Wednesday
Partly cloudy
Lows in 50s
Highs in 80s
Public officials have
wasted far too much
money on campaigns
-Lori Saddler, columnist
Page 7
THROW UP’
Combination
comedy and
juggling act hurls
A&M performers
into the spotlight
Page 5
Four more
Aggies find
places in final
rounds of
NFL draft
Page 3
;$e Budget Comir;
lea rings on the pc
week, and Ho®
votes could cot) -
The Battalion
Anamendnie Vol. 91 No. 140
ration by BSsiai:
College Station, Texas
‘Serving Texas A&M since 1893’
8 Pages
Tuesday, April 28, 1992
;ress gives its
e last one
Is the right to voie;
sto run a defirit
forbid each ye;
■on exceeding if
hout a vote
TCA's refranchising hinges on company's corrective actions
By Jason Loughman
The Battalion
versions of
tare in circulate
require the pie
mit a balanced lici
President Bi
ane, despite his a;
e legislation. At TCA Cable and the Cities of Bryan and
IJ make it dim College Station are one step closer to rene-
^Totiating TCA's franchise, as the cities
onsider the cable company's schedule for
torrecting operational and safety con-
erns outlined in a highly critical report
majorities to dos ssued by a consulting firm,
is could only be s Allegations in the 59-page report in-
majorities of theeKuded elaborations on performance com-
ss, not just roawlaints aired by Bryan-College Station res-
nakers actually vj jdents and Texas A&M students.
I The "Report on the Performance and
ments on both si®
have changed';
it amendmenls
of the requii
majority in
90 and the Senate
Compliance of TCA Cable" was presented
to the College Station City Council March
25 by Municon, a company jointly hired
by the cities to assist them in franchise ne
gotiations with the company.
During public hearings conducted in
February, subscribers argued that some
of TCA's rates were unjustifiably high.
Many of the complaints in the public
record centered around TCA's policy of
charging customers $3.25 monthly for the
use of additional cable outlets.
Rogers said the monthly fee is assessed
to cover costs for signal leakage monitor
ing and repair as a result of the additional
outlets.
However, the report stated, "The cost
to the company of repairing signal leaks
would appear not to exceed $1 per year
per subscriber. There is effectively no cost
for monitoring the situation since it is
done 'automatically' as the technicians
drive throughout the system in the course
of their daily activities."
The report also mentioned technical
concerns, such as antiquated cable, and
cable that is not fire-rated.
Larry Monroe, owner of Municon, said
the report details a history of violations
of the current franchise agreement by
TCA.
Mary Moore, representing Bryan in the
refranchising process, said once the cities
agree to TCA's schedule for correcting
some of the technical issues described in
the report, both parties can begin informal
negotiations.
The overall refranchising process,
mandated by the Cable Act of 1984,
would then continue with the cable com
pany submitting an initial proposal, and
end with the cities voting on the final, ne
gotiated draft of that proposal.
Moore said she is "looking forward to
a very good proposal," and a franchising
agreement could be completed "possibly
some time this summer."
Randy Rogers, general manager of
TCA, said the report focused on negative
aspects of the company while ignoring ar
eas in which its performance was good.
"Only the first 10 pages show where
we are in compliance," Rogers said. "The
rest of it is basically a character assassina
tion."
When asked about the charge that mul
tiple outlets did not cost the company
more to monitor, Rogers declined com
ment.
"I really don't care to address a whole
lot of it more right now except to say that
we're looking at it, and we're considering
See Students/Page 8
tic opponentsaip
i irement forabi
get would
slashes in neeiei
: programs.
■ o say the measui
ssitate steeptai
it frightenste
the U.S. Chambe
Balkan states
r / /
orm new
Yugoslavia
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) — Lawmakers from
ard-line Serbia and Montenegro voted Monday to
reate a smaller Yugoslavia from what's left of the for-
ier six-republic federation.
The United States and the 12 European Community
-**1 i nations boycotted a proclamation ceremony staged by
-“-dll ||erbian President Slobodan Milosevic, which included
m jfiioisting a new Yugoslav national flag — the last in Eu-
ion end! tope to drop the Communist star.
Milosevic pledged the formation of a new Balkan
fl state would halt an ethnic war that has claimed more
run-01l fan 10,000 lives since June and resulted in the seces-
|Sion of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Macedonia has broken from the federation too but
las not gained the same recognition as the other new
ly after no caniil States because of opposition by EC member Greece,
needed maioritil phich fears its own northern Macedonia region could
be coveted by an independent Macedonia.
The West, weary of Balkan strife and wary of Milo-
g to preliminam £evic's pledges of peace, is demanding concrete action
rom Serbia to curb violence in Bosnia-Herzegovina
nd relinquish territory captured by Serbs there and in
^ Austria (AP)
idential election
needed majoiiti
troversial Presiie
Social Democn!
cher led
Thomas hearings
affect '92 politics
tes with 407 pee -roatia.
nd Thomas Klestil ; The 51-member Conference on Security and Coop-
*tive People's Pif ration in Europe has threatened to expel Yugoslavia if
rent. The two pari 'iolence in Bosnia is not halted by Wednesday,
ted Austrian po#
War II.
hope the selection:
lent will end then
ational isolations
dheim's role with
/ during the war,
nd Klestil will
ay 24. Both hop«L.. rr ,
*rs of the right-id Women seek office m response
irtv and enviio: !
d Green party. WASHINGTON (AP) — She's not on any ballot, but
imidt, candidate: M 3 Hill seems to have become a force in the politics
Party, finished 1^992.
- of the vote a L H er treatment at the hands of the Senate Judiciary
k of the anti-Em f omm ittee last October during
unity and pro-ne P nn g s on Clarence Thomas'
. had 5.7 percent ^nation to the Supreme Court
till resonates. In Pennsylvania, Ilh-
ioIs and Iowa, women are seeking
t eats in the Senate as a result — two
w'-i /"\T ti }p( them hoping to oust members of
V HC tie Judiciary panel.
Political scientist James Foster
o fn p eves the hearings one day may
) i CL 1C ^ regarded as pivotal, comparable
the Supreme Court's school de-
egregation decision of the 1950s or
Cl 3 V K civil rights struggle of the 1960s.
, "I saw a group of pampered, privileged white men
l()l losing ranks against a black woman," says Foster,
r (AP) -
rowded into cap
Sunday to celebtf
odox Easter,
in 74 years Kreitf
i Red Square int^
day.
anian Orthodo^
celebrated Eas: ;
First time, butbr
•a-Herzegovinakf:
Home.
rch of the OrthoA'
worlds
2S I, led a two-tic-
■nbul, Turkey, wk' 1
patriarchate is lotf
wnesti (Happy 1#'
iarch, in gold#
smd a crown, saib;
rhe faithful at-
□i.
m, the holiday"-'
“tly by Eastern^
the Church of tr;
rher. The naC
ancient walled d!
3 with thousands
See Hearings/Page 8
DARRIN HILL/The Battalion
Slam dunk
Rex Henard, an agriculture econ- can jump while playing basketball
omics major, proves that white men outside Schuhmacher Hall.
fails to end
violence
Rival groups continue combat
as interim government forms
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) —
Rival Muslim guerrillas battled to
a standoff Monday over the south
ern approach to Kabul and ig
nored a reported cease-fire agree
ment as they fought for control of
the Afghan capital.
A convoy carrying members of
a guerrilla-led interim government
that supported more moderate
factions left Pakistan for the 120-
mile journey over rugged roads to
Kabul.
The rebel leaders planned to
formally replace the fallen regime
of President Najibullah.
A truce that Pakistan's govern
ment said was agreed to between
the leaders of radical fundamen
talists and more moderate guerril
las went unheeded. Red, green
and yellow tracer bullets and
flares illuminated the sky above
Kabul into the night.
Roughly 90 percent of the city
was under the control of a coali
tion commanded by Ahmed Shah
Masood. It failed to dislodge the
radical fighters of his bitter rival,
Gulbuddin Hekrhatyar, from their
strongholds.
Both sides fought with tanks,
rockets and machine guns. Ma
sood's fighters were supported by
soldiers and even a warplane from
Najibullah's military.
Masood and Hekmatyar both
want to establish an Islamic state,
but they differ on how strict the
theocracy should be.
In Islamabad, Pakistan's capi
tal, a spokesman for the Foreign
Ministry, Javed Hussein, said the
leaders agreed to a truce. He did
not release any details, but Pak
istan's state news agency said the
agreement was mediated by Pak-
Rival Muslim factions fight for
control of southern access to Kabul,
Afghanistan’s capital, ignoring a
reported cease-fire agreement.
STEPHEN TREXLER/The Battalion
istani Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif and senior Saudi Arabian
officials.
The 50-member interim govern
ing council originally had planned
to fly to Kabul on a Pakistani mili
tary plane.
The leaders decided to go over
land because Hekmatyar's troops
threatened to shoot at any plane
approaching the capital.
In Washington, State Depart
ment spokeswoman Margaret
Tutwiler said Masood's forces
seemed to have fared best in fight
ing that began Saturday after
rebels advanced into the capital.
"Hekmatyar seems outclassed
militarily and isolated politically,"
she said.
She said the Afghans should
seek a political solution involving
a broad-based transition govern
ment.
Students petition to remove art
By Reagon Clamon
The Battalion
of them Greek & Desert Traders,” painted in 1858 by Otto Pilny, hangs in the Sterling
I-Evans Library on the first floor near the reference section.
DARRIN HILL/The Battalion
An angry group of students, upset over a
painting displayed in the Sterling C. Evans Li
brary which depicts a semi-nude woman being
sold as a slave, are petitioning to remove it
from public view.
Amy Owen, a senior English major, said she
is helping with the petition drive because she
feels the painting shouldn't be displayed in a
public place. The painting, entitled "Desert
Traders," hangs over the copy machines near
the reference section on the first floor of the li
brary.
"When they show a woman who is being
sold as a sex slave — which is basically rape —
that's when I have to say something," Owen
said.
"I don't think it should be in a public place
like that. To me, it's just condoning the act,"
she said.
Owen said what the group is promoting is
not censorship.
"I am not for censorship at all, but it's not an
“When they show a woman who is
being sold as a sex slave — which is
basically rape — that’s when I have to
say something.”
-Amy Owen, senior English major
art museum," Owen said. "It's in a public
place — a place that's supposed to be a home
to all students."
Owen said she never even noticed the paint
ing till she first read the petition that was being
passed around.
"I read the petition and I said, 'Are you
crazy? In our library?' " she said. "I actually
went to go look at it and I was just appalled. It
makes me mad that I never noticed it before."
Owen said when students gather enough
signatures, they will give the petition to the on-
campus branch of the National Organization of
Women, who will turn it over to library offi
cials.
Dr. Irene B. Hoadley, director of the library,
said there have been other protests since the
painting was first donated by Carl "Polly"
Krueger in 1952.
"We occasionally get complaints that the
painting is degrading to women," Hoadley
said. "But, we will not take it down."
Hoadley said she felt the painting should be
treated like a controversial book.
"I feel students need to be exposed to all dif
ferent kinds of information," she said. " There
See Library/Page 8