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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1990)
Saij SJ The Battalion SOFlj More Awards Five Aggies named to AP AII-SWC Team See Page 10 /ol. 90 No. 68 USPS 045360 12 Pages College Station, Texas Friday, December 7, 1990 1 OR; Hussein asks Iraqi parliament to free hostages BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Saddam Hussein told his parliament Thurs day to free all foreign hostages in re sponse to “positive changes” in the Persian Gulf crisis, and he said Iraq should apologize to the thousands who were held. _ Saddam said the reason for hold- ing foreigners had diminished. He also said Iraqi troops had been given the time to become battle ready. The Iraqi leader also noted there had been growing opposition in the United States to President Bush’s ef forts to form a consensus for mili tary action to dislodge Iraq from Ku wait. The 250-seat National Assembly, which routinely backs the ruling Baath party leader, scheduled a meeting for 11 a.m. Friday. If it approves Saddam’s proposal as expected, it would be the first time Iraq has agreed to abide by a U.N. Security Council resolution on the crisis sparked by Iraq’s Aug. 2 in vasion of Kuwait. Iraq holds thousands of foreign ers, whom it refers to as “guests.” Some 600 of them have been moved | to strategic sites to serve as human shields to ward off military action. Saddam said the foreigners were people “who do not want to Tight” and who got “trapped in the space □ Bush not optimistic that Hussein will leave Kuwait- /Page 7 between the two trenches.” In all, there are an estimated 950,000 foreigners in Iraq and occu pied Kuwait, but Saddam earlier said most Asians and Arabs were free to leave. There was a spontaneous cele bration Thursday at the Al-Mansour Melia Hotel in downtown Baghdad, where several hostages were brought to meet with visiting family mem bers. “We did it at last and now we can go home for Christmas,” said Susan Dring, who traveled to Baghdad last week to try to win her husband’s freedom. In his letter to parliament speaker Sadi Mehdi Saleh, Saddam said his decision was prompted by recent consultations with his “Arab broth ers,” a reference to a meeting Tues day with King Hussein of Jordan, PLO chief Yasser Arafat and Ye meni Vice President Ali Salem al- Beidh. Saddam said “the reason for which the foreigners were prevented from travel have diminished and has been replaced by something more powerful. Bush refuses to relax footing in Persian Gulf SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — President Bush on Thursday wel comed Iraq’s surprise promise to free all foreign hostages but said the United States must not relax its war footing in the Persian Gulf. “We’ve got to continue to keep the pressure on,” he said. Saddam Hussein “must leave Kuwait without reservation, with out condition,” Bush said. Baker said of Saddam’s an nouncement, “It seems to me no coincidence that this comes just one week, just one week, after the international community has au thorized the use of force.” Saddam’s pledge to release the hostages reached Bush on Air Force One during a bumpy flight over the Andes from Argentina to Chile on his salute-to-democ- racy tour. At a joint news conference with Chilean President Patricio Ayl- win, Bush said he hoped the Iraqi decision to release the hostages could be believed. “There are no secret negotia tions, direct or indirect with Iraq over this question,” Bush said.“None. And there will be none.” The Pentagon said Thursday that Iraq had moved an additio nal 30,000 troops into Kuwait and southern Iraq, and that 10,000 U.S. reinforcements had arrived in the Persian Gulf. Roach resigns New WTSU president chosen By JULIE MYERS Of The Battalion Staff The Texas A&M University Sys tem Board of Regents on Thursday named Barry Thompson, president of Tarleton State University, the new president of West Texas State University. Thompson, 54, replaces Ed Roach as president of WTSU. Roach accepted a newly created position with the A&M System after resigning Tuesday as president of WTSU. He will be the associate dep uty chancellor for academic pro gram planning. Roach was WTSU president for six-and-a-half years. His term was troubled by allegations of financial mismanagement and a vote of no confidence from faculty members. Roach helped negotiate the merger between WTSU and the A&M System earlier this year. Both men will start their jobs Jan. 1. Dr. Dennis McCabe was named interim president of Tarleton State, also effective Jan. 1. McCabe has been Tarleton’s vice president for university operations since 1988. In other business, the Board ap proved: • A measure giving A&M’s presi dent authority to commit $375,000 a year from the Texas A&M Bookstore contract to establish a See Regents/Page 8 Hiler named to position By JULIE MYERS Of The Battalion Staff The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents named Dr. Ed Hiler as interim chan cellor of the A&M system during its last meeting of the year Thurs day. Hiler, deputy chancellor for academic program planning and research, replaces Dr. Perry L. Adkisson, who earlier this year announced he would return to full-time teaching and research at A&M. Hiler presently is responsible for strategic planning, expanding support for research programs and for overall development, and coordinating and implementing the system’s academic and re search activities. He is the former head of A&M’s Department of Agricultural Engineering. Regents Chair William A. Mc Kenzie said Hiler will keep the system on track as the system pro ceeds with the search for a new chancellor. The regents honored Adkisson with two new titles — Regents’ Professor of Agriculture Biology and Chancellor Emeritus, both Dr. Ed Hiler effective Jan. 1. In a resolution praising the de parting chancellor, the regents said Adkisson has served the A&M system with distinction since 1958 and served superbly as chancellor since July 22, 1986. The resolution also stated that under Adkisson’s leadership, the A&M system has grown in stature and recognition, as well as in size and scope, to become one of the nation’s foremost higher educa tion systems. IEDII ID gatio 112 jte. 00 Christmas tree sale Club sells Christmas trees on campus By BRIDGET HARROW Of The Battalion Staff O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! You are the tree most loved. How oft you’ve given me delight. When Christmas fires burning bright. O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! You are the tree most loved. — Traditional German Christmas Carol Texas A&M’s Forestry Club has brought a branch of Christmas cheer to Bryan-College Station by helping residents and A&M students select and deco rate their Christmas trees, says Mike Morrison, president of the dub. Morrison says the Forestry Club has sold about 200 to 250 Christmas trees every year for about 10 years- They get trees from a Christmas tree farm with some of the best prices per bundle in the nation, he says. “We get them bundled and cut for us,’’ Morrison says. “They are real good, quality trees.” The Forestry Club began sell ing trees after Thanksgiving and will sell them until the end of the week. Trees can be purchased at the side of the Texas Agricultural Ex tension Service annex building, across the street from the Com mons’ dormitory entrance. Recent cold weather at night has not harmed the treeSs but ac tually helped preserve them, Morrison says. “Because it’s not hot, the trees are not transpiring as much,” he says. “So, the trees are not drying out as fast as usual,” Morrison says the club has sold about 150 trees. The dub already has sold all medium-sized trees, which are 5 to 6 feel, he says. They still have trees under 5 feet, however, which sell lor $5, and trees 6 feet or taller, which sell for $20. Profits from the tree sales will go to pay for attending an annual event sponsored by American Southern Forestry dubs, Morri son says. “It is a forestry competition be tween the different clubs,” he says. “We compete in different events such as pole climbing, log rolling, speed chop, cross-cut with saws and other technical events.” Any trees that are not sold — usually 20 to 40 trees — will go to charity organizations, Morrison says. “Twin City Mission has called us, asking for any trees we have left,” he says. “We usually give them away to churches or char ities.” SONORA N. ROBBINSAhe Battalion Doug DeCoursin, a senior business analysis ma jor, and Cindy DeCoursin, a senior biomedical science major, both from Plano, look for a Christmas tree. Birth control implant device to be approved WASHINGTON (AP) government is expected — The to give American women their first new birth control option in three decades when it approves a hormonal im plant that prevents pregnancy for up to five years, officials said Thurs day. The implant, called Norplant, was expected to win government appro val within days, according to govern ment and industry sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. The method involves implanting in a woman’s upper arm six silicone rubber capsules, each about the size of an inch-and-a-half-long wooden matchstick. The procedure is done with local anesthesia, and the im plant isn’t noticeable. The capsules contain a hormone called levonorgestrel, a synthetic progestin, that is released slowly over time. The contraceptive effects are re versed immediately upon removal. “Norplant is one of the most sig nificant advances in contraception we’ve had in the last 30 years,” since the birth control pill and intraute rine device became available, Dr. Samuel A. Pasquale of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., said. “It’s the most effective, reversible method of contraception” available in the United States, with a failure rate of less than 1 percent, Pasquale, a principal investigator in the Nor plant studies, said. Norplant has been approved in 16 countries, the New York-based Pop ulation Council said. In the United States, it would be marketed by Wyeth-Ayerst Labo ratories of Philadelphia. “It’s a new choice women have and there haven’t been any new choices in the United States in a long time,” said C. Wayne Bardin, vice president and director of medical re search for the New York-based Pop ulation Council, which began re searching the method in 1966. Final examination schedule Final examinations for the 1990 fall semester last through Wednesday. The following is the final examination schedule: MONDAY • For classes on MWF 9 a.m. — Exam from 8 to 10 a.m. • For classes on MWF noon — Exam from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • For classes on TR 8 a.m. — Exam from 1 to 3 p.m. • For classes on MW 3 p.m. — Exam from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. TUESDAY • For classes on MWF 10 a.m. — Exam from 8 to 10 a.m. • For classes on MWF 2 p.m. — Exam from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • For classes on TR 3:30 p.m. — Exam from 1 to 3 p.m. • For classes on MWF 1 p.m. — Exam from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY • For classes on TR 9:30 a.m. — Exam from 8 to 10 a.m. • For classes on MWF 11 a.m. — Exam from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • For classes on TR 2 p.m. — Exam from 1 to 3 p.m. • For classes on TR 5 p.m. or later — Exam from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Cadets hope for scholarship funds By ISSELLE MCALLISTER Of The Battalion Staff Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets Class of’91 is trying to do what no senior class has done in 23 years — raise enough money to fund a Sul Ross Scholarship. Every senior cadet has been asked to pledge $45 to reach the goal of $15,000 needed for en dowment, says Deputy Corps Commander Mark Hoskyn. Once the scholarship is en dowed, interest earnings will sup port that scholarship. About 200 Sul Ross Schol arships are awarded each year to freshman and sophomore cadets based on academic performance, extracurricular involvement and need. Several scholarships also are donated each year. Recipients get $500 a semester — $2,000 over two years — for tuition and expenses. Hoskyn also says the scholarship qualifies out-of-state residents for in-state tuition. He says Sul Ross Scholarships are an incentive for many people to join the Corps. Eventually, the goal is to award every freshman and sophomore cadet a schol arship, Hoskyn says. “The reason we’re doing this is, it’s our way of giving back to the Corps what the Corps has given us,” he says. “It’s our small contri bution toward perpetuating the Corps.” If the senior class reaches its goal, it will be the first class to fully. have funded a Sul Ross Scholarship since 1967. Previous classes have tried, but were unable to raise enough money, he says. The Class of ’89 raised almost $7,000 and the Class of’90 raised about $2,000. Hoskyn says he is hopeful the class will reach its goal. About $3,000 has been deposited and $12,000 pledged so far. Hoskyn says cadets are supple menting pledges with fund raisers, including the Corps vs. Interfraternity Council baseball game in the spring. Hoskyn says last year’s game at Olsen Field was a big success, but he is hoping for a bigger return this year.