Battalion
Tuesday, December 6, 1988
College Station, Texas
Vol. 88 No. 70 USPS 045360 12 Pages
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Freshmen took the field against juniors and se
niors during Moses Hall’s annual Fish Fry football
game at Keathley Field Monday. Seniors Larry
Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack
Gregory, center, and Steve Dickerson, back, com
bine to tackle a member of the freshman team.
Sophomore residents served as referees.
Mobley will present results
f Smith inquiry to NCAA
By Stephen Masters o . -i „
By Stephen Masters
Senior Staff Writer
Texas A&M President William
Mobley announced Monday he in-
lends to go before the NCAA to pre
lent the results of the University’s in-
Bernal investigation when the report
is completed.
Lane Stephenson, director of the
llniversity’s Office of Public Infor
mation, said Mobley will seek to
with NCAA officials as soon as
bossible after the internal investiga
tion has been completed and he has
lad the opportunity to study the re
sulting report and decide on a
course of action. Stephenson said
Snothing would be announced pub
licly before Mobley goes before the
fCAA.
Stephenson said, “(Mobley) will
seek to brief NCAA officials regard
ing the findings and his proposed
action and respond to any of their
concerns or questions.”
Robert Smith, vice president for
finance and administration and
compliance director for the Univer
sity, was not available Monday af
ternoon. Smith is in charge of the in-
house investigation. Mobley’s office
referred all calls to OPI.
The University’s investigation is a
result of a Nov. 18 story in the Dallas
Morning News which quoted former
A&M fullback George Smith as say
ing Jackie Sherrill paid him $4,400
in “hush money,” including a $500
payment four days after A&M was
penalized by the NCAA. Smith re
tracted the statements at a Nov. 19
news conference.
Stephenson did not have an exact
timetable for the completion of the
investigation. Mobley said Nov. 18
he ho ped the investigation would be
completed in two or three weeks, but
Stephenson said that was specu
lation.
“No one, not even the NCAA, has
said we have to have this by such and
such a time,” he said. “The only
pressure that’s being applied is by
ourselves.”
Stephenson said some of the in
terviews are detailed and, in some
cases, require more than one session.
He did not know how many inter
views had been conducted or how
many more were scheduled.
ioviet inspectors watch as U.S.
•egins destroying INF missiles
c£j
r
PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — Soviet in-
Ispectors monitoring U.S. compli-
[ance with the Intermediate Nuclear
iForces treaty watched Monday while
Ithe first two of 400 Pershing 11 mis-
jsile motors were destroyed at an
|Army facility east of here.
Calm wind caused a 25-minute
[delay before the first solid-fuel mis-
[sile motor was ignited on the sage-
[brush-covered plains at 10:25 a.m.,
[said Army spokesman Susan Voss at
[the Pueblo Depot Activity.
The Colorado Department of
[Health permit that allows the rocket
motors to ue destroyed Here requires
winds of at least 4 mph out of the
west to dissipate the rocket’s exhaust
plume and drive it away from the
city of Pueblo.
Ten Soviet inspectors witnessed
the first event along with 40 news re
porters and 60 VIPs, Voss said.
A total of nine missile motors are
scheduled for destruction this week
and nine more next week in the first
phase of the three-year program.
Voss said the Soviet team leader
was very happy to see the treaty was
in effect.
“He was very pleased with the way
the elimination was handled and the
way it went today,” Voss said.
She said the missile motor burned
approximately 56 seconds and com
pletely eliminated the rocket motor’s
solid propellant.
The second missile motor was
fired at 1:01 p.m. and burned for
60.6 seconds, an Army spokesman
said.
Voss said the Army also is doing
air monitoring for hydrogen chlo
ride in compliance with the state
permit.
ebels declare truce in Colombia
BOGOT A, Colombia (AP) — Two
uerrilla groups declared a truce
dth government forces in a bid for
eace talks, and police said Monday
rebel group that has vowed never
|o negotiate attacked a nortwestern
fown.
About 40 men and women of the
eople’s Liberation Army raided the
|own of Union in Antioquia state,
burling grenades and firing auto-
atic rifles, said a national police
ews release. It reported one officer
ivounded.
Insurgents declaring the cease
fire were the April 19 Movement,
known as M-19, and the Colombian
Revolutionary Armed Forces,
nown by its Spanish initials FARC.
They have been the most active in
more than 30 years of campaigns
against Colombian governments by
Haifa dozen guerrilla groups.
M-19 leaders sent their proposal
to the Bogota newspapers El Siglo
and La Prensa on Sunday. The
FARC sent a taped message Sunday
to Sen. Alvaro Leyva Duran, the sen
ator told a news conference Monday.
Leyva said the message was from
Jacobo Arenas, who started the
guerrillla group 35 years ago, and “I
think this is very good news for the
country.”
Last month, Leyva proposed a
cease-fire and negotiation plan un
der which President Virgilio Barco
would name a panel to decide in 30
days whether peace talks were possi
ble. If the commission recom
mended negotiations, they would
begin within 50 days.
Barco’s government did not re
spond immediately to Leyva’s latest
announcement. Both M-19 and
FARC accepted the original Leyva
proposal two wrecks ago, but a presi
dential spokesman said no talks
could be held until the rebels
stopped their attacks.
Cesar Gaviria, the spokesman,
called the senator’s proposal a step
toward peace. Several attempts at
cease-fires and negotiations in the
last four years have failed.
Task force suggests
condoms in prisons
HUNTSVILLE (AP) — When
lawmakers return to Austin next
month, among issues facing them
will be the dilemma of dealing with a
legislative task force recommenda
tion that condoms be made available
to state prison inmates.
The issue, which threatens to
throw' a normally taboo subject into
the public forum, confronts the Leg
islature as prison officials try to con
tain the spread of the AIDS virus.
Those who favor distribution of
condoms, like task force member Dr.
Charles Alexander, do so from the
obvious health standpoint.
Alexander, a TDC deputy direc
tor of health services who previously
headed the AIDS and sexually trans
mitted disease control division of the
Texas Department of Health, says
distributing condoms is one way to
prevent disease.
Critics claim it would create a host
of other problems, including in
creased victimization of convicts by
other convicts.
The distribution of condoms to
prisons also would force prison offi
cials to acknowledge that illegal ac
tivity is taking place in prison, savs
Walter Quijano, chief psychologist
for the Texas Department of Cor
rections.
“It just shows you don’t run a tight
ship,” Quijano told the Houston
Chronicle. “But no matter how tight
a ship you run, it (homosexual activ
ity) is going to occur.”
In one of 150 recommendations
on thb subject, members of the Leg
islative Task Force on AIDS said
when data suggest the disease is be
ing transmitted, officials should con
sider providing protection.
The panel also suggests that con
doms be sold in prison commissaries
for 5 cents apiece — a move that
some task force members said might
be more acceptable than giving them
away.
So far, only Vermont, Mississippi
and the New York City Jail provide
condoms to inmates.
However, to do so in Texas would
be against Texas law and state prison
rules, both of which bar homosexual
activity.
But sexual activity does occur and
no matter what is done, the activity
will continue, officials acknowledge.
Quijano sees problems from a
prison management standpoint and
the potential for increased suicide
attempts if condoms are distributed
to prisoners. Quijano, who has stud
ied prison suicides and self-mutila
tions, said many of those incidents
occur after homosexual attacks and
that if sexual assaults were to in
crease, the number of suicide at
tempts could also increase.
Distribution of condoms could be
taken as a sign of condoning gay ac
tivities and “if you tolerate it, victimi
zation could increase,” Quijano said.
“It may also lull people into be
lieving that because there’s a degree
of protection, it’s OK to have mul
tiple sex partners. With a gadget like
that, people may lose the perspective
that this is a dangerous virus.”
Charles Terrell, chairman of the
Texas Board of Corrections,
wouldn’t comment on the possibility
of condoms for prisons, deferring to
the expertise of Alexander and
other health professionals. He said
the board would discuss it “if and
when (Alexander) wants to make a
recommendation” to the board.
Alexander thinks the issue should
be debated in the Legislature.
Dallas entrepreneur makes
multi-million dollar donation
to Southwestern Med Center
DALLAS (AP) — A wealthy entre
preneur Monday pledged $41 mil
lion to the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center at Dal
las to be used for cancer and arthritis
research.
Harold C. Simmons’ pledge rep
resents the largest single private
commitment in the history of Texas
higher education or medical re
search, officials said.
“I have every confidence that UT
Southwestern can take this small
amount of money and do something
that is worth much more,” Simmons
said.
Simmons’ pledge, which will be
administered over a 20-year period
by the Harold Simmons Foundation
and related organizations, was an
nounced by the school’s president.
Dr. Kern Wildenthal, Gov. Bill
Clements and Jack Blanton, chair
man of the UT System Board of Re
gents.
Clements said the gift under
scores the great importance of bi
omedical research and other areas of
high technology in our state.
“We couldn’t possibly, this
Christmas season, have a nicer gift,”
Clements said.
The 57-year-old Simmons, who
made his fortune with an investment
in a small Dallas pharmacy and later
created a 100-store chain that he
sold in 1973 to Jack Eckerd Corp.,
has already given about $7 million to
the school.
Simmons’ current business inter
ests number more than 30 and give
him combined assets of more than
$3 billion.
Wildenthal said $24 million will be
used to establish a comprehensive
cancer research center, including
the endowment of four distin
guished chairs, $5 million for a
building to house the cancer center
and $12 million to fund the Harold
C. Simmons Arthritis Research Cen
ter for 15 years.
“I’ve got arthritis and I don’t want
to get cancer,” Simmons said, chuck
ling as he explained why his money
would be used for research in those
areas.
Simmons’ previous gift to UT
Southwestern has financed the
school’s arthritis research center
since 1983.
“The fact that I’ve had the experi
ence with them on a smaller scale
and I felt such great regard for their
abilities here, that was a key factor in
deciding to go forward.” Simmons
said.
“The factors were the people I’ve
worked with here and the confi
dence I have in them.”
Simmons said school officials ap
proached him about making the gift
two months ago.
Wildenthal said Simmons’ gift
would likely lead to further funding
of the cancer and arthritis research
centers by other private and public
sources.
The medical school received two
other large gifts earlier this year.
Dallas billionaire Ross Perot gave
$20 million designated to train med
ical scientists and augment programs
in biomedical research, and the John
D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation donated 29 acres of land
for expansion of the school’s 60-acre
main campus.
Atlantis returns today,
leaves satellite in space
Houston (AP) — The military as
tronauts aboard the space shuttle At
lantis planned to end their secret
mission Tuesday, having deployed a
powerful spy satellite over the Soviet
Union, sources said Monday:
Atlantis is scheduled to touch
down at 5:36 p.m. CDT Tuesday,
the fifth day of its mission, at Ed
wards Air Force Base, Calif., NASA
announced Monday about 24 hours
prior to the landing.
NASA and Air Force officials pre-'
viously had kept quiet about the mis
sion, saying they would break their
silence only to give 24-hour notice
on the shuttle’s landing time or if a
major problem developed.
NASA also said the weather fore
cast at Edwards was favorable for the
landing day: visibility, light wind,
and temperatures in the 60s.
NASA said a slow leak in a land
ing-gear tire was not a concern for
landing. The leak had been detected
before the launch, but officials had
determined it was not serious
enough to halt the liftof f.
“NASA and the Air Force have
announced that all systems on board
the orbiter are continuing to per
form satisfactorily,” NASA spokes
man James Hartsfield, said. “The
crew is doing well and is beginning
landing preparations.”
“Things are going super." said
Rear Adm. Richard Trulv, a former
astronaut in charge of the space
shuttle program. “I’m very encour
aged. The crew is happv and
healthy. The orbiter has done real
well. It’s been very clean."
"1 his was one of our most impor
tant missions,” Truly said. "It’s At
lantis' first flight after the stand-
down, and now vou have two
vehicles proven in flight. That’s ex
tremely important.”
In the first post-Challenger flight,
shuttle Discos Ci) completed a nearly
flawless four-day mission in early
October.
Truly, who was in the Johnson
Space Center on Monday, could not
comment on specific accomplish
ments of the military mission. But he
said it was important that Atlantis
launched near its scheduled liftoff
day so it would not cause delays in
1989 missions.
The flight, under Air Force com
mand, has been shrouded in secrecy
since Atlantis blasted off Friday
morning from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
However, NASA released some
details on Mission Control’s Monday
wakeup call to the crew, which began
with the theme music from the film
“Star Wars.” A mock Darth Vader,
the villain of the hit movie, then
talked to the crew, said Johnson
Space Center spokesman Barbara
Schwartz, but she did have specifics
about the message.
Satirical lyrics were next played to
the Beatles song “Do You Want to
Know a Secret,” an apparent refer
ence to the secrecy surrounding the
mission. Schwartz said the wakeup
call was prepared by Houston radio
station KKBQ.
As the five military officers began
their fourth day in orbit Monday
morning, knowledgeable sources
said the crew had successfully de
ployed a $500 million Lacrosse satel
lite over the weekend.
The sources, who spoke on condi
tion of anonymity, said the satellite
was operating well in an orbit that
carries it over 80 percent of the So
viet U nion. Deployment of the sur
veillance satellite was believed to be
the military mission’s chief goal.
Silver Taps
scheduled
for tonight
The solemn sound of buglers
playing “Taps” and the sharp
ring of gunfire will be heard on
campus tonight as two Texas
A&M students who died during
the past month are hon
ored in a Silver Taps
ceremony
at 10:30 in
front of the
Academic Build
ing.
4 he deceased
students being hon
ored are:
• Jeffrey Warhol, 21,
a junior mathematics
major from Athens who
died Nov. 9. • Robert
Matthew Walterbach, 19,
a sophomore journalism
major from Shertz who
died Nov. 21.
Dating back almost a
century, the stately tra
dition of Silver Taps is practiced
on the first Tuesday of each
month from September through
April, when necessary. The
names of the deceased students
are posted at the base of the flag
pole in front of the Academic
Building, and the flag is flown at
half-staff the day of the cere
mony.
Lights will be extinguished and
the campus hushed as Aggies pay
final tribute to fellow' Aggies.
The Ross Volunteer Firing
Squad begins the ceremony,
marching in slow cadence toward
the Lawrence Sullivan Ross
statue. Shortly after, three volleys
are fired in a 21-gun salute and
six buglers play a special arrange
ment of “Taps” three times — to
the north, south and west.