The Battalion College Motion (Brazos Bounty), Texas
PAGE 2 Friday, February 27, 1959
BATTALION EDITORIALS
. . . Our Liberty Depends on the Freedom of the
Press, And It Cannot Be Limited Without Being
Lost . . . Thomas Jefferson
Pinky Needs Us
The grand-daddy of ’em all, P. L. (Pinky) Downs, is at
home today at 301 East Dexter feeling a bit “under the
weather.”
OF Pinky is in need of some medicine but not the kind
•available at a pharmacy. He needs something special—some
thing only the Aggies he loves so well can give him.
He needs to know that we’ve missed him while he was
ill and we want him to get well as soon as possible. The cam
pus just isn’t the same without him.
It’s part of being an Aggie to rally ’round one of the
number when he needs us. . .
InDuncan,BoysBecom eMen
The Corps’ continual cry of “We Need Discipline in the
Messhall” has raised a question among the untutored—just
what is this magic formula that transforms boys into men
while they eat?
Fundamentally, it is a calculated experience designed to
make mealtime thoroughly unpleasant for freshmen. The
amount of training one receives from this “discipline” is in
direct proportion to the degree of unpleasantness that ac
companies the meal. In some cases, training has reached a
new high this week.
It is in line with the basic concept on which a goodly
part of A&M’s traditions are based: Freshmen are pawns of
the school—do to them what you will, call it “good bull” and
tell them you’re making them men—and a large percentage
will be gullible enough to believe it. And gullible the fresh
men are, else they would stop and question the treatment
they get at the hands of upperclassmen.
They’re not the only gullible ones, though. Sophomores,
juniors and seniors, too, have been indoctrinated to the point
that they too believe the thrice-daily ritual in Duncan is an
essential part of Corps training.
They must be gullible to believe these things are actually
making boys into men:
. • Front Two Inches—Throughout the Corps freshmen are
required to sit on the front half of their chair at a maximum
and in isolated areas, the very front two inches. The argu
ments favoring this rather absurb-looking practice is that it
serves as a constant reminder to the freshman that they’re
still the second-class citizens on the campus. And it’s probab
ly a good reminder. To demonstrate how effective this is,
most of the freshmen seem to believe—and frankly admit—
that it’s more “comfortable” to sit that way. .
• “Cush” Questions—Once the means for allowing a “fish”
to earn a reward for knowing the history of A&M, the “cush”
question has degenerated to a recitation of the most obscure
of facts. The questions vary with the cush—choice desserts
merit questions like “Who was the registrar in 1894?”—less
sought-after sweets draw questions from the Cadence.
And, as if it were not enough to ask a foolish question
during this “recitiation” period, the more “old Army” sopho
mores may ask a dozen or more such qestions to evaluate
the freshmen’s general knowledge.
• Harrassment—Hazing per se no longer exists in the
messhall. Today the method is more streamlined but it is
directed toward the same goal—make it tough on the “fish.”
If he goofs just a little, scream in his ear. If he goofs a lot,
scream in his ear. If he doesn’t goof at all (this is very un
likely judging from the many procedures he must keep in
mind) well, scream at him anyway—he’s still a freshman
and a little screaming is good for him.
The weakness in this constant pressure—so-called ten
sion—is that very soon one becomes numb to the remarks.
After a few months most of the “fish” are able to tune them
out—and merely wait patiently for the signal to return to a
meal that has grown cold.
These things and other like them are the fundamentals
of the magical formula designed to make boys into men while
they eat. »
If you don’t think it works, look at the men in the Corps
today. They got their basic training in being an Aggie in the
messhall.
It was here they first learned the meaning of being an
Aggie, by their definition: Take It—and Dish It Out.
But, unfortunately, this credo isn’t what made A&M
great. . .
(Next Week: What Makes A&M Great?)
THE BATTALION
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the stu
dent writers only. The Battalion is a non-tax-supported, non
profit, self-supporting educational enterprise edited and op
erated by students as a community newspaper and is under
the supervision of the director of Student Publications at
Texas A&M College.
Members of the Student Publications Board are L. A. Duewall, director of
Student Puh’ications, chairman ; J. W. Amyx, School of Engineering; Harry Lee Kidd,
School of Arts and Sciences; Otto R. Kunze, School of Agriculture; and Dr. E. D.
McMurry, School of Veterinary Medicine.
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A.&M.. is published in College Sta
tion, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, Septem
ber through May, and once a week during summer school.
Entered as second - class
matter at the Post Office
In College Station, Texas,
under the Act of Con
gress of March 8, 1870.
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..EDITOR
JOE BUSER
Fred Meurer Managing Editor
Gayle McNutt Executive News Editor
Bob Weekley Sports Editor
Bill Reed, Johnny Johnson, David Stoker, Lewis Reddell....News Editors
Bill Hicklin Assistant Sports Editor
Robbie Godwin, Ken Coppage, Jack Teague, Bob
Edge, Jack Hartsfield Staff Writers
Laney McMath, Dave Mueller Photographers
Ray Hudson Circulation Manager
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Messhall Conditions Draw More Reader Contents
AAA Describes
Their System
Editor,
The Battalion:
In the Wednesday Battalion a
statement was made concerning
the change the AAA battalion
had made in the dining hall. We
feel that not enough was said to
describe our new system. . .
Freshmen are asked only a
single “cush” question. How
ever, when a freshman needs cor
recting, he gets it, short and con
cise. He still comes to attention
when spoken to by an underclass
man and retains all other “privi
leges” (meal service, front half
of chair, etc.) agreed upon earlier
this year.
To make up for the campuso-
logy questions that would other
wise be asked at the table, we
have decided to give a prear
ranged campusology quiz every
other week—stating what will be
covered on it beforehand.
We feel that this policy goes a
long way toward easing tension
in the dining hall and still keeps
the freshmen “pooped up” on
campusology.
Grady W T . Barr ’59
Commanding Officer
2nd Bn., 2nd Reg.
Remaining ‘Fish ?
Have No Gripe
Editor,
The Battalion:
With all respects to Mr. Rud
der and his efforts to maintain a
large enrollment, we believe since
the controversy seems to be about
freshmen, we should have an op
portunity to voice our opinion. . .
In the first place, we knew
what to expect when we enrolled
in September. This new tension
reliever seems to have been in
troduced for the benefit of the
freshmen who have left; for we
remaining “fish” are voicing no
gripe about existing conditions.
Is this a military institution try
ing to develop army and air force
officers by feeding us pablum in
the messhall ?
Give us a Suitable plan next
year and we will endeavor to
maintain the enrollment. We
want a man’s school—not a frat-
house.
Milton Hoff ’62 ‘
(for B Engineer freshmen)
Military Schools
Need Discipline
Editor,
The Battalion:
After reading your editorial on
Feb. 24, I decided to sleep on it
and write a letter that would not
be under the influence of sudden
and impulsive emotions.
It is inconceivable how one who
has spent four years in the Corps
cannot . see and understand the
reason for discipline in the mess
hall. Discipline goes much fur
ther than tradition. A&M is now
an accredited military school. If
you knew anything about other
service schools you would recog
nize that discipline in their mess
halls is just as strict (if not more
so) than our own and it is not
the result of time honored tra
dition. As a military school we
have certain obligations and a
family type atmosphere is not
one of them.
To raise enrollment concessions
were made about “whipping out,”
speaking and discipline on the
campus. Now you wish to do
away with discipline on the cam
pus. The only possible next step
is to do away with it in the
dorms. Remember this school is
a school that turns out men who
are mentally tough. You don’t
make men out of boys by pamper
ing them.
Your attack on tradition also
shows your ignorance of what
traditions stand for and what
they mean. No nation, no branch
of the service or no school has
been first class without tradi
tions. Tradition builds esprit de
corps and by destroying them one
destroys what A&M means and
stands for. Hazing is not the
principal reason for the drop in
enrollment. It is merely the straw
that broke the camel’s back.
Give us decent living quarters,
respectable looking uniforms, top
flight lab equipment, etc., and put
out the straight poop regarding
A&M—and it will be worth while
to stay here and pay the price
of being an Aggies.
Anything easily accessible is
of no value and it is most cer
tainly true at A&M.
Robert S, Dunn ’60
Changes Will Make
A&M‘ROTC’School
Editor,
The Battalion:
. . .Who wants conditions in the
messhall changed? All this talk
Social Whirl
3Ionday
Aero Wives Club will meet at
7:45 p.m. at Kraft’s downtown
store.
* * *
Ag Economics and Rural Socio
logy Wives Club will hold a busi
ness meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the
Social Room of the Memorial Stu
dent Center.
#
Ag Engineering Wives Club
will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the home
of Marjorie Person, 311 Highland.
* * *
Electrical Engineering Wives
Club will hold their regular meet
ing at 8 p.m. in the Brooks Room
of the YMCA.
5|: sj: *
Petroleum Engineering Wives
Club will meet at 7:45 p.m. in
Room 113 of the Petroleum En
gineering Building. Eva Lynn
Chapman will be the club’s repre
sentative at the Cotton Ball.
* * *
Business Administration Wives
Club will meet at 8 p.m. Monday
in the Cashion Lounge of the
YMCA. Dr. Dale Leipper, head
of the Department of Oceanog
raphy and Meteorology, will
speak on Russian education and
show slides on Russia.
Tuesday
Mechanical Engineering Wives
Club will meet at the Lady Fair
Beauty Salon at 7:30 p.m.
KAISER IS PILOT
IN ROOKIE LEAGUE
LEXINGTON, Neb. OP) — The
college baseball season is over for
Jack Kaiser, coach of the St.
John’s Redmen of Brooklyn, but
he’s in for a long summer anyway.
He is managing the Lexington
Red Sox in the all-rookie Nebras
ka State League. Last season his
team finished second.
f Get WILDR00T
CREAM-OIL Charlie!
J.Jp Bach, songwriter, says: "Wild-
rbot makes your hair look cool, man!”
Just a little bit
of Wildrcot { K '*>{• ('SJ/'")
and... WO W
about “poor little fish not being
able to eat is a bunch of “bull.”
We came here to be “fightin’
Texas Aggies,” not a bunch of
mothers’ babies. . .
To us, the Corps is the main
reason we are here—do anything
to make it easier and we are one
squadron of “fish” that won’t
register in the fall of ’59.
We feel proud to tell anyone
that we are Aggies because most
people know the going is rough
here. Does this pride have to be
eliminated just because school of
ficials wish to make the going
easier on us ? If messhall con
ditions are changed, we will be
just another ROTC unit at an
other ordinary college. . .
Ben D. Allison
(for Sqdn. 7 freshmen)
Fish Have Chance
To Live Decently
Editor,
The Battalion:
. . .The food in the messhall is
some of the highest quality food
enrolment. It is merely the straw
in the state. When you begin to
argue about the taste, please keep
in mind that this is mess-hall
feeding, and nowhere will you
find food prepared by two and
three persons at a time of su
perb taste. Students eating ih
the messhall pay $1.50 a day for
three full meals containing many
times the required daily amount
of vitamins and mineral neces
sary for good health.
Another misconception is that
so many freshmen go home com
plaining of empty stomachs and
over-wrought nerves.
If the Class of ’62 would look
at the facts they would see that
their “empty stomachs and over
wrought nerves” are not due to
poor food—rather to little oppor
tunity to eat the food placed be
fore them. . .
Wake up, freshman. You’re
getting a chance to live decently
now, at least in the messhall.
Why mess it up ?
Seymour Bauer ’61
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