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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1973)
Robinson: Evolution Vs. Population nd. He Bear Bryi evised gam By MIKE RICE sen Ed itor Man’s future will depend al- l)ost entirely on his conscience ’(mtrol mechanism to keep en- cans froj |opy or constant order in the try, is spot.[process of evolution, students -an Foothijwere told Thursday by Dr. John in conjut*. T. Robinson of the University of ck Chamfe;Wisconsin at Madison. ^o ns Claliil Robinson, professor of zoology wo "'i''2iipid adjunct professor of anthro- Rlogy, has spent more than 11 ans were«years excavating for early ho- Uh BryaiitiBinids and associated fauna in Chuck Fair, the Sterkfontein Valley in South 42-20. |frica. Robinson, in noting that new material has been discovered sup- Iprting the theory of evolution, id that the process itself has undergoing evolution and AND at man is only representative of one phase of the process. Man is not an advanced animal, ac cording to Robinson, only a prim itive organism of a new sort — different from anything in the past. Although man’s physiology is similar to that of the apes and chimpanzees, man differs from them tremendously because the biology of man has led to cul ture, including such things as language, music and fine arts, he said. The significance of these is shown through comparisons of the hominid forms. Tool-making evidence is becoming apparent for many animals, including birds, Robinson pointed out, but only man can use symbols to change his environment. “The basic difference that real ly exists is in the organization of evolution,” Robinson said. ‘Man is subject to random gene variations and mutations, but not nearly as much as other animal forms. Man’s future is depend ing less and less on natural selec tion and breeding.” Robinson said that the strug gle for existence tremendously affects the evolutionary process for all animals, yet its effect de creases as organisms become more complex. “The carry-over of genes from generation to gen eration is natural selection and as a result, the future is deter mined, not designed.” “Interactions keep populations in control and are concerned with preserving the species — main taining the status quo — subtly. The automatic control mechan ism provided by these interac tions of organisms in the natural environment is necessary for pop ulation control.” Through diagramming three phases of the existence of atoms to the combination of these to from molecules and later man, Robinson showed that man has |lost this automatic control against entropy, the net effect is a population explosion. “Certain individuals should be able to go somewhere and create a new pattern of man without af- facting the rest of Homo sa piens,” he pointed out. “Current ly we have lost this population control which we must have. We need to think out which controls are necessary, culturally, and make a decision which all must abide by.” Cooperation among individuals will be the key to the successful result of the decision, Robinson said. As an example, he pointed out that it would do no good for the United States to fight the war against pollutidn if the rest of the world kept increasing its pollution in an unrestricted man ner. He noted that although DDT has not been used in the Antarc tic, penguins in that region have been found full of the insecticide. Robinson said that man was on the third plane or level of evolution in the universe, the first consisting of random atoms and molecules; the second being aggregates of molecules and be ing displayed through organisms such as chimpanzees. Chimpanzees don’t understand us simply because we are so dif ferent,” Robinson said. “If there is going to be a fourth level, we probably won’t understand them, simply because we can’t under stand ourselves. The human brain will never understand the human brain because it doesn’t know what is in it.” Dr. John T. Robinson 1 p. m. t>y, Rector 25.00 ill alarm, day-date change, eel back. There Is Only One Good, That Is Knowledge; There Is Only One Evil, That Is Ignorance. cbe Battalion Vol. 67 No. 246 College Station, Texas April 13, 1978 elry Former Justice Blasts Courts, oor Operation m “The opposition to our reform irogram has come from all those rho believe in progress as long is it doesn’t require change,” aid Robert W. Calvert, former hief justice of the Texas Su- reme Court. Calvert spoke here Thursday On “The Need for Revision of Lrticle V of the Constitution” at noon Political Forum presen- ation. He said the greatest problems if our courts system are docket congestion and trial delay, lack proper administration and management and popular elec- ion of judges. Calvert, chairman of the Texas onstitutional Revision Commis- iion, said there were over 55,000 'elony cases and 550,000 misde- I meaner cases on court calendars n Texas at the end of 1971. He pointed out that the jails are overflowing with people awaiting trial. The judge called this situation a crisis, and said it is approaching scandalous pro portions. “Must we wait for a scandal before we move for meaningful improvement of our system?” Calvert asked. The lack of proper adminis tration and management is an other drawback of our system, Calvert explained. The absence (of interaction between county, municipal and justice of the peace courts results in overlapping and waste. Calvert pointed out that justice of the peace courts and municipal courts try many of the same types of cases, but they cannot try each other’s cases. “Each judge sits as a king in his own little kingdom, account able only to the voters,” he said. “We cannot get judges where the cases are and where * the judges are until we break down the pjurisdictional barrier.” The judge also denounced pop ular election of judges. He said judicial candidates can have no real platforms, they can only promise to try to be fair and just. Calvert said in four Democrat ic primaries since 1960, 350,000 fewer people voted for judicial positions than for governor and lieutenant governor. “The democratic process should be preserved and put in practice by letting people decide how they want judges to be selected,” he said. Calvert called for a complete restructuring of the Texas judi cial system. He said the Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court should be merged into a single court of last resort for both criminal and civil mat ters, with the number of judges reduced from 14 to nine by attri tion. The 14 courts now hearing civil matters would also be given crim inal jurisdiction according to the proposed reforms. Metropolitan counties would have a single district court with as many judges as needed rather than a separate district for each judge. Calvert also advocated election of all judges on a nonpartisan ballot or a merit system of ap pointing judges. Under the merit system, a com mission would nominate three people to fill any judicial vacancy which occurred and the governor would appoint one of these three candidates to fill the position. Calvert said the merit system for selecting judges is the proposed reform which has drawn the most opposition. “If the effort to rewrite one small part of the Constitution brings on opposition from self- interest groups which cows legis lators in submission, then I fear for the fate of the 37 minds now devoted to a gigantic project of public service,” Calvert said. “We must have the courage to say ‘No’ to self-interest groups dedicated to making the Consti tution serve themselves.” Dues Argued Constitution OK Delayed By RHA Public Schools Auction Topic For Discussion The Human Issues Discussion Group, a new TAMU student organization, will present a lec ture at 7:30 p.m., April 17 on the topic “Should We Auction Off the Public Schools?” The speaker will be a Houston area teacher who favors the elim ination of the public school sys tem and its replacement by free market alternatives. The speech will be followed by a question and discussion period for the audience to express its views. The meeting, to be held in Room 225 of the new Memorial Student Center, is open to all A&M students at no charge. Banking is a pleasure at First Bank & Trust. Adv. By LARRY MARSHALL A rising number of protests concerning the new Residence Hall Association constitu tion have prompted president Mark Blakemore to delay final action on the matter until the fall semester. The recently ratified RHA con stitution was designed to unify residents of all the halls on cam pus, Blakemore said. This contro versy over dues threatens to un dermine this whole constitution. “This concept is too important to destroy because of some 50 cents dues,” he said. A recent refusal by Dunn Hall to pay dues plus a few procedural difficulties experienced by other halls, prompted this action. The association agreed to form a study group to examine the constitution and study controver sial points. It would also talk to students to gain more input from the student body, something many felt was lacking the first time. During the summer months, new ideas will be evaluated and new proposals will be formulated. These will be discussed at a re treat planned before school starts next fall. The hall presidents for the ’73-’74 year and top RHA leaders will attend this meeting. Action will be taken later. Many different ideas were ad vanced at the RHA meeting Thursday night. The constitution, as it now stands, is aimed at a unified coalition of all residence halls. However, it allows no meth od for a hall to withdraw. This constitution was ratified by a three-fourths majority of the halls earlier this year. Suggestions included amending the constitution to allow with drawal, or banning all non-mem ber hall residents from RHA ac tivities. However, neither of these plans keeps with the spirit of the association, Blakemore pointed out. “No residence hall on campus can put on programs like we can,” said Paul Gugenheim, RHA programs committee chairman. (See Constitution, page 3) Nation’s College Costs Up $150 During Past Year, Says CEEB NEW YORK UP)—The cost of attending college rose an aver age of $100 to $150 during the past year, the College Entrance Examination Board reported Thursday. A nationwide survey by the board’s College Scholarship Serv ice revealed that the average budget for students who live on campus had increased by about $100 over last year and by $200 to $300 over the last two years. The average budget for commut ing students increased $100 to $150 over the past year and $200 to $350 over the last two years, the survey showed The survey found that the av erage yearly cost of a college education ranged this year from $1,637 for commuter students at public two-year institutions to $3,279 for resident students at private four-year institutions. It also indicated that students who commute to college usually spend 12 per cent to 18 per cent less than those who live on cam pus. Students commuting to public four-year colleges, spend an av erage of $225 less than resident students at the same type insti tutions. Students who commute to private four-year colleges spend some $535 less than their Shield Law’s Loophole Is Ruled Illegal AUSTIN (dP)-Atty. Gen. John Hill said Thursday that a Sen ate amendment using the Texas Supreme Court as a so-called “safety valve” or loophole in a newsmen’s shield bill was un constitutional. Hill’s advisory opinion was re leased at a House-Senate confer ence committee’s first meeting to negotiate differences between the two chambers’ versions of the bill. The House bill gave newsmen a virtually absolute right to re main silent in court or other offi cial proceedings about their con fidential sources or information obtained in confidence. The only exception was in libel suits in which information obtained from a confidential source was at is sue. But the Senate added a provi sion authorizing the Texas Su preme Court, through a writ of mandamus, to compel such dis closure. “We conclude that House Bill 10 may not confer upon the Su preme Court original jurisdiction to compel disclosure of a matter otherwise privileged by a writ of mandamus,” Hill said. The opinion went to House Speaker Price Daniel Jr., who had pushed for passage of the shield bill. Hill said the mandamus power was available only to compel per sons in public or quasi-official positions to do their duty. “A writ of mandamus may not be against an individual expect to enforce performance of a pub lic or quasi-public duty, and it has been held to be an inappro priate remedy to require inspec tion of private papers, Hill said. Weather FRIDAY — Clear to partly cloudy & mild. Lightly scat tered showers with a few thundershowers. High 77, low 59. SATURDAY — A few thunder showers. High of 83. resident counterparts, according to the survey. These average college costs were based on information pro vided by financial aid directors of more than 2,000 public and private colleges and universities. In most cases, these officials also provided estimates of stu dent expenses at their institu tions for the 1973-74 school year. The figures were collected and published by the board in a book- The African Students Associa tion at Texas A&M will sponsor a public observance of the tenth anniversary of the Organization of African Unity at 8 tonight in Room 103 of the Zachry Engi- let entitled “Student Expenses at Post Secondary Institutions 1973-74.” The booklet was de signed to assist students, parents and counselors in determining the amount of money needed to cover college costs next year, and to assist financial aid officers and scholarship agencies in the equitable distribution of finan cial aid funds. In detailing the rising costs for college students, the book neering Center. Peter Kyeyune of Uganda, wildlife science graduate student and association president, said the program will include discus sions by students from some of let presents statistics by type of institution and type of student. The average budget of $1,637 for commuter students in public two-year colleges, for example, represented an increase of $109 or 7.1 per cent this year, and $205 or 14.3 per cent over the past two years. For resident students at pri vate four-year institutions, the average budget of $3,279 was an increase of $109 or 3.4 per cent this year and $306 or 10.3 per cent for the past two years. At public four-year institu tions, the average resident stu dent’s cost of $1,984 was up $110 or 5.9 per cent this year, and $202 or 11.3 per cent over the past two years. The smallest increase in aver age total budgets occurred at the private two-year colleges, where the average resident budget of $2,539 was up $56 or 2.3 per cent this year, and $160 or 6.7 per cent over the past' two years. Day Students Can Get Rooms Students registered for the current spring semester and now living off-campus who wish to live on campus during the 1973 fall semester should report to the Housing Office between 8 a.m. April 19 and 4 p.m. April 20. During this period they may re serve rooms on a first-come, first- serve basis. Students without a room de posit on file will be required to pay a $75 deposit before reserv ing a room. the nine nations represented in the A&M group. Films will be shown. Kyeyune emphasized the meet ing is open to all students, fac ulty and staff, as well as to the general public. The OAU charter was signed April 15, 1963, by 34 African nations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Pan-Africanism as an ideology for African unity came into use at the beginning of the twentieth century. The first Pan-African Congress, held in Paris in 1919, was attended by over 50 repre sentatives from African colonies, America and the West Indies and established a code of law which was to enable the allied powers of Europe to protect the then colonized people of Africa. The second Pan-African Con gress was held in London in 1921 with more than twice the num ber of delegates and called for “the absolute equality of races, physically, politically and social ly.” In 1945, in Manchester, Eng land, the fifth congress was held and, ynlike the first four which were identified with intellectuals, was attended by representatives of workers, farmers and students. In 1958, the All African Peo ple’s Conference was held in Accra, Ghana and 62 African na tionalist organizations were rep resented. By this time, political consciousness of most Africans (See African, page 2) “On the side of Texas A&M.” University National Bank Adv. 36 Students Announced As Gathright Award Winners Winners of the Thomas S. Gathright Academic Excel lence Award have been named. This award was named in honor of the first A&M pres ident, Thomas S. Gathright, who served from 1876 to 1879. One sophomore, one junior and one senior are nominated from each college and one third-year student and one second- year student are nominated from the College of Veterinary Medicine. The nominees are chosen from among the top fifteen students in the class. They must have an overall grade point ratio of at least 3.750 at A&M. The junior, senior, second year veterinary and third year veterinary students must have at least 60 credit hours at A&M. The sophomore students must have at least 30 credit hours at A&M. The Dean of each college and his staff select the nom inees taking into consideration the student’s academic prom ise, extracurricular activities and outside employment. The Dean may submit more than one nominee for each class if he feels that all are equally qualified. This year’s winners are: Bradley Thomas Adams, John Bethancourt, William Craig Bookout, Kenneth Butler, Karen Lynn Cates, Gary Couples, Brian Coyne, Edna De Los San tos, Steven Eberhard, Murray Edwards, Debbie Fisher, Corbett Harkey, William Hartsfield and Jeff Hollowed. Other winners are: Joel Neal Kornegay, James Lehr- man, Rochelle Lindsey, James McColgin, Joina Mikeska, John Moore, Thomas Owens, Roger Poehls, Howard Pollicoff, Joanna Prukop, Barb Sears, Wade Seidel, Debra Thurman, David White and Karl Willman. 10th Anniversary African Students To Celebrate OAU Birth With Program IF THEY WORKED AS HARD ON STUDIES as they did in the RHA’s pushball contest Thursday evening, dorm students would probably make straight ‘A’s. Keathley and Fowler took home trophies as the top two contenders in the event. 1 A