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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1978)
THE BATTALION THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1978 Page 3 To help women help themselves’ Women’s rights seminar planned By SUZANNE BLACK Special to The Battalion “I moved here nine years ago. My I first impression was that this was a |very oppressive place for women. ” Nine years ago, the population of I Bryan-College Station was just over 50,000. There was a shortage of re- I sources for women — no crisis hot lines, no shelter, few child care or family planning services, few wo men’s organizations and few career opportunities. “Our divorce was in Dallas. (When he stopped sending the child I support payments I thought I’d have I to return there to file suit.” Today, the population of Bryan- ICollege Station is about 90,000. Women from all over the country make up a large percentage of the migration to this area. When they moved here, they brought their problems and needs with them. “The conference is designed \from an objective approach, rahter than an emotional one” Rita Marsh-Birch said. “It’s only natural for women to [band together for support and to [pool their efforts.” ( These quotes come from Bryan- I College Station residents who have something distinctive in common. iThey’re part of a collection of women who have joined in an at tempt to help women help them- | selves. The culmination of their ef forts is the upcoming conference, "The Legal Rights of Brazos County Women.” The conference will be held Saturday at Bryan High School from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It will focus on how state and national laws affect women in terms of family, employ ment, credit, education and crime. Participants will be familiarized with the county-wide resources available to them. It will be held in the spirit of local cooperation, not activism. “The conference is designed from an objective approach, rather than an emotional one, to give a com prehensive coverage of different is sues and problems,” said Rita Marsh-Birch, the program coor dinator. Marsh-Birch is a member of the American Association of Univer sity Women (AAUW), the group that initiated the conference. “The AAUW branches in San An tonio, Houston and Dallas had simi lar conferences and some of our members who went to one were very impressed,” explained Marsh- Birch. That was last April and by June, plans for a local program were junder way. “The other conferences had the cooperation of the local bar associa tion and maybe one or two additional groups. Ours is a bigger conference. Besides the bar associa tion, we have 12 other co-sponsors. “Another difference,” Marsh- Birch said, “is that Texas A&M Uni versity is not officially sponsoring us and our conference isn’t being held on the University campus. Each of the other conferences was on a uni versity campus and had the school somehow involved. We decided to get away from the University so we could also reach women other than those at A&M.” Greta Fryxell, president of the Bryan-College Station branch of the AAUW, said there is no doubt that the conference was designed for a community audience. “It has been organized by a community-based coalition of groups,” she said. “The University would limit our accessi bility.” Participating in any kind of coali tion of groups is new to at least 10 of the 14 sponsoring organizations. It is also their first involvement in such a community-wide project. However, the members all seem to feel there will be benefits to their organizations as well as the commu nity. “Our members aren’t involved enough in the community and I think this will help motivate them,” said Vera Martinez, president of the Ladies LULAG..(League of United Latin American Citizens) Council. “We have our own planned ac tivities, but we thought this confer ence was a worthwhile project to announce to the Spanish commu nity.” “We decided to get away from the University so we could also reach women other than those at AirM” Marsh-Birch said. “We’re organized for the purpose of promoting women’s studies as a discipline and would only become involved in a project involving wo men,” said Charol Shakeshaft, pres ident of the student chapter of the South Central Women’s Studies As sociation. “There’s a need for women to know more about everything, in- beg Wood cutting for ’78 Aggie bonfire By CLAY WEBER Battalion Reporter With the Texas A&M University- I Texas football game a little more than three weeks away, prepara tions are being made for the 1978 [Aggie bonfire. The bonfire,which symbolizes the lAggie students’ love for their school land their “burning desire to beat Ithe hell out of t.u.”, will be at 7:30 |p.m. Nov. 30, at the intramural (field. The center pole for the 60-foot- ill bonfire will be raised Friday, at [noon. The cutting of bonfire wood has (already begun. The Texas Municipal (Power Agency has allowed Aggies to secure wood for the bonfire from land outside Carlos on Highway 30. Wood is cut at the Carlos area and transported to the bonfire site by truck. All Aggies may help with the bon fire preparation. In order to cut wood a person should go to the ani mal science pavilion between 5:30 and 6 p.m. during weekdays. He will receive a brief course in cutting safety and will receive a “cutting card” which will enable him to work on the bonfire. The origin of the bonfire is hazy but there is some indication in old Texas A&M yearbooks that the bon fire began between 1908 and 1912. The old bonfires were made of trash, old lumber and outhouses, supposedly unoccupied. The height of the bonfire tra ditionally rose a foot each year and in 1969 reached a height of 109 feet. Concern over the safety of sur rounding buildings from falling ashes blown in the wind has re sulted in bonfires since staying at a maximum height of around 60 feet. Corps members are required to work on the bonfire. Non-reg stu dents living on campus, who wish to work may contact Wendell Pool at 845-1948. Off-campus students de siring to participate may contact Tim Meier at 693-4121. eluding legal rights. That’s why these women have come together as a coalition, to seek information and services,” Shakeshaft said. Shirley Plapp, president of the Altrusa Club, said, “We’re defi nitely interested in things for women and in assisting others in the community through vocational serv ices and scholarships.” Altrusa is an executive and professional women’s organization. “We haven’t been involved in such a large group effort before,” Plapp said, “We were very anxious to participate. “There’s a need for women to know more about everything, including legal rights,” said Charol Shakeshaft. “We’re certainly interested in ensuring that as many women as possible are aware of their rights,” said Merrill Whitburn, president of the Brazos Civil Liberties Union. Merrill said the Civil Liberties Union recently had its largest meet ing ever. He said he thinks many other organizations are going to have a resurgence in membership, and the conference is an example of growing community interest. “It’s in the interest of these dif ferent organizations to cooperate in order to be more efficient and effec tive. I think the community will see more of this,” he said. What the AAUW members would like to see is a continued coopera tion between women’s groups and between groups concerned with women’s rights. Referring to the legal rights conference, AAUW president Fryxell said, “We’d like to use this as a beginning. The confer ence isn’t the end of our objectives.” JupTnaml** Eddie Dominguez ’66 IP — Some final notes on “The Legal Rights of Brazos County Women”: — for free babysitting arrange ments, call 822-3393 or 846-6673. — for free transportation, call 693-7293. — for additional information, call 693-4812. JdlBSON’S DISCOUNT CENTER Denver police raid pot ‘vending machine’ United Press International DENVER — Four suspects at a house one block from a high school set up a “pot dispensing machine” at which students could buy | marijuana, police said. Detective Tom Fisher said Wed- | nesday the “machine” was in the form of a booth, and buyers would slide their money through a slot cut in a door. Police said many of the customers were high school stu- [ dents. Fisher said a person sitting on a | stool on the other side of the door would slide a quantity of marijuana and change through the slot and was never seen by the buyer. Police raided the house, located one block from Manual High School, Tuesday after receiving complaints from neighbors, Fisher said. Three adults and a juvenile were arrested at the house after five Denver vice officers broke down the door. Sun Theatres 333 University 846 The only movie in town Double-Feature Every Week Open 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat. 12 Noon >12 Midnight Sun No one under 18 Escorted Ladies Free BOOK STORE & 25c PEEP SHOWS 5% INTEREST REBATES ON NEW CAR LOANS (NO LATE MONTHLY PAYMENTS - DEPOSIT CUSTOMERS ONLY) CALL US TODAY - TOLL FREE 693-1414 -PiRst state eaak HEARNE. TEXAS (College Station tBank - pending) Member FDIC Mules laden with Blue Maguey pinas on their way to Cuervo’s La Rqjena plant. Since 1795we’ve gathered our Blue Magueys for Cuervo Gold the gentle way. Its the old way. And still the best. At Cuervo we know that there is only one way to make Cuervo Gold perfect. The way we’ve been doing it for more than 180 years. ThaVs why people still nurture our fields of Blue Maguey plants. And why mules are still used to bring these precious plants to our distillery. Fbr tradition is still the most important ingredient in Cuervo Gold. This is what makes Cuervo Gold truly special. Neat, on the rocks, with a splash of soda, in a perfect Sunrise or Margarita, Cuervo Gold unll bring you back to a time when quality ruled the world. Cuervo. The Gold standard since 1795. CUERVO ESPECIAL® TEQUILA. 80 PROOF. IMPORTED AND BOTTLED BY © 1978 HEUBLEIN, INC., HARTFORD. CONN.