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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1976)
< Page 6 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 22, 1976 Soviet colleges push science Students prefer humanities By SETH MYDANS Associated Press j . ' ■' f 1 ' ! i i 1 it • : * ' ii i :} i M: I 1 ll MOSCOW — While Soviet uni versities beef up their scientific and technical programs, more and more students are saying they want to study the humanities, says the | minister of higher education. In a recent interview about trends to higher education, Vyacheslav .Yelyutin attributed the changing preferences to a desire for easier courses of study and to a growing interest in human questions, includ ing philosophy and history. The interview took place as the school year began for 5 million stu dents in 859 institutions of higher education across the Soviet Union. Without citing statistics, Yelyutin said he had observed over the past 10 years a growing proportion of college applicants who want to study the humanities. But he said the students’ desires aren’t affecting Soviet curricula or the numbers of students in different fields. University curriculums are pre determined in each five-year plan according to the needs of Soviet so ciety, and not according to student preferences, he said. Thus, regardless of changing interests, the Soviet Union con tinues to graduate a little more than 20 per cent of its college students in the humanities, while 42 per cent graduated last year in the sciences, 9 per cent as agricultural specialists, 7 per cent as doctors and other health workers, and 20 per cent as teachers. “There are many different rea sons, as we see them” for the grow ing student interest in liberal arts, Yelyutin said. “One, the humanities are easier: look at the difference be tween studying mathematics and studying literature.” Yelyutin did not go so far as to say students are becoming lazier, but the notion is widespread among Soviets that the younger generation — increasingly far removed from the revolution and without the toughen ing experience of a world war — is losing some of its drive. “The second reason is the expand ing interest in human questions,” he said. “Youngsters nowadays are more interested in learning about philosophy, history and so on. This expanding interest comes de spite the fact that the sciences and technical fields still provide the careers that lead to glory in the U.S.S.R., and despite the fact that the humanities are more subject to political changes today than are the sciences. Yelyutin hinted at the existence of a new, more introspective, less am bitious generation of young Soviets, following a half century during which the nation hardly stopped to think as it struggled to become a world power. Regardless of the growing num bers of college applicants who want to study tbe humanities, Yelyutin said, the technical and scientific courses of study are the ones being expanded, because they are the ones that are needed. Artist's curtain will he dismantled soon Associated Press ill Qftinenff 0looni 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 BankAmericard 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” VALLEY FORD, Calif. — The shimmering curtain of white cloth that artist Christo Javacheff stretched across 24 miles of coun tryside to the ocean is coming down — just as he planned. Soon it will be but a memory for its many beholders, who created traffic jams on local roads, tore away sec tions of it for souvenirs and took helicopter rides to view it. A contested portion of the 18-foot- high fence that dipped into Bodega Bay about 50 miles north of San Francisco was removed yesterday. The state Coastal Commission had refused to issue a permit for the final 1,000 feet of the project, but it mys teriously appeared there anyway on Sept. 7, the day before the formal start of the enterprise. Workers on the unique example of “process art" said, however, that it will be November before the dis mantling is completed. “It’ll be a lot of hard work and energy to take it down, just like it was to put it up,” said Patrick Morris, a member of the fence crew. He said about 75 people would dis mantle it. Christo, a Bulgarian-born artist who eschews his last name and once draped a curtain across a Colorado canyon, raised $2 million to finance the fence, composed of 2,000 pieces of nylon fabric attached to . steel poles. Some 300 students and other volunteers helped erect it over a two-day period. Battalion photo by Cathy Ruelf Texas Cities The college of Architecture and Environmen tal Design is currently displaying old draw ings of some of the Texas’ cities. Janine Morris, a junior computer science major, takes time to view the exhibit, which will con tinue through Friday in the Rudder Lobby, “It was exhilarating,” said Elizabeth Whitney, who was paid $113 for her labors. “We just saw little parts of it while we worked on it, and now here’s this connected, graceful beautiful thing.” Christo had said from the outset that he planned to display the fence for a fixed period of time and then take it down. Birthday present for David Bubble boy to get space suit So many came to see it last weekend that traffic was bumper to bumper on some of the area’s rural roads. A local entrepreneur who of fered helicopter overviews reported a brisk business. Associated Press HOUSTON — Little David, who turned five Tuesday, will soon be come an astronaut on his own planet wearing a specially-designed suit that will allow him to explore an Earth environment that is as alien and harmful to him as outer space to Accounting fraternity to induct 6 new members Six speakers will be presented at Texas A&M by the Delta Iota Chap ter of Beta Alpha Psi on Monday, Sept. 27 to discuss accounting career opportuinities for women. Beta Alpha Psi is a national pro fessional accounting fraternity that is sponsoring a Women’s Account ing Career Conference to inform women on the availability of ac counting jobs and to differentiate between which jobs suit their per sonal and career goals. One of the featured speakers at the conference, Karen McNeely of Price Waterhouse and Co. in Los Angeles, will present her views on public accounting. McNeely, a 1973 Texas A&M graduate works on the audit staff for the firm. Margaret Heaton, a certiFied pub lic accountant, has her own busi ness in Houston and will represent that area. Utes. Currently employed as an audit supervisor for Tocuhe Ross and Co. in Dallas, Williams, a CPA graduated from Texas Tech in 1970. !! i i i Paula Holland, from the Atlantic Richfield Company in Dallas, will speak on the industrial field of ac counting. Holland is a 1975 A&M graduate with a BBA in finance. Mrs. Lanette Black will discuss governmental accounting. Black works with the Internal Revenue Service in Austin and is a 1970 graduate of Southwest Texas State. She is presently an Exempt Organi zation Specialist and is active with the Federal Women’s Program. Janet William’s will discuss the single women’s career opportuni- Other job opportunites will be presented by Deane Waltman, a partner of J.K. Lasser and Co. in Houston. A 1949 graduate of the University of Alabama, Waltman became the first woman partner in this national accounting firm in 1970. The conference begins at 11:30 a.m. with a luncheon in room 206 of the MSC. Tickets may be purchased from the Accounting Department prior to Sept. 24 for $5. The speakers will present their program at 1 p.m. in Rudder Tower 301. other humans. The suit, a by-product of the technology that put men on the moon, will give David the mobility to explore things earthmen are familiar with — sunshine, rain, plants, solid ground and the laugh ter and faces of other persons. David has not felt the touch of a human hand since he was born. His life has been one of isolation in a plastic bubble at the Texas Children’s Hospital room and another at his home. He is the victim of severe com bined immune deficiency, an inher ited disorder that strikes one in every 10,000 males. His body Kas no natura) defenses and die simplest of germs on earth’s environment could kill him, doctors say. David’s parents have declined to be identified. Hospital officials said they did not know if any special celebration was scheduled for David’s birthday. But he was told recently of the biggest gift he will be getting hopefully before Christmas — the suit that will get him out of his bubble. “We told him about it and we showed it to him,” said Fred Spross of the Bioengineering Systems Di vision of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASf which designed the suit. “He was very excited aboutili is a very alert hoy. He was ski pictures of astronauts togetaniJii of what it would be like," Spros said. “He was told he wouldbesal of a small astronaut.” Spross said the $5,000 suit, weighs about two pounds, wasmai of rubberized fabric with a transparent helmet and nil boots. “The life system is mountedoai portable transporter,” Spross saii “There are two fans in the transp ter that carry air through a 10-fod hose into tbe suit and distribnij Used air is expelled at the ankles’ NE\ 1. L 2. E 3. T deplete 4. V rplan If yc true, tl to No. list wl under ecologi Cy/ gineer. doom i gers ,al melon: “Du notice ports i with st ter the For cated; but on messa; “Thi ution i age Ni Spross said the transporter which weighs about 125 pound: can be hand-pushed and has for the patient. Its system can opei ate for up to 16 hours, but David: suit was designed for four hours. “We had requests from the medi cal field for a suit of this type. It wail developed by this departmentii about a year by people working oil their own or when it did not inter fere with our programs which deal with space medicine,” Spross said Rose new department head in business analysis Foreign service officer exon applications due by Oct. Dr. Warren Rose joins Texas A&M University next week as head of the Business Analysis and Re search Department in the College of Business Administration. Rose, 50, was formerly chairman of transportation and logistics man agement at the University of North Florida. During that time, he had served as a visiting professor to Texas A&M from September 1974 through May 1975. In his visiting professorship, he served both the Business Analysis and Research Department and the Texas Transportation Institute, a part of the Texas A&M System. A native of Racine, Wis., Rose was chairman of production logistics at the University of Houston from 1963-71 and formerly taught at the University of Tennessee, the Uni versity of North Carolina and Wauconda Township, Ill., High School. The new department head re ceived his Ph.D. from the Univer sity of North Carolina in 1962. He earned bis master’s from North western University in 1953 and his undergraduate degree in 1949 from the University of Maryland. In addition to academic duties. Rose has also served as a consultant to the Interstate Commerce Com mission, Humble Oil Co. and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The author of nearly 30 scholarly articles, he holds memberships in the American Economics Associa tion, American Society of Traffic and Transportation, Omicron Delta Epsilon and Beta Alpha Psi. He twice won the Clyde B. Aitchison National Essay Award for Transpor tation Research, once in 1963 and again in 1965. A competitive written examina tion will be given by the United States Information Agency on Dec. 4, for Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service Information Offi cers. Applications for the examina tion must be received in the exam ination office no later than October 24. While a majority of candidates traditionaf/y have been college stu dents or recent college graduates, men and women with professional and vocational experience outside of college are also encouraged to take the examination. For the past sev eral years the average age of newly appointed officers has been 27 and about 65 per cent have had graduate degrees. This year’s FSO examination will include a test designed to measure the candidate’s skills and aptitudes in four functional fields (administra tion, consular, economic/commerc ial, and political), in addition to the English expression and general background tests which will be common to all candidates. The ex amination for information o„ will cover general background, & glish expression and a functio field test in information/culture. The Department of State and lb US IA have a special interest in «■ cruiting women and members^ minority groups. Applicants must be at least21 years of age and a citizen dk |l United States by the date of ill written examination. Knowledge(i a foreign language is not a require ment for appointment to ill Foreign Service but after app# ment officers are expected toif quire an acceptable level of profi ciency in at least one foreign 1# guage. Full-time language training# provided at government expense# necessary. Additional information andappfi cation forms may be obtained fro* Dr. J. M. Nance, Department®' History, Room 426, Academii Building, who serves as campusafi visor on State Department matters Mi ne ARI an acu service federal fare of The the 23 fore a s by Stu tor for The policy reactic regula kelp a HE changi lations Kents instea homes Roy Texas told tl appro; must i AGGIE CINEMA presents Moby Dick with Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab “excellent film adaptation of Herman Melville’s classic” Wednesday September 22 —CLASSIC SERIES- 8:00 P.M. Theater Attention! Photo Contest! Events: STEP INTO THE YOUR STUDENT UNION * still life * nature ★ sports ★ portrait Both color & B/W prints mounted on 11 x 14 board Awards: 1st & 2nd each cat. B of S Color / B/W advance to regional competition Entries: Oct. 27- 5:00 p.m. Oct. 29 at table in MSC Fee: 50c ea. no limit For further info: Bryan Evwer Tim Terrell 845-7648 693-2750 Sponsored by MSC Camera Committee m/c