Silver Taps ceremony tonight
at 10:30 honors 8 Aggies
— Page 3
Cowboys' Big 'D' intercepts
Redskins for 30-point win
— Page 9
TexasA&M f £ V •
The Battalion
Serving the University community
81 ho. 7 CJSPS 045360 14 pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, September 10, 1985
Reagan takes action against South Africa
Botha says South Africa
won't bow to pressure
Associated Press
JOHANNESBURG, South Af
rica — President P.W. Botha said
Congress forced. President Rea
gan to adopt sanctions Monday
against South Africa, but that
Reagan’s plan “is less harmful”
than what U.S. legislators pro
posed .
Botha did not criticize Reagan,
but said Congress coerced the
president to move on economic
sanctions “in disregard of the wel
fare and interests of our region.”
Botha said South Africa would
not bow to foreign pressure, but
vowed the country would push
See Botha, page 8
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President
Re; gan abandoned his opposition to
sanctions against South Africa Mon
day and ordered implementation of
most of the anti-apartheid provi
sions in a bill that congressional lead
ers said would have passed even over
bis veto.
Attempting to avoid the embar
rassment of a foreign policy defeat
in Congress, Reagan issued an exec
utive order that he said was “aimed
against the machinery of apartheid
without indiscriminately punishing
the people who are victims of that
system."
A year of racial violence in South
Africa in which more than 650 peo
ple had been killed, most of tnem
black, had brought sharp attack in
the United States and in Congress
against Reagan’s policy of “construc
tive engagement" with that country
— quiet diplomacy to persuade the
governing whites to share power
with the voteless black majority.
Until now, Reagan had justified
his opposition to sanctions on the
grounds that economic penalties
would hurt blacks more than anyone
else.
Reagan’s order would prohibit
U.S. banks from lending money to
the South African government un
less the funds are used to help the
disenfranchised black majority as
well as whites; ban computer exports
to South African military and law
enforcement agencies; and block the
sale of nuclear technology to South
Africa unless it is “necessary for hu
manitarian reasons to protect health
and safety.”
In the order, signed in the Oval
Office during a nationally broadcast
ceremony, Reagan also proposed to
ban importation of the Krugerrand,
South Africa’s gold coin, subject to
consultations with America’s major
trading partners.
Reagan sent U.S. Ambassador
Herman Nickel back to Pretoria with
a letter that the president said ex
pressed his “grave view of the cur
rent crisis and our assessment of _
what is needed.”
“The American people are impa
tient," Reagan said. “We all feel very
strongly about the changes needed.”
As a practical matter, most of the
steps contained in Reagan’s exec
utive order won’t have a substantial
impact on the South African govern
ment or economy, administration of
ficials said.
“There are prohibitions on sales
of computers; there are prohibitions
on sale of nuclear materials since
South Africa has not signed the nu
clear nonproliferation treaty,” Sec
retary of State George P. Shultz said.
Another senior administration of
ficial, briefing reporters at the White
House on condition he not be identi
fied, said banning imports of Kru
gerrands was the only penalty that
marked a genuine change in existing
policy.
The president insisted he was not
abandoning his policy of “construc
tive engagement.”
Faculty Senate
OKs curriculum
for genetics
By MARYBETH ROHSNER
Staff Writer
The Faculty Senate approved the
curriculum for an undergraduate
degree in genetics in the first meet
ing of the 1985-86 academic year
Monday.
The Senate also resolved that the
body would consider taking legal ac
tion against the state of Texas in re
sponse to the elimination of accrued
sick leave for some faculty members.
More than an hour of discussion
on the Senate floor resulted in the
approval for a B.S. degree in genet
ics. The University currently offers
graduate degrees in genetics, and
the undergraduate curriculum has
been in the planning stage for seve
ral years.
Sen. Jane Magill, a professor in
the biochemistry department, said
the demand for undergraduates
with extensive training in genetics is
increasing.
“Genetics majors would be em
ployable,” Magill said. “Students
nave asked why there isn’t a genetics
degree offered at Texas A&M.’’
Dr. Jim Wild, a major proponent
of the degree plan, answered sen
ators’ queries about the new pro
gram.
If President Frank E. Vandiver
approves the curriculum, the new
department will be administered by
the Department of Biochemistry and
Biophysics in the College of Agricul
ture.
And, even if approved, the new
degree plan may take several years
to materialize.
"The earliest possible date (for be
ginning the degree program) would
beSeptemberof’87,” Magill said.
In other business, Sen. John Mc
Dermott submitted an emergency
resolution suggesting that the Fac
ulty Senate “take legal steps to re
dress the grievances^ of faculty that
are affected by the Texas legis
lature’s decision to eliminate sick
leave accrual.
President Frank Vandiver said in
his State of the University address
that recent budget cuts have been a
setback for Texas A&M, but he does
not foresee a major crisis in finding
funds.
Solemn Shine
Jamie Newberry, a senior management major from
Dallas, polishes his trumpet in preparation for the Sil-
Photo by K YLE HA WKINS
ver Taps ceremony to be field in front of the statue of
Lawrence Sullivan Ross tonight at 10:30.
Scientists refusing ‘Star Wars’grants
-9?—— —
“As far as we know, this is the first time on a national
basis that any group of scientists and engineers has re
fused to work on a particular weapons system.”
Sanford Gottlieb, director of United Campuses to Pre
vent Nuclear War.
Associated Press
BOSTON — University scientists
who claim the “Star Wars” def ense
system is “science fiction” and a “co
lossal waste of money" are asking
colleagues to join them in refusing
millions of dollars in research
grants.
Hundreds of engineers, chemists
and physicists On more than two
dozen campuses have pledged not to
accept money for work on the Strat
egic Defense Initiative, President
Reagan's proposal for deflecting
missiles in space.
Congress has tentatively set aside
S2.7 billion next year for research on
the anti-missile system that proposes
to create an enormous defensive
shield of lasers and other weapons
that could automatically shoot down
Soviet missiles in the event of attack.
Reagan has proposed a five-year
budget for the program of $26 bil
lion.
“Our major emphasis is not to
make a political statement but to
point out that the bulk of the scien
tists who would be working on it
think it is technically infeasible and
at the level of science fiction, ” said
John Kogut, a physics professor at
the University of Illinois in Urbana,
one of two campuses where petitions
have been circulating since June.
The movement, which began in
June at Uorneil cdiversity, spread
during the summer to at least 31
campuses, where professors, grad
uate students and research students
joined the boycott, said Sanford Got
tlieb, executive director of United
Campuses to Prevent Nuclear War,
which is helping to coordinate the
petition drive.
As of two weeks ago, 360 people
had signed the pledge, but organiz
ers said manv more had signed as
schools returned to session.
“As far as we know, this is the first
time on a national basis that any
group of scientists and engineers has
refused to work on a particular
weapons system,” Gottlieb said.
The petition states that scientists
“pledge neither to accept Strategic
Defense Initiative support or work
on projects funded by SDT, and en
courage others to join in this refu
sal.”
“For a long time there has been an
incorrect belief that you could sepa
rate science and politics,” said David
Wright, a physicist who helped start
the drive at Cornell.
“What we’re trying to tell people, "
he said, “is that the reality of the situ
ation is that they can no longer ig
nore the political implications of
their research."
Coup crushed
Loyalist Thai troops stop
takeover attempt by rebels
Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand — Loyalist
troops crushed a coup attempt Mon
day oy 400 to 500 soldiers led by for
mer top military men. Prime Min
ister Prem Tinsulandona, who had
been out of the country, returned
hours after the tank-led rebel insur
rection and pleaded for unity.
Four people were reported killed
and 59 wounded in nine hours of
fighting. The acting army chief said
three alleged coup leaders had been
arrested.
Among the dead were NBC News
Bangkok bureau chief Neil Davis,
and his soundman, Bill Latch. The
two men were shot in front of the
army compound as rebel-operated
M-41 and M-48 tanks opened fire on
the army radio station.
At 6 a.m. rebel soldiers seized the
official Radio Thailand and govern
ment television Channel Nine. The
rebels, calling themselves the “Revo
lutionary Party,” announced they
had seized power and dissolved the
Parliament and Cabinet.
The rebels moved tanks to the
compounds of the Supreme Com
mand, Government House, the First
Army Division headquarters and the
Public Relations Department, the
national media center, all located
within a one-square-mile radius.
The rebels, with machine guns
and 22 tanks, stormed the army ra
dio station at 9:55 a.m., but gave up
five hours later when the govern
ment threatened to move in and
crush them.
The leaders of the coup an
nounced over Radio Thailand that
they had seized power, “to correct
the seriously deteriorating situation
of the economy.”
White smoke rose from the badly
damaged compound and the area
resounded witli bursts of machine
gun and pistol fire and exploding
grenades. The compound was se
riously damaged by tank fire, but
held out.
Radio Thailand said Prime Min
ister Prerh hurried back from Indo
nesia and had an audience with King
Bhumipol Adulyadej, who is the sin
gle greatest unifying symbol in Thai
land and has figured prominently in
the success or failure of previous at
tempts to change power.
In a brief television broadcast,
Prem, who appeared on the verge of
tears, said, “I want to stress that
unity is the most important thing for
our country. I want everyone to real
ize this importance.”
Gen. Tienchai Sirisumphun, act
ing armed forces commander,
speaking at a news conference, iden
tified the key leaders of the coup at
tempt as Kriangsak Chomanand,
former prime minister and supreme
commander; Manoon Rubkachorn,
a former battalion commander in
volved in an abortive 1981 coup; and
his brother, Manat Rubkachorn,
commander of the air force’s secu
rity force.
Tienchai identified other plotters
See Coup, page 13
MSC Council discusses
computer problems
By MEG CADIGAN
Staff Writer
Computer problems were the
main topic of discussions at the MSC
Council meeting Monday.
Robert Hawkins, executive vice
president for administration, noted
several problems with the present
MSC computer system.
“People don’t realize the capacity
of the system,” said Hawkins.
He said the system, which is oper
ating at more than 90 percent of its
capacity, has problems with quality
control and training of those who
use the computers.
The council unanimously ap
proved a task force to set guidelines
for solving immediate computer
problems, and to set long-range
computer plans for the MSC.
The long-range plans are to assess
computer needs in all areas of the
MSC and to develop an integrated
computer plan.
“Basically, what we need is a sys-
temized plan for our computers,”
Hawkins said.
Jim Reynolds, MSC director, ex
plained that the MSC hasn’t needed
many computer usage guidelines in
the past because there was no dan
ger of exceeding the computer sys
tem’s capacity.
A “new and improved” process
for approving MSC programs was
presented bv David Klosterboer, ex
ecutive vice president of progt ams.
In the new process, all programs
will be presented to the Program Re
view Committee. Programs which in
volve more than $2500 or ten per
cent of a committee’s budget will be
studied in greater detail.
The purpose of review committee
is to study the overall programming
of the MSC, said Klosterboer. He
said he hopes this will prevent sched
uling conflicts between programs
and give experienced MSC person
nel a chance to evaluate programs
before they happen.
Klosterboer said a program study
committee will review the programs
after they have taken place and look
to see if the monetary and student
development goals have been met.
In other areas. Open House
Chairman Chris Bowers reported
that Open House was successful and
only went $ 150 over its budget.
Bryan Tantzen, director of fund
raising for Fall Leadership, reported
that the committee’s fundraising ef
forts resulted in a budget surplus of
over$2000.
MSC adviser assignments were
approved and a new' organizational
flow chart was presented.
MSC Council President Denis Da
vis announced two council position
openings, executive vice president
for marketing and personnel and
vice president of finance. She said
interviews for these positions will be
held Sept. 15.