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Cbe Battalion
Vol. 68 No. 104
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, April 15, 1975 /
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!tr ug?liE AUSTIN (AP) — Texas A&M
ur >ngtL | University needs its opulent meet-
I ing room for its hoard of directors to
help rid itself of a cow college
image, says the chairman of the
House Appropriations Committee.
Stories calling attention to the
expense of the new meeting facility
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Palace stories ‘baloney’
A&M needs new image, Presnal says
(Money for the University
Center, except for the Former
Students Association Wing, came
from student fees and state
monies. The Former Students
wing was paid solely through do
nations.)
are “a bunch of baloney,’ Rep. Bill
Presnal, D-Bryan, said Monday.
“It’s sort of a showplaee, no ques
tion about that, Presnal said.
“A&M is trying to put out a new
image, and I don’t blame them for
that.
“It’s no longer a cow college, and
people need to recognize this. It’s a
full blown university today.’’
Presnal is employed by the Texas
A&M Research Foundation as a
special assistant. He is in charge of
liaison with Congress. His salary is
$14,160 a year.
T have no comment, said Sen.
Bill Moore, D-Bryan, chairman of
the Senate State Affairs Committee
and also an ex-Aggie. “I’m proud of
the institution. I think there’re peo
ple who would like to see it de
stroyed, and stories like that aren’t
going to help.”
Several other legislators praised
the story, which ran in the Dallas
Morning News Sunday. A similar
story was published earlier by the
Texas Observer.
“I was frankly very disturbed and
shocked when I read the story in the
Observer,” said Sen. Oscar Mauzy,
D-Dallas, chairman of the Senate
Education Committee.
“It points out again how the Per
manent and Available University
Funds can be abused,” Mauzy said.
The people who approve such large
expenditures should be answerable
to the voters, he said.
A&M spent $1.4 million for the
meeting facility, then put $700,000
worth of furniture, statuary and
paintings in it.
“We ought to do away with the
Permanent and Available Funds,”
said Sen. A. R. Schwartz,
D-Galveston, who like Moore, got
an academic degree at A&M and
then a law degree at the University
of Texas at Austin. Schwartz said he
got to wear the senior Aggie boots
one semester before going to law
school. “That’s the only time the
girls loved me for what I really am, ”
he cracked.
While he criticized the opulence
of the A&M facility, Schwartz said it
“pales by comparison with those at
UT.”
“I think that over the long run it
will prove even more expensive-in
terms of bad reaction in the legisla
ture,” said Rep. Neil Caldwell,
D-Alvin.
“A&M really is a good school, and
it’s a shame that, if my fears are
realized, the students will suffer be
cause of the bad judgment of the
board of directors,” Caldwell said,
meaning A&M may get less money
in future budget requests because of
the new facility.
“I think they went a little too far,”
said Rep. Fred Head, D-Troup,
chairman of the House Higher Edu
cation Committee.
He said more detailed informa
tion by representatives from A&M
and other schools will be required in
the future when they come to the
legislature for money.
Rep. Ray Hutchison, R-Dallas,
agreed with Head’s idea on greater
control by the legislature through
demanding more information on
spending proposals. He called for
more legislative “controls and prior
ity standard’s” over all public uni
versities.
Dr. Jack Williams, president of
A&M, just happened to be in the
Capitol Monday. He said one
member of the board of directors
has given $800,000 to the school.
And gifts from other current and
former members of the board ex
ceed the cost of the facility, he said.
Editor’s Note: The Battalion
contacted President Williams
concerning the Dallas Morning
News and AP stories. “I don’t
want to be part of your news
story,” he said.
Privacy a problem
Photo by Jack Holm
Since last November
numerous articles and let
ters have appeared in The
Battalion concerning the
costs of construction and
furnishings in the new
University Center. This
week we are devoting a
series of articles in an at
tempt at shedding new
light on the MSC story.
See related stories this
issue, pages 6 and 7.
U.S. Representative Barry Goldwater Jr. spoke
at the Political Forum Monday night in Rudder
Auditorium. Goldwater discussed the Right to
Privacy Act of 1974. He stressed the fact that social
security numbers have been used extensively in
invading people’s privacy.
Today.
Inside
Goldwater Jr p. 3
Alcoholism p. 4
Rock Notes p. 5
Weather
Fair and warm Tuesday
with SE winds at 7 mph.
High today 79; low tonight
57. Mostly cloudy with fog
.Wednesday morning be
coming fair and warm. High
81.
Iron fence in addition to wall ph0 " b,c ""’" k "‘"
The gap between the brick segments of the four bun- to resemble tbe ones around Kyle Field, and will
dred sixty-thousand dollar wall at Northgate is being likewise be surrounded by beds of vegetation. Con-
filled with wrought iron fences. The fences are built struction at Northgate will end in the fall of 1975.
6-1 vote
Student on governing board bill passes committee
By JIM CRAWLEY
Staff Writer
A bill requiring a student on the
governing boards of all Texas four-
year colleges passed through the
Senate Education Committee last
Wednesday.
The bill, designated Senate Bill
493, sponsored by State Sen. Bob
Gammage, received a six to one ap
proval .
The present form of the bill, if
passed by the Legislature and the
governor, would require a Texas
student of at least sophomore stand
ing, who is registered for at least six
semester hours, to be placed on the
board of each senior public college.
The student would be required to
finish at least one more year at the
institution.
Heavy lobbiers for the bill were
students from the University of
Texas and the Texas Student Lobby,
said Margot Gidel, legislative aide
for Gammage. Students from
TAMU, University of Houston, UT
at El Paso and Southwest Texas
State were also present at hearings
held for the bill. Opposing the bill
was UT lobbyist Frank Erwin.
The bill is dormant at this time.
Gammage will probably file a
“notice of intent” sometime next
week, said Gidel. The notice is
necessary before the bill can be read
on the Senate floor.
“At this time it doesn’t look real
favorable, but the senator (Gam
mage) is lobbying on the floor for the
bill and that’s why he is holding off
now,” said Gidel.
This is the second time Gammage
has sponsored a bill trying to get a
student on the governing boards.
During the last session the Senate
defeated his bill. The present bill is
similar to the first one.
The House has not introduced a
companion bill to Gammage’s.
Gidel described the student re
sponse to the bill as “just excellent.
Run-off
election
today
Student elections for senators,
graduate student council and
run-offs for executive positions
are today. The polls close at 6
p.m.
The polling places are in the
MSC, old Exchange Store,
Krueger-Dunn Commons,
Corps Guard Room, Fowler Hall
lounge and married students’
apartment office.
Color-coded paper t>allots will
be used in the election as op
posed to punch card ballots.
J-Board enjoins Martin;
campaign violations cited
By JIM CRAWLEY
Staff Writer
An injunction by two Student
Government (SG) Judicial Board
members has been issued against
Mary Ellen Martin, carididate for
student vice president of rules and
regulations.
The injunction will not keep Mar
tin from running in today’s run-off
elections.
There’s not going to be a hear
ing,” said Martin in response to the
injunction.
Hampe and Hamley stated in the
injunction they were “issueing this
injunction to stop any future viola
tions of the Election Regulations.
The Judicial Board injunction, is
sued by members Russell Hamley,
junior, and David Hampe, sopho
more, stated “you (Martin) have
seemingly violated the Election
Regulations after being warned and
disqualified for the same violations.
Martin’s disqualification was
thrown out last Monday by the
board.
Hampe said that Martin had
placed “campaign material on doors
in the Corps area. He added that the
charges were initiated by Martin’s
opponent, Duane Thompson,
added Hampe.
“I have not witnessed the viola
tions,” said Hampe.
Two Corps seniors, Warren Rus
sell and Curt Marsh, student vice
president offinance, were the actual
witnesses and complained to
Thompson and Hampe, noted
Hampe. He added that Hamley had
other witnesses to the alleged viola
tions.
All the injunction requires is that
Martin will not continue the illegal
campaign practices.
“I was quite upset because the
injunction did not say what the vio
lations were,” said Martin.
This is the second time during the
election that Martin has been
charged with campaign violations.
She was disqualified and then reins
tated by the Judicial Board last week
for similar campaigning tactics.
Hamley was not available for
comment.
That last step is a doosie
A drop of approximately one hundred-fifty
feet stretches below this member of the Ma
rine Recon Platoon. Sixty such Aggies re
pelled out of two CH-53 assault transport
helicopters Saturday. The copters were pro
vided by HMH-777 “Heavy Haulers” of the
Photo by Ken Stroebel
Dallas Naval Air Station. Even after reach
ing the ground, the Aggies had to contend
with fifty mph wind generated by the two
turbine engines of the world’s largest heli
copter.