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Pag-e 2 College Station, Texas Tuesday, February 22, 1966
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6 An College Eguchution 9
Kids Liked Space Fiesta
o
CP
By JUDY FRANKLIN
Special Writer
The kids came marching two
by two, descending upon the
Memorial Student Center during
the week of Hydro-Space Fiesta
*66.
Hordes of Kindergarten and
elementary school children from
the Bryan-College Station area
arrived in buses to see projects
like Flip, SeaLab and Alvin, to
watch an underwater movie and
— most of all — to applaud when
a dolphin named LaFitte would
jump into the air to catch some
fish.
It was then that the Great Is
sues’ Committee had to set up
tours to help direct the “pint-
sized armies.” Committee mem
bers met the “troops” at the
front door and then conducted
them on a whirlwind tour
through the MSC.
After it was all over, the stu
dents flooded The Battalion and
MSC Student Program offices
with colorful “thank you” notes
last week to tell the people how
much they appreciated their vis- such an
its.
The Fiesta must have really
impressed the youngsters who
wrote these notes to The Batt
office:
“Dear Editor: “I went to the
space fiesta. I bet you don’t
know the difference between Flip
and the Spar. One of the dif
ferences us 10 feet and another
us you can go down in the Flip
but you can not go down in
Spar.” He added, “P.S. I took
notes.”
“Dear Editor: When I go to
collgeg and graduate I am going
to be a vattenarun to care of
dogs and cat and porpoise.”
The “troops” didn’t forget Tom
Morgan, either. Next to LaFitte,
he was probably the most popular
“mammal” there.
Tom, who was in charge of the
tours, led children past the ex
hibits every day. Most of the
“thank you” notes were more like
fan mail for the guide. They
wrote endless numbers of mes
sages thanking him for being
“exilent” guide and
for “taking his time to build the
Alvin.”
“Dear Mr. Morgan,” stated one
of the letters. “Thank you very
much for telling us what you
did. I enjoyed you because I
could hear everything you said
because you speak loudly and
clearly. I knew as soon as I saw
you I would enjoy you very
much as a guide.”
A second admirer somewhat
disagreed:
“Dear Mr. Morgan: I could
not understand some of the words
CADET SLOUCH
by Jim Earle
Draft
Not
Rules
Clear
While the flow of men and materials continue to pour
into the Southeast Asia war theater, the services at home
continue their search for means of meeting these demands.
While the Air Force, Marines and Navy continue to
rely almost entirely on volunteers, the Selective Service
System continues to furnish the majority of Army en
listed men. Since the Viet Nam War is requiring ever
larger number of ground troops, the normal peacetime
deferments are being closely studied. One of these is the
deferment for education, especially in colleges and uni
versities.
During the Korean conflict college student deferments
were based primarily on either class standing or the in
dividual’s score on a nationwide examination. At the
present time the Selective Service System is considering
reinstating such a testing program.
“We’ve received no word yet from Washington,” said
Col. R. B. Hall, Chief of Manpower for the Texas Selective
Service Office, “but I can safely say that the tests will
be advisory in nature . . . administered by an outside agency
as was done in the past.”
He went on to explain that the tests will be voluntary,
but if a student didn’t take them, there would be one less
element the local board would have at its disposal in
making the decision as to who gets drafted and who stays
in school.
Said Tennessee State Director Arnold Malone in Time
Magazine, “We’re going to have to put the screws on the
students. We’ll either make good students or good soldiers
out of them.”
Whatever form the tests take, there will be some in
herent problems in the system. Besides the sheer enormity
of the task, the question will likely arise as to what con
stitutes a fair test for students in different fields.
And just what weight will be given to the results?
In making the tests voluntary, the SSS has skirted the
problem of making deferred students susceptible to any
form of draft examination, but it might be worth noting
if those who do not take the examinations have a higher
date of call-up than those who don’t.
A similar problem has arisen at the University of
Michigan where the university officials have refused to
disclose a student’s grades to the local draft board. The
school authorities said the action was taken at the stu
dent’s request, in line with a general policy to that effect.
E. R. Simmerman, assistant to the vice-president for
academic affairs at Michigan, said they would not release
information about a student without his consent, but the
student would be responsible for the withholding if the
draft board subsequently decided the action constituted
“obstructive procedure” and resulted in reclassification.
So the question is begining to arise as to the proper
relationship between colleges and draft boards. Is the
educational institution responsible for informing the draft
board of a student’s scholastic standing, or will that inform-
action—like a change of address or marital status—become
a semesterly chore for the collegian?
And what factors will weigh in a board’s decision once
the clear cut rule of student exemptions is discarded ?
Grades? Test scores? Class standing? If class stand
ing is given weight as in the past, will it be among the
whole class, or as divided by majors and departments?
As the war progresses, these and other questions will
have to be answered by the draft boards, the universities,
and the students. It is already tme for students to give
the matter serious thought, and for the Selective Service
System to prepare the students for the steps they intend
to take.
frtujCFetcC
“This basketball race has me too tense to study and I have
this ride to Dallas, so ”
Tane s
JLiook
OUT
By Tim Lane
I was born 24 years and some
odd months ago within five miles
of this campus. And something
like five or ten minutes after, I
suspect, I first heard the phrase
“the Aggie Spirit.”
Then for most of the next 24
years this campus, Aggies and
A&M traditions have been an
accustomed part of daily life.
The phrase “the Aggie Spirit”
has, naturally, been part of it.
For the past three years (and
longer) I have heard at least once
every day that the Aggie Spirit
is dying on this campus. I paid
no attention.
After Sunday night, I definite
ly will pay no attention. Such
statements are a grand redun
dancy.
Sunday night I learned that it
had died.
Sunday night I and my car
constituted its funeral cortege as
I pushed it down Wellborn Road.
Sunday night the Aggie spirit
was as dead as my car’s gen
erator, as dead as the weight of
the car I almost broke my back
pushing alone from FM 60 to the
next street while upwards of 200
cars passed in the same direction,
all but half a dozen bearing A&M
decals similar to mine.
Sunday night I held a 45-min-
ute sweating, straining, grunting,
swearing requiem for the Aggie
Spirit.
Monday morning my aching
back, shoulders, arms and legs
mourned at its wake as I hobbled
to class wondering how many of
the Aggies grunting “howdy” at
me were among those who honk
ed impatiently Sunday night be
cause I could not push the car
fast enough to get it out of their
way.
It is dead.
Let the thousands who visit
our campus each year, who come
to football games and other ath
letic events, who observe mani
festations of our customs and
traditions, let them think they
are seeing the Aggie Spirit. They
will never realize they are seeing
a ghost.
Unless they need help.
It’s dead.
But, if I am wrong, it is not
dead, if it stirs itself at basket
ball games, if it shows itself in
handshakes and “howdies,” if it
parades at military reviews, if it
brandishes itself in patriotic tele
grams to the President and to
athletic teams, if it goes on dis
play at high school career days
and in pamphlets and brochures,
but has no helping hand for an
Aggie in trouble, if this is the
way it lives, pray let it die.
If it lives in pomp and public
display, but not in quiet loyalty,
has the energy to make the grand
gesture to win approval, but not
to do the unseen deed needed by
someone in trouble, it is a walk
ing corpse and should be laid to
rest.
Bitter ?
Yes.
I was pushing that car. And
I watched those cars with the
Aggie decals slow down, then
whiz on by.
And I was astounded.
Bitter ?
Why not?
you said.” However, she didn’t
fail to mention, “I might get to
go with my friend again. I hope
to see you there.”
Several kids were fascinated
by an obviously vast amount of
knowledge and talent Tom dis
played.
This student even felt Tom
was qualified to be a teacher:
“Dear Mr. Morgan: . . . thank
you for letting us go inside the
model of Alvin. I think
you told us so much about ocean
ography that you could be a
teacher.”
But, one youngster who wrote
a message to Tom decided to be
more realistic about the whole
thing:
“Dear Tom: Its silly to waest
your time in Scicints
when we could use as a teacher!
Still a teacher has to have an
college eguchation. So just
stay where you are.”
fiJUrCrL £ruz,
W. &.C..
aM in
OJurirZ o~h^ /munh
THIRD-GRADERS WRITE LETTERS
. . Kip Ranck liked Hydro-Space Fiesta.
Wanderin'
By Larry R. Jerden
Being a patriotic American trying to observe
George Washington’s birthday, I would like to say
a few words in his defense. And with today’s ideas
of education, he definitely needs defending.
It seems as though there is a group of scholars
in this nation that have the same perspective on
history the pulp magazines have on today. They
are not interested in what George Washington did
to serve his country, or his role in helping to found
this great nation of ours.
Their interest is centered on disproving all the
legends about him, breaking through to the ‘real’
Washington. I guess this is well and good, and in
line with man’s never ending search for truth, but
I certainly enjoyed the stories of the cherry tree
and throwing the dollar across the Delaware River,
even if they weren’t “true.”
Somehow, I still feel what a man accomplishes
should go down in history. If he is a traitor, let
him be known for it, and if he is the father of
his country, let that, then, be the epitaph re
membered by his countrymen 200 years later.
If, today, we are truly searching for the truth
about historical figures, the words of those close
to them pnobably describe them best.
Said Thomas Jefferson of Washington, “His
integrity was the most pure, his justice the most
inflexible I have ever known.”
He was a wise, a good, a great man.
★ ★ ★
Currently needed: a change in the laws about
war. If, as some have conjectured, those giving
aid and comfort to our enemies in the current war
are escaping treason charges because war has not
been officially declared, perhaps we need to re
interpret the law on treason.
This calls not for legislative action, but for a
more liberal interpretation of the word “enemy”
in Article III, Section 3, paragraph one of the
Constitution.
“Treason against the United States shall consist
only in levying war against them, or in adhering
to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort . . .”
It takes no new law to realize that the groups
sending blood and letters of sympathy to the gov
ernment of North Viet Nam and advocating our
appeasement of that dictatorship is both “adher
ing” to this enemy and giving it comfort, if not
outright aid.
If at present a nation is not legally an enemy
unless there is war declared against it, I feel we
should pass a “declaration of enemy relations” so
that our own people can better realize the position
of our government in the complicated relations of
modern world politics.
It is highly unlikely that war will ever be
declared again, short of the day after nuclear
weapons are employed. We need, therefore, a
modern law to meet modern political situations.
When a nation is at war, as we are in Southeast
Asia, the questions of whether or not we should
be involved are rather mute.
We are there, we are fighting, and there is still
no substitute for victory. The modern Neville
Chamberlains, william Fulbright and Wayne Morse,
will only deliver us into another Munich. It is
past time for debate, it is time to press for victory.
■Reynolds'
■Cap
By Mike Reynolds
The trend in college dining these days appears
to be toward skyscraper dormitories with dinin?
halls in between. UH and TWU have two sucl
projects under way. The facilities at UH wil
resemble those at Texas Tech and many other
schools. Girls will be housed in one tower whit
another skyscraper will be composed of living units
for the male sex. Dining facilities will be in tin
middle.
I hope that whoever is up there watching ova
A&M will take note of these occurrences,
need it bad. Actually, all we really need is woma
in the messhall.
I do not pretend to speak about the Corps sill
of the family style service.
It’s just the civilians that need women in &
messhall. The girls might influence the conduct
Now there is nothing wrong that a good, loid
voice, an iron constitution and a steel grip wou
cure. A grabbing action like a spring also help*
What’s my gripe? Why beat around the bud
like this?
It all boils down to the fact that a bunch d
guys have lousy table manners. I don’t mean taK*
manners like Dear Abby tells all her readers about
I mean just plain old lack of consideration
one’s fellow man. There just ain’t no moretoh
found, my friend.
Be careful when you walk in. Someone mil
pull your chair from under you and yell, “That:
my seat.”
Be sure that you get on the hot corner so tbit
you will be the first one to get your hands
the food. If you sit at the other end of the tabb
you will starve to death.
I witnessed the following conversation
night after the waiter made his first trip to th
kitchen.
The guy running the hot corner grabbed tb
bullneck and started to take a second helping wh£
a voice was heard at the other end of the table.
“Mind if I have firsts?”
The bowl was passed back and forth betv#
the student on the hot corner and some of b J
friends. After taking all but the gravy,
looked in the bottom of the bowl and a flicker'
a grin crossed his face.
“Guess we’ll have to send it back.”
The guy at the other end turned a beautift
shade of crimson and I decided that those
unsafe parts.
Isolated incidents? Not quite. There is
hope of ever getting any Jell-O salad or any otb t ‘
food that is limited to one helping after the ft 5
three men make a grab at it. No one seems
really care whether anyone besides themselves
anything to eat or not.
Sure, not everybody acts that way. The ovs*'
whelming majority of the students don’t act th
way. They just sit and suffer in silence.
Yessir, the civilians need women in the din®
halls. They might learn a little consideration f' :
their fellow coeds even if they don’t care abot ;
their fellow Aggies.
Putting up with the food is bad enough.
THE BATTALION
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EDITOR GLENN DROMGOOLE
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PEANUTS
By Charles M. Schuk
PEANUTS
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