J^xasA&M^ _
The Battalion
il. 83 No. 24 GSPS 045360 10 pages
College Station, Texas
Friday, October 2, 1987
California quake kills 6, injures at least 100
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A severe
rthquake and 16 strong af-
shocks rumbled across Southern
ilifornia on Thursday, destroying
ildings, damaging hundreds of
uses, closing freeways and setting
[dozens of fires. At least six peo-
: were killed and more than 100
'ir ured.
H Ihe U.S. Geological Survey said
quake registered 6.1 on the Rich-
scale, making it the strongest to
hit the Los Angeles area since the 6.4
Sylmar quake of 1971 that killed 64
people.
The temblor sent thousands into
the streets as buildings were tempo
rarily evacuated amid widespread
power outages. Landmark buildings
dating to Spanish colonial times
were damaged, shattered glass and
other debris rained into the street
and a tall plume of smoke from a
shopping center fire rose south of
the downtown area.
Damage was worst in Whittier, the
closest suburban area to the epi
center. The quake destroyed 30
downtown buildings, mostly busi
nesses, said J. Sonny Morkus, Whit
tier’s emergency services coordina
tor. Marsha Andersen, a spokesman
for Presbyterian Intercommunity
Hospital, said 50 to 60 people were
treated for injuries.
The quake hit at 7:42 a.m. PDT
(9:42 a.m. CDT) and lasted 15 to 30
seconds, depending on nearness to
the epicenter, which was about seven
miles south-southeast of Pasadena at
the north end of the Whittier-Elsi-
nore Fault. At least 16 aftershocks
measuring 3 or more on the Richter
scale followed by late afternoon and
more were expected.
Based on its location, scientists are
calling Thursday’s quake the Whit
tier Narrows earthquake, said Clar
ence Allen, professor of geology and
geophysics at the California Institute
of Technology in Pasadena.
In Whittier’s older residential
neighborhoods, porches collapsed
onto lawns, chimneys toppled, win
dows were shattered and most resi
dents sat outside on chairs, afraid to
return inside.
“The houses up here in the hills
are all a mess,” said Denise Huff, 33,
of Whittier, whose ceiling caved in.
“I’m from Ohio, and I’m going
back.”
Police Officer Mike Willis said the
uptown area in the city of 71,000
“suffered considerable damage.”
Mayor Gene H. Chandler de
clared a state of emergency and two
shelters were established for people
to stay overnight.
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On a roll
Pi Kappa Alpha member Robert Clay, a junior accounting major from
Houston, gets a pull as he rolls along on his skateboard from frater
nity brother Peter Sanguesa, a junior journalism major, also from
Photo by Sam Myers
Houston, Thursday afternoon. The two were watching the Aggie
Band prepare for this weekend’s gridiron matchup in Lubbock be
tween Texas A&M and Texas Tech University.
Director of MHMR
resigns, receives
praise from board
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas
Board of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation had only nice things to
say Thursday about Commissioner
Gary Miller before accepting a resig
nation submitted under fire.
Board members praised Miller for
helping bring the agency to the
verge of settlement on federal law
suits that have sparked court-or
dered changes in the care of the
mentally ill and mentally retarded.
Miller, a psychiatrist who has been
the agency’s top official since 1982,
also was lauded for proving that
physicians can be administrators and
for helping the transition to commu
nity care for the mentally ill and re
tarded.
Nevertheless, the board, without
uttering a negative word, voted
unanimously to accept Miller’s offer
to resign.
“I don’t understand it either,”
board Chairman Roger Bateman of
Corpus Christi said of the peculiar
session.
Asked what problems with Miller
caused him to second the motion to
accept the resignation, board mem
ber Coke Mills of Waco said, “I’m
not sure I could define that.”
Although there were reports of
board dissension on whether to fire
Miller, Mills said, “I don’t think any
body was forced to do anything.”
Miller said he did not think he was
fired.
“I think I resigned based on my
own volition,” he said after the
board granted his request to stay on
the $82,000-a-year job until March
31.
“I thought of all the options, in
cluding what’s going on at the de
partment and my own feeling for
the agency, and came to the conclu
sion that at this time this was an ap
propriate step for me to take,” he
said.
In addition to the courthouse
problems, the agency has long been
in the middle of a fight between
those who favor institutional care
and those who prefer community-
based care.
K&M will amplify music programwith new coordinator
By Cindy Milton
Staff Writer
\ Next year may mark the begin-
lingof an improved music program
-something that is needed to make
fexas A&M a first-class university,
1 Dr. Daniel Fallon, dean of the
lege of Liberal Arts.
The University has offered music
lourses — appreciation, theory and
|iitory — since the early 1970s, Fal-
isaid. But significant student in
vest within the past few years has
i to discussion of improvement of
music program, which even-
/ could develop into a music de-
lartment.
A&M already has some impressive
bcal talent in its music faculty —
Iranz Krager, lecturer of music,
londucts the Brazos Valley Sym-
Ihony while Dr. George Adams,
Irofessor of music, is the associate
pnductor. Margaret MacArthur,
Graphic by Susan C. Akin
lecturer, is a former head of A&M’s
Singing Cadets.
. The first step in the improved
music program will take place in
June 1988 when Dr. Werner Rose,
professor of music at the University
of Wyoming, joins the three faculty
members teaching music at A&M.
Rose will be coordinator of the music
program — a first at A&M.
The music program, now orga
nized under the philosophy depart
ment, may have a central office next
year, Adams said, and the offices of
the music faculty, now in the Har
rington Tower, will be moved to the
Blocker Building, where the theater
arts department is located, since the
ater arts is more related to music
than philosophy, Adams said.
Rose, visiting the campus last
week for a faculty retreat, said his
job as coordinator will be twofold —
it will focus on the existing musical
activities at A&M and enrich and
add to the programs.
“I see myself as a catalyst and a
spokesman for the music program,”
Rose said.
The music program, he said, may
provide programs for students and
faculty members interested in cre
ating musical ensembles and small
bands.
The development of the program
also will include a venture with the
University of Houston and the
Houston Museum of Fine Arts dur
ing the annual Lyric Arts Festival.
Rose, a concert pianist and a
member of the Western Arts Trio,
said the trio will be associated with
A&M in the future by presenting
concerts, lectures and recitals on
campus.
Most schools already have devel
oped music progams, Rose said, and
by adding a coordinator, A&M will
become more enriched.
“We aren’t pushing for a major
yet,” he said. “There are schools
down the road if that’s what you’re
looking for.”
Rose said the program is in an ex
perimental stage and it will take
some time for results to come about.
The eventual development of a mu
sic department, Fallon said, is far
down the road.
“Creation of a department takes
the approval of a lot of people,” Fal
lon said. “It would have to go
through the Faculty Senate, the
Board of Regents and the Coordi
nating Board.”
He said in the meantime the mu
sic program and the college will
work on creating a solid curriculum.
Adams said growth of the pro
gram will give students more expo
sure in fine arts and humanities,
rather than limiting them to studies
within their majors.
“At an institution like A&M,
there’s a danger of turning out peo
ple with essentially narrow view
points,” Adams said. “They are edu
cated in their field, but not in the
humanities.”
However, Adams expressed con
cern that “Aggie traditionalists” may
resist this venture in fine arts.
“This may go against what some
people think A&M is,” he said, “but
if they think this type of growth will
harm the University, then they’re
selling A&M short. We have a lot of
potential here.”
Overall, both Adams and Rose ex
pect the development of the pro
gram to enhance A&M traditions.
“The traditions here are great,”
Rose said. “We have an opportunity
to nurture them. We want to create
enough opportunity so that students
can participate in any kind of music
they want.”
The future of the music program,
as well as any other aspiring pro
gram, faces the problems of space
and facilities for students and fac
ulty. However, Rose said, overcom
ing problems like these go hand-in-
hand with progress.
reshmen in race for presidential seat
ummarize goals for honored position
(D £
By Drew Leder
Staff Writer
I All but two of the nine candidates
]'ho spent this week campaigning
at freshman class president will be
[liminated from the race after the
Joting booths close Monday.
Freshmen voters will elect class of-
cers and nine freshmen to the Stu-
lent Senate and reduce the number
fClassof’91 presidential hopefuls
the two candidates who receive
ie most votes. A run-off election
tween these two will be held
hursday.
The role of the freshman class,
(resident is to oversee the class
|f)uncil, which is responsible for put
ting on a freshman ball in the spring
fnd organizing fundraisers to ac-
uire money for a class gift the class
ill donate to Texas A&M in 1991.
The presidential candidates are:
• Steven Wehrheim, a political
hence major from Boerne.
Wehrheim said he wants to be
Iresident so he can help reverse the
trrent trend of politics that doesn’t
How the people to share in the polit-
aldecisions that affect them.
“Politics is going in the wrong di-
sction right now, and I want to turn
lat around,” he said. “There’s not
nough representation of the people
Voting Locations
All freshmen can cast their bal
lots for the Class of ’91 officers
Monday from 9 a.rn. to 6 p.m.
Votes will be taken at the follow
ing locations:
• MSC, main lobby.
• Pavilion, first floor.
• Sbisa Dining Hail, outside
near the Fish pond, weather per
mitting. (Voting will be in the A-l
lounge in the event of rain.)
and 1 see no better time than the
present (to change that).”
Wehrheim also said he hopes to
pursue a political career after leav
ing A&M.
• Richard Garza, a political sci
ence major from Sugarland.
Garza said he also has political as
pirations that extend beyond A&M.
“My goal in life is to be the gover
nor of Texas,” he said. “(Now) I
want to do the best I can to represent
the students and see what I can do
here.”
• Valerie Coleman, a business
major from San Antonio.
Coleman said she would like to be
president so she can contribute
something to A&M and have an op
portunity to participate.
“I want to work to help organize
and contribute any ideas which
might further enhance our already
impressive student body,” she said.
“Anyone can attend a university —I
want to participate in mine.”
• Miles Gibbons, a construction
science major from Plano.
Gibbons is running for student
senator as well as president. He said
he wants to use the political avenues
at A&M to make students aware of
what they can accomplish.
“I want to improve the awareness
of freshmen,” he said. “There are
opportunities that they don’t know
about.”
Gibbons also said he would like to
investigate the possibility of estab
lishing a used-book store sponsored
and run by students.
• Heather Glenn, a business ma
jor from Richardson.
Glenn said she wants to be presi
dent because she is confident she
would be a good one.
“I know that I can do a fantastic
job as president,” she said.
Glenn said that, as president, she
would concentrate her efforts on
raising money for the class ball and
class gift.
• Wayne Couch, a chemistry ma
jor from Paris.
Couch said he would use the posi
tion of president to help create a
feeling of unity among the freshman
class.
“I see a potential to unite the
freshman class,” he said. “If we are
going to be the biggest (the largest
freshman class in the nation) and the
best, we need to unite the freshman
class now. If we’re unified, there is
nothing that we can’t accomplish.”
• Joel Hutton, a political science
major from Dallas.
Hutton said he became interested
in the presidency at Fish Camp when
someone suggested that he run for
the office. Hutton, a member of the
Corps of Cadets, said he hopes that
backing from the Corps will help
him win the office.
Hutton said that although he isn’t
sure what specific duties are re
quired of the president, he is willing
to do whatever the job requires.
“I’ll do whatever needs to get
done,” he said.
• Ron Villarreal, a biochemistry
major from McAllen.
Villarreal said he wants to orga
nize a great ball this year for the
Class of’91.
“I hope to put on the best fresh
man class ball and provide a well-es
tablished image for the whole fresh
man class,” he said.
• Matthew Wood, a political sci
ence major from College Station.
Wood said he wants to organize a
system that will provide numerous
opportunities for freshmen to get in
volved at A&M. He said that grow
ing up in College Station helps him
to understand what’s going on at
A&M and what students want.
“My main goal is to set up a system
under which our class can work to
get as many people involved as possi
ble,” he said. “I’d like to see a class
that has a number of committees to
get a wide base to draw from. I know
A&M fairly well and I feel I know
what’s going on and what people
would be interested in.”
In addition to presidential elec
tions, four other class officers and
nine senators will be elected Mon
day.
Ten freshmen have filed to run
for class vice president, two for trea
surer, one for secretary and one for
social secretary. Also, there are 14
candidates vying for nine senatorial
seats.
Student Body President Mason
Hogan estimated that about 2,000
freshmen will cast ballots Monday.
Robertson
declares
candidacy
NEW YORK (AP) — Longtime
television evangelist Pat Rob
ertson declared his candidacy for
the 1988 Republican presidential
nomination Thursday, saying, “I
am stretching forth my hand to
all Americans.
“This will not be the campaign
of a small, well-organized mi
nority. It will be a campaign to
capture the hearts of the Ameri
can people.” Robertson spoke in
front of the three-story
brownstone house in an inner-
city neighborhood where he lived
briefly 27 years ago as a young
minister.
Several hundred supporters
cheered Robertson and some
held signs reading, “Robertson
for God and country.”
Standing on the edges of the
crowd were protesters whose
signs said, “AIDS kills black peo
ple. Pat doesn’t care.” They chan
ted, “Bigot, bigot, bigot.”
Earlier, Robertson spoke on
the “700 Club,” the Christian
Broadcasting Network show he
hosted for years. Robertson, who
two days ago severed his ties to
the Baptist ministry and CBN,
described his candidacy as “a big
move for me.”