”
Simpson said A&M expects its
students to recognize its high
standard of integrity and to “give
it your best try.”
“The Aggie Spirit is both your
heritage and your challenge,” he
said. “Make the most of it.”
Following Simpson’s speech,
Bill Hayes, a Muster Comittee
member, and Deanne Rand,
president of the Brazos County
A&M Club, called a roll for 76
students and former students
who have died in the past year.
Friends and family members
answered “here” when the name
of a loved one was called. Candles
were lighted for each name
called.
The A&M Muster was orga
nized by a committee of 29 stu
dents headed by Chairman Lean-
nah Reed. It was one of more
than 400 musters held world
wide.
The Muster featured welcom
ing speeches by Davis Ford, presi
dent of the Association of Former
^Students, President Frank E.
Vandiver and Student Body Pres
ident David Alders.
Mrs. Jerome A. McDavitt pre
sented a flag made by her hus
band and his comrades in 1945
after they were freed from a Jap
anese prisoner-of-war camp. Je
rome McDavitt was one of 25 Ag
gies who mustered under
Japanese fire on Corregidor ■
Mexico increasing
protection for tourists
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — In response
to pressure from the United States,
Mexico is beefing up law enforce
ment to better protect American
tourists, the State Department has
told Sen. Lloyd Bentsen.
Assistant Secretary of State Wil
liam Ball wrote Bentsen, D-Texas,
that the department decided against
issuing travel advisories in Guadala
jara and Puerto Vallarta despite be
ing “particularly concerned” about
crimes against Americans in those
cities.
“As a result of our discussions
with Mexican officials at the local
and national level, we believe im
provements are beginning to be
made," Ball wrote
He said crimes and accidents in
volving U.S. tourists in Mexico were
up 13 percent in 1984 over 1983.
But, added Ball, “no accurate ac
counting of assaults or other inci
dents involving Americans in Mex
ico exists because our citizens often
forego making an official complaint
to the Mexican police, sometimes
even in cases as serious as rape or
robbery.”
Ball said that in 1983 there were
736 assaults compared with 806 in
1984. The number of abductions or
disappearances rose from three to
15.
But Ball stressed that the figures
should be considered in the context
that an estimated 4 million Ameri
can tourists visit Mexico every year.
Bentsen had asked the depart
ment to issue travelers’ advisories to
Americans considering visiting Gua
dalajara or Puerto Vallarta because
of reports of increased crimes
against Americans.
Though the department turned
him down, Bentsen said in an inter
view taped for distribution to Texas
television stations, “They did tell me
they’re getting better cooperation
out of the Mexican government.
“You have more Mexican po
licemen on the highways, they have
put more Mexican policemen in
those towns, and on the town of
Puerto Vallarta, even have the coop
eration of the Mexican Navy to try to
provide security on the beaches,”
Bentsen said.
Ball said that in Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico is funding the hiring of 200
more police officers, installing eight
new police booths and putting 10
new police patrol cars into service.
In response to State Department
expressions of concern, Mexico has
established an office under its attor
ney general to monitor investigation
and prosecution of crimes against
Americans, Ball said
The Ministry of T ourism also op
erates a 24-hour “hotline” for tour
ists needing aid, he said.
A&M students should know
rights under Texas DWI laws
By KIRSTEN DIETZ
"Staff Writer
Students unaware of their rights when stopped for
driving while intoxicated often are taken advantage of,
says Bill Vance, a Bryan attorney.
Vance says about 75 percent of those stopped for
DWI plead guilty without understanding the conse
quences.
Attorney John Barron says, “They just don’t under
stand the impact (of pleading guilty).”
Since Jan. 1, the University Police have arrested two
students on campus for DWI. In 1984 they arrested
seven students for DWI.
Bryan and College Station police do not keep sepa
rate statistics on the number of students and non-stu
dents arrested for DWI.
DWI convictions, as of Jan. 1, 1984, are listed on the
offender’s record for 10 years. This can affect the per
son’s employment.
Vance says, “Anything you need to be bonded for or
if you are going into military service, they’re sure going
to find out about it.”
If a student is going to plead guilty on the first of
fense, he doesn’t need an attorney because with or
without an attorney , the result will be the same in terms
of court costs and fines, Vance says.
“TheyYe not gaining anything by using them (attor
neys),” he says.
James Locke, another lawyer, disagrees.
“It’s probably not a good idea for them to go in (to
court) completely alone,” he says.
Locke recommends the person at least talk to an at
torney before going to court.
Barron agrees with Locke.
Vance says some attorneys take advantage of stu
dents by charging large fees just to plead the case.
Then they add the cost of a jury.
If a student insists on having an attorney, he should
shop around, Vance advises.
For a first offense, fines range from $300 to $500
and court costs are about $70. The judge can suspend
the jail sentence and place the person on two years pro
bation. If probation is successfully served, the person
doesn’t have to go to jail.
The person also can lake a class within six months of
his arrest and appear in court in order to keep his driv
ers’ license.
If the accused refuses to take a breath test, his license
may be suspended up to 90 days. Most people don’t re
alize that it won’t be suspended automatically, Vance
says.
If the person refuses, he or she receives a letter from
the Department of Public Safety asking the person to
mail in their license. But in the fine print, the letter says
the recipient has 20 days to demand a hearing from a
justice of the peace.
At the hearing, the justice can either suspend the li
cense up to 90 days or let the person keep the license
and probate it, which means if the person is stopped for
DWI again, he or she must take the breath test.
Vance says there is a big argument right now
whether or not the justice of the peace can probate the
suspension. The Attorney General has issued an opin
ion that says the justice can’t, but no appellate court has
ruled on the opinion yet.
Also, Vance says if someone takes the breath test and
has a 0.1 percent or more alcohol level, the results are
admitted into evidence, and there is an automatic pre
sumption by the court that the person is guilty of DWT,
The judge makes the final determination of admissibil
ity.
If a person refuses to take a breath test, his chances
of being found not guilty of DWI are increased, Vance
says.
“Without a breath test, you’re not automatically
guilty under the law,” he says. “What it comes to is a
swearing match between you and the officer.”
See DWI, page 6
Ross Volunteers prepare for Sunday’s Muster ceremony