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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1987)
Monday, August 31, 1987AThe Battalion/Page 9C SC Cephid Variable serves science fiction By Susan C. Akin Reporter ^■reshmen arriving at Texas A&M will be bombarded by numerous tra- litionSj regulations and organiza- aons. Hfor one of these organizations, playing Beat the Klingon, reading nnumerable science-fiction novels md having human chess matches ire not out of the ordinary. ^■'his unusual MSC committee is ^epheid Variable. ^■Cepheid Variable is a science-fic- ;ion fantasy committee that tries to promote science-fiction fantasy on ampus by bringing authors and art- sts and conducting science-fiction ahtasy films and conventions at \&M, Charles Reyes, chairman of Cepheid Variable, says. ^fc'he purpose of Cepheid Varia ble is to allow people with a common merest in science-fiction fantasy to ;et together and act upon their in- erests,” Reyes says. “Science fiction s anything that has to deal with the Future, the past or things that are different. You can deal with the fan- asypart of it, or you can deal with [he fiction part of it.” Reyes says Cepheid Variable tries [o include a large field of science-fic- tion to bring a combination of peo ple into the organization. “Cepheid has ‘Star Trek’ fans, members of NOVA (the MSC war- games committee), members of the Society for Creative Anachronism and people who just like reading sci ence fiction and playing strategic games,” Reyes says. “Cepheid might be viewed as a bunch of weirdos, but if people would look at what we’re trying to promote — our dreams — they would understand us better,” Reyes says. “If they don’t have any dreams, they probably do have a bad concep tion of us.” Anyone interested in joining Ce pheid Variable can go to its first meeting 8:30 p.m. Sept. 15 in 701 Rudder. Dues are $3 per semester and $5 per year. Cepheid Variable’s first event will be a showing of “Heavy Metal” Sept. 10. Ffeshmen with a paid fee slip and a current I.D. card will be al lowed to enter free. “ ‘Heavy Metal’ is a combination science-fiction-fantasy movie that’s animated and has a soundtrack by many popular rock groups,” Reyes says. “We will have two showings, probably at 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.” The movie will be followed by a human chess match outside the arches of the Quadrangle Sept. 11. “This human chess match will be Cepheid Variable vs. the Society for Creative Anachronism,” Reyes says. “Any organization or group of peo ple can challenge Cepheid to a match if it wants.” Cepheid Variable’s movies will be shown about once a month. They are popular science-fiction fantasy films that aren’t shown very often. In the past Cepheid Variable has shown “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Jun gle Book,” “The Terminator” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” In the spring Cepheid Variable hopes to have two science-fiction conventions. The first, Not-So-Itty- BittyCon, tentatively is scheduled for the end of January and will fea ture Gene Roddenberry speaking about his new “Star Trek” series. Three “Star Trek” films will be shown. The second convention is Aggie- Con. This large science-fiction con vention will bring many authors, art ists, trivia buffs and strategic game fanatics to the MSC March 24-27. People can buy science-fiction fan tasy novels, hear new science-fiction poetry or play Dungeon and Drag ons or Beat the Klingon. “People should try to see Cepheid as a committee that is trying to bring hope and ideas for the future,” Reyes says. “Don’t be all technical. Don’t be so engrossed in school work that you burn out. Cepheid is an es cape and a form of recreation. “If you have dreams of the future, dreams of the past, dreams of what could have been, or what might be, Cepheid Variable is there not to bury it but to let it out.” OPAS to begin 15th season l/ith dance, music programs Battalion File Photo Janine Riveire plays a bass cello during a practice of the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra. The BVSO has performed at A&M several times under the sponsorship of MSC OPAS. By Larissa-Starr Smith Reporter '■he Opera and Performing Arts Society, beginning its 15th season, is responsible for bringing 13 major programs a year to Texas A&M, says Hie Black, program adviser to OPAS student committee and exec utive director of OPAS board of di rectors. Any student interested in belong ing to MSC OPAS can apply. Out of Sbout 300 applicants, 180 students ate chosen, Black says. g“Applicants who have experience and interest in the performing arts are certainly weighed heavier, but Ip doesn’t mean that other appli- :ants aren’t accepted,” Black says. Committee members will work an average of five to 10 hours a week on [heir own time while an of ficer will ivork about of 30 hours, she says. The general committee meets ev- ;ry other week and subcommittees neets weekly or biweekly, she says. “In addition to programming, hey (students) are doing student de velopment, finances, and putting to- {ether a budget,” Black says. OPAS has a $500,000 budget, Slack says. Student fundraising is re- ponsible for $14,000 of the £500,000, and the remainder is fathered from community contribu- ions and ticket sales. A student committee and a com- nunity group constitute OPAS, Black says. The president of the {md of directors is a community Member and the vice president is a student committee member. ; “Both (the community and the students) work hand in hand to )ring the performing arts to Texas \&M,” Black says. OPAS plans these programs for 1987-88: • Nikolais Dance Theater —Sept. 12, • Rotterdam Philharmonic with fames Conlon, conductor, and Bella Davidovich, pianist — Oct. 13. • “The Great Gershwin” starring Mel Tormd, Leslie Uggams and Peter Nero — Nov. 10. • The Canadian Brass perform ing “Christmas with the Canadian BraSs” — Dec. 1. • Tokyo String Quartet — Jan. 28. • Christopher Parkening, guitar ist—Feb. 15. • Mr. Jack Daniel’s Original Sil ver Cornet Band — March 6. • Music from Marlboro — April 15. •• “Beehive,” a play — Sept. 30. • “Singin’ in the Rain” — Nov. 17. • Marcel Marceau — Feb. 24. • “Frankenstein” — March 30. • “Cats” — date to be announced. Performing arts society at A&M makes plans for Broadway shows By Teree Thompson Reporter |The Texas A&M University Memorial Student Cen- er Opera and Performing Arts Society has big plans or the 1987-88 academic year with its Broadway pro- fram. The Broadway program was previously a part of MSC Town Hall. ^But this past year Broadway was transferred to “I think students are going to like OPAS a lot better low that we have added Broadway,” says Dyan Foss, DPAS director of student development. “Some people might not like opera or orchestras, but nost likely there is something in OPAS Broadway that hey can enjoy,” she says. “We are trying to promote ultural aw'areness on campus and in the community.” The sophomore geophysics major says the society has everal performances scheduled for this year. One scheduled performance is by the Rotterdam 'hilharmonic with James Conlon as conductor and lella Davidovich as pianist. Also scheduled is the Nikolais Dance Theater, which ? oss says promises to be an exciting performance. Performing stars Mel Tormd:, Leslie Uggams and ’eter Nero also are scheduled to appear in “The Great Jershwin.” Foss says there is no cost to join OPAS. In order to join, students must fill out an application and sign up for an interview. Pamphlets with specific directions can be picked up at MSC Open House at the beginning of the fall semes ter. Foss says the society meets about twice a month. Also, each member must be on a subcommittee. All OPAS subcommittees meet once a month, Foss says. “The meetings are pretty short,” she says. “Other than that, you put in as much time as you want to put in. “You can put in anywhere from five to six hours a month or five to six hours a week. Whatever you want to do.” Foss says she heard about OPAS at Fish Camp. OPAS was started 15 years ago and steadily is grow ing. The group is trying to pull in new members, she says. In the 1987-88 school year alone OPAS gained 50 new members. “The Bryan-College Station area doesn’t have very much to offer in the area of fine arts,” Foss says. She says OPAS Broadway hopes to offer the students and area residents an opportunity to enjoy perfor mances such as operas, ballets, musicals and orchestras. TEXAS AfieM UNIVERSITY ■ V ' : v ' : . •• •. SYMPHONIC BAND rehearsals twice a week membership by audition activities include concerts instrumentation set for 75-80 renew acquaintances from AH-State, Area, Region and District Bands open to a// students MEET (TUBS) SEPT. 1st 12:30 P.M. E. V. ADAMS BAND BLDG. The Symphonic Band offers students at Texas A&M University the opportunity to piay their instruments with others from across Texas and the nation. Rehearsing twice weekly Tuesday and Thursday, from 12:30-1:45 p.m., the band allows students to play in a group while concentrating on their major field of study For additional information call: Band Hall (409) 845-3529 Bill J. Dean Director Symphonic Band E. V. Adams Band Bldg. More bytes, less bucks. The Computer Access 88/2. The CA 88/2 is “standard equipment” for students at Texas A&M. A personal computer has become a necessary tool for many courses. Waiting in line to use university computers isn’t the answer. Our CA 88/2 is the IBM compatible computer you need to excel at Texas A&M for a fraction of the cost of IBMs. The 88/2 has Phoenix Bios with an 8088-2 processor, one 360 floppy drive, 640K RAM, 4.77/8 MHz clock, IBM-AT style keyboard, monochrome monitor, parallel printer port, Hercules compatible graphics card, 150-watt power supply and eight expansion slots. Fully compatible with IBM, the CA 88/2 runs 1.7 times faster than the IBM PC. For only $588. 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