Texas ASM — — w A
The Battalion
Vol. 90 Mo. 93 USPS 045360 10 Pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, February 13, 1991
USSR, Iraq discuss end to war
Saddam readies to extend cooperation to other nations
DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia (AP) —
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has told
a Soviet envoy that Baghdad is prepared
to cooperate with the
Soviet Union and
other nations to find a
peaceful solution to
the Gulf War, Bagh
dad radio reported
early today.
The radio, mon
itored in Nicosia, Cy
press, said Soviet en-
voy Yevgeny
Primokov gave Sad
dam a message from Gorbachev
Soviet President Mik
hail Gorbachev during talks late Tuesday.
The message contained the Soviet’s view
of the regional conflict, the radio said
without providing any other details.
“Iraq is prepared to extend cooper
ation to the Soviet Union and other na
tions and agencies in the interest of find
ing a peaceful, political, equitable and
honorable solution to the region’s central
issues, including the situation in the
Gulf,” the radio quoted Saddam as saying.
Baghdad’s radio claim was in the
shadow of impending battle. In a fore
taste of all-out war, Marine and naval
gunners combined their fire with U.S. air
strikes Tuesday to pound Iraqi tanks and
artillery massed in southern Kuwait.
Battle-ready American units shifted
and maneuvered as they readied for
ground war.
The thunderous land-sea-and-air bar
rage could be described as part of “our
training program,” the U.S. command
said.
Despite the non-stop air raids, Iraq re
tains its “lethal developed weapons,” the
Iraqi Parliament speaker said Tuesday in
an apparent reference to chemical ana bi
ological weapons.
Iraqi deserters confirmed that front
line trenches have been filled with oil, to
be set ablaze beneath advancing allied
troops.
President Bush talked over war plans
at the White House with the visiting de
fense ministers of Britain and France, al
lies in Operation Desert Storm.
Commanders here recommend three
to four more weeks of air bombardment
before launching a ground offensive.
U.S. military sources say.
“There’s some work to be done” before
any ground attack, Britain’s Tom King
said after meeting with Bush.
In Baghdad, where two government
ministry buildings were devastated by di
rect bomb hits Tuesday, a Soviet envoy
was expected to meet with Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein in a search for a solution
short of a fight to the finish in the desert.
A French newspaper suggested that
Soviet advisers are still aiding the Iraqi
military.
If true, it could wreck the U.S.-Soviet
consensus on the Persian Gulf.
A senior U.S. military official said the
combined-forces bombardment, which
began at 4 a.m. Tuesday and lasted three
hours, was the biggest battlefield action
yet initiated by the allied forces.
Reconnaissance had spotted Iraqi artil
lery, tanks and other armored vehicles
concentrating and “hunkered down” in
an area of southern Kuwait, Marine Brig.
Gen. Richard Neal, a U.S. command
spokesman, told reporters.
The giant 16-inch guns of the battle
ship USS Missouri, Marine artillery and
warplanes, Saudi artillery and rocket
launchers opened fire.
The results could not be immediately
determined, but the senior official said
there was “a high probability of enemy
casualties.”
Said Neal: “You almost could say that
it’s part of our training program of trying
to put together this combined arms teams
with coalition members, and it worked ex
ceptionally well.”
Professor
experiments
with magic
of science
By Elizabeth Tisch
The Battalion
A Texas A&M professor per
formed a chemist’s type of magic
Tuesday before a crowd of wide-
eyed, speechless middle school stu
dents in College Station.
Dr. John Hogg shared his scien
tific expertise with Oakwood Middle
School students during an hour-long
“chemistry magic show.”
Hogg, who told students he was
“sweating like a pig,” performed
more than 20 science experiments
that he said go unnoticed everyday.
“Some call this magic,” the chem
istry professor said. “But actually, it
is science.”
The A&M chemistry department
provided fund? for the middle
school’s administration to organize
the same performance that won a
national award in 1989.
About 300 students seemed in
awe as Hogg shattered frozen carna
tion petals soaked in liquid nitrogen.
The “magician” also caused an
acid rain storm in a flask. He then
explained the cause of acid rain and
its damaging effects on the environ
ment.
Students screamed with delight at
the “bang-up” results of applied fire
to a hydrogen-filled balloon and to a
balloon filled with a hydrogen-oxy
gen mix.
The purpose of the experiment
was to show how oxygen quickens
the combustion rate, as seen when
the oxygen-filled balloon blew up
faster and louder than the hydro
gen-filled balloon. Hogg compared
the experiment’s results to naturally
occurring reactions.
Shawn Parker, a fifth-grader
from College Station, said the bal
loons were his favorite part of the
program.
Lee Norman, Parker’s classmate,
agreed.
“The program was all right,” he
said. “I loved it when he busted the
balloons.”
Hogg said he enjoys performing
science as magic before young stu
dents.
“We need to get kids more excited
about science,” he said. “I think mid
dle school science teachers are doing
an excellent job, but they just don’t
have the facilities to do such experi
ments.”
Hogg left the satisfied students
with a bit of advice about their fu
ture.
“I want to encourage you to study
Science because there is a shortage of
scientists right now,” he said. “So,
study your science, math and En
glish. Because if you can’t write
about what you’re doing, then it
won’t work.”
MIKE C. MULVEY/The Battalion
Here comes the sun
A&M senior Lisa Benston is turned into a sil- the Research Park Tuesday afternoon. Wednes-
houette by the bright sun reflecting off the lake at day’s forecast also calls for sunny weather.
Director enlightens students
on African-American history
Inside
2 Mail Call
'the itch'
5 What's
Up
3 Students
.create,
journal
7 Wudel
column
Focus
Home opener blues
Aggie baseball
team splits
double header
page
By Katherine Coffey
The Battalion
Black History Month is necessary
to correct the negligent portrayal of
blacks in textbooks and the media,
says the director
of Texas A&M’s
Department of
Multicultural
Services.
“Maybe a time
will come in his
tory when we
don’t have to
have Black His-
tory Month,” said Carreathers
Kevin Carreathers. “This will take
place when black history will be in
textbooks and when the media por
tray blacks differently.”
Carreathers spoke Tuesday dur
ing a meeting in Rudder Tower
about the importance of Black His
tory Month and the relevance of Af
rican-American history.
“For so many years, the history,
heritage and accomplishments have
been written out of textbooks,” he
said.
“But there is so much we should
know, so we can identify with all the
great accomplishments of the many
people who helped shape our nation
and world.”
He said people need to recognize
this important and great history.
Black History Month —celebrated
in February — originally started as a
black history week, but through the
hard work of many people it was ex
tended to a month, Carreathers said.
Most textbooks portray the begin
nings of black history when the
slaves were forced to move to Amer
ica in the 1700s, he said.
“But black history goes beyond
that, and even beyond the birth of
Christ,” he said.
Carreathers said black history, in
cluding the history of black women,
usually is neglected and much of it
has not been shared.
“I hope you know that some of
these names are names you can go
back and help write into history
books, into textbooks, into stories
and tales you share with your family,
friends and colleagues,” he said.
Carreathers spoke during a meet
ing of the Texas A&M University
See Carreathers/Page 6
Proficiency exam
falls under scrutiny
of internationals
By Twila Waddy
The Battalion
International students voiced their concerns about the English Lan
guage Proficiency Exam Tuesday night, saying the test was unnecessary in
some cases.
The exam is mandatory for all international students at Texas A&M,
who must pass the test as an entrance requirement or take English Lan
guage Institute courses designed to help them learn the English language.
Students who fail the test are allowed to retake it after completing the
ELI course or courses.
International students were able to air complaints and ask questions
about ELI at the open forum, held by the Provost’s Committee on English
Lanuage Testing of International Students.
The committee was formed by Dr. E. Dean Gage, provost and vice
president for academic affairs.
The cost of ELI courses and their effectiveness were discussed also.
The courses do not help the students learn English and they are ex
pensive, said Joesph Yip, a research associate for the department of meteo
rology.
“I believe it was a waste of my time and it was not worth what I paid
for.” Yip said.
Although international students may pass the Test of English as a For
eign Language (TOFEL) they still are required by A&M to pass the ELP
exam which is administered by A&M.
Yip and other international students s^id insufficient information con
cerning the ELP and ELI courses was sent to them before they attended
A&M.
They said the University sent them a letter before they arrived at A&M
informing them what was expected of them, including having to take the
ELP. However, Yip said the letter didn’t explain everything clearly.
“The letter sent was not that clear,” he said. “It mentioned (the ELP
and the ELI courses) but did not explain them.”
The committee is reviewing the process for English language certifica
tion for international students at A&M. Students, staff and faculty make
up the committee, which is headed by history professor Dr. Ralph Adams.
“The purpose of our committee is to try to find the problems,” Adams
said. “Any kind of input is helpful.”
Adams said the committee will gather the information they have into a
report and make a recommendation to the provost at the end of this
month.
“Some of our recommendations are long term,” he said. “You cannot
change some things over night.”
Bush anticipates rebound
from stressful recession
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi
dent Bush conceded Tuesday that
the Recession is causing “genuine
economic distress” but, in his annual
economic report, predicted a quick
recovery that could well exceed the
record-breaking expansion of the
1980s.
“Despite the economic events of
1990, we have reason for both hope
and optimism in full measure as the
nation approaches the next cen
tury,” Bush said in his introduction
to the “Economic Report of the Pres
ident.”
With the economy in its first re
cession since the 1981-82 downturn,
Bush was less upbeat than last year,
when he had proclaimed the nation’s
economy to be “in excellent health”
with not a hint of a recession in sight.
“The events of 1990 were a re
minder that even a healthy economy
can suffer shocks and short-term set
backs,” Bush wrote.
“I know that in some regions of
the country, people are in genuine
economic distress,” he said.
The administration blamed the
recession on the jump in oil prices
and the jolt to consumer confidence
that occurred after Saddam Hussein
invaded Kuwait Aug. 2. Bush in
sisted that the downturn would be
short and milder than the other
eight economic contractions since
World War II.
Democrats in Congress said the
See Recession/Page 6
Chinese jury sentences
3 Tiananmen activists
BEIJING (AP) — Two long
time democracy activists were sen
tenced Tuesday to 13 years in
prison, apparently receiving the
most severe punishment yet stem
ming from the 1989 Tiananmen
Square protests.
The court gave a six-year sen
tence to a third man convicted of
sedition and released a fourth
who it said was guilty but re
pented.
Wang Juntao, a 33-year-old
newspaper editor, and Chen Zim-
ing, 38, the head of a private so
cial science research institute, re
ceived the 13-year prison terms
after being convicted of sedition.
Robin Munro, a researcher for
the human rights group Asia
Watch, said authorities were seek
ing to make the two the scape
goats for the 1989 democracy
movement, which drew millions
of protesters into the streets of cit
ies nationwide.