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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1990)
The Battalion Mosaic controversy page •••••••• 3 Florida murders page •••••••••• 8 Lady Ag Spikers page •••••••••• 9 yol. 89 No. 195 USPS 045360 14 Pages College Station, Texas Friday, August 31,1990 ■A&M economist sees possibility of recession y STACY ALLEN )fThe Battalion Staff IcCori A recession might be in America’s liture if the crisis in the Middle East not resolved soon, an A&M econo- list forecasts. Dr. James M. Griffin, a professor ( economics who specializes in the jl market, said a weak U.S. econ- my coupled with rising energy rices easily could push America hto recession. Because the gross national prod- ict is growing at less than 2 percent, he economy is especially vulnerable, le said. “The economy has been at the dnk of recession,” Griffin said. ^ ^(Now) you have another shock dded to it. The likelihood is that this) will tdge and modest recession.” He said the skyrocketing oil and ;as prices and the possibility of a re- tession is parallel with problems ex- lerienced in October 1973. In 1973, the economy was func- ioning similarly to the 1990 econ- probably push us over the we will nave some form of omy. As a result of the Saudi Ara bian embargo against the United States and the Netherlands, oil rices quadrupled —jumping from 2.50 to $10 per barrel. Prices of competing fuels in creased, and eventually so did gen eral price levels and the consumer price index. “The real parallel that may be oc- “The likelihood is that (the Gulf situation) will probably push us over the edge and we will have some form of a modest recession.” — Dr. James M. Griffin, economics professor curing today is likely linked to what happened in ’73 and ’74 (rather) than (in) World War II when the economy had spare capacity and the demand for additional war materials stimulated (it),” Griffin said. “I think the more likely scenario is that energy prices will push us into recession.” Griffin said the magnitude of the recession depends on events that take place in the near future. The most damaging of two ex tremes, he said, would be for war to break out in the Persian Gulf and oil production facilities in Saudi Arabia to become damaged. Saudi Arabia accounts for 10 per cent of the world’s supply of oil while Iraq and Kuwait account for 9 percent. “In that kind of world, the price at the pump could very easily be $2 (per gallon of) gasoline and that would be a major shock to our mac roeconomic system,” Griffin said. Oil prices could very well end up above $50 a barrel. This would force the Federal Reserve to decide whether to hold down inflationary pressures by adopting high interest rates or slow monetary growth types of policies — which would make a See Recession/Page 8 Itio- /isi- im- ’2! se- rtis tot ise jnt ffl 5- j- )t e n 1, e is n u A&M officials add university to system West Texas State University, which has approximately 6,000 students and is located in (tan- yon, becomes part of the Texas A&M University System on Sat urday. With the addition of WTSU, the A&M System will include eight universities — twice as many as were part of it prior to the start of the fiscal year. The three universities that for merly made up the University System of South Texas -— T exas A&I University. Corpus Chnsii State University and Laredo State University — joined the A&M System on Sept. 1, 1998, also the start of the new fiscal year. A&M System Chancellor Perry Adkisson said the additional uni versity further enhances the Sys tem’s stature as one of the largest and most diversified educational systems in the nation. Other universities with the Sys tem are A&M, Prairie View A&M University, Tarleton State Uni versity and Texas A&M at Galves ton. The Texas Legislature autho rized the merger of WTSU dur ing a special session last .spring and it was subject to approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the two institution’s governing boards. The A&M System now will op erate with a budget of $ 1.02 bil lion. Police, protesters clash in S. Africa JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — Police clashed for a second day Thursday with students protest ing black factional fighting, and the government said the conflict was forcing it to spend money on secu rity instead of social services. Witnesses in Cape Town said stu dents hurled stones at police, who fired birdshot in return and injured at least two protesters. The students were demanding an end to battles between Xhosas, who mostly sup port the African National Congress, and Zulus, who back the conserva tive Inkatha movement. Officials of the Transkei home land, where many Xhosas are from, complained Thursday that South African authorities had left bodies of victims of the fighting to rot outside Johannesburg-area mortuaries. They said people who traveled to the city to identify the dead were un able to recognize their relatives be cause the bodies had decomposed. “One is bound to ask why are the corpses of the people who died in such a violent manner further dese crated in this way,” the Transkei statement said. “Is it because they are black?” Inkatha and the ANC both op pose apartheid but differ on the shape of a future South Africa. In- katna has accused the ANC of ter rorizing other black groups in a bid to consolidate power. Zulu and Xhosa tribal leaders met Thursday and agreed to make a joint plea for an end to the fighting. At least 500 people have died since the factional fighting broke out on Aug. 12 in the townships around Jo hannesburg. Foreign Affairs Minister Pik Botha said he has told ANC Deputy President Nelson Mandela the black factional fighting sends a message of instability to the rest of the world and will leave foreigners reluctant to invest in South Africa if interna tional sanctions are lifted. The sanc tions were imposed -to protest South Africa’s system of racial discrimina tion. “I warned him that we are all doomed if we cannot create jobs or provide houses for his followers,” Botha said at a cotigress of the gov erning National Party. “If we don’t get our act together, we’ll have noth ing to govern.” Finance Minister Barend Du Ples- sis, meanwhile, said violence forced the government to spend money on security instead of social problems. “Those stoking unrest must also decide whether they want money for education or if we must spend it on the police and military personnel who have to try and sort out the trouble,” he said. Mandela is under pressure from the government and other black leaders to meet with Zulu leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The ANC has rejected talks with Buthelezi, contending he serves as a govern ment pawn to divide the black ma jority. Mandela was expected to return Friday to South Africa after a seven- day trip to Norway, Algeria and Li bya. But the ANC announced he will also stop to meet with ANC exiles, delaying his return until Sept. 3. Hall residents upset about change McFadden to become next coed honors dorm By JOE FERGUSON Of The Battalion Staff McFadden Hall will be converted into a coeducational honors hall in the Fall semester of 1991, said Dr. Dale Knobel, Director of University Honors Program. With more than 100 students un able to get into Lechner Hall, the only current coed honors hall, for Fall 1990, Knobel said it was nec essary to expand the honors hall program. The decision to make Mc Fadden Hall the next coed honors hall came just after the spring semes ter in a meeting between UHP and Student Affairs. Knobel said that individual resi dence halls had no input in the deci sion of which hall would be the new coed honors hall. It is that fact that has McFadden Hall residents upset. “We just feel like numbers,” Mc Fadden Hall President, Jana Terry, said. “It’s very contradictory to what A&M is all about. You come to A&M because they treat you like an indi vidual, but they’re not doing that now.” Terry, an honors student, said she is opposed to the idea of segregating roups of people for the purpose of ousing them together. Terry also opposes the elimination of 120 fe male living spaces and wonders why the University could not build an other hall like it did for Lechner. Knobel said that any residents de siring to stay in McFadden Hall could do so if, after the hall is made coed, there is enough room. “Sure, there will be some dislocation,” he said, “but those students will be given high priority in assigning spaces in the fall (1991).” But for residents on the executive hall council, Terry said, high prior ity is no consolation. They not only lose their leadership positions, but they will be uneligibte to run for any executive offices in their new hall Coed Dorm/Page 8 Photo by JayJunm r I College Station Fire Department Lt. Terry Thig- ing to a fire alarm set off by smoke and dust from pin, Jeff Kuykendall and A. Rhodes (left to right) construction in the building. People who were leave the Heep Center Thursday after respond- evacuated returned less than 15 minutes later. Oil production raised Gulf crisis prompts decision AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Railroad Commission, citing the threat of war in the Middle East, voted Thursday to allow the pro duction of approximately 20,000 more barrels of oil per day. The commission, however, re fused to increase production in the legendary East Texas Field, saying it wanted more time to consider arguments between in dependent oil producers and ma jor oil companies. The increased production will come from wells outside the East Texas Field, which is located Up shur, Gregg and Rusk counties. The new rules, which will af fect mosdy horizontal wells, will be put in place Sept. 1 and re viewed after three months. The commission’s action fol lowed a request from federal en ergy officials to increase domestic E roduction to offset potential oil isses from the U.S. trade em bargo against Iraq. “In today’s circumstance ... we’re asking everybody to pitch in and help in this effort,” said Mi chael McElwrath, a principal dep uty assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Energy. Commission members said they will again consider whether Members of the local community will have a chance Saturday to tie yellow ribbons around their car an tennas or write messages on banners to be sent to U.S. soldiers in Saudi Arabia. The show of support for U.S. troops will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at K-Mart in College Sta tion. Texas A&M Corps of Cadets members will be on hand to help with the promotion sponsored by K- Mart and Coca-Cola. Mike Graham, Corps public rela tions officer, said K-Mart invited the Corps to help with the event. to raise the allowable production rate in the East Texas Field at their next meeting. Sept. 20 in Amarillo. The 20,000-barrel increase represents a fraction of the daily Texas production of 1.7 million barrels. Commission Chairman Kent Hance said the increase was insig nificant when compared to the amount of oil used daily. But he added, “It’s a step in the right di rection.” “This is 20,000 barrels more than any other state has pro vided,” Commissioner John Sharp said. The major battle was over the East Texas Field, which has been restricted to 86-percent produc tion to avoid depleting the oil res ervoir. Major oil companies wanted to increase the allowable production to 100 percent, which would have raised daily production by up to 13,000 barrels per day. Current production is approximately 93,000 barrels per day. Brooks Peden of Austin, rep resenting several independents, urged the commission not to in crease production, saying it would hurt the field. i ms is a great way to show com munity support for the soldiers pro tecting our national interests,” Gra ham said. Two banners will be available on which to write messages for U.S. sol diers in Saudi Arabia. The banners later will be sent to the troops. He said Corps members also will pass out yellow ribbons for people to tie on their car antennas. Graham said he would like to in vite everyone in the community to come show their support. “This will let the soldiers know we haven’t forgotten them — that we are behind them all the way,” he said. Open house will feature 215 groups By ELIZABETH TISCH Of The Battalion Staff Despite the magnitude of con struction around Texas A&M's MSC, the annual MSC Open House will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday. “The construction has changed the flow of traffic and the ar rangement of the tables; how ever, it has not changed the qual ity of programs,” said Kit k Cole, MSC vice president of public rela tions. Cole says this year’s open house will have more University- recognized student organizations represented than fever before. “We expect over 8,000 people to walk through the halls of the MSC and visit the 215 different organizations,” he said. Cole stressed benefits students can gain by attending the event. “It will give students a wonder ful opportunity to get involved in the student life at A&M because representatives from each com mittee and organization will be passing out information and/or applications to join their partic ular group,” he said. The student committees will represent interests including reli gious, political, recreational and entet tamment. Molly Giant, MSC director of external public relations, and the student center’s public relations committee has been planning this vear s event since Spring 1990. Additionally, Grant has planned entertainment in the MSC Flagroom throughout the event. Between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. the Aggie Allemanders, a Tae Kwon Do team, the Society for Creative Anachronisms and Chris Bet doll, w inner of the 1990 MSC Variety Show r , will provide enter tainment. More information concerning Open House can be obtained by calling the Student Programs Of fice, 845-1515. Corps supports U.S. soldiers