vf! Friday, November 17,1989
The Battalion
Page 7
'CUT AND SAVE
Board OKs workers’ comp increase
Abuse of system’ forces insurance rates to rise 22 percent
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AUSTIN (AP) — State insurance
officials Thursday approved a 22
percent increase in workers’ com
pensation insurance rates as law
makers continued to battle over pro
posals to reform the system.
In adopting the rate increase, the
State Board of Insurance blamed
doctors, lawyers, employers and em
ployees with soaring workers’ comp
costs, which already have risen 148
percent since 1985.
“Everyone is abusing the system,”
board member Richard Reynolds of
Flower Mound said.
Board member Jo Ann Howard
J of Austin described the no-fault in-
I surance designed to compensate in-
I jured employees as a quagmire dom-
I inated by special interest groups who
I are fighting attempts to change the
I system.
Gov. Bill Clements said even if the
■ comp system is overhauled, Texas
I employers will be hit with increases
I for another two years, because the
I rates are based on past experience.
The new rates, upping premiums
R by approximately $850 million, will
I go into effect no later than Jan. 1.
Clements was confident a busi-
I ness-backed comp reform bill by Lt.
I Gov. Bill Hobby would win House
I and Senate approval, but added,
I “We’ll go through a little rocky stage
I here for the next two or three days.”
In the middle of the fray are
I Hobby and Sen. Carl Parker of Port
I Arthur, who has co-written an alter-
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the
Health Dept,
warns against
drug’s use
L-tryptophan shown
to cause blood disease
AUSTIN (AP) — Anyone us
ing L-tryptophan, a non-pre
scription amino acid, should stop,
the state health department said
Wednesday.
L-tryptophan products, used
by some for insomnia or pre
menstrual symptoms, has a possi
ble link with a severe blood disor
der, eosihopKilia, thedepartment
said.
The department said seven
people in Texas have been identi
fied as having the blood disorder,
including two in both Austin and
Houston and one each in Lub
bock, Dripping Springs and Port
Arthur.
Ill persons have experienced
prolonged fatigue, muscle and
joint pain, chest pain, sore throat,
cough, low-grade fever and a
rash, the department said.
The disorder has been re
ported in 17 states and the Dis
trict of Columbia, with 96 cases
reported as of Tuesday.
Makers of L-tryptophan are
suspending distribution and sales
of the dietary supplement pen
ding further investigation,
according to J. B. Cordaro, presi
dent of the Council of Responsi
ble Nutrition, an industry group.
“This action should not be
viewed as a product recall but an
interim measure pending clarifi
cation of the causes of this out
break,” the industry group said.
“Public health agencies investi
gating have not been able to es
tablish a scientific basis or isolate
medical evidence that links L-
tryptophan with this disorder,”
the council said.
“In addition, to date FDA and
industry testing of L-tryptophan
products have not identified any
product contamination.”
Issue divides 2 long-time political allies
AUSTIN (AP) — The workers’ compensation re
form debate has split two political allies, Lt. Gov. Bill
Hobby and state Sen. Carl Parker, in a feud that has
grown increasingly bitter.
The two Democrats are opposites in personalilv, but
that hasn’t seemed to stop them from getting along in
the past.
Hobby is a self-deprecating man whose stvle is low-
key. He is known as a negotiator and consensus builder
in the back rooms of government. He generally runs'
from the spotlight.
A multimillionaire, Hobby’s father was former Gov.
Will Hobby and his mother, Oveta Culp Hobby, di
rected the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during
World War II and the U.S. Department of Health, Edu
cation and Welfare during Dwight Eisenhower’s admin
istration.
Parker, a trial lawyer, is the son of a Port Arthur
mayor. He is cocky, confrontational and smart-alecky,
with a wit often aimed at the midsection.
Hobby has made Parker chairman of the powerful
Education Committee and has often helped his Demo
cratic colleague push through legislation.
But on workers’ comp, the two have gone in different
directions.
Parker says Hobby has abandoned the working man
by pushing a reform bill favored by the insurance in
dustry, Republicans and unsafe employers.
And he has trotted out the common criticisms of
Hobby — rich kid, country clubber. Hobby cannot un
derstand the working people, Parker said.
Hobby and his lieutenants pushing the bill are “born
rich, raised rich, raised in a sheltered environment,”
Parker said.
He challenged Hobby to a debate over their compet
ing comp reform bills.
nate reform plan that is preferred by
labor and attorneys who represent
injured workers in disputed comp
cases.
Parker criticized Hobby, saying
his fellow Democrat has composed a
measure that favors “those employ
ers who have given Texas the worst
record in the nation for industrial
safety and deaths.”
Parker challenged Hobby to a de
bate over their proposals on a local
television show Thursday night, but
the lieutenant governor said he had
a previous commitment to attend a
fund-raiser in Galveston for Sen.
Chet Brooks. D-Pasadena.
Hobby’s plan was expected to be
passed b\ the Senate Economic De
velopment Committee later with the
full Senate possibly taking action on
the bill Monday.
The bill would then go the House,
where it is supported by House
Speaket Gib Lewis, D-Fort Worth.
After heating of the Insurance
Board’s rate increase, Lewis said,
“The system is begging for change
and the time has come for all parties
involved in reform to put their self-
serving interests aside.”
Hobby told reporters the 22 per
cent comp increase was not high
enough. He said some insurers are
leaving the comp business because
the Insurance Board has failed to set
high enough rates.
Meanwhile, Insurance Board
members said they will meet later
next year to see if legislative reforms
to the system and changes made to
the pool for employers who can’t
purchase comp insurance on the
open market would allow them to
lower rates.
Candidates swap accusations
in bid for lieutenant governor
A T TCnPTXT / A A 11J_ £’ II • i • • * _ • . t
AUSTIN (AP) — A Democratic candidate for lieu
tenant governor called Thursday for electing the state’s
utility regulators and said he will make utility rates a key
issue in his campaign.
Sen. Chet Edwards, D-Duncanville, said he has more
faith in voters’ ability to pick members of the Public
Utility Commission than in the governors who appoint
them under current law.
“The people of Texas have shown better judgment in
electing regulatory board members than governors
have in appointing them,” Edwards said.
Edwards accused his primary election opponent,
Comptroller Bob Bullock, of being an ally of utility
companies.
He displayed a letter to Bullock written on Houston
Lighting & Power stationery by HL&rP Vice President
Ray “Popeye” Snokhous promising “total commitment
and support” in the race and saying “the folks at HL&P
will work both sides of the streets” for Bullock.
“I think with the high utility rates we have today,
what we need is a lieutenant governor who’s not walk
ing both sides of the street with utilities but someone
who is standing up for utility ratepayers,” Edwards said.
A spokesman for Bullock, Tony Proffitt, said Snok
hous and Bullock have been friends since grade school
and that the letter was a personal one. “I don’t believe it
refers to any corporate contributions at all,” Proffitt
said. “It refers to Popeye’s personal commitment to
help Bullock in his election.”
Bullock later issued a statement saying Edwards had
taken campaign contributions in the past from the same
utilities he now is criticizing, “proving that you can bite
the hand that feeds you.”
Bullock also accused Edwards of playing politics with
the utility issue, charging that the lawmaker “is misus
ing his position in the Senate to grab headlines to fur
ther his personal political career by bashing utility com
panies at the expense of ratepayers.”
Edwards likened the need for utility reform to ef
forts to overhaul workers’ compensation insurance, a
We need is a lieutenant governor
who’s not walking both sides of the street
with utilities but someone who is standing
up for utility ratepayers.”
— Chet Edwards,
candidate
problem some officials say is keeping new businesses
from moving to Texas.
“If we are going to talk about economic development
in Texas, we must talk about utility rate reform,” the
lawmaker said. “High utility rates can hurt economic-
development just as much as high workers’ compensa
tion rates.”
Priests
(Continued from page 3)
on the Salvadoran government so
that these type of attacks are looked
into,” Berra said.
He was joined at a news confer
ence by Father Doug Marcouiller
and Father Jose Idiaquez, who also
worked in San Salvador before com
ing to Austin to attend UT.
The three men said they knew the
six Jesuit priests, a housekeeper and
her daughter, who were killed
Thursday after armed men entered
their house at a leading university.
The priests in Austin backed a
witness’s statement that uniformed
government troops were involved.
The government denied responsi
bility, condemned the slayings as
“savage and irrational” and said an
investigation was under way.
“We’ve been in contact with our
Jesuit brothers in Central America,”
Marcouiller said. He'said he was told
30 armed, uniformed men carried
out the attack.
“Their bodies were riddled with
bullets, and their heads had been
smashed,” he said. “This while an at
tachment of 80 soldiers was en
camped about 100 yards away.”
There has been “a series of
threats” against the Jesuits, includ
ing placement of a bomb at the
house, Marcouiller said. He said Je
suits have been denounced “as
sources of subversion” on the radio.
The Jesuit house was not in a re
bel-held zone, Berra said.
“We feel that as much interna
tional pressure that is brought to
bear on the Salvadoran government
will certainly benefit. . . those people
who are coming under fire,” he said.
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Do you have any of the following concerns?
• Imporving an academic skill
• Finding a tutor
• Locating programs for academic assistance
• Establishing and clarifying academic goals
If the answer is YES, you may wish to utilize one of the following serv
ices.
ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE SERVICES'*
• Academic Assistance Information
Clearinghouse—Located in the Student Counseling Service,
this Clearinghouse consists of a file that contains the names,
phone numbers and qualifications of people willing to tutor
courses offered at A&M. It also contains information from
many academic departments explaining procedures for obtain
ing extra academic help. Come to the Third Floor, YMCA
Bldg., 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, to use this
service.
• Academic Burnout Prevention-An academic life-style that
includes social activities and physical exercise, as well as study,
is generally considered the best method for maintaining aca
demic motivation. Student Activities, Room 208, Pavilion (845-
1133) and the Memorial Student Center Student Programs Office
Room 216 (845-1515) will guide students to campus activities
that fit the student’s interests and social needs. The Intramural-
Recreational Sports Office, Room 159, Read Building (845-7826)
will guide students to physical activities that may help meet both
a student’s social and physical activity needs.
• Concentration Problems Assistance—Difficulties with con
centration usually result from failure to establish a good study en
vironment, from unfocused academic and life goals or from
relationship and other personal problems. The Student Counsel
ing Service (845-1651) and the Counseling and Assessment
Clinic (845-8021) offer both individual and group programs to
help students with these concerns. Most services at the Student
Counseling Service are free to currently enrolled students who
have paid the student services fee. The Counseling and Assess
ment Clinic does not charge a fee for services to students.
ing Lab offers help with acquiring
2568 for information about curren
\Q., ’
effective writing skills. Call 845-
current programs.
• Handicapped Student Service-Programs and services to
help A&M stu ‘
physic
locate
tudents compensate for learning disabilities of a
ical, mental or emotional nature are provided by this office
located in Hart Hall, Ramp B (845-1637).
• Learning Resources-This service is located on the sixth floor
of Sterling C. Evans Library. Over 120 microc computers, 500
software packages, and a great variety of audio-visual equipment
and materials are provided for students free of charge. Facilities
and staff assistance for using these resources are also provided.
Among the self-help materials available are programmed in
structions for learning to use microcomputers and microcomputer
software. In addition, short courses in the use of specific
software packages are offered. A fee of approximately $3.50 per
hour is charge for these courses and most courses are 10 hours
long. Call 845-2316 for information
• Help Sessions-Tutoring for all students needing assistance
with course work is sometimes provided individually. Please call
each department.
• Mentors-A large university like TAMU, filled with busy people
can seem very impersonal. Mentors consist of more than 300
A&M faculty members who have volunteered to set aside part of
their week to “just talk.” This is an excellent opportunity for stu
dents who wisn to have the guidance of someone on the inside
of academia. Call your departmental office and ask about the
Mentors Program.
£
Old Exam Files-Professors and Student Government have
laced copies of old exams in a file at the Sterling C. Evans Li-
rary Reserve Room. A call number, accessed through the com-
uter terminals, is needed. Instructions are provided near the Li-
rary terminals.
!r y
tn<
demic assistance that students have available to them is the pro
fessor of the course in which they are having trouble. It is wise
for students to visit with each of their professors, especially if
they have any questions. A professor can often help a student
early in the semester, but the week before finals is likely to be to
late for anyone having serious difficulties. Professors have office
hours and a student should arrange to meet professors during
that time.
Study Skills Improvement-The Department of Educational Psy
chology offers a course each semester called “Improvement of
Learning” (EPSY 101). The Student Counseling Service, 3rd
Floor, YMCA Bldg. (845-1651) offers to currently enrolled stu
dents, on a weekly basis, both individual and group study skills
assistance.
• Test Anxiety Remediation-The Student Counseling Service
(845-1651) has group anxiety management programs. Most
services at the Student Counseling Service are free to currently
enrolled students who have paid their student services fee.
• Texas Rehabilitation Commission-Provides assistance to
Texas A&M University and Blinn College students with perma
nent or handicapping disabilities. Examples of the disabilities
covered are learning disabilities, orthopedic deformities, emo
tional disorders, diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, etc. Call
845-0350, or go to Room 146, MSC for information regarding
scholarships, financial assistance, tutors, diagnosis, treatment,
and other services.
• Volunteer Tutoring-Phi Eta Sigma (Honor Society) offers free
tutoring in most freshman courses. Go to the Student Activities
cubicle area, Room 216, Pavilion for more information. Many de
partmental undergraduate honor societies will also offer free tu
toring in freshman and sophomore courses. Contact the honor
society’s president through the appropriate academic depart
ment office or through Student Activities.
• Academic Skills Program-This program is designed to meet
the academic needs of Texas A&M University students whose
Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test results indicate ba
sic skill deficiencies in the areas of math, writing, and/or reading.
Various college credit developmental courses taught by specia-
ists provide students with instructional aid and support while
helping them successfully prepare for the TASP test and other
academic coursework. Academic counseling and information re
garding the TASP test are available. Contact this program at 305
Academic Building, or phone 845-2568 for further information re
garding these services.
• All services are subject to change. Please contact the service
of interest for the most current information.
or
Student Counseling Service
Career and Academic
Resource Center
Third Floor, YMCA Building
845-1651
or
Department of Student Affairs
103 YMCA Building 845-3111
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