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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 1972)
I :e Youth supports pot proposals, police oppose it A national commission’s recommendation that criminal penalties for private marijuana use be ended brought qualified approval Wednesday from young people and some local officials. But many law enforcement officers opposed the recommendations as too lenient or impractical. Some officials even questioned Congress’ right to legislate in an area previously reserved for the states. And the commission’s proposal not to prose cute marijuana users but not to legalize it either was, in the words of Alabama public safety director W. L. Allen, like “trying to follow the line of being just a little pregnant.” Allen said he was in total disagreement with the commission and he described the recommendation for ending criminal penalties of users as “another incidence of national assininity.” But many student leaders around the country said the National Commission bn Marijuana and Drug Abuse had taken a step in the right direction. “I agree with the commission’s report,” said Mary Scifres, student body president at Indiana University. “For too long young men and women have been penalized for using a drug whose effects are not as harmful as alcohol, in my opinion.” Alan Fong, co-president of students at the University of CaUfornia at Berkeley, said the com mission did not go far enough. “Full legalization is needed, including sale,” Fong said. The commission recommended that felony penalties be continued for growing and trafficking in marijuana. Larry Anderson, president of the Idaho Association of Student Councils and a senior of Twin Falls High School, agreed with the commission- including its assertion that marijuana should not be legalized until there is more proof on its effects. “It’s kind of a bad thing when they don’t repeal laws but rather start turning their heads or going around the law such as in this case,” said Anderson. “If you are going to ignore the law, than change it completely.” But Harry Burkhart, vice president of the Purdue University student body and a candidate for the Indiana Legislature, opposed total repeal of penalties for smoking marijuana. “I am a biology student and not enough research has been done on the hazards,” he said. “I am not in favor of legalization but do favor reduction of sentences.” Police Chief E. C. Hale of Lexington, Ky., was among law enforcement officers who took issue with the commission’s recommendations. “What they’re saying is that the people who make this thing profitable should be forgiven,” said Hale. “That isn’t common sense.” San Francisco Undersheriff Reuben Greenberg was among officers agreeing with the commission. “We think the use of marijuana should be restricted but not made illegal, the same way alcohol is,” Greenberg said. He said the fact that the drug has been illegal has led many young people to smoke it in an effort to rebel against society. “If Spiro Agnew endorsed marijuana tomorrow, then the young people would stop smoking it?’ said Greenberg. WE GIVE WE JIVE WE M Cbe Battalion Partly cloudy, warm Friday — Mostly cloudy, after noon rainshowers. Southerly winds 10-20 mph. High 79°, low 64°. Saturday —■ Cloudy in morn ing. Rain, becoming partly cloudy afternoon. Southerly winds 10-15 mph, becoming northerly late aft ernoon. High 78°, low 64°. Vol. 67 No. 99 College Station, Texas Thursday, March 23, 1972 845-2226 Women’s rights bill passes in Senate WASHINGTON (AP)—The Senate Wednesday completed con- Bional approval of a constitutional amendment giving women equal its-including the right to be drafted into the military forces if 'ongress wishes. The lopsided, 84-8 vote was greeted by a high-pitched war whoop itwo from women in the gallery hailing a triumph at the end of four bdes of effort. The House approved it last year 354 to 23. The Senate’s action sent the question to state legislatures since residential approval of the proposed amendment is not required. The states have seven years in which to act and the amendment mid become effective two years after ratification by the 38th tate-the minimum number required to make it effective. The National Women’s Political Caucus viewed the passage of the :RA as a major victory. “The significance of women as a new and powerful political force i demonstrated by the overwhelming margin of passage of the ERA” lid Rep. Bella Abzug, D-N.Y., co-chairwoman of the caucus. The caucus is now urging women in all states to maintain the jomentum by pressuring for ratification in their state legislatures. “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do,” said Sen. Sam Ervin, D-N.C., in concluding his unsuccessful fight for a host of amendments. This brought a hiss from around the gallery which was dominated by women three to one. In voting down a series of Ervin amendments, the Senate by lopsided majorities pronounced itself in favor of drafting women, sending them into combat, and lifting work laws some feel discrimi nate against them. Actual drafting of women, of course, would require congressional revision of the Selective Service Act and presumably would not come about unless there were a major warfare emergency. Compulsory national service including women was invoked by some countries in World War II. Ervin, who led the opposition alone through three days of debate, said the amendment will create chaos in the nation’s legal system. Ervin saw the amendment as a blow to states’ rights. “State legislatures will be meaningless zeroes on the map of the nation,” he said. Sen. Marlow Cook, R-Ky., said “I was not aware states maintained their power by legislating discriminating laws against women.” Massive bomb damages Belfast hotel, train depot 6 Bad checks’ creats problem for A&M BELFAST, Northern Ireland W — A massive bomb planted in a stolen truck wrecked Bel fast’s biggest hotel and main railroad station Wednesday, sending 70 people to the hos pital. The bomb damaged more than half the rooms in the new $9- million Europa Hotel and caved in the roof of Great Victoria Street Station, shattering two trains. It damaged stores and offices within a 100-yard radius, in cluding the Glengall Street head- luarters of Prime Minister Brian Faulkner’s ruling Unionist par ty. The Europa had been the ob ject of two previous bombing attempts blamed on the outlaw ed Irish Republican Army. Both bombs were defused safely. This time the bomb, estimated by the army at more than 100 pounds of gelignite, was placed in a stolen delivery truck in a parking lot behind the hotel. The bombers gave 30 minutes warning but the bomb exploded within 15 minutes. That was suf ficient time to clear the neigh boring railway station, the main terminus for trains to Dublin, but not enough to evacuate oth er buildings. “It was like an earthquake,” said a woman who was inside the hotel. “Glass was everywhere and it seemed the blast would blow us through the windows.” The explosion was the sixth major blast in Northern Ireland since Monday. “Students owe $2,200 to the uni versity for bad checks,” said Rob ert Smith, Assistant Controller Wednesday. “There are still 89 checks that have not been cleared,” he added. Students who write checks to the university with insufficient funds are sent notice of their er ror by the Fiscal Office. If the student does not respond to the notice within five days he will receive another. After the second five day “grace” period a student loses his check-cashing privileges at A&M. “After a student’s third ‘hot’ check he also loses his check cashing privileges/’ Smith said. A penalty of $5 is assessed for each bad check. The penalty in creases to $10 after the second “grace” periods “Students are never penalized for errors made by their bank,” Smith said. The assistant controller has a list of all students without check cashing privileges but refuses to share it with local business es tablishments. “We keep this strictly within the university,” he said. The Texas Aggie Bookstore re acts to returned checks in a sim ilar fashion. It charges $3 and sends the customer a notice or two. Charlie’s Grocery at Northgate does not charge for checks re turned if the customer settles the problem soon after receiving his bank notice. If attempts at con tacting the person are ignored the customer is blacklisted. The head of the Campus Photo Center says the problem of re turned checks is “practically non existent” at his establishment. “We get only one or two a month,” he said. The Fiscal Office receives between 10-15 bad checks a day, according to Smith. A&M student leaders will visit Houston A&M student leaders will make a two-day Leadership Trip to Houston this weekend under auspices of the Leadership Com mittee of the Memorial Student Center. Trip chairman Bill Webster said 36 students will participate in a variety of activities to be come familiar with educational, economic, social and cultural areas of Houston. They will hear several promi nent Houstonians and stay in homes of community leaders. Part of the expense will be borne by the participating student. Webster said the Leadership Trip group includes representa tives from the Student Senate, MSC Council and Directorate, Civilian Student Council, Uni versity Women, civilian residence halls, the Corps of Cadets; class officers and several TAMU col leges. SPRING TRAINING HAS BEGUN at TAMU and new head coach Emory Bellard is get ting his first chance to show how things are going to be run. Scrimmages will be held this Saturday and practice, which is open to the public, is held daily at 4 p. m. (Photo by Mike Rice) PARTICIPATING IN THE RIDE A BIKE TO WORK DAY sponsored by the A&M Wheelmen was President Jack K. Williams. Williams, caught mounted on his trusty Schwinn in a parking lot next to the Syste ms building, traded the bike in on a car later in the day however. (Photo by Robert Williams) Hawkins receives MSC T. H. Rountree Award Kirk Hawkins, Town Hall com mittee chairman at A&M, was presented the Thomas H. Rountree Award Wednesday at the Memo rial Student Center Awards Ban quet. Hawkins and 13 other students and faculty-staff members were recognized for outstanding service ~ in the MSC during 1971-72. The 1972-73 MSC Council and Directorate headed by Sam Walser of Chillicothe officially took office at the banquet. Dr. Haskell M. Monroe, Jr., fac ulty councilman and advisor to several MSC committees, received the Lawrence Sullivan Ross Award. Monroe, assistant vice president for academic affairs and history professor, advises SCON A, Travel and Leadership Committees. Faculty Distinguished Service Awards went to Dr. W. D. Harris, Radio Committee advisor; Dean W. David Maxwell, SCONA XVII chief advisor, and Mrs. Leslie M. Reid, Host and Fashion advisor. Six students received Distin guished Service Awards. They are Jan C. Bertholf, Radio chairman; John C. Dacus, 1971-72 Council and Directorate president; Sam Drugan, Great Issues chairman; Keith Kauffman, council pro grams vice president; Ben Thur man, SCONA XVII chairman, and Paul Turner, Political Forum chairman. Outstanding underclassmen in MSC programs were junior Mi- University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M.” —Adv. chael K. Lindsey, 1972-73 Political Forum chairman; sophomore Chet Edwards, SCONA XVIII chair man, and freshman Naomi Logan of the Great Issues committee. The Rountree award presented to Hawkins annually goes to the student leader making the most significant contributions to rec reational, educational and cultural programs of the center. Established in 1966 by Mr. and Mrs. J.L.H. Rountree as a me morial to their son, the Thomas H. Rountree plaque spotlights ac complishments of the Council and Directorate. Previous recipients are Henry D. Mayfield III, 1971; Joe Mac Spears III, 1970; David T. Mad dox, 1969; Scott H. Roberts, 1968; Andrew S. Kovich Jr., 1967; John H. Rodgers, 1966, and Craig G. Buck, 1966. A graduating senior in political science, Hawkins headed the com mittee that “has presented some of the most successful and popu lar entertainments in its history,” the citation states. He also has worked on Great Issues, the Lib eral Arts Council, pre-law and M.B.A. luncheon and polling com- piittees. The San Angelo native com mands the First Brigade in the Corps of Cadets, is a member of the Ross Volunteers, a Distin guished Student and Distinguish ed Military Student. Hawkins was a member of the freshman swim team, the Russian Club and out standing freshman and sophomore of his company and brigade, re spectively. He was operations sergeant on the corps staff last year. Hawkins participated in the Ex periment in International Living last summer, spending two months with a Yugoslavian fam ily. “Kirk is low key in his actions and movements,” commented Hal Gaines, MSC student advisor who worked closely with Hawkins on the $150,000-budge ted Town Hall program that encompasses four entertainment series. “He appears at first too easy going to be a firm and capable leader, but this picture is not a true one,” explained Gaines, 1971 recipient of the Ross Award. “He has an extraordinary ability to pick good people to serve in key positions, assign them tasks, in spire them to the importance of their duties and then supervise only enough to insure the task is accomplished in the time al lotted.” Gaines added that Hawkins “is conscientious to the point of suf fering from it.” The Ross award recognizes ex emplary service to Texas A&M through the Memorial Student Center. Formerly assistant grad uate dean and a Facility Distin guished Teaching Achievement Award recipient, Dr. Monroe has “contributed keen insight and guidance and long hours to MSC programs.” Also identified at the 22nd MSC awards banquet were 81 recipients of committee appreciation awards. Banking is a pleasure at First Bank & Trust. —Adv.