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Newspaper; Circulated Daily
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Battalion
Published By
Students of Texas A&M
For 74 Years
PUBLISHED DAILY IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE
Number 65: Volume 52
COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland 4 , TEXAS, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1951
Price Five Cents
1,001 Basic Division Students
On Probation, Registrar Says
Snow In Panhandle
By JOHN WHITMORE
Battalion Editor
A thousand and one men in the
basic division are on academic pro
bation for the fall semester, the
fall probation list prepared by the
registrar’s office showed.
This list included the new and old
1 students still in the basic division.
There are 1,830 men on proba
tion out of the entire student body.
BAFB Youngsters
See Santa Claus
More than 425 youngsters of all
shapes and sizes gathered at Bryan
Aii- Force Saturday for an after
noon-long Christmas party. The
children, all of them those of BAFB
officers and airmen, ranged in age
from just a few months old through
15.
The program actually got under
way in front of the Base Gym
about 1 p. m. when the 515th Air-
Force Band went through its book
to entertain a waiting crowd—wait
ing to see Santa Claus bail out of
a C-47 transport over the field.
He was then picked up by jeep and
brought to the gym with the siren
screaming.
Santa and his little friends then
moved into the gym to watch a 20-
minute program which featured-
magical acts by Pfc Charles Hid-
lum and group singing, led by
T/Sgt. Dick Rice and with M/Sgt.
Bernard Beronio playing the piano
accompaniment.
Next came the presentation of a
gift to each child by Santa and his
“helper members of the NCO and
Officers Wives Clubs. Before leav
ing the youngsters had a chance
for a “confidential” chat with San
ta and received a box of candy and
nuts before leaving for the Base
Theater, where they finished the
afternoon's activities by watching
a 70-minute program of color car-
loon comedies.
As a total there are 2,286 men
in the basic division. Of this num
ber, 41.5 are students who were
registered in A&M before this
semester.
When questioned about the reg
istrar’s list, Dean of the Basic
Division, John Bertrand, said in
light of the changed academic stan
dards this number is not excessive.
Starting this year the minimum re
quirements are for the student to
a number of men who still have not
passed enough hours with enough
grade points to get out qf the
division. Out of this number there
are 142 men on probation.
Before a person can get out of
the basic division he has to have
30 hours with 36 grade points be
fore the third semester. In the
fourth and fifth semester he has
to pass 42-51 and 54-66 respective
ly.
Taking this raised standard into
consideration there would only be
33 per cent of the new men on
probation, using the old 10-10 min
imum.
Out of the' entire basic division
there are 43 per cent on proba
tion. This is considering the new
students, old students and trans
fer students.
At the first of the year there
were 2,301 men registered in the
non-degree granting school. The
latest figures show there are 2,308
men enrolled. Of this number 1,793
are new men—counting the men
who were here during the last part
of' the summer and at Junction.
Last year 28 per cent of the
pass 12 hours with 12 grade points.
Can’t Get Out
He went on to say the basic div
ision is carrying on their rolls
freshmen were- on probation.
Ill Prepared
From the examinations given at
the first of school, it appears the
men entering A&M this year are
not as well prepared as they have
'been in the past.
About this the dean said, “It is ing device for the degree granting
Traditional Christmas Tree
Part of MSC Yule Tide Display
The Memorial Student Center
has completed its second Christmas
decoration program since the
building’s completion two years
ago. This year the center is us
ing the traditional Christmas tree
with ornaments, spun glass snow
and star decals, spruce bindings,
and colored lights.
Decorations were planned by the
director’s office, the house com
mittee and the social and educa
tion office.
Plans were made by these offices
and submitted to the floriculture
department for designs.
Planning for the decoration pro
gram started in the house commit
tee’s office under the direction of
Tom Rountree.
3
January 22
Deadline For
Housing Fees
Final deadline for the second
semester housing fees is Jan. 22,
according to Harry Boyer, direct
or of the housing office. Fees have
to be paid by then in order to re
serve the room now occupied.
The Fiscal office will begiif
Jan. 4 taking semester fees, in
cluding housing, food, hospitaliza
tion, and student activities.
First installment fees for mili
tary students are .$75.20 and for
non-military students are $48.80.
Fees for the entire semester are
$244.60 for military students and
$92.85 for non-military students.
The project is so large and con
sidered to be of such importance
that not any one group or office
could undertake the task alone,
said J. Wayne Stark, director.
The main lounge in the Center is
decorated w r ith a Christmas tree,
and flowers. The main promenade
has a spruce rope with colored
lights around each window frame
and spun glass ornament decals
on the window panes.
The Fountain Room has a Christ
mas tree and spun glass ornaments
on the windows. In the second
floor lounge, there is another
Christmas tree and assorted deco
rations.
On the roof of the main entrance
there is a ten foot wreath with
120 colored lights. All along the
front of the Center - there are
spruce rope trimmings.
Coffee tables in the Center have
an ornament made-up of a candle
and silver dyed spruce branches
and red beeds.
Materials for the decorations
were purchased from stores in
New York and Texas.
Each year Stark said, they plan
to build the MSC Christmas deco
rating program more and more by
acquiring and saving each year’s
newly purchased ornaments.
With this method the MSC can
build their supply and it will be
possible for more elaborate deco
rations to be undertaken each year,
said Stark.
probable the ability level of the
men this year is lower than in the
past years.”
He went on to say it was pro
bable that for some reason we had
a large number of men who or
dinarily would not have gone to
college and were not prepared to
meet college requirements.
“In any college,” he said, “with
out restrictive admission require
ments, it is possible for many stu
dents to enter who should not be
in college. Many of them should
aim. at the trade level of work
father than work requiring college
training.”
Bewildered
“Many of the students do not
know what is expected of them,”
he continued.
Again comparing this year’s rec
ord with that of last year, he point
ed out 66 men resigned from school
out of the 1,384 that entered. This
year only 78 have resigned out of
the entering enrollment, of 1,871
freshmen.
“Probation figures in the basic
division,” Dean Bertrand comment
ed,” will probably continue to be
high since we serve as a screen-
Graduates
To Be Called
In 90 Days
Air Force ROTC officials an
nounced that January graduates
will be called to extended active
duty within 90 days after grad
uation. Orders will be failed di
rectly to the graduate’s home ad
dress.
Veterans are excluded from this
call; nevertheless, they may be
called should future requirements
of the service call for such action.
The Oath of Office for the com
mission will be administered for
AFROTC graduates at 11 a. m.-in
the YMCA Chapel, Friday, Jan. 25.
Cadets to be commissioned must
be present to receive the Com
mission. The cadet is free to wear
either the cadet uniform or proper
civilian clothes.
When reporting for duty the of
ficer must be in proper officer’s
uniform which may be purchased at
any local Air Force sales store at
a considerably lower price than at
private military stores.
It will be necessary that a copy
of the Special Orders ordering the
officer to extended active duty be
presented when reporting for duty.
school.”
Moving up a notch on the pro
bation list there were 103 sopho
mores listed as being on probation
in the school of arts and sciences
out of a total of 351 in all degree
granting schools.
The school of engineering led the
list with 172 sophomores on pro
bation and the school .of agricul
ture was low with only 74 sopho
mores on the “dean’s team.”
Deans of the degree granting
schools were in accord as to the
cause of the number of men from
their schools on probation—“Not,
enough studying.”
Twenty Per Cent
At the time of the mid-semester
grades, 20 per cent of the 3,807
men in the degree granting schools
were on probation. Of this 783
there were 22.7 per cent from the
school of engineering. From arts
and sciences came 19.2 per cent
and 18.5 of the agriculture enroll
ment was on the list.
Bizzell Op en
Over Holidays
Others Closed
Because all dormitories ex
cept Bizzell will be locked ov
er the holidays, students who
will stay on the campus dur
ing Christmas must contact
someone in Bizzell Hall and make
arrangements to use a room.
Bennie A. Zinn, assistant to the
Dean of Men, announced that all
dormitories will be locked at 5:30-
p. m. Wednesday. They will be
unlocked at 1 p. m. Wednesday,
Jan. 2.
Zinn said that clearance to en-
teq a locked dormitory during the
holidays must be obtained from the
Housing Office in Goodwin Hall.
To secure rooms in Bizzell, the
student must bring a note of per
mission from the occupant of the
room to the Housing Office. Each
student will sign a roster show
ing what room he will be in, so
he may be located in case of an
emergency.
Zinn asked that all students lock
the doors and close the windows
of their rooms, particularly the
first floor windows.
Supper Wednesday will be the
last regular meal served in the
mess hall. Regular meals will
start again with supper, Jan. 2.
Flu Won
Class
A Panhandle boy, Ronnie Weisinger, adds a little smoking
tobacco to Mr. Snowman’s pipe. (AP Texas Mat Service)
Committee Seeks
Fines for Welfare
The Student Life Committe de
cided yesterday to ask the presi
dent to turn fines from late fee
payments over to the committee
for use in student welfare.
This motion was made by John
Whitmore, editor of The Battalion,
and was endorsed unanimously by
the committee.
Thirty Thousand
In checking with the Fiscal Of
fice it was discovered over the
past ten years these fines have
amounted to about $30,000. This
figure also includes the unreturn
ed fees of students who resign.
After a short discussion the com
mittee decided to approve the Eu
ropean Tour fund and stipulated
the first money raised by the com
mittee would go into this fund.
In the past years this amounted
to a grant of $500 to a student
picked by a sub-committee of the
Student Life Committee. The stu
dent is required to pay all other ex
penses involved in the trip.
For a Couple of Bucks
Last year Dan Davis, president
of the MSC Council, Was given
the grant. He is available, as a
provision of the grant, to make
talks to campus groups.
The committee also approved the
Student Activities calendar of
events. A major revision it is is
not permissable to have a campus
organization meet on Wednesday
nights^ which has been reserved for
the local churches.
In the closing minutes of the
meeting, which was held at 4 p. m.
in the Senate Chamber, the group
discussed the selection of Who’s
Who at A&M.
Split Two Ways
Dr. R. W. Steen, chairman, ap
pointed a nominating committee to
make up a list of prospective can
didates. This committee was split
into two sections, the corps and
non-corps.
On the corps committee are Har
old Chandler, Ralph Ellis, Ken
Wiggins, Eric Carlson, J. W. Dal-
ston, and James McGee.
Members of the non-corps com
mittee are John Davis, Jim Mar
tin, Max Word and John Whitmore.
College Hospital Treats
Major, Minor Injuries
Tabb, Willimgham
Rodeo Delegates
Don Tabb and Jack Willingham
have been selected as representa
tives of the Texas Aggie Rodeo
Club, to attend the national con
vention of the National Intercol
legiate Rodeo Association, which
will be held in Denver Colorado,
Dec. 28-29.
They were chosen at a regular
meeting of the rodeo club, Monday
night,
Bryan A&M Club
Elects ’52 Officers
Carroll Jones was elected presi
dent of the Bryan-College Station
A&M Club at a short organization
al meeting.
Members of the club elected Gor
don Smith, vice president; Mason
Lee Cashion, secretary; Maiwin At
kins, social chairman; and Ide
Trotter, reporter.
Plans were made for the Christ
mas Dance which is to be held in
the Brazos County A&M Club
house this Friday, Dec. 21, at
7:30 p. m. Refreshments will be
served.
Admission is $1.00 stag or drag
and tickets will be sold at the door.
By W. C. MARTIN
The college hospital often seems
deserted because of its quiet at
mosphere, but actually it does a
thriving business.
Business in the form of treating
and distributing medicine to ailing
Aggies. In the period from Sept.
1 to Nov. 23 of this year a total
of 3,530 students visited the drug
room alone to get cold pills, cough
syrup, gargle, etc.
This number does not include
other's Who were sick enough to be
put to bed. Even so, the total fig
ure is not unusually high because
there were 3,906 students treated
for the same period last year.
Financial aid to the hospital
comes entirely from the medical
fees paid by the students of the
college. Its staff consists of Dr.
J. E. Marsh, 11 nurses, 2 tech-
nicans, and two student workers.
When the hospital was built
there was no roof mentioned in the
contract. Upon its completion the
college officials came to view the
new building, and there it stood
bright and shining minus a roof.
It was added later and consequently
has never held up like it should,
having been replaced several times.
The hospital probably has had
more epidemics than other hospi
tals in this area because its pa
tients live in such a concentrated
area.
However there has not been an
epidemic on the campus since
1940. Records show that up until
1940 there was an epidemic al
most every year. These epi
demics are usually minor dis
eases, such as influenza, measles,
and mumps.
During the time when naval stu
dents were on the campus there
was a double epidemic of mumps
and influenza. The basement of
the hospital was full of the Navy
and the main floor was full of
Aggies.
There have been many gripes
made by the students about the
hospital but the picture is not re
versed. The only complaint the
hospital has about the patients is
that some of them want to diagnose
their own cases and prescribe the
proper treatment for it.
The staff feels that this is just
Vanity Fair Pixs
Accepted In ’52
The Aggieland ’52 staff has an
nounced they will start accepting
Vanity Fair pictures immediately
following the Christmas holidays.
Pictures may be turned in at
the Student Activities office on
the second floor of Goodwin Hall.
All photos must be 8 x 10 inches.
Two pictures are required, one bust
pose and one full length formal or
semi-foraal pose. The pictures will
be returaed after the judging.
Winning girls will be presented
at the Military Ball. Vanity Fair
will be featured in the Aggieland,
receiving a two page spread for
each girl.
By GENE STEED
Battalion Staff Writer
Classes will not be dismissed early for the Christmas
holidays, W. L. Penberthy, Dean of Men, and Col. Joe E.
Davis, Commandant, announced yesterday after a conference
held in Ross Hall.
They made this announcement to dispell all rumors which
have been circulating throughout the dormitory areas the
past few days.
At 3 p. m. yesterday, the hospital reported only 92 pa
tients and a check of the new area dormitories by the Offi
cer of the Day revealed that there are a total of 285 men
sick.
This last number includes the men in the hospital and
those who have already gone home, due to illness. If the num
ber of men sick becomes serious, school will be dismissed,
Abut at the present time, there is,
no urgent need to begin the holi
days early, Dean Penberthy said.
“Anyone who can walk-out of
the hospital Wednesday morning
will be released,” according to Dr.
J. E. Marsh, College Physician. Dr.
Marsh made this statement yester
day in hopes that the boys who are
sick in the dormitories and those
who are sick, yet still going to
classes, will come to the hospital.
They will be excused from all of
their major exams until a later
date if they are sick in the hospi
tal; however, if they are sick in
their room's, they probably will
not be excused from their classes,
he said.
The College Doctor was quick
to say that the hospital could ade
quately take care of 300 or more
students and that , they would not
turn away any sick man who came
to them. However, he pointed out
that it is foolish for men who are
not sick to attempt to fill the hos
pital in hopes that school might
be dismissed early.
Several men have admitted that
they were not sick when they en
tered the hospital, however, they be
came sick after going to bed in
wards with boys who had bad
cases of flu.
Announcements were due to be
made in the mess halls last night
and over local radio stations to
quell the rumors school might be
dismissed early. Dean Penberthy
promised if school were to be dis
missed early, all students would
be promptly informed.
a bit out of the Aggie’s field. A
humorous incident occurred along
this line a few years ago.
It is a custom at the hospital
that when a patient comes in
whose treatment requires an un
usual amount of pain “Mom” is
called. A freshman student with
a badly stumped toe came in for
treatment, so the case was turned,
over to “Mom.”
The nail of the toe was so bad
ly torn that it had to be removed
completely. “Mom” worked as
rapidly as she could and the
freshman took the pain without
a word. When she was through
he looked at her and said, “I
didn’t want it cut off, I just
wanted it trimmed.” She said,
“Well, son you sure got it cut
off.” To which he replied, “Yes,
and damn short too!”
The hospital handles all its cases
except those which by their nature
require treatment elsewhere. Such
cases as polio and spinal menin
gitis are rare and require special
equipment which the hospital does
not have. Other emergency cases
such as broken bones, appendec
tomies, and severe cuts are treated
by the hospital.
A student may be treated or put
to bed at any time. The regular
hours for seeing the doctor are
frohi 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Visiting hours
are from 5 to 7 p.m. A patient’s
family, or his outfit commander
may see him at any time during
the day.
Honey Business
Grosses 2 Million
“We are approaching the two
million dollar mark gross income
from honey in Texas,” John F.
Nelson of Corsicana said at a meet
ing of the American Bee Breeders
Association meeting held here re
cently.
Nelson pointed out that there
are approximately 300,000 colon
ies of bees in Texas, representing
800 bee keepers. “The farmers are
benefited many millions more by
this industry by pollination of their
various crops,” he said.
The Beekeepers attending the
meeting here at A&M were from
the southem states and their prin
cipal business was to discuss ways
and means of developing strains
of bees to meen the conditions of
the various areas.
Student Lost,
Friends Find
In Hospital
For two days the college
hospital had no record of a
man who was admitted during
the flu epidemic on the cam
pus, said Wayne Showers and
Murphy Vaught.
Sunday afternoon, the two found
the car of Richard Faulkner parked
at North Gate. They were unable
to locate Faulkner on the campus
and they checked by the college
hospital, they said.
Attendents at the hospital said
their was no such patient as Faulk
ner and showed Showers and
Vaught the records of the patients
in the hospital.
Contact BAFB
The two men also checked the
Bryan hospitals and the Bryan po
lice. Tracking down the rumor
which spread over the corps area,
they contacted the Bryan Air Force
Base Hospital.
Sunday night they contacted
Faulkner’s home in Port Arthur,
where his parents said he was not
at home and told the men calling
he must be at A&M.
Monday morning, the men said,
they checked the hospital records
again. In all they made two trips
to see if Faulkner was in the hos
pital, both times the attendents
said he was not in the hospital.
Parents Worried
“All during this time, his father
and mother were getting worried.
His Dad was going to fly up to
College Station,” they said.
As a last resort before declaring
the man missing they checked the
hospital again.
While standing by the main desk
the two men said they were talk
ing rather loudly and Faulkner
shouted to them from another
room. He was in a bed in the ward
by the desk.
After the men found their lost
friend, the hospital attendents told
them they had the record all of the
time.
The men commented, “No harm
was done, but it sure did have us
worried.”
Mcllroy Receives
Indian Mission
W. W. Mcllroy, instructor in the
agriculture education department
will leave on a special mission to
India the first of next month, the
agriculture education department
announced.
Mcllroy’s appointment to India
will be supervised by the United
States Department of Agriculture
with salaries furnished by the
state. His objective will be to train
Indian agricultural agents and per
sonnel in the development of great
er food and agriculture production.
He is taking a leave of ab
sence and plans to return to A&M
after his work is completed in In
dia.
Agriculture Education classes
taught by Mcllroy will be taught
by Henry Ross or other instructors
in the department for the remaind
er of the year.
Seat Change Operation
Jakes One Day at BAFB
Woxking on a ’round-the-clock
schedule, a two-man team install
ed 275 new seats and cushions in
Bi-yan Air Force Base’s theater
without causing the cancellation
of a single performance.
Starting yesterday afternoon, the
workers from the J. T. Boutwell
Installation Company of Temple,
Texas, removed half of the theater
seats, leaving enough for that
evening’s screen showing. They had
finished drilling the holes for the
new seat mountings before the
first members of the audience en
tered the theater.
After the last of the theater
goers had left, the team went back
to work, and continued through the
night at removing the remaining
seats and drilling the rest of the
holes. The job will be completed
late this afternoon and this even
ing’s patrons will view their film
fare from the new upholstered
deep rose-colored seats.
According to Capt. William T.
Whittaker, Personnel Sendees Of
ficer, the Army and Air Force
Motion Picture Service has pro
mised installation of a new screen
and curtains in the theater. No
definite date has been set but de
livery is expected within the near
future.
Company Leaders
Check on Stripes
A first-sergeants’ meeting Was
held Dec. 12 to discuss the corp
inspection held Monday. •
Each company was inspected by
fciic Company Commander and a
thorough check was made on non
commissioned cadet officers to see
if they had their stripes on.
Every first-sergeant was told to
encourage his men to complete
their pictures for the 1952 Aggie
land. It was announced by the Ag
gieland co-editors that eight-by-
ten pictures will be awarded to the
first-sergeants if half or more of
the men in their units have their
pictures made.