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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 1977)
Page 2A Pf Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Wednesday May 4, 1977 State colleges striving for excellence By EDWARD FULTON United Press International Texans from another, harder culture, struggling to write a constitution within the chaos of Reconstruction, paused to make a curious, far-sighted demand on fu ture generations. During that autumn a century ago amid thundering renunciation of the state’s “Carpetbag Constitution,” politicians in Austin wrote this phrase: “The Legislature shall, as soon as practicable, establish, or ganize and provide for the maintenance, support and direction of a University of the first class.... Three months later the people of the state of Texas ratified the constitution and with it the plea that sons and daughters born in more stable times might receive an education. In 1881 the Legislature, ignoring those who said state money should be spent on more profitable ventures, established the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Two years later the University of Texas System was organized in Austin. One hundred and two years had passed. Today Texas taxpayers support 23 senior colleges and universities, five upper-level universities, three upper-level learning centers, 47 community college districts operating 55 campuses, one technical insti tute operating four campuses, five medical schools, two dental schools and one maritime academy. Private organizations—usually churches—opened colleges and institutes which, after decades of failure, growth, merger and reorganization, resulted in 38 more senior colleges and universities, seven junior colleges, two medical schools, one dental school and two medi cally related learning centers. Clearly, the generations responded to the call for a university. However, that was only half of the promise. There was, and is, the last clause: “...OF THE FIRST CLASS.” The forefathers demanded excellence, and all of the oil under the piney woods could not buy it. High school counselors, teachers, politicians, college presidents, graduates, students, professors and instructors from throughout the state agree on one primary fact: somewhere within the maze of Texas’ higher education system, excellence re sides. Those who curse any university educa tion have one definition of excellence. The intellectuals at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin have another. Farmers, saved from financial ruin be cause a new strain of wheat survived a frost, find excellence in the research de partments of the stunning university which began as Texas Agriculture and Mechanical College. Jazz buffs look to the North Texas State University music department. Slouch by Jim Earle EA/U-* HA 1 * 4-~ r7 NOW THAT YOU’RE A FORMER STUDENT, I’M SURE THAT YOU’LL BE WORKING TOWARD IMPROVING OUR UNIVERSITY, MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS TO TH’ BUILD ING FUND, AND SEE THAT OUR MONETARY PROBLEMS ARE TAKEN CARE OF!” Minorities, deprived intellectually by a debilitating culture gap, thrive at the black and brown colleges. Those who believe the nation’s wood lands are part of the national heritage look to the forestry department at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. Excellence within a university, then, occurs only when the requirements of the culture which supports it are met. Texans, only a generation away from an agrarian society, have branded the state’s colleges with their own idea of “excellence” and those ideas vary widely throughout the estate. However, discussions with dozens oi people in the field show that there is no “Harvard of the South,” no so-called pres tige university — despite the claims of Rice University, the University of Texas, Trinity University, Austin College or Texas Tech. Editorial Why not? Because until a few years ago, there was no demand for one. But there are many hints of the kind of excellence associated with the traditional northeastern and West Coast prestige schools. That excellence is the new direction many universities in Texas are following during a decade when they are examining themselves more and more. Legislators are again suggesting that the phrase “...of the first class” be analyzed and then held up in front of each school like a mirror. Even now, many educators believe the gifted student does not need to leave Texas to receive all the education he re quires. All educators believe that by the turn of the century higher education in Texas will be equal or superior to that of fered in any other section of the country. And all the same educators believe that everyone’s definition of excellence will exist, somewhere, in Texas. Apology to TMA A story was featured in the April 28 edi tion of The Battalion concerning problems experienced by entering female cadets at the Texas Maritime Academy. The story related various instances in which women at the Academy underwent undue har- rassment by the male cadets during the co-eds’ first year. Reports received indicate that this may have been the case three years ago when female cadets entered the school, but a further look into the situation as it now exists shows that there is little, if any, con flict between male and female cadets at Galveston. A review of the story and conversations with TMA officials and students show that The Battalion did not present a fair repre sentation of student life at TMA. Although references to today’s equitable and amica ble lifestyle were made in the story. The Battalion agrees that insufficient attention was given to this fact. TMA has pointed out certain fact errors concerning the his tory of the school. Persons quoted in the story have complained that their quotes were taken out of context and used to mis represent the Academy. After listening to tapes of the conversations with some of the female cadets, the editor also agrees that without adequate play being given to present conditions at the school the article presents a biased and outdated view of the Academy. The Battalion regrets that TMA has suf fered unfavorable publicity because of the article. Certainly such was not the paper’s intent. To students and faculty of TMA, The Battalion extends its apologies and invites the Academy to utilize the Readers’ Forum for another look at TMA. Letters to the Editor Police need to admit mistakes Editor: In response to the recent letter (John son April 27, 1977) regarding episodes with the K. K., I would like to relate an experi ence I had. A letter was sent to my house stating I owed three tickets with late charges ($30). Knowing my innocence (aren’t we all?), and armed with the knowledge that the used car I had recently purchased be longed formerly to an Ag, I went to the station to get the matter fixed. When I got there the polite secretary asked when I bought the car. I told her and she said the tickets had all been written after the date of my purchasing the car. I asked to see a copy of one of the tickets and lo and be hold she was right, but the make of car was a V. W. which I do not own. I told her this and we argued it awhile and she finally said go talk it over with Chief Luther. He said, “Pay them!” We argued it a bit and finally I went to see a sergeant (Hamil ton, I believe). He checked the registra tion from the license number on the tick ets and sure enough, it was for a V.W., registered to a Mr. Ryan, but a Mr. Ryan in Knippa, Texas. I didn’t even know where in the hell Knippa was. I told him “I’m from Houston not Knippa, check it on your records.” He believed me and said he would take care of it and not to worry. No apology! Now I know the K.K. are busy, and they get alot of people trying to weasle out of fines. They must see a high percentage of “2 per centers,” but hopefully they will learn not all Ags are like that and hopefully they will learn to apologize when they are wrong. — Dan Ryan ’77 P.S. Knippa is about 20 miles east of Uvalde. Problem solved Editor: I have been following the intemational- student-tuition battle with a mildly de tached interest. Last night a solution came to me, as if in a vision. The key words in this solution are to be Sacrifice and Equity: Americans should sacrifice for many reasons and International students should be treated equitably for many rea sons. Americans, especially Texans, should Sacrifice because they have been excep tionally blessed with natural resources and talents, because the Free Enterprise sys tem only works when its most successful competitors practice charity, and because the Free World needs a moral leader. International students should be treated equitably because they are the only ones who can truly devleop their own nation’s resources and talents, because they ob viously need Charity to bring them out of Poverty, and because they are needed to promote the morality of Freedom through out the world. My proposal is that we charge Interna tional Students exactly one-half the mark up on education that their countries charge us on their primary export. By doing this, we ensure that Americans are sacrificing for the benefit of all foreign students and that the students will be treated as equitably as their nations treat us. I give two examples to show how this scheme works: Scotland sells us shoes at a 20 per cent mark-up. We sacrifice one-half, or ten per cent, so all Scottish students should pay 10 per cent more for education than Texans do. OPEC nations produce oil at 18 cents per barrel and sell it to us for $18 per bar rel. This is a mark-up of 1000 per cent. We sacrifice one-half, or 500 per cent, so all OPEC students should pay 500 per cent more than Texans. One can easily see that a third key word. Incentive, is added to the solution. Nations that already treat us equitably will not have the further incentive to do so. Na tions that are not treating us equitably will gain an incentive to do so. Surely these nations cannot believe that a continued U.S. trade deficit of sixty billion dollars per quarter is equitable. Such nations will be reminded that they cannot run mines, oil wells and factories without expert technicians. And all nations will be re minded that Charity begins at Home. — Richard Saunders, Jr. Graduate Student Males put down Editor: Referring to an article in The Battalion, April 28, 1977, “After three years women are earning places at the Texas Maritime Academy.” The writer knows little about the Academy. It seems when news writers cover a story on TMA, they always inter view the same people and end up with the same BS stories. They all put the male cadet down or don’t mention them at all. I would hold reservation in stating the fact that women are accepted at the Academy as equals by the majority of the male cadets. Whenever there is heavy work to be done or when sharp cadets are needed for a special job, I have yet to see a co-ed cadet selected. —Robert K. Baker ’77 C Company Commander, TMA Top of the News Texas Terrifying kidnaping ends in Texm A terrifying four-day experience for a young woman and herl baby son has ended with the charging of an ex-convict for kidnaping! The FBI said yesterday Dennis Oliver Ross, 26, of Glendale, ArizJ had been charged with kidnaping Ethel McNeir and her son, How- ard, from a St. Louis department store and then forcing her to drivel with him to South Texas. Ross, a resident of the St. Louis area, was! arraigned on kidnaping and firearms charges by U.S. Magistrate! Norman W. Black, who set bond at $100,000. Barmaid helps arrange ruse Police in Houston said yesterday the barmaid, who felt sorry for murder suspect Vernon McManus, helped arrange his escape and then helped authorities catch him. McManus disappeared dur ing jury selection in his trial for the murder of his former secretary’s mother and father in return for part of the insurance money. Police said the barmaid agreed to help McManus arrange a ruse to makeit appear he had been kidnaped or killed. Investigators quoted heras saying she supplied him with a syringe used to squirt blood across the front seat of his car, accompanied him to abandon the caronal dirt road north of Baytown and helped him leave misleading clues. She later informed police McManus had fled in a silver and maroon | Monte Carlo, officers said, and other information suggested could be found in Jacksonville Beach. Officers said McManus, who! has a wife and daughter in Baytown, had “a way with women”: their awareness of that helped them capture him in the beachfront | motel room of a young woman vacationing from Ohio. More money spent on mixed drinks Texans spent 23.8 per cent more money on mixed drinks dur ing the first three months of 1977 than during the same period of | 1976, State Comptroller Bob Bullock said yesterday. Mixed drink tax collections for the first quarter of the year totaled $12.5 million, compared to $10.1 million during the same three months of 1976. The tax — collected by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission — represents 10 per cent of all gross receipts from the sale of mixed drinks. Bullock said his office sent checks totaling $3.6 million to 300 cities and 190 counties as their share of the tax revenue. The state keeps 85 percent of the mixed drink tax. Nation Kent State victims remembered todau Four students killed seven years ago at Kent State University are being remembered today in public and private ceremonies by I their parents and former classmates, as well as current students who] were just junior high schoolers on May 4, 1970. Allison Krause,[ Jeffrey Miller, Sandy Scheuer and William Schroeder were shot to death by National Guardsmen trying to put down an antiwar deni I onstration triggered by the U.S. invasion from Vietnam intoCam-j bodia. Students angered by the KSU administration’s refusal to| cancel classes planned to boycott classes today. Economist expects output increase\ White House economist Charles L. Schultze has predicted a growth of up to 6 per cent in American’s total real output this yearj and “a slightly lower — but still healthy — rate of expansion 1978. President Carter’s principal economic adviser conceded in his speech yesterday before the American Society of Newspaper! Editors convention that government regulations also have intro! duced uncertainty into business calculations. Earlier yesterday, the| editors heard from President Carter, speaking via telephone, who! told them the Soviet Union is “many years away” from developingaj weapon that could neutralize U.S. missiles. Mondale to travel to Europe Vice President Walter Mondale will travel to Europe this month for talks with South Afri can and British leaders to demonstrate “direct White House involvement” in the Rhodesian issue. The trip will be Mondale’s first major assignment since President Carter named him coordinator of U.S. policy in Africa. Mondale’s 10-day trip to Europe was announced by the White House yesterday. He will leave Wash ington May 14, visiting Portugal, Spain, Austria, Yugoslavia and Great Britain, and return to Washington May 23. It will be Mondale’s second overseas trip on behalf of the new administration. A few days afterl Carter took office, he dispatched Mondale to five European allies j and Japan. MONDALE Murderer questions death of victim An 18-year-old youth now serving life in prison for murder has | asked the Massachusetts Supreme Court to decide if his victim was legally dead when doctors turned off his life sustaining equipment. I The high court could be the first in the nation to decide whether an I absence of brain waves, not heart failure, signals death. Seigfried| Golston, 18, of Boston is serving a life sentence for the murder of! Ronald J. Salem, 34, of Medford. Salem was pronounced dead inf August 1975, one week after he was beaten over the head with a baseball bat. Salem, in a coma, was kept on life sustaining equip-1 ment at Boston City Hospital until doctors decided he had suffered I “irreversible brain damage.” Colston’s lawyer told the Supreme Court yesterday there was a possibility Salem could have lived if the “plug had not been pulled. ” He said if Salem was still alive under the heart-death standard when the life sustaining equipment was J removed, then his client could not be guilty of murder. World Five hundred students slaughtered Ethiopian troops and peasants slaughtered up to 500 students this past weekend in possibly the bloodiest incident in a rising j campaign of terror against antigovernment forces, witnesses said yesterday. Many of the bodies were stacked in huge piles and others | were dumped in a mass grave just outside Addis Ababa. Many were mutilated. The leftist military government, threatened by several armed insurrections around the country and underground opposi tion in the capital, is waging an all-out war against its opponents. It has launched another campaign to raise a peasant army to fight a | “people’s war” against Eritrean secessionists in the north, reminis cent of last year’s ill-fated peasant march to Eritrea. weather Mostly cloudy, warm and humid today and tomorrow with a 20 percent chance of thundershowers today and a 30 per cent chance tomorrow. Expected high today in the mid-80s. Low tonight in the low 70s. High tomorrow in the mid-80s.