■ Che Battalion Vol. 68, No. 57 College Station, Texas Wednesday, January 8, 1975 Board appointments, costly payoffs Former Students Executive Director contends Board of Directors’ appointments ire costly political payoffs, said Richard “Buck" Weirus, executive director of the TAMU Former Stu dents Association. “When Dr. (Jack K.) Williams (president of TAMU) calls me to find out who an appointee is . . . some thing is wrong, ” said Weirus Satur day at a Student Government reun ion. "The president should he con sulted." Three terms on the A&M board expire Jan. 15. Ford D. Albritton, Jr. of Bryan, L. F. Peterson of Fort Worth and Joe H. Reynolds of Houston will be reappointed or re placed by Governor Dolph Briscoe. "I have not really consulted Gov. Briscoe about the appointments,” said Williams. “I talk to Mr. Briscoe about a lot of things but not about the board appointments. Those nine people on the Board of Direc tors are my bosses.” Within the first two months of the year, Briscoe must make appoint ments or reappointments to about 600 board, agency and commission places where terms of members are expiring. Before 1975 is over, he will have placed more than 1,700 people in major and minor jobs. Duringhis four-year term, he will make enough such appointments to “control” every appointive state agency. That is to say, the people he selects will be in a majority of seats on the regulatory, licensing and administrative bodies. Nearly all the gubernatorial ap pointments are subject to confirma tion by the State Senate. Three University of Texas system board of regents members will come to the end of their present terms January 13. The most controversial of the three, Frank Erwin Jr. of Au stin, has stated he does not seek another term. Jenkins Garrett of Fort Worth and Dan C. Williams of Dallas also face expiring terms. State Highway Commissioner D. C. Greer’s term expires February 15. Briscoe has stated he will reap point Joe Christie chairman of the State Insurance Board January 31. Other agencies with powers reaching into all segments of economic life of the state have vac ancies coming up which Briscoe will fill early this year. A<&-M’s dollar impact exceeds $100 million A&M’s economic impact on the Biyan-College Station area totaled a record $118,7 (Jan. 6) as the College of Veteri- "ary Medicine opened its spring trimester. The remainder of the student )() dy begins class in two weeks on Jan. 20. A record 20,500 spring enroll- nient is estimated by registrar Hubert Lacey, a figure that would overshadow even the fall enroll- Ine »t last year by 2,()()(). A new mark was set in the fall semester of 1974 as 21,500 pupils signed up for A&M courses. V eterinary students have been on holiday break since Dec. 13 and oow are in the trimester that ends April 18. Spring recesses are planned for A&M classes in mid-March. I.H l Mi .'£l -• I if* . *&■*-«**& ■ v ■ ■ ifSgSSj m: 'P&v! * m ■ ■ - Corps Arch Construction will soon be completed on the arches at the entrance of the Corps area quad. The project is part of the beautification work being done to coincide with the 1976 Centennial cele bration. By ALAN KILLINGSWORTH and GREG MOSES Writing about Texas A&M during vacation isn’t easy. The students evacuate and the student life dies. So we made a spot survey of those faculty and staff and few students left on campus. The question: “What things about Texas A&M in 1974 would you like to see changed in 1975? What things should remain the same?” We walked around campus, dropping in offices and stopping a few of the people who passed. We made no appointments because we wanted the answers to be spontaneous. The answers: Steve Swanson, graduate. Geology I wish that the library would stay open longer. They also need to have more people that will work the North entrance. I’m not sure why they have to barricade the entrance. Andy Hajash, graduate. Geology I don’t think that the library should close during football games. I’d like to see the North door of the library remain open. There is a need for bike paths and more motorcycle parking. Beverly Royse, secretary, Petroleum Engineering My husband is a student and the increase in the building use fees was a big blow to the cost of tuition. Lanell Corley, secretary. Cyclotron I kind of hate to have the wall put up. It’s gonna block my view of the outside. They should use the money for multi layer parking. Dave Torgerson, senior scientist, Cyclotron I want A&M to beat Texas. “The Battalion’ should improve its editorial content. Alton Hassell, graduate. Chemistry Tuition is my pet peeve. They claim that tuition is low, but the overall bill is high. Ray Skowronski, graduate, Chemistry There needs to be a better working relationship between the Student Body and the Student Senate . . . There needs to be more campus news and less national news in the Batt. Lee Kassell, first year vet student Move the building use fees down . . . Work out the park ing situation. There are a lot of sources not being used. P. T. Eubanks, professof, chemical engineering Double or triple the parking on campus . . . The‘faculty salaries are not keeping up with inflation. The faculty in the last four or five years has lost the buying power. With 10 per cent inflation we get a 5 per cent pay. increase. Donald Garrett, instructor, mechanical engineering I really think that there is a little discipline left here in the classrooms and in other activities. There is still respect for higher authority. I think that it’s a good institution. Fred Norcross, library doorman The double price of the parking stickers is pitiful. I’m a senior citizen and I pay $48 a year for only a half day of use. Maybe this might help some. I don’t know. Richard Andrew, student worker, library Why does the school make poor use of its funds? Why build a wall and increase building use fees? . . . Why has candy gone up to 20 cents and the quantity gone down. It must go to President William’s slush fund. Bret Holland, graduate, zoology I would like to see some intelligence in spending money. The wall, the mall, and the University Center. Tony Bourgeois, associate professor, psychology This university is so lovely and smooth. I can’t think ol anything that would enhance the situation. How can you improve on perfection? Steve Gouge, graduate, history You got an hour? The main thing is building use fees especially since they waste money on the things like the University Center. There should be more concern for the students in their spending procedures. The upcoming bond issue is useless to me because I will graduate in August. T. H. Williams, director, English Language Institute. We need more classrooms. Dr. Anne Marie Elmquist, department head, modern languages We need more classrooms ... I like the University Center. Not the furniture though. Candy Johnston, secretary, modern languages There is not enough parking. Susan Drugan, clerk, housing office What the administration does, they say it’s for the students but it’s not . . . The wall, I mean, most of the students don’t want a stupid wall ... I don’t like the idea that the employes can’t criticize the administration without losing their jobs. It’s like having a guardian. Carol Hanson, student worker, housing The university’s faculty is stretched too thin. The students aren’t getting the quality teaching they need. They can’t meet the needs of the growth . . . There should be bet ter concerts. Everyone that is rude should keep their mouth shut . . . There is too much priority given to the Corps of Cadets. Glenn Jennings, manager, housing I m looking toward a better housing operation to offer the students a better and a complete service. (Photo by David Kimmcl) R. A. Lacey, registrar The greatest thing was the tremendous growth in stu dents. We led the nation. We expect 1975 to be another great (See CAMPUS, page 2) - .. ......