exas A&M
he Battalion
Wednesday, November 23, 1988
College Station, Texas
Vol. 88 No. 63 USPS 045360 6 Pages
CAA
COLLEGE STATION (AP) —
Tlexas A&M officials met for four
urs with NCAA representatives
George Smith, the player who
canted his allegations that Coach
lickie Sherrill paid him “hush
aney,” A&M President William H.
Njobley said Tuesday.
But Mobley, in a statement issued
rough the school, declined to say
|hai Smith told the officials.
Mobley said an account of the
bnday night meeting in Houston
bs included in an oral progress re-
jrt frpm Robert Smith, the vice
esident in charge of the Universi-
|tys investigation.
A&M officials told the National
llegiate Athletic Association rep-
sentatives that the investigation
as being carried out with “all the
meets with A&M officials. Smith
resources that we can apply,” Robert
Smith said.
“We are now in discussion with
the NCAA to determine if it will con
duct a separate inquiry or rely on the
findings of our .investigation,” he
said.
Mobley said the University has a
signed sworn statement by George
Smith, which has been turned over
to the NCAA*
Robert Smith described the meet
ing as extensive and quite detailed
and said it included discussions of all
the major points covered in an arti
cle last week in the Dallas Morning
News, in which Smith first made his
allegations.
In the newspaper’s original story
published Friday and written by
Doug Bedell, George Smith claimed
that Sherrill paid him money to keep
him quiet about NCAA violations.
On Saturday, Smith, a former
fullback, publicly recanted and said
he made up the story and that
$ 1,100 to $ 1,400 he received was not
hush money but was loaned to him
by Sherrill.
But three days before a $500 cash
payment was received by Smith on
Sept. 23, the former player told the
paper that Sherrill had argued about
how much money Smith should re
ceive.
“I said something to him about
what (violations) happened when I
was there, and he said, ‘Son, if you
say that again -— if you were close to
me — I would punch you in the
mouth,’” Smith said during a tape-
recorded interview.
“Jackie threatened saying they
didn’t commit any violations,” Smith
continued. “I have about 20 viola
tions right here that I could prove
any time.”
In more than eight hours of a
taped conversation, Smith claimed
that while at A&M from 1982
through 1984, Sherrill and other
athletic department personnel gave
him more than $10,000 in cash, ex
tra benefits and plane tickets.
Smith now says the allegations
were concocted to help sell a book he
and a reporter planned to write to
gether.
Sherill, in his first public appear
ance since the allegations surfaced,
said Monday he would not comment
on the matter until after the football
season and the completion of an in
ternal investigation by the school.
The Aggie coach missed Satur
day’s 18-0 victory over Texas Chris
tian, but said he would return to the
sidelines for the school’s traditional
Thanksgiving Day game against The
University of Texas in Austin.
The paper reported that other
conversations with Smith also show
he believed Sherrill owed him for
completion of a college degree or
$3,000 for tuition at a vocational
school.
“More than anything, I don’t see
why Jackie doesn’t want to deal with
me in a way. where he would go
ahead and let me go back and get my
masters,” Smith said in an Oct. 3
conversation, also recorded. “That’s
cheaper than the University losing
its football program for the next two
or three years.”
As the newspaper prepared to
present its evidence to Robert Smith,
the vice president in charge of
NCAA compliance and Mobley,
George Smith told the paper he was
contacted Wednesday night by the
wife of Pugh — a good friend who
-recruited Smith when the athlete
was in high school.
The following day, George Smith
informed Robert Smith that the in
formation he gave the newspaper
was all false.
Also, according to a literary agent
advising Smith, Pugh himself had a
phone conversation with George
Smith Fridy morning after publica
tion of the Morning News account.
faculty works to create chapter
>f Texas Faculty Association
By Sherri Roberts
Staff Writer
One individual’s voice may be ig-
lored, but a group is noticed. A
[roup of Texas A&M faculty is com-
ng together in an effort to make
Jniversity administrators more re-
ponsive to their needs.
About 12 faculty members met
londay to discuss the establishment
if a Texas Faculty Association chap-
er at A&M.
Louis Bolieu, a Houston rep-
esentative of TFA, told the group
hat the strength of their numbers
ombined with TFA’s resources will
le a powerful force motivating ad-
ninistrators to address their con-
erns.
Although similar to the Faculty
lenate in that it voices faculty con-
ems about government, curric
ulum, program priorities, and bud
get decisions, TFA’s legal resources
differentiate the two.
The legal representation TFA
provides to its members has helped
them effectively fight administrative
decisions which negatively affect
their working conditions, Bolieu
said.
TFA has helped reverse decisions
to dismiss faculty and to deny them
tenure, Bolieu said. In the state leg
islature, it worked to redesignate
faculty salaries in the state budget as
non-transferrable, meaning that
funds set aside for faculty salaries
cannot be used for other purposes.
Members at the meeting voiced
concerns about negative trends in
organization at A&M.
Jim Biehn, organizer of the A&M
TFA chapter and building and con
struction lecturer said that efforts to
make A&M a world-class university
are being made at the expense of
faculty and students.
The College of Architecture is
cutting undergraduate enrollment
in the program from 1,600 students
to 1,000 students, he said. Adminis
trators say there is a lack of re
sources to accommodate the current
number of students, he said.
Graduate enrollment, however,
has been increased from 250 stu
dents to 500, he said. The shift to
ward graduate programs gives a re
search institution such as A&M more
prestige, he said.
The reorganization of depart
ments within the college has shifted
many tenured faculty from their
previous roles, he said.
Bolieu said a widespread attack of
tenured professors is moving across
the state. ‘The cost of maintaining
the professors’ salaries is the major
cause for the attack, he said.
“There is a new breed of adminis
trators,” he said. “They view the ten
ured professors as obstinate old dev
ils who are standing in their way.”
Equality between the treatment of
male and female faculty also was dis
cussed at the meeting.
Claudine Hunting, associate pro
fessor of modern languages said,
“There is a reservoir of women at
the University who feel they have
not been given equity in salary or
recognition.”
Issues which female faculty raise
at meetings are often ignored by ad
ministrators, with no rationale of
fered, unless they are “yes” women,
she said.
A “yes” woman, she said, does not
make waves or disagree with depart
ment officials
Vlourners remember Kennedy slaying
vith bouquets, prayers at Dallas site
DALLAS (AP) — Mourners
)laced bouquets and a crucifix Tues-
lay on the street where President
ohn F. Kennedy was slain, saying
in a note attached to one, “After 25
ears, we still love you, John.”
About 2,500 people gathered
ilong the street to pass the anniver-
ary hour of Kennedy’s death. Most
tood quietly near the spot w here the
resident was struck down Nov. 22,
963.
A few knelt in prayer in the stone
nemorial to Kennedy a few blocks
way, while others snapped pictures
if the memorial and the Texas
School Book Depository building,
where police found Lee Harvey Os
wald’s rifle after the assassination.
The crucifix, bouquets and Ken
nedy half-dollars were placed as the
crowd overflowed the sidewalks, and
cars carefully drove around the im
promptu memorial.
“We still miss you — Nov. 22,”
said the second spray of flowers.
Alvin Marin, 52, said he placed in
the street the crucifix he grasped
upon hearing of Kennedy’s death 25
years ago.
“It’s just something to remember
him by,” Marin said. “This is very
emotional.”
Marin later reclaimed the crucifix
at about the same time Dallas police
began urging people to clear the
street for traffic that had backed up
through downtown.
Up on the infamous grassy knoll,
where many believe an assassin may
have hidden, teacher Jean Hill ex
plained the site to her class of about
50 third-grade students.
“We’re here because this is an im
portant place in Dallas, an important
place in history, what happened
here 25 years ago,” Hill said.
Photo by Kathy Haveman
A sign of the times
Working diligently on Squadron 4’s spirit sign 1 rent Haynes, a freshman general studies major
game are Doug Harris, a freshman business major, an d Thomas Hensley, a business major.
Later she recalled, “I thought he
was a representative of an era, more
than any one person at that time.”
Though formal observances of
Kennedy’s assassination were few in
Dallas, the flow of visitors to the as
sassination site and the memorial
swelled on the anniversary.
The crowd included about 10 stu
dents from the University of Texas
at Arlington who are enrolled in
“JFK Assassination Conspiracy Re
vealed,” a seven-week class which ex
plores assassination theories.
The students gathered on the
grassy knoll to match landmarks
with assassination conspiracy the
ories.
“When the Warren Commission
report came out, it just didn’t set
well,” said Jim Marrs, who has
taught the class since 1976. “It be
came real apparent that all that
could be said about it had not been
said.
“The interest is there. Everyone
would like to know what really hap
pened.”
Many mourners recalled where
they were 25 years ago.
Hill said she had been waiting at
Dealey Plaza to see the president’s
motorcade. She jumped from the
curb and hollered at Kennedy to
turn her way for a picture, then the
shots rang out.
“I could have touched the car
when I jumped out into the street,”
she said. The anniversary “is bring
ing all of those anxiety feelings and
traumatic feelings back to me. The
nightmares are coming back.”
Recollections also were being
shared at Parkland Memorial Hospi
tal, where Kennedy was treated and
later died. The hospital sponsored a
roundtable discussion Tuesday
among three doctors and two nurses
who were involved in Kennedy’s
treatment.
Also on Tuesday, reporters were
allowed to tour the Texas School
Book Depository’s sixth floor, where
the rifle registered to Oswald was
found. The floor has been converted
to an educational exhibit by the Dal
las County Historical Foundation.
The foundation plans to open the
Sixth Floor museum Feb. 20, Presi
dent’s Day. The exhibit will explain
how Kennedy was assassinated, the
effect the event had around the
world, investigations of the crime
and the cultural atmosphere of the
1960s.
The city planned no official cere
mony to mark the anniversary, nor
did Dallas County Democratic party
officials, who had organized com
memorative services in previous
years. Party leaders say they are act
ing on the wishes of the Kennedy
family, which asks that Kennedy be
remembered on his birthday in May.
South Africa
agrees to plan
for Cuban forces
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) —
The government Tuesday an
nounced it had joined Cuba and An
gola in approving a U.S.-mediated
plan to remove 50,000 Cuban troops
from Angola and set the stage for
the independence of Southwest Af
rica.
“The hard nut that had to be
cracked has been cracked,” said For
eign Minister Pik Botha, whose gov
ernment for years has linked the in
dependence of Southwest Africa,
also known as Namibia, to a Cuban
withdrawal.
Botha said negotiations were tak
ing place in New York to establish a
mutually acceptable system for veri
fying all phases of the withdrawal,
which is expected to be conducted
over a 27-month period.
If this matter h resolved, Botha
said, the three countries would sign
a formal agreement and the United
Nations would proceed to set a
timetable for implementing its plan
to hold independence elections in
Namibia.
He declined to predict when these
steps might occur.
In Washington, the State Depart
ment said it was pleased by the South
African announcement.
“With this step, all three govern
ments have signaled their accep
tance of the Geneva understand
ings,” spokesman Charles Redman
said.
Implementation of a U.N. Secu
rity Council resolution governing
the indpendence process in Namibia
is expected to begin six to eight
weeks after actual signature of the
agreements, he said.
The parties also must work out fi
nal details of the U.N. role in the re
gion and of verification of Cuban
troop withdrawal from Angola, Red
man said.
At U.N. headquarters in New
York, Secretary-General Javier
Perez de Cuellar also expressed
pleasure at South Africa’s announce
ment and urged all the parties to re
double their efforts to arrange a fi
nal settlement.
The U.N. Security Council’s Reso
lution 435, adopted 10 years ago,
outlines a one-year transition period
during which elections would be
held for an assembly to draft a con
stitution for an independent Nami
bian government. The U.N. would
send about 7,500 peacekeeping
troops to Namibia, backed by about
2,000 civilian personnel.
Botha said he mistrusted the
United Nations collectively but had
faith in Perez de Cuellar, who en
sured South African officials during
a recent visit here that the elections
would be overseen impartially.
The troop withdrawal plan was
drafted by negotiators in Geneva last
week. Cuba and Angola announced
their acceptance on Friday.
Cuban troops have been support
ing Angola’s Marxist government
since 1975 in a civil war against
South African- and U.S.-supported
rebels of UNITA — the National
Union for the Total Independence
of Angola.
South Africa, with backing from
the United States, has for years de
manded the removal of the Cuban
troops as a precondition for ending
its rule over Namibia, which lies be
tween Angola and South Africa.
Botha said his government has
told the United States that peace in
the region will be impossible unless
the Angolan war is resolved through
negotiations. Thus far, the Angolan
government has refused to negotiate
with UNITA on its demands for a
share of power until free elections
are held.
Foreign Minister Botha and Presi
dent P.W. Botha, who are not re
lated, met Tuesday in Pretoria with
UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi, pre
sumably to discuss whether South
African aid to the rebels could con
tinue under terms of the peace plan.
Savimbi said last week that Presi
dent-elect George Bush had told
him U.S. aid to UNITA would con
tinue until the Soviet Union halted
its military aid to the Angolan gov
ernment.
Details of the peace plan have not
been released. Sources have said the
plan calls for the Cubans to with
draw over a 27-month period, grad
ually moving troops northward away
from UNITA’s strongholds near the
border with Namibia.
Figures show
B-CS leads
state economy
By Laura White
Staff Writer
Bryan-College Station leads
Texas’ economic turnaround
with the lowest unemployment
rate in the state, according to re
cent Texas unemployment fig
ures.
“We’ve had the lowest rate in
Texas for 22 out of the last 24
months,” Hamp Patterson, labor
market analyst for the Texas Em
ployment Commission, said.
Bryan-College Station led the
state in September with a 4.2 per
cent unemployment rate, fol
lowed by Midland and Lubbock,
each with 5.1 percent unemploy
ment.
McAllen, Brownsville and La
redo had the highest unemploy
ment rates in the state, with 15.9
percent, 12.5 percent and 11.1
percent unemployment, respect-
vely.
Patterson said A&M is a major
contributor in keeping the unem
ployment rate down in Brazos
County.
“A&M employs 15,000 to
16,000 people,” he said. “That’s
one-third of all the workers in the
county.”
Patterson said if the NCAA
gives A&M the “death penalty” in
response to the recent allegations
against head football coach Jackie
Sherrill, local businesses will be
affected.
“A&M affects all other busi
nesses in this area,” he said. “Es
pecially between the months of
September and December —foot
ball season.”
Another factor involved in
keeping Bryan-College Station’s
unemployment rate down is its
high percentage of government
workers —the highest in the state.
“Out of the 55,300 people
working in the county, 21,200
people work for the state, local
and federal government,” Patter
son said.
“The government doesn’t lay
anyone off. That’s a big insulat
ing factor — you can count on
those people to keep their jobs.”
Bryan-College Station also has
the lowest number of manufac
turers in the state.
Because manufacturers do not
hire often but lay off many work
ers, the lack of manufacturers
helps to keep unemployment
rates down.
Patterson said that barring eco
nomic catastrophe, the unemplo-
ment rate should continue its
downward trend. It has been de
creasing since 1986, when the
rate was 6.4 percent.