Pag# 8 THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1980
Local
DIETING?
Museum seen as needed at A&M
Even though we do not prescribe diets,
we make it possible for many to enjoy a
nutritious meal while they follow their
doctors orders. You will be delighted
with the wide selection of low calorie,
sugar free and fat free foods in the
Souper Salad Area, Sbisa Dining Center
Basement.
Millions in research materials, artifacts stuffed in boxes
By NATHAN R. HINES
OPEN
Monday through Friday 10:45 AM-1:45 PM
QUALITY FIRST
Get your Xerox copies
ON THE DOUBLE
at Northgate, above Farmer's Market
Inexpensive, High-Quality Copies
On Our Xerox 9400
FREE COLLATING
in most cases.
We specialize in
REPORTS and DISSERTATIONS.
Also: Self-service copying, typing, binding, resume
writing, editing, translating. ONE STOP service for
reports and dissertations.
ON THE DOUBLE
Battalion Reporter
Texas A&M University spent over $71 million in research
last year, but the average student has no place to see the
results of that research. This is one of the reasons many
researchers at Texas A&M would like to see a museum or an
exhibit hall built to house their finds.
“We have thousands of artifacts we would like people to
see, but they (the artifacts) are in hundreds of cartons piled in
our offices,” said Dr. Harry Shafer, Associate Professor of
Anthropology at Texas A&M. “These artifacts represent the
results of some of our research. Most of the artifacts have
historic value, and the public could benefit from them. But
who wants to come over to our offices and dig in boxes? We
don’t have enough room to work with the artifacts, much less
exhibit them.”
A look at the anthropology offices confirms Shafer’s claim.
There are boxes under desks and lining classrooms and halls.
“We need a museum not only for visitors, but to teach,”
Shafer said. “It is much simpler to show students about
something instead of just telling them. This holds true with
not just anthropology but with other courses such as history.
“If a history professor was lecturing about lifestyles of
certain Indians-, it would be much easier for the students to
understand the life of the Indians if they could see what the
Indians had to work and live with.
Shafer’s ideas are similar to those of many of Texas A&M ’s
faculty. One person who shares his views is Dr. Ervan Garri
son, head of the Cultural Resource Laboratory at Texas
A&M.
“It would be great to have a place on campus where
students could stop in during a break in their schedules and
acquaint themselves with some history,” Garrison said. “This
would give us a place to exhibit things we have found like
cannon shells from a Civil War iron-clad ship, or artifacts
from an old Indian burial ground. We have these things, but
there is no place to put them where the public can see them.
“We have mentioned this need to some of our superiors
who seemed very excited about the idea,” Garrison said,
“but nothing has come from it. We are cramped for classroom
space, which is the first priority, so the museum idea is
placed on the back burner.”
Since Texas A&M does not have a museum, it receives no
federal funding for the upkeep of some of its exhibits.
“The Wildlife and Fisheries Department has many collec
tions, one of which is the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collec
tion,” said Robert Dowler, a Wildlife and Fisheries instruc
tor at Texas A&M. “This collection is made up of over 30,000
mammals, 15,000 birds, and thousands of reptiles and fish.
We could receive federal funds for the care of these collec
tions if we had a museum. But since we don’t, we have to use
departmental funds to take care of them.”
Not having a permanent place to put artifacts has kept
Texas A&M from receiving some pieces of art as gifts, accord
ing to J. Wayne Stark, special assistant to Texas A&M’s
president for development of cultural programs.
Stark said Texas A&M has been offered many different
items ranging from a very valuable art collection to antique
tractors, but there is no place to put them. Stark said the
items could be placed in various buildings throughout the
campus, but someone has to be responsible for their mainte
nance and safty.
“Before we accept many more gifts, we are going to have to
find someone who will be directly responsible for the gifts,”
Stark said. “This person or persons will have to be able to
recognize art and be able to tell if someone had switched a
forgery in for the original. This person will have to know
when something needs to be restored, or repainted. In
effect, just be responsible for any new gifts and the ones we
already have.”
Stark said the first problem with starting a museum is
deciding what the museum will house.
“Before we start talking seriously about building a
museum and acquiring items to fill the museum, we have to
decide what we want to exhibit,” he said. "Do we want to
exhibit art or natural history, agricultural history or en
gineering history? Someone has to decide what is going to be
shown.”
Stark said a building that would house everything every
one wanted to show would be nice, but wouldn’t be feasible.
Building and operating a museum is fairly expensive. The
1981 operating budget for the Texas Memorial Museum in
Austin is $354,000.
If Texas A&M were to build a museum, it would have to
raise the money for building and running it.
The 66th Legislature’s Appropriation Bill says that State
funds can not be used to build or run any new museum, but
this could be gotten around if Texas A&M tried, said Dr.
James Bond, Vice Chancellor for legal affairs at Texas A&M.
“I haven’t done any research on the question (a museum at
Texas A&M), but from reading the bill now I|
are trying to keep universities from buildii ^
’ if the
museums, and if they are built, to keep themfflua
state money for operating funds. But the way this
I’m pretty sure that if we tried hard enough
around the law.”
Bond said one way to get around the law would
museum curator’s program. The museum wouldk
the lab. This would justify the need for a museum
Texas A&M already has the ground work for such
ram. Two museum classes are offered by the Will
Fisheries Science Department.
"A museum would benefit our program treraenio
said Dowler, the instructor for the two museum m
“There is no place on campus for the students in the®
classes to get any hands on experience.”
'If A&M is serious about having a museum, th
several things that need to be done before it is even
mended to the Board of Regents,” Stark said. '% m
first form a committee to study recommendationsU
departments at A&M as to what they feel is needed N
committee needs to decide what is going to be exh
When this is decided, they should be able to presenti
regents for approval.”
Most of the people contacted had different ideasasb
kind of museum they would like to see at Texas A&JI
most suggested type is one based on what Texas AM
done.
“I feel that it is a shame that this great land grant uniu
doesn’t have a museum of agriculture and engineering,
Dr. Victor Treat, assistant professor of history at Texas!
"We could exhibit antique tractors and old engineering!
There could also be room for exhibits from other I
ments as to what they do and have done.”
‘TfA&M starts a museum, I only hope they do it com|
ly professional, ” said David Chapman, assistant arck
Texas A&M. “This means having a professional curate
professional staff. If they are going to do it, do it
nave an amateur job.”
The idea for a museum has not been brought upolu
said Dr. Charles Samson, Acting President of Texas II
University. “The idea has only been discussed in thege
context of the overall thrust in the area of the arts. There
not been any definitive discussions. But I can say that
now, a museum is not in our present five-year
Tut s kin may have visited
By NATHAN R. HINES
Battalion Reporter
King Tut never visited Aggieland,
but one of his relatives might have
lived here.
This relative didn’t get around to
enjoy the campus, but he stayed in a
building that once stood where the
architecture building is now. Tut s
possible relative was named ANH-
HR-H3CPJ, which is an odd name
unless you are a mummy.
The “Aggie Mummy, ’ according
to the inscription on the lid of his
sarcophagus, was the remains of a tax
collector who worked for Pharaoh
Rameses II approximately 4,000
years ago.
The mummy, more commonly cal
led the Tax Collector, was moved to
Turk Pip
on a jug
fternoo
hat com
Te
s
•tate
o F^TICAL
PrescriptionsVilled
Glasses Repaired
216 N. MAIN
BRYAN 822-6105
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
8 a.m.-l p.m.
Sat.
o Pre-Christmas
Sale
120% off
,. at
"Your N«w/yo
the Houston MuseumofNate|
ence in June 1970.
The mummy was just oneoli
exhibits housed in the Mi®
the A&M College of Texas,
That museum was establiibfjPVE W
1937 and was closed in
founded on three collections:
fossil vertebrates, one
plants, and a herbarium of
40,000 specimens.
Dr. J. M. Nance, professor'
itus of history at Texas
11
IvyC
'ALLAS
, O-mile
members the museum wl: lira place
the only entertainment on cifThomas l
Before World War II, wtftjas home
would come up for football e who f
their dates would take theniP mid a ph
museum to see the mummy*® * ee l kind
other exhibits. This was i
"Your New/YorV Connection'
4J40 Cartar Creek Parkway oil 2»tti Straal
only thing to see on campus, o J 16 the fir
for the statue of Lawrence fc • I guess
g, S4»47M Mon.-Sai, 1010 •
Ross.
^.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimimiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiimmmiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiimiimiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimimmiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 1
IMMEDIATE NEED!
SPRING 1981 *-
ENGINEERING JOBS
his offict
It’s hard ti
lap of North
f where w
F a horse
file ecord
ere
-mile t
ashingtc
addy said
that left
they ti
|States, C
?ush all thi
]e but wei
They start*
l broke th
6.
is ride ’
Thi;
FOR CO-OP STUDENTS
| All majors needed at once. Apply at the Co-op
| Office, 244 Zachry. For details see Prof. R uss
| Puckett, or call 845-6037.
ifaet