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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1976)
Page 2 THE BATTALION FRIDAY, MAR. 12, 1976 World-wide Muster prepared About 71 Aggies in Anchorage, Alaska will gather on April 21 for a muster, as will Aggies in Germany, New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Australia, Korea, Indonesia, and Egypt. Peggy Cooper and Pat Gersbach, assistants to the field director of the Association of Former Students are in charge of coordinating Aggie Mus ters all over the world. Their work began in December when they sent letters requesting in formation from the muster chairmen all over the world. Since then they have contacted former students to tell them where their local musters will be. They have also provided muster chairmen with speakers, information on how to run a muster, a list of all the Aggies who have died during the year, rec ordings of “Silver Taps” and the “Spirit of Aggieland”, and various films about Texas A&M. This year Cooper and Gersbach are providing a new film called “That Certain Spirit” which is a film about Texas A&M’s history. The film, pro duced by Leatha Miloy, Director of Educational Information Service, will be broadcasted on statewide television the day of muster, April 21. Aggies in Rotterdam, Nether lands and at the Tiger Club in Lon don, England will be among the groups viewing the new film at their muster. Jack T. Sloan, class of 1934, planned an informal class reunion in Monterrey, Mexico as well as the muster. Members ofthe class of 1934 A GARDEN OF WEEDS ! 1 ;< I I • ) I ' 1 ; p i r Aggies find smugglers’ base On a warm afternoon in late December, a trio of canoes glided quietly down the Rio Grande River. As the canoeists rounded a bend in the river one of them noticed a makeshift hut between the trees; soon an empty camp became visible, a silent camp containing several huts and a huge pile of mysterious dried plants. The canoeists stumbled upon a camp usually inhabited by Mexican citizens involved in illegal trade ac ross the Mexican-American border—but they peddle wax, not marijuana. Two of the students, Texas A&M [students Noel Gouldin, 19, and Susan Crabtree, 22, investigated the camp and talked with people familiar with the area to find out how the illegal substance i.s. obtained. Workers in the dSnqTluVrVest can- ‘ delilla wax, a 1 ow-gradeAvax that is an ingredient of many candies and that helps form the covering of many kinds of pills. Wax is obtained from the outer coating of the candelilla plant: a low-growing, light green shrub that grows abundantly in Northern Mexico and in the South western United States. The candelilla plant in Mexico may be legally harvested by anyone, but since it is a Mexican national product only the government may sell it to foreign countries. Harvest ing the wax is hard work and few Mexicans can make a profit by selling it to the government to export. Some harvesters simply cannot afford the traveling expenses involved and others make so little money that they can’t justify the expenditure of energy. Some Mexicans have found direct sales to foreign markets more lucra tive and have set up secret camps along the United States border where they collect and process the candelilla plants. The harvesting procedure is simple but tiring. The workers rise early so they can rest during the heat of day. They search the area surrounding the camp and gather armloads of the candelilla plants and toss them, roots and all, into water filled 50-gallon oil drums they have sawed in half. The workers then place the drums into large pits they have dug in the earth, and light fires under the drums. They also add sulfuric acid to the drums, and the combined action of the boiling water and the acid separates the waxy cov ering from the plant. When the wax begins floating to the surface of the water, the workers rake out the dried plants, lift the boiling vat and pour it into another barrel used to separate the wax and water. The water trick les to the bottom of the barrel and is released through a spout, while the wax remains on the water surface. Successive batches ofthe wax-water mixture are poured in until all the water is drained out and the barrel is filled with wax. Meanwhile, the dried plant skele tons are tossed into a pile that some times grows as high as nine feet and as large as 20 feet in diameter. The workers let the plants dry in the sun, then use them to build makeshift huts for shelter and to provide fuel for the melting fires. Using the plants as fuel relieves workers of the difficult chore of finding firewood in a desert area. The candelilla plants, supported by cane stalks, offer some protection from the elements to workers who use them to build small huts. No other shelter is usually needed since workers will spend no more than two or three months in the same area. Booze bargain begins State comptroller plans sale of property seized for taxes They come from as far as 50 miles away, and stay only a short time , until they have depleted the availa ble supply of candelilla. The workers are timid and live in constant fear of capture by authorities. When con fronted by visitors to their camps, they pretend not to understand En glish and sometimes even Spanish. When questioned about their ac tivities they shrug their shoulders and smile. Although they work in the day light, the harvesters are seldom de tected, since the territories they in habit are far from border population centers. Occasionally workers are caught in the United States by U.S. Park rangers and are turned over to Mexican authorities, but rarely are they caught by the authorities them selves. Items seized by the state com ptroller’s office Dec. 18 from the Alumni Club and Harry J’s at 1502 Texas Ave will be sold in a public auction March 19. The property was seized for non - payment of state sales taxes of $47,690 and delinquent city sales taxes of $11,918. The sale will begin at 10 a.m. on the rear parking lot at 3809 Old College Road in Bryan. The seized property includes bot tles of whiskey, scotch, brandy, rum, gin, liqueur, wines, keg and bottled beer. Some of the items will be sold in case lots, half-case lots and the remainder as individual items. Each purchaser will get a receipt. Buyers must present proof of age at the auction and a cash - only basis is required. If interested in further informa tion about the property call Don Williams at 846-8878. Most of the Mexicans who harvest candelilla are males between 25 and 40 years old who cannot support their families by ranching, mining or other traditional means. Since they are poor, they have few possessions and the candelilla camps are usually littered with worn out old shoes, broken sandals made from scrap tire rubber and rusty Mexican beer cans. In many camps, pictures of Mary and Jesus are prominently displayed and placed on canyon walls or hung from low tree limbs. Cbe 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 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, In York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. , New 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 l 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- I 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, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Members ofthe 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. Acting Editor News Editor City Editor Contributing Editors Sports Editor Photo Director Staff Writers Carolyn Blosser, Ray Daniels, Pat Edmondson, Tony Gallucci, Lee Roy Les chper, Jerry Needham. Roxie Hearn T. C. Gallucci Jim Peters Sandy Russo, Steve Gray Paul McGrath Douglas Winship £ op SENIORS Check our special prices for full length portraits for the Centennial Class of 76. ON CAMPUS MARCH 22-25 SIGN UP NOW FOR AN INTERVIEW 10TH FLOOR RUDDER TOWER UNIVERSITY STUDIO 115 College Main, Northgate 846-8019 will visit a glass works that morning followed by a banquet and muster ceremony at the Hotel Ancira. At the Mobile, Ala. muster Mar vin Tate, Assistant Athletic Director will speak. Special guests at that muster include former Aggie football player and 1956 Heisman Trophy winner, John David Crowe and his coach from 1956 Paul (Bear) Bryant, now coach at the University of Alabama. Some of the Aggies in other coun tries who have planned a muster are located at: Nuremberg, Germany, which will be held by the North Bavarian A&M Club; Berlin, Ger many; Bulolo Papu, New Guinea; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Madrid, Spain; Melbourne and Syd ney, Australia; Osan AFB, Korea; Jakarta, Indonesia; Aku Dhaki, Egypt; Bangkok, Thailand; and Yokato AFB, Japan. In the United States Congressman Olin Teague will speak to the Ft. Worth muster; Tommy Maxwell, a former Aggie and Baltimore Colts football player, will speak to the Or lando, Fla. muster; Henry Dethloff, author of the Centennial History of Texas A&M, will speak at Beaum ont; Dr. Jack Williams will speak at Houston; Dr. John Koldus III, Vice-President for Student Services, will speak at Corpus Christi; and Richard (Buck) Weirus, Executive Director of the Association of Former Students, will speak at the National Capitols A&M Club in Washington, D. C. — David White Committee’s goal to inform students One of the primary goals of the Rules and Regulations Committee of the Academic Council is to help stu dents understand campus rules, said Dr. John Beckham, chairman of the committee. He said the committee is trying to put the rules into a language that can be better understood by the stu dents, since one of the biggest prob lems with rules and regulations is interpretation. Beckham said that in the past there have been too many house rules printed along with the rules and regulations. “These rules should be carried out and enforced by the respective personnel of these places such as the library and the dining halls,’’ he said. The regulations governing motor vehicles and parking are being adequately enforced by the Univer sity Police Department, he said, and need not be included in the rules and regulations handbook. Informing the students ofthe rules is another of the goals ofthe commit tee. Beckham said he hopes the proposed changes can be reviewed by the Academic Council in time to be printed and distributed to incom ing students during the summer orientation program. “Once the revisions leave the committee they must go through several different channels before they are reviewed by the Academic Council,” said Beckham. They will Student architects to sponsor Ecofair ’76 Ecofair ’76, an open symposium about the relationships between ar chitecture and the environment, will be held in Rudder Tower April 12 through April 16. The Association Student Chapters of American Institute of Architects (ASC-AIA) will sponser the sym posium and raise funds for it by sell ing bumper stickers, silk-screen T-shirts and arts and crafts objects. Ecofair is designed to present “ideas students can’t get in an academic environment” within the field of architecture, said student committee spokesman Bill Patch. According to the ASC-AIA propo sal, the topics of discussion will in clude the relationships between art and architecture and their influences on people and the environment, the psychological factors which should be considered in design, and new advances and applications in build ing materials. Speakers for Ecofair ’76 will be practicing architects and members from the colleges of Texas A&M University. Other speakers will come from the Visiting Lecture Se ries, Artist in Residence Series and other universities. — Gale Kauffman BIG 240-Z 1972 DATSUN 240-Z 3 Automatic transmis sion, air conditioning, like new. $3995 GALLERY DATSUN-AMC 1214 TEXAS AVE. BRYAN NOW COMES MILLER TIME For your party needs . . . Miller Kegs, Lite Kegs, Half-Barrels, if and Ponies. Also Muchner (dark). See your college rep. or call 822-3623. Reserve yours now. We appreciate it. BRAZOS BEVERAGES 505 HWY. 2818 - Industrial Park 822-3623 There IS a difference!! PREPARE FOR: ★MCAT DAT LSAT GRE GMAT 0CAT CPAT VAT SAT FLEX ECFMG NATL MED Over 35 years of experience and success TAPE SESSIONS ONLY • Voluminous home study materials Courses that are constantly updated B’DS NAT’L DENTAL B’DS MCAT CLASSES AVAILABLE EDUCATIONAL CENTER TEST PREPARATION SPECIALISTS SINCE 1938 11300 N. CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY' DALLAS, TEXAS 75231 CALL FOR INFORMATION NOW 214/ 750-0317 . Branches in Major U.S. Cities be reviewed by faculty members as well as by members of the Student Government before they go to the council. In addition to Beckham who is As sociate Dean of the College of Sci ence there are representatives from the Dean’s Office, the Office of Stu dent Affairs, the Graduate College, and from the Student Government. The student attorney is consulted about the wording of the rules and regulations. —Randy Dusek BAHA’I CLUI OF TAMU will host a FILM PRESENTATIOl “THE NEW WIND” Tuesday March 16,8:0( Room 141 MSC Eddie DomingueiS j Joe Arciniega?! Greg Price /I IQtilH If you want the real thing, not frozen or canned .. . We call It "Mexican Food Supreme.” HAIRSHAPING EMPORIUM FOR MEN & WOMEN 846-76)4 331 University (Upstairs above Kesami) Dallas location: 3071 Northwest Hwy 352-8570 TONY* PIZZA VILLAG^M % % FRI. - SUN. LG. PIZZA $2.85 the s] Jparal into] How To Interview For That Job — And Get Here is a unique book. It spells out the secret interviewing M niques used by employers and it reveals the dynamics of the inlet view, the psychology which pervades every interview. This book not only reveals what to expect in the interview, it demon strates the techniques necessary to handle the interview and i plains why those techniques work. You will read and re-read this book. It contains the most powertui] material known in successfully handling the interview. If you stud) and apply the basic techniques revealed here you will acquire mas tery of the interview, and you will get the job you want. Send $10 to Knight Enterprises, 13 Dorsett, Dept. 585-B, Conners ville, Indiana 47331. If not completely satisfied, just return thebooi within 10 days for full refund. (Book will be mailed book rate. Or enclose an extra dollar for airmail | priority mail.) This lened 0loon 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 $2.50 DAILY $3.00 SUNDAY Serving soup & 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”