Page 2 College Station, Texas Thursday, April 28, 1966 THE BATTALION v . , V; ,t ■ i Extreme Caution Urged On Splash Day Weekend The annual frolic known as Splash Day will begin this weekend on the beaches of Galveston, Freeport, and other Gulf cities. The day usually runs every weekend for a month, and is infamous for under-age drinking, indecent exporsure and a large number of arrests. Although this event was once officially sponsored by Galveston, the sanction was withdrawn after the 1961 edition resulted in near-riots and hundreds of arrests. That year, 40 Aggies, including Student Senators and a class president, were arrest ed. This year, a substantial number of Ags will doubtless make the trek to the coast, where they will be greeted by Texas Ran gers, auxiliary police, regular officers, sheriffs, Liquor Control Board officials and, if needed, dogs and men from the Houston Police Department. These officers will not be lenient, by any means, and that is quite understand able when they will have to control thou sands of high school and college students swarming the beaches around the clock, running something like a 50-50 mixture of alcohol and blood in their veins. With somewhere between 20,000 and 35,000 students expected, these officers will not be able to handle each offender, or sus pect, with the courtesy of a Campus Secur ity Officer writing out a parking ticket. They are not going to attack innocent bath ers, as some would have the public believe. They are simply going to try, under the worst possible circumstances, to enforce the law; the same law that so many of the students, mostly minors, are making the trip to break. What then, should the Aggie beach- lover do ? Stay on campus, or at least away from the “golden strand?” Very few Ag gies would take such advice if it were given by Gene Stallings on All-College Night, and The Battalion would not deprive any one of their fun. Caution, then, should be the word. Extreme caution. Highways will be crowded with cars bearing alcohol-laden students to the beach es, and the sand will be thick with these same scholars-on-a-holiday. It might be wise for anyone planning the big trip to stay as sober as possible on the beaches, and not stay there too late into the evening. It’s gonna be heavily patrolled, so Aggies with their dates will be too-often disturbed to enjoy them, and those with too-empty bottles and too-full veins will likely be taken to the Galveston jail. It is possible to have a great time Splash Day. Its even possible for 35,000 students to have a great time, for all of them to return to Monday’s classes in one piece, and for one of them to land in the pokey. But it’s not very likely. A bunch of these pleasure-seekers will have miserable times, because they will be there for the purpose of breaking the law and will get caught. Some will re turn to classes with broken bones, or not return at all. And more than one will land in the jail. Irate parents will call the police, demand ing apologies, and explaining that “my Johnny” is a good boy. “Yes, ma’am, I’m sure he is, it’s just that he was too drunk to walk and hit a policeman when the officer tried to pick him up out of the mud.” This will probably be answered with charges of “police brutality.” Funny, no one ever thinks of their little boy as the one who is breaking the laws he should have been taught to respect. Splash Day can be fun. But you have to work at it! Tireston* Your Safety Is Our Business 1.Ali0n Front End KEEP YOUR CAR ROAD SAFE 2. Balance Front Wheels 3. Adjust Brakes I NYLON TIRE SALE CHECH [ THESE PRICES SIZE TUBELESS BLACKWALLS Safety Champion Champion Nylonaire 6.50-13 $16.55 $14.30 $ 7.50-14 18.70 17.15 11.80 8.00-14 21.40 19.15 13.40 6.70-15 18.70 17.15 11.80 7.10-15 21.40 19.15 All prices PLUS TAX and trade-in tire off your ji.80 wm ff your car. I ■■A MSlM FIRESTONE STORES 901 South College Avenue 822-0139 THE BATTALION ST ^'Opinions expressed in The Battalion V Si tire those of the student writers only. The otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous . , _ , _ j origin published herein. Rights of republication of all other Battalion IS a non tax-supported non- matter herein are also reserved. profit, self-supporting educational enter- Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. PTlSe edited and operated by students OrS News contributions may be made by telephoning 846-66X8 a university^and community newspaper. 4 ' YMCA Build!n8r ' ,fi H U d Ro W pr<: b 1 r o f i'pit 3 of liberal "Arta^Dr Mail subscriptions are $3.60 per semester; $6 per school David_ Bowers. College of Liberal Arte ; Dr. year . *5.50 per full year . An subscriptions subject to 2% ^ „ y- p' . rvviWo M of sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: Robert e k D T,tus. VeKa^ The Battalion, Room 4. YMCA Building. College Station, Texas. »"<■ w TCtOT ._Co.l«. Of ATictor.. EDIT OR GLENN DROMGOOLE The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M is Managing Editor — Tommy DeFrank published in College Station, Texas daily except Saturday, Associate Editor Larry Jerden Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, September through Sports Editor Gerald Garcia May, and once a week during summer school. ^ r'F _ ,., , 12 . “ , News Editor Dam Presswood MEMBER Amusements Editor - — Lani Presswood The . Associated Press, Texas Press Association Staff Writers Robert Solovey John Fuller, ^' 'Mumm..:. :? mes s “ emore : Ine.. New York City. Chicago. Los Angeles and San Francisco. Photographer Herky KillingSWOrth Reynolds ap By Mike Reynolds About two and a half weeks ago, I picked up a copy of this paper and was attracted by an article on its front page announc ing the speaker for commence ment. Now since I am a hopeful graduating senior, I decided to read the article and find out just who the person is we will listen to Saturday morning before get ting the sheepskins. participate i n commencement with the sole purpose of beitif graduated from A&M, why can't they have something to say about the ceremony ? I was immediately taken aback when I noticed the speaker would not be a public official. He is not in the limelight. I don’t even know him. £A/UJS APR- This afternoon, I bumped into Norris Cano, the senior class head honcho, and asked him just who had the authority to choose the commencement speaker. He looked at the ground and mum bled something about students don’t have a thing to do with it. It is up to a faculty-adminis tration committee. Maybe the school just exist} for research programs anj grants. (Some of my fellow stu dents in California have gottai quite heated up about just this), Maybe the school exists for faculty members so that they will have a place to draw securi ty and a salary. Maybe the school exists for numbers, dol lars, new buildings, academic ex cellance, or whathaveyou. If it exists for any of the above rea sons, its time for a change. The school should exist for the stu dents. “We’ve gotta do something—Ever since we made him whistle jock he’s been practicing all day long!” My only complaint is the stu dents do not have a voice in their only commencement exer cises program. Just once, somebody ought to ask a student for an opinion ani then take some stock in it. Did Franklin, Student Life Chainmn of the Student Senate, demon strated great ability in finding 1 decent, inspiring speaker foi Muster. I doubt that student' would do any worse for mencement. Firemen School Board Meets Saturday The Texas Firemen’s Training School Advisory Board will meet here Saturday to review the pro gram for the 1966 school. Chief Henry D. Smith of TFTS said firemen from approximately 30 states and seven foreign coun tries will participate in schools scheduled July 17-22 and July 24- 29. Maybe I am mistaken, but I always had the idea the school existed for the students and without them, there wouldn’t be any need for the institution. Therefore, since the students I repeat, my only gripe is that students don’t have a say in wkt speaks to them. It’s not that I have one thinf against Campbell’s Soup. — Huncan Dines — R-C COLA 12 “ 49' MELLORINE LHIr., Sanitary 3 K j 00 “Sack Your Own and Save” Elcor Tissue R °" 5 C Pinto Beans