seeks more
Page 2 THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1974
Listen up
”MSC
Editor:
Memorandum to the editorial staff
of the Battalion.
We request that you reexamine
your current policies with regard to
campus activities generally and
especially with regard to the prog
rams sponsored by the committees
of the MSC Council and Directo
rate. It is our feeling that, as the
student’s newspaper, you have not
been giving the student body ade
quate information concerning ac
tivities available to them from their
student organizations.
For example, when Lt. Governor
Hobby spoke at the Water for Texas
Conference, his appearance was
newsworthy enough to receive front
page advance publicity in the Battal
ion (Sept. 18). However, when he
was to speak at a Political Forum
presentation open to all students,
the advance story was put on page 6
of the Oct. 4 edition (Friday editions
are generally accepted to be the
least read editions) and was noted in
the Campus Briefs section on the
day of the program' (Oct. 8). The
followup on Oct. 9 mentioned only
in passing that he was appearing in a
Political Forum presentation.
We feel this situation should be
changed because:
One, the programs sponsored by
the MSC Directorate are often of
National, State, Regional or local
significance. Because of this, the
student body should be made more
aware through the student news
paper they support with their stu
dent service fees, of what oppor
tunities are available to them from
the MSC and through other student
organizations.
Two, as has been stated, the Bat
talion is supported by student ser
vice fees and therefore should
orient itself to students and the
campus. The Battalion is the stu
dent body’s only source of news for
the campus, and should shoulder
the responsibility of providing the
students with this news.
Three, the MSC also is supported
by student services fees. The
Battalion’s neglect of MSC prog
rams necessitates increased expen
ditures of student service fee money
on advertising in the Battalion and
in other media. This creates neces
sarily a decrease in the money avail
able for other programs.
Four, the MSC programs are stu
dent run activities and the Battal
ion, as a news service, should let the
students know the opportunities av
ailable to them and the educational
experience available through par
ticipation in the management of
MSC programs.
Respectfully submitted by the
Memorial Student Center Council.
William W. Davis
President
'WHATEVER ELSE YOU FIND, I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT, OR APOLOGIZE FOR ITP
The economic reply
Bidding system clarified
By MIKE PERRIN
The bid ticket proposal outlined
in this column Oct. 9 raised enough
comments and questions to necessi
tate a clarification of the entire plan.
Briefly, it works like this: at re
gistration, the student may indicate
on a computer card what games he
would like tickets for during the
coming year, along with his bid for
tickets in a particular area. The ath
letic department would take the top
bids and send the winners their tic
kets.
The ticket expense would be in
cluded on the fee slip.Then, before
each game (say a week or so), stu
dents could bid on tickets for that
game by going to the ticket window
and picking up one of the computer
cards. After all the cards have been
turned in at the windows, the top
bids receive notification by a third
class letter. They pick up and pay for
the tickets at the Coke Building.
The advantages are: no lines,
since all cards are turned in before
the bids are processed. Hence, no
advantage exists to line up; no scalp
ing, since people are paying the
highest price they are willing to pay;
no mandatory $200,000 athletic fee;
plus, sports gets more money when
they are doing well,that is, there is a
reflection in the market of value re
ceived.
Several people have written or
otherwise expressed the following
objections and arguments about the
plan:
“It makes it impossible to know
whether or not you will get tickets. ”
All winners are notified im
mediately. There is the added ad
vantage of having two selling
periods, because if you miss the first
one, you have a second chance.
Under the current system it is pos
sible to stand in line and still not get
tickets, as the 43rd person for the
LSU game found out.
“The majority of students would
rather stand in line than pay
money.”
This statement is meaningless
because it assumes that students’
time is worth nothing. Standing in
line puts those with jobs, study
commitments, or other interests
(such as illness) at a disadvantage to
those who have nothing better to
do. Also these objectors cannot
speak for the majority of students.
“Seniors have earned the right to
the best seats.”
This equates hours earned with
interest in football, a shaky assump
tion at best. This view also assumes
that attending A&M is a punish
ment, and rewards are needed to
maintain enrollment. Few seniors
would leave if the seniority system
were dropped. Besides, many un
derclassmen have their senior
friends pick up tickets for them dur
ing the first distribution period, so
seniors can be cheated under the
present system.
“The bid system will cost more
than the mandatory system. ”
It can only cost more for those
who attend games. It will cost no
thing to those who do not go and it
will cost more only if those who at
tend bid more, of their free will,
than they are currently being
charged whether or not they agree
with the assessment.
If people are willing to bid more
than is being charged, then the
football team is currently being
cheated of the extra money they de
serve for doing well.
“The scalper is now the person
with the most money instead of the
one with the most time.”
People cannot buy tickets in a
free bid system and then sell them
for more, because if someone is wil
ling to pay the scalper more than
they cost the scalper, the person
would have bid more in the first
place and thus outbid the scalper.
The only way to scalp is to buy tick
ets during the first distribution
period in a season where no one
expects a good season and then sell
them for more when it does turn out
to be a good season.
Currently, there is no risk to
scalping—they know what the good
games are going to be and only have
to wait. With a bid system, the op
posite must happen from what the
majority of people expect to happen
for scalping to occur.
“Only rich students can afford
free bid seats. ”
This simply is not true. People
will bid what they think they can
afford. Currently, 15,000 student
tickets per game are distributed. In
order to put the poor student at a
disadvantage with a bid system,
15,000 people must outbid him, or
about 70 percent of the school must
be richer. They must not only be
richer, but must be willing to pay
the extra amount for game tickets.
But if 70 percent of the students are
rich, then the overwhelming major
ity are rich and can afford high bid
prices. Students must only outbid
the 15,000th bidder—not the first
one. In other words, even if the
number one top bid is $100 per tic
ket, the 15,000th bid may be only
$4. Or any other amount. It is only
necessary to outbid the last highest
bid, not the first highest.
The 15,000 tickets will be sold for
the top 15,000 bids, regardless of
the prices bid. So if everyone bids
50 cents then the tickets will all cost
50 cents. The people who want to go
to the games worst get to go, and
pay the most. People who do not
want to go pay nothing at all.
The bid system of distribution
still beats all comers by a country
mile. It’s too bad that the Student
Government is still only consider
ing dull variation of the same old
thing we have now. I only wish they
could get more creative.
Cbe Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of 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. Editor
ial policy is determined by a majority of the editorial board.
LETTERS POLICY
, Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are
sulfect to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial
staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guaran
tee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the
address of the writer and list a telephone number for verifica
tion.
Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room
217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843.
Members of the Student Publications Board are; Jim Lindsey, chairman;
Dr. Tom Adair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr. H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, Steve
Eberhard, Don Hegi, and John Nash, Jr.
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Services, Inc.,
New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
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.
Mail subscriptions are $5.00 per semester; $9.50 per school year; $10.50 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 > . . Greg Moses
Assistant Editor Will Anderson
Managing Editor LaTonya Perrin
Sports Editor Mike Bruton
Photo Editor Alan Killingsworth
Copy Editors Cynthia Maciel,
Carson Campbell.
News Editor T.C. Gallucci,
Steve Bales
City Editor , Rod Speer
Special Assignment Reporters Teresa Coslett,
Mary Russo, Jim Crawley, Paul McGrath, Tony Gallucci,
Mark Weaver, Gerald Olivier, Joe Matthews, Steve Gray,
Jack Hodges, Judy Baggett, Barbara West, Wendy Wetzel
General Assignment Reporters Dave Johnson,
Kanaya Mahendra, Jim Peters, Chirra Reddi, David White,
Cindy Taber; LeAnn Roby, Roxie Hearn, Debi Holliday,
Rose Mary Traverso, Ron Amsler, Robert Cessna, Richard
Henderson, Daralyn Greene, Scott Reynolds, Sandra Chan
dler
Photographers Douglas Winship,
David Kimmel, Jack Holm, Glen Johnson, Chris Svatek, Gary
Baldasari, Rodger Mallison, Steve Krauss
PR
Warnings urged
Editor:
Last week an 8-year-old child was
assaulted by a 20-year-old male.
Perhaps you heard about it on the
news.
What you didn’t hear was that the
same man sexually assaulted a
friend of mine in her apartment near
campus last spring. No one seemed
to take the matter seriously at that
time: the sentence was 2 year proba
tion.
The apartment owner told us
there were always two sides to every
story and that the assailant seemed
like a nice guy, therefore he would
not return the $135 deposit when
my friend decided to move. Ironi
cally, it was the owner’s daughter
who was the nice guy’s 8-year-old
victim.
We informed the Dean of the
Women’s office about the incident
and the apartment complex in
volved, yet they refused to advise
potential renters because of some
law regarding character defamation.
I’m not advocating that the univer
sity be a protection agency but in
formation should be available and
any action be left up to the students.
We do not hear about these cases
because of misconceptions towards
the victim and archaic laws protect
ing the criminal. This is not an iso
lated case, but perhaps, a preventa
ble one.
Cathy Randall
The matter will be
investigated—Ed.
Vet speaks
Editor:
Mark Lyons ’77, pay attention.
In reference to your answer run
in Listen up entitled “Heroes Cut ”:
Bravo!!!
A Veteran
> Rodger D. Lawrence
hey! wfa,t 5ay
WE. LOOK ft ROUND
YIN THOSE TREES?
^ 1
n.
i^JBEFORE WE DO, ShoulDNI
We Figure oot somei
RIND OF TRAIL, Sol
We Won't GET lOSI
By
.. i e>ET you really
BREAR 'E-tA • UP j imposed
IN OESIGbJ ClKSS... >nttoPn
A statei
an equa
jproval (
A&M
ent Schc
leeting I
The me
le board
ices Bui!
The st;
upt. Fn
roposed
itle U
mendm
Ions, aw;
equire :
hvsical e
PEANUTS
THINK METRIC."
PA55ITON.' ^
THINK METRIC.'
PA55 IT ON !
THINK METRIC!
PASS IT ON ‘
AAU6HH.'
exes anc
ty in ex
egulatio
criminal i
esting n
In his
[uested
lide for
nter-sch
Welcome to
BASF Wyandotte
We work for
the future
with you in mind
We have you in mind now if you seem to be headed for
a career in any phase of chemical research and develop
ment or production. We are an American member of
the BASF Group, one of the world s largest chemical
companies. We develop, produce, and market basic and
intermediate chemicals, dyes, plastics, crop protection
chemicals, and chemical specialties. We are committed
to growth professionally at all times through an active,
progressive and consistent developmental program.
OUR PEOPLE GROW. YOU CAN, TOO.
We feel we can offer you a unique opportunity in our
Technical Personnel Development Program (TPDP) to
plan and implement your industrial career according to
your needs as well as ours. In this program, technical
graduates are assigned to different departments in our
company every three to six months, for a period of one to
two years. Assignments include engineering, research
and development, production, marketing, manufacturing
services, and technical service. As permanent positions
become available which match your interest and demon
strated skills, you will be interviewed and may then re
ceive an offer which you may either accept or reject.
Your salary and benefits will be highly competitive. Many
graduates of this program now hold positions of respon
sibility within the company. You can, too.
FOR ON CAMPUS INTERVIEW, SIGN-UP AT
YOUR CAMPUS PLACEMENT OFFICE.
WE WILL BE ON CAMPUS —
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25th
BASF Wyandotte Corporation
An Affirmative Action Employer M/F