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Page 11
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Page 3
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for shot at NFL
Page 7
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Vol. 91 No. 137 College Station, Texas
“Serving Texas A&M since 1893”
12 Pages Thursday, April 23, 1992
Additional funds save summer courses, increase sections
By Michael Q. Sullivan
77ie Battalion
Additional funds from the Office of the
Provost for Texas A&M will not only save
current summer courses in the liberal arts
and science colleges, but will also allow
more sections to be opened, according to
an assistant provost. He warns, however,
that the problem is not going to go away.
"We have provided some additional
funds to the College of Liberal Arts," said
G. Dan Parker, assistant provost for Texas
A&M. "The message is, if the cuts contin
ue, the students are going to start seeing it
in the instructional program. Sooner or
later, if the cuts continue, it's going to
show up big time in the instruction (pro-
ID A&M’s executive associate provost
assures Student Senate that number
of seats in summer courses will
remain same/Page 2
gram). We have not started planning on
the summer of '93 yet, but right now it's
going to be a problem."
Parker said the colleges will open addi
tional sections and recruit new instruc
tors, lecturers and graduate assistants. He
said that the science and liberal arts col
leges have been the hardest hit by budget
problems and lack of courses.
"That's where the core of the teaching
is done in any university," he said. "Ev
erybody has to take history, math and En
glish, regardless of major. As far as stand
ing on the edge of the instructional bud
get, those are the two that are right there.
Anytime budget cuts come up, some of it
spills off into them."
Parker said his office wants class size
this summer to be the same as last year.
"We want to provide for the same
number of opportunity — the number of
seats available to students (as last year),"
he said. "We've communicated that to sci
ence and liberal arts and we think we've
finally reached equilibrium.
"Evidently all the courses haven't been
reopened, but they should. The deans' of
fices have assured us that we will ap
proach that number."
Charles Johnson, associate dean for the
College of Liberal Arts, said although the
summer sessions are out of danger, the
future is still uncertain.
"This summer is not in jeopardy," he
said. "There will be some impact in the
next year or two and the college is strug-
g lin g"
Johnson said offerings in liberal arts,
and specifically English, will be increased.
especially in high enrollment and prob
lem areas, but was cautious about the
long-term situation.
"We are going to increase the number
of seats available — seats that aren't on
the books right now — with the help of
the departments and the provost 1 s office,"
he said. "We are in the process of redress
ing that (summer courses) and I suspect
there will be additional courses and sec
tions for the fall and spring, thanks to the
help of the provost's office.
"It still may not match the course and
seat offerings of last year, but we will
See Diverted funds/Page 10
Barton
appears
at Bryan
meeting
By Reagon Clamon
The Battalion
Barton
Rep. Joe Barton came to the
Bryan Library Wednesday to tell
residents, among other things, he
is still their rep
resentative.
The Republi
can Congress
man traveled to
Bryan to partic
ipate in a " town
meeting" with
the residents of
Congressional
District 6, ex
pressing his
opinions . on
various issues
and fielding questions from con
stituents.
Barton started the meeting by
clearing up a misunderstanding he
said seemed to be prevalent in his
district.
"I am still the representative for
Brazos County," he said. " I will be
the representative — unless there
is an act of God — until January
1993."
Under the new district lines
that will go into effect next Jan
uary, Brazos County will be split
between District 8, which includes
Houston, and District 5, which in
cludes Dallas — and will no
longer be a part of Barton's dis
trict.
Barton said he will continue to
fight the redistricting.
"We have a court case pending
in Austin under a three-judge
Federal panel," Barton said. "The
case will be heard in the spring of
1993 and I am still optimistic the
Federal court will throw out the
plan the state legislature adopted."
Barton said if the Federal court
See Barton/Page 10
ROBERT J. REED/The Battalion
Snake’s alive!
Todd Traylor, a graduate of Texas A&M, plays
with his 15-foot Burmese python, Natasha, at
TEAC’s Earth Day 1992 at Rudder Fountain
Wednesday. Traylor’s exhibit was to show
people snakes and dispel some of the myths
about them. He was also letting people know
about the destruction of the snakes’ natural
habitat. The objective of Earth Day is to teach
people more about the planet and how we
affect and hurt it, and how we can help it.
Explosions
in Mexico
kill 184
Multiple blasts devastate Guadalajara;
leaders deploy military to keep order
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP)
— A series of explosions in the
sewer system ripped open streets,
flattened buildings and hurled
trucks and cars in the air in Mexi
co's second largest city Wednes
day. Witnesses said 184 bodies
had been recovered, and 600 peo
ple were reported injured.
The federal government sent
the army to keep order in the city
of three million, where telephone,
electricity and water services had
been cut.
At least nine explosions begin
ning at 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. EDT)
blasted enormous craters, tossed
trucks and buses on their sides
and left jagged trenches along
Gante Avenue and other streets in
the Reforma district of southeast
ern Guadalajara.
Some residents of the lower- to
middle-class neighborhood
hacked feverishly at rubble with
picks and axes as they searched
through the day for neighbors. At
least 700 rescue workers were
searching for victims.
Rescuers helped free passen
gers trapped in a bus that fell into
a hole caused by the blast. Cars
were crushed by falling debris or
flipped over like children's toys.
Some residents wandered aim
lessly among the ruins.
Others stumbled through the
debris in tears, their clothing
shredded.
A statement by Pemex, Mexi
co's state oil monopoly, said the
Houston*.
O Mexico City
Guadalajara, Mexico
Explosion caused by
gases leaking into
sewage system kills
at least 189, injures 600.
STEPHEN TREXLER/The Battalion
explosions in th£ southeastern Re
forma district were caused by liq
uid hexane, used to extract edible
oils from seeds. The hexane leaked
from a private cooking oil factory.
La Central, into the sewage sys
tem, Pemex said.
Even in cool weather, a spark
can ignite hexane violently.
The city's fire chief claimed the
explosions were caused by gaso
line. Residents said the stink of a
gas had filled the air for at least a
day. Hexane's smell resembles
that of kerosene.
"The leaders of the police and
fire department of Guadalajara
should be tried as those responsi
ble for the catastrophe," Homero
Aridjis, the poet and leader of
Mexico's biggest environmentalist
group, said in an interview in
Mexico City.
Issue of abortion faces toughest battle in 19 years
MSC Political Forum debate
addresses controversial topic
By Matari Jones
The Battalion
Women will exercise the right
to an abortion with or without the
blessing of the government. Abor
tion is the destruction of human
beings.
These were the opposing view
points presented Wednesday
evening at a debate sponsored by
the MSC Political Forum.
"The decision concerning an
abortion — in both practical and
moral terms — lies with the wom
an, and no one is going to change
that," said Susan Nenney, director
of communications for Planned
Parenthood of Houston.
"Abortion is always the taking
of a human life," said Dr. Joseph
Graham, president of the Texas
Right to Life Committee and a
professor at St. Thomas University
in Houston.
Rural people, poor people,
young adults and specifically
women of color will be hurt the
most if abortions are made less
available and more expensive,
Nenney said.
Regardless of legislation, each
woman will decide for herself —
as did her mother and grandmoth
er — if they need to seek an abor
tion.
Graham said that since Roe vs.
Wade, enough babies have died
by abortion to populate the State
of California or the country of
Canada.
If the 1973 Supreme Court deci
sion that legalized abortion is
overturned, abortion will no
longer be a constitutionally pro
tected right and the issue will be
decided and controlled by indi-
ROBERT REED/The Battalion
Susan Nenney, a pro-choice advocate, and pro-lifer Dr. Joseph
Graham discuss the abortion issue at a MSC Political Forum debate.
vidual state legislatures, Graham
said.
Abortion has polarized political
parties, politicized churches, and
split families, Nenney said. It is
now a political and, therefore, a
governmental issue. She said the
"anti-choice" movement puts the
government squarely in the bed
room — directly between husband
and wife.
Neeney asked the audience to
think of themselves as the govern
ment and answer the following
questions:
"If you were the government at
See Speakers/Page 10
Pro-choice groups. Bush
pressure Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (AP) -
With legalized abortion poten
tially in the balance, the Sup
reme Court on Wednesday was
urged by an abortion-rights ad
vocate to keep women from re
turning to "back alleys for their
health care" while the Bush ad
ministration pressed for protec
tion of "those who will be
bom."
Activists on both sides of the
national debate carried placards
and chanted slogans outside the
court building as the justices
presided over a low-key but
high-stakes argument in a Pen
nsylvania case.
Both sides predicted the
court's conservative majority
would uphold the restrictive
state law in an election-year de
cision expected by July. Among
other things, the law imposes a
24-hour waiting period and re
quires married women to tell
their husbands before getting
abortions.
The greater question is
whether the decision will re
verse or drastically undermine
the court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade
ruling that abortion is a funda
mental constitutional right.
The Supreme Court in 1986
struck it down, by a 5-4 vote.
Three members of that five-jus
tice majority are retired now.
The court today is seen as far
more hostile to abortion.