Student Senate members discussed plans for tomorrow night’s Snowball Dance as well as a number of other subjects at their regular meeting Tuesday.
Ann Nicholas, chairperson of the decorations committee for the annual dance, detailed committee plans and also solicited volunteer help from among the Senate to help with the work of putting up the decorations.
Jennie Griffin talked briefly on Badger, the rock band which has been secured to play at the Snowball. She said that the booking agent had related to her Badger has been a group for eight years and that they have backed up such name groups as Black Oak Arkansas and Trapeze.
The four-piece combo is from Little Rock, Ark., she said, and plays all types of music as well as providing entertainment between sets.
Tickets for the dance have been priced at $2 per couple and only one ID will be required per pair. The tickets may be purchased at the door, in the student bookstore or from any Senate member.
Dorian Cox, president of the TC Young Democrats, was a special guest at the meeting and told Senate members that the publicity for Senate-sponsored activities is “not enough” and “too inconsistent.”
Cox said that the group needs to find new methods of publicizing their activities and suggested that the local radio market would help solve the problem.
Cox, who is a local disc jockey, also suggested that the Senate should plan activities on a regular basis and “start having dances every weekend.” He said he felt sure area disc jockeys would help out for free or a minimal charge, and, when told of inevitable monetary problems, said that the Senate will “need to spend money to make money.”
Cox’s comments sparked lengthy discussion on planning more student activities and ways of generating more interest out of an apparently apathetic student body. One Senate member said that any TC function such as a dance will invariably be hurt by the local night clubs which provide not only live entertainment but serve alcoholic beverages as well.
The discussion then drifted into ways students can be encouraged to support activities planned in their behalf. Dean of Students Bill R. Hughes, who is also the Student Senate advisor, said that, “if it is any consolation, this problem of student apathy is not limited to just Texarkana College.” He said community colleges throughout Texas were experiencing similar difficulties with poor student interest in activities.
Hughes said, “At any meeting of administrative heads, the question is always raised by deans as to ‘How do you get your students to participate?’”
The discussion, which shifted rapidly from one topic to another, was then tabled to a later date.
Vice President Griffin reported that only 40 votes were cast by students during the recent favorites election. Winners will be announced tomorrow night at 9:30 at the Snowball Dance.
Dean Hughes told Senate members of a study being conducted by the President’s Advisory Committee, of which he is a member, into the possibility of eliminating activity periods on Tuesday and Thursday in order to schedule additional classes. After the report, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution critical of any such action.
Senate President Wanda Harland brought up the subject of the Senate sponsoring films for the students which would be shown during activity periods. A committee was formed to look into the subject further and to list several film possibilities and their rental prices.
The remainder of the meeting was spent discussing the scheduled Feb. 1 concert of Blood, Sweat & Tears. The group voted to allocate $600 to be spent on advance publicity and several committees were organized to take care of this and other details of the concert.
The Senate decided to meet again in a workshop session during the break between semesters to discuss several pressing problems as well as plan several student activities for the spring term.