Page 2 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1975
Growth
TAMU needs it so we must accept it
Many people on campus fear the
new influx of students that is expec
ted in the next five years. They pre
dict a basic change for the worse in
the personality of Texas A&M. Let’s
look and see what is more likely to
occur.
The first issue to be met is that af
ter all, this is a state supported
school. The ma
jority of the fund
ing comes annu
ally from the
state legislature.
So higher educa
tion is primarily
paid for by the
people of this
state. For every
semester hour
sold to students the legislature
chips in a certain amount of money.
The amount appropriated depends
upon a sliding scale of dollars per
hour per particular college at A&M.
Thus the College of Liberal Arts
gets less than the College of Engi
neering. So, depending on what
college you are enrolled in, you are
more or less dependent upon the
legislature for your educational life.
Many of the people of this univer
sity have gotten used to a sort of
elitist attitude which they really
haven’t had to pay for. The state has
paid for the bulk of their educations,
and now they want to turn to Texas
and say, “We have things the way
we want them here now, so don’t
bother us with the responsibility of
the rest of the prospective students
in the state.” All of this in the name
of maintaining a fabled elitism. This
is not only an immoral and illegal
attitude, an impracticable one as
well.
The new students will make
things cheaper on all of us in the
long run. We will be able to serve
more students more efficiently. It
will take farsighted planning to as
sure that we do not overload our
selves and lose this efficiency. But
until we begin to lose efficiency we
must not disallow people when we
can reasonably make a place for
them. This is a moral, legal, practi
cal obligation. Indeed we owe it to
ourselves.
The goal of the administration is
to helii the university grow in qual-
THE WEIGHTLIFTERS
Band for all Aggies needed
Editor:
I am a transfer student from
another major college in Texas. I
was very impressed by the spirit and
academic level shown here at A&M.
However, out of the top 10 col
leges in this state, A&M is the only
school that is without any kind of
school-supported music program.
Sure, there is a university concert
band consisting of students,
teachers and anybody else who
wants to join, but even Tarrant
County Junior College has more
than that.
Certainly we have one of the
finest military marching bands in
the nation, but why should a person
who is musically talented be made
to join a group of soldiers.
There are many former high
school all-state musicians at A&M
right now who are not playing music
and furthering their talent because
of this regulation. Much of the
music the Corps band is playing
right now was played by high school
bands five to 10 years ago. All the
other major colleges in Texas open
their music programs to anybody
who is talented enough to make
their band, not to who will cut their
hair, buy khaki uniforns and live in
40-year-old dorms.
Texas A&M is one of the richest
colleges in Texas and yet it is far
behind North Texas State, Texas
Tech, Baylor, West Texas State and
many other universities in music.
I’m not saying girl cadets or nor-
Coasters and Co.
mal students should be allowed, in
the military band. I just don’t see
why there can’t be a complete music
program (concert band, stage band,
chorus, private music teachers and
again most junior colleges have
these) for civilian students. Is this
also breaking that most respected
word, “tradition?”
It would cost a fractional amount
of money now being spent to set up
a normal music program and buy
better equipment for the Chemis
try, Physics and other departments
needing necessities for higher edu
cation. It would cost less than it is
costing to remodel the MSC, build
that beautiful iron curtain or the
North side of the campus and the
outdoor picnic area by the Chemis
try Building, along with other idio
tic decorations being built to
beautify this campus for the centen
nial.
Instead of celebrating A&M’s first
100 years with pretty objects for the
alumni and board of directors to
look at, why not celebrate it with a
well-rounded college of higher
learning of which all Aggies, young
and old, can be extremely proud.
Tommy Duer
Deadline nears
Friday is the deadline for interim
editor applications. The interim ed
itor will take responsibility for the
issues of March 6 and 7. The Bat
talion editorial board would prefer
an editor from student organiza
tions which deal with The Battalion
on a day-to-day basis. Editor will
be announced Feb. 17.
Land use planning
ity while at the same time accom
modating more of the state’s grow
ing college bound population. The
new students cannot help but stim
ulate the achievement of these two
goals. If the standards for admission
were raised, as some have suggest
ed, some of the people who have
made these suggestions wouldn’t be
going to Texas A&M. So since the
new students must exhibit the same
amount of quality as today’s stu
dents, we shouldn’t expect any vis
ible decline in student quality. And
with their coming we can expect
more money, more efficient educa
tion, and from these two we can ex
pect our degrees to be worth more
when we go out to sell them.
Sure we might lose a few tradi
tions. But if they’re worth keeping
they naturally will continue of
themselves. The useless ones will
pass away with the passage of time
anyway. So why allow them to stand
in the way of our progression?
Another predominant fear is that
we will degenerate into the same
kind of hurried and disheveled exis
tence led by the typical UTstudent.
The presupposition is, of course,
that our way of life is inherently
better. It’s not. It’s just different.
Let’s stop making excuses. A&M
must grow. It must change. It must
progress. Otherwise we ll simply
stagnate, looking back on the good
old days when a university could
still be structured the way A&M is
today and remain a fine university.
If we stay where we are, we never
will get anywhere. Don’t be so
afraid to join the rest of the world.
A little progress never hurt anyone.
IMiyfciiaMU
Change doesn't just happen
Would you like to put pressure on the local phone company
and other local utilities? The College Station City Council can
pressure these companies.
Would you like to see more apartments or businesses? Would
you like to see growth halted in College Station? The City Council
can affect these policies.
Would you like to see better roads? Would you like to see the
railroad moved? Would you like to see public transportation so you
can shop beyond North gate and the Skaggs-Albertson center?
Would you like to see building codes enforced where you live? You
can affect the direction of this community if you register to vote in
College Station.
The Battalion urges you to register here for these reasons and
quarti
effect
Sd
tricta
State’
the q
A vote in Brazos County gives you a vote which affects three
important incumbents on the state and national level: U. S.
Congressman Olin E. Teauge, Texas Rep. Bill Presnal and Texas
Senator William T. (Bill) Moore.
Register to vote in Brazos County — registration deadline is
in early March.
A good idea only on a local basis
“For once I agree with you, Coasters — I bet with all this
construction going on around campus we could make a good case
to collect disaster relief funds ...”
By CAROL MOORE
“God has quit making land, but
he hasn’t stopped making babies,”
former Governor McCall of Oregon
said in a speech on campus last
week. He seems to have made an
eloquent summary of the problem
of land use planning for America.
Congress attacked the question of
nationwide land use planning in a
bill sponsored by Rep. Morris Udall
(D-Ariz.) last session. The House
voted 211-204 in June not to debate
the bill. Only four Texans voted to
Che 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.
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is published in College
Station, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and holiday periods,
eh Mav, and once a week during summer school.
September through May,
Mail subscriptions are $5.00 per semester; $9.50 per school year; $10.50 per
full year. All subscriptions subject to sales tax. Advertising rate furnished #
on request. Address; The Battailion, Room ^17, Services Building, College'
Station, Texas 77843.
LETTERS POUCY
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 verifica
tion.
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 repnJduction of all
other matter herein are also reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room
217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843.
/M^bers of the Shident 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
Editor Greg Moses
Assistant Editor Will Anderson
Managing Editor LaTonya Perrin
Assistant Managing Editor Ro.xie Hearn
Sports Editor Mike Bruton
Photo Editor Glen Johnson
City Editor Rod Speer
News Editors Barbara West
Douglas Winship
Reporters . . . T. C. Gallucci, Tony Gallucci, Paul McGrath, Robert Cessna, Gerald
Olivier, Rose Mary Traverse, Steve Gray, Judy Baggett, Alan Killingsworth, Sayeeful
Islam, Mary Jeanne Quebe, Cathryn Clement, Robin Schriver, Cindy Maciel.
Photographers Douglas Winship, David Kimmel,
Gary Baldasari, Jack Holm, Chris Svatek, Steve Krauss, Kevin Fortorny.
consider it: Barbara Jordan and Bob
Eckhardt (D-Houston), Henry
Gonzalez (D-San Antonio) and Alan
Steelman (R-Dallas). Steelman will
speak Thursday night at 8:00 in a
SCONA presentation. He will de
bate Rep. Sam Steiger (R-Ariz.), a
principal opponent of the Udall bill
in Congress, on national land use
planning.
Provisions in the Udall land use
planning bill called for $800 million
to be appropriated over a period of
eight years to states having a land
use planning agency. Each state
would then use the grant to develop
and implement “comprehensive
land use processes” under federal
guidelines as specified in the bill.
Those guidelines would require the
states to provide for areas of “critical
environmental concern,” including
fragile or historic lands, natural
areas of scientific value and shore-
lands along rivers, lakes and
streams. Any land decision having
“more than local concern,” such as
the location of an airport, would also
be under the jurisdiction of the
state.
This process of state planning
under federal guidelines was criti
cized in fierce lobbying against the
bill last Congress. A loose coalition
of some farm groups, the national
Chamber of Commerce, real estate
developers and conservative action
groups opposed it. They said it
would result in federal control over
private property and could deprive
land owners of the use of their land
without compensation.
The Udall land use bill will prob
ably be resubmitted in this new ses
sion. New liberal strength in the
Congress may mean a better chance
for passage of the bill.
In Texas, a statewide land use
planning bill is in the writing stage.
Rep. Fred Agnich (R-Dallas) is
working with State Land Commis
sioner Bob Armstrong to come up
with workable legislation.
“A bill such as this must have con
servative support in order to pass
the legislature,” Agnich said in an
interview in Austin last Wednes
day. He conceded there is at best a
“50-50” chance of land use legisla
tion passing this session.
Agnich proposes a commission
made of six members: the three
state officials most involved in land
use decisions — Atty. Gen. John
Hill, Agriculture Commissioner
John White and Land Commis
sioner Bob Armstrong—and three
others appointed by the governor,
lieutenant governor and speaker of
the House. The commission would
administer three phases: inventory
of all state lands, a plan for optimum
use of the land and the recommen
dation of a “plan to implement the
plan.” The commission would au
tomatically expire January 1, 1979,
when the final recommendation
would be made.
Prospects for any land use legisla
tion do not look bright in this state
legislative session. The Land Use
Study Interim Committee held sev
eral public hearings last fall in an
effort to determine recommenda
tions to be made in a report to the
legislature. The chairman of the In
tergovernmental Affairs Committee
said that there will be no land use
legislation passed by the next legis
lature unless the federal govern
ment forces the state to do it. Rep.
James Kaster of El Paso said that ir
November when staff preliminary
recommendations that the stalf
have any control over land use dec
sions. The final report to the legisla
ture is not yet ready.
Any state or federal land usebl
should recognize that the bestwa;
is to provide for the greatest amounl
of local participation, but unde'
broad guidelines.
The location of a feedlot may have
more than local significance if H
poisons a water supply. And valu
able agricultural land not protected
by a greenbelt area could be losttoa
shopping center development be
cause of high tax rates.
The loss of Houston as a seaport
would have more than local signifi
cance. The Environmental Protec
tion Agency currently has land use
control in its “indirect source ” regu
lation of air pollution where large
numbers of autos are attracted, such
as shopping centers and parking
lots.
National land use planning is here
to stay, but it should not come with
out public support and local partici
pation. We need a state plan and we
need a comprehensive national plan
which will go to the states.
PI AN li I S
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