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Saturday
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Make or break
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and nis A&M teammates gear
for SWC showdown with Texas
pages
Aggie Muster ceremony set for Sunday night
The names of all Texas A&M students and for
mer students who have died this year will be called
in the Roll Call for the Absent at Aggie Muster be
ginning at 7 p.m. Sunday in G. Rollie White Col
iseum.
Beginning in 1923, this Aggie tradition has been
celebrated annually by lighting a candle for each
person while a friend or family member answers
•Here’ to symbolize that those who have died will
always remain with us in spirit.
The list of names includes three former students
who died in Operation Desert Storm.
A comraderie barbecue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday will begin the day’s ceremonies. Students
on a food Services Board Plan can use the barbe
cue as one of their weekly meals. Everyone else’s
cost will be $5.
The Battalion
Vol. 90 No. 135 USPS 045360 8 Pages College Station, Texas
'Serving Texas A&M since 1893'
Friday, April 19,1991
Signing has Soviet, A&M management plan closer to reality
By Greg Mt. Joy
The Battalion
A delegation of Soviet business and
education leaders signed a letter of un
derstanding Thursday, bringing a pos
sible joint Texas A&M-Soviet manage
ment training program one step closer
to reality.
The signing culminated a week-long
effort to promote future cooperation
between the Soviet Union and A&M's
Center for Executive Development,
part of the College of Business Admin
istration.
The letter outlined plans for pro
posed faculty and student exchanges
and for the establishment of manage
ment training courses in the Soviet
Union based on the programs pres
ently run by the Center for Executive
Development.
Duke Hobbs, director of the center,
said financial problems seemed the
only remaining roadblock.
"We are currently looking at the fea
sibility of establishing the programs in
the Soviet Union," he said. "We know
the programs they need. At this point,
it is only a matter of economic sup
port."
The Soviet delegation consisted of
Victor Samkov, director of the Urals In
stitute for Social and Political Studies;
Alexei Chemodanov, director of the
Association of Business Cooperation
with Foreign Countries (MAYAK); and
Alexandre Somov, director of the For
eign Trade Firm of People Concern Bu-
tek (STROYKA).
Dr. Benton Cocanougher, dean of
the College of Business Administration
and the Graduate School of Business,
joined Hobbs and Assistant Provost for
International Affairs Dr. Emily Ash
worth as signees representing A&M.
Cocanougher said the letter was a
formal declaration of A&M's dedica
tion in working toward mutual benefits
for both the University and the Soviet
Union.
"We certainly hope it represents the
beginning of a long and fruitful friend
ship," he said. "We are looking for
ward to working with our guests and
their colleagues in the future. I truly
hope this letter will set an example that
many others will follow."
The Soviet representatives also
stressed the letter as a starting point for
future cooperation. Samkov said the
experience of A&M's management
programs would be invaluable in the
Soviet Union.
"Hopefully, we have started a good
business together here," he said. "For
a country in a transitional phase like
See Signing/Page 4
Horsin’ around
Wes Allison, a sophomore agricultural economics major from Stratford, Amos and Andy pull the wagon around the equ
hitches Amos (ieft) and Andy to a feed wagon early Thursday morning, ing as feed is thrown out to the center’s other h
TED W. ALBRACHT
center each morn-
orses.
Weighing
pros, cons
of proposal
Provost, deans consider options to place
students on selected textbook committees
By Jay
The
me Blaschke
e Battalion
Texas A&M soon might be
come a model for the nation by
giving students a say about
which textbooks are used in cer
tain classes.
Dr. E. Dean Gage, A&M pro
vost and vice president for aca
demic affairs, said the Academic
Programs Committee is consid
ering a ground-breaking propo
sal that would place students on
various departments' textbook
selection committees.
"The proposal came up several
months ago and received a posi
tive response," Gage said. "The
deans are now discussing the
proposal with their department
neads to see what the different
options are.
Ty Clevenger, A&M's former
student body president, said he
believes no other university in
the country has students partici
pating in the selection of text
books for classes.
"I know there is griping across
the country about books chang
ing too often and the extra ex
pense that causes," Clevenger
said. "This is the first time stu
dents will be able to do some
thing about it.
"The proposal would affect
freshmen and sophomore
classes with multiple sections,"
he said. "The way it is now, the
book being used one semester
might not be used the next. '
Gage agreed with Clevenger's
observations and said the propo
sal could lend continuity to some
classes.
"This can help prevent some
of the changes that often occur in
the larger undergraduate
classes, like chemistry and En
glish, where different sections
might have different books,"
Gage said. "Many students can't
sell their books back because of
that, and we've gotten com
plaints about it."
See A&M/Page 4
Economists predict increasing revenue through corporate income tax
Ely John Lose
The Battalion
Texas will take an alternate route to raise much-
needed revenue and abandon the possibility of a
state income tax, said the head of the Texas A&M
economics department.
Dr. Thomas Saving said an income tax is only
one of several methods available to increase the
state's cash flow.
"The government can do one of two things to
try and reduce the state deficit," Saving said
"They can either reduce expenses in other areas,
or try to raise revenue. It doesn't seem to me that
the state is ready to cut expenditures any more
than it has, so they will somehow have to raise
revenue."
Saving said the state probably will try to replace
the present corporate franchise tax with a cor
porate income tax.
"In my opinion, this w r ould be the easiest way,
because the corporation would only be taxed on
the business they do in-state," he said. "The
larger corporations are already taxed by those
states which have franchise taxes."
Saving said some people fear a new corporate
tax will reduce Texas' attractiveness to corpora
tions seeking new locations. In the past, Texas
has lured firms because of its low tax rate of cor
porations in relation to other states.
A recent study by the National Center for Policy
Analysis in Dallas indicated a major tax increase
would bring Texas' economic recovery to "a
grinding halt."
Savings, however, disagreed with the study's
findings.
"I think a corporate income tax would have
See Economists/Page 4
A&M scientists explain pesticide research
By Mack Harrison
The Battalion
Environmentalists and farmer
activist groups, worried that
land grant colleges focus too
much research on pesticides and
biotechnology, are misinformed,
said a group of Texas A&M agri
culture experts.
Environmental groups claim
land grant universities are ba
sing their programs on chemical
agriculture instead of environ
mental-friendly methods.
Texas A&M was organized as
a land grant university in 1876,
and the University continues to
participte in agricultural re
search.
Organizations such as Farmers
for Alternative Agriculture Re
search want schools to develop
pest-resistant plants and sustai
nable agriculture.
Activists claim research at
many land grant universities is
controlled by the chemical com
panies funding the college's
work.
Dr. Alvin Young of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture,
however, said he does not agree
with the activists' claims.
"I understand environmental
ists' concerns," Young said.
"They are not well thought out.
Their data supports their conten
tion very poorly."
Young said land grant colleges
receive most of their research
money from federal and state
sources.
Researchers at A&M are work
ing on a variety of sustainable
agriculture techniques. Scientists
are using new methods and re
applying old ideas.
B. L. Harris, soil specialist
with the Texas Agriculture Ex
tension Service (TAEX) at A&M,
said sustainable agriculture is
not a new concept, but TAEX is
applying it in a new way.
"It's an agricultural system
which minimizes reliance on off-
farm supplies and maximizes
use of on-farm resources," Har
ris said. "The idea is to introduce
less chemicals into the environ
ment."
A&M researchers are working
to reduce pesticide use and to
develop sustainable agriculture,
said Dr. Denise A. McWilliams,
extension training specialist of
agricultural chemicals with
TAEX.
She said TAEX is reducing
pesticide use by incorporating
integrated pest management
into its sustainable agriculture
program.
Ray Frisbie, TAEX pest man
agement specialist, said the Uni
versity has been using integrated
pest management (IPM) for the
last 20 to 25 years, long before
sustainable agriculture became
popular.
He said IPM is compatible
with sustained agriculture and
shares one of its goals — to re
duce farmers' dependence on
chemical pesticides.
See Pesticide/Page 4
Future A&M research facility will combine
new technology in medicine, agriculture
By Mack Harrison
The Battalion
Scientists from all over the
world will participate on the
cutting edge of biotechnology
research at a new Texas A&M
facility opening this fall.
The Institute of Biosciences
and Technology (IBT) in
Houston will combine re
search in medicine and agri
culture, a union already pro
ducing results.
Scientists at the IBT have
developed an AIDS treatment
and are working with a Hous
ton company to develop the
treatment for commercial use.
The technique was pioneered
by researchers at A&M.
Biotechnology research will
focus on commercial use, ben-
efitting Texas' economy. Offi
cials expect biotechnology will
be a $200 billion industry by
the year 2000.
The $22 million facility, lo
cated at the Texas Medical
Center on the former site of
the Shamrock Hotel, is
See Research/Page 4