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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1980)
£ 3BBd —^sunjinpuay aHi. — 0861. PI |ud V —^ fCen^an fcproa&Gns ocperiencres in nixed ^Xares By Todd Woodard Facing the Indian Ocean on the east coast of Africa, Kenya has less area than Texas. In Kenya two businesses dominate the economy. Tourism is the biggest business in Kenya, bringing in $76 million in 1978. But agriculture is the main way of life for most Kenyans, coffee being the largest crop. One of those Kenyans is named Mathenge. He grows a mild coffee for a cash crop on his land. Like other parents, he helps his son go to col lege. Most Kenyans own their farms, said international student James Mwai Mathenge. “They leave in the morning, go to work, and then go back home,” he said. Mathenge, 23, has been enrolled at Texas A&M University for over a year. His course of study is animal science. Mathenge came to Texas A&M to study courses not offered in Kenya. “It would be foolish for me to study the same courses again,” he said. “I need to learn something diffe rent here.“ Because of the structure of the school system, learning new courses yields greater benefits than in the United States. Mathenge explained that in Kenya children can have seven years of primary education. The government finances the com pulsory first years. After seven years the students take a cumulative test. Those passing the test can go on to high school. Some do not make it. Those people try to find whatever jobs are avail able. He said, “There’s a lot of press ure for one test.” That testing pressure continues. The big test comes again at the end of high school. “Some of the people who do pass are not able to go on to college because there is not room. You can make A s on every test during the year in every course, and if you do not do well on that test, you only have one more chance to go to college. You can take the test twice, ” he said. The pressure continues. Mathenge said that if a student is offered a chance to attend college, he takes it. “You don’t have a choice. You can’t say, I would like to wait a semester, or I would like to wait a year,” he said. There are people who will take your place. Not everyone gets a chance to go. It is very prestigious.” While in college, every student takes the same curriculum at the same time. “You have the same class mates throughout school. I will have an advantage because my classmates won t have the courses I do,” he said. With a fixed curriculum, electives are unheard of. Mathenge attended Egerton Col lege in Kenya and then went to work for the Ministry of Agriculture for two years. The ministry controls agriculture in Kenya. He explained that going to school all year, with only three-week breaks between semesters, took its toll. The work at the ministry enabled him to go back to school, he was not worn out any longer. He brought 60 hours of transfer credit from Egerton; he now has over 70 hours here at Texas A&M. He still goes all year. “It’s Food scientists share knowledge at conference By Bonnie Helwig They compare ideas, learn about ways to use their classroom knowledge and, most of all, they make lasting contacts with fellow food technologists who live in different parts of the country. Students from University of Arkansas, Texas A&M and Lousiana State University gathered on the A&M campus on March 7-8 for the south central meeting of the student division of the Institute of Food Tech nologists, hosted by the A&M Food Science Club, said club president Fred Mergner. The group heard talks by Dr. Lloyd Rooney, researcher in Cereal Quality at Texas A&M, Dr. Dwayne Suter, associate dean for the College of Agricul ture and Dr. Robert Terrell, an instructor of meats and muscle biology in the animal science de partment. “Our speakers related to the TAMU Forestry Club Meetings every 2nd & 4th Tuesdays 845-5033 7 P- m - group how they had taken their knowledge and had spread it to people through various ave nues,” said Mergner. During the business meeting, the 30 students and advisors ex changed money making ideas, activities and service projects. We related our experiences with the pecan sale and the “Junk Food Booth” at All-Night Fair, and LSU told us about they jam- balaya sale, along with Arkansas’ grape-picking to sell to a local winery for money making pn jects. said Mergner. But,” he said,” one of tf most important aspects of tf meeting was the friendships tfr were made.” Now, we know food tecl nologists in different parts of tf nation and will always have thos contacts wherever we go,” Merj ner commented. We had a lot of fun getting t know each other,’ Mergne laughed. what I’m used to,” he said. Mathenge cannot get used to the city. He chose a career in an agricul tural field because he enjoys the out doors. He said, “I like controlling my own hours, without someone brea thing down my back. ” He attributed Kenyan’s desire to own their land to the colonial back ground of the country. “Before, Kenyans were not able to own land. That’s why they place importance on having their own homes and land.” Kenya is younger than most stu dents here, gaining its independ ence in 1963. Land is scarce. Utilized as much as possible, land usually goes to small farms. Cities punctuate the land. “Over here you see large tracts of land. In Kenya, you’ll be driving and see a town just come up. Small farms surround the cities,” he said. Nyeri, “basically a rural town, a farming community,” was the nearest town for Mathenge. “We would go in for movies, nightclubs. It has about 15,000 to 20,000 peo ple,” he said. “I don’t regret that I don’t live in the city. I went to high school in the city. I was never fascinated by the city. “When more and more people were educated, the younger ones thought that farming was not for them. There is urban flight now. Young people are going to the cities,” he said. The young people go to the cities for industrial jobs and diversion. Ke nyan diversions differ from College Station’s. “In Kenya, we would sometimes dance until six in the morning. Peo ple her go out at ten or eleven. They have to go back just a couple of hours later. “How late do the nightclubs stay open? Twelve or one o’clock. Three in the morning would be nice,” he said. Beers differ also. Mathenge com plained that American brews do not have the flavor of heavier German beers prevalent in Kenya. Malt li quor is his choice. He has a well-modulated voice, quiet and clear. He chooses his words carefully, and speaks in direct, short sentences. He learned Kiswahili and English in high school. English is the official language, Kiswahili is the national language. “Not all Kenyans speak English. English is used in government,” he said. nu nfry Our 10th Anniversery FRIENDLY SERVICE GOOD ADVICE Your one-stop garden center 2510 TEXAS AVE. 822-6613 Open I-5 Sunday 8:30-5:30 Mon.-Sat. By John Brasher Although the organization is called the Student Chap ter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SCAVMA), students don’t make up the membership. Their spouses do. According to Jean Tarlton, president of the SCAVMA auxiliary at Texas A&M, the organization exists at only 20 universities in the United States since that is the number of universities which offer D.V.M. degrees. The Student SCAVMA Auxiliary originated in the fall of 1950, making it one of the oldest professional organi zations of it’s type at Texas A&M. The main requirement in becoming a member of the organization, according to Tarleton, is that the person must be married and the spouse has to be working on his or her doctor of veterinary medicine. Tarlton said, “As of now, we have 128 eligible mem bers that includes men and women and 76 actual paid members.” The primary purpose of SCAVMA is to stimulate an interest in the spouses’ profession, which in this case would be veterinary medicine, and form a bonding re lationship with the wives and husbands of the veterinary faculty staff. But SCAVMA goes a little further Tarlton said, “We are a service organization to the vet school and to our community. For an example, we gathered money and purchased a micro-wave for the small animal clinic so that the students could fix themselves a hot meal be tween patients.” Also, because of the all night duties the vet students have at the large animal clinic, SCAVMA donated sheets and pillows for the cots so that the students could sleep comfortably between hours when they have patients to watch throughout the night. “Another thing we do,” Tarleton said, “Is raise money for two scholarships we award to second year vet stu dents at our annual June Awards Banquet.” The scholar ships range from $100-$150 apiece and is based on need and academic achievement. Other services SCAVMA does for the vet students is sponsor a senior reception which is going away party for the vet graduates. They also provide food for the stu dents during board exams and conduct an ice cream social the night before August graduation for the gra duating vet students, the vet faculty and their spouses. As a service organization to the community, SCAV MA is active in many projects. Tarlton said, “We spon sor Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for needy fami- lies, we set up a vet public relations booth at the FFA Barnyard, help in the Red Cross Blood Drive, give Easter baskets that contain clothing and can goods to needy blind families, and we have a concession stand at the CEN-TEX Hunter and Jumper Show.” Other projects SCAVMA has on it’s schedule is to possibly conduct a rabies clinic so that people who have pets can get them vaccinated at a small fee. The organization also wants to have an open house at the veterinary center and conduct a pet fair that will include a pet parade and a judging contest for children’s pets. The A&M Auxiliary of SCAVMA owns an outstanding record for being awarded the 100 percent Golden Achievment Award by the National AVMA Auxiliary. The A&M SCAVMA Auxiliary has won the award every year the organization has been in existence. The award is based on the auxiliary’s service performance to the vet school and the community, by sending reports to the National AVMA Auxiliary. Welding skills taught to Aggies By Liz Bailey Welding is a skill that is not just limited to students at trade schools. At Texas A&M University, the art and science of welding is taught in the agricultural engineering depart ment. The course is Metals and Welding Processes. Mike O’Shaughnessy, a graduate student who has taught the course for two semesters, said the purpose, of the course is to teach students some of the practical applications and basic techniques of welding as well as its theory. Instead of teaching students to weld so they can get jobs as welders, it is more a course to acquaint them with welding so they will be qualified to manage machine shops where welding is done. “This is like a manager’s course,” O’Shaughnessy said. Students learn oxy-acetylene and arc welding. In arc welding, electric ity is the heat source and in oxy- acetylene welding, it is oxygen and acetylene gas. Although there are many kinds of welding done, stu dents are taught these types because they are the most common used commercially. Besides having enough knowledge to oversee welders, O-Shaughnessy said that after taking the course, stu dents “have some practical know ledge to go back to the farm with.” On the final exam, students must weld a straight piece of metal pipe so that one of it is closed and the seal is watertight. The same knowledge can be used in building a fence. Some students have gotten jobs immediately after taking the course, O’Shaughnessy said. You will not get a construction job (welding), ” he said, because that job requires much experience. Howev er, students “could be apprentices or helpers,” and would “move up quickly because they know the theory.” Many students who take the course intend to be high school voca tional agriculture teachers and want to teach welding. Others just want to learn to weld, he said. Metals and Welding Processes is a two hour course, has no prere quisites and is open to any student at Texas A&M. “It’s not that technical a course.” The chemistry involved is nothing that anybody can’t handle that hasn’t had chemistry,” O’Shaughnessy said. For students who have never welded before, it is “normally a little frustrating at first.” After about the first two weeks of class, he said, these students do as well as the others. O’Shaughnessy said classes are made up mostly of men but there are frequently women who take the course. He said the womem who have never welded before become as good and sometimes better than the men who are new at it. A good weld could mean the dif ference in keeping the cows out of the com and having a trampled corn field. A PROUD PART OF THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE FOR OVER 48 YEARS. TEXAS A&M COLLEGIATE FFA 'Oldest Collegiate Chapter in the Nation" PROVIDING LEADERSHIP FOR TOMORROW’S AGRICULTURE -TODAY! ■ 0861 'PI l! jd V — isuminDuHy ai/j. — Zl aHvj Modern Cowboy? Artwork by Doug Graham A&M Plant Team wins By Laura Larson Early in February members of the Plant Team which is spnsored by the Range Science Department repre sented Texas A&M at at national judging compettion held in conjunc tion with the Society for Range Man agements’ annual meeting in San Diego, CA. The team paced fifth out of 20 teams and Gerry Simmons placed fifth in individual competition. New Mexico State University won the contest. Members of the team are Karen Hage, Patty Lesli, Patricia Dorward, Jo Dahoff, T.K. Hunter, Charles Sullivan, Craig Keyzer and Sim mons. The team is coached by Mar shall Haferkamp, assistant professor of range science and Robert Knight, a graduate assistant in rage science. In addition, Range Science Club members Kathy Rector, Craig Keyz er, Nancy Garnsey, Bill Payne, Ellen Kutsky and Ann Holland pre pared a display entitled “Fire as a Management Tool”, which Garnsey accompanied t a disply contest held at the Society for Range Manage ment meeting. Their efforts won second place and a $50 prize for the Range Science club.