Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1973)
/ 4 BATTALIi uclear Reactor ESI nmWields Research or Southwest By SALLY HAMILTON One of the largest nuclear re actors on any campus is housed here at Texas A&M. The Nuclear Science Center provides research facilities for many A&M research scientists as well as for other universities and industries in the Southwest. The reactor is operated by the Texas Engineering Experiment Station which is part of the Tex as A&M University System and is licensed and governed by the Atomis Energy Commission. The nuclear reactor itself is housed in a 83-foot deep water tank and is appropriately called a “swimming pool reactor.” The water removes heat and shields radiation. The heart or core of the reac tor is suspended from a movable bridge enabling it to be moved anywhere within the tank for experimentation. When the reactor is in opera tion, neutrons are released from the fuel by the process of fis sion which then produces radio isotopes in samples placed against the reactor core. Two types of energy are released through fis sion, heat and radiation, and it is the latter the researchers are interested in. Data from the re actor is used in chemistry, phy sics, biology, medicine, physiol ogy and plant sciences. A&M has begun recently to participate in the Atomic Ener gy Commission’s Reactor Shar ing Program providing for other universities and researchers to use TAMU’s reactor facilities. One of the latest experiments being observed is the powering of the reactor with a new reactor fuel called TRIGA FLIP fuel. Produced by Gulf Oil it has the potential of a longer lifetime than the formerly used 1 TRIGA fuel. “We are still in the midst of testing the fuel,” said Bob Schu macher student and employe of the Nuclear Science Center. “A lot of researchers will be looking to us to see the results of the new fuel.” Safety is also governed by the Atomic Energy Commission. Not only does the AEG license the center but a set of technical speci fications composed by the reactor personnel itself must be appx*oved. These specifications limit which and what type of experiments will be tried, what type of materials will be used for samples, limit procedure and specify how many safety systems and channels there must be. “Along with the AEC’s specifi cations we have a set of our own standard operating procedures, said Schumacher. “These are set down by our own reactor safety board and control reactor start ups and shut downs, and anything done with the reactor.” Schumacher feels that nuclear power is the immediate answer to the fuel crisis. “A thermal reac tor of course is not the ultimate. The next step would be to a fast- breeder reactor and then to a fu sion reactor which is what we are ideally working for, said Schu macher. J. Ufrandr R. Evans T. Cuba J. Kahn D. Gill A. Bresh, Jr. K. Wolman S. Hi?* 9 Che Battalion Weather |Vol. 67 No. 300 ladet Group [arches to iagpiper Tune ly Will Anderson The shrill notes of a bagpipe laying “Scotland the Brave” now ho across the military quadrant hen Company N-l marches to '‘chow.” The pipes belong to Bill White- field, a freshman management major from Houston. He has been playing them for about a year ind a half. Mark McClean, commander of ‘N-l Neanderthal,” said “The ef fects of the pipes are tremendous. They increase the morale of the vhole company.” “My dad started playing drums ’or a private bagpipe band, the Touston Highlanders, a few years igo,” said Whitefield. “I became nterested in them and started alcing lessons. After I learned he basics, I started marching ivith the Highlanders myself. “The pipes are pretty simple,” Vhitefield continued. “The three Ipes that project from the back f the bag are the drones; they lave single reeds which produce onstant notes as back-ups. The nelody is played on the chanter vhich has a double reed. “A lot of concentration is re- uired. You must keep your tim- ng, squeeze with your elbow when roil catch your breath, concen- a-ate on your music and the imount of pressure you apply. Poo much pressure will cause the hones to cut out.” Whitefield’s pipes, kilt and tar- an are made of the Royal Stuart plaid. He does not wear the kilt >r tartan when marching with his outfit. “Every clan has its own plaid,” ixplained Whitefield. “I wear his one because it was the Hous- ;on Highlanders’ uniform.” The bagpipes, one of the world’s oldest instruments, is be- ieved to have originated in Sgypt. Bagpiping was spread hrough Europe by the Greeks and ater by the Romans. They were very popular until the predecessors of modern in struments began to take shape. Its popularity then died out ex cept in a few areas like Scotland, where the martial air of the pipes appealed to the war-like clans. College Station, Texas Wednesday, October 17, 1973 WEDNESDAY — Fair and mild with northerly breeze keeping temperatures down. This morn ing’s low was 56°, today’s high is expected to be around 71° Tomorrow is going to be a little cooler with a low of 54°, but the weekend should be mild with slightly warmer weather. Life Is Too Short To Be Little. Gillespie Resigns As RHA President Randy Gillespie announced his resignation as Residence Hall As sociation president Tuesday night in a special meeting of the council. During the same half hour, the body approved T. Getterman, vice president of programs, as Gilles pie’s replacement. Gillespie, looking pale and tired, addressed a silent group of dorm presidents. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m doing poor academically,” said Gillespie. “My ultimate goal is law school and I need the grades to make it.” The business major said he was neither satisfied nor interested in his present field of study. “I’m a student first and RHA BILL WHITEFIELD churns out a sweet tune on his Scotish bagpipes as Company N-l makes one of its daily Marches to Duncan Dining Hall. Whitefield has been play ing the pipes for a year and a half. (Photo by Gary Balda- sari) Spring Term Date Changes Forced by Fuel Shortages Starting and completion dates for the spring semester have been moved back one week in an attempt to conserve fuel. Classes will now begin Jan. 21, with Jan. 16-18 devoted to delayed restriction. TAMU officials decided to delay the start of classes one week in hopes of cutting down on fuel consumption for heating campus buildings. Classes were originally scheduled to begin during the week which is traditionally the coldest of the winter. If the weather follows its usual pattern, officials reasoned the university could conserve a significant amount of fuel by rescheduling and extending mid-term vacation through that week. Students will now have a four-week vacation between the fall and spring semesters. Spring recess begins March 8 with classes resuming March 18. Commencement and Final Review are scheduled May 11 and final examinations are May 13-18. Missile Retaliation Threatened! Israelis Thrust at Suez Canal By The Associater Press The Cairo command reported two Israeli thrusts Tuesday at the Suez Canal. Tel Aviv said an Israeli task force penetrated Egyptian territory on the west bank of the canal and was mak ing commando-style strikes less than 100 miles from the Egyptian capital. President Anwar Sadat of Egypt warned that he might unleash missile war against Is raeli cities. Campus Cops Bust Two Theft Rings The University Police depart ment recently cracked two rings involved in tape deck and bicycle thefts. On Oct. 10 three students and a juvenile were arrested for the theft of six tape decks, four tape boxes, five sets of speakers, two ten speed bicycles, two auto bike acks and over 400 tapes. The The recovered merchandise val ued at $1400, will be returned to Groups Can Request Aid Organizations requesting finan cial aid may give short presenta tions at a Bookstore Advisory Committee meeting next Monday beginning at 8 p.m. in Room 504 >f the Rudder Center Tower. Howard Perry, committee chair- nan, said that it is not necessary 'or the organizations to appear efore the committee. They may mbmit their request to the com- nittee. Organizations wishing to five presentations should contact ■•illy . Yeates in the Student inance Office of the MSC or call 6-1114 to schedule a time. owners beginning today. One of the decks was stolen from Bryan, two from College Station and the remaining three were stolen from the campus. Charges are pending at the County District Attorney’s Of fice. Three Bryan residents have been arrested for the theft of over 100 10-speed bicycles. Nine of the bicycles have been recov ered and investigation is still underway. A representative for the de partment feels that recoveries could be aided by bicycle regis tration. Serial numbers are re corded with the campus police when a bike is registered and provides positive identification. “Nine times out of 10 we can raise numbers with acids that have been filed off” said the de partment spokesman. “However, most serial numbers on the bi cycles recovered weren’t even filed off.” The group would steal the bi cycles from campus and sell them for $25-$30 in Bryan. They would then re-steal and re-sell the bikes. Tanks slugged it out in major battles in Syria, and the Syrian command said the fighting con tinued into the night. The Egyptian command said Israeli armor assaulted a beach head at about noon and tried to cross the canal about 2:30 p.m. at another point. Both battles were in the central sector of the 103-mile waterway, and both were thrown back, according to the Cairo account. The Israeli command had no immediate comment on the re ported battles. Seven Israeli tanks made a “desperate attempt” to cross to the west bank of the canal in the area of Great Bitter Lake, about 75 miles from Cairo, the Cairo command said, but three of the tanks were destroyed and the others fled. The command said Egyptian air power turned the tide in the Israeli assault on the beach-head. The planes “strafed enemy positions, forcing the enemy to withdraw, leaving his tanks be hind on fire,” the Cairo command said. Aerial encounters over the battleground resulted in the shooting down of 11 Israeli planes and two Egyptian planes, the Cairo communique claimed. Israel claimed its task force on the west bank of the canal was striking at Egyptian antiaircraft missile batteries and artillery. No point along the canal is more than 100 miles from the Egyptian capital. A senior Israeli military spokesman, Col. Yehuda Prihar, told newsmen in Tel Aviv Tues day night that the Suez west bank operation was “rather a com mando type of operation. I don’t know how long the force will re main there.” President Anwar Sadat warned that Egypt has missiles ready to carry the Arab attack into “the very depths of Israel,” if the Israelis attack the Arab heart land. But he added that he is ready to accept a cease-fire tnd attend a U.N. peace conference if Israel pulls out of all Arab lands occupied since 1967. Later in the day. Premier Golda Meir told the Israeli par liament she has received no cease fire offer “from any source.” She said the Egyptian drive into the Sinai had been blunted after 11 days of fierce desert tank battles, and added: “The time for a cease-fire will come indeed when the enemy’s strength has been broken. “I have been asked repeatedly, ‘When will it end?’,” she said. “My answer is, when we manage to defeat the enemy.” THE TYPE OF GRAPE, the vintage and the way it is fermented work in a delicate balance to produce a good wine, according to Bill Perry, who spoke at a Host and Fashion Committee presentation Tuesday night. (Photo by Jim Chamberlain) president second,” continued Gil lespie. “This was a hard decision for me to make, but I have to be able to be good at one job. I’ve found I can’t do both.” Gillespie is withdrawing from school for the remainder of the semester. There was some question about who would take Gillespie’s place. The present executive branch was elected under the RHA constitu tion which was not approved dur ing the summer leaving the RHA operating under the old Civilian Student Council constitution. According to Gillespie, the RHA constitution allowed for the vice president of student life to step up into the presidential position if necessary. Under the CSC con stitution the first vice president would take control. “The executive committee de cided it was not right to forego either constitution completely,” said Gillespie. “The position ob viously belongs to one of the two present vice presidents.” The executive committee chose Gettermann, junior accounting major, for the position in a secret ballot vote before the meeting of the full council. Gettermann said he was some what shocked but prepared to ful fill the requirements of the 40 hour-a-week job. “If it is neces sary I will drop a course to lessen my 17-hour load.” “The RHA will progress under T.,” said Gillespie. “Hte’s left in an odd situation. I’m going to try my best to give him all the infor mation I can but Gettermann is going to need the cooperation of the body.” Gillespie continued to stress the goals of this year’s RHA. “We need to figure out the func tion and purpose of the organiza tion. The RHA has hard times ahead during its period of transi tion and the new president will need all the input and help he can get.” Israeli Consul Presented in PF Program Adi Ben-Svi, Israeli vice-consul for Houston, will speak Wednes day on “The Origins of the War.” A Political Forum presentation, the talk will be at 7 p.m. in Rooms 225 and 226 of the Me morial Student Center. Forum Chairman Ed Jarrett said the Israeli official agreed to the appearance Tuesday. The vice-consul’s discussion will cover the Zionist movement, creation of the State of Israel, origins of the problems between the Jews and Arabs and the cur rent state of affairs. Ben-Svi at one time was the assistant head of the Israeli in formation Department in the U.S. He is the former vice-consul gen eral for Texas. No admission will be charged. Jarrett said the Forum is cur rently seeking a speaker to pre sent an Arab viewpoint. Turnbull Leads Lecture Series Dr. Colin Turnbull’s Thursday presentation in the University Lecture Series leads off a promi nent list of 1973-74 speakers. Later lectures will feature Dr. H. Guyford Stever, National Sci ence Foundation head; Dr. Edwin Doran Jr., TAMU geographer; Dr. Edward Teller, renowned atomic physicist, and Dr. Thomas Carlyle Tuition Fees Rank Among Ten Lowest A&M ranks among the 10 member schools of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges with the lowest charges for tuition and re quired fees. Comparative figures for 115 in stitutions participating in NAS- ULAG’s annual survey of charges and costs were released this week by the association’s Office of Re- seaarch and Information. TAMU’s total of $288 for resi dent tuition and fees for two se mesters was well below the $520 median charge for NASULGC in stitutions. On the basis of overall costs, including room, board, tuition and fees, TAMU ranked $149 below the national average of $1,514 for resident students. NASULGC researchers report ed on a nationwide basis tuition and required fees for resident stu- . dents increased 7.21 per cent from last year, while room and board rose 6.77 per cent. Jones, Harvard Medical School primate research specialist. Dr. Stever will speak here Nov. 8, on “New Directions for Science and Technology.” A Dec. 11 lecture will feature Doran on “Nao, Junk and Vaka: Boats and Cultural History.” Tel ler will speak in January and Jones is scheduled in April on “Historical and Prospective Con tributions of Compaartive Pathol ogy.” The date of Teller’s presen tation is to be announced, accord ing to Dr. Paul Van Riper, series chairman. Dr. Turnbull will speak on “The Ik: A Study of Social Degenera tion” at 8 p.m. Thursday in the main lecture hall of the Zachry Engineering Center. An anthro pologist of intematiqnal renown, Turnbull teaches at Virginia Com monwealth University. The Ik are social degenerates located in the mountains of North east Uganda. Turnbull studied them two years. They evolved a culture of extreme individualism to survive amidst starvation. To the Ik it’s every man for himself. They are thrown out of families at age three and survive by ex ploiting their families, neighbors, other tribesmen and the govem- ment. Using the tribe to explore the foundation of morality and order, Dr. Turnbull will discuss whether prolonged crises could result in the “Icean solution” for the rest of the world. Dr. Vaughn M. Bryant of the Sociology and Anthropology De partment will host Dr. Turnbull. University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M.” Adv.