Page 2
THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1974
Editor's Notes
By ROD SPEER
The Student Senate will review its fee committee’s
recommendations for Student Services Fee allocation in a
meeting tonight.
The question of a user fee for athletics will come up,
at least in the form of a minority report of the fee
committee. The report, prepared by committee members
Tom Taylor and John Nash, calls for instituting a $1 user
fee for attending home football games accompanied by
reducing services fees from $19 to $17.50 per semester. An
alternative plan would set the user fee at $2, reducing the
fee to $16.25.
Under the first program, a student attending five
home football games would save $3 from a year’s worth of
services fees but spend $5 for his football tickets. The
non-football watcher would save, of course, the $3 but
would still be helping to subsidize athletics. Over $77,000
would still come out of Student Services fees for athletics,
compared to about $198,000 without a user fee.
Wally Groff, athletic business manager, said no
problems would be created by switching to a user fee.
“Most students buy date tickets and it would only mean
collecting an extra dollar or two,” he said. With a predicted
increased enrollment to over 20,000, Groff anticipates that
even with a $1 user fee student attendance would not differ
significantly from last year’s average of 11,000 per game.
Without the fee, he suspects the students to number 12,500
per home game.
Groff doesn’t oppose implementing a user fee but
would prefer to keep the present arrangement. “Fm for
what brings the most students to the games,” he said,
adding that Kyle Field is only sold out bi-annually for the
Texas game. Groff said A&M’s athletic fee per student is
second from the lowest in the conference, next to Rice
University. The University of Houston and Texas Tech have
switched to half price tickets for students in an effort to
cut down attendance in their overcrowded stadiums.
Large crowds are desirable but not at the expense of
the thousands that don’t watch football. The same
argument could be made for all of the student services and
maybe that would be the best method for some. But it
would be a step in the right direction to put the burden of
the financial pressure on the users of an activity rather than
on the non-users.
Additional loans now available
Student loans for purposes oth
er than educational expenses are
available from the Association of
Former Students Loan Fund.
Changes include an increase in
the maximum loan per student,
assistance to eligible married stu
dents for medical expenses,
uniform purchase loans ati .
operative education student
(£j) MAZDA
HARRY DISHMAN
New uses of the loan fund
devised by the Association E
of Trustees and TAMU.
I
Ci
Sales & Service
603 Texas Ave. C.S. across from campus — 846-3316
sSr"*^?*** art
Listen Up
Kosub, Williams
for SCONA move
hit
Money and Scholarships
Air Force ROTC 2 Year Program
Editor:
I would like to express my sin
cere thanks to Steve Kosub and
Jack Williams for deciding what
is best for me and TAMU by not
allowing Mr. Kunstler to speak
in the upcoming SCONA confer
ence. Besides, who wanted Wil
liam Kunstler to speak anyway ?
I agree with Mr. Kosub when he
said “that Kunstler couldn’t con
tribute to the program.” His rec
ord isn’t too impressive, he’s only
defended in court the greatest
human rights leader of our time,
Martin Luther King. He has also
defended many others who were
convicted more for their “politi
cal views” rather than the crime
they were tried for. Besides, what
Lease Line—
Apartment
Trade
by
rentals protected
Practices Act
By BARB SEARS
The Deceptive Trade Practices Act is
a recently enacted business code aimed at
protecting consumers from fraud. It was
proposed and escorted through the Texas
Legislature by Attorney General John Hill,
who has a long record as a consumer ad
vocate.
In an apartment rental situation, the
tenant is, in effect, the consumer, and thus
this act also appligp to the landlord-tenant
relationship. This makes landlords liable
for fraud should they be guilty of any of
the deceptive trade practices declared un
lawful by the code.
One of the first statements in the act
is that “false, misleading or deceptive acts
or practices in the conduct of any trade or
commerce are hereby declared unlawful.”
This clause can be applied to a situation
which arose recently, in which the model
apartment which an apartment complex
displayed to prospective tenants had more
furniture in it than the apartment which
they received after signing the lease. This
was without a doubt, a case of a mislead
ing act on the part of the landlord.
THIS CLAUSE CAN ALSO be applied
to advertising, although a later portion of
the act further specifies that “advertising
goods or services with intent not to sell them
as advertised” is unlawful. There are
several apartment complexes in this com
munity that have advertised falsely. In
one case, the signs and newspaper ads
promised central heating and air condi
tioning, and yet no air conditioning was
provided.
The Deceptive Trade Practices Act also
holds that merchants may not represent
goods as being new if they are used or
secondhand, and this would also apply to
apartments. A landlord having built a new
section onto his apartment complex could
not advertise all of his apartments as new.
The landlord could also not simply remodel
the apartments and peddle them as new.
ANOTHER PORTION OF THE ACT
forbids the advertisement of goods “with
intent not to supply a reasonable expect
able public demand” unless the ads state
that the quantity is limited. An apartment
owner can thus not advertise only his econ
omy or low-price apartments to attract
apartment-seekers and then not have a rea
sonable number available to rent out.
Should a landlord violate clauses of this
act, he may be prosecuted by the consumer
protection division of the Attorney Gen
eral’s office, which will seek compensation
both for any wronged individuals as well
as a fine which goes to the state. A con
sumer, or tenant, may go to court for him
self or through class action. This method,
however, requires that 30 days notice be
given to the landlord, by certified mail,
and that the landlord be allowed 30 days
to offer a settlement outside of court
action.
The Deceptive Trade Practices Act
should be of great assistance in the area
of landlord-tenant relations. For as At
torney General Hill says, “Everybody
should want to eliminate fraud from the
state of Texas.”
Cbe Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those o/
the editor or of the writer 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.
The Battalion,
published in Colleg
a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is
ege Station, Texas, daily except Saturday,
Sunday, Monday, and holiday periods, September through
aper
dail
May, and once a week during summer schoi
iept
ol.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
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
77843.
Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school
year; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 6%
sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address:
The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station,
Texas 77843.
not
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for
■ws dispatches credited to i
e paper and local news of spi
published herein. Right of reproduction of all other
matter herein are also
reproduction of all news
otherwise credited in the
ties
paper and local news of spontaneous
origin published herein.
reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
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
and Jan Faber.
, ur. xv. a. Aioanese, ut.
iy Ross, T. Chet Edwards,
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising
Services. Inc, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Interim Editor Rod Speer
Assistant to the Editor Greg Moses
Managing Editor Stephen Goble
News Editor T. C. Gallucci
Photo Editor Gary Baldasari
Sports Editor Kevin Coffey
Ass’t. Sports Editor Ted Boriskie
Freshmen Ball Corsages
Buy your orchid from Student Floral Concession
Best Buy In Town
Wed. Noon-5 - Thurs. 8-5
In The Floriculture Greenhouse
Girls! Don’t Forget His Boutonniere
could Kunstler add to this year’s
theme, “Reordering of American
Priorities.” Obviously civil rights,
the “Chicago Seven” and the
Wounded Knee incident are not
among America’s priorities.
I would also like to express my
thanks to SCONA for taking only
“small contributions of $100-
$200” from their supporters so
that they can be “independent in
their programming” of the SCO
NA speakers.
I am just happy that the SCO
NA leaders and Jack Williams
decided that Kunstler would not
be in the best interest of TAMU
(or was it the interest of those
“small contributors” that they
were most concerned of). I pro
pose that Jack Williams, and
these other “concerned student
leaders,” would continue to decide
what is in my best interest and
the best interest of TAMU. Cen
sor our weekly magazines and
newspapers of undesirable views
and facts, issue a list of other po
litical persons like Kunstler who
are not for God and country, Nix
on, Mom, apple pie and the girl
we left behind.
Rick Hughes
★ ★ ★
Editor:
While reading Doc Schroff’s
letter I was initially disgusted by
what I thought was a totally per
verse idea. But, in reiterating
what I remembered from my
“pre-wheel days,” I was impressed
by how well I managed.
I think A&M ought to initiate
some dramatic program; take a
leadership position in what might
be a solution to the fuel crisis. We
should be in a “give up your keys”
campaign whereby people would
give up their keys to a volunteer
office who would hold them. (This,
of course, would be a token ges
ture as a duplicate can open and
start cars.) This might motivate
other campuses and organizations
to initiate such a program in a
competitive spirit.
I realize that the above sugges
tion might be met with some con
sternation by local oil dealers, but
we could contribute our gas dol
lars to the middle man and really
hurt the big oil dealers.
There are a great many far-
reaching effects this could have;
improvements in public transpor
tation, decrease in air pollution,
etc. I challenge the A&M student
body and faculty to give up their
keys (or just give them to me).
Tom Cotton
Department of Aerospace Studies — TAMU
Tyl
theses
693-4.
Applications Now Being Accepts I
Tyi
5 846-6
Tyj
■ kinds
Exi
846-6!
Ful
13838.
★ ★ ★
Editor:
In reference to Thursday, Jan
uary 24’s Battalion concerning
athletic fees being optional, we
would like to say that in our opin
ion the present plan is the best.
This is because, not only is it
cheaper to all Aggies, but it also
keeps our traditions and spirit
stronger. Through the present
system, everyone is able to attend
any athletic activity they wish
without having to worry about
the cost which might otherwise
prevent them from attending. The
other “two per cent” of students
who do not attend should not com
plain about the minor fee they
pay because it is the least they
can do for their school if they
don’t have the pride to support
their teams.
Joan Griggs
Johnna Ramsey
Rae Wilkinson
It is more than “two per cent”
of the student body that don’t at
tend athletic events. Home foot
ball games, the athletic depart
ment’s largest single drawing
card, drew over 11,000 per game
last fall, which is impressive but
far short of 98 per cent—Ed.
SMOKER
Learn About Becoming A Pledge
of A&M’s Only
SERVICE - SOCIAL FRATERNIT
No Obligation
Free Refreshments
Thursday, January 31st
7:00 — Rm. 302 Tower
..-..'Mil
PHI SIGMA BETA
INSURANCE — HOME LOANS
BUSIER-JONES AGENCY
■ ■ ran?
■
Equal Opportunity
Housing
1200 Villa Maria — 823-0911
FARM & HOME SAVING ASSOCIATION (Nevada, Mo.)
JUNIORS and
SOPHOMORES
1974 AGGIELAND
CLASS PICTURE SCHEDULE
H-L . . .
. . . Jan. 28-Feb 1
M-0 . . .
. . . Feb. 4-Feb. 8
P-R . . .
. . . Feb. 11-Feb. 1!
S-V . . .
. . . Feb. 18 - Feb. 2!
W-Z . . .
Pictures will be taken from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m.
At
UNIVERSITY STUDIO
115 N. Main
846-8019
North Gate
(Bring fee slips)
a