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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1993)
ember 22,] Police Depart Stoppers nee] responsible foi Crime Stoppers <vill be given) !r identity, •rest and g I pay you up to Opinion Wednesday, September 22,1993 subject observe] in public was is- k citation was is- 'ho exposed his on was issued lo 'as involved in a nth another. i Prohibited raffic stop led lo dagger on an ice accupants in the onal daggers and -ubber grip were vere arrested. ig - College Sla- was called to in- f smoke on the ie building, The d its wiring had lie Beverage a Minor ty Research Park Vehicle assport radar de- n and two com- ■n from the vie- Threat ictim received a vn person who hysical harm. -1 ■ The Battalion Editorial Board CHRIS WHITLEY, editor in chief |ULI PHILLIPS, managing editor MARK EVANS, city editor DAVE THOMAS, night news editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Aggielife editor BELINDA BLANCARTE, night news editor MICHAEL PLUMER, sports editor MACK HARRISON, opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, sports editor KYLE BURNETT, photo editor The Battalion Page 9 EDITORIAL A&M president Don't limit search to University New 'do: Hair today, gone tomorrow Hassles of hairstyling don't necessarily change things MELISSA MEGLIOLA Columnist I am not a vain per son. In fact some times my friends and family mention that I might benefit from a few more seconds in front of the mirror. I'm known around Zachry for the pencil that al most always secures the knot of hair atop my head, and I like it that way. Getting my hair cut is not one of my fa vorite things to do. It ranks somewhere in be tween going to the post office in late December and having a cavity filled. 1 put it off as long as I can. But this summer, as my unkempt mane was constantly in my eyes, I began to ask everyone for advice on where to put myself through one of life's mini-tortures. After a thorough search, I called an upscale salon to make an appointment with Barker. A woman from church had given me his card and assured me that he was "wonderful." His card didn't mention a last name. This made me uncomfortable. Doomsday arrived two weeks later. The sa lon was all T had imagined and dreaded. The employees wore trendy white that to me screamed nurses convention. Loud music caused the place to pulsate with activity. Monique — also her full name — handed me a black robe to put on over the clothes 1 had carefully selected for the occasion. When I finally met Barker, I was relieved by his relatively normal appearance — no se~ quined cowboy hat or visible tattoos. When he asked me what I wanted to do, I told the truth. "Just make it look better," 1 said. He started talking quickly and mentioned something about cutting "along the contour of the head y I must have really seemed con fused because he ran to get me a picture. The picture he brought back featured a girl sport ing a 'do worthy of the B-52s. 1 hated it. So I mustered up a smile and nodded affirmative ly. I may be able to argue about art, science or politics with anyone, but I am lost for words when faced with a guy and scissors. After Monique gave me a wash. Barker be gan to "create/ using my hair as the raw mate rial and that awful picture as inspiration. About halfway through the process, I met Bri an, the color specialist who loved the look but was convinced that T needed just a few high lights. My hair is dark brown. What color did he want to make It? Two hours and several blow dryings later, I took off the black robe a new woman. As I paid the $501 couldn't wait to retreat to the privacy and comfort of my own car and exam ine my new look in the rear view mirror. Even though I resembled someone on MTV, I could tell the cut was salvageable with a little less gel and mousse. Almost two full months since the last hair trauma, I realized it was time again. Instead of consulting every non-balding person I know and waiting weeks for an appointment, I sim ply drove to a budget salon at the mall. I sat down on a chair that looked like it had been rescued from a rundown Pizza Hut and flipped through back issues of Cosmo while waiting for my name to be called. I met Laura at her station and instructed her on exactly how to cut my hair. During our 20 minute encounter, I told Lau ra about taking English at Blinn, learned about her sister who teaches modeling in Bryan and received the pros and cons of driving home from work for lunch. After it was over, I wrote a check for $8.95 — three dollars less than the tip I gave Barker — and received a coupon for the next time 1 returned. I then headed off for the library to meet my boyfriend, Roman. Sitting in group study, I continued to toss my hair over my shoulders every couple of seconds. Roman remained en thralled by his textbook. Finally, 1 was forced to ask the inevitable, "Don't you notice something different about me?" He glanced up, muttered something about my shirt and went immediately back to read ing. No matter how much you worry, where you go or eventually spend on a haircut, some things remain the same. Melissa Megliola is a senior industrial engineering major The newly formed Texas A&M Presidential Search Advisory should examine all possible candi dates — both here and beyond Texas A&M — before it recom mends anyone for the job of Uni versity president. An applicant does not necessarily need to be an Aggie in order to be a good candidate. ^ However, this does i not mean that present Jr administrators are unqualified. After a nationwide search, the committee : 1 might easily find the v most qualified can- didate already here at \ \ A&M. These people ^ here equal consideration with outside nominees. The president is ultimately re sponsible for all University affairs and acts as the public representa tive of Texas A&M. The person se lected to fill the position will play a major role in the school's develop ment. Increasing enrollment, tight budgets, and changing educational trends will complicate that job. Dr. William H. Mobley, Texas A&M University System Chancel- lor, appointed the members of the committee Tuesday. The group consists of 21 people from each University college, the adminis tration, and student government. "The Search Advisory Commit tee is dedicated to fulfilling the charge to conduct a national search open to both internal and external candidates and to present a short list of highly qualified candidates to the chancellor and re gents," said com mittee chairman Dr. Don Hellriegel. As the Search Advisory Committee evaluates applicants, it should pay close atten tion to the benefits the Uni versity might gain from an outside candidate. A new president with experience dealing with the prob lems A&M faces could prove to be an invaluable asset. The fact that the candidate is or is not an Aggie should be irrele vant to the Search Advisory Com mittee. Keeping that idea in mind will enable it to find the best per son for the job. TAMU Welcomes Ret. Lt.Col North < THE AGGIE CODE OF HONOR \ For many years Aggies have followed a Code of Honor which is stated in this very sim- 1 \ pie verse: “Aggies do not lie, cheat, or steal, nor do they tolerate those who do." The Aggie Code of Honor is an effort to unify the aims ol all Texas A&M men and women to ward a high code ot ethics and personal dignity. - For most, living this code will be no problem, as it asks nothing ot a person that is beyond rea- fv son. It only calls for honesty and integrity, char- /s N acteristics which Aggies have always exem plified. M . The Aggie Code of Honor functions as a symbol to all Aggies promoling understanding and loyalty to truth and confidence in each $ f > h other. % Honesty h mount 'Truth is 5 J ere cl. Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty o: staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class, arid phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, style, and accuracy. Contact the op i n ion ed i u - r for information on submitting guest columns. • Address letters to: The BattalionMail Call HI 3 Reed McDonald 1111 iliiiiil A&M overlooks opportunity by ignoring women's studies N ot so long ago, you would have been hard pressed to find a woman on the A&M cam pus. This universi ty used to be all men, all military, all the time. But times change. Now our campus allows women to attend classes, join the Corps of Cadets and even run for class president. Not so long ago, you would have been hard pressed to find a course dealing with women's issues and concerns. Again, times have changed. A women's studies program has been in ex istence at Texas A&M since 1988. Barely. Since the year of its inception, the women's studies program has offered nu merous classes ranging from women's his tory to women in literature. Students have been given the chance to learn a little something about the lives and influences of women past and present who have helped shape the world in which we live. Until recently the feminist academic perspective had long been overlooked due to the fact that many believed it was unimportant and quite futile. Suddenly, numerous great minds of academia real ized the overwhelming importance of viewing the past, present and future of our world through the eyes of women. Feminist views of literature, science, his tory, business and sociology began sweeping the universities of the world as intellectuals started to chip away at this untapped discipline. The leading edge of world class uni versities have made their women's stud ies programs top priority. Female faculty and students have begun to look at a uni versity's women's studies department to gage the prevailing attitudes and commit ment of that university towards feminist issues. Therefore, it would behoove the ad ministration of Texas A&M to take a clos er look at the manner in which the women's studies program is being direct ed. Since it is the current herald of true world class status for individuals in scholarly circles, it follows that the paper pushers in power would want to encour age a flourishing department. A well-de veloped women's studies program could be a crown jewel in the ruling scepter of Texas A&M. Of course, this can only happen if, or rather when, the women's studies pro gram is revamped and revised to feed the The administration seemed to overlook the fact that the women's studies program wasn't assigned adequate furniture, fax machines, copying equipment, phones or even a central office. growing needs of a feminist-starved uni versity. When the program was originally de veloped in 1988, major obstacles stood in the way. The administration seemed to overlook the fact that the program wasn't assigned adequate furniture, fax machines, copying equipment, phones or even a cen tral office. With women's studies profes sors scattered throughout the differerit de partments of the different colleges, a cen tralized location is absolutely necessary. Yet another crippling flaw is the fact that the program wasn't ever assigned a secretary. Again, with the program frag mentation, one central person is a must to maintain any semblance of continuity. Of course, the administration did promise a part-time secretary in September 1992. Since that time the women's studies pro gram has waited for that crucial position to be filled. Since that time all they have been given are promises. By far, though, the worst insult to the women's studies program has been the yearly operating budget allocated to this fledgling jewel. With a shoe-string budget of between $3,000 and $6,000, this pro gram has struggled to survive. At other contending universities, women's studies departments routinely are given on aver age $30,000 to $45,000 as an operating budget. This disparity shows the propen sity for immense problems created by the paltry funding that our women's studies program receives. The campus climate for women may not be the most receptive of all possible environments, but with a strong commit ment of money and personnel from the administration, the women's studies pro gram can ensure continual advancements toward more ideal conditions. Without proper funding, staffing or administrative procedures, Texas A&M can never hope to succeed in the academic world market. In her recommendations concerning a strategic plan for women's studies at Texas A&M University, Dr. Ethel Ash- worth-Tsutsui said, "The message to all the women on campus remains the same: as we head into the 21st century, the ad ministration of TAMU does not think enough of its community of women to take the time and effort to promote the es tablishment of a women's studies Center on campus." Therefore, it is up to the students of Texas A&M to cry out to the administra tion demanding a worthwhile women's studies program to carry us into the fu ture of academic excellence. Write to In terim President Gage, and tell him your views on our current women's studies program — or send him my opinion. John Scroggs is a senior English and philoso phy major Oliver North not a model of heroism Oliver North is coming to Aggieland invited by the the College Republicans. They call him a hero. To the best of my knowledge, North was one of the mem bers of the National Security Council during the Reagan Administration who devised a plot to sell weapons to Iran as part of an arms-for-hostage trade and then use the profits of this trade to fi nance the "Contras" in Nicaragua, thus violating a Congressional order — the Boland Amendment. Any staffer who violates a Congres sional order is a traitor to the U.S. Con gress and the American electorate. The violation of the Boland Amendment was an act of betrayal to American democracy. Furthermore, the deadly so-called "Contras" were ex-members of General Somoza's national guard. Dictator So- moza and his son ruled Nicaragua for 46 years. During this period, the national guardsmen made a living out of So moza's regime of terror and repression. When the entire people of Nicaragua took arms and launched the revolution that eventually toppled Somoza, the guardsmen fled to Honduras where they became "Contras." With the support of the United States, the Contras launched terrorist attacks on Nicaraguan soil where they blew up bridges and facto ries and shot teachers and doctors. The Contras also used to attack vil lages at night, kill the farmers and their families and burn the fields. Officially, 3000 people, including many women and children, were killed by the U.S.- supported Contras. In 1983 the United Nations World Court declared the United States support of the Contras as an act of international terrorism. When Congress passed the Boland Amendment the Reagan Admin istration devised a secret plan to provide arms to the Contras and continue the massacre of civilians in Nicaragua. Oliver North was charged with im plementing this deadly plot. The final goal was to protect the interests of U.S. corporations in the region. The Nicaraguan revolution that gave free dom and peace to the Nicaraguan people was a bad example for U.S.-supported right-wing dictatorships in the area like Honduras and San Salvador in which, as in Nicaragua during Somoza's regime, U.S. corporations had invested heavily. Reagan lied to the American people when he said the Contras were freedom fighters. The truth is that the Contras were criminals who had one single goal: to seek revenge on the Nicaraguan peo ple who overthrew their dictator and put an end to their bloody way of living. The Reagan Administration also lied when it said the revolutionary, left-wing government of Nicaragua was a Soviet ally that constituted a threat to the na tional security. There were never any military agreements between the Nicaraguan government and the Soviet Union. Most of the 200 Russians living in Nicaragua were teachers, engineers, doctors and diplomats. The Nicaraguan left-wing government did not even have a communist economy; 59 percent of the nation's gross product was produced by the private sector. That is more than in Western European countries like Hol land, Sweden or Norway. Iran-Contragate became one of the biggest scandals in U.S. political history. In May 1989 Oliver North was finally in dicted for defrauding the government, stealing government property, destroying government documents and misleading Congress. God will not forgive Oliver North. Nor will God ever forgive the deadly Contras. Humberto A. Jorge Graduate student