IVew Student
Edition
Xumber 2fi2: Volume 5‘3
Battalion
Section
Two
rOTXFGE STATION, TEXAS. THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1954
Price 15 Cents
A&M Students, Community
Use MSC For ‘Living Room’
Center Offers Variety
Of Committee Programs
Student Activities
Complete College
A FAMILIAR SIGHT—The Memorial Student Center may not be the geographical cen
ter of the campus, but it is the activity center. Everything a student could want is
found somewhere in the big, modern MSC.
FSA Aids School Projects
The Association of Former Stu
dents is a non-profit corporation
organized for the purpose of aid
ing, in every way possible, A&M
and of providing a means to main
tain lasting friendships made on
the campus.
As entering freshmen, you will
automatically become members of
the Association and your name will
be added to the rolls upon gradu
ation or leaving the college.
^ k There is no such thing as an ex-
Aggie—once an Aggie, always an
Aggie.
To give an idea of the scope of
the organization, there are some
Dances Brighten
Year at A&M
A&M has many dances through
out the year, with one reserved
especially for the freshman, the
Fish Ball.
On football game weekends when
the game is at College Station,
there is an All-College dance in
spacious Sbisa hall, with a name
fcand playing.
During the spring, the various
rampus and corps groups have
dances- - - the regimental balls,
the class balls, and various club
fourtions.
The big one for military stu
dents is the annual Military Ball,
a^d there is a civilian ball planned
fiir civilian students.
The Freshman Ball goes about
mid-way through the spring se
mester, and it is for the freshmen
only* - « .
The tegenL around the campus
says that the prettiest girls always
come to the Fish Ball, and it
seems to be true.
The freshman class, through its
class officers, do«s all the planning
for their dance.
28,000 A&M men on its rolls—75.4
percent of these reside in Texas,
20.2 per cent in other states and
4.4 per cent located in foreign
countries. A&M men are in every
state in the union, and in foreign
nations throughout the world.
A&M men reside in more than
3,000 cities and towns in the U.S.
Supervising the campus office of
the Association, which is located
in .the west wing of the Memorial
Student Center and is open daily
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., is J. B.
(Dick) Hervey, class of 1942. His
job as the Executive Secretary of
the Former Student’s Association
is to coordinate the activities of the
180 .active A&M clubs throughout
the nation; publish a monthly
newspaper, The Texas Aggie, which*
contains news of the Association,
the campus, and the activities of
all fonjier students; plan and exe
cute class reunions, keep individual
biographies of all former students
up-to-date; and do his best to ful
fill all requests which A&M men
might make of the Association.
The Student Loan Fund, under
the administration of Lonnie B.
Locke, class of 1922, is another
most worthwhile activity about
which little is known except by the
boys who receive needed financial
assistance year in and year out.
At present, there Is a large sum
on hand to lend to worthy students.
It is interesting to note that in the
last five year, $235,000 has been
loaned to students. This amount
represents 4,815 individual loans.
The loss on unpaid loans is under
one percent.
Perhaps fhe most Important
phase of fhe Association program
however, is the Development Fund
which provides money for many
valuable worthwhile projects which
the college needs but for which
other funds are not available.
Through the Development Fund,
the Former Student’s Association
has given to the College such
things as $234,000 in bonds for the
construction of the Memorial Stu
dent Center; $50,000 for the Gold
Star Fund to aid in the education
of sons and daughters of A&M men
killed in both WW II and the Ko
rean campaign; $100,000 for the
establishment of the Opportunity
Award scholarships, and $60,000
for the Endowed Scholarship Trust
fund.
There are those who say that
'jook-lamin’ is only half of a col-
ege education—the other half is
he extracurrliclar activities and
>ther things you do at college.
A&M’s student activities depart
ment, headed by W. L. Penberthy,
is concerned with almost every
thing that happens on the campus
and doesn’t involve books.
All clubs, military units, dormi
tories, and classes plan their activi
ties and dances with the help of
the student activities department.
The department also sponsors
Town Hall, the theater program
that brings classical and semi-
classical performances to the cam
pus; Guian hall, w'hich shows first-
rate movies at low prices; and con
cessions, which operates candy and
soft drink machines in the dormi
tories.
A tentative schedule for this
year’s Towm Hall offers Marge and
Gower Champion and the Voices of
Walter Schuman, the Caine Mutiny
Court Martial Trial, twin-pianists
Whittemore and Lowe, a male
Student Labor Has
Part-Time Jobs
No one looks down on the boy
who is working his way through
school at A&M. They can’t; there
are too many of them doing it.
The college operates a student
labor office to make it easier far
the students to get jobs. If you are
interested in earning part of your
expenses, write the student labor
office now for information—the
jobs go fast.
The address is Student Labor
Office, Texas A&M, College Sta
tion.
But first a word of warning: The
collage discourages students from
trying to take too much part-
time work their first year.
This doesn’t mean that they
won’t help you get a job; it just
means that they know the first
year you are going to need more
time to .study gnd get adjusted' fco
college life.
The college also suggests that
no one try to earn more than hali 1
of their expenses. Getting a col
lege education js a full-time job.
Almost aH the student, labor
positions are on the campus. There
are no big industries or other labor
markets around Bryan to hire stu
dents.
The usual wage for student labor
is 60 cents an hour, but if you
have a special skill, you can get a
job at the prevailing wage for that
skill.
Types of work open to students
include laboratory assistants, metal
and wood shop work, clerical,
stenographic, landscape gardening,
drafting, library work, farm work
and livestock handling, janitor
work, compiling reports and
statists! data, and the famous
"Sbisa voulunteers,” the student
dining hall waiters.
You have to be in good scholastic
standing to get a student labor
job, and ordinarily only those stu
dents who actually need help in
getting through school are con
sidered for jobs.
Work assignments are based
primarily on n«ed and sincerity of
purpose.
And, finally, get your application
in early.
quarter, a musical comedy, and a
Texas symphony orchestra.
To make it easier and cheaper
for the student to participate in
these actirities, all of them, except
organizational dances, are included
in a student activity fee.
The fee is $21.90 a semester,
payable when you register. The fee
is optional, but if you buy separate
tickets for each thing the cost is
more than double.
A break down of the activity fee
is as follows:
Athletics, $8; Battalion news
paper, $4.50; Aggieland yearbook,
$5; choice of student publication
magazine, $.80; Town Hall, $2.60;
Great Issues and Recital series,
$1.
The Great Issues series is a
lecture series bring big - name
speakerh, and the Recital series
features classical music. Both are
sponsored by the Memorial Stu
dent Center.
In the athletic ticket are in
cluded all intercollegiate athletic
contests sponsored by the A&M
athletic department.
Student Senate
Serves As Voice
The Student Senate, A&M’s stu
dent government, serves as a voice
for the students and as an exe
cutive group for them.
It is composed of representives
from each class and dormitory,
both military and civilian, elected
in the spring general elections. The
vice- president of the freshman
class is the representative for the
first-year men.
Meeting monthly, the Senate dis
cusses and votes on matters of stu
dent life, campus improvements,
and other facets of the school.
Their action, which is reviewed
by the student affairs department,
takes the form of a recommen
dation to the college authority con
cerned with that particular item.
Lost and Found
Has Two Offices
There are two lost and found
offices on the Campus.
One is operated by the Campus
Security Office, on the first floor
of Goodwin hall.
The other, less well-known, is
in the Memorial Student Center.
You can ask about lost articles at
the main desk.
Mail Service
Available
Two Places
While at A&M, you will get
all your mail through a post
office box.
There are two post offices
on the campus: one at the
North Gate area, and one in the
Memorial Student Center. Get your
box early, and get it at the post
office that will bd closest to your
dormitory.
The college has a special delivery
service, and special delivery let
ters should have your dormitory
and room number on them.
To ship packages or footlockers
to school before you come, address
them to yourself, Texas A&M Col
lege Station, and send them by
rail. You can then pick them up at
the railroad station.
For emergencies, there is a
telegraph office in the Memorial
Student Center which receives tele
grams at any hour of the day or
night. You can also send telegrams
there.
The MSC also operates a long
distance telephone service.
All incoming long distance calls
come through the housing office,
W’here messengers are on duty day
and night to get the person being
called.
The living room of Texas A&M is the Memorial Student
Center, a spacious, modern building located just south of the
main drill field.
Popularly known as the MSC, it has been serving the
college and the community since 1950. It is the gathering
place for all campus groups and is run by the students.
The Center contains under one roof bowling alleys, game
rooms, shops, club meeting rooms, guest rooms, a browsing
library, record playing rooms, a piano room, and television
lounges.
Besides a regular dining room, the MSC has a fountain
room for coffee, snacks, or cafeteria lunches.
The MSC invites all incom
ing freshmen to sign up for
the various committees and
activities. There’s something
to suit the tastes of everyone,
so read on and take your pick.
House Committee
The House Committee begins its
year with an Open House for
freshmen. Thoughout the year it
sponsors student-faculty coffees,
decorating parties for special holi
days, and, for Mother’s Day, a
large reception for all Aggies and
their Moms.
Dance Committee
One of the activities most widely
participated in is the dance classes
sponsored by the dance committee
of the MSC. Instruction is given
in all types of ballroom dancing.
The committee also sponsors Rue
Pinalle, A&M’s version of a French
night-club.
Music Committee
This group selects music to be
played over the MSC’s loud speak
er system, and records for the re
cord playing rooms. The committee
sponsors musical programs and the
inter-collegiate talent show.
Art Gallery
All art exhibits in the MSC
throughout the year are planned by
the Art Gallery committee. The
committee also sponsors free art
lessons in all medias.
Crafts Committee
All students, amateurs and mas
ters, are invited to join the Crafts
committee and use the various
facilities of the craft shop.
Radio Committee
The Radio committee has as its
members “Ham" operators and
others interested in radio. Mem
bers of the committee can work
with the sets or just sit and shoot
the bull about the latest rig.
Camera Club
Amateur photographers who join
the Camera club have available to
them fully equipped darkrooms,
contests, and instruction in photo
graphy. The Camera club sponsors
outstanding photography exhibits
in the Center.
(See A&M’S, Page 6)
Fish Pick Officers
At Mid-Year
Each class at A&M elects
its own class officers to speak
for the class and to handle
plans for the class’s dance and
other functions.
The freshman class will elect
officers about mid - way
through the year, when every
one has gotten to know his
class mates.
Dating Is About the Same, But
Few Local Girls: You Have
By-KERSTIN EKFELT
Battalion Woman’s Editor
[ At'a .coeducational' ’college a
pate is a pretty routine affair, not
much’different from a date back
pome. You ask a girl about a
week in advance, she accepts, you
piyk her up at her dorm, you bring
her back by curfew time. But at
A&M the situation is slightly dif
ferent and merits some attention.
Here’s the set-up:
The College Station-Bryan area
Roasts pn all-male military college
with more than 5,000 students, an
air base with some 3,000 personnel,
jU»d a military prep school with an
enrollment of about 1,000.
But the two cities also have,
besides a business college, two
high schools, and in these institu
tions are Girls. The only problem
is to find a way (preferably re
spectable) to meet them.
The easiest method is to go to
church. The local churches are
loaded with young women who are
o^ly too happy to extend a wel
come to a-homeless Aggie. And
nothing surpasses this in respecta
bility. The girl can tell her par
ents, "He’s an Aggie, but it’s all
right—»I met .him. at church.”
• Another good way to get a date
is to have a car (i.e., anything
with four wheelfc and a motbr).
Once your buddies, find out that
you have a means of transporta
tion, you W'iil be swamped with
offers of blind.dates. -With no ef
fort at all bn your* part, you can
havp a date any night.
- Other Way*
There are other good ways to
meet the few fair females of the
community. Some of these ways
are, in brief, working on the var
ious committees of the Memorial
Student Center, visiting professors
who have daughters between the
age* of 12 and 25, enrolling in the
MSC dancing classes (this is a
dandy, incidentally), attending
community functions, hanging a-
round the doors of the high schools
at 3:30 in the afternoon, and hav
ing friends or relatives tn Brazos
county.
Once you’ve met a girl, the ac
tual date is simple as pie. Any
advice you may need on-the sub
ject can be found in, an .etiquette
book or an advice to the lovelorn
column.
So .let’s consider another facet of
the dating problem at A&M. Sup
posing that another guy made it to
the phorje book 'first, and you’re
without a date for the big game
and alt-college dance afterward. Dp
not despair;.you can import a glfj
from jjut-of-town. - Most dates for
big weekends are-gotten-this wajr.
The procedure here is .a littla
more com plica tad. The first thing
to do is to invite the girl—at least
three weeks in advance. Your let
ter should be casuaL It won't be
the last one you will write to her
about this particular week-end, so
you can save the vital statistics for
the follow-up.
Just be sure to mention what the
occasion is, when you expect her to
come, and how long you want her
to stay.
Ten days later you will get a
letter saying that she’d love to
come. The delay doesn’t bother
you; you made all the arrange
ments before you asked her, know
ing that if she declined the invi
tation you could always get some
one else.
Your next move is to write a
letter of information, a delicate
composition which must tell her
everything she needs to know with
out giving her the impression that
you doubt her sophistication. In-
this letter be sure to say:
How to get to A&M and when.
It’s all right to let her look up the
train schedules, but it's safer to
tell her what train to ake out of
what station at what time arriving
where, when.
It’s nice, especially if she’s new
at this, to find out which of her
school mates are coming down for
the week-end, so that shell have
a wing to tuck herself under if she
wants one.
How to find you when she ar*
To Bring One In
rives. You'll meet her at the sta
tion if she comes by train or bus.
If she comes by car, arrange a spe
cific place and time for you to
meet her. (The MSC is a good
spot—it’s easy to find and has
comfortable chairs to sit in while
you wait.)
What to Wear
What you two will do when she
arrive*. This clues her as to what
to wear for the trip- Shell want
to know if she’s going to have a
chance to change her clothes or
if shell go directly to a party.
Where she will stay. The suave
move is to billet her in the MSC,
but chances are 999 to one that the
place is booked up solid until June
5, 1957. So if neither of you hive
friends around College Station,
youll either keep her in one of the
Bryan hotels or else see the hous
ing office for a list of rooms for
rent. (These are in the homes of
local families and are usually very
inexpensive.)
Be precise not only about the
name, address, and telephone num
ber of the spot (emergency infor
mation), but also about the kind of
place it is. Whether it’s an adjoin
ing-bath or a cold-dormitory type
of stopover spot makes a difference
in her packing.
And then what. You don’t have
to spell this out quite as carefully
as you’ve planned it; the whole
idea is to coach her on what to
wear where. You should be direct
about the big events—tell her if
the dance is formal or the picnic
calls for jeans.
If you don’t tell her everything
she wants to know, she’ll either
guess (and guess wrong) or play
it safe in her little "basic black”
that she can dress up or down.
Make the plans for the weekend
with at least one other classmate,
because the secret of collegy-week-
ending is to be with a crowd. Un
less you and she are exceptionally
crazy about each other's company,
to be alone together on a college
w«>*k-end is to be lonely and left
out.
The way to avoid it is to plan
in advance with ydur friends. Don’t
leave anything to the girls; noth
ing will dismay them more than to
have to speak up about what they’d
like to do.
Expense Is On You
As for expenses, they’re all on
you—from the moment your date
arrives to the moment she leaves
the campus. You pay for her
room, usually in advance. If you
have put her up with local friends
where there is no question of pay
ing for the lodging, you give the
hostess a bread-and-butter present,
and you pay for your date’s meals.
The only thing she pays for is
her transportation. If she brings
a car and turns it over to you, you
might fill the tank for excursions
during the week-end, but you
wouldn’t pay for her to-snd-fro
gas any more than you’d send her
her railroad ticket
To sum up the whole mess, your
career at A&M need not be a ae
ries of stag parties. There are
women around—they’re harder to
find here than at Denton, for in
stance, but they exist