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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1969)
k to take 1:39.5. the two 1 C. E-! iy in 46.(1 880-yanl Che Battalion kfoci?-' VOLUME 64 Number 110 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS TUESDAY, MAY 6, 1969 Telephone 845-2226 orp, exas )wn Vo* IY as o. ““ te Boaird Refuses To Accept By TONY HUDDLESTON Battalion Staff Writer Both A&M Mexican-American itodents and the university ad ministration Monday questioned tie credibility of reports by the gue of United Latin American Itizens of harassment of Mexi- -American students at the uni- irsity. even Seniors Distinguish In Mr ROTC Seven Distinguished Air Force Cadets have been named by Col. Vemon L. Head, professor of aerospace studies. The senior cadets are to gradu ate and be commissioned Air Force second lieutenants next January. As a DAFC, the cadet can be come a distinguished graduate and receive a commission in the Regular Air Force rather than the reserve, Col. Head pointed out. Five have pilot category contracts and four are in the Air Force Financial Assistance Program. They are Houston L. Cavin, civil engineering major of Odes sa; John C. Conley, aerospace engineering, Cherry Point, N. C.; Robert C. Olson Jr., history, Vaca- rille, Calif.; Larry G. Parsons, industrial engineering, Smithville; Miles L. Sawyer, aerospace en gineering, Burnet; William E. Shieldes, industrial technology, Sulphur Springs, and Ronald G. Tefteller, agricultural economics, Midland. Parsons and Shieldes are Cate gory II cadets and will be assign ed in research and engineering when they go on active duty. Conley, Parson, Sawyer and Tef teller are studying under Finan cial Assistance Grants. LULAC, meeting in Waco Sun day, passed a resolution calling for the A&M administration to abolish the San Jacinto Day tra dition of throwing water on Mexi can-American students. The reso- lutin said that the students were taken from their barracks and doused with water, an act degrad ing to them. “If Mexican-American students were harassed at A&M, I would have been subject to it from the first day I arrived and I would never have had the opportunity to make Corps Commander this year,” commented Hector Gutier rez Jr. He added that he did not know of any Mexican-American students who had complained of harassment at A&M. Gutierrez noted that the throw ing of water on students at A&M was considered “good bull” and should be treated in that manner. “It happens and I don’t defend it, but I’ve never seen anyone take it for anything less than the horse-play in which it is in tended,” he added. “For it to be harassment, the situation has to be taken that way.” George Barrientos, fish drill team commander, added that he thought most Mexican-Americans took “the water drowning as a joke, but that a few students felt harassment and downgrading when water was tossed on them on San Jacinto Day. “I think that the students who take this seriously are in a minority, but I can see their point in feeling abuse when water is thrown on them on such a special day as Aggie Muster,” he added. “A good look will be taken of such pranks with the viewpoint of recognizing inherent dangers to the Corps of Cadets,” noted U. S. Army Col. Jim McCoy, commandant of the Corps of Cadets. He added that 10 per unavailable for comment about the resolution. Bryan chapter of LULAC, was (See Students, Page 2) Black Student Demands ESP? % iA * V v • • Ff \ ?■* > mik s - Ik* • j % OPENING NIGHT Death (George Scott) gazes up at Everyman (Carl Masterson) and tells him he is going to die as the play, ‘‘Everyman” began its 10-day run in Guion Hall Monday. Performances remaining are May 6-10 and 13-16. (Photo by Bob Stump) BCLU Investigates Burglary; Suspensions Termed Likely B-CS High School Students To ‘Run 9 Cities For A Day Bryan-College Station high school students will hold the reins of city government Thursday as part of the Benevolent and Pro tective Order of Elks Youth Gov ernment Day. The ninth annual observance, sponsored by the Bryan Elks Lodge, is part of the group’s recognition of National Youth Week. Civic leaders and their “replacements” will meet at noon Thursday at the Ramada Inn for a luncheon, with students assum ing their posts afterwards. College Station officials for the afternoon include James Bassett, as mayor; Linda Stump, Dorothy McMurry, Jeanne Ballinger, Paul Madeley, Bob Schleider, Bob Liv- erman, councilmen; Paul Dieck- ert, city manager; Allen Denton, city attorney; Rasteen Wilson, BB&Li Bryan Building & Loan Association. Your Sav ing Center, since 1919. —Adv. city judge. Also assuming posts will be Bob Franke, city health officer; Debbie Lindsey, city secretary; Mike Litterst, chief of police; Steve Smith, director of public works; Cindy Boyd, director of finance; Kristen Gardner, office manager of utilities; Dale Rob erts, tax assessor-collector; Leroy Clark, city engineer, and Tad Wooten, fire chief. Heading up Bryan government will be Ernest Rogers, city man ager; Durwood Thompson, city attorney; John Franklin, city judge; Howard Pollicoff, city secretary; Cecil Nutall, utilities manager; Gary Bogan, director of public works; Tommy Boedeker, city engineer; Don Smith, chief of police. Also in control will be Luke Scarmardo, parks and recreation; Ray Jones, mayor; Tom Singer, mayor pro-tem; and Sharon Metzer, Roosevelt Chambers, JameS Pritchett, commissioners. By DAVE MAYES Battalion Managing Editor The Brazos Civil Liberties Union is investigating the case of three A&M students charged with burglarizing the Systems Ad ministration Building, an offense for which, according to Dean of Students James P. Hannigan, they will be suspended today The Battalion learned Monday. According to a written state ment from the BCLU board of directors, given to The Battalion by board member James H. Fen ner, “a request for BCLU assist ance has been made concerning the arrest on campus Saturday evening of three students . . .” “The BCLU is in the process,” the statement continued, “of in vestigating the facts surrounding the case to determine if there was a civil liberties violation.” The three students charged were identified as Brian S. Foye, senior economics major from Houston and member of Students for a Democratic Society; Larry C. Gill of Lubbock, freshman psychology major, and William H. Fischer of Cranston, R.I., freshman industrial technology major. AFTER meeting with the three students Monday afternoon, Dean Hannigan said that the final de cision as to whether the trio AT THE RODEO Two young cowgirls take their ponies on a jaunt around the Aggie Arena Friday during the Texas Aggie Rodeo Association’s annual National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s rodeo. (Photo by Bob Stump) would be suspended or not would be decided this afternoon. He added that suspension of all three would be “highly probable” for violation of university regu lations. Hannigan said the spe cific regulations violated would be announced with the final deci sion. The dean noted that the sus pension would quite likely be for an “indefinite period of time.” He added that even if the trio were later found innocent in a court of law, the verdict probably wouldn’t have any effect upon the university’s judgement. “In that case, the suspension could be shortened, however,” he said. District Attorney Brooks Gofer said Monday that if the three stu dents do not request an examin ing trial, he would present the case at the next grand jury ses sion, scheduled May 21. CAMPUS security chief Ed Powell said two of his officers arrested the three students when they entered the administration building, which contains the of fice of A&M President Earl Rud der. He said that Sgt. Walter Walk er and Patrolman John Miller spotted the trio outside the build ing and surprised them immed iately after they gained entry through what was supposed to have been a locked door. Foye, according to officers, said the door was unlocked. Of ficers quoted him as saying he had never been inside the admin istration building and “just want ed to see it.” He was also quoted by officers to say, “When a guy gets a few beers under his belt, he’s liable to go anywhere.” THIS STATEMENT Foye de nied Monday saying that he had never uttered the words. “Because I have lately been so widely misquoted, I will make no other comments at this time,” he added. “We’re working on the as sumption that the door was lock ed,” Powell was quoted as saying in Monday’s Bryan Daily Eagle. He reported that the door lock was not jimmied or broken, and that it was illegal to enter the building even if the door was unlocked. The campus security chief re ported that the building was not damaged and nothing was taken from it. He was quoted in the Eagle as defining burglary as entry into a building for illegal purposes and said, “You don’t have to catch them stealing anything if you catch them before they begin to steal.” The students were advised of their rights and charged with burglary before College Station Justice of the Peace A. P. Boyett Jr., who set bond at $500 each. Campus security officers trans ported the trio to the Brazos County Jail, where they remained until a professional bond firm posted bail Sunday morning. A&M officials said Foye is generally regarded as the leader of SDS activities here. They also identified Gill and Fischer as SDS members, but both Monday denied the allegation. Officials said the organization is not recognized by the univer sity, but about six students meet off campus under the SDS ban- Educator To Speak To Phi Kappa Phi Texas Education Commission er Dr. Bevington Reed will be Phi Kappa Phi speaker May 6 when 197 students and faculty members are initiated into the honor society. The society’s annual invitation banquet will be held at 6:3(1 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center Ballroom. President Jack T. Kent said students elected as juniors must rank in the top five percent of their class, and seniors in the top 10 percent. Faculty mem bers are elected in recognition of professional and scholarly achievements. Thirty-four graduate and 147 undergraduate students and 16 faculty members will be initiated. Reed, after earning his doc torate from Texas Tech in 1952, served as a professor of govern ment at San Angelo College, and then dean at Sul Ross State. In 1961 he became academic dean of Mankato State. He served as chancellor of the Minnesota State College System before returning to Texas in 1967 as assistant commissioner for senior colleges and universities. He was named commissioner last year. The A&M chapter of Phi Kap pa Phi, founded in 1949, is the oldest in the state. The majority of the society’s funds support first-year gradu ate study through annual fellow ships. Affairs Committee Approves List By TOM CURL Battalion Staff Writer Eight demands submitted to the administration Friday by the Afro-American Society were met Monday first with refusal by the A&M Board of Directors and later with approval by the uni versity-sanctioned Committee on Black Student Affairs. The specially-called board meet ing in Dallas was the result of the list of demands given by 15 black students Friday morning to Richard T. Bernard, assistant to A&M President Earl Rudder. Rudder was out of town at the time. Monday night, the university’s recently-established committee of black students, headed by senior Kenneth Lewallen expressed sup port for the society’s demands in a written statement to The Bat talion. The demands called for official recognition of the Afro-American Society and an investigation of recruitment policies by the Ath letic Department. In addition, the students, who refused to identify themselves individually, demand ed recruitment of black high school students by A&M black students and also courses in black history. THEY ALSO called for black literature in the university li brary and representation on the Civilian Student Council. They said the demands must be met by the third week of September or the group will “find it neces sary to take appropriate action.” The group of black students said that they did not seek a “confrontation.” They said, how ever, that they “will meet force with force, understanding with understanding, and restraint with restraint.” The demands prompted the meeting of the Board of Directors who released a written statement meant as a reply to the group of black students and a restatement of basic university policy: “The doors of Texas A&M Uni versity have been, and will con tinue to be, open for orderly, con structive change as recommended by anyone with a noble purpose. But change which would disrupt due academic processes — change thrust upon this institution under the ugly veil of threat or demand —will not be considered or tol erated.” A STATEMENT of support for the group was released Monday night by the ad hoc Committee of Black Student Affairs, chaired by Lewallen and coordinated by Ed Cooper, director of civilian student activities. “The majority of the members on the Committee on Black Stu dent Affairs overwhelmingly be lieve that the orderly procedure taken by the Afro-American So ciety is a healthy sign of protest and dissent,” the prepared re lease said. According to the Committee statement, the action by the Afro- American Society reflected a Former Students To Induct Seniors A&M seniors will be guests for the Association of Former Stu dents’ annual induction banquet at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the Ra mada Inn ballroom. Richard E. (Buck) Weirus, Former Students executive secre tary, said approximately 650 sen iors will attend the dinner. In addition to students graduating this month, invitations were ex tended to students scheduled to graduate in August or January. Weirus said purpose of the meeting is to acquaint students with the association. Banquet speakers include For mer Students President Ford D. Albritton, Jr. of Bryan and Vice Presidents Darrell Chandler and Eber Peters, both of Beaumont. Chandler heads the association’s membership activities and Peters is responsible for fund-raising. “vote of no confidence” on the part of the Committee on Black Student Affairs, brought on by the “powerlessness” of the com mittee in terms of meeting the solutions. LEWALLEN emphasized that the statement was the opinion of the majority of the committee and mentioned that the statement (See Affairs, Page 4) MRS. PETER N. REED Mrs. P. N. Reed Chosen Year’s Aggie Mother By DAVID MIDDLEBROOKE Battalion Staff Writer Mrs. Peter N. Reed, of San Antonio, who has looked aftet Aggies since her husband’s fresh man year at A&M, has been unanimously selected as the Aggie Mother of the Year. Mrs. Reed will be honored on Mother’s Day and will be guest of honor for the Corps of Cadets’ Parents Day review May 11. More than 150 students sup ported her three sons’ nomina tion for the honor, noted Phil Callahan, chairman of the 15- member Student Life Committee which selected her. The Senate committee received 12 nomina tions. ' The Aggie Mother of 1969 has a daughter and three sons, two at A&M and the other accepted for September enrollment. Mike is a senior history major and executive officer of Squadron 11. David, a junior in management and Corps Staff operations ser geant, has been named First Brigade commander for 1969-70. CHRIS IS a Thomas Jefferson High senior and Melinda is a ninth-grader. Known as “Lady” to many Aggies she has befriended, Mrs. Reed will be cited at a Student Senate program in G. Rollie White Coliseum on Mother’s Day morning and will be first in the reviewing line for the 2:30 p.m. review. She is active in the San An tonio Mothers Club, former scholarship chairman of the group, and an honorary Singing Cadet along with her husband, who is affectionately called “Boss.” “Lady’s dedication to Aggies has been almost wholly outside the realm of barbecues, luncheons and teas,” explained Mike, David and Chris. “She has, instead, given her time, effort, and affec tion to each of us as individuals and all of us as a group.” THE ATTRACTIVE Aggie mom has opened her home to Aggies on uncountable occasions and had as many as 35 at a time for overnight guests. She ar ranged for Athletic Director Gene Stallings to speak at a jun ior high football banquet, made a special trip to the campus with (See Aggie Mother, Page 3) University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M.” —Adv.