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The Battalion
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Vol. 87 No. 110 GSPS 045360 12 Pages
College Station, Texas
Monday, March 7, 1988
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Jeff Dyess, a junior political science major, ex
presses his feelings about apartheid by painting
the words ‘divest now’ on a shack built by Aggies
Photo by David Elmer
Against Apartheid, whose members look on. The
shack represents the poor quality of housing in
South Africa.
Group gains permit
to build new shanty
By Deborah L. West
Staff Writer
Fifteen people built a new anti
apartheid shanty near the Academic
and Harrington buildings Sunday
afternoon, said David Luckenbach,
vice president for Students Against
Apartheid.
Luckenbach said the shanty’s poor
quality is representative of housing
for black people in South Africa. He
said it is meant to symbolize what he
calls the “abhorrent” system of
apartheid, or racial segregation, in
that country.
Bob Wiatt, director of security
and University Police, said Sunday
that Students Against Apartheid’s
University permit allows them to dis
play the shanty on campus for 10
days out of every 30.
He said the permit was granted
through normal channels last week,
and that the shanty’s construction
was approved by the Student Activ
ities, University Police and Grounds
Maintenance offices.
Wiatt said he sees no problem
with construction of the shanty, and
U.S. Navy
escapes fire
from Gulf
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) —
American helicopters on a recon
naissance flight escaped Sunday
after drawing heavy machine gun
fire from an oil platform and sev
eral boats in the central Persian
Gulf, U.S. officials said.
Iran was believed to be behind
the attack. No casualties were re
ported .
The attack came about 25
hours after a U.S. warship, on pa
trol farther north, fired at what
were believed to be Iranian
speedboats moving toward one of
the Navy’s offshore supply bar
ges.
The two encounters shattered
one of the longest periods of quiet
in the gulf since the gulfs so-
called “tanker war” began four
years ago. But the two warring
nations continued Sunday to
trade savage missile attacks on
each other’s cities. The Iraqi
News Agency said Iraq fired five
long-range rockets into Tehran
and jet fighters bombed 10 Ira
nian cities in retaliation for Iran’s
“criminal attacks on Iraqi civilian
areas.”
The Navy did not say who
fired on the U.S. helicopters on
Sunday, but there appeared no
doubt it was Iran, which controls
many of the oil platforms in the
central gulf and uses some as sup
ply and staging bases for the
armed boats that patrol the wa
ters and attack neutral shipping.
U.S. officials declined to iden
tify the oil platform involved
other than to say it was “in the
central gulf.”
AIDS’ financial burden
‘hot potato’ at hearing
By Tracy Staton
Senior Staff Writer
AUSTIN — The financial burden
of acquired immune deficiency syn
drome (AIDS) was a “hot potato”
Thursday at a public hearing in Aus
tin about the disease. None of the
witnesses — who included insurance
representatives, health care experts,
state social workers and AIDS vic
tims — wanted to accept responsi-
blity for the immense financial prob
lems posed by AIDS.
The hearing was the fifth of eight
attempts by the Texas State Legis
lative Task Force on AIDS to gather
information from citizens and offi
cials in cities around the state. Aus
tin’s public forum in the Senate
Chamber addressed the impact of
AIDS on Central Texas.
Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and Speaker
of the House Gib Lewis appointed
the task force to study the economic
and social effects of AIDS. The com
mittee will recommend an “action
plan” to the state legislature during
the 1989 session.
Witnesses at Thursday’s hearing
offered opinions on a wide spectrum
of issues, but economic concerns
formed the core of much of the testi
mony.
Michael Peckinpaugh, who is in
fected with the human immunodefi
ciency virus (HIV) but has not con
tracted AIDS, told the task force that
the “red tape” required to apply for
financial assistance is both frustrat
ing and nonsensical.
“I find that when I have to rely on
health care agencies that there are
many prerequisites,” Peckinpaugh
said. “If I apply here in Austin for
the Medical Assistance Program, it’s
not as simple as that. You have to ap
ply with Social Security and just
about every other imaginable agency
to get back to the Medical Assistance
Program.
“I find that there are a lot of com
plicated criteria. Everyone has ad
vice about what to do next. I find
that a lot of this advice is totally in
congruous with the last set of infor
mation I had from the last agency.”
Part of this problem is that HIV
patients are at the back of the line
for agency funds for health care, he
said.
“Many of the health care agencies
don’t recognize HIV infection as a
debilitating illness,” he said. “You
have to be diagnosed with certain
opportunistic infection to be diag
nosed with AIDS and to receive cer
tain care.”
But the average health care costs
for HIV patients are still high, he
said. Since last May, his medical ex
penses were about $10,000. And al
though he has insurance, he may not
be able to continue paying his premi
ums.
When Peckinpaugh 'approached
the Medical Assistance Program in
Austin about paying his insurance
premiums instead of directly paying
his medical expenses, the agency re
fused because it was not allowed un
der its program, he said.
“Paying my premium and the de
ductible would come to a total of
about $1,900 a year,” Peckinpaugh
said. “But yet, over the last two
months, right out of the city coffers
they spent $1,700 just for one of my
prescriptions. It’s really frustrating
he said he hopes it stays up for at
least the 10 days that were initially
approved.
“Bothabusters,” an anonymous
group that takes its name from
South African President Pieter W.
Botha, built a shanty Feb. 22 without
a permit.
Grounds Maintenance crews tore
it down the same day.
Luckenbach said that he was part
of the anonymous Bothabusters
group and that several SAA mem
bers also participated in the con
struction of the first shanty.
“We are trying to find a way to
keep the shanty here all the time,”
Luckenbach said. “This is the first
time at Texas A&M that anyone has
made a shack as a forum for opinion
and free speech. The rule limiting
the display time usually applies to
speakers and people selling things,
so we may be able to get around it.”
The building material was found
in different dumps and apartment
trash dumpsters Sunday morning,
Luckenbach said.
“The shanty cost us about $15 to
make,” he said. “The paint and nails
are the most expensive part of the
shanty.”
The Battalion received several let
ters last week complaining that an
apartheid shack on campus is an eye
sore.
“I understand the anti-apartheid
groups disapproval of the racially bi
ased South African government,”
wrote John West, a freshman me
chanical engineering major. “And
they certainly have the right to ex
press their opinions; however, I
don’t believe blemishing our campus
is the acceptable way of doing this.”
Luckenbach said the shack should
not offend anyone.
“It is not on sacred grass; the
Corps doesn’t run here; it won’t im
pede traffic, and it is not in the
groundskeepers’ way,” he said.
The highly traveled location of
the shack will expose students to the
apartheid system, Luckenbach said.
“People at Texas A&M are not ap
athetic; they are just unaware of
world issues,” he said. “Anyone who
sees the shack will learn about apart
heid and will be able to form individ
ual opinions.”
that for one prescription, they could
pay for almost a year’s worth of
health care.”
Peckinpaugh is one of few HIV
and AIDS patients to have health in
surance. And those who do have in
surance may be in danger of losing
their coverage.
Testimony from insurance ex
perts revealed that 60 percent to 90
percent of health insurance cover
age is group insurance. Many of
these group insurance plans are fi
nanced by the insured’s employer.
So when an AIDS patient is dis
missed from a job or is no longer
able to work, he loses his insurance
as well.
And Will Davis, an Austin lawyer
representing a portion of the Texas
Insurance Industry, said that if an
HIV or AIDS patient approached a
private insurance company, he prob
ably would not be able to get health
insurance.
“The insurance industry is in a
business, pure and simple,” Davis
said. “And because we are a busi
ness, we can’t insure people who are
sick at the time they apply for insur
ance.”
The Texas Board of Insurance re
cently allowed the insurance indus
try to make “normal tests” of pro
spective clients, and to reject any
applicant who is infected with a dis
ease such as AIDS, Davis said.
Other insurance representatives
stressed that AIDS is only one of sev
eral chronic disorders like heart dis
ease that make a person uninsur-
able. A state-supported insurance
See AIDS, page 7
Board of Regents
decides to delay
plans for garages
By Richard Williams
Senior Staff Writer
A desire to protect the remain
ing campus “green space” led the
Texas A&M Board of Regents
Planning and Building Commit
tee to put plans to build two park
ing garages on campus on hold.
During its Sunday meeting the
committee heard a proposal to
build a $6.5 million parking ga
rage on Parking Annex 60, the
vistors’ lot close to Rudder
Tower, and an $11 million garage
on the Texas A&M golf course.
The golf course site caused the
most discussion because it violates
a Board policy of not approving
new buildings on the east side of
the Systems Administration
Building, where the polo field
and golf course are located.
Regent Douglas R. DeCluitt
said this policy was adopted to
protect the green space this area
provides.
The regents approved the de
velopment of a master plan for
the A&M campus that would ad
dress future building and park
ing construction. The approval of
a master plan study also caused
the Board to delay the approval
of the Rudder Tower garage.
The proposed Rudder Tower
garage would have been a 1,000-
car, three-story structure that
would have allowed three more
levels to be added later.
If approved at a later date the
Rudder Tower garage could
house the MSC Bookstore and
the A&M Development Founda
tion offices, Peel said.
Both garages are still being ex
amined and could be approved at
a later date.
Robert Smith, vice president of
fiscal affairs and operations, said
additional parking spaces are
needed in tne Commons area to
attract students to the four resi
dence halls being built in the
Commons.
In other business Board com
mittees:
• approved initiation of a pro
ject to build campus corner mark
ers on the corners of Texas Ave
nue and University Drive and
Texas Avenue and Jersey. The
total cost of the project is esti
mated at $348,400.
• approved an apropriation of
$125,000 for a detailed design of
the Commons dining facility ad
dition and renovation.
• approved raising the uni
form rental fee for non-contract
junior and senior cadets from
$200 for an academic year to
$250.
• approved licensing
agreements that would allow
three companies to use technol
ogy developed by A&M system
employees in company products.
Items approved in committee
are still subject to the approval of
the Board before taking effect.
Students clean up B—CS community during Big Event
[;
By Kathleen Reilly
Reporter
Saturday morning the mayor of
College Station, the mayor pro tern
of Bryan and 3,000 participants
kicked off Texas A&M’s Big Event.
Student organizations including
members of the Corps of Cadets and
Greeks worked between 10 a.m. and
2 p.m. picking up trash, painting
and cleaning schools and churches
in Bryan-College Station.
Groups assigned to clean Texas
Avenue received garbage bags and
support from the mayors and mem
bers of Brazos Beautiful.
Diane Mills of Brazos Beautiful,
an anti-litter organization, helped
organize the cleanup of Texas Ave
nue and thanked those who helped.
“I just want to thank you all for
your help,” she said. “Gig ’em! Go
get that trash.”
John Rogers, president of Brazos
Beautiful, also rallied for the stu
dents.
“I’m glad to see you are con
cerned with the appearance of our
community and want to thank you
for your efforts,” he said. “I hope
you will pick up trash, not only to
day, but any time you have a chan
ce.”
Larry Ringer, mayor of College
Station, joined in the cleanup ef
forts.
“If the community for the rest of the year can do a
fraction of what you do today, we’ll be doing great. ”
— Hank McQuaid, mayor pro tern of Bryan
He brought along his custom-
made trash-picker, which was com
plete with a toy gun to shoot snakes
and a rear-view mirror.
Hank McQuaid, the mayor pro
tern of Bryan, also praised the ef
forts of the participants in the event.
“If the community for the rest of
the year can do a fraction of what
you do today, we’ll be doing great,”
he said. McQuaid was filling in for
Bryan Mayor Marvin Tate, who was
out of town.
Helen Wortham, a senior biology
major from Dallas, said some stu
dents have participated in the Big
Event since they first came to Texas
A&M.
“There is a lot here for our access
in Bryan-College Station,” Wortham
said. “The cities do so much for us,
such as give us discounts with our
student I.D.s. We just want to help
them out now.”
Carla Everett, a senior civil engi
neering major from DeKalb, agreed.
“We have a good time because we
do it all together,” Everett said.
Members of Corps Squadron 14
spent the morning picking up trash
between Church’s Fried Chicken
and Krenek Tap Lane.
Connie O’Connor, a senior his
tory major from Dallas, said the 36
members of the squadron were used
to getting up early, so giving up time
on Saturday morning wasn’t a prob
lem for them.
Corps members of Regiment
Company D-l and Brigade Com
pany 1-1 cleared 15 acres of lumber,
brush and stones at Pooh’s Park.
Some members dismantled the
old skating rink, while others
cleaned and painted walls that were
damaged by water.
Paul Rodriguez, a freshman aero
space engineering major from
Friendswood, said The Big Event is
a good project, but he was ready to
finish it and prepare for his outfit’s
softball game that afternoon.
In Bryan, Kappa Alpha Theta,
the Aggie Men’s Club and Corps
Brigade Companies B-2 and D-2
spent the day playing with children
at the Boys’ Club of Brazos County.
About 100 boys played games and
had lunch with the students.
Dunta Ray, 9, said he likes basket
ball and really enjoyed playing it
with the volunteers.
“I also liked the hot dogs we got
for lunch,” he said.
David Fields, 10, said it was a lot
of fun, except when he played
“chicken” with the men.
“I was up really high and almost
fell off his shoulders,” he said. “It
was scary.”
Fields said he liked lunch so much
he went back for seconds of every
thing.
Susan Skaggs, a member of
Kappa Alpha Theta, said she
thought the boys enjoyed having the
men around more than the women,
but she still had fun.
Mitch White, service chairman of
Aggie Men’s Club, said about 50 fra
ternity members were there.
“The guys really have a good time
out here,” he said. “They really like
the kids.”
Frank Muller, commanding offi
cer of B-2, said 35 to 40 members
participated.
“Our outfit works with Youth Fun
Day and this is a lot like that,” he
said. “It’s laid back and the guys
have fun.”
Another Corps outfit worked at
the First Baptist on Welsh. David
Scott, executive officer of A-Battery,
an outfit of the Aggie Band, said
about 50 members were helping
mow, edge and weed the lawn, wash
windows and paint the parking lot.
Freshmen from Company P-2 pick up trash along South Texas Ave
nue as part of The Big Event Saturday afternoon. About 3,000 peo
ple participated in the event, which is an opportunity for A&M
groups to give something back to the community.