The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, August 23, 1956, Image 9
Freshmen Edition The Battalion COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1956 Section 2 Football Season Means Your First Corps Trip By JOHN GUMERT Battalion Staff Writer As football season approaches, the typical Aggie begins to think of the excitement of the games and corps trips. You freshman Aggies, or Fish as you will be known, will soon go on your own first Corps Trip. There are several things you should know before embarking on this first adventure, so let’s see just what a Corps Trip is. A Corps Trip is made by the entire corps (even some seniors) to two out- of- town football games. This year we A&M has one department that a student will find difficult to dodge, if you step out of a doimiitory without a book, most of the time you will be headed for an activity sponsored either directly or in directly by the Office of Student Activities. With offices on the second floor of the YMCA and headed by W. L. Penberthy this department is con cerned with almost everything that happens on the campus. Aided by C. G. (Spike) White, W. D. (Pete) Hardesty, Fowler B. (Barney) Welch, Penberthy heads an organization that involves intramural athletics, student enter tainment and all clubs and organi zations on the campus. Boasting one of the most com prehensive intramural athletic pro grams in the country under the di rection of Welch this is one phase of life at A&M that involves more students than any other besides have trips to Dallas and Austin for the SMU and TU games. As is the custom before each game, the Corps has a praade down the main streets of the town. This arouses team spirit and also the anger of the citizens of the far city who suddenly find 3,000 wild Ags loose in the streets. Another popular custom at Corps Trip time is to hold a yell practice on some prominent landmark in the city. Now, you probably had pep rallies in high school. Well, a yell practice is the same thing—only bigger and louder, as you freshmen classroom participation. This program is aimed to provide an opportunity for every student to take part in a large vai-iety of sports and to encourage and pro mote competition between students not eligible for varsity partici pation. Clubs and organizations come under Hardesty and over 300 clubs are available for the student to join. These range in interest from the departmental organizations to hometown clubs. These offer extra - curricular activity and the opportunity for students to widen contacts and ex periences out of class. The leader ship and cooperation developed by participating in these activities prove to be invaluable training for students after graduation. Organization finances is a phase of the Office that is not of general knowledge. Across the counter of the OSA passes some half a mil- will soon find out. After the game, there is much celebrating and many outfits throw parties at the local places. These parties are a great source of enter tainment, and the Aggies have never in the history of the school lost a party. Now you have a general idea in mind of what to expect on corps trip, let’s look at the details. Our first corps trip this year is on Nov. 10 in Dallas. That means that we cut class the week of the Nov. 6 so that we can prepare pro perly for the event. lion dollars annually. This money is used to bring speakers to the cam pus for various clubs, furnish films, pay for barbecues and other organizational entertainment. Student Entertainment as such comes under White. The most re nowned phase of this is the A&M Town Hall. Held in the G. Eolle White Coliseum which holds 8,500 people such programs as Fred War ing and his Pennsylvanians; Boston Pops Orchestra; Fujiwara Opera Company and The Ballet Russe de monte Carlo appear annually. These are scheduled to appear on the program for this coming school year. In addition to Town Hall and for those who enjoy movies Guion Hall is available. Under the manage ment of Tom Puddy the theatre runs daily from 1 p. m. until 10 p. m. The Aggie Players, under (See ACTIVITIES, Page 4) One of the first preparations is to try to get a date for the game. Now, that is no problem for you Fish, because you are right out of high school and haven’t lost con tact yet; also, you still have some remnant of manners left and girls won’t be afraid of you. By the way, if you have any extra dates, I live in Dorm 3, and . . . Oh well, back to the main points. After working all week to get a date, you also start lining up a ride. If you have a car of your own, as do most freshmen, this is no problem. However, if you are in the fix most upperclassmen are in, you will probably be hitchhiking or riding with one of your Fish bud dies. Either way is all right as long as you get there in one piece. The problem of when to leave for a corps trip is one of gravest con cern. According to the Military Science Department, most Ags leave Thursday before drill. Ac cording to the professors, the time is set at sometime early Friday Student Activities Dept. Completes College Life morning. The Aggie, however, sweai’s that he can’t get away be fore 5 p. m. Friday. Take your choice. I’ve tried some of each, and I believe in the old adage “The sooner the better.’^ Besides, no-cut probation isn’t too bad. After leaving the campus, with a sigh of relief, because this is probably the first time you have left since you signed on the dotted line in September, you make a bee-line, not for Dallas, but for her neighbor to the north, Denton. It seems that at Denton they have a college just full of beautiful babes just dying to go with Aggie freshmen (or just dying to go, period) who always throw a dance for us Ags on Corps Trip. Well, you may take your chances up there, but remember: stay with your Fish buddies and never let more than three of you Money, A Problem At Inexpensive A&M One problem always confronting a new student at any college or university is that of money. A&M is one of the cheapest institutions in our state to attend, but even here the incoming freshman should keep a few basic principles in mind. Have some method of keeping up with your money and the carrying around of large sums of money in your billfold is one way to learn —the hard way‘ Don’t carry any more money with you than you will need during any one period of time, don’t come to A&M with all your money tied up in a large check for you will find difficulty in cashing it. We suggest you take out a check ing account with one of the local banks or your bank at home and keep track of your money in this manner. This will aid you in learning to keep account of your money and stand you in good stand in the years to come. Find out what you expect to spend the first few days then you will have some idea how much you will need. Books vary in cost from $15 to around $25, depending upon whether or not you buy them new or used. Shop around for your books and usually you will find a price more in line with your pocket- book. get separated. After a wonderful (Note: Any relation between this and the actual adjective is purely coincidental.) time at the Tessie dance, you load up and depart for Dallas, arriving about 2 a. m. Although you haven’t a place to stay, never fear. Just go downtown to the lai-gest hotel and find one of your buddies •who has had the foresight to reserve a room and sack out in the bathtub or some other likely place. Remem ber, your Aggie buddy is always Avilling to lend you a place to stay, provided you chip in on the bill. I remember one buddy of mine who rented the entire bridal suite in the Hotel Adolphus for 16 cents per man. But that’s neither here nor there—it just shows you what Aggie ingenuity can do. Well, Saturday dawns bright and early. You dress in your best uni form (which somebody has slept on all night), borrow a buddy’s hat (yours is either left at school or hanging in some Tessie’s room), and set out to get some breakfast before the parade. As usually happens, you have half finished breakfast when it’s time to form for the parade. You gulp down the last of the coffee and run, too. After standing around for two and a half hours, you hear the band start playing and march off with the corps—banners wmving, white gloves swinging, sabers shining (if the CO makes it. We lost our CO one year and had to use a junior. Nobody knew the difference and the CO made quite an impressive sight at Senior Court the next week). The parade is uneventful. After stepping on old streetcar tracks— (Parades are always held on (See CORPS TRIP, Page 3) uu come Credit mein THE Chicken. WESTERN RESTAURANT Steak Open 24 Hours To Serve You SEA FOOD Shrimp \ p»es / Highway 6 VI-6-5121