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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 1976)
Page 2 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1976 Image tarnished The Aggies have done it again. After years of trying to improve its public image, claiming to prepare upright, hard working, honest young men and women for the world out side, the Administration blew its handling of the illness of Dr. Jack K. Williams, president of Texas A&M University. Although he was first hospitalized on Monday, May 31, it was not until several days later that the school re leased a statement to that effect. The first public r announcement by the Administration said that Williams had been admitted to the Houston Methodist Hospital for a series of tests and a period of rest. Upon inquiring about Williams condition, The Battalion was told by an Administration official that the University president was “recover ing.” Recovering from what? Other than saying that Williams had suffered “complications,” the Administration refused comment. For more than a week, Houston Methodist refused, apparently on instructions from his family, to admit that Williams was even hospitalized there. Numerous calls for information to Administration officials elicited no other response than a not-so- reassuring “Dr. Williams is doing fine and will probably be released in several weeks.” The Battalion found it hard to be lieve that a man recovering from a period of rest would have to remain hospitalized for several weeks. The Administration, after much prodding, admitted last week that Williams had developed “heart- . related problems.” After trying time and again, out of genuine concern, to find out what had happened to the man, The Bat talion was informed, two hours gftef last week’s deadline, that Williams had suffered a heart attack. Why didn’t they just admit it in the first place? The Administration has badly damaged its, and the University’s, credibility. There was no reason for such secrecy. One University official close to the president said that the curtain was drawn “to keep every Aggie in Hous ton from trying to get in to see Dr. Williams.” The assertion is ridiculous; along with a statement on the heart attack, the Administration could have re quested that Williams receive no visitors. Family members, and friends of Williams’ family, have indicated that they believe a person’s physical con dition to be a private matter. It is between no one but himself and whomever he may wish to tell. In most cases, that is true. How ever, while an individual does have a right to privacy, Williams gave up that right when he accepted his posi- iiiiiiiiii Democrats innocen Editor: It has been brought to our atten tion that someone has been using the name of Texas A&M Young Demo crats as a reference to secure adver tising for a desk blotter to be distrib uted by our organization. The I have not authorized such tion. 1 ' We hereby disclaim any relay ^h iam ship with anyone purportingtonj ^ an resent Texas A&M Young Den p crats in connection to the desHlj It is our contention that our or ganization knew nothing about the plan. Texas A&M Young Democrats ter without the authorization members or officers of the tion. Mark D. Suit David L. McLeli Field ling ' rttatic ■8^1'ng o. tudy. Greg Hob, iro j e ct IMBfe nd Dr. .j\ HANDY BURGER — FREE — esearcl upen'i! 3 ->s WITH PURCHASE OF ANY SIZE HAMBURGER RECEIVE HOMEMADE ONION RINGS! tion of public power. In its place, he has received the right to be scrutinized. Students, faculty and staff at A&M want and need to know Williams condition, not out of morbid curios ity, but out of a genuine concern for the man. The Administration should also have realized that the presi dent’s health can have a very real impact upon the A&M population. The Battalioh regrets that the Administration feels that the media and the public cannot be trusted enough to appreciate and under stand the position Williams is in. Bright new day in Washington? WASHINGTON — A majority is the best argument, as the old saying goes. Jimmy Carter will use that ar gument to quell whatever uprisings may threaten the unwonted har mony of the Democratic Party in the month remaining before he is offi cially selected as its presidential nominee in Madison Square Gar den. While Carter was busy taking congratulatory phone calls from the vanquished barons of the party last Wednesday, his spokesman, Jody Powell, told reporters that the former Governor was anxious to head off “any major confrontation on issues” in the platform. It would have been astonishing were it otherwise, for that has been Carter’s policy from the outset of his campaign. And there was surely no reason to abandon it in his moment of triumph. Leaving aside for the moment what this may say about Carter, it is clear that the preference of the ex pected nominee will postpone most serious public consideration of the directions the government will go if the Democrats win both the presi dency and Congress in November, as now seems likely. That election is filled with signifi cance for the country. Not only is there a real prospect of ending the long and costly deadlock between the Congress and the President, there is now a possibility for a com plete turnover in leadership in both legislative and executive branches such as this capital has not seen in decades. The nation could have a dramatic new start as it enters its third century. Retirements guarantee there will be a new Speaker of the House and new majority leaders in both the David S. Broder House and Senate. With a new Pres ident and Vice President, the sweep would be complete. One need not be a Carter partisan — or even a Democrat — to recog nize the possibilities in such a change. The past decade has been filled with trauma for the country — assassinations and civil strife, Vietnam, severe inflation and reces sion and the scandals that toppled the highest officials of government. After such a time, a clean break with the past can be therapeutic and liberating. That kind of change is now possible. But, to be realistic, such a massive transfer of power also entails large risks. New men, untested in their exercise of authority, unfamiliar with each other and little-known to the nation they are leading, are a gam ble. That gamble is greater when — as in this case — their policies and pur poses remain largely unexamined and untested until after they are in power. And the political risk is exagger ated when — as is the case this year — one party is submerging its policy debate while the opposition is exaggerating its internal issues dif ferences. Because neither President Ford nor Ronald Reagan commands a clear majority in the Republican convention, every conceivable dif ference between them has become a matter of intense and harsh debate. Both men are conservatives. But to hear them talk, they represent alien and hostile philosophies. And the shock waves from their increas ingly bitter collision threaten to split the Republican party, no matter which of them is finally nominated. There is some history that is rele vant here, and its implications are disquieting. In 1964, a similarly exaggerated and embittered conflict between Nelson Rockefeller and Barry Goldwater produced open warfare on the Republican platform. The Democrats did that to each other in 1968 and 1972. As a result, the opposition parties in the last three elections were so crippled by the time they left their own conven tion halls that they were not able to mount an effective challenge to the eventual winner during the .general election campaign. Those Presidents — Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon — were installed in office with little public understanding of their purposes or principles. And it took major and costly upheavals of the political sys tem to curb the appetities for power their deceptively easy election victories had induced in them. The coming election need not fol low that pattern — unless the oppos ition, the press and the voters all fail to force the hard debate that it is the candidates’ duty to provide. But the promise of a bright new day in Washington must also, under the circumstances, be described as one big gamble. The Bacardi Driver. Zippier than a screwdriver. Easy as 1,2,3. Pour 1 Vi oz. Bacardi light rum over ice in a tall glass. 2 Pour on ice cold • orange juice. Squeeze and drop in a lime or lemon wedge. Now you’re ready to sip some zip. Because Bacardi and that hint of lime or lemon really turn on theOJ! BACARDI ^ rum. The mixable one. © 1975 BACARDI IMPORTS, INC., MIAMI. FL. RUM 80 PROOF. "BACARDI" AND THE BAT DEVICE ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF BACARDI & COMPANY LIMITED. 203 UNIVERSITY DR. New location June 14 Tri-County Teacher’s Credit Union 405 University Dr. at McArthur Street New field of membership includes TAMU students &: parents Savings insured to $40,000. SPECIAL KENNETH Good through June 23, 1976 Ulr of \ISTI\ > V PERMANENTS ONLY $25.00 Regularly $30.00 FROSTINGS ONLY $20.00 Regularly $25.00 410 S. TEXAS 846-1441 RAMADA INN COLLEGE STATION 'J/edKen © 1976, The Washington Post Company Cbe Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editcrr or Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Servic es/ the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the es Inc ., New York City. Chicago and Los Angeles. university administration or the Board of Regents. The Battal- ion is a non-profit, self supporting enterprise operated by stu- Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; dents as a university and community newspaper. Editorial $35.00 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Adverbs- policy is determined by the editor. in g rates furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. LETTERS POLICY Rights of reproduction of all matter herein are reserved. T .. . i-. i ooo j i Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial Editor Jerry Needham staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guaran- Managing Editor Richard Chamberlain tee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the Sports Editor Paul McGrath address of the writer and list a telephone number for verifica- Campus Editor Lisa Junod ti° n - Photographer Steve Goble Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room Layout LeAnn Roby, Susan Brown 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Reporter Sandy Russo We’d like to take you for a ride Hey, Mr. suave and sophisticated . . try this on for size. It’s the Raleigh Sports. Think bikes are for kids? Think again! This one’s spe cially made for the guy who's a mover. Three speeds, safety- quick brakes, genuine leather saddle, touring bag . . . every thing you need to travel in style. See your Raleigh dealer, he's got a set of wheels waiting for you. Come on along! CENTRAL CYCLE & SUPPLY Sales Service Accessories 3505 E. 29th St. — 822-2228 — Closed Monday Take East University to 29th St. (Tarrow Street) Print The J rangei re on t Shaft rork in Dniven |uent ’ heolog stensh ilained Time “We ;odo in Anotl l&M v luntin imateu ecover ind stal dthe ific stu Gran servatii (eet, w river n foot ta light r Grange ’iviMia 0lcow Top of the Tower Texas A&M University Pleasant Dining — Great View Omi ventioi Inte Lake S p.m. C ■77 Gro Dinne SERVING LUNCHEON BUFFET 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Each day except Saturday Che MSC e welcoi $2.50 DAILY $3.00 SUNDAY Serving soup 6- sandwich 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Monday - Friday $1.50 plus drink Available Evenings For Special University Banquets THE REAL BARBECUE PLACE One Mile West of West Bypass on FM 60 846-4121 DINE-IN, ORDERS TO GO, OR EAT OUT ON “THE SLU” Featuring: Pit-Cooked BEEF PORK RIBS LINKS ZBosemaz