A&M profs reading program
improving children's skills
— Page 3
A&M ignores Heisman hype
en route to Cotton Bowl win
— Page 5
The Battalion
. 82 No. 77 USPS 045360 6 pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, January 8,1986
Expert insists
Autumn Hills
patient died
of cancer
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — Extensive di-
ignostic testing on an elderly woman
ihowed no signs of cancer seven
months before she died at a nursing
lome, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
But pathologist Dr. Paul Radelat
refused to say that 87-year-old El-
nora Breed did not have some form
of cancer and stuck with his claim
she died of the disease in November
The testimony came in the mur
der-by-neglect trial of Autumn Hills
Convalescent Centers Inc. and four
ofits current and former employees.
They are charged with murder in
thedeath of Breed.
Radelat, a Houston pathologist
and the first defense witness, testi
fied Monday that Breed died of a re-
rurrence of colon cancer. She had
undergone surgery for the disease
three times previously.
Radelat said he based his opinion
on the fact that Breed had bloody
stools that sometimes appeared
tarry, diarrhea and a steady weight
Prosecutor David Marks pointed
out that during extensive diagnostic
testing in April 1978, doctors found
no evidence of blood in her stool. He
also mentioned Breed had hem
orrhoids, another factor that might
have caused bleeding.
In earlier testimony, Radelat said
he did not think Edna Mae Witt, an
other Autumn Hills patient, “was a
reasonable candidate for recupera
tion” in late 1978.
The defendants also are charged
with murder in the October 1978
heath of Witt, but they are not being
tried on that charge.
Radelat also said her physical con
dition made Witt susceptible to bed
sores. Earlier testimony has indi
cated Witt developed several
iressure sores while at Autumn
, with at least one of them be
coming severely infected.
The doctor said the fact that Witt
“' , s immobile made her more prone
levelop bedsores. He pointed to
lical records showing Witt was
led every two hours while at Au-
n Hills. Nevertheless, within five
, she developed her first pres-
sore, he said.
Reagan condemns
business with Libya
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President
Reagan on Tuesday ordered all
Americans and American companies
to quit doing business with Libya,
and pledged that unspecified “fur
ther steps” would be taken if Moam-
mar Knadafy does not end his
“longstanding involvement in ter
rorism.”
Reagan said there was “irrefutable
evidence” that the Libyan leader was
involved in the Dec. 17 massacres
that killed 19 people at Rome and
Vienna airports. He declined to dis
cuss this evidence.
Nonetheless, Reagan said Kha-
dafy had aided the Palestinian group
he said was responsible for the air
port attacks and told reporters,
“Khadafy deserves to be treated as a
pariah in the world community.”
In remarks at the beginning of a
nationally televised news confer
ence, the president appealed to
America’s European allies to “join
with us in isolating him.” Aides con
ceded that without such support, the
sanctions might have little effect.
On other matters, Reagan told a
questioner that he intends to ask
Congress to raise the Pentagon’s
budget by three percent after infla
tion in the 1987 budget that he sub
mits to Congress next month. At the
same time he is expected to propose
more than $50 billion in politically
painful domestic program cuts
needed to meet the deficit reduction
goals in new budget legislation.
Before the news conference even
began, Reagan invoked national
emergency authority and signed an
executive order, which said that
firms and individual Americans who
remain in Libya or conduct business
— import or export — with Libya
will be subject to criminal prosecu
tion.
Administration officials said seve
ral firms have continued to do busi
ness in Libya.
Administration officials said Rea
gan’s order means that, for individu
als, anyone other than a journalist
who remains in Libya and buys or
sells anything at all — including gro
ceries — could face up to 10 years in
prison and cash fines.
Reagan said Khadafy provided
support for terrorists led by Abu Ni-
dal, the Palestinian who Reagan said
was responsible for the airport at
tacks.
Although Reagan called on other
nations to join the U.S. trade ban,
some officials, speaking on condition
they not be identified, said there was
little prospect that Italy, Libya’s larg
est trading partner, and West Ger
many would cooperate
Even so, officials said it was im
portant that Reagan act to “eliminate
any U.S. contribution to the Libyan
economy.”
Reagan said further steps would
be taken if these didn’t end Khada-
fy’s terrorism but did not specify
what those might be. But adminis
tration officials who briefed report
ers at the White House said military
action remains one option.
Reagan said, “The United States
knows the location of training camps
used by terrorists in Libya,” and that
Abu Nidal has moved his training
camps there.
Asked about Khadafy’s weekend
vow to bring terrorism into the
United States if he is provoked, Rea
gan said “how can you not” take it se
riously?”
Tuesday’s action was not the first
sanction imposed by Reagan against
Libya. The United States cut off im
ports of Libyan oil nearly four years
ago and banned export of selected
U.S.-made materials that could be
used for military purposes or in oil
fields in the North African country.
Reagan also had severed diplo
matic relations with Libya, banned
most travel to the country and urged
Americans who live and work there
to leave, although some 1,500 re
main.
One senior U.S. official said the
administration, trying to dramatize
Libya’s role in international terror
ism, plans to issue a “white paper” to
demonstrate the training and sup
port Khadafy’s government gives
terrorists.
The official, who spoke on condi
tion he not be identified, said some
of the information came from
friendly governments that inter
cepted and interrogated terrorists
trained in Libya and some came
from photographs. The precise
number of training facilities is diffi
cult to pin down because old ones
are regularly disbanded and new
camps established.
Agriculture Secretary Block resigns
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Agriculture
Secretary John R. Block, who has
presided over the most difficult
times for American farmers since
the Depression, announced Tuesday
he will resign next month.
Block said he had accomplished
his foremost goal: pushing through
Congress a five-year farm oil! aimed
at linking agriculture more closely to
markets and less to federal subsidies.
“I’ve done a great deal, I’ve made
a difference,” a relaxed Block, his
wife Sue at his side, told a room
packed with reporters and depart
ment officials. “I believe that today,
now, is the time to leave.”
Block, 50, said he planned to leave
his $86,200-a-year job by mid-Feb
ruary, but he specified no date.
Sources said Richard E. Lyng, a
former deputy to Block, was his
likely successor.
Throughout his five-year tenure,
Block has been a controversial figure
as he carried the Reagan administra
tion’s free-market banner and alien
ated many farmers, and as he him
self dealt with financial problems on
his large Illinois hog farm.
“These have been stressful times
for our farmers,” Block said, adding
that his own farm was now doing
better under the management of his
son. He said he did not plan to re
turn to the farm and had made no fi
nal decision on what he will do.
Speculation has been that Block
plans to take a job with a Washing
ton organization in the food and ag
riculture area.
“I do believe we are starting to
turn the corner,” Block said of the
farm economy, which has been in a
serious slide nearly since he first
took office in 1981.
Block declined to talk about who
his successor would be, saying he
would discuss that only with Presi
dent Reagan. But he said he believed
a decision would be made soon to
avoid disruption of farm programs.
Block’s departure will leave only
three members from President Rea
gan’s original Cabinet still on the jobr
errorism in U.S.?
enator: Surveillance activities are thwarting conspiracies
Associated Press
M ANTONIO — Many terror-
lots in the United States have
I circumvented because of sur-
ince activities which include
bing a number of Libyans, the
man of the Senate Foreign Re
is Committee says,
n. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said
^ Libyans involved in such plots
been apprehended and most
r Libyans in the country are un-
onstant watch.
/e’ve had most Libyans in tjiis
try under surveillance,” Lugar
a Monday luncheon meeting of
Vorld Affairs Council at a San
nio hotel.
igar made the comments only a
day after Libyan strongman Col.
Moammar Khadafy threatened to
bring terrorism to American streets.
He did not elaborate on the cir
cumstances surrounding the th
warted attacks or the surveillance ac
tivities.
In a telephone interview with the
San Antonio Light, Immigration
and Naturalization Service spokes
man Duke Austin said about 3,200
Libyans are currently in the United
States with temporary visas — about
1,200 of whom are students.
But FBI spokesman Bill Carter
said only those Libyans suspected of
terrorist activity are being watched
by the FBI. Carter would not say
what percentage of the Libyans in
this country fall into that category,
the newspaper said.
In 1985, 23 potential terrorist in
cidents were unraveled by U.S.
agents, and some of those involved
Libyans, Carter said.
Lugar, responding to questions at
the luncheon and at an earlier news
conference, said he favors a v “surgi-
cal strike” against whatever coun
tries or individuals trained and sup
ported the terrorists who attacked
airports in Rome and Vienna on
Dec. 27.
But he said the United States does
not have enough information now to
“isolate” the terrorists and attack
them without endangering innocent
bystanders.
“I do favor a surgical strike,” Lu
gar said.
But first, the government must
determine with precision what coun
tries, organizations and individuals
were responsible, he said.
“You isolate the cancer and then
deal with it,” he said.
Lugar said the process of gather
ing intelligence to find a target in Li
bya or elsewhere is continuing. The
effort “may lead to Libya, it may
not,” he said.
Lugar said the ability of the
United States and allied government
to gather intelligence on terrorist or
ganizations has improved.
Fall grades delayed,
mailed on Monday
There’s good (or bad) news for
Texas A&M students who have
been searching their mailboxes
for their fall semester grades —
they were sent out Monday.
The two-week mailing delay
can be traced back to the fall, said
Don Carter, associate registrar of
admissions and records. A&M
President Frank E. Vandiver ap
proved a Faculty Senate resolu
tion giving faculty 72 hours after
the last final exam to turn in
grades to the registrar’s office.
Carter said the extension also
pushed back the registrar office
staffs processing timetable. The
grade reports would have had to
be processed Dec. 23 and 24, he
said, which was during the staffs
holiday.
“We did not feel it would be
right to ask the staff to work two
days of their holiday,” Carter
said.
Therefore, the staff did not be
gin processing the grade reports
until Jan. 2 and 3 when the mem
bers returned to work.
lobby proposes financial penalties for schools
Associated Press
AUSTIN — School districts
"tiose students perform poorly on
the new high school graduation test
should be penalized with a cut in
state funds, Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby said
Tuesday.
“Fiscal incentives are the best de-
sice 1 know,” Hobby told a Texas
United Faculty symposium.
The lieutenant governor tossed
<|utthe idea during his brief closing
comments. He started by asking the
educators to listen to what he said
tome would perceive as a “wild
idea.”
“If 10 percent of the candidates
for graduation from high school in
“Why should the taxpay
ers of the state continue to
put state aid into a school
district that doesn't edu
cate its kids?”
— Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby.
the ‘XY’ school district fail to pass
the objective test required by the
state for graduation, why shouldn’t
that school district’s aid be dimin
ished by 20 percent?” said Hobby.
The 1984 public school reform
package includes a mandatory high
school graduation test, recently ad
ministered for the first time. That
test could be an unprecedented tool
to guarantee “accountability,”
Hobby said.
“If we’re going to have an ac
countable system, let’s use it. Why
should the taxpayers of the state —
that pay roughly 60 percent of the
cost of operating each school district
— continue to put state aid into a
school district that doesn’t educate
its kids?” he said.
A Texas Association of School
Boards official called the idea “dif
ferent.”
“We would like to see a firm plan
before we have any definite com
ment,” said Betsey Bishop, TASB’s
manager of governmental relations.
She said the Texas Education
Agency’s accreditation process does
an effective job of gauging school
district success.
“They have a list of current dis
tricts that are performing poorly,”
she said. “It’s a very small percent
age.”
Hobby also talked about penalties
for districts that graduate students
who later need remedial help on
subjects they should have learned in
high school.
“If they have graduated from
‘XYZ’ independent school district
If a high school graduate
is admitted to college and
requires remedial work,
why shouldn’t that cost be
charged back to the school
district that failed to pro
vide that student with
those skills?
— Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby.
and is admitted to (college) and re
quire remedial work, why shouldn’t
that cost be charged back to the
school district that failed to provide
that student with those skills?” he
said.
That proposal brought raised eye
brows from spectators, including
Gov. Mark White.
After the symposium. Hobby said
he is serious about the penalties, but
has not worked out specifics on how
they would be administered.
No pass, no pay would bring quick
and effective results, he predicted.
“I think they’d shape up in about
24 hours ... by spending the money
that’s there more wisely,” he said. “If
they can’t, somebody else can.”