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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 1947)
EDITORIALS, PAGE 2 “Sincere Investigation” “Press Freedom” VOLUME 46 College alion PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A & M COLLEGE COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 1947 INVESTIGATION Continued 7:30 Monday Night in Austin Number 57 Directors ‘Stand Paf On Hazing Question Summer School Starts June 9 Enrollment To Exceed 3000 Summer School plans have been completed and the pro posed calendar drawn up. H. L. Heaton, registrar, has esti mated the attendance to be 3100 for the summer session. The Bryan Field Annex will not be used during the summer session. Aggie Fashion For Spring ’47 For the rest of the world the spring of 1947 arrived officially last March 21, but for A & M the first day of spring appeared Mon day with the Cadet Corps greeting the morning sunrise clad in Khaki summer uniforms; no more appal ling O. D.s for freshmen and sophs, and erstwhile wearers of the “green” and “pink” began to drag “summer serge” out of the moth balls or else join the procession to North Gate tailors. Some of the lucky however, saved quite a sum by whipping out in outfits which might have been on familiar terms with the inner furnishings of a B-29, or officer’s clubs the world over. (Number one contribution of veteran students to the progress and welfare of the corps.) Not to be outdone, vets showed up over the campus in startling shades of fabric designed to blend with the colors of Easter season. The conservative lads were likely to be attired in two-tone jobs vary ing from a light pink and beet red combination to a general conglom eration of the colors of the rain bow. One radical was noticed Mon day morning in front of Sbisa wearing a suit tailored from an outlandish dull blue pinstriped ma terial. What some people will do to attract attention! Here’s hoping it won’t become a fad! Not to be omitting the feminine side, the pre vailing styles among better dress ed collegiate wives seems to con sist of—ah,—seems to consist of—, well anyway, after a long hard winter, spring has definitely ar rived at Aggieland! Senior Ring Dance Set For May 16 The Senior Ring Dance will be held May 16 in Sbisa Hall, it was decided at a meeting of veteran and Corps Seniors last Thursday night. This is a change from the previous plan to hold the affair on May 9. In a telegram to John Stiles, member of the program com mittee for the dance and ban quet, Ike Ashburn accepted the class’ invitation to speak at the Senior Banquet also May 16. Superintendent Of Slaton High Joins Psychology Staff M. S. Kavanaugh, superinten dent of Slaton High School for the past seven years, has been ap pointed to the staff of the depart ment of education-phychology in structor in psychology, George B. Wilcox, head of the department, has announced. The position was left vacant by the resignation of Kenneth Hackney on March 1. Prior to his superintendency at Slaton, Kavanaugh served as prin cipal at Shamrock, Texas. He has been in the teaching profession for twenty-three years. Kavanaugh attended Wesley College at Greenville a year before serving in World War I. Upon returning, he went into construc tion work to make enough money with which to finish his college education. He returned to Wesley, transferring to East Texas State Teachers College, then to the Uni versity of Texas, wherfe, in 1934, he received his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in psychol ogy. He has also attended the University of Chicago. Kream and Kow Klub To Meet Tuesday A meeting of the Kream and Kow Klub is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15 in the Creamery Lecture Room. Feature attraction of the evening is a film entitled “Dairying As It Should Be Done”. All Dairy Husbandry majors are urged to attend and to bring any visitors who desire to come. Re freshments will be served at the conclusion of the program. Certain limitations on enroll ment are are to be continued for the summer session. Briefly the revised admission requirements are: A. Students entering A & M for the first time: 1. Texas residents: (a) Transfers—A limited number of students will be accepted. All applicants must have for the last two sem esters of attendance, a grade point average of 1.00 or better for all courses undertak en, whether passed or failed, at all institu tions. (b) High-school graduates —All applicants who are graduates of ac credited secondary schools will be admit ted on the basis of present regulations. B. Students who have formerly attended A & M College: 1. Any veteran former stu dent, otherwise eligible for readmission, who has not attended any college since leaving A & M is eligible for readmission without regard to the provisions in 1(a). Likewise if his only college attendance since A & M was under the auspices of the armed forces (V-12, V-5, A. S. T. R. P., A. S. T. P., etc.) he may be readmitted with out reference to the qual ity provisions set forth in 1(a). 2. A former student who has attended another college as a civilian since A & M must meet the require ments as stated in 1(a), provided the attendance was for as long as one regular semester or quar ter. The restrictions will not be applied to work done only in summer ses sion at other colleges. SUMMER SESSION SCHEDULE 1947 May 31, Saturday, 1 to 5 p. m., registration for students en rolled in spring semester. June 9, Monday, 8 to 12 noon, re gistration for new and old re turning students. June 9, Monday, 1 p. m., classes begin. June 13, Friday, last day for re gistration in the college div ision for credit during the first term. July 7, Monday, holiday. July 18-19, Friday, Saturday, first term examinations. July 21, Monday, 8 to 12 noon, re gistration for the second term. July 21, Monday, 1 p. m., classes begin. July 25, Friday, last day for regis tration in the college division for credit during the second term. August 28-29, Thursday, Friday, second term examinations. August 30, Saturday, 8 to 12 noon, registration for students en rolled in second term of Sum mer School. Duchess Escorts Meet Tuesday All men who are to escort Cotton Ball Duchesses in the Pageant are requested to meet Mrs. Manning Smith in the YM CA Lecture Room at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, to discuss the schedule of procedure. Escorts who cannot be present should send a representative to receive the information that Mrs. Smith will give. Tickets on Sale Tickets for the Cotton Ball and Pageant are now on sale at the following places at College Station: Luke’s Grocery, Aggie land Inn, Lipscomb Pharmacy, and the Agronomy Department. They may also be purchased at the Annex Recreation Hall, and W.S.D. in Bryan. Virginia Prewit Chosen Duchess Miss Virginia Prewit, senior at A & M Consolidated High School, has been chosen Duchess for the Cotton Ball and Pageant to re present the Kream and Kow Klub. Miss Prewit is the daughter of Mr. J. D. Prewit, Vice Director and State Agent for the Extension Ser vice at A & M. R. B. Price, Jr., senior student in Diary Husbandry who hails from El Paso will escort Miss Pre wit. OFFICERS of the local chapter of ROA are from left to right Fred J. Benson, vice president; Sidney Loveless, president; and Henry Murray, secretary. Test for Seniors Entering Graduate School to Be Given An examination for grad uating seniors who plan to attend a graduate school will be given May 5-6, Dr. W. A. Varvel, of the department of edu cation-psychology, has announced. A series of objective tests in eight basic fields of the under graduate curricula plus an ad vanced’ test in the student’s major subject will comprise the graduate record examination. The tests are prepared and scored by the grad uate record office in New York, but given in local centers four times yearly. The tests to be given in May and in August are timed for the convenience of students entering graduate schools in the fall semester. Dr. Varvel stated that a num ber of the larged graduate schools require that these tests be taken before entrance will be considered. Reports of tests results are sup plied to the student and to the school he intends entering. Two periods of four hours each are required in taking these tests. A fee of $5 is charged if the ex amination is taken at one of the four regularly scheduled dates. Applicants requesting a special ex amination, given other than when scheduled, are charged $15. Students interested in taking the tests should contact Dr. Varvel in room 102 of the Academic Build ing. Registration must be com pleted by noon April 17. A pros pectus and application schedules will be available soon. Chamber of Commerce Meeting Postponed The organization meeting of the proposed College Station Chamber of Commerce has been postponed a week and will be held Monday night, April 21, about 8:00 p.m. at the Consolidated High School Gymnasium, according to an an nouncement today. The exact hour will be announced later when the final Muster Day plans are completed. The organization committee re quested all workers having peti tions not yet turned in to do so this week. Ladies are invited to become members of the association. Aggie Band Presents Annual Spring Concert Next Tuesday A spring concert in Guion Hall has been arranged by the Aggie Band for April 15. Featuring instrumental group ings as well as full band numbers, the organization will appear in concert for the first time this year. Under the direction of E. V. Adams, the Aggie Band has ♦■returned to its full strength of over 200 musicians making it again Jakkula Says No Pressure On Faculty Dr. Arne A. Jakkula, executive director of the Texas A. & M. Re search foundation, stated to a Bat talion reporter this week: “I am willing to make a statement, under oath by a notary public, that no ad ministrative officer of this college had anything to do with the writ ing or distributing of the petition now being circulated on this cam pus.” The petition states that un dersigned members of faculty sup port President Gilchrist and the board of directors, “resent pre- sumptious statements of Dr. F. B. Clark that the greater part of staff is opposed to administration, de plore his unethical conduct and bad taste in alleging to speak for us.” The petition concludes “we have been neither intimidated nor co erced nor have our civil liberties nor academic freedom h,een abridged by administration of this college.” Reports that pressure had been put on teachers to sign the petition were denied by Jakkula. “The purpose of the petition is explained to each man. If he does not want to sign he is not high pressured,” said Jakkula. “These petitions when signed will be retained in my office, and the names on them will be avail able only to the investigating com mittee at Austin, not to the col lege administration,” Jakkula ex plained. “I will certify to the com mittee the number of names at tached to the petition, and file with them a copy of the document itself.” one of the largest musical organ izations in the country. This will no doubt be the final public per formance of the band with the graduating seniors. A varied program is scheduled for the concert, which begins at 7:30 p. m., including military sele ctions, a symphony, school music, and Spanish melodies. Two trios will perform: a cornet group with Phillip Kosub, T. D. Prater, and W. L. Carruth; and a trombone threesome, composed of E. S. Anderson, D. R. Howell, and John R. Lauderdale. The fare will open with “Castan ets”, a Spanish march, followed by “Martha” from the opera by Flotow. “Triplets of the Finest” will be given by the cornet trio after which the band will play “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise”, a concert march militaire. The drum section will be fea tured in a number called “Percus sion Antics”. “Three Trombon ists” will be the rendered by three members of that section. Then the band will encroach upon the religious theme with “Faith Eter nal”, a fantasy of “The Old Rug ged Cross”. This will be followed by “Los Toros” from “Paso Doble”. The band will give a rendition of that famed bugle call “revielle” as their ninth number. As a climax to the show the band will turn orchestra to pres ent Schubert’s “Symphony No. 8 in B Minor” (Unfinished). The program will close with the “Ag gie War Hymn”. Newman Club Initiations Sunday at 5:30 in Chapel Newman Club initiations will take place at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13 in the basement of St. Mary’s Chapel. On the following day, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. the club will hold a regular business session at the church. ‘Dead Week’ to Be Observed Before Spring Final Exams The Student Life Committee met last Monday and took action on several pertinent school problems. In regard to the recommendation Left to right: AUSTIN BURCH, president of the campus Society for the Advancement of Management, receives the charter for the organization. MITCHELL I. KOPPEL, president of the Houston Chap ter of SAM, and W. W. FINLAY, vice-president and general manager of the Guilberson Corporation, Dallas, made the presentation. sent to the Academic Council by the Committee concerning a “dead week” prior to final examinations, the Council took action by instruc ting the different Deans to contact the heads of their departments and make every effort to schedule ex aminations so that all would be completed at least several days be fore finals. The Academic Council also re quested that the Committee pre pare a complete report on the Scholarship Honor Society, and that the Society be reactivated as soon as possible. The Student Life Committee was commended on the merit of its proposal concerning the change of Easter Holidays. No change in this year’s Easter recess was made as inspection trips had already been scheduled and it was impos sible to change the plans; however the recommendation is to be fol lowed in next year’s calendar. A delegation from the Agronomy Society appeared before the Com mittee requesting a greater per centage in receipts from the Cotton Ball, as operating expenses for the Cotton Pageant will be high this year and it is feared proceeds will not be great enough to provide for the costs of the annual Cotton Tour. When put to a vote, the (See DEAD WEEK on Page 4) Resume Testimony Monday in Austin By Vick Lindley Dr. T. O. Walton was not re-elected president of A. & M. in 1943 because he was half-hearted in enforcing anti-hazing regulations and because in general the school ‘‘had outgrown him,” G. R. White, president of the board of directors, told the house-senate investigating committee in Austin Thurs day. Mr. White, who has been a+ director of the college for 22 years, of the seven ex-Aggie was one oi tne seven members of the board questioned by the committee. “The school was bigger than Dr. Walton,” said White. Then that line of questioning was cut off by an objection from Rep. Cecil Storey, on the ground that it was irrelevant. Chairman Fred Harris sustained the objection, but allow ed the question, “Do you think Dr. Walton has caused this present unrest?” White’s answer was “I won’t tell you what I think—only what I know.” Another question was, “Some people have stated that a promin ent Bryan business man has exer cised himself unduly in the affairs of the college. Do you know any thing about that?” ever, Sanders did make quite a statement pertaining to the college administration.” Describing adoption of the Basic Policy in 1945, Newton said that the hazing situation had become in tolerable and that attempts to con trol it by student officers had fail ed. Recognizing that they were making a radical change in policy, the board had interviews with many seniors about the situation, and finally adopted recommendations of a committee composed entirely of Aggie-exes, to set up the Dean of Men’s office and adopt the Basic Policy. The location of A. & M. in a small town, College Station, with a nearby city, Bryan, neither of them able to furnish adequate rec reational facilities for the thous “I have heard about it. I don’t know,” answered White. The question was then asked, “Do you recall a flare-up between Bryan and College Station, about banks, picture shows, etc., being established in College Station in competition with Bryan?” “Yes, and about the dairy bus iness too,” answered White. (Note: A letter has been sent to Governor Beauford Jester by Mrs. R. J. Cardwell, protesting that Easterwood Field offers flight trainig at prices so low as to con stitute unfair competition to the Cardwell Flight Academy, Coulter Field, Bryan.) Queried about his statement, “The board is 100% behind Gil christ” at the t time of the veterans mass meeting, White said that at the time he made the statement he did not know about the veterans meeting and meant that the board backed Gilchrist 100% in abolish ing hazing. Expected Strike All directors queried expressed their opinions that hazing was at the bottom of all the present diffi culties, even with the veterans. They confirmed their tmanimous opposition to hazing. “The board was looking for a student ‘strike’ when the change in disciplinary matters was made in January, in order to crack down on all hazing,” White stated. How ever, he explained that the board did not expect so big an uproar as has. actually taken place. They particularly did not expect any protest from the veterans. “We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to help those boys. I can only believe that their pretest is sympathetic to that of the corps,” said White. Disavows “Gestapo” John W. Newton, spokesman for the board at the hearing, when asked if the board would condone “gestapo” tactics, such as com plained of by many veteran wit nesses, if it were proved that such tactics have been used, stated. “We do not condone any practice not on fair and equitable basis.” Talking about corps troubles over hazing, Newton said that the average age of boys in the corps is low, due to the “speed-up” plan the last few years. “Boys of 18 and 19 now hold responsible jobs in the cadet corps,” he stated. “We thought the return of older boys to the campus would help, but it hasn’t.” Asked if there was a student government system iunctioning on the campus now, Newton said that such a system had been set up, but was not effectively functioning. Asked when it stopped function ing, Newton reported that it be came ineffective about six months after it was set up, in 1945. Newton was asked by Sen. Har ris about hazing at A. & M. when he was a student there. Q. When you were at A. & M., were you ever whipped? A. Yes. Q. What with? A. A leather uniform belt, doubled up. a Did you complain? A. No. Q- Did you clean up any rooms as a freshman? A. No, sir. The seniors cleaned their own rooms. They weren’t very clean. “What do you know about Major Long taking off his insignia so a boy could talk freely?” “Information came to the board that two fellows had made remarks about corruption and misuse of funds. They were brought before the board to see if they could of fer any information. We recog nized that that board meeting was no place to ‘try’ anyone. How Investigations will be resumed in Austin Monday evening at 7:30 in the Senate chamber. Only three witnesses will be subpoenaed for any single ses sion of the investigation. Sen. Harris announced yesterday morning. ands of students at A. & M., makes a huge recurrent problem, Newton said. The board is trying to solve it by many forms of student rec- tional activity. “The general state of unrest in the nation as a whole is a contrib uting factor and possibly of funda mental nature in the present dif ficulties,” said Newton. Asked if the hazing situation had improved after Walton was dropped as president, White said that it had grown worse. White had not been subpoenaed but appeared voluntarily. C. C. Krueger, “freshman” di rector, told the committee that hazing was very mild when he was in school, lasting only a week at the beginning of the school year. Krueger stated that he is will ing and eager to hear from stu dents, faculty or other persons connected with A. & M. at all times. Because he has been on the board for such a short time, he was unable to speak oficially of most matters under discussion. Tyree Bell, also a “freshman” director, reported that he spends considerable time on the campus unofficially. Asked about charges that the administration had shown lack of tact and finesse, Bell sta ted, “Mr. Gilchrist has never been known as a diplomat.” E. W. Harrison and Roy Potts, also directors, went on record as thoroughly opposed to hazing. Rufus Peeples, under questioning, admitted that he had done “maid service” as a freshman, received “maid-service” for the other three years and had even used “the board.” However, he stated, he is now opposed to all hazing. Gagged, He Says Shannon Jones, a leader in the mid-night march to Gilchrist’s home when the corps officers surrender ed their commissions, was asked to explain what he knew about “gestapo” methods. Jones resign ed from the corps after the January troubles and before the “no confi dence” ruckus. Jones stated that when he asked Col. Guy S. Meloy if it were true that “you intend to break me,” Meloy answered with, “Well, you made a rather unfortunate speech before the Lion’s Club in Bryan.” Jones testified that his speech at the Lion’s Club was made at the Invitation of that group, and he felt that under the doctrine of free speech he had a right to make it. Later Meloy said, according to Jones, “The President says you may stay in the corps, but I sug gest you keep your nose clean and stay out of controversial issues, because I believe you want to study and graduate in June.” Rather than stay under a “gag” rule, Jones stated, he decided to leave the corps, and he quoted Me loy as saying, “That’s a **** po tent idea.” Wayne Long Case Jones also stated that Wayne Long, under fire in another matter of charges of breaking a confi dence, made an inspection tour un der improper circumstances, as a result of which the outfit to which he was attached asked the mili tary department to transfer him to another group. Because nothing has been done in regard to any of the charges against Long, Jones stated that the confidence of the cadet corps (See HEARING on Page 4)
