Page 12/The Battalion/Thursday, September 26, 1985
Mike Shryne, a junior political science major; Pat Eidemiller, a soph
omore aerospace engineering major; Alan McDonald, a freshman ani
mal science major; and John Rowan, a junior political science major,
spent about two hours floating in the Fish Pond during the “Puryear
Some graduates still lack basic skills
Yacht Club 2nd Annual Regatta” before Saturday’s football game.
The group’s first regatta was held at Rudder Fountain in protest of the
bombing of the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior, but this regatta was
strictly for fun.
Universities raising requirements
At least seven state universities, following the lead of
Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin,
have raised admission standards. Others are imple
menting tougher course requirements, retention pro
grams to reduce flunk-outs and mandatory testing.
Associated Press
AUSTIN — There’s no money-
back guarantee on a college educa
tion. A bachelor’s degree doesn’t
come with a warranty.
But increasingly Texans are con
cerned that some of the many stu
dents who come to college unpre
pared are graduating without
mastering even elementary skills.
“We, with our taxes, are support
ing another generation of college il
literates,” said Tony Bonilla, a Cor
pus Christi attorney who served both
on the college coordinating board
and the Select Committee on Public
Education.
A Southern Regional Education
Board study of five southern states
showed that 40 percent of college
freshmen need remedial work.
“I think it’s every bit that bad if
not worse in Texas,” said State Com
missioner of Higher Education Ken
neth Ashworth, who served on the
board’s Commission for Educational
Quality.
“Too many students are playing
their way through high school.
That’s why we have to pay $37 mil
lion for remedial education every
biennium.
“Then, too many manage to get
through their specialized areas in
college without adequate testing or
an adequate demonstration of basic
skills. That’s a condemnation of
what’s going on in college.”
Despite rocketing costs and the
best intentions, Texas’ public univer
sity system in many cases has failed
to remedy the shortcomings of a
public school system branded medi
ocre by all national standards.
Some statistical evidence:
Despite $18 million a year in tax
payer dollars spent on remedial edu
cation in universities, one-third of
sophomore university students
flunked a test of lOth-grade-level
reading, writing and arithmetic
skills, a test necessary to enter tea
cher education. Last year, it was
nearly one-half.
Students from four-year universi
ties didn’t score as well on the state
nursing examination as those from
junior colleges and hospital diploma
programs.
Freshmen flunk-out rates run as
high as 50 percent. At Lamar Uni
versity, for example, only 30 percent
of freshmen who enter get a degree.
Some 40 percent of academic stu
dents must take at least one remedial
course.
“Students come from high schools
sadly lacking in basic skills,” said Bob
Hardesty, president of Southwest
Texas State University.
“We had students who couldn’t
write a simple declarative sentence,
who couldn’t do basic math prob
lems and we were graduating them.
It wasn’t intentional. Our system just
wasn’t sophisticated enough to catch
them in time.
“We all seemed to be taking the at
titude that if the public schools
couldn’t teach the basic skills to their
students, there was nothing that we
could do about it once those students
reached college,” he added. “It was a
vicious cycle.”
Texas is trying to break out of the
cycle, first with sweeping changes in
public schools; next, with a hard
look at higher education.
The Southern Regional Educa
tion Board, after determining that
the average community college
freshman reads at the eighth grade
level, chided institutions for giving
college credit for work that is not
college level.
Texas officials were doubtful
enough about the quality of the state
university product to ask a special
committee to decide if universities
should require a sophomore year ba
sic skills test. Gov. Mark White has
endorsed that idea.
At least seven state universities,
following the lead of Texas A&M
and the University of Texas at Aus
tin, have raised admission standards.
Others are implementing tougher
course requirements, retention pro
grams to reduce flunk-outs and
mandatory testing.
And universities are admitting
unpleasant truths about the quality
of their product.
A University of Houston study
conducted by consultants Richard F.
Dini & Associates determined that
the university was held in such low
esteem in Houston that a multimil-
lion-dollar money drive should be
delayed because the university lacks
the respect to make that effort a suc
cess.
At East Texas State University,
students who can’t write a literate ju
nior-level essay can’t graduate. Only
48 percent of East Texas State Uni
versity students passed the test the
first time they took it in 1984. This
year the scores improved, up to 69.4
percent.
The average Scholastic Aptitude
Test score of freshmen entering
state universities in 1983, the last
year for which figures are available,
was 848 out of a possible 1600.
“I doubt that any faculty member
deliberately pushed students along,”
said Jack Humphries, president of
Sul Ross State. “But the feeling was,
‘We’ve got them, we’ve got to grad
uate them.’ The colleges were
caught up in the same democratic,
egalitarian attitude.
“We were not demanding in our
standards. We tended to adjust cur
riculum so that students could suc
ceed.”
The reputation of Texas universi
ties varies widely.
“I think we have two institutions
with the potential for greatness as
major international universities, and
that’s A&M and UT,” said coordi
nating board chairman Larry
Temple. “I don’t think that has been
achieved but it can be achieved with
the right leadership, funding and di
rection.”
Subpoena sent
to director of FBI
in espionage trial
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — FBI Director
William Webster has been subpoe
naed by the defense to testify in the
trial of Richard W. Miller, tne only
agent ever charged with espionage,
it was revealed in court Wednesday.
The subpoena and an accompany
ing affidavit were filed “a couple of
days ago,” Miller’s attorney said, and
were aimed at refuting testimony by
an author who said the FBI would
never use its own agents to penetrate
a hostile intelligence operation such
as the Soviet spy agency, the KGB.
Miller has said he was trying a
maverick infiltration of the KGB in a
bid to save his wavering career, not
selling out to the Soviets.
The subpoena for Webster appar
ently is based on an interview the
FBI chief gave earlier this month in
which he said FBI double agents are
being used to keep Soviet spies off
balance.
“We’re also causing them to be
suspicious of people who are offer
ing information because they don’t
know whether that’s a bona fide trai
tor or an FBI agent,” Webster said.
Webster’s statement apparently is
at odds with author Jonn Barron,
who testified earlier in Miller's trial
that the FBI would never use one of
its own agents to infiltrate the KGB.
Barron, who wrote “KGB Today
— The Hidden Hand,” testified that
the FBI avoided using infiltrators
because, if discovered^ the agent
could release vital information dur
ing interrogation.
The subpoena had apparently not
yet been served on Wenster, as no
government motion had been filed
to quash it.
In earlier testimony, an FBIsu j
pervisor testified that Miller's bos
asked him to “consider the monl
and spiritual consequences" of con
milting espionage against theUnitti!;
States.
During five days in which agean:
questioned Miller, fired him ami E
searched his home one year ago y
Miller had several office meeting!'
with Richard Bretzing, specialattn;
in charge of the Los Angeles FBlof |
fice, said P. Bryce Christens*!
Bretzing’s assistant.
Christensen was called to tin I;
stand by defense attorneys to n ;
plore Miller’s state of mind duriii
the time he was under questioning
for allegedly handing FBI docs l
ments over to Soviet KGB agents.
Miller, 48, is accused of passing:
the classified documents toSvedaci I
Ogorodnikov, a Soviet emigre wkc
became his lover, in a deal fa
$65,000 in cash and gold. If cot
victed he could face life imprison
\nent.
Mrs. Ogorodnikov and husbanc
Nikolay, pleaded guilty during the
trial and are serving prison terms.
Under uuestioning by defense it-
torney Joel Levine, Christensen dt
scribed a meeting that Miller tuc
with Bretzing three days beforelu
Oct. 2 arrest on espionage charge
The FBI had already question*:
Miller for two days on whether It
had indeed handed any document!
to Ogorodnikov.
“Mr. Bretzing requested that Mi f
Miller consider the moral and spirr
tual consequences of his action!,' |
said Christensen, who like Mile
and Bretzing is a member of tit
Mormon church.
Youth's last request
honored by Marines
for active duty and retired Ma
rines, but when marines at the
Houston recruiting office heard
of his dying wish, they lookup
the fight with Corps neadquar-
ters.
“It was tedious,” said StaffSgt.
Mike Eck. “I made a lot of phone
calls to Washington and a fen
other places.
"He was given the authority to I
wear the blues, the same blues we
wear,” he said.
Benito died Sunday at the hos-
pital after being in a coma two [
months, said his aunt, Nora
Torres of Harlingen.
:
Thailand questioning
400 coup suspects
identified, said about 400 peopk I
have already been questioned bytht |
team, which is expected tocondudt |
its investigation within 30 days.
The team, headed by police chief
Gen. Narong Mahanona, last weel |
arrested five former and currenttof |
military officers as well as foui |
prominent labor leaders and |
charged them with sedition, whichi i
punishable by death.
Meanwhile, the surgeon who tried
to save the life of an American tel*' |
vision soundman, said he was stnid I
by a small metal object.
Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand — Thirty-
one people have been arrested for
alleged involvement in an abortive
coup attempt early this month, and
police are investigating nine other
suspects, a senior police source said
Wednesday.
The failed power bid Sept. 9 left
five people dead and about 60 oth
ers wounded. Prime Minister Prem
Tinsulanonda appointed a commis
sion team two days later to investi
gate the incident.
The source, who asked not to be
Associated Press
HARLINGEN — A 12-year-
old who showed courage during
three years of suffering with a
brain tumor was buried Wednes
day in a Marine Corps uniform —
the boy’s last request.
Benito Gonzales Jr. was buried
in his hometown of Harlingen,
but he had been in and out of the
University of Texas M.D. Ander
son Hospital and Tumor Institute
in Houston since 1982 for nine
operations and treatment for the
malignant tumor.
The honor of wearing Marine
dress blues normally is reserved
British Airways selected as airline of the year by air travelers
Associated Press
LONDON — Regular air travelers voted
British Airways the airline of the year, Ex
ecutive Travel magazine said Wednesday,
and described their woeful experiences on
other carriers — such as being forced to
run a race to qualify for seats on an over
booked flight.
In the article published Wednesday, one
businessman described how Nigerian offi
cials, after discovering a domestic Nigeria
Airways flight was overbooked three times,
asked the passengers to run twice around
the plane.
The fastest ones got the seats.
A passenger on an aircraft preparing to
leave Bangladesh on a flight to London
wondered why the crew ignored the ham
mering from outside.
Eventually, the door was opened and the
pilot climbed aboard, it said.
About 5,500 air travelers, mostly busi
nessmen, who on average make 25 or more
flights a year, voted in the magazine’s an
nual poll.
British Airways, the state-owned airline,
which is expected to have its shares go on
sale to the public next year, also won first
lace for the most helpful cabin staff, the
est food and wine, and the best business
class, the monthly said.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific was
voted the second best airline, followed by
Singapore Airlines and Swissair, the mag
azine said.
Singapore Airlines’ stewardesses were
considered the most beautiful and British
Caledonian’s the smartest, the poll showed.
The magazine said six voters claimed
they had been victims of plane hijackings in
the last year, 53 had endured engine fail
ures or landing gear problems, and three
said their planes had made crash landings.
One passenger said he had to dive for
cover in Tehran when Iraqi warplanes
bombed the airport, the magazine said.
Cabin crews did not escape complaints,
the magazine said.
One British passenger claimed he wast*
fused a glass of water while flying to Paiii
because he was seated in an economy-das
section.
Another Briton expressed dismay whs
cabin staff instructed passengers inlifeboa:
drill on an overland flight from thenortli
western city of Manchester to London.
“I hate to say it but I think mostofthfi*
episodes are true,” the magazine’s editoi
Mike Toynbee, told The Associated Press
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The Mens Texas A&M Soccer Team hosted Rice University this past weekend. The match
ended in a 0-0 tie. The Aggies will travel to Lubbock and Abilene this weekend to play
Texas Tech and Abilene Christian University, respectfully. The fall schedule for remaining
games is:
Date
Opponent
Time
Place
Sept 28
Texas Tech
11:00
Away
Sept 29
Abilene Christian
11:00
Away
Oct 5
Lamar
2:00
TAMU
Oct 13
Sam HoustonSt.
4:00
TAMU
Oct 19
Texas
2:00
TAMU
Oct 20
Stephen F. Austin
2:00
TAMU
Oct 26
Lamar
2:00
Away
Nov 1
Baylor
4:00
Away
Nov 3
Texas Christian
2:00
Away
Nov 9
Houston
2:00
Away
Nov 23
Houston
2:00
TAMU
Note: Location of home games will be announced in The Battalion the week prior to
the scheduled game.