Aggie grad student studying
computer medical diagnoses
— Page 4
A&M defense prepares to halt
Houston's 'big play 7 offense
— Page 11
The Battalion
)L81 No. 222 USPS 075360 16 pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, October 9, 1985
lijackers claim to have killed 2 Americans
Reagan says US. working
to end 'this act of terrorism'
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President
Reagan called the hijacking of an
Italian cruise ship “the most ridic
ulous thing" Tuesday, and the
White House said the United
States was working with other gov
ernments “to bring about an end
to this act of terrorism.”
Both the State Department ami
White House said there was no in-
See Ship, page 15
Associated Press
t man who said he was the cap-
lofja hijacked Italian cruise liner
the Mediterranean pleaded with
uld-be rescuers Tuesday to stay
iy from the Achille Lauro, on
ich |vere heavily armed Palestin-
pirates.
Reports said the hijackers had
j^Rwo American hostages to
:ss their demand that Israel free
Palestinian prisoners.
‘Pleast.. please, don’t try anything
my ship,” he shouted into the ra-
f troin the ship, which was re
tted to be in international waters
Cyprus.
The, Palestinian hijackers were
said to have a large supply of explo
sives, and vowed soon after seizing
the vessel Monday night that they
would blow it up if military, air or
naval forces tried to interfere.
The Italian government said it
would not give in to “terrorist black
mail,” and also said that the hijackers
“seem” to be demanding freedom
for prisoners in Italy and other
countries.
Most of the Americans who had
been on the Achille Lauro cruise
were among about 600 passengers
who disembarked in Alexandria,
Egypt, before the Palestinians seized
the ship about 30 miles west of Port
Said. Reports indicated about a
dozen Americans still were aboard.
Western diplomats in Damascus
said the Syrian Foreign Ministry told
Italian Charge d’Aflaires Pietro Cor-
done the hijackers claimed to have
killed two Americans.
“We have no confirmation,” said
one diplomat.
The ship sailed west from the Syr
ian coast after it w as denied access to
Syrian territorial waters outside the
port of Tartus, a diplomat reported.
A Western diplomat in Damascus
said it was bound for Cyprus, and
Beirut port officials said it was in in
ternational waters off the coast of
Cyprus.
In an earlier radio conversation
with Beirut port authorities, the hi
jack gang’s leader demanded nego
tiations with Israel.
He shouted: “We will hit any ship,
any plane that tries to approach us!
This is Omar, the hijacker of the
Italian ship. I want to speak to Bei
rut port authorities.”
When port officials identified
themselves, Omar said:
“I want to negotiate ... I want to
negotiate with Israel. I want you to
convey this message. I want to nego
tiate with Israel. That’s all, I want to
break off now.”
Cairo newspapers said the gang
leader identified himself shortly af
ter the hijack as Omar Mustafa,
code-named Abu Rashad, but noth
ing more was known about him.
The Beirut port officials and Is
raeli radio monitors said the man
who said he was the captain shouted
into the radio later: “I have one mes
sage. Please, please, don’t try any
thing on my ship. Everybody is in
very good health.”
Cordone, the Italian charge d’af
faires, said Italy had refused all con
tact with the hijackers.
eath toll nears
Jin Puerto Rico
Iter tragic storm
Associated Press
PONCE, Puerto Rico — Volun-
mand soldiers dug through tons
mutl and shattered homes Tues-
y in a desperate search for survi-
rs ol the tropical rainstorm that
hed southern Puerto Rico, killing
leasj 66 people.
Hundreds of others are missing,
thorities said, in the mudslides
d floods from Monday’s deluge
it dumped seven inches of rain
thin! 10 hours along the southern
tol the island.
[Thousands of victims,
■ crushed or washed
■re given temporary shelter.
Gov Rafael Hernandez
Id Tuesday: “This is the worst tra-
dyever to hit our island in its his-
ty. It fills me with pain, as gover-
irand as a Ponce native.”
The National Weather Service
kl the official death count was
ghlty less than 100, and that from
|inda\ evening through Monday
orning, 10 to 15 inchs had fallen,
ialofficials have counted 66 bod-
their
away,
Colon
•
National Guardsmen said 18 bod-
i had been recovered from Ma-
H, a half-mile-square, impov-
ished neighborhood and the
^Bt hit community on the island.
H|400 wood-and-tin homes came
Hlbg down the hillside in a wave
mud early Monday.
The southern region’s prosecutor,
duardo Delgago, said 57 bodies
id been received at the morgue in
lie, including those from Ma-
leyes. Police in Santa Isabel said the
Puies of nine people who drowned
ere recovered there.
Police also listed as storm-related
e death of a man killed when his
ir crashed into a tree in the town of
atillas. just east of Santa Isabel.
Hernandez Colon, who visited the
immunity Tuesday for the second
tne since the devastating mudslide,
lid he was told as many as 200 peo-
le were missing. However, local res-
lents and rescue workers said a few
H people were missing from the
eighborhood.
Cotnmonwealth Senate President
liguel Hernandez Agosto said the
fgislature had released $10 million
Han emergency fund to help
Hyictims.
Officials said damage would be in
lie millions of dollars. Some banana,
offee and sugar fields were under
later.
The storm front developed into
Tropical Storm Isabel after passing
J|U.S. Commonwealth island’s
astern tip late Monday, and the Ba-
lamas government issued a storm
ratch for some islands Tuesday. 1 sa
id had maximum sustained winds
'ear50 mph in the afternoon.
“It looked incredible. The houses
We torn apart like they were pieces
I paper,” said Juan Colon, an un-
Hiyed youth who said he got
"vay from his home after hearing
lat sounded like explosions before
lawn Monday.
Civil Defense workers speculated
Pt the explosions were from small
iropane gas tanks used for kitchen
loves
The U.S. Army sent heavy equip-
Hent and engineers from a fort in
|e north-central part of the island
o hel[) excavate Mameyes. The gov-
iibr said he would also ask Wash-
hgton and even Mexico — still dig-
!>ng out from its devastating
Hquakes two weeks ago — for
uliical help.
Sidewalk Surfin’
John Boyle, a freshman mechanical engineering
major from Overton, takes a break from his stud
ies to hit the pavement. Boyle, from Squadron 2,
Photo by FRANK HAD A
learned how to skateboard six years ago in Ger
many when his father was stationed there with the
Army.
School reforms
make recruiting
more complicated
By CYNTHIA GAY
Staff Writer
Recruitment. It’s a touchy subject
around the Southwest Conference
these days. But when it comes to of
fering students an educational chal
lenge, Texas A&M has earned the
respect of the state’s high schools.
“A&M is academically too strong”
is the oft-repeated statement of stu
dents to A&M officials visiting the
high school campus, said Loyd Tay
lor, director of the Office of School
Relations.
When high school students tell
him they “couldn’t hack it” at A&M,
Taylor said he replies that the aver
age student is the bedrock of the
University’s greatness.
“It’s a place where average stu
dents can be successful,” Taylor said.
He likes to call A&M officials who
travel around the state speaking to
interested juniors and seniors in
formers, not recruiters. On the high
school campus, Taylor said, A&M’s
approach is to simply state the facts
and encourage students to visit the
University.
A&M’s educational opportunities,
history, enrollment, size of freshman
class, academic standing, number of
national merit scholars and amount
of money spent on research are
some of the first details the high
school student hears.
The fact that 97 percent of A&M
students came from the top half of
their graduating class, with close to
80 percent of those from the highest
quarter, is clear testimony of the
kind of students that consider A&M,
he said.
But for University officials on the
high school campus, field work is no
rose bed now because House Bill 72
has limited the time the student can
be outside of the classroom, Taylor
said. About one-half of high school
counselors will no longer allow the
students to meet with college offi
cials, he said.
At College Day or College Night
programs in major city high s hools,
representatives from public and pri
vate institutions give students and
their parents presentations that are
See A&M recruiters, page 15
Eaton 1 of 6 candidates
for Iowa State presidency
From staff and wire reports
Dr. Gordon Eaton, Texas A&M
provost and vice president of aca
demic affairs, is on a list of six candi
dates for the job of president of
Iowa State University, a search com
mittee said Tuesday.
Monday, 10 candidates were in
terviewed by ISU officials. By Tues
day evening, the number of candi
dates had been narrowed to six.
Eaton said he has mixed emotions
about his nomination, and hasn’t
made any decisions yet. He said he is
involving his family in the process
and is “content to wait.” Eaton said
there probably will be another
round of elimination before the final
decision is made.
ISU President Dr. Robert Parks
announced earlier this year that he
would retire in June 1986 and since
Dr. Gordon Eaton
then, the firm Heidrick and Strug
gles has been conducting a search by
mail for a replacement.
Eaton said in August he was not
See Eaton, page 12
October marks Texas Restaurant Month
By MARK RUDOLPH
Reporter
Eating out is fun.
This is the motto of the Texas
Restaurant Association, which is
promoting October as Texas Restau
rant Month, says Mary Newton,
president of the Brazos Valley chap
ter of the association and owner of
Prioriteas Coffee and Tea Specialty
Shop.
“We want to permeate the com
munity and the student body with a
positive attitude about restaurants,”
Newton says.
Governor Mark White has pro
claimed October as Texas Restau
rant Month in recognition of the
state’s 300,000 food service workers
and in honor of the state’s eating
places, which will pump over $ 10 bil
lion into the economy in 1985.
Newton says the idea behind
Texas Restaurant Month is to get
people'to recognize restaurants.
“We want people to think ‘eating
out,' ” she says.
Currently, there are 587 foodser-
vice units in the Brazos Valley area,
which employ almost 6,000 people.
Ray.Bowman, former president of
the Brazos Valley chapter, says con
sumers in Bryan-College Station
spend $672 per capita annually to
eat out. Bowman also says residents
spend 38.9 percent of their food dol
lar to eat away from home.
Newton says the area is tremen
dously overbuilt, so the 38.9 percent
of the food dollar spent away from
home could be misleading. She says
the population just isn’t large
enough to support all of the restau
rants.
Newton adds that the market in
the area is very diverse, but the num
ber one reason people eat out is for
convenience.
“The last thing I want to do after
work is go home and prepare a de
cent meal,” she says.
Newton says that people’s deci
sions in choosing a restaurant could
be affected by how they feel. She
says if someone was tired, he may
choose to sit down for a meal instead
of standing in a fast food line.
Newton also says students were a
very important part of the market.
When asked what types of foods
they preferred, Newton did not hesi
tate.
“Fajitas,” she replied.
Patsy Perry, manager of The
Grapevine Bistro and Restaurant in
College Station, says sandwiches and
soups were popular. But, she says
hamburgers are the biggest lunch
item in Texas, according to statistics
she has received.
Bennigan’s in College Station can
attest to this statistic. Their manage
ment says hamburgers are the most
popular item on the menu.
John Ersoy, general manager of
J.J. Muggs in College Station, also
says hamburgers are a big selling
item. He adds that hamburger sales
are down from last year, but still ac
count for 45 percent of total sales.
“We are starting to see a little
more diversity,” Ersoy says. “People
are beginning to shy away from red
meat.”
He says chicken and salads are be
coming popular.
According to Texas Restaurant
Association statistics, 36 percent of
the consumers polled in a recent
“Texas Tastes” survey say they are
more likely to order natural foods
when dining out than they were a
year ago.
The president of the organiza
tion, Louis Hochman, says customer
demand for healthy foods is being
felt in all segments of the business,
from dining to fast food.
“Today’s consumer is more inter
ested in ‘eating healthy’ than ‘just
eating’ and restaurateurs are re
sponding to this trend by including
foods perceived as nutritious on
their menu,” Hochman says.
The “Texas Tastes” study also re
ports that 25 percent of the respon
dents are less likely to order red
meat and 35 percent are more likely
to order salads.
According to the Texas Restau
rant Association, in the B-CS area.
See Eating, page 15