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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1975)
The Senate follies Aaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuugggghhhhh! By GREG MOSES For a good dose of government inaction and more cheap thrills than a Frank Zappa concert, stop by the Student Senate for a few minutes. I did. “We are debating Roger Knight’s amendment to Jeff Dunn’s amendment,” explains Senate Speaker Marty Clayton as I try to close the door quietly be hind me. Doors in the Harrington Center are not quiet, no matter how careful one is not to let them clack. So a few eyes dart to the back of the room as 1 find a seat next to a Batt reporter. A seated cadet near the center of the room is telling the senate why he opposes this amendment to an amendment while I glance through the agenda packet. I look up from the agenda at the clock in the back of the room. In two hours of senate haggling, it has completed two of the five items under old business. Another 10 items appear under new business. But I don’t have much time to waste thinking about the wasted time because a woman (Troie Ann Pruitt) jumps up from the first row and faces the senate. “I can’t really believe you people,” she says, flustered. And she spends the next few minutes telling the senators how stupid they are. 0- kay. Another senator stands. He says we shouldn’t pass this reso lution just because Jack and a few other administrators want to clean up the litter in front of G. Rollie White. (Hmmm . . . must have something to do with football tic ket allocations.) He says he would rather have an alternate first- come-best-served system which would eliminate the lines. Some one else complains it would be difficult to get large blocks of seats with the new system. John Tyler, Student Vice Presi dent for Rules and Regulations walks toward my seat. Before he sits — three seats away — he leans toward me. “A circus,” he says. “Did you hear that?” I smile at the reporter. “John Tyler says this is a circus.” “That’s not a quote,” says Tyler. “You said it in a public meet ing, John.” “Alright, it’s a quote.” He elab orates and clarifies to the reporter as another senator stands. He is in a far corner of the room and I can barely hear him over the low rum ble of voices. It’s not just the ad ministrators who are opposed to the ticket lines, he says, people who are serious in their studies can’t afford to spend a weekend in line. Someone stands behind me, making hand signals toward the front of the room. What is Dale Foster doing here? He lives in Dal las. He resigned from the senate last month when it found he was no longer a student. And he’s back to this? “Do I still have the floor?” asks Lisa Swanson. “I can’t be lieve this,” she shouts from the front of the room. Everyone leans to see her. “When I go home to my husband tonight, he is going to ask me, ‘What did you do?”’ The senate explodes in laughter and applause. Swanson beams with satisfaction. (Isn’t she the one who fell asleep during the al locations hearings?) While Swan son takes advantage of her tem porary glory, I look around the room. G-2 Lasseter sits one row ahead and a seat to the right. His shoul ders and neck look like they were built for the team he supports from the sidelines in a white uni form, rolled up at the sleeves. MSC President Bill Davis and Stu dent Body President Steve Eber- hard sit together near the outside aisle just a few rows below. Newly appointed Judicial Board Chair man Sam Walser (former MSC president) sits to the left of Tyler. Senior Class President Louie Goh- mert is busy, talking to people around the room. Now he is with SG Executive Director Tom Walk er, candidate for student body president. Walker lets out a loud raspberry. Roger Miller, assistant to the president and liaison to stu dent government (also former stu dent body vice president), stands in the outside aisle to the left, decked in suit and tie. Jeff Dunn, student vice president for aca demic affairs and candidate for student body president, sits to ward the right front. He stood to clarify the intent of his resolution tonight; but in piecing this jum ble, I can’t remember when. Swanson calls for a vote to de cide whether to vote on the amendment to the amendment. By voice vote, it is decided that the senate should vote on the amendment to the amendment. “We are voting on Roger Knight’s amendment to Jeff Dunn’s amendment,” says Clay ton (a fashionable name for speak ers these days). “All in favor say aye.” “Aye,” says Knight, his voice cracking when he realizes he is his only supporter. So the no’s have it. Knight an nounces it is time for him to take a break as he exits to the left. Sounds like a good idea. I nudge Jim Peters who came because he hadn’t seen the senate in action since three years ago when he cov ered it for The Eagle. Student Vice President for Stu dent Services Barry Brooks bursts through the door as we leave, throws his back against the wall in the outside hall, waves his hands about his head and “Aaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuugggghhhh,’ before the door shuts. A cadet comes out to look for the noise. As Jim and I turn the corner, the cadet and Brooks are laughing. “You should write something when you get back to the office,” says Jim as we pass the Physics Building. He says I should urge people to stop by the senate meet ing for a few minutes; and I should explain what happened when I did. Page 2 THE BATTALION FRIDAY, MARCH a, t#S ]© brad ou.~fos4er75^ "JANUARY 23,^75- T.V5a. m ? A GROUP OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS HERC ONOWuS WERE blbfalWO FOR 60b'C» KNOWS WHAT, W H6N SUODWir A 5CCTIOM OF blRT U)P\S LOOSE , ReMEAUNO,..." The nYsTERoos tunnel coult> NOT BE LOCATEb ON ANY FW5 50 THe FOREMAN BRAVELY volonjteereg three new TO INVESTIGATE, " ' THE THREE WORKMEN TH€W COURAGEOUSLY CRAWlLEb INTO THE NARROW TUNNEL., HOP\NO TO DISCOVER WHERE IT LED..!’ ‘HTTLE DIG THEY REALIZE ! THAT THEY CJ6RE ABOUT TO INTERRUPT THE 'TWCAlTlfeTH : ANNUAL GIGAG POKtR-, i PLAYING CHAMPIONSHIP'.... | THE THREE CJORKT\ew WERE DISCOVERED TWO HOURS LATER, IN A bITCH NEAR THE U BRAKY CONSTRUCTION AREA. KNOCKED UNCONCIOUS, EVERY ORvRCG in THtiR Bodies stuFFel with PLAYING CARDS AND POKER CHIPS. TODAY, ALTHOUGH WELL, THEY WILL REACT VIOLENTLY AT THE MERE SIGHT OF yA BE WARNED! ALTHOUGH NORMALLY CUTE ANb LOVEABLE, GIG AG’S TAKtj THEiR CARD PLAYING SERiOUSor! DON’T YOU Bccone still am other statistic! C(W(!!)gc@(? DA €ND Olivier s reasoning questioned 6 Cloud 9 viewpoint is for the birds’ Editor: Gerald Olivier, from his “Cloud Nine view (March 13) gave us a quick look,” as he put it, at the vot ing records of incumbents Dale and Bravenec, but, contrary to his in tent, his quick look must have con vinced even the most casual reader that Bravenec is the man to vote for on April 1. My English 210 ar gumentation students might raise the following questions about Olivier s political reasoning. How exactly did Olivier choose “at random” the commercial zoning requests? Specifically, which com mercial zoning requests were they? Certainly one cannot conclude that because Bravenec and Dale voted for all five apartment zoning requests which “were not politically “hot ” (whatever that means), that “a few vocal citizens can and do sway Bravenec’s vote but not Dale’s.” What is the difference between representing one’s constituency and being “swayed by a few vocal citi zens,” as Olivier puts it? What is the difference between Dale’s “tendency to buckle only under severe citizen pressure” and Bravenec’s vote to uphold the “fierce opposition of the Dominik homeowners”? Why does Olivier examine only the voting results and not the criteria applied by Bravenec? What is the virtue in “developing a consistent pattern” in zoning votes? Should one vote for or against a candidate because his vote is pre dictable or unpredictable? There is no proof in the editorial to back the conclusion drawn by Olivier that “almost any measure of citizen pressure” will get Bravenec’s vote. Olivier was con vincing, in spite of himself, of Bravenec’s integrity and good sense when he notes that “when no pres sure (citizen concern?) is evident, Bravenec’s votes are unpredictable (“he considers each case on its merits”). May we have more councilmen like Bravenec and fewer political reporters like Olivier. Such mud dled writing is unworthy of the readership of the Battalion. I invite Olivier to come down from “Cloud 9” and let mycEnglish 210 students teach him how to argue a more con vincing case. Judith A. Finn Department of English Goal lost Editor: Here goes another complaint about the expenditures of the Board of Directors. As an Aggie wife and employee I have seen and read of the great and, in my opinion, un necessarily large expenditures on the MSC and the “wall”. I have been in Crocker, Puryear, Walton, and Milner halls, and I feel that the Board cannot justify those great ex penditures considering the living conditions of many of our students, not to mention the lack of sufficient recreational facilities. This institution was supposed to have been created for the students, not the administration, and it would seem that somewhere along the line the original goal was lost. Lori Smith Yea, John Editor: We would like to congratulate the Battalion on its fine record review of the new Blue Oyster Cult album, On Your Feet or On Your Knees. John Vanore did a great job on re porting the facts about this group and their new album. Blue Oyster Cult exemplifies what a good rock band should be in every aspect. Their band, as well as having outstanding individuals, has a unique tightness in that each member compliments the other. Blue Oyster Cult goes beyond being called a rock band — its more than rock-n-roll. It explodes from screaming guitars to soaring synth esizers. This band should be placed in the category with the other greats — the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, and in more recent rock groups, Jefferson Starship, and Aero Smith. With the growing number of fol lowers of music that is one step beyond rock-n-roll, hopefully there will be more radio stations leaning toward this type of music. Two of the stations to take an early lead are KMAC AM and KISS EM in San Antonio. KMAC is what every other progressive rock station wishes it could be including those bumper sticker stations out of Houston. With more great reviews of bands like the Cult in the Batt, it is possi ble that the general public of Bryan-College Station/TAMU can be made more aware of this music. And possibly, even though it’s beyond our fondest dreams, some day a band of this caliber will be brought to TAMU — the strong hold of American Top 40. Thanks for the good review John, Jim Brannen Gerald D’Ambrossio then ^5)(y) ARE. The Kind op person to handle the Job as editor of "the battalion.’’ WITH AT LEAST A E.O G.P.R. MAY APPLY FOR THE OOS! PHONE 84-S-afoll FOR MORE. INFORlAATiO/u! (, Chains anl whips suPPUfcbt) Cbe Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor Nail subscriptions are $5.00 per semester; $9.50 per school year; $10.5(1 per or of the otrtter of the article and are not gorily those of tSXZSS£c£$.- the university administration or the Board oj Directors. The Station, Texas 77843. Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a university and community newspaper. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all „>.. .i j. j . ■ j i news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local Editorial pobcy IS determined by the editor. news of spontaneous origin published herein. Right of reproduction ot all other matter herein are also reserved. LETTERS POLICY Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are Editor " Greg Moses Subject tO being CUt to that length or less if longer. The editorial Assistant Editor Will Anderson staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guar an- Managing Editor LaTonya Perrin tee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the Assistant Managing Editor Roxie Hearn address of the writer and list a telephone number for verifica- Sports Editor Mike Bruton Photo Editor Glen Johnson City Editor Rod Speer Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room News Edl,ors Barbara West 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Douglas Winship Reporters ... . Paul McGrath, Robert Cessna, Gerald Members of the StudenT Publications Board are: Jim Lindsey, chairman; Dr. Olivier, Rose Mary Traverso, Steve Gray, Judy Baggett, Alan Killingsworth, Sayeefiil Tom Adair, Dr. R. A. Albanese, Dr. H. E. Hierth, W. C. Harrison, Steve Islam, Mary Jeanne Quebe, Cathryn Clement, Cindy Maciel, Jim Peters, Mark Eberhard, Don Hegi, and John Nash, Jr. Schiuter, Steve Ussery, B. Babji Singh, Don Middleton, Mike Kimmey, Jerry ■ Geary, Chris Askew. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Services, Inc., , New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Photographers Douglas Winship, David Kimmel, - ’ - Gary Baldasari, Jack Holm, Chris Svatek, Steve Krauss, Kevin Fotomy, Tom MEMBER Kayser, David McCarroll. The Associated Press, Texas Press Association _ , ‘ „ Columnists Bill Sheen, Mike Perrin, John Vanore, John Tim Cowden The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is published in College Station, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and holiday periods, ^ and carto onists . .i ........ Dr. James H. Earle, Nguyen Dziem,, September through Klay, and once a week dunng summer school. 1 Brad Foster , Rodney Hammack, Tom Brents, Scott Morgan. ! VOTE GARY HALTER College Station City Council Place 1 April 1, 1975 Stand on Major Issues Planned orderly growth, strict enforcement of the zoning ordinance No disruption of established neighborhoods through zoning changes or street extensions. Development of City Recreation Center, neighborhood parks and enforce ment of park land dedication requirements of developers Improvement of city services and enforcement of present ordinances, ex panded services for the retired of the community Background and Qualifications Native Texas, Former TAMU student, Resident of City for past 7 years, Age 33, Married, Two Children. Recipient, Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for work with students. Chairman, District 10, Citizens Advisory Committee for C. S. city plan. Ph.D. in Political Science with specialty in Local Government and Public Administration. Administrative Experience in State and Local Government Advisor to numerous Texas cities on city management and technology prob lems. Other cities pay me for advise which College Station can receive free. 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