Texas A&M gg m V •
The Battalion
32 No. 175 USPS 045360 6 pages
College Station, Texas
Friday, July 11, 1986
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Hause the Permanant Univer-
;Fi nd is no longer swelling with
wil and gas revenues, Texas
;M faces the prospect of reach-
tie limit ol its bonding capacity,
[tiiiing the school to cut back
irlly the number of bond issues
Himd construction and ec|iiip-
ht jnrjects.
fesas A&M funds most of its
isti action projects and much of
Hiding renovation and equip-
nt purchases with bond issues
ked by the Available University
K which is made up of reve-
{■generated by the PUF invest
in'-
\c(ording to f igures provided by
■ Valigura, director of finance
1 the Texas A&M system, A&M
sued SI96 million in bonds
totes against the Available
rsity Fund since 1980, mak-
ijpossible A&M’s recent construc-
loom.
He Texas constitution allows
■ to issue bonds equaling 10
(tent of the value of the Perma-
irt University Fund, which at the
IPs present value amounts to
jghly $250 million, Valigura
’S.
■ the University has consumed
Jlfifths of its bonding capacity
linst the Available University
nd
Hce bonding capacity has been
ffied. A&M only will be able to
re bonds equaling 10 percent of
PUF’s growth for that year, says
chiel Patrick, executive vice
chancellor of Asset Management at
the University of Texas.
But because of falling oil and gas
revenues, and because the founda
tion of the PUF is extensive oil and
gas-bearing lands in west Texas, the
growth of the PUF' has been de
creasing year by year since the
PUF’s peak growth year of 1981,
Patrick says.
In 1981, the book value of the
PUF grew by $260 million, Patrick
says. He estimates that the PUF will
grow by only $85 million or $90
million in fiscal year 1987.
That would allow A&M to issue
about $9 million in bonds for that
fiscal year. A&M has not issued
such a low amount in nearly 10
years.
If A&M sells the additional $50
million in bonds backed by the
Available University P'und, the im
pact of lower oil and gas prices
would become more important be
cause A&M’s bonding capacity
would be limited by the PUF’s an
nual growth, Patrick says.
During the 1987 fiscal year,
A&M plans to issue between $25
million and $30 million in new
bonds, Vilagura says.
Bonds also may be issued during
the remainder of the 1986 fiscal
year, although no bonds have been
issued so far this year.
In December of 1985 — when
the federal government was consid-
See PUF, related story Page 4
Cyanide left in building hallway
Rules Violated'
by researcher
By Scott Sutherland
City Editor
A&M safety investigators say a
university researcher violated
University Policy when he left two
boxes of hazardous chemicals in
the hall of the Chemistry Annex.
The boxes, one containing a
bottle of cyanide, contained about
thirty bottles tagged for chemical
waste disposal.
The A&M Policy and Proce
dures Manual says hazardous
chemicals are to be stored in the
lab or in a storeroom until physi
cal plant employees pick them up.
Dr. Kurt Irgolic, associate di
rector of the Energy Resources
Public Service Program, said he
told students to place the boxes in
a storeroom Wednesday.
But, he said, the students dis
covered a bottle of leaking deter
gent in the storeroom and de
cided not to place the boxes
there. He said it was Thursday af
ternoon before he noticed the
bottles were still in the hall and
told students to put them away.
University Safety and Health
Officer Harry Stiller said storing
bottles in the corridor is a viola
tion of University Policy. He said
normally physical plant employ
ees pick up such waste and trans
port it to a chemical storage site,
where it is packaged and re
moved by a professional disposal
company.
The incident is not the first in
volving handling of chemicals on
campus.
In May a fire caused by drop
ping of a flammable chemical
near the chemistry department’s
central storeroom, was called a
Hi u ■
Bottle of cyanide that was found in the hall of the Chemistry Annex Thursday.
Photo by Anthony S. Casper
potential disaster by one p'roles
sor. Department Head Ron Sa
wyer said then that the depart
ment’s safety board was looking
into policies.
A Battalion article Monday
quoted a chemistry professor who
said many toxic chemicals are
available almost without restric
tions to graduate students.
Ron Taylor, Physical Depart
ment safety investigator, said in
vestigators would look into the
latest incident but was unsure
how it would be handled.
Taylor said he could not locate
records of a Chemistry Building
safety investigation that had
taken place in the last three years
and said he wouldn’t characterize
the building’s record as either
good or bad.
“I think you may see higher in
stances of problems over there
because they handle a greater
number of chemicals than most
departments,” he said.
The Battalion became aware of
the situation when an anonymous
caller said he had seen the
material untended in the hall of
the Chemistry Building.
Battalion Photo Editor Tony
Casper went to the building and
photographed the boxes in the
hall. When he returned a second
time, he took a picture of a stu
dent moving the boxes into a lab.
Casper said the student con
fronted him and demanded that
he turn over the film. Casper said
when he refused, the student
grabbed him and attempted to
take the camera from his neck
and an altercation ensued.
Casper filed a complaint with
University Police against Carlo
Kos, a student worker in the
building.
Escaped convict, hostage remain at large
■LMER (AP) — Hundreds of
irJliers, some on horseback and
ne in helicopters, scoured eastern
xas on Thursday for an armed
inlet known as “Animal” who took
leputy hostage when he escaped
| jail where he was awaiting trial
murder.
A dragnet involving more than
200 state, local and federal officials
searched Wood County for Jerry
Walter McFadden, a convicted sex
offender who attacked a sheriffs
deputy at the Upshur County Jail,
forced another into a cell and ab
ducted a third officer on Tuesday.
McFadden, 38, was being taken to
the lobby of the jail to make a tele
phone call when he struck Sgt. Ken
neth Mayfield between the eyes with
a sharp piece of metal believed torn
from a jail cell window, said Sheriff
Dale Jewkes.
He then forced another deputy,
Stacey Mullinix, into a cell and ab
ducted Rosalie Williams, 24. The es
capee took Mayfield’s gun from a
locked box outside the jail area, as
well as an undetermined amount of
cash, Jewkes said.
Mike Cox, a spokesman for the
Department of Public Safety, said,
“We think he’s headed west, at least
we believe he was last night.”
Williams’ husband, Eddie, is a
DPS trooper and the couple has a 4-
year-old son, Jewkes said. Her hus
band was working at the manhunt’s
command center in Quitman.
McFadden, who calls himself “An
imal,” faced a July 28 trial on
charges of aggravated assault and
robbery. He also is charged with cap
ital murder in the slaying of Suzanne
Harrison, 18.
Harrison was one of three youths
slain after they went on an outing at
Fake Hawkins in May.
Abbas receives life sentence
for hijacking of Achilla Laura
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Photo by Anthony S. Casper
Paul Stirling, a senior building construction major, pauses dur
ing a candlelight vigil that marked the second anniversary of
the bombing of the Greenpeace ship “Rainbow Warrior.” The
Thursday night vigil was held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and
was coordinated by the Texas A&M Greenpeace Coalition.
GENOA, Italy (AP) — Fugitive
Palestinian guerrilla leader Moham
med Abbas and five followers were
convicted Thursday of hijacking the
Achille Uauro cruise ship and killing
a wheelchair-bound American pas
senger.
Abbas and two fellow fugitives
were given life sentences, but the hi
jacker accused of actually killing 69-
year-old Leon Klinghoffer received
a lesser sentence — 30 years in
prison.
Five defendants were convicted of
lesser charges in the hijacking, and
four others, all fugitives, were ac
quitted.
Italian authorities acknowledged
there was little chance that Abbas,
said to have masterminded the hi
jacking, would ever serve his term.
Three of the hijackers, who were
among the five defendants in cus
tody, received prison terms ranging
from 15 to 30 years. Prosecutor
Luigi Francesco Meloni said he
probably would appeal for stiffer
sentences.
Klinghoffer’s daughters and seve
ral Americans who were held hos
tage during the Oct. 7-9 hijacking
criticized the hijackers’ sentences as
too lenient.
“We had every hope that the Ital
ian judicial system would impose the
maximum penalty possible,” Lisa
and Usa Klinghoffer said in a joint
statement issued in New York.
“Sadly, we are greatly disillusioned
and disappointed,” they said.
The hijacking’s aftermath se
verely strained U.S.-Italian relations
and caused the government to fall
briefly when Italian authorities re
fused to detain Abbas after a U.S.
warplane forced an Egyptian jet car
rying him and the hijackers to and in
Sicily.
Despite a U.S. warrant for Abbas,
leader of the Palestine Liberation
Front faction of the PLO, Italian of
ficials at first said they lacked evi
dence he had any role in the hijack
ing other than helping negotiate its
end. They later issued a warrant for
him but he had gone underground.
In Washington, State Department
spokesman Bernard Kalb said, “The
United States is pleased that persons
responsible for the death of an
American citizen and injury and
damages to others have been con
victed.”
But he added, “We regret that the
murder of Leon Klinghoffer was not
treated more severely.”
Kalb also said the U.S. govern
ment “reserved its legal right to seek
extradition of the hijackers once all
Italian legal proceedings, including
appeals, are ended.”
Youssef Magied al-Molqi, 23, was
the hijacker accused of Klinghoffer’s
killing. Investigators said he con
fessed, but al-Molqi retracted the
statement during the trial.
Hijackers Ibrahim Fatyer Abdela-
tif, 20, and Ahmad Marrouf al As-
sadi, 24, were sentenced respectively
to 24 years and two months and 15
years and two months. Assadi coop
erated with authorities and was not
present when the verdict was read.
Another hijacker will be tried
later in juvenile court.
The other convicted fugitives sen
tenced to life in prison were Ozzud-
din Badrakkam, described as the
Palestine Liberation Front’s military
chief, and Ziad el Omar, who bought
the hijackers’ cruise tickets.
Virginia inmates bum 13 buildings in riot
L()R FON.Va. (AP) — Inmates set
e|o an overcrowded prison oper-
‘<1 by the District of Columbia in
>Ui ban Virginia on Thursday in
iat the mayor termed an ill-con-
vld attempt at freedom.
After more than 12 hours of rag-
(Ifires and fighting among in-
ites — and between inmates and
aids — more than 40 people had
en injured and 13 buildings set ab-
•e. including three dormitories of-
ils said were damaged beyond re-
Anthorities said all the facility’s
10() prisoners had been accounted
■The prison, which has no air
conditioning, was designed to house
about 3,500 inmates. District Mayor
Marion Barry Jr. said there were
1,295 prisoners housed in the area
where the trouble broke — about
200 over-capacity.
Barry said there had been indica
tions of unrest the night before,
which he said may have been height
ened by news accounts Wednesday
of a prison consultant’s report on
overcrowding at the Lorton Reform
atory. A newspaper account of the
report had been tacked up for pris
oners to read.
“It wasn’t spontaneous,” Barry
said. “It was planned. We think the
report and the way it was reported
added to the prophecy of guys want
ing to be free and burning their
homes down.”
City administrator Thomas
Downs said some prisoners had put
their belongings in garbage bags in
anticipation of being let out of the
dorms after the fires were set in a
medium security section of the
2,970-acre prison complex.
“Nobody even approached the
fence,” said Downs. “It was an as
sumption that if they burned the
prison down and there was nowhere
else to go. they would be freed.”
He insisted that that would not
happen.
About 120 firefighters battled the
blazes until about 7 a.m. when all
fires were brought under control.
Hundreds of prisoners were dis
placed and corrections officials were
taking at least 800 inmates to the city
jail. Other felons were being placed
in other parts of the minimum-max-
ium prison complex.
No dollar amount on the exten
sive damage was immediately avail
able, but corrections spokesman Leo
Civs said only 1U oi uie uuildmgs
could be repaired.
Fighting broke out after prisoners
were led away from the fires to a
prison recreation field. Two prison
ers were stabbed by other inmates
and guards with birdshot and tear
gas moved in to break up the fight.
In all. Civs said, 29 inmates and
nine guards suffered minor injuries
— from gunshots and tear gas and
from wounds inflicted by other in
mates, and one inmate was in serious
condition with stabbing and gunshot
wounds.
Cuadra will
re-appeal
conviction,
lawyer says
By Mary Frances Scott
Staff Writer
A former Texas A&M Corps of
Cadet member will re-appeal his
conviction for tampering with ev
idence in the hazing death of a
fellow cadet, his attorney says.
Gabriel Cuadra appealed his
probated sentence but was re
jected Tuesday by the 14th Court
of Appeals in Houston.
Cuadra was found guilty in
January 1985 of destroying a list
of early morning exercises sched
uled for cadet Bruce Goodrich.
Goodrich collapsed while par
ticipating in exercises supervised
by three junior cadets. He later
died of heatstroke.
The three junior cadets, An
thony D’Allessandro, Jason Miles
and Louis Fancher, pleaded
guilty to hazing charges and were
fined $250 and given 90-day ad
judicated probation.
“I don’t feel I can share in the
wisdom of the decision,” defense
attorney Luis Juarez said.
He said the appeal rested on
three points of error in the origi
nal trial.
Juarez argued that the docu
ment was testimonial and there
fore protected by the Fifth
Amendment privilege against
self-incrimination.
He also had contended that the
statute governing tampering with
evidence was unconstitutional.
Juarez said that a re-hearing is
usually heard by the same panel
of three judges who originally
heard the case.
He said that if the re-hearing is
unsuccessful, he might petition
for a discretionary review from
the highest appellate court in
Texas, the Texas Court of Crimi
nal Appeals.