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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1989)
Texas A&M The Battalion Vol. 88 No. 144 USPS 045360 12 pages College Station, Texas WEATHER FORECAST for TUESDAY: Continued partly cloudy and warm with a 20 percent chance of thundershowers. HIGH:80 LOW: Near 60 State fines fraternity chapter at UT for 1988 hazing incident AUSTIN (AP) — A fraternity chapter at the University of Texas at Austin was fined Friday for violating the state’s anti-hazing law in an inci dent where a f raternity member died falling off a cliff to escape two pledges. Attorneys in the case said it was the first pen alty assessed under the state’s 2-year-old anti hazing law. Delta Tau Delta must complete 2,()()() hours of community service, under the plea bargain agreement approved by County Court-at-Law No. b Judge Wilfbrd Flowers. None of the individuals involved in the inci dent will face criminal prosecution. In a separate move, UT placed Delta Tau Delta on one year’s probation, and ordered the fraternity to raise academic admission standards and remove non-members and non-students from the fraternity house. “I think it’s a good agreement,” said Randy Leavitt, attorney for Delta Tau Delta. “Rather than Fight that charge, it was in the best interest” of the fraternity, he said.' On Sept. 1, two pledges planned to capture Scott Phillips and throw him in a swimming pool of a sorority house. Phillips, a member of Delta Tau Delta, fled f rom the pledges by car. Phillips drove to a wooded area, left his car and ran. As the pledges pursued Phillips, he fell off a cliff and was killed. l ia' ' mi\ t.' f . n Oden said the planned capture was a “playful ritual” that “came to a tragic end.” He said the two pledges did not mean for the accident to happen, but that the fraternity was culpable because it “condoned and encouraged” the activity that resulted in Phillips’ death. Under the anti-hazing law, the fraternity could have faced a $10,000 fine. Judge Flowers agreed to a $5,000 fine, but in lieu of that he accepted the provision to order the fraternity to complete 2,000 hours of community work, helping two UT professors in the historic restoration of local cabins. South Koreans riot for higher wages SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Stu dents and workers fought riot police with firebombs and rocks in down town Seoul Sunday after troopers blocked a rally called by labor and dissident groups to mark May Day. More than 1,300 people were ar rested. The clashes were the first major ■ protests on Seoul’s streets since late I last year, and they sent terrified pe- Idestrians running for cover. In scattered clashes, bands of pro- I testers battled the 20,000 riot police I deployed to block the rally, called on the eve of the international labor holiday. Police officials, who spoke on con dition of anonymity, reported doz ens of injuries. In Inchon, west of Seoul, and in southeastern Kwangju, protesters also fought police. Police fired warning shots into the air in Sungnam on Seoul’s southern outskirts when about 200 workers and students tried to Firebomb a po lice station, police said. Five officers were injured. Radical students, dissidents and t pr tests to demand the overthrow of the government. They also want higher wages, better working conditions and a share in South Korea’s grow ing economic prosperity. Most South Korean workers earn subsistence wages for long working weeks. President Roh Tae-woo’s govern ment has warned it may take emer gency steps to halt strikes, which have cost more than $3 billion in lost production this year. Government leaders are worried that labor unrest could cripple the economy and fo ment political unrest. Police had no overall figures on the number of protesters in Seoul, but it appeared to be below 10,000. Rally organizers had claimed that 100,000 people would take part, but police blocked off outlying towns near Seoul and prevented workers from leaving for the capital. Riot police guarded bus and train stations in Seoul to turn back people arriving for the rally. They also blocked off the meeting site. Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack The Tradition continues Seniors Ellen Piedmont and Christopher Bianco pose for their Ring Dance ‘89 portrait Saturday at Rudder Auditorium. Scalping opponents close in on ban Photo by Ronnie Montgomery Brenham High School pitcher Jon Peters won his 51st straight game 10-0 over A&M Consolidated Friday night at Fireman’s Park in Brenham, breaking the national record. Peters, who has signed a letter of intent to play for A&M next year pitched a no-hitter. See related story/Page 8 AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Legislature once again is closing in on a bill that would make it ille gal to sell tickets to sporting and entertainment events for more than face value of the ticket. Ticket scalping, whether practiced by someone who sells one extra ticket just before game time or by the companies that buy hundreds of tickets to every touring music act, has been legal in 1 exas since 1976. And, almost every legislative session since then, someone — usually event promoters and the management of large arenas such as the Summit in Houston — tries to make the resale of tickets illegal again. “We’re having a problem understanding why this becomes a major issue every two years,” said Jim Barr of Ticket Attractions, a brokering com pany in Houston. “This year, once again, we think it has a chance of passing. “It’s a controversial business, there’s no doubt about it,” Barr told the Austin American-States- man. The bill recently passed the Texas Senate and will be considered on May 8 by the House State Affairs Committee. The legislation would make it a crime to resell a ticket for more than the amount authorized by the sponsor of the event. The offense would be punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $ 1,000. Proponents of the bill claim many problems with scalpers. They complain about companies and individu als who buy up huge numbers of tickets, depriv ing the public of a chance for the best seats. The companies that broker tickets claim that for most shows they buy only a few seats, that many of their tickets are only average rat her than front-row-center, and that they are merely pro viding a service for those too busy to try to get good tickets on their own. Kent Taylor, co-owner of Showtime Tickets in Austin, asked, “Why do they buy (tickets) from me? Why don’t they buy them from the Erwin Center? They want better seats, that’s why. Peo ple don’t want to sit in the bad seats.” Those in favor of the bill argue that brokers and scalpers make unconscionable profits. The brokers reply that the high-priced tickets are the exception. When taxes, salaries, overhead and time are figured in, plus the occasions when they buy too many tickets and take a loss, their overall profits are reasonable, they say. But arguments against scalping go beyond their profit margins. “We feel like the ticket scalpers are a nuisance and a hindrance,” Alan Freeman, assistant man ager of the Summit, said. “They manage to get the best spots in the line” by hiring Houston’s homeless to wait for ticket sales to begin, he said. While they wait, they cause more problems. “They’re dirty, smelly, they bring liquor on the premises, they are liable to drop their pants and urinate at any time,” Freeman said. Of the brokering companies, Freeman said, “I feel like they’re creating an artificial market for these tickets” by buying the best seats. “They buy every single ticket they can get their hands on.” Freeman and others say that performers also support the bill because an elimination of mass buying by companies would get more tickets into the hands of “real fans.” Dean Justice, director of the Erwin Center, said scalpers “create a monopoly” by buying vast numbers of tickets. “They are not charging what the service is worth,” Justice said. “They charge whatever the market will bear. That’s not how we do things in this country. We don’t normally gouge people based on their ability to pay.” Barr and others said they would not oppose some restrictions, including licensing, which 1 exas law required before 19/6. Barr concedes he hires homeless people to buy tickets but said some of the same officials who complain about scalpers also urge business own ers to hire the homeless. UPD hopes raises increase officer quality 3y Fiona Soltes :iTY EDITOR In an effort to enhance the image, lerformance and quality of law en- orcement on the A&M campus, the Jniversity Police Department has een restructured to include new re- ponsibilities, positions and pay aises. Effective today, as part of a new Ian designed by the Department of idministration and Finance, every- ne from cadets-in-training to ad- anced officers and lieutenants is eli- ible for a raise. But more strict equirements and stipulations also are in the plan,. Bob Wiatt, director of security and University Police, said. “Education and training is nec essary to having the type of officers on campus who are sensitive to the nature of the community,” Wiatt said. “They have to be able to artic ulate, talk and be approachable. They need to provide service, be a deterrent, and give information and advice to those who ask.” In order to meet these require ments, UPD is requiring new patrol officers to have 30 hours of college credit. Those already in the depart ment must have completed 15 hours by September 1991. Pay raises will be awarded de pending on education, experience and training advancement, he said. Funding for the remainder of the “I I’ve been ranting and raving for years for raises.” — Bob Wiatt, director, UPD year will come from accumulated savings within the police depart ment, available because the number See Police/Page 4 of officers in the force was 10 short of the budgeted amount for the en tire year, he said. Administration and Finance has planned future funding through the reorganization. Wiatt said the first phases of the reorganization took place when Rob ert Smith became vice president of Administration and Finance about two years ago. “His department did an investiga tion of the UPD and found salaries were not comparable,” Wiatt said. “I’ve been ranting and raving for years for raises, but he was able to justify it through his new organiza- \&M cracks down on off-campus student crimes y Alan Sembera ENIOR STAFF WRITER Texas A&M students who break laws off-cam pus are more likely to be disciplined by Univer sity officials than they have been in past years. Because of recent trends in court decisions, universities have greater power to take action against students they think will pose a threat to the educational process, and A&M has taken ad vantage of this new conservative swing. Dr. John Koldus, vice president for Student Ser vices, said nine A&M students were disci plined this academic year for off-campus crimes. Six were kicked out of the University. Three years ago, Koldus said, A&M didn’t take disciplinary action against students for off- campus activities. But A&M has become more active in this area, he said, and the number of these types of discipli nary actions gradually has increased. These students were disciplined, Koldus said, because they were accused of crimes that had some relationship with the University. Three of the students who were suspended were charged with distributing drugs. Koldus said they were suspended because their contin ued presence might pose a threat to other stu dents. The other students who were suspended were charged with burglarizing coin-operated ma chines off-campus. Koldus said the students were charged with squirting a chemical solution into soft-drink ma chines to receive large numbers of free drinks. This type of crime usually doesn’t warrant sus pension, he said, but in this case the students had a record of similar types of activity on campus. He added that the students were suspected of preparing the chemical solution with University supplies. In another case, Koldus said, two students were charged with burglarizing cars and storing car parts in their residence-hall room. Koldus said the University took action in this case because of their use of the dorm room to store the stolen items. The students were placed on deferred suspension, which means they can stay in school as long as they don’t get into trou ble again. Another case involved a student who used a stun gun on a Skaggs employee after being caught trying to steal $158 worth of merchan dise. This student posed a potential threat to stu dents because of the use of a weapon, Koldus said, so she was placed on conduct probation. Koldus said University officials don’t go out and look for students who have committed crimes. He said they only take action if they hear about a crime. But even then, he said, the University must have good reason to take action. This represents a major difference from what is was like before the late 1960s. “Years ago, the dean of men and the dean of women were, in a sense, king and queen on the college campus,” Koldus said. “They could call you in ana suspend you for anything they wanted to. and you’d have no recourse. “In essence, you could look crooked at a dean 25 or 30 years ago. and he could kick you out.” But the courts began to turn it around in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Koldus said. “They said the institution only is responsible for what happens within the geographical limits of campus,” he said. NASA begins replacing faulty parts on Atlantis CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA on Sunday began replacing two faulty fuel-system parts aboard space shuttle Atlan tis in hope of making another launch attempt as early as Friday. The launch of the shuttle and its $550 million Magellan Venus probe was scrubbed on Friday 31 seconds before liftoff because of a power surge on a pump that re circulates liquid hydrogen fuel for one of the shuttle’s three main engines. Engineers later discovered a pinhole leak in a fuel line that carries hydrogen from the exter nal fuel tank to the shuttle. NASA officials Sunday said they would not set a new launch date until Monday. But they said liftoff could not occur before Fri day afternoon. Because of the positions of Earth and Venus, there is only a 32-day launch opportunity “win dow” for sending the Magellan spacecraft toward Venus. If the shuttle can’t get off the ground by May 28, the mission will have to be put off for two years, at a cost of more than $100 million, until Earth and Venus are again in proper alignment. NASA spokesman Lisa Malone said workers were removing foam insulation from around both the pump and the hydrogen line and hoped to have a new pump and a new line installed by Monday. After the parts have passed pressure, electrical and other tests, NASA would be ready to restart the countdown, which lasts two days. “Right now we don’t know when we will pick up the count,” Malone said. “But we feel com fortable with what we are doing.” Had the countdown continued on Friday, a computer to detect such problems as fuel-line leaks would have stopped the engines from firing and the five astro nauts would have been safe, the space agency said. Shuttle commander David Walker and pilot Ronald Grabe practiced shuttle landings in a training aircraft Sunday and then flew to their home base in Hous ton. Mission specialists Mary Cleave, Mark Lee and Norman Thagard returned to Houston on Saturday. Before returning for another launch attempt, the astronauts will keep sharp by rehearsing in a simulator. Six hours after launch the as tronauts are to release the Magel lan from Atlantis’ cargo bay, pro pelling it <iii a 450-day journey to Venus. The 7,600-pound craft is to orbit the planet and map up to 90 percent of its cloud-veiled sur face with high-resolution radar.