New Student
Edition
The Battalion
Section
One
Number 262: Volume 53
COLLEGE STATION. TEXAS. THURSDAY. AUGUST 19, 1954
Price 15 Cents
A&M Prepares To Greet Class of ’58
1,500 Expected
For Fish Week
All A&M Students 1 lave Choice
Of Military or Civilian Status
All students entering Texas
A&M now have their choice of be
ing military’ or civilian students.
Military students, those in the
ROTC program, will live in the
corps of cadets by military units,
and wear the uniform all the time.
All classes will be housed together-
Until this year, freshmen were
housed in a separate area.
Civilian students, those who are
not taking ROTC, will live in
civilian dormitories. A student
activity program similiar to the
corps of cadet’s has been planned
for civilian students, including the
new Civilian Students council.
This new military-optional rul
ing was established by the A&M
system board of directors to allow
a Texas boy to take a course at
A&M without having to take ROTC.
Message From
The President
I appreciate this oportunity provided by the “Batt”
to give you, our new students, a “pre-welcome.” Each
year the faculty and staff view with interest the new ar
rivals because from these untried boys will come, in only
a few years, the men—the leaders of our Corps of Cadets
and of our Student Body and from them will come leaders
of our country in both civilian and military pursuits.
This year, even more than in the past, you will find
that A. and M. truly lives up to its reputation as the
friendly campus. The Corps of Cadets has rededicated
itself to the spirit that has made A. and M. famous and
its students outstanding.
For those not interested in R.O.T.C., an expanded
program of student body activities will be - available to
supplement the many excellent academic majors in devel
oping well-rounded citizens.
You are indeed welcome! The faculty and staff
stand ready to assist you, and the door to the President’s
office is always open to you. We sincerely hope that you
will find your years with us most enjoyable as well as
profitable.
David H. Morgan
MSC, President
Plan Reception.
The Memorial Student Center di
rectorate will sponsor a reception
for the freshmen from 2 to 4 p. m.
Sunday, Sept. 12, in the MSC ball
room.
The purpose of the informal re
ception is to introduce new stu
dents to President David H. Mor
gan and show them the MSC.
Other high-ranking college of
ficials and their wives whom the
stvidents will meet are Dean and
Mil. J. P. Abbott, Dean and Mrs.
W. H. Delaplane, Dean and Mrs.
W.^W. Armistead, Dean and Mrs.
C. «N. Shepardson, Dean and Mrs.
John Bertrand, and Dean and
Mrs. Ide P. Trotter.
During the reception all the
MSC committees will have booths
in the ballroom with leaders pre
sent to welcome students and ex
plain their committees. At this
time students who wish to sign up
for work with these groups may
do so.
Also on hand to greet the in
coming freshmen will be girls from
College Station and Bryan. They
will meet the students at the door
and bring them to the ballroom.
Punch and cookies will be served
in the ballroom. All parents still on
the campus are welcome to attend
the reception.
During the afternoon the House
committee will conduct tours of
the MSC. The tours begin at 1
p. m. at the House committee booth
near the main desk in the Center.
The Bowling committee will have
a tournament for new students in
the bowling alley, and the Music
committee will present a series of
organ concerts in the main lounge.
A&M Is Member Of
Complex System
Texas A&M is the biggest part
of a complex educational institu
tion called the Texas A&M System.
Headed by Chancellor M. T. Har
rington, the A&M System is com
posed of A&M, Prairie View A&M,
Tarleton junior college, Arlington
junior college, the Agricultural Ex
tension service, the Agricultural
Experiment station, the Engineer
ing Extension service, the Engi-
neeriag Experiment station, and
the Forest service.
Each of the colleges or depart
ments in the system is headed by
its own president or chief.
Over everybody is the A&M Sys
tem board of directors, appointed
by the governor. Present members
Saturday
Tests Will
Help You
Saturday, the day after you
get here, you will be given a
seemingly endless series of
tests, and you will probably
wonder what it’s all about.
These tests are ability and
achievement tests, given by the
Basic Division, and their purpose
is to let the Basic Division learn a
little about you.
From the results of these tests,
plus personal conferences, some
students will be allowed to take
advanced work, and some will be
put in special sections to improve
some part of their background.
This testing program is concen
trated mainly in chemistry, Eng
lish, mathematics, and reading
Simply, they mean that if you
make a high grade on your Eng
lish achievement test, you may be
allowed to skip part of the regular
freshman English program, and
take some advanced work.
Some of the tests are ability, or
aptitude tests, used to help the
Basic Division suggest possible vo
cations for any student unsure of
a major.
The Basic Division people say it
is silly for anyone to try to “cheat”
on an achievement or aptitude test,
because there is no actual “grade”,
and the tests are only to help the
students.
of the board are G. R. White, chair
man, A. E. Cudlipp, E. W. Harri
son, W. T. Doherty, Harold Dunn,
R. H. Finney Jr., H. L. Winfield,
J. W. Witherspoon, and Bob Allen.
Texas A&M College, headed by
President David H. Morgan, is
composed of four schools, each
with a dean in charge.
They are arts and Sciences, W.
H. Delaplane; agriculture, C. N.
Shepardson; and veterinary medi
cine, W. W. Armistead. At present,
there is no dean of engineering,
since H. W. Barlow is leaving A&M
in September.
The college also has a Graduate
School, headed by Dean Ide P.
Trotter sr., and the Basic Division,
headed by Dean John R. Bertrand.
The schools are then broken into
departments, each under a depart
ment head.
The dean of the college, John
Paul Abbott, is in charge of the
academic side of the college. All
of the deans report to the presi
dent through him.
The newly-created position of
dean of student personnel services
is in charge of the student life pro
gram of the college. He has under
him civilian students, military stu
dents, student activities, and part
of the Basic Division’s functions.
The man to be dean of student
personnel services has not yet been
named.
The Academic Council, composed
of all the heads of departments, is
the governing body of the college.
It makes the rules that go in the
rule book. The Executive Commit
tee of the Academic Council, com
posed of all the deans, passes on
certain academic and student life
matters.
Before, all students had to take
military their first two years, un
less they were veterans or physi
cally disabled.
If a student takes military, he
will take basic ROTC for the first
two years, and then will be eligible
for an advanced contract.
To get an advanced contract, a
student has to elect it, be accept
able to the training officers, and
have a satisfactory academic re
cord.
Students in the advanced contract
program are paid 90 cents a day
for the two-year advanced contract
period, and are eligible for a com-1
mission at graduation.
A&M offers military training in
all army branches and the air force.
Both civilian and military stu
dents are eligible for a draft de
ferment, if their grades are good.
Civilain students get a scholastic
deferment, and military students
get a ROTC deferment.
If the grades of either a civilian
or military student do not stay
above passing,
for deferment.
he is not eligible
Don't Come
To School Early
Just a reminder:
Don’t come to school early.
The dormitories will not be
open before the set date, and
the dining halls will not serve
meals.
So come sometime on Friday,
Sept. 10.
The earlier you get here that
day, the better it will be. There
are always lines to stand in,
and you might get to be first
in some of them.
A Short Note
To The New Students
This issue of The Battalion is yours; it’s kind of an
unofficial welcome to the school, and we hope it will be a
help to you.
We suggest that you, and your parents, read it carefully.
It is a compilation of the experience and knowledge of the
students of The Battalion staff, other students, and some of
the faculty and staff of the college.
We’d tried to answer in advance some of the questions
you will ask about A&M. We hope we’ve succeeded.
- - The Editors
Once again A&M is preparing to welcome a new class,
the class of ’58.
About 1,500 freshman are expected to enroll this fall,
the first class to go through school under the new military-
optional plan.
Freshman week will begin Sept. 10, with the “Fish” in
for a busy time until registration Sept. 17.
No definite count on the number of military or civilian
students is available at the present time, but it expected that
most students will choose military.
Arriving with the new students will be a cadre of upper
classmen—cadet officers and civilian student leaders—to
' ^help the new students get ac
quainted with A&M.
Here is a schedule of what
will go on during new student
week:
Friday, Sept. 10
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. students
can pay fees and receive their
housing assignments on the second
floor of the Memorial Student
Center.
At 7 p.m. there will be a gen
eral assembly at the Grove. The
program will end with group
singing and a yell practice.
Saturday, Sept. 11
Students will spend the day Sat
urday being tested and issued uni
forms. Those students who have
participated in A&M’s testing pro
gram during the summer will meet
at 7:45 in Guion Hall.
There will be a general assembly
in the Grove at 7 p.m. The corps
chaplain, Cadet Lt. Col. C. M.
Cummings, will speak on “The
Place of Religion in the Life of
the A&M Student.” Local minis
ters will be introduced. Follow
ing this assembly the local church
es will hold open house.
Sunday, Sept. 12
Students are urged to attend
the church of their choice for both
morning and evening services.
From 2 to 4 p.m. the MSC direc
torate will sponsor a reception in
the Center to introduce to new
students the president of the col
lege and other members of the
staff and faculty.
Uniforms will be issued as sched
uled throughout the afternoon.
Monday, Sept. 13
From 8 to 9:30 a.m. students
will assemble in Guion Hall. There
will be addresses by Col. Joe E.
Davis, Col. John A. Way, Lt. CoL
Taylor Wilkins, and B. A. Zinn.
Throughout the day will be unit
meetings, identification photo
graphing, and issuance of uni
forms.
(See FRESHMAN, Page 5)
Twice- Yearly
Corps Trips
Add Spice
Everybody in Texas’ big
cities knows about the Aggies’
corps trips.
Twice during the football
season the whole corps of
cadets, and most of the rest
of the student body, packs np
and follows the team to an
out-of-town game.
Saturday classes are dis
missed for those weekends, and
everyone arranges for his own
transportation and housing.
The corps trips this year will
be to Dallas and Austin, for
the SMU and University of
Texas games.
On the morning before the
game the corps of cadets, in
dress uniform, with the bands
and the flags, parades down
the main street of the city.
The students also sit in a
special student section at the
game.
The Basie Division
Help for the First Year
The need for some agency to
help men through their first year
of college led to the establishment
of A&M'* basic division in 1950.
Since then, every man who has
goay» through A&M ha* had ex-
pe i nee with the Basic Division,
and each of them has praise for it.
The Basic Division is, techni
cally, a non-degree granting school
of the college, on an equal footing
with the other four schools.
Everyone it assigned to the Basic
Division when they enroll in A&M.
and they normally stay there for
two semesters.
a maa does not pass all of
the first year’s work, he is kept
under the Basic Division’s guidance
until he completes the work.
Students who have already de
cided what.they are going to major
in just go ahead and take the re
gular course for that major, even
though they are in the Basic Divis
ion.
Those students who are undecid
ed about a course of study take a
general course their freshman year,
one that can be used for credit on
any major, while the Basic Divis
ion helps them choose a major.
The Basic Division’s testing and
counseling service is available to
all students at A&M regardless of
their classification. The Division
has trained personnel to give the
tests and help students with any
problems, academic or personal.
The Basic Division also has re
medial reading courses open to all
students, and designed to help stu
dents bring their reading speed and
comprehension to the level required
by business and industry today.
The Basic Division also has a
library of vocational literature,
and gives courses in vocations.
The Basic Division is headed now
by Dean John R. Bertrand, who will
leave in October to take a job i
dean of agriculture at the Uni
versity of Nevada.
GUESS WHAT? — Fall brings football season, football
season brings the University of Texas game, and the Uni
versity of Texas game brings the bonfire. Work on wood
gathering for the bonfire starts weeks before the game,
and the actual construction starts with the hoisting of the
50-foot centerpole about two weeks before the game. The
bonfire is usually touched off the Wednesday night before
the Thanksgiving game, after weeks of building and
guarding against premature burning.