The Battalion
Vol. 92 No. 81 (10 pages) “Serving Texas A&M Since 1893” Wednesday, January 27,1993
Market remains calm during IBM
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — The stock mar
ket closed modestly higher Tues
day after a heady blue-chip rally
fizzled.
The market got a jump start
See Business Page 3
with news that IBM would slash
its quarterly dividend and replace
its top executive. IBM, a compo
nent of the Dow, surged to 531 /4,
propelling the key index sharply
higher.
But while the timing of the an
nouncement came as a surprise,
the dividend cut had been widely
expected, and that the embattled
computer maker would replace
John Akers after posting a record
Compaq counters competitor's record
loss with report of substantial growth
$5 billion loss for 1992 also ap
peared logical.
IBM eventually sold off, end
ing the day at 49, up just 1/8.
"After that burst of excitement,
there was little justification for
IBM to barrel higher," said Eu
gene Peroni, an analyst with Jan-
ney Montgomery Scott in
Philadelphia.
Computer-triggered buy pro
grams kicked in after the IBM an
nouncement, but by the end of the
session, sell programs were
dumping stocks and traders were
taking profits.
"It was fairly orderly buying
and selling," said Richard Meyer,
head of equity trading at Laden-
burg, Thalmann & Co. He charac
terized the selloff as a "normal
consolidation."
There was an unusually heavy
supply of corporate news, with a
steady stream of earnings and re
structuring announcements.
"Everyone went off on their own,
chasing news in different direc
tions," Meyer said.
Compaq Computer Corp. said
Tuesday its profit rose 33 percent
in the fourth quarter and 63 per
cent for the year, increases execu
tives credited to stronger sales
and cost-cutting.
The Houston-based personal
computer maker earned $89 mil
lion, or $1.10 per share, in the
three months ended Dec. 31. A
year earlier, Compaq earned $67
million, or 77 cents per share.
Sales during the quarter were
$1.4 billion, up 60 percent from
$873 million from a year earlier.
For the year, Compaq earned
$213 million, or $2.52 a share, up
from $131 million, or $1.49 a
share, in 1991.
Sales totaled $4.1 billion in
1992, compared to $3.3 billion in
1991.
The company shipped more
than twice the number of PCs in
the fourth quarter of 1992 as it did
a year earlier and is backlogged
into this year, chief executive Eck-
hard Pfeiffer said.
The company started 80 new
products, upgraded support and
doubled sales locations in 1992, he
said.
The company's sales grew
worldwide in 1992, but especially
in Japan, Latin America and the
Pacific Rim, Pfeiffer said.
"We've seen record-setting de
mand for our entire product line
since June when we began imple
menting our new strategy of offer
ing price-leading products that
feature Compaq quality and the
best service and support in the in
dustry," he said.
Operating expenses as a per
cent of sales dropped from 26 per
cent in the fourth quarter of 1991
to 16 percent for the same three
months of 1992, the lowest level in
Compaq history.
Compaq, the world's fourth-
storm
largest computer maker, an
nounced last October it would
eliminate about 10 percent of its
worldwide work force, or about
1,000 employees.
The company about a year ear
lier laid off 1,400 workers and em
barked on a low-cost PC strategy
after reporting the first loss in its
10-year history.
Pfeiffer said although it could
be necessary to balance employees
in different areas at Compaq, no
more major layoffs were in sight.
"We have taken the necessary
steps in restructuring the business
to meet the needs of the '90s,"
Pfeiffer said.
"You see us on such a strong
growth trend now that we really
need the people we have on
board."
IEN LOCKARD/The Battalion
Dr. Joe Novak, a professor in horticultural techniques, places therapy. Novak said that while some classes participate in
plant names in front of specimens to be used in his horticulture gardening work at local halfway house, most of the students
301 and 302 classes. These classes are taken by students who garden for leisure activity,
want to become master gardeners or by students who garden for
Bryan resident aims to change politics
By JEFF GOSMANO
The Battalion
Lou Zaeske, independent U.S.
Senate candidate and Bryan resi
dent, said his campaign will focus
on voters who are irritated with
the two-party system and special-
interest groups.
"I am trying to target the inde
pendent voters in the state who
vote for persons and not parties,"
said Zaeske, who is vying for
Lloyd Bentsen's vacated Senate
seat in a special election May 1.
Bentsen gave up the seat to serve
as secretary of the treasury.
"I am aiming for Americans,
citizens and voters in this state
who work and pay taxes and have
felt ripped off by big money inter
est groups," he said.
Former independent presiden
tial candidate Ross Perot's sup
port in the previous election
shows that voters are upset with
the two major parties, and inde
pendent candidates are now an
acceptable alternative, Zaeske
said.
Like Perot, Zaeske said he can
change the political process be
cause he is a Washington outsider
who will not answer to special-in
terest groups.
"If citizens of the state want
more of the 'inside the beltway'
mentality, they should vote for Joe
Barton or Jack Fields," Zaeske
said.
Dr. James E. Anderson, profes
sor of political science, said Za
eske lacks political organization.
"I don't know that he has any
real political organization," An
derson said.
"He draws on support of like-
minded individuals."
Anderson said he recognizes
Zaeske from the 1990 Texas Sen
ate race and Zaeske's involvement
in the official-English movement
which would make English the of
ficial language of businesses and
government.
Dr. Warren A. Dixon, assistant
professor of political science,
agrees that Zaeske is identified
with the English-only movement.
"My impression is that Zaeske
is tagged with the English-only
movement," Dixon said. "So that
gets him classified as odd,
strange, bizarre and even fringe."
"Once you get tagged, fairly or
unfairly, with a single issue," he
said, "Its hard to shake that im
age, particularly if you've run in a
previous election."
Zaeske said although he does
not have the name identification
of Joe Barton and Jack Fields,
name identification does not win
elections.
"George Bush has broad based
name identification but wasn't
elected," Zaeske said. "Name ID
is not the whole story."
A&M schedules
assault hearing
By GINA HOWARD
The Battalion
A formal hearing will be held
Thursday to investigate claims by
a female member or the Corps of
Cadets that a senior male cadet
sexually assaulted and sexually
harassed her, Texas A&M Univer
sity announced Tuesday.
The female cadet, a sophomore
whose name has not been re
leased, filed an incident report
with the University Police Depart
ment on Dec. 14.
She stated in the report that
she was raped last April and was
sexually harassed this fall by the
same male cadet who is a member
of the Aggie Band.
She decided to file an incident
report because she had reason to
believe the suspect was consider
ing the same type of harassment
toward a freshman female cadet,
according to the incident report.
Dr. John J. Koldus, vice presi
dent for student services, said in a
press release that the matter was
first brought to the University's
attention on Dec. 7 and an investi
gating officer from the Office of
the Commandant was then ap
pointed to follow up on the re
ported incident.
"The young woman met with
the officer on Dec. 11 and subse
quently filed a report with the
University Police Department on
Dec. 14," Koldus said. "I want to
reaffirm that Texas A&M Univer
sity will not tolerate sexual ha
rassment or discrimination of any
kind."
The accused cadet has been
temporarily suspended from lead
ership responsibilities in the
Corps and has been notified of the
allegations, he said.
Bob Wiatt, director of universi
ty police, said UPD is not in
volved in the hearing or the in
vestigation in any way.
"All we did is take her state
ment," Wiatt said. "She said she
did not want any criminal
charges, so at that point all we are
is a reporter to the Commandant
of the incident."
Minority recruitment
State to examine schools' race relations
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — State officials will
examine minority recruitment
and race relations at Texas' public
colleges and universities in the
wake of racist incidents and con
cerns about stagnant black enroll
ment.
Andrew Melontree of Tyler, a
member of the Texas Higher Edu
cation Coordinating Board, said
the inquiry is in response to new
figures that show minorities are
underrepresented in college en
rollment compared with their to
tal of the state population.
He also said that a recent surge
in racial incidents at some univer
sities has heightened the concern.
"Historically, it has been a
problem retaining and graduating
minority students," Melontree
said. "The numbers remain unim
pressive."
From 1983 to 1991, black stu
dent enrollment increased from 9
percent to 9.2 percent of total en
rollment in Texas public colleges
and universities. Blacks represent
12 percent of the state population.
The number of Hispanic stu
dents increased from 13.3 percent
to 18 percent. Hispanics are about
26 percent of the state population.
"We should all be concerned
about this," said Dr. Carlos
Godinez of McAllen, a member of
the Coordinating Board. "If we
look at the entire issue of educa
tion, we see that minorities are se
verely underrepresented in the
master's and doctoral programs,
in health care, research and engi
neering programs."
In addition, some Coordinat
ing Board members have issued a
statement saying they were ap
palled by the "racial incidents,
slurs and stereotyping that con
tinue to occur on some of our
campuses of public higher educa
tion without serious interven
tion."
State Rep. Ron Wilson, D-
Houston, has proposed bills that
See Minority/Page 7
Support group to explore myths
By JASON COX
The Battalion
A new program will focus on helping men
adjust to newer, non-traditional roles and
overcoming the taboos of having close rela
tionships.
"Men in the Nineties" is an exploratory
support group sponsored by the Department
of Educational Psychology's Counseling Psy
chology Program.
"A lot of men are finding that the ways they
have been brought up to act, think and feel
aren't really that appropriate anymore —
things like being competitive, being the bread
winner," said doctoral student Rod Hetzel
said. "Being the dominant person in the rela
tionship are causing men a lot of stress these
days."
The program is led by Hetzel and doctoral
student Debbie Barton under the supervision
of psychologist Dr. Donna Davenport.
Men often see women as their only source
of intimacy and tend to have "stereotypical"
relationships with other men, Hetzel said.
"Playing hoops and playing cards, these are
real appropriate friendships and are real satis
fying in a lot of cases," he said, "but a lot of
times men feel that there is something lacking
in those relationships so they look to women
for some true intimacy and true compassion."
The men's movement has been the object of
some spoofing in the media, Hetzel said, and
many people don't see the need for a men's
study program.
Still, the time is right to explore issues such
as communication, trust, intimacy and family
life in hopes of making men feel more comfort
able with themselves, Hetzel said.
Dr. Wendy Stock, assistant professor of psy
chology, said she feels men are laboring under
myths which society has perpetuated.
"It is unfortunate that the development of a
men's support group has lagged behind
women's," she said. "I would be supportive of
the group as a psychologist and a feminist."
Hetzel and Barton are conducting inter
views for the group throughout January and
February. They are looking for "people who
are interested in examining how being a man
affects their lives and people who are having
difficulties with various issues."
Hetzel said, "We're not asking anyone to
change what they believe in or what they val
ue. We're just asking people to take a look
and then make a decision about whether
they're willing to live that way."
The program consists of five or six meetings
centered around different themes, such as
work or competition.
Inside...
Aggie Baseball
preview
Page5
"Give your
attitude some
latitude"
Page 9