The Battalion
iglas
i Writer
Mega Borg
Officials, environmentalists
react to the tanker explosion
and oil spill.
State & Local Section page 3
Vol.89 No.155 USPS 045360 8 Pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, June 12, 1990
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Poindexter receives jail term
for role in Iran-Contra affair
Ex-security adviser remains free during appeal
(AP) — Former National Security Adviser John M.
Poindexter was sentenced to six months in prison Mon
day by a judge who accused him of usurping the power
of Congress by lying about the Iran-Contra affair.
The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Harold
H. Greene was the first prison term for any of the seven
people convicted as a result of the affair.
Greene said letting Poindexter off without a prison
term “would be tantamount to a statement that a
scheme to lie to and obstruct Congress is of no great
moment.”
The judge delivered a stern lecture along with the
sentence, saying Poindexter violated “a principle fun
damental to this constitutional republic — that those
elected by and responsible to the people shall make the
important policy decisions.”
“Their decisions may not be nullified by appointed
officials who happen to be in positions that give them
the ability to operate programs prohibited by law,” the
judge said.
it is obstructed by high-ranking officials,” the judge
said.
He said Poindexter showed “no evidence of recogniz
ing that principle and the seriousness of its violation.”
Greene allowed Poindexter to remain free while he
appeals five felony convictions of conspiracy, making
false statements and obstruction.
And the judge did not impose a fine, noting that
Poindexter had already incurred huge legal bills.
Poindexter, 53, who served as President Reagan’s na
tional security adviser from late 1985 until revelations
about the Iran-Contra affair forced his resignation in
November 1986, is the highest-ranking Reagan admin
istration official to be convicted of a felony.
He was found guilty of lying to Congress in 1986 by
falsely assuring lawmakers that his staff was not secretly
helping arm the Nicaraguan Contras and by giving
“The Congress can’t fulfill its constitutional duties if See Poindexter/Page 8
Release of oil hampersflrefighters , efforts
Chances of sinkage rise
as tanker’s stern drops
Jennifer Gambrell, a junior journalism major from
Humble, Texas, works on a stage prop inside the
theater technical shop located in Rudder. Gam-
Photo by Sondra N. Robbins
brell is in a Theater 290 workshop class which
constructs all the sets used by the Aggie Players
in their plays throughout the summer.
GALVESTON (AP) —One end of
a burning supertanker dipped to the
water’s surface in the Gulf of Mexico
on Monday, slightly increasing
chances the crippled vessel could
sink, the Coast Guard said.
The rear section of the 853-foot
Mega Borg remained above water
but with waves occasionally washing
over it, Coast Guard officials said.
“That increases the danger of
sinking but only incrementally,” said
Coast Guard spokesman Todd Nel
son. “We are not talking right now
about sinking.”
The Norwegian tanker was carry
ing 38 million gallons of oil when it
was hit by a series of engine-room
explosions Saturday. Two of the 41
crewmen died, two were missing and
presumed dead and 17 were in
jured, none seriously.
A flotilla of six fireboats was
shooting 14 streams of water on the
vessel, 57 miles southeast of Galves
ton. Firefighters had hoped to use
fire-choking foam, but that effort
was hampered by a new release of
oil.
“What’s happening now is more
of the cargo crude oil is discharg
ing,” Nelson said. “That’s not all
bad. It means the fire is consuming
more of the oil faster than we can.”
Coast Guard Rear Adm. William
Kime made an aerial inspection and
said the Mega Borg’s stern was list
ing to the left. “Every once in a while
you have a wave that will come over
the side,” he said.
Officials said the dropping stern
caused more oil to spill because the
crude was going directly into the wa
ter.
The oil was flaring and occasion
ally shooting new balls of flame out
the left side of the pumphouse, forc
ing fireboats to back off.
At midday, a pool of oil about 500
feet long was burning on the surface
of the water trailing from the ship.
Farther away, several boats with
booms extending from their decks
tried to collect some of the rusty
brown oil on the water.
The Coast Guard said Monday
there was a slick about one mile long
north of the ship and one about 15
miles long to the south. A sheen on
See Tanker/Page 8
Gorbachev,
Baltic leaders
hold talks
MOSCOW (AP) —President
Mikhail S. Gorbachev has agreed
to meet with the presidents of the
three Baltic republics for the first
time since he branded their inde
pendence moves unconstitu
tional, spokesmen said Monday.
Today’s scheduled meeting
comes amid other new contacts
between the Kremlin and Lithua
nia — the Baltic republic that has
taken the boldest moves toward
independence and has suffered
most. Moscow’s economic block
ade against Lithuania enters its
third month next week.
It also comes one week after
Gorbachev returned from the
United States, where congressio
nal leaders made clear they would
hold up approval of a U.S.-Soviet
trade deal that Gorbachev wants
until the embargo on Lithuania is
lifted.
The session between Gorba
chev and the Baltic presidents
could signal a new Kremlin diplo
matic initiative to try to break the
impasse over
See Gorbachev/Page 8
Senate approves changes
dynasty? L scholarship guidelines
A&M opens overseas study facility
By CHRIS VAUGHN
IbfThe Battalion Staff
de of the infield
iseman Chris
ting Barry
omes from
O’Neill and
avis. Rookie
er rounds out the f ; The Texas A&M Faculty Senate
s lineup. Barrowly approved a measure Mon
part of the Reds day recommending changes in
icy have gotten scholarship guidelines for out-of-
withoutahealti sta l5, stlu * ents ‘ , .
ic Davis K reconnm - n “ et ‘ revisions in
, . Scholarship guidelines were the only
j.wcomerssuc p^ a j or j tems on t j ie Faculty Senate’s
Hatcher, second |jglu agenda.
10 Duncan and The resolution, which passed by a
)dd Benzinger 25-20 vote, sparked discussion about
imental to the leasons why the policy was changed
ilnd whether students under the pre-
iere the Redsfr sent policy would lose their schol-
eneth Jack ai ships if revisions were made,
n Rrnvunino Faculty Senate resolu-
, f. tions, the resolution must he signed
ackson and Jose ; byA&M President william M ° b i ey
before it is instituted.
1 Dr. Carlton Stolle, a senator on
Bie A&M Scholarship Committee,
■aid the revisions were recom-
Biended because the University re-
■ently changed its entry require-
)n has been built ^cats for all students. This made
>e too surprised? * ome wordin S ^e old scholarship
a ’ a Th requirements obsolete.
Asanutne ■ •php f ormer scholarship policy
as approved and signed in 1985 by
e Faculty Senate and then A&M
resident Frank Vandiver.
It approved guidelines which al
low out-of-state students to pay in-
Itate tuition if they earn an academic
cholarship.
The recommended new schol-
rship guidelines would do away
ith the criteria of minimum high
chool GPR and SAT scores in most
:ases.
Instead, the revised guidelines
/Quid list academic scholarships at
|5&M, such as National Merit Schol-
Jw ' • Jrships, President’s Achievement
wards and Academic Excellence
wards, which automatically would
aive out-of-state tuition for stu-
ents.
But not all scholarships are specif-
By ELIZABETH TISCH
Of The Battalion Staff
ne of the
'ns in the circuil
'lorm Charlton
/s — Randy
i Dibble —anctio
in the 1990
ically listed in the revisions.
Out-of-state students, however,
still would be able to have in-state tu
ition if they received another schol
arship and met the new entry re
quirements at A&M.
Dr. Edward A. Funkhouser, Dr.
Larry Hickman and Dr. Rodger
Koppa all questioned the lack of a
“grandfather clause” in the pro
posed guidelines, which would pro
tect students presently on schol
arships waiving out-of-state tuition.
But Stolle said every student un
der the old policy would retain their
scholarship if the revisions are insti
tuted.
During a brief Committee of the
Whole meeting, Dr. Michael Mur
phy said the compressed schedule of
dead day, finals, graduation and
other activities at the end of the se
mester have created too much
hassle. He recommended changing
the schedule.
Dr. Victor Willson said it is pri
marily an undergraduate issue —not
a graduate issue — since many grad
uate students don’t take finals.
Committee of the Whole meetings
are at the end of the regular Faculty
Senate business and are a period
when senators can express opinions
and concerns on any topic related to
the campus.
In other business, the Faculty Sen
ate:
• Approved a request from the
College of Liberal Arts to create a
Ph.D. in anthropology.
• Approved the creation of two
undergraduate courses: Economics
312 Poverty, Inequality and Social
Policy, and Entomology 403 Urban
Entomology. It also approved the
withdrawal of two undergraduate
electrical engineering classes, EE
403 and 404.
• Approved four new graduate
courses: one in animal science, one
in planning and two in nutrition.
Texas A&M expanded its over
seas ventures by opening a new tea
ching facility in Castiglion Fioren-
tino, Italy, as part of its Study
Abroad Programs.
A&M President William Mobley,
members of the Board of Regents
and faculty and staff members par
ticipated in the opening ceremony of
the teaching facility, named the
Texas A&M University Santa Chiara
Center.
Mobley said it was Texas A&M’s
goal to increase the number of Ag
gies who study abroad. He said long
term programs, like those offered at
the Santa Chiara Center, were a way
to do this.
Director of the Italian center is
Paulo Barucchieri, a visiting profes
sor of architecture at A&M.
The Santa Chiara Center, located
in the hill town of Castiglion Fioren-
tino, will serve as both home and
classroom to students.
Facilities consist of classrooms, art
studios, a gallery, a music center and
theater, a student lounge, a library
and administrative offices.
Mary Beth Butler, senior secre
tary for Study Abroad Programs,
said the facility is state of the art.
A&M has administered study
abroad programs in Tuscany, Italy,
for ten years, but the relocation was
made possible with the help of the
people of Castiglion Fiorentmo.
The city of about 4,000 invested
$1.5 million to renovate a facility
that originally was a conservatory
dedicated to St. Claire. Portions of
the conservatory date to the early
Renaissance.
Butler said the Italians welcome
A&M students.
“One of the most unique things
about Castiglion Fiorentino is the
people of the town have really given
of themselves to welcome the stu
dents to the city,” she said.
The study abroad program in
Italy offers year-round courses in
the liberal arts and architecture.
The course offerings, however,
change every semester.
Classes offered in the summer are
a combination of humanities and ar
chitecture. Butler said the spring se
mesters will offer courses only in lib
eral arts, while the fall semesters will
concentrate on architecture classes.
“The architecture programs be
gan there because it is such an excel
lent location for the students,” But
ler said. “(It) is so rich in culture. As
far as architecture goes, that is
where it all began.”
A&M students who are in good
standing with the University are eli
gible for the program in which they
can take up to 15 credit hours.
A semester’s program costs about
$3,000 which covers airfare from
Houston, accommodations, field
trips, insurance and meals. Tuition
and books are not included in the
cost.
To obtain more information
about the Santa Chiara Center, con
tact the Study Abroad Office at 845-
0544.
Justices rule in favor of freedom of expression
Court strikes down flag law
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Su
preme Court today struck down a
new federal law that outlaws burn
ing the American flag, saying the
ban “dilutes the very freedom that
makes this emblem so revered.”
The court’s 5-4 decision indicated
the divisiveness of the emotional is
sue. The ruling is certain to touch
off a political battle in Congress to
pass a constitutional amendment
protecting the flag from desecration.
In a split identical to a ruling last
year on the flag-burning issue, the
justices said the Flag Protection Act
of 1989 violates freedom of express
ion guaranteed by the First Amend
ment to the Constitution. Writing
for the majority, Justice William J.
Brennan called it a “bedrock” consti
tutional guarantee.
Congressional leaders had said if
the law were declared invalid they
would move quickly for votes in the
House and Senate on a constitu
tional amendment to protect the flag
from burning or desecration.
That move is expected to inject
the issue into this fall’s congressional
and state legislative campaigns.
A constitutional amendment
would require approval by two-
thirds of the members of the House
and Senate and then ratification by
38 state legislatures. The First
Amendment never has been altered
in 199 years.
“We are aware that desecration of
the flag is deeply offensive to many,”
Brennan wrote.
But, quoting from the court’s ear
lier ruling, he said, “If there is a bed
rock principle underlying the First
Amendment, it is that the govern
ment may not prohibit the express
ion of an idea simply because society
finds the idea itself offensive or dis
agreeable.”
“Punishing desecration of the flag
dilutes the very freedom that makes
this emblem so revered,” he said.
Brennan noted that the govern
ment has said there is a national con
sensus in favor of banning flag burn
ing. “Even assuming such a
consensus exists, any suggestion that
the government’s interest in sup
pressing speech becomes more
weighty as popular opposition to
that speech grows is foreign to the
First Amendment,” he said.
Justice John Paul Stevens, in a dis
senting opinion, said the govern
ment has a legitimate interest in ban-
See Flag/Page 8
Second session
registration begins
Texas A&M seniors began reg
istration Monday for Summer II
classes.
Touch-tone telephone regis
tration information:
• Juniors — 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
today.
• Sophomores — 6 a.m. to 8
p.m. Wednesday.
• Freshmen — 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday.
• All students — 6 a.m. to 8
p.m. Friday.
Open registration and drop-
/add will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
July 5 to 12. Registration and
drop/add will be closed Saturday
and Sunday.
Late registration and drop/add
is 6a.m. to 6 p.m. July 9 to 11.
Terminal registration infor
mation:
Open registration and drop-
/add will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. July
6. Late registration and drop/add
will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. July
9 to 12.