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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1983)
Page 16/The Battalion/Friday, May 6, 1983 Corps (continued from page 1) accept for a lot of people,” 1982-83 Corps Commander Mike Holmes said. “The only way for them to be accepted is a matter of time. I’m not going to deny that there are still people in the Corps who don’t feel that women belong, but their num bers have certainly diminished over my four years here.” Preston Abbott, 1983-84 Corps commander, said the atti tude toward women is markedly better. “When I got into the Corps, the majority of the outfits wouldn’t allow fish to whip out to females,” Abbott said. “I don’t think that’s the case now.” Whip ping out is greeting an officer. Abbott said it is important that women become a bigger part of the Corps gradually. “As soon as somebody tries to start a radical movement, I think the results will be negative and it’s going to backfire,” Abbott said. “Bonnie Krumpotic is now in a position where more males are working with her and seeing what kind of job she can do. That could help.” Burton said he wasn’t sure if or when women would be in the Aggie Band, mainly because it would take a tremendous amount of effort to remodel the COUPON 75( off any 2 entrees with this coupon Good till May 15. two potato dorms and change the way the band is run. “I have no strong feeling as to whether women should be in the band,” Burton said. But he said having women in the band now is against University policy. Holmes said two women ap plied last year to be in the Ross Volunteers, the honor guard of the Corps. This year none ap plied. No women have been elected to the Ross Volunteers. “It is open to anyone within the Corps to apply, but the selec tion is purely on an electoral basis,” Holmes said. “Attitudes change over the years. It’s really hard to say how long it would take before women get in. It’s really hard to pin down the gen eral Corps attitude because the attitude ranges from very accepted to not accepted.” Abbott said he believes this issue probably will come up next year because of Krumpotic’s position on brigade staff. Brian Terrell, deputy Corps commander for 1983-84, said he thinks it will take 10 or 15 years to get women in the band and the Ross Volunteers, and just as long for women yell leaders. “I think the women are not accepted to a point that would be satisfactory for them to make the Ross Volunteers,” Terrell said. Krumpotic also said she couldn’t make a prediction of change. “The Ross Volunteers is a symbol of Aggie tradition, re calling the days when the school was an all-male institution,” Krumpotic said. “It’s an honor group protecting the governor. “Being on brigade staff is more of a functional thing. I was appointed because I would be able to perform the best job. But Cat Out In CLASS the Ross Volunteers is more of an emotional thing. “However, I wouldn’t want to see the Ross Volunteers lower their physical standards simply to accommodate a woman cadet.” Minority students also are playing a larger role in the Corps. More than 9 percent of the students in the Corps are minor ity students. About 6 percent are Hispanic, and more than 3 per cent are blacks and other racial minorities. The Corps has had several minority commanders over the years. Burton said: “Interestingly enough, minority students do very well in the Corps indeed. And acceptance of minorities in the Corps is strong. Like any other organization, you will have individuals who get in con flicts. But certainly I don’t be lieve any minority is being held back.” Abbott said he believes minorities are accepted in the Corps. “They’re probably better accepted here than outside the Corps,” Abbott said. “That probably results from their freshman year when the class is pulled so close together.” Lee Felder, a senior educa tion major from Bryan, says he thinks the number of minorities in the Corps will increase. “We’re accepted,” Felder says. “The acceptance of blacks in the Corps is a little bit more open than it has been in the past. The pattern has been dictated by the emblem of a white man with a short haircut. That image has changed. “And we have more blacks in the Corps who are leaning more towards military careers. Burton said the Corps’ image is the first thing that attracts stu dents. He said there is no doubt that the vast majority of junior and senior Corps leaders were committed this year to overcom ing whatever damage had been done to the Corps by incidents last year. At the Texas A&M-Southern Methodist University football game last year, cadet Greg Hood drew his saber to chase SMU cheerleaders from the field. Also last year, several cadets were involved in an incident where freshmen were beaten with ax handles. “I have talked to the leader ship on several occasions; | ton said. “I think thedis I within the Corps has ben I good this year. The Cc. Cadets, when it discipline ; is very effective indeed, * Holmes said it is vet)® stereotype people. “We wear a uniformt day, seven days a week,!); said. "Anytime a cade something, ‘the entire does that.’” Abbott said it is nea make it understood thattl cases the negative incident| the actions of individi the Corps as a whole Terrell said: “We ld| accomplish the sametbiT Tylenol people did. Wet) take the offensive pi the market and then well-known that we are ing the problem.” Burton cited as an the fact that units in die half of the Corps last academic achievement anl on top — some of them) top ten. “Changes in attitude begin in the freshman Burton said. “Becauseifn get the class to takeahattl at the activities, and takeil look at what leadershipF isn’t, by the time theygt!| seniors, they have some g ood ideas on how to n etter Corps of Cadets.’ I AIDS fought by interferon United Press International BOSTON — Genetically en gineered interferon was found effective in combating a rare skin cancer that preys on homosexual men with the dead ly immune system disease AIDS, a study published Thursday says. Interferon also was mildly effective in treating an aspect of the immune system breakdown that is the primary threat to pa tients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, doctors said in the New England Journal of Medicine. The changes did not alter the course of AIDS, which kills more than 40 percent of its vic tims, the researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Can cer Center in New York said. Kaposi’s sarcoma, a non- lethal skin tumor that starts in blood vessel walls, is one of sev eral diseases that strikes people whose immune systems are weakened by AIDS. Eight of 12 patients with the tumor responded to interferon treatment, the study found. Three patients had complete re mission and five others had mild to moderate remission, resear chers said. Interferon was especially promising in treating the AIDS patients because it had none of the side effects of conventional chemotherapy, which also in hibits the body’s infection fighting ability, a health official said. “The treatment of Kaposi’s sarcoma in AIDS patients using chemotherapy may aggravate the underlying immune defi ciency, so these early results with interferon are encouraging,” said Dr. Edward N. Brand® the U.S. Department of* and Human Services. I "Our preliminary Hoi suggest interferon mayltK f ul as treatment for KapoE* coma,” said Dr. SusanTHl a principal researcher. | AIDS, which afflicts® 1,200 homosexual men tians, drug addicts hemophiliacs, is charactf by an excess of white blood that suppresses theimmui tponse, and a lackofkillei hat fight infection. Eight of the patients had an increase in naturall cell activity, researchers last follow-up, however tients had died of AIDSdist “Although interferon ment does appear to t some aspects of immuni some patients with Kaposi coma, we do not have evil in this study that interferot sistently or permanent!) verses the underlying inra logic defects that charact AIDS,” said Krown. Kaposi’s sarcoma strike cer victims and kidney c plant recipients whose ini! systems have been supptt by treatment. Itismoresevt AIDS victims. Interferon, a protein in minute quantities in hibits viral infections tumors. Italsostimulatesaf of white blood cells thatll teria. Patients suffered some effects from the interferot eluding fever, chills, weal fatigue, anorexia, headi myalgia and joint pain, tl* port said. tMm Miller $49 12-Pack /kC'* Bottles tecat © 19«2 Cibco Ifnportirtf Co., Inc./The Woodland*. Texa* 77380 Schaefer & 62 Schaefer Light Six Pack Lone Star Longnecks Open Monday-Saturday ’til Midnight! (Specials good thru Sat., May 7) 3611S. CoUege 846-663 s