Che Battalion
Friday, April 24, 1970
College Station, Texas Vol. 65 No. 106
Telephone 845-2226
Caperton, 5th Wheel Roll
To Top Senate Positions
a price
cl them
THE WINNER—Kent Caperton, senate vice president and
now senate president-elect, polled more than 3,700 votes to
swamp his only rival, Bill Maskal, who received 1,290.
Kent Caperton and his Fifth
Wheel Committee rolled past
their opponents to take six of
the nine positions on the Senate
executive committee in Thurs
day’s record turnout election.
Caperton defeated William M.
(Bill) Maskal by a margin of
3,707 to 1,286. There were nearly
5,000 votes cast in the election —
1,400 more than last year’s rec
ord.
Caperton, a junior finance ma
jor from Caldwell, took a steady
lead from the beginning in the
race against Maskal, a member
of the Campus Committee of
Concern.
The Fifth Wheel Committee
took the presidency, vice presi
dency, recording secretary’s posi
tion, and the chairmanships of
the issues, life, and welfare com
mittee.
Roger Miller, a sophomore
journalism major from Hamilton,
defeated David Moore for the
vice presidency of the Senate by
a vote of 2,476 to 2,439.
The recording secretary’s posi
tion was won by Bill Hartsfield
with 2,638 votes to Dale Foster’s
2,439.
Another reasonably close race
was the treasurer’s race in which
Eddie Duryea defeated Jimmy
Alexander by a vote of 2,497 to
2,304.
Other top executive committee
races were: Parliamentarian —
Michael Essmyer, 2,534; Allen
Giles, 2,188; Student Life — John
sharp, 3,445; Rudy de la Garza,
1,224; Issues — Kirby Brown,
2,650; Charles Hoffman, 1,899;
Welfare — Charles Hicks, 3,812;
Public Relations — Jimmy O’Jib-
way, 2,650, Mike van Bavel,
2,138.
Student Senators:
College of Agriculture (two
senior, junior and sophomore
representatives): Senior-—Randall
Betty, 101; Gerald Witkowski,
64; Charles Mueller, 58; David
Reynolds, 55; David Frost, 49;
Junior—Kenny Hensley, 72; Ira
Lee, 72; Court Koontz, 46; Mike
Latta, 38; Schuck Donnell, 30;
Sophomore—Mark Kidd, 97; Paul
Puryear, 89.
College of Architecture (one
senior, junior and sophomore);
Senior: Robert Riggs, 52; Gary
Boyd, 27; Joe Flores, 23; David
Stephens, 10; Matt Carroll, 9;
Junior—Pearre Chase, 34; Bob
Thompson, 21; Ric de Neve, 18;
Sophomore—Corky Houchard, 45;
Ed Huckaby, 43; Darryl Baker,
17; M. Myers, 15.
College of Business Admini
stration (two senior, junior and
sophomore): Senior — David
Christiani, 106; Frank McAllister,
102; Paul Scopel, 76; Mike Frank
lin, 47; Junior—Sam Roosth, 68;
Gary Singletary, 53; Spike Day-
ton, 51; Frank Richter, 44; David
Berend, 17; Sophomore — Paul
Nauschutz, 72; Russell Phillips,
51; David J. Russo, 49; Mike Hol
ley, 45; Tom Bauch, 29; James
Sears, 22.
(See Election, page 3)
Some May Protest
Election Methods
Maskal
did Win
Say.
By Billy Buchanan
Battalion Staff Writer
“I believe that we did win,”
William M. (Bill) Maskal said
early today when he learned that
in Thursday’s general election
that he lost to Fifth Wheel Can
didate Kent Caperton.
“I feel that the student body
had the right to remain apathetic
in the past, but I feel that the
student body has suffered the
consequences of their apathy
long enough,” Maskal said.
“They proved in this election
that they are concerned about
their university and I hope that
the administration will be con
cerned with the undergraduate
student body,” he added.
Tm deeply indebted to those
who voted for me,” Caperton
said.
“I hope that we can really get
down to what we’ve been work
ing for” he added.
“To those who opposed me and
the Fifth Wheel Committee and
those who didn’t vote at all, I
can say that they are just as
much my constituents as those
who did vote for me and what I
want to do is really get this stu
dent government to working.”
“As far as the pettiness that
has clouded this election, I hope
that this pettiness and factional-
s He
Anyway
ism will clear up and the student
government can get to work,” he
added.
David Moore, who lost the elec
tion by a slim margin of 37 votes
to Fifth Wheel Committee candi
date Roger Miller, said, “I feel
that the people who voted for
me voted because they knew me.”
“Many Fifth Wheel candidates
won because their names were
printed on a sheet” Moore said.
Moore added, “I will work next
year to see that it never happens
again.” He said that he would
not contest the election.
Miller gave The Battalion the
following statement: “I feel that
the voters that turned out today
demonstrates that student gov
ernment is finally heading to
ward the students.”
“Five thousand votes are not
as many as we had hoped for,
but the thing is that a “hell of a
lot’ more voted than had ever
(See Comments, page 3)
AT THE POLLS—Students fumble for identification and activity cards, two require
ments watchdog election officials insist upon. Nearly 5,000 students—a record—queued
up to cast their votes, deciding the fate of more than 200 candidates. (Photo by Hay
den Whitsett)
By Hayden Whitsett
Battalion Staff Writer
Speculation was high that some
elections will be protested as can
didates waited early this morn
ing for returns to be tabulated.
Much of the controversy
stemmed from disagreement over
the voters’ use of lists of candi
dates within the polling places.
Election commission officials
had decided Wednesday morning
that printed lists could not be
allowed in the polls but that hand
written ones could be used. All
lists were confiscated after the
voter had cast his ballot.
The commission said that
“turning these lists over to an
other voter would be a form of
campaigning.”
Marcus Hill, member of the
election commission and a former
member of the Fifth Wheel, led
the opposition to the lists, calling
them “underhanded and immoral.”
Hill urged that the lists were
“cheat sheets” that had previous
ly been prepared by the Commit
tee to replace the printed ones
that were declared illegal by the
Election Commission.
“Lists that have been prepared
by the individual to aid him in
his voting are fine,” Hill said.
“But previously prepared sheets
by somebody else is campaign
literature and nothing else.”
“If somebody wishes to dis
agree with me about the sheets,
To Conform to U.S. Constitution
Senate Wants Regulations Revision
I have pictures proving that they
had been written up earlier and
handed out,” he added. The Elec
tion Commission kept them from
being passed on to other voters
but by that time they had ful
filled their purpose as campaign
literature.”
In an emotional, quavering
voice, David Moore, the defeated
student senate vice-president can
didate, said he believed the many
people on the Fifth Wheel won
because they had their name on a
sheet.
“I feel it was unfair to the
students running and to the stu
dent body in general,” he said.
“I think it is something I thought
I”d never see at A&M.”
Kent Caperton, current vice
president of the Student Senate
and president-elect, opposed Hill’s
views, saying that the lists were
legal.
“At the beginning of the cam
paign we resolved to play the
game by the rules,” Caperton
said, “the Election Commission
changed the rules and we followed
suit. So far as I am concerned
we have done nothing illegal.”
Caperton’s views were upheld
by fellow members of the Fifth
Wheel, many of whom had been
up the preceding night preparing
the lists.
“We worked long and hard and
we didn’t do a damn thing wrong,”
one candidate said.
Others said they felt that there
should be a university regulation
prohibiting changes in election
regulations within a week of the
elections.
Disagreement over the ruling
precipitated a vehement argument
between Hill and Caperton early
this morning while they were in
(See Contest, page 2)
D E FENDS ACTIONS—
Richard Worth tells the sen
ate about his part in last
week’s peace rally.
By Dave Mayes
Battalion Editor
Student Senators Thursday
called for a revision of those uni
versity regulations which “con
flict” with the exercise of free
speech and peaceable assembly
on campus.
By a one-sided 51-2 vote, the
senate in a resolution recommend
ed that regulations “be revised
guaranteeing without threat or
coercion to the student body of
A&M those rights specifically
guaranteeing freedom of speech
and freedom of assembly of stu
dents as enumerated in the first
amendment of the U.S. Constitu
tion.”
The measure was introduced by
Jim Stephenson (sr-LA) who said
that there seems to be “a conflict
between the interpretation of
present university rules and reg
ulations and the first amend
ment.”
He was referring to action tak
en by the office of the Dean of
Students concerning last Wednes
day’s peace rally, an event uni
versity offiicals had not sanc
tioned.
University Police and a Texas
Ranger broke up the throng of
students around the reviewing
platform on the parade grounds
by arresting an Austin man as he
spoke and escorting four A&M
students to the dean’s office.
The students were later placed
on conduct probation for disre
garding the dean’s direct instruc
tions banning the rally—issued
on the same day, and for invit-
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.
ing to the campus a speaker not
authorized by the university.
In the absence of Dean of Stu
dents James P. Hannigan, Asso
ciate Dean Don R. Stafford told
the senate that there has been
no intent by the dean or his staff
to abridge students’ constitution
al rights.
He said that the senate should
first consider two points before
voting on the resolution.
He noted that the fact that the
students were disciplined for hav
ing an unsanctioned rally on cam
pus should be interpreted in light
of the other fact—that they also
asked an unauthorized person to
speak on campus.
“Would the university have
punished the students if only they
had spoken at the rally?” Vice
President Kent Caperton asked.
“Well, I can’t say what would
have happened in that case, be
cause it didn’t happen that way,”
Stafford replied, adding that the
action taken against the students
was not the arbitrary act of one
man, Hannigan, but the proce
dure agreed upon by he and his
staff.
Over the objections of some
senators, notably Head Yell Lead
er Sam Torn and Senior Class
President Jimmy Dunham, the
senate agreed to suspend the rules
to hear Richard Worth, one of
the four students placed on pro
bation for the rally incident.
Worth pointed out that the
rally participants did not disrupt
university activities, and there
fore should not have been pun
ished.
The vice president of the local
chapter of the Young Democrats
said that he wasn’t taken to the
dean’s office for his part in the
rally, but was grabbed by police
when he yelled, “What’s the mat
ter, don’t you allow free speech
here?,” as officers were taking
the Austin man away.
Dunham said that the university
was within its rights in the way
it handled the incident.
“I don’t want to read about
peace rallies here when I’m fight
ing over in Vietnam,” he said.
Other senators said that
whether or not the rallies were
for peace was not the point.
“Sure there is a denial here of
the right to free speech,” Joe
McCall (sr-Arch) said. “We were
going to have Sen. Ralph Yar
borough speak at on-campus
Earth Day activities, but found
out we couldn’t invite him be
cause of the university’s policy
that bars political candidates
from the campus.”
Torn asked Stafford a direct
question: “If a group of students
wanted to hold a peaceful as
sembly, would the university try
Civilian Week
Activities
Tonight
5 p.m. Mud Football - West Gate
8 p.m. Dance - KC Hall with Z-Z Top. Tickets are
$2.50 advance at the Student Co-op and $3
at the door
Saturday
9 a.m. Mud Football, Tug of War, Push Ball-Intra
mural Field at West Gate
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Model Airplanes National competition
Drill Field and East of Kyle Field
12 noon Barbecue - Grove
1:30 p.m. Time Trials
2:00 p.m. Grand Prix gocart race - Law Hall parking
lot
3:00 p.m. Rugby Game - Drill Field - Texas A&M vs.
Texas
7:00 p.m. Town Hall presents “Smith” and “Tony
Joe White”
9:00 p.m. Presentation Dance - Club Sbisa annex
Sunday
11:00 a.m. Services in All Faiths Chapel
to prevent them from doing so?”
Stafford replied that he “was
not really sure,” that certainly if
they disrupted university func
tions they could not.
Several senators objected to the
senate’s even discussing the inci
dent, saying that it was not the
senate’s job to interpret univer
sity regulations.
Others urged that the senate
table the measure until Dean
Hannigan could speak for himself
on the incident.
Finally, Mel Hamilton (jr-
Arch) urged adoption of Stephen
son’s resolution, challenging the
senate to “have guts enough to
pass something half—strong.”
With that, the senate acted,
sending the resolution on to the
university’s Rules and Regula
tions committee, then the Exec
utive Committee and finally the
Academic Council for approval.
The senate refused, however, to
consider another resolution Ste
phenson submitted right after his
first one was passed.
The measure requested acting
A&M President A. R. Luedecke
to allow the university’s Appeals
Committee to consider the con
duct probation assessed the four
students by Dean Hannigan.
Most senators agreed that since
Luedecke had received the
same request from the four stu
dents this week, that he be given
some reasonable time in which
to reply.
In other business, the senate
agreed to appoint a committee to
determine whether existing funds
could support the building of part
of a house belonging to a needy
colored family in the Brushy area.
SPEAKS FOR ADMINIS
TRATION—Associate Dean
Don Stafford explains the
university’s stand on the
“free speech” issue.