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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1973)
Page 2 THE BATTALION College Station, Texas Thursday, October 18, 1973 CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earle Tenants 9 Rights Upheld— Apartment Landlords Must Obey Rul £A<LlS ncr 73 ‘I understand he’s been very successful at poker recently! 5 By BARB SEARS Just as each tenant is expected to pay rent promptly and respect the provisions of his lease, the landlord, likewise, has responsibil ities which he must uphold. Many of these responsibilities are either outlined in the lease or by spoken agreement between the landlord and tenant, but even more are specified by state and local law. Both Bryan and College Station have housing codes which apply to buildings constructed after the adoption of these rules. For peo ple living in older buildings, the same regulations are not applica ble, although each building must conform with the state regulations concerning health and sanitation. Older residences can be condemned if they are dangerous and unin habitable. The County Health Of fice can order landlords to repair a building or close it down if its poor maintainance poses a health problem. Each city has a Public Works Office which can answer com plaints about violations of the housing code. There are a num ber of important requirements which multiple-family units (du plexes and apartments) must fol low, and the responsibility for meeting these standards lies with the owner. The building must be substan tially rodent-proof, and free of other insects or pests. Plumbing fixtures must be properly install ed and maintained, which means they should not have defects, leaks, or obstructions in them. Roofs should be well constructed so that neither rain nor damp ness can enter and windows, too, must be weather tight. Screens are required on outside doors, as well as self-closing devices for the doors, except when the building has central heating and air con ditioning. There is also a require ment that heaters must be able to maintain a room temperature of 70 degrees at a point three feet above the floor in all habitable rooms and bathrooms. should not have been charged for the cleaning, and should have part of his last month’s rent returned to him. In another case, the lease speci fied that a particular apartment would not have any broken win dows, and yet it did, a month after the student tenant complained to the manager. In this instance, the landlord broke a requirement of the lease and the tenant has grounds to leave if he is unhappy. There are a number of other recognized areas of landlords’ re sponsibilities and two important ones deal with eviction and re fund of security deposits. Eviction can occur when the tenant fails to pay his rent, but there is still a certain procedure which must be followed. For a legal eviction process, the land lord must deliver a written evic tion notice which allows three days for the tenant to move out. After three days, the landlord can sue to evict the tenant, and the tenant then has 10 days toy; Posting an eviction notice, ful entry and cutting off tki ities are not recognized a steps for evicting a tenant. Texas laws now require tin security deposit refund or a; counting of charges due to ages be sent to the tenant*; 30 days after he moves out, alties are severe for the lord who does not comply this law, effective Septemh 1973. Listen Up— No Need for Mid-term GPR Bait Commentary Vote For Veterans $$ Texas voters will have the opportunity Nov. 6, to au thorize $100,000,000 in bonds to continue one of the best veterans’ programs in the nation — the Texas Veterans Land Program. A vote for Amendment 7 will be a vote to continue the program for at least another five years. The Veterans Land Program is unique because it is financed by the sale of bonds — not by the taxpayer. And the record of veterans repaying their loans has been so outstanding that the bonds have always received the coveted Triple A bond rating. Texas voters have approved previous constitutional amendments authorizing $400,000,000 in bonds to finance the program. But the last bonds have been sold and funds are available to continue the program only until early 1974. More than 50,000 Texas veterans have already received low-cost, long-term loans under the program which began in 1949. By extending the program now, 165,000 returning Texas Vietnam veterans and POWs will also have the op portunity to participate equally in the program with the veterans of World War II, Korea and the whole Cold War era. The Veterans Loan Program has been tremendously successful, both in terms of individuals who would have been unable to purchase land otherwise, and in terms of an overall boost to the Texas economy. Almost 4,000,000 acres of Texas land has been bought for veterans under the pro gram. Wage earners, small business owners, civil servants, young families and individuals on fixed income make up most of the buyers under the program. Many of these people simply would not have had the opportunity to purchase land any other way. These Veterans have used their land for farming, ranching, recreation, hunting, fishing and for homesteads. Every area of the state has benefited from these purchases, and nearly every county is the site of at least one veterans’ tract. Any Texas veteran can apply for a loan to buy a min imum of 10 acres — at a very low interest rate. The state retains title to the land until the loan has been paid in full, and the veteran may take up to 40 years to pay. An average of 325 new purchases are processed each month. About one fourth of all loans under the program have been made dur ing the past two years, indicating a continuing need for this type of loan program. Texas has a tradition of helping its veterans secure land. Both the veterans of the War for Texas Independence and the Civil War were given land. Then after World War II, Texas veterans were given the opportunity to buy land with low-cost loans backed by the state of Texas. Texans who have served in the armed forces since World War II have also been given the opportunity to participate in the program. Unless voters approve Amendment 7 to continue the Veterans Land Program, that tradition may be ending. Vote for Amendment 7 and help those who have served us well. M'lSTHE&S 3WE0NE WHO KWEWY0U WAY BACK WW 'HALF!!' €b? Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is ,l,e editor or of the writer of the article and are not l“? d MoXy^f 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 ......... cn * , 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: , n . t ° • r . . j-x The Battalion, Room 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 ... ' . -w-7 t, 7- 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. — ———^ ^ ^ V1 . —~ EDITOR MIKE RICE Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim n/rti „ j Lindsey, chairman ; Dr. Tom Adair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr. Managing Editor Rod Speer H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, J. W. Griffith, L. E. Kruse and News Editor T. C. GallUCCl B. B. Sears. Photo Editor Rodger Mallison Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising ?^ )0 V S A^' C ^^ 0r ^'i'.7 Services. Inc, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Ass t. Sports Editor Ted Boriskie In addition to these regulations, there are a number of require ments that are designed to protect the security of the tenant. For example, steps with more than three risers over five feet off of the ground and any unenclosed structures (primarily referring to balconies )must have protective railings. All public halls and stair ways in apartments with five or more units must be adequately lit at all times. State law puts responsibility for security on the landlord. It is his job to provide “reasonable secur ity from predictable crimes.” This encompasses not only adequate lighting, but sturdy locks on the doors as well. Editor: I do not understand the pur pose of mid-term grades. If it is to inform the student of his class standing, why not just post the grades ? Can it be to inform the student’s parents even though an 18-year-old is considered an adult ? The mid-term grading system tends to put pressure on all. It forces the teacher to give at least one test before mid-term. Since teachers procrastinate as much as students, the student is faced with a period of testing not unlike that of finals. Also, the student un familiarity with the teacher test ing techniques tends to lower grades. Since the mid-term grades serve no purpose, except to produce un due pressure on all and possibly lower the overall grade, I feel that the mid-term grading system should be discontinued. Marla Maeder ’76 As an avid fan of handball I ob ject to this ridiculous formality. What is wrong with the first come, first served policy ? In the past it was easy enough to find a court to play on. I have seen fellow handball players unfairly prevented from releasing their fury because they had failed to reserve a room for the night. What really irks me is the fact that the doormen refuse to let in anyone without a reservation to go upstairs to look for an empty court. Are they afraid someone might get to play a few games ? Maybe these doormen are being trained in the ancient art of the run around. I always thought 'all Other responsibilities may be stipulated in the lease, and the landlord is then expected to com ply with them. This also applies to the rental dates. One student rented an apart ment last year and the lease ran through December 30. The stu dent, however, left after finals were over and moved all of his belongings out. He came back on the last day of his lease with the intention of cleaning up the apartment and getting his deposit back. What he found was that the owner had already rented the apartment out again, new tenants had moved in and the student was faced with a $22 charge form the owner for cleaning the apart ment. The owner was clearly in the wrong in this case. He did not have the right to even clean the apartment until December 30, much less rent it out to someone before that time. The tenant MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NEW & USED SALES & RENTALS COMPLETE REPAIR Lange Music Co. 1410 Texas Ave. 822^2334 301 Patricia St. 846-2851 Mid-term grade reports are no longer mailed to parents, except by student request, as a result of the new majority rights bill. —Ed. ★ ★ ★ Editor: For shame, the A&M bureau crats have invaded Deware! A policy justly started last spring called for a doorman to check in coming persons to DeWare for identification. This action became necessary because of outsiders who crowded the gym at night, preventing students from playing basketball. The Intramural Office has let evicting authority go to its head. In order to play handball, one must now book a court in advance. that DeWare was a gym for the students use, not an on the job training center for the Holiday Inn. Kevin McCarthy *76 ★ ★ ★ Editor: Re: “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” written by Ted Boriskie, on Oct. 11. From the time one begins read ing his article, it is evident that Ted Boriskie is not at all familiar with Elton John and his music. In describing this new album as “pointless, dull, drab, unexciting, stupid . . . Boriskie is extreme ly mistaken. The first song on the album, “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” is evidence of this. Elton captures his listeners instantly and holds them in supense as he displays his talent of delivering new, ex citing and different songs. What is left to come is just as excit ing, captivating, and different as is the beginning. The accusation that “no songs sound differently” (oi album) seems to display of Mr. Boriskie’s ignorance, one (except Boriskie) listenii the album can definitely the difference in the songs urday Night’s Alright For Pi ing,” “The Ballad of Bailey (1909-34),” “Sweetft ed Ladies” and for a mail fact, almost all the other And as for “This Song Has Title” and “Your Song” alike and expressing sin meanings, Mr. Boriskie is absurd (as is the majorityo! review). Calling this magnificent bum a “mess” enrages us tremely as does Boriskie’s ting down Elton as being 1 and Bemie Taupin as k “no imagination” in writing lyrics. If he really believes he had better return to the grade where he evidently i pay any attention in musit only thing that we could “fii out of this “mess” of an V of “creditable material” was Boriskie’s surprising realiis of the talent of Davey stone, Dee Murray, and Olsson. He is correct in sii they are “the best in the ness” as are Elton John nie Taupin. In closing we would liketo that before Mr. Boriskie ret another album as great as one, he should wash out his because “I bet he hasn’t h bath in years.” Seems likes heard that somewhere beta and Scott H. Walkei Bob Sandland Don Easterwood (r PAWN LOANS Money Loaned On Anything Of Value. Quick Cash For Any Emergency. See Us For Ready Cash Today. 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