Interview With SCON A Delegates: First Thoughts On Control
By MIKE RICE
Editor
“Control in one area leads to
control in another area.”
“The ‘in’ crowd of businessmen
will always be able to control
their positions.”
“United States control in Mexi
co causes great amounts of hard
ship on the Mexican people.”
These were but a few of the
many comments received Tuesday
night from six delegates to the
eighteenth Student Conference on
National Affairs as they antici
pated the opening of activities
early this afternoon.
The topic of conversation
stemmed from SCONA XVIII’s
program, “The Controlled Socie
ty,” which is a catch-all phrase
conglomerating government con
trols and restrictions with socie
ty’s controls and limitations.
“The controlled society can’t
really be broken down,” said one
delegate from Boston University.
“Government control is self-evi
dent in our society because educa
tion of people leads to this con
trol.”
He added that the blame can’t
truly be placed on the U.S. alone
since whatever form of govern
ment exists in a country, that
form needs to have controls to
sustain its very existence.
One thing attacked in the meet
ing was the amount of “b.s.” stu
dents are given while in high
school.
One student suggested that
once it is realized that the na
tion’s founding fathers wore no
halos and couldn’t create a utopia,
people can see that this “b.s.”
can be undone. He emphasized
this undoing depends on how the
government system is being
fought and how the system allows
for that dissent.
The group then turned to de
fining a college education, which
group concensus opinion felt
shouldn’t and can’t be defined.
“Definitions put restrictions on
education,” said Paul Lambert, a
delegate from Occidental College
of California.
The political science major
stressed that an education is a
broadening self-concept and must
remain this way because all peo
ple have different goals and atti
tudes.
Ed Piedgon of Norwich, Vt.,
said he feels the government acts
and reacts to public opinion and
should take into account what
public opinion wants or demands.
He noted that public opinion
doesn’t trust government for the
most part.
SCONA has delegates from two
universities in Mexico, including
the University of Mexico, located
in Mexico City.
Alfredo Toures, one of those
delegates, said he feels democracy
is nice to talk about but it isn’t
real—like socialism.
“It’s natural for man to have
control of people,” he said, “but
it is impossible to control society
by one opinion. In a country,
such as the U.S., people think
many different things on a single
issue.
“The great number of Ameri
can business trusts make it hard
for the Mexican government offi
cials to move on their own,”
Toures said.
The corporate influence creates
the biggest problem because Mex
icans’ survival often depends on
corporate structures. From this,
Toures said, comes the political
control.
He also noted that when a man
is preparing to take over the
Mexican Presidency, he comes to
visit the U.S. President, who con
veys what he thinks is best for
Mexico.
Discussion was concluded on a
Che Battalion
It Is A Gain
To Find
A Beautiful
Human Soul.
couple of thought-provoking
notes.
The group decided that it is
only minorities that are worried
about societal controls because
only they are directly affected by
controls. Spiro Agnew, it w a s
pointed out, will decry media con
trols over government yet he is
actually worried that the controls
aren’t his.
Does anyone really care about
“The Controlled Society?”
The delegates said most people
don’t since it’s too much trouble
to do mental battle with differing
viewpoints and, consequently, they
accept most of the controls.
WEDNESDAY — Partly cloudy
and cold. Fair and colder to
night. High 59, low 29.
THURSDAY — Fair and cold.
High of 49.
Vol. 67 No. 215
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, February 14, 1973
845-2226
SCONA And Other
Activities This Week
TONIGHT
8:30 p.m. Ralph Nader,
Controls Whom?”
‘Congress and Big Business: Who
THURSDAY
8:30 a.m. Second Round-Table Session*
10:30 a.m. “Conversation with B. F. Skinner,” Assembly
Room, MSC
11:00 a.m. “The Hunters,” Room 108, Nagle Hall
12:00 p.m. Patrick Gray III, “The Control of Crime in a
Free Society,” Ballroom, MSC
1:30 p.m. Third Round-Table Session*
3:30 p.m. Nicholas Johnson, Federal Control & The Mass
Media,” Ballroom, MSC
6:00 p.m. “Token Economy,” (Film) Assembly Room,
MSC
♦Roundtables in MSC Rooms 2A/B, 2C/D, 3B/C, 3D,
Birch, Assembly, Art and Social Rooms.
House Gives Senate Open Records Bill
AUSTIN The Texas House
unanimously passed and sent to
the Senate Tuesday a bill requir
ing most state and local govern
ment offices to open their files
on request to newsmen and the
general public.
Representatives also gave ten
tative approval to a bill giving
collective bargaining rights to
firemen and policemen. The vote
was 104-33. A final vote is ex
pected Wednesday.
The open records bill passed
143-0. Like two other House-
passed “freedom of information”
bills, it had the backing of Speak
er Price Daniel Jr.
Sponsored by Rep. Lane Den
ton, D.-Waco, it would be Texas’
first law guaranteeing the pub
lic’s right to examine documents
of government agencies.
There would be a number of
exemptions, including personnel
and medical records; reports on
criminal investigations; corre
spondence files of officeholders;
and documents designated as con
fidential by other laws.
The attorney general would
resolve disputes over whether a
particular document is exempt.
Rep. Don Cavness, D.-Austin,
failed in an attempt to eliminate
a requirement that the attorney
general hold hearings on such
disputes.
House members approved the
firefighters’ and policemen’s bill
after hearing a plea by Rep. Joe
Hawn, D.-Dallas, a retired fire
captain with 23 years’ service.
“I know how it feels to answer
12 alarms on one winter night
and have a sizeable fire at each
one ... I know the feeling of
losing four close brother firemen
at one fire because a roof col
lapsed ... I have moonlighted to
make a living throughout my
entire fighting career,” he said.
Before advancing the bill, the
House slapped on a local option
requirement that the sponsor said
“gutted” it.
“It guts it—it sure does,” said
“Beyond Freedom And Dignity”
SCONA Showing Works Of Skinner
Lone Boarders Must Find
Roommate By End Of Week
A&M students who are the only occupant of a residence hall room
have until Friday to arrange double occupancy or indicate preference
for single occupancy.
University policy requires that students without roommates pay a
third more rent unless consolidation is impossible, reminded Housing
Manager Allan M. Madeley.
“Students should either arrange to share the room with another
student or notify us they wish to pay the additional rent and live alone
the remainder of the semester,” he said.
Intention must be provided to Mrs. Margaret Truitt at the Housing
Office by 5 p.m. Friday. The requirement includes notification to
block a vacancy so another student is not assigned to it.
Students who wish to continue living alone are expected to pay
additional room rent on notifying the Housing Office.
In addition, the second board installment payment for the 1973
spring semester is due on or before Feb 20. The amount is $95.50 for
the 7-day board plan and $86.00 for the 5-day board plan. Students can
pay at the Fiscal Office, Richard Coke Building.
By VICKIE ASHWILL
No one is bored when B. F.
Skinner starts to speak.
Why? Because Skinner is one
of the most revered and feared
psychologists of this era, noted
for his views on behavior modi
fications.
The general public, along with
the 170 SCONA XVIII delegates,
will be able to view two films
in which Skinner discusses his
work.
The first, “Conversations With
B. F. Skinner,” to be shown
Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and Fri
day at 12:45 p.m. in the Memorial
Student Center Assembly Room,
begins to discuss the meanings
and implications of Skinner’s
summary work, “Beyond Freedom
and Dignity?”
The film is an interview with
Elizabeth Hall, managing editor
of “Psychology Today” magazine.
Skinner’s main argument in the
film deals wtih the need for a
culture designed by behaviorists.
“I’m not for depriving people
of freedom. I want them to feel
free as much as they’ve ever felt
free . . . and I’d like them to feel
freer than they do now, and I
want people to be achievers . . .,”
said Skinner.
Within this context, he explores
the nation of control, its use and
potential misuse, punishment,
freedom, resistance to a be
havioral technology and “hidden”
controls in our culture.
Also included in the film is the
redesign of Waldon Two, the
problems of the survival of a
culture and the definition of
“man.”
“Token Economy: Behaviorism
Applied” is the second of the
Skinner films to be presented
during SCONA Thursday at 6
p.m. in the MSC Assembly Room.
TTI Makes Snows Work For Research
The snow and ice that covered
the Texas landscape Jan. 10 and
Feb. 9 gave drivers in the area
a feeling of almost total peace
and harmony as they started for
work. Children will remember
the unusual snowfalls fondly as
a great event, for it might be
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
Adv.
another 10 years before it hap
pens again.
But others will remember the
snow as a time of tragedy due
to the unpreparedness and inex
perience that most Texans have
for driving under these excep
tional conditions. Because of the
inexperience of most Texans in
driving on snow and ice, the ac
cident frequency rose abruptly
during the two snowfalls.
Researchers at A&M’s Texas
Transportation Institute took ad
vantage of the icy conditions to
run vehicle handling tests at the
Highway Safety Research Cen
ter. Both stopping and corner
ing tests were run, using several
different types of tires. The tires
included a snow tire, a studded
tire and a set of tires with chains.
(See Snow and Ice, Page 4)
In a demonstration of his
theories, Skinner answers ques
tions concerning the use of “tok
ens” in a program of reinforce
ment therapy. Parts of the film
were produced within the Adolf
Meyer Center, a facility of the
Illinois Department of Mental
Health to show behavioral ther
apy in use with retarded and
delinquent adolescents.
Dr. Bernard Wagner, program
director for the Center, explains
how the token exonomy is prac
ticed using Skinner methods of
reinforcement, scheduling, pun
ishment and extinction.
“I’m absolutely sure I could go
into a school system in a big city
if I had the chance and could give
students positive reasons for
coming to school, sitting down
and getting to work and learning
things and having a fine time
doing it,” said Skinner in regards
to the film.
“SCONA is trying to present
the possibility that the Skinner
principles of control could be used
on all of society in order to reach
the perfect society,” said Gary
Taraba.
Rep. Doyle Willis, D.-Fort Worth,
the sponsor.
The amendment, by Rep. Ray
Hutchison, R.-Dallas, was added
by a 79-63 vote.
Hutchison’s amendment would
require ctiy governments to bar
gain collectively with police and
firemen’s associations only after
approval by the voters in a local
option election.
He said the legislature had no
right to impose a collective bar
gaining requirement on cities
without helping them pay higher
salaries that might result.
The bill contains a requirement
that firefighters and policemen
receive wages that are the same
as those prevailing “in compar
able private sector employment”
in their area.
“A lot of cities have abrogated
their responsibilities to these
police and firemen,” said Rep.
Bob Vale, D.-San Antonio.
Included in the bill is a pro
vision for arbitration when nego
tiations reach an impasse, along
with the right of either a city
council or a police or firefighters
association to appeal the results
of arbitration to the courts.
Coeds With Class
May Now Dine In
Conflicts
Sbisa
Female residents of Krueger-
Dunn having a hard time finding
time to eat lunch on weekdays
because of class schedules may
now find some relief by checking
with A&M’s Food Services De
partment.
Col. Fred Dollar, director of
the department, said Tuesday
that he would allow on-campus
women to eat in Sbisa Dining
Hall if they can only eat lunch
between noon and 1 p.m. and
were having difficulty attending
classes.
Dollar announced this at Krue-
ger-Dunn’s regular menu board
meeting. He added that women
should bring their schedules with
them and make arrangements
with his office manager, Dorothy
Barnes.
In related action, the Sbisa and
Krueger-Dunn menu boards have
jointly approved a plan by Joe
Arredondo to make arrange
ments for an exchange program
between Sbisa and Krueger-Dunn.
Arredondo will be in charge of
initiating the program, but said
he will first take a poll among
the women to determine the
amount of interest in the pro
gram.
Dollar emphasized that it would
have to be on a controlled basis
at first, but added that this con
trolled project could eventually
lead to greater flexibility and
allowing all women to eat at Sbi
sa.
Arredondo said there could be
two options resulting from the
program, one, an equal swap
basis and two, allowing women
to all the women to eat in Sbisa
and letting men eat in Krueger-
Dunn on a rationed basis.
Both boards have also approved
the second annual “Soul Food
Night” which will be held March
21 in connection with “Black Ex
perience III,” sponsored by the
Memorial Student Center’s Black
Awareness Committee.
The dinner menu at both cafe
terias will include such things as
watermelon, chitlin’s, black-eyed
peas, collared greens and corn-
bread.
Later in March or early April,
Krueger-Dunn residents will be
treated to a buffet or smorgas
bord meal on a weeknight. Dollar
said this will eventually be tried
at Sbisa and Duncan Halls.
Fast food service will be com
ing to Sbisa within the next year
hopefully, said Dollar. He said
engineers have begun to study
plans for putting in equipment
(See Women, page 4)
Freshman Sweetheart Finalists Named
The 1973 Freshman Class
Sweetheart will be crowned Sat
urday night at the Freshman Ball
being held in Duncan Hall.
The dance, which lasts from
8 p.m. until midnight will feature
music by “Reunion.” Formal
dress is requested but coat and
tie will be accepted.
The finalists include Lynn
Bliss, 18, a pre-veterintary medi
cine major from Everman. She
was a National Honor Society
member and Everman sweetheart
while in high school and is a pro
fessional horse rider. Her inter
ests include dancing, traveling,
ceramics, sports and playing the
piano.
Donna Durow, an 18-year-old
brunette, hails from Giddings.
The 5'9" pre-med student was a
twirler and homecoming queen at
high school and was selected
Who’s Who Among High School
Seniors. She is a Student Gov
ernment Representative at A&M
and enjoys painting, needlework
and collecting trivia in her spare
time.
Midland is the hometown for
5'4" blonde, Loralee Gulledge. The
18-year-old microbiology major
was an all-regidn member of her
high school band. She won three
UIL medals and was selected to
the Natinal Honor Society. She
is a water safety instructor and
likes to play piano, flute and
piccolo.
Kathy James, 18, is a micro
biology major from Victoria. The
5'7" blonde graduated Magna
Cum Laude from high school and
was a member of the National
Honor Society and the “Victoria-
dores” drill team. Her interests
include knitting, cooking, sports,
biology and playing the guitar.
Becky Liere, a 19-year-old
blonde, hails from Houston. A
5'10" marketing major, she was
once a semi-finalist for Miss
Teenage Houston. The Cum Laude
graduate was a National Honor
Society member and sweetheart.
She is the A&M Dairy Club
sweetheart and is a member of
the girls’ volleyball and basket
ball teams. She enjoys water
skiing, knitting, cooking and de
coupaging.
Karen Mahler is a 19-year-old
zoology major from San Antonio.
The 5'7" brunette was valedic
torian from Churchill High
School. While in high school she
was a member of the band, Na
tional Merit finalist, DAR good
citizen and was selected band
sweetheart. She is presently a
Presidential Scholar and a mem
ber of the New Tradition Singers.
Among her interests are music
and playing tennis.
Tickets are five dollars a couple
and are available from Freshman
Council members, Freshman Class
Officers and at the Student Proj
ects Office.
Any student wishing to work
at the dance can call Vito Ponzio
at 845-4365.
Lynn Bliss Loralee Gulledge Pona Duro Kathy James Becky Liere Karen Mahler