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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 1973)
Aggies to Tour Romania ints A whi| ejJ Andr 'a BrcJ und s and i rebounded Sf J V \ n S 46 pe r J eks 31. f situation is ^..1 F1 °y d . who ail an kle Thurs4|| saw some aclitJ eam s high Mil 1 P oi nts, hut J vvith 12 errcl nd Joseph et!| ts - RayHoheJ b Williams (el A&M seori?; j s the trail |»j ad games, fel n - 8 with Sontil 'ty. ConfersB| ; °n Jan. 15, ^e’ll Send -Ts Anywhere | THE I. CENTER ■ull Service lorist" 13-5792 /«! ¥ if * Senior “No ccounts •y Repair. ELRY 16-5816 Official invitation was extended ! to the Singing Cadets for a three- week tour in Romania by Ro- I manian Ambassador Corneliu Bogdan, next May. President Jack K. Williams ap proved the Eastern Europe trip and authorized the Singing Ca dets to raise funds for it. A Reader’s Digest grant will help defray cost of the all-male glee club’s extensive travel throughout Romania. The trip was arranged through the “Am bassadors for Friendship” pro gram of the American Council of Nationalities Service. The 21-day tour will involve nine major performances by the Singing Cadets in the major cities of Romania, according to Director Robert L. Boone. The 50-member group also expects to do numerous impromptu performances. “You will find Romania to be a hospitable country of warm, friendly people who are eager to know you, and through you under stand America better,” Bogan said. “Friendship” President Harry Morgan of New York recom mended the Singing Cadets to the Romanian Ambassador to the U.S. Preparation has already begun for the trip, expected to depart New York by charter jet for Bucharest in mid-May. Aggie-ex Bob Frymire of Dal las chairs a group to assist the Cadets and Boone in raising funds to support the trip. The Cadets plan projects to cover travel costs to New York, according to Presi dent James Randolph. Boone said a repertoire includ ing minstrel, pop and Western music and songs relating to ecol ogy and other current topics are being prepared for the tour. He indicated some of the selec tions will be used on the Singing Cadets’ between-semesters tour. The group will visit Alice, Harlin gen, McAllen, Laredo, Del Rio and New Braunfels. Other single performance dates are scheduled during the spring semester. Veteran TV performers, the Singing Cadets carry a wealth of experience before critical audi ences into the overseas venture. They sang in White House church services, made a national-release stereo single with Sergio Franchi and performed before network TV cameras on the Mike Doug las and Ed Sullivan shows. They worked seven straight years on the Miss Teenage America Pag eant. Few performances by the Sing ing Cadets go without an invita tion for a return engagement. Mail flows in after a tour. President Nixon paid a compli ment after the White House ap pearance: “Never have I heard so much praise for a singing group as I did from those going through the receiving line.” “I could have listened all day,” the First Lady said. Cbe Battalion A Merry Heart Makes A Cheerful Countenance: But By Sorrow Of The Heart The Spirit Is Broken. Vol. 67 No. 330 College Station, Texas Wednesday, December 12, 1973 Degree Clearing Posted All TAMU degree candidates for fall commencement should check the Registrar’s Office clear list to be posted Thursday, Regis trar Robert A. Lacey announced. Lacey said the clear list will be posted in the foyer of the Rich ard Coke Building at 8 a. m. Thursday, Dec. 13. Batt Staff Gripes Aired, Editor’s Ethics Questioned w DEBBIE WINKELMAN talks to her boy friend stationed with the Navy in Antarctica with help from radio committee equipment. (Photo by Gary Baldasari) A group of students-writers and managerial editors—hired by Mike Rice, Battalion editor, presented the Student Publications Board a list of greivances Tuesday con cerning certain operational pro cedures of the Battalion. The group also asked that the SPB consider removing Rice from the editorship. The Board recessed until Tues day to make its decision. Vickie Ashwill, representing the staff, read a prepared docu ment to the board. In essence, it stated factors which led to the meeting. One of these was staff disintegration. “In this semes ter we have seen two managing editors, with a third scheduled,to take over in January, three news editors, and two women editors, with that position presently un filled,” the statement read. Another factor cited was a lack of communication which often re sulted in confusion. “Symbolic of his refusal to communicate with his staff is a locked-up desk and a private office in his apartment Say Hello Toll Free Over Globe Railroad Relocation Proposed At P&Z Commission Meeting to A long-distance phone call mom need not cost a dime. The Memorial Student Center Radio Committee offers, as a public service, phone patches and radiograms to almost anywhere in the world, said Steve Philpy of the Radio Committee. A phone patch is a hook-up allowing a phone conversation to be handled via amateur radio. “It’s basically the same system Bell Telephone uses but we use a much lower frequency. They use micro-waves,” said Philpy. A radiogram is like a telegram except it is transmitted by ama teur radio rather than wire. Philpy advised those interested in sending a radiogram or work ing a phone patch to contact the Radio Committee by calling 845- 7245 any evening after 6 p.m. Membership in the committee is open to all students, whether licensed or not. The dues, which are used mostly to pay for a picture in the Aggieland, are $3.50 per sememter, said Philpy. Senate To View Athletics A resolution for Optional Ath letic Fees will be a subject of debate of the Student Senate meeting tonight at 7:30 in Room 102 of the Zachry Engineering Center. The proposal, introduced by John Nash (Law-Puryear), asks that the Student Service Fee Allo cations Committee devise a feasi ble optional fee concept. “If the optional athletic fee concept goes into effect it would lower the service fee that is cur rently given to the Athletic De partment,” Nash said. The concept would also give students the choice of purchasing a season ticket or buying a ticket before each game. Those who do not attend ath letic events will not be required to pay for tickets they do not use, Nash said. But, if there is a larger number of students not in terested in games then it will make the price more expensive for those who do attend. The Senate will also discuss a revision of the absence policy of Senators as set up by the Senate Select Committee. A plan to relocate the railroad tracks in Bryan and College Sta tion was proposed Monday night by Manny M. Hamoudi, Andy L. Sikes and by Herbert S. Steven son before the College Station Planning and Zoning Commission. Stevenson, Hamoudi and Sikes worked on this proposed route for the rails as a project for Geology 441. Dr. C. C. Mathewson of the Geology Department asked Stev enson to present their proposal to the council of which Mathewson is a member. The present rail system goes through the central part of down town Bryan and the west part of College Station. This creates ex cessive noise and vibration in nearby homes and businesses as well as causing safety problems at crossings and inhibiting area growth, said Stevenson. Instead of spending the money on improving the existing tracks, Stevenson and his group propose moving the railway away from TAMU, business and heavily pop ulated areas. The proposed new route would diverge from the present one near the south city limit of College Station. It will follow the west bypass into north Bryan. The new route would be adja cent to Easterwood Airport for ease in making airplane connec tions. It would also pass by the Brazos Valley Industrial Park to provide service for industry. Spurs connecting with Bryan and College Station are part of the new plan. A new terminal will replace the old whistle stop we now have. It will be located near Easterwood Airport. which has no phone. He spends most of his regular staff hours at his apartment with a borrowed typewriter because he claims there are too many distractions in the office.” A third factor cited was that Rice does not support his staff. “As editor, he is responsible to his staff and the paper but when confronted with a problem con cerning the staff’s work, he does not in any way back or support them. For example, film review er Julia Jones was humiliated in print which resulted in her resig nation.” His attitude towards his staff was said to be one of “That’s the way it’s going to be. Either you like it or you leave.” The staff also regarded his professional conduct as editor as questionable. “He uses pay as a weapon for negative reinforce ment and at one time even went so far as to secretly create a kickback system. He has taken advantage of his position to cheat the University and the pa per through various means.” The document was signed by 18 out of 20 staff members. The two who did not sign are new to the staff and not familiar with the preceding conflicts, they said. Dr. Tom W. Adair III, board member and assistant to the president, asked, “Is not being able to get along with the staff, grounds for removal ? However, if charges of cheating and kick- backs are proved, these are grounds for removal.” Ms. Ashwill clarified the cheat ing charges by saying Rice was living off campus and illegally eating in Duncan Hall, had a re frigerator with an expired lease allegedly intended for the Bat talion office in his dorm room and his apartment, took maga zines home with him which were the newspaper’s property and used a kickback system to in crease his salary against Uni versity regulations. Rice answered each allegation separately. He denied eating in Duncan Hall illegally. He ad mitted to having his refrigerator, but said this was a means of pay ment by Steve Hill, last year’s refrigerator manager, for adver tising the refrigerators in news stories. The group charged Rice with having a Student Government re frigerator illegally after he had paid rent for it last Spring, but Rice said that distributor Steve Hill told him to hold on to it as a complimentary machine in ex change for news releases about the program in the future. SG President Randy Ross told the SPB that there are a number of other complimentary machines out, including one in the Aggie land office and the Student Pro grams Office. Rice said he was to return the machine when he was finished with it or before he left the Battalion. On using a kickback system to increase his pay, Rice explained it as thus: as editor, he is given a certain amount of money to distribute among his staff. He was told by a secretary that he can pay himself only for 40 hours a week at $1.60 an hour. Since he could not find a managing editor last spring and thus did the work, he felt he should pay himself more. Therefore, he paid Ms. Ashwill extra which she re imbursed with personal checks. This added amount totaled $47.86. Rice said, “If it’s illegal, I still don’t know it. If it’s wrong, I have not been told that.” Further conflicts were tossed back and forth between Rice and members of the staff. He denied being apathetic towards his posi tion by saying, “I have made an effort to expand the editor’s membership on committees and have located an off-campus fi nancial source for editor and staff travel with no interest.” The staff’s complaint that Rice refused to hold staff meetings was not true, according to Rice. He said, “Never have I been re- (See GRIPES, page 4) Last Batt This is the last Battalion to be printed this week. Only one issue will be printed during exam week and will be distributed next Wednesday. Student Art Experiment Dancers to Relate ‘Beowulf 9 The Old English epic “Beo- wulf“ will be performed tonight at eight in the Rudder Center Theater. Nine dancers directed by chore ographer John Steele will inter pret the epic in modern dance as Corps Staff Juniors Propose Minerva Plan for Cadet Coeds By MARY RUSSO Women seeking commissions in any of the armed forces will be allowed to join the A&M Corps of Cadets next fall, subject to the approval of A&M President Jack Williams. In a statement made by Corps Staff juniors, the move was made “to extend the outstanding train ing which the Corps provides and which makes the difference be tween an Aggie officer and any other ROTC graduate.” The preliminary proposal was presented to Col. Tom Parsons through self-initiation of the Corps in anticipation of women being allowed to take ROTC here at A&M. Entitled the Minerva Plan, the proposal outlines the procedure and objectives of integration of women into the Corps. Women could only join as freshmen and sophomores. The girls will be organized into a detachment under the Corps Personnel Officer, who will per form the duties of organization, administration, training and lead ership. This senior will be assisted by selected Corps juniors and sophomores, as he deems necessary. Under detachment status, the women commission candidates will find “all training opportunities and activities open to them, con sidering physical limitations and principles of good taste,” said John Chappelle, Corps sergeant major. “Being a detachment will allow for basic, intermediate and ad vanced training which will culmi nate in the fourth year with girls commanding their own unit,” said Chappelle. “In the five-year proposal, con siderations have been made to minimize problems for both men and women, to maximize the speed and maintain the standards and goals of the Corps,” Chappelle added. The program has been pre sented to Corps Major Unit com mand juniors and there has been favorable reaction with several individuals expressing interest. “Women in the Corps will make a positive contribution, but the success will hinge entirely on the attitude of the Corps as a whole and the women involved,” Chap pelle said. “I’m certain that the present Corps members will accept the girls. Also, the women who have expressed interest in such a pro gram previously have exhibited positive feelings toward the plan,” Chappelle said. A detailed plan of how the women will be related to the Corps and the Corps to the women will be presented to the Com mandant’s Office Feb. 1, accord ing to Chappelle. “Considerable amount of thought, worry and man-hours have been dedicated to admittance of women in the Corps. The staff juniors, Steve Eberhard, Rickey Gray, Frederick Martin and Terry Rathert and myself, with additional input by Major Unit sergeant majors, worked for love of the Corps and to provide for its continuing greatness,” said Chappelle. five graduate English students give a reading in the original Old English dialect. Drums and acoustic guitars complement the performance. Modern dance is not confined by any particular rules of style, but includes any moves or styles of dance the choreographer de signs into a show. This show is, for the dancers, an opportunity to practice their avocation before an audience. The dancers explain their motivation as being simply devoted to modern dance. The English students, on the other hand, are doing the reading for academic credit. As a project for a graduate level class on “Beo wulf,” the show substitutes for a paper which they would have otherwise had to write. There is a feeling among the cast that this show may spark some kind of interest in part of the student body in a more exten sive program of fine arts. Steele, for one, says that before TAMU Kent State Inquiry Renewed WASHINGTON UP) — The Justice Department will take the renewed investigation of the 1970 Kent State Uni versity slayings before a federal grand jury in Ohio next week. Asst. Atty. Gen. J. Stanley Pottinger announced Tues day night that a grand jury will be convened in Cleveland Dec. 18 “to receive sworn testimony and act in its capacity as an investigative body.” Mobile Meadow can really call itself a University, a curriculum in fine arts is go ing to have to be devised. This is the kind of thing that goes on at universities, and the lack of it here is losing this school some of its more talented prospects, ac cording to Steele. Tonight’s performance of “Beo wulf” will combine several vis ually exciting media of color, depth and motion, as well as rhythmic pulse and the unique bizarreness of an ancient dialect. Viewed as an interplay of diverse art forms curiously coordinated, organized as a unified perform- mental student production which should operate successfully with out becoming boring. Text Trade Available The end of the semester is the time to sell your books. And the Student Book Exchange is one place to do the selling. The Exchange will be open through Wednesday from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. daily in Room B of the Student Programs Office in the MSC. It will be open Sat urday from 8 a. m. to noon. The Exchange will re-open the first week of next semester dur ing the same hours. The second week of next semester students will receive checks for sales and books not sold will be returned. All money exchanges will be made with checks only. When bringing in a book, a student should be prepared to name a price he is seeking for it. A list of the Texas A&M Book Store prices will be available. At the same time students may purchase books for next semester. A list of what books are needed for which courses is also avail able. University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M.” Adv.