Battalion Editorials
Page 2 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1954
Civilian Students
Now Have Their Chance
The civilian students are going to get
their chance tomorrow.
After last year’s heated class elections,
in which the civilian students pleaded for
equal representation in student life here,
changes have been mads and plans outlined
that will give them this chance—if the stu
dents themselves want it enough to work
for it.
The election of dormitory floor represen
tatives in each civilian dormitory is the first
step toward forming the Civilian Student
Council, the proposed “voice” for the civ
ilians.
Many people, both students and staff,
have worked hard in setting up the machin
ery for the elections and council. The Bat
talion is proud that it had a small part, in
that the council was proposed in the Batt
editorial columns last spring.
But whether or not it works is up to the
civilian students. They are the ones who
will vote, and they will be the dormitory rep
resentatives and the members of the coun
cil.
Since school began, and A&M’s new op
tional military plan was announced, every
body has been assuring the civilian students
that they will get a fair break.
But that’s only half way—the students
have to come the other half, and actively par
ticipate in the programs set up by and for
them.
If the civilian students lazily accept the
once-prevalent A&M idea that “anyone not
in the corps just might as well not be here,”
then they just might as well not be here.
But if they meet their challenge and be
come active in student life, in both their
own programs and in school-wide programs,
they will have the complete college life.
And they will enjoy it.
Aggies’ Conduct
Draws Praise
A&M students involved in two fights on
the SMU campus last weekend have drawn
praise from both SMU officials and officials
here at the college for their conduct in trying
to avoid the incidents.
Conduct such as was displayed by the
Aggies should draw praise and should also
go a long way in earning the cadet corps a
good reputation throughout the state.
Continued action of this kind will not
only strengthen the corps, but will also help
to cement good relations with other schools
in the state.
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The Battalion
The Editorial Policy of The Battalion
Represents the Views of the Student Editors
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechan
ical College of Texas, is published by students four times a week, during
the regular school year. During the summer terms, and examination
and vacation periods, The Battalion is published twice a week. Days of
publications are Tuesday through Friday for the regular school year,
and Tuesday and Thursday during examination and vacation periods
and the summer terms. Subscription rates $9.00 per year or $ .75 pei
month. Advertising rates furnished on request.
Entered as second-class
matter at Post Office at
College Station, Texas
under the Act of Con
gress of March 3, 1870.
Member of
The Associated Press
Represented nationally by
National Advertising
Services, Inc., at New
York City, Chicago, Los
Angeles, and San Fran
cisco.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republi
cation of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
the paper and local news of spontaneous origin published herein. Eights
of republication of all other matter herein are also reserved.
News contributions may be made by telephone (4-5444 or 4-7604) or
et the editorial office room, 202 Goodwin Hall. Classified ads may be
placed by telephone (4-5324) or at the Student Activities Office, Room
209 Goodwin Hall.
BOB BORISKIE, HARRI BAKER Co-Editors
Jon Kinslow Managing Editor
Jerry Wizig Sports Editor
Ralph Cole, Don Shepard News Editors
Nora Burge ... Woman’s Editor
Kerstin Ekfelt Assistant Woman’s Editor
Betsy Burchard.. - A&M Consolidated Correspondent
Maurice Olian i A&M Consolidated Sports Correspondent
John Huber Advertising Manager
Larry Lightfoot Circulation Manager
Tom Syler, Russell Reed, Ken Livingston Circulation Staff
Bank Teller Steals
$82,000 At Bank
NEW YORK, Sept. 28—UP)_A
23-year-old bank teller disappear
ed today with more than $82,000
from a Staten Island bank, and ap
parently took his wife and three
children with him.
Asst. U. S. Atty. Peter Passal-
acqua of Brooklyn obtained a war
rant for the arrest of John Siemer
of Stapleton, for absconding with
the money. The FBI was called in.
Sidney O. Simonson, Richmond
county district attorney, said Sie
mer, a gangling six-footer, had
worked at the West Brighton
branch of the Staten Island Na
tional Bank & Trust Co. for more
than two years.
Bank officials began to check,
and found Siemer’s teller cage
short of all its bills—a little more
than $82,000 worth.
22 RUGER
Superb Balance—Perfect Grip
$37.50
HILLCREST
HARDWARE
Doctors Claim
Batchelor Sane
SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 29—(A 5 )—
Two Army psychiatrists yesterday
testified Cpl. Claude Batchelor
“knew right from wrong” while a
prisoner of war in Korea.
Batchelor, 22, Kermit, Tex., has
been on trial here for nearly a
month on charges of collaborating
with the enemy and informing on
fellow POWs.
The soldier’s defense attorneys
have claimed Batchelor is innocent
of collaboration by reason of tem
porary insanity. They denied he
ever informed on a fellow pris
oner.
Most of the testimony yesterday
delved into psychiatry—its terms
and meanings. j
The two Army psychiatrists
were Maj, Henry A. Segal and Col.
Albert J. Glass. Both are station
ed at Walter Reed Medical Center,
Washington, D. C.
Segal interviewed Batchelor
when the soldier returned to U. S.
Army control after changing his
mind about remaining with the
Communists.
Glass interviewed the soldier
when Batchelor was arrested here
in March.
Segal testified Batchelor was “in
perfect contact with reality” when
he returned from Communist capti
vity. He said the soldier was “not
sick” psychiatrically.
Segal also said he did not be
lieve it was possible to cause a
person to become mentally ill by
inducing a psychosis.
He said in his interview with
Batchelor after the soldier’s return
he noted that Batchelor differed
from many returning POWs in that
Cpl. Claude Batchelor
Batchelor did not have a “zombie”
reaction.
Another Army psychiatrist yes-
terday testified a “zombie” reac
tion was one in which the prisoners
showed apathy toward returning
home.
Glass testified in his opinion
Batchelor was free of any mental
defects during his captivity and
able' to tell “right from wrong.”
Batchelor’s civilian defense at
torney, Joel Westbrook of San An
tonio, read a paragraph of Glass’
original report on his interview
with Batchelor. It said, in effect,
that while Batchelor was a POW,
loneliness and homesickness made
him vulnerable to suggestions that
he become a member of the Com
munist fold.
Glass said this was simply a
speculation.
Red Escapee Says
Resistance Rising
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29—CP)—
An escapee from behind the Iron
Curtain, a top ranking Polish se
curity officer, turned, up in Wash
ington yesterday. He declared that
resistance to Communist regimes
is wide-spread throughout the So
viet satellite countries.
The official is Jozef Swiatlo, who
was No. 2 man in Communist Po
land’s security program. The U.S.
government had kept him secretly
in Washington for eight months,
and lifted the veil of secrecy only
yesterday. No one explained the
delay.
The story, which had the ele
ments of a spy thriller, brought
into the open an account of the
mysterious European disappear
ance five years ago of Noel and
Hermann Field, American brothers,
and Noel’s wife, Horta.
Swiatlo, a stocky, ruddy faced
man of 39, ■ spoke with newsmen
at a far-ranging press conference
at which he said:
1. Active revolt against the
Communists in Iron Curtain coun
tries is a virtual impossibility now
because “The Red army is every
where.” But the United States
Bill Pochatko won the 1954 mu
nicipal golf title at Greensburg,
Pa., with his first hole-in-one on
the 117-yard No. 7 hole. A few
days later he was showing some
friends how he did it and sunk his
second hole-in-one.
“should do everything it can to
bolster the spirit of resistance.”
2. “There is a great movement
for resistance” against the Mos
cow-directed Red leaders in Po
land. This resistance shows up
“among all classes.” He said it
was likely that a central body was
organizing the resistance.
3. He “knows the great major
ity of Poles are convinced” that
the Polish victims of the World
War II Katyn massacre were “mur
dered by the Soviets” rather than
the Germans.
4. He fled Poland because of
his “great ideological disappoint
ments” with communism.
The Foreign Operations admin
istration, obviously delighted to
present a significant case of Com
munist defection, introduced Swiat
lo to 200 newsmen late in the aft
ernoon.
Swiatlo, wearing a conservative
blue suit, white shirt and b'lue tie,
answered questions freely through
an interpreter, Jules A. Nowotny,
of the Library of Congress. Much
of the questioning was concen
trated on the case of the Fields.
As if to punctuate the dramatic
situation, the State Department
made public the text of notes sent
to the Iron Curtain countries of
Poland and Hungary, demanding
the release of the Fields.
The notes said Swiatlo had filled
in the missing gaps in the cases
of the Fields.
At Other Schools
Fraternities Are
Big Topic At TCU
By JON KINSLOW
Battalion Managing Editor
(Editor’s Note^—This exchange column. At Other Schools,
will be a weekly feature of The Battalion, and will be published
each Wednesday if space permits.)
Texas Christian University
Fraternities are the big topic at TCU since the recent
action of the school’s Board of Trustees approved them. Ac
tive fraternal organizations will probably not come until late
in the spring, a college official announced, and a seven-man
committee is now establishing governing policy for the or
ganization. One of the reasons for the Board’s action was
because of “increasing competition being forced on TCU”
the organizations should be added “to keep local students in
Fort Worth.”
University of Texas .
Again this week the Orange and the Student Union would walk out.
White Steers had a little trouble, It doesn’t say however, whether
but this time it was the fighting they went out to drown their sor-
Irish team. Reports on students rows or look for a new coach. ^
who stayed on the campus and lis- Also, don’t feel bad if local book-
tened to the game on the radio stores didn’t have that book you
paints a pretty black picture of need—Texas has a similar prob^
Texas’ school spirit. The students lem. This proves people do have
were so dejected that with each to do some studying at other plac-
score, ten of fifteen listeners in es except A&M.
Baylor University
New buildings are going up on campuses throughout
the state and Baylor is no exception. A half-million dollar
structure is currently being built for an expected increase in
the law school enrollment. Described as being one of the best
law buildings in the country, the building comes complete
with a miniature courtroom. Baylor has one of the five law
schools in Texas.
North Texas
Freshmen beware! If you go to North Texas State college, you
have a chance to establish a tradition—but all that glitters is not gold.
The tradition is wearing freshman beanies from registration until the
first home football game, and a letter requesting the cooperation of
the frsehmen will be distributed in freshmen English classes. One
question: what has wearing beanies got to do with English ?
T S C W
Twenty-four Lassies from Texas State College for
Women will journey to Aggieland Oct. 22 to serenade thf
Aggies. These talented Tessies are the Singing Stars, and
their concert here is an annual affair. No waiting in lin&
for tickets, either, because it’s all free.
Rice Institute
The Honor council of Rice re- tion room, an examination pledge
cently published an article in the similar to the one suggested at
Rice Thresher explaining their A&M, and leaving the room only
honor system used at the school, for “personal reasons.” The coun-
Major requirements of the system cil said failure to follow them is
are sitting in alternate rows and a reason for suspicion of cheat-
alternate chairs, leaving books and ing. Yes, I think we can agree on
notes at the front of an examina- that.
University of Arkansas
Near catastrophe has struck at the University of Ar
kansas because he nickel Coke is now a dime. Higher opera
ting costs were given as the reason for the price rise, and
local company officials said they had tried to avoid the
jump, but just couldn’t do it and still make money. People
who switched to Cokes when coffee went up now have a
dilemna.
And the university officials denied charges that any
women students had been refused admission to the school
because of a housing shortage. The college said the rumor
probably started when notices were mailed to some students
saying the college would “do everything possible to aid them
in finding approved housing in town if residence halls were
filled.”
Southern Methodist University »
SMU has somewhat of an un- administration will not condone a
usual problem. Their campus hu- student humor magazine at SMU,
mor magazine, the late Hoofprint, and> 2 ) The student body wofi’t
is the third such periodical in look twice at any other kind of
eight years to meet an untimely .
end. An editorial in the SMU ma g azine - P™ng, the article
Campus says the magazine’s liquid- sa y g > that magazine founders are
ation proves two things—1) The licked before they start.
Smoker Postponed
The Veterinary Medicine smoker
for freshmen has been postponed
until Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Me
morial Student Center ballroom.
COLT
SPORT WOODSMAN
Holds many records
HILLCRES T
HARDWARE
P O G O
By Walt Kelly
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