Page 2 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1974 Film censorship The MSC Council agreed that all films ordered through the MSC would have to be approved by Hal Gaines, Student Program Coordinator. An appeals system was set up in which the Council would have the final say on film program ming. Council members argued this procedure was necessary for coordination of programming. It would also, they con tended, make film committees more responsible to the Coun cil, which supports them financially, and insure that pro gramming be consistent with the stated objectives of the particular committee. These are legitimate concerns, but it was obvious from the start that the resolution calling for a film programming overseer was introduced to prevent the showing of porno graphic or otherwise objectionable movies by the Arts Com mittee or any other MSC group. As soon as the resolution passed, the Council had its first opportunity to act as a cen soring board and determine the fate of the film Luminous Procuress, which is scheduled to be shown Thursday mid night by the Arts Committee. Council members now have the final say as to what movies are of “value,” and will act as a guardian mother and protect the student body from things it should not see. This censorship procedure is degrading and totally un necessary. The Council already has a check on programming in that it chooses committee chairmen and can dismiss them at will. This and a good communication with committee heads should insure that the moral and financial interests of the Council are maintained. If a movie is truly objection able the student body will make that known, if not vocally then through lack of support for a committee’s programs. Students at A&M, with few exceptions, are legal adults and should have the right to determine for themselves what films they care to see. The committee chairmen should be free of an administrator’s censorship to establish program ming in the student’s interest. A student newspaper To call The Battalion a student newspaper may be mis nomer. True, the staff is made up of students, and the paper does concern itself with student related matters. But the controlling force behind The Battalion, the Student Pub lications Board, is comprised chiefly of faculty-staff mem bers and has only limited student input. Under the present system, the Board is chaired by the Director of Student Publications, with four faculty-staff members appointed by President Williams and three stu dents appointed by Dr. Williams upon the recommendation of the Student Government head. It is this group that selects the editor for The Battalion (subject to the approval of the president) and can suspend that editor, in addition to mak ing policy decisions for the newspaper and other publica tions. The Battalion’s number one responsibility should be to the student body. The paper acts as an information service for students and watchdog in the campus community. Its publication is funded by Student Services fees which supple ment advertising and subscription income. The Battalion along with Student Government represent two major ways in which students can express discontent and work for con structive change within the establishment of the university. It is inconsistent with the function of a student newspaper that it be controlled by a board composed mainly of faculty members and administrators. The Student Senate Rules and Regulations Committee will present changes in the “Blue Book” to be considered by the Senate at tonight’s meeting. One of the changes will be to alter the membership of the Student Publications Board to include five students and four faculty-staff members. The Battalion supports this change in the hope that students have the controlling interest in their Student Publications Board and campus newspaper. Cbe Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the renter 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 Jby students as a University and Community newspaper. Listen Up Kunstler, ACLU, Read Battalion CM freedom hailed Editor: We, as students of TAMU, owe a debt of gratitude to the ACLU and others who had a role in rec tifying the great injustice done everyone connected with this great institution. The appearance of William Kunstler re-establish ed the oft forgotten goal of every university, the free and untainted exchange of ideas and views, at TAMU. Mr. Kunstler is also to be com mended for caring enough to in convenience himself and perhaps endangering the freedom of his current clients to bring the First Amendment back to TAMU. Partisan politics should never have entered this situation. Whether one agrees with Mr. Kunstler or not is immaterial. This and any institution of higher learning finds its life-blood in new ideas and to suppress them is to kill progress and promote stagnation of thought. Let us hope that this display of misguided priorities and badly aimed censorship is not repeated and that President Williams will assist in the re-establishment of free communication at TAMU. Bradley T. Britt Figaro Editor: Why was there no mention of “The Marriage of Figaro” in Thursday’s or Friday’s Batt? The only mention the opera received was the paid advertisement im mediately preceeding its show ing. Tom Dawsey Due to contractual obligations, no photographs were allowed to be taken of the opera and no one on the staff was qualified to re view one. An advance story was printed on the front page in the Feb. 20 issue and the opera was mentioned later in the MSC Calen dar and Campus Briefs—Ed. L Milk Dry O .pry Cerea d Teaches sage i Hotcake: JITKEES AN! d Platter (S iVhitinff (2-1 a.) w/ 1 Mr. & Mrs. Cedillo welcome you to their Mexican] Restaurant. Open 11:00 a. m. til 10:00 p. m. 7 days a week Everyday Aggie Special $1.41 Includes 3 enchiladas, refried beans, 1 taco, Spanish rice,chilii] quezo, tostadas, cheese dip, ice tea or coffee. Lunch Specials: Good Mon. thru Fri. $1.09! Taco Dinner - 2 tacos, rice and beans, guacamole and i cheese dip and hot sauce. Tamale Dinner - 2 tamales, rice and beans, chili con quezo,tle|j dip, hot sauce. Enchilada Dinner - 2 enchiladas, rice and beans, guacamoleti da, cheese dip and hot sauce. Combination Dinner - 1 enchilada, 1 tamale, taco, riceandk guacamole, tostada, cheese dip, hot sauce. 0 Juice, Cof of Wheat 1 Strawberrj Dry Cereal rambled Kg jsh Brown 1 pt Biscuits ■ [n Fried Bac Itrees a> P'ie fi-Oz. A over 1 MIKE MISTOVICH CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earle BUSINESS MACHINE * Royal and SCM Typewriters * Victor, Unicom & Casio Print ing Calculators * Hand Calculators fruit Juice, I Dry Ceres oref L Struwber [n Fried Itrees \ 1 Chopped >ndx i Rice So' nn Ham S 1 Cheese J [Salml San Sales, Service & Rentals i T-Bom & Macai 909 S. Main We’d like to take you for a ride Hey, Mr. suave and sophisticated... try this on for size. It's the Raleigh Sports. Think bikes are for kids? Think again! This one's spe cially made (or the guy who'sa mover. Three speeds, safety- quick brakes, genuine leather thing you need to travel in style See your Raleigh dealer, he's got a set of wheels waiting lor you. Come on along! Coffee, t Dry Ccn , Straub, lly EriUl TREES ■Ox. irry 4-C , Vegeta imi Sand Cheese l Salad CENTRAL CYCLE & SUPPLY “I’m not sure that whether you walk or run is really the issue!” Sales • Service • Accessories 3505 E. 29th St. — 822-2228 — Closed Monday Take East University to 29th St. (Tarrow Street) The Battalion, a student newspaper at Terxaa 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. Mail subscriptions are $3.60 per ear; $6.50 per full year. All subscrip 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, shozu the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77813. emester; $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. epn thei The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for roduction of all news dispatches credited erwise credited in the paper and lo origin published herein. Right of re the to it E spe of i news of spontaneou duction of all othe pul matter herein are also reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. Members of the Student Publications Board are: A.dair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr. Jim Lindsey, chairman; Dr. Tom Adair, H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, Randy Ross, T. Chet Edwards, and Jan Faber. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising vices. Inc, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. MEMBER The Associated Press, Texas Press Association Editor Rod Speer Managing Editor Stephen Goble Assistant to the Editor Greg Moses News Editor Will Anderson Photo Editor Gary Baldasari Sports Editor Kevin Coffey Ass’t. Sports Editor Ted Boriskie Staff writers Vickie Ashwill, LaTonya Perrin, Mary Russo, Tony Gallucci, Cliff Lewis, Mark Weaver, Brad Ellis, Hank Wahrmund, Kathy Young, T. C. Gallucci, Norine Harris, Sally Hamilton. Photographers Rodger Mallison, Kathy Curtis, Alan Killingsworth. INSURANCE — HOME LOANS BUSIEK-JONES AGENCY Equal Opportunity Housing 1200 Villa Maria — 823-0911 FARM & HOME SAVING ASSOCIATION (Nevada, Mo.) SANDWICHES SUBMARINES “Where no two sandwiches are alike!” Situated Right at Northgate 'ptesami jianbhiictj J^ljoppe From the kitchen of generations of Kesamis—a Tomato Sauce with character and tradition. Watch for it. 329 University Dr. 11 a. m. til 1 a. m. 846-6428 OUT-A-SITE SALADS CHEESECAKES Ttirke t (irav v UiT.id JUNIORS and SOPHOMORES 1974 AGGIELAND CLASS PICTURE SCHEDULE MAKE-UPS . . Mar. 4-Mar. 27 Pictures will be taken from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. UNIVERSITY STUDIO 115 N. Main 846-8019 (Bring fee slips) North Gate rtirgcn (S I'oath • Dry ( ii Fri list - NTRK Ird Sh »il Sh Saint! led IN rUrr i'Ul'ce ks (C \ Cof . Dry * Jo| 1'ea Ten tom ' ken 1 iF Ge becue nd S- st Be ikfue