The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 77, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 24, 1983 Page: 1 of 6
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: North Texas Daily / The Campus Chat and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Special Collections.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The North Texas Daily
H Thursday, February 24, 1983
North Texas State University, Denton, Texas
66th Year No. 77
i
Senators push original form of funding bill
By CHRIS KORNMAN
Staff Writer
Two Texas senators said they believe
the Senate will approve the original form
of a proposed constitutional amendment
that would provide permanent funding for
construction at universities not under the
Permanent University Fund.
SEN. CARL PARKER, O-Port Arthur
and co-author of the bill, said the origi-
nal bill has an excellent chance of get-
ting through the Senate, although the
House passed an amended version of an
identical bill Tuesday.
The fund would finance construction,
repair, capital expenses and library ma-
terials for non-PUF schools—those not
in the UT-Austin and Texas A&M Uni-
versity school systems—including NT and
Texas Woman's University. The amend-
ment would also require that the PUF be
(*-
expanded to cover schools within the UT
and Texas A&M systems.
THE HOUSE members reduced fund-
ing provided for in the original bill from
$125 million to $75 million a year and
allowed for the Legislature or an agency
appointed by the Legislature to oversee
university construction projects.
The House bill removed a cost escala-
tor that would allow the fund to increase
with an increase in a price index, and
called for an April 30 election on the
amendment rather than a general election
in November.
The House also amended the bill to
allow universities to increase tuition if
funds from the new fund are not enough.
Sen. Bob McFarland. R-Arlington and
co-author of the original bill. said. “I
think tuition increases are inevitable. The
questions arc when and how much?"
The bill will not be responsible for rais-
ing tuitions. McFarland said. "We haven't
had a tuition increase in more than a dec-
ade and the cost of running state schools
has doubled in that time. A tuition in-
crease is inevitable."
The House version is now in the Sen-
ate Education Committee and the Senate
will try to restore the hill as closely as
possible to its original form, McFarland
said. The original bill’s chances of pass-
ing are favorable.
Rep. Jim Horn. R-Lewisville. who
voted for approval of the bill, said he
didn't know what to expect from a con-
ference committee, which he said he
believes would follow the Senate's pas-
sage of the bill.
PARKER SAID "We will try to get
it back to $125 million and I would like
some opportunity for the Legislature to
increase the fund if the cost of living
increases. I would like to relate it to some
sort of price index."
Rep. Hugo Berlanga, R-Corpus Christi,
who motioned to cut the fund, said the
bonding authority the amendment estab-
lished for the schools, could allow them
to triple the amount of the fund.
Horn said he voted in favor of the cut
after a debate on how much money uni-
versities need for construction convinced
him that the $125 million for construc-
tion would cause faculty salaries to suffer.
"We felt the $75 million would pass,”
Horn said "We have to do things that
are reasonable.”
Horn said the original $125 million was
an inflexible amount. "The Senate is
saying, 'All you get is $125 million.’”
THE HOUSE reduced the fund be-
cause the bonding authority would allow
schools to increase construction money,
Horn said.
Sen Ray Farabee, D-Wichita f alls,
said he has reservations about any fur-
ther dedication of general revenue. "If
you must dedicate, dedicate to faculty
or research. That’s your university, not
the buildings."
Farabee said he favors dedicating a part
of the PUF to all universities. "I would
favor sharing part of PUF with NT, TWU
and the other schools. There’s enough
money for construction
He said it would be unrealistic to pass
the bill without the cost escalator amend-
ment, but that it was also just another
way to dedicate funds. "The problem with
dedications,” he said, "is that you can't
project what needs will be 10 or 20 years
from now.”
Universities argue the need ot a per-
manent funding to plan. Farabee said,
but said he must consider the variety of
projects in the state
He said he is undecided whether to
vote in favor of the amendment. ”1 may—
it depends on the content and the
amount. ”
AN APRIL ELECTION may make
the amendment unpopular with voters be-
cause. Farabee said, "by April we will
probably either raise taxes or start cut-
ting the budget" Citizens would not like
the idea of funding university construc-
tion with higher taxes “By November
we could gear up publicity (for the
amendment),” he said.
McFarland said an April election could
cause the bill's defeat because of voters
uneducated about it.
He said the House approved an April
election because the Legislature needs to
know whether to appropriate funds to uni-
versities for construction. "If schools are
not under PUF or the new fund, then
the Legislature needs to make some pro-
visions for those schools.”
'IC'WPP
- 'H
s
r I
t -
" i
l
w*
Proposal spreads fee
to cash gas customers
m
4
/
/
A
Photo by GINA JURIK
MI-MI-MI-AND YOU—Robert Smart, Carrollton freshman, left,
and Wayne Kemp, Valdosta, Ga., graduate student, right, prac-
tice singing in the Music Building Opera Hall. Both are voice
majors.
By LUANN DUNLAP
Staff Writer
Proposals to bun a credit card processing fee,
charged by some oil companies, force the cash-paying
consumer to subsidize credit card costs. Chuck
Yoakum of Texas Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Asso-
ciation said Wednesday.
"Oil companies need some way to recoup credit
card costs, and the processing fee is it,” he said.
“If the fee is eliminated, we’ll be back to the old
days when the cash-paying customer subsidized the
credit card customer.”
A 3 percent processing fee is deducted from each
credit ticket submitted to major companies by gaso-
line retailers and wholesalers, Yoakum said. With-
out processing fees, the cost of credit is added to the
wholesale price of gasoline and both cash and credit
customers pay the same price for gasoline.
THE PROCESSING fee is not uniform, he said.
‘Some companies utilize it, some recover credit costs
through wholesale gas prices without collecting a fee
and others offer no credit at all.” Mobil, Exxon,
Conoco, Texaco and Shell are among the major oil
companies that levy the surcharge.
The retailer currently has an option, he said. "He
can offer a discount to the cash-paying customer.
Yoakum said "which is usually preferred by custom-
ers since 70 percent of all gas is paid in cash; or he
can distribute credit card costs to all customers
equally.”
Two non-companion bills that would abolish the
fee have been introduced to the Legislature. The House
bill, introduced in early February by Rep. Hugo
Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi. has been referred to the
Committee on Business and Commerce. The Senate
bill, introduced by Sen. Kent Caperton of Bryan is
currently in the Committee on State Affairs.
Yoakum said Mid-Continent, which comprises 3500
members, opposes the legislation because it destroys
a company’s marketing option, "If the right to im-
pose the surcharge is taken away, the company will
be forced to raise wholesale gas prices or prices on
credit card transactions to cover rising credit costs.”
IF THE FEE is eliminated "we’ll have the 70
percent subsidizing the .30 percent,” he said.
The government has no right to regulate the gas
and oil market, he said. "We think it’s terribly, ter-
ribly inappropriate for the government to try to do
this." Yoakum said. "Now that prices have been
I
“If the fee is eliminated, we’II be
back to the old days when the cash-
paying customer subsidized the
credit card customer.’’
—Yoakum
deregulated and are going down, and will continue
to go down, the government comes in on the scene.
And it generally screws things up when it gets hold
of them."
The oil and gas industries are being treated piece-
meal. he said. "Other credit card companies—Visa
and Mastercard—charge a processing fee, and no
one questions their right. W'e don't understand why
the gas industry credit should be separated like that.”
Yoakum said several consumer-conscious groups
oppose the proposed legislation to ban the fees, in-
cluding the League of United Latin American Citi-
zens. the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People and the American Association of
Retired People.
Suit cites airline
Tape indicates rate fix
WASHINGTON (AP)—The gov-
ernment filed an antitrust suit Wednesday
against American Airlines, charging that
the president of the fourth largest U.S.
air carrier told the head of Braniff Air-
ways to raise his fares 20 percent and
“I’ll raise mine the next morning.”
American’s president. Robert L.
Crandall, also was charged in an indict-
ment which purportedly quoted verbatim
a telephone conversation sprinkled with
profanity.
The civil suit asks that a federal court
prohibit Crandall from working as pres-
ident "or in any other position having
pricing responsibility or authority" for
American or any other airline for two
years No criminal charges were filed in
the case.
American's chairman. Albert V. Casey,
said from the airline's Dallas headquar-
ters that the Justice Department complaint
was entirely unjustified and predicted that
the government's case would be soundly
repudiated in court.
Braniff, also with headquarters in
Dallas, declined comment. Braniff Pres-
ident Howard Putnam was out of town
and Vice President Philip Guthrie would
say only that Braniff had been told the
suit would be filed.
BRANIFF, WHICH shut down its op-
erations last May and filed for reorgani-
zation under federal bankruptcy laws, was
not charged.
The government lawsuit quoted verba-
tim from a telephone conversation be-
tween Crandall and Putnam on Feb. I.
1982. The suit did not say how the Jus-
tice Department obtained the quotations,
but American spokesman Al Becker said
Putnam had secretly taped the con-
versation .
According to the complaint. Crandall
said it was "dumb as hell" for the two
airlines to pound each other for passen-
gers over the same routes "and neither
one of us making a dime.”
Putnam replied, according to the suit,
that it was American that was putting
the heat on Braniff over certain routes.
"You better believe it. Howard."
Crandall said. ", There's no reason that
I can see. all right, to put both compa-
nies out of business."
Putnam: "But if you’re going to over-
lay every route of American’s on top of
every route that Braniff has—I can’t just
sit here and allow you to bury us with-
out giving our best effort.”
Crandall: "Oh sure, but Eastern and
Delta do the same thing in Atlanta and
have for years."
Putnam: "Do you have a suggestion
for me?”
Crandall: "Yes. I have a suggestion
for you. Raise your damn fares 20 per-
cent. I'll raise mine the next morning.
Putnam: “Robert, we ...”
Crandall: "You’ll make more money
and I will, too.”
PUTNAM: “WE can’t talk about
pricing.”
Crandall: "Oh, bullshit. Howard. We
can talk about any damn thing we want
to talk about."
The Justice Department had been in-
vestigating allegations that American had
engaged in anti-competitive behavior.
Elliott Seiden, chief of the transportation
section of the department's antitrust di-
vision. said that investigation is now
closed.
Assistant Attorney General William F.
Baxter, chief of the antitrust division, said
he decided not to bring criminal charges
against American because of difficulties
under Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust
Act. which prohibits monopolization.
Baxter said Section I of the law pro-
hibits price fixing, "but there was never
an agreement to fix prices in the case."
Artists sculpt
Union landscape
t.v.
'NX
Nk:
<• T
-V
~
YrV
By CAROLE JANSEN
Daily Reporter
Twelve new sculptures near the
University Union were created in an
effort on the part of the an department
to show the size and scale of its work.
Henry Zinck of the art faculty said.
The sculptures were created by
Zinck and Barrett DeBusk, Talla-
hassee, Fla., graduate student.
The works are on display to show
the NT and Denton community the
type of work art students do in the
sculpture laboratory, and to make the
campus more interesting, DeBusk said.
The pieces are "purposely ambig-
uous symbols that are meant to orna-
ment the landscape." he said. The two
artists, along w ith four friends, spent
five hours Saturday placing the sculp-
tures around the Union.
The pieces will be displayed through
March 30, Leslie Kregcl, arts and
crafts manager of the Union, said. The
display is the first of its kind at NT.
and such displays may become annual
events, she said.
Kregel worked with the artists and
the Union Program Council to arrange
for the display of the sculptures.
Zinck said the sculptures have "no
direct relationship to any one society
or movement in art. but are based on
enhancing a simple geometric form
to create a totally new symbol; one
that still retains its relationships to
thousands of years of ail; and one that
hopefully will retain a meaning to
viewers thousands of years in the
future.”
Zinck and DeBusk spent from three
days to three months on each sculp-
ture. he said. Zinck spent four years
creating four of the pieces and DeBusk
spent two years creating the remaining
eight works.
Two of DeBusk's works, "Endless
Cycles" and "Security Gained—
Freedom Lost," have moving parts.
Both works are on the northeast cor-
ner of the Union.
DeBusk said his works "deal with
society’s manipulation of nature and
man’s dual relationship with both nat-
ural and industrial environments." The
stones wrapped in iron represent man
trying to get out of society's con-
finements.
Two of Zinck’s works are painted
blue—“Offspring” and "Back 2
Blue. " Both are on the north and east
sides of the building.
His most recent works deal with
geometric forms that are altered in
some way. He said his "Pyramid,”
on the Union's east side, emphasizes
the power of the pyramid, but at the
same time negates that power. The
pyramid is impaled at the top with
rods.
One of the works is aluminum, the
remaining 11 arc of stone and iron
bars. They are purposely rusted to
show the "truth of the metals” and
to prove that they are iron. Zinck said
Zinck said he has been interested
in this type of sculpture since 1978.
when he began working w ith iron in
blacksmith works as a graduate stu-
dent at NT. He has displayed his work
at the NT Faculty Exhibition from
1981 to 1983. at the 15th and 16th
Annual National Small Sculpture Ex-
hibitions. and at the Invitational 1982
Luncheon Museum in Longview.
f'
Lr t •
79
ill
u»
; .
'•er- -I
Epg
7"
£ ■
'•**
|Vv-
>v' ,
Photo by BOB WARD
Michael O'Bannion and Marci Friedberg observe a
new sculpture outside the University Union
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View three places within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 77, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 24, 1983, newspaper, February 24, 1983; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth723732/m1/1/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.