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\lol 92 No. 68 (6 pages)
The Battalion
‘Serving Texas A&M Since 1893’
Friday, December 4, 1992
Russian prime minister fights for job, policies
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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MOSCOW — Acting Prime
linister Yegor Gaidar told a jeer-
ig Congress on Wednesday that
the Russian people are smarter
Inci more patient than the hard-
iners who are trying to dump his
lovemment and block reforms.
I Gaidar, fighting for his job and
le economic policy he has cham-
lioned for President Boris Yeltsin,
conceded that the government's
Irogram had failed to tame infla-
lon, now 25 percent a month.
I But he said a declining number
strikes and public protests indi
ted growing public acceptance
if the switch from seven decades
communism toward a free-mar-
ket economy.
"There is no threat of hunger
and cold. We have passed through
the period of adaptation to re
forms without social upheaval,"
Gaidar said.
"Despite all the hardships re
sulting from the changes, despite
all the obstacles that still must be
overcome, the Russian people
turn out to be smarter than politi
cians think."
"The people clearly understand
the need for reform and are ready
to work, rather than rock the boat
of our well-being and future," he
said.
The opposition was not
swayed.
"Gaidar is a con man," said
Mikhail Astafiyev, a leader of the
hard-line Russian Unity faction in
Congress.
"He will almost certainly have
to resign," said Dmitri Stepanov,
another Russian Unity member.
Hard-liners want to slow
Yeltsin's economic changes and
drop Gaidar, the architect of the
reforms.
Yeltsin has resisted lawmakers'
demands that he nominate a
prime minister for approval by
the Congress. Because Gaidar is
only "acting" prime minister,
Yeltsin has not had to submit his
nomination.
But Vladimir Shumeiko, first
deputy prime minister, said
Yeltsin had decided to nominate
Gaidar, even though he may not
have the votes to push the ap
pointment through.
Gaidar's speech was met by
jeers and stony faces from the
rows of burly, middle-aged former
Communists — holdovers from
the old regime who were elected
in March 1990, 17 months before
the coup attempt that led to the
collapse of the Soviet Union.
Deputies interrupted his mes
sage of optimism with derisive
laughter, but Gaidar quickly re
sumed his rapid-fire defense.
His arms were stiffly spread as
he gripped the sides of the wide
lectern of the Grand Kremlin
Palace, which still bore the ham-
mer-and-sickle seal of the Soviet
Union.
Yeltsin sat behind and above
him on the podium, calmly over
looking the 1,041-member Con
gress of People's Deputies, Rus
sia's highest parliamentary body.
Hard-liners want to force
changes in the Cabinet and slow
the market reforms, which have
brought soaring prices and plung
ing living standards.
But neither Yeltsin nor the
hard-liners have a clear majority.
Both sides are maneuvering for
support from about 300 undecid
ed and unpredictable deputies,
known in Russian as "the
Swamp."
Outside the Kremlin's crenelat
ed red brick walls, about 200 Cos
sacks in traditional long cloaks
adorned with polished silver bul
lets demonstrated in support of
Yeltsin, and bearded Russian
Muslims danced and chanted for
the president.
A dozen yards away, by the
onion domes of St. Basil's Cathe
dral, about 200 pro-Communist
supporters waved red flags.
Police barricades separated the
opposing sides.
Gaidar, a 36-year-old former
economics researcher, only occa
sionally glanced down at his notes
during the 55-minute speech.
He said that in addition to
hardships, his reforms had yield
ed some positive results, noting
the increased production of televi
sions, videocassette recorders and
other consumer goods.
In the most fiery moment of his
speech, he shot back at Congress
speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov.
Welch
egislature
ibandons
chool bill
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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AUSTIN — The Texas Legisla
te adjourned Thursday without
reducing a school finance plan in
■ special session marked by parti-
pn wrangling.
"It's a disappointment for the
:hools and the schoolchildren of
lis state," said Democratic Gov.
nn Richards. "We have seen
very cynical partisan politics
layed "
[ Rep. Tom Craddick of Midland,
lead of the House GOP caucus,
aid the session was "more politi-
al on the other side."
I "From a political aspect, she
Richards) is the one that's played
te school issue like a yo-yo. And
I think there's been a real void in
ier leadership," Craddick said.
Richards defended her role.
"I think I did everything I
uld do," she said.
The end came when House Re-
[Publicans, with few exceptions,
hnained united against a pro-
osed constitutional amendment
acked by Democratic leaders.
The House voted 90-57 for the
roposal, 10 short of the 100 votes
quired for passage in the 150-
lember chamber.
A two-thirds vote of the Legis-
( ure is needed for a proposed
endment to be put before Texas
ers for ratification.
Fifty-three House Republicans
ted against the leadership-
:ked proposal, out of 58.
Three were absent, and two
ed for it. Four Democrats also
aposed the amendment.
The amendment would have
lowed some local property tax
ioney to be shifted statewide
tom wealthier to poorer school
istricts.
; The Texas Supreme Court in
nuary ruled unconstitutional the
irrent system of shifting funds
mong school districts, within
aunties or groups of counties.
The court has given lawmakers
ntil June 1,1993, to come up with
constitutional system to equalize
inding between property-rich
nd poor school districts.
Public schools are funded
mainly by local property taxes
fid state aid.
Mary Folse, a sophomore elementary
education major from Bellaire, Texas practices
DARRIN HILl/rhe Battalion
her archery in her archery class in the Read
Building on Thursday. Folse enjoys her class.
A&M actively
recruits ethnic
minorities
By GARY P. CARROLL
City Editor of THE BATTALION
NASA faces decreased funds
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's successful
launch of Discovery on Wednesday capped a stellar
year of eight shuttle launchings, the most since the
Challenger explosion.
But while NASA finally seems to have its act to
gether, funding is down, costs are up, the military is
out and a White House task force is urging speedy
replacement of the fleet.
"The evidence has been building for years and
years and years. There's just nothing for them (shut
tle astronauts) to do up there, at least nothing that's
worth the risk and the cost of putting them up
there," said former NASA historian Alex Roland,
now a history professor at Duke University. But for
NASA, hope springs eternal.
"Pretty soon somebody's going to notice that (im
proving record) and say, 'Shoot, it looks like those
folks know what they're doing, maybe this is a good
deal we've got going here and maybe it can serve the
country for some time in the future,"' deputy shuttle
director Brewster Shaw, an ex-astronaut, said
Wednesday.
Two weeks ago, the White House task force rec
ommended a new launch system — manned and un
manned — that would be cheaper, safer and more re
liable than the shuttle, which is based on 1970s tech
nology. To pay for this new family of rockets, the
panel recommended reducing shuttle flights as soon
as possible. NASA estimates each shuttle mission
costs about $500 million, assuming a rate of eight
flights a year, the goal for the foreseeable future.
Some analysts, however, say the cost is closer to $1
billion.
Although Texas A&M Univer
sity has fallen under heavy scruti
ny for recent allegations of racist
activity, there is no denying that
the University continues to take
an active role in minority recruit
ment, according to statistics pre
pared by University officials.
With a 1992 student enrollment
of 42,988, representing students
from all 50 states and 116 coun
tries, A&M has been active in re
cruiting minorities.
A Texas A&M Office of Plan
ning and Institutional Analysis re
port shows an 89 percent increase
in the total enrollmeht of minority
students at A&M since 1985.
Since '85, enrollment of black and
Hispanic students has increased
frpm 2,448 to 4,634.
) Corey Anthony, vice chair for
tHe Memorial Student Center
Black Awareness Committee
latids the efforts of the University,
but he would like to see more.
"We haven't reached our goal,"
Anthony said. "(The University)
is making an effort to increase
(minority) recruitment, but I don't
think that we've gotten where we
need to be yet."
Anthony said he would like to
see the University take a more ac
tive role recruiting minority stu
dents by going out to the high
schools.
A&M ranks in the top 20 in the
number of National Achievement
Scholars, competitive scholarships
for African-Americans and has
the highest minority retention rate
in the Southwest Conference.
According to the 1990 Higher
Education Coordinating Board re
port (the last year the board re
leased figures) A&M retains more
than 80 percent of its minority stu
dents.
Up until spring 1992, 63.6 per
cent of all black students at A&M,
and 56.1 percent of Hispanic stu
dents who entered A&M by fall
1986, had graduated - compared
to 66.3 percent for Anglos.
These figures regarding minor
ity performance at A&M can be
attributed in part to University ef
forts aimed at attracting minori
ties to A&M.
The Office of Admissions
Counseling actively recruits mi
norities from from Texas high
schools and junior colleges. Also,
University President William
Mobley visits predominantly mi
nority high schools to stress to
students the importance of educa
tion.
Anamaria Salinas, a freshman
from Dallas, said she was im
pressed with the University's mi-
fiority recruitment program. A re
cruiter visited her high school and
made her feel that she would not
be alone at A&M, she said.
The recruiter, who was also a
minority, emphasized that A&M
has support groups and the orga
nizations to help minorities ad
just, Salinas said.
Salinas said she was scared
about attending A&M at first be
cause her high school had a large
number of minorities.
"When I came to A&M, I knew
that there were minority organiza
tions, but once I got involved I
was a lot better," she said. "When
I wasn't involved, I felt alone.
"If you seek it, it's there for
you."
Since Mobley became president
in 1988, the enrollment in the
President's Achievement Award
Scholarship Program - a program
that provides yearly $2,500
stipends to academically success
ful black and Hispanic students
for four years - has increased
from 1,010 to 1,275.
A&M has been awarded nu
merous honors including Dow
Chemical's Valuing Diversity
Award, The Retention Excellence
Award, Certificate of Apprecia
tion from the Texas Higher Educa
tion Coordinating Board for con
sistently increasing minority and
enrollment and retention from
1983 -1989.
S. to command Clinton makes inaugural plans
UNITED NATIONS - U.S.
ilitary commanders will have to
ve up the free rein they had in
e Persian Gulf War and accept
>tne U.N. oversight of troops in
imalia, diplomats said Wednes-
oreign relief effort
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
But a U.S. draft resolution for
e Security Council leaves the
)or open for a U.S. general to
>mmand a proposed American
rce in the famine-wracked na-
>n. Diplomats also said daily op-
ations will probably be left to
Id commanders.
"The United States is likely to
commanding the operation,"
r David Hannay, Britain's am-
ssador, told reporters on Tues-
iy. Pentagon sources have said
,000 to 20,000 U.S. troops might
! sent to Somalia to get food to
more than 1 million Somalis
threatened by starvation. The
Bush administration had offered
up to 30,000 troops.
An international relief opera
tion has been hamstrung by feud
ing Somali warlords and bandits
in the lawless East African nation.
The State Department says 1,000
people in Somalia are dying every
day of starvation and disease.
The death toll already exceeds
300,000.
The draft resolution is part of a
compromise Washington is forg
ing to win the support of China,
which has threatened to veto a
free-wheeling U.S.-led operation.
African nations are also worried
about U.S. domination of their
continent.
The compromise was one of the
issues to be discussed in a closed-
door Security Council meeting
Wednesday.
WASHINGTON — President-elect Clinton
will start his inaugural celebration with a
trademark bus trip and end it with a White
House open house, mixing invitation-only af
fairs with lots of free events for ordinary
Americans, organizers said Wednesday.
Clinton wants "an open inaugural, an acces
sible inaugural and a dignified inaugural,"
said Democratic National Committee Chair
man Ronald H. Brown, who also chairs the
Presidential Inaugural Committee.
"It very much reflects the kind of campaign
that Bill Clinton and A1 Gore ran."
The five days of festivities — running Jan.
17-21 — will cost less than $20 million, paid for
by private contributions and sales of tickets
and souvenirs. Brown said.
There will be at least eight free events, in
cluding a concert and fireworks at the Lincoln
Memorial, an outdoor festival nearby on the
Capital mall, as well as several events aimed at
young people.
Clinton will cap Inauguration Day, Jan. 20,
with 10 invitation-only, black-tie balls for
about 65,000 people. Tickets will sell for $125.
But Brown said the bus trip Jan. 17 — not
the balls — will set the tone.
The ride will begin at Thomas Jefferson's
Virginia home, Monticello, and be a mini-ver
sion of Clinton's campaign bus tours, complete
with stops along the way and a well-publi
cized route so crowds can gather by the road
side.
The decision to begin the festivities outside
the capital was designed to show the inaugur
al is not just a Washington insiders' affair, com
mittee members said.
"It is not just meant to signify what touched
the American people during the course of the
campaign but to really touch American history
and the fact that it is more than just what hap
pens in Washington but how we bring our na
tion and our people together," said Brown.
When Clinton arrives in Washington, he
will go to the Lincoln Memorial for a public
concert and fireworks.
Like Clinton, both Jefferson and Abraham
Lincoln were presidents "at a time when gov
ernment and the people were estranged," not
ed Rahm Emanuel, the committee's co-direc-
tor.
Clinton's middle name ^Iso happens to be
Jefferson, and 1993 marksithe 250th anniver
sary of Jefferson's birth. i
The day after his swearing in, Clinton and
his wife, Hillary, will wind up the inaugural
festivities by welcoming dhj^ public to the
White House. f %
"We hope that as many people as can fit
show up," said spokesman George
Stephanopoulos, from transition headquarters
in Little Rock, Ark.
The theme of the inauguration, "American
Reunion — New Beginnings, Renewed Hope,"
is designed to echo Clinton campaign themes
of coming together and healing divisions.
The campaign will also be remembered Jan.
18 when the Clintons host an "American Citi
zen's Lunch" for some of the people whose
lives and stories touched them during their
campaign travels. Brown said.
Clinton's undergraduate alma mater,
Georgetown University, will be the site of a re
ception for the diplomatic community that
same day.
Organizers did not announce the names of
performers at any of the events, but Emanuel
said producer Quincy Jones would put togeth
er the concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
. Singers Judy Collins and Barbra Streisand
have been mentioned as possible performers at
inaugural galas.