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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1973)
’he Tongue Of The Wise uses Knowledge Correctly; lut The Mouth Of Fools Pours Out Foolishness. Cbe Battalion Vol. 67 No. 327 College Station, Texas Thursday, December 6, 1973 Weather THURSDAY—The skies today will be partly cloudy, but the clouds will not pour forth rain upon us! The low tonight should be around 39° with an afternoon high expected around 69°. Per fect sweater weather! Smoke Fills Dorm “The Comedy of Errors” re layed, in a shorter version, Wednesday night when a prank- ter lit a smoke bomb on the first loor stairs in Davis-Gary Hall. The 8 p.m. incident began to nowball when someone panicked nd called the fire department, ccording to head resident adviser eorge Rehak. Arriving at the scene, the Col- ;ge Station pumpers discovered nly a smoke-filled dormitory and bout 400 milling students who rere watching it. The flashing ed lights of the various official ehicles added a Christmasy ef- ect to the confusion. Fortunately, the only casualty f the incident was the fire chief’s ar, which lost a section of its ail when a departing fire truck rushed against it. It was the second time this eek the fire department had nswered a call on campus. They andled a fire in a trash chute n Dunn Hall Sunday night. College Station fireman Bernie ’hipps said the department nswers five or six calls every nonth from the campus. He said answering the false lanns could cause the depart- nent problems by possibly delay- ng their response if a real fire roke out elsewhere. Senate Backs New Honor Code By CAROL JONES A resoultion intended to make he Aggie Honor Code more meaningful to all TAMU students was passed by the Student Senate Wednesday night. VAN CLIBURN, who made his orchestral debut with the Houston Symphony Orches tra at the age of 12, will perform Dec. 13 in the Rudder Center Auditorium. OPAS sea son tickets are being mailed. Single admission tickets are available at the Rudder Center Box Office. Mate Interns hosen Ten Texas college students were chosen as interns to the Texas constitutional convention by the Texas Student Association Board jf Directors Dec. 1 and 2 in Aus tin. Five TAMU students were among the regional finalists but none was chosen at the state level. These five were nominated at the campus level by a student board and then nominated by the East Texas Region to be five of the ten to go to state. The five were Gwen Flint, Edna de Los Santos, Margaret Polan- , Rick Brown and Jeff Hollo- well. Flint was number 11 and de Los Santos was 14 at the state level. Funding for the program has not been set. According to Exter nal Affairs Chairperson Barb Sears, the Moody Foundation turned down TSA for a grant saying that the program needed government support for the pro ject. Meantime, said Sears, TSA President Darwin McKee arrang ed for three interns to be hired as regular staff members for the constitutional convention so the grant request will go back to the Moody Foundation for approval. “The problem was that the Moody Foundation was worried that the program was a lobbying effort on the part of the organ ization,” Sears said. The ten students chosen for the program are Susan Zlomke, Southwestern University; Ron Wilson, University of Texas; Sary Terrel, West Texas State; Joyce Moore, North Texas; Steve tossignol, San Antonio College; lecky Beaver, Texas Tech; Kirk Timball, Texas Tech; Don Nico- ini, Lamar University; John Ka mensky, San Angelo State and Carol Marganti, Texas Tech. Also during the meeting, TSA decided on a voting structure and ee structure for the organiza- don. Member schools with a popula- ion of 1500 or less students will ?et two votes, 2,500 or less will Set four votes, 5,000 and less will Set six votes, 7,500 and less will Set eight votes, etc. Schools will also pay a $75 base membership fee and an additional $20 per 1,000 students over 1,500. Introduced by Curt Marsh, Rules and Regulations Committee chairperson, the bill requests the updating of the present honor code making it more personal and com- patable for all students. The resolution also requests that the honor code be placed at the beginning of the University Rules and Regulations handbook. “The present honor code was written in 1958 when the school was all Corps,” said Marsh. “A&M has grown beyond just the Corps and the honor code should expand its meaning to everyone.” The resolution recommends shortening the present code to three paragraphs. Marsh said this will make it easier to read and more meaningful. He also said that by placing it in front of the rules book it will catch the attention of more stu dents. “The honor code is an idea to symbolize the desires TAMU should have,” said Marsh. “The honor code should be a hard and fast guideline, not a hard and fast law” said Tom Walker (agriculture). Senators discussed a resolution to devise an optional athletic fee concept. The bill was introduced by John Nash (Law-Puryear). “I’ve talked to a large number of students and many of them want the optional athletic fees,” he said. Nash said there is not a spec ific proposal for this resolution as of now, but that guidelines are in the making. In other action, the Senate ap proved three appointments. They were: Murray A. Crutcher Jr., university-owned apartments undergraduate; Suzanne Quinlan, off campus undergraduate and Andrew Sikes, off campus grad uate. During the Senate session, Stu dent President Randy Ross denied a comment attributed to him in Wednesday’s Battalion from the meeting of the student advisory committee to the Athletic Council. He was quoted as saying that (See SENATE, page 3) More Hotels Needed For Community Boom The energy crisis and competi tion with other cities has contrib uted to a growing need for more hotel rooms in the Bryan-College Station area, says Joe McGraw, professor of urban planning. McGraw based his conclusion on a study conducted by the Plan ning 601 lab this semester. The lab students presented their find ings to local motel managers Wed nesday. Pat Kennedy, one of the lab students, indicated A&M’s enroll ment was up 9.3 per cent as com pared to one or two per cent at most other schools. “This commu nity could become the next boom- town due to this increase and the energy crisis. “This year we estimate that 400,000 man days were spent in B-CS by outsiders and they spent an average of $25 a day. That’s $10 million that wasn’t here be fore. This money also increases as it circulates within the com munity,” he added. “The shortage of fuel is caus ing many students to spend week ends here who would not do so otherwise. This is increasing the demand for entertainment like restaurants and bars,” Kennedy said. Another student, Chuck Toper- zer, said 75 per cent of the vis itors are here for conferences and short courses offered by A&M. “Fifteen per cent are businessmen and the other 10 per cent come for sports, races and other activ ities. A study of the short courses showed that about 25,000 people attended them in 1967. The stu dents predict it will rise to 43,000 by 1976. “With our present accommoda tions, that creates a severe short age,” said McGraw. “Our lab has several sugges tions on how to improve the sit uation,” he said. “The motels and entertainment must be increased and improved if we’re going to compete with other cities. Unless we do, the professors will have to Speed Limit Change Killed AUSTIN, Tex. <A>)—The State Highway Commission’s decision to change the driving habits of mil lions of Texans—by lowering the maximum speed limit to 55 miles an hour—has been overturned be fore work could start on the new speed signs. Atty. Gen. John Hill ruled late Wednesday, just 24 hours after the commission had acted, that the agency had no authority to alter statewide speed limits. Speaker Price Daniel Jr. re sponded by saying he would try to meet today with Gov. Dolph Briscoe about calling a special legislative session—to change the speed limit, as well as possibly creating a superport for giant oil tankers, shortening the public school schedule and enacting an oil and gas unitization measure. “If we are going to meet and resolve this energy shortage any time in the near future and min imize the hardships and incon venience imposed upon the people of this state and nation, we are going to have to act boldly and act now.” Returning from a meeting of the Interstate Oil Compact Com mission in New Orleans, Briscoe had aides hurriedly prepare a statement in which he said he had hoped the commission could change the speed limit since it would prevent “the necessity and expense” of a special session. Briscoe noted that the U.S. House of Representatives had federal highway funds from states which do not reduce speed limits to 55 m.p.h., and that the Senate is expected to act on some type of speed-limit bill before Christmas. “Obviously it is impossible to determine accurately what the national policy will finally be,” said Briscoe. “I believe that the Congress will act within the next two weeks. At that point, I will do whatever is necessary to as sure that Texas has a legal speed limit in conformity with national policy to conserve fuel.” He again urged Texans to drive at 55 which, he claimed, would save up to 6 per cent of the gas oline used in the state. He also reiterated his plea for fewer daily trips, stating that by cutting from eight to seven the number of such trips, Texans could save 8 per cent of the gas used in Texas. Hill said that while he was “certainly sympathetic to the laudable purpose” of the highway commission in cutting speed lim its, only the legislature has that power. The commission said Tuesday (See HILL, page 3) Swapping Service Begins Monday Students may swap used books for spring semester texts starting Monday at the Student Senate Book Exchange. Located in the Student Pro gram Office of the Memorial Student Center, the book ex change will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Exchange Chairman John Tyler indicated the exchange will also operate Saturday, Dec. 15, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will close for the fall semester at noon, Dec. 19. Service resumes Jan. 14. passed a bill Monday to cut off v Tyler said the exchange will hopefully save students time and money. “The operation is for the stu dents’ convenience and benefit,” he added. “We need students to bring in their books in order to give the best selection.” Day-to-day service will be pro vided by CWENS, women’s honor society at TAMU. The deadline for placing books for exchange is Jan. 15, though books will be sold until Jan. 18, Tyler said. Other information can be ob tained at the Student Government Office. Ten Top Grads to Get Bars go to Dallas or another city to offer their short courses; the pro fessors will go to the students.” McGraw suggested a bus sys tem between the motels and the conference center should be set up to avoid traffic tie ups and lack of parking. This system could also serve the airport and the Amtrak depot if B-CS gets one. “Many courses are scheduled at the same times which creates an other shortage of rooms,” said McGraw. “An organization which coordinates these courses and keeps the motels informed would avoid this. It could als open com munication between the motel themselves.” Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Ormond R. Simpson will make the principal address during Dec. 15 commissioning ceremonies here. Commissioning of 73 new Army, Air Force and Marine Corps officers will follow the fall semester commencement. The new second lieutenants will pin on the gold bar during 1:30 p.m. ceremonies at G. Rollie White poliseum. The Army heads the j list^with 38 candidates, including six Regular Army commissions. The" Air Force has 30 and the Marine Corps five. Col. Thomas Parsons, com mandant, indicated 10 of the Army candidates are Distin- Art Prints Due Friday at Library Prints of famous artists’ work loaned to students in September are due Friday at the University Library. Circulation Librarian Mel Dodd noted that the prints were loaned on a semester basis. The 80 framed, ready-to-hang color prints will go on spring semester loan after classes begin Jan. 21. guished Military Graduates. Col. Robert Crossland, professor of aerospace studies, said bight Air Force cadets are DMGs. Gen Simpson was asked to be come commissioning speaker after William P. Clements Jr., Deputy Secretary of Defense, previously announced as the principal speak er, withdrew. Clements will be here in February for the Student Conference on National Affairs. A 36-year military veteran who saw World War II action in the Pacific, Gen. Simpson retired last year and makes his home in Bryan. He was also in Korea during 1953 and in Thailand dur ing the 1962 Laotian crisis. The 1936 Texas A&M graduate was Marine Corps director of per sonnel and deputy chief of staff for manpower before he retired. Gen. Simpson was earlier com manding general of the Marine Corps Supply Center at Albany, Ga., and commanded the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam. Gen. Simpson is formerly from Corpus Christi. As a Texas A&M undergraduate in mechanical en gineering, he was a member of the Aggie Band and infantry regiment commander. Return to Old Days of Road Building Methods Foreseen Texas highway district engi neers were told here Wednesday that the department faces mas sive changes in the future as a result of the energy crisis. Meeting at TAMU for the 47th annual Short Course in Highway Engineering, transportation engi neers heard the state’s top high way official contend a return to the old days of highway engineer ing is in the offing. Reagan Houston III, San An tonio lawyer and chairman of the Texas Highway Commission, said shortages of asphalt and other materials might necessitate a re- Mailing Treks to be Shorter With Trial Drop Box Locations Long treks across campus to mail letters may be a thing of the past with the proposed installation of two mail boxes on campus. The project is being directed by Pam Jewell in con nection with the Student Government. “Two temporary boxes will be put up for a trial period,” said Jewell. “If there is enough response the boxes will be made permanent.” Jewell said the boxes would probably be located at the south entrance to the library and on the corner of Coke and Lubbock streets. “There is no location in the civilian area accessable to the mail trucks that would be much closer than the North Gate post office,” she said. STOP AND GO PLANNING—A visiting Texas Highway Department engineer works with a computerized traffic planning system, part of a display of computerized traffic control systems in the J. Earl Rudder Conference Center. turn to outmoded construction and maintenance procedures in Texas. “Just as electricity plants, which had converted from coal to gas,” he said, “you might have to return to old methods of main tenance. “I don’t want to present a pic ture of gloom,” he continued. “While the problems we face are monumental, the challenge will be stimulating to us all.” Commissioner Member Charles E. Simons noted the displeasure of environmentalists and ecolo gists which stand in the way of transportation progress in Texas. “I am tired of hearing the self- anointed ecologists and environ mentalists in their attacks on technology and advancement,” he said. “I am also tired of hearing the shrill cry of the fund-grab bing rail mass transit enthusiasts.” Simons said mass transit pro ponents are trying to force meth ods of transportation on the state that Texans won’t stand for. He called for an effective pub lic relations campaign within the highway department, citing a fear of special interest groups from environmentalist circles hamper ing highway development. “The special interest groups, already so powerful, will continue to grow and stand in the way of transportation advancement,” he asserted. “We must inform the public of the need for quality highways. We must give the pub lic all the facts and let them de cide for themselves what direc tions transportation in Texas must take.” University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M.* Adv.