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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1979)
he Battalion Vo. 73 No. 65 I Pages Tuesday, December 4, 1979 College Station, Texas USPS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 Silver Taps for two tonight Silver Taps will be held in front of the Academic building in honor of two students at 10:30 p.m. today. The ceremony will be conducted for Neil Walter Hahn, who died Nov. 27, and Douglas Gerald Wright Jr., who died Nov. 21. the com •man said ly was honi lineman Trophy ■nsive tackle mbardiTro S Alcoholism is not just a problem of middle- aged businessmen and housewives. A survey taken at Texas A&M in the fall of 1978 showed 86 percent of about 1,100 students surveyed drink alcoholic beverages and that 15 percent now or have at some time in their lives felt they drank too much. Battalion photo by Laura Ewing Alcoholism a problem among students, too Fisher to I* rotn M^ 1 - ekeeperin' e at Texas age anyone me part ittend the ion regi ad: intramura •rin the I*' 1 IS Restaur By ELLEN EIDELBACH Battalion Keporter There’s Wednesday nights at Texas Hall of Fame, Thursdays at Lakeview, Fridays and Saturdays for partying and the Dixie Chicken for any other night of the week. Drinking among Texas A&M stu dents is a release and a pastime. For a few it is a serious problem. John Burkhalter, former director of chemical abuse at the Green Leaf Psychiatric Center in Bryan, said statistics show that of college stu dents, 10-15 percent feel they have a drinking problem. Nolan Mears, assistant area coor dinator, said a 1978 fall survey at Texas A&M showed 86 percent of about 1,100 students surveyed drink alcoholic beverages and 15 percent now or have at some time in their lives felt they drank too much. The survey also indicated 40 per cent have awakened at one time or another unable to remember the night before. Twelve percent have begun using alcohol since they started college and 37 percent have increased their use of it since then. Tom Clark, an alcoholism counse lor at the Brazos Valley Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center, doesn’t think “alcohol is any more a problem on college campuses than it is anywhere else.” In fact, the percentage of college students with a drinking problem is about the same as the national figure for all adults — approximately 10 percent. Clark defines an alcoholic as some one whose life has been adversely affected by alcohol in one or more areas. Burkhalter said, “What is alcohol ism for one person may not be for another.” The college student with drinking problems is startling difficult to point out. First of all, the college alcoholic, like any other, isn’t willing to admit he has a problem. Glenn Rex, head resident of Davis-Gary dormitory, said he has never had anyone come up to him to talk about an alcohol problem. Although, Rex said he knows “speci fically of several people who have drinking problems’ in his dorm. Burkhalter also found that those who have problems would not admit that they did. “Out of the four years I was work ing there (at the Green Leaf Psychiatric Center), I never had any one come up to me and say T have a drinking problem,” he said. “It usually takes a dramatic event to make people realize they have a problem,” Burkhalter said. “This leaves a lot af people out.” A second reason it is difficult to identify a student alcoholic is that his friends frequently make excuses for him. Clark explained, “I think the worst thing you can do for someone who’s an alcoholic is to protect them. No alcoholic can drink successfully unless there are people who help him do so.” He cites making excuses for a friend who misses classes due to han govers as an example. “They (alcoholics) would have to face up to their problem sooner if they weren t protected, Clark said. Burkhalter said, “The only person that can help that person is himself. Clark adds, “the person who is an alcoholic or tends to be is a very good con artist” and has to be to survive. “He will use his friends or anyone else to continue drinking, he said. Burkhalter says drinking is the most important part in the alcoho lic’s life. “One out of every four people knows someone who has an alcohol problem, he reported. The last reason is the acceptance of excess drinking. Rex said drinking “seems like a tradition around here. Everyone See alcoholicsm, page 5 Class doesn’t share in Aggie holiday By LOUIE ARTHUR Battalion StafT Most Texas A&M University students enjoyed an unexpected day off from school Monday — some breathing a sigh of relief because they missed a scheduled test, others grabbing the chance to catch up in their studies before exams. But a few had to go to class anyway. Students in Dr. Russell A. Dunckley’s Psychology 625 were expected to attend as usual. Although Dunckley said he “didn’t really want to publicize this, ” he did answer a few questions about his decision to hold class despite University President Jarvis E. Mil ler’s unexpected present to the students. Miller announced at Aggie Bonfire Fri day night that if Texas A&M beat the Uni versity of Texas in football Saturday, there would be no school Monday. Dunckley said his class meets only one evening a week, so the holiday would cause his students to lose a week in the course. “They can’t afford to miss a whole week, ” Dunckley said. Since class attendance is not a course requirement, no roll would be called and students would not be penalized for not going, he said. Dunckley said his students would be re sponsible for new material presented in class Monday evening, but that any who missed would be able to get the informa tion from him later. “I don’t subscribe to the view that classes are there as a punishment, ” Dunckley said. He added that he felt his students shared his views and were in his class because they would need the information in their profes sion, not just because they had to be there. One of Dunckley’s students, who asked not to be identified, said he was upset by the matter. “He’s just really able to take advantage of the situation,” the student said, adding that Dunckley had called one student and asked him to spread the word about holding class to the others. Dunckley said some of his students had contacted him to ask if he would hold class and that he had asked his graduate assistant to call each of the 21 students. Dunckley and Rand B. Evans, acting psychology department head, both said that they bad thought Miller’s announced holiday did not include graduate level courses. John M. Prescott, vice president for Academic Affairs, said he had not known that any classes were being held Monday. He added, “If I had known about it earlier, I would have asked them not to.” Prescott said he asked Miller if he had intended to exclude graduate students from the holiday, and Miller answered that he had made no exceptions. Prescott added that he could understand Dunckley’s feelings about holding class be cause “the fall semester is short of teaching time.” No complaints from other teachers were brought to him, he said, “but that doesn’t mean they’re not talking about it behind our backs.” Prescott also said that teachers would be allowed to have tests next Monday. “We don’t officially call it ‘dead week, ” he said, “but instead of having no sche- < duled exams the last five days, we won’t have any the last four.” Spicy films unlikely to show on Texas A&M campus soon By KATHLEEN McELROY Battalion Reporter Don’t expect to see an X-rated movie on the Texas A&M University campus any time soon. There’s no official policy, but it’s an un written rule that the Memorial Student Center committees that bring movies don’t show X-rated films. “As far as what we re allowed to bring, we fcan bring anything,” said Henry Har- los, chairman of Aggie Cinema. “We can bring an X-rated movie if we want. But if we were to bring an X-rated movie, we ll be under pressure not to bring it.” He said the pressure would come from the administration and the community. “It’s not in our best interest to bring one,” Harlos continued. But the issue, according to MSC Dire ctor J. Wayne Stark, is not the rating, but the quality of the film. “It’s a case of the interpretation of quali ty,” he said. Stark says he abides by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing communi ties to set their own standards. On this basis, movies shown on campus should be similiar to those movies shown in Bryan and College Station. But Bryan-College Station cinemas show a large percentage of R-rated movies — to which no one under 17 years old or younger is admitted unless accompanied by an adult — while half the campus movies are rated PC — parental guidance suggested for younger viewers. The school shows more G-rated movies than R-rated ones. One reason for the relative cleanness of the campus’ films is that committees show ing movies often bring many “classic” films, pictures produced at a time when all movies were family films. R-rated movies seem to be the vogue of Hollywood producers these days. “We re going to have more quality films than the community does,” Stark said. The MSC Council decides a film’s suita bility for Texas A&M. It consists of two former students, five faculty or staff mem bers and 10 student leaders. Stark said that although the group can be overruled by the president of the Univeristy, it is the watch dog for the University. The Council was last involved in a film controversy about six years ago. The Arts Committee, which shows fore ign and cultural films, planned to show “Pink Flamingos,” a cult film in which a 350-pound transvestite and his son try to win the title of Grossest Couple in the World. Stark said a film catalog he read wrote that an abnormal sex act is performed in the movie every 50 seconds. Stark said the film definitely isn’t “a quality film,” By one vote, the Council decided not to allow the Arts Committee to show the film even though some students said the ruling was a blatant act of censorship. But, Stark says now, “The governing body (the Council) — democracy at its best — ruled it wasn’t quality.” The present chairman of the Arts Com mittee, Lindsey Scoggin, disagrees with Stark. “I think we re in a University atmos phere, and I think everything should have the opportunity to be exposed. I think it should be left up to personal discretion, not to a bureaucratic decision.” He said the committee hasn’t had any problems with the Council about its films this year. UT, UH committees show X-rated movies By KATHLEEN McELROY Battalion Reporter The film committees at the University of Houston and the University of Texas can and do show X-rated movies on their cam puses. “We re pretty much open in what we can bring, ” said Sam Baker, the vice president in External Affairs for the program at UH. The Council is responsible for bringing films, concerts and other types of enter tainment for the campus. Baker said the Council has shown X- rated movies without hassles from the administration or anybody else, even though some groups are actively protesting the shows. The University of Texas Film Commit tee has no administrative restrictions, but has guidelines of its own. “It (the constitution) says the Film Com mittee will show quality movies,” Chair man Sarah Horany said. “It doesn’t matter whether the movie is X-rated or not.” Though UT and Texas A&M have the same official standards, the Committee has shown X-rated movies, the last of which was “The Last Tango in Paris,” which has some explicit sex scenes. Baylor, a predominantly Baptist school, has standards more rigid than Texas A&M, Texas or UH. “We try to keep down the bad movies because it’s a church school, ” said Audrey Gray, the assistant director of the Baylor Student Union. “We shy away from movies with sex, nudity and lots of bad language, ” she continued. Occasionally, she said, one time of an R-rated movie will be shown. “Just vio lence,” she said, “that’s not so objection able.” Other than those movies, nearly all the rest of the films are rated G and PC. But sometimes even those some students ob ject to those movies. Gray said that a few weeks ago the Union showed “Ice Castles,” a PG-rated movie about a blind ice skater. Some of the stu dents walked out of the movie because of what she called strong language. 11 killed before Who concert Concert-goers die in stampede United Press International CINCINNATI — Eleven people were trampled to death Monday night in a stampede by a crowd of 7,000 concert-goers at Riverfront Coliseum who “lost all sense of ra tionality,” after waiting for hours in near-freezing weather. The concert, by the rock group The Who, went on with most of the 18,000 fans already inside oblivious to what one survivor called “the nightmare” outside. It took police some 15 minutes to wade into the surging crowd to reach the dead and to help an un- Friends, foes back U.S. on Iranian issue United Press International UNITED NATIONS — In a rare display unity, friends and foes and communists id capitalists lined up behind the United tales Monday in the U.N. Security Coun- debate on the Iranian crisis. Though their speeches were often long, lushing the dehate into its third day Mon- lay, the message delivered in a dozen dif- f rent languages was the same: the hos- ges held inside the U.S. Embassy in ^ ehran must be released. •I Rarely in the history of the Security Stories l l,'o Unc j| debates has an issue united such Is * " J - Soviet Union, Israel and the Arab nations, the developing and developed world. Iran boycotted the debate and in Tehran, Foreign Minister Sadeq Qotb- zadeh warned Sunday that passage by the Security Council of a resolution conde mning Iran would have an “undesirable effect. ” But the 28 countries that have spoken so far were unanimous in their condemnation of the embassy seizure, and their insistence that the principle of diplomatic immunity be upheld. Many also spoke in favor of giving Iran an opportunity to present its grievances about the human rights violations committed by the shah’s former regime — but not before the hostages are released. American officials conceded that a Security Council resolution wall not be able to force Iran to free the hostages, but U.S. Ambassador Donald McHenry said the speeches were still “useful in that they show the Iranians that they are out of step with the world.” In what could also turn out to be a prom ising sign. Secretary General Kurt Wal dheim said Qotbzadeh told him Sunday that Iran plans to dispatch a new ambassa dor to the United Nations, although appa rently not in time for the Security Council debate. Since the shah was overthrown in Febru ary, Iran has been represented at the Un ited Nations by its charge d’affaires, Jamal Shemirani. “If they really send somebody who has authority, it will be significant,” McHenry said. McHenry said he expected the emergency debate to end with a resolution whose wording is still being hammered out in private diplomatic talks. Other delegates said they favored con tinuing the debate as long as possible, or at least through Wednesday. They said they felt that the hostages were safe as long as the debate continues. The delegates also said they still hope Iran may reconsider and send its new envoy in time to participate. Thirteen nations added their voices to the debate Sunday night and two of the strongest appeals for the release of the 50 hostages being held in the U.S. embassy in* Tehran came from Islamic countries — Egypt and Kuwait. known number of injured. Early today, police still did not know the identity of all the victims. “I thought I was dead,” said Jim Holstrom, 28, of Cincinnati, who was standing near the front of the crowd with his brother, Dave, 22. “I can’t stop shaking. I think my brother is dead. He was next to me and went down in the rush. I don’t know how I got out. Somebody was on top of me. I couldn’t breathe.” Lt. Dale Menkhaus said 25 offic ers were on duty when the Col iseum doors opened. They discus sed the possibility of opening more doors because of the crowd size, he said, “but it was my understanding there weren’t enough personnel at that time to make last-minute arrangements to open more doors. ” Police officer Dave Grawc said the crowd “jammed the people up so tightly in front they just passed out. They didn’t even fall down. They must have jammed up so tight that they didn't get any air and just died. The concert went on as sche duled.