' ■■
“ . . . I’ll be—some of th’ stuff he’s been talking about all
semester is right here in th’ textbook!”
A Commitment
For all its delicate parts and intricate plans, the high-flying Apollo
10 would never have gotten off the ground if it hadn’t been for its
launching pad. Had the pad failed to support the tremendous weight of
the rocket or failed to withstand the terrific heat from its engines, the
launch would have become a holocaust of horror.
The 1969—70 Battalion staff, with hopes for the coming school
year nearly as high as Apollo’s destination, also recognizes the need for
a launch pad strong enough to withstand the weight of pressure by
special interest groups and endure the heat of criticism by all. For
whatever course The Battalion will take will depend largely upon the
strength or weakness of this foundation.
The Battalion platform, then, rests on these three pillars:
The Battalion pledges to seek the truth. The truth will be
approached along two avenues. In its news columns, this newspaper will
strive to keep the public informed of significant events, reporting the
facts as fairly and completely as technical knowledge and experience
permit. The Battalion will strive to present impartially both sides to
every important question, and let the public decide which holds the
greater portion of truth.
On the editorial page. The Battalion will accept the responsibility
for analysis and criticism of public affairs and public policies. Editorials
will be based on facts and effort will be made to weigh them fairly. The
Battalion’s aim always will be to help lead the average citizen to a
better understanding of current issues. The Battalion, however, does
not hold a monopoly on wisdom. Rather, truth is best found through
debate and the free competition of ideas.
The Battalion pledges to maintain its independence. A&M
President Earl Rudder last week at the Student Publications banquet
urged the Battalion staff to “strive to report and print the truth.” He
also asked that the newspaper give no special preferential treatment to
any group, be they student, faculty or administrative. The staff concurs
with the president’s sentiments, believing that objectivity decreases as
personal involvement increases.
Independence implies no censorship, and this is true. It is also
true that a staff member of University Information reads student-
written copy every day before it goes to press. His job is only to make
sure that the news is not libellous and that it is within the bounds of
good taste.
The Battalion pledges to provide leadership. Milton said: “To sin
by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” The
Battalion will endeavor to express a decided opinion on all public
questions, being careful to distinguish between clear thought and
useless noise. When the climate on today’s campuses is such that
communication too often breaks down to confrontation, when protest
too often brings police and when common sense so often seems so
uncommon, The Battalion cannot and must not do less than speak out
with conviction, and often.
By MONTY STANLEY
Texas A&M isn’t the only school
preparing to stop whatever kind
of disturbances are expected to be
coming about in the near future.
The following story appeared in
the Hardin-Simmons University
Brand:
“Bob Jones University in Green
ville, South Carolina, a private
fundamentalist institution of 4,000
students, does not permit its stu
dents to attend movies, dance, or
read Playboy magazine.
“Although there are few activi
ties or bearded students on cam
pus, the president of the school,
Bob Jones Jr., recently requested
permits from the secretary of
state to allow the four-man cam
pus security force to carry Brown
ing automatic rifles or Reising
submachine guns.” Said Brown
in his explanation to the lawmak
ers, “The 2,000 young ladies at
Bob Jones . . . have a right to go
to sleep in peace and safety.”
If the KK’s are really to get
those machine guns, those young
ladies better relish what peace and
safety they have now—even if
there are only four cops.
★ ★ ★
Last week was “Amnesty Week”
at the University of Minnesota,
during which a student could re
turn overdue books to either cam
pus library wtihout paying a fine.
Students, who in the last two or
three years, had paid fines which
had built up so high that they just
kept the book, obtained refunds
for the amount in full upon return
of the book. One student received
Listen Up
Editor,
The Battalion:
This letter concerns the contro
versy of an on-campus Afro-
American Society. The black stu
dents of Texas A&M University
have expressed their desire for
such a club on this campus, but
have been met with the closed
mindedness of university officials.
I feel the university is making
a bad mistake by not giving the
blacks a chance to have a club of
their own on campus. Closing
one’s eyes to a situation does not
make it go away.
It was this same type of atti
tude that brought about the Civil
War. The North was unaware of
the thoughts of their fellow
Americans. A compromise could
have ended the differences that
split this country in half.
I feel that a compromise here,
at Texas A&M University, is in
need. It would be wise for the
university to allow the Afro-
American Society to exist on this
campus on a one year trial basis.
If the organization proved itself
harmless, it could be allowed to
continue. However, if the Afro-
American Society caused any in
terruptions to the rights of others
to get an education here at Texas
A&M, it would be discontinued
immediately as an on-campus or
ganization. This is not asking too
much of either side and it is
certainly a lot better than cracked
heads, property damage and the
press.
Brent Lamb ’72
Cbe 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.
LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the editor should be typed, double-spaced,
and must be no more than BOO words in length. They
must be signed, although the writer’s name zuill be with
held by arrangement with the editor. Address corre
spondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room 217,
Services Building, College Station, Texas 77813.
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising
Services. Inc., New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San
Francisco.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
school
Mail subscriptions are $3.50
full year
rtising ra
The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station.
ear ; $6.50
Texas
per
idv
on,
77843.
All su
rate furnis
er semester; $6 pel
ibscriptions subject to 4%
hed on request. Address:
Lindse
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim
chairman ; Dr. David Bowers, College of Liberal
Arts ; F. S. White, College of Engineering ; J
Clark, College of Veterinary Medicine: and H;
lege of Agriculture.
ege
Dr. Donald R.
al Taylor, Col-
The Battalion, a student newspaper
published in College Station, Texas daily except Saturday,
Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, September through
May, and once a week during summer school.
at Texas A&M is
except Saturda
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for
republication of all new 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.
EDITOR DAVE MAYES
Managing Editor David Middlebrooke
Sports Editor Richard Campbell
Staff Writers Tom Curl, Janie Wallace,
Tony Huddleston
Photographers Bob Stump, Bob Peek
$20.90 in refund.
While the Minnesota Personal
Ads abound wth pleas of “Male
student seeking liberated female
21-24 for casual dates, sex and
country excursions,” “Irresponsi
ble young man desires company of
irresponsible young woman (Re
sponsible types need not apply),”
and “Male student seeks female
roommate wth liberal ideas,” one
frustrated voice cried out for a
partner not so easy to find. “Send
me a girl who reads. 338-1974.”
There is an air of discontent on
the University of Minnesota cam
pus, which has resulted so far in
a petition signed by 50 employees
of the Physics Department. They
really weren’t that stoked over
students’ rights, or civil rights,
or any of that kind of stuff. Actu
ally, what they wanted was for
the bakery to go on delivering
freshly baked doughnuts and
coffee in the morning, following
a university ruling that permitted
no commercial enterprises on
campus.
In the same vein of campus
crusades, the Communications
Center for Academic Reform at
the U of M sponsored a belly
button contest. The school news
paper featured a closeup of the
first-place navel.
★ ★ ★
Four hundred demonstrators
gathered on the U of M campus
last \Veek to protest the refusal
of a landlord to rent an apartment
to a black couple, only to find that
about two hours earlier, the land
lord had already agreed to rent.
The protest was then changed to
a “victory celebration” for the
“system.” Professor Hubert Hum
phrey, who was to be a speaker
at the rally, commented, “This is
the first victory celebration I’ve
had the chance to attend in the
past few months.”
★ ★
Students at the University of
Oklahoma have the opportunity
for nightly thrills at a nearby
club, which features topless enter
tainment. The fact that the only
people entertaining are a bunch
of guys in a group called the
Shroud seems to be of minor im
portance.
Southwest Texas State now has
a real bobcat for their mascot. In
fact, most schools do have a live
representation of the name of
their team, whether it be a bear,
a falcon, or a wolf. So when are
we getting a real live “Aggie”?
THE BATTALION
Page 2 College Station, Texas Thursday, May 22, 1969
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