Scrambling for doctors’ duds
Photo by Dave Einsel
Steve Cooksey isn't a
doctor; he's a student
wearing scrubs.
By Colette Hutchings
Battalion Staff
Student attire on the Texas
A&M campus is beginning to
look like that found at a
surgeons' convention.
The number of surgical or
"scrub" suits worn on the cam
pus has steadily increased, and
although scrubs may never out
rank the Izod as the top student
uniform, they're giving the prep
look competition.
The bright- to faded-green,
white or blue unisex outfits, de
signed to be worn by doctors
performing surgery, are cool
and comfortable. Tops are com
monly worn with jeans on cam
pus, out the baggy bottoms are
also popular forlounging.
And since the suits' natural
habitat is inside a hospital, that's
where many wearers are getting
them, legally or otherwise.
United Press International re
ported that a Detroit, Michigan
hospital estimated scrub suit
thefts totalling $70,000 in 1980.
Tom Selders, materials mana
ger at Bryan Hospital, said the
roblem isn't that bad here. The
ospital rents all its linens, but
some do disappear, however.
Selders said he'd rather not
see the surgical look become
popular.
"You figure about $18 for a
suit and that can be quite an ex
penditure," he said.
Although Selders said he
thought that students wearing
the clothes was fine, he said "It
really bothers me when I see a
hospitals' name on it."
Carl Mayfield, material dire
ctor at St. Josephs' hospital in
Bryan, said he hasn't noticed
any thefts.
"It's a fad, so I'm sure we lose
a few," Mayfield said.
He said St. Josephs' uses
snap-ons for clasps and marks
the hospital name in big letters
which probably helps keep
thefts to a minimum.
Mayfield said one hospital in
Dallas uses clasps on the suits
and has buzzers at the doors,
much like those in department
stores to guard against shoplif
ters.
Mayfield said he had no senti
ment either way regarding the
trend except, "If you see a suit
with St. Joe's on it, it's ours."
Medical supply and surplus
stores have alleviated some of
the threat to the hospital scrub
Coffeehouse reopens
with new name, look
By Nancy Floeck
Battalion Staff
It's been over a year since the
MSC Basement closed its doors
and began its renovation, but
the change is almost complete,
and it reopens Thursday, Oct. 8,
as the Hideout.
Although it hasn't been en
larged, the interior has been
changed to give it a spacious and
airy look. Bright orange col
umns, white walls and an en
larged snack bar wipe out any
hints of its former intimate cof
feehouse atmosphere.
It still holds about 200 people,
but the seating and stage have
been rearranged to allow perfor
mers and patrons to enjoy
shows without interruption
from late-comers. Instead of
being to the left of the entrance
upon walking in, the stage is
straight ahead, against the wall.
The seating that was above the
stage's new site is now above
the Hideout's entrance.
The snack area is in the same
place, but will now serve'sand
wiches and operate as a full-time
snack bar. Hideout patrons will
be able to catch up on soap oper
as on a video screen while they
eat lunch.
Providing students with a
place to eat lunch, watch televi
sion and relax was the motive
for Basement's change, Mike
Huebner, who is working with
MSC concessions, said. The in
crease in students redefined the
Basement's role, he added.
Huebner said the Hideout will
be open from about 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. during the week and and
on some weekends, particularly
when there's a home football
game. It also will reopen some
weekday evenings for MSC
Basement and other MSC Dire
ctorate committee programs.
Although the Hideout is
opening for business Thursday,
its grand opening is the week of
Oct. 12. Local entertainers will
perform that week, during the
day as well as in the evenings.
Although Basement has been
around for over 10 years, its
name change is its third.
Opened in the late 1960s, Base
ment was called Basement Cof
feehouse after the popular cof
feehouse of the time, Jenny
Stone, MSC Basement Commit
tee chairman, said. The name
was changed last fall because
the committee's programming
includes entertainment other
than the "folksy" type associ
ated with coffeehouses, she
said.
The name is different and the
atmosphere is new, but the
Hideout may not seem different
to some, since the MSC Base
ment Committee will continue
to provide the type entertain
ment that made Basement, and
Basement Coffeehouse, popular
in the past.
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OPEN MON.-FRI. 10-6
suit supply by selling the suits to
the public.
Robert Forrest, manager of
Bryan Surplus and Supply in
Bryan, said he's sold a lot of
scrub suits to students within
the past year.
Most of them aren't sold to
medical students, either.
We ve sold more than we
can get," Forrest said. He seUs
them to both men and women
particularly students who
want something soft, cool and
comfortable to "lounge around
in."
Forrest said he also sells a lot
of the suits for "M*A*S*H" par
ties.
He sells scrub top or pants for
$8.95 a piece in three colors:
"jade" or surgical green, white
and grey.
"We used to sell factory
seconds for $6.95 a pair, but we
couldn't keep up with the de
mand," he said.
Debbie Scott, salesperson at
Rothers' Bookstore in College
Station, said the store is out of
scrubs in a lot of sizes, and most
of the sales are to students.
"It seems like most of the peo
ple we sell them to are in soror
ities or fraternities," Scott said.
Rothers' sells the green tops
for $7.95 and bottoms for $9.95.
Shri Parchure, assistant man
ager of Loupot's Bookstore in
Northgate, said they've been
selling the suits for 2 years,
"mostly to vet students."
"We put them (the suits) on
the rack one time and other peo
ple started buying them," Par
chure said.
Linda Webb, a secretary for
Medical Sales and Rental in
Byran, said they, too, have been
selling scrub suits. Webb said
she believed the loose cotton
material is one of the main
reasons for the suits' popularity.
The suits at Medical Sales and
Rental sell in jade green and
white at $9.95 for shirts and
$11.95 for pants.
Medical supply stores are not
the only ones getting into the
money-making aspect of the
scrub fad.
Diversified Corporation, a
firm which organizes fund
raisers for college clubs and
organizations, advertises the
tops for $12.75 and pants for
16.50.
In general, area merchants
say they approve of the fad.
"I think it's great," Forrest
said. He said he doesn't own a
pair of scrubs but that "a lot of
my relatives wear 'em."
Parchure voiced more discre-
tion: "As tong as no one walks
into a hospital wearing them
and claims they're a doctor, it's
O.K. with me."
lem em home?!