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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1993)
□ Campus Elections ‘93 The Battalion Vol. 92 No. 120 (10 pages) 1893 - A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993 Tuesday, March 30,1993 News Briefs — Police say Railey 'out of character' SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A Dallas police officer described ex- minister Walker Railey Monday as preoccupied and unconcerned about his wife the night she was brutalized and left near death. "It was just totally uncaring, like he had more important things going on at the time than the care and well-being of his wife," the officer, R.A. Spain, said. He portrayed Railey's de meanor as "out of character." Outside the courtroom, defense lawyer Doug Mulder told re porters that there is no norm for how somebody would act under the circumstances that existed that night. He said anything Railey did would later have been termed suspicious. "I think ... whatever he did in retrospect could be looked on as unusual or curious," Mulder con tended. Spain's testimony came during the second week of Railey's trial on charges that he attempted to choke his wife to death six years ago at the couple's suburban Dal las home. — Koresh continues negotiation talks WACO (AP) — Apocalyptic prophet David Koresh is talking once again to negotiators, but he isn't saying if he and his followers will leav£ their heavily armed compound, the FBI said Monday. After ignoring authorities for 8 days, Koresh spent about two I hours talking to officials Sunday, I said FBI agent Richard Swensen. "He was back into being a little I bit more positive in terms of end- 1 ing this," Swensen said. "He was I talking more in terms of mechan- 1 ics of coming out of the com pound. I would emphasize that that's what he's been saying. There's been no activity or action on his behalf that would back that up. "But at least the conversation was positive." Earlier, FBI agent Bob Ricks said authorities were concerned that Koresh was becoming delu sional and may order a mass sui cide. Negotiators continue to press for a face-to-face meeting with Ko resh but he has so far refused, Swensen said Monday morning. But late in the afternoon, a man drove up to the compound on a motorcycle, knocked on the door and was briefly greeted by a cult member. Television cameras showed the man sitting outside, apparently talking to someone in side. r 1 Kurds find secret mass grave in Iraq NEW YORK (AP) - A secret mass grave containing hundreds of bodies was found last week on the site of a former Iraqi army headquarters at Irbil in northern Iraq, two humanitarian organiza tions reported Monday. Local Kurds looking for scrap among ruins of a military complex found the grave, the first found in an area not under Iraqi control, ac cording to Middle East Watch, a division of Human Rights Watch, and Physicians for Human Rights. The groups said the find under scored the importance of human rights researchers having access to all Iraq. A memorandum signed by Iraq and the United Nations, allowing such exploration by non-govern mental organizations, expires this Wednesday and may well not be renewed by Iraq, they noted. Andrew Whitley, executive di rector of Middle East Watch, told The Associated Press that the area formerly was headquarters of the Iraqi 5th Army Corps in what now is the "no fly zone" of northern Iraq, home of most of Iraqi Kurds. Education leaders call for income tax funding for schools Association of Texas Professional Educators voice opposition to school finance amendment THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN — One of the state's largest teacher groups Monday announced its opposition to the proposed school finance constitutional amendment. Instead, its leaders said the time has come for an in come tax to fund education. The 58,000-member Association of Texas Professional Educators said Amendment 1 on the May 1 ballot was politically expedient for legislators but not what is best for school children. "It is not the best we can do for now, and our children deserve much better," said ATPE President Cathy Fletcher, a computer teacher from the Frehship ISD near Lubbock. Fletcher said more than 90 percent of the ATPE's 900-member House of Dele gates voted over the weekend to oppose all three school-related amendments on the ballot. "ATPE delegates also voted to support a progressive state income tax, but only if it is dedicated completely to public edu cation with the understanding that prop erty taxes and sales taxes must be re duced," she said. "They are willing to bite the bullet, for whatever it takes, to dedicate funds for public education," added Doug Rogers, the group's executive director. Amendment 1 would create a system for shifting some local property tax mon ey from property rich school districts to poorer ones. It was designed to meet a June 1 deadline set by the Texas Supreme Court after its latest ruling that Texas dis criminated against property poor dis tricts. Although Gov. Ann Richards and oth er state leaders say they believe the court will close schools June 1 if the amend ment fails, Fletcher said the Legislature still will be in session and other action can be taken. "The session is not over on May 1. It's time for our leadership to get in there and get the job done," she said. Margaret Justus, spokeswoman for the pro-amendment Save Our Schools com mittee, said other teacher groups have backed the proposal. By favoring an in come tax, she said, ATPE has chosen a po litically impossible option. "What's on the ballot is an opportunity to put this issue behind us. It's an issue that's been battled in the Legislature and the courts for the past 25 years," Justus said. See Funding/Page 10 Finishing touches /OHN BARTRAM/Fhe Battalion Theater arts major Craig Breashears puts the Performances of the play will be held today finishing touches on the sets that will be used for through Saturday, the Aggie Players production of the play "Harvey." Greenpeace Activist expresses concern on use of nuclear power as energy source By JEFF GOSMANO The Battalion Individuals must be creative and committed in developing sources of energy because nuclear power and oil are not viable energy sources in the long run, a Greenpeace activist said Mon day before a meeting of MSC Great Issues. Christopher Childs, a writer, actor and Greenpeace activist since 1988, said that one of the organization's goals is to make people realize "if we wanted to, we could begin running the country tomorrow on 25 per cent of the energy we are currently using." Society has become addicted to oil be cause it is used to make everything from gasoline to the dye that appears in clothing, he said. However, oil will not work in the long run because it will eventually run out, he said. Childs also voiced his opposition to nuclear power. It is the nastiest way to produce energy because the waste is not easily eliminated, he said. "Some of the waste is hot for 200,000 years," he said. "How do we label a waste dump so people 200,000 years from now know what's in the dump?" Childs See Greenpeace/Page 2 Baseball tonight #3 Aggies go for 30th win DAVID WINDER The Battalion After using 11 pitchers in three days, the Aggies (29-3) are hoping that the tandem of Chris Clemons and Kelly Wunsch can give two strong performances in tonight's double header at Olsen Field against Mary-Hardin Baylor starting at 5. See Baseball/Page 2 Perot hosts forum for Senate election THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN — Twenty candidates in the May 1 special election for U.S. Senate tried to stand out during a forum Monday host ed by former independent presidential candidate Ross Perot. "Be sure to vote and vote your conscience," Perot said in kicking off the United We Stand America meeting before about 1,000 people at the Bass Concert Hall on the University of Texas-Austin campus. Most of the candidates tried to separate themselves from the pack by saying they would help the economy and restore in tegrity to Congress. Several of the lesser-known candidates said the more well- known candidates offered business as usual, especially in the taking of political action committee money. See Perot/Page 10 Contract deadline Date set for on-campus residents to renew or cancel housing for 1993-94 academic year ]OHN BARTRAM/The Battalion Valerie Divin, an R.A. in Clements Hall, discusses the residence hall contracts with Brian Beech. By SHELIA VELA The Battalion Students presently living on campus must renew or cancel their housing for the 1993-94 academic year Wednesday and Thursday, said housing office supervisor, Kathy Durso. "Anyone who is living on campus, whether they want to renew housing or not, must talk to their resident director," said Kathy Durso, housing office supervisor. "Those who are not returning to on-campus housing must cancel their housing to receive the refund on their deposit." Each residence hall will have tables set up from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for students to either re quest a hall change, request a room change within the same hall or cancel their contracts for next semester. Posters or signs should be posted to indi cate the exact location of where residents need to go to fill out the appropriate papers, said Durso. Some of the halls are having floor meetings to inform their residents what they need to do, she said. "Those living off-campus who want to live on-campus for the upcoming academic year must go to the housing office located in the YMCA building, fill out an application and put down a deposit," she said. Students will be notified of their new hall or room changes by late April or early May. If students have any questions, they should go to their individual resident director. Lifestyles •Unforgiven ropes in 4 Oscars •Album, movie reviews Page 3 Voters Guide ‘93 •Sample Ballot •Student Body President, senior yell leaders •Junior yell leaders, RHA presidents, information, referendum Page 5-8 Opinion ►Editorial endorsement <^f student body presidental candidate p age 9 jmm