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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 1979)
epfsino BuiyjoM ‘Aed am joj. j/ ui ej<Aaiij. without athletic dorm By MARCY BOYCE Battalion Reporter Feminist Gloria Steinem may not approve, but many of Texas A&M University’s women athletes are not demanding housing equal to that provided men athletes. In fact, some deem it unneces sary and in some cases, undesir able. “I don’t see why they want to put all the athletes together anyway,” said Sue Parsons, a diver. “I’d pre fer not to be segregated from the rest of the student body.” Parsons is one of 63 women athletes living in the Mosher base ment this year in an attempt by the athletic department to house more of the women athletes together. However, the remaining 57 are living in Fowler, Spence, the new modular dorms and off campus. While women athletes are scat tered, male athletes are provided a separate dorm, Wofford Cain Hall. But Assistant Athletic Director Kay Don said she doesn’t consider the situation unfair because wo men’s athletics is fairly young here, recognized only since 1975. Don said $500,000 was donated for a women’s atheltic dorm, but estimates indicated it would cost an additional $3 million. And with the renovation of the football stadium, she said, it was not eco nomically feasible to try to solicit funds at this time. “Within three to five years, hope fully, we will be moving towards an athletic dorm for the women,” Don said. The dorm would be advantage ous, she said, because it would give the department a little more control over the athletes’ tutoring area, as well as their meals before events. Track athlete Julie Currey said a women’s athletic dorm would be beneficial because the meals served in the dining halls often aren’t conducive to an athlete’s diet. Also, she said, the serving times often conflict with work-outs. “Some days you just don't want to go to practice,” said Paula Williams, a track athlete in favor of a separate dorm. “In an athletic dorm, you would have another athlete right there to say, ‘Come on, you can do it.’” Nevertheless, many of the women said they would prefer not to be singled out as an athlete even if facilities were available. “There is no sense in dividing us up,” said golfer Monica Welsh. “We’re girls, too; some of us just attV,\e.T«.s ivwji- ge-T rHc. as -rVse- c-va\<ts g*-"'" - ' n ' e -' r C- IT" M, yOor- OW»\$cJ-cf Vo vj'oc. got 30 yrj To pay (T off r\o iore^st). ‘ £><’\ a£r«- r > ( r 5-» l f y&j'rt not Sa.ii5f\eA / you (Ars ntT\jnn W -far 4 Ai U refund. 1 -Vfc-dtW.y yo'■>''*/ AoovaFe£b PUTEty play sports.” Resident Adviser for some of the athletes in Mosher, Sara Morse, said she worried beforehand that the athletes would refuse to be come involved or get to know the other residents. But, “I haven’t found that the athletes and non-athletes have di vided themselves up.” In fact, track athlete Sande Lambert is running for wing representative, she said. r 1 1 1 1 1 Freshmen and Sophomores your LAST CHANCE to GET SHOT! for the 1980 AGGIELAND Harrington Student Lounge 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. SPECIAL MAKEUP Monday - Oct. 15 Tuesday - Oct. 16 Wednesday - Oct. 17 "People that lived here last year told me they were afraid we’d be loud and burly, totally unladylike,” Lambert said. And because separate dorms for the women athletes would prevent them from getting to know non athletes, she said, they would only encourage these negative attitudes about the athletes. Mosher Head Resident, Phyllis Ward, said no problems have ari sen due to the number of women athletes living there. However, rumors that they would be provided with carpeted rooms, a weight room and a separate entrance in itially created some apprehension among the other residents, she said. The only renovations being con sidered, Don said, are for the addi tion of tutoring areas and possibly larger lounges for receptions. The donor of the $500,000 has given his consent for the money to be used for renovations instead of a dorm, Don said, and the Univer sity is still receiving bids for the re novating costs. For the present, the women athletes will not enjoy larger rooms, piped in music, longer beds or sun ken lounges with fireplaces, like the men in Wofford Cain, but Don said the facilities provided in the Commons area are “pretty well equal” to those in Cain. This was the evidence that was submitted to the National Col legiate Athletic Association last year, when it was questioned whether or not Cain violated a new regulation concerning housing of athletes. The regulation required that athletic dormitories be com parable to housing available to students in general. “As far as we know,” Don said, "at the present time, we are clear.” ‘‘Sure vye represent A&M,” Lambert said, ‘‘but that’s not foremost in our minds. Our educa tion is. And whether or not the floor is carpeted has nothing to do with an athlete's ability to perform.” ocus THE BATTALION Focus is published every Thursday as an entertainment section of The Battalion. Policy: Focus will accept any stories, drawings or photographs that are submitted for publication, al though the decision to publish lies solely with the editor. Pieces submitted, printed or not, will be re turned upon request. Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday before publication. Contributing to this issue were: Lee Roy Les- chper Jr., Rhonda Watters, Marcy Boyce, Ellen Eidelbach and Keith Taylor. Editor: Beth Calhoun Assistant Editor: Doug Graham On the Cover: Convict cowboy Lloyd “Lizard” Lizakowski tries in vain to dodge an enraged rodeo bull during the Texas Prison Rodeo’s first weekend performance. Lizakowski, though butted, stomped and pounded by the bull, escaped with out serious injury. The “Wildest Rodeo Behind Bars” is featured on pages 4-7. Photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr. SSI I * 1- ? W ^1 -s m w*