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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1973)
Page 2 College Station, Texas Wednesday, September 19, 1973 THE BATTALION Barb Sears- Fairer System Needed Watergate! Watergate! Yes, it’s possible at A&M within our own Student Government system and under the present Constitution for such an event to arise. And it’s still going on. During the last spring semester the former Dean of Men’s Office informed Student Government President Randy Ross that at least one person in the Student Senate was on conduct probation for the coming semester for various reasons. We don’t know how this communication took place but we do know some of the thinking that took place. An obstacle was in the way of the plan to remove the senators, that being no rule in the SG Constitution about expulsion for reasons such as conduct probation, scholastic probation or impeachment. So the two sources have been reluctant to expose these student representatives hoping to get a rule passed through the senate the first month of school with the intent to let the men off as easily as possible with as few people know ing about it as possible. The trouble is the information was leaked and concerned students have been asking questions about it and, of course, no one is talking. A bill was introduced in last week’s Senate meeting which will provide for the above situations and immediate concern arose as to the power the Vice President’s Office would have over senators in the future if certain high-rank ing individuals wanted them out of the way. Rules and Regulations Committee chairman Curt Marsh denied this could happen and so the issue was lightly touched. We asked Curt Marsh on the Senate floor if the bill would be retroactive and he said it would be. If the bill were to pass in the next Senate meeting the Senate could quietly rid itself of these people and nomi nate and approve new senators on the pretense that the trio had resigned. Fine, down to here, out here the real trouble begins. With the positions being re-filled by appointments in stead of elected officers, the elite senators would have who they wanted in, no matter who the residents or students represented wanted to speak for them. In the interest of fair play we think it would be the best decision to make provision for senatorial elections to be held at the same time as freshman elections and spring elections. This would allow the students to have a proper voice in who is representing them in the democratic situa tion boasted about here. We understand the attempt to keep the situation as quiet as possible and can even condone it on the basis that a men’s reputation shouldn’t be ruined unnecessarily if the situation could be avoided, especially at an institution of higher learning. Cleaning house should be quiet, but moving in should be made noiser. A slight modification or addition is surely in order here. Pull For Reveille III If it hasn’t gotten fully around yet, we’d like to state the case of Reveille III who was sick last week and unable to run through the boot line held for the football team in its game Saturday. According to an informed source in Co. E-Z, the A&M mascot began feeling bad a week ago and was taken to the College of Veterinary Medicine for standard tests. However, upon closer examination with more recent tests, it has been found that she has scars on her lungs and possibly a pancreas disease. Reveille, by the way, has an interesting background that few seldom get to know. As a six-month-old pup, she attended her first yell practice at All-University Night in the fall of 1966 after being given to the student body in the spring. The collie which was presented by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Husa of Fairbank, Alaska, also had the privilege of looking over burial ceremonies for Rev II held in Kyle Field. Let’s hope she can join us in Baton Rouge Saturday night as scheduled. Deposit Return Advice Givem The biggest hassle in the apart ment world must be getting a security deposit refund from a landlord. Our complaints run 25 to 1 about security deposits, so a little advice may give some legal knowledge that will help avoid a conflict and guarantee not get ting ripped off. One recent complaint came from a tenant who moved out of his apartment when his lease ex pired, without giving any advance notice that he planned to vacate. The manager told him that he could not expect to receive his deposit back. State law says that tenants should give 30 days ad vance notice, but if they don’t, they should still get a deposit refund. The only time a tenant should lose his deposit in such a case is if the lease has clause requir ing advance notice, and if that clause is underlined or in bold print. In such cases, it is consid ered “conspicuous” and it is ex pected that the tenant noticed the clause when he signed the lease. However, whether an apartment lease has such a requirement or not, it really is best to give 30 days advance notice if planning to move out. As was mentioned in last week’s column, the new law concerning tenants and landlords, effective Sept. 1, requires landlords to re turn security deposits within 30 days after the tenant has moved out. The landlord must itemize any deductions and send a writ ten list to the tenant, also within 30 days. Failure to do this will result in severe penalties to the landlord. If a full deposit return is ex pected, one must leave the apart ment in good condition. It should be clean and ready for the next tenant to move, in. Tenants are expected to wash the floors, clean the oven, and defrost the refrig erator, among other things. But it is expected of the landlord to accept any “normal wear and tear” as an ordinary business ex pense and not deduct from the deposit for it. This is the case with carpet shampooing unless the tenant has been especially negligent and stained the carpet Grant Funds Awaiting Freshmen First-time students at A&M who applied for the Basic Educa tional Opportunity Grant (BEOG) Program may have grant funds waiting for them. “We have received notification from the government that we can now begin to make payments to students who qualified for the program,” Robert M. Logan, stu dent aid director at TAMU, said. “We have $83,570 to distribute, but we must have the student’s Family Contribution Analysis Re port to calculate the amount of his entitlement.” Students who have the analysis forms completed are advised to present them at the Scholarship Section of the Student Financial Aid Office, YMCA Building Room severely. Then, some of the se curity deposit may be rightfully claimed by the landlord. To avoid disputes over the con dition of the apartment, it is best to make a checklist on all items, from the furniture to the carpet at the time of moving in. The manager should review the apart ment and checklist and verify its accuracy by initialing the list. If you also take down the condition of the items and any faults they might have, the list will be ex tremely useful when moving out. With his initials on the list, the manager would not be able to make any claims about the con dition of the apartment that were not true. There is a complication if you and your roommate have signed the same lease agreement, and Listen Up— Editor Being a two year letterman on the track team has made me very proud. However, I am concerned and disappointed about the sup port that my team has received from the students at A&M. I have come to realize that foot ball takes precedence over all sports at this university, but it isn’t the only sport here. Did you know that the Bryan-College Sta tion community supports some of the teams at this school more than the students do ? I honestly believe that spring sports deserve more support than what they have previously been receiving. I will admit that other sports are bor ing to watch, but so is football sometimes. What happens to the so called “loyal Aggies” when football sea son concludes? Horace Ulysses Grant ★ ★ ★ Editor: Now that school has been un derway for nearly two weeks and all confusion as to where to park your car has hopefully cleared it self, members of the student body must make an effort to be consid erate. I am referring to the habit of a few who park their cars from one side of the lot to the other, particularly in parking lot 1 be hind the large civilian dorm area. One will understand my position if they have ever been down any row near Fowler and Keathley Halls and discovered that the end has been blocked by some both put deposits down. In effect, by signing the same contract, you are saying that you will vouch for each other. So if your room mate damages the apartment in excess of his deposit, the land lord can legally withhold some of your deposit as well. For another example, if a roomie packs up and skips town, you as a cosigner of the lease, are then responsible for all of the rent. This same law applies for cleaning the apartment when leaving. You are both responsible for each other. However, there are some landlords who recognize that only one is at fault, and up on your cleaning up a sufficient portion of the apartment, will re fund all of your deposit, and charge only your roommate for what is left to be done. one’s car. Consequently, one must back their car down the row and through the small opening left by some one who has parked on the outside of the white line. I understand that the growth of the campus to 18,000 students and the construction on campus have caused a cut down in park ing space availability, but it would be less disheartening if consideration were added the next time a car was parked. Fran Ford ★ ★ ★ Editor: I would like to thank the per son or persons responsible for the installation of the new light near the Zachry Engineering Center. Until this year, a motorist ap proaching the intersection would face the problem of deciding whether the truck on the left or the car to the right had arrived first, thus setting the scene for numerous daily confrontations be tween drivers. Although the intersection will still be congested at various times, the new light will regulate traffic more efficiently and give the po liceman directing traffic at peak hours last year a well-earned rest from the havoc. Robert Dunn, “76” ★ ★ ★ Editor: What ever happened to “How dy?” During the first two weeks of school the absence of this classic greeting was apparent. Getting Another point to keep in mind is that you may have made sever al deposits on the apartment These are most likely pet and security deposits, and perhaps a deposit made as a guarantee that you would rent the apartment These deposits are separate and distinct and may not be used for anything but their stated purpose, For example, if the apartment has been damaged and there wasn’t enough deposit to cover things like nail holes in the wall, the manager is not allowed to use part of pet deposits to cover such repairs. Hopefully, a knowledge of these basic laws concerning security de. posits will help you avoid these common hassles with your land lord, and assure that a deposit doesn’t disappear. some Aggies to say, “howdy" is like extracting teeth. I said “Hi!” to a stranger yes- terday, and his incredulous coun tenance practically accused me of being gay! Another student stum bled off a curb in astonishment when I called out “Howdy!” to him. Still others gravely bow their heads or stare at infinity and quicken their step to avoid being noticed or spoken to on the sidewalk. For decades Aggies have been known for their loyalty to each other and to A&M. They have the distinctive reputation of open friendliness and comradeship. The noticeable decline in friend liness is, of course, due to several factors including the explosive growth of the student body ac companied by a dwindling corps of cadets. Big cities, big universi ties, big churches and most any kind of large groups tend to grow cold, clannish and apathetic. But why, why should we allow' this tragedy to occur. We must call a halt to the cold apathy creeping across our cam pus and replace it with enthu siasm and open friendliness. Ev ery Ag should take the initiative to introduce himself (herself) and speak up to other students rather than expecting other folks to speak first. Also, remember that a smiling face draws many more “Howdy’s.” We need to revive the spirit of Howdy!” Rodger L. Lewis ’75 ALPINE Back-Packs Athlete Hits ‘Football Crowds' 303. 'WE HOPE EVENTUALLY TO GET YOU TO THE STAGE WHERE YOU WON'T NEED FOOD ANY MORE.' Cbe Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the University administration or the Board of Directors. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a University and Community newspaper. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed and show the address of the writer. Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim Lindsey, chairman; Dr. Tom Adair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr. H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, J. W. Griffith, L. E. Kruse and B. B. Sears. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Services, Inc, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is published in College Station, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and holiday periods, September through May, and once a week during summer school. MEMBER The Associated Press, Texas Press Association Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school year; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous origin published herein. Right of reproduction of all other matter herein are also reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. EDITOR MIKE RICE Managing Editor Rod Speer News Editor T. C. Gallucci Women’s Editor Louie Holzem Sports Editor Kevin Coffey Ass’t. Sports Editor Ted Boriskie SEIKO: his own little'robot! A Seiko DX watch with so many fea tures he’ll find it’s like wearing a robot on his wrist. Hardlex mar-resist crystal. English/Spanish calendar. Instant day- date set. Luminous hands and dial markers. Self-wind. 98.2ft. water-tested. Stainless steel. Seiko sun ray golden brown dial. Ask for No. 54295M—17J. DOUGLAS JEWELERS 212 North Main Bryan Downtown 822-3119 Have Arrived!! 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