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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1965)
1 Columns • Editorials • News Briefs Cbe Battalion Page 2 College Station, Texas Wednesday, November 3, 1965 • Opinions • Cartoons Features Mi ft Tomorrow Will Be Better, Tomorrow Will Be Richer, But Tomorrow Never Comes Battalion Interview Editor’s note: The following exclusive interview with Russian native Dimitri Kudriocev was recorded this week on the A&M campus. Kudriocev visited here as the guest of Everett Lindstrom, an A&rM stu dent who met him on board a ship en route to South Africa this summer. Kud riocev escaped from Russia in 1946 and is currently a radio officer on a cargo ship. This marks the first of a projected series of Battalion interviews. Q. How did you escape? A. I only escaped because of the hos tility between Germany and the Soviet Union during - World War II. The war made it possible for millions to escape. But, un fortunately, after the war, it was harder and they treated recaptured Russians much worse than they did German prisoners of war. Since the war I have done my best to stay away from Russia. Q. What do the Russian people believe about the Americans? A. Russians think this is the only safe place left in the world to live, the guardian of the free world. America has everything, no shortage of anything. Russia has rockets but rockets without trousers and shoes aren’t much use to the ordinary man in the street. Q. What do you like best about America? A. I like everything about it. There’s no way to compare it with Russia. All life turns into a beggar for people in communist country, nothing to wear, nothing to eat. The only strength is military strength. If they had free elections like you have in America, communism wouldn’t last 24 hours, and that’s after 50 years in power. Q. Has the standard of living improved since 1946 in Russia? A. It’s gone a little that way but it will never be improved in the full sense of the word as long as communism is in existence. Q. Do you think Radio Free Europe gets through and that people believe it? A. When communist propaganda says something in writing, the people believe it. They say, “Tomorrow will be better, to morrow will be richer, but tomorrow never comes. Q. Are the Moscow fashion shows sig nificant? A. Like a drop in the ocean, for propa ganda and nothing else. Q. Do people in Russia gamble when they listen to Radio Free Europe? A. They would listen more but it is jammed as everybody knows. But sometimes it gets through just the same and I’m sure that everybody in Russia who gets a chance listens to it. It’s the only information many people in Russia get about the outside world. Q. Recently there have been demon strations on American campuses about Viet nam. What do you think about this? A. I think those who are in favor of sending blood to communists should get a free ticket to North Vietnam and see how they like living there. They’ll find out. Q. What do you think about our stand in Vietnam? A. It has to be done. Appeasement won’t do any good. The spreading of com munism should be stopped before it’s too late. If something had been done earlier, China, even Russia might not be communis tic today. Since those fateful days of 1917 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. Members of the Student Publications Board are: Joe Buser, chairman ; Dr. David Bowers, Colleg-e of Liberal Arts; Dr. Robert A. Clark, College of Geosciences; Dr. Frank A. Mc Donald, College of Science; Dr. J. G. McGuire, College of Engineering; Dr. Robert S. Titus, College of Veterinary Medicine; and Dr. A. B. Wooten, College of Agriculture. The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M Is published in College Station, Texas daily except Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, September through May, and once a week during summer school. 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, Loe Angeles and San Francisco. News contributions may be made by telephoning 846-6618 or 846-4910 or at the editorial office. Room 4, YMCA Building. For advertising or delivery call 846-6416. Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school year; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 2% sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 4, YMCA Building, College Station, Texas. EDITOR GLENN DROMGOOLE Managing Editor (Jerald Garcia Sports Editor Larry Jerden News Editor Tommy DeFrank Photographers Ham McQueen, Herky Killings worth, Gus De La Garza Amusements Writer Lani Presswood Mortimer's Notes J FOR THE RECORD: The big question Corps members are asking today is who left the water sprinklers on all day before yesterday’s scheduled practice review on the Main Drill Field. . . . The field was soaked Tuesday, forcing the Corps to wade through a practice review that didn’t end ’til dark. . . . So New Army has taken another step. Cadets, standing ankle deep in the Main Swamp, had to practice their maneuvers with only moonlight and street lamps to guide them. . . . Perhaps it is just practical training for Viet Nam. . . . Counter-insurgency maybe. . . . The Class of ’69 gets to elect their first class officers next month. . . . Filing for the various positions opens Nov. 22 and closes Nov. 30. . . . The election is Dec. 9. . . . Remember, the panel discussion on Corps- civilian relations is at 8 p.m. tonight in the MSC Ballroom. . . . Rotten tomatoes will not be sold at the door. . . . See ’Ya Round.—Mortimer. Tommy DeFrank College Press Freedom Eyed they have kept themselves in power by sheer brutality and terror by day and night. Who wants to see this repeated somewhere else? Russia should serve as an example to every one else. There is only one way to stop force and that is with another force which is adequate to deal wtih it. Q. Do you think the communists re signed Khrushchev for any special reason? A. That’s the old story of dictator ships. They got rid of him because he might have started to red rid of them. That’s nothing unusual. Those who think Khrushchev was good should remember that he was a communist and once you’re a communist you must follow the whole truth. It’s like two spiders in a glass jar, they will eat each other if they stay there too long. Q. Do you think Russia and Red China will openly split? A. There is real trouble between them. It’s a relief for the Free World. Imagine what would happen if they were in perfect harmony. Q. Are you saying that the Russian people are so anti-communist that they would help someone who they knew was fighting against the communists? A. Ninety-nine precent of the Russians are anti-communist. Q. Is there any chance of a revolution in Russia? A. Under the present conditions of dictatorship, there’s not the slightest possi bility. Because of the terror of the govern ment. One accused of treason not only suffers but his family suffers also. Q. Do you think Russian women are as pretty as say, American women? A. Women are the same all over the world if they have a chance . But if she has to build roads, how can she look pretty ? Russian women have to work just like men. Q. What about Bertrand Russell’s statement. I’d rather be Red than dead’? A. I’d rather be dead than Red! Let Russell go to Russia to live and say that. He lives in England, which is as free as America. Living under communism is like being buried alive. Q. What were the circumstances of your life in Russia? A. I was one of those haunted by Soviet power because one of my relations had been arrested. There’s not a single family in Russia which doesn’t have a rela tive under persecution. I was one of a family which had been disloyal to Soviets. My father was arrested in 1938. When I went to the police station they told me they didn’t know where he was. I got my chance later to escape and like many others I took it. |Q. What about food shortages and famines in Russia? A. They’ve existed since the formation of the U.S.S.R. But Lenin was very intelli gent. He formed a ‘new economy’ policy, similar to America’s. Individuals were al lowed to run their own farms and even some factories. Russia had plenty after World War I but the true nature of communism prevented further development. As soon as they introduced collectivism, everything went upside down. When the government decided to just discard agriculture, there was much starvation and people died like flies in many places, including the area where I lived. And yet there was music being played on loudspeakers and people saying over them: “We are living, we are happy, and tomorrow we will be even hap pier.” I have never seen such hypocrisy. If any outside power had come in then, it would have been simple to get rid of the Soviets but it didn’t happen. We had some hope that when Hitler came to power he would help us because Germany was a civil ized nation but that hope proved false. Q. What about the Berlin Wall? A. That’s a good demonstration of the American and communist system. Those supporting the Viet Cong should look at that wall. A lot of blood has been shed there. CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earle “In athletics, when th’ team loses it’s called poor coaching— but in th’ classroom when th’ whole class flunks, it’s called academic excellence! ” The University of Texas foot ball team isn’t the only Longhorn institution taking its lumps these days. Bevo VII has finally fallen prey to old age and arthritis and has been replaced by another Longhorn steer. Darrell Royal’s long strangle hold on the Southwest Conference has been broken this year and the whispers from across the Red River are becoming a little more vocal than usual. But the most recent Universi ty aggregation to fall upon rough times has been the Daily Texan, the student newspaper. The Texan, long characterized by its give-the-administration- and-everybody-else-hell attitude, has finally been called on the carpet by the University Board of Regents. But hopefully the Texan will get off the hook, much to the chagrin and obvious displeasure of the Board. The Texan editors and the Board of Regents have never exactly been sweethearts. The paper has repeatedly specialized in pointing its influential fin ger at the Board when it be lieves that body is engaging in under-the-table activities. The Texan has also singled out legislators and state officials for criticism, and even Texas alum Gov. John Connally has not been immune to their needle. Connally was lambasted last year for refusing to award a construction contract for Texas Western University to an El Paso firm headed by a Republican. The Texan has hinted on oc- Open Forum United States Education Lacks Student Stimulation Editor’s Note: Open Forum is intended to air outside views on controversial topics. Articles printed in this column do not nec essarily reflect the opinion of The Battalion. Today’s article is writ ten by Bob Carl of the University of Oregon. A professor from England, teaching in the U. S. for the first time last year, was astounded when he faced his first class of American students and found that several were missing. A pretty coed finally solved the mystery by telling him, “It’s Friday and a lot of kids like to go home — so they skip class.” The following Monday, again facing his abbreviated class, the professor expressed surprise. However, when someone told him, “A lot of kids aren’t back from Short Snorts Agriculture Commissioner John C. White proposes strict enforce ment of egg laws aimed at off- quality eggs from out-of-state. Attorney General Carr filed suit for injunction and $3,900 in penal ties against O. J. McCullough of Houston for building a dam across the San Jacinto River near Con- Biggest library construction program in Texas under match ing funds provision of the Library Services and Construction Act ($175,000) got underway at Brown wood November 4. Bowie, Carson, Crosby, Ector, Garza, Hill, Jackson and Midland counties received distinguished service awards of Texas State Historical Survey Committee for interest in local history and mark ing landmarks. Texas Highway Commission will initiate a study of the High way Beautification Act bill to determine the manner in which its provisions may be effected. Governor Connally has approved Neighborhood Youth Crops pro jects in Olton, Orange, Slaton and Paducah. their long weekend yet,” he ac cepted this. On his way to the Wednesday class, the professor thought to himself, “At last I’ll get to see all my students.” However, when he stared out at the empty seats, he asked, “Where is everyone today; where is every body?” and a cooperative student in a back seat happily answered, “Today’s Wednesday, the middle of the week. You don’t expect us to study all the time, do you?” So, the professor still wonders what is wrong with higher educa tion in America. And this, the $64 question, re mains unanswered — despite ob vious signs of student dissatisfac tion with their education. Students come to the campuses of America’s colleges and univer sities seeking excitement and stimulation in their new-found academic environment. And, al most without fail, and even in the outstanding centers of learning in the country, they find disappoint ment and disullusionment. This is not to say that all stu dents, or even most of them, are interested in learning for its own sake; however, those students who are find themselves frustrated by the system which dominates American higher education. As one Berkeley student has Dairy Science Gets $200 Scholarships The Department of Animal Science will award two $200 scholarships to students in Dairy Science to be selected soon. The scholarships are being pro vided by Mr. and Mrs. Shannon E. Carpenter of Lindale. Car penter, a graduate of Texas A&M, is an area dairy specialist at the Texas Agricultural Ex periment Station in Tyler. The scholarships will be award ed to sophomores majoring in dairy production. The recipients must be native Texans, of good character and in need of finan cial aid. They will be chosen by the Dairy Science staff. written, “. . . there is a deep and bitter resentment among many students about their life at the university. It is a resentment that starts from the contradiction be tween the public image and repu tation of the university and their actual day - to - day experiences there as students.” (From the book “Revolution at Berkeley”). In other words, as freshmen and sophomores — and even dur ing their last two years of high school — students are forced to attend classes that often are de void of intellectual stimulation, and taught by dull professors w'ith out-moded ideas and techniques. A more extreme frustration oc curs when a naive student signs up for an introductory course in almost any field. For almost cer tainly that course will be taught in a large lecture hall, seating somewhere between 100 and 400 students, by the poorest teacher in the department. This is true because the better, more experi enced professors don’t want to waste their time with undergrad uates. Today’s students have no say in their course offerings or cur ricula in general. They are in troduced to their future alma ma. ter with an out-dated orientation program; and thereafter, they are told what courses to take, re gardless of their likes or dislikes, and are forced to accept what the institution deems advisable Students learn to get through their education by mastering a four - year system of lectures, reading lists and examinations but they have little to do with genuine learning. However, the outlook is not all black for higher education in America, because some stu dents manage to beat the system and get a reasonable education in spite of their institutions of learn ing. And as the professor from Eng land said, “American students may someday seek an education for its own sake. Students in Great Britain have tried it and found it to their advantage. And they go to classes too.” casions that Connally and tli Regents have been in cahoots They have also blasted the gov. ernor for his actions regard® some of his appointees or pros, pective appointees to the Board Evidently the governor and the Board-or both-got fed op with the Texan last spring wiser they attempted to muzzle its voice by stopping free circula tion and exchange of the paper Prior to the Regents’ actior the Texan had been distributer to various groups, including state legislators, without charge. Economy reasons were giver as the motive for the decision but it was apparent that the Ee. gents were simply fed up will the Texan spouting off against them and then distributiong th criticism to prominent groups it Austin and to college campuses throughout the state. The Regents went a step fur ther after an editorial in th Oct. 24 Texan implied dissatis faction with American policy ir Viet Nam. The editorial, discussing th rumor that the Viet Cong wen sending booby-trapped dolls te the United States via America: servicemen, ended with this com. mit: “They’re not likely to achieve any more by killing off innocent ‘G.I. Brats’ in our country to American forces will by contic uing to fire on villages of womet and children in theirs.” That editorial did it, as fa: as some Regents were conceruel They immediately assembled group of 12 metropolitan news paper editors and asked it ti study the responsibilities an: goals of the Texan. The editors met in Dallas Sat urday and heard Regent Fran! Erwin angrily charge that th University’s administration was at fault for failing to adequatel; “supervise” the Texan’s editorial content. Edwin also claimed the Texa: has always been dominated by i small clique. His main beef: were over the Viet Nam editorial and another last March which re. printed a Texas Observer attack on State Sen. William T. (Bill) Moore of Bryan. He reminded that the Texas Student Publications handbook forbids the presentation of but one side of an issue and also out laws attacks of a personal nature in the Texan. He also claimed both editorials violated the spirit of TSP regulations. Kaye Northcott, editor of the Texan, countered that she was out of town when both editorials were printed, throwing the blame to the faculty advisors. Erwin’s main premise was the faculty advisors are at fault for allowing the Texan to flaunt TSP policy. At the very least the Board is attempting to pass the buck to a group of professional jour nalists so that they can take the heat off themselves. In that way if the editors say the Texat should be left alone the Regent 1 can say that in affect the matter is out of their hands. But the Board of Regents prob ably had in mind for the com mittee to say the Texan was derelict in its duty and should be more strictly controlled. But they forgot to use their head and consider one simple fact: No newspaperman in his right mind is going to recommend a paper he censored or restricted in any way. “Each of us is involved every day in the fight for freedom of expression. We’re certainly not going to have any part in cen soring anything,” said Houston Chronicle Editor Clayte Binion, speaking for the committee. Speaking from recent exper ience, the most important advan tage of working on a school pa per is that the young journalist is given the opportunity to think for himself when he writes. Then if he makes a mistake he gets burned but is a little wiser. PEANUTS By Charles M. Schuk PEANUTS p£AR 6R6AT PMPKfN, YouveMpeAfboLOur of me for the last time; Pm Really Mine To Tea. You off. DON’T 3URN ALL OF YOOR. BRIDGET BEHIND VOU... a; a Picti tions now Stu f: One day 3c P Two ne Students, pool, fisl Furnish single sti One b< bills paid air and 846-5711 ;- Room i 405 E. 27 Call TM arty goc £ yard s V24 Villa a. m. to £ » • All C • 1 & • l Cent; • Lang. • Beau poo] • Carp, • carpe • Furn • Resid 401 Li Experiei able, 846-4 Gregory 1 .Child C Mormatic Child humpt s »uth Co DAAU 2403 S. BRy 105 N. i