Thursday, July 10, lOSGA'he Battalion/Page 3
State and Local
Officials say McDonald's misled public
CHICAGO (AP) — McDon
ald’s Corp. misled the public
when it said it was revealing in
gredients in its fast food “because
of increasing customer interest”
but failed to acknowledge pres
sure from attorneys general in
three states, authorities said
Wednesday.
McDonald’s, purveyor of more
than 50 billion hamburgers, an
nounced Monday it was “taking
the lead on this issue” and would
distribute the information to its
restaurants and franchises na
tionwide.
But on Wednesday, officials
with the attorneys general in Cali
fornia, New York and Texas said
McDonald’s agreed to provide
the information only after pres
sure from their offices.
And they say McDonald’s
jumped the gun by announcing
the move before a joint statement
agreed to by itself and four other
fast-food operations,
oln Texas, Attorney General
Jim Mattox said through an assis
tant the McDonald’s announce
ment represented “a calculated
effort to make the public think
they were doing this out of the
goodness of their heart, when in
fact they were doing it because of
pressure from our office.”
Steve Gardner, an assistant at
torney general in Mattox’s office,
said, “It’s our position they did it
in hopes of misleading the pub
lic.”
Charles Rubner, an assistant
vice president at McDonald’s sub
urban Oak Brook headquarters,
said, “The primary reason we’re
doing this is because of increasing
customer interest.
“I will acknowledge that cer
tainly the discussions we’ve had
with the attorneys general was
good input to us that signaled to
us there was more widespread in
terest in the issue beyond the East
Coast.”
Gardner and officials in the
California attorney general’s of
fice said McDonald’s agreed to
publish the ingredient informa
tion as part of an agreement ne
gotiated with five fast-food
chains: McDonald’s, Burger
King, Jack in the Box, Kentucky
Fried Chicken and Wendy’s.
And they said McDonald’s was
the last of the five to agree.
In California, Fred Register,
special assistant to the attorney
general, said McDonald’s also vio
lated an agreement calling for a
joint public announcement of the
fast-food chains’ decision to pub
lish nutrition information.
Register said McDonald’s news
announcement “creates the im
pression that McDonald’s has
taken a step independently of its
competitors when in fact it was
the result of very considerable
pressure and negotiations di
rected at the entire industry by at
torneys general offices in several
states."
Gardner said the attorneys
general became involved because
of pressure from the Center for
Science in the Public Interest, a
non-profit consumer advocacy
group in Washington, D.C.
Michael Jacobson, the center’s
executive director, said Wednes
day his organization believes pub
lishing booklets listing ingre
dients and nutrition information
isn’t enough.
McDonald’s and other fast-
food chains are required by fed
eral law to print ingredients on
the wrappers of their food, Jacob
son said.
The issue is important, he said,
because people with high-blood
pressure, certain allergies or
other ailments must know what’s
in their food.
Rubner also said Wednesday
that McDonald’s had reversed an
earlier decision and now plans to
include information about the
amount of cholesterol and salt in
its menu items.
The McDonald's announcement represented “a calcu
lated effort to make the public think they were doing
this (releasing nutrition information) out of the good
ness of their heart, when in fact they were doing it be
cause of pressure from our office. ”
— Steve Gardner, Texas assistant attorney general.
Perot vows to fight
cuts in spending
for school reform
AUSTIN (AP) — Computer mag
nate H. Ross Perot, a driving force
behind the expensive school reforms
now in place, says he is ready to fight
any plan to cut education spending
to help balance the state budget.
“We’ll gear up and go at it again,”
Perot said.
He told the Dallas Times Herald
that he will be “working actively” to
defend the reforms when the Legis
lature meets in special session to
work on the projected $2.3 billion
deficit.
Perot was chairman of the Select
Committee on Public Education that
recommended public school reforms
approved by lawmakers in 1984.
The reforms were paid for, in part,
by a $2.6 billion tax hike.
But Gov. Mark White has said the
state budget crisis would not cause
any education spending cuts. But
some lawmakers have said some of
the reforms should be reviewed,
with an eye toward saving money.
House Appropriations Commit
tee Chairman Jim Rudd, D-Brown-
field, said Monday the House may
consider eliminating funding for the
teacher career ladder, delaying class-
size restrictions and lifting require
ments for preschool programs for
disadvantaged 4-year-olds.
Perot said if lawmakers want to
economize in public school funding,
they should slice “junk” in athletic
programs and vocational education.
“If you’ve got to cut, then cut in
the right places,” he said. “We’re
throwing money out the window on
vocational education. We don’t need
any more Astroturf. We don’t need
to pay coaches more than the me
dian salary of teachers.
"We can’t get our priorities
screwed around. There’s a lot of soft
stuff they can cut out.”
Perot said that saving the special
programs for disadvantaged 4-year-
olds is particularly crucial.
“On a cost-effective basis, it’s
worth millions and millions and mil
lions of dollars down the road,” he
said.
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Texas university fights discrimination suit appeal
HOUSTON (AP) — The athletic
department at West Texas State
University is federally funded and
should abide by federal sex discrimi
nation rules, an attorney argued
Wednesday before the 5th U.S. Cir
cuit Court of Appeals.
Suzanne Meeker, who represents
the six women who filed a class-ac
tion suit in 1980, said that WTSU’s
intercollegiate athletic programs re
ceive federal aid through revenue
sharing, work study funds and the
use of buildings constructed with
federal money.
The suit charges that those pro
grams unfairly favor men by giving
male athletes more money, better fa
cilities and better game and practice
times.
U.S. District Judge Robert Porter
of Dallas ruled in favor of the 6,500-
student university in Canyon on
June 19, saying its intercollegiate
athletic programs don’t receive a di
rect benefit from federal aid and
therefore Title IX sex discrimina
tion laws do not apply.
Title IX forbids discrimination on
the basis of sex in school programs.
In 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court in
terpreted the statute to mean that
only school programs receiving fed
eral assistance fall under the law.
Meeker told the three-judge panel
Wednesday that the athletic depart
ment selects scholarship recipients
and then submits them to the stu
dent financial aid office.
If the financial aid office deter
mines the student qualifies for fed
eral funds, the athletic scholarship is
then set aside or reduced.
But Laura Jefferson, an assistant
state attorney general, said financial
aid officials don’t select Scholarship
recipients. The officials only distrib
ute the money according to federal
guidelines, she said.
“There are two distinct depart
ments — the financial aid depart
ment and the athletic department,”
Jefferson said. “The athletic depart
ment is not the intended recipient of
the work-study program.”
Tina Bennett Morrison, one of
the women who filed the suit, said
conditions for women athletes at the
school have improved since the ac
tion was filed.
What s up
Thursday
STUDENT GOVERNMENT: applications for External Com
munications and Public Relations will be available through
the summer months. Please come by 221 Pavilion from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. to pick up applications. For more informa
tion call 845-3051.
ATARI USER GROUP: will meet at 7:30 p.m. in 102 Tea
gue. For further information call Bill, 845-4054.
BRAZOS DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB: meets every Thurs
day at 7 p.m. at the College Station Community Center.
Beginners are welcome.
MARANATHA CHRISTIAN CHURCH: will present a
“Rock-n-Roll Seminar” at 7 p.m. in 110 Harrington on to
day and Friday. For more information call 693-5611 or
696-2510.
Items for What’s Up should be submitted to The Battalion,
216 Reed McDonald, no less than three days prior to de
sired publication date.
Eastern, Texas Air Corp
WASIIINGIOX (AIM — The
I i imspoi tai ion Department on
Wednesdax tentalivelv approved the
mer>>er of Eastern Ait lines and
1 e\as Air Corp.. but said the car-
lieis must lust prove the deal will
noi squelch competition.
In openinu the wav to creation ol
one of the nalion s largest airlines,
tlu' department emphasized con
cerns about the potential for a mo-
nopob in the Northeast "shuttle"
ion idol seixing New York. Boston
and \\ ashinton. D.C.
In a statement, the department
s.iid die ail line's must explain how
11ie\ will maintain die competitive
sii uation in dial area.
'While ii appears die merger
would not lestilt in a monopole or
IcsMii competition stibsiantiallv in
am legion ol die United States.’’ the
depaitmeiit said in a statement,
"dieie aie a numbei ol outstanding
issues w lu< Ii much be addressed.
IVeloie 1 exas Ail wins final ap-
pioval in its bid to buv Eastern loi
Shoo million, ceriain conditions will
hav e to lie met. the depai tmeni said.
New 'link Ait. which along with
Punishment evidence heard
for convicted gang rapists
DALLAS (AP) — A jury began
hearing evidence Wednesday in the
punishment phase of the trial of five
men convicted of gang-raping a 27-
year-old woman while her boyfriend
was forced to watch.
Four men were convicted Tues
day of sexual assault and kidnap
ping. A fifth defendant was con
victed of sexual assault but acquitted
of kidnapping, and a sixth was ac
quitted of sexual assault .
The six were arrested by Duncan
ville police Feb. 16 after receiving a
phone call from a 20-year-old man
who said he and his girlfriend had
been abducted at knifepoint.
The woman was bound to a
wooden chopping block with a coat
hanger during her ordeal, investiga
tors said.
The woman said she went to the
home of her former boyfriend on
Feb. 14 to pick up her clothing.
Prosecutors who described the in
cident as a “Valentine’s Day chop
ping block party” presented evi
dence that the woman was bitten and
threatened with death.
They also argued that the five ter
rorized the victim’s boyfriend by ty
ing him up, threatening to kill him
and forcing him to watch the assault.
David Lloyd Guppies, 31, the
woman’s former boyfriend, was
found guilty of aggravated sexual as
sault and aggravated kidnapping
charges. He faces a maximum sen
tence of life imprisonment on each
charge.
Johnny Ray Austin Jr., Joel A.
Cruz and James Allen Schultz, all 19,
were convicted of second-degree
sexual assault and third-degree kid
napping. The sexual assault convic
tion carries up to 20 years in prison,
while the kidnapping charge carries
a maximmum sentence of 10 years.
Richard Edwin DeLoach, 18, was
acquitted of a kidnapping charge
but was convicted of second-degree
sexual assault.
Nelson W. Lancione, 18, who tes
tified he was at the house less than
an hour and did not participate in
the assault, was acquitted of a charge
of aggravated sexual assault.
merger gets tentative approval
( oiiiiiieiual Airlines is owned bv
1 ex.is Air. competes vigorouslv in
the Northeast with Eastern. The Jus
tice Department's anti-trust divison
had raised concerns that the merger
could c reale a monopolv in the corri
dor.
In response. Texas Air in Mav
agreed to sell some landing and
takeoff tights, operated bv New
York Ait in Washington and New
Yoi k. to Fan American World .Air-
wavs. The Justice Department then
withdrew its objec tions.
But the Transportation Depart
ment said Wednesdav that Fan Am’s
existing slots and facilities combined
with those it is purchasing from
Texas Air. "mav lie inadequate to
support a competitive shuttle at La-
Guardia." in New York.
1 hits the department issued a “se
rious note of caution.’’ and said it
"must be convinced that there will be
effective competition on the shuttle
routes and that accordinglv Texas
Ait and Fan American must explain
how Fan American proposes to op
erate competitive set vice of the tvpe
required for the shuttle routes be
fore 1H) T t caches a final decision."
In addition, the effective date of
the Eastern-Texas Air takeover
would have to be postponed until
Texas Ait’s sale to Fan Am is com
pleted. the department said.
Texas Air spokesman Bruce
Hic ks said that section of the order
was under careful review bv the ait-
line because it is possible the Texas
Air-Eastern deal might be finished
before the Oct. I effective date of
the Fan Am sale.
It was this big!
Yachtsmen
have ‘whale’
of experience
FALMOUTH, England (AP)
— Two Texas yachtsmen who
crossed the Atlantic in a 16-foot
cutter said Wednesday a whale
slammed into their craft three
times but failed to capsize it.
David Nelson, 34, a veterinary
surgeon, and Michael Kosa, 32, a
biologist, both of Austin, arrived
in southwestern England on
Wednesday, 37 days after setting
out from Newport, R.I.
Nelson said seven days into the
crossing their cutter, which the
men built themselves, was hit
three times by a gray whale which
surfaced beneath them, lifting
the boat four feet out of the sea.
“We reckon the whale was al
most as frightened as we were,”
Nelson said. “But we were far
more worried afterwards about
whether he had been hurt.”
The Texans said they also en
countered a hurricane and rode it
out for three days under a bare
mast, the gales driving them out
to their beam ends three times
with huge seas washing over the
boat.
Their arrival in England went
almost unnoticed.
“We just didn’t want any fuss,”
Nelson said. “We didn’t even tell
our friends what we were going
to do when we set out.”
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CONTACT LENSES
ONLY QUALITY NAME BRANDS
(Bausch & Lomb, Clba, Barnes-Hinds-Hydrocurve)
$59 00
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Summer Sale
pr.*-std. daily wear soft lenses
(regularly $79 00 )
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(regularly $99 00 )
call 696-3754
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SALE ENDS AUG. 15, 1986
CHARLES C. SCHROEPPEL, O.D., P.C.
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