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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1987)
L —J^xasA&MQ 1 tie Battalion .87 No. 67 USPS 045360 10 Pages College Station, Texas Friday, December 4 1987 inmates agree to release captives J ATLANTA (AP) — Cuban inmates hold ing 89 hostages at the U.S. Penitentiary Ited Thursday to accept an agreement ith the federal government that could free lie captives and end the 11-day siege, a fed eral official said. 1 Cheering detainees waved and sang the pan national anthem on the roof at the lone prison. “Tomorrow everyone will go pme,” the inmates said shortly after the [reement was approved in the afternoon. Federal authorities rushed from Miami a Cuban-born bishop, who helped negotiate an end to a similar standoff in Oakdale, La., and whose presence apparently was re quested by the 1,105 inmates who have held the prison since Nov. 23. Justice Department spokesman Patrick Korten said officials were waiting word on when the pact could be signed, which could end one of the longest prison sieges in U.S. history. The standoff here and one that ended Sunday in Louisiana had threatened to un ravel an agreement between the United States and Cuba to deport some of those imprisoned after arriving in the Mariel boatlift of 1980. Auxiliary Bishop Agustin Roman left Mi ami on a U.S. Customs Service twin-engine jet, and then was flown by helicopter from Atlanta’s airport to the penitentiary, where he arrived around 10:30 p.m. The inmates, he said, “want somebody to come in from out of town,” in an apparent reference to the bishop. Korten said Roman would be allowed at the signing ceremony only if both sides agreed. Outside the prison, Janet Lugo, wife of one of detainees, stood on a street corner blowing kisses at her husband, Fernando. “I feel great,” she said. “I’m just glad that this is not going to end in bloodshed. I was afraid the government might lose its pa tience and go in in full force.” Several hundred marchers carried can dles and sang “We Shall Overcome” as they walked to the prison from a nearby church Thursday night. The detainees shouted from the roof, “Without your prayers, there would have been no solution to what has been a long period of misunderstanding. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Someday, we will give back something good to those who helped us.” Hispanics sue school system as ‘only hope’ AUSTIN (AP) — Mexican-Ameri cans who are suing the Texas uni versity system charged Thursday that they have been denied a fair chance at higher education for de cades and now see the courts as their only hope. “We’re not asking for the whole loaf of bread,” Jose De Lara, state di rector of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said. “But we don’t want the crumbs, either. We will win this battle because we are right and they are wrong.” LULAC, several other Hispanic groups and some two dozen Mexi can-American students filed the law suit late Wednesday in state district court in Brownsville. See related story, Page 7 At a news conference Thursday, the plaintiffs said they have tried ev erything else to end racial discrimi nation. The plaintiffs are asking the courts to order the state to develop a plan to provide “equal educational opportunities for college students in Texas, regardless of ethnic back ground or area of residence.” “We must succeed in this lawsuit,” said Sen. Carlos Truan, D-Corpus Christi. Nuclear arms accord promising, Reagan says On the light side Visitors to Central Park in College Station enter through Santa’s Lane to view the various elaborate decorations and designs created with Photo by Jay Janner Christmas lights. The decorations include more than 40,000 lights as well as a nativity scene. WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi dent Reagan said Thursday there is a reasonably good chance the super powers can agree in Moscow next year to eliminate 50 percent of their strategic nuclear weapons, the most dangerous arms on Earth. He made the evaluation of pros pects for such a far-reaching agreement in a television interview four days before Soviet leader Mik hail Gorbachev arrives for a summit and the signing of a treaty to ban in termediate-range nuclear missiles, known as INF. Reagan was interviewed by the anchormen from four networks — ABC, CNN, CBS and NBC. Gorba chev, in an NBC interview earlier this week that was broadcast in the United States and the Soviet Union, also offered an optimistic assessment for a strategic arms accord next year. Bryan firefighter says group upset by petition outcome By Richard Williams Reporter A spokesman for the Bryan fire fighters said they are upset with the outcome of their grievance petition igainst Fire Chief Claude Jenkins III and they “fear for public safety.” I “We’re real frustrated with it (the lutcome),” firefighters’ spokesman Kick Pappas said. “We have all the acts to back up the allegations and that’s the whole key. None of them are false. We’re upset because we don’t think they took the full con tents of it when they did go over them.” Pappas said he disagreed with the committee’s finding that on a major ity of the items it found grievable, there was either not enough conclu sive or no conclusive testimony. “I disagree with that totally,” Pap pas said. “Besides testimony we have written facts to back it up.” City Manager Ernest Clark re fused to comment on the recent de velopments because he said he con sidered them personnel matters. At press time Jenkins had not re turned calls placed to the Central Fire Station and to his home. Pappas said the firefighters have been told no one will lose their jobs because they signed the petition. However, some firefighters fear for their jobs, and they are not con vinced that the petitioners will re main on the force. “We’ve been assured there is going to be no retribution, but thoughts of the possibility are always in the back of your head,” he said. “You always wonder.” Wednesday night Bryan firefight ers formed a group called Bryan Firefighters for Public Safety, Pap pas said. One reason the committee was formed was because the fire fighters are concerned about public safety, he said. One of the grievances listed in the petition was that the fire department had “no departmentalwide compre hensive and viable training pro gram” and that the responsibility had been delegated down to “those who have not been instructed on how to be an effective supervisor.” The petition stated this had oc curred in the areas of fire suppres sion, safety inspections and emer gency medical services. In findings released by the com mittee Tuesday, the committee found that charge was “non-grievab- le” because it is a “management per- ogative.” However, the committee did find “imposed management practices” had caused the firefighters’ morale to drop to its “lowest morale level in recent years.” Pappas said, “Morale in the fire department is at an all-time low and it is going to take a long time to change that. We might not be able to change that with Jenkins still around. “We want to make it clear we have the safety of the city at the top of our minds. When that bell rings all atti tudes are lost and we’re just trying to do our best to fight the fire.” The committee also was formed to ensure that actions the firefighters were promised by Clark are upheld, Pappas said. “We will be monitoring the actions of Chief Jenkins to make sure those promises are kept,” he said. Pappas said no litigation is pen ding as a result of the outcome of the grievance hearing, but some liti gation is pending because of the situ ation. “There is some litigation pen ding,” he said. “There is one case in the courts and two more that are pending.” There is a court case that was filed Sept. 20, 1985 against the city of Bryan by a former firefighter who is trying to get his job back. The case is still under litigation. Faculty Club holds reception in anticipation of opening By Lee Schexnaider Staff Writer I With a string quartet playing in the background and the pouring of wine into glasses, the Faculty Club held a reception Thursday evening |o announce the opening of the club In February. I Dr. Jaane Laane, president of the fcoard of directors for the Faculty pub and an A&M chemistry profes sor, said he was excited that a faculty jdub was now within sight, f “Faculty have come up to me and laid it’s so nice to have a glass of wine n Rudder Tower,” he said. He said t will provide a place for faculty rom various departments to ex- bange ideas. “Up to now there are very few places where the faculty can have liscussions about interdisciplinary natters,” Laane said. Dr. Grace Chisolm, a member of he board of directors, said it will )rovide a place for interaction of acuity and administration. “We have not had this type of at mosphere at A&M before,” she said. Laane said the club also will pro vide a place to bring important visi tors to the University. He said that many times such people have to be taken off campus for meals. He said the view of the campus is also a plus for visitors while at A&M. Dr. Joseph Dawson, associate pro fessor of history, said other universi ties have such clubs and A&M is in definite need of one. “It is something that is long over due,” he said. Romalia Favrot, the interior de signer for the club, said the board has an image they want to create with the club. “They just want to have a nice place to come to,” she said. Although she said most of the furnishings will remain the same, wall coverings, car pet and upholstery will be changed. Favrot said the material for the wall covering will be plain but there are plans to have paintings from exhibi tions adorn the walls. She said there will be no major changes in the structure of the fa cility but there are problems with water leakage. She said all of the windows leak. “There are a lot of repairs (to be made because of) rain damage,” she said. Graduate students, seniors can buy tickets to Cotton Bowl classic Monday By Taborri Bruhl Reporter More than 6,000 student tick ets for the Cotton Bowl will go on sale to graduate and senior ticket- book holders at 7 a.m. Monday at the ticket booths at G. Rollie White Coliseum, Jim Kotch, Texas A&M’s athletic ticket man ager, said Thursday. Tickets will go on sale to ju niors Tuesday, to sophomores Wednesday, and to everyone else Thursday, Kotch said. All tickets will be sold for $25. For those buying tickets Mon day, at least half their ticket books must be senior or graduate books, Kotch said. As in the past two years, no guest tickets will be sold, he said. A&M got more than 21,000 tickets for the Cotton Bowl, Kotch said, and of these, 6,000 will be sold to students, 400 to 500 will go to the band and the rest will be sold to season ticket- book holders, Kotch said. Appli cations were mailed out to them and to Aggie Club members Wednesday, he said. The student tickets are for seats at the north end zone of the Cotton Bowl, in sections 13-18, Kotch said. The rest of A&M’s tickets are for various sections around the stadium, he said. In the past two years A&M has been provided with the same number of tickets for students. In 1985 they sold out at 3 p.m. the first day they went on sale, but last year they didn’t sell out for four days, Kotch said. Carrying on the tradition of “Camp Cotton,” several students were waiting in front of the col iseum Thursday for tickets. “They don’t have to wait,” Kotch said. “You can get seats that are just as good at 1 p.m. (the day the tickets go on sale).” Scott Clendenin, a junior polit ical science major from Alice, and Craig Johnson, a senior psychol ogy major from Garland, were two of the first people in line. armed with tents and chairs. They said they realize they proba bly could get tickets without wait ing four days, but there are other reasons to camp out. “We’re not here for the tickets; it’s coming out and meeting all the people that’s fun,” Johnson said. Clendenin said that in 1985 he was one of the last people to get tickets before they sold out, and that this year, he wanted to get a headstart. Bob Wiatt, director of the Uni versity Police Department, said he expects as many as 6,000 stu dents to set up camp at the col iseum this weekend, but no major problems are anticipated. Wiatt said allegations of stu dent campers consuming alcohol near the coliseum were made in previous years and the police oc casionally will monitor the area to discourage that this year. Minors caught consuming alco hol might face criminal charges, while those 21 or older who are drinking will be forced to empty their alcoholic beverages, he said. He said the University will be gearing up for the student camp ers by placing trash bins around the coliseum but aside from that, no special police preparations will be made to handle those camping out for tickets. Janice Jeffries, secretary for the director of the Cotton Bowl, said their office sold out of tickets last week. In addition to tickets al located to A&M, Notre Dame was given about 13,000, and the re mainder of the 72,000 tickets were sold through their office, Jeffries said. Tickets for the Cot ton Bowl went on sale in January, with renewal applictions going out first to those who had tickets last year, she said. After the end of April, tickets went on sale to everyone else, Jef fries said. All tickets were sold through the Cotton Bowl office, she said.