Page 6AFhe Battalion/Wednesday, April 20, 1988
Wednesday! I'XSf
i during March
Special
Buy a LARGE one topping PIZZA
plus a pitcher of soft drink
for only
99
good every Wednesday
501 University
Nort ligate
H.G. WELL'S
THINGS TO COME
This exciting
fantasy forecasts
man's final war
and his struggle
to rebuild a world
that has been torn
apart by 30 years
of horror and
pestilence.
— 1
CCossics
Series
Wednesday. April 20
7:30 pm
601 Rudder
4 prvv-<-' ; - M’nr jO * <
$2.00 with TAMU ID
(3-day Double Elimination)
THE BRYAN CLASSIC
SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
benefiting the
American Cancer Society
Brazos Unit
sponsored by
Wyatt’s
Sporting Goods Stores
WHEN: April 22-24, 1988
WHERE: Bryan Softball Park
(North of Business 6 & Hwy. 21)
ENTRY FEE: $5.00 (per team)
AUSTIN (AP) — Unemployment in
most of the state’s urban areas
dropped slightly from February to
March, due in part to overall eco
nomic improvement and in part to a
seasonal increase in jobs, the Texas
Employment Commission reported
Tuesday.
“I think maybe economic condi
tions are gradually improving, al
though it’s not a significant change
at this point,” said Terence Trav-
land, a labor market analyst for the
TEC.
In addition, Travland said, spring
generally sees some improvement in
employment.
“Typically in this period you see
more economic activity, particularly
outside in construction and agricul
ture,” he said.
The statewide rate was 8.3 per
cent, down from a revised figure of
8.7 percent in February.
Rates of unemployment in the ur
ban areas of Texas as announced
Tuesday by the TEC for March com
pared with revised February Figures
(in parenthesis) were:
Abilene 7.6 (7.9)
Amarillo 6.5 (7.0)
Austin 6.9 (7.1)
Beaumont-Port Arthur 11.7
(12.8)
Brazoria 9.3 (9.7)
Brownsville-Harlingen 15.0(16.4)
Bryan-College Station 5.0 (5.5)
Corpus Christi 10.7 (11.6)
Dallas 6.4 (6.7)
El Paso 11.5 (12.4)
Fort Worth-Arlington 7.0 (7.4)
Galveston-Texas City 10.3 (10.6)
Houston 7.8 (8.3)
Temple-Killeen 8.3 (8.6)
Laredo 17.0(18.0)
Longview-Marshall 9.9 (10.9)
Lubbock 6.0 (6.3)
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
(20.6)
Midland 7.1 (7.7)
Odessa 8.4 (9.1)
San Angelo 6.2 (6.4)
San Antonio 8.3 (8.8)
Sherman-Denison 7.5 (8.0)
Texarkana - not available
Tyler 8.2 (8.7)
Victoria 7.7 (8.4)
19.7
Playwright to discuss ethnic identity
By Mary-Lynne Rice
Staff Writer
A Ward-winning playwright, ac
tor, director and teacher Ed Bul-
lins will discuss the importance of
ethnic identity in playwriting
Thursday at 8 p.m. in 150
Blocker.
Bullins, winner of the New
York Drama Critics Circle
Award, two Guggenheim
Awards, three Obie Awards and
four Rockefeller Awards for play
writing, is recognized as a major
figure among American black
playwrights, especially for his
work in the 1960s and 1970s.
“At that time, most black writ
ers were writing protests,” said
Charles Gordone, Pulitzer Prize-
winning playwright and distin
guished lecturer in A&M’stlit.
ater arts department. “He ^
perhaps the most concerned*!
social problems.
“He was one of the voicesik
ing that time who mirroredtl*
social issues of the time, and!*
was perhaps the most consister;:
vocal of all the writers at ilj
time.”
Bullins, who now teachesA[r
American humanities and life
lure and scriptwriting atSodoe
Stale University, set a literary a
ample for both the playwrighsi/
the ‘60s and ‘70s and for those!
today, Gordone said.
“He gave courage tootle
writers in the theater,” Gordi
said. “His influence spawnedth
works of other playwrights, sou
of whom have vet to be heard
Aggie Muster set for Thursday night
uc
res
By Stephen Masters
Staff Writer
speaker Gerald I). Griffin,praj
tic
The coliseum is quiet and
somber. One by one, the name of
each of the Aggies who died in
the past twelve months is called.
One by one, a friend or family
member answers "here” in their
place. A candle is lit for each. The
Ross Volunteers fire three volleys
and Silver Taps is played.
On Thursday beginning at
8 p.m., Muster, one of Texas
A&M’s most honored traditions,
will be held worldwide.
The largest Muster will be held
on the A&rM campus in G. Kollie
White Coliseum with an ex
pected crowd of more than 8,000,
said Beth Baker, chairman of the
Muster Committee.
Musters also are planned in
over 300 other locations in the
United States and in 34 other
countries including China, El Sal
vador and the Republic of Singa
pore, she said.
The ceremony includes a Silver
Taps and roll call for the absent.
This year’s Muster features
lent of the Houston Charalic'l
Commerce and former diree
of the Johnson Space Centti;
Houston.
The ceremony also willkla
the presentation of three Ike
edition coins, one gold, one!i!vc|
and one bronze.
T he coins were minted <:
:a
[IK
nc
sen
soil
laid.
from Corregidor Islandil
nev
: 1
T
his year’s campus ceretwl
flue
will
be broadcast live via salefel
Vie
on 1
ransponder 6D of West™
ami
c c un in unicat ions through afel
tioin KAMI 1 V
'can
The first Muster was hel
1883 when some students
cided to get together and t»
brate their victories in banks
in class.
In 1903, Silver Taps wasai
in a protest of former A&Mt
dent Davis F. Houstonscheti
c lasses on San Jacinto Day.
In 1942. Muster gained*
wide attention when 25 Ag*
stationed on Corregidor
held Muster while under Js I
nese attack.
Commission supports plan
to control dial-a-porn service
tely
fot i
AUSTIN (AP) — The Public Util
ity Commission on Tuesday nixed a
proposed ban on dial-a-porn serv
ices but backed a plan to give tele-
dis
A
pro!
C
glisl
gU‘‘!
■ sain
Hut
phone companies broad discretion
in controlling the controversial calls.
Under the plan, Southwestern
Bell and other phone companies
would be allowed to stop doing bil
ling and collection for dial-a-porn
providers. The phone companies
also would be allowed to connect
dial-a-porn services on a subscrip
tion-only basis.
The recorded calls now are of
fered as part of the “Dial 976” serv
ice, in which providers set the price
of the call and the phone companies
do the billing and forward the
money to the provider.
“One person’s right to speak ends w/iere ;inotfai\mu vl
son’s right to listen begins ...” Tow
— PUC Commissioner Marta Gwm '
The service, available in Texas’
metropolitan areas, is offered on
phone lines with the 976 prefix.
The commission in February pro
posed two changes: a complete ban
on all 976 services, including the
non-pornographic ones, or a sub-
cription-only system in which cus
tomers would have to ask for access
to the service.
Commissioner Jo Campbell said
the total ban was not necessary.
“This is a private corporation’s
problem and not a state problem,”
she said.
PUC Chairman Dennis Thomas
voted with Campbell in accepting
Southwestern Bell’s plan, which was
submitted as more than 23,000 Tex
ans wrote to the commission to call
for either a ban on all 976 calls or on
dial-a-porn calls.
Commissioner Marta Greytok dis
sented, advocating a ban on all 976
services, including the non-contro-
versial ones such as horoscopes,
sports scores and other types of in
formation.
“I don’t think it has anything to do
with free speech,” Greytok said, add
ing that “one person’s right to speak
ends where another person’s rigr
listen begins.
“The service is totally messed up.
It is something that got out of hand.
“We have never had 20,000 letters
over any issue. We need to respond
to the fact that the public is saying
there is a better way.”
Southwestern Bell now offers free
blocking, at customer request, of
calls to 976 numbers.
The company has filed a pro
posed tariff that would let it force
976 providers to promise not to of
fer dial-a-porn or other objectiona
ble services.
“ The test is whether dr,kw||
contrary to what we perceive:®®
H
best corporate image. Sexual'®
not he permitted, vulgar woisj
l>e permitted, and confusing
ceptive would not be permittetl
ight to up in court.
Free expects the matter io’ pfo
SAN
tere<
atioi
ofin
“It takes $50 and a tri
courthouse to file a lawsuit
there will he many lawsuits,T,( cl
Mark W eaver of Austin, esitj
director of the AmericanFaB 1
sociation of Texas — foil B!
known as Citizens AgainstPoir ; |
phy — said the commissioner*
not banning all 976 service.
Bill Free, a Southwestern Bell vice
president, said providers that don’t
agree to that condition would be
given phone numbers outside the
976 system and would have to do
their own billing, making it more
difficult to do business.
“We are allowing anyone to use
our telephone network,” he said.
“We simply are saying if you want to
use it in a method contrary to our
best image, we are not going to hill
for you.
“Southwestern Bell willnot>
sponsibly unless forced tobji ;
mission or citizens’ complain 11
years, citizens have been
Southwestern Bell to dost#-
he said.
But Austin lawyer Jim Bo)!*
represents a company thaC
variety of 976 services, saiBk
plaints have been based on* 1
not fact.
“I think what you’reseeiif
ticularly in a lot of the letters, 81
of the Jimmy Swaggart rea ( ;
Boyle said. “I think if Jin® !
gart had had this service© 1 '
wouldn’t he in the trouble^
21 enter pleas after indictments
of stealing long-distance acces
* Division A: Championship * Prizes donated by area
Division B: All Play merchants & given throughout
the tournament.
* Trophies for top teams
* Contact: William Wetsel, 764-2756 or the American Cancer Society, 776-1463.
Register at Wyatt’s Sporting Goods - Culpepper Plaza
Call Battalion Classified 845-2611
4 A
MIDLAND (AP) — Twenty-one
current and former Odessa College
students have begun entering pleas
after being indicted on federal
charges of bilking a communications
company out of $30,000 in long-dis
tance phone calls.
Five students charged in the case
have made initial appearances be
fore a U.S. magistrate, entering not
guilty pleas, court officials said.
A federal grand jury indicted the
students last week on charges of un
lawful use of counterfeit access
codes belonging to Midland-based
ClayDesta Communications.
Students allegedly used pirated
access codes to make hundreds of
long-distance phone calls from dor
mitory pay phones.
The students are to be released on
their own recognizance, U.S. Attor
ney Tom Beery said.
If convicted of the felony, each
student faces a maximum 10 years in
prison and a $250,000 fine.
ClayDesta President Randy Kid-
well alleged the students and others
in the Permian Basin illegally ob
tained the codes and made thou
sands of calls, some to foreign coun
tries.
The company lost more than
$200,000 to phone theft during a
three-month period in late 1986 and
early 1987 before Secret Service
agents and the U.S. attorney’s office
in San Antonio launched an investi
gation, he said.
The students are being charged
with $30,006) worth of those calls,
authorities said.
About 50 access codes were stolen.
with as much as $100F :J
charged to one code. Kick !
He said the codes protwB
obtained from careless n' 1 |
users or through computet J
Usually, such calls are'p
against a ClayDesta custokV
phone.
Kidwell said the costofiajfjp
ing such theft exceedstlie'H
allegedly used by the stude-'K®
“we decided it was time 111 ‘®j
stand arid try to stop it.”
Odessa College pres'-" Ml,
Speegle told the Odessa ! l.
last week the school plat' 1 B
nary action against the stud' H
All the students named |,|
ments are either current
Odessa College athletes. f'H
ing in men’s and womens |.
and track.
4