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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1975)
THE BATTALION Page 3 FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1975 UC costs The $28 million University Center was funded by $6.83 million in Student tuition and Building Use fees (24.3%), $16.7 million of Permanent Available Funds (64.9%), $2.5 million in Interest on University Local Funds (8.9%) and $490,000 in Former Students’ dona tions (1.7%). Graduation WITH THE PURCHASE OF ANY PEN Writing I nstruments in 12 Karat Gold Filled Pen or Pencil .... $ 8.50 Set $17.00 EMBREY’S JEWELRY 415 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STATION 9-5:30 MON.-SAT. This view of the main desk and promenade of the old MSC was taken from the 1952 Aggieland. In refurnishing the building, the interior designer specified that the “old hat” red tile be replaced by the light tan tiles used in the newer parts of the Center. William Pahlmann said he “was trying to get away from that cursed yellow brick” when he selected the two “marbelia” murals for the second floor MSC concourse. The canvas mural cost $72 a sq. yd. (Photo by Jim Peters) Commentary Students not consulted in planning By JIM PETERS Staff Writer “Interior decoration begins with a study of the people who are going to live with it.. . Their ideas, especially if they are young peo ple, may seem impractical to you but you should hear them out. ” Excerpt from The Pahl mann Book of Interior Design, New York, 1968. By William Pahlmann A.I.D. It couldn’t have been said better, and yet, it couldn’t have been adhered to less. None of the estab lished planning committees nor the COMMENTARY organizations that use the Memorial Student Center were consulted as to the furnishings in the Center. Students were involved in all as pects of planning for the'original MSC building, J. Wayne Stark, di rector of MSC, said. He has been director since the MSC’s inception in 1947. Both he and Bill Davis, the past student president of the MSC Council, lamented the lack of stu dent input into the new complex, particularly its furnishings. Whereas the operation and maintenance of the old MSC was controlled entirely by the MSC Council and Directorate, much of the new MSC’s operations are hand led by the University Center Board. The recreational needs and office space for student programs in the new Center have already been taxed. Yet, there are plenty of con ference and banquet rooms in the $28 million complex. It’s-more a Memorial Conference Center in plan. The center should be union- oriented, as opposed to business- oriented,” Davis suggested. In the Theatre Arts Center, which has received due praise from its users, the decoration seems ap propriate for the air of formality that exists there. The decorative plagues and statuary, although of an eclectic cultural mix, contributes to the re laxed atmosphere in the circulation areas surrounding the excellent theatre facilities. Just across the mall area, the re lazed atmosphere evolves into a chaotic blend of hooved cowhide benches, martial arts, and out-of- place antiques. The Board of Directors says it is pleased with the Center’s design, which several members term a “work of art. ’’ The interior designer, William Pahlmann, says he gets do zens of letters from former students and visitors, thanking him for his work. President Jack K. Williams receives 20 or 25 complimentary letters for every negative one The Battalion prints concerning the University Center. The question of taste is a personal one, the interior designer says, one that “grows with exposure to good influences.” “Taste is hard to define and dif ficult to talk about,” Pahlmann wrote, “but when you come into a house and you feel comfortable and happy, you can be pretty sure that 3 T* mu -yi McDonald’s big 20^ c Birthday c Hamburger Celebration. Regular hamburgers only 15C plus tax. One day only, Sunday, April 20^,11:00 a.m.’til closing. McDonald’s' 1 will be 20 years old this Sunday. It’s our birthday, but the party’s for you! Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to closing, you can get a McDonald’s regular hamburger for only 15<f plus tax. The same 100% beef hamburgers you always get at McDonald's, but for the good old 1955 price . . . Just 15<\ It’s our way of thanking you for 20 great years. Don’t miss it! Sunday, April 20th, at participating McDonald’s. You deserve a break today AA ■McDonald’s I ■ I® good taste is operating there. Real taste can give you a lift like a glass of champagne. ” As many view it, the biggest planning error is not taking advan tage of the wealth of professional people on campus, whether they be in the field of architecture, agricul ture, liberal arts, or whatever. Their recommendations could be infi nitely valuable in an advisory capac ity to the board or the administra tion. Such an advisory role was antici pated by President Williams three years ago when he created the Long Range Campus Planning Commit tee. Composed of three students, three faculty, and six staff members, the committee has been accused of being “top heavy in the administra tion . Even so, it has only met twice in the past two years, the most re cent time being last spring. The Campus Planning Commit tee (CPC) was formed by the Stu dent Government in 1971 to pro vide student input into construction plans on campus. Committee mem bers had difficulty obtaining infor mation on several of the controver sial items of campus planning, most notably the perimeter landscape development plan (the Wall) and the plans for furnishing the MSC. At one point The Batt was told to delay taking photographs of the landscape plans for a couple of weeks. Williams said the University “was fighting for its life” in Austin over the apportionment of the Per manent University Fund (PUF). The PUF is the earnings from state-owned land reserves. A&M receives one-third of the fund for improvements leading to “academic excellence. It is the board that de termines what priority Cloisonne vases, the size of classrooms. Hotard Hall and cowhide benches rate as items of excellence. Even with active planning com mittees, however, the ultimate de cisions rest with the board. A par ticular case is the new Architecture Building which underwent con struction this month. Original plans included eight skylights for the binding’s roof. Later, one of the board members thought the appearance of skylights would not “look good” and sug gested that a wall (an accepted aesthetic solution so it seems) be build around them. Despite protests from the ar chitects, and the students and fa culty involved from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design about the folly of such an idea, the added “skylight shades” will be constructed. Gen. Luedecke for one has been extremely helpful and receptive to those students wishing to examine landscape and construction plans. Yet few of the 22,000 students and faculty have this access and thereby rely on the committees for their in formation. A Student Business Council was established this spring by Student government for the purpose of in vestigating student fee increases and fee expenditures (an area of widespread student concern). It will also provide input where possible and provide this information to the student body. SMsSattil The Best Pizza in Town (Honest) and all this: LUNCHEON SPECIAL (Mon.-Fri.) LIVE ENTERTAINMENT HAPPY HOUR OLD TIME MOVIES HOME MADE ICE CREAM (Bill’s specialty) CREPE SUZETTES COLDEST BEER IN TOWN (HONEST) AND OF COURSE . . . “ETCETERA.” Come enjoy an evening (or luncheon) in a relaxed cozy atmosphere unequal led in the Southwest (honest). THURSDAY APRIL 17th 1975 10 A.M. EiNqiNEERiiMq & OFFice Supply CoRp. 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