The Battalion
Vol. 70 No. 94
10 Pages
Thursday, March 24, 1977
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Microfilm purchase plan criticized
Battalion photo by Pat McAuliff
3iris Wick, a freshman undeclared major, is using the micro reader
n the Sterling Evans Library to read the April 11, 1958, issue of The
Vew York Times. The date is his birthday and Wick was interested in
seeing what happened in the world on the day he was born.
By GLENNA WHITLEY
Battalion Staff
A plan to purchase microfilm copies in
lieu of books and journals for the Sterling
C. Evans Library has been formally pro
tested by the faculty of the College of Lib
eral Arts at Texas A&M Universtiy.
The faculty unanimously approved a
statement at a Feb. 23 meeting expressing
concern about microfilm purchases.
Copies of the statement were sent to W.C.
Freeman, associate vice president; Dr.
John Calhoun Jr., vice president for
academic affairs; and President Jack K.
Williams.
The library has proposed to select cer
tain periodicals and journals for conver
sion to microtext. Some material will be
replaced in full, and the hard bound copy
will be removed from the shelves. Others
will be kept from recent years and the
backlog will be in microfilm only. Some
material will be in both hard bound copy
and microfilm.
Noreen S. Gilb, associate director of the
library, said there are three reasons for
undertaking the changeover.
First, the library has a current problem
of space. Gilb said that even after the li
brary addition is completed in 1979, the
building will be filled in less than 10 years
at the present rate of growth.
Second, microtext purchases could help
fill in the gaps in the present holdings
which are too expensive or impossible to
obtain.
Third, the library wants to replace muti
lated volumes.
The statement from the Liberal Arts
faculty stressed that they are in favor of
microfilm copies to compensate for gaps
and damaged books and journals, however
they are opposed to complete substitu
tion.
Dr. J.A. Dabbs of the modern language
department is a critic of the library’s plan.
“What we say is this; Don’t let the li
brary burn our books,” he said. “I call it
burning, but it doesn’t really matter
whether they stick a match to them, or sell
them or give them away..They’ll be gone
and we ll never get them back.
bility to buy non-student spouse
ctivity cards recommended
bill recommending that spouse ac-
' cards be approved was passed by the
s A&M University Student Senate
right.
e bill asks that non-student spouses
lowed to purchase activity cards per-
|ng them to attend school functions at
I iced or no cost.
lie Senate recommended a fee of
|50 for the cards, $19.80 of which
#1(1 apply as student service fees. The
jl$3 would pay for identification cards,
les concerning the number of
tors and daily operations procedures
moved from the constitution to the
board investigates and recommends the
budgets of student organizations.
A bill providing for a student jury to
interview and recommend candidates in
the upcoming student government elec
tions was defeated.
John Oeffinger, the bill’s sponsor, said
its purpose was dissemination of informa
tion about the candidates.
Protests against the bill ranged from
charges of fascism to defense of the pres
ent information system.
ws by Senate vote. Bylaws are easier
hange than the constitution.
9 “'i
Tta,
resolution will be voted on in the
bming Student Government election.
| resolution was approved to place a
ent majority on the Student Organiza-
m Board. The board presently has 11
Tlty and three student members. The
A motion to reconsider the day-care
center allocation was defeated 25 to 24.
Approved Mar. 9, the bill allocated
$41,000 for a day-care center from student
services fees. Speaker Lynn Gibson broke
the tie vote. In the last senate meeting he
surrendered his position to plead for the
acceptance of the resolution.
“I think the Speaker ought to have more
interest in an open forum,” said Jerri
Ward, vice president for external affairs.
“Half the Senate wanted to discuss it.”
Emergency legislation reducing the
G.P.R. requirement for yell leader candi
dates from 2.5 to 2.0 was urged by Randy
Myers, not a member of the Senate. He
said that persons were unaware of the re
quirement and thought they should be
able to run in the election if they were
students in good standing with the Univer
sity, which requires a 2.0 G.P.R.
The Senate refused to consider the bill
on emergency basis. It was re-introduced
as regular business and will be considered
at the next meeting. It will not affect the
upcoming elections.
A plan to convert Peniston Cafeteria to a
Day Student Lounge area was introduced
by Mary Ellen Martin (Sr.-Lib. Arts). The
measure will be voted on at the next meet
ing.
The Senate also voted that the Medical
School senator will be elected in the fall in
the freshmen elections. Only six members
of the class have been appointed. Twepty
more are expected by fall.
‘“‘I
oard won’t reconsider decision
■he Student Publications Board yester-
1 refused to reconsider its decision to
It all student organizations equally in
Jl977 Aggieland.
§he board voted Feb. 14 to allow all
lent organizations, recognized or un
ionized, to buy space in the yearbook
lie same rates.
|he Student Senate passed a resolution
|ch 9 asking the board to reconsider,
lowever, the board has not received
pal word of the senate’s request,
[rman Bob Rogers said.
fVe have not been asked to reconsider
as I’m concerned, Rogers said,
lespite this, board member Tom Daw-
Hdtioned that the board reconsider.
motion was not seconded and was
bped.
[total of 10 unrecognized organizations
ibought space, Aggieland Editor Gary
Basari told the board. All of them are
lek fraternities or sororities.
talion were submitted. The applications
will be considered Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in
Reed McDonald 004.
The board will interview the applicants
and vote on recommending the new
editors that evening. Only the candidates
will be allowed to the interviews. Voting
will be public. The recommendations
must then be approved by President Jack
K. Williams.
Student Senate and awaits approval by the
Texas A&M Board of Regents.
Raises in pay for summer Battalion staff
members were also approved. The editor
will receive $150 per month. Other staff
members will be paid $16 per issue.
The board decided to allow applicants to
submit supporting letters. These must be
turned ip to Reed McDonald 301 by
Monday.
The three candidates for the 1978 Ag
gieland are Steve Goble, graduate, sociol
ogy student and Aggieland photographer;
Norine Harris, graduate history student
and Aggieland assistant editor; Jim Hen
drickson, senior journalism major and Ag
gieland photographer.
he deadline for buying space has
■ y l ed '
i,pother business eight applications for
j(Morships i
on the Aggieland and The Bat-
PICIMI.
(Cllll#
{In*
Weather
Cloudy and mild with'a 20 per
ent chance of rain this afternoon,
igh today In the upper 60s. Low
light in the low 50s. Continued
illy cloudy and mild tomorrow
■ a high in the upper 70$. Pre-
jpitaiton probability tomorrow 10
cent.
Candidates for editor of the fall Battal
ion are Jamie Aitken, junior journalism
student and managing editor of The Battal
ion; Steve Goble, also applying for the Ag
gieland editor position; and Susan Turner,
junior journalism major and editor of
Moebius, the campus literary magazine.
Candidates for summer editor of The
Battalion are Lee Roy Leschper Jr.,
sophomore journalism major and Battalion
staff writer and Scott Sherman, graduate
management student and communications
department graduate assistant.
The board also learned that the Student
Service Fee Allocation Committee had
approved its request of $75,000 for stu
dent publications.
The request was also approved by the
Battalion photo by Chris Svatek
Dr. C. E. McCandless has re
placed Roger Miller on the Stu
dent Publications Board. Mil
ler’s resignation became effec
tive Dec. 31, 1976.
Dabbs is circulating a petition to the
liberal arts faculty asking for a special
meeting of the faculty to discuss the future
of the library s resources. He said that a
special meeting would have more impact
than inclusion of the subject at regular
faculty meetings.
“I don’t think anyone openly supports
the proposal as it stands,” said Dr. Charles
Maurice, economics professor. “I’m per
sonally not in favor of the way it has been
proposed.”
He said the research done in social
studies would be much more difficult if
microfilm had to be used. Maurice added
that important material for publication is
often found by accident when browsing
through material.
“You do not browse through microfilm,”
he said.
Microfilm, microfiche, microprints and
microcards are the four types of microtexts
used by the library. One criticism is they
must be viewed on machines, whereas
books are easier to work with.
Reproductions are more expensive
when made from microfilm. A microfilm
copy costs 25P, but a Xerox copy made
from the original material costs a nickel.
Copies of microfilmed material also must
be requested 24 hours in advance.
Another concern expressed by Dabbs
was the monetary and historical value
periodicals and journals might have.
Gilb said,“If we know that they are val
uable, we want to keep them.
Other college deans expressed the same
concern of members of their faculty, but
no other protests have been officially filed.
Dean Fred Benson of the engineering
department said that the original reaction
was very negative.
“There was concern that it may go too
far,” he said. “The original list was pretty
acceptable, but the next list may not be so
acceptable.”
Benson said they were concerned most
about material dealing with human factors
in engineering.
Dr. Nelson Duller Jr., a member of the
College of Science library council said,
“We feel cautiously pessimistic.”
He said that the problem of library
space was understood, but they hoped for
new techniques in information retrieval
and storage to be developed soon.
The dean of the College of Medicine,
Dr. James Knight, has a different attitude.
“We support it and understand the
necessity. Microfilm has to come, it’s
necessary with the amounts of material
and space,” he said.
He added that in eases like illustrations
and special materials where too much
would be lost in the transformation, the
library had assured him that hard copy
woidd be retained.
Dr. Richard Wainerdi, associate vice
president for academic affairs, said that
the Liberal Arts College has brought up
some valid points.
“No decision is to be made at this time.
We are still in the fact-gathering phase,”
he said.
Battalion service under study
Suggestions to improve services by and
distribution of The Battalion were made at
yesterday’s Student Publications Board
meeting.
No action was taken by the hoard.
The Student Senate Fee Allocation
Committee, notifying the Student Publi
cations Board of its 1977-78 service fee al
location of $75,000, had made the sugges
tions last month in, a letter from it’s chair
man, Scott Gregson, to Student Publica
tions Board Chairman Bob G. Rogers.
Suggestions were to lower advertising
rates for recognized student organizations;
lower subscription rates for former stu
dents; give dormitories sufficient Battal
ions but without excesses; improve circu
lation for off-campus students; and re
evaluate distribution to College Station
residences.
Rogers told Gregson that Battalion ad
vertising rates reflect the newspaper’s
costs.
“The question of reduced rates for stu
dent organization advertising has come up
in the past and our judgment has been that
the rates are not so high as to be damaging
to the organizational users,” Rogers said.
“Loss of revenue from reduced rates could
be damaging to The Battalion, however,
because it operates on such a close mar
gin.”
The circulation rate being charged for
annual mail subscriptions ($35) very
closely approximates actual costs, Rogers
said.
Rogers acknowledged problems with
Battalion circulation, saying that an inten
sive study is being made.
Weatherproof distribution boxes have
been ordered for all shuttle bus stops on
campus, Rogers said, and “We also plan to
increase the number of papers at the Li
brary and at the MSG where there is espe
cially heavy demand.”
Rogers explained that apartment distri
bution has been complicated in some in
stances by apartment managers who con
sider the papers a litter problem.
Advertising and reader interest necessi
tate College Station home delivery, Ro
gers said. “The paper’s attractiveness to
advertisers is significantly enhanced by
(the paper’s) city delivery policy.
“Without the advertising success that
The Battalion enjoys, it would be impossi
ble to publish it without much greater
student fee or other University support,”
he said.
Ancient Art Revived
Scott Sheeran demonstrates “Raku” method of
pottery firing while Jan Linnstaedter and Bill
McCaulky watch. “Raku” is an ancient Japanese
method of firing that produces a metallic-type
finish on the pottery piece. The piece is fired in
the brick kiln, then dropped into the trash can full
of sawdust for cooling.
Battalion photo by Kevin Venner
Regents allocate $6.25 million
for new animal clinic building
By SUSIE WILLIAMS
Plans are in the making for a new clini
cal facility at the Texas A&M University
Veterinary College.
A&M’s Board of Regents has allocated
$6.25 million to build the facility, said Dr.
Edwin W. Ellett, chairman of the clinical
facility building committee and professor
of veterinary medicine and surgery.
Funding for the building has been in
cluded in the 1977-78 budget. Ellett said
the building will have 65,000 square feet.
It will house clinical facilities, large and
small animal diagnostic facilities, research
areas, and classrooms. Office space for
faculty and classified personnel, such as
secretaries and clerks, will also be in
cluded.
Ellett said he hopes construction will
begin in a little more than a year and be
completed within two more years.
Public service and the institutional pro
gram necessitated the need for more
space, said Dr. Charles E. McCandless,
director of academic planning and servic-
He said the veterinary college is receiv
ing more money for research and more
space is neccesary for these research ac
tivities.
Ellett said his committee is drawing up
the specifications for the building. These
include the special requirements of each
room; size, lighting, gas line, and tele
phone.
“We simply define what is needed in
the building,” Ellett said. “The site is left
up to the Board of Regents.”
Ellett said a survey has been made of
several sites to consider the advantages
and disadvantages of each.
This survey was presented to University
President Jack K. Williams earlier this
month and to the Board of Regents Tues
day.
Ellett yesterday said the Regents ap
proved the committee’s preferred site for
the new structure, located west of the
large animal clinic. The choice was made
because of the interrelationship of the new
structure with the existing building.
Ellett said his committee is still working
on the Program of Requirements, the
specifications of the building.
“We are spending a great deal of time
developing the most functional and most
reasonable addition to the veterinary
complex that we can,” he said.
Ellett said he hopes the committee will
have the specifications ready to submit to
the Regents at its May meeting.
All vacated space in the present small
animal facility will be assigned to other
departments within the veterinary college
on .the basis of need, Ellett said.