Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1989)
Ml Texas A&M mm The Battalion WEATHER FORECAST for FRIDAY: Continued partly cloudy with no ticeably higher temperatures, es pecially at night. HIGH:73 LOW:52 he m\H ionOrfi r Arafi that hai; Vol. 88 No. 112 USPS 045360 12 pages College Station, Texas Thursday, March 9,1989 ague: souther lese ino lize U.S itives bn it shoult ty term y the Pal ys iv, whid tyfori anui at it mi ilt fori- atus ut- 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 extraordinar) 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 hid 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, Tower 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, hut 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. t aud: f Witness says North pleas tes y m/ " a^inprl mnnev for Contras State senator bids to take Gramm’s seat Simon says charge usicfe ng*oE un# d gus ludefi iveifl syli®' By Janice Simon * Cameron Collegian Cameron U., OK I Consider me armed and Jdangerous. Two weeks ago, I received my first credit card. A thrill surged through my body as I looked at the piece of molded plastic in my hand. | One thought went through my mind — “Now I can charge!” When the cashier asks if it will be cash or charge, I can say, “charge,” instead of my usual “it’ll be a check” jor “don’t mind me, I’m just sho- jplifting.” Since my card belongs to a de partment store only, my choices are somewhat limited. They are even more restricted since the store is usually for people who have more cash lining their pockets than I do. When writing a check I can whip out my driver’s license and my cre dit card. I don’t have to mumble, “I’m sorry, I don’t have a credit ’card, just a library card.” But being the bargain shopper that I am, I knew I would find some thing to charge, and I did. I charged a $4 pair of pantyhose. They were special. They were black ’ hose. I got my card right before Christ mas. I know that’s the reason I got my card. It’s a scheme to get you to charge your brains out so you will be poor throughout the entire new : year. But it’s a scheme I’ll gladly be a part of. Now the important thing to re- | member about credit cards is that you do have to pay for the lovely ’ items you charged. It may hurt a little but it’s a fact ; of credit card life. It’s the price you pay to become a part of a cashless society. I have noticed people respect you more when you have a credit card. I guess they figure that someone somewhere trusts you to spend money you don’t actually have. Cashiers who look disdainly at you relax. Now you’re a bum with a credit card instead of a bum with- | out one. It’s such a vicious world. U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER 17 ECONOMICS University insurance A special page focuses on self-insurance, fraternity liability and more. Page 19 COMMUNITY The Gathering Place Three students volunteer their time to help feed the needy. Page 20 ENTREPRENEURS Spartan Card Two students create a discount card for their campus. Page 20 SCIENCE & TECH Spacing out Students in a space club construct an educational satellite. Page 21 Children latch on to Phone Friend for help U. of South Florida’s Amy Nathanson works the “warmline” for Phone Friend. By Kim Dutra ■ USF Oracle U. of South Florida When 7-year-old Justin came home and found his dog dead on his porch, he panicked. To him, it was one of the worst emergencies of his life. He was home alone. His parents were at work. He didn’t know what to do. He called Phone Friend. An operator from Phone Friend, a telephone service designed specifically for latchkey children and manned by U. of South Florida (USF) students, was immediately able to calm him down. Although Justin was too young to ful ly understand the finality of death, his phone friend was able to help ease him and connect him with his parents. Justin, whose real name was not used in accordance with the service’s con fidentiality policy, is one of more than 50,000 latchkey children in Hillsbor ough County, Fla. The program, affectionately called a “warmline” by its operators instead of a hotline, began in 1984. More than 30 volunteers, mostly USF students, hand le 500 to 800 calls per month. “Most of the callers are elementary age, up to about 12 years old,” said Marie McDonald, an assistant director of the program. “They are kids who usually come home from school and are bored or lonely, or who need help with their homework. Some have just had a really good day and want to tell a friend about it. Sometimes it can be really heartwarming.” Volunteers must go through an inten sive month-long training period so they “It really enriches your life, gives you a very refreshing view of the world through kids’ eyes.” — BILL INCATASCIATO soothed him while another contacted his parents. In other instances, such as suicides, operators are trained to keep the child talking until a specialist can pick up the line. Phone Friend operates daily from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is funded by donations and grants. The program costs about $36,000 each year. USF student Kristie Kehoe got in volved with Phone Friend about three years ago. “I’ve grown very attached to it. I think it is one of the most worth while projects I’ve ever helped out with,” she said. “It gives an insight into how other people live,” said Bill Incatasciato, a USF student and Phone Friend volun teer. “At first I was apprehensive. It was kind of scary talking to a bunch of 6- and 7-year-olds. You have to change the way you think. But then it gets very exciting. It really enriches your life, gives you a very refreshing view of the world through kids’ eyes.” Graduate student writes his way to riches, wins $50,000 By Matt Hilk ■ The Daily Pennsylvanian U. of Pennsylvania While trying to create an understand ing of a business concept for others, Murray Low ended up creating a con siderable amount of wealth for himself. Low, a graduate student, won first place in the first nationwide Stakehol der Essay Competition, sponsored by National Cash Register (NCR). The company chose the 35-year-old Low’s essay, Stakeholder Concerns and the Prospect for Prosperity, from a pool of 2,500 compositions penned by under graduates and graduates across the Un ited States. The topic, “Creating Value for Stakeholders in Corporation and/or Not-For-Profit Organizations,” pro duced essays ranging from manage ment philosophies to financial analyses to business ethics. NCR awarded more than $300,000 in cash prizes and equip ment to the 102 winners. Ron Gilbert of the U. of Iowa took second place. Nine national and 91 state winners were selected. In all, the U. of Pennsylvania produced more state and national winners than any other school. Entrants were judged on analyses of their topic, originality and writing skills. NCR also awarded computer equipment to the U. of Pennsylvania’s Sol-Snider Entrepreneurial Center. The finalists’ entries were judged by a panel of 28 top business executives and professors. NCR awarded the runner- up $15,000 in cash and $35,000 in com puter equipment. Semifinalists and finalists received $1,000 cash. After seeing an advertisement for the contest in The Wall Street Journal, Low wrote in his essay that the United States is in danger of losing its position as the world’s leading economic power. Prior to reading about the contest, Low said he had studied several books on the concept of “stakeholders.” The term “stakeholder,” according to one NCR official, expands the concept of shareholder to include every individual or group that has a “stake” in how the corporation fares — customers, em ployees, stockholders, suppliers and community residents in the area where the corporation is held. “If you compare the U.S. to some of Stakeholder Essay Competition Winners FIRST PLACE Murray Low, U. of Pennsylvania SECOND PLACE Ron Gilbert, U. of Iowa NATIONAL WINNERS Scot Barenblat, U. of Texas, Austin Mark Christel, U. of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Scott Evans, Colorado State U. Kalyanaram Gurumurthy, Mass. Institute of Technology Gregory Heyworth, Columbia U., NY Yen Chi-Huang, Stanford U., CA Darnell Hunt, Georgetown U., DC James Mahon Jr., U. of California, Berkeley Amy Montgomery, U. of Michigan * lerick D. Joe er Works in Ameri- day. The on. 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. /ice fee budget he only one of hat requested £ any. $ 110,000 and r Th there are idministrative ople first ap- Government J it gets on the the following jster said. Speaker Pro- jand member, »ture the band irtial funding, st of its money the band re- \ student serv- •peaker of the l was the most vs seen on a fi- Tit to Dr. John <nt of Student Jnved by him, filliam Mobley gents for their n during the < approval of a ministration to ives 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. See ESSAY, Page 21