Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 1968)
11 a,i eal 5:301 >nie ( Che Battalion £6ntest|}^ VOLUME 61 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1968 Number 598 Hi! 1 " ">»r, !'!' F Corps Leaders Arrive Early 8 8 Texas A&M’s campus will start taking on a khaki tinge again Sept. 7 with the arrival of Cadet Corps representatives to kick off the 1968-69 school year. Corps staff members headed by Cadet Col. of the Corps Hector Gutierrez Jr. of Laredo and unit executive and supply officers and first sergeants report at noon. Squadron and company command ers check in Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Orientation, briefings, supply and housing of new students will Si j.j. Reservists Set Seminar Here Navy and Army reservists from throughout the nation re ported Sunday for a seminar on electronic computers Aug. 26 to Sept. 6 at Texas A&M. Seminar sponsors are the Of fice of Naval Research, Naval Reserve Research Company 8-3 of Bryan-College Station and the university. Computer programming and ap plications will be discussed by 85 participants during the 12- day seminar. Sessions will be held at the Ramada Inn and Memorial Student Center. Dr. Arnold Shostak (captain, USNR), head of the electronics branch, Office of Naval Research, Washington, D. C., made a Mon day luncheon address following the welcomme by President Earl Rudder. Cmdr. Robert W. Keniston (USNR), special assistant to the chief, Naval Reserve (reserve af fairs), ONR, will be a featured speaker during the second week of the seminar. Seminar administrator is Capt. Walter H. Thames Jr., USNR, associate professor of plant phy siology and pathology at A&M. He also will be commandant’s representative. Lt. Cmdr. Robert M. Olson, USNR, seminar chairman, will instruct along with Army Capt. Robert Bower Jr., USAR, acting head, Data Processing Center, and five other A&M personnel. Olson is associate research en gineer, Texas Transportation In stitute. Captain Thammes noted Air Force Capt. Frank D. Ceruti, com puter science graduate student at A&M, also will instruct. Participants will include 14 members of reserve components in the Bryan-College Station ar ea. Represented will be Company 8-3, the 837th Military Intelli gence Detachment (strategic) commanded by Col. James R. Bradley, Industrial Economics Re search Division head, and the 4004th Research and Development Detachment, Col. Sidney L. Love less, commander. be accomplished before upper classmen check in Thursday and Friday, noted Col. Jim H. McCoy, commandant. At a Monday morning com manders conference in the Me morial Student Center Ballroom, Dean of Students James P. Han- nigan will address corps officers, Colonel McCoy will give policy guidelines for corps operations and Major George E. Strebeck, assistant commandant, will swear in cadet officers. The commandant’s reception for cadet officers will be held at the MSC at 7 p.m. Monday. Freshmen who did not attend a summer conference will be briefed, draw uniforms and meet with deans Monday and Tuesday. New students who attended summer conferences arrive Tues day evening and Wednesday morning to complete registration. President Earl Rudder’s wel coming address will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday in G. Rollie White Coliseum. He will speak to cadet officers at 11 a.m. Thursday. Returning upperclassmen be gin registration at 1 p.m. Thurs day, Sept. 12 and complete en rollment at 5 p.m. Friday. MSC open house will be at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, and ori entation and organization of the corps will be completed Saturday morning, Sept. 14. Fall semester classes begin at 8 a.m. Sept 16. State Extension Confab In Full Swing This Week Programs Center Around Education EXTENSION HONOREE TAES Director John E. Hutchson presents Mrs. Wilmer Smith, president of the National Extension Homemakers Council, with the Knapp-Porter Award for her contributions to Texas agriculture and family living. The award was handed Mrs. Smith in a Tuesday morning ceremony which opened the state conference to conclude Friday. Czech Visitor From A&M Sensed Russian Invasion Czechoslovakia has exposed world communism for its untrust worthiness and put the Soviet Union on the spot, declares a Texas A&M professor who visited the country in June. Dr. William R. Smith, head of the university’s Psychology De partment, chaired an 11-day sem inar in Prague in mid-June. The then-free Czech economic reform leaders and U. S. cor porate vice presidents met in a person-to-person educational ex change. The State Department-ap proved program involved 13 U.S. citizens in the Center for Inter national Management Studies sponsored by International YMCA and the Czechoslovak Committee for Scientific Manage ment. . Their discussion of manage ment problems and Czechoslo vakia’s transition toward a free economy came during six months of Czech freedom. “Our purpose was not to evalu ate the political situation, but it was inevitable,” Smith said. “These were friendly, courte ous, free people who were going to church, talking and exchanging ideas on topics they had been denied. They were so proud of their communism surveillance it was pathetic,” he continued. “A SECRET ballot-type elec tion was to be held within a month, which is one reason the Russians moved in. Communism isn’t based on a secret ballot,” Smith added. The former A&M management professor said the Czechs were “very apprensive” of the War saw Pact nations’ movement of soldiers and equipment into the country while the U.S. delegation was there. “But they believed the Russian statement that it was just a test,” the CIMS director added. “I had the feeling something was amiss. In that sort of maneuver, the military doesn’t normally map city streets and check bridge weight capacities.” “The pact nation officers were very aloof, arrogant, business like. They know what they were there for,” Smith went on. Three weeks after the seminar, Pact troops pulled out, sharpened their weapons, added more troops and invaded. In Smith’s words, the invasion blocked a true ex posure of what was happening behind a rusting iron curtain. TODAY’S killings in Czechos lovakia are taking place on the square in front of the Jalta Hotel in which Smith, his wife Betty Jo and other U.S. delegates stayed. “Czech people want freedom. They got it and are not about to give it up. They plan to achieve it or die in the process,” reported Smith. “The warning to the rest of the world is obvious. World com munism cannot tolerate inde pendence of any sort,” he went on. “Here is a country that made a bold move toward individual and collective freedom. Then the cen ter of world communism made its policies and long term intentions clear to all by crushing freedom with overpowering military force,” he said. “The Czechs very clearly exposed the dangers of communism.” Other satellite countries are frightened and will always distrust communist sys tems, Smith thinks. He said there are two possibili ties, with Russia losing either way. “IF THE CZECHS win their freedom back, it will be the end of world communism. If Dubcek and Svoboda live, the country will have modified freedom and ap pear to conform to communist doctrine until it can again strive for full freedom. If Ducek and Svoboda die, there will be an uprising and Russia will have to occupy the country to control it,” he pointed out. Smith said a reform leader pinpointed the problem on his seminary-arrang ing trip to Czechoslovakia a year ago. “He gave us two dolls. One for my daughter was a costumed Czech peasant. The other is a uniformed secret policeman,” he said. “You people in the U.S. will never understand us Czechs until you understand him,” the reform leader told Smith, pointing to the doll representing the secret po lice. Youth organizations of the na tion need to begin serving young people at an earlier age, and pro viding guidelines and guideposts for them to become more effec tive citizens. So says Dr. Hester Turner, na tional executive director for Campfire Girls, Inc., of New York City. Addressing the State Exten sion Staff Conference at Texas A&M Wednesday morning Dr. Hester told the group that every yoiith organization is concerned with reaching more young peo ple—and should move to offering programs for younger boys and girls, since children are ready for meaningful programs at a much earlier age than comparable youngsters were several decades ago. The San Antonio native told the approximately 900 profes sional Extension staff members that “all youth groups have a common goal: That of develop ing boys and girls. Each organi zation has its special unique fea tures, and this is as it should be to allow choices.” Dr. Turner, who served as dean of students at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon, before accepting her current leadership role with Campfire Girls, said that the best ideas and programs of each group could be shared— for most youth programs comple ment each other. Emphasizing that “I don’t pre tend to be an authority on any thing, but have been a student most of my life and find learn ing a tremendous challenge,” the vivacious mother of four children said that each organization should capitalize on its great as sets, as well as adapt overall pro gramming to better meet the needs of today’s youth. She em phasized that all youth organiza tions are reaching only about 20 percent of the nation’s youth— and are conducting research on how to go about involving the other 80 percent. “One of the best—yet hardest techniques—would be to get adults to really listen to youth,” Dr. Turner, a member of the Ore gon and Arizona State Bar As sociations, declared. “We often use highly judgmental, rather than factual information when we deal with youth,” she added. Sharing platform honors dur ing the Wednesday morning pro gram was Dr. W. M. Bost, direc tor of the Mississippi State Ex tension Service, who emphasized that “problems confronting so ciety today are much more com plex than those of 65 years ago, when the Extension Service was born.” “Efforts of Extension educa tors are now reaching both up ward and downward, for the col lege graduate as well as the il literate both need Extension pro grams—yet they have vastly dif ferent needs.” Dr. Bost, who gives leadership to the dynamic Mississippi Extension education programs, emphasized in his ad dress entitled, “Tomorrow is Al ready Here.” Dr. Bost challenged the educa tors to keep their programs flex ible enough to adapt to necessary changes. “A high standard of thinking may be better than a high standard of living,” he said. An inspirational address by Gustave A. Ferre, chairman of the philosophy department of Texas C h,r i s t i a n University opened the morning session. Work group sessions were high lights of the Wednesday after noon program. MSC Chairmen Named By Ellis j Mark Schumann of College Station, Clint Machann of Cald well and Don Prycer of Edinburg have been designated series and special activities chairmen of the Memorial Student Center’s Con temporary Arts Committee at Texas A&M. The 1968-69 fall film series, literary arts and MSC exhibits committee chairmen were named by Tommy Ellis of LaPorte, Con temporary Arts Committee chair man. Ellis noted the committees pro vide cultural activities for A&M students, faculty-staff members and the community. Schumann, a fifth year archi tecture major, is selecting top quality foreign and domestic films for showing in the MSC series. Arrangements for campus speaking engagements by the world’s foremost literary critics are being made by Machann, senior English major. As exhibits committee chair man, Prycer will be responsible for art shows and special artist guests throughout the fall semes ter. City Youth See Outdoors As Never Before Wide, brown eyes stared from a chocolate face at towering pines of an East Texas glade. “Man,” the early teenage Ne gro exclaimed. “It sure is quiet. I can’t hear a siren.” His and 800 other youths’ first non-city experience, has been the NATURE LORE Disadvantaged youth of Harris and Jefferson Counties get a close-up look at nature in a youth camp near Huntsville. The youngsters, 10 to 13 years of age, have been city-bound all their lives. The one-week camp will provide opportunity for 800 to develop self-confidence, worth, social and manual skills. Part of the program is a nature hike conducted by Wade Simmons (center) of College Station. result of a camp near Huntsville. In the idyllic setting 10 to 13- year-old Negro, Mexican and white children discover a sense of self-worth, a feeling of self- confidence, self-discipline, social and manual skills. Many have never been outside their ghetto neighborhoods, none have ever known the tranquil freedom of forest or meadow through a summer camp. All are from low income, disadvantaged families where problems of pov erty, too many children and city crowding are daily fixtures. They aren’t selected for the week-long camp for scholastic abilities or other attributes so ciety tends to reward. The young sters’ qualifications are from the other end of the spectrum. At the State Negro 4-H Com mittee camp site, they learn a skill, are taught the value of physical and mental cleanliness, touch true nature, discover there are thousands of stars hidden by city lights and pollution and the University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M. —Adv. smell of air without auto ex haust fumes. Their new experience is made possible by local, state and fed eral agencies. The 50-acre wooded site southwest of Huntsville was initially pressed into additional service by efforts of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service at Texas A&M. The idea originated with Mrs. Louise Kilpatrick, form er TAES 4-H leader. Office of Economic Opportunity aid grew out of U. S. Agricul ture Secretary Orville Freeman’s visit at the one-week pilot camp. Aspects of the program is now drawing aid of individuals, civic organizations, home demonstra tion clubs, Walker County schools, Job Corps at New Waverly and many others. The Houston Mayor’s Commit tee on Youth Opportunity, Hous- ton-Harris County Youth Oppor tunity Center and Neighborhood Youth Corps are deeply involved. “We’re interested in making beter citizens,” explained Camp Director Wilson Richardson, a Houston school counselor. From indications, the 1968 camp is the first of many. “There is no better place to put our money,” observed Walter Richter, former state senator and region OEO office idrector in Austin. TAES received a $40,000 OEO grant for eight weeks of camp through Freeman’s efforts. Over all training, programming and operation is the responsibility of John Pelham, extension service 4-H assistant leader. Agent R. A. Saunders of Overton is at the camp fulltime and numerous TAES specialists contribute. Houston and Beaumont organi zations select 100 youngsters a week. Physicals, shots, a tooth brush and, sometimes, clothes are provided before buses take the youngsters to camp. Girls and boys live in separate cinder block cabins, 10 to an age group under a 16 to 22-year- old counselor. A 250-seat dining hall, roofed pavilion and four dorms comprise the layout. Girls learn to use a sewing ma chine. They make a blouse to take home along with a sewing kit. Boys become familiar with hand tools, construct and paint a wooden chest that is filled with tools for him to take home. “These things are the first that many of these kids have to call their own,” noted Jack T. Sloan, TAES resource development spe cialist. “We expect and have prob lems,” inserted Saunders. “An tagonism is often worked out by the kids themselves, but we all talk and work with them. Home sickness wears off and the kids want to stay. Sometimes we have to deal with stomach aches.” The dining hall is the camp centerpiece, from the youngsters’ viewpoint. In a brief paragraph on camp experiences, few fail to mention good food and singing. “For the first few meals, coun selors have to convince the kids they don’t have to stuff them selves or try to sneak food out of the hall,” Sloan said. “They have to be assured they’ll get three good meals a day. At home, they aren’t sure when their next meal will be.” John Thomas of Houston, 18- year-old counselor who attends Prairie View A&M, said youngs ters arrive Mondays tense and unsure. “They loosen up after the first Bryan Building & Loan Association, Your Sav ings Center, since 1919. B B &L -Adv. day and then run and yell the way kids should,” he remarked. Glenna Prentice of Channel- view, a Furr High senior this year, and Ernestina Mendoza of Arcadia, S. F. Austin College junior, are two other counselors who meet a new challenge every Monday. “It’s inspiring to see attitudes of the kids change through the week,” Miss Prentice commented. “I get so attached to them I hate to see Friday come,” Miss Mendoza added. What the youngs ters need most is love and kind ness, they concur. Jerry Jurischk of Houston, A&M junior agricultural educa tion major, noted counselors take as much pride in projects as the kids themselves. Games, singing, nature hikes conducted by retired extension specialist Wade Simmons of Col lege Station each Wednesday and tours of the Huntsville prison walls, Sam Houston museum and Sam Houston State College round out the week. Simmons, who also works with Bryan Boys' Club members, vol unteers his service and aptly describes the camp. “It beats a trip to the doctor,” he vows. •..vv ■■ • v™ Tv.-^EvSv:-? ’ ' * •• W . V,.. —