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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1977)
t Page 2 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1977 Opinion/Commentary/Letters Gregson supports Harvey for president Gay lifestyle a political attitu Editor: It seems that my quote in yester day’s Battalion was a bit prema ture. It is now evident that the lines of the campaign for President of the Student Body have been drawn and are well defined. I have de cided to give Robert Harvey my entire support for this office. The editor(s) of the Battalion seem to think it is a sin for the Corps to all get out and vote. The essence of any political race is to vote for the best person running — not to judge from which organiza tion he or she is from. The duties of the Student Body President include serving the needs and interests of ALL the students of Texas A&M. It is my opinion that Robert Harvey can and will serve these interests of the students of this University. The alleged election ir regularities in my campaign were blown totally out of proportion. In stead of six complaints being filed with the election commission only one was filed. That complaint, after talking with the election commis sioner, was filed by Stanfield him self. My campaign was halted by the ACCUSATIONS of one of my opponents! This seems a long way from sincere concern for student interest. It seems more like some one wants the job so badly that he would resort to anything to get it. I would urge everyone to se riously consider the choices that we have for Student Body President. Do not look at the organizations that these people are a member of but for who is truly concerned about our interests and needs as students. — Scott Gregson Student jury supported again Editor: Within the last two weeks three letters have appeared in The Bat talion concerning the dissemination of candidate information and qual ifications to the Student Body. All three letters expressed a desire by the students for more information concerning candidates seeking var ious elected positions. It is quite apparent from these as well as other examples that students are being asked to vote for a candidate whom they know little if anything about. The question is, should we elect Student Government Officers be cause they have flashy advertising or should we elect officers who have the qualifications to perform their duties in the best interest of the Student Body? Because the stu dents are faced with voting with lit tle or no information or not voting at all, I submitted the “Student Jury Nominee” proposal to the Student Senate on Wednesday, March 23. A number of us felt that this lack of candidate information could be partially rectified with this system. Basically this system calls for a group of randomly selected stu dents to review written statements submitted by the candidates for Student Government President or Vice-President. This group of stu dents would also interview the can didates for approximately one hour to determine the legitimacy of the written statements. After a careful analysis of each candidate, the “Student Jury” would endorse a candidate for each office, with the analysis as well as the endorsement being printed in The Battalion. This system would supplement the voter’s knowledge of the candidates as well as offer an endorsement by a randomly selected group of stu dents. When the “Student Jury” propo sal was introduced, the major op position was led by Senator Robert Harvey, Corps Commander. Dur ing last semester’s debate on the No-Confidence bill, Mr. Harvey stated, “students are not logical enough to know when to vote no- confidence.” Perhaps he meant that if the Student Body had more information dealing with the candi dates, they would be in a more ra tional position to vote for a particu lar candidate or cast a vote of no- confidence. It would seem logical that Mr. Harvey would then ac tively support a proposal to in crease the amount of information made available to students. Unfor tunately, Mr. Harvey as well as a number of other senators vehe mently opposed the passage of such a proposal. They argued that this would be “Government by Com mittee” and that no group of stu dents should be allowed to present endorsements except The Battal ion. The irony of the situation is this. The day prior to the elections last week, the Corps newspaper. The Quadrangle was distributed to all members of the Corps. This paper stated, “The Corps this year is well represented in the campaign with 71 candidates. Perhaps, if this rep resents a resurgence of the Corps interest in having a voice on cam pus, the Corps will have the biggest turnout of voters for the election ever. Every vote counts! The fol lowing is a list of the candidates from the Corps. This is not in tended in any way as an endorse ment but to inform.” This publica tion developed by the Corps lead ership served its purpose well. A large number of Corps members cast their ballots as they consulted The Quadrangle. In effect The Quadrangle served as a group endorsement of that group’s candi dates, with candidates being elected because they are part of a group, not because of their qualifi cations. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not opposed to the Corps having 71 candidates, that shows an interest on the part of the individuals who filed. On the other hand, if we are to endorse a group of candidates, let’s not be hypocritical. Let’s de velop a system whereby all students understand the legitimacy of the The ^Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those ion. Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, Col- of the editor or of the ivriter of the article and are lege Station, Texas 77843. not necessarily those of the U niversity administra- United Press International is entitled exclu- tion or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is a sively to the use for reproduction of all news dis- non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by patches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of students as a university and community news- all other matter herein reserved. Second-Class paper. Editorial policy is determined by the postage paid at College Station, Texas. cditor - MEMBER LETTERS POLICY Texas Press Association Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 Southwest JournaUsm Congress words and are subject to being cut to that length Editor . Jerry Needham or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the Managing Editor Jamie Aitken right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to Associate Managing Editor Rusty Cawley publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, Assistant Managing Editor Mary Hesalroad show the address of the writer and list a telephone Features Editor John W. Tynes number for verification. News Editor Debby Krenek Address correspondence to Letters to the News Assistant Carol Meyer Editor, The Battalion, Room 216. Reed Sports Edjtor p au , Arnett McDonald Building, College Station, Copyeditor Steve Reis Texas 77843. ' Reporters Paul McGrath, Lynn Represented nationally by National Educa- Rossi, Lee Roy Leschper Jr., Jan Bailey, Darrell tional Advertising Services, Inc., New York City, Lanford, Dave Tewes, Glenna Whitley, Steve Chicago and Los Angeles. Martaindale The Battalion is published Tuesday through Photographers .... Kevin Venner, Friday from September through May except dur- Tracie Nordheim, Mike Willy ing exam and holiday periods and the summer, when it is published weekly. Student Publications Board: Boh G. Rogers, w . . Chairman; Joe Arredondo; Tom Dawsey; Dr. subscriptions are $I6T5 per semester; Gary Haltcr . ^ ]ohn w Hanna . Dr Charles ,S33.2o per school year; $35.00 per full year. All McCandless; Dr. Clinton A. Phillips; Jerri Ward. subscript,ons subject to 5% salts tax, Advertising Director of Student Publications: Gael L. Cooper. rates furnished on request. Address: The Battal- gkEETE^* c] ry < i/Oy STEAKS • PIZZA • DELI SANDWICHES AND MORE $ 1 69 LUNCH SPECIAL MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY Open 11-10 Sunday-Th u rsday 11-12 Friday & Saturday CULPEPPER PLAZA At the Junction of Texas Avenue and Hwy. 30 candidates’ qualifications after a careful analysis by their peers. In order to help rectify the pres ent electoral environment, I would hope that students would follow the suggestion previously offered by The Battalion, “Talk to your new senators, as that is where the deci sion to implement the system will have to come from.” —John Oeffinger Speaker Pro-Tem 1976-77 Student Senate Stanfield expands on two issues Editor: I wish to try to expand on two issues which have been misused by my opponent in an effort to alienate students because of his failure to present adequate information on the issues involved. The first of the two issues is that of providing low- cost day care facilities. The monies which were requested for the day care center by the Student Senate are being held in reserve and have been collecting dust for the last ten years. None of the requested money would have come from cur rent student service fee payments. Though the Student Senate made its voice known with a 36-6 vote in favor of the resolution, two lines of thought were debated. First, Texas A&M is one of the few major uni versities which does not provide day care facilities for its students needs. Second, many students at A&M are voicing their opinions that because they pay Student Service Fees, they would like to see some student services and not only programming services as offered by the Memorial Student Center. The day care center was to be funded for two periods and then become self-sufficient after those periods. I use the past tense “was” because one prerequisite of the bill was to investigate the availability of manpower and funding through the College of Education. The funding is not available and the issue is at rest. The second of the misused issues concerns the Gay Student’s Serv ices Organization. Because I voted against the bill presented in the Senate, my opponent has said that I support the G.S.S.O. which is fake. The bill asked that the Senate support the administration’s delay on giving an answer to the G.S.S.O.’s request. After attempts to amend the bill to request their non-recognition had failed, the original bill was voted on and passed. I voted against the bill be cause supporting inaction on behalf WHO is Robert Harvey representing? Why did Robert Harvey vote against student input in the administration? (Senate Bill 77-032-11) VOTE in the Student Election Runoffs April 14 pd. pol. announcement by the Concerned Students Group Doug Skee, treasurer Kenneth I. Powell, Chairman of the administration is ridiculous. The bill was introduced by my op ponent. —Stan Stanfield Candidate, Student Body President Name was listed wrong Editor: Re: Robert Harvey’s statement in Tuesday’s Battalion that the fact that Harry Warren lost is evidence that the Corps did not attempt a bloc vote. The truth of the matter is Harry Warren’s name was incorrectly listed in the Quadrangle under vice president of Rules and Regulations. Actually, Mr. Warren was run ning for vice president of Student Services. He did receive numerous write-in votes for Rules and Regu lations though. So much for that argument. ’Nuff said. —W. Scott Sherman Picture did not endorse article Editor: In reference to my picture which appeared in the April 12 edition of The Battalion, I would like to set the record straight by stating that in no way did I endorse the article associated with my picture I had presumed that The Battal ion would possess the responsibility to try and prevent false impressions from being created about an indi vidual. Although I was informed the picture would appear in The Battal ion, I allowed my picture to be made only as a personal favor to Kim Tyson and had no knowledge of the content of the article. In fact. The Quad rangle was given to me by Kim Tyson herself for making the photo. —Craig Gontarek ’79 Editor’s note: Your picture was not meant to endorse the article, as the article was a simple news story. As to false impressions. The Bat talion is not responsible for the as sumptions and impressions of its readers. We attempt to print the news as accurately as we can and let the readers draw their own impres sions. Your statements may be war ranted, but I must defend The Bat talion’s reporter /photographer. The photographer says she asked you twice and both times you agreed to have your picture taken and pub lished in The Battalion. As to “a personal favor to Kim Tyson,” she says she had never met you before. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the sec ond part of a four-part series on homosexuals, their lives and their problems. The Battalion is aware that the subject is controversial and that almost everyone has strong feelings about it. But The Battalion believes that more is to be gained by intelligent discussion than by rumor and invective. We hope that this series will contribute to under standing and enlightenment. By GLENNA WHITLEY Battalion Staff The seven men around the kitchen table looked no different than other Texas A&M students. No limp wrists. No feminine giggles as the stereotypes suggest. Their fashionably styled hair and blue jeans are characteristic of thousands of other college students. But six of the men are homosexu als. The seventh is a heterosexual who lives with two of the homosex uals, Mike and Keith. Gay lifestyle is viewed today not as a description of sexual prefer ence, but as a political attitude, said Mike Minton, one of the plain tiffs in a suit filed by the Gay Stu dent Services Organization against Texas A&M University in an effort to gain recognition as a student or ganization. “The actual labels for sexual preference are homosexual, bisex ual, heterosexual, asexual. Gay is a political attitude that says a person should be free to choose whom he loves and be able to discriminate that from gender,” Mike M. said. “It shouldn’t be a choice of the state, society or an institution.” Keith Stewart, his roommate and co-plaintiff in the suit, said, “I think it also applies to a lifestyle, the way we carry on our lives. Gay people are less likely to view a particular sex act or preference as morally or socially wrong.” “When I transferred here as a sophomore, (University President) Jack Williams got all the transfer students together at the orientation and said, ‘Welcome to Texas A&M, the school where there is no drugs, no sex, and no homosexuals,”’ Keith said. He added that happened in 1973-1974. “Just because this is a rural com munity, it doesn’t mean there aren’t and haven’t always been gays here. We are not liberal elements from urban areas that are going to be here for four years and then rid the city of the pestilence,” Mike M. said. He added that this community has about 15 businesses established by gay people, but he wouldn’t name them. There are more lesbians in the GSSO than there are gay men, he said. “They don’t have as much to lose or gain. The males here are very much afraid of being discovered. They feel they would be perse cuted. Speaking from personal ex perience, I don’t think this is the case,” said Mike G., an environmental design student, who didn’t want his last name used. “I haven’t been persecuted. My name came out last semester in The Bat talion. I haven’t even attempted to put up any kind of straight appear ance since then.” “The social climate has changed so radically here, especially with the influx of women, there is really a different social attitude than when Mike was putting on his straight act,” Mike M. said. “Most people wouldn’t openly go up and punch you out because they knew you were queer. They would just snicker and point and say, “My God, he’s gay.’” “I have had that happen,” Keith said. “I’m glad I transferred here though. I think we have so much more than gay people in other col lege towns because we don’t have bars here. We have to stick to gether. We have to like each other and get to know each other. In a large city like Austin, Houston, Waco, all those university places where they have bars, the gay people just see each other in the bars.” The group described gay bars as sexual marketplaces. Keith said that the large discos cater mainly to gay men and to “fag hags,” straight women who like to be around gay men. “Fag hag is one of those terms like queer, faggot and queen that is typical of any minority or stig matized group. It’s offensive com ing from an outsider, but it’s ac ceptable within the group,” Mike M. said. Frank said that less than 10 per cent of all homosexuals frequent the bars, but everyone interviewed said they leave College Station often to go to the bars in Houston, Dallas or Austin. Keith said the atmosphere at gay bars is much freer in termsol playing than at straight bars, “We can be whatever wei We can be masculine, wei feminine. We can be in beh we can be neither,” he said “When I first met Keil thought he was a football [ type, really macho. The sb time I saw him, I thought tlii cannot be the same persoi acted just the opposite,” saidf who is heterosexual. “This is a phenomenon c camping. It’s an act that agaj son will put on to amuse nol himself but onlookers,” Mil said. He added that they “camped” several times ii community, for example at Da Restaurant. On one such i one man had on a Jap kimono, one was dressed ini up pants with a rhinestonebii on the crotch, and one wasdn in a hooded caftan. “One guy dressed up in dra; went shopping in Skaggs. Tw| went to the Ring Dance Mike M. said. “Seriously, on dancing togt at the various bars here in tom try to do it discreetly likei there is a big crowd,” said Ml as everyone laughed. Mike M. said,”We don’t i like any of the bars in tom tried them...” The rest of his sentence drowned out by laughter, promenaded in dressed in a; length black dress with ago design. “I thought I’d give you av demonstration of camp. ’hesi “Where did you digupthat[ of trash?” asked Mike G. “Do you want me to get my» ing demonstration on? Mike asked. He left and camebackr sed in shiny purple lame pi (See “Gay” Page 6.) WANTED! THE NAVY and THE MARINES ARE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD SOPHOMORES To Apply For The Two-Year NROTC Program ‘Attend the Naval Science Institute in Newport, R.l. from 6 July to 17 August, 1977. ‘Receive $500.00 pay for the summer plus $100.00 per month during your junior and senior academic years. ‘You may be eligible for a two-year scholarship beginning next fall. ‘Return from summer training as a member of our program leading to a com mission in the Navy or the Marines. Contact The NROTC Unit At 845-1775