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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1989)
911 he wont •on On :r Ara(i hai| uan gu Cf souther; lose inj. Jize Uj itives a t shouli ^ terrtr »y thePj ys w, vvhict sty forj. t a nun- at it ws ult for i.L tutusut it audit ited Ifis kgrount i for i )00 vain- ates ha: liami rt Texas A&M The Battalion WEATHER FORECAST for FRIDAY: Continued partly cloudy with no ticeably higher temperatures, es pecially at night. HIGH:73 LOW:52 Vol. 88 No. 112 USPS 045360 12 pages College Station, Texas Thursday, March 9,1989 Dole proposes 6-month trial period for Tower WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Repub lican Leader Bob Dole, struggling to stave off rejection of John Tower’s nomination as defense secretary, proposed Wednesday night an extraordinary six-month trial con firmation period so senators could judge whether Tower lived up to his no-drinking pledge. Senate Democratic Leader George Mitchell expressed “immediate serious con cerns” over the proposal, but promised to consider it overnight. Dole made his dramatic bid to salvage the nomination at the end of the fifth day of a draining Senate debate, and after conced ing it would “take a miracle to win confir mation.” Under Dole’s proposal, Lower would be confirmed, but would submit a letter of res ignation to President Bush dated Oct. 1, 1989. If Tower’s performance were satis factory, there “probably” would be no need to reconfirm him, Dole said. Otherwise, “he probably wouldn’t be the nominee.” Dole said he offered his proposal after discussing it with Tower. It came as the Senate neared a climax in its bitter struggle over the nomination. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas became the third Democrat to endorse Tower’s confirma tion, but his speech was bracketed by decla rations of opposition from Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island, Bennett Johnston of Loui siana, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Charles Robb of Virginia — Democrats who had been lobbied hard by the Bush ad ministration as potential pro-Tower votes. An Associated Press survey found 51 Democrats and Republican Sen. Larry Pressler of South Dakota either solidly op posed or leaning against confirmation with 41 Republicans and three Democrats either supporting or leaning in favor of the nomi nation. Democrats hold a 55-45 edge in the Sen ate. Dole made his extraordinary proposal to deal with Senate concerns over Tower’s his tory of drinking. “I think we ought to give him a second chance that many of us have had,” said Dole, who was seriously wounded during World War II but has risen to a position of power and promi nence in the Senate. “It gives this Senate a second opportu nity,” Dole said. “It addresses the concerns raised by the chairman and the majority leader and by others at the same time it gives President Bush his choice for secre tary of defense.” Earlier, Dole suggested Tower be per mitted to come to the Senate and answer the allegations against him, but did not im mediately press the issue when Mitchell ob jected. There was little doubt that Dole’s maneu- verings were his final bid to save the nomi nation. Earlier, he conceded it would “take a miracle” to do so, and Johnston’s speech seemed to deflate Republican hopes. “In the nuclear age we can’t afford to take a chance on the man who holds the fu ture in his hands,” Johnston said on the Senate floor. The Louisiana Democrat said he was troubled by Tower’s drinking habits and that alcohol altered the former senator’s judgment. “There seems to be a personality change that occurs in Senator Tower,” Johnston said. Earlier, Bentsen became the third Demo crat to support the embattled nomination, saying, “I hope that when I get the next chance to talk with John Tower about the tough job of keeping this country strong, it will be while he’s in his new office at the Pentagon.” Tower said, “I’m both honored to have his prestigious support, and grateful for his humane understanding of what my family has endured.” Despite Bentsen’s decision, Mitchell re peated his claim the Senate will reject the nomination, and he led a chorus of Demo crats who called for a quick vote. Witness says North pleas gained money for Contras WASHINGTON (AP) — Oliver IVorrh made impassioned pleas pbout the Nicaraguan Contras to wealthy contributors who came [through later with large checks, a ,vitness told the North jury Wednes- Jday. He described one contribution |that exceeded $1 million in stocks. North, who is charged with lying Ito Congress about his activities on Ibehalf of the Contras, also was [quoted by the witness as saying he [was willing to risk jail and didn’t ""care if I have to lie to Congress |about this.” Once, testified conservative fund- Iraiser Carl R. Channell, North met INelson Bunker Hunt in Dallas’ Pe- Itroleum Club and went through a [pitch about what North said was a [need for $5 million to $6 million for Iplanes, missiles and otho aid to [keep the rebels going. “The only thing that sticks in my [mind is that Bunker said what are you going to do? Do vou mind get ting into trouble?” Channell testi fied. He said North replied: “I don’t care if I have to go to jail for this; I don’t care if I have to lie to Congress about this.” Hunt, Chan nell said, “didn’t laugh, but he chortled.” North himself did not take the checks, Channell said, and at the end of the meeting with Hunt he left, saying “something like ‘you all are going to talk about money and I can’t take any money.’” At the time, North was a lieuten ant colonel in the Marine Corps and assigned to the National Security Council in the White House. During the congressional Iran-Contra hear ings 'wo years ago, he testified, “I do not recall ever asking a single, soli tary American citizen for money” al though “I showed a lot of munitions lists.” Channell had set up a charitable foundation, the National Endow ment for the Preservation of Liberty, to receive money for aid to the Con tras at a time when Congress had forbidden any official U.S. help. Be cause the organization was a tax- exempt foundation, donors were able to take tax deductions. One of the 12 criminal charges against North is that he conspired to defraud the Treasury of tax revenue because the donations were for an improper purpose — military aid for the rebels. Six of the charges accuse North of making false statements and obstructing Congress by at tempting to hide his efforts on be half of the Contras. Channell pleaded guilty on April 29, 1987, to depriving »the govern ment of tax revenue by using the foundation to solicit contributions for military equipment for the Con tras. He testified at the North trial under immunity from further pros ecution. Pope tells bishops to proclaim good word as taught by church VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope John Paul II encour- [aged U.S. Roman Catholic bishops Wednesday to pro- [claim church teaching even if it is unpopular. They re- Isponded that authoritarianism does not convince 1 Americans. The views were voiced at the start of a special four- | day conference of 35 American bishops whom the pon- | tiff summoned to Rome. Dissent from church teaching in the United States [has raised concern in the Y'atican, which considers the 52 million-member American church critical because of its size, wealth and potential to set worldwide trends. John Paul described the bishops as “pillars” who give [the church strength, and the bishop’s role is expected to [dominate the 12 hours of discussions with top Vatican officials through Saturday. The meeting was closed but his remarks were made | public. “I wish to encourage you in your ministry,” John ! Paul said. “I am fully conscious of the challenges you face in bringing the Gospel message to a world that does not often readily accept it. “Your people experience the difficulties of being Christians in today’s world. Yet at the same time they search for direction in following the path marked out by Christ.” Responding to the pope, Archbishop John L. May of St. Louis, president of the U.S. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, took up the theme of American de mocracy raised earlier in the day by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago. “Authoritarianism is suspect in any area of learning or culture” in America, May said. “Individual freedom is prized supremely. Religious doctrine and moral tea ching are widely judged by these criteria. “Therefore, to assert that there is a church teaching with authority binding for eternity is truly a sign of con tradiction to many Americans who consider the divine right of bishops as outmoded as the divine right of kings,” he said. “Accordingly, bishops live and work constantly in this atmosphere.” FBI: Iranian students pose threat of violence Photo by Frederick D.Joe ‘Rock’ on Wayne “The Rock” Bradford helps lead the Dallas Water Works team to their second victory in a row in the Texas Section Ameri can Water Works Pipe Tapping Competition Wednesday. The team will travel to Los Angeles for the national competition. State senator bids to take Gramm’s seat AUSTIN (AP) — Democratic state Sen. Hugh Parmer launched his bid for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, charging that incum bent Republican Phil Gramm talks one way in Texas while he votes a different way in Washington. Parmer, a two-term senator and former Fort Worth mayor, said Gramm is out of touch with Texas families and their values. “He talks like an East Texas farmer in Lufkin but votes like a Wall Street banker in Washington,” Parmer said of Gramm. “In Texas, he says he wants to be tough on crime. In Washington, he voted against the appropriations for drug enforcement and even the FBI ... In Texas, he says he wouldn’t hurt senior citizens. In Washington, he voted against funding for Meals on Wheels for shut-in elderly.” Parmer, 49, became the first Dem ocrat in the 1990 Senate face. Many party officials had expected Agricutlure Commissioner Jim Hightower to take on Gramm, but Hightower decided in January to seek re-election to a third term and concentrate on populist political or ganizing efforts. Gramm reportedly has said he can raise $20 million for a re-election bid. Parmer said he wasn’t worried about the size of the Republican’s war chest, although he admitted it would be a tough fight. “Sure, I expect it to be difficult,” he said. “One of the good things about American democracy is that we don’t auction off seats in the U.S. Senate ... If you could just buy a seat for $20 million, then I won’t have it. But I don’t believe that. “What I need is an adequate amount of money to get across a message. And the message is: Phil Gramm does not represent the va lues that Texans believe in, and I do. I’ll have enough money to get that message across. And when I get it across, I believe I’ll win.” Parmer, who never has run a statewide race, downplayed early public opinion polls that show Gramm running strongly. Student Senate approves service fee budget WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of “zealous” Iranian students in the United States pose the greatest threat of violence against publishers and others over the controversial novel, “The Satanic Verses,” an FBI of ficial told Congress Wednesday. As if to underline the impact of the threats of retribution coming from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, a representative of the U.S. pub lisher of the book, Viking-Pen guin, declined to appear at the hearing. A committee source said the company had cited security con cerns in refusing the invitation. Calls to the publisher were not immediately returned. “There are a large number (of students) here, both legally and il legally, who are zealous adher ents to the Khomeini rhetoric . . . and pursuit of violence,” said Oli ver “Buck” Revell, the executive assistant investigations director of the FBI. Some 30,000 Iranian citizens are in the United States on stu dent visas, and at least that many more are in the country illegally, he said. Some 10,000 to 15,000 are activists with sympathies for Khomeini's fundamentalist Shiite regime, he said, and many receive government money to help them stay in the United States or are af filiated with the Iranian Revolu tionary Guard Corps. Those Iranians, most of them students, represent a greater threat than the 200 or so foreign nationals in the United States who have known links to Iranian terrorist and intelligence net works and are routinely tracked by the bureau, Revell told the Senate Foreign Relations sub committee on terrorism. They are “more dangerous than any sort of infrastructure or organizational activity” because they cannot be monitored, he said, and because the State De partment’s standards for issuing visas are lax. Khomeini’s blanket threat with its promise of martyrdom should a follower die attempting retribu tion for the book, and his govern ment’s offer of a reward of up to $5.2 million for the death of au thor Salman Rushdie, escalate the terrorist threat beyond those nor mally faced by the FBI, he said. Revell said the FBI so far knows of 178 threats to booksel lers by telephone and by letter, received in cities from New York to San Francisco to Houston. By Kelly S. Brown STAFF WRITER The Student Senate approved a budget of over $6 million Wednes day night, which, if approved, will increase student service fees $6. M'ke Lister, chairman of the Fi nance Committee, said there was an overall conservative nature to the consideration of each funding area, as cuts were made in the student service fee budget for the 1989-1990 fiscal year. A.P. Beutel Health Center and the MSC, the major funding areas, would be allotted over $1 million each The health center would receive $ 1,442,450 — which is 24.96 percent of the entire fee portion, while the MSC would be allotted $1,424,196 — 24.56 percent of the total. Intramurals would be funded with $889,402 by the student service fees, and Counseling Services would receive $837,983. “We didn’t pull these numbers from the air,” Lister said. “There are justifiable explanations as to how and why each of the budgets were decided.” - For six months. Lister’s 20-mem ber committee has been working on the $6,120,192 budget, and the process of raising the student service fee from $67 to $73 was a compli cated one, he said. GO t i -: x TUDENT IRNMENT INI V i; !< S I T Y Lister said a committee member was assigned to a budget area after each funding area submitted a re quested budget. The committee member met with the director and became acquainted with the service before the entire committee went through the budget and voted on how much they would allot each Some things taken into consider ation were previous budgets, salaries and new programs that could be im plemented, he said. “At a University like A&M, there is no reason why we shouldn’t fund a program that is justifiably needed,” Lister said. The committee didn’t have a choice on allocating some of the funds. “The administration gave us things that we didn’t have a choice on because they are state manda ted,” he said. “For example Drug Prevention received $46,062 — a 296 percent increase from last year — because the state requires that we fund them. Drug Prevention had two grants last year, and the grants are running out.” The Aggie Band is the only one of the 18 funding areas that requested funds but didn’t receive any. The band asked for $ 110,000 and did not receive anything. Lister said although there are plenty of sources for administrative funding at A&M, people first ap proach the Student Government when aking for funds. “Once we’re hit and it gets on the budget, it will stay and the following year it will increase,” Lister said. M’chael Kelley, Speaker Pro- Tempore and Aggie Band member, said he hopes in the future the band will leceive at least partial funding. The band receives most of its money from alumni. Lister added that the band re ceived $200,000 from student serv ice fees this year. Kevin Buchman, Speaker of the Senate, said the report was the most professional job he has seen on a fi nancial bill. The bill will be sent to Dr. John Koldus, Vice President of Student Services, and if approved by him, will go to President William Mobley and the Board of Regents for their approval. Other action taken during the meeting included the approval of a bill that will ask the administration to implement new directives pertaining to syllabi content and distribution. The bill, introduced by senators Beth Ammons and Mark Williams, came amidst concern over the fail ure of some professors to adequately explain course content or tell stu dents of books and supplies that would be needed for their course. Williams said the bill is not trying to restrict the professors at all, but require them to inform students up front how much they’re going to have to spend for the class. Also during the meeting, a resolu tion was passed encouraging the po sition of an Advisory Student Regent to enhance communication between students and the Board of Regents. The bill, which was introduced by Ty Clevenger, a sophomore genetics major, passed unanimously en dorsing the position, while support ing the Legislative Study Group’s ef fort to present this viewpoint to the Texas Legislature. One viewpoint the Senate hopes George Bush will hear, is - that A&M wants to be the site for the George Bush Presidential Library. Clevenger introduced the resolu tion from the Academic Affairs Committee. The University of Hous ton, Rice University and Yale Uni versity also are in the running to at tract the library. “We want to stir up enough sup port to give A&M an advantage in getting the site,” Clevenger said.