Page 2
College Station, Texas
Friday, November 16, 1973
THE BATTALION
'FILL 'ER UP, CHECK THE OIL, AND REMOVE THE BUMPER-STICKER!'
Ratt Commentary
A Black Insult
Black Aggies could have learned a lesson in working with the
administration from Student Government in its efforts to achieve racial
equality.
Student leaders and the President’s Office have tentatively
worked out a solution to the potential problem of working out
Students Services Fee allocations, largely due to efforts of Dr. John
Koldus, vice president for student services.
The plan worked out by the three parties will give the Student
Senate and involved departments until Feb. 6 to work out an
allocations plan and the Senate will have a meeting each week for the
first three weeks of the spring semester to do it. Great. And everybody
will probably end up reasonably happy as a result.
But, the person who should probably receive the greatest amount
of praise in this is Dr. Koldus—an administrator every student should
get to know, particularly if they have a problem.
Koldus has taken over his post in a manner that is rarely done
here at TAMU—with an open mind towards all people within the
University, be they black or white, student or administrator, male or
female.
We realize that his predecessor may not have been so open and
direct with students as he could have been, but that is no reason for
students to think that Dr. Koldus is this way. Take for example, the
Thursday press conference held by the Black Awareness Committee.
Koldus was as stunned as anyone else at the conference, but was
even more surprised that the conference had taken place before
consulting anyone here, especially himself. He has grown used to doing
a lot of direct dealing with student problems such as the budget
allocations cycle. Students who have worked with him have grown used
to his fast methods of action—methods that generally leave all
concerned parties as satisfied as possible.
We take it as a personal insult to the University and Dr. Koldus
that the black student leaders on campus didn’t take the time to find
out what Dr. Koldus could do for them in their demands from the
administration and students. Student leaders, likewise, should feel the
insult, although it may wake some students up as to the complexity of
student problems here.
Black students have never tried hard to make their problems
known through The Battalion. Although we have repeatedly offered
our help several times last year, the BAC seemed so disorganized (as
demonstrated by the fact that its press release had wrong information
in it and the press conference didn’t start on time) that information was
never given The Battalion when requested.
The administration generally recruits and treats all students with
equality, especially with respect toward race. If black Aggies have
complaints about the system, then they should do as other Aggies do:
work within the system for changes. Dragging the outside world into
our problems should be a last recourse if the solutions are unobtainable.
Try the system. You may find that it works.
Listen Up—
Potpourri: Energy & Suicide
Editor:
Potpourri:
I agree, energy must be con
served, but a few remarks are
in order. Using light bulbs is
false economy as energy is requir
ed in the production of light
bulbs. Unplugging refrigerators
isn’t smart either, it takes ener
gy to replace all that spoiled food.
Not that I’m not public spirited,
you know.
To save water I’ll only bathe
once a month at home, during the
week I’ll be a slob and shower in
the Rudder fountain. Of course,
I’ll shower after I finish my sauna
bath in 104-C of the Zachry En
gineering Center where it’s 120
degrees.
Regarding Oliphant’s cartoon
on Nixon’s windiness, I would sug
gest the windmill be placed in
the Senate where it would have a
higher utilization factor and in
creased torque due to the senators
lack of courage to do anything
except babble.
To a more serious discussion,
I would feel suicide should be con
sidered as some sort of solution
to personal problems, only it is
one solution after which no other
remedies can be tried. However my
opinion nor 250 “eminent intellect
uals” opinions nor all the Ger
mans and Scandinavians opinions
change the fact that suicide is
still murder.
J . R. Miller
The Rudder fountain may not
provide you with a shower as it
stands a good chance of being
turned off to conserve energy.
—Ed.
★ ★ ★
Editor:
Since much has been written
about our nation’s energy crisis I
wish to point out to the Bonfire
workers that their efforts could
be put to more humane results
than firing the spirit of their
fellow Aggies. No Aggie could
dispute that the sentiment be
hind the Bonfire is worth main
taining.
However, wouldn’t it be far
more generous and gratifying if
we chose to not ignite the Bon
fire and, instead, distribute the
wood and oil to needy families in
the Brazos Valley? This is not
a request that the Bonfire activi
ties (gathering of the students,
yell practice, etc.) be abandoned.
I feel that it would be very self
ish of us to burn the Bonfire with
the knowledge that someone less
fortunate than ourselves will suf
fer because of our actions.
The local welfare department
can attest to the fact that there
are numerous families in the Val
ley who lack gas and electricity.
We urbanites too often take our
luxuries for granted.
Bonfire Committee, please re
read this letter carefully and give
it serious considerations. I feel
certain that the students would
willingly contribute the time and
energy to help you dismantle and
distribute the Bonfire after the
UT defeat.
Lee G reiser
Cbe Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of
the editor or of the writer of the article and are not
necessarily those of the University administration or
the Board of Directors. The Battalion is a non-profit,
self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a
University and Community newspaper.
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is
published in College Station, Texas, daily except Saturday,
Sunday, Monday, and holiday periods, September through
May, and once a week during summer school.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words
and are subject to being cut to that length or less if
longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit
such letters and does not guarantee to publish any
letter. Each letter must be signed and show the address
of the writer.
Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion,
Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas
77843.
Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school
year; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 5%
sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address:
The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station,
Texas 77843.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for
reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it or not
otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous
origin published herein. Right of reproduction of all other
matter herein are also reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim
Lindsey, chairman; Dr. Tom Adair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr.
H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, Randy Ross, T. Chet Edwards,
and Jan Faber.
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising
Services. Inc, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.
EDITOR MIKE RICE
Assistant to the Editor Rod Speer
Managing Editor Greg Moses
News Editor T. C. Gallucci
Sports Editor Kevin Coffey
Ass’t. Sports Editor Ted Boriskie
Homosexuality: Image vs. Reality
By NEAL PARKER
The recent controversy between two people
prompts me to say something about a matter
of considerable pragmatic concern to homo
sexuals—their public image. That concern is
vividly real, because it is still the case that
you may well lose your job or never be hired
if it is known that you are a homosexual.
The refusal to hire homosexuals and the
tendency to reject them in other ways clearly
depends on the public’s perception of homo
sexuality. That perception is largely founded
on ignorance since our society, and especial
ly the church, has traditionally viewed ho
mosexuality as a distasteful topic that well-
bred people don’t talk about. It was gen
uinely unspeakable, and you can’t be well-
informed about something if you can’t discuss
it. Moreover, most people, especially men,
would be afraid to ask questions, or even read
a book about homosexuality in a public place,
for fear that someone might “misinterpret”
their interest.
For the average American it was unthink
able that any of his or her friends or relatives
could be homosexual.
“And what about Uncle George, who never
got married?”
“Why he’s always been very nice. It’s ri
diculous to think he could do things like that.”
Homosexuals were a handful of bizzare
people in New York who made a disgraceful
spectacle of themselves running around in
women’s clothing, Tch. Tch.
But in fact Uncle George probably was
gay along with roughly 10 percent of his
fellow American males and about the same
percentage of females. Nobody realized it
because he was obviously a kind and decent
and respectable person. Today it is not gen
erally known that at least one of our repre
sentatives in Congress from Texas is a homo
sexual. Nor is it generally known that at
least five ministers in the Southwest Confer
ence of the United Methodist Church are ho
mosexuals. As long as they keep their sex
uality hidden, they are safe—at least they
are safe from being expelled from the min
istry, though not safe from the psychological
torment of having to masquerade in public
as being something that they aren’t.
Consider the case of one of these gay
ministers. He has a church in a small con
servative South Texas town. The people in
his congregation probably regard him as a
fine, upstanding, young Christian, wholly ded
icated to God’s work. His image is a bit
tarnished because he’s divorced, but that’s
not too serious. Because of his good qualities
it is unthinkable that he is a homosexual,
and hence those qualities are chalked up to
heterosexuality. That is an exceedingly im
portant fact in the public’s over-all imp^
sion of homosexauls. The social contributin
of thousands upon thousands of homosexmj
men and women will be taken as furthereti
dence of the worth and dignity of heterosa.
uality because those men and women «f
be perceived by the general public as hettrj
sexuals.
The only people traditionally perceit^
to be homosexuals by the public are thosela
who behave in a bizarre way or who are
unfortunate as to get in trouble with i
law. The image of a large group has bea
based almost entirely upon the public’s pa.
ception of the behavior of a very small s4
group.
This situation has been furthered by fc
general tendency of the media to focus*
what is unusual or sensational. There ban
been seven pictures of homosexuals in lit
Daily Texan or in Pearl since April, 1970,aiii
three of these focus their central attentiot
on people in drag. Not that it is badtolt
in drag or to have your - picture in the new
paper, but the ratio of three to seven (tat
give a false impression of what most houtt
sexuals are like. Since that false impressi*
is not corrected by people’s first-hand expe
rience, and since public prejudice leads la
THE B/A
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Blacks
(Continued from page 1)
wood strips on a yellow back
ground.
“The walls are of colored felt
like material with sponge backing
for less sound, maintenance and
for esthetics,” said Boyce. One
wall is light blue and another
black. The colors were chosen to
look good at night games, Boyce
added. Two speakers provide
crowd noise and announcer C. K.
E s t e n’s commentary for the
guests.
The Host and Fashion commit
tee selects the hostesses from girls
who volunteer for the job. Senior
Carol Silverthorne, who served as
hostess for the Wichita game, said
“I enjoyed it and everyone was
very nice to us, but I’d rather sit
in the student section and saw
varsity’s horns with everyone
else.”
Guests expected for the Texas
A&M-Texas game are Congress
man Olin E. Teague, Mrs. Earl
Rudder and state legislators.
(Continued from page 1)
H. Ray Smith, director of per
sonnel said there were black fac
ulty members but could not give
figures on the exact number.
Marvin Bridges, a senior psy
chology major and member of the
BAC, told The Battalion he be
lieved the University should use
the method of “reverse compen
sation” to overcome the discrimi
nation practiced here for the past
100 years.” He added that he and
the BAC stand ready to help the
University correct ractial inequal
ity here through active recruiting.
It has been the policy of the
Dean of Admissions Office, head
ed by Ed Cooper, to recruit high
school students only when the
high schools ask TAMU to recruit
there. Bridges said that he be
lieved that it was the administra
tion’s responsibility to insure that
all Texas high schools knew this.
He added that the BAC would also
help in this area, if officials
wanted help.
concrete oppression, 1 think homoselualsban
some basis for complaint.
There is a sense in which the gay n»
ment is far ahead of the black movementm
the chicano movement. We don’t have top
through the slow painful process of workini
our way into the mainstream of Amenta!
society, because we are already there-ii
government, in industry, certainly in ata
demia. What the rightwingers have bet:
telling you all along is really true. The gov
ernment is riddled with homosexuals, althoegi
in general they aren’t also Communists.
A few weeks ago Dr. Howard J. Bro«t
49, - former health commissioner in Maw
Lindsay’s cabinet, acknowledged that hew
gay and exhorted other homosexuals in LW
say’s administration to do likewise. The slot;
ran prominently on Page 1 of the Oct. 3issot
of The New York Times. There are million
of other homosexual men and women win
would like to do the same thing if they (ell
they could do so without jeopardizing theii
jobs or being rejected by family and frieni
When these people do finally “come out, 1 ’
will no longer be possible for the general
public to attribute all the virtues of decern
and responsible people to heterosexuality bj
default, and they will cease the naive practici
of assuming everybody is straight until pro
ed otherwise.
Neal Parker has been active in Gay Lib
eration for several years in Austin.
GDI
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