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Columns
• Editorials
• News Briefs
Che Battalion
Page 2
College Station, Texas
Friday, October 15, 1965
• Opinions
• Cartoons
Features
Several Simple Seating Solutions
CADET SLOUCH
by Jim Earle
Lani Presswood
Kyle Field, “Home of the Fightin’ Tex
as Aggies,” was the home of the confused
Texas Aggies in the season opener with
the University of Houston last Saturday
night.
Students wandered aimlessly outside the
stadium seeking their respective entrances
to the seating areas, and after moving in
side shoved aimlessly in search of seats.
Some griped, other pouted, a few
moaned, many shouted, several criticized,
and near-bedlam reigned.
Freshmen were moved deeped in the
end zone, only to share their coveted area
with disgruntled seniors who declared they
would rather switch than fight.
“Woe be unto thee,” students bellowed
while standing three deep in the aisles and
placing the blame for the overcrowded
situation on the Corps, the civilians, the ad
ministration, the student newspaper, the
winning team, the visiting students and the
soda water peddlers.
It was a miserable sight: seniors weep
ing until their boot pants were soggy with
tears: petticoats being removed to allow for
additional seating space; peanut vendors
having to pass their wares down an aisle
that started in the end zone and finally
reached its destination on the 50-yard line.
There are solutions to the problem, how
ever, that could eliminate such confusion:
1. Make it a senior privilege to attend
home games during the years when a win
ning season is apparent.
2. Try to enforce compulsory attendance
by the civilian student body. They would
rebel and boycott the stadium.
3. Allow only freshmen to bring dates
to home games. They’re the only students
who need them, anyway. The sophomores
have already been flushed, the juniors are
too jovial and the seniors have marriage
on their minds.
4. Let the 12th man sit on the bench
with the other 11 men.
5. Discourage visiting students from
attending Aggie games by letting air out
of their tires, starting fights in the park
ing lot and stealing their dates.
6. Encourage profs to give only Monday
quizzes during football season and to
exempt students who attend Saturday help
sessions.
7. Hire more students to sell peanuts
and soda water in the south end zone.
8. Have losing teams.
9. Let the Corps march during the en
tire game around the cinder track, so when
the game became boring the fans could
shift their attention to another act.
10. Make the evolutionists swing from
their tails from the press box and the non
evolutionists swing from their necks from
the flag poles.
See how simple it is!
Auto Legislation: Safety Fast
Many today cry out at the ever-increas
ing involvement of the federal government
in the affairs of the American citizen. They
long for the “good old days” when the
Washington law-makers stuck to the “big
things” anddet a man run his own private
life.
But no man is an island unto himself,
and when 195 million people live in an area
the size pf the U. S., someone has to keep
law and order. All of this legislation of
“personal” matters isn’t necessarily bad. In
fact, a lot of it doesn’t go far enough. One
such example is the current automobile
safety legislation, both proposed and en
acted.
There are. of course, problems associated
with such federal concern of a personal item
such as a car. And to the young American
male, a car is very personal.
Who will determine just what require-
absorbing steering wheels; recessed steer
ing columns; safety door latches and hin
ges : improved seat anchorage; four-way
fl&sher warning signals and turn signals;
safety glass; dual-brake systems; stand
ardized bumper heights and gear shifts;
electric windshield wipers and washer sys
tems ; glare-reducing surfaces; tire and
safety rim requirements; outside rear view
mirrors, and exhaust and air pollution
standards similar to those enacted in Cali
fornia.
The danger of mis-direction is present,
and this should be guarded against at all
times. For a good many years, as the
horsepower and speed of the automobile in
creased with startling results, the trend
was to think that by making an automobile
less powerful, it would be rendered safer.
Such is not necessarily the case.
British Motor Corporation has adopted
College Rating
Stuns Schools
“Do you realize that our record will be three times as
good as last year’s after this game?”
Rummaging through stacks of
piled-up letters, papers and other
desk space-takers can turn up
some surprising things every now
and then.
While engaged in this enter
prise recently I came upon an
item which landed on the desk
back in August and had lain
neglected ever since.
Because the campus pasttime
of comparing one college with
another is such a popular one,
the item in question may be of
mild interest to some.
It’s a rating of certain Amer
ican colleges made by the Ferris-
Swanson Collegiate Rating Board.
Who the Ferris-Swanson people
are, I know not so you can take
their findings for whatever you
think they’re worth.
A brief explanatory paragraph
precedes the actual ratings:
“The Ferris-Swanson Collegi
ate Rating Board met in July,
1965, to give their opinion of how
they feel colleges and univer
sities should be rated according
to prestige and scholarship as
shown in the area of Liberal Arts
and Sciences. The colleges are
At the Movies
wzf/i Lani Presswood
” r< -\ ! ;s! Fa,,.- ,ms
expert.” A panel "that would place nearly
every auto owner and manufacturer could
be gathered, and that panel should outline
for congress what minimum safety stand
ards should be built into today’s high-speed
automobiles. This panel should be composed
of representatives of the auto manufac
turers ; tire manufacturers; race-car build
ers ; professional drivers such as racing,
salesmen and test drivers; representatives
of the various safety institutes, and others
that may be deemed necessary.
From this body of experience, the exact
requirements could be drawn as to what
is needed in auto safety, what is practical
to develop, and how this action could best
be taken. This advisory body could then
make its findings known to the members
of Congress, who would in turn transform
it to legislation.
Steps have been taken toward these
ends, but some are a bit mis-directed. On
the positive side, Congress last year passed
HR 1341 which stated the federal govern
ment would not purchase new cars that
didn’t meet certain General Services Ad
ministration standards after April, 1966.
These requirements included: lap or shoul
der seat belts; padded dashes and sun vis
ors ; recessed instrument panels; impact-
be the thinking of anyone debating auto
safety legislation for the 1960’s.
One of the missed phases of the safety
legislation, and most of the current think
ing in this country on the subject, is mak
ing the auto better able to avoid accidents.
Most of the devices, except dual-brake sys
tems, glare reducing surfaces, tire require
ments and outside mirrors, are concerned
with the vehicle and its occupant after the
moment of impact. What about avoiding
the situation in the first place, or making
the auto easier to manuever once it is com
mitted to an accident situation?
Most U. S. automobiles are still plagued
with too-soft suspension, too-high steering
ratios, and low quality tires, to name a
few. These, along with poor maintenance
and partially-trained drivers, are the causes
of many of our fatal accidents.
What needs to be encouraged is not
less horsepower, but better brakes, better
suspension, steering systems with positive
control over the vehicle, high-speed tires
on all high-speed cars, a rigid maintainance
schedule for cars driven on our highways,
and drivers that are well trained to handle
a 400 plus horsepower vehicle under emer
gency as well as normal conditions.
“Lord Jim” is probably the
finest novel to come from the
pen of Joseph Conrad, an early
20th-century English writer.
The Russian-born novelist’s
creation has now been transfer
red to the screen and is currently
showing at the Campus Theater.
Peter O’Toole plays Jim and
his emotion - charged portrayal
gives the movie a dramatic inten
sity which mounts as the show
progresses.
The story deals with a man’s
obsessive attempt to erase the
deep sense of guilt he feels over
an act of cowardice.
His public confession of the
act cuts short a promising naval
career and sends him down a
lonely and obscure path of far-
flung Eastern ports.
Oblivion replaces fame as his
goal as he wanders alone from
place to place. The movie doesn’t
dwell on this period of his life
but moves quickly to the inland
“paradise” which serves as a
backdrop for most of the action.
And action there is too, in
generous and skillfully-handled
doses. Director Richard Brooks
wields an adroit hand in the
battle and sea scenes.
But though Conrad’s stories
contain a great deal of adventure,
they still usually revolve around
one man’s inner conflict. This
inner conflict is retained through
out the show as the vital unifying
thread but the movie’s failure to
probe Jim’s soul as deeply as it
could have is the production’s
major weakness.
The photography and sound
effects are excellent and the
Oriental atmosphere achieved by
them helps keep the audience ab
sorbed. Atmosphere is also one
of Conrad’s strong points and he
uses a great deal of verbage in
his works to create the setting
he wants.
Adding to the picture’s quality
is a fine supporting cast, led by
radiantly exotic Daliah LaVi.
Known only as ‘the girl,’ she and
the dynamic O’Toole make an
exciting couple.
James Mason is strong as
“Gentleman Brown” and makes
appearance before the cameras.
Another strong character is Eli
Wallach, who plays a ruthless
tyrant. The only problem here
comes in trying to believe Wal
lach is an Oriental.
Curt Jurgens as a weak-spined
failure with a penchant for mur
der is adequate, as is Jack Hawk
ins, who serves as the story’s
narrator.
Still, this is Jim’s story and
in the troubled blond sea
man lies the picture’s signif-
cance. To those of us accustomed
to an increasingly nihilistic soci
ety it is surprising to confront
a man who places honor above
all else. In spite of this he notes
ironically that there’s “only a
paper’s thickness between a hero
and a coward . . . they are only
ordinary people who for a few
seconds do an extraordinary
thing.”
“Lord Jim” is definitely a mo
tion picture worth seeing.
Constitutional Amendments
Mental Retardation Confab Set
First Governor’s Conference of Mental Retarda
tion, climaxing a two-year statewide study of the
problem, will be held March 17-19 in Austin.
Conference will be charged with the task of
providing recommendations on how to provide a
better life for the mentally retarded.
Twelve task forces developing a tentative state
plan to combat the problem have slated October
16-17 meeting in Austin.
| Mortimer s Notes |
THE BATTALION
Opinions expressed in The Battalion
are those of the student writers only. The
Battalion is a non tax-supported non
profit, self-supporting educational enter
prise edited and operated by students as
a university and community newspaper.
FOR THE RECORD: For all you Aggies who
can’t make it to Fort Worth for the football
game this weekend, the play-by-play will be board-
cast over KORA Saturday night
Boardcast time is 7:15 p.m
The Aggies are supposedly two-point under
dogs, but don’t you believe it .... •.
John Poss, Aggie starting end, looked rather
forlorn this week when a student told him the
Ags had a good chance for a 6-4 or 7-3 record this
year
By GLENN DROMGOOLE
Battalion Editor
Amendment No. 2, which would
authorize the Veterans’ Land
Board to issue an additional $200
million in bonds or obligations to
finance veteran land purchases,
comes up for a vote Nov. 2 along
with nine other suggested changes
in the Texas Constitution.
The proposed amendment would
affect Section 49-b, Article III,
would increase interest rate on
bonds from 3% to 4% per cent
and would extend the program for
eight years.
This measure would raise the
maximum amount which veterans
can pay for a home from $7,500
to $10,000 or would provide the
same maximum on a home of
more value. Veterans would be
He seemed to have an 8-2 slate in mind required to pay at least 5 per
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Joe Buser,
David Bowers, College of Liberal
Geosciences ; Dr. Frank A
Dr. J. G. McGuire, Colie
chairman ; Dr.
Robert A. Clark. Collei
Donald. College of Sc
ring ; Dr.
ts ; Dr.
Frank A. Mc-
Dr. J. li. Mcuuire, College of
Engineering ; Dr. Robert S. Titus. College of Veterinary
Medicine: and Dr. A. B. Wooten, College of Agriculture.
They’re calling this weekend the Corps Trip,
but a good many civilians will also be on hand . . .
Maybe the civilians can swing a Non-Reg Trip
next year if things keep going right
That would be a switch
But for now, the civilians must console them
selves by sharing the weekend with the Corps —
cent of the loan before the Vete
rans’ Land Board procures title
to the property.
Arguments for the proposal
include:
1. The Veterans’ Land Program
has not only given the state an
student newspaper at Texas A&M is
daily except Saturday,
igh
The Battalion, a
published in College Station, Texas daily e
Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, Se]
< during summer school.
which will no doubt be in the spoltlight opportunity to aid the men and
May. and once a week during
eptember through
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for
republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not
otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous
origin published herein. Rights of republication of all other
matter herein are also reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service
Inc.. New York City. Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco
News contributions may be made by telephoning 846-6618
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For advertising or delivery call 846-6415.
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er semester; $6 per school
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Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per
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The Battalion. Room 4. YMCA Building, College Station, Texas.
request. Address :
EDITOR GLENN DROMGOOLE
The real spotlight will be on Cheri Holland
Saturday night when she is officially presented to
the student body during halftime ceremonies of
the A&M-TCU game
By now you know who Cheri Holland is. She’s
the new Aggie Sweetheart and a College Station
girl
So if you can’t make it to the game, just pull
out this week’s Battalions, look at her picture
and pretend you are there
Maybe the radio will carry a play by play
of that, too
FACTS AND FIGURES: The largest Senior
Ring ever purchased here was a size 14
The smallest was a size 5
OFF THE RECORD: The Aggie have been
Ledbetter than ever before See Ya ’Round—
MORTIMER.
women of Texas who served their
country during World War II and
the Korean War, but it has boost
ed the state’s economy and will
provide an eventual profit on the
$200 million sale of bonds. Fail
ure to adopt the proposed amend
ment will result in reduced busi
ness activity.
2. The Veterans’ Land Program
is one of the most effective and
least costly means whereby Texas
citizens can express their grati
tude to veterans for their war
time service. Presently 34,000
purchases have been made
through the programs.
3. The program is without cost
to the taxpayer. Actually, the
state enjoys a small profit from
the plan.
4. The program will end Dec. 1
this year unless it is extended by
this amendment. Although the
program is in its 16th year, it
has not yet been able to provide
equal opportunity for nearly all
the one million eligible veterans
in Texas to purchase land.
Arguments against include:
1. It is not a function of state
government to engage in the loan
business. The Veterans’ Land
Program, in this respect, may be
considered unfair to private en
terprise.
2. During the 16 years that
the program has been in opera
tion, it would seem that all vet
erans of WWII and the Korean
War have had ample opportunity
to apply for these funds. For
many, the availability of “cheap
money” tends to invite purchase
of land they neither need nor
plan to use for productive pur
poses.
3. It is time to bring the re
curring requests for increased
funds in carrying on the program
to a halt. The program started
with $25 million in 1946, increas
ed $75 million in 1951 and was
upped another $100 million in
1956. Voters defeated a similar
amendment in 1963. If the pre
sent Amendment No. 2 is passed,
the public can expect further
continuance of the program at
the conclusion of the Viet Nam
War and other undeclared wars
in which the U. S. may partici
pate.
Texas has been conducting vet
erans’ land operations since the
Texas Revolution. In 1836 lands
of the Republic were granted to
all volunteers who had served in
Texas armies, and after the Civil
War the state provided land in
compensation for pension pay
ments.
The Veterans’ Land Board was
established after WWII in 1946
and has continued since that time.
It will die if the proposed
Amendment No. 2 fails to pass.
rated in competition with tte
schools in their athletic confei'
ence.”
The first group rated is tht
Ivy League, and the Harvard
folks probably won’t like thii
too much:
The Ivy League
1.
Dartmouth
2.
Harvard
3.
Yale
4.
Penn
5.
Princeton
6.
Columbia
7.
Cornell
8.
Brown
The Big Eight comes next and
here the campus at Boulder gets
the nod:
The Big Eight
1.
Colorado
2.
Missouri
3.
Iowa State
4.
Kansas
5.
Nebraska
6.
Oklahoma State
7.
Oklahoma
8.
Kansas State
The Pacific Coast schools fol
low and Stanford’s elevation over
U of C may surprise some:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Dixie
gets
Pacific Eight
Stanford
California
Washington
U.C.L.A.
Oregon State
Southern Cal.
Oregon
Washington State
is next and Louisiana
pretty good pat on tlie
back here, with schools in New
Orleans and Baton Rouge rated
one-two:
Southeastern
1.
Tulane
2.
L.S.U.
3.
Auburn
4.
Vanderbilt
5.
Florida
6.
Georgia
7.
Kentucky
8.
Mississippi
9.
Miss. State
10.
Alabama
11.
Tennessee
The Big Ten is taken up next
and Michigan is given the top
slot here:
If your favorite schools art
ranked high, this is an earnest,
objective attempt to set down *
concrete rating.
If they’re rated low it’s s
half - baked propaganda sheet
ground out by some public re
lations firm to promote some
private project, and furthermort
it’s not worth the paper it's
written on.
But however you choose to look
at it, don’t accidentally mistake
these ratings for football pre
dictions. Especially if you’re a
gambling man.
PEANUTS
By Charles M. Schuli
H0U COME W
NEVER 61VE ME
ANV PRESENTS?
V
BECAUSE I THINK VOl/RE LOUD,
MEAN, Rl/DE AND OVERBEARING!
Tm. I.- U. I
© inTk* c
LOUD, MEAN, RUDE AND
OVERBEARING PEOPLE LIKE
PRESENTS, TOO, YOU KNOOJ!
The Big Ten
1.
Michigan
2.
Indiana
3.
Minnesota
4.
Northwestern
5.
Ohio State
6.
Wisconsin
7.
Illinois
8.
Michigan State
9.
Purdue
10.
Iowa
The Missouri Valley and thf
Midwest
Conference are also
rated, but
the Southwest Confer-
ence has
been delayed lonf
enough. Here are the SWC rank
ings and the Ferris-Swansofl
board gives the state-supported
schools a
pretty good slap in the
face with
them:
The Southwest Conference
i.
Rice
2.
S.M.U.
3.
Baylor
4.
Texas A&M
5.
Texas Christian
6.
Texas Tech
7.
Texas
8.
Arkansas