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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1971)
:• avj&vv Che Battalion Cooling and cloudy Vol. 66 No. 109 College Station, Texas Thursday, April 15, 1971 Thursday — Clear to partly cloudy. Winds southerly 15-25 mph. High 74°, low 52°. Friday — Partly cloudy. Winds northerly 15-20 mph. High 71°, low 66°. 845-2226 Students have roles in inaugural activity By FRAN ZUPAN Battalion Managing Editor Student leaders and organiza tions are playing active roles in the activities of President Jack K. Williams’ inauguration today and Friday. Alpha Phi Omega (APO) mem bers conducted guided bus tours of the campus for delegates this afternoon on the hour between 1 and 5. Tours Friday will leave from in front of the Memorial Student Center (MSC) at 8 and 9 a.m. and 2, 3, and 4 p.m. APO President Bill Cronrath said. Town Hall members will be ushers at the Lyric Art Quartet concert tonight at 8 p.m. in the Bryan Civic Auditorium. The MSC’s Host and Fashion Commit tee members will be hostesses at a reception following the concert. Members of the Student Sen ate, Civilian Student Council and Corps of Cadets will provide in formation desks in G. Rollie White Coliseum and the Memorial Stu dent Center Friday. Senate, CSC, and Corps mem bers have also greeted delegates at the airport. Many students will also partici pate in the Academic Procession at the inauguration Friday at 10 a.m. in G. Rollie White Coliseum. A Corps of Cadets color guard will precede Dean of Admissions and Records H. Lloyd Heaton who is grand marshal of the proces sion. The Student Senate, led by Marshal Rodger P. Miller, Senate vice president, will follow in the procession. Following the Senate will be the Executive Committee of the Academic Council, led by Fresh man Class President Marshal Randall L. Maness; recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award, led by Sophomore Class Presi dent Marshal Nicholas J. Jiga, Jr.; delegates of colleges and uni versities, led by Junior Class Pres ident Marshal Russell B. McGow- en III; and Delegates of Learned societies and professional organi zations, led by Senior Class Pres ident Marshal William E. Shep ard. Next will come representatives of the faculty led by Lawrence A&M has ‘exceeded hopes’ By DAVID MIDDLEBROOKE Battalion Editor He has been president of Texas A&M and the Texas A&M Uni versity System almost six months, having taken office Nov. 1, 1970. Today activities have begun which will climax in his inauguration as the 17th A&M presidient and fourth president of the systjem. “I’m looking forward to hav ing it over with,” Dr. Jack K. Williams joked during an inter view with The Battalion Wed nesday. Inaugural activities will keep him busy through Sunday. “I thought it would be a chal lenge and a substantial satisfac tion being president here,” Wil liams said, turning serious. “I’ve found it to be a substantial chal lenge and a tremendous satisfac tion. I’ve found the people here great to work with.” Williams came to Texas A&M from the University of Tennes see, where he was vice president for academic affairs. He and his wife Margaret have moved to College Station. Daughter Kath erine, 20, attends Emory Univer sity in Atlanta, Ga., and daugh ters Mary, 16, and Penny, 20, are in Knoxville, Tenn., attending high school and UT. Williams said much of his time since assuming his duties has been just getting acquainted with people. He has been touring the state, visiting with former stu dents and A&M Clubs. Lately, he has been occupied with the legislative budget hear ings going on in Austin, and has spent much time before commit tees or preparing for his appear ances before them. He also has been visiting the other parts of the Texas A&M University System. The system includes Prairie View A&M, Tarleton State, Texas Maritime Academy, Texas Agri cultural Experiment Station, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas Engineering Ex tension Service, Texas Forest (See A&M has, page 3) D. McGill, president of the Grad uate Student Council, followed by the state flag. A Ross Volunteer Honor Guard will lead Gov. Preston Smith, next in the procession. The Board of Directors and platform guests, led by Marshals Anton M. Sorensen, Jr., Professor of Animal Science, and Melvin R. Calliham, Professor and Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery follow Smith. The mace borne by John Paul Abbott, Distinguished Professor of English, is next in sequence, followed by Williams and his mar shals, Donald G. Barker, profes sor of Educational Psychology and Kenneth C. Brundidge, meteorol ogy professor. During the program Student Senate President Kent Caperton will give the company greetings from the students. A&M’s chapter of Omega Phi Alpha, OPA, national service so rority, will serve coffee at the robing at 9 a.m., OPA President Pam Faulkner said. Official dele gates will robe in DeWare Field House and the stage party in the coliseum’s Lettermen’s Lounge. Next year’s corps commander Thomas M. Stanley and next year’s Deputy Corps Commander James Addison Carey will be spe cial honor guard to the governor for the inaugural luncheon in Duncan Dining Hall at 12:30 p.m. Sophomore Michael Lindsey will host Sen. John Tower for inau gural activities. TUESDAY NIGHT WAS A BIG ONE for the sign builders at A&M. Aggies passing Sbisa Wednesday morning were confronted with a new proliferation of signs across from the dining hall. The signs are up for the general elections April 28. (Photo by Hayden Whitsett) Saturday anniversary A&M created 100 years ago Nixon easing Red China policy WASHINGTON UP) — Presi dent Nixon announced Wednes day a five-point program to ease relations between the United States and Communist China, largely through relaxing trade between the two countries. Nixon’s long-awaited decision, coupled with Premier Chou En- lai’s statement to American ta ble tennis players about “a new page” in U.S.-Chinese relations, marked a notable step in the gradual thraw replacing the pro longed freeze between Washing ton and Peking. Presidential press secretary Ronald L. Ziegler said Nixon made his decision two or three weeks ago, following a high-level administration review begun last University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M.” —Adv. December. “So the substance of the ac tion has no connection with the recent action by the Peoples Re public of China in its invitation to the U. S. table tennis team and surrounding circumstances,” he said. But White House officials ac knowledged that the timing of Nixon’s announcement was, as they put it, appropriate in the aura of good will stemming from Peking’s hospitality in the un precedented current visit to China by a U. S. table tennis group. The Nixon announcement did not deal with U. S. policy on the strong move expected in the United Nations this fall for ad mission of Red China to the world body. Nor did it get into what the United States might do in the future about officially recogniz ing the Peking regime, with whom it now has no diplomatic relations. Ziegler said a Wash ington decision on that is still “way down the line.” The presidential announcement — issued by the White House as a one-page statement — dealt with a range of travel and trade restrictions which have been in effect since the early 1950s. In line with his state of the world message last February promising to “examine what further steps between the Chi nese and American peoples,” Nix on said he has decided on these actions: —The United States is pre pared to give fast handling for visas, or entry permits, for' visi tors or groups of visitors from Red China. —U. S. ships and planes may now carry Chinese cargoes be tween non-Chinese ports, and U. S.-owned foreign-flag ships may call at Chinese ports. —The U. S. government will prepare a list of nonstrategic goods which may be exported directly to Red China, without a specific license. Following a presidential review and approval of items on this list, direct im ports of specified items from mainland China also will be au thorized. Correction The Battalion Wednesday mis spelled the name of one of the recipients of a Memorial Student Centers appreciation award. The name of John M. Bertl of the chess committee was misspelled John N. Buntyl. Banking is a pleasure at First Bank & Trust. The Friday inauguration of Dr. Jack K. Williams as A&M’s 17th president and Sunday Parents Day activities bracket an impor tant date for the university. Saturday, 100 years ago, an act creating the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was passed by the 12th Texas Legis lature. A resolution introduced by State Senator William T. (Bill) Moore of Bryan marks the sig nificant event. Moore’s resolution noted that the April 17, 1871, act “led the way to the creation of the first institution of higher learning in the State of Texas.” “This act represented one of the legislative milestones in this state,” the resolution goes on, “laying the groundwork for an institution of higher learning which would serve the needs of a broad segment of the popula tion.” Within two months of passage of the enabling legislation, three commissioners appointed by re construction Governor E. J. Davis selected Brazos County land deed ed by Bryan citizens for the new college. Legend says that sometime be tween June 14 and June 21, 1871, the committeemen drove a stake into the ground near the present Academic Building and an nounced, “Here we’ll build the college.” Construction on Old Main, the first building, began immediately afterwards. Before completion, however, it was scrapped and a new main building was started in 1873. Appropriation for a dining or “steward’s” hall later named in honor of Thomas S. Gathright, the first president, was made in 1875. A&M enrolled its first stu dents in September, 1876, and began classes Oct. 4, 1876. The college became Texas A&M University through Aug. 23, 1963, legislation. The Senate resolution authored by Moore also notes that the .original institution has grown “from a campus of two buildings into a statewide system with a main campus which now in cludes more than 100 buildings” valued at near $200 million. From a faculty of five and a 40-student enrollment, A&M also has grown “to a university with a faculty of 1,000 and a student body of 14,000,” the Moore reso lution cities. The senator also included in S.R. 940 A&M’s basic philosophy set forth by Gov. Richard Coke in Oct. 4, 1876, official opening address: “The aim and mission ... is, while preparing the young men of Texas for the high duties of American citizenship, to train their intelligence in the methods and appliance of science, and their hands for the skills which shall utilize them in everyday pursuits.” Singing Cadets to appear at White House services The Singing Cadets will be in the White House Sunday morn ing to sing for President Rich ard Nixon, according to Director Robert Boone. The trip had been in doubt but contributions made today by sup porters have made it a “sure thing.” The group now has $5,800 of the $9,000 needed, Boone said, adding he expected today’s mail ed contributions to “put us over the hump.” He already has booked the plane and made reser vations. Booths had been set up in the Memorial Student Center and the Exchange Store to collect funds today, Boone said. He added that individuals and groups within the university had contributed. The group received the invita tion April 7. The appearance will be for the President’s monthly White House religious service. Boone credited Texas Sen. John Tower’s “influence, enthusiasm and encouragement” with making the invitation possible. Boone said those wishing to make contributions can mail them to Singing Cadets, White House Trip, TAMU, College Sta tion, 77843. He urged donors to designate the purpose of the purpose of the money and to in clude a return address. Boone had written the White House some three months ago asking to perform there. He re ceived a letter saying time was short and it was difficult to schedule groups, since so many want to perform. “We had given up,” he said, “but last Wednesday we got the phone call asking if we’d like to be there Sunday.” The inquiring Battman Do you think Easter recess should have two weekends? Gene Scott sophomore “Many people enjoy spending Easter at home. Your proposed arrangement would work some thing of a hardship on these people, meaning they would have to be back sometime on Easter. Better to work on changing the day of Easter.” Mike Thompson junior “It doesn’t make much dif ference. I’m not from Texas, so there isn’t much advantage to having a longer vacation.” Ernest L. Van Horn freshman “I prefer to have Easter vaca tion Monday - Friday because you miss the same number of class days but you get a total of 9 days off instead of 6.” Linsey Ann Oates freshman “It would be much easier to take the Easter break beginning on Thursday before Easter and return after the weekend follow ing Easter. Now I’m happy just to get a vacation at all, but it’s difficult to begin classes on a Wednesday after forgetting the books for a week.” Chris Bruns junior “I like the present system sim ply because the difference in the two is not much.” Bruce Appelbaum graduate “I feel a two-weekend holiday period is desirable for undergrad uates. It makes little difference for graduate students.” Fred Miller junior “I believe one can accomplish more during a whole week (scho lastically speaking) plus have two weekends to look forward to, to either booze it up or take out a girl.” (Photos by Alan-Jon Zu- pan) '' '■ -•»"A".• • .'•.v.'-'.ij’iv/,VV.vvKv.£(vlv.v •' 2ill.y'. lyhf/.v.yS■ .y ;; ; vv •'*•; ..