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The Battalion
Vol. 70 No. 78 Tuesday, February 22, 1977 News Dept. 845-2611
10 Pages , , College Station, Texas Business Dept. 845-2611
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By DAVE TEWES
Jxtreme crowding of several local busi
es has prompted enforcement of a city
win l tiding code that limits the number of
■ipants in a building, College Station
'Utler [ire Marshal said Friday,
unninrInvestigation began after complaints
ishet p received by the College Station Fire
. anotBartment and several city councilmen.
the l! I'We had complaints of some of our
linesses being dangerously over-
iger * |ded, Harry Davis, College Station
i 880-ji Imarshal, said. “We were in the pre
lates iss of enforcing the code when the
id Di Kple approached us.”
me code is the Southern Standards
ding Code, adopted by the city coun-
[n the early 1960s, Bill Koehler, build-
official for College Station, said yes-
and h a Y
'pen i]t
The code has been in effect a long
businesses must limit crowds
time,” Davis said. “We have never had
the manpower to enforce it.”
Davis said the fire department now has
the manpower and he began enforcing the
code last week by personally surveying
local businesses.
Periodic checks will be made by Davis
to ensure enforcement of the code.
“We have surveyed about 19 or 20 busi
nesses so far.” Davis said. “We skipped
over a few, but not intentionally. We just
flat missed a few. ”
The accuracy of the surveys still hasn’t
been detennined, Davis said. The surveys
are taken during peak business hours,
which vary from business to business,
Davis said.
“Naturally, there is no way we can take
a head count,” Davis said. “What we are
going to be looking for is adequate aisle
space.”
The code has a specific provision that
limits the number of persons allowed in a
public establishment. This provision is
what is being enforced, Davis said.
Any place that can accomodate 75 per
sons or more, is subject to the code, he
said. “The drinking establishments have
given us the most trouble.”
Davis said he isn’t picking on drinking
establishments, but they are the most
popular with students at Texas A&M Uni
versity. Restaurants violate the code occa
sionally, he added.
Protection of the customer is the object
of the surveys. Shutting down businesses
is not, Davis said.
“If they (businesses) can operate in a
safe manner, then we are willing to let
them go,” he said. “What we are trying to
keep away from is this sardine-type situa
tion.”
Exit capacity and fixed seating are the
two main factors considered in surveying
businesses, Davis said.
Exit capacity refers to the width of the
exit. The width must be sufficient enough
to allow a specified number of people to
exit in a given time period.
The definition of fixed seating was hazy,
Davis said. Consultation among city offi
cials defined fixed seating as tables and
chairs arranged to channel traffic flow.
“If you have fixed seating, you are al
lowed 6 square feet per person,” Davis
said. “With non-fixed seating, you are al
lowed 15 square feet per person. ”
Businesses with fixed seating are al
lowed more people per square foot be
cause the pattern of people moving toward
the exit in an emergency is broken-up by
the seating. The opposite is true for non-
fixed seating.
The Dixie Chicken, The Sports Club,
The Black Hat Saloon and TJ’s are a few of
the businesses required to obey the code’
Davis said.
“We don’t like the code,” Don Canter,
co-owner of the Dixie Chicken, said. “We
are going to live with it if it doesn’t get
ridiculous.”
He said he wasn’t sure how it would
affect businesses. If it hurts business, he
said he would have to protest the code.
“If we see our business is being hurt, we
will have to do something,” Canter said.
“We will probably have to see a lawyer.”
Prices would be raised only as a last re
sort, he said.
Sparky’s has an average of 250 people on
Friday and Saturday nights. Sparky M.
Hardee, owner of Sparky’s, said. “The
code allows him to have 184 people in the
building.
“It will cut my business by 30 or 40 per
cent “ Hardee said. “If fewer people
come, I may have to raise prices because I
have a fixed overhead.”
The City Council adopted the code as a
means of limiting growth of business in
College Station, Hardee said.
“I think the City Council sits on a
pyramid dreaming up ways to restrict the
growth of College Staion, Hardee said.
“There is a real concern by businessmen
about the callousness of the City Council
toward businessmen.
Larry Stegent, owner of the Sports
Club, said he isn’t concerned about his
business being hurt. He said the Sports
Club was given a fair limit.
“My business won’t be hurt if they give
us a fair capacity limit,” Stegent said.
“They have been very fair.”
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hairmen to be chosen March 7
MSC council picks officers
By PHYLLIS CARVER
lix officers were elected to the 1977-78
morial Student Center Council last
Sit, all by unanimous decision.
'he closed session of the council was
ir in less than an hour.
g<
All the elections were unanimous,”
Carolyn Johnsen, chairman of the
Ininating committee.
ohn Oeffinger, president of the council
a member of the nominating commit-
et in tkl said the incoming officers will be a
inning, d group,
off brad fary Greer, junior geophysics, was
basked
elected vice president of programs.
“I didn’t know until someone called to
congratulate me,” she said. “I was really
surprised. Tin looking forward to it.”
La Donna Young, junior journalism,
was elected director of public relations.
Sharon Taulman, junior accounting, will
be vice president of administration.
The director of operations will be Ron
Woessner, sophomore forestry. He said
he plant to improve communication within
the council.
Lynn Knaupp was elected director of
projects. Knaupp, sophomore political
science, said she had applied for director
of operations but had cited projects as her
second choice.
“I’m real excited about it anyway be
cause I think I can do a lot with it,” she
said.
Debra Dollar was elected vice president
of finance. She is a junior majoring in fi
nance.
Oeffinger said the nominating commit
tee had recommended that the officer
elections be separate from and held before
the election of the committee chairmen.
“This way those who run for offices can
also run for chairmen if they aren’t
elected,” he said.
The nominating committee will be mak
ing several recommendations for changes
in nominating procedure, Oeffinger said
“We have decided to pick the top two
applicants per position and give a list of
pros and cons for each,” he said. “We
didn’t do it that way for this election be
cause we haven’t written it up in the rules
yet.”
The next meeting will be another spe
cial session on March 7, when the council
will elect the 20 committee chairmen for
1977-1978.
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olumnist Ashby supports individual
By DEBBIE PARSONS
blem tol
ating Al
1142pm he topic of the SCONA conference,
dividuality in American Society,”
the conference a unique operation,
in Ashby said Saturday morning,
pound! shby, a columnist for The Houston
gave the final speech of the SCONA
150 pan idents Conference on National Affairs)
ference at a brunch for all the dele-
;s at the Memorial Student Center.
Icome here today, not as a Teasip; not
nning Cl 'our acknowledged leader; but to mull
158 pos h you over the idea of the conference
have all attended,” Ashby said,
on added [The mere subject of this conference,
uth thellviduality, automatically makes this a
ng, He’lque operation,” he said. “In most of
in 7:26,p | world today there is no room for the?
ividual.
In most countries, I would imagine 80
per cent of the world, meetings like
would be raided.
shby has traveled to many countries
as a journalist he said that he always
other Af ds the local newspaper to find out what
p theAjj [ding on in that country.
didnil mahout eight or nine out of every ten
to Richlai intries, he said the readers find out
i 3.32. at the government wants them to find
I up the
limited
In this country the people run the
of, by and for the people,” Ashby
“This is good theory, but it is not
ays the fact. We don’t always run the
There is always a constant tug-of-war in
this country, with the people on one side
and the government on the other, he said.
“This is as it should be,” he added.
It would be foolish to believe that there
are no pressures against expression in this
country, Ashby said. The pressures are
not from the government, but from the
people.
“These pressures are, themselves, ex
pressions of the individual,” he said.
The SCONA conference highlighted
speakers who gave varying opinions on the
subject of the individual in America,
which Ashby said be feels is good.
“If you have found total disagreement
among you, then don’t be confused,” he
said. “It would be very wrong if we all
reached, a common stand on this question.
The whole idea of the individual in
America is that we don’t agree.”
Ashby said it would be mutually exclu
sive to have a conference where everyone
is in total agreement. “It would be self
contradictory,” he said.
Ashby, as a journalist, said the idea of
the expression of individuality in our soci
ety is of the utmost importance to him.
“In this country we’ve grown to expect
freedom of the press and we should; we
should demand it,” he said.
Lately our society has turned against
the press, Ashby said, and he agreed that
some of the criticisms are true.
“Let me tell you one very simple
truism,” he said. “No group has served the
people of this country so well for so long as
the press. I m not saying we are perfect.
I’m saying that daily we express what
we re talking about today: individuality.”
We may now be living in what Ashby
calls “the golden age of expression.” We
have a right to express ourselves and
Ashby says he feels the current status of
that right is excellent.
“No matter who you are or what you re
doing, if you’re any good at it you can ex
press yourself, find an audience and
people are going to listen,” he said. “They
may not agree with you, but they’ll lis
ten. ”
Ashby studied pre-med and received
his B.A. degree in journalism at the Uni
versity of Texas. He ^worked with The New
York Times for six and a half years and has
been working with The Houston Post
since 1968.
Before coming to A&M, Ashby made
the following statement to a friend: “Yeah,
I’m going up to A&M to do some mis-
ionary work among Aggies,” he said. “I’m
going back a few weeks later for another
speech for the journalism department. I’m
going to make them name a dorm after me
or at least go easy on Thanksgiving Day.
The Texas Aggie baseball team beat the McNeese State Cowboys yes
terday with scores of 3-2 in the first game and 16-10 in the second.
Buddy Grobe watches from third base as Kyle Hawthorne hits the ball to
their third baseman. Grobe scored on this play and Hawthorne ad
vanced to second on a throwing error. The Aggies began two more
games with McNeese today at 1 p.m. on the Aggies’ diamond behind
Kyle Field. Battalion photo by Kevin Venner
A&M employe in fair condition at St. Joseph
Painter injured in fall from Bolton Hall
A Texas A&M University employe was
injured Friday in a fall from the top of
Bolton Hall.
James Paholek, Department of Facilities
painter, was standing on a ledge of the
four-story building when he fell 46 feet to
the ground. Paholek lives at 1908 Beason in
Bryan.
Dr. Claude Goswick, student health
center director, examined Paholek min
utes after the accident. Goswick said
Paholek complained of pain in his left hip.
Paholek was transferred by ambulance to
St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan, where he is
listed in fair condition today.
R. D. Todd, assistant foreman of the
paint shop, said Paholek was walking on a
ledge that was approximately 18 inches
wide.
“He was in the process of attaching a
rope to an outrigger on the roof of the build
ing,” Todd said. “The rope did not have
enough slack in it and when it was jerked,
he lost his balance.”
Todd explained that since the accident,
all of the workmen have been warned to
wear a safety belt attached to a safety rope.
Billy R. Barnett, head painter, v. as work
ing on the roof when Paholek fell.
“He was on the outside ledge. I saw him
reach for the ledge, Barnett said. “I
reached out and grabbed for his hand, but 1
couldn’t hold him.”
Dr. L. W. Coleman Jr., who is attending
to Paholek’s case, said the painter has a
fractured pelvis, left ankle, and right rib.
ea
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ble
Keep America Beautiful
Leah LeCompte, a sophomore accounting major
at Texas A&M University, took advantage of the
warm weather this weekend. She soaked up some
. . . Wash your car
of the sun’s rays and improved the appearance of
our environment at the same time. . .by washing
her Car. Battalion photo by Chris Svatek
Powerful unknown social pressures
condition person, SCONA speaker says
Society exerts more influence on people
than they are willing to admit, Dr. Stanley
Milgram said Friday.
The prominent social psychologist,
speaking at Texas A&M University’s 22nd
Student Conference on National Affairs
(SCONA), said that how an individual be
haves is conditioned by social pressures.
“Assertion of the idea that an individual
is the source of his own actions is defi
cient,” Milgram said. “But at the same
time, it is useful for society to promote the
myth that an individual is responsible for
his actions.”
His observations contributed to
SCONA 22 delegates’ consideration of
“The Expression of Individuality in Soci
ety.”
Milgram said social norms and rules
constrain people to act in certain ways. He
said the force in operation is quite power
ful and unknown to those upon whom it
works.
A fish in water is the last to know he’s
surrounded by water, Milgram said.
Author of a twice-translated book,
“Obedience to Authority,” Milgram first
conducted the somewhat controversial
shock research. He found that 60 per cent
of test subjects would apply increasing
amounts of electrical shock — to lethal
levels — to people cooperating in the re
search.
He also described graduate class proj
ects to emphasize the point that individual
actions are made to conform to accepted
patterns. Milgram emphasized that cul
tural practices vary with local.
“In New York,” he said, “a person does
not smile at someone he does not know.”
Students in his class went out on the
project, and greeted bypassers on the
street “with hand extended and a Carter
like smile.” The same test activities were
conducted in small towns.
“Twice as many people in the small
cities would reciprocate with a hand
shake,” Milgram said.
Another class project required students
to board subways on a eontrolled-test basis
and ask strangers for their seats. The as
sumption to be tested was that no one
would give up a seat. The surprise in the
findings, the SCONA speaker related, was
that while more than half relinguished
their seats, the project caused acute dis-
Milgram
tress to the student investigators asking for
the seat.
“When the project was first introduced,
the class recoiled en masse, as if it were a
frightening and horrible prospect. Mil-
gram said. When one student returned
with only 14 test tries, Milgram decided to
try it himself, also with a student along to
record data.
Milgram said he found “the words unut
terable,” and he retreated in failure twice.
On the third attempt, he asked for and got
the seat, he said, “and immediately felt
enormously contrite.”
“These projects were designed, lie
said, “to illustrate the point that individual
impulses are in constant check by social
norm,” by what he called “inhibitory' anx
iety.”
“If you think it doesn’t work,” he chal
lenged SCONA delegates, “try this. The
next time you get on a bus, without an
nouncing it’s a test, pick out a loud, lusty
song like America,’ stand up and sing it.
f^
Weather
Mostly cloudy and mild today,
with southerly winds at 12 mph,
gusting to 20 mph. High taday 73,
low tonight 54. Continued mostly
cloudy tomorrow, with a 20 per
cent chance of rain tonight and to
morrow morning, becoming partly
cloudy tomorrow evening.