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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1977)
Page 2 THE BATTALION FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 1977 Let Senate act on fees A University administrator is about to have to act on a proposal that rightfully should be acted on by the Student Senate. Vice President for Student Services John Koldus said yesterday that he will not recommend that $41,000 in student service fees for the establishment of a student day care center be allocated. The Student Senate last month had recommended that the fees be allo cated. Dr. Koldus is right in that the fees should not be allocated at this time, but that action should be taken by the Student Senate. Dr. Koldus now has more information on which to act than did the Senate when it originally recommended the allocation. The recommendation by the Senate that the fees be allocated was on the basis of some hojSfed-for volunteer help and eventual funding from the College of Education. It is now evident this funding or volunteer help will not materialize this year. It has been established that many students want a day care center. The idea was right but the timing was wrong. For the past several years, the Senate has had a good record in getting its recommended fee allocations through the Board of Re gents. If it fits within the time frame of the budget preparation (for the May 24 Regents’ meeting). Dr. Koldus should give the Student Se nate a chance at reconsidering the allocation before officially acting on it. The new Senate meets on April 25. We should try to stick as closely as we can to the idea of students controlling the allocation of student service fees and not set a prece dent this year of having an administrator having to override the stu dents’ recommendations on the allocation of these fees. Slouch by Jim Earle “IT’S ON TAX DAY THAT I HAVE MY STRONGEST RESERVATIONS ABOUT ALL OF THE WONDERFUL SERVICES OUR GOVERNMENT PROVIDES US!” Plutonium benefits outweigh risks By ROBERT PATLOVANY Plutonium is a toxic, radioactive element, the existence of which has produced much controversy. But it is a good fuel which, with existing technology, can produce cheap electricity. Even with billions of dollars of re search solar energy and other alter nate energy sources cannot hope to compete with plutonium as an energy resource for making cheap electricity. For a conventional size electrical power plant output, 20 to 40 square miles of solar collectors would be required. An orbiting solar power collector will require a five mile diameter parabolic receiv ing antenna on earth to collect the microwaves transmitted from the satelite. If you think solar power would be clean, think of the environmental impact of 20 square miles of solar collectors, or of a 5 mile diameter hole in the ground. Of course, the biggest con troversy is over the safety of having so much plutonium around in the first place. Environmentalists warn that its use will cause increases in cancer to the general population Ceteris paribus and that it should therefore be ban ned forever. They are concerned about power plant explosions that could kill thousands of people. These people tend to look at the plutonium risk just a little out of perspective. All of man’s activities involve a risk of some kind. The logical way to Readers ’ forum handle risk is to weigh the costs of the risks with the savings of the benefits. Wherever the savings sig nificantly outweight the costs, the activity should be carried out. Plutonium, being toxic and radioactive, involves a risk with its use. It is not, however, the most toxic substance known to man. Many people have died from the ef fects of botulism toxin, which is more toxic. Thousands of people worked with plutonium during World War II on the Manhatten Project. Because of the rush to win the war, safety precautions were not up to modem standards. In spite of the reduced safety considerations, there has been no one incident of plutonium poisoning. These work ers, their children and their grand children have experienced no statis tical increase in any kind of cancer or birth defects when compared with the statistics for the unexposed general public. The issue of safeguards for the control of plutonium is the possibil ity that plutonium could be pilfered from a reactor fuel reprocessing facility and machined into homemade nuclear explosives by a small determined group of scientists and machinists. For this reason, some people say the United States should have no thing to do with plutonium for fear of giving terrorists the chance they need to build a nuclear explosive. If the risk is viewed out of perspective with the other risks that are routinely taken for granted, a valu able fuel resource may go un touched by this country. No estimate of the money needed to maufacture a home-built bomb has been less than one-half million dollars. The usual estimate calls for about a $12 million expenditure by Apathy, rationality, and voting By MARK RANKIN One of the headlines describing last week’s local election read, “Voters appear apathetic in council member election.” If I had been asked to write that headline, I think it would have read, “Voters appear rational in council member elec tion.” I am tired of seeing the word “apathetic” applied to perfectly ra tional behavior. It is my belief that individuals evaluate the costs and benefits associated with voting. Those who feel that there are net benefits will vote and those who feel that there are net costs will pursue a more favorable activity. The most common explanations regarding “voter apathy” are, in fact, var iations on this theme. If there is a large dispesion in candidate ideologies, people will vote. The individual chooses among candidates based on the relationship among the views of those running and his own. This is to say that when there is a liberal and a conservative contesting the same position, there is likely to be a heavier turnout of voters than if the election is be tween two moderates. The cost as sociated with the election of a con servative is very high in the mind of the liberal as well as vice versa. Likewise, when the contest is be tween individuals of similar views, people will consider the costs of either being elected about the same and the benefits of voting for one rather than the other will be trivial. This does create a paradox, how ever, in the sense that the more alike the candidates, the more likely that one vote will determine the outcome. This is to say that, in the case of closely contested elections, your vote may be powerful in its poten tial to elect a “body” yet weak in its ability to determine a particular political philosophy. Few liberals would bother to vote in an election between Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. The most extreme example of the effect of a lack of ideological choice is the case where a politician runs unopposed as was the case in the three College Station council races. If it is relatively easy to vote, people will vote. The Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those ion. Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, Col- of the editor or of the writer of the article and are lege Station, Texas 77843. not necessarily those of the University 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. editor MEMBER LEXTERS POLICY Texas Press Association Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 Southwest Journalism Congress words and arc 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 Editor Paul 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- racie or eim, i e i y ing exam and holiday periods and the summer, „ , , , „ _ _ . „ „ when it is published weekly. Student Publications Board: Bob C. Rogers. Chairman; Joe Arredondo; Tom Dawsey; Dr. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; Cary Hakcr . Dr John w Hanna . Dr . Charles $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per foil year. All McCandless. Dr Clinton A. Phillips; Jerri Ward. subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising Director of Student Publications Gael L. Cooper. rates furnished on request. Address: The Battal- This is to say that the nuisance associated with the physical act of voting is a very real cost to the vo ter. Voter participation will be much greater in a system where you can vote by telephone or proxy than in one where you have to travel five miles only to stand in line for two hours. Similarly, the degree of in formation that the voter possesses will influence his behavior. One of last week’s candidates made the statement that people were “confused” as to the relation ship between the location of their residences and the particular wards which were represented by candi dates. If this were true, then it can be said that it was simply too expen sive for the “confused” individuals to ascertain the correct information. In point of fact, the “confused” indi vidual excuse probably more adequately explains why 4.56 per cent of those registered voted as opposed to maybe 5.56 per cent in the absence of confusion. On the other hand, maybe voter “confu sion” was responsible for making the turnout as high as it was. Only in America can the non voting individual be variously de scribed as apathetic, confused, or rational. Rankin is a graduate student in economics. Niche in society tough to fim EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the last iof a four-part series on homosexu- {als, their lives and their problems. The Battalion is aware that the sub ject 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 in vective. We hope that this series [will contribute to understanding land enlightenment. By JAMIE AITKEN AND SUE MUTZEL Despite the marked social changes brought about by the sexual revolution of the past decade and a half, homosexuality has, at best, been tolerated by American society, and at worst, feared. Psychologists continue to study homosexuality in order to deter mine its place in present society and the pressures it is placing on society for changing norms. The effect that an emerging gay rights movement is having on the nation is affording so cial scientists a unique look at a na tion uncomfortable with a growing fear of the unkown. In 1974 the American Psychology Association voted to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. Through years of uncer tainty on the part of society as to the status of homosexuality, this fear of the unknown has perhaps been the greatest reason that homosexuality has not been allocated a place in our society. The negative opinion of society to homosexuality appears to be an au tomatic reaction to society’s attempt to maintain the status quo. Dr. Don Woods, clinical psychologist and as sistant professor of psychology at Texas A&M University, contends that “one of the best ways of assur ing yourself that you don’t have a certain trait (of a group) is to repress that group.” Students just entering the uni versity environment are often found to be insecure and unsure of them selves in a new environment with out the cultural padding that may have been apparent at home. In a way, for many, these are the forma tive years where social mores are fixed; where for most heteroi ity is solidified and, in thej homosexuality repressed and| denounced. Indeed, one writer content, social pressure in these staga| to widespread “homophobia,”i of homosexuality, and moreoi|. fear of sexual thoughts abonlj, sons of the same sex. Psychologists have been it to agree to a cause ofhomosejB Erasing it as a mental disodL 1974, they work with the del* “sexual orientation,’ and V preference. ” The Christian church, in get appears to consider homosei® , as a sin picked up during a lifet much as one might take up si®, or drinking. Being a sin, it jsil dition to be changed, an imp. capable of being dead Homosexuality, then, is note ered here to be inherited. Dy. confirm that no evidence has:, found to prove homosexual^ netic occurrence. Although causes may be? (See SOCIETY, Page! Students have powerful political weapon the group wanting to cause trouble. There are many far simpler and cheaper ways for a terrorist to kill thousands of people than with a nu clear weapon. Every day tank trucks carry butane, propane, ammonia, methane, and chlorine, to name a few, on the Interstate 610 loop around Houston. Last summer, an ammonia truck exploded in the open air killing 30 and injuring nearly 200 people. Before that, a butane truck exploded near Eagle Lake and flew 200 yards through two mobile homes before coming to a stop in a third mobile home. Some nuclear power critics still worry about a nuclear power plant exploding like a nuclear bomb dur ing an accident. Even if all the elec tronics and mechanical control sys tems fail, it is physically impossible for a nuclear explosion to take place in any power reactor. There have been accidents at nuclear power plants, but after over 250 reactor- years of experience, no one person has ever died from a commercial nuclear power reactor accident. The biggest accident so far was a fire three years ago at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Brown’s Ferry plant which damaged electri cal control circuits. There were no injuries and the reactor was not damaged, but the “disaster” story made front page news across the country. The damage was repaired, and since last October, TVA has reduced its customers’ electric bills by $3 per 1,000 kilowatt hours be cause of the cheaper nuclear fuel costs. With fuel costs rising as utilities are forced to use the more expensive coal, this country could use a few more disasters like that. Breeder reactors convert uranium-238 into plutonium-239, while using uranium-235 and the converted plutonium to produce electrical power. A breeder pro duces more fuel than it uses by these prices. Only 0.7 per cent of uranium is the easily used 235 vari ety, and if plutonium recycle is not implemented soon, nuclear power may only last 20 years. President Carter wants to stop all breeder reactors from being built in this country because of plutonium risks, eliminating a nearly self- perpetuating source of cheap elec tricity. It appears the Cabinet could use a Department of Optometry to help Carter see the risks in perspec tive with the benefits. Knowledge is your best protection. / ^\Corl Bussells X/Diamohd Room 3731 E. 29th 846-4708 Town & Country Center MEMBER AMERICAN GEM SOCIETY Does your Final Review uniform fit right? Alterations-Repairs University Cleaners 112 College Main PIPES — CUSTOM BLENDED TOBACCO CIGARS — DOMESTIC & IMPORTED We now carry imported cigarettes: DUNHILL, BALKAN SOBRANIE & SHERMAN 3709 E. 29th St. Town & Country Center Bryan I « I I CORRAL THE BEST BAR-B-Q IN TOWN! Chicken-Fried Steak and Salad Bar $2.75 1808 BARAK LANE (East of 29th St.) Editor: Last night the College Station City Council voted down a proposal by the Texas A&M Student Senate to extend the legal drinking hours in College Station on weekends. This proposal, if adopted, would have al lowed the local bars to serve liquor until 2:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This proposal by the Senate was the result of a poll taken some time ago which showed 87 per cent of the student body was in favor of this extension. This poll, if applied to the student body popu lation of 28,000 would show that over 24,000 students support this type of bill. You may ask, how may the seven voting members of the College Sta tion City Council deny the request of 24,000 students in a town the size of College Station? Do these people have it out for the students? Of course not. Every single member of the council is in some way em ployed by the TAMU System. They derive their livelihood from the stu dents and the community that sup ports the students. I am sure that these people voted in the manner in which they thought they repre sented their constituents best. The reason that these men won’t support the students is not because they have it out for us but rather because their interests are not our interests. The only way the students can in sure that they will not continue to get a raw deal from the city council is to insure that the people who make the decisions, support their positions. I.am not advocating a stu dent on the city council. I am ad vocating some person or persons who will look after our interests and if that person is a student, so much the better. The students of A&M possess the most powerful political weapon imaginable and thus far they have refused to use it. That weapon is the vote, and until the students get fed up enough with the way they get treated around here to get out and vote, I think they deserve the shaft they are getting. We are not just talking about being able to drink beer at Sparky’s or the Sports Club. There are much more far-reaching ways the city government affects us. Why are rental rates higher in Col lege Station than in Houston? Be cause the City Council has not seen fit to adopt a policy to stimulate the building of new apartments to a suf ficient degree to meet the demand. Have you heard the Aggie joke GRAINED COWHIDE MONEY BELT KEEPS CASH TUCKED AWAY- JUST IN CASE! For the growing per centage of us who are victims of robberies or lost wallets, a money belt is an ounce of prevention that really pays off. Dress belt of supple, handsomely-grained cowhide (1 Vi" wide) with smooth-polished metal buckle—goes well with any style of clothing. Concealed compartment inside over 16" long closes with two-way zipper, holds enough big bills for a round- the-world trip! Two colors: dark brown or black (with nickel plated silver- colored buckle). Cowhide money belt (SPECIFY EVEN SIZE) 32-44, color, and horseshoe (shown) or regular buckle style.... $12.95 (shipping incl.). Add 5% tax on shipments to Mass, addresses only. BELTS P.O. Box 231, Boston, MA 02134 SHU Trailer UHU Radio N H 9*100 Gift ^ ^ Certificate Buy your Harley Davidson Great American Dream Machine now and get up to a $300 rebate. 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 Hols claw motorcycle trailer (5247.00 retail value) 2. A High performance. Gen era! Electric portable r* 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 SX125 base price $539 SX175 base price $697 SX250 base price $889 Harley k Until you’ve been on a Harley-Davidson. you haven't been on a motorcycle Act Now! Limited time offer 1C. E. Hodde’s Aggieland Harley Davidson about the teasip who rented an out house and sublet the basement to an Aggie? Well, in College Station the Aggie paid $180 a month for the privelege, and had to bring his own furniture. To borrow a phrase. I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it any more! If any one else feels the same way, the External Affairs Commit tee of Student Government is gear ing up to help meet these problems. The time of the first meeting has not yet been decided upon, but we will try to let you know through The Battalion and other campus media. If we are going to accomplish any thing, we will need your help; we will need your input, we will need your interest and concern, and when the time comes, we will need your vote. —Phil Sutton V.P. External Affairs Baseball team deserves thanks Editor: To all of the students (and Yell Leaders) who were not at Kyle Field Saturday: Boy, yqu really mis sed it. The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Baseball Team staged two of the most excit ing baseball games in A&M history. But almost equally as exciting was the huge turnout of Aggies for the games. Several players have said that the spirit generated by the “10th Man” was a major contributor to the win. I only hope that we can send an equally representative and vocal group of Aggies down to Cougar High on April 22 and 23. To win 2 of 3 games from the number 1 rated team in the country shows the caliber of baseball that we play here, and the heartiest con gratulations are in order for the team. They won’t be satisfied with a second-place finish, so the trip to Houston will certainly be well worth it. Gig ’em. —Clark Whiteside, ’78 Aggies vote for Aggies Editor: During the campaigns, I had the opportunity to talk to several candi dates. When I asked one guy run ning for yell leader if he was a c.t. or a non-reg, he answered, “I’m an Ag gie. I wasn’t wrong for warA: know if he was in the Corps,l would have been a gross prejt on my part to have based my solely on that one point. Indies way, the Corps was not wron- publishing a list of cadets runnit office, nor will it be wrong fort ians to take the same list and tribute it as a countermeasureJ these lists are used as the majf only criteria from which vo choose the candidates, thentliey be acting like sheep, succumbie peer pressure and voting fora not a person. The runoff elect are being held today. Everyone the opportunity to go to the poll vote. Please vote, not Corpi Corps or civilian for civilian, bill gies for Aggies. —Debbie William SG quality in students' hm Editor: The last thing I ever though do would be to come out in de(f of the Corps at Texas A&M have a deep discontent for its ii and practices, but what I will up in arms more vehemently; is unfairness in any mannerdirec toward an individual or a group I am writing in response toft Massey’s letter of April 12tb. stated (quite bitterly) that the?; ity of the student government to reach an all time low next' with the participation, to a large gree, of the Corps. He does know how good or how badth people will be, and that the 0) voted strongly for Corps shot greater degree of organization t than in the Non-regs. The 26,000 Non-regs have pro their apathy time and time their very poor turnout af vot time (6,000 voters out of28,000 dents). Should not the electioo given to the majority winner tk the sideline complainers that something different but aren’t* ing to work for it?! Non-regs need to do an overl on their election system with aim toward more student invol ment in the elections (suchas© tioned in the editorial by J.N April 12th). The ability and/orip ity of the student government solutely in the hands of the stud body; if the Non-regs don’t Corps running things, then dsn# — get out and vote! — Marie Cowie ’75 Sun Theatres 333 University 846- Super-Grody Movies Double-Feature Every Week Special Midnight Shows Friday & Saturday $3 per person No one under 18 Escorted Ladies Free $3 With This Ad BOOK STORE & 25c PEEP SHOWS 801 Texas Ave. 779-7300 LOSE 20 POUNDS IN TWO WEEKS Famous U.S. Women Ski Team Diet During the non-snow off season the U.S. Women’s Alpine' Team members go on the “Ski Team” diet to lose 20 pounds ini' weeks. That’s right — 20 pounds in 14 days! The basis of the i chemical food action and was devised by a famous Colorado physh 11 especially for the U.S. Ski Team. Normal energy is maintained^ important!) while reducing. You keep “full” — no starvation because the diet is designed that way. It’s a diet that is easy to foil whether you work, travel or stay at home. (Not the grapefruit dk' This is, honestly, a fantastically successful diet. If it weren't. 1 U.S. Women’s Ski Team wouldn’t be permitted to use it! Right?- give yourself the same break the U.S. Ski Team gets. Lose weighli’ scientific, proven way. Even if you’ve tried all the other diets, you o' it to yourself to try the U.S. Women’s Ski Team Diet. That is, if! really do want to lose 20 pounds in two weeks. Order today. Tear'' out as a reminder. Send only $3.00 ($3.25 for Rush Service) - cash is O.K. Wm. CARTER - Human Ecologist, P.O. Box 4262, Department Hayward, Calif. 94540. Don’t order unless you expect to lose pounds in two weeks! 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