European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 25, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday september 25, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 7 higher sat scores hailed by educators hispanic students display strongest gain new York a hispanic students led the strongest gain in average Scholastic aptitude test scores in More than two decades this year a surge hailed by some educators As evidence that Reform is taking hold in Public schools. College Board president George h. Hanford said at a news conference that nationwide average scores Rose five Points on the verbal portion of the test to 431, and four Points in math to 475. The combined gain of nine Points on the two part exam taken annually by about a million College bound High school students boosted the average math verbal score to 906. It was the greatest increase since 1963 when scores also gained nine Points before sliding steadily for the next two decades. The sat is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, with a combined math verbal score of 1600 being perfect. It is an Entrance requirement at virtually All of the nation s Selec Tive colleges and universities. Scores on the act a rival test administered by the american College testing program in Iowa City Iowa and taken by about a million students mostly in the West and Midwest also Rose in 1985 but Only slightly. Hanford said this year s sat upsurge was a product of Steps taken by schools in the 1970s to stress Basic skills As Well As the More recent education reforms of the 1980s. In Washington education Secretary William j. Ben Nett hailed the sat gains with a Bravo but cautioned against letting up in the push for educational excellence. He called this year s results further evidence that Ameri can secondary education is on the  Hanford also warned against complacency. Despite the gains of the past few years we arc yet a combined total of 74 Points behind the scores of 1963, the last High Point in this sat Saga. We still have a Long Way to  he added that it might not even be reasonable to expect average scores to Ever equal 1963 Levels again 502 math and 478 verbal. More students take the test now he said including Many More minority students who traditionally have trouble with standardized exams. President Reagan last year set a goal of trying to wipe out half the 22-year sat score decline by 1990. To achieve that would require average combined math verbal gains of seven Points annually. Mexican american and puerto rican students registered the Best gains of any ethnic group. Puerto Picans verbal scores Rose 10 Points to a 368 average and their math scores were up six Points to 428. Mexican Ameri cans gained six Points on both math and verbal scores averaging 426 and 382 respectively. Hanford said he had no explanation for the Strong showing by those two groups but said minority groups in general seemed to be performing belter on the sat in recent years. Black students scores improved four Points to 346 on the verbal and three Points to 376 on the math. White students scores Rose by four Points on both math up to 491. And verbal 449. Hanford said it was disturbing that the percentage of Blacks taking the test went Down indicating that fewer Blacks were considering going to College. In 1985, he said. 8.9 percent of the test takers were Black compared with 9.1 percent in 1984. That meant 2,000 fewer Blacks took the sat. The College Board also reported a continued Rise in the percentage of High scorers those who score Over 600 on either part of the sat. Nearly 77,000 students did so on the verbal half of the sat and 167,000 on the math Section. The act composite score announced monday was 18.6, up 0.1 Over the 1984 average of 18.5. The four part exam is scored on a scale of 1-36, and tests English math social studies and natural sciences. Patricia a. Farrant. An act spokeswoman said no stale by state breakdowns arc provided because they might Lead to comparisons that May not be  the act composite average has fluctuated Only slightly in the last five years Between 18.3 and 18.6. Jersey City threatens to auction off miss Liberty Jersey City . A City officials battling the Federal government Over More than s940.000 in unpaid water Bills for the statue of Liberty say if they Don t get satisfaction they la try to fore close end auction it off. God it would be the greatest auction to see mayor Anthony Cucci said Mon Day. But Cucci admitted we really do not want to sell the statue of Liberty. What we do want is almost a million dollars. I m going after  George Berklacy a spokesman for the department of Interior which operates the Island through the National Park service Rose to the defense of lady Liberty saying no entity can foreclose on Feder Al property. We d like to find the Guy who buys the statue and see if we could sell him the Brooklyn Bridge Berklacy said. The City has urged the Interior depart ment to pay the Bill which covers three years Ana is mostly the result of a leaking pipe. But a debts a debt and officials must resort to More forceful action said Thomas Fodice an attorney for the City. After a $400,000 Billing a couple years ago Federal officials complained that there must have been a meter problem Berklacy said. Water officials later Dis covered the culprit was a broken water line. The Bill continued to soar until the leak was plugged and Normal usage at the Island brought it to its present sum. Liberty Island and the statue of Liberty were to be listed for an oct. 26 Public auction but the Legal and scheduled to run Friday was pulled said City tax collector Tim Rausch. Cucci conceded that auctioning off the statue which will celebrate its 100th birthday next year is a Little rash. I Don t want to sell the lady he said. It might get into the wrong  but City officials say the Federal government should pay up because it owns the pipe and the water came from the City. They be been using our water for years said Cucci spokesman Nat Berg. If they Don t pay he Rausch is forced to sell  if the dispute persists Berklacy said the City could bring Legal action against the Federal government but is barred from issuing a Lien against the statue and is land. Fodice agreed that if the City attempted to auction off the property it would Proba Bly face a court Challenge. The City could still choose a Milder form of Legal action such As suing the government in Federal court for the debt. The next City auction is scheduled dec. 20, and Rausch said he must be notified by nov. 1 if there Are delinquent prop erties that should be auctioned. Hopefully this matter will be resolved by then he said. The statue is already the Center of a Legal Wrangle Between the states of new York and new Jersey Over taxes. The Island sits in the new York Harbor Between the two states and has a Jersey City address but new York collects tax from the sales of Souc Nicks and other material. Manslaughter Case is fifth against sex Nevy surgeon Washington a the Navy has charged the former chief of heart and Chest surgery at Bethesda naval Hospital with a fifth death in connection with his work there in 1983 and 1984, according to documents filed monday at a pretrial proceed ing. Cmdr. Donald m. Billig 54, had already been recommended for court martial and charged by the Navy with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and 24 counts of dereliction of duty for heart operations at the suburban Washington Hospital. Thou charges were handed Down in july after the Navy opened a formal investigation of his tenure there from january 1983 through november 1984. The additional manslaughter charge resulted from the death of John l. Kas jr., on oct. 29,1984. Navy officials were unable to Supply additional information about Kas s death or his service background. Ten witnesses Are scheduled to testify this week during the pretrial investigation of the Billig Case being conducted at the Washington Navy Yard. Agency official Dies Seattle a Daniel j. Tobin. A fourth generation National Park service official who Rose to the no. 3 position in the Agency has died at age 60. Public fear of aids doomed rights for Massachusetts Gays leaders charge Boston a a rising tide of pub Lic fear of aids killed a Massachusetts House Bill amending civil rights Protection to homosexuals disappointed supporters say. It is the Issue that turned those reps around and it is a false Issue said Steve Tiercy of the Massachusetts Gay political caucus shortly after the House voted 88-65 against the Bill monday. The vote margin signals to the homophobes that they can get away with things Tiercy said adding that his group would try again next year. People told me i would have voted for the Bill but i m afraid " said democratic rep. Thomas Vallely the Bill s chief Spon Sor. In opening the 3tt-Hpur debate Vallely tried to divorce the civil rights Issue from Public health concerns about acquired immune deficiency syndrome the mysterious and often fatal disease that primarily afflicts Gay men. It is my Hope today that the issues of Public health and civil rights will be Sepa rated he said. There s a silent but Perva Sive discrimination against these people in our  the Bill would have expanded the authority of the Massachusetts commission against discrimination to protect homosexuals against discrimination in housing employment credit and Public accommodation. Supporters were hoping Massachusetts would join Wisconsin As the Only states to affirm homosexual rights but opponents argued that passage would endorse a Way of life Many legislators consider unnatural and illegal. I believe sodomy is a crime in this Commonwealth said rep. Roger Goyette a Democrat. God did t create Adam and Steve he created Adam and  stuntman Harvey Parry Dies in los Angeles at 85 los Angeles a Harvey Parry a Veteran stuntman who appeared in thou Sands of movies and hundreds of television shows Over 65 years has died at 85. Parry an aau Champion in boxing and High diving turned to stunts when he Dis covered his athletic abilities could help him earn More Money at the studios. He taught James Cagney and Clark Gable How to fight and became their doubles. His Small stature also allowed him to double for Mary pick bad Carole Lombard and Shirley Temple. Parry s last roles included the film Johnny dangerously and the to series hell  the Bill had the support of Gay activists and gov. Michael s. Dukakis but was opposed by the four roman Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts. On the House floor Vallely argued that passage of the Bill would not be an endorse ment of homosexuality. He said it would simply expand the commission s Powers to seek redress for individuals who Are denied housing employment or other specified rights merely because of their sexual Ori  Republican minority Leader William Robinson told the House he had favored the Bill but changed his mind. He also attacked Dukakis for supporting the Bill As a favor to homosexuals who were outraged this sum Mer when the administration adopted a Fos Ter care policy making it nearly impossible for homosexuals to serve Ai Foster parents. His excellency believes he lost the Gay vote because of the Foster care Issue and this is a Way to regain that vote Robinson charged. In an interview however Dukakis stressed that he has supported Gay rights legislation for nearly a decade. This is not an Issue of Public health or aids or anything else he said. It s a question of whether or not we re going to treat people fairly in this Commonwealth of ours and that s Why i m for the