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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1992)
5 deem The Battalion Vol. 92 No. 33 (12 pages) ‘Serving Texas A&M Since 1893’ Wednesday, October 14, 1992 P candidates face off in 'bitter' debate THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — Democratic vice Residential candidate A1 Gore I OpflrcJaiM V* ce President Dan Quayle ft *yl6(R gU ed over leadership and the ■gued over leadership and the lonomy Tuesday night in a bit- . .Bg debate of campaign under- > j mdies spiced by James Stock pile's passionate denunciation of |e political gridlock in Washing- I President Bush and Quayle were like "deer caught in the headlights" when the recession Struck, Gore charged, paralyzed and unable to respond. He pledged that Democratic presi dential candidate Bill Clinton 'Itand for change." ■ Quayle quickly retorted that iinton and Gore would "make natters much worse. Jobs will be 1st," he said, adding that Clinton tould raise taxes and spending, as well. His was a finger-waving, ligry demeanor from the outset, tacking Clinton in vigorous re- arks over and over again. 1 Weld isumTirt w^atwe a. ; Stockdale exploded at one point after Quayle and Gore ar gued, saying, "I think America is seeing right now the reason this nation is in gridlock." He said Ross Perot was the man to fix things in Washington. Stockdale stressed his non- politician's status from the outset. "Don't expect me to use the lan guage of the Washington insider," he said. "The centerpiece of my life was the Vietnam War." He went on to describe leading the first bombing run over North Vietnam, being shot down and held as prisoner of war for seven years. On abortion, Stockdale said, "I believe a woman owns her body and what she does with t is her own business. Period." That was Gore's position, too, but not Quayle's. When the subject turned to health care, Stockdale seemingly had little to say. "I'm out of am munition on that one," he said af ter Gore and Quayle clashed. The candidates argued briefly over the environment, the topic of a recent book by Gore. "I read Sen. Gore's book," said Stockdale. "I don't see how he could possibly pay for his propos als in today's economic climate," he said. Gore defended his work, but Quayle then followed with an at tack on a specific section — citing page 304 and sparking a did-did not exchange over whether Quayle was describing a $100 bil lion passage accurately. "Mr. Vice President — Dan, if I may," Gore said. "If you don't try to compare George Bush to Harry Truman, I won't try to compare you to Jack Kennedy." It was a reference to 1988 vice presidential candidate Lloyd Bensten's debate salvo: "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Quayle derisively noted that it hadn't taken Gore long to bring up the subject of that debate. See Debate/Page 10 By GARY P. CARROLL City Editor of THE BA TTALION Was it a vice-presidential de bate, or was it a screaming match between two upset children and one unwary and seemingly un caring innocent bystander? Senator Al Gore, Vice Presi dent Dan Quayle and Former Vice Admiral John Stockdale faced off Tuesday night for an in credibly childish display of whin ing rhetoric and free-flying accu sations intertwined with feeble at tempts of self aggrandizement. It’s true that we don’t elect a vice president, and after the ‘de bate’ it’s clear to see why. Political analysts will more than likely address the few posi tives for each candidate. The fact that Vice President Quayle looked somewhat strong Analysis compared to four years ago goes without saying. He was on a mis sion to get Governor Bill Clinton and he went after Clinton vigor ously. All America wants is for Clin ton to “tell the truth,” Quayle said. “What it boils down to is trust. Can you trust Bill Clinton?” Gore battled the ‘anti-trust’ theme of Quayle. “The current administration points the finger of blame with one hand and hands out pink slips with the other,” Gore said. It was during the ensuing ex change between Quayle and Gore that Stockdale jumped in with what may have been one of the most timely statements of the evening. “I think America is seeing right now why the nation is in gridlock,” Stockdale said. When the candidates ad dressed the issues it seemed as if they would get back on track and actually have a focused de bate, but those times were few and far between. One topic that did receive sus tained attention, if only for a few seconds, was the health care is sue. Gore said that if criminals had the right to a lawyer, then each American should have the right to a doctor. Quayle agreed that each American should have the right to access medical care but that it should not come at the expense of the taxpayers. Quayle said that Clinton would raise taxes to fund a rationing of health care while the Bush ad- See Analysis/Page 10 ^cause ore to '/or fm Antonia Talif- liens in sf ASA celeb >y turning pe "ears" 1 ' 3 Rico. r (veliave^ smic ocean. , Gulkissa® e the net "i \ve have ^ ;A employ \ under a IJ - dish-sha^ eled sky# 1 listening" ny a '' encitt gllationOfi* RANDY NICHOLS/The Battalion Members of Company D-1 work at the Swamping Party Tuesday afternoon. They and members of other companies and residence halls moved the logs Tuesday evening. The logs have been arriving at the Bonfire site since last week. Folding newspapers reflect poor economy Trend spells end for two-paper towns, department head says By TODD STONE Reporter of THE BATTALION The days of a two-newspaper town are numbered as tough economic times and a more selective read ership squeeze the profits of competing daily news papers, said journalism department head Dr. Charles Self. "That (trend) causes a lot of people great sad ness," Self said. "There's a kind of energy and ex citement in those kinds of (two newspaper) towns that are missing in cities today." San Antonio appears to be the next victim of this trend. Last week. The Hearst Corp. announced it would purchase the San Antonio Express-News and may close the city's other paper, the Light, if a buyer cannot be found. Most media experts believe the Light will fold be cause it has a sizable circulation disadvantage. Since 1980, 174 daily newspapers have closed across the United States. Bob Rogers, professor of journalism, said televi sion has contributed to the decline of newspapers as more people trade their daily newspaper for TV soundbites. "People used to come home and pick up the pa per," Rogers said. "Now, they come home and turn on the television (because watching) a newscast doesn't take any effort. Reading takes some plan ning, some effort, some concentration. "Television just changed the way people ap proached the news." Still, Rogers said TV doesn't provide the depth news coverage of newspapers. "If you look at local television news casts, it's as if they're inventing the world every day and not doing a very good job at it," Rogers said. "I don't mean to sound overly critical, but local television news is su perficiality to the Nth power. The network people do a little bit better job, but holy smoke what do you expect when a long story is 30 seconds." Rogers said newspapers legitimize events to the public, and readers turn to print news to validate what they have seen on TV. "People will go to a football game and then the next morning, they will go out and get all the Sun day papers they can find because they want to see what all the writers say," he said. "Reading and writing are not going to go away." Still, Self said newspaper readership has also de clined over the years as more specialized publica tions, from magazines to corporate newsletters, have emerged. Self said readers are giving up the second daily newspaper for publi cations that affect them more directly. "Normally, if it's one city, you're going to need one (daily) newspaper, and then specialized publica tions," he said. "It has be come clear that if a newspa per is to survive, you have to better provide what read ers need from their newspa per for it to be essential in their community." Today, newspapers are competing with other media more for advertising dollars than quality news coverage. "Advertisers today have discovered alternatives, and those who still advertise in newspapers want to adver tise in just one newspaper that reaches as many people as possible," Self said. "They don't want the over lap they get in advertising in two newspapers." Rogers said there just isn't enough of an economic base to support two newspapers even in most major cities. This trend has especially hurt afternoon dailies who have continued to struggle to survive. See Newspaper/Page 10 ANAS BEN-MUSA/ The Battalion tuition fees increase 10 percent, report says THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BOSTON — The cost of attending public colleges d universities has increased at a double-digit rate r the second straight year, far ahead of state and |deral financial aid, the College Board reported pday. td The cost of higher education ranges from $321 a >Siar at the public, two-year College of the Mainland Texas City, Texas, to $24,380 at private Sarah iwrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. The highest- iced state school is the University of Vermont, .tiftich charges in-state students $10,006 for tuition, 'using and a meal plan. $ [Average tuition and fees at four-year public uni- cities and colleges rose 10 percent to $2,315 this ' the College Board reported. Room and board Pngs the total to $5,841. At two-year schools, the av- pge increased to $1,292. "A lot of students have been driven from public lieges and universities and people are also having ji 'uble affording community colleges at this point," nd d Stacey Leyton, president of the U.S. Student As- jilciation. This fall's 10 percent hike follows an increase of 13 percent last year. The increase in the cost of private institutions has been slowing, partly in response to competition for a dwindling number of traditional-age students. At four-year private universities and colleges, tu ition and fees now average $10,498, and at private two-year colleges, $5,621 — increases of 7 percent and 6 percent. Room and board adds an average of $4,575 to the cost at private four-year schools. "Given the state of the economy and its impact on state budgets, many people expected much larger in creases this year, particularly in the public sector," said Donald M. Stewart, president of the College Board, a New York-based association of 2,800 higher education institutions. Many colleges and universities are cutting pro grams, laying off some faculty and staff, and defer ring maintenance of buildings and equipment. "Even with the big tuition increases, they're still losing ground," said David W. Breneman, former president of Kalamazoo College and a visiting pro fessor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Colleges and universities are also being squeezed by falling public budgets for financial aid. Federal, state and institutional financial aid rose less than 8 percent last year and the maximum amount available from the federal government's principal grant program actually fell from $2,400 to $2,300. Total student aid has dropped in constant dollars in the last 10 years, according to the College Board. "By and large, what happens is the people who are most price-sensitive are those at the bottom of the ladder," said D. Stanley Carpenter, associate profes sor of education at Texas A&M University. "The very people we're most anxious to get in to diversify the campuses are the people who are most adversely af fected by higher prices and diminished aid." In 15 years, loans have increased from 17 percent of financial aid to 50 percent, the U.S. Department of Education says. "A lot of middle-income students are graduating from school $20,000 or $30,000 in debt," said Leyton. The increased expense is magnified at a time when the U.S. Census Bureau says 45 percent of all students take more than the traditional four years to graduate. Many work part-time to earn tuition, or don't have access to required courses because of cut backs. "The middle class is being squeezed very hard," said Breneman. "There's a reasonable amount of pain." Media will survive cuts, professor says By TODD STONE Reporter of THE BATTALION Bryan-College Station media will survive de spite a limited economic base and the recent re cession, said A&M professor of journalism Bob Rogers. "This community can support what's here," Rogers said. "In fact, the community has sup ported them (local media) through reasonably tough times." There are 10 radio stations, one daily news paper, a daily university newspaper, two week ly newspapers and one TV station that depend on advertising revenue. When the economy is strong, businesses ad vertise, Rogers said. But during an economic downturn, many businesses scale back advertis ing. Rogers said A&M's presence supports and stabilizes the Bryan-College Station economy. In turn, the local media benefits. Dr. Charles Self, A&M journalism depart ment head, said Bryan-College Station could support even more media. "I don't think this (media) market is saturat ed by any means," he said. "In fact, I think there is room for more competition in this mar ket because in this community, we have a rela tively high-educated population that has so phisticated interests." Still, Rogers said possible state higher educa tion cuts may pose a threat to the local economy and media. "If A&M is cut to the point where the pur chasing power represented by A&M and the people who work for A&M is cut, then obvious ly that has an impact on the whole community," See Local/Page 10