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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1977)
— wiiMwyi»im[[i||| iiiniijiniii iinfiiiffiainr ,,i " i,>, ' i> ^^ Page 2 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1977 Gays seek social recognition Quadrangle was informing its readers Editor: In the Tuesday editorial — “A call for student parties” — The Battalion and Mr. Jerry Needham have im plied that the Corps of Cadets “bloc voted.” The basis for this suspicion, ap parently, lies in the results of last week’s elections. Of the 47 executive and senate positions for which mem bers of the Corps were eligible to campaign, Corps members were elected outright to 26 seats. It should be pointed out that 87 people (both Corps and civilians) ran for these 47 places. Of these 87, 44 were Corps members — roughly 50 per cent of those who were in active contention. Of those 47 seats, 26 Corps members or 55 per cent were elected — a fairly proportionate ratio of those who ran for offices. Anytime an organization which comprises seven per cent of the stu dent body furnishes 50 per cent of the candidates, then one could safely assume (even before the election) that the organization will have more than a proportionate share elected anyway. The Corps cannot be held to task if its members were the ones who were concerned enough about student government to actively seek office. To anyone who knows anything about human nature, it should not be surprising that people of similar or ganizational affiliations and ideologies should want to be repre sented by someone who shared their ideas and viewpoints. However, to claim that the Corps truly bloc voted would not be realistic. Each cadet was encouraged to vote, but to imply that they voted under duress is an unfair accusation. Even if some cadets’ activity cards were checked to see if they had voted, there would be no way for the checker to positively know how the checkee had voted. All that is said in the article writ ten by Ms. Tyson is that “Some Corps members said they had their activity cards checked to see if they had voted.” This statement com pletely lacks attribution as to who the Corps members were, and also neglects to define “some” as any set number. Perhaps Ms. Tyson could use a refresher course in basic jour nalistic techniques. Concerning the ethics of the editor of The Quadrangle and the seniors on Corps staff, it would seem that they would have been negligent if they had not informed the readers about information which they cared to see and know. Perhaps this is difficult for mem bers of The Battalion staff and Stan Stanfield to understand, but then again, their concerns are different than ours. The Battalion is duty- bound to cover campus-wide ac tivities while we deal with our con stituency of the Corps of Cadets. — John LaBore Editor, The Quadrangle Slouch by Jim Earle ‘THERE MAY BE A LESSON IN HUMAN NATURE TO BE LEARNED THERE!” The 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 administra tion or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a university and community news paper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. 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, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educa tional Advertising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalion is published Tuesday through Friday from September through May except dur ing exam and holiday periods and the summer, when it is published weekly. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising rates furnished on request. Address: The Battal ion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, Col lege Station, Texas 77843. United Press International is entitled exclu sively to the use for reproduction of all news dis patches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Jerry Needham Managing Editor Jamie Aitken Associate Managing Editor Rusty Cawley Assistant Managing Editor Mary Hesalroad Features Editor John W. Tynes News Editor Debby Krenek News Assistant Carol Meyer Sports Editor Paul Arnett Copyeditor Steve Reis Reporters Paul McGrath, Lynn Rossi, Lee Roy Leschper Jr., Jan Bailey, Darrell Lanford, Dave Tewes, Glenna Whitley, Steve Martaindale Photographers Kevin Venner, Tracie Nordheim, Mike Willy Student Publications Board: Bob G. Rogers, Chairman; Joe Arredondo; Tom Dawsey, Dr. Gary Halter; Dr. John W. Hanna; Dr. Charles McCandless; Dr. Clinton A. Phillips; Jerri Ward. Director of Student Publications: Gael L. Cooper. i H N 3 3 Trailer FN r| 3 Radio Buy your Your choice of the following with purchase of any new street or dual-purpose 125. 175 or 250 CC Harley David son motorcycle prior to June 1. 1977: 1. Deluxe, twocycle Holsclaw motorcycle trailer ($247.00 retail value) 2. A High performance. Gen eral Electric portable ra dio/cassette recorder free (re tail value $ 149.95) 3. A gift certificate worth $100 of your choice of Har- ley-Davidson parts, acces sories or clothing, SS125 base price $629 SS175 base price $757 SS250 base price $949 8X125 base price $539 SX175 base price $697 SX250 base price $889 Harley Davidson Great American Dream Machine now and get up to a $300 rebate. 2.8 gallon tank Act Now! Limited time offer |C. E. Hodde’s Aggieland 801 Texas Ave. Harley Davidson 779-7300 ^ Harley-C Until you’ve been on a Harley-Davidson. you haven't been on a motorcycle Cadet Corps is very organized It is entirely within the rights of any other organization to start its own newspaper and print articles about the activities of its members. The objective of The Quadrangle in printing the list was to get people interested in the elections and to get them to vote, and evidently we were successful. Judging from the number of cadets who voted in the senator races from the Corps of Cadets living area, a total of 1136 Corps members voted. Out of 1750 in the Corps, this is a 65 per cent turnout. Compared to the 28 per cent of the University as a whole, why should people be sur prised the Corps won 26 seats? As said before, it is not the fault of the Corps that 72 per cent of the student body does not care who are its lead ers in student government. Another interesting and final point is that although the writer of the article on the front page of Tues day’s Battalion interviewed people in the controversy from runoff can didates for student body president to a freshman accounting major, the editor of The Quadrangle, however, was never contacted in any way by the writer or any other member of The Battalion staff. If a person’s ethics are to be questioned, perhaps one should get his viewpoint first. Editor: After reading Tuesday’s Battalion, it became very clear that certain per sons were upset over the Student Government elections. Stan Stanfield said he thought the campaign literature (The Quad rangle), was unethical, because no other large group on campus tried to organize its members to vote for candidates in their areas. Terry Pyl- ant said she thought the publication unfair but similar to national elec tions. But in actuality nothing illegal was done! The Quadrangle is a newspaper, as is The Battalion, and being so, may print whatever it so chooses, or endorse whomever it chooses, in any election. Because it is the Corps’ newspaper, it seems only natural that it should represent thevCorps. If any other large group at A&M had wanted to organize its members to vote for their best interest, then I think they should have gone ahead and done so. I will have to agree with Battalion editor Jerry Needham’s statement in Tuesday’s editorial, “...the outcry against the mass vote of the Corps is a cry of envy of the excellent organi zation the Corps has exhibited. — Gib Sawtelle III ’79 Wont vote in runoffs Editor’s note: In the editorial, the editor stated “The vote of the Corps truthfully cannot be called a bloc vote,...” As to the point of including cadets’ names who said their activity cards were checked to see if they voted, you, of all people, should know that Corps members are very reluctant to have their names associated with anything that may shed unfavorable light on the Corps as a whole. Even Mr. Gontarek, the cadet whose pic ture appeared with Tuesday’s page one story, apparently caught enough flak from his fellow cadets that he saw fit to write a letter say ing that he did not endorse the arti cle with which his picture appeared. Editor: I won’t vote for student body president in the run-off elections. Scott Gregson, candidate who did not make the run-off, has been given a bum deal. Gregson was forced to stop cam paigning after 12:30 Wednesday af ternoon, the first election day, after complaints of an election violation. Some dorm residents in the north area, including Stan Stanfield, a candidate for student body presi dent, complained that Gregson clut tered the hallways with campaign literature, a violation of election rules. Were they more concerned about the paper in their hallways or in get ting Stan Stanfield elected? A picture of the literature and campaign flyers were used as evi dence against Gregson. No doubt it was cold-blooded, huh? I won’t vote for Robert Harvey either. The Quadrangle, the Corps newspaper, published a list strictly of Corps candidates running for of fice. Robert Harvey, in his position as Corps commander, has jurisdiction over such a decision as this, and I feel he is responsible for it. It’s high school stuff. The C.T. s can make their own decisions as to the best candidate. Why alienate the Corps and non-regs even more by pulling a stunt like this? It’s too bad that Gregson, who I feel played the fairest game of the three, lost because he didn’t lower himself to the other’s standards. —Steve Mayer ’78 Corps doesnt run police state Editor: Why those nasty Cadets. Look what they’ve gone and done. They voted for other Cadets. How despic able. How dastardly. They bloc voted. God knows that ranks right up there with pistol whipping your grandmother. Cadets don’t have the right to vote for other Cadets simply because they think a Cadet can best represent their inter ests. They ought to throw darts at the ballot or have the administration choose officers on a quota basis. All levity aside, what is all the big fuss? So what if seven per cent of the student population can get its mem bers elected to 30 per cent of the offices including most of the higher positions. Why get mad at seven per cent who voted and won and say nothing about the 75 per cent who did not vote? The fact that the Corps is able to elect Cadets to represent the Corps only speaks highly of the Corps’ or ganization and interest in campus ac tivities. BACKYARD GREENHOUSE 400 Ehlinger Dr. 822-5358 BROMELIADS & ORCHIDS Open by appointment ALLIED INSURANCE AGENCY Bill Pipkin - Agent 4103 Texas * 206 846-4774 Specializing in Student Insurance Automobile Mobile Home Motorcyde Renters PACK’S PLASTER & CERAMICS Hours: Tues., Wed., Thurs. 1 p.m.-9 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday 2 p.m.-5 p.m. FM 2233, Old Wheelock Rd. 823-3965 If every Cadet voted (something I doubt), then they made up less than 2,000 of the 7,000 votes cast. That means that about 35 per cent of the electorate managed to vote in its members in 30 per cent of the of fices. Nothing sinister there. Don’t bitch at the Corps for elect ing its own people. We got out and voted. Some 18,000 students did not vote. Why doesn’t the Batt show any interest in that? The Corps does encourage its people to vote. We give a damn. Did anybody see any Cadets forcing another Cadet to vote a certain way? Remember, we vote by secret ballot. Listen y’all, we may be organized, but we don’t run a police state within the University. — Mark Kelley ’77 EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third 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 se ries will contribute to understand ing and enlightenment. ‘Work on your own credibility’ Editor: I agree wholeheartedly with your statement Tuesday that “Each can didate should stand on his own merits.” But I wonder why you do not practice what you preach. You question the ethical standards of the editor of a small bimonthly newslet ter for printing a list of candidates names, while you, as editor of a daily newspaper which reaches every stu dent of this University, directly endorse a slate of candidates only a few days after your managing editor specifically told me that The Battal ion would not endorse candidates. It seems to me that you should work on your own credibility before you at tack a little newsletter which did far less than you did. — Harry L. Warren P.S. You must be joking about the political parties — what would they be called — the Free Pizza and Beer Party and the 24-hour Dorm Visita tion Party? By JOHN W. TYNES Battalion Staff Homosexuals are presently encountering strong opposition as they mount campaigns to promote their interests. But the opposition today is slight compared to persecu tion in earlier times. Historically, homosexual behavior has been strictly prohibited in al most every culture for many cen turies. Only recently has it even begun to be accepted in a predomi nantly heterosexual world. In his book, “The Homosexual Matrix,” Dr. C. A. Tripp explained how the laws that regulate sexual behavior today were established: “The religious philosophies which underlie the sexual mores of our so ciety were brought together and elaborated by men who believed that a life of celibacy, abstinence, and asceticism was morally superior to one containing any sexual expres sion.” The early Christians proved to be even more harsh and rigorous in their sexual edicts than the Jews and sexual behavior was further re stricted by them. “Our mores gained their direction from Jewish history and their harsh- J r^\ r calling all artists! / / \ / ( THE ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR / > ) April 26 & 27 J Come by the Craft Shop and register for your booth. 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To Be Given Away April 14 L siamng i _« CHUCK NORRIS Plus ‘Macon County Line’ East Screen 7:15 ‘Infra Man’ Pius (PG) ‘Dinosauras’ Call For Times CampilS 846-6512 COLLEGE STATION m Call For Times 1( A seduction so unforgettable you will remember it every ^ time you’re with a woman!” Starring VICKY LYON Sun Theatres 333 University 846-9808 Super-Grody Movies Double-Feature Every Week Special Midnight Shows Friday & Saturday S3 per person No one under 18 Escorted Ladies Free $3 With This Ad BOOK STORE & 25c PEEP SHOWS Tripp traced the changing sexual opinions of society from their early beginnings in early Jewish codes and even earlier Hittite, Chaldean and Egyptian ideas. He wrote that Jewish law was bas ically outlined in the Old Testament, but that it gained most of its highly restrictive character from moral ar guments put forward in the Talmud, the authoritative body of Jewish law and tradition. ness from Christian elaborations,” Tripp wrote. He explained that standards of sexual behavior were established by the Church for several centuries. During this time, Church and gov ernment were one and the same. Even when government was fi nally wrested from the hands of reli gious leaders, laws still reflected the sexual attitudes endorsed by the churches. Tripp noted that there are many people today who are not religious but still disapprove of homosexual- ity- “Evidently,” he wrote, “religious teachings become implicit in the customs and attitudes of a society, eventually regulating both the cen tral tendency of behavior and the ex pectancy of what people do sexu ally.” Until very recently, the subject of homosexuality has not been subject to approach even In the book, “Human Sei Bernard Goldstein wrote: “Our long history of being to despise and suppress homi feelings has led us totheconcg homosexuality is a crime, askl or sin to be punished severeljl state — after all, peopled nasty things with their genital be punished.” Goldstein cited a Louis Han taken in 1969 that showe cent of the nation consi homosexuality harmful American way of life. He noted, however, a recei creased communication and tion about sexuality that has some of the strain between and “straights.” Gay groups throughout the (See “Gays SPECIAL YOUTH AIR FARES TO EUROPE (Ages 12 thru 25) Departing May 17 from $558.00 Round Trip Dallas to Luxembourg. Return on the day of your choice. Good for one) SAVE $213.00 over normal air fare. Space Limited - Book Early - Other Dates Available ^xecutive^avel 846-1748 Stacey C has comt pond ma Joo& Texas A^ .Evans Lib ale, a literar on on puhli onal Librar Thebook s: t the south om 10 a. m. Winners o 707 TEXAS AVENUE, SOUTH • COLLEGE STATION & Th TEXAS A&M TOWN HALL SERIES PRESENTS iPVKS PM1BIX LMm James Talley Series Performance #6 Saturday, April 16, IS 8:00 p.m. G. 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