Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 1985)
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■I ■MHnHMSBBMnMSHMHBKnHHHH&KUSBJKBBtti A&.M offering shuttle ride to libraries in Austin for $8 — Page 3 Alabama Coach says A&M will be team's first big test — Page 13 l tie Battalion Vol. 81 No. 8 (JSPS 045360 12 pages College Station, Texas September 13, 1985 Second big change in apartheid planned Associated Press JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - A government panel on Thurs- lay proposed repeal of the hated ‘pass laws” that keep South Africa’s jlacks out of white areas — the set - 3nd major change in the apartheid system announced in two days. Even whites who oppose the gov- irnment hailed the step. “This is the beginning of the end )f apartheid," said Sheena Duncan, president of the Black Sash women’s novement, which opposes the na- ion’s system of racial segregation. "I really do think it means something. They are not playing around with words this time.” Helen Suzman, an anti-apartheid member of Parliament, said, “This is jrobably the most important step drward in 30 years.” A primary ef fect will be that fami lies now restricted to their tribal homelands could join the men work ing in the cities, preventing the brea kup of families. On Wednesday, President P.W. Botha told a congress of his National Party that the government was giv ing up its policy that blacks even tually have to become citizens of black homelands and relinquish cit izenship in South Africa. Blacks, however, still will have po litical rights only in the homeland, and still will not be able to vote in South Africa. Residents of Soweto’s White City Jabavu neighborhood said police ar rested as many as 600 students around Hlengiwe High School, holding an undetermined number of them in Diepkloof Prison under state-of-emergency regulations. The residents said students under age 12 were freed. The neighbor hood has seen the worst of Soweto rioting since anti-apartheid violence began more than a year ago. Goyernment policy allows the country’s 5 million whites to settle al most ainywhere while its 24 million blacks need permits, or passes, to live near white areas and hold jobs there. Between 200,000 and 300,000 blacks a year are arrested for viola tions of the pass laws and sent back to the tribal homelands, usually for trying to work in cities illegally. A committee of the President’s Council, an advisory panel to Presi dent P.W. Botha, on Thursday an nounced a report that said pass laws — technically called “influx control” — do not work and cost too much to maintain. It also said the laws are “discrimi natory” against blacks and “conflict with basic numan rights.” The plan calls for replacing pass laws with what the council said would be “orderly urbanization.” Details were sketchy, but the re port said more money should be spent developing black townships and allowances should be made for “informal” communities — black squatter camps. Under influx control, blacks may not be in white areas for more than 72 hours without a stamp in their pass giving permission from white authorities. Those born in urban areas, and their children, can live and work there permanently. Those in the homelands are virtually bar red from coming to cities except on one-year migrant workers’ contracts. Police at A&M investigating pipe bombing Photo by Jaime Lopez First Yell The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band plays during Texas A&M’s first are held at midnight on the Fridays before the games, the prac- yell practice in The Grove. While yell practices for home games tices for out-of-town games are held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays. Students contribute to community A&M is basic industry in B/CS area By JENS B. KOEPKE Staff Writer Imagine the local area without Texas A&M. College Station might not exist and Bryan would be a typical East Texas small town. “Without A&M, the local area would look like Navasota or Hear- ne,”said Lonnie Jones, an agricultu ral economics professor at A&M. The University pumped a record $344.2 million into the local econ omy during 1984, according to a study conducted by the University president’s office. The revenues, up $25.5 million from 1983, included $220.2 million in wages and $28.5 million in utili ties, services and supplies. Students contributed over $105 million to the local economy in housing, food, clothing and other expenditures. “A&M is the primary, basic indus try in the community,’’ Jones said. The University employs more people than the four other basic in dustries combined, he said. The other basic industries are agricul ture, mining, construction and man ufacturing. Every dollar produced by the Uni versity results in a $3.10 revenue f ain in the community, Jones said. imilarly, every job created at the University results in two new jobs in the community. “The two most heavily impacted areas are real estate, especially rental housing, and retail/trade business es,” Jones said. Faced with an enrollment de crease, the local economy would not feel an abrupt change, but a slacken ing demand for retail business and rental housing, he said. An enrollment estimate revealed by speaker Jaan Laane at the A&M Faculty Senate meeting Monday night puts A&M about 1,200 stu dents behind last year’s final tally. President Frank Vandiver con firmed that A&M has fewer grad uate students, out-of-state students and foreign students than last year. A significant enrollment decrease would be dramatically felt by an al ready soft local economy, said Ed Brady, executive vice president of the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. The difficulties that city busi nesses encountered because of the flattening of enrollment growth in the last two or three years were com pounded by the slump in the oil and gas industry, Brady said. “Combined, it has been a painful lesson for the diversification of the local economy,” he said. “We’re for tunate we’ve got the University, but we need to diversify.” To achieve this diversification, he said, the Chamber of Commerce, to gether with the Brazos County In dustrial Foundation, the Bryan De velopmental Foundation, the College Station Industrial Devel opmental Foundation and Texas A&M’s Research Park has developed See Students, page 7 By BRIAN PEARSON Staff Writer The Texas A&M University Police Department is investigating a Wednesday detonation of a pipe bomb in Puryear Hall. Boh Wiatt, director of the depart ment, said the bombing could be a retaliation against stricter enforce ment of University policy on dorm residents. No one was hurt in the explosion. “You’ve got a feud going on in Puryear because they have some of the staff — including the head resi dents, assistant residents and area coordinators — who are telling the residents of this dormitory to cut out the hijinks,” Wiatt said. “We have a small group of people who resent that and are trying to retaliate.” He said there are no definite sus pects in the case. Brian Kennedy, head resident of Puryear Hall, was jolted out of bed at 1 a.m. when the bomb — a 6-inch- long, polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) pipe filled witn gunpowder — exploded outside of his dorm room. “I went to bed and 10 minutes later I heard an explosion,” Ken nedy said. The bomb was taped to the out side of Kennedy’s door when it went off. Wiatt said if the bomb had been tied firmly to the door, it would have “blown the door in.” Kennedy said, “Pieces of the pipe were on the floors above and below us.” Wiatt said, “He (Kennedy) could have opened that door after the fuse was lit and the thing was about eye level.” Wiatt said the culprit probably will face serious charges. “There are probably a half a dozen charges that could be filed with this type of incident,” he said. Wiatt said the three main charges are arson, places where weapons are prohibited, and components of ex plosives. Each charge has a penalty of two to 20 years in prison. If a person is hurt in an arson incident, the con victed person can spend five to 99 years in prison. “So help me, if we get who was doing this and if we have enough ev idence according to the district attor ney, then we’re going to do our best to send him to prison,” Wiatt said. This particular explosion was not the only bombing incident Kennedy has experienced. On Sept. 4, Kennedy found a shoe box in his room. When he opened the top, an assortment of fireworks detonated. Wiatt said Kennedy suf fered a temporary hearing impair ment from the blast. “There was a timing device consis ting of batteries, clothes pins and wires that were activated when the top of the shoe box was removed,” Wiatt said. “It set off the string of firecrackers, a smoke bomb and Texas Whistlers.” Wiatt said the suspect said he learned to build the bomb by watch ing the movie “Airport.” University Police had a suspect who admitted to the bombing, but charges could not be pressed be cause of “insufficient admissible evi dence beyond his confession,” Wiatt said. No one saw the suspect place the shoe-box bomb and all evidence was destroyed with the explosion, Wiatt said. The suspect was turned over to the Department of Student Affairs for disciplinary action, but Wiatt said the suspect in the first crime is not necessarily a suspect in the second. Kennedy said he feels he was sin gled out for the bombing incidents because he is a representative of the establishment. Kennedy said, “If we allowed things and somebody gets hurt, we’d he the ones responsible for it. “It’s not a matter of good bull or bad bull, it’s a matter of liabilities.” White says execution Associated Press AUSTIN — Execution is an p im j s h njlt > m f or •n- froto such crimes, Gov. .lark Whue said Thursday. I support it in and of itself ." Whatever deterrent effect exe* cations may have “is some added value to the death penalty ... not the sole basis for the death pen- ; ally. The death penalty is an ap propriate punishment for some one who commits a capital crime : "White said. The governor referred specif ically to Charles Rumba ugh, 28, who’died by lethal injection eltriy Wednesday alter spending nine years on death tow. Rumbaugh was executed for killing an Am arillo jewelry store owner during a robbery. “1 don’t think anyone would suggest that what Mr. Rumbaugh did should he punished lightly. I think he is a very good example of the appropriateness of the death penalty,” White said. Marty criminal justice experts say there is little evidence to show See Execute, page 7 Greeks slow to apply for recognition By TAMARA BELL Staff Writer A wait-and-see attitude has been adopted by most fraternities at Texas A&M in response to Univer sity recognition of Greek organiza tions. Recognition of social groups was officially granted this summer by Dr. John Koldus, vice president for stu dent services. The Interfraternity Council and two fraternities, Farm house and Kappa Sigma, already have been recognized under the so cial category. Heidi Seifert, president of Pan- hellenic, said Panhellenic, the gov erning council of sororities, has not made any plans to apply for Univer sity recognition. Once a social group is acknowl edged, it receives in addition to other advantages, a discount on ad vertising in The Battalion and use of University facilities. At least two other fraternities have decided to seek recognition. Sam Lorimer, president of Alpha Tau Omega, believes the recognition of all fraternities at A&M is inevi table. “The only disadvantage we, the chapter, saw ended up not being a disadvantage,” he said. “Banking at the MSC and needing a faculty ad viser to sign checks just encourages us to be more careful in our book keeping. “Another concern is the Univer sity will be able to regulate our par ties, but the Texas ABC (alcohol bev erage control) will be cracking down on fraternities harder than the Uni versity will when alcohol is the ques tion. “We have an advantage over those fraternities not recognized because we have more credibility. When we become recognized we’ll be known as the Texas A&M Alpha Tau Omega instead of the University’s stepchild.” Rick Beck, president of Pi Kappa Phi, said another positive aspect of recognition is the ability to rush on campus. “The Greek system is growing,” Beck said. “We’ve been here six years and we have 36 men in the chapter. We would like to get up to 50 or 60 members. If we’re recog nized, we can participate in a cam pus-wide formal rush.” Although some fraternities view recognition as positive, most are ei ther hesitating because of a lack of information or waiting for the reac tion of other fraternities. Kappa Alpha President Sid Cau- thorn said the chapter is investigat ing the long-term effect of recogni tion before making a final decision. A concern of some fraternities is the University’s control of finances. After an organization is recognized, its funds are regulated through the Student Finance Center, Koldus said. “The University gets the interest from the money in the Finance Cen ter,” Koldus said. “It accumulates See Greeks, page 7