Brazos County Relatively Pollution-Free, Survey Reveals
By Tom Curl
A study of the environment of
Brazos County has recently been
completed with the conclusion
that the area is currently rela
tively free of pollution but the
problem could become critical in
the future.
The survey was the work of a
group of 12 students from seven
departments at A&M who formed
a committee of the Forum for
Environmental Studies, which is
sponsoring the Earth Day activ
ities today. Chairman of the com
mittee was Royce Ballinger a
graduate student in wildlife
science.
“We found that at this specific
time, there is generally no real
critical problem; however, there
are some specific problems that
are critical,” he said.
Ballinger emphasized that plan
ning for the future is the only
way to avoid the problems that
will probably arise.
In finding the environment of
the county generally good, the
committee found the most fault
with the overloaded water treat
ment plants in Bryan and at Tex
as A&M University. Ballinger
explained that the plants for the
entire Bryan-College Station met
ropolitan area are more than ade
quate as to volume and capacity
of water, but criticized the ca
pacity of the treatment facilities
at A&M and also the Bryan plant
on Highway 21. The committee
found that the main water plant
for Bryan is adequate. They also
noted that the overloaded plant
on the campus is currently under
expansion to alleviate the prob
lem.
The committee was divided into
four subcommittees for study of
specific areas of environmental
degradation. In addition to its
survey of the community water
supplies, the group on water pol
lution had some comment on the
condition of Finfeather Lake in
Bryan.
Ballinger remarked that the
lake was so badly polluted that
“nobody wants to talk about it.”
The water pollution subcommit
tee was headed by Ron Arneson.
Richard LaVal was chairman
of a subcommittee on population,
resources and land use in the
county. The group found that the
growth rate of Bryan-College Sta
tion is well above the national
and world averages.
Using the “doubling rate” as
a measuring scale, the report
noted that this area should double
in population within the next 30
years if current growth rates are
continued. The national average is
70 years and the world rate is 37
years. The group reported that
the rapid growth of this area is
due to Texas A&M; and the fu
ture growth rates depend largely
on the growth policies of the
university.
LaVaTs subcommittee also was
critical of the proposed Millican
Dam project and concluded that
it would be a poor investment for
the area.
“Most of the advantages fur
thered so far were suggested to
be false,” Ballinger said in dis
cussing the findings. He empha
sized, however, that these com
ments were the interpretation
only of the committee.
He added that an expert on
water control and lake construc
tion from North Texas State Uni
versity has predicted that the
shallow lake proposed for the
dam project would fill up with
organic matter within 20 to 30
Che Battalion
years. In addition, much of the
land lost would be unavailable
for livestock production or as a
haven for wildlife.
A study of the amount of high
way litter in the county showed
that disposable containers make
the vast majority of litter by
weight. Paper make the most in
terms of numbers of items.
“Disposable containers (espe
cially beer bottles and aluminum
cans) are not really disposable
because they are not cycled back
through the environment,” Bal
linger asserts.
“It epitomizes our current re
source-use strategies; we use
something then throw it away,”
he added.
The group conducted tests for
amount and type of highway litter
by personally cleaning sections
of roadways and then collecting
the trash that accumulated. Bal
linger estimated that the initial
collection netted about one-half
ton of trash per mile of roadway.
The measurements indicated
that about 35 pounds of litter
are thrown on each mile of road
way per week. Although some is
decomposible, most of the litter
must eventually be picked up.
Based on estimates from local
road and street agencies, the
groups reports that it would cost
about $1,900 to clean the 550
miles of roads in Brazos County
one time. This figure would not
include the cost of cleaning any
city streets, only rural roadways.
The plague of the cities, air
pollution, is not currently a prob
lem here, the committee reports.
It attributes this freedom from
pollution to the lack of heavy
industry in the county. Most of
the pollution here is from Hous
ton, with the incidence in Brazos
County depending on local weath
er conditions.
The committee estimates that
there are 36,000 vehicles in the
county and that 125 million cubic
feet of air are polluted daily.
The area is fortunate in having
a flat topography with no moun
tains to trap the air pollutants
and help generate a problem.
In summarizing the work of
the student committee, Ballinger
emphasized that the report was
only the interpretation of the
group.
“We tried to draw our infor
mation from as a great a variety
of sources as we could,” he re
marked. He added that almost
everyone interviewed in the prep
aration of the report was helpful
and interested in the project.
Wednesday, April 22, 1970
Telephone 845-2226
of death, is being used by sponsors of Earth Day to sym-
are for unspoiled land, and the white is for pure air.
CSC Honors 9 Faculty, 6 Students
For Contributions to A&M* Civilians
I By Fran Haugen
Battalion Staff Writer
|| The Civilian Student Council
I (CSC) awarded certificates to
nine professors, one in each of
the university’s colleges, for “out-
1 standing and dedicated efforts in
the area of student-faculty rela
tions” at the annual Academic
Awards Luncheon Tuesday.
| The CSC also recognized six
| students for their outstanding
I achievements at A&M.
The event was in conjunction
| with Academic Day of Civilian
Week.
Presented awards by CSC Presi
dent Mark Olson were Dr. Jesse
C. Grady Jr., Department of Agri-
! cultural Economics and Sociology,
College of Agriculture; Dr. James
L. Boone Jr., Department of In
dustrial Education, College of
Education; Dr. J. George H.
Thompson, Department of Me
chanical Engineering, College of
Engineering and Dr. Arnold D.
LeUnes, Department of Phychol-
ogy, College of Liberal Arts.
Also, Dr. Karl J. Koenig, De
partment of Geology, College of
Geosciences; Dr. Kalman Hor
vath, Department of Biology,
College of Sciences; Dr. Clinton
A. Phillips, Department of Man
agement, College of Business
Administration; Dr. Donald O.
Wiersig, Department of Veteri
nary Physiology and Pharma
cology, College of Veterinary
Medicine and Rodney C. Hill,
Department of Environmental
Design, College of Archtecture.
The recipients were nominated
by students in their departments
who wrote letters to the CSC and
by CSC members.
“You are recognized not for
your ability to present class ma
terial or do research, but for your
contribution to faculty-student re
lations,” Olson told the profes
sors. “You were chosen because
you are there when your students
need you. A student who respects
a prof because he is on person
to person basis with him will
never do less than his best.”
The letters nominating recipi
ents stressed the fact that the
professors could always be count
ed on by students, Olson said-
“Maybe when you go back to
your department, your ability to
make students feel at ease in the
classroom will rub off on other
faculty members,” he added.
The CSC also recognized six
students who have attained a high
scholastic average while at the
same time contributing leadership
to the civilian student body.
Students receiving awards were
Gustavo Berges, for CSC and
work wtih foreign students; Alan
Byrd, CSC and Civilian Honor
Council; Garry Mauro, CSC, Stu
dent Senate and yell leader; Jim
Finane, Memorial Student Center
Council and Directorate, Student
Senate and CSC; Ed Donnell,
YMCA president, civilian chaplain
and CSC; and Dave Mayes, MSC
Council, Student Senate and Bat
talion editor.
Guests were A&M acting Presi
dent A. R. Luedecke, Howard
Perry, director of civilian student
activities and Eugene Oates, resi
dence halls program advisor.
Civilian Week
Activities
Tonight
Officials, Experts Will Discuss
B-CS Environment Problems
5 p.m.
6 p.m.
6 p.m.
8 p.m.
Mud Football, Horseshoes—Intramural Field
Voter Rally-Drill Field
Pool Tournament—Aggie Den
Spades, Chess Tournaments—MSC
Thursday
7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Elections-SbiSa newsstand, Library,
MSC basement, Dorn 2
5 p.m. Mud Football, Horseshoes-Intramural Field
6 p.m. Pool Tournament-Aggie Den
8 p.m. Spades, Chess Tournaments-MSC
A panel of local government
officials and environmental ex
perts will discuss Bryan-College
Station environment problems in
a town meeting tonight at 7:30
in the Bryan Civic Auditorium,
according to Jim Crisp, public
relations chairman.
Films and exhibits will also be
shown, beginning at 7 p.m.
Sponsored by the Symposium
for Environmental Awareness,
League of Women Voters of Braz
os County and American Associ
ation of University Women in
connection with Earth Day, the
panel of 10 will also answer ques
tions from the audience.
Dr. Richard Baldauf, wildlife
science professor, will open the
meeting with some general re
marks and Dr. Betty Unterber-
ger, history professor, will serve
as moderator.
Officials on the panel include
D. A. Anderson, mayor of Col
lege Station; Charles Bardon,
Texas Air Quality Board; Dr.
William Clark, biology professor;
Glenn Cook, Brazos Valley De
velopment Council; Dr. Rezneat
Darnell, oceanography professor;
Dr. William Davis, environmental
engineering professor; Fred
Sandlin, city manager of Bryan;
William Vance, County Judge;
Hugh Yantis, Texas Water Qual
ity Board; and Jerome Zubik,
mayor of Bryan.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.
Black Students Speak
At Lounge Rap Session
By Billy Buchanan
Battalion Staff Writer
“It marked the beginning of a
start. A start to what, I don’t
know. It all depends upon what
the guys do after this meeting
here tonight.”
With that reply, a black student
expressed his views about the
Black Rap Session held Tuesday
night in Lounge A-2.
Garry Mauro, chairman of
civilian week and weekend, told
the gathering that the purpose of
the rally was “to communicate
about what black student life is
at Texas A&M.”
“The Civilian Student Council
plans to make this small com
munication group program a
regular part of its future pro
grams,” Mauro said after the
session was over.
At the beginning of the meeting
only about 35 black and white stu
dents were present. As the rally
went on, about 100 students
listened to the various students
as they expressed their ideas. A
majority of the students at the
rally were white students who
came to listen to the blacks.
One black student listed seven
items which he said a majority
of the black students felt that the
university should undertake.
These items were the formation
of a recognized black organization
on campus, the hiring of a black
counselor in the counseling and
testing' center, an investigation of
the issuance of athletic scholar
ships as handled by the athletic
director, the offering of courses
needed within the university cur
riculum that portray the role and
life styles of the black man, a
program of recruitment of “mi
nority” high school students,
establishing university-sanctioned
housing for women, and the in
vestigation of working conditions
of blacks here on campus.
Another black student said
“that this university is not a
university as far as university
life is concerned for any student.”
The same student went on to
explain by saying “students are
not able to mature and develop
the qualities needed to live in a
complex society like we will be
living in.”
Most of the discussion was con
cerned with the black student at
Texas A&M, but the discussion
did include topics about how some
of the black and white students
felt the racial problems that now
exists in the United States came
about and about some of the move
ments being carried on at the
present time.
Several of the black students
said that the idea that they
thought was planted in most
American minds was that the
black American was not recog
nized by the whites at all. Some
said that the image of a Negro
that they felt was planted in the
white’s mind was very similar to
the image that the Negro had of
the white.
Most blacks present said that
they were not a real part of the
Texas A&M campus and added
that they could not be a part un
less there were changes made.
One student expressed the idea
that if he became a member of an
organization on campus he was
still not a real member of the
organization because he was a
Negro.
Conduct Probation
Given 4 Students
Four students charged with
participating in last Wednesday’s
peace rally were placed on con
duct probation Tuesday by Dean
of Students James P. Hannigan.
Cited for disobeying direct in
structions from the dean and for
violating the university’s policy
concerning unauthorized speakers
from off-campus were Bill Fisch
er, Richard Worth, John McAuley
and Tim Legere.
All four were escorted to the
dean’s office by University Police
after officers moved in to break
up what university officials called
an unauthorized rally. Police also
arrested Earl Brown, an Austin
member of the Student Mobiliza
tion Committee, as he spoke to a
crowd of about 300.
Dean Hannigan, who was un
available for comment today, is
sued these instructions the same
day the rally was held:
“Promotion and/or support of,
or participation in or attendance
at, any on-campus function or
activity not specifically autho
rized by the Dean of Students is
prohibited. Violation of this di
rect instruction is sufficient cause
for immediate suspension from
the rolls of the University.”
No action was taken against
a fifth student, Tom Ellis, also
taken to the dean’s office that
day. Ellis said he had seen a
police officer in civilian clothes
grab McAuley at the rally. He
said he went over to try to break
up what he thought was a fight
between two students.
Fischer told The Battalion to
day that he and the other three
were to see acting A&M President
A. R. Luedecks this morning to
find out whether they could ap
peal the dean’s decision to the
University Appeals Committee.
MUSTER SCENE—Over 4,000 A&M students and guests listen as Dallas lawyer Yale
Griffis speaks during the 68th Aggie Muster. Griffis told those assembled that “It is
our responsibility to justify the sacrifices of our friends and comrads in honor of whom
we muster today.” A chorus of “Here” was sounded by the audience when late A&M
President James Earl Rudder’s name was called. (Photo by Jim Berry)