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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1973)
Page 2 College Station, Texas Wednesday, November 14, 1973 THE BATTALIQ Fair Play for Students with Apartments Indeterminant By BARB SEARS A number of local apartment owners and managers have formed the Apartment Asso ciation for Bryan - College Station landlords. This association has a major purpose of lobbying for legislation favorable to land lords, and its goals include the establishment of a local office to be staffed by a secretary and possibly a lawyer. A recent organizational meeting was at tended by managers and owners of about 25 local apartments, as well as officials from the Texas Apartment Association (TAA). Con firmation of the B-CS Chapter by the state board will occur Nov. 28. Ronny Fenger, an officer in the TAA, was at the meeting to review landlord-tenant leg islation which came up during the last ses sion of the legislature. The state associa tion was concerned with bills affecting in surance, zoning, tenants’ rights, deposits and environmental planning and activity lobbied on these issues. Fenger explained that the TAA supported the new tenant-landlord and deposit laws which they saw as preferable to some even stronger tenant protection bills with which they were “threatened” by consumer advo cates. The TAA pushed for the Landlord’s Lein Bill which gives landlords the right to seize certain items owned by the tenant if he fails to pay his rent. The law that was passed is relatively watered down (from the landlords’ point of view) because it protects the tenant’s clothing, tools, books, most furni ture, food, medicine, kitchen utensils, one automobile and one truck and certain other essentials of life. The TAA worked against a bill which would require remodeling and maintainance com panies to post a $20,000 bond as a guarantee on their work. This bill would have had the effect of eliminating small businessmen from contracting for such work. The apartment owners group also worked against a bill which would have required that 10 per cent of all apartment property be dedicated to scenic beautification. As would be expected, the association also lobbied against the corporate profits tax, and against a bill which would have placed the responsibility for any latent apartment defects on the original builder of the apart ment. In short, the TAA is concerned with legislation that affects pocketbooks, so the higher ideals of ecology, progressive taxa tion, and good construction of buildings may have been sacrificed. However, every interest group, including students, works for items of self-interest which may benefit only that particular group, so the TAA should not be faulted for lobbying to protect its own interests. It is just un fortunate that those interests may be con trary to those of the community. Exception should be taken to one remark made at the meeting. It was inferred that because this area has about 15,000 people living in apartments, the owners should 'EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING, JAMES . . . AND KEEP IT UNDER FIFTY!' Batt Commentary Spanning the Gaps We’ve been harping for two years on the problem of bad communication gaps that frequently unveil themselves here and those problems are really beginning to hurt now. Take for example, the case of the two police officers mentioned in the lead story of today’s Battalion, “Jersey Intersections Raise Problems.” These two men could be in for the legal fight of their lives if the persons involved in the Nov. 1, Jersey at Bizzell Streets accident pursue the matter. And all because much of this University tries to operate as if military secrecy were being practiced. Dr. Jack Williams wished for someone to direct traffic there and through the inability of his subordinates to communicate, has placed the reputation and possible financial status of two month-old Univer sity Police officers in double jeopardy. Double jeopardy because of the victims they may have to answer to and the “big brother” administra tion that might have to decide what to do with two broke policemen. The cause of the communication gap is two-fold, both on the part of Williams, who should have made swifter changes in the administra tion when he took over his post, and the people beneath him, for waiting for Williams to come to them with all the answers. We are all to blame. Another potential disaster was in the announcement of the probable change in scheduling approval of the University operating budget in April instead of July. While the reasons behind the change are for the most part sound, we don’t know why the information on the proposal shouldn’t be announced, at least for the sake of giving department heads, deans, vice presidents and student leaders time to prepare for the change. Instead, students, for example are told they are being given an extra month to work on Services Fee allocations. In reality, students worked for three months on the project last year and will be here on campus only two months to work on allocations this year. This excludes the length of time it will take student leaders to hassle over the amount awarded the Athletic Department. Last year, the adminis tration had modified the Senate’s proposal by over $40,000 in the favor of the AD, but changed it back after student leaders “accidentally” found out about it. Communications around the vice president for student services office has improved tremendously lately since Dr. John Koldus took over the post in August, with students getting results for most of their efforts—more than before. Unfortunately, it hasn’t rubbed off to other areas of the University yet. It’s been evident, too, from many of the letters received at The Battalion that Student Government and the administration aren’t doing much for attracting and solving all the problems in their areas. It is the leaders of these two groups that must start cooperating faster to keep up with a University predicted to have 21,000 enrolled in it next year and who knows how many the year after. Che Battalion thus have a great deal of political clout in dealing with legislators. I would think that the opposite conclusion should actually be true. One would expect the tenants, i.e., voters to play the influential role. Two projects of the TAA are to publish a 55-page listing of apartment laws and to establish a local Resident Relations Commit tee. This committee would be composed of managers, owners, associates and would hold hearings on tenants’ apartment complaints. As a tenant, I would certainly be hesi tant to take any of my gripes to such a land lord-oriented board, but the TAA people of fered assurances of fairplay. They cited one such board which has about a 50-50 record of rulings for tenant versus landlord. The TAA claims that it wants the good landlords as members, and the bad ones dis associated from it. The apartment owners present at the organizational meeting were both hospitable and interested in the student Fair Housing Commission and extended their invitation to future meetings as well as of fered their assistance with complaints, great deal of interest was expressed inH Student Government - published Apartt# Guide which contains a critical evaluation the local apartments based on surveys tali at pre-registration. A final judgment oni TAA must be postponed until it begins optit tions. The cordiality expressed to visitt] FHC members was impressive, but there no doubt that the foremost goal of the gn> is protection of landlords’ interest. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the zuriter 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 77813. Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim Lindsey, chairman ; Dr. Tom Adair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr. H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, Randy Ross, T. Chet Edwards, and Jan Faber. 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 Assistant to the Editor Rod Speer Managing Editor Greg Moses News Editor T. C. Gallucci Sports Editor Kevin Coffey Ass’t. Sports Editor Ted Boriskie Listen Up— Kerosene for Bonfire Ignition Valuable Editor: As long term students of TAMU, we have watched the an nual unfolding of “the bonfire debate.” This year, a new factor, “the energy crisis”, has added new fuel to the environmentalist position. The fuel in question is the hun dreds of gallons of kerosene tra ditionally used to ignite the Aggie Spirit. Despite their Commander in Chief’s order to conserve all fuel, Aggies led by the Corps of Cadets, are presently engaged in the orderly stacking of a colossal amount of cord-wood, used to ab sorb the kerosene. Recent news articles have noted the local scar city of kerosene for home heat ing, increasing the usefulness and value of the cord-wood. Presum ably the trees have been cut, but the kerosene can be saved. Let’s find another way. Randy Williams ’73 Eugene E. Wisakowski ’73 Lynn Culey ’75 The kerosene used is contami nated and unsuitable for normal use—Ed. ★ ★ ★ Editor: Our congratulations to the stu dents, faculty and administration of TAMU. I was privileged to attend a conference on campus the first part of last week and then returned Saturday with my family for the SMU game. We were all favorably im pressed with your campus — the friendliness and neatness, the spirit, the tradition — it brought a lump to my throat and thrill to my spirit. The ten years we’ve been in Texas we’ve had a warm spot for the Aggies, but our visit to your campus capped-the-stack. You’ve got a great team, a top-notch Corps, a marvelous band and a fine student body. Keep up the good work. A. A. Rambiker Point Comfort ★ ★ ★ Editor: Please convey my appreciation to all of Aggieland. The atten tion shown to me, the oldest liv ing Aggie, has been overwhelm ing. The score today (Saturday) is a perfect climax to a wonder ful 100th birthday. John Bain Honaker ’95 Farmersville ★ ★ ★ Editor: On Nov. 1, Dr. Syler gave “cor rect definitions” of the terms “Aggie” and “tradition.” His def initions were philosophical and only included Cadets. Perhaps these ideas may better suffice. An Aggie is a student at TAMU. He or she may be a mem ber of any race, nation or creed. Hopefully, an Aggie is a good statesman, a refined person, a clear thinker, and someone who, instead of telling a man to “go to hell, if need be”, would rather sit down with that man and exchange ideas. Unfortunately, this type of man and woman also takes a back seat in controversies such as the MSC grass and hat problems, and the headline-makers are un thinking big-mouths who don’t think before they throw some verbal abuse at the offender of some abstract tradition. Webster defines tradition as “an inherited pattern of thought or action” and TAMU really ex hibits this. The problem is that good Ags seem to accept tradi tions like babies had to accept genes: they accept both the good and the bad. (Recall Josten Ma’s letter and the replies he got? It concerned the quote “I don’t care what the peace queers think, I just want to kill some chinks.” Dr. Syler, is this one of the “principles that build greatness”?) We should instead select the poor and unreasonali traditions and trash-can tba For example, people don’t exp* hat and grass policies like tl MSC’s. After all, the men dij for our freedom, so why reste it with little rules? The dead don’t know if the grass is walls on or hats are worn. We to such policies to make us look spectable”, so why have them all? Traditions should 1) be vofc. tary, and 2) not interfere wit people’s rights. Think about it Richard Mueller ii ★ ★ ★ Editor: Mr. Syler gave a very descri; tive view of what an Aggie and I particularly agree with la that an Aggie is a superior of man, or person as the case mi be. I’b afraid that Mr. Syler gsi eralizes too much when hesaidti challenge non-regs to become A; gie enough t ohonor traditiocs There are plenty of non-regs wk gie enough to honor tradition! honor traditions I just wish then were more that would. I woilt like to see people here thinkinj more of each other as Ags not just non?regs or c.t.’s. Jeff Christensen ’/( STORAGE SPACE AVAILABLE At Moderate Prices For Campers And Trailers A&M TRAVEL TRAILERS 115 Royal Street 846-4391 Bryan, Texas SANDWICHES SUBMARINES “Where no two sandwiches are alike!” Situated Right at Northgate ffit&nmx Ji>anh£mcl{ J^Ijoppe Ummm! Ham & Cheese on rye with a glass of Michelob draft beer. Yummmm. 329 University Dr. 11 a. m. til? 846-6428 OUT-A-SITE SALADS CHEESECAKES pte ,VAo^ SALE Wed.-Sat. Nov. 14-17 ;«> Nr TOPS 15% OFF Everything on the rack .o' ^ Cp-P’"" 1 W (§ e e* S/ Of/ T Op o* t£> l ° ’5 -o A r // Loupot's books & britches Across from the Post Office