Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 1989)
The Battalion STATE & LOCAL uesday, August 8,1989 , ca |Texas road project stirs up dissent ^jlofficial: Use of South African steel hurts U.S., apartheid battle Hitler wrai Kampf, 11 ! :ed their called fora ed States, | Several entions, ve attemp e cannot^ ense of fat ! AUSTIN (AP) — The possible use of South B African-produced steel in the costliest state road J project in Texas history will hurt American steel I companies and is a slap against people trying to end apartheid, the local chapter president of the NAACP said Monday. Gary Bledsoe called on the Texas Highway Commission to cancel the contract to build a I bridge over the Houston ship channel because ■ the two firms chosen plan to work with a South I African company to supply 3.1 million pounds of I steel. “Countries such as South Africa that permit I slave labor in mining steel and other materials are able to underprice American comnanies and take away their business,” Bledsoe said. “This causes thousands of persons to be unem ployed and numerous American businesspersons to become bankrupt or near bankrupt,” he said. Although a new state law virtually forbids the use of foreign steel in road projects, state high way officials say the $91 million contract for the 4,100-foot bridge across the ship channel was ap proved before that law took effect June 14. “We cannot restrict the source of materials,” said Byron Blaschke, department engineer for the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation. “As long as the contractor provides the material that meets our specifications, the de partment cannot prevent tnem from obtaining it from any particular source,” he said. A joint venture involving Williams Brothers of Houston and Traylor Brothers of Evansville, Ind., was awarded the bridge contract in Decem ber 1986. Under the new law, limitations on use of for eign steel for highway projects in Texas now mir ror limits on federal projects that had been in place since 1984. The amount of foreign steel al lowed can total 0.1 percent of the project or $2,500 —whichever is greater. State officials say another anti-apartheid di vestment law passed in 1987 places limits on in vestments of state treasury money, but not con tracts, supplies or purchases. Law may require informing home buyers of any previous AIDS infected occupants (will I isar.i 'ur inactio inderstand The unw ntries i to prov ineans to cast a icose neiei 948 " e will pro! Arabs hai:| txdudes Isj anatic Isk I against lij dst who del it not all) nd hatred' and active ahammed the U.S.C vernmeni: ised the®: who said: ed as well ne food AUSTIN (AP) — Texas real es tate agents may be required this | month to inform buyers or tenants that a property for sale or lease was previously occupied by someone suf fering from AIDS. But first, the Texas Real Estate Commission says, it needs more in formation about a new AIDS law. Under legislation that takes effect Aug. 28, an agent who has “actual knowledge” that a former owner or tenant had acquired immune defi- AIDS tested agrees to release the iniorma- tion. The Real Estate Commission, in a letter to the attorney general, says the statutes “pose an irreconcilable conflict.” The commission asked the attor- U AlDS is not contracted that way. In fact, you have to go out of your way to get it.. — Robert Bernstein, State Health Commissioner ciency syndrome will have to disclose that fact if asked to do so. If the information is not available, the agent is protected from legal ac tion by potential buyers or renters. However, the legislation does not address a law passed two years ago prohibiting AIDS tests results, from being made public unless the person ney general’s office to issue an opin ion on what constitutes “actual knowledge” of AIDS. The agency wants to know whether that means the agent has seen results from an AIDS test, obtained the information from the seller of the property or simply heard rumors. In addition, the commission wants to know if it should develop a stan dardized form to be used by agents when a buyer or renter wants AIDS- related information. Rep. Debra Danburg, who spon sored the new requirements in the House, said lawmakers wanted to protect real estate agents from the threat of lawsuits by purchasers who wanted disclosure of the informa tion and sellers disturbed by the in vasion of their privacy. Real estate agents have continued to disclose in advertising that a house had been inhabited by an AIDS patient, despite the 2-year-old law designed to prevent tests for the disease f rom being used to discrimi nate against people who have it, said Danburg, D-Houston. For example, she said, an ad placed in a newspaper last year by the Veterans Administration to sell foreclosed Austin properties warned that one of the houses for sale had been occupied by someone with AIDS. State Health Commissioner Rob ert Bernstein said medical experts’ opinion is that AIDS cannot be transmitted through casual contact, such as being picked up from some one’s living quarters. “There is no danger whatever. AIDS is not contracted that way,” Bernstein told the Austin American- Statesman. “In fact, you have to go out of your way to get it, through ei ther blood transfusions or the ex change of bodily fluids.” Education holds key to changing views on minorities, prof says By Fiona Soltes at— CITY EDITOR For the world to change its opinion of minorities, more mi norities need to hold leadership positions in the technical and sci entific fields, Dr. Alan Letton, as sistant professor of mechanical engineering, said Sunday. Addressing high school partici pants of Youth Opportunities Unlimited, he stressed the impor tance of education. “You need to think about who controls your life,” Letton said. “It’s not your parents — it’s you. And in order to control your life, you need an education.” Letton told the group of about 100 teen-agers that the main deci sion-making groups of society have a low percentage of minority members. As a result, he said, mi norities are not well represented and are not in control of their fu tures. “Three things control your fate: having the right resources given to you, having the opportu nity to use them and having the knowledge of how to use them,” he said. Without education and rep resentation in the technical and scientific segments of society, de cisions like these will already be made for the youth, Letton said. “For everyone to do better, you must do better individually,” he said. “You may not like the way things are. So, I dare you to change them.” Letton’s speech was the last of an eight-part series aimed at the youth on campus for this year’s Y.O.U. program. The program is designed to encourage high school students from areas such as East Texas and Houston to ex perience the campus community and what it offers. The students, who lived in dor mitories during the eight-week camp, worked at on-campus jobs four hours per day for minimum wage. Each participant also at tended four hours of classes at A&M, including classes in En glish, reading or math. These courses count as credit toward high school graduation. HUD officials question expenditures of San Antonio Housing Authority SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Department of Housing and Urban Development officials are questioning mil lions of dollars in expenditures by the San Antonio Housing Authority in a confidential report that main tains there was a conflict of interest involving housing board members, according to a San Antonio newspa per. But the housing authority’s executive director dis missed the report, saying allegations of improprieties were politically motivated. In the report, obtained by the San Antonio Express- News, HUD investigators question the housing authori ty’s use of two non-profit corporations to gather funds and do work. The corporations — San Antonio Hous ing Assistance Corp. and San Antonio Housing Facility Corp. — are subsidiaries of the housing authority. SAHA is an independent agency of the city and is funded mainly through HUD. Federal auditors allege conflict of interest by housing authority board members because they also serve as trustees of the two non-profit corporations, the Ex press-News reported Monday. Among the allegations in the report are claims that contract-bidding regulations were violated; that the SAHA board did not approve account transfers of $15,000 or more, as required by law; and that the au thority used federal low-income funding for a project where tenants are not required to demonstrate low in come. The housing authority entered into 24 agreements and one contract without competitive bidding, accord ing to the report. Bids are required for expenditures of more than $10,000. The contracts at issue total $3.46 million. An Invitation to Luxury.*. The Jewelry Express Card The Jewelry Express Card... Sheer Brilliance! Join an exclusive membership with benefits you richly deserve... NATIONAL JEWELERS CREDIT ASSOCIATION.ITD. ODD 000 000 S J SMITH BANK = ONE Also, Now Offering Financing Through Texas Aggie Credit Union n-i Carat ROUND Our Price Compare at 4.01 Carats GIA1 Color VVS $42,750°° $65,000“ 1.80 7,750°° 10,900“ 1.51 4,225“° 7,100“ 1.78 5,275°° 8,500“ 1.61 5,475°° 8,800“ 1.43 5,550°° 8,900“ 1.17 2,950°° 4,900“ 1.11 2,650°“ 4,700“ 1.09 3,075°“ 4,900“ 1.05 2,475“ 4,300“ 1.05 2,595“ 4,375“ 1.05 2,595“ 4,375“ 1.03 3,850“ 5,900“ 1.03 2,950“ 4,600“ 1.03 2,225“ 3,900“ 1.01 2,375“ 3,800“ 1.01 3,150“ 5,900“ 1.00 2,050“ 3,600“ 1.00 2,480“ 3,500“ .95 1,875“ 3,600“ .93 3,325“ 6,450“ .91 3,595“ 6,500“ .91 3,150“ 5,900“ .85 1,975“ 2,975“ .81 2,250“ 3,800“ .78 985“ 1,750“ .77 1,325“ • 2,175“ .76 1,360“ 2,275“ .77 1,290“ 2,100“ .76 1,250“ 2,150“ .76 1,300“ 2,475“ .75 1,285“ 2,425“ .72 1,235“ 2,100“ .72 1,375“ 2,300“ .70 1,195“ 2,150“ .70 1,390“ 2,300“ .69 995“ 1,495“ .66 895“ 1,475“ .65 595“ 975“ .64 895“ 2,150“ .58 575“ 975“ .55 ! 695“ 1,100“ .55 890“ 1,475“ .53 895“ 1,475“ .53 795“ 1,365“ .52 950“ 1,700“ .51 1,095“ 1,850“ .51 695“ 1,095“ .51 795“ 1,275“ .50 795“ 1,275“ .50 820“ 1,350 .47 750“ 1,275“ .47 750“ 1,275“ .46 495“ 870“ .46 495“ 870“ .44 595“ 985“ early W nt. Itappf' ; a paral' ’re in d® danger 1 [g Americ of action. !• jour s editor New Diamond Shipment Carat ROUND Our Price Compare at .39 475“ 850“ .39 475“ 800“ .38 295“ 570“ .33 375“ 595“ .32 375“ 595“ .32 325“ 540“ .32 350“ 540“ .32 375“ 575“ .32 350“ 540“ .30 335“ 560“ .28 290“ 475“ .26 225“ 375“ .25 225“ 375“ .24 210“ 350“ .22 185“ 350“ .21 165“ 240“ Aggie Special 140“ 295“ Various .21 .20 .35 .20 165“ 240“ .19 155“ 225“ .18 145“ 200“ .16 110“ 1.80 .15 105“ 1.60 .14 95“ 155“ .12 78“ 135“ .10 63“ 120“ .09 55“ 110“ .08 48“ 90“ .07 41“ 75“ .05 35“ 65“ .04 30“ 55“ Carat OVAL CUT Our Price Compare at 2.11 $4,950“ $6,800“ 1.61 5,875“ 8,700“ Carat 1.24 1.14 1.10 1.11 1.03 .99 .98 .86 .71 .62 .58 .58 .53 .51 .50 .41 .28 .27 .10 Carat .58 Heart .51 .62 .25 1.35 1.06 1.33 OVAL CUT Our Price 3,900°° 3,450°° 1,450°° 2,850°° 2,875°° 2,450°° 1,750°° 1,890°° 1,350°° 1,475°° 1,375°° 1,350°° 1,225°° 1,175°° 1,050°° 795°° 315°° 285°° 165°° UNUSUAL DIAMONDS Our Price $1,375°° 1,395°° 1,275°° 395°° Heart Triangle Cut T.W. Matched Pair Triangle Cut Natural Uncut Diamond Fancy Yellow Color Pear Shape, (Irradipted) Blue Pear Shape (Irradirtul) Blue Diamonds For AGGIE RINGS $35 $48 $63 $111 $165 $15 mounting $25 with your diamond Carat 1.01 .73 .72 .70 .47 .41 Carat 5.13 1.02 81 .62 .52 Carat 1.82 1.75 1.43 1.24 1.01 Modified Radiant Modified Radiant Princess Princess Modified Radiant EMERALD CUT Our Price $1,675°° 1,875°° 2,175°° 1,475°° 795 00 795°° PRINCESS/RADIENT/EMERALD Our Price $23,295°° 1,950°° 2,385°° 1,475°° 1,325°° PEAR SHAPE Our Price $5,095°° 5,775°° 3,780°° 3,975°° 2,575°° Compare at 5,900°° 6,900°° 1,985°° 4.750°° 4,600°° 4,300°° 2,900°° 3,300°° 2,300°° 2,475°° 2,300°° 2,275°° 2,150 1,175°° 1,175°° 1,350°° 475°° 450°° 195°° Compare at $2,200°° 2,275°° 1,980°° 795°° 695°° 2,675°° 2,895°° Compare at $3,200°° 3,350°° 3,975°° 2,750°° 1,450°° 1,450°° Compare at $38,500°° 3,575°° 3,900°° 2,700°° 2,450°° Compare at $8,500°° 9,300°° 6,800°° 7,100°° 4,300°° Carat .79 .77 .72 .71 .64 .62 .51 .48 .10 Carat 2.04 1.35 1.23 1.10 1.04 .98 .84 .79 .77 .76 .72 .71 .71 .70 .70 .68 .62 .60 .55 .52 .50 .48 .46 .43 .40 .35 .35 PEAR SHAPE Our Price 1,595°° 1,980°° 1,985°° 1,965°° 775°° 1,485°° 1,240°° 1,160“° 95°“ MARQUISE Our Price $12,275°° 2,975°° 3,350°° 3,650°° 2,850°° 2,475°° 1,985“° 2.095°° 1,590°° 2,150°° 2,325°° 2,050“° 2,095°° 2,390°° 1,995°° 1,890°° 695°° 1,750°° 985°° 1,050“° 1,275°° 1,225°° 1,160°° 975°° 975°° 595°° 595°° Compare 2,800°° 3,200°° 3,220°° 3,150°° 1,275°° 2,350°° 1,975°° 1,850°° 185°° Compare at $19,850°° 4,200°° 5,900°° 6,300°° 4,350°° 3,700°° 2,900°° 3,200°° 2,700°° 3,600°° 3,800°° 3,600°° 3,600°° 3,850°° 3,700°° 2,975°° 1,275°° 2,975°° 1,650°° 1,775°° 2,275°° 1,975°° 1,850°° 1,485°° 1,485°° 1,085°° 1,085°° 14K Gold Charms small $12 95 large $21 95 TEXAS COIN EXCHANGE Texas Ave. 846-8916 846-8905 404 University Drive • Behind Shellenbergers Jewelry Repair on the Premisis Texas 6 ★ Texas Coin Exchange Texas A&M