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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1987)
/I spike 3SHSU >matcf m Texas A&M g| gj I • The Battalion 'exas A&M ^„ take on Sam 3 No. 13 CISPS 045360 14 pages ght at 7:30 pc: 1 n lite Coliseum: a match heldli £ ' ille. dyKats are 10-' ory over A&M on the match er losing the fin Aggies. 3-7, is coming ncc in the I egiate Preview Ca 1 , Calif. The be Santa Clara and to 16th-rankc i TexasSi 11! X( ’ 1 ON ” Secre- next superpower summit meeting, iwest i exasM. f of State George P Shultz and r r 6 und the answr ^ p ore j gn Minister Eduard A. Shultz said there was “some pro- ,nS \ " "a£.u r -V*dnadze reported progress gress” in talks between U.S. and So- • r !i -rv i dnesday toward an arms control viet experts, while Shevardnadze de- id. "Our ps.. could be signed at the dared, “I think we are now t themselves a:: s. He re dose: ;| hi track College Station, Texas Thursday, September 17, 1987 superpowers report progress at meeting Severe winds, rains ?n w :ause heavy flooding ^nkir>n University campus By Elisa Hutchins Staff 'Writer with a victors ?§ fi Graf. h he has ne* i—or the hea: Heavy ra i n s and high winds dl is deads tk rdfesday night caused severe en’s tennis. Hpig in buildings, damaged cars ’7, has won ! lever al parking lots and activated and )11 mil » and intrusion alarms around ian in tennish npus, including one for the presi- also rlie be«< u’s house. Boh YV'iatt, director of he men s ton- urity and traffic, said, avc helped h:: Unofficial rainfall statistics at i ^K-TV, Channel 3 in Bryan, es- , who starttt! tated rainfall at the station at 1.76 pen strealin hes between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. S4, then went hwhul gusts around 40 knots, is not won a G:: Six to 7 feet of water filled staff He lost his N rking lot 57 next to the Zachry in 1985. ilding at N. Bizzell Street and says l^cndls ised a three-car pile up. mn apart. r , . . st more n !! ^ ne ° t ^ ie car owners involved, McEnroe said or 8 ( Brown, an industrial engi- 11 in the quar^m,F^te student, said his vholc life He ^ Chevrolet Impala floateu id off the cour [ i ^ 1S, ,he Parking lot wall. ,c ertainty in Lr ^fe 1981 Volkswagon Rabbit re ship status most °‘ n 16 damage, he said, c r , f i y . n chinkJPP ec * U P next to mine and then ,.,;n JSOS Mercedes Benz floated on > of the hood.” Brown said no one was hurt and ■ft' and the Rabbit were water- ■ ■ ged and towed from the lot. j I Mpl Two chemical engineering stu- I ■ nts, Richard Hess and Naynesh #ai, swept out water from the ched to shorti: >und floor level of the Zachry d he had pli Uding. Hess said there was no mage to equipment and that the e painted a: tiding would remain open, streak wouldh admission, or ®t ic time off," Rip :r deemed itlfic i the ball parkto if my name'i« g it will take. Most of the ground level rooms in the Blocker Building were flooded. Academic Computer Center man ager Larry Bowles said, “Water came in from the front doors. People were cleared from the center around 8:15 p.m. because although only a small amount of water was on the floor at the center, there was a possibility of electrical shock.” Center student-worker Rick Troth said there are 130 micro-com puters valued at $1,500 each and a main frame computer valued at $300,000 in the center. None of the computers was damaged by the flooding. Elsewhere in the building, a seven-member crew began clean-up at 10:30 p.m. in 14 classrooms that received extensive water and mud. Troth said water came in through the front because the drain clogged with leaves and water built up in the low lying area. Another student-worker said the Tower levels of the building flooded last year, but that this was much worse. Bowles said, “We had a lot of help from workers who barricaded the center doorways so water wouldn’t damage the computers. They were quick thinking and saved a lot of equipment.” Tony Lapaglia, area maintainance foreman for the Physical Plant, said they would be cleaning up the water and mud all night so that the build ing will be usable in the morning. discussing all these questions more constructively than previously.” They met for nearly five hours over the day, with talks ranging over Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Iran-Iraq war, human rights and other issues. “This is a step forward,” Shevard nadze said in describing their talks on nuclear weapons. He said he was “looking with optimism” upon pros pects for a summit meeting between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev. In Moscow, meanwhile, the offi cial news agency Tass quoted Gorba chev as saying that a treaty eliminat ing medium-range nuclear missiles could be worked out this year by the superpowers, and an accord to cut strategic weapons was possible early next year. Gorbachev said a treaty eliminat ing U.S. and Soviet medium- and shorter-range nuclear missiles is “possible and realistic.” “The Soviet Union is proceeding from the premise that a relevant treaty could be worked out before the end of the current year,” he said. Gorbachev made the upbeat statement in an article released shortly after midnight Wednesday as Shultz and Shevardnadze met to work out the details of an arms treaty. Cautiously, however, Shevard nadze also told reporters “there are some points we have to work on a litde more” before a treaty to ban U.S. and Soviet intermediate-range missiles is nailed down. “It is, for the time being, difficult to speak about results,” he said. “We are engaged in a very serious, pro found, businesslike discussion of very urgent issues.” The talks are expected to wind up sometime after noon today. Shultz will then hold a news conference at the State Department. Shevard nadze scheduled a 4:30 p.m. session at the Soviet embassy. The State Department spokesman declined to say if any of these goals were met. mm 'A Sign of the times Freshmen cadets of Squadron 3 hang a spirit sign outside Dorm 1 for the upcoming football game between the Aggies and the Washington Huskies. Photo by Robert W. Rizzo Brad Fuqua of Houston handles the top of the sign while Jack Sile, left and David Scanlon, right, both from San Antonio, check the bottom. fork defends position on Watergate in hearings tens that thenu WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court in this casethflPff 66 R°bert H. Bork, parrying attacks s to bemydadii integrity by Democratic senators, “rests of the d# Wednesday he acted honorably and le- hat this happen ^ * n 1973 when he fired special Water- te prosecutor Archibald Cox. In a dramatic retelling of what Bork led “an enormous governmental crisis,” n -J, said that as soon as Cox was dismissed, “I L hi promptly act to safeguard the special osecution. I understood from the begin- iletic Conlerer l 8 tny moral and professional lives were e would misst*t' line if something happened to the ■rival NewMet ^ prosecution force ” ment released Questions on what has become known as the Saturday Night Massacre marked an in terruption in attacks — soon to resume — on Bork’s political and judicial ideology as opponents sought additional grounds to defeat his confirmation. Until his nomination last July, Bork was best known by the general public for his ac tions the night of Oct. 20, 1973. That Saturday night, Nixon ordered Cox fired when the Harvard professor insisted the president surrender White House tapes to the special prosecutor’s office. In quick succession, then-Attorney General Elliot Richardson resigned, his top deputy, Wil liam Ruckelshaus, was fired after refusing to dismiss Cox, and Bork, the third-ranking Justice Department official, carried out the president’s order. Bork, noting he has frequently explained his role in the Cox firing before, revealed Wednesday that he rejected a White House request in the summer of 1973 to resign his Justice Department post of solicitor general to become Nixon’s chief defense lawyer. He said he persuaded then-White House Chief of Staff Alexander M. Haig that “I was not the right man for the job,” — and that Nixon indicated he harbored no hard feelings about the rejection. Bork acknowledged, as some critics have charged, that he did not “instantaneously” move to replace Cox with a new special prosecutor. He said that initially he and others in the Nixon administration thought Cox’s dep uties could do the job of pursuing the Wa tergate investigation. “We realized the need to appoint a new one because the American people would not be mollified without one,” he said. Responding to pointed questions from Democratic Sens. Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachu setts and Judicary Committee Chairman Jo seph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, Bork denied he ever weighed any actions that would abort the Watergate investigation. Bork said that White House officials were taken aback by the resignations of the top Justice Department officials and the public outcry that followed. State funds of $21 million recovered “I am sorry situation sucb! ireciate ? by Coach Ha" :. I have told | ve no more ir ons Sandle." 'ords Tuesday T he said foP ; ■ ifting arrest, 1, an unfortunate AUSTIN (AP) — State officials ry sorry for ' announced Wednesday that all of wrong, and I«$21 million in state money 3 get intoasiiC'-tat. was improperly deposited in ansecured accounts in a British iVest Indies bank has been recov- sred. Attorney General Jim Mattox aid Texas American Bank of fort Worth, trustee for the Texas Housing Agency, had assumed esponsibility for the final $2.8 million that was still unrecovered ind had deposited that amount in S 6 FvicC agency’s account. ; “We don’t want this to happen Jgain,” Mattox told a news con- ierence. “State money cannot be risked and foreign business jhould not be allowed to profit Tom Texas taxpayers’ money.” The wayward $21 million came Torn bonds issued by the housing regency for use in home loan pro- Kpims. The agency had intended ^ :or the money to be invested in riSfeltificates of deposit in various Rollins, M. Jan Antonio financial institu- oore,M.D.,F v ions Instead, the money was depos ed; with Equity Continental Bank -tdi of Montserrat, British West ndies. Not all the agency’s oney was secured while it re ed with Equity Continental, ials said. tion /an its ^es i.-7 p.m. ly LSG addresses laws affecting University Legislative group lobbies for students By Drew Leder Staff Writer With enrollment exceeding 39,000 this semester, the students of Texas A&M make up a sizeable in terest group in Texas. Every student is affected by legis lation that comes out of Austin, but determining what laws are in stu dents’ best interest can be difficult. This is what the Legislative Study Group at A&M attempts to do. The LSG, comprised of student volunteers, represents A&M stu dents in the Texas Legislature by identifying important student issues and lobbying positions advocated by A&M’s Student Senate. During the last session, which lasted from Jan. 1 to May 31, the LSG got involved with the following legislative issues, succeeding in five of the six positions it supported: • Student government Working in cooperation with the Texas Stu dent Lobby — the representative group from the University of Texas — the LSG lobbied for the defeat of a bill that would have allowed college students to vote every four years on whether to abolish their student gov ernment. The bill, which died without a for mal hearing in either the House or Senate, would also have made cer tain student service fees optional — including, for example, the fee allo cated for the production of a student newspaper. Carolyn Foster, administrative di rector of the LSG, says the group’s position against the bill was “in the interest of student government,” as well as “for self-preservation.” • Tuition rates The LSG also worked for the defeat of a bill that would have taken the authority to raise the tuition at Texas colleges and universities away from the Leg islature and put it in the hands of the governing boards of the schools. The final version of the bill signed by the governor allowed the govern ing boards to set graduate tuition rates, but not undergraduate rates, which remain at the discretion of the Legislature. Foster calls the compromise “a major accomplishment.” She says tne authority to set tu ition should be in the hands of elected officials, not with board members who are mostly upper-class and are sometimes out of touch with students. The LSG still believes the power to set all tuition rates should not rest with the governing boards, Mark Browning, the group’s director, says. The group is looking for ways to get the graduate tuition authority re turned to the Legislature, Browning says. • Hazing A bill backed by the LSG, which later became law, spells out exactly what is considered hazing and stiffens penalties for those participating in or failing to re port a hazing incident. According to the law, consent by the person being hazed is not a de fense in a hazing incident. Foster says this law clears up un certainty in the definition and treat ment of hazing incidents. • Student services funding The LSG also lobbied successfully for the removal of an amendment from a bill that would have prohibited funding from student service fees for groups advocating the passage or defeat of legislation. Had this amendment not been re moved, A&M and other higher edu cation facilities in the state would not be allowed an official student rep resentative group in the Legislature. •Student security deposits Testi fying before the Senate Jurispru dence Committee, the LSG at tempted to have legislation passed that would have required landlords to keep security deposit funds in an account separate from general oper ating funds, preventing them from being used to satisfy debts in the case of bankruptcy. This legislation was initiated by the LSG after a 700-unit apartment complex in Bryan-College Station went bankrupt in 1984. Some students living in the com plex were forced to wait several months for the return of their secu rity deposits. The bill was passed by the Senate but died in the House. The LSG originated and began lobbying for issues it deemed rele- vent to A&M students in 1979 and officially became a part of Student Government in 1982. It receives about $300 a year from student service fees, most of which is used to cover office expenses, Browning says. The LSG also gets a stipend from the Association of Former Students of between $500 and $1,000 a year to cover traveling expenses. Foster says the objective of the LSG is to be “a constant voice in Aus tin relevent to students’ everyday liv es.” The LSG works closely with state legislators and student groups from other universities. It also may testify before House and Senate committees. Although the LSG spends a good deal of time lobbying for issues, Browning says this is not the pri mary work done by the group. “Research is what it’s all about,” he says. Before any lobbying is done, the issues are thoroughly researched and sometimes ideas are solicited from political science professors on how best to present a position to the Legislature, Browning says. The members’ work can involve talking with legislators, helping groups from other universities with presentations or giving testimony before legislative committees, he says. The LSG must receive authoriza tion from a state representative to advocate a position before the Legis lature, Browning says. Usually the group looks to local state legislators for support, he says. The LSG currently has eight members, but hopes to get about 15 more this semester, Foster says. Most of the group’s past members were political science majors. This semester, the LSG expects to look into income contingent loans for students and a law that requires education majors to work full-time one semester as unsalaried student teachers. The law doesn’t allow edu cation majors enough time to take other jobs to help pay school ex penses, Browning says.