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
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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
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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.