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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1990)
l^xasA&MQ 12 ^ lie tsattalion Haunting Horror Halloween goblins infest movie screens. See Page 4 Soviet multiparty elections mark changes in republic lAUCE EE MS WHOLE CHICKEN 19 TBILISI, U.S.S.R. (AP) — Voters n Georgia flocked to the polls Sun- lay for parliamentary elections ex acted to pave the way for the south- m Soviet republic’s independence. About 35 parties, most of them [rouped into coalitions, were taking iart in the contest, the first true nultiparty elections in Soviet his- ory. At stake were 250 seats in the epublic’s Supreme Soviet legis- ature. Non-Communists have been ilected in several cities and republics ilsewhere in the Soviet Union. But liinday’s race marked the first time hat formal parties, created under lew Soviet laws, have competed and tere listed on the ballot. Long lines formed at ballot boxes 10th in Tbilisi, the capital, and in the iurrounding countryside. There are ibout3 million eligible voters. Official results of the balloting were not expected until the end of the week, the official Soviet news agency, Tass, reported. Maguli Latariya cast her ballot dressed from head to food in black mourning clothes. Her 16-year-old daughter was one of 19 Georgians killed on April 19, 1989, when Soviet troops used sharpened shovels to break up a peaceful nationalist dem onstration in downtown Tbilisi. The incident fired strong senti ment for independence from Mos cow. Even the ruling Communist Party of Georgia was forced to adopt independence as part of its political platform. Latariya wept as she cast her bal lot. It was “as if my daughter’s voice was telling me what to do,” she said. She said she voted for the the Round Table for a Free Georgia, the largest non-Cpmmunist bloc. The head of the Round Table, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, standing near Latariya, nodded with approval as she spoke to reporters in School No. 50 in Tbilisi’s Mtatsminda district. Gamsakhurdia said that his coali tion of seven political parties would win up to 70 percent of the legis lative seats if the elections are fair. A poll released by the Sociological Center of the Georgian Academy of Sciences a week before the election suggested the Communist Party was supported by 32 percent of the vot ers, with 21 percent backing the Round Table and the rest divided among other non-Communist groups. Many voters said the Communists had gained ground because they represented stability. R LITE > GEN.DRAFf 12 PACK 12 0Z. CANS 29 The U.S. Senate confirmed President Bush’s ap- icintment last week of Texas A&M University System chancellor Dr. Perry Adkisson to the National Science loard. Adkisson, also a distinguished professor of entomo- gyat A&M, first was appointed to the Board in 1985 y President Reagan. The National Science Board establishes policy for the 'iational Science Foundation, which was founded to trengthen research in U.S. universities. The 24-member Board is the only federal body with esponsibility for research in the United States. Board members are selected for distinguished serv er in science, medicine, engineering, agriculture, edu ction, research management, public affairs or indus- ry. enate confirms appointment hancellor Adkisson to serve on science board Adkisson, who joined A&M in 1958, is internation ally renowned for research achievements in insect pest management and crop protection. Other honors include being the first A&M faculty member elected to the National Academy of Sciences for research conducted at A&M and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition to formal reports to the president and Congress, the Board submits to the president its views on scientific and engineering subjects of major impor tance to the nation. The Board also is considered an integral part of the science policy and management structure of the federal government’s executive branch. Israel bans about 8,000 Palestinians JERUSALEM (AP) — Most Palestinians returned to work in Israel Sunday after a four-day ban, but some found they had lost their jobs to Jews and others were turned back at roadblocks. Police had new orders barring Arabs with a record of hostile ac tivity against Israel. About 8,000 Palestinians carry green identity cards that ban them from Israel as security risks, according to the daily Haaretz. “We will increase the list of those not allowed into Israel,” Sh- muel Goren, government coordi nator in the territories, said on Is rael radio. The Cabinet, meanwhile, left its police minister to decide the fate of senior police officers crit icized by an official inquiry into the Oct. 8 killings of 20 Palestin ians. The killings on Jerusalem’s h allowed T e m pie M oun t prompted a wave of Arab-Jewish clashes inside Israel, leading to the four-day closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The closure was lifted Sunday. But Defense Minister Moshe Arens warned he might reimpose it If violence continues. ‘T hope we won’t, have to take such a step,” he said on army ra dio. “There are tens of thousands who work in Israel who are trust worthy ... and we want to allow them to make an honorable liv ing.” The U.N. Security Council has passed two resolutions condemn ing Israel: one for the shooting and one for rejecting a U.N. in vestigative team. Israel has said its own investi gation was sufficient. A&M creates first women’s dance team ly ELIZABETH TISCH )fThe Battalion Staff Five, six, seven, eight... DANCE! Twenty-three female students •ere chosen Monday as members of lie 1990-91 Texas A&M dance team -the University’s first recognized lance troupe. A&M students Terry Valladarez md Mary Lou Armador decided l&M needed a dance team after 1HA Casino Dancers received a [teat response during annual Par- mts’Weekend performances. The team, which performs kick, azz and a variety of other dance outines, already is booked for per- lOrmances ranging from sports to pedal events. The group’s first scheduled per- ormance will be at halftime during ' eNov. 28 basketball game between A&M and Oklahoma. “Our goal is to win a national dance competition,” junior Dance Captain Valladarez said. She said the dance team contrib utes not only to the woman’s image AMY REYNOLDS/The Battalion at A&M, but also to the entire Uni versity. A&M is one of the last schools in the Southwest Conference to organize a recognized dance team. Valladarez and Armador said the the team’s evolution, however, has Monday, October 29, 1990 S&L documents reported missing WASHINGTON (AP) — Dozens of letters are missing from the spe cial file of correspondence from members of Congress to savings and loan regulators, according to the Of fice of Thrift Supervision. Most of the letters were written by lawmakers on behalf of constituents who complained about problems in their dealings with S&Ls, such as ac counts that were transferred from one thrift to another as the result of mergers. But some letters provide evidence of members of Congress pressing regulators on behalf of S&L opera-, tors, some of whom contributed to the lawmakers’ political campaigns. There are thousands of letters, all maintained by the OTS and filed al phabetically under the names of the nological order. Cohen declined to say what file is missing or who may be suspected of taking it. The agency has only one copy of each letter in the centralized ar chives, although individual regula tors may have kept their own copies, Cohen said. “I know something’s missing and it really bothers me,” she said. “I think it’s real important to the agency” to make the files secure, she added, saying she has complained about the situation to high-level OTS officials. “There is a problem; we’re trying to address the problem,” Robert Schmermund, director of public af fairs for OTS, said. S&L contributions and the role of Some letters provide evidence of members of Congress pressing regulators on behalf of S&L operators, some of whom contributed to the lawmakers 9 political campaigns. senators and representatives who sent them. The thrift supervision of fice, the federal agency created by last year’s S&L bailout legislation, keeps the letters for its own use and opens them to members of the pub lic by appointment. There is no supervision of people perusing the letters, which are kept in an area of OTS’ Washington headquarters that is out of view of agency employees. Nancy Cohen, OTS’ director of congressional correspondence, said she is aware of at least one entire file that is missing. Each file contains dozens of letters written by a mem ber of Congress arranged in chro- some lawmakers have become a hot issue in this election year. The esca lating S&L crisis has made the letter file a sought-after source of infor mation. Reporters have been the most fre quent users of the files, but in recent months congressional aides, political consultants and law firms also have looked at them, Cohen said. “It’s an election year; everyone wants to see their own file,” she said. People wishing to examine the files are asked to make an appoint ment arjd bring with them a letter to OTS making a Freedom of Informa tion Act request for access to files of specific members of Congress. Wave tank dedicated to research, teaching The United States’ largest wave tank for teaching, research and in dustrial use opened Saturday in the Offshore Technology Research Cen ter at Texas A&M’s Research Park. A&M and University of Texas of ficials joined petroleum industry ex ecutives in dedicating the $30 mil lion research center and its new facility. The wave tank, a joint academic and research project between A&M and UT, was built to simulate off shore tidal and wind conditions to test the stability of offshore struc tures. The center of the new facility is a 100-foot long, 150-foot wide, and 20-foot deep wave tank which can be programmed to produce multi-di- rectional waves for use in testing structures such as oil platforms. The $6.5 million wave tank was built by the state and offshore petro leum industries. The Offshore Technology Re search Center, partially funded by the National Science Foundation, re searches ways to explore and pro duce deepwater petroleum in an en vironmentally safe manner. John Flipse, director of the cen ter, said initial research will focus on the potential of several large petro leum reservoirs 6,000 to 10,000 feet deep in the Gulf of Mexico. caused both negative and positive re actions. “One thing people keep telling us is that a dance team is breaking tra dition at A&M,” Armador said. “We like them to think about it as a start of a new tradition.” Mike Carrusso, Athletic Depart ment publicity director, said he is pleased with A&M’s dance team. “There is nothing new about it, actually, because we have always had dancers come and perform for va rious sports events,” he said. “Now, we can have a team that will rep resent A&M.” The team, under the direction of faculty advisers Kirstin Brekken and Shawnee Jones, practices four nights a week for two hours. Brekken said the dance team is not a showcase to promote its mem bers, but is meant to represent and promote the University. Steppin’ out HUY THANH NGUYENAhe Battalion Drum major Elton McWashington leads the Prairie View A&M marching band in a performance at the A&M vs. Rice halftime.