Autopsies performed
at judge's discretion
By GIGI SHAMSY
Reporter
Death inquests are conducted
by elected or appointed justices of
the peace in 243 Texas counties.
A state mandate requires that jus
tices attend an annual 2-hour
workshop and read a 13-page
handout on death investigations.
This is the justice’s sole re
quirement for deciding a person!s
cause of death. Because Texas
has no law making autopsies
mandatory, the county justice of
the peace is free to do as he
pleases. He can order an autopsy
or just sign out the cause of death
with no questions asked.
In 11 Texas counties, trained
medical examiners determine the
cause of death and order death
inquests. Medical examiners are
always physicians and occasion
ally pathologists who are specially
trained in forensic pathology.
Charles Petty is Dallas County’s
Chief Medical Examiner. Petty’s
training and skill paid off shortly
before 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Aug.
5 when he was called to the scene
of Texas’ worst airplane disaster.
Petty is still identifying the
bodies of the 131 victims who
were aboard Delta’s Flight 191
from Ft. Lauderdale.
The forensic pathologist is not
relying on guesswork in this, or in
any, of his investigations.
Medical examiners readily tell
about personal experiences
where they’ve seen the justice of
the peace system go awry.
Dr. Vincent DiMaio, a Bexar
County medical examiner, cites a
case in Wyoming where a justice
of the peace signed out the cause
of death as a heart attack when
there was “an obvious knife
wound to the abdomen.”
Granted, no one is free from
fallibility. But why leave some
thing so important as the correct
reporting of death in the hands
of unqualified individuals?
The predominance of this out
dated justice of the peace system
is a nationwide problem
Legislative changes on the lo
cal, state and national level
should begin with the creation of
a consistent regional or statewide
medical examiner system, an in
creased amount of autoptic train
ing for justices of the peace and
increased funding for new and
old medical examiner systems
across the country.
A&M recruiter: attitude of blacl
toward fhe University improvin
Thr
what t
By WASH A. JONES
Reporter
Some blacks say Texas A&M, de
spite its academic programs, has
little to offer them culturally and so
cially. But the situation for blacks at
A&M seems to be improving.
Barry Davis, a black associate di
rector for the Office of School Rela
tions, said A&M’s image is improv
ing even though many students and
faculty members, especially blacks,
still have negative attitudes about the
University. He said most of today’s
black recruits, unlike those four or
five years ago, have a more positive
image of A&M. He said more stu
dents are being advised by their fam
ilies to attend schools like A&M be
cause they offer a better education
overall.
Davis is responsible for recruiting,
and he said he tries hard to improve
A&M’s image by explaining miscon
ceptions and capitalizing on the
good aspects of the campus.
“A&M is a unique place,” Davis
said. “Not enough positive things are
said or written about A&M. There
are some good things happening for
students here. And that’s what we
need to talk about more.”
He offered an opinion why many
blacks may feel socially or culturally
deprived at the University.
“It depends on what blacks are
looking for as to whether they think
A&M offers them something,” he
said. “However, I’m not saying that
most blacks are looking for the
wrong things.”
He said many blacks worry about
“losing their identities” at predomi
nantly white universities, but that
the worries are often unnecessary.
“People must realize that times
have changed,” Davis said. “This is
1985, not 1920 or 1890. People are
not looking for skin color any more.”
He said A&M is preparing stu
dents to survive in the real world
where black identity does little to
ward helping one to survive. He said
he believes more students are realiz
ing that and are becoming less in
clined to seek a black identity in
choosing a school.
As a recruiter, Davis said, he tries
to help all students, regardless of
race, “fulfill their dreams.” He said
he corresponds with many of the
students after they enroll at A&M in
order to make them feel less alien
ated in a new environment. He also
counsels students if they have prob
lems after they enroll. He said he be
lieves this helps in retention of stu
dents.
An increase in the retention and
admission of blacks has increased
the number of blacks at the Univer
sity. The increased number of blacks
has helped A&M get closer to its goal
for minority representation. And
higher minority representation, say
many blacks, improves A&M’s
image.
Dr. Bill G. Lay, director of admis
sions, said the average denial rate of
black applicants at me University is
about 15 percent. Of the 350 blacks
who applied in 1984, 232 were ac
cepted for admission.
Since 1980, the number of blacks
at A&M has increased from 300 to
601 in 1984, Lay said.
The admission requirements for
all students are the same generally,
he said. All students are required to
have a certain rank in their graduat
ing class and must get a designated
score on the Scholastic Aptitude
Test, a standardized test taken by
most persons preparing to enter col
lege.
The range of admission require
ments allows all students to be con
sidered. If students are ranked in
the top 10 percent of their class, no
minimum SAT score is required.
And, normally, the bottom
range for resident studentsn
that students in the bottom!
cent of their class score
SAT. He said all nonresidi
dents are required to be in
25 percent of their class ani
1000 on the SAT.
Lay said any students Kk
meet the initial minimumr?
ments are given special cm
ation to determine if extei
circumstances are respond
their not meeting the require!
He said they consider suchtlE
family hardships, typeofsefee
tended, involvement in extn
cular activities, part-timejoki
during high school or a
during high school.
Other reasons exist foriti
proved imagd of A&M.
Bobby Bisor, a studentbdti
is black, said that many bit
old sti
gradui
lege- ,
In 1
A&M are happier becausetk
more opportunities to
volved in various activities thjt
other students with similarim
Bisor, vice president of cultn
grams in the MemorialStudei
ter Student Programs Office,
believes the situation for blad; keepe
improv
years ago.
d since he enrolled
Texas A&M students learn while in Europe
Study abroad an enriching experience
as a
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“If
By DIANA HENSKE
Reporter
“My advice would be, anyone who
can do it, should.”
That’s the advice of Chris Bowers
and a number of other students who
have joined various study abroad
programs.
says. “I tried to take advantage of the
chances to meet people and learn
the language. The opportunity was
there.”
Bowers spent one long weekend
traveling about 1400 miles in Yugos-
lavi.
Bowers, a senior psychology ma
jor from College Station, recently re
turned from Texas A&M’s summer
study abroad program in Italy. He
spent almost two months living in La
Poggerina, a former seminary in
central Italy.
During the week, his teachers lec
tured at La Poggerina or took the
group on field trips to see the artis
tic, historical and literary landmarks
they were studying. On long three-
or four-day weekends, Bowers trav
eled.
“It was up to the student to take
advantage of the opportunities,” he
“They were so amazed to see an
American in the interior of the
country,” Bowers says. He explained
that the few American tourists that
visit Yugoslavia usually go to towns
on the coast or the border. One
young man gave Bowers a tour of his
city and treated him to lunch and
dinner because he was interested in
learning about Americans.
“It’s hard to imagine that people
could be friendlier,” he says.
Louis Plank, of San Antonio, says
he also felt welcome as a student in
Europe. He lived in Germany his ju
nior year in high school as a Youth
for Understanding exchange stu
dent. His host mother took him on
trips to Belgium, Holland, Den
mark, Sweden, France, England,
Italy and Austria.
Plank says he liked staying for a
year because after the newness wore
off, the people treated him less and
less like an American and more like
a German.
Plank worked hard to learn Ger
man well enough to sound like a na
tive. He had to discourage the Ger
man students from practicing their
English on him so he could learn
their language.
Another Youth for Understand
ing student, Sian Morris, spent three
months in Holland. She had to re
turn early because of a family illness
but she says she enjoyed her visit and
learned a great deal about the cul
ture and the people.
“The people were really curious,”
Morris says. “They asked a lot of po
litical questions — to a kid!”
Morris’ host mother took her on a
trip touring Holland.
“Everybody had flowers,” she
says. “The Dutch take good care of
their gardens. We even went to a
flower auction. It was huge. Buyers
came from all over the world.”
Morris says she had to learn to ad
just to many cultural differences.
The Europeans ride bikes, walk or
take a train or bus wherever they
need to go. She says the transporta
tion system is well-developed, and
the people take advantage of it.
Sne also noticed a difference in
their attitude towards alcohol.
“It’s not cool to get drunk there,
not at all,” she says. “But there’s no
drinking age. If you can reach over
the bar, you can drink.”
Bowers says he had learn to re
spect the Italian’s tradition of dress
ing nice when visiting cathedrals. He
couldn’t wear shorts or sleeveless
shirts, even in warm weather.
He says the students also had to
shop around the Italian siesta. Shops
close at 12 or 1 o’clock for lunch and
then reopen at the store owner’s dis
cretion, usually about 3 or 4 o’clock.
Arleene Spear, of College Station,
went to Germany as a high school
exchange student, and says she
couldn’t learn to accept the nude
beaches along the North Sea.
“They were everywhere — the
beaches, I mean. I never did get
used to them,” she says.
Plank saw cultural differences he
won’t forget either, but they weren’t
amusing. Plank went with his Ger
man high school class to tour East
Germany.
“It makes you appreciate what
you have here,” he says. “You’d see
soldiers dressed in expensive uni
forms beside high-tech tanks, and
then you’d go into the village and see
how poor the people are. You knew
exactly what the government’s doing
with its money.”
Plank says he talked to some of
the Free German Youth, or pioneer
youth as they are better known.
“They were all hip-hip-hooray for
Communism,” he says. “If they don’t
accept it they get their prink
taken away. But they wererts
rious because they’re isob
They’d gel you in a privatepl*
ask you what’s going on out hen
Plank says he felt that Berlin
facade f or the tourists. It was
ernized and kept clean $in«
tourists went beyond Berlinli
the rest of the country. Planl
most tourist probably thought
East Germany was like Berlin.
“That part of the trip wasn’t
he says, “out we learned somutl
All of the students say thet
countered problems while stut
abroad. However, all of them
to go back. Bowers also wishe
work in a foreign country, anc
Morris and Spears wanttorett
Europe to tour the countries
has joined the U.S. Air Fortt
will eventually work in foreign
ligence.
“As of yet, it’s the best thit
done in my life,” Plank says
ryone should do it.”
'Mmmhe
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