Battalion Editorials
Letters to The Editors
Page 2
THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1953
'Corps-Happy’ Is Mmorif c
Overhauling Ordered Coeds Pleasant, Says Stud
]
ory
tl
For Texas ’Higher Education
e of
Editors, The Battalion:
Are A&M students opposed to
the idea of coeds ?
ffTEXAS IS initiating a plan to better its
higher educational system and conse
quently the citizens and state.
Gov. Shivers has set up a joint committee
of college administrators and board members
to make studies aimed at overhauling higher
education.
Directed by the legislature, this action is
similar to a study ordered six years ago in
the public school education which resulted in
the Gilmer-Aikens laws.
The new panel is asked to formulate a
three-fold plan:
• “Whereby the role and scope of each
state college and university may be deter
mined.
• “Whereby ways may be found for in
creasing the effectiveness and economy of
a truly statewide system of higher education.
• “And which will afford effective means
for coordinating the academic programs of
state colleges and universities with one an
other and with the realistic needs of the cit
izens of Texas.”
Questions which Shivers asked the com
mittee to solve are:
“Is Texas spending enough money for
higher education ?
“Is Texas spending too much for what
Texas is getting?
“Is the money for higher education being
distributed equally among the Texas institu
tions.”
Among the members of the committee is
President of the College M. T. Harrington.
His views could help in bringing about im
provements.
At the start of the year, Mr. Harrington
ton told the faculty, “An educational system
as complex, as highly organized as ours has
become, could degenerate into a mere as
sembly line of facts, except for the humanity
of the instructor.” He called on the faculty
“to teach by example that an education is
the most desirable of all attainments.”
In his same address the president as
serted that a cost of living raise for faculty
and staff and supplement raises were a pos
sibility in the near future.
Working with this committee, Mr. Har
rington will have his chance to emphasize
what he thinks would fulfill the solutions to
the problems.
If we are to let the “Corps-Hap
py” minority of the cadet corps
thrust themselves upon the stu
dent body as both symbolizing and
representing the “Spirit of A&M,”
if we will let them dictate to us
and speak for us, then we don’t
want any women in our class
rooms. Fortunately, this is not the
case.
The undeniable fact remains
that we do desire, want, crave,
yearn, for the opposite sex to per
manently grace our campus. The
big voices of the campus would
lead us to believe that coeds
would ruin Aggieland. These big
dummies scream long and loud,
their arguments are ridiculous,
their logic is false, and their
addled brains are hollow.
At worst, the student body could
be evenly divided in opinions con
cerning coeds. Half of the stu
dent body, the intelligent, modern,
unbiased half, are very much in
Editor’s Views
Questioned
“The less men think, the more
they talk”—Montesquieu.
Letters, Policy
iAnd Newspapers
A FEW NEWSPAPER readers do not re-
alize their position with the life of a
newspaper. They are the lubricating fluid
which makes the news, but they do not form
the editorial policy of a paper. But readers
do have a say. This is in the letters’ column.
When one writes a letter to the editors
and it does not get published, this may be
for any of a number of good reasons.
Perhaps the writer did not sign it and
many letters including some interesting ones,
are waste-basketed for that reason. Perhaps
it contained a libelous statement, for which
the newspaper does not want to assume re
sponsibility.
Perhaps it was illegible, or in bad taste,
or wholly pointless, or silly, or trivial. Per
haps there simply was not room for it in
the paper, which is likely to happen many
times.
Newspapers try to be fair and even-hand
ed in handling letters to the editors, but
there is no legal obligation to print any let
ter. This has been ruled by the courts.
If there were, a condition might arise in
which letters to the editor took up all the
paper’s space. With letters to the editors
as with news, editors have to be selective.
The Battalion encourages its readers to
write in their opinions. We will try to print
as many in complete form as is possible.
Through the letters to the editors column,
the people speak. It is the reader’s editor
ial.
We would suggest this.
The role and scope of colleges and univer
sities may be determined by the school’s per
sonnel and their tendency to progress toward
improving the educational standards and abil
ities.
Increasing effectiveness and economy
would require a look-see into the personnel
and determine a way for paying professors
more which will help increase their effective
ness and help acquire better instructors. The
economy will come with the more capable,
intelligent graduate and Texas citizen.
The realistic needs of Texas citizens are
the same as other people. They need to be
come better persons and this is possible
through the correct operation of the higher
educational system.
Investigation of all the state colleges
and universities can provide the answers. A
better higher educational system means a
better state.
“Self-inspection—the best cure
for self-esteem.”—Wordsworth.
Lord Bacon Sees
Man and Truth
¥ ORD BACON once described many of our
fellow men.
He said:
“It is not what men eat, but what they
digest, that makes them strong; not what
we gain, but what we save that makes us
rich; not what men read but what they re
member that makes them learned, and not
what we preach, but what we practice that
makes us Christians.
“These are great but common truths, of
ten forgotten by the glutton, the spendthrift,
the bookworm and the hypocrite.”
And he did not smile when he said it.
Editors, The Battalion:
I have become angered at some
of your editorials before, but al
ways calmed down when I realiz
ed that The Battalion was just
a college newspaper with not too
large a circulation. I have just
recently seen, however, just how
powerful either in a constructive
or destructive manner, a newspap
er can be, no matter how small its
circulation.
Conceming the recent coed is
sue, I dare say practically every
one has received clippings from
his hometown nev^spaper saying in
effect “that the A&M’s student’s
viewpoint can best be summarized
by an editorial written by Joel
Austin, Battalion co-editor, in
which he says that A&M is suf
fering from ‘acute aging disor
ders,’ and that the corps has de
teriorate.”
I do not think that editorial
very well summarized the stu
dent’s viewpoint but that is what
the people of Texas thought.
I realize that it is an editors
prerogative to write what he
pleases, but those who continually
editorialize contrary to the ideas
of the majority of their circula
tion, do not usually hold their
jobs long.
Your job is secure. You cannot
be fired. So let me suggest that
in the future, before writing on a
controversial issue you either find
out how the majority of the stu
dents feel about it or make it
unmistakingly plain that your
comments are your own and not
necessarily those of the student
body.
There are a lot of us around
here that still think Texas A&M
is the greatest school in the world.
John L. Park ’53
favor of female Aggies; the stup
id, backward, prejudiced, other
half should drop dead!
Let’s face it! This place is go
ing to be coed whether we like it
or not! It may take five, ten,
fifteen, or twenty years, but the
handwriting is on the wall. Just
as segregation will eventually dis
appear in our southlands, in sim
ilar manner will Texas A&M
eventually become coed. How long
can we continue to live a lie at
this campus ?
Why do we keep fooling our
selves? We are like the legendary
ostrich with our heads buried in
the sand, or the guy who can’t
see the forest for the trees! “Old
Army,” as the exes knew it, is
non existant.
“Old Army,” like the board, has
been brutally murdered. Efforts
to raise it from the dead, though
nobly sentimental, are neither real
istic nor sensible. It is foolish to
cling to old traditions with maul-
din sentiment when “higher-ups’
are methodically working to de
stroy all of the traditions and con
cepts that the exes hold dear.
The corps is waging a losing
battle with the military depart
ment and the administration, and
for what? Aggies must go to the
records of the past decade to
point with pride to glorious “Old
Army.”
The alumni of A&M applied a
great deal of pressure on our state
legislature to prevent the possibil
ity of this institution becoming co
educational. They will undoubted
ly do this again in the future, if
and when this question is again
brought up in our state capitol.
These exes don’t realize, appax*-
ently, that A&M is not the same
A&M that they once knew. They
only have memories of traditions
that ai'e rapidly disappearing.
Most of us, on the other hand,
kid ourselves into thinking that
we, who have suxwived the fxesh-
man and sophomoi’e yeais, ax-e the
men sepax-ated from the boys.
Actually thei’e is no compaiuson
between the quality of “Old Army”
and the new x'egime. Then why
do we pretend ? Why do we hypo-
cx-itically pi'otest against the com
ing of women to our campus as
studexxts ?
The world developed ai'ound
evolutionax-y lines. A&M has
changed gx-eatly in 75 yeaxs. It
has changed greatly in five yexii’s.
What evidence is there to indi
cate that it will not chaixge gx-eat-
ly in the next five or ten years ?
Only a fool v c ,
, , vie r
has not, or w ,,
, the
change. .
The die is t; 1
develop progresy to
school is going ^ le .
ing with the j;
has in the last
dley
least institute;
exits,
ant changes!
could be more
a red
15
. . . , firsi
girls, girls—cot: wa ,
To the many, w
favor coeds, I ;ti : ok(
you in your ; j
Better luck
. .. xal in
pseudo corps lgth
who “got the si—
hope that all oi
presence of
rooned on afar *
ited only by iw
right! Have k
T. \
F.J
B. C,
Le
Wm.
azos
ague
Sex, Numbers L|
Explained by C
Aggie-ex Blasts
‘Coed’ Senator
Editors, The Battalion.
EDITORS’ NOTE: We would like
to refer Mi-. Pax-k to the othei' edi
tor’s’ note on this page. Also to add
that the views expressed editorial
ly by The Battalion, whose circu
lation is larger than many home
town newspapei’s, require neith-
ei' consultance fx*om the students
nor from the administration. We
are publishing a fi’ee paper. As
long as it remains this way. The
Battalion will continue to strive
Th e Battalion
“in the interest of a greater A&M
College.”
It appears that the furor engen-
dei’ed by the sudden Senate Reso
lution in favor of making A&M
College coeducational has subsid
ed ; I hope and trust that the stu
dents x’ead and noted the comment
of several senators to the effect
that they thought the resolution
proposed in jest as a dig at two
Aggie senators, possibly Senators
Moffett and Bracewell, and that
when they voted favorably, they
did so without realizing that the
movant was serious.
I’x-esident Harrington’s bi’ief an
nouncement that the question of
coeducation was one for the board
of dii-ectoi-s and not for the Lcgis-
latui’e to determine was welcome;
I wish that President Hari’ington
would expi’ess his opinioxx on the
mex-its, as well as oxx the legality
of the resolution.
May I take up your time and
space and mention that A&M is of
pi’imary importance to our na
tion as a training post for Army
and Air Foi'ce officci’s; appai’ently
the United States docs not look
with favor upon coeductional train
ing centers, since neither the
USMA at West Point, nor the
USNA at Annapolis are opened to
female students. Think, too, of
the tremendous expense of physi
cal plaxxt conversion to make ade
quate for female tenants the pi'e-
sent dormitory facilities of the
college.
The man who pi'oposed that
resolution was short sighted and
was not, in my opinion, looking
out for the best intei’ests of A&M.
Since I do not live or vote in his
senatox-ial disti’ict, I hope that
those who do live thei’e—and who
agi’ee with me—will do what I
cannot do—vote against him with
the opportunity permits.
Shannon Jones Jr. ’47
Editors, The Battalion:
Har! Har! Har! What a humor
ous editor we ai’e blessed with.
Your pi’ofound statements in the
editoi’’s note following the letter
of Messxs. Stei’zing and Farrell
left us in stiches. (sic).
How thoughtful of you to con
cern youi’self with their gxammar.
Oh benevolent editoi’, these men
will be eternally grateful to you
for your most enlightened com-
mexxts on what has appeax*ed to us
to be the most intelligent letter
appearing in youi\ newspaper this
year.
We say “your newspaper’” be
cause it no longer x-epi’esents any
body but youi’self and the small
clique of wise guys that dominate
the office of The Battalion.
However, we would like to take
it upon oui’selves to offer a few
suggestions to you; similar to
those you so graciously offered
Messi’s. Sterzing and Farrell.
They stated in their letter, “Should
meeti
aset
lay.
ount;
jams.
*om C
leap
we adopt the ,3 ant
have scorned lay in
Of course, any gue i
ed American ; a l loo]
the meaning -s bat
question, but gcords
highly cultui'iach i
average, we i ' porn
enlighten you i use:
“ . . . 75 odd. al clu
dear editor, boy
years, 77 to bee to
en is an odd w inis
close in our s; h is
the numbers.,
you misconstr. xar, t
because you tt id Br
ways. for
Biologically, lers
A&M College Aheir
Many of this -’ney
t he ages, have traini
s 'inething to tague 1
word man. Son-
attached to t —
courage, tenac:,
dr termination,^
very seriously
MSC 'Council
Resets Dates
The MSC Council X’esct last
night its officer election and an
nual banquet dates fi’onx Max'ch 30
and 31 to April 7 and 9.
Reason for the postponment was
that some of the council members
wei’c leaving for field trips at
that time and would be unable
to attend.
Awards were approved by the
council as presented by the awards
committee. Names will be kept
seci’et until the time of the ban
quet, said Council Pi’esident La
mar McNew.
Councilman Cai'i’oll Phillips an-
xxounced that the militai’y etiquette
lecture would be pi'esented on
Mai'ch 17. He ux-ged council pax’-
ticipation to make it a success.
the true 1
We had to |
Pul while rcadffl!
nalistic jewel” T
abuixdance of \Y &
sent in your ii- ;
ing, I would libGf V
sire that you
humble epistle
construe as cr
cd and infallible
High Interpena
Letters to the
feel doubely
w o u 1 d interps.l
letter with a slip
tellectual honest;^
Your humble
rants.
Dames Club Selects
Pageant Duchess
Mrs. Jo Howard was selected
by the Dames Club Tuesday night
to be a duchess at the A&M Ag-
I’onomy Society’s Cotton Pageant
Api'il 24.
P O G O
EDITORS’ NOTfJ
expressed in
of the editors at
necessarily thos; kY &
body or the colltf
The Battalion sggn
shop.” Everyii
work on the pub.,
“sic” means
word is as spelie,*
of the letter. mV
Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Founder of Aggie Traditions
“Soldier, Statesman, Knightly Gentleman”
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, is published
by students four times a week, during the regular school year. During the summer terms, and examina
tion and vacation pei’iods, The Battalion is published twice a week. Days of publications ai'e Tuesday
through Friday for the regular school year, and Tuesday and Thursday during examination and va
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rates furnished on request.
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GETIN PLAV0U iai
-this? {
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FRANK N. MANITZAS, JOEL AUSTIN.
Ed Holdei', Jerry Bennett
Hairi Baker
Peggy Maddox....
Co-Editors
.Managing Editoi’s
City Editor
.Women’s News Editor
Today’s Issue
Ed Holder
Joe Hipp
Bob Boriskie.
Managing Editor
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