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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1992)
i 't fyril 20,193! ty ops ''s ties : age 1 who know oing," she good staff ling to run )r Roth in- and regu- oofreading go to and Isher and roll. ill actually 'ook from iddition to and page opy editor orare two next year, iditor will book and ss aspects o increase ople who ? for the the first Oicn thev ok is box i said, working as a nice .’ay. ing into tme time from the ae said, the most d is how >ng." a in Au- ns to fo- ;echnical publish- ;ger jrs ;roa ger ;roa ja rson >ang ton rson is well f stt s 3.n •tt 3SS Wednesday Sunny Highs in 80s Lows in 70s Perhaps there should be a surgeon general’s warning for carping and nagging. — Jason Loughman, columnist Page 9 Writer’s Insight English professor describes inspiration for her latest novel Home Truth Page 7 John David Crow reflects on NFL draft yesterday and today Page 3 The Battalion Vol. 91 No. 135 College Station, Texas “Serving Texas A&M since 1893 mi i»j^ uesc * ay t APij*, 1 21. 1992 Gas prices skyrocket in Moscow MOSCOW (AP) — In the latest blow to price- battered Russians, Moscow authorities unexpect edly increased gasoline prices fivefold on Monday. Now it costs the average Russian a week's salary to fill the gas tank. Motorists grumbled they would have to take on extra jobs to pay for gas — or just stop driving. "I can't do without my car/' moaned mechanic Vladimir Markarov. "We are going somehow to find ways to cope." He said he might use his car as a private taxi, or moonlight with extra car-repair jobs. Prices for everything from clothing to cabbage have skyrocketed in Russia since January, when President Boris N. Yeltsin lifted decades of govern ment price controls on most goods and services. Gasoline prices had already tripled before Mon day. Despite the latest price increase, there were long lines at Moscow gas stations. Some frustrated drivers complained that state-owned gas stations shut down over the weekend rather so they didn't have to sell gas at the old prices. Moscow has suffered gas shortages in recent weeks, with fuel being diverted to southern re gions for spring planting. Russia, which has one of the world's largest known oil reserves, has seen production drop in recent years because of outdat ed equipment. Before Monday, it cost about 48 rubles to fill the standard 10-gallon tank with the most commonly used gasoline. Now it costs 240 rubles — only $2, but about a week'-s salary for the average Russian worker. "It's an unpleasant and rather depressing feel ing," said Vladimir Stukalov, a computer worker, waiting dejectedly in a two-hour line outside a Minskaya Street gas station in western Moscow. Envoy pleads for cease-fire Mediator attempts to arrange safe exit for Afghan leader KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — With Muslim guerrillas claiming they now control all major cities but Kabul, a U.N. special envoy pleaded Monday for a cease-fire by government forces and rival rebel groups. Benon Sevan, who was trying to mediate a settlement of the nearly 14-year-old civil war before the fall of President Najibullah last week, said he was trying to nego tiate safe passage out of the coun try for the ousted leader. Sevan said agreement was close for an interim government to re place the Soviet-installed govern ment, but a radical fundamentalist group rejected that idea. The group, Hezb-e-Islami, threatened Monday to attack Kabul if the city was not surrendered to its fighters in one week. A more moderate group, Jami- at-e-Islami, which is considered the best organized of Afghanis tan's many rebel organizations, said its‘troops formed a protective ring outside the capital. Troops of the crumbling Communist gov ernment held the city itself. Many people fear the civil war will degenerate into fighting among the various factions and turn this city of 1.5 million people into a battleground. An estimated 2 million Afghans already have died in the war and 5 million more have fled their homes. Sevan urged the rebels to put aside their "personal and political ambitions" and work out a peace ful transition to a new govern ment. "We are almost there. Don't risk destroying the chance for peace," said Sevan, who appeared in public for the first time since Najibullah gave up power and tried to flee the country Thursday with the U.N. envoy's help. Nervousness has steadily in creased in Kabul as the guerrillas have tightened their noose around the capital and seized several provincial towns in the four days since Najibullah's ouster. Department of English runs short on funding Committee considers summer course cuts By Michael Sullivan The Battalion English classes for the summer semester at Texas A&M may soon been the endangered species list because of funding cuts, the de partment head said Monday. Dr. Larry Mitchell, head of the Department of English, said fund ing for all departments in the Col lege of Liberal Arts has suffered badly under the budget crunch and his department may not be able to offer all the classes origi nally scheduled for this summer. "We have discussed the possi bility of a sort of Armageddon sce nario, in which if the only way we could come up with the funds would be to cut from what we've got right now (this summer)," he said. The Executive Committee of the Department of English is meeting today at 2 p.m. to discuss, among other things, the possible class cuts. The classes hardest hit would be the large survey courses, but other offerings would also feel the crunch, Mitchell said. Courses such as English 104: Freshman Composition, which is part of the core curriculum and re quired for all students; and En glish 301: Technical Writing, which is required in the Colleges of Engineering, Agriculture and Business are both threatened by the cuts, he said. See Course cuts /Page 6 DARRIN HILUThe Battalion I scream, you scream... Jessica B. Farrell, a junior journalism major from chocolate chip ice cream cone outside Monday. Farrell Dallas, celebrates the warm weather by eating a mint says she eats an ice cream cone almost every day. High court considers restrictions Weighs limits on complaints concerning right-to-silence WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider restricting defendants' op portunities to complain that their right to remain silent was violated. At issue is whether severe new limits should be placed on federal courts' power to reverse state criminal convictions. The justices agreed to hear Michigan authorities' arguments that federal courts should not be allowed to second-guess state judges who uphold police in terrogation tactics. ; In its 1966 ruling in Miranda vs. Arizona, the high court said suspects in police custody may not be questioned unless they are told of their rights to re main silent, have a lawyer present and have a free lawyer appointed if they^ cannot afford one. Confessions or other evidence obtained in viola tion of the Miranda ruling, which is based on the Constitution's Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, cannot be used at trial. The question in the Michigan case is whether de fendants can turn to federal judges for help after "a full and fair" state court review determines their Mi randa rights were not violated. The Supreme Court in 1976 barred federal courts from reviewing Fourth Amendment claims by state prisoners who say their convictions were tainted by unreasonable police searches, after state courts have rejected those claims. The high court several times in recent years has declined invitations from state prosecutors to extend its 1976 decision to alleged Fifth Amendment viola tions. In the Michigan case it now will consider tak ing that step. A decision is expected sometime next year. State prisoners file about 10,000 such federal court appeals a year. The high court has been told by legal experts that federal judges overturn convic tions in about 400 of those cases. The court also acted on four race-relations cases Monday, two school desegregation disputes and two affirmative action controversies. Japan signals end of plans for plutonium production TOKYO (AP) — Japan signaled Monday that it may shelve its con troversial plan to produce plutoni um for power plants, a program that critics have warned could re sult in a dangerous stockpile of the highly radioactive fuel. Takao Ishiwatari, president of the quasi-governmental Power Re actor and Nuclear Fuel Develop ment Corp., indicated the change Was prompted in part by the dis mantling of some U.S. and Soviet nuclear warheads. The disarmament program will increase the world supply of plu tonium, which can be used for Weapons as well as reactor fuel, unlike the uranium used in most commercial nuclear plants. "We have to think of what the U.S. is going to do with this Weapons material," Ishiwatari told reporters. "Japan should make some contributions in this held." Ishiwatari, however, reaffirmed his agency's commitment to the plutonium-powered nuclear pro gram. The Japanese commercial nuclear industry is the only one that envisions relying mainly on plutonium fuel. Japan's plan to produce and import tons of plutonium has been criticized by the International Atomic Energy Agency, anti-nu clear activists and other govern ments. They contend Japan has overes timated its needs and will end up with a big surplus, increasing the chance of accidents or thefts by terrorists. "If this is the official attitude, then the Japanese government half admits they are going to have sur plus plutonium that they cannot consume," said Jinzaburo Takagi, a physicist and anti-nuclear ac tivist. Because of plutonium's dual uses, controlling its spread has be come a key concern of the United Nations since the breakup of the Soviet Union and allegations of se cret nuclear weapons programs in Iraq and North Korea. Committee prepares for Muster Battalion photo A candle is lit and held in memory of A&M students who have passed away during the last calendar year. By Julie Polston Tl'ie Battalion The nearly 8,000 students, faculty, friends and family attending the annual Muster ceremony this evening will only see the final product. Most people are not aware of the time and effort necessary to en sure the success of the event. Every year on April 21, students and former stu dents gather to honor Aggies who have died over the past year. This evening at 7 p.m. in G. Rollie White Coliseum, roll will be called and friends or family will answer "here" for the deceased. The Muster Committee is made up of seven sub chairpersons over five different subcommittees, and includes general members as well, chairwoman Jen- ni Briscoe said. These areas include public awareness, finance, host and reception, programs, and speaker selection. The committee begins preparing for the one-day event in early fall. Seth Dockery, subchairman of speaker selection, said the committee began the process of choosing a keynote speaker in October. In January, the commit tee decided on Frank W. Cox III, class of '65. "Mr. Cox epitomizes what the Muster Committee wanted for this year's ceremony: a man who is moti vational, inspirational and has a sincere devotion to the spirit of Aggieland," Dockery said. Cox, founder of the management consulting firm Source Of Success, was head yell leader and a mem ber of the Ross Volunteers during his 'OF Army' days. Cox has since written a book about his Aggie experience called "I Bleed Maroon." Other subcommittees, such as host and reception, wait until mid-spring to begin the majority of their work. The host and reception subcommittee is re sponsible for contacting the families of students to be honored at the ceremony. The committee begins this process just before spring break, and mails information packets with a general letter to the families to explain the day's events, said Maureen Gannon, a co-subchairwom- an. "It is important to explain the history of Muster to the families, because a lot of the families are not Aggies, and they don't know what Muster is all about," Gannon said. This year about 50 families are expected to at- See Greeters /Page 6