The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 52, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, September 26, 1969 Page: 2 of 6
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PAGE 2—THE CAMPUS CHAT
The Campus Chat
52nd Y«ar North Texai State Unirerjity, Denton, Ttxai
ALL AMERICAN
and
PACEMAKER NEWSPAPER
CHERYL SNAI'KA
Editor
©
TOM KELLEY
Business Manager
Friday, Saptembtr 26, 1969
Raun's Amphibious Address Book
To Help Fill Researchers' Need
*
* I
Editorial mUtementt of th* C mpuj Ch t
reflect the opinion of itudent writers and
not neceM rlly that nf the North Tei\a&
State Univcnity Adminl tration.
New Guidelines
Attendance Now
Students' Decision
Another stop was taken Tuesday to recognize NT students as persons
with the sense to take advantage of what they are paying for.
The Faculty Senate passed a new set of class attendance regulations
which shift responsibility for attendance from the university to the stu-
dent. Now it is up to the individual student to accept that responsibility,
and thus allow the university to relax its much-debated in loco parentis
policy.
The new regulations remedy the contradiction contained in the 12-year-
old policy currently in use, which first states emphatically that there are
no excused absences and then goes on to explain what absences are ex-
cused. The revised plan notes excused absences for university-sponsored
activities and also provides that the student may make a 'satisfactory
explanation of absence to the instructor."
The basis of the new regulations is simple, logical and is what many
students have demanded for years: 'Students will be graded on the basis
of intellectual effort and performance, not on class attendance. No
longer will a part of the grade be based on ability to hear an alarm clock
for an 8 a.m. class, or clock-watching ability at any time.
They recognize, however, that certain courses are based on classroom
activity. A violinist who has cut orchestra rehearsals for the majority of
the semester cannot expect to be allowed to play in the big concert, and a
physical education student should not be surprised at flunking an activi-
ties course he never attended. In such courses, however, the instructor
must give written notice-mimeographed sheets, one paper passed
around the class, or even just a notice on the board-of the attendance he
expects. Otherwise, his grades reflecting attendance may be held in-
valid.
But perhaps the best thing is that a student who feels he has been un-
fairly penalized due to attendance can appeal to have his grade changed,
with apparently some chance of success.
Any benefit a student may receive from the new regulations must stem
from his own efforts. It is up to him to request make-up work and to
make adequate excuse for any necessary absences, and it is up to his own
knowledge and maturity to make the choice of regular or sporadic
attendance.
— SUE PETTIT
Games of Chance
Denton Gambling:
Legal or Illegal?
By RAYMOND CROUCH
('hat Special Writer
Dr. Gerald G. K;iun can give you all the
instructions necessary to find that turtle
or snake you've always wanted.
He devotes much of his time to keeping
up with the 190 known species of reptiles
and amphibians that make Texas their
home.
For the past nine years. Dr. Haun has
made it his business to find out exactly
where each of these 190 different species
of snakes, lizards, frogs and turtles live.
Sound like a tough job? You bet.
Dr. Haun. a member of the biology fac-
ulty. explains that with hundreds of scien-
tists doing ecological studies in Texas all
have one problem in common. Lack of
basic information on the distribution of
reptiles and amphibians has blocked the
path toward fruitful research.
IT SEEMS NO one had ever before
taken time or nerve to mount the awe-
some task of gathering all published data
on the distribution of these reptiles and
amphibians.
The ecologist studies the relationship
of living organisms to their environment.
In order to make this study ecologists
must know where to find these living
organisms.
Having had a lifelong interest in rep-
tiles and amphibians. Dr Haun started
his fact-finding expedition in 1961 while he
was curator of the Texas Memorial
Museum at Austin. He spent five hours a
day, five days a week for five years in lib-
raries collecting a bibliographical list of
2,000 published references that ranged
from full length books to short articles in
scientific journals. Many of these refer-
ences were published in the 19th century.
The oldest source was printed in about
1850 for the Society of Natural History in
Philadelphia.
ABOUT HIS FIVE years in the library
Dr. Haun said. It was just pure drudgery
in many respects, but I'm glad I could do
it because it will definitely solve a lot of
problems for a lot of people."
The product of Dr. Raun's nine years of
labor will be a 400-page book to be pub-
lished later this "year It will contain an
account and brief description of each of
the 190 species plus an individual map for
each species showing where it is distri-
buted Only l.'it) maps are included be-
W' ™
Reptilian Odd Couple
These contrasting turtles are among the 190 species of
reptiles and amphibians which Dr. Gerald G. Raun studied
in preparing his new book. The book, planned as an aid
to research, will show where each of the species has its
natural habitat.
cause 00 of the species are found in seven
counties or less. Each account is cross-
referenced to the bibliography in the final
section of the book.
Dr Haun explained that any informa-
tion that has ever been published about
any reptile or amphibian in Texas should
be found listed in the bibliography.
SINCE DR. RAUN came to North
Texas State in 1966 he has been working
on the maps. On each map a code is used
to indicate the location of a particular
species.
A circle is placed in the county where a
literary reference to the location of the
species lias been found. A black dot
placed in a county indicates that an actual
live specimen has been taken from its
habitat and collected for study. Dr. Raun
points out that all universities maintain a
reference collection of such findings. To
get this information for the maps he con-
tacted each university in Texas
The task of writing the individual ac-
counts is being shouldered partially by
Dr. Fred Gehlbach of Baylor University
He is also helping to edit copy that I)i
Raun has already written
BENEFITS THAT ecologists will get
out of the book are mans . For example,
many ecologists are stu<l\ ing the relation-
ship of similar species in competition. By
taking a close look at Dr. Raun's maps
one can see that in many cases two very
similar species live in close proximity but
their ranges arc mutually exclusive and
they never overlap. The question arises
whether these two species are in com-
petition
it is the ecologist s job to establish for
sure whether the two species are in com-
petition and if so. exactly for what en-
vironmental resource they are com-
peting. They may be competing for food.
living space, breeding rights or any num
her of possibilities One thing is for sure:
without Dr Raun's maps ecologists are
not likely to realize that two species are
in competition.
A THEORY which is undergoing re-
testing is that if two similar species are
in competition for an environmental re-
source. there is a shortage of that re-
source that will eventually cause the
weaker species either to vacate the range
or digoff-ttsaalfy the latter
The new book may also help to solve
other problems Dr Raun s studies show
that the snapping turtle is distributed
over the eastern one-third of Texas. None
have been found further south than the
Nueces River, but some have been lo-
cated as far north as the Panhandle. Why
are there no snapping turtles in the Rio
Grande or Pecos Rivers? No one seems to
know, but science wants to know and will
probably find the reason with the help of
this book
r-
0 *
Gambling took place in Denton at the North Texas State Fair last
week.
Games of skill and chance were easy to find on the carnival grounds
But then, games of skill and chance can be found other places besides
carnivals. So. just what constitutes gambling'.'
Almost any poker player will tell you there is skill involved. So, some
gambling requires skill. There are possible winnings. Of course, there is
the element of chance. And there is the element of the bet-money or any-
thing else.
One student was enticed into a game of chance at one of the game
booths on the carnival grounds. The game involved an open box with
numbered holes and seven or eight balls. The object was to eject the balls
-all at one time--into the box and total the numbers of the holes where
the balls came to rest.
The total was compared to a chart of numbers. If the total was a red
number on the chart, you won so many yards; if a black number, you
won no yards. If you scored 100 yards, you could win as much as four
times your investment, plus several stuffed animals There was no limit
to the number of attempts you could make as long as your money held
out Of course, as your investment grew in the game, the cost per try
went from 50 cents to $1 to $2, though the game man did give free
attempts. The student lost five dollars.
There was also a game involving cubes with numbers written on them,
not unlike dice.
After losing his money, the student asked a police officer at the gate if
gambling was legal inside the fair. The policeman replied. The way
they do it, it isn't gambling because it can be done." He must have meant
it was possible to win.
Hut in Las Vegas, the house loses money occasionally, and the slot ma-
chines do pay off sometimes. Of course, anyone can win eventually in a
game of chance-as long as his money holds out and the game is not
rigged.
For all practical purposes, there was gambling in Denton last week
The student was sore about losing his five dollars. But he wished he had
lost the money in a game recognized by all as gambling, because it was.
WORTH WREN
Sue Pettit
Chat Staff
Page Editor*
NANCY KEMPLIN
TERRY KELLY
SUE PETTIT
BRENDA JOHNSTON
HOIl ANDERSON
H E. WILLIAMS
GEORGE FLYNN
Cartoonist
Photographer ......
news
news
editorials
amviaemertU
sport*
sports assistant
news associate
ED ROWE
DAN WATSON
The Campus Chat, student newspaper of
North Texas State University, is published
tcmiweekly (every Wednesday and Friday I
during the long terms September through
May and weekly (every Thursday) during
the summer session, June through August,
except during review and examination per-
iods and school vacations.
Freedom Eliminates Hypocrisy
In No-Curfew Dorm Experiment
Ain't freedom great?
That question is addressed, of course,
to those coeds who, like me, were old
enough, lucky enough and or had enough
pull to get into McConnell Hall As an un-
lucky. young, pull-less friend of mine
said. "Gee, the BIG girls' dorm'
Yes. it's true what
you've heard. Mc-
Connell residents
have keys to the out-
side door and may
come in as late as
they please at night.
They also may leave
extra-early in the
morning, if they
should happen to be
crazy or Campus
Chat staffers.
PETTIT
Box 5297, NT Station. Denton. Texa* 76203 Telephone: 387-4511. extension 354
PACEMAKER 5 TIMES Southwestern Journalism Congrats ALL-AMERICAN 52 TIMES
SUBSCRIPTION RATE
14 annually.
Editorials Board
Editorials Board
HARRIET C.ARY, MARY HA DEN. JAMES
KEEPER. EI) SPENCER. JERRY McNIEL.
WORTH WREN. SHARI PET RY. NANCY
BURNETT. SHIRLEY M CLENDON. BRIAN
DUCHIN.
LETTERS FROM READERS: The Chat
welcomes letters from readers, but reserves
the right to edit when necessary. Letter*
must be signed. Mail to: Box 5297, NT
Station.
Second class postage paid at Denton, Texas.
Represented by National Educational Ad-
vertising Services
mess
And they don't have to sign out in Mc-
Connell, which admittedly does away with
a lot of hypocrisy, not to mention outright
lying Rather than undermine morals, as
someone is sure to charge, McConnell's
experiment in freedom" would seem to
promote honesty-at least to roommates.
THERE ARE SOME problems, nat-
urally First, there's that long-awaited
key It's one of those IBM jobs, covered
with polka-dots, or maybe those are scale
models of moon craters. In any case, it's
big it just about doubled the weight of mv
key chain And when I dumped it into my
old summer straw purse, it just crashed
out through the bottom. Oh, well, that
purse is out of season, anyway.
Once you got the key, you had to learn
to work it It was simple, really , all you
had to do was follow instructions. The in
structions were posted everywhere. You
put the key into the lock, with the side
with the most little craters to the left The
big crater goes nearest the top, and you
just ignore the medium-sized ones at this
point.
THEN YOU TURN the key a quarter-
turn to the left, then a half-turn to the
right, then jiggle it up and down four
times and turn it to the right again. Of
course, if there's a full moon or the wind
is from the south-southeast, you have to
use Hunkie's Secret Formula, which can-
not be revealed in public print.
If the door still won't open, you next
make sure that you're at the correct door.
It makes a difference.
There's another difference this year,
but it's common to all the dorms. All the
"hostesses" and "counselors" have
evolved into "resident assistants." Ever
since I saw the sign saying, "Your R.A.
is Selma Hoodunit," I've been expecting
Selma to appear in a white cap carrying
a tray with orange juice and a thermome-
ter.
IN MeCONNELL, you don't see the
R.A.'s much, except when they're work-
ing on the desk in the lobby. Their job
must be much easier now; all they have
to do is pass out rule sheets and make cute
signs for their doors. No room-checks, no
searching the showers, living room, TV
room and Coke-machine corners for mis-
sing residents. Come to think of it, I guess
the "experiment in freedom" bit goes
both ways.
Of course, you still have to pay for all
your meals in the cafeteria whether you
eat them or not, and whether they're edi-
ble or not And the NT phone system is its
old, cute self, not to mention the added
fun when you try to make that important
call to Kerr Hall and are gently informed
that their intercom system doesn't work
yet.
BUT, ALL IN all, the sensation of
finally being treated as if you had some
sense is a unique feeling It gives a new
meaning to that "magic" date- when
EVER HEAR of a Devil's River black
neck snake'.' Only three of them have ever
been found in the world and all three were
residents of Val Verde County. Texas!
According to Dr. Raun the book should
meet immediate acceptance from uni-
versity libraries not only in Texas and the
rest of the I nited States, but also abroad.
Both prof essional and amateur herpetolo-
gists will want the book since it is the first
ever to publish the distribution maps By
far the book's biggest asset is the bibli-
ography which will go a long way to ease
the pain of scientific researchers working
you're 21 you can come or go-or even stav with the reptiles and amphibians
put. when you please. And that's a big
change.
In fact, the only thing wrong with the
21-and-over dorm is that it didn't come
sooner
What will be Dr. Raun's next project
alter the book is published? He might use
his own book to help him find one of those
Devil's River black neck snakes.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
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Snapka, Cheryl. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 52, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, September 26, 1969, newspaper, September 26, 1969; Denton, TX. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth326370/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.