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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1976)
O'Connor: mad scientist Or. Rod O’Connor By LISA JUNOD The harsh lights dim and a long haired, stoop-Shouldered man be- frocked in a stained white lab coat bustles down the aisle of the chemis try lecture room, scattering papers and side-stepping students as he goes. When he reaches the lecture podium he shakily adjusts his sunglasses, clears his throat and be gins mumbling in a heavy German accent. He tells the expectant freshman chemistry students that his name is Dr. Irgolic and launches into a complex definition of an sp-3 hyb rid orbital. Grabbing a beaker and flask off the table, the professor an nounces that he will demonstrate a change of state experiment. Seconds after he begins pouring from the flask the lights go out, the front of the room fills with smoke and out of the mess emerges a smiling, energetic man who strides up to the blackboard and writes, “My name is Dr. O’Connor!” Dr. Rod O’Connor, director of the University’s Freshman Chemistry Program, is known among his col leagues and students for his own peculiar brand of humor. In addition to the mad scientist routine, O’Con nor has started the first day of class dressed as a janitor sweeping the front floor of the lecture hall. Each time the “janitor” drops something into a trash can the can explodes and when he drops his cigar the floor seems to ignite. O’Connor says that on the first day of classes students have a tendency to be slightly nervous and worried. He likes to make them laugh to relax them and convince them that their fears are groundless. “Chemistry has a reputation of being a hard subject to take. This just isn’t true. Students willing to work have nothing to worry about — we give an average of 50 per cent A’s and B’s here in Freshman Chemistry,” said O’Connor. Each year more than 4,000 differ ent students enroll in Freshman Chemistry at Texas A&M. O’Connor said that the challenge of developing a program for so many students was one of the main factors that promp ted him to come to A&M in 1973. “That, and money,” he admitted, grinning. O’Connor was born in Lilbourn, Mo., the son of a school superinten dent. He said that one of his earliest childhood memories was of the time when, in 1939, his father attempted to integrate the public schools in his district. “I remember staying up one night watching my father and grandfather sitting out on the porch with their shotguns across their knees, waiting for the Ku Klux Klan to appear,” O’Connor said. “I was very disappointed when they never showed up. This was be fore we had TV and I was looking for a little violence,” he explained. O’Connor’s formal education in cludes a stint at the University of California at Berkeley where he practiced “being radical.” Earlier, he had enrolled at Southeastern Mis souri State College with aspirations of becoming an engineer. However, he switched his major to chemistry to avoid transferring to another school. “I had my eyes on a little brunette at Southeastern. She made chemis try look a lot more appealing. I ve been married to her for twenty years now . . . she sure paid offl” Although he jokes about his per sonal life, O’Connor is very serious about helping students with prob lems in chemistry. He believes that one of his program’s strongest points See O’Connor, page 4 J Che Vol 68, No 70 College Station, Texas Thursday, Feb. 5, 1976 'illiams addresses SG Housing limited 75 admissions Iroximately 3,000 prospective stu- [were turned down for the lack of fete housing for the fall 1975 semes- , University President Jack K. Williams [ie student senate last night. Ing a 45-minute segment of the 4'/2 lession, Williams also talked about pcent marijuana arrests of three A&M athletes and answered Irs’ questions, including one which _|ted the statement about enrollment, lejlidn’t elaborate on the admission re- (V nil ,, iams said the enrollment for next fall 27,500 if the same number of new students enroll as last year. Williams told the Senate enrollment should peak near 30,000 students. The arrests of three former athletes had not affected A&M in any adverse way that he knew of, Williams said. He added that as far as he knew there were no undercover narcotic agents working on campus. The Senate, in other business, approved 28 changes in the University Rules and Regulations. These included changes in academic and student life regulations. During the three-hour discussion on changing the policies, senator Brad Wake- man moved that “fish be allowed in the dorms. This brought cheers and clapping from numerous Corps and civilian stu dents. The Senate finally approved “aqua tic animals as the only pets allowed in dor mitory rooms. Also at last night’s meeting the Senate read the proposals of the Student Service Fee Allocation Committee. The committee recommends the amount of Student Ser vice fees that are given to the various stu dent organizations. The committee is recommended to the Senate that the Athletic Department should receive $30,000 less than last year’s $120,000. This allocation also included a plan to sell student season ticket books for football for $15.00. If 20,000 students ex pected to buy ticket books the Athletic Dept, should derive a revenue of $300,000 plus $90,000 from Student Service fees. Senator Robert Harvey introduced a bill recommending to the College Station City Council that the permissible drinking hours be extended to 2:15 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Presently, the hours for consumption of alcoholic beverages ends at 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The allocation recommendations and liquor hours proposals will be voted on at the Tuesday, Feb. 10, meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m. ite for civic center may be donated By STEVE GRAY Contributing Editor illege Station may be nearing the end Search for a site for its proposed civic [convention center. 1 Dity Councilman Bob Bell, chairman of i tity s hotel-motel tax committee, said : city is discussing the possibility of ac- hgthe donation of a 12-acre tract from Irea Progress Corp., a local land de- [iment company. The land, part of the ere Southland Valley subdivision now ngdeveloped by Area Progress, is south of FM 2818, directly across from A&M Consolidated High School. In September, the city council ap pointed a civic center committee, headed by Al Pedulla, that was char ged with study ing possible sites for the center. Pedulla said last night he was unaware that the city had been discussing the proposed donation and was unable to comment on the matter. Pedulla is acting director of architecture research at Texas A&M University. Pedulla did say, however, that one of his students in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design is doing a design study for the proposed center. The study will determine an optimum site as well as the kinds of facilities that might be included in the center, Pedulla said. The city has already allocated $25,000 from its hotel-motel tax fond for construc tion of the center which is expected to cost several hundred thousand dollars. The fund, which is used strictly for tourist pro motion, currently totals $45,365. How ever, the city will probably have to draw money from other sources later to pay the remainder of the costs. The fund represents a 3 per cent tax levied quarterly on the earnings of each of the city’s nine hotels or motels, including the university’s Memorial Student Center Hotel. The state also levies an additional 3 per cent tax for statewide tourist promo tion. W.D. (Bill) Fitch, president of Area Pro- (See “Civic”, page 5) wo US AC races planned Speedway sold to racing firm By JIM PETERS Battalion City Editor for more than two years, Texas Speedway has been sold to a delphia-based racing syndicate. ['It s a matter of the official papers being 1, Richard C. Conole, president ofThe rid Series of Auto Racing, told The Bat- ip yesterday. i final purchase price was announced ling the sale of the $6.25 million r eedway from its current owner, the Hol- vay Sand and Gravel Co. of Michigan, to I eTexas Speedway Limited Partnership. The two men involved in the partnership eW. Perry Gresh of Bryn Mawr, Pa. and [B. LehrofRydal, Pa. |e partnership will lease the 2-mile I, located 8 miles south of College Sta tion on State Highway 6, to Texas World Speedway Inc. (TWSI), said Conole, TWSI president. Conole said two United States Auto Club (USAC) sponsored racing double-headers are tentatively planned for this year. He emphasized, however, that they “haven’t been firmed up yet.” The first event, April 4, would pair a 150-mile stock-car race with a 150-mile championship (Indianapolis-type) auto race, said Jack Martin, director of public affairs for USAC. The same kind of doubleheader is tenta tively set for Oct. 17, Martin said, except the distance of those races will be 200 miles. Conole said there have been no problems in getting USAC-sanctioning for the planned racing slates. “The racing fraternity has been very interested in our plans,” he said. “They want to see this track open again.” Besides the steep-banked main track, the facility includes a 2.75-mile road course. Conole said this track will be leased to racing groups for motorcycle and other road races. The grandstand seats 26,000 and the track’s infield can accommodate an additional 30,000 spectators. The speedway has had two owners since it opened under the name Texas Interna tional Speedway in November 1969. Dan Holloway Sr., whose sand and gravel com pany was the major contractor for the track, bought the speedway in 1971 after the orig inal owners went bankrupt. He renamed it Texas World Speedway. Problems continued to plague the speedway which was once called the “world s fastest track when closed-track speed records were set there in 1972. Rain postponed several races and in Oc tober 1973 the management closed the track, citing the energy crisis as the major factor. The last event held at tjjie speedway was Willie Nelson’s 1975 Fourth of July country music festival. Major improvements are eventually planned for the 640-acre facility, Conole said, after the track becomes well- established. “But the main thing is to get racing back in Texas. The people here like it, and they’ve been denied it for quite awhile. Atmincla Pape Barracks converted to a “temporary” office building in 1948 receive a new coat of paint. A&M is using the barracks to fight office space shortages on-campus. Office space scarce, barracks being used Two auto races are scheduled this year for Texas World Speedway. The long-vacant track was sold earlier this week By LEE ROY LESCHPER JR. Battalion Staff Writer Office space at A&M is in short supply and may remain so until Fall, 1977, Dr. Charles E. McCandless, director of facilities and planning, said Tuesday. A&M hired the equivalent of about 110 additional full-time faculty and staff person nel for the 1975-76 school year, McCandless said. No additional office space will be avail able until spring, 1977 and most projected office additions are projected for Fall, 1977, he said. “We hope there will be enough flexibility within the colleges to accommodate new faculty members,” McCandless said. For ’77 there should be enough new of fices to get back to reasonably satisfactory office conditions, he said. The Architecture Building and the Ani mal Resources Laboratory and Research Facility will be finished by spring, ’77, said Mel Lasell, assistant director of planning and institutional analysis. Those two build ings will total 134,710 square feet of floor space, including 12,150 sq. ft. of office space. Most of the space in those buildings will be used for teaching and special use facilities, he said. Three new buildings are slated for com pletion by fall, 1977. These, the Soil & Crop Sciences and Entomology Center, the Animal Industries and Poultry Science Center and Classroom-Lab Building, will yeild 296,000 sq. ft. and 44,000 sq. ft. of new office space. Conversion of Milner Hall to office space is also slated for fall ’77 completion. After conversion Milner will provide 21,000 sq. ft. of space, including 13,800 sq. ft. of office space. Total office space on campus at present is 702,000 sq. ft. The majority of that space is in faculty, clerical and staff offices. New office space by Jail, 77 will be about 70,700 sq. ft. Several A&M colleges will receive space in the new buildings. The College of Ag riculture will take over the soil and Crop See Office, page 5 INDEX A SUBCOMMITTEE of the Re sidence Hall Judicial Authority pro posed last night the use of electric percolators and popcorn poppers in the dormitories. Page 3. AN EARTHQUAKE IN GUATEMALA killed an estimated 2,000. Page 4. SCHNABEL MAY NOT TES TIFY before a Travis County grand jury because he said he feels it is prejudiced against him. Page 5. THE BANK ROBBERY Patty Hearst is on trial for is to be recon structed. Page 6. THE FORECAST for Thurs day is cloudy and cooler with 30 per cent chance of showers; 20 per cent tonight. Northeasterly winds expected at 5-15 mph. Tonight’s temperature will be in the low 40’s.