Page 2 THE BATTALION T faton TTn College Station, Texas Friday, September 28, 1973 CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earie SlwJeiil Y Back er Guns For Edito r Editor: Your editorial concerning the Student Y Association was com pletely unfounded and uncalled for. As far as Fish Camp is con cerned, the counselors are there by their own choice and come from all parts of the campus. Also counselors do not have to be members of the Y. Freshmen are not forced to join the Y and other organizations are represented at the camp. If the Y hasn’t maintained its stature on campus, I would like to know why it is the largest in dependent student organization on campus second only to the Corps. Furthermore, our organization had nothing to do with being moved out of the YMCA building. I would like to ask Mr. Rice why he doesn’t work within the organization to change things and why has he been a counselor at Fish Camp for the past two years. Wade Watson “It seemed to be the proper Bostonian thing to say!” No one said the Fish are “forced to join the Y,” but they are coerced. Fish Camp is intended to introduce freshmen to all as pects of campus life—evenly. Are your membership rolls including just active members or active and non-active members? The Batt editor is not a mem ber of the Student Y and has been invited by the Y the past two years to attend as a counselor. No application forms were filled out or interviews held for the en deavors.—Ed. Christmas Break Extended Readers may be glad to learn that the Academic Coun cil has voted to add one week to the coming Christmas vacation, thus pushing back all scheduled events on the University Calendar. Although this may bring a few hardships to some peo ple in their projects, the overall intention is good and we hope the TAMU System Board of Directors approves the change. By tagging an extra week to the end of the semes ter, the university will stand to save a tremendous amount of fuel during what is typically known as the worst week of the year. One thing that didn’t change was the scheduling of the spring break, which remains on the same dates. And profs have already begun to plan activities for the week, with many planning field trips never before possible. Two academic matters of concern to students were also approved in the meeting and are subject to Board approval. The first item provides that the required physical edu cation courses 101, 102, 201 and 204 now be averaged into the grade point average complete with one-hour credit. These courses will be mandatory for both male and female students in September 1974. As a result, department heads will now slightly modify degree programs where necessary so that the total number of credit hours will not change. Students who rank in the top quarter of their high school class and score at least 1,000 on the SAT may be granted admission without presenting all the specified high school courses (but having completed requirement for grad uation). Their rule will apply only to junior students in high school seeking early decisions. The Council also approved an admissions policy change for those never obtaining a high school diploma who want to enroll in the university. The council’s proposal requires students to score at least 1,100 on the SAT and rank in the top quarter of their high school class. There has been no written policy concerning the ad mission of this type student and there has been no require ment on class rank of SAT score (set by the state). A flexible rule as this is surely warranted and long overdue and thus the council should draw praise for both of its decisions. Cbe Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is ,hc edUor or of the writer o, the article end are not ISSf 1 necessarily those of the University administration or May, and once a week during summer school. the Board of Directors. The Battalion is a non-profit, — self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a MEMBER University and Community newspaper. The Associated Press, Texas Press Association LETTERS POLICY Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words year; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 5% and are subject to being cut to that length or less if sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: , The Battalion, Boom 217, Services Building, College Station, longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit Texas 77843. such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed and show the address The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for of the writer reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it or not ' ’ otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, origin published herein. Right of reproduction of all other Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas matter herein are also reserved. 77843 Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim j-l’ RICE Lindsey, chairman ; Dr, Tom Adair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr. JVlanaging LaltOr Rod Speer H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, J. W. Griffith, L. E. Kruse and NeWS Editor T. C. GallUCCi b. B. Sears. Women’s Editor Louie Holzem Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Sports Editor K6vin Coffey Services, Inc, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Ass t. Sports Editor Ted Boriskie Editor: I and many others would like to know why the televisions in the M.S.C. are turned off at 10 p.m. Many programs continue until after 10 o’clock. For instance, movies often do not end until after 10:15 or 10:30 and it is a disappointment to the viewer(s) who have watched for two hours and then are not able to see the final scenes. In many movies, it is in these closing scenes that the full content and message of the movie is revealed. Also disappointing is to watch a sports event and have it termi nated during the fourth quarter of a football game, ninth inning of a baseball game, or near the end of any sports program. For example, Monday night, Sept. 24, I watched the Cowboy-Saints game on the television at the M.S.C. until the television was turned off at 10 o’clock; during the third period of the game. By the game being discontinued at that point you have no idea of the final score, outstanding play, or injury to a player. This may not seem important to some people, but it is to many. Something that should be im portant to everyone is missed by turning the television off at 10 o’clock. The “news” does not come on until 10 and I feel that a student should learn of the world around him as well as the lessons taught in class. I am not saying that the tele vision should be left on all night, just until the “prime-time” pro grams can be concluded. I feel 11:00 p.m. would be a suitable time; late enough for the pro grams to end and yet one extra hour should not create any major labor problems for the M.S.C. staff. Also, if the television rooms were not being used the televisions could be turned off be fore 11:00. I don’t feel this request is un reasonable and the extension would be appreciated by many students. Joe Latimer ’77 ★ ★ ★ Editor: As a radio-TV journalism major, I notice that there is a definite need for an open-air, FM educational radio station to com plement our fine educational TV facility. Apparently, TAMU is one of the few large universities that does not have a combination radio-TV facility, and many jour nalism majors here plan to go into some facet of broadcasting. Dr. Melvin Chastain, director of the ETV program, replied to a request by President Williams for information concerning establish ment of a “student oriented and operated FM radio station.” That request was dated September 19, 1972, and was answered by Dr. Chastain just two days after wards. But it is now a year later and no action has been taken, except by half a dozen students on the Student Radio Governing Board interested in operating an FM station on the Midwest Video cable. Nearly two dozen people have applied to work as volun teers at the station, which will begin operation during the second week of October. Most of these people are trying to get a “break” into broadcasting and, for many of them, this FM cable station may provide them with their only chance. With luck and a lot of coopera tion, A&M could have its FM, open-air station inabouttt ( years, if we began moving no, If the station met National Pii| Radio (NPR) qualifications, j would be eligible for annualfmj,' Typii Typing, ids. 822-1 Experienc IS-6551. ^ Fast, exp ing support from the Corporatin inipus - 841 for Public Broadcasting, ranj from $15,000 to as much $200,000 a year, some of thtj grants of which are competitiy, among other stations. I strongly urge President % liams and the Board of Directon to take a closer look, now, this need. Stephen Gray ’76 News Director Student Government Ra|, Rick Brown — TWQB Causes Pollution ■Do you liseount F islity am iscount pi M buy. ifered if Avs Mh Texi not Comn eed furnii se us befc are Co. Inequities on Channel “It seems fundamentally unfair to me to enforce the law against industry and not against the gov ernment.” That statement by Terry O’Rourke, assistant at torney general, was made in regard to recent re luctance on the part of the Texas Water Quality Board to prosecute certain institutions responsible for massive pollution of the Houston Ship Chan nel. Those institutions happen to be the 40-odd sewage treatment plants of the City of Houston, and because of their status as municipally owned plants, they are currently above the law. They are free to expel more toxic material into the channel than any of the often-fined private indus tries. Texas law currently authorizes fines of $1,000- a-day for institutions failing to comply with pollu tion standards. The $1,000 figure is considered too meager by federal standards which recommend $25,000-a-day fines. But even the lower figure is never invoked against what is said to be “. . . open, continuous, violations of the law.” One of the principal impediments towards equal enforcement of the law lies in J. Doug Toole, chairman of the Texas Water Quality Board. He has said tlal while the board will consider filing a suit, he doo not feel it is justified, (sic) Chairman Toole’s action, or I should say in. action, in regard to his responsibilities brings to mind another fine example of public-spirited dedi cation to duty. That example being William Bab ron, former public relations officer for anotltt state control board, the Air Control Board, who ij currently under indictment for extortion chargei Great public relations. It seems the Texas anti-pollution agencies, ani some of the administrators who run them, are per haps somewhat less than zealous in their desin to do their jobs in an efficient and fair manner, “It seems inconceivable to me that the Texas Water Quality Board will refuse to sue the Cit| of Houston,” says Assistant Attorney General O’Rourke, and his statement is echoed by hundreds of others who share his concern about our envir onment, legal inequities and complacency on tht part of governmental agencies towards the laws they were designed to enforce. FOR BEST RESULTS TRY BATTALION CLASSIFIED COLLEGE STATION BAPTIST CHAPEL 2545 S. Texas Ave. On Hwy. 6, 2 mi. South of East Gate Affiliated with American Baptist Associates. Pastor: Kenneth Griffith — 846-5018 SS — 9:45 BTC — 6:00 MW —10:45 EW —6:45 WED — 7:00 MBSF — 8:00 Everyone Welcome! No place to go. No reason to stay. TEXAS AGGIE DESIGNS IN NEEDLE POINT! 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