The Battalion
STATE & LOCAL
8455: Tuesday, June 19,1990
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Crime Line message identities
^ i felonies, gives prevention tips
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By MIKE LUMAN
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M students wanting an up-to-date report
of crimes committed on campus can call Crime Line, a
24-hour service of the University Police Department.
The recorded message identifies felony crimes under
investigation, points out crime trends, and gives crime
prevention tips.
Crime prevention specialist Betty LeMay, with the
UPD Crime Prevention Unit, said the service began a
year ago but student response has been sporadic.
She said the line, which is updated weekly, received
the most calls when fliers advertising it were still up.
“The line lets students know what crimes are com
mitted and encourages them to report suspicious activ-
ity,” LeMay said.
The Crime Line number is 845-6500. Phone num
bers for UPD and Crime Stoppers are included in the
recording.
She said a knowledge of items presently sought by
thieves enables students to better protect their prop
erty.
“It’s been so easy for the criminal element to pick the
campus clean that we want to make things harder on
them by locking things up,” she said.
LeMay said nine truck tailgates recently were stolen
in one night. The Crime Line message after the thefts
included information on how to secure tailgates.
She said past recordings have included information
about vehicle theft, arson, computer theft, and bicycle
theft.
“We lost $60,000 in bicycles last year and encourage
students to register their bikes,” LeMay said.
She said major crimes usually come from outside,
and many are committed by non-student gangs work
ing the campus.
“We need to make students aware of what type of
crimes to look out for,” she said. “Crime Line gets the
message out.”
Tips for students leaving town are added to the re
cording before breaks, LeMay said.
Students returning from break also present an op
portunity to thieves, she said.
“It’s like a smorgasbord to them when the students
come back and all those cars are in the parking lots,”
she said.
“We need to let students know that crime does hap
pen on campus.”
She said the line contributes to the UPD goal of mak
ing students more aware and watchful for crimes.
Test craft lands
after failure
of left engine
ARLINGTON (AP) — An experi
mental tilt-rotor aircraft that can fly
like an airplane and land like a heli
copter passed an unexpected test
Monday when it made its first emer
gency landing, officials said.
The V-22 Osprey, one of four
prototypes, lost power in its left en
gine near Alvarado, about 40 miles
southwest of downtown Dallas, and
returned safely to the flight test cen
ter at Arlington Municipal Airport
Monday morning, said Terry Ar
nold, V-22 spokesman for Bell Heli
copter Textron Inc.
Bob Leder, a spokesman for Bell
Helicopter, called the emergency
landing proof that the V-22 Osprey
was safer than conventional aircraft
when disabled by engine failure.
Two crew members escaped in
jury, and the aircraft wasn’t dam
aged in the emergency landing, Ar
nold said.
MSC service offers summer fun
University Plus provides programs
By SEAN FRERKING
01 The Battalion Staff
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MSC University Plus organizers are trying to
dispel the misconception that summers are bor
ing at Texas A&M.
“There’s plenty to do during summers at
A&M," Wayne Helton, program manager of the
MSC, said. “The University Plus program offers
a wide variety of instruction to students looking
to learn something without the pressure of a gra
de.”
Helton said the purpose of University Plus is
to provide non-credit education for Bryan-Col-
lege Station residents at any time during the
year.
He said courses listed in the summer Univer
sity Plus program are similar to those offered
during the spring and fall semesters.
“You can learn a different language or learn to
work on cars,” Helton said. “Most of all, it’s a
good way to have fun and learn something with
out the stress of school.”
According to pink University Plus brochures
located at several places around camjtus, classes
from aerobics to woodworking are offered to
university students.
The MSC University Plus program is part of
the MSC Student Programs Office. The organi
zation is the result of the 1985 merger between
Arts & Crafts and the student organization, MSC
Afterhours.
Helton said the program receives partial fund
ing from the University. He said University
funding explains the slightly higher cost for non
students taking Plus courses.
He said the fees for various classes pay instruc
tors and the rent for any facilities the University
Plus program might use.
He said University Plus is popular, with an av
erage enrollment of 85 to 90 percent of the
classes offered.
He said 1,500 students per semester partici
pate in activities like learning how to Country &
Western dance or play the guitar.
Helton said the Plus program looks to the na
tion’s campuses and gets suggestions from in
structors and students for its ideas about which
classes to offer.
Registration for the Plus classes began June
11. Students can register over the phone and pay
fees with cash, check or credit card. There is a $1
charge for paying with a credit card.
University Plus’ number is 845-1631. Registra
tion is open until the day a class begins or after
that if space is available.
Helton said he is optimistic about this summer
arid hopes to get the word out that the University
Plus program can give students at A&M fun
things to do.
“I think we have a little of everything,” Helton
said. “If you don’t see something in our bro
chure, tell us and we’ll see that we’ll try to offer
it.”
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Lawyers challenge school finance system
Judge shows reluctance to grant injunction against new package
AUSTIN (AP) — Attorneys chal
lenging the state’s new education re
form package say it will probably go
into effect this year despite a legal
challenge to it.
State District Judge Scott McCown
indicated he was “very much in
clined not to grant” any injunction
that might be filed that would keep
the education reform package from
going into effect this school year, at
torneys in the case said Monday.
McCown will hear a challenge to
the recently enacted law July 9.
The Legislature passed the $528
million court-ordered education
package after four special sessions
this year. It increases by a quarter-
cent the state’s 6-cent sales tax, raises
some state fees and takes money
from other state programs.
The bill is designed to even out
the Financial differences between
poor and rich school districts. But at
torneys who filed the original suit
call it more of the same.
“I really don’t think they changed
the system at all,” said Rick Gray,
who represented 55 poor school dis
tricts in the Texas Supreme Court
case.
“They added new money into the
old system and basically did exactly
what the Supreme Court said not to
do, which is place a Band-Aid on the
old system,” he said.
Gray said, however, that attorneys
who met with the judge Friday “were
fearful of a disruptive impact” if the
judge issued an injunction. Assistant
Attorney General Kevin O’Hanlon
agreed.
“Districts have got to have some
kind of idea how much money is
going to be available to them,”
O’Hanlon said. “I don’t see where it
makes much sense to challenge the
first year. By the time we get
through the courts, the first year’s
over.”
An appeal to the Supreme Court
is likely by whichever side loses be
fore McCown, said the lawyers, who
met Friday with the judge.
They said McCown hopes to con
clude the trial in two weeks.
The $13.5 billion-a-year school fi
nance system — which relies on state
aid, local property taxes and some
federal money — was found uncon
stitutional by the Supreme Court in
October 1989.
Gov. Bill Clements called lawmak
ers into special session to address the
ruling on Feb. 27.
But the Republican governor and
leaders in the Democrat-controlled
Legislature didn’t work out a school
finance reform bill until three
months later.
The law also makes changes back
ers say will improve educational per
formance and accountability. For ex
ample, it allows the governor to
appoint the state education commis
sioner, currently named by the State
Board of Education, and it increases
student testing.
Clements, House Speaker Gib Le
wis and Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby have
said they think the law is constitu
tional.
But Gray and attorney A1 Kauf
fman of the Mexican American Le
gal Defense and Educational Fund
think it is not.
Craig Foster, executive director of
the Equity Center, which represents
poor school districts, said the sum
mer trial has its benefits.
ject you
Dog days of summer
Photo by Richard Brown
A&M student Kimon Lymberry and Molly, his Labrador retriever,
enjoy a hot day at the lake. Molly, who has just started her train
ing, already responds to hand signals and retrieves in the water.
Volunteers start search
for tar balls from spill
HIGH ISLAND (AP) — Volunteers
gathered on a beach Monday to be
gin searching for a wave of tar balls
expected to come ashore this week
from the wrecked super tanker
Mega Borg. A Mexican vessel con
tinued to skim oil off the Gulf of
Mexico.
Although hundreds of volunteers
were expected, only about 60
showed up Monday morning at Sea
Rim State Park between High Island
and Sabine Pass for the first beach
sweep.
They walked the sandy shoreline
picking up seaweed, trash and tar
“X
I hey said they needed
volunteers, and I said,
‘Does that mean me? Why
not me?... Nobody’s
depending on me today.’
So I came down.”
—Jo Krose,
cleanup volunteer
balls from smaller oil spills to make it
easier to clean up any oil from the
Norwegian-owned tanker. Small
amounts of tar frequently wash up
on the beach here.
“They said they needed volun
teers, and I said, ‘Does that mean
me?’ ” said Jo Krose, who drove two
hours from Kirbyville to participate
in the beach cleanup. “And I said,
‘Why not me? They need some help
and nobody’s depending on me to
day.’ So I came down.”
State officials expect several hun
dred more volunteers to help in the
cleanup this week, said Andy Man-
gan, deputy Texas land commis
sioner.
Tar balls are predicted to begin
washing ashore on Tuesday some
where along a 45-mile stretch north
east of Galveston. The area pre
dicted to be hit is between High
Island and Sabine Pass, a town near
the Texas-Louisiana line.
The 30-mile oil slick was about
seven miles offshore Monday and
had been moving about two miles a
day, the Coast Guard said.
Officials hoped the oil would hit
the sandy beaches rather than the
marshes, where wildlife refuges are
located. Sandy beaches are easier to
clean.
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SUPERCUTS
The Nation’s #1 Hair Styling Salon
Now open in Culpepper Plaza!
Supercut - $8 • Students & Professors with I.D.-$7 • Children 13 and under-$6
Introductory Offer for Texas A&M Students & Faculty
Texas
Ave.
Bennigan’s
r
Supercuts
| Safeway
$2.00
off
Harvey Rd.
A Regular $8.00 Supercut
with this coupon
Expires Aug. 25,1990
Mon.-Fri. 9-9
Sat. 9-8
Sun. 10-6
CALL 696-1155
1519 S. Texas (Between Bennigans and Cowhop Junction) - Culpepper Plaza
CMSC (Dinner ‘Theatre
and
Ttffgie (PCayers
present
6 ‘Rms ‘Tfu
June 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30
JO. Buffet dinner zirittBe served at 6pm in tfie Rudder ‘EffiBit ffatt
‘Buffets offered indude:
June 21 and June ZS-HeTfas BarBeque
June 22 and June 30-Cajun
June 23--Intematio-naC
June 28-- ItaCian
‘Tfie tfieatre zviCC Begin at 8 pm in Rudder J : orum
6 Rms Riv ‘P'u is a nezvspaper advertisement zvfiicfi catcfies tfie eye
of prospective tenants for tfiis vacant apartment zvitfi a river view;
among them a man and a woman who have never met Before.
JAs they are the Cast to Ceave, they find themseCves Cocfcgd in the apartment
and commence to get to (qww one another in a very humorous fashion.
‘Tickets may Be purchased at the Rudder Bo?c Office
Students: $U includes dinner and theatre
$5 theatre only
Jfpnstudents: $20 includes dinner and theatre