Page 2
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1975
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Challenge by students urged
Dear Editor:
It is time for the students to chal
lenge the actions of the administra
tion and their ridiculous actions in
trying to make A&M, according to
our beloved Pres. Williams, “a
showplace of the nation” for cen
tennial year 1976. Instead of a
showplace, they are converting our
campus into one big luxurious joke.
The University Center, formerly
the MSC, is only one example of the
stupidity of the administration in
letting this monstrosity exemplify a
place, according to the catalogue,
“to foster the social, cultural, and
recreational phases of students, fa
culty, and alumni lives. ’’The Center
was not built for the students or with
their ideas, and it is being furnished
with lavish and hideous monuments
that serve no purpose but to create
an environment of wealth.
The $450,000 wall on the north
side of the campus resembles the
actions at t.u. where students won
der if their administration spends
more money on landscaping rather
than on education. Is A&M going to
follow?
And then those needless brick
arches in the corps area. Another
waste of money. The results of these
actions has increased the building
use fees to outrageous proportions.
As students of this great univer
sity, we must act together soon to
oppose the further actions of the
administration and to voice our dis
content with their past actions as
well. Unless we do, we will con
tinue to be neglected and shoved
around. What will happen next?
Ken Koehler
Parting shots
Dear Editor:
I have faith in our team and
coaches that they can and will work
out any problems that they have. It
is the problem of the Aggie fans that
concerns me, because I honestly
feel that the lickin’ we got in Austin
was our fault, not the team’s or the
coaches’. Let me illustrate:
Some Aggies live totally in a
world of “Beat Texas.” I honestly
think that many would be satisfied if
we lost 10 games in a season so long
as we beat Texas. This has to be
based on some deep-rooted, exagg
erated animosity toward our com
petitors across the Brazos. This
general feeling appears to have
rooted itself on the campus, and in
the hearts of many Aggies. We
spend the entire year building the
tempo, instilling desire, pumping
adrenalin to develop the super
strength to whip Texas. By the time
we get to the game, we have
pumped our team dry and left them
a quivering bundle of nerves, totally
unable to utilize their outstanding
ability and preparation for the game
— and we created this mess — the
wild-eyed group that worked ourse
lves into a state of furious passion.
When it’s over, we are drained —
and embarrassed — ready to strike
at the fissure in the dike — spill out
our frustrations and tear down the
great structure that we built. In
stead, let’s go back home and lick
our wounds, determine the source
of our problem, and take steps to
correct it.
Would you believe that an in
tense desire to win could be detri
mental? Never! — except when it is
heaped so disproportionately on
beating only one of our eleven athle
tic competitors. The grand Aggie
tradition is Pride and Spirit, and it
should manifest itself in a “Winning
Attitude” — not “Beat Texas.” In
order that we may develop this
“Winning Attitude”, I would like
to suggest three major actions to
re-order our priorities. These are
likely to be questioned by some, but
deep down in my Aggie soul, I be
lieve they must be done:
1. Write new words to the Aggie
War Hymn. The lyrics give me a
wonderful sensation up and down
my spine, similar in nature to other
“blissful” experiences, but the
words leave me cold when we are
playing a team in red and white, and
the mascot has tusks rather than
horns. A war hymn should apply to
the foe, whoever he may be, not just
the school across the Brazos.
Frankly, I don’t feel that bunch over
there deserves that much recogni
tion.
2. Abolish the bonfire! This is the
focal point of our year-long build
up. We bring everyone up — in
cluding the team. Although in
tended to kindle the flame of desire,
it is so strong at that point it goes
beyond a mere kindling and bums
out the whole body.
3. Develop a winning attitude!
What is past is past — jinxes are
formed in the mind. So, let’s set our
goals for the whole season. Next
year, we play eleven games, then
the Cotton Bowl. One game is as
important as the next — none more
important than others. Let’s con
centrate on winning each game as it
comes with a healthy enthusiasm of
performing with pride and humility
— Pride that we are a great institu
tion, and Humility that God has so
blessed us.
I say “Gig ’Em Aggies.” We are
great, and with the talents we have,
we ll be even greater.
N. J. Rowan
’59, ’67
Objectives lost
Dear Editor,
When my bill for the spring
semester arrived I almost lost my
lunch. The Building Use Fee has
gone from $2 per hour to $6 per
hour — an increase of200 per cent!!
Is the administration ofourcampm
competent?
How, in these times of spirallinj
inflation, can the administrationjiu-
tify outrageous expenditures od
construction projects — unwanted
and not needed by the student bod)
— and in the same breath, sockus
with ridiculous fee increases.
The students are begging!di|
more recreational facilities, more
room for the committees of the Sta-
dent Programs Office—justifiable
increases in spending. The ad
ministration returns with awallthat
mocks our campus traditionofopec
friendliness, destruction of grasi
with concrete malls, and continual
increasing fees.
What next? Pay toilets, pay to
stiles into buildings, more MSC
French whorehouse furniture.
Texas A&M is not a sandbox to)
for Dr. Williams and his crew to
play construction with, nor is it
something pretty for the formti
students to look at. This university
is for the quality, “economical eda
cation of the taxpaying citizens ol
this state.
I sincerely believe that the Ad
ministration has lost sight, in theii
careless rush for notoriety, of (be
objectives of this University. If they
do not reclaim these objectives,
then the wall the students should
build will surround the administra
tion building.
Gordon A. Stewart
Rickey H. Grochosk
Randy E. Houghton
and four othen
1*9
ro
i
R
—l
Lobby available to students
A BIRD’S EYE VIEW
By ROD SPEER
“Cloud 9 — A Bird’s Eye View”
will be a weekly feature of the
editorial page involving myself and
city news reporter Gerald Olivier.
We will be bringing you behind-
the-scene interpretive evaluations
of the personalities and events that
influence off-campus news of in
terest to A&M students.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
With the 64th Texas Legislature
beginning its lawmaking business
this month, everybody wants to get
into the act of influencing legislation
— including students.
The students
of A&M and the
other major uni
versities will be
officially repre
sented by the
Texas Student
Association
(TSA) and pos
sibly the Texas
Student Lobby,
depending on ^
the outcome of
a three-day TSA convention in
Austin beginning Jan. 31.
The TSA is primarily concerned
with student services such as insur
ance programs, book co-ops and the
like. Lobbying is a sidelight TSA
plans to take up and will be a major
order of business at its turn-of-
the-month convention.
Among causes that the TSA will
lobby for is a bill that will consoli
date a conglomerate of state-funded
grants for higher education into two
grant programs. John Nash, exter
nal affairs committee chairman for
the Student Senate, explained that
currently the state has a number of
little-known grants available that
involve considerable expense to
administer and have only limited
student use. The consolidation
would be under the State Coor
dinating Board for Higher Educa
tion and would theoretically cut
the administrative cost as well as
simplifying the procedure for secur
ing a state grant.
Other topics of concern will be
insuring student representation on
school board of directors and put
ting a ceiling on the extent schools
can raise building use fees.
The board of directors for both
the TSA and the TSL will be attend
ing the upcoming convention. A
main question to be settled is
whether the TSL will be eliminated
and a professional lobbyist hired by
the TSA to look after its interest or
whether TSA will re-incorporate
the TSL under its wing to carry out
that function.
Within the last two years the TSA
and the TSL were part of the same
organization, the Texas In
terscholastic Student Association. A
rift developed when certain factions
of the TISA became interested in
lobbying statewide for marijuana
decriminalization, liberal abortion
laws and similar issues. Some
schools, including TCU, SMU and
Baylor, decided the TISA was an
abortion and declined to even join
either the TSA or the TSL when the
larger group was dissolved.
Since the division, TSL has
moved away from the glamor issues.
TSL Director Sandy Kress, a former
student body president at the Uni
versity ofTexas, has said the group’s
main concern now is increasing stu
dent financial aid.
According to Nash, the TSL,
which operates without a financial
base, has done little if any lobbying
in recent months. The group has a
chance to re-unite and re-organize
with the financially-backed TSA.
With this order of business out of
the way, the focus of attention will
hopefully concentrate on pushing
enactment of the student-supported
legislation.
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.
Editorial policy is determined by the editor.
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 S/lay, and once a week during summer school.
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 guaran- |
tee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the |
address of the writer and list a telephone number for cerifica- i
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.
Toni 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.
Mail subscriptions are $5.00 per semester; $9.50 per school year; $10.50 per
full year. All subscriptions subject to 5<2 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 Glen Johnson
City Editor Rod Speer
Reporters . . . Teresa Coslett, T. C. Gallucci, Tony Gallucci, Paul McGrath,
Robert Cessna, Gerald Olivier, Rose Mary Traverse, Steve Gray, Judy Baggett,
Roxie Hearn, Alan Killingsworth, Sayeeful Islam.
Photographers . . . Douglas Winship, David Kimmel, Chris Svatek, Jack Holm,
Gary Baldasari, Steve Krauss.
PEANUTS
THE BURGLARS
ARE COMING
BACK •
I CAN HEAR THEM IN THE
LIVING ROOM tTHEY'RE STEAL
ING ALL OUR FURNITURE!
DO 5omethins,snoopy/
SCAKE THEM OFF l
BARK AT THEM'. 1 . 1
PICTURES FOR
1975 AGGIELAND
Seniors & Graduates —
Make-up Deadline Jan. 31
JUNIORS & SOPHOMORES
Jan 20 — Jan 24 A — G
Jan 27 — Jan 31 H — M
Feb 3 — Feb 7 N — R
Feb 10—Feb 14 S —V
Feb 17—Feb 21 W —Z
Photographs are taken on a drop-in basis, 8 — 5 weekdays and 8 — 12 Sat. For further
information contact the Studio.
Students who have paid to have their pictures placed in the 1975 Aggieiand
should have their photograph taken according to schedule at —
UNIVERSITY STUDIO
115 North Main 846-8019 College Station