Hattiesburg American from Hattiesburg, Mississippi • 3

TATE LOCAL Thursday, July 31, 1986 Hattiesburg AMERICAN 3 A USM's personal touch helps students State Roundup Enterprise runs safety check A drilling rig set up at Enterprise Products, is not drilling for oil but for escaping liquified petroleum gas, Enterprise emergency coordinator Frank Chapman said Wednesday. "We're doing some testing to see if there's any possibility that somebody's gas may have migrated under our property," Chapman said. He said the testing is "purely investigative" and declined to speculate -on the degree of danger if pockets of gas are found. The company's loading facility was leveled July 22 when LP gas escaping from a ruptured underground pipeline ignited, sending dirt, debris and a giant fireball hundreds of feet into the air and leaving behind a huge The pipeline, which officials said either disintegrated in the initial explosion or melted in the resulting fire, is believed to be owned by Delta Underground Storage. Court upholds Hattiesburg bond sale The Mississippi Supreme Court Wednesday upheld the legalitly of local and private legislation that allowed the City of Hattiesburg to issue $1.1 million in general obligation bonds last year to buy a building.

The bonds were issued to finance purchase of a building constructed by the Hattiesburg Area Development Corp. to be leased to an industry. The building has been leased by Hattiesburg Cable a manufacturer of auto wiring. The local and private legislation OK'd by the high court allowed the city to issue the bonds without a referendum unless 10 percent of the qualified electors petitioned for an election. According to the court's opinion, the city had 30,419 qualified voters when the bonds were issued in March 1985 but only 1,979 signed the petition calling for an election.

The challenge to the bond issue was filed by Wilson G. Brandon and Paul G.Smith. extracurricular activities. Durkee supervises. But he said, "We have to be made aware of the problems that occur with students.

Sometimes, students don't know that certain services exist. They don't know that there is counseling service, they don't know that there is financial aid or Job placement or a health clinic or what have you. We try our best to work with these people and get the word out." Durkee said successful student involvement in college activities may help improve student retention and completion rates, another challenge in the study. "The increasing number of students who are stopping in and out of college is alarming, and only half the students who start college ever graduate," the study says. "Only 30 to 40 percent of students graduate within four years from the college they entered as freshmen." Durkee said USM does not have a program particulary designed to improve retention, but he said it is achieving that purpose through various activities.

"If we can keep a person content and happy and pleased with the college experience we are not going to lose that person," he said. For example, USM is successfully meeting some of the needs of older students, expected to amount to half of the student population in 1992, through Services for Adult Students Organization, designed to assist adults to adjust to campus life. undergraduate education in times of political, economic and demographic changes in higher education. Many of the challenges deal with the quality of college life and the changing needs of students. "I have seen students in the last couple of years seem more interested in why they are getting in their classroom work what they are getting out of their classroom," Durkee said.

"At one time if the teacher didn't show for a class that was time for jubilation. Now they are concerned about getting their money's worth." The study says colleges must meet changing student needs which are reflected in student's lack of participation in college life outside the classrooms, the fact that students are taking longer to complete their studies, and the exaggerated emphasis being placed on attending college to improve employment chances at the expense of obtaining a well-rounded education. The study challenges universities to ensure greater involvement of all students in the undergraduate experience. "There is surely something going for everyone in this campus," Durkee said. "There are students that are involved in everything.

There are others who are not involved and some of the reasons for that are job responsibilities, family He said university officials have several programs in place, such as an active resident assistant's program, to get students involved in By SUSANA BELLIDO AMERICAN Stall Wrilar The University of Southern Mississippi has been able to maintain an atmosphere where students do not feel like a number, despite budget cuts and changes in the student body, a university official said. "I think that is one of our strengths; that you are not a number here," said Dr. Peter Durkee, USM vice-president for student affairs. "It's an open campus, it's a friendly campus. We are not big enough now that everybody is a number." But in times when college students' needs and problems are changing, "We have to make it easy for them to come to us," Durkee said.

"Our resources are people. We have that now. Perhaps we can't produce the number of brochures that we want to or perhaps people are going to have to wait to see somebody, but none of our programs has been drastically cut back so far. But with the lack of money, sometimes it's impossible to initiate new programs." Durkee said a report released recently by the Education Committee for the States called to his attention problems universities are now facing. "I guess there is nothing in the report that I'd say, 'Wow, this is something I never thought but then again, it's good to bring students to our attention all the time," Durkee said.

The report, released Friday by a commission of 20 educators from throughout the nation, proposed several challenges on the improvement of Newman takes fight to Senate United Way sets 1 987 goals The Forrest-Lamar United Way set a 1987 goal of $552,758 during its campaign cabinet meeting Wednesday. The fund drive begins with a Pacesetter Kick-off Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Canebrake and Sept. 17 at noon with a kick-off program at the Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center.

"The cabinet is the key to the success of the campaign," said Dexter Barr, 1987 campaign chairman. The cabinet also named new campaign leaders for 1987. "I am thrilled that these outstanding community leaders are providing direction and management to the campaign," Barr said. "Community involvement is very important to me," he said. "This is our home.

This is our community. We need to help make it a community we can be proud of a community that cares about everyone in it." Waynesboro loses power Wednesday WAYNESBORO Lightning may have been the cause of a 48-minute power outage in Waynesboro Wednesday, a Mississippi Power Company official said. Mississippi Power Manager James Jones in Waynesboro said about 850 city customers lost power at 8 54 a.m. Jones said a wire at Court Street and Turner Street near the Wells-Lamont Corporation caused the outage in central and southern Waynesboro. "Lightning from an earlier storm may have struck the line causing it to become weak," Jones said.

"The weakness caused a burnoff which cut the power to much of Waynesboro." Rodeo, test to start Aug. 1 COLUMBIA The 51st annual Earl Bascom Marion County Cattlemen's Association Tri-State Rodeo and Beef Festival will be Aug. 1-2. The two-day event will be at the Marion County Fairgrounds Arena, Highway 13 South in Columbia. Rodeo events include calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback riding, girl's barrel racing, team roping and bull riding.

Special events include wild cow saddling and mule races. Aug. 2 starts with a rodeo parade in downtown Columbia at 10 a.m., a beef cook-off at 1 p.m. and trade show at noon. The beef cook-off is outdoor grill cooking only and is open to everyone.

Cash awards and a first-place plaque will be awarded during the rodeo. Trade Show exhibit space is free to those wishing to exhibit farm-related products or other types of exhibits. For more information contact Ed Kendricks, 736-3944, Sam Fletcher, 736-4625, or Fred Baylis, 736-8251. By JOE ATKINS Gannett News Service WASHINGTON An 18-year-old physics major watched as Lucedale, inventor Joseph Newman angrily described a huge federal bureaucracy that threatened the nation's future by refusing to patent his "energy machine." "If young people in college see the same thing will happen to them that happened to Joe Newman, would they pursue it? No." Newman, 49, testified at Wednesday's packed hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Energy, Nuclear Proliferation and Government Processes. "Most people can't fight like I do.

I got a bulldog attitude." Steve Boiling, a freshman at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, was clearly impressed. "I think it's got great potential," he said about the energy machine. Standing nearby, 39-year-old unpatented inventor Eric Paul of Newberg, said Newman is a pathfinder. "He's fighting the system. I'm waiting to see how he goes through the system and then I'll take the shortcuts that he's provided," Paul said.

But, Newman is yet to find any QNS Photo INVENTOR JOSEPH NEWMAN demonstrates his committee on Energy, after a hearing Wednesday energy machine to Mississippi Sen. Thad in the Capitol. Newman claims the patent office Cochran, right, chairman of the Senate Sub-, refuses to give him a patent for the machine. machine. Newman claims the machine produces energy by harnessing the gyroscopic particles of a magnetic field.

It possesses unlimited potential for use in everything from automobiles to space travel, he said. The federal agencies say the machine doesn't produce any more energy than it consumes in other words, it doesn't work. shortcuts in the seven-year battle with the federal government that brought him to Capitol Hill Wednesday. Subcommittee Chairman and fellow Mississippian Thad Cochran, said he called the hearing to determine whether the U.S. Patent Office and National Bureau of Standards were unfair to Newman in their refusal to patent the energy "I think we're definitely going to see some action taken to see that these agencies are more responsive," Cochran said Wednesday.

"There's only one way that justice triumphs over evil and that is that somebody draws the line," said Newman, an untrained, self-proclaimed "backwoods" scientist. "I'm going to stick with this till hell free7.es over." Court orders school mergers Handful of people turns out for Camp Shelby meeting including what will happen to some central office personnel. Caston said he is optimistic most will not lose jobs since the agreement calls for the Madison County school board to hire Ridgeland employees "if positions are available." Madison County Superintendent Melvin Ray said, "I really don't look for there to be any problems. What was formerly in the district is now coming back." The Madison County School Board also quickly approved the agreement at an emergency meeting Tuesday evening. The proposed settlement was announced during the second day of a U.S.

District Court trial conducted to see if the two school districts should continue. Ridgeland sought to carve out its own school district from the county's district in July 1982, obtaining approval from the state Educational Finance Commission in November 1982. But the Madison-Ridgeland NAACP filed suit to block the split, claiming the creation of the Ridgeland district diluted black voting strength, impeded integration and deprived Madison County of the financial resources to supply quality education. Tuesday's settlement must still be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, as part of a 1969 federal desegregation order, but an agency attorney told U.S.

District Judge Tom S. Lee that such approval should be immediate. JACKSON (AP) The city of Ridgeland must take immediate action to reunite its school system with Madison County's, according to an agreement settling a federal lawsuit challenging the separation of the school systems. The agreement, formalized Tuesday, calls for the school districts to unite by Feb. 1, 1987, and complete the administrative and financial merger by July 1, 1987.

"I'm disappointed we did not prevail," said Bill Caston, board chairman of the Ridgeland Municipal Separate School District. The two districts were split in 1982. "We want to maintain stability and we are going to work to that goal." The Ridgeland school district, which first held classes in 1983, has about 2,000 students in three schools. The district includes the cities of Madison and Ridgeland and the immediate areas east and west of the two cities. A commercial development in Ridgeland provides a strong tax base.

The Madison County School District includes everything but the area of the Canton Municipal Separate School District. The Madison County system has about 1,800 students in four schools and a vocational center. Caston said the Ridgeland board approved the agreement unanimously Tuesday evening, but a lot of details still need to be discussed about the merger, area of Camp Shelby would require more acquisition of land. Lee said he had no information about the acquisition plans but would check on Gilley's question. Cantonment area projects include construction of motor pool latrines, a Regional Maintenance Training Site, a large warehouse to store the 400-bed field hospital for the Regional Medical Training Site, mock-ups to allow troops to practice loading ships and military transport aircraft, improved facilities for the NOO School and the Mississippi Military Academy, a compound to train soldiers to survive as prisoners of war, facilities for hand-to-hand combat training, obstacle courses, jump and rapcil tower and driving courses for wheeled and tracked vehicles.

Written continents can be sent to McU-llan, Office of the Adjutant General, Mississippi Military Department, P.O. Box 5027, Jackson, Miss. 39216-5027. current and proposed activities at Camp Shelby take place on DeSoto National Forest land. He said the National Guard's special use permit will expire in about two years.

"We asked them before that permit is renewed to prepare an environmental impact statement," Braddock said. David Wilson, administrative-assistant to Hattiesburg Mayor G.I). Williamson, read a statement on behalf of the city, praising the "long and mutually beneficial relationship" between the camp and the city since World War II. "Throughout this partnership, Camp Shelby has been a good neighbor," he said. He said city officials think the Camp Shelby EMAP is "more than adequate." Nathan Gilley, who said he has already lost 40 acres during Phase 4 of the Army Corps of Engineers' land acquisition for Camp Shelby, asked if proposed construction and improvements in the cantonment By JANET BRASWELL AMERICAN Stall Writer A public meeting Wednesday to discuss an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Camp Shelby drew few comments from the handful of people attending.

"We want to address potential negative and positive impacts as a result of this meeting," Major Robert Lee said. "We intend to develop an environmental management plan for Camp Shelby. We will address both on-going and proposed activities." Lee said the first draft of the Environmental Management Analysis Plan (EMAP) should be ready by early 1987 and will be followed by a second public meeting. He said the public is considered an important source of information in developing the plan. Despite the public importance, less than 25 people attended the meeting.

Bud Braddock, Mississippi superintendent of the National Forest Service, pointed out many of the What exactly is a so-called Conservative or Liberal? What is a Conservative! And what's a Liberal? Can most of us be catalogued as one or the other? I don't think so. Even though the so-called Liberals consider the so-called Conservatives descended from book burners and lynch-mobsters; and the Conservatives are inclined to conceive the other group as compulsive bleeding hearts who cannot resist an underdog and who would knock a sparrow in the head to save a hippopotamus. But how can you honestly categorize a person who likes Ronald Reagan and enjoys the music and ludicrous cavorting of Boy George? Most of us judge each situation within the the Doonesbury thing that I simply wasn't with it. She conceded I was capable of thought but added that I was "a few decades behind the rest of us." It was a legitimate complaint. I still yearn for running boards on automobiles and dumplings which are not made from Bisquick.

I admire shy girls and manly men. To me, male cowardice is not cute or "sensitive" or whatever. Yet I wear yellow pants made of parachute cloth. And I like Ronald Reagan and enjoy Boy George. So what am You tell me.

I've always wondered. klliott Chiixc, a novelist, is a former city editor of the American. Playboy. Anyway, my old friend chewed me out pretty good about the column. I mean he was truly steamed.

We're talking about a gent in his seventies who believes in homemade fudge and literal acceptance of the Old Testament and L.L. Bean walking shoes. A member of one of the town's older families he was raised to idolize Robert E. Iee and to accept the idea George Washington did not lie about the cherry tree. So, is he really a Conservative? Or is he a closet Liberal? We don't carry checklists to keep ourselves on track and assuredly we don't think of ourselves as favoring one camp or the other.

Most of us, that is. A local lady wrote me in connection with The other day an old friend of mine who is about as conservative as you can get in most areas jumped all over me because I wrote something uncomplimentary about Doonesbury. "Maybe I'm feeble-minded," he bellowed at me from across the street during his daily stroll, "I like it." I yelled back that he wasn't feeble-minded and that a lot of people liked Doonesbury. As a matter of fact the damned strip has gotten funnier and funnier ever since I roasted it in a column. To my dismay I laughed aloud at last Sunday's strip in which a White House aide says to the president: "Excuse me sir, there's a pornographer here to see you." Another disembodied voice says: "Hi, Dad." As you perhaps know Mr.

Reagan's ballet-dancing son recently joined the staff of f)n the lopside ELLIOTT CHAZE framework of the facts, or what we believe to be the facts, and our own personal preferences, which vary considerably from time to time..