-
v Texas A&M W H % m tf V •
The Battalion
Vol. 87 No. 40 CISPS 045360 10 pages
College Station, Texas
Monday, October 26, 1987
Soviet Union
refuses to set
summit date
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secre
tary of State George P. Shultz indi
cated Sunday that if Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev continues to put
obstacles in the way of an arms con
trol agreement, a U.S.-Soviet sum
mit might not occur in the Reagan
presidency.
See related story, Page 8
I “We’ll have it when he’s ready or,
[if he waits too long, maybe we won’t
Ibe ready,’’ Shultz said on NBC-TV’s
["Meet the Press,” one day after re
turning from two days of talks in
iMoscow.
“This administration ends in Jan-
[uary 1989,” Shultz said. “And as you
[get into the heat of the election cam-
Ipaign, it’s no time for a Soviet leader
[to be here. So there’s only a finite
lamount of time, only a Finite amount
[of patience with all of this.”
Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard
[Shevardnadze raised the topic of a
[summit this fall during meetings in
[Washington in September, Shultz
[said, adding that during talks in
[Moscow last week, Gorbachev sug
gested that President Reagan visit
[the Soviet Union next year.
“We discussed it,” Shultz said.
[“Not only a summit here, but he
[clearly has in his mind President
[Reagan coming to Moscow next
year, which is fine if we have some
thing worthwhile to do. But then he
somehow isn’t quite comfortable, he
hasn’t made up his mind.”
Administration officials had
voiced puzzlement at Gorbachev’s
sudden refusal Friday to Fix a date
for a summit, but emphasized that
the decision should not block a
treaty banning intermediate-range
nuclear missiles.
Shultz said Sunday the adminis
tration was willing to sign a treaty
with the Soviets, even without a su
perpower summit meeting, and he
saiu he remains optimistic about
such an agreement.
“We have basically worked out
practically all the problems and our
negotiators will be back,” Shultz said.
However, he pointed out that the
Soviets “can change their minds. But
what we should do is not be thrown
off by them changing their minds.
“We have to stay on our track, and
when they’re ready to sign, fine.
We’ll be there.”
Frank C. Carlucci, the national se
curity adviser who accompanied
Shultz on the trip to Moscow, said
Sunday Soviet leaders indicated that
they would prefer to reach an arms
agreement with the Reagan adminis
tration, but Gorbachev said he
would be willing to wait for the next
administration.
Mimwmi - — i
vfr' Mku* j * 'i
Where’s the Great Pumpkin?
Photo by Robert W. Rizzo
At left, Chad Greer, 9, and his brother Scott, 7, both attending South
Knoll Elementary School, look for a pumpkin at the Farm Patch in
Biyan. I he brothers and their parents are choosing a pumpkin to
decorate for the coming Halloween weekend.
Poll: Betting supporters out number opponents
HOUSTON (AP) — Supporters
[of legalized race-track betting out-
[number opponents by 56 percent to
[37 percent as the issue nears a vote
[next month, according to a newspa-
[per poll published Sunday.
“If I were betting, I would bet it
[would pass, but you lose bets some-
jtimes,” University of Houston politi-
|cal scientist Richard Murray said.
1 Murray, who directed the poll for
the Houston Chronicle and Dallas
morning News, said pollsters con-
jtacted 1,017 registered voters be-
jtween Oct. 11 and Tuesday. The
[poll, conducted through the Univer
sity of Houston Center for Public
[Policy, had a margin of error of 3.5
[percent.
While results showed supporters
[outnumbered opponents, seven per-
[cent were undecided and the lack of
jinterest in the Nov. 3 election could
[play a large role, Murray said.
“It’s such a low voter turnout elec
tion, it’s not a comfortable lead,”
[Murray said. “The smaller the turn-
[out, the more likely it is to lose.
Gambling foes try to mobilize Texas religious community
DALLAS (AP) — Sermons, dona
tions, volunteers and even a country-
western song are being used to mo
bilize the Texas religious community
against horse- and dog-race betting.
“When the stakes get higher and
higher, the faster and harder you
fall,” goes the ballad telling the story
of a little girl begging her daddy to
give up playing the ponies.
The recording — produced in
Dallas and offered to Christian radio
stations — is the latest effort by gam
bling foes to mobilize the state’s
church members to defeat the Nov.
3 referendum on horse- and dog-
race wagering.
Graphic by Susan C. Akin
Texas churches — always in the
vanguard against pari-mutuel wa
gering — again are playing a central
role along with providing the bulk of
donations and volunteers for the op-
position campaign.
Ministers will take to the pulpits
for sermons on what they call the
evils of race-track betting as the elec
tion nears, anti-racing officials said.
“Some may see this as a David and
Goliath battle with the forces of pari-
mutuel gambling wearing the giant’s
armor,” said Sue Cox, head of Tex
ans Who Care, a Dallas-based oppo
sition group. “If that’s the case, so be
it. We remember that David came
out on top.”
Pro-racing forces have stepped up
a well-financed phone-bank opera
tion and mailings to get out voters
sympathetic to their cause. Polls
show them in the lead, and support
ers have tried to avoid public con
frontations with church leaders.
The winning side will be the one
that does the best job of getting its
backers to the polls in an off-year
election, analysts said.
“If the turnout is less than 15 per
cent, we’re in the anything-can-nap-
pen zone.”
If approved by voters, the mea
sure would allow legalized gambling
on horse races in Texas for the First
time in 50 years. It also would legal
ize dog racing in three coastal coun
ties. The state would share in pro
ceeds from the betting operations.
Murray said 34 percent oi those
who said they support passage of le
galized race track betting were
strong supporters while 22 percent
said they were somewhat strong sup
porters. Of opponents, 26 percent
said they were strongly opposed
while 11 percent said they were
somewhat opposed.
Ricky Knox, executive director of
the Texas Horse Racing Association,
an Austin lobbying group, said he
was encouraged.
He said the association won’t
change its campaign, which stresses
a direct-mail and phone-bank opera
tion to get out the vote.
“I think it’s in good shape,” he
said. “I knew we wouldn’t win by ac
clamation. We’re right on target.”
Both opponents and supporters
of race track betting said they were
pleased with the poll’s results.
“I’m pleased that we are ahead
statewide,” said Nathan Avery,
county chairman of Texans for Eco
nomic Development, which is pro
moting passage of the referendum.
Sue Cox, campaign manager for
Texans Who Care, which is trying to
scuttle the proposal, says the poll re
sults may indicate opposition is
growing to legalized gambling.
“This is very encouraging to us
because we have felt all along that as
people focused on the issue, they
would be less inclined to vote on dog
and horse races,”, she said.
Some dorm residents
who break contracts
may get money back
By Connie Johnson
Reporter
Although Residence Hall ofFi-
i cials have said students who move
off campus in the spring would
lose their deposits, students who
already have decided to make the
move may still get back their
$200.
Housing Services Supervisor
John White said if enough people
from the Spring 1988 waiting list
accept the offer to move on cam
pus and Fill all available spaces,
students who have canceled their
i contracts will receive a refund.
However, White said, this offer
is only for students who cancel
between today and Nov. 6, and
there is no guarantee they will re-
! ceive a refund.
Last spring, hall contracts were
| changed from one-semester to
! two-semester contracts to better
I manage space allocations, said
| Tom Murray, assistant director of
' Student Affairs.
“The contract is not changed,
I but bent to give students the cred-
i it,” White said. “This was decided
| for students who already decided
to move off campus no matter
j what happened. I don’t want to
I force anybody to live on campus,
so this gives them a way out.”
White said about 400 women
and 300 men are on the waiting
! list, but traditionally 50 percent to
I 53 percent accept the offer to
move on campus in the spring se
mester. The number of people on
the waiting list is lower than last
year, he said, which means fewer
people may want on-campus
housing.
The reasons for the decrease
of students on the spring waiting
list is unclear, but White said it
may be because many students
delayed their applications until
next fall, while others canceled
when they didn’t get a room.
It’s hard to say whether the
new contract policy affected the
number on the waiting list, he
said.
As a result of the smaller
spring waiting list, he said, the
spaces made available by students
who are contractually eligible to
move at the end of this semester
probably will be just enough for
the students who accept a space.
This narrows the chances for a
refund for students who break
their contracts.
All students graduating in De
cember, co-oping in the spring,
teaching in the spring, withdraw
ing from the University, academi
cally restricted for the spring or
getting married in January or
February are automatically eligi
ble for refunds under the con
tract.
White advises other students
See Deposits, page 7
A&M becomes involved in programs
to increase recruitment of minorities
By Mary-Lynne Rice
Staff Writer
Although registration figures in
dicate minority student enrollment
at Texas A&M has increased this
year, A&M as well as other universi
ties throughout the state seek even
more minority students.
This month, A&M became in
volved in two minority programs as
part of an increased recruitment
campaign.
A&M and Sam Houston State
University joined with Blinn College
in an “ethnic transfer” project de
signed to encourage minority stu
dents at Blinn, a two-year college, to
transfer to four-year institutions and
complete a bachelor’s degree.
The Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board, which oversees
all public higher education, sponsors
the pilot transfer project, known as
BEST — Blinn College Student Eth
nic Transfer Project: Sam Houston
State University and Texas A&M
University.
BEST is an outgrowth of the
Texas Equal Education Opportunity
Plan, a Five-year plan aimed at allow
ing minorities better access to higher
education.
“The new program can benefit
minority students and colleges alike
since many black and Hispanic stu
dents often enroll at the junior colle
ges,” said Teresa Acosta, Coordinat
ing Board director of student
retention services. “These students
represent a readily available transfer
pool whose true potential has not
been examined.”
Jim Wright, A&M assistant direc
tor of school relations, said inform
ing students of their choices in
higher education is the key to a
higher transfer rate.
“We’re trying to increase the pool
of students by enlightening them to
what’s out there,” he said.
Acosta said Blinn was chosen for
the project because its course offer
ings are geared toward transfer to
senior institutions and its location is
convenient to the two major univer
sities.
However, A&M Director of Ad
missions B.B. Lay said students who
wish to transfer to a university won’t
be limited to A&M and Sam Hous
ton.
“We’re obviously interested in en
couraging them to come here,” Lay
said, “but really, we’re interested in
getting them to come to school
somew’here.”
To encourage transfers, A&M is
trying to increase contact with the
students through letters, campus vis
its, advising sessions and scholarship
offers. Six two-year, $2,500 a year
President’s Achievement Awards are
available for qualified students, he
said.
Acosta said counselors will help
Blinn students identify their inter
ests, then track their academic pro
gress.
“We want to be sensitive to their
individual needs,” she said.
Once a student has transferred,
the Coordinating Board will monitor
his progress and transfers must meet
the same academic requirements as
other university students, she said.
Lay said at A&M, most transfers
perform well academically.
“They’re either students who
couldn’t afford to go to a university
after high school or they weren’t
prepared academically yet,” he said.
Acosta said the success of most
transfer students once they enroll at
See Recruitment, page 7
Louisiana governor pulls out of primary runoff
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Gov. Edw in Edwards
stepped aside Sunday with a grand gesture that
befitted the flamboyant Cajun populist, opting
out of a runoff against U.S. Rep. Charles E.
“Buddy” Roemer after finishing second in the
state’s gubernatorial primary.
“He may have the Capitol now if he wants it,”
Edwards told supporters who had gathered for
what they hoped would be a victory party.
Edwards, 60, finished second to Roemer in
Saturday’s primary and was assured of a spot in a
Nov. 21 runoff, but conceded the race early Sun
day after two other major challengers said they
would back Roemer, who had come from behind
in the final weeks of the campaign.
Roemer, 44, son of a former Edwards crony,
said, “It’s the end of an era — in a positive way.
He offered to meet w'ith me and review his ad
ministration. He did it the right w r ay and you
have to give him credit for that. He said there is a
better way (than having a runoff) and you have
to give him credit for a lot of class.”
Edwards, who had never lost a bid for public
office in a political career dating back to 1954,
had been seeking an unprecedented fourth term.
His third term was marked by his acquittal in a
federal racketeering trial and a deep statewide
recession triggered by depressed oil and natural
gas prices.
Roemer said he thought the race, in which the
five major candidates spent more than $13 mil
lion, turned around in the last 10 days after vot
ers decided he could actually win a campaign in
which he refused to take large contributions and
donations from political action committees.