)
The Battalion
Ryan Express speeds past
300th win
Rangers’ ace breaks pitching
milestone in victory.
See Page 5
Vol.89 No. 182 USPS 045360 6 Pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, August 1,1990
fa Extremists release
ostage; 40 others
emain imprisoned
e am
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP)
— Moslem radicals freed Prime Min-
ster Arthur N.R. Robinson on Tues-
Hesias i a y i four days after they took him
a l Nf ind 40 other people hostage in a
:oup attempt, the attorney general
argue:
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: a coe laid.
The other hostages, including 15
1 unlx:' Cabinet members, were still held,
Attorney General Anthony Smart
laid on state radio. He refused to say
vhat conditions led to Robinson’s re-
sflease.
Prior to Smart’s announcement,
ft appi here were a series of reports about a
herns possible deal between the govern
or’s pc nent and the Moslem radicals, led
ear,As jy former policeman Abu Bakr.
Bakr said Robinson had agreed to
tep down and that elections for a
's. Wit iew government would be held
lon-
his pe:
vithin 90 days.
Robinson announced the same
anisv deal Monday night during a tele-
leints phone call to journalists from inside
Parliament. He also said he had
igreed to grant his captors amnesty,
ittom fcnd denied being coerced into mak-
ng the deal.
Robinson left the Parliament
in cod luilding at 2:20 p.m., according to
Smart. “He is in good spirits,” he
aid. “We continue to pray for the
or whc
arpe
, a C'j: safe return of the rest of the hos-
ages.
Robinson and the others were
eized Friday by extremists who ac-
used him of corruption and de-
he resign. Robinson suf-
rten a
londar
ter an:
dis® nanded
on it!
ire b
when
tthe
fered gunshot wounds to both feet
in the takeover, and nine people
were killed. His condition Tuesday
was not immediately known.
Earlier, Bakr said Robinson
needed medical care for glaucoma.
He claimed the prime minister was
going blind because of a lack of med
ication. It was not known if Robin
son had a history of glaucoma.
Selwyn Richardson, the justice
and national security minister, spoke
to a local journalist by telephone
from inside Parliament on Tuesday.
He also said the government had
granted amnesty to Bakr and his fol
lowers and that the agreement was
contingent “upon the safe return of
all members of Parliament” held
hostage.
However, the program manager
of government-run television, Ber
nard Pantin, said no formal deal was
signed, and he doubted an
agreement had been reached.
Asked why he was skeptical, Pan
tin said: “All I know is the prime
minister is a hostage.” Pantin spoke
by telephone from the army base.
A government spokesman, Gary
Shaw, also denied a deal was made.
Asked about the statement from
Robinson, Shaw said: “These are
statements of people being held at
gunpoint. People are made to make
statements.”
There were 25 hostages inside the
government television station.
Renovation plans limit Held’s use
By MIKE LUMAN
Of The Battalion Staff
Battalion File Photo
In the past, teams like the lacrosse squad have held scrim
mages at Simpson Drill Field. The field is now on restricted-use
status to sports activities because of its renovation plans.
Texas A&M officials said reno
vation of the Simpson Drill Field
is likely, a move that when com
pleted could hinder sports clubs
but would allow Corps of Cadets
activity to continue.
The field, located near the
MSC, was placed on restricted-
use status to sports clubs this sum
mer in anticipation of the
planned project.
Robert Smith, vice president of
Finance and Administration, said
renovation of the field was an
“excellent probability,” but no
date had been set.
“The timing of when it begins
will depend entirely on funding,”
Smith said. “We hope for private
donations.”
Dr. John Koldus, vice presi
dent of Student Services, said
since no work presently was being
done, restricted use of the field
for sports organizations would be
temporarily lifted.
University President William
H. Mobley recently organized a
committee to look into the cre
ation of a “nicer” drill field with
the possibility of a park area or
statues, Koldus said.
It would still be used as a pa
rade ground for Corps reviews,
he said.
Smith said the field was an eye
sore, and the renovation would
include new soil and grass.
“It’s a complete renovation of
the existing turf area, a signifi
cant upgrade,” he said.
Smith said 14,000 yards of top
soil, a new irrigation system and
the same type of grass as Olsen
Field would be added.
Statues might be added to part
of the field, but no final decision
has been made, he said.
He said sports groups might
not be excluded entirely from the
field after renovation.
“Obviously, you can’t have a
mud football game,” he said.
Paula Opal, assistant director
of the Department of Recre
ational Sports, said the project is
frustrating because there are no
plans in writing.
“We should benefit, though,”
she said. “The University is good
about replacing space they rede
dicate the usage of.”
She said the loss of green space
which is open to all students was
disappointing, but the probability
of the department getting a
sports club center was high.
Vickie Running, secretary of
the Board of Regents, said the
Board had not received or dis
cussed plans for the renovation.
She added the regents adopted
a resolution in 1985 to maintain
the status of Simpson Field as a
drill field.
“It was to be used as a parade
ground or drill field in its current
status, to be an open grass-cov
ered area available to the Corps
for drills and ceremonies and as a
site for recreational and leisure
activities,” the resolution reads.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal panel
[approved, for the first time Tuesday, the
treatment of human disease using gene the
rapy, the process of inserting curative genes
[into human cells.
The Recombinant DNA Advisory Commit-
|tee, a panel of the National Institutes of
Health, gave its approval to using gene the-
jrapy to treat a lethal form of skin cancer and
an inherited disorder that deprives children
[of an immune system.
Approval by a committee of the Food and
jDrug Administration is still required before
the gene therapy can begin on patients, but
the NIH vote was considered the most crucial
[one by experts in the field.
Gerard J. McGarrity, chairman of the NIH
panel, called the approval “historic.”
“What we’re doing today is adding gene
therapy to vaccines, antibiotics and radiation
in the medical arsenal,” McGarrity said.
“Medicine has been waiting thousands of
years for this.”
But Dr. Steven Rosenberg, an NIH re
searcher who has been experimenting in the
laboratory with gene therapy for more than a
decade, cautioned that the treatment “will
only be important if it works. This puts us a
step closer.”
Rosenberg and Dr. W. French Anderson,
another NIH researcher, said they have pa
tients, some dying of malignant melanoma,
who could be used in the experimental the-
rapy.
If successful, Anderson said, the gene the
rapy would be “the first step in what probably
will be a revolution in medicine over the next
two years.”
Rosenberg said researchers should know
within six months after the treatments start
whether or not the gene therapy works.
Both Rosenberg and Anderson said they
expect FDA approval of their proposals soon,
and that they will start treating patients by
this fall.
The committee’s action, along with appro
val by the FDA, will allow two groups of NIH
doctors to start treating patients with cells
that have been altered by the insertion of new
genes.
Genes that are, in effect, instructions to a
cell will cause the treated cells to produce spe
cial proteins that will either amplify a biologi
cal action or replace proteins tnat were miss
ing.
Rosenberg, who proposed the anti-cancer
therapy, said he plans to alter the genetic
make up of a blood cell called the tumor-infil
trating lymphocyte.
This cell, called TIL, will normally seek out
and attack a cancerous tumor, but it is not
strong enough by itself to control the tumor.
Environmentalists predict oil spill to be 6 worst case scenario’
GALVESTON (AP) — A 500,000-
[allon oil spill into Galveston Bay
las already killed two sea birds and
:ould be the “worst case scenario”
environmentalists feared, a state of-
arial said Tuesday.
The oil spilled Saturday after a
tanker collided with two barges in
the Houston Ship Channel. By
uesday, a slick covering 17 miles
lad formed and oil washed up on
the Texas City Dike and two penin
sulas, the Coast Guard said.
Galveston Bay is protected from
the Gulf of Mexico by barrier islands
which contain delicate nesting
grounds for birds and other wildlife.
“The worst kind of spill you can
have is one behind these barrier is
lands, which is what we’ve got,”
Larry McKinney, director of re
source protection for the Texas De
partment of Parks and Wildlife, said.
He predicted the spill would rank as
Microbes spur debate/Page 3
Hance proposes spill legislation-
/Page 3
Valdez investigation continues-
/Page6 .
the worst ever in the Gulf region.
McKinney said at least 100 species
of birds, including the endangered
Brown Pelican, and at least 75 types
of fish inhabit the Galveston Bay
The deaths of two seabirds were
attributed to the spill, as workers be
gan cleaning up the crude on the
dike and at Port Bolivar and Pelican
Island. No other wildlife deaths
were reported as of Tuesday af
ternoon, McKinney said.
Coast Guard Rear Adm. Jim Loy,
who flew in from New Orleans to
survey the spill, said a flyover of the
area convinced him the situation was
under control.
“It’s a very manageable situation,
perhaps not being managed as well
as it could be,” Loy said. “I saw
streaks of black oil that should have
been addressed that weren’t being
addressed at Eagle Point.”
Eagle Point is a residential area
with private bulkheads. Heavy black
oil was reported on the sandy
beaches Tuesday morning.
French professor initiates
exchange program talks
By ELIZABETH TISCH
Of The Battalion Staff
Directors from Texas A&M’s Cen
ter of International Business Studies
and a French business school are ne
gotiating a faculty and graduate stu
dent exchange program which
would start next June.
[ Henri Heugel, an A&M visiting
professor from France, is the direc
tor of International Relations from
the French business school Ecole Su-
perieure de Commerce de Dijon.
Heugel was on campus for three
weeks teaching a special topics
course on international business.
During his stay at the University,
Heugel met with A&M President
William H. Mobley and Dr. Kerry
Cooper, director of the Center for
International Business Studies.
“During Henri’s visit last year, he
I; proposed we initiate a faculty-stu-
|dent exchange program,” Cooper
[said. “We are working on an
[agreement by which students from
| Dijon would come here and our stu
dents would go to the graduate busi
ness school in Dijon for a semester
or more.
“I don’t know how frequently we
We are working on an
agreement by which
students from Dijon would
come here and our students
would go to the graduate
business school in Dijon for
a semester or more.”
— Dr. Kerry Cooper,
director of international
business center
would exchange professors, but I
hope every semester we exchange
students,” Cooper said.
The Center of International Busi
ness Studies is working closely with
Mona Risk-Finne in the Study
Abroad Office during the planning
process of the exchange program.
During Heugel’s visit, A&M stu
dents had the opportunity to learn
about international business from
the French instructor, who was in
the business field for 14 years before
he began teaching.
BATTIPS
Anyone with story suggestions
can call BATTIPS, The Battal
ion’s phone line designed to im
prove communication between
the newspaper and its readers.
BATTIPS’ number is 845-
3315.
Ideas can include news stories,
feature ideas and personality pro
files of interesting people.
Orange hydrants on campus
confuse ‘curious individuals’
By JAMES M. LOVE
Of The Battalion Staff
It would seem that Aggieland would be the last
place in the world to have a fire hydrant painted
orange.
But, lo and behold, there are at least three on
campus.
At least one Texas A&M student has noticed the
rival’s — the University of Texas’ — burnt orange
trademark, and called BATTIPS, The Battalion’s
phone line for story ideas.
Frank Harmier, a graduate student of education
administration, was confused by the color scheme.
“I’m walking along near Sbisa, and from out of
nowhere jumps this orange-topped fire hydrant,” he
said. “All the other ones have green tops and this
one is orange. I’m a curious individual, and I had to
ask myself, ‘Should we have an orange fire hydrant
at A&M?’ ”
At least two other hydrants on campus are par
tially painted orange. One is in front of J.R. Thomp
son Hall, and the other, which is solid orange, is in
front of the Royce E. Wisenbaker Building.
Ira Beavers, Building and Equipment inspector,
said the fire hydrants are painted according to a na
tional fire code.
“The different colors signal the different pres
sures under the hydrant to the firefighters,” he said.
Green means high pressure, orange is medium
and red is low.
Harry Stiteler, director of A&M’s Safety and
Health Department, said there is a color code, but
there’s no requirement the hydrants be painted any
certain way.
“We usually substitute orange for yellow,” he said,
“But whomever did the painting must not have been
informed.”
Joe Sugg, director of the Physical Plant, said he’s
been aware of the inappropriate orange color and
decided Monday to start a program to repaint the
hydrants maroon.
Photo by Thomas J. Lavin
The suspect - an orange hydrant
“My decision is that we will paint several different
combinations of maroon and white or silver on some
of the hydrants on Agronomy Road,” he said. “We’ll
decide which one people like the best and then paint
all hydrants on campus that way.”
Sugg said the trial colors will be painted starting
next week.
Candidate calls
for harsher laws
for offenders
Candidate for state representative
Jim James unveiled his plans Tues
day to toughen Texas laws, includ
ing a proposal to double the time vi
olent offenders must serve before
they are eligible for parole.
James, a Democrat, is opposing
Republican Steve Ogden for the Dis
trict 14 seat, which includes all Bra
zos County.
James outlined his five-point plan
Tuesday in the Brazos County court
house annex.
Violent criminals are eligible for
parole after serving one-fourth of
their sentence in Texas, but James
said he will propose doubling that
time if he is elected.
“Overcrowding in Texas prisons
can no longer be an excuse for the
early release of violent criminals,” he
said.
James, a former prosecutor and
assistant district attorney, said the
prison system can hold violent of
fenders longer since 17,000 beds will
be added statewide in the coming
years.
He also said the state can save
money by putting non-violent crimi
nals in minimum security prisons
and freeing up space in maximum
security prisons for violent crimi
nals.
James also said he would propose
making a drug-related murder a
capital offense, which is punishable
by the death penalty. He said the law
would protect undercover officers
better as well as provide a stronger
deterrent to drug-related killing.
Another point James made was to
allow the introduction of oral con
fessions as admissable evidence. Un
der the present law, a confession to a
police officer may not be admissable,
but a confession to a fellow inmate is
admissable.
“This punishes honest police offi
cers,” he said. “If the officer says the
suspect confessed in ‘spontaneous
utterance,’ it’s OK. But if the crimi
nal confesses in response to a ques
tion, it’s not admissable. That’s ridic
ulous.”
James continued his outline by
saying that juveniles who commit se
rious crimes should be sent to prison
and proposed adding aggravated
robbery to the state’s list of serious
juvenile crimes.
Texas’ Determinate Sentencing
Act specifies certain crimes for
which a juvenile can be sentenced to
prison, but aggravated robbery pres
ently is not one.
The candidate also said he wants
to see insurance coverage extended
to police officers who retire after
serving 10 or more years.
He cited retired Bryan police offi
cer Delmo Jasper, who he said has
no insurance and just underwent
open heart surgery.
James said Jasper’s insurance pol
icy was good for 18 months after he
retired, but did not cover him after
that.
“There are hundreds of Delmo
Jaspers struggling across Texas,” he
said. “They dedicated their lives to
protecting us. They were there when
we needed them. And I think we
need to take better care of them
when they need it.”