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
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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
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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
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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
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