The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 28, 1992, Image 1
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