I The Battalion
Vol. 82 No. 51 GSPS 045360 8 pages College Station, Texas Monday, November 10, 1986
Panel calls
for effort
to double
raduates
VASHINGTON (AP) — A na-
ional commission headed by former
education Secretary Terrel H. Bell
Med Sunday for a massive effort to
HHrly double the number of col-
egt -educated adults by the turn of
IHcentury.
H\nd the commission took a sharp
ilitp at members of the Reagan ad-
ggRistration and other politicians
or “unthinkingly abetting an act of
national suicide” by trying to cut aid
or college students.
Hell’s 22-member panel prepared
he report for the American Associa-
ion of State Colleges and Universi-
■1, which represents 372 four-year
ampuses that enroll 2.5 million stu-
lents and award a third of all bache-
or’s degrees.
^^Bell was to address the association
Vfonday at its annual meeting in
^oenix.
^■"he report urged states to keep
:ollege tuitions as low as possible, in
| Ht to help recruit more minority
tudents and stop the growth of “an
Ulerican underclass.”
■America has far too many people
vhose abilities are never awakened,”
H the 22-member National Com-
nission on the Role and Future of
itate Colleges and Universities in its
>6-page report, “To Secure the Bles-
ings of Liberty.”
■lie commission included Arkan-
■ Gov. Bill Clinton and former
Mississippi Gov. William Winter, as
veil as a half-dozen college presi-
legts, the heads of both national tea-
:hei unions and the chancellor of
Mew York City’s schools.
H'he pungent language echoed “A
Mation At Risk,” the 1983 critique of
LJ.S schools by the National Com
mission on Excellence in Education,
which Bell appointed. That report
varned of a “rising tide of medioc-
ity” in the schools and likened their
:ondition to “a unilateral act of dis-
irmament.” It spurred many states
o I'aise graduation standards and
>oost school budgets.
Bell’s new report said,“With a
ligh school dropout rate ranging
roni 25 to 50 percent and with al-
nost 10 percent of our total popula-
ion functionally illiterate, who can
teny that we have a massive popula-
ion of undereducated people?
"Public officials who propose bud-
;et reductions in education at a time
/hen the republic is handicapped by
he burden of an undereducated
•opulace are unthinkingly abetting
n act of national suicide,” the Bell
ominission said.
“Tragically for the American peo-
le, the federal student Financial aid
rot ram today is on the chopping
lock in Washington,” said the re-
ort, adding that the real value of
ederal aid has fallen 25 percent
ince President Reagan took office in
981.
Bell’s slap at politicians over stu-
lent aid drew a sharp rejoinder
roni his successor. Secretary of Ed-
ication William J. Bennett.
'.“This is taxpayer money, and we
tave a right to ask about how it’s be-
igspent,” Bennett replied.
Wagon, Ho
Photo by John Makely
Boedy Flack, 12, of Bryan, sits atop the driver’s seat of a stagecoach in the
Brazos County Pavilion. The wagon is part of the Lone Star Wagon Train,
which left for Navasota today at 8 a.m.
Reagan accused
of covert
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional
leaders accused the Reagan administration
Sunday of keeping them in the dark about re
ported White House deals to send arms to Iran,
and some suggested its power to conduct such
operations should be curbed.
The criticism came amid speculation that
Secretary of State George Shultz, who also ap
parently knew little about the contacts that re
portedly produced arms deliveries in return for
hostage releases, could resign over the matter.
Shultz called an unusual meeting of State De
partment experts Sunday at his suburban
Washington home, but officials said the session
on Syrian-sponsored terrorism was unrelated to
questions about Iran.
A New York Times report quoting Shultz
aides raising the possibility of a Shultz resigna
tion “is pure speculation, as the story itself
says,” spokeswoman Sondra McCarty said. “I
am not going to have further comment.”
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he
had spoken to Shultz on Saturday.
“In my judgment, he will not resign,” Lugar
told interviewers on ABC’s “This Week with
David Brinkley.”
News reports last week said former National
Security Adviser Robert McFarlane traveled to
Tehran earlier this year and arranged to ship
arms to Iran in exchange for the release of U.S.
hostages kidnapped in Beirut.
An embargo on arms shipments to Iran,
which is at war with Iraq, has been in effect
since 1979. The official U.S. position on the war
is neutrality.
If the press reports are true, said Senate
Democratic Leader Robert Byrd, the arms
trade was a blunder that guarantees that hos
tage-taking will continue, a blunder that could
tip the balance of power in the Middle East.
Senate Republican leader Robert Dole, R-
Kan., told a conference in Atlanta Sunday that
it would be a terrible mistake to cut an arms
deal with Iran.
“We all want the hostages home,” he said,
“but I don’t think we want to deal with (Ayatol
lah Ruhollah) Khomeini in an effort to do that.”
But other Republicans defended the re
ported administration activities, saying it is de
sirable to improve relations with Iran and at
tempt to moderate its extremism.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a member of the
Senate Intelligence Committee, appearing on
CBS’ “Face the Nation,” said, “The wider goal
here is to try to bring about a more moderate
group of leadership in Iran. . . . We’ve made
some strides in that regard.”
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,
appearing with Lugar, said improving relations
with Iran in general is desirable. But he also
said that negotiations make it more likely that
other hostages will be taken.
Lugar said he had discussed the administra
tion’s activities at length with National Security
Adviser John Poindexter, but in his television
appearance he did not disclose details.
But Byrd, who is expected to be Senate ma
jority leader next year, told interviewers on
NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he had repeatedly
requested a briefing without success. And other
Democrats, including Sen. Sam Nunn, Sen. Pat
rick Leahy and Rep. Richard Gephardt, said
they still had not received any information.
On “Face the Nation,” Leahy said, “It would
appear the White House is trying to go a back
door way to get away from any congressional
oversight.”
Nunn, a military expert who will head the
Armed Services Committee next year, agreed.
“In an effort to cut Congress out, they have
also cut out the CIA, the Joint Chiefs (of Staff),
the State Department, the Defense Depart
ment,” he said. “And if so, who is making the
decisions?”
On the Brinkley program, Nunn said, “Con
gress is going to be asking a lot of questions.
The newspaper reports, and they have not been
denied, indicate the Reagan administration is
not standing tall on this one.”
Veterans Day
remembered
Tomorrow’s Battalion features a special
section on the Vietnam War to commemmo-
rate Veterans Day. This section includes arti
cles about:
• Plans fora Y’ietnam memorial in Da! 1 ^
• Four former students who were q;
prisoners of war in the “Hanoi Hilton.”
• A veteran who recalls life in Vietnam
for the officers.
And on page 1, three enlisted men —Viet
nam veterans — and researchers look at the
war and its aftereffects.
Personals ‘ad’ up to romance for A&M couple
By Connie Kenjura
Reporter
Not a glamour girl? That’s fine.
Are you warm, sincere, between the
ages of 19 and 23, looking for a car
ing, trustworthy man? A senior, 21,
6-foot-2, 170 pounds, enjoys danc
ing, travel, talking, intimacy. Will an
swer all; photo appreciated.
As Noel was reading through the
personal ads for her daily laugh, she
ran across this sincere ad placed by
Rob, a computer science major at
Texas A&M. She says his ad
sounded interesting and straightfor
ward, so she decided to write a re
sponse.
“I figured I had nothing to lose,
and it meant I’d get some mail, so I
took a chance,” says Noel, an English
major. “But as a safeguard, I didn’t
give my phone number or last name
in case he wasn’t who he claimed to
be.”
This cautious approach to an
swering a personal ad comes from
Noel’s insecure feelings about the
whole issue.
She wouldn’t openly admit to oth
ers that she had answered a personal
ad, she says. Society looks down on
people who place and answer per
sonal ads, and people assume only
desperate individuals resort to the
personals, she says.
“You never hear that personal ads
are the accepted place to meet peo
ple,” Noel says. “You meet people at
clubs, in class, or at church — not in
personal ads.”
Noel says she doesn’t think she
maintains a double standard by an
swering a personal ad and being
afraid to admit it. She says she still
hasn’t yet resolved if she’s for or
against personals.
Rob, who had gone to the person
als because he had tried all other
“I figured I had nothing
to lose, and it meant I’d
get some mail, so I took a
chance. ”
— Noel, a Texas A&M
English major.
avenues, received six replies during
the four weeks his ad ran in the
Quicksilver. He says he answered all
of them, but that Noel’s was the best.
She sounded like his type, he says.
Noel’s letter was honest and open,
Rob says. He liked the fact that she
had not mentioned her last name or
phone number in her response. This
showed caution and character, he
says.
Rob answered Noel’s letter, giving
his phone number and more details
about himself. Noel called him, they
talked for over an hour, then set up
a meeting place and time.
Their first face-to-face encounter
was like a blind date they had ar
ranged themselves, Noel says. She
says she was nervous about meeting
him. To give herself a bit of reassur
ance, she approached their meeting
place from a direction that would
give her the opportunity to see him
first.
“I wanted to make sure that he
looked normal,” Noel says with a
laugh. “I wouldn’t have left if he
wasn’t what I had expected. I just
wanted to have a mental advantage
over the situation.”
Rob canceled his ad after their
first meeting, because he had found
what he was looking for, he says.
Both Noel and Rob says they
thought personal ads eliminate a lot
of wrong first impressions. By first
meeting through letters, each per
son can form a personal view about
the other without basing it solely on
outward appearances, they says.
Rob says no risk exists with per r
sonal ads. The initial contact is by
phone, so respondents can be
screened, he says.
Noel agrees with Rob. She says
she doesn’t think meeting someone
through a personal ad is riskier than
meeting at a bar or nightclub.
Although Noel and Rob are
happy with their experience, they
still say they think personal ads are
thought of in a negative way by their
peers. Rob explained:
“Personal ads are usually people’s
last resort. That’s one reason many
people have a negative view about
personals.
“This was a one-time deal for me,
and I would never do it again.”
Poll: Americans favor
smoking restrictions
■ EW YORK (AP) — Most Ameri-
ans do not believe cigarette adver-
sing should be banned, but they fa-
or broad restrictions on smoking,
ccording to poll results issued Sun-
aypy three anti-smoking groups.
In the poll, conducted for the
tnprican Cancer Society, the Amer-
an Heart Association and the
merican Lung Association, 62 per-
?nt of those questioned said ciga-
Jtte ads should be permitted in
magazines and newspapers.
Nine of 10 people questioned sup-
art “no smoking” sections in public,
/o out of three said smoking in-
aors is harmful to non-smokers in
ie vicinity, and six of 10 said ciga-
*te advertising causes youngsters
start smoking.
"There is a growing public aware-
iss of the harmful effects of ciga-
tte advertising and promotional
tivities on America’s young peo-
e,” said Kenneth Warner, a
'okesman for the American Lung
ssociation.
“It is clear that the idea of restrict-
g cigarette advertising and ban-
;ng f ree public samples is becoming
ore acceptable, even though our
public education efforts in this area
have hardly begun,” he added.
Scott Stapf, a spokesman for the
Tobacco Institute, a Washington-
based lobbying group, said in re
sponse, “They’re obviously in the
difficult position of putting the best
face on what must be some pretty
damaging poll findings.”
The poll, sponsored by the
groups’ “Tobacco Free Young
America” coalition, was conducted
by telephone by Lieberman Re
search Inc. between June 26 and
July 10. The pollsters questioned
1,025 adults in the 48 contiguous
states.
The poll report did not list a mar
gin of possible error. Similiar polls
have had an error margin of plus or
minus 4 or 5 percentage points.
Seven of 10 respondents were
non-smokers, a percentage con
forming to the national average.
The poll found non-smokers far
more willing to establish limits on
smoking, and smokers far more
likely to dispute the harmful effects
of cigarette smoke.
Dems could make going difficult
Contra aid faces tough road
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democrats’
Senate victory has undercut President Rea
gan’s congressional support for aiding Nicara
guan Contra rebels, but the party re-align
ment does not necessarily mean future
assistance is doomed, according to analysts on
both sides of the debate.
The analysts also agree that Reagan’s weak
ened position could make Contra aid one of
the most closely fought issues in the 100th
Congress and potentially an important battle
ground in the. 1988 presidential race.
Last Tuesday’s elections ushered in a 10-
vote Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate,
but that shift does not translate into as big a
change on the Contra aid issue because voting
did not follow strict party lines.
This year, Reagan lobbied Congress inten
sively to win resumption of military aid to the
rebels. He prevailed 53-47 in the Republican-
controlled Senate and 220-209 in the Demo-
cratic-dominated House.
According to tallies by both Republicans
and Democrats, the new Senate breakdown on
Contra aid is virtually even, assuming senators
continue to vote as they did earlier or follow
positions they took during their campaigns.
Despite last week’s victory, Senate Demo
cratic Leader Robert C. Byrd of West Vir
ginia, in line to be the new majority leader, did
not predict an end to Contra aid, but rather
said Democrats will seek to redirect the ad
ministration’s policies toward a greater em
phasis on a diplomatic solution to the Nicara
guan conflict.
Peter T. Flaherty, chairman of Citizens for
Reagan, a leading lobbying group for Contra
aid, acknowledged slippage of the president’s
position but argued the shift in Senate control
might actually put the Democrats “at a bit of a
strategic disadvantage.”
“If (the Democrats) cut the aid before the
Contras are given a chance, they’ll be blamed
for losing Nicaragua,” Flaherty said. “This
could be the biggest issue heading into the ’88
elections.”
The first major battle over Contra aid in the
new Congress is likely to come in the spring or
summer when the $ 100-million aid runs out.
To win additional funding, Reagan must win
majorities in both chambers and possibly over
come a filibuster in the Senate.
But the president faces new obstacles.
Loss of the Senate strips the Republicans of
control of the legislative agenda, making de
feat of a filibuster potentially more difficult.
The president will face a Senate Foreign
Relations Committee dominated by Demo
crats opposed to his Nicaragua policy, includ
ing the new chairman, Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-
R.L, who has called the Contras “our terror
ists.”
Other opponents, such as Sen. John F.
Kerry, D-Mass., expect the panel to be more
interested in examining allegations of wrong
doing by the Contras and their backers, in
cluding reported drug trafficking, human
rights abuses and gun-running.
Investigations could also focus on alleged
White House ef forts to circumvent a two-year
congressional ban on U.S. military aid to the
Contras through the creation of a network of
former U.S. intelligence operatives. Accord
ing to administration sources and rebel back
ers, the network — which included an arms-
laden C-123K cargo plane shot down over Ni
caragua on Oct. 5 — was secretly managed by
the White House.
On the other hand, the new chairman of
the Seriate Intelligence Committee, which
oversees the Nicaraguan operation, will be
Sen. David L. Boren, D-Okla., a supporter of
Contra aid, instead of Sen. David Duren-
berger, R-Minn., an opponent.