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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1990)
THE Tl£ xa i4 &M D 1 liC Dcitt3llOIl Vol.89 No. 143 USPS 045360 12 Pages College Station, Texas WEATHER TOMORROW'S FORECAST: Mostly cloudy with chance of drizzle in morning HIGH: 78 LOW: 68 Tuesday, May 1,1990 Kidnappers release second American hostage DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) —Amer ican hostage Frank Reed was freed Monday after being held for 43 "endless” months, much of the time blindfolded, by Shiite Moslem kid nappers in Lebanon. He was the sec ond American freed in nine days. “I’d like to tell my family, espe cially my son Tarek, that his daddy is well. He is a little skinny, but he will be home very soon,” the 57-year-old educator from Malden, Mass., told state-run Syrian TV after his release. In the Boston suburb of Malden, Reed’s Syrian Moslem wife, Fahima “Fifi” Reed, 39, saw her husband on television and exclaimed, “He looks great! He’s in a suit. ... I want to see everybody happy as I am now.” Reed, who lived in Beirut since 1977, converted to Islam to marry Fahima. Tarek is their 9-year-old son. He was freed in Beirut at 8:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. CST), Syrian offi cials said, and was driven to the Syr ian capital, where Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa turned him over to U.S. ambassador Edward Djereiian. He left Damascus at 2.22*a.m. Tuesday (6:22 p.m. CST Monday) on a U.S. military transport plane headed for the U.S. Air Force Base at Wiesbaden, West Germany, where he will undergo medical checks and a debriefing by a State Department team. President Bush hailed Reed’s re lease as he welcomed former hostage Robert Polhill to the White House, another U.S. educator who was freed in Lebanon on April 22 after 39 months in captivity. Bush thanked Syria and Iran for their help in securing the releases and said “things seem to be moving,” but that there could be no rest “until all hostages are free.” There are still 16 Westerners, in cluding six Americans, held hostage in Lebanon. “I hope this is a forerunner to the release of the other American hos tages and the others from other countries held against their will,” Bush said. The Iranian newspaper Tehran Times said Tuesday that unless Washington answers the latest re leases with goodwill gestures, no more Americans will go free. Sharaa said at a ministry briefing featuring Reed, “I hope this second gesture of good will will be met with a similar gesture of good will during the process of releasing the rest of the hostages.” Djerejian thanked Syria for its “active role” in Reed’s release and made special note of the help from Iran. Reed’s kidnappers, who called themselves the Organization of the Islamic Dawn in a communique Sun day that promised Reed’s release within 48 hours, said he would carry a message to the U.S. government. Reed appeared pale and smoked a cigarette following his release. At a briefing at the ministry, he said he could not answer some ques tions out of concern for the other hostages — “I do not want to say anything that could harm them.” The freed captive appeared in reasonable health. He was clean-sha ven, and wore a dark suit and a blue tie. His voice was husky. He said he hoped “the other hos tages” will be freed soon, but would not say if he saw any of them in cap tivity. However, Reed referred to “we” while describing the conditions of his captivity. “We had adequate fresh food, and the opportrunity to bathe and shower, and were given clean clothes,” he said. He told the briefing that although he was fed well and had warm cloth ing, “I was not very happy, of course.” Reed spoke haltingly at times, his eyes downcast. “I haven’t talked much” as a hostage, he explained. “I feel I’m well in terms of the basic or gans I have in my body.” He said he did not hold the Leb anese people responsible for his or deal, and that “I want to thank the Syrian government for all their ef forts in helping me become a free man.” He had an opportunity to bathe, Reed reported, and was offered the chance to watch TV occasionally, ex cept for newscasts — but he refused. “I hope, Godspeed, that my col leagues ... somehow will be released soon,” he concluded. “I’m very happy to be free ... and I hope my fellow hostages will be freed very soon. I want to say to my family, especially to my son Tarek: ‘Daddy is well ... and will be home very soon.’” Photo by Steven M. Noreyko Students help clear desks and partitions out of afternoon. Construction on the MSC forced stu- the Student Programs Office in the MSC Monday dent organizations to clear the office. Texas teachers demonstrate opposition to Clements ’ promised veto of reform 1 AUSTIN (AP) — Angry teachers chanting “do the- right thing” picketed the Governor’s Mansion on Mon day, the eve of a hearing on the state’s apparent failure tb enact a school finance reform plan as ordered by the Texas Supreme Court. I “I think teachers are very angry and very upset and very frustrated,” said John Cole, president of the Texas federation of Teachers, whose group organized the liarch that drew about 300. I The teachers protested Gov. Bill Clements’ promise |o veto a proposed half-cent sales tax increase designed io fund a $555 million school reform plan favored by the Legislature. Small school/Page 6 1 “One, two, three. Education is not free,” they chan- led as they circled the mansion. Clyde Hemminger, a sixth-grade social studies tea- her from Fort Worth, shook the locked iron gates and lid of Clements, “He’s obviously locked the doors to »e mansion; we’d like to keep the doors to the school- luseopen.” Many of the signs brandished by the protesting tea- ers attacked Clements’ veto promise. “Hey Bill! Exercise your mind, not your pen,” said e sign, a reference to the governor’s remark earlier in day that by marching the teachers “will get a lot of d exercise.” 'lements wasn’t at the mansion. He started the day )allas, where he delivered a speech, then flew to arkana for a Republican political fundraiser. Dallas, Clements repeated his pledge to quickly the sales tax increase when lawmakers send it to The tax bill would boost the levy from 6 cents to Final exam schedule announced meeting MWF 1 p.m. WEDNESDAY • 8 to 10 a.m. — Classes meet ing TR 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. • 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Classes meeting MWF 11 a.m. • 1 to 3 p.m. — Classes meet ing TR 2 to3:15p:m. • 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. — Classes meeting TR 5 to 6:15 p.m.; TR 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. and TR 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. For information about places and how to study, staying awake while studying and fun things to do while procrastinating, plus much more, watch for a finals special section in Wednesday’s edition of The Battalion. The following is the final ex amination schedule. Final examinations for classes meeting at times other than those listed Mow will be scheduled during the week of finals at a time agreed upon by the faculty mem ber and students. FRIDAY • 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. —- Classes meeting MWF 4 p.m.; MW 4 to 5:15 p.m.; MW 4:30 to 5:45 p.m.; MW 5 to 6:15 p.m.; MW 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and MW 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. • 10 a.m, to noon — Classes meeting MWF 8 a.m. • 12:30 to 2:30 p.m, ~~* Classes meeting TR 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. • 3 to 5 p.m. •— Classes meet ing TR 11 to 12:15 p.m. Monday • 8 to 10 a.m. —Classes meet ing MWF 9 a.m. • 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Classes meeting MWF noon • 1 to 3 p.m. — Classes meet- ing TR 8 to 9:15 a.m, • 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. — Classes meeting MWF 3 p.m. TUESDAY • 8 to 10 a.m. Classes meet ing MWF 10a.m. • 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Classes meeting MWF 2 p.m. ■ ♦ I to 3 p.m. — Classes meet ing TR 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. • 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. — Classes 6Vs cents on the dollar. However, Clements said, failure to enact a school fi nance plan by Tuesday’s Supreme Court deadline won’t have any immediate impact on the state’s 1,100 school districts. More than $400 million in the April state aid payments went to schools last Wednesday. “We don’t really have a problem,” the governor in sisted. “We have ample funds, and the funds are in hand to pay the teachers until, I believe, it’s the last two days of the school year.” Comptroller Bob Bullock, meanwhile, said he would comply with the Supreme Court order and freeze edu cation payments, including nearly $2.7 million in pay roll checks due Tuesday for the 1,036 Texas Education Agency employees. “At the stroke of midnight... state funding for public education stops unless the governor has signed the bills passed by the Legislature,” Bullock said. The Supreme Court last year ruled that the state’s fi nance system was unfair to property-poor school dis tricts and ordered the Legislature to overhaul it by Tuesday. The current $13.5 billion a year method relies on a combination of state and federal aid and local property taxes. The governor insists no additional taxes are needed, saying other money in the state budget could be used to fund a less-expensive reform plan. With no school plan in place, state officials will ap pear before District Judge Scott McCown, who is over seeing the case, to explain why no reforms were enacted by the Supreme Court’s deadline. Lawmakers and the governor have had seven months to deal with the problem. The Supreme Court ruled on ) See Teachers/Page 6 Ribbon-cutting ceremony opens new joint site Combined B-CS landfills will lower sanitation fees By MIKE LUMAN Special to the Battalion The cities of Bryan and College Station begin joint landfill opera tions today to reduce costs and com ply with pending Environmental Protection Agency regulations. The joint landfill is under the name of Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency. Jim Smith, College Station sanita tion superintendent, said the Bryan landfill is full and the College Sta tion site on Rock Prairie Road will be used by both cities. “We started talking with Bryan about 18 months ago about joining landfills because of the cost-effec tiveness both cities could see,” Smith said. “We were looking at all costs from every angle to see what would be best for the community,” he said. Smith said the decision means re duced sanitation fees for Bryan-Col- lege Station residents. He said as the size of a landfill in creases, it costs less to maintain while still keeping with EPA requirements. A large portion of a landfill’s ex penses are based on compliance with EPA regulations. Upcoming EPA regulations re quire a lining of impermeable material under the waste, daily cov ering of new waste, and increased environmental monitoring. “The College Station landfill was opened in ’81 and we have contin ually brought it up to standards with the new regulations in anticipation,” Smith said. “(The new EPA regula tions) won’t affect us.” Smith said cities, including Mad- isonville and Navasota, will have to upgrade or close their landfills. “We were anticipating some laws and legislation from the states saying they want us to regionalize landfills, so that one large landfill could serve the population of several counties,” he said. Smith said the College Station site will be good for 10 years. Tentative plans are in the works to expand the Bryan landfill and bring it up to date, which would give the cities an other 10 years of use. Smith, however, downplayed its importance. “It’s 10 years down the road,” he said. “Who knows what we’ll be doing in 10 years. We may be burn ing, to generate energy. We’re leav ing ourselves open to all the options that we have.” A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 p.m, today at the College Station landfill. Bryan Mayor Marvin Tate and College Station Mayor Larry Ringer will speak. Peggy Calliham, College Station public relations and marketing man ager, said the event marks a new level of cooperation between the two cities. “It is a big deal from the stand point of the cities joining their ef forts and figuring a way to have landfill space for the next 20 years,” Calliham said. “A lot of communities are worried about where they’re going to put their trash.” Court will decide election case Judge says at-large vote dilutes minority votes NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Judges shouldn’t represent small districts because they must interpret the law impartially, lawyers for Texas dis trict judges told a federal appeals court Monday. “A judge should not be a rep resentative, nor a representative a judge,” J. Eugene Clements, rep resenting Harris County Judge Sha- rolyn Wood, told a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court is considering whether to let stand a federal judge’s ruling that struck down countywide elec tions of judges in the state’s most populous counties. U.S. District Judge Lucius Bunton of Midland declared last year that countywide judicial elections in the Texas’ nine most populous counties illegally dilute the strength of mi nority voters. The appeals court judges did not indicate when they will rule on the case, which involves 172 of 390 dis trict judges — those in Dallas, Har ris, Bexar, Tarrant, Travis, Lub bock, Midland, Ector and Jefferson counties. At least a half-dozen Texas judges were in the courtroom Monday. They arrived early enough to get seats, but about 20 spectators had to stand. “You can’t change the nature of the office” to increase African- American and Hispanic voting strength, said Assistant Attorney General Renea Hicks. “It’s a policy issue of even having single-member districts, since the oretically a judge is not supposed to represent people directly — only ... to interpret law,” Judge Lupe Sali nas, one of 59 Harris County judges, said before arguments began. A judge should not be a representative, nor a representative a judge,” — J. Eugene Clements, Attorney Wood, who also is from Houston, joined the plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed by the League of United Latin American Citizens and other mi nority rights groups, bringing Har ris County’sjudges into the case. “Nowhere in the history of the Voting Rights Act ... and nowhere in it ... has it ever limited the Voting Rights Act by the function of the person being elected,” argued Wil liam Garrett of Dallas, who rep resented LULAC. Under Texas law, district judges are elected every four years. They run at-large, with all voters in a county allowed to vote in every race. Bunton said the at-large elections deny Hispanic and African-Ameri can voters an equal chance to elect the candidates they want. Clements argued, however, that African-Americans and Hispanics make up more than 5 percent of all state district judges but 3.8 percent of all attorneys qualified for the posi tion. He and other attorneys also ar gued that it’s party affiliation, rather than race, which decides who will win. Blacks have lost because they nearly always run as Democrats, and Republicans, including African- American Republicans, have been winning, they said. Fifth Circuit Judge Patrick Hig ginbotham of Dallas suggested that African-Americans who elected a judge to the court from a single member district would be very un likely to appear before that judge. Under the current system, the judge at least knows everyone is a constitu ent, he said. Gov. Bill Clements failed to add the issue to the agenda of a mid winter special session, missing the original Jan. 3 deadline.