Texas A&M
The Battalion
Vol. 88 No. 144 USPS 045360 12 pages College Station, Texas
WEATHER
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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.