Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1973)
Page 2 College Station, Texas Friday, October 19, 1973 THE BATTALION RUNAWAY Batt Comentary Honor Code Ir rational Have you ever told a little “white lie” or stolen a small piece of candy? If you have since entering A&M, you better turn yourself in no matter where the event occurred. Why ?. According to the latest edition of TAMU’s University Regulations handbook for governance of student conduct and student activities. Aggies should . . let honor be (their) guiding star, with all . . . and learn that death is preferable to dishonor.” These are stirring words—ones that have been here since the founding of the University. They are the words of Richard Coke, the Father of TAMU, honored by a building on campus. From these words students have interpreted the Aggie Code of Honor based on an unwritten heritage of Aggie- land, “An Aggie doesn’t lie, cheat or steal, nor does he tolerate those who do.” These words are great for those who choose to live by them, but to interpret them and place them in a university rule book is ridiculous and totally unnecessary. It’s about as useful as an SDS handbook. The statement is formalized in the following five articles and was approved by student leaders last spring. Article I: A student will not knowingly make any false statements, written or spoken, while acting in any capacity, official or otherwise, on in any situation re flecting on Texas A&M University. Article II: A student will not unlawfully take or receive any property of another person, or persons under any circumstances without specific authority of that person or persons. Article III: A student will not impart or receive any authorized assistance, either outside or inside a class room or places of instruction, which would tend to give any student unfair advtange. Article IV: A student will not use evasive statements or technicalities in order to shield guilt or defeat the ends of justice. Article V: A student will report to a regular or ex-officio member of the Student Honor Council any honor vio lation by any student or students, including himself, of which he has witness or unquestionable knowledge. These “regulations” border on being Orwellian (1984) in nature. The worst part of the honor system is thrown at students by interpretations made of these five articles, such as dated statements saying that the system is an effort to “unify the aims of all A&M men toward a high code of ethics and personal dinity.” We ask, “What happened to the women of A&M? Are they that much better than the men or are men just that much worse?” We fail to see how the honor code can “protect the honorable student from the few irresponsible individuals.” Students, as evidenced daily, are being victimized by fel low students in thefts and the like. The students penning interpretations have moralized, rather than rationalized, that students will be able to “lead a normal, wholesome life free from any form of dishonesty,” if they follow the code of honor. We are curious to discover the definition of the completely utopian idea of a “normal, wholesome life.” The interpretation of the fifth article is absolutely pre posterous. One passage states that if “a fellow student commits an honor violation he has twenty-four hours in which to admit his mistakes and report himself. If at the end of this period he has not done so then any student who knows of the violation is honor bound to turn the individual in to his own C. O. or Dorm President.” It seems fallacious that honor can have a 24-hour limit on it, let alone that student equals are able to enforce such foolish statements. Fortunately, the University has not used this code to discipline students nor to suspend them from the University as the interpretation threatens. It has fallen into disuse because students and administrators have rationalized a discovery of its bad structure. Hence, it should be removed from the student rules and regulations handbook. At most it should be a preface to the book, but would be better suited to modification and placement in the freshman handbook or the Corps’ “Standard.” The book quotes Shakespeare, “To thine own self be true and it follows as night, day . . . how can thou thence be false to any man.” How can we justifiably decide who is honorable? Cbe Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of TSe Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the University administration or May, and once a week during summer school. the Board of Directors. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a MEMBER University and Community newspaper. The Associated Press, Texas Press Association LETTERS POLICY UT T TT 7~ 7 77 T - . , . _ _ Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words year; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 6% and are subject to being, cut to that length or less if sales tax - Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: , ° ...... ... The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit Texas 77843. such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed and show the address The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for of the writer reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it or not ' ' , . . otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous Address correspondence to Listen Upj The Badtcilion, origin published herein. Right of reproduction of all other Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas matter herein are also reserved. 77813 Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. EDITOR MIKE RICE Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim Mnnno-inP- Tditnr Rnrl Lindsey, chairman; Dr. Tom Adair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr. managing waiter KOa t>Peer H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, J. W. Griffith, L. E. Kruse and News Editor T. C. GalluCCl B. b. Sears. Photo Editor Rodger Mallison Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising -^' < ^h'Or . Kevin Coffey Services. Inc, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Ass’t. Sports Editor Ted BoriSKie Listen Up New Health Facilities Bettei Editor: , I would like to commend the administration on the new Health Center. The difference between the new Center and the Quack Shack is amazing. No longer must the already ill patient suf fer the atrocities of cold blasts or air from an out-dated window air conditioner, uncomfortable furniture, and an over-humidified atmosphere. The waiting room in the new Center is done in bright, warm colors that contrast sharply with the gloom of what was called the waiting room before. It is large, but not so large as to be imper sonal and the air conditioning keeps the room at a perfect tem perature without blowing chilling air at the patients. Even the hall waiting areas are more comfort able than the hard chairs of by gone days. There are, of course still some problems. I had to wait several minutes before I could see a doc tor, they had lost my record (again) and I was shuffled back and forth between nurses before I was allowed to see a doctor at all. These things can be taken care of in time, I am sure, but meanwhile the surroundings make the hassle much easier to take. La Tonya Perrin ★ ★ ★ Editor: A few nights ago I was taking a friend of mine home when I heard an advertisement by the Aggie Club. The gist of the spot was to get donations for athletic scholarships. Now, I'm not knocking sports or anything, but I feel that the Aggie Club could channel a larger portion of its funds to other areas besides just athletic scholarships. Not everyone is capable of playing football, basketball or any other sport for TAMU. In fact, only a small minority of students are talented enough to make the team. I respect the Aggie Club for what it’s trying to do, but I feel that more students should be al lowed to compete for the avail able scholarship funds. Ruben Lozano '74 The club’s purpose it to make athletic scholarships available. The Former Students Associa tion recognizes scholarly endea vor with funds.—Ed. ★ ★ ★ Editor: As a teacher of a large fresh man course, I am dismayed each year to see what seems to be a progressive deterioration in the manners of new students. First, the number of bare feet, and sloppily dressed, smelly bodies seems to increase each year. Most shocking of all is the large num bers of students who just get up and walk out of a class whenever the notion strikes them. Could it be that students are so conditioned to being entertained by television, that we professors need to mea sure up to “show-biz” standards? Even so, walking out is rude and unduly insulting. W. R. Klemm ★ ★ ★ Editor: Re: “Seat Belt Law Challeng ed” Oct. 2. This statement, under the guise of protecting the con sumer from all sorts of real and imaginary costs and infringe ments, attacked what is likely to be the most significant highway safety advance since 1900, man datory use of seat belts when rid ing in a motor vehicle. The position taken by the Na tional Motor Vehicle Research Safety Foundation concerning the value of safety devices such as energy absorbing steering col umns, safety door locks and seat- belts ignores the facts which have emerged from comprehensive in vestigation of accidents since 1954. Concerning seatbelts, let me see if I can span the gap from 1954 to 1973 and bring out a few of these facts and one or two “radical” opinions of my own. From “The Discovery and Con trol of Ejection in Automobile Ac cidents,” AMA Journal, 1962: “Ejection of passengers was discovered to be a major cause of injury in 1954. Two cures for ejection were introduced: safety door latches and safety belts. A 1958 study indicated that 5,500 lives could be saved annually in the US if ejection could be eliminated. An evalu ation of safety belt effective ness in 1960 showed that major- fatall injuries could be reduced by 30 percent by using safety belts.” Based on more than 20 sep arate studies of more than 15 thousand highway accidents con ducted by organizations such as the Cornell Aeronautical Labora tory, the University of Michigan’s Highway Safety Research Insti tute and the University of North Carolina’s Highway Safety Re search Center the following facts emerge: 1. Only 30 to 35 percent of motorists use seat belts regularly. 2. Only 2.5 to 5 percent of people who have shoulder har nesses in their cars use them. 3. The latest seat belt study by Cornell shows that “ ... in similar crashes, failure to use a seat belt increases the risk of instant death or severe injury by at least 100%, and of less severe injury by at least 40%.” 4. “In many cases belts also enable the driver to maintain con trol of the car during a collision and help him to avoid a crash by keeping him firmly in his seat during violent maneuvering.” The reasons drivers give for not wearing seat belts ignore the facts. The latest research shows you are 30 times more likely to be killed if thrown out than if you remain in the car. We are throwing away much of our nation’s resources dealing with the far reaching results of automobile injuries than we will ever spend on seat belts. It makes little sense to me to require the auto manufacturer to supply these items and then allow driv ers to ignore or circumvent them. I am convinced, based on every scientific study that has been car ried out, that using seat belts is the only way to ride. D. L. Ivey Head, Highway Safety Research Center TAMU ★ ★ ★ Editor: This is a reply to your recent refusal to print our advertise ment. In developing one of i est libraries of research m: in the country, Research ance, Inc., of Los Angeleslj gun to fill the deficit that* 2-6K74. WA One day . 4c per Mi in available reference mate Ino use dri This educational tool fretj student from much of them es and r< of information retrieval Jj ^ lows more time to be devi creative learning processes. Our up-to-date, mail order log of 4,500 research sold for research-referente poses only. We question )\W fusal to print our advertise 1965 p " n . t The highest goal of educitl 0<i e ° n " to provide the tools to enal student to think, evaluate, and decide for himself. You beehives- ercise of censorship by notBu Bil1 845 ' Quitting our advertisemec: j point pe pears to be diametrically^ ibbie 272-87 to an essential right of t dent: freedom of choice. to the student to accept one 1970 IBM ! t conditioi CANOES. lervation. , • it is not the function of igfi Firebi • . HBwer, air, c press or a free university w, 2-bbi, in to arbitrarily decide for otiP 9 ' 5808- John W. Spencer hood used Public Relations Diw jjJ 0 71 x 8/ The decision was not mih student staff, but by the t of University Information is business manager for tin per. The decision does notn student opinion — which cidedly different.—Ed. Anthropologist 1971 1 Aub (Continued from page 1) together. The woman was eating small fruits and her husband chewed bark as they sat back to back, about twelve-feet apart. A man in Turnbull’s village had left his wife to live in another village. The wife was the village potter, who worked when people had food with which to pay. When she was dying Turnbull paid her husband a visit. “Your wife is dying,” Turnbull told him. “Yes, I know,” was the only reply. “It was a totally irrelevant re mark on my part,” said Turnbull. Children between the ages of three and seven form gangs to protect themselves from the adults. “Adults will steal food from the children over three,” he said. When a child can climb a tree he is driven out of the younger group to the eight-to-12-year-olds “The older gang can climb for scraps of fruit the baboons have left,” said Turnbull. Older people are neglected; left to die from starvation, sound biology to keep the ing group alive,” he said. Ti will not waste food on the# Turnbull has concluded: his life with the Ik that unnecessary to human eri -E OPEN 7 He doesn’t think man is inte • pgg x 1 ly a social animal.” “Society is optional,” he “And if society is optional sociality is also optional.” AH tire: PREMIL G60 x 1 In Others speed ba HARGI BankAm Ex Texas Instruments Incorporated has positions for Manufacturing—Production— Planning—Supervisors for individuals with BS degrees in Engineering Technol ogy, Industrial Technology, Electrical Technology, Electronic Technology, and Mechanical Technology. Opportunities exist in the following diversified functions: OPTO-ELECTRONIC DEVICES DIFFUSION, EVAPORATION, PHOTOMASK WAFER SLICE PROCESSING COMPLEX ELECTRONIC DEVICES MOS TECHNOLOGY BI-POLAR SLICE PROCESSING DIGITAL SYSTEMS COMPLEX HERMETIC INTEGRATED CIRCUIT HIGH RELIABILITY ASSEMBLY Hav CoiHX Gulf] SI A.C., ( The Ik lost their through deprivation, says! bull. And he feels we co«l| come like them through i dance. He cited the current!: down in the family as suppo: his fears. The wife of the village f | told Turnbull she would go: to her son and die. When! bull said that the son would; , Alteina ably receive hfer as he did priest, she cried. “I only sa? of the Ik cry while I wast! f said Turnbull. “She cried,” he said, "B we had reminded her of a when children loved their [ ents.” Star fron Most Ar Foreig: Yc I Joe 1 220 E Giving 27 Individuals should possess a strong ability to supervise other personnel and a high degree of com munication skills. Locations for these positions are in Lubbock, Houston, and Dallas, Texas. £PUI N< Campus interviews at Texas A&M are October 29-30, 1973. TI is also scheduled on campus on Octo ber 24-25, for BS/MS in EE, ME, IE, Geophysics. If it is not convenient for a campus interview, you may submit a resume to: R. Y. Henslee Texas Instruments Incorporated P. O. Box 5474, M.S. 67 Dallas, Texas 75222 Texas Instruments INCORPORATED AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER