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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1958)
C PORT SLANT Q L7 By GARY ROLLINS k_7 Battalion Sports Editor The word has leaked out in news circles that Texas A&M’s Board of Directors will not have to turn down any more coaching candidates—because no self-respecting coach would want to have his name associated with the Texas Aggies. In what might prove to be the biggest blunder since the United States allowed Russia to move into Germany at the end of World War II, the Texas A&M Board of Direc tors gambled and lost—for the fifth straight time. Whenever a college with the “name” and prestige of Texas A&M is dragged into the national limelight to be rid iculed and criticized from coast to coast, it is time that someone wake up to the situation at the home front. Last Monday, the coaching vacancy left by Paul Bryant was almost filled by Iowa State’s Jim Myers, but the majori ty of the Board of Directors saw fit to stage a delaying action to allow them to talk to Eddie Erdelatz—who hadn’t the slightest intention of coming to Texas A&M. And now, with Erdelatz gone back to Annapolis, Col lege Station is being laughed at over a nationwide circuit. Up in Ames, Iowa, the prohetic Mrs. Jim Myers further enlightened the picture in her statement “Jim was most fair and he was really treated badly. He couldn’t possibly put Iowa State off any longer. I certainly liked some of the people I met and we loved the campus, but I would have hated to enter a situation like that. I really feel sorry for you folks down there.” Time and time again, Texas A&M has been “taken,” and people who love the school are beginning to ask “just when will it stop?” So ridiculous has this fiasco become that coaches merely laugh when they are approached with questions concerning the “attractive” offer. There has been no consideration for the team itself who will play for the new coach; a team that Bryant con sidered a “fine prize” for the asking. It will be interesting to note their reaction to the refusal of the latest prospect. Those boys are smart and they follow the situation more closely than other concerned parties, because it concerns their future. J. T. King and Willie Zapalac also remain at Aggieland along with trainer Charles E. (Smokey) Harper. Their future, too, lies in the balance, but that hasn’t been brought into consideration. It has become increasingly apparent that the Board of Directors,is doing the “searching” for the new Aggie coach, for in the last instance Athletic Council chairman Dr. Chris Groneman remarked “Jim Myers is the council’s recommen dation—I don’t even know how Eddie Erdelatz entered upon the scene.” ' And even more disgusting. Dr. Harrington was in Washington, D. C. at the time Erdelatz was contacted by Texas A&M officials and yet knew nothing about the meet ing. From all over the nation, people are getting their big chance to slam Texas A&M from any angle they want— from coeducation to football coaches—and they can get away with it because we’re wide open for anything they want to say. The press and other interested factions have cooperated to their fullest extent, but even they wil] be justified in their verbose blasts at the college—they have been made fools of long enough and know when and how to answer back. It should never be said the Athletic Council hasn’t done a fine job and attenmpted to do the right thing in selecting a new man, and that goes for Dr. M. T. Harrington, too, but these men are powerless after they make their recommen dation. The only trouble with their situation is—they’ve run out of places to look for “big name” coaches, “promising, young” coaches, or even “money-mad” coaches because they have all turned their back to A&M and raised their thumbs lo their noses in salute. Coed Boosters To Organize By GAYLE McNUTT Plans were announced yesterday for beginning a campus organiza tion to make a study of the co education controversy. William Boyd Metts, freshman from Bivins, is president of the group planning the move to charter a club called the Aggie Association for the Advancement of Co-educa tion. The primary club’s purpose is to learn the percentage of Aggies interested in co-education, Metts said. Club officers have already been elected but the charter has not been completed and more members are needed, Metts said. He said several students had expressed in terest in such a club and a few got together and drew up prelim inary plans. He said they were now ready to open the club for mem bership. Besides making a study of how many Aggies are in favor of co education, Metts said the group would have speakers representing both sides of the question and try to determine just how co-educa tion would change A&M and its traditions and how it would affect the college as an educational in stitution. , “We in no way want to create more controversies on the subject,” Metts said. “Our purpose will be to intelligently approach the situation and see just how such a move would affect A&M and the attitude of Aggies.” Metts said members would not be required to pay dues, at least for the time being. “The organization may actually never get organized,” he said, “or it may not be a lasting organiza tion. But I feel that at least we will accomplish something in find ing out how Aggies really feel about co-education here.” Metts asked all those interested in joining the organization to write him in care of AAAC, Box 6253, College Station. Exam Schedule Final examinations, which scheduled as follows. begin Monday morning, are Day Hour Series Monday 8-11 a. m. Classes meeting MWF 8 Monday 1-4 p. m. Classes meeting TThS 8 Tuesday 8-11 a. m. Classes meeting MWF 9 Tuesday 1-4 p. m. Classes meeting MWF 1 Wednesday 8-11 p. m. Classes meeting MWF 10 Wednesday 1-4 p. m. Classes meeting TTh 1 Thursday 8-11 p. m. Classes meeting TThS 10 Thursday 1-4 p. m. Classes meeting MWF 2 Friday 8-11 a. m. Classes meeting MWF 11 Friday • 1-4 p. m. Classes meeting TThS 11 Saturday 8-11 a. m. Classes meeting TThS 9 Saturday 1-4 p. m. Classes meeting TTh 2 » BATTALION Published Daily on the Texas A&M College Campus Number 74: Volume 57 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY >f, 1958 Price Five Cents Coaching Picture Dims As Erdelatz Does About Face Board Opposition Blamed for Mess vmsm t- 3>od3g.a!li4s LEFT HOLDING THE BAG? Colorful Ceremony Planned For Graduation Saturday Mid-term graduation and com missioning ceremonies will be held Saturday in Guion Hall with grad uation set for 9.30 a. m. and com missioning slated for 2 p. m. “Cutting the World Down to Size” will be the title of the bac calaureate-commencement address by Dr. James W. Laurie, president of Trinity University in San An tonio. Maj. Gen. William S. Biddle, com manding general of the Army’s III Corps and Fort Hood, will be principal speaker for the commis sioning exercises. Gen. Biddle will Triends’ Asked Ann To Enroll Next Semester Ann Adams, the Bryan girl who said Monday she did not plan to enter A&M next se mester, said yesterday she had not seriously considered entering A&M since the first of the term. She told The Battalion that then it was only after “some friends of the family” asked her how she would like to attend A&M. “Lots of girls in Bryan have been asked the same thing by friends who favor co-education,” she said. Miss Adams revealed that she had planned to register at the Uni versity of Texas since two weeks before the Thanksgiving holidays. She said she “wanted to be closer to home.” Miss Adams’ picture appeared in numerous state newspapers Mon day. She was shown reading The Battalion and the caption indicated she was considering entering A&M. Yesterday she said she posed for the picture after persuasion and against her better judgment. Unofficial Bryan sources are still indicating a girl may be found to instigate a court action to seek admission to A&M. present Army commissions while Col. James A. Gunn, Bryan Air Force Base, is to present air force commissions. The commencement stage pai’ty will form a processional from G. Rollie White Coliseum to Guion Hall. After their arrival on the Bryan CofC Not Behind Girls; Blamed Anyway No matter where the co education movement at A&M is started, Bryan merchants will be blamed for commercial ism, Bryan Chamber of Com merce Manager Jack Springer said last night. Speaking to members and pled ges of the A&M chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, professional journalis tic fraternity, Springer spent about an hour answering questions di rected at him by the students. Most of the questions involved co education at A&M and the posi tion local merchants supported. Springer said no poll had been conducted to determine exactly how many merchants would favor the addition of girls at A&M, but said that “quite naturally, I as sume that they are—it would mean more dollars for them.” Springer carefully pointed out that his organization was not in any way officially sponsoring a girl-applicant to A&M, nor would it do so, until the chamber’s board of directors voted to do so. Membership on the board of di- dectors is made up of elected rep resentatives from the member mer chants in the organization. Twenty- four men sit on the board. He also answered a question con cerning the animosity between Ags and Bryan merchants saying that it was, in his opinion, no more than in other college towns. stage at Guion, Thomas R. Harris will give the invocation. Dr. M. T. Harrington, president of the A&M System, will make an nouncements and greet the grad uates, their families and friends with special reference to wives of graduates. Following the introduction of the speaker and his address, the various deans will present the de grees. Dean Page will award candi dates for the Ph.D. degrees, mas ters of agriculture, business ad ministration, education and science. Dean Miller will present candi dates for B. S. in agriculture de grees, followed by Dean Delaplane who will present nominees for the B. A. degree, the B. B. A. degree, and the B. S. degree. Dean Bensdn will present candi dates for the B. of Arch, and the B. S. degrees in engineering. Teddy R. Lowe, head yell lead er, will lead the group in singing the “Spirit of Aggieland” follow ing the presentation of degrees. Richard H. McGlaun will give the benediction. Civilian students will wear caps and gowns to the graduation ex ercises and cadets or civilians who expect to receive commissions will wear cadet uniforms. For commissioning either the cadet uniform or the Air Force or Army uniform may be worn, but Air Force and Army uniforms can not be worn to commencement. All army cadets who are to be commissioned will meet in the bi ological sciences lecture room at 4 p. m. Friday. Weather Today Cloudy and windy today, becom ing calm and clearing tonight is the forecast for the College Station area. Maximum temperature ex pected today is 45 degrees, and the low tonight, 28. The high temperature yesterday was 67 degrees, recorded at 4 p. m. The meicury dipped to a low of 41 degrees at 8 this morning. By GARY ROLLINS Navy’s Eddie Erdelatz landed at Colleg-e Station Mon day afternoon, sniffed the unsalted air, met with Texas A&M officials and then scurried back to the safety of home port at Annapolis saying “No, thank you, I’d much rather stay at Navy.” Even more emphatically, he was quoted as saying “Hell, if I’d known that a committee of the( board of directors had more authority in the hiring of the coach than the president and the faculty athletic council, I wouldn’t have come.” Engaging in a brief bit of verbal reparte with 5 Jack Fin ney, the Navy mentor accused the college director from Greenville of “mishandling the situation” and not doing all possible to inform the head of* the Naval Academy that Fin ney wished to discuss a pos sible job at Texas A&M. He continued his verbal broadside at the Board of Directox-s declai'ing “It scared me!” One condition on his appearing here was that A&M telephone the Civilians Get Board Audience At Next Meeting President M. T. Harrington yesterday granted the Civilian Student Council a brief audi ence with the board of direc tors in the Feb. 22 meeting to air Civilian opinion on compul sory military training at A&M. Dr. Haxu’ington told CSC Px-esi- dent Billy McKown that no re strictions would be placed on their presentation or the way they hand led it. He did request that only two representatives attend the boat'd meeting and they limit their presentation to about 20 to 30 minutes. Previously, the Council was plan ning to send four representatives, McKoxvn and three others chosen from ten nominees, which were to be chosen from the Civilian body at large. Last night, McKown said that the two representatives would be selected in similar manner, but in dicated that he would still probably be one of the delegates, as sug gested at the Jan. 9 meeting of the Council. Publications Board Hears Students Four Corps juniors attended the regular monthly meeting of the Student Publications Board yes terday to “answer any questions the Board might have.” Board members queried the stu dents on several points concerning recent actions in protest to The Battalion and asked what the stu dents were protesting. They re plied that they felt The Battalion’s editoxdals were unfair to them. Engineer Editor George Rags dale spoke to the Board about curx-ent and future planning for the magazine. The purpose of his talk was to acquaint the Board with some of the problems connected with his publication. Other business taken up at the meeting included a motion to in vite the Texas University Student Publications Board and editors here for a tour of the A&M Student Publications facilities, which was passed; discussion of the opening of bids for the printing of the 1959 Aggieland. Students May Tag Automobiles Now Students wishing to register their automobiles on the campus for the coming spring semester may do so now, Campus Security Chief Fred Hickman said yester day. superintendent of the Naval Acade my, Rear Adm. William R. Smed- bui’g III, for permission to talk to Erdelatz or for the coach to come here. However, he said it was not until he arrived here yesterday that he learned that this had not been done. He said that Finney had talked with Capt. Slade Cutter, Naval Acadetny Athletic Director, but insisted this was not sufficient. Jack Finney issued a statement last night saying that he and A&M directors Pat Zachry and Price Campbell contacted Cutter after talking to Erdelatz in Washington last Friday. “Mr. Erdelatz agi’eed to come to Texas to talk to our athletic coun cil, and if after talking to them they wei'e interested in offering him the job and he was interested in accepting it, then his admiral would be called,” said Finney. Finney continued, “We thought that was the proper procedure.” Previously, Finney said he at tempted to reach Dr. M. T. Har- rington, px-esident of A&M, in an effort to have Harrington secure the necessary permission from Smedbex'g. He wa$ unable to reach Hax’rington, he said. Erdelatz told newsmen another x'eason why he had decided to i‘e- main at the Navxxl Academy was because of “the ties that I have had and the great association and feeling I have had for the Navy, for the Navy officers and for the many fine boys on my teams.” This is the fifth coach that has come into consideration since the resignation of Coach Paul (Bear) Bryant was tendered last December 2, which was 44 days ago. Among the coaches given con- sidex-ation were Frank Leahy, Duf fy Daugherty, Jim Myers, Henry (Red) Sanders, Jack Curtice and Erdelatz. Erdelatz’ decision confirmed a belief of the academy superinten dent Rear Adm. Smedbetrg, “I never believed that Eddie would break his contract at the Naval Academy. I am glad to hear that he is not and will be happy to have him back with us.” The matter has been returned to the Faculty Athletic Council, head ed by Dr. Chris Groneman, who- will be forced to start from scratch once again. Thex-e are no names on the “prospective candidate” list. Jim Myers