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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1976)
Page 2 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, FEB. 26, 1976 Women at AirM have come a long way 1 OCf j/etfrs By DON MIDDLETON and JOHN ADAMS As Middleton sits at the old typewriter and pecks out this week’s installment it is actually last Thurs day. And it is undoubtedly the most beautiful day of the year to date. The temperature is eighty degrees, there is a slight breeze blowing and the recent showers have caused all the grass to turn green and the dust to settle. Fifty years ago a day like this might have been the signal for a spontaneous trip down to the Brazos for the first swim of the year. Classes seem to hold no power of attraction when the first signs of spring fever begin to show up. But this is 1976, and let’s face it, who in their right mind would head for the river when the weather turns warm and the halter tops wake from their winter naps. Women at Texas. A&M. They’ve come a long way since Professor Charles Hutson’s daughter Ethel became the first woman to attend classes here in 1895. Ethel took courses in French and helped put out the Olio, the first college publi cation. Ethel’s younger sisters, identical twins Sophie and Mary, followed in her footsteps by enrolling in 1899. They subsequently became the first women to complete four years at A&M. The Hutson twins studied, of~all things. Civil Engineering. And while Sophie chose the life of a mother and housewife over that of a professional woman, Mary went on to become a design engineer with a New Orleans company. The twins were the center of at tention for quite some time in Aggie- land. Their boyfriends gave each of them a cadet uniform which Mama Hutson altered to fit their feminine frames and the girls took part in every aspect of college life except drill. When the Texas Legislature created the Texas A&M College in 1871, it was more or less taken for granted that it wovdd be a school exc lusively for men. But being as iso lated as it turned out to be, it proved inconvenient, if not sometimes im possible, for the daughters of the fa culty to attend school anywhere else. Probably nobody thought too much about it at time, but when the Hutson sisters became regulars around the campus, they started a trend that would eventually lead to trouble for the college officials. It became increasingly popular for girls to enroll in classes at College Station, so much so that the legisla ture sought a way to stem the tide. In the grand tradition of our state lawmakers, the College of Industrial Arts for Women was established to channel the women up to Denton, and away from the boys at A&M. Years before, the legislature had done the same for blacks by estab lishing a separate college for them at Prairie View. But that move didn’t appear to do much for the problem. By 1925 there were no less than thirty, yes thirty, women attending A&M under the status of “special student.” And worse than that, Evelyn Crawford became the first woman to receive a degree that very same year. Drastic circumstances call for drastic action. So on September 3, 1925 the Board of Directors passed a resolution prohibiting women from attending any classes at Texas A&M College. Well, that little gem didn’t make many girls happy. But the real clincher came in 1933 when several local women, including daughters of faculty members tried to enroll in fall classes and were flatly denied admis- tptejB. m i ^ The next thing President T. O. Walton and the Board of Directors knew, they were standing before the judge in the 85th District Court while attorneys for the girls in ques tion petitioned for admission of their clients. In January of 1934 Judge W.C. Davis made his final ruling in the case. He stated that the Morrill Act made no reference to the elligibility of women to attend the land-grant colleges, and therefore it was up to the various state governments to set and enforce entrance requirements. Petitioned denied, case dismis sed. Judge Davis’ ruling held for the next 25 years. It wasn’t until March 3, 1952 that State Senator William T. Moore dared to breach the subject again by introducing a resolution which called for the admission of women once again to A&M. It was Moore’s opinion that the college had been stagnating since World War I, partly due to the closed-door policy on women. The Hutson twins, Sophie and Mary, in their modified cadet-gray uniforms. The twins completed a course in Civil Engineering at TA&MC at the age of 17. Courtesy University Archives. The resolution was adopted unanimously, but 11 years passed before any positive action was taken on the Senate’s recommendation. On April 27, 1963 the Board of Directors approved a policy of li mited admission of women to the eol- S lege. The new rules allowed women- to attend the graduate college and the veterinary medicine school, as well as granting admission to the wives and daughters of faculty mem bers and students. SLOUCH Jim Earle Somehow I would like it better if it would emphasize the basketball team only!’ Che Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are itiose of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the university administration or the Board of Regents. The Battal ion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by stu dents as a university and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is published in College' Station, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and holiday periods. Sep tember through May, and once a-week during summer school. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per full ’ year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. .Address: The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, 'Texas 77843. 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 verifica tion. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatched credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous origin published herein. Rights of reproduction 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, Sdt-vices Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Members of the Student Publications Board are: Bob G. Rogers, Chairman; Dr. Gary Halter; Dr. John Hanna; Roger P. Miller; Dr. Clinton A. Phillips, Jeff Dunn, Tom Dawsey and Jerri Ward. Director of Student Publications: Gael L. Cooper. MEMBER Editor James Breedlove Managing Editor Roxie Hearn News Editor Pam Whigham City Editor j im Peters Contributing Editors Sandy Russo, Steve Gray Sports Editor Pau, McGrath Photo Director Douglas Winship Staff Writers Carolyn Blosser. Ray DanieU. Pat Edmondson, Tonv Gallucci, Paula Geyer Lee Roy Leschper, Jerry Needham, Mark Penny The new policy came at a time when college officials, especially President Earl Rudder, began to plan for a massive expansion of the college. When the name of the school was officially changed to Texas A&M University in ’63 it was like a gun sounded that began the race to keep up with the times and if possi ble, pass them up. HAPPY COTTAGE “The Quaint Little Shop Full of Unusual Items Musical Jewelry Boxes • Decorative Home Accessories! • Collector Dolls ff Jewelry: Many kinds including Turquoise Expert Watch & Jenet Repair and Engraving 809 E. 29th St. 3 blocks from City National Bank In perspective Come To Diamond Country San key Park Diamond Salon Charges and countercharges about the Southwest Con ference investigation of Jarvis Williams and Karl Godine have been tossed about by the media like so many rotten 21 3 S. MAIN \'\ 1/ DOWNTOWN BRYAN Engagement Rings eggs. For example, a story in The Battalion Tuesday, showed the willingness of some principals in the investigation to make statements about matters clearly in doubt. How ever, several things need to be put in perspective. First of all, lie detector tests are neither official nor unofficial. They also do not indicate guilt or innocence. They merely indicate various physiological reactions to a series of questions. Their value is so doubtful that generally they are not admissable as evidence in court. The results of lie detec tor tests also are supposed to be confidential. Second, some of the reporting of so-called facts itself should be suspect. The Houston News Service, for exam ple, has been one of the principle parties initiating and continuing the investigation. It may be too personally involved to be objective. Third, a great deal of mystery has surrounded the in vestigation. Scholarship athletes in the SWC are required to sign waivers that allow such investigations. However, the results of such investigations should not be mishan dled. Damning statements about an athlete (or anybody else) belong in court. Fourth, today is Godine’s and William’s chance for a rehearing. Evidence from the SWC investigation will be presented against them. They in turn will present evi dence in their defense. Perhaps then a judgment of their innocence or guilt can be made fairly and openly. — James Breedlove ^ Wedding Rings tttmond.s ^\( lu.\ii e((i How To Interview For That Job — And GetII! Here is a unique book. It spells out the secret interviewing W niques used by employers and it reveals the dynamics of theinlr 'view, the psychology which pervades every interview. This book not only reveals what to expect in the interview, itderr strates the techniques necessary to handle the interview andti plains why those techniques work. You will read and re-read this book. It contains the most poweifi material known in successfully handling the interview. If yousM and apply the basic techniques revealed here you will acquire mi! tery of the interview, and you will get the job you want. Send $10 to Knight Enterprises, 13 Dorsett, Dept. 585-B, Conner, ville, Indiana 47331. If not completely satisfied, just return thetmi within 10 days for full refund. (Book will be mailed book rate. Or enclose an extra dollar for airmii priority mail.) IF YOU’VE GOT THE TIME, WE’VE GOT THE BEER. BRAZOS BEVERAGES 505 HWY. 2818 822-3623 Watch for our Spring QAMding Special barker photography North gate THAT PLACT haircuts for men & women & all your hair needs. 707 TEXAS 846-6933 Across from A&M '''-.rrK-SSSSS-. GALLERY DATSUN AMC is proud to announce that former Aggie football player pat McDermott is the newest member of our sales staff. £ Drop by and meet Pat. . . AND get the best deal on a new or used car. 1214 TEXAS AVENUE BRYAN 822-7441 ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss Top of the Tower Texas A&M University Pleasant Dining — Great View SERVING LUNCHEON BUFFET 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Each day except Saturday Sfoi/r BankAmericaro '(wfoomp ftm $2.50 DAILY $3.00 SUNDAY Serving soup it sandwich 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Monday - Friday $1.50 plus drink Available Evenings For Special University Banquets Department of Food Service Texas A&M University “Quality First”