The Battalion
/ol. 92 No. 14 (14 pages)
‘Serving Texas A&M Since 1893’
Thursday, September 17, 1992
Environment
clause hinders
trade debates
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - Senate De
mocrats hammered the Bush ad
ministration Wednesday for nego
tiating a trade treaty they contend
is toothless when it comes to en
forcing Mexican environmental
laws.
But Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator William
Reilly defended the accord, say
ing it would be a "major environ
mental mistake" if Congress vot
ed down the pact.
Several Democrats on the Sen
ate Finance Committee's interna
tional trade subcommittee de
nounced the North American Free
Trade Agreement's environmen
tal protections during a hearing.
"The NAFTA is silent on what
I see as the most important envi
ronmental issue: ensuring that all
parties to the agreement, includ
ing Mexico, enforce adequate en
vironmental standards," said sub
committee chairman Sen. Max
Baucus, D-Mont. Baucus has
called on the administration to re
open treaty talks to beef up envi
ronmental and worker retraining
standards.
"Rather than attempt to ad
dress the environmental short
comings of the NAFTA in a forth
right manner, the administration
has essentially resorted to empty
rhetoric," he said.
Sen. Tom Daschle expressed
similar concerns.
"An agreement is nothing
more than a list of intentions un
less it has the ability to be en
forced," said Daschle, D-S.D. "If
there is not proper enforcement,
then really what do we have but
some nice-sounding rhetoric that
really makes a mockery of the
whole process?"
But Reilly called the agreement
a "very important environmental
breakthrough."
"From our perspective, oppos
ing the NAFTA on environmental
grounds would be a major envi
ronmental mistake," he said. "No
larger opportunity has come
along in my memory to improve
the conditions of the border."
Reilly praised Mexico's recent
crackdowns against polluters and
commitment to funding environ-
mental cleanup programs, praise
echoed by Sen. Lloyd Bentsen,
who chairs the Finance Commit
tee.
"I've been encouraged by a
number of things I've seen Mexi
co do," said Bentsen, D-Texas.
And, he added, "Overall, I see
a real opportunity for the NAFTA
to promote improved environ
mental performance in all three
countries."
Subcommittee Republicans,
pointing to the pre-treaty cooper
ation between the U.S. and Mexi
co, said in the absence of an
agreement further attention to the
environment is unlikely.
"It's a step forward. It isn't 10
steps forward, but it's better than
no steps forward," said Sen. Bob
Packwood, R-Ore.
Reilly sought to allay fears that
American companies would
move to Mexico in search of
weaker environmental standards
and enforcement, saying that en
vironmental costs are a small per
centage of most firms' overhead.
"The number of companies
that because of this treaty ...
would be tempted to move to
Mexico is relatively small," he
said.
Rhode Island Republican Sen.
John Chafee, a supporter of the
administration's negotiations,
urged Congress to remember that
the treaty is an economic one —
not "an environmental treaty
with trade aspects."
"It deserves to be examined as
such, using as a yardstick
whether its adoption will advance
or will hinder the long-term en
hancement and protection of our,
and our neighbor's, natural re
sources," he said.
In reply, Reilly said, "I think
the trade treaty is being asked to
carry a lot of environmental
freight."
Also Wednesday, the first of
the 40 private sector advisory
group reports on the impact of the
free trade pact was released. The
report was compiled by the Advi
sory Committee for Trade Policy
and Negotiations, which has the
most wide-reaching mandate of
all the advisory groups.
"On the whole, (the NAFTA) is
a very positive thing," said Amer
ican Express Co. Chairman and
CEO James D. Robinson III, who
chairs the advisory committee.
The group found that U.S. ne
gotiators met or exceeded most of
the panel's criteria — except in
the opening of the Mexican ener
gy market and Canadian exemp
tions in agriculture and intellectu
al property. Robinson also de
fended the environmental provi
sions in the agreement.
"J think if you look at the facts
and get beyond the rhetoric
you've got substantive progress
that has been made," he said.
The two labor leaders on the
advisory committee dissented
from the report, saying the treaty
"as presently drafted does not
promote U.S. economic interests
and, if implemented, would wors
en the country's economic and so
cial problems."
Oscar Anderson, a nurses technician from Waco, takes blood
from Kathryn Gunn, a freshman political science major from
DARRIN HILL/The Battalion
Bridge City, during a blood drive held in the Commons on
Wednesday.
Guerrero earns praise,
support from governor
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Gov. Ann Richards
on Wednesday defended Railroad
Commission Chairman Lena
Guerrero, saying she should be
judged on her public record —
not the admission she doesn't
hold a college degree.
Richards said she had no sec
ond thoughts about naming Guer
rero, a former three-term state
House member, who was her first
appointee after becoming gover
nor.
"Lena Guerrero has a truly
outstanding record as a member
of the Texas Legislature, a mem
ber of the Railroad Commission.
And I think that record speaks for
itself," Richards said."I would
have appointed her on her public
record. That's what matters here."
Guerrero, 34, filled a Railroad
Commission vacancy and is seek
ing election this year to a full six-
year term. For years, Guerrero's
campaign literature and her offi
cial Texas House biography listed
her as a graduate of the Universi
ty of Texas-Austin. Some of that
literature also claimed she was a
member of Phi Beta Kappa. Con
troversy erupted late last week,
when news reporters began ask
ing about her academic creden
tials. Guerrero says she always
thought she was a graduate. She
said she was stunned to learn af
ter checking with UT last Thurs
day that she was four hours short
of the 120 hours of class work
needed for a bachelor's degree.
Although she first declined to
make public her college tran
scripts, Guerrero's campaign said
it planned to do so late Wednes
day.
As for the Phi Beta Kappa ref
erences, she said, "I have never
myself, I believe, made that
claim."
This week, a former partner in
Guerrero's advertising business,
Richard Hamner, said it was he
who wrote the campaign biogra
phy that included the Phi Beta
Kappa reference.
Her claim that she didn't learn
about her lack of a diploma until
last Thursday also was being
questioned. On Tuesday, the head
of the UT Ex-Students Association
said Guerrero was warned in 1991
of doubts about her claim to be a
graduate.
"We told her that the universi
ty's records didn't match with her
records and that when she had
time, she ought to check it out,"
said Roy Vaughan, executive di
rector of the ex-students' group.
Behavior at All-U Night
threatens future of event
By TANYA SASSER
Staff wnter of TUC BATTALION
There may never be another
AH University Night at Texas
A&M because of the misconduct
that occurred this year, said the
president of the Residence Hail
Association Wednesday
evening.
Kim Tenpas informed over
20 dorm presidents at the RHA
President's Roundtable that
Texas A&M President William
H. Mobley has expressed disap
pointment with the recent ac
tions of dorm residents.
"Mobley is upset because the
residence halls acted inappro
priately at All-U Night," she
said. "There was offensive lan
guage, fighting and violence.
Two women even filed sexual
harassment charges."
Tenpas said the presidents
are the leaders of their halls and
the residents are looking to
them for guidance.
"This might have been the
last year for All-U Night if
something doesn't get done,"
she said. "You can let this be an
awareness thing. Let your resi
dents know that things have to
change."
Thad York, vice president of
RHA said the year has gotten
off to a shaky start and the
dorm presidents need to use
their authority.
"They're serious about end
ing All-U Night," he said. "You
need to exercise restraint. This
year took off like a ball of fire
and it's up to y'all to put the
reigns on it."
York suggested the presi
dents speak to their residents
about the seriousness of sexual
harassment because some stu
dents believe the language used
at All U-Night was suggesting
sexual harassment.
Tenpas said the presidents
should hold forums dealing
with these kinds of issues. The
issue of dorm students verbally
harassing fraternity and sorority
members in the dorms was also
addressed. York said that many
people, including Mobley, rec
ognize that the number of peo
ple that are opposed to fraterni
ties and sororities is growing
and needs to stop. Many frater
nity and sorority rushees were
harassed by dorm residents as
they were leaving for rush, Ten
pas" said.
"We're all Aggies and we
need to treat each other with re
spect."
Bush proposes tax breaks for businesses
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - On the
verge of veto
ing a family
leave bill for
the second
time. Presi
dent Bush on
Wednesday
belatedly pro
posed a $500
million tax
credit alterna
tive to the De
mocrats' com- Bush
pulsory ap
proach.
Bush complained it was "very
peculiar and highly political" for
the Democrats to wait this late in
the election year to renew the
fight over whether businesses
should be required to give work
ers unpaid time off to care for a
newborn child or sick relative.
"I think you should be skepti
cal of any new proposal coming
from a president with 48 days
left" until the election, said
George Stephanopoulos, commu
nications director for Democratic
nominee Bill Clinton, who
strongly supports the Democrats'
bill.
"Unfortunately, they and my
opponents believe in a govern
Plan suggests company write-offs
for formation of family leave policy
ment-dictated mandate that in
creases costs and loses jobs," said
Bush, adding, "There's an awful
lot of politics at play here."
The bill passed by Congress
would require employers with
more than 50 workers to allow
employees up to 12 weeks of un
paid leave annually to deal with
medical emergencies, including
the birth of a child, adoption or a
sickness in the family.
Bush's proposal would allow
businesses with fewer than 500
workers to write off their taxes
up to $20 per day for as many as
60 days of leave a year per work
er, or a maximum of $1,200 per
employee.
The White House said Bush
would pay for the tax credits by
cutting other spending. Rep.
Newt Gingrich of Georgia, the
GOP whip, said Bush would pro
pose trimming doctors' and hos
pitals' lab fees and other admin
istrative costs paid for by the
government.
Bush said at a meeting with
GOP leaders that "there's some
$60 billion that (the Office of
Management and Budget) knows
about where we can allocate to
this."
Rep. Patricia Schroeder, D-
Colo., called Bush's proposal
"half-baked" and said if Bush
knows where $60 billion can be
found, he should spend some of
it on Head Start, immunization
and nutrition programs for poor
children.
White House Press Secretary
Marlin Fitzwater said nine out of
10 workers in big -and medium
sized companies already have
family leave plans.
"The great need is at the low
er end," he said, but the Democ
rats' bill "doesn't apply to com
panies under 50 people."
Fitzwater said the White
House made overtures before to
the Democratic leaders, but
"they refused to discuss any
thing that was not mandated."
The family leave bill passed
both chambers with bipartisan
support and Republican backers
expressed skepticism at Bush's
tax-credit proposal.
Rep. Marge Roukema, R-NJ.,
said she was "somewhat per
plexed" by the timing of Bush's
proposal.
"It may be an interesting sup
plement, but it is not a substitute
for this bill," she said.
Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo.,
the leading Republican sponsor
of the congressional measure,
said he was glad Bush was talk
ing about the issue, but "we sin
cerely believe this measure we've
crafted is the answer."
The Republicans have charged
that Democratic policies would
do more harm than good by rais
ing taxes and putting people out
of work.
Some polls indicate that vot
ers are turning a deaf ear to the
GOP family values pitch.
In a New York Times-CBS
News Poll that asked voters to
name the single most important
issue, 46 percent cited the econo
my and unemployment. Only 1
percent singled out family val
ues.
A new poll from the Times
Mirror Center for the People and
the Press concluded that family
values are backfiring on the GOP
and hurting Bush with younger
voters and the better educated.
Fitzwater said other polls in
dicate "that family values is
working."
The Democrats do not deny
that they held up the family
leave bill to pressure Bush to
sign it or cast an embarrassing
veto right before the election.
Leaders to change
government focus
By JULI PHILLIPS
Reporter of THE BATTALION
The new student govern
ment leaders
said Wednes
day night one
of their main
goals is to le
gitimize stu
dent govern
ment in the
eyes of the
students.
"There re
mains a mis- Beller
understand
ing of the role of student gov
ernment," Student Body Presi
dent Steve Beller said. "People
sometimes confuse student
government as an organization
of students instead of an orga
nization for students."
The Student Senate lead the
way for the legitimation
process with a bill that was in
troduced last year by the cur
rent Speaker of the Senate Brian
Walker.
The Senator/Constituent En
hancement Bill requires sena
tors to meet with their con
stituency and report activity in
their constituency back to the
Senate.
The next step, Beller said,
was the creation of the new vice
president of public relations
and marketing position to max
imize networking both within
and outside student govern
ment.
The other change resulting
from the new focus is the rein
statement of a chief of staff po
sition.
After the Student Senate
unanimously passed the mo
tion to create the position, War
ren Talbot, president of Off
Campus Aggies, became the
new Chief of Staff.
"We want to develop a co-
ownership with the students
throughout this year," Jerry
Hooton, vice president of ad
ministration, said.
"We want students to know
that they can come to us to help
them resolve their issues and
concerns."