Vol. 80 No. 140 GSPS 045360 14 pages College Station, Texas Thursday, April 25, 1985
President asks
Associated Press
for support of budget cuts
I I WASHING! ON — President
Reagan implored Americans on
Wednesday night to deluge Con-
iress — “by phone, wire or mail-
Jram” — with support for a Republi
can budget that would trim Social
lecurity increases and kill popular
Programs.
I In his speech, Reagan told Ameri-
lans the nation faces a serious prob
lem that demands immediate atten-
lon.
I “Our future is too precious to per-
nit this crucial effort to be picked
■part, piece by piece, by the special
interest groups," he said.
In a nationally broadcast address
from the Oval Office, the president
said: "We stand at a crossroads. The
hour is late. The task is large. The
stakes are momentous. I ask you to
join us in making your voices heard
in the Senate this week and later in
the House.”
Reagan quoted John F. Kennedy’s'
famous inaugural appeal: “Ask not
what your country can do for you;
ask what you can do for your coun
try.”
The speech came as the Senate
postponed until Thursday the be
ginning of debate on. the budget
package that both Reagan and Sen
ate Republican leaders have en
dorsed.
With the national debt ap
proaching $2 trillion, Reagan said
the per capita debt amounts to
nearly $8,000 for each American
and is increasing about $1,000 per
person each year. The interest on
the debt amounts to $155 billion
now, he added.
Reagan’s plan would slash nearly
$300 billion from expected deficits
over three years without raising
taxes.
The goal is to bring the deficit be
low $100 billion by 1988 without
raising taxes, he said.
With Congress deeply divided
over how to cut massive deficits, Sen
ate Majority Leader Robert Dole, R-
Kan., said in advance of Reagan’s
address:
“I think he needs to scare us a bit.
AVe’re all running around like we
have a big (budget) surplus — don’t
cut this, don’t cut that.”
The Republican program would
eliminate, freeze or reduce dozens
of popular domestic programs, in
cluding Amtrak, the Small Business
Administration and farm subsidies.
Senate Minority Leader Robert C.
Byrd of West Virginia, delivering a
broadcast Democratic response.
claimed Reagan has not offered a
solid financial plan for America’s fu
ture.
“His program shortchanges the
future, oy seriously undermining
education and medical and scientific
research . . . and breaks his own
promises to our nation’s elderly,”
Byrd said, referring to Reagan’s
campaign statements opposing So
cial Security benefit cuts.
Byrd said that Democrats “want to
address the deficit problem in a fair
way that inspires the faith of our
people and reassures their percep
tions about the f airness of their gov
ernment.”
Reagan insisted that the solution
to America’s economic problems is
to cut away at government spending.
He said:
“All the progress, all the good
we’ve accomplished so far and all
our dreams for the future could be
wrecked if we do not overcome our
one giant obstacle. The simple truth
is, no matter how hard you work, no
matter how strong this economy
grows, no matter how much more
tax money comes to Washington, it
won’t amount to a hill of beans if
government won’t curb its endless
appetite to spend.”
>
Polo Anyone? Photoby TESSmoore
Those passing through the main entrance to campus may see taking advantage of the warm weather, practicing on the
the Texas A&M Polo Team scrimmaging. The team has been fields opposite the A&M golf course.
ienate delays vote on tuition;
House may fund A&M-Galveston
Student Senate
elects Johnson
as new speaker
By JERRY OSLIN
Staff Writer
Associated Press
I AUSTIN — The Senate held off
|0n a final vote on a tuition increase
KVednesday. A $279 million tuition
Increase had been tentatively ap-
■toved Tuesday on an 18-11 vote,
|and final passage had been ex-
lected.
I Also on Wednesday, the House
tentatively approved a budget which
jpcluded funding for Texas A&M
I University at Galveston.
I Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos said, the
■pposition to the tuition increase
was solid — “men of steel,” he joked
— and could block a final vote.
Barrientos, D-Austin, said to
soften the opposition amendments
were being readied that would, in ef
fect, raise tuition for only two years
and would allow colleges to waive tu
ition for certain students.
The bill tentatively approved
would triple resident tuition this fall
to $12 per semester hour. Out-of-
state students also would pay three
times as much, or $120 per semester
hour. The second year, residents
would pay $16 a semester hour, and
non-residents the same $120.
In the House, tentative approval
was given to a $36.4 billion state
budget for 1986-87, a spending plan
that Speaker Gib Lewis said can be
paid for without raising taxes.
“We addressed the needs for the
next biennium and certainly this will
cut off any need for a tax increase,”
Lewis said.
The House on Tuesday approved
a fee-hike bill that would help bal
ance the budget by bringing the state
an additional $106 million over the
next two years. That package in
cludes a 50-cent annual hike in the
cost of a driver’s license.
Major floor fights developed
Wednesday about funding for the
University of Texas of the Permian
Basin and A&M-Galveston, the two
schools targeted for closing in the
appropriations committee version of
the budget. The proposed House
budget restores appropriations for
both.
The budget legislation faces a fi
nal House vote, probably Thursday.
Wednesday’s preliminary vote was
135-11.
The Student Senate elected a new
speaker and speaker pro tern for the
1985-86 school year Wednesday
night.
Laurie Johnson, the Senate’s new
speaker, said the Senate needs to de
velop new ideas and a stronger
course of action.
Johnson said the Senate needs to
communicate more effectively with
the student body.
“The legislative branch cannot de
pend on the executive branch or
The Battalion for getting their mes
sage out,” Johnson said.
The Senate must explain the is
sues more thoroughly and com
pletely to the student body, Johnson
said.
Johnson said the Senate should
establish a new program that would
enable the student body to have
more input in the Student Senate.
Under Johnson’s plan, students
would be able to write down their
ideas and opinions on forms offered
by Student Government. A senator
representing the student would then
be assigned to research the idea and
bring it to the Senate in the form of a
bill. "
Miles Bradshaw, the new speaker
pro tern, said the Senate needs to
convince the student body and the
administration that it can make a dif
ference.
In other business, the Senate
passed a resolution calling on the'
federal and state governments to
place a greater priority on higher
education and to guarantee an op
portunity for all students to be able
to pursue higher education.
James Cleary, who introduced the
resolution on behalf of the academic
af fairs committee, said a copy of the
resolution should be sent to the fed
eral and state representatives and
senators of the Bryan-College Sta
tion area.
Cleary said students need to be
heard in the state and federal gov
ernments because “college students
have been getting the short end of
the stick.”
The Senate also approved several
appointments to the executive
branch of Student Government.
People approved were: Lindsey
Dingmore, executive vice president;
Michael O’Quinn, director of the
Legislative Study Group; Madelon
Yanta, Judicical Board Chairman;
Maritza Pena, director of programs;
Michele Rogers, director of commu
nications; Linda Biel, director of ad
ministration; and Matt Mckay, com
ptroller.
Also approved were: Janet Netar-
dus, head of the Conference on Stu
dent Government Associations; Jef
frey P. Smith, head of the traditions
council; Susan Aycock, head of the
Muster committee; Amy Lister, head
of Parents’ Weekend committee;
Mark Maniha, head of the Big Event
committee; Kathy Jolly, United Way
representative; Keith Kornfuehrer,
head of student relations; Marae
Lehnert, head of internal relations;
and Alan Moore and Chris Gavras,
co-commissioners of the election
commission.
New funds needed
with decreasing oil
and gas revenues
Editor's note: This is the sec-
\ond article in a two-part series
aboi/f the oil industry and how it
\affects the state’s economy.
By KEVIN INDA 8c
TRENT LEOPOLD
Staff Writer
The wizards in Austin have
j looked in their crystal ball and
they don’t like what they see.
In 1978, revenues from oil and
gas taxes totaled more than $955
million. In 1980, oil and gas taxes
totaled more than $1.5 billion. In
1 1985, they are expected to reach
$2.2 billion. But Comptroller Bob
Bullock is estimating that oil and
gas taxes will generate only $1.8
billion in 1986.
Considering that oil and gas
severance taxes make up about 30
percent of Texas’ tax revenue,
that expected $400 million de
crease in fiscal 1986 revenue will
be a major jolt to the state’s pay-
as-you-go budget.
The decreases in oil and gas
tax revenues are the major reason
lawmakers are currently seeking
ways to cut spending and/or in
crease income. If current spend
ing levels are maintained over the
next biennium, the State of Texas
would be about $1 billion short of
funds.
From the looks of the oil indus
try in the future, Texas may have
to find new ways to generate
funds.
Bullock is predicting that oil
rices will drop to an average of
25 a barrel by early fiscal 1986.
Oil production taxes are expected
to total under $1.1 billion in
1985. But in 1987, they are ex
pected to total only $802 million.
This would be a 22 percent de
crease in current state income
from oil taxes.
Natural gas tax revenues also
reflect the decline in the price of
oil. Bullock has estimated that
overall natural gas tax income will
increase by 4.7 percent in 1985,
but decrease in fiscal years 1986-
87.
See NEW FUNDS, page 13
Time capsule put in Albritton Tower
Photo by FRANK IRWIN
Ford D. Albritton (left), Dr. Frank Vandiver and Nelson
Martz put the Albritton Tower cornerstone into place.
By TRENT LEOPOLD
Staff Writer
What will people think about
Texas A&M 91 years from now?
That’s hard to say now. But
thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Ford D. Al
britton Jr. of Dallas, the folks
around in 2076 will be able to dis
cover what life was like in 1985 when
they open a time capsule which was
installed at the base of the Albritton
Tower Wednesday.
The capsule was put inside the
cornerstone of the 138-foot-high Al
britton Tower during a ceremony
that began shortly after 11 a.m.
About 35 people witnessed the
event.
When the capsule arrived at the
site about 11:03 a.m., Albritton ex
pressed his satisfaction as he stood at
the west base of the tower.
“It’s a beautiful job,” he said as he
examined the shiny rectangular cap
sule. “Don’t suppose there is a
chance they slipped something extra
in here. That would be great.”
Albritton and Texas A&M Presi
dent Frank Vandiver then walked
north to the cornerstone which had
been taken out of the tower’s base so
the capsule could be inserted.
Vandiver thanked Albritton for
the capsule and tower. “Thank you
again for thinking of us and the Uni
versity,” he said.
Albritton and Vandiver slid the
capsule into the cornerstone at 11:07
a.m. They shook hands and said
they would make a date to be back in
the future.
At 11:11 a.m. Nelson Martz and
Vernon Sanford sealed the time cap
sule into the cornerstone as the 49-
bell carillon chimed “The Spirit of
Aggieland.”
The cornerstone was placed on
five sections of steel pipe so it could
easily be pushed back into the base
of the tower. Vandiver and Albritton
ave the stone a push but Martz and
anford had to use a crowbar to get
the stone back in place.
Martz and Sanford said they were
“real honored” to be a part of the
capsule installation. “We’ve worked
in all of it all the way,” Sanford said.
Albritton said the time capsule
was part of the original plans for the
tower.
The capsule includes a 1984 Class
Ring bearing the inscription: “Costs
$346.20 troy ounce Ring Price
$222.12- 11-15-84.”
Other items in the capsule are: a
cassette tape of the Texas Aggie
Band, a cassette tape of the Singing
Cadets, Corps of Cadets brass, inte-
rated circuit designs done by un-
ergraduate and graduate students
in the Electrical Engineering depart
ment, a videotape, various slide pho
tographs and written material on mi
crofiche.
The written material, which in
cludes a pictorial history of Texas
A&M, was reproduced on micro
fiche to save space, Albritton said. A
device is being included to enable
the people who open the capsule to
read the information.