CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earle Listen up
More flak over that letter
Editor:
I find interest in the works of
“patriotic Aggies.” I refer to an
opinionated letter in the Bat
talion, Oct. 26, 1971, from Mrs.
Bill Chambers of Rochester, Tex
as. My reply is not only to her,
but to all former Aggies that are
interested in the future of Texas
A&M University and America.
There seems to be an animosity
felt for the “long-haired stu
dents” who choose to pursue ap
education at Texas A&M. The
University’s publication of the
University Regulations is quoted
on page 15, part 44-3. as saying:
Every student has the right to
all the advantages, prestige, and
honors accruing to a student of
the University. He retains the
rights guaranteed him under the
Constitution of the United States,
the right of respect for personal
feelings, the right of freedom
from indignity of any type, . . .
the right to pursue an education,
and to receive a degree, or certifi
cate, for the successful comple
tion thereof.
To my understanding, when I
was accepted by Texas A&M,
these regulations were applicable
to me as a student.
I, being included by Mrs. Cham
bers in the set of “.. . barefoot,
dirty, long-haired, and foul-
mouthed students ... ,” feel that
my “right of respect for personal
feelings ...” and “ . .. right of
freedom from indignity of any
type...” have been trespassed.
I am not crying for sympathy,
nor asking for reconciliation. I
am only hoping that the letter I
read is not a representative con
census of all former students. I
also hope that people will realize
that not all long-hairs are out to
destroy the System, just as not
all cadets are “war-mongered,
fascist pigs.” I will not waste
our time trying to list the count
less numbers of “long-hairs” that
molded the country that I would
die for today.
It would not only be a loss of
a valuable part of the future of
Texas A&M University, but also
of America, if closed-minded,
prejudiced minorities from the
“Past” are allowed to influence
the young, potentially-creative
minds of today’s America.
Jeffrey A. Secrest
P.S. I would consider it an
honor to receive any individual’s
views on this subject. A letter
addressed to my personal mail
box would merit a sincere re
sponse from me. Thank you.
P. O. Box 3268.
★ ★ ★
Editor:
I have thought about writing
to you many times, but my rea
sons weren’t good enough. This
time I feel I can’t hold it back.
The letter sent in by Mrs. Bill
Chambers is one of the most one
sided, bigoted letters I have ever
seen! Many things enter my mind
as I read it. Realize that I have
nothing against the Corps, it’s
all right, if that is where your
head is at.
The first issue that really
stands out is that “The Corps is
the school.” Mrs. Chambers
“Frankly, I couldn’t think of a thing to say!”
For better service
Two of the biggest gripes heard on this campus are about Sbisa
Dining Hall and the laundry. Most students regard them as necessary
and unchangeable evils.
The thing is, students do have the opportunity to change things if
they want, or if not get them changed, at least let those in charge know
how they feel.
They can do so by contacting the student members of the
laundry and menu planning committees—both of which are meeting
Monday and Tuesday, respectively—and letting them know how the
students feel.
Student members of the laundry committee are: Fernando
Giannetti, 404 Schuhmacher; Bry Loyd, Dorm 2, room 115; Mike
Cummingham, Dorm 3, room 401; Brent Burford, 138 Moses; Juan
Gonzales, Dorm 2, room 123; Steve Seligman, 323 Moore and Layne
Kruse, Dorm 2, room 207.
Student members of the civilian student menu committee are:
John Sheperd, 215 Keathley; Bill Darkoch, 3-D Puryear; David Ater,
215 Mclnnis and Randy Ross, 218 Davis-Gary.
Use these people, call them on the phone or button-hole them in
the hall. Make them work for you and represent you.
Steve Hayes
See hear
Dull weekend up
By D. P. FONTANA
Culture fans, this weekend
looks pretty bleak.
The Palace will be playing G-
rated The African Elephant until
Sunday when Jules Verne’s Light
at the Edge of the World will
start. The African Elephant has
beautiful nature-type photogra
phy and an educational narrative.
While the movie is long on vio
lence and action and short on sex,
it really doesn’t have that much
to offer the university student
and should probably g§t a Film
G.P.R. of 1.8.
The Campus will be offering
The Anderson Tapes and, from
what the lady at the ticket booth
tells me, no Frolic this weekend.
The Anderson Tapes stars Sean
Connery, Dyan Cannon (Love
Machine; Bob & Carol, Ted &
Alice), Martin Balsam (the med
icine-show man in Little Big
Man), and comedian Allan King.
This flick is guaranteed to re
inforce the anxieties of anyone
who is paranoid about “invasion
of privacy.” It’s about an ex-
con named Anderson (Sean Con
nery) who hatches this wild
scheme to loot an entire super
luxury apartment house on fash
ionable 91st St. in New York
City. Dyan Cannon, as Connery’s
mistress provides his in to the
apartment house and a modest
amount (GP-rated) of skin to the
movie. Anyway, the movie can’t
decide whether to be a chiller or
semi-humorously caustic of gov
ernment snooping. It doesn’t come
off and deserves a Film G.P.R.
= 1.7.
Texaco blows its cover
A Texas tanker blew its cover,
and Dr. William Sackett, a Tex
as A&M oceanographer blew the
whistle.
For those of you who didn’t
get a chance to read the page
one story yesterday by Harold
Scarlett, in the Houston Post, an
A&M pollution research vessel
caught an anchored Texaco tank
er cleaning its tanks over a re
mote but fish-rich reef in the
Caribbean. Such action by Tex
aco obviously discredits its ad
vertising campaign which has re
lied strongly on the recent ad
proclaiming:
“We Swim In It Too.” '
“Long before all the headlines
on ocean pollution, Texaco’s tank
er operating procedures prohib
ited the dumping of oil at sea.
Anytime. Anywhere.
“This is our commitment that
we will never willfully pollute
the beaches of our world. After
all, we swim in the same waters
you do.” (After all indeed.)
Dr. Sackett said the research
vessel was on a pollution sampl
ing cruise when the tanker was
spotted. They were so surprised
at seeing the tanker in the re
mote area, that after eight hours
of collecting samples around “the
beautiful living reef” . . . they
decided to investigate, thinking
the tanker might be in trouble.
Sackett said that they identi
fied the ship as the Texaco Mon
tana and spotted an oil slick ex
tending out from the ship. As
the A&M vessel approached, the
tanker gave several blasts on its
horn and started moving off. The
research vessel’s equipment de
tected extremely high hydrocar
bon concentrations a half-mile
from the departing tanker.
Sackett said “it was obvious
that this tanker had been clean
ing its tanks in contradiction to
the highly advertised claims of
its owners . . .”
Despite acknowledgements by
Texaco that there was a tanker
in the area, and reports by Sack-i
ett that at least 15 persons on
his vessel took photographs, a
Texaco spokesman said, “. . . We
really do not believe that this is
possible.”
Dr. Sackett has requested that
the Federal Trade Commission
take action against Texaco under
the FTC’s “truth in advertising”
regulations.
The FTC has been looking into
the area of institutional ads that
make ecology claims about strip
mining and timber cutting as
well. It has ordered several com
panies to stop ads concerning
certain products, but has not yet
taken any action related to false
ecology ads such as those al
legedly made by Texaco.
Texaco has said that it will
make a complete investigation in
to the complaint by Sackett as
soon as the ship docks. A spokes
man in New York has called the
Houston Post “terribly unfair”
in publishing the complaint by
Dr. Sackett before Texaco com
pleted its investigation.
Although I am very weak in
Malthusian and Keynesian eco
nomics, it seems to me that cor
porations, with the money now
spent on false or misleading ad
vertising, puppet spokesmen, and
legal fees to argue their ad cases
in court, as Texaco may now
have to do, could just as easily
invest that money in actual con
structive environmental research
or projects. Expediency in dis
posal is not necessarily the best
answer as court costs may prove.
While corporate immunity has
probably aided monetary profit,
it may have also led to question
able business ethics. Hopefully,
Senator Spong’s bill will receive
strong support.
At the same time it is hoped
that the A&M administration will
not only commend Dr. Sackett,
but also review its relationship
with such corporations as Tex
aco. A public institution respon
sible to students and its sup
porters should maintain an at
mosphere of intellectual openness
and mutual honesty, not only
among its body members, but
with those corporations contrib
uting monetarily to that public
institution.
€be Battalion
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L
should realize that this school
has a lot of civilians who go here
who contribute a lot to this uni
versity.
She makes a gross rationaliza
tion that change brings “barefoot,
dirty, long-haired, and foul
mouthed students.” I happen to
have long hair, but I am not dir
ty, nor am I barefoot, nor am I
foul mouthed. If she could look
beyond her own stereotype of
what long hair means, she might
be surprised to find that they
really are real people, just like
everyone else.
The main reason ideas like this
make me so mad is because they
are the root of our problem of
Corps-civilian relations. When
are people going to quit judging
others by looks instead of learn
ing their attitudes and feelings?
It is high time the men of this
campus came together and not let
prejudice rule. It might be well
to remember that the “Spirit of
Aggieland” contains these lines:
“We are the Aggies, The Aggies
are We./ True to each other, as
Aggies can Be.”
W. J. Hobson ’74
Page 2
THE BATTALION
College Station, Texas Friday, October !
IF YOUR RENT IS GOING DOWN THE
DRAIN, IF SO SWITCH TO A MOBILE
HOME — ASK ABOUT OUR JANUARY
PLAN NOW!
Some Homes Features:
• Round Beds
• Sunken Tubs
• 8 - 12 Year Financing
• Parlor Bedroom
3330 Texas
So. Hwy. 6
East Bypass
Marvin Durrant, Mgr,
Hi Neighbor Mobil Home
Sales Inc.
To Be Shown At: BAPTIST STUDENT UNION
201 N. Main
Saturday, October 30, 7:30 p. m.
^ PIZZA
FREE DORM DELIVERY
Phone: 846-5777
RALPH’S No. 1 at NORTH GATE
Cold Beer On Tap
SMORGASBORD
ALL YOU CAN EAT
MONDAY THRU THURSDAY
5 - 7 P. M. — $1.50
RALPH’S No. 2 at EAST GATE
Cold Beer On Tap
Open: 3 p. m. - Midnight, Saturday ‘til 1 a. m.
By Charles M. Schulz
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ON FRIDAY AFTERNOONS AT
FOUR O'CLOCK, SECRETARIES
MAKE A LOT OF NOISE !
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