Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1978)
Viewpoint The Battalion Monday Texas A&M University February 6, 1978 Clear the air it was inevitable that the student government grade controversy would stir up quite a bit of dispute. It was to be expected with the student govern ment constitution so unclear. But there is a right and a wrong way to settle any dispute, and the emotional pitch of this particular controversy is heading us down the wrong track. A mere constitutional question of grades has spawned a rash of innuendoes questioning the veiy character of everyone involved in this issue, from the student leaders in question to reporters covering the proceedings. This is a legal issue and should be settle intellectually, not emotionally. It is a difficult issue to solve and a difficult one to report. But if everyone involved will keep the legal question in mind and personal characters out of the picture, we can be spared the muck that is bogging down efficient problem-solving. - A for Carter’s counter-productivity By MARK ELAM One of the favorite past-times recently in the news media has been to assess Pres ident Carter’s performance his first year in office. Rather than be redundant and sim ply present a score card of Cater s per formance, perhaps a few suggesions might appropriately accompany any praise or criticism that is set forth. First, let us consider Carter’s No. 1 ob jective this past year; the implementation of a comprehensive energy program. Al though Carter’s program is still being jos tled about in Congress, it appears that this program is following a dreadfully fateful set of solutions which suggest anyone who happens to oppose this solution and favor another one (God forbid), has been branded as a special interest. In regard to Carter’s performance in volving another ill which confronts our na tion, inflation, it should be noted that Car ter’s anti-inflation packages carry all the punch of an aspirin and a “Please get well soon ” card. Indeed, a series of Wednesday evening prayer meetings for the economy might prove more beneficial. Yet, despite this problem, and despite the fact that the market is several hundred points below normal, we have to realize that things could have been worse. Things could have been worse, if, for instance. Carter would have endorsed the original version of the Humphrey- Hawkins bill, or for instance, if Carter had Letters to the editor decided to cancel the cruise missle along with the B-l bomber. Instead of appoint ing Andrew Young as ambassador to the U.N.. he could have appointed comedian Dick Gregory, even though some would claim that both men seem to be equally humorous. We should at least feel fortu- Readers’ forum nate that we are no longer faced with a deluge of Amy Carter stories on the eve ning news. But enough of this extreme pessimism, let us briefly consider how things might have been better. One of Carter’s recent controversial blunders centered around his claim that the U.S. government pur chased the state of Texas from Mexico, and thus rightfully owned it. But perhaps Car ter was simply confused. Surely he meant to say that the U.S. bought the Panama Canal, which it did, rather than the state of Texas, which it did not. Carter could have opted to give away a U.S. possesion that cost less than the Panama Canal, say for instance Hawaii or the Louisiana Pur chase. In response to some of the solemn promises set forth in his campaign, Carter could have actually begun to do such things as reduce the budget, rather than increase it. He could have worked to re duce governmental red tape and pa perwork as he promised instead of increas ing it. He could have kept his written promise with the governors of Texas, Lousisiana and Oklahoma by working for rather than against deregulation of natural gas prices. The president could have stood for a truly meaningful and equitable human rights policy which did not ignore such na tions as Cuba, Cambodia, Panama and Vietnam. In terms of unemployment, Carter could have sought to prevent a large in crease in the minimum wage, which even he admits will increase unemployment among the youth, especially the black and minority youth. He coidd have told the American people that a tax cut is really no tax cut at all when accompanied and offset by even higher tax rates for social security, real estate and numerous energy related utilities. And finally our president could have refused to fulfill the one promise he did keep. He could have refused to issue a pardon for draft evaders. Equally impor tant, he could have praised through his words and actions, rather than ridicule, those men who faithfully served their country in times of war. A CBS poll of Jan. 17 pointed out that a majority of Americans are openly dissatis fied with the performance of their gov ernment, and we are now told that we should all lower our expectations concern ing promises which were made, because they were too optimistic and perhaps unat tainable. The truth is however, that Presi dent Carter’s promises are not unattaina ble, they are simply being approached with incorrect emphasis. In short, the solution to our problems center around the ability of each indi vidual to solve his own problems, rather than the desire of a government to not only solve our problems', but to determine what our problems are, as well. Depen dence upon old fashioned common sense coupled with a deep abiding respect for the ideals which brought forth our nation would serve as a excellent place for our government to look for examples of how to improve its record. But let’s not forget Carter’s grade. Care fully considering the course of our economy, the present state of our defense capabilities, our prestige abroad, as well as the state of our union in general, I believe that it is fair to give Carter a grade of C for his performance thus far, no, not for an average performance, but rather for a counter-productive one. Mark Elam is a junior political science major and president of Young Americans for Freedom at Texas Ai?M University. Opinions expressed in this column are the author s only and not necessarily those of this paper. • A ^ * . . t y Printed accounts of assaults beneficial Editor: This is in reference to Danna Richey’s letter of Feb. 3, 1978 regarding the print ing in the Batt of articles describing cam pus rapes as unnecessary journalism. Danna asks, “Where is our sense of ethical discrimination? ’ As we see it Danna, the question is “Where is your sense of re sponsibility to help protect each other against rape?’ Just as one would want to be aware of a potential danger as in a poisonous snake, we would like to be aware of a potential danger of rape on campus, or anywhere. Reading about rape is ugly because rape is ugly. At least maybe you are aware that campus rape is more than something that could never happen to you. — Barbara Fuchs, ‘77 Pat Micks, ‘76 Liz Abbott Need to know Editor: I am writing in response to Danna Richey’s article, “Who Benefits?’’ that ap peared in Friday’s Battalion. The answer to that question is we, the students, bene fit. Personally, I feel that Texas A&M is one of the safest campuses of the its size in the state. Is it possible, however, that the students here are being misled concerning the frequency of rapes and assaults that take place on campus? In my opinion the news is obligated to the students to print the facts, regardless of how unpleasant they may seem. It is far more dangerous to suppress news stories on rape and assaults at A&M than to print them because it deceives the students here into believing that these things don’t happen when, in fact, they do! As for our sense of “ethical discrimina tion,” the news has no right to conceal the truth from anyone, which is exactly what that implies to do. The victims do have the prerogative of remaining nameless in the stories. But I, for one, want to be aware of the happenings on this campus, good or bad, because I feel, as a student here, I deserve to know. — Jo Lynn Denton, ‘80 Get together Editor: We, members of the class of ‘81, are glad to know that there are such gifted up perclassmen as Jay Gilbert, ‘80, who while in attendance as the guilty party whose conduct was not in the spirit of the good Ag. We as Aggies attend basketball games to cheer for the team and school we all love. If Mr. Gilbert had spent as much time and effort cheering for the team as he has foul ing the Aggie Spirit and penalizing the class of 81 we fricks might have a better upperclassman by which we can pattern our own conduct. So come on Ags, let s spend our time and effort helping each other to support our teams rather than brow-beating each other’s classes. — Bill Richmond, ’81 Courtney Sutde, ’81 Another side Editor: To the authors of a letter to the editor Friday who contended that only one side of the student government grades require ment story has been told: Having attended both the latest senate meeting and Judicial Board proceedings and knowing the authors of the articles concerning scholastic requirements for student government officials, I feel your letter was also one-sided, and definitely unfair. Even though the articles began ap pearing before thp senate meeting, Robert Harvey waited until his State of the Cam pus speech to reveal or admit that he did not have a 2.0 GPR. At no time did he defend himself by stating his cumulative ratio was above a 3.00. Nor did he explain to my satisfaction or the J-Board’s which article of the constitution affected him. Not once did he attempt to claim his right to privacy as protected by the Rules and Regulations. His actions and those of Aus tin Sterling, Joe Young and Vicki Young have merely worsened the situation. Their refusal to state their grades, their lack of initiative in asking for an interpretation of the constitution, and their delay of the eventual consequences has surprised and appalled me. But the J-Board has further worsened the situation by delaying its decision on the constitution. Yes, they now know exactly who doesn t have the grades, but what can they do? Immediately remove them or wait for them to be put on scholas tic probation; which is it? I would also question Stan Stansfield’s delay in disqualifying himself as J-Board what part did Carolyn Adair play in all this? How did she know about Robert Harvey’s grades; she must have had some reason for encouraging Stan Stansfield to initiate action against him. The Battalion has been fair and accurate in its treatment of Robert Harvey, but its ommission of his past academic honors is as unusual as his modesty in defending himself. Jamie Aitken’s deletion of Austin Sterling’s magna cum laude graduation and his reasons for not signing the waiver, is highly suspect and astonished the re porter and myself. I sympathize to a point with Robert Harvey. As a freshman, I have heard of his highly distinguished service to A&M. But his delay in telling the truth has cast a shadow on his reputation, and you cannot fault the Battalion for his actions or inac tion. — M.J. Triola, ‘81 Ed. note: The omission of Austin Sterl ing’s reason for not signing the waiver form was inadvertent. A correction to that effect was run in Thursday, Feb. 2, Battal ion. Keep the ‘Student* Editor: This letter is in response to the allega tions made in Thursday, Feb. 2 “Letters to the editor ”, concerning the campus news paper, “Today’s Student. First of all, this individual has the right to object and even to express the objec tions publicly, but this campus and the students attending A&M, have the right to have at their disposal a paper like “Today’s Student". It not only discusses frankly and openly current issues, it also gives a viable alternative to those ideas that most people accept without serious thought. I, for one, am excited about finally hav ing a paper like “Today’s Student” at A&M. If the gentleman who wrote you is somewhat offended by what is in the pa per, he has the right not to pick up the paper and go his own way, but to deprive students on this campus of a paper of this capacity would be very wrong. The issues communicated in the “Student” and the things that are relevant to college students today are explained. — Johnny Stimson, ‘80 attending the t.u. basketball game pin pointed the freshmen class out of the 7,000 chairman, his aid to the plaintiff s lawyer, and Jim Conner’s curious antics. Also, Corrections In Friday’s Battalion, Jeanne Lopez’s story on sororities’ housing plans incorrectly stated that Alpha Chi Omega has proposed a nine- bedroom home in College Station. The sorority’s correct name is Chi Omega. Alpha Chi Omega does not have a chapter in Bryan-College Station. Also, a story on skiing gave an in correct title to Laurence Korwin, director of the Sports Training Insti tute. The article stated that Korwin directs the sports training institute at Texas A&M. No such institute exists on campus. The Battalion re grets the errors. Top of the News Campus Interviewing workshop set A workshop on interviewing techniques will be presented to the American Humanics Association by Joe Collard, vice president for personnel for Mitchell Energy and Development Corporation. The seminar will be held Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. in MSC 203. For more information, contact Suzy Murphy at 693-5269 or call the American Humanics office at 845-3837. State Eagle killers to be sentenced U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr. Monday today in San Antonio will sentence three men convicted of conspiring to kill at least 70 federally protected golden eagles from a helicopter at Leakey, Texas. Real County Commissioner Lanny Leinweber, suspended govern ment hunter Andrew Allen and ranch foreman Norman M. Paper could receive $5,000 fines and one year in jail on each count. The Dec. 9 convictions have added to the controversy between conser vationists and ranchers who claim the eagles are a menace to sheep and goats. Eagle killing has become a campaign issue in the 21st congressional district which stretches across sheep, goat and cattle country from San Antonio to San Angelo. Leinweber was convicted of one count of killing eagles and one count of violating the aerial hunt ing act. Paper was convicted of conspiracy, two counts of killing the birds and one count of aerial hunting. ‘Officer had fun harassing A surprise rebuttal witness for the government Sunday testified in Houston that one of the police officers accused in the drowning death of Joe Campos Torres Jr. claimed he “had fun harassing Mexican- Americans. The disputed testimony came in an unusual Sunday ses sion of the federal civil rights trial moments after the defense rested its case. Carol Stager, who worked in a bank where former officer Joseph Janish was a part-time security guard, said the young officer had told her Mexicans caused him a lot of trouble in his work as a patrolman for the Houston Police Department. Janish, 24, Tern’ Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22, face possible maximum sen tence oflife imprisonment ifconvicted on the federal charges. Torres, 23, drowned in Buffalo Bayou downtown on May 6, 1976, following hi s arrest for drunken brawling. His body was found two days later. Nation Four die in plane crashes Four Air Force officers died in a series of plane crashes in a region dubbed the “sagebrush triangle and the search for a 21-year-old civilian was postponed Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev. because of snow, high winds and rain. Six men were aboard three planes that crashed within a five-day period last week in southern Nevada. The three crash sites were located Saturday. All crewmen aboard two military planes were killed. An off-duty air force officer walked away from the crash of his rented civilian plane but his son has not been found. Lt. Col Billy Helton, 46, North Little Rock, Ark., survived the crash of a Piper Cherokee in Wallace Canyon north of the 11,000-foot snow- caped Charleston Peak. His son, Michael, remained unaccounted for Sunday afternoon. & r- s ’here ietwe nd w UNIT 'ASH ngarn lor in ongre I gsun I trac I tence- Ion Pc lie to Balias. I of E sed ti ts to ;ed h the i 1 radi ovvev to thi i bu; r, anc id tha ion p iultan direc 1 in \ ome c Mardi Gras nonviolent this year City officials in New Orleans said Sunday French Quarter revelers participating in the pre-Lenten celebration of Mardi Gras were some of the most nonviolent in recent memory. Police and volunteer work ers said arrests were down sharply this year and for the second year since the violent 1960s, officers on street duty shed their protective helmets. “I guess the people have been pretty good and staying out of trouble,” said Brad Smolkin, a law student volunteer for the Mardi Gras Coalition. “Most of the arrests I saw were municipal charges for sleeping in the bus station — there were hordes of those — and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. ’ The coalition staffs a switchboard at Tulane University to offer free legal aid to arrested revelers, provide emergency medical treatment on the street and direct ill-prepared visitors to food and shelter. Weather h k [META irotec nee. ike re tin tl Wy xiglas: wtorc lan to iome her. i fhe I t Increasing cloudiness today becoming cloudy with a chance of light rain or drizzle tonight. High today in the mid-SO’s, low tonight low-mid 40’s. High tomorrow near 50. Winds from the East at 8-15 mph. Forty percent chance of rain tonight & tomorrow. 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 administration or the Board of Re gents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a university and com munity newspaper. 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 Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from September through May except during exam and holiday periods and the summer, when it is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per lull year. Advertising rates fur nished on request. Address. The Battalion. Room 216. Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843 United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for*reproduction of all news dispatches credited toil Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein resent Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX 77M3 MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Jamie Aitken Managing Editor Mary Alice Woodhams Sports Editor Paul Arnett News Editors Marie Homeyer, Carol Meyer Assistant Managing Editor Glenna Whitley City Editor Karen Rogen Campus Editor Kim Tyson Reporters Liz Newlin, David Boggan, Mark Patterson, Lee Roy Leschper Ji Gary Welch, Scott Perkins, Bob Ashfield Photographers Susan Webb, Ken Herrera Cartoonist Doug Graham Student Publications Board: Boh G. Rogers. Chairmn. Joe Arredondo: Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. John \V. Hama. Robert Harvey: Dr. Charles MeCandless: Dr. Clinton .4 Phillips: Rebel Rice. Director of Student Publications Donald C. Johnson. V-