Viewpoint
The Battalion Tuesday
Texas A&M University September 12, 1978
Rest in peace?
When can a dead man rest in peace?
Never, apparently, at least not when his name is John F. Kennedy. The
newest version of the House Assassinations Committee, in pursuit of
answers to “put America’s mind at ease”, is raising more questions than
answers.
In recent hearings the assassinations committee has again raised the same
old questions: Did Lee Harvey Oswald really act on his own? Was there a
conspiracy to murder JFK? Were more than three shots (the Warren Com
mission explanation) fired at Kennedy?
But what about this question: Is this multi-million dollar “investigation”
any more likely to provide new answers than any of the earlier assassination
guessing games? And what difference would it make?
Very little. What murder was ever solved by committee, especially 15
years after the crime?
This costly ghost-hunt needs to end, once and for all. Let JFK rest in
peace. L.R.L.
Fraternities not ‘just
Greek to me’
By DOUG GRAHAM
Battalion Staff
I never had any use for fraternities.
Having been a senior in the Corps, I felt
frats were elitist snobs, upperclass and
non-aggie by nature.
I also did not know much. I even had
rush and initiation mixed up. So my initial
reaction, when assigned to attend a rush
party was, “not the Kid.” I didn’t want to
be zapped by a cattleprod ala U .T., no sir-
ree.
But no prods were around at the rush
parties. In their stead were bevies of soror
ity girls, good music and lots of beer. In
stead of the stick, I was offered what one
Sigma Chi, David Fetterly, described as
“Butt and beer.”
Each party featured a new batch, too.
One night the DZs were hostesses, the
next the Alpha Zetas.
BUT AMONG OTHER things, I
learned that decent folks wear greek let
ters on their shirts.
And as a corollary, not all sorority girls
were “bitches.”
That dealt my misconceptions a blow. I
had thought fraternities were rich, overly
selective and shallow.
And it isn’t that frats aren’t or don’t have
a little of all the those qualities, including
elitism, but it’s more a case of degree.
Frats do have their good points.
Fraternities exist for “brotherhood,” or
so say the members of Sigma Chi and
Sigma Phi Epsilon, the two frats whose
parties I attended.
Members told me that their best friends
at Texas A&M were their pledge brothers.
“It was hard to get to know someone you
could really depend on,” Kim Pijerina, a
Sigma Chi said.
That was a sentiment echoed by
George, Pat, and many others. A frater
nity is a place for close friendship.
And, as Jeanne Graham, president of
the sorority ZetaTau Alpha said, lor tun.
Companionship and fun.
out rney emphasize the close friend
ships.
“I could call one in the middle of the
night,” Kim said, “and I know he’d do
whatever he could to help me.”
TO GET IN one of the Greek organiza
tions, one must attend various rush par
ties. The males hold an open rush. Oddly
enough, it features women and beer.
Commentary
One would think they were interested
in socializing more than fraternity.
But the older fraternity brothers said
that attitute changes.
As the series of rush parties continues,
rushees are given “bids” or invitations to
join the various fraternities.
That’s the only way to get in, which
seems a bit selective.
Of course, that’s, nothing compared to
the iron-fisted rule Panhellenic council
maintains over sororities. This council,
controlled by older women, has put a
temporary ban on admitting new sororities
at Texas A&M, set quotas on rushees and
instituted a formal rush system. Before a
girl can even try entering sorority rush she
must have a written recommendation from
a home town person, preferably a sorority
alumnus.
As for money, unlike many “Greek”
schools, Texas A&M fraternity dues are
not excessive. Fees run about $30 a
month, excluding the higher initial fees
charged.
All this makes fraternities or sororities
niether good nor bad. It seems the Greeks
are a phenomensn associated with Texas
A&M’s growth.
I hate to say it, but Texas A&M is no
longer a military cow college. It has
burgeoned into a multi-faceted university
with over 30,000 students, most of whom
live off campus. And of those who live on
campus, only 2,000 are in the Corps.
THAT BRINGS US to an important
point.
The Corps is a military fraternity. Ac
cording to military science department fi
gures only one-half of the upperclassmen
were on contracts. That means the Corps
does more than serve as a mill for cranking
out officers; it fulfills a need. It provides
friendship, co-operation, and a
framework, just like the fraternities.
The Corps rituals are not secret. They
are what have become Aggie traditions
like Silver Taps, Muster, and Final Re
view.
The frats, many of which preceded the
Corps, have secret rituals no less meaning
ful to their members.
They’re just different, that’s all.
The Greeks are here to stay. They’re
growing, and probably will gain official
University recognition one day. One
hopes they will not evolve toward the “If
you aren’t Greek you aren’t” systems
found elsewhere. Members of Texas
A&M’s frats and sororities said they hope
such does not happen, though some frat
rats confided that they felt the sororities
had already moved in that direction.
That may be because frats organize loc
ally as as independent frats and apply for
national charters. But sororities are set up
by parent organizations from the start.
Hence their trend toward stratification
BUT THE REAL POINT is whether or
not Greeks will harm the traditional
egalitarian "All Ags are Aggies.”
I think eventually they may, though
they will probably consider themselves
Aggies first and Greeks second, as they
now say.
But as one Sigma Chi said “People come
to A&M not just to be an Aggie anymore.
They come to A&M because it is a good
school.”
It is not realistic to expect traditions to
survive intact without a system for trans
mitting those traditions. In the vaccuum
off-campus it is almost natural for students
to form age-groups to maintain stability in
their lives. Hence it is hypocritical for the
administration to deny recognition to the
children of their massive University ex
pansion program.
That does not mean I am pro-Greek. I
hope the Greeks do not draw potential re
cruits away from the Corps or cause too
much division between Greek and non-
Greek factions.
It is possible the Greek system here will
evolve into an open Aggie sort of insititu-
tion. But whatever occurs, when the dis
cussion of officially recognizing these
Greek groups arrives, one must look
beyond the simple question of a legality,
to what A&M was, what it is becoming,
and what we hope it will become.
Java tribesmen reject civilization
United Press International
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Centuries ago
the Baduis of Java decided civilization’s
only aim was to destroy nature and sever
their links with their ancestors.
So 400 years ago they isolated them
selves deep in the forests of West Java
near the town of Banten, clinging to an
cient magical beliefs.
The Baduis still refuse all products of
modernization, including farming
techniques, because “metal instruments
can hurt the earth.”
Now the 20th century will be forced
upon them. Under the Indonesian gov
ernment’s resettlement plan, the Baduis
will be provided with power generators,
electric lighting and television, all modem
inventions forbidden under tribal laws.
The tribe, an estimated 700 families, is
divided into two communities. Outer
Baduis are allowed to go outside their
tropical enclave as long as they do not
touch metal or ride vehicles. The 90
families of the Inner Baduis totally refuse
to establish contact with the outside
world.
Belief in magic and mysticism was popu
lar in Java long before the influence of
Hinduism and Islam. The Hindus were
very tolerant of the traditional worship of
West Java’s ethnic Sunda people, which
included the Sundanese Badui commun-
ity ’
When Islam was imposed on Java by
15th century conquests, the Javanese pr
inces moved to Bali to escape the alien
religion. In West Java, the Badui tribe
wrapped itself in the forest’s isolation.
In 1523, when the Baduis established
themselves on their mountain, they began
decreeing moral laws and enforcing
puritanism. Drinking, smoking, touching
the products of civilization and indulging
in adultery are sins.
The tribe shares everything. No one
owns anything. And Baduis are not al
lowed to sleep in a bed or wear shoes.
Reading and writing are punishable by
exile. Without any writing, the tribe’s oral
culture is vital. History is passed on by the
chief— called the Pu’un — who tells his
people the sagas of the 25 Badui kingdoms
which lived freely before the tribe’s re
treat.
Magical powers claimed by the Pu’un
include knowledge of what is happening
around the world, although he never
leaves the forest. He is said to be able to
disintegrate his own body and fly as he
pleases. He claims to know when any out
sider tries to enter the sacred and re
stricted Badui area.
Some say parts of the jungle are full of
dangerous animals and venomous plants.
Others insist the magic of the Pu’un can
slay any intruder.
However mighty the Pu’un appears, he
must retire when his wife dies, although
women are not supposed to have deter
minant roles in Badui society.
Although the cult of ancestors is essen
tial among the tribe, there are no burial
ceremonies. The body is left in a simple
hole in the jungle, to be quickly forgotten.
All this is to change quickly. According
to Agung Yuwono, director general of the
home ministry, the 600 families of the
Outer Baduis will enter “the modern way
of living” because “it is a pity that after 32
years of independence there still are
people not in touch with their govern
ment.”
Letters to the editor
ERA won’t take away
any rights
Editor:
Reading Mr Farnsworth’s letter (Battal
ion, Sept 8) compelled me to offer another
perspective (Editor’s note: That letter
condemned the Equal Rights Amend
ment).
Indeed, Mr. Farnsworth, what evils? As
for his first point, war is an unacceptable
form of behavior for any member of our
species, regardless of sex or parental role.
I do not comprehend the logic in members
of either sex joining in organized groups to
kill conspecifics in ritualized violence.
Such behavior exists in no other species.
Using the threat of the draft and combat to
keep women “in their place implies an
acceptance of such behavior in men. (And
at present, we have no draft.)
The logic begind Mr. Farnsworth’s sec
ond point also eludes me. Regarding
statutory rape, the ERA would, in fact,
make it illegal for anyone above a specified
age to engage in sexual intercourse with
anyone below a specified age, regardless of
the sex of either partner.
Should you be of the mentality that pro
fesses to find the idea of a woman raping a
man amusing, read the account beginning
on page 286 in Susan Brownmiller’s
exhaustive study on rape. Against Our
Will. Perhaps you will then realize that
rape can occur regardless of the sex of
either the rapist or the victim; they may
in fact both be of the same sex.
Regarding his third point, United States
citizens are already guaranteed the right to
privacy; again, the-ERA would only
guarantee this right regardless of sex. And
as for his final point, what is “evil” in bas
ing the awardment of alimony upon the
relevent facts in a given case, free of sexual
bias? This would certainly be more just
than automatically always making one sex
financially responsible for the other.
No, Mr. Farnswoth, this amendment
will not take rights away from anyone,
woman or man. It will simply guanantee
equality of rights under the law, regardless
of sex. Gisela R. Dellmeier
graduate student
Everybody’s choice
Editor:
Freedom is really such a drag. All those
options, life fraught with pathways, and so
many opportunities to take the wrong one.
I stand with Mr. Farnsworth; its bad
enough with all these men running then-
own lives (and messing them up) without
letting a bunch of women do it too.
Of course we can support the occasional
law, after all a law is nowhere near the
burden of a constitutional amendment. I
mean, gee wiz, that Bill of Rights really
sets us adrift, doesn’t it? Women don’t
have to bother with that, the only right
they are guaranteed is the vote, and that’s
such a once in a while thing.
But Mr. Farnsworth’s letter is very free
from facts, and once you get started on
that freedom stuff... kind of like Lay’s
potato chips I guess. So perhaps if I re
move the freedom from fact, other free
doms will part easier.
With regard to alimony (is there
alimony in Texas?), the ERA would keep
payments from being based on sex. The
courts would have to consider things like
income and need. Regarding segregation.
the problem in the past was the inequality
of “separate but equal. I really don’t think
that would be a problem here.
The draft might happen anyway; the
British drafted women in WWII, and
General Eisenhower warned Congress
that the U.S. might have to do the same in
future wars. This almost became reality in
the Korean war because so few women en
listed. But the draft doesn’t mean combat
duty.
But all these are secondary issues. It’s
the freedom that’s really tough. There’s a
government publication in the library,
Y4.j89/2:Eq2/6/970, which documents the
issue nicely. Both sides. Then the women
themselves can decide whether they want
to jump off the pedestal.
— Scott Kenneth Meyer
Slouch by Jim Earle
“AS A MATTER OF FACT, I HAVEN’T HAD MUCH TIME TO STUDY! I’VE
BEEN VERY BUSY GETTING MY STUDY SCHEDULE WORKED UP!”
Top of the News
Campus
Placement Center expands hom
Texas A&M University's Placement Center has exnnn4~i-i -I
hours from 8 a m. until 8 p in. Monday through Friday to ' !
better service to graduating students seeking career ernn!( Pr ' sit -
First day reservations for employment interviews also l! * uS
changed to 6:30-8 p.m. two weeks prior to the recruit • '"l
Recruiting for the 1978-79 academic year will begin Septal
Former astronaut Carr to sveal* 1
' StU<
Former astronaut Gerald P. Carr will speak Wednesday
engineering experiences in the space program. Guest of the i 100
can Society of Metals student chapter, Carr will be presented^ P
p.m. in Room 102 Zachry Engineering Center. Carr will sho« cou
of the Skylab III mission, of which he was prime crew commj r
With his two crewmen, the retired U.S. Marine Corps coloneU lon
the world record for the longest space mission of 84 days ^ 0I1
Cen
athli
Idle
■tuil
earn
Teague remains stable at home \
Olin E. Teague remained in stable condition Monday follownij (N 1
mild stroke 11 days ago that has kept him at his Bethesda, Md. hourB iLS
and forced postponement of a reception and science symposium ink'
honor at Texas A&M. A spokesman said Teague was at homeandtkP 11 *’
effects of the stroke are similar to the first one he had several yean ff c
ago. "It affected his speech. The doctor advised him to remini:F "
home, the spokesman said. He also must avoid social eventsfouH^ e
month or more. Teague's spokesman said he has made brief visits to I? 6
his office on the way to his doc-tor but otherwise has conducted nett ia ' l ‘ '
sary business by telephone. ^
■he
■ft<
Safety of croivn prince feared —
Recent violence in Iran over his father’s regime has caused officii I
to fear for the safety of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, 17, who is under I
going flight training at Reese Air Force Base near Lubbock. Secunrl
has been tight around the prince since his arrival in late July. Ashorl
time alter his arrival, about 700 Iranian students marched sevenl
miles through the city on a route that took them past the princt l
weekend off-base residence. State Department officials and membenl
of the protective service division of the Air Force’s Office of Speoil
Investigations provide protection along with the Lubbock Police De-|
partment who keep the house under 24-hour survellance.
Nation
Contract accepted by teachers
Teachers jubilantly accepted a 7 percent pay raise offered bytbel
New Orleans Parish school board Monday to end a 13-day strikethitf
crippled instruction for most of the district’s 90,000 students. Tkl
package also included an increase in hospitalization coverage, a WO |
annual raise for teachers’ aides, and a no-reprisal clause for the stok
ers. About 3,000 teachers and aides ratified the contract andankour
later striking school bus drivers tentatively accepted the saMtpn'
package. Teachers returned to school Monday at noon. Classow
to resume this morning.
Search begins for missing pilot
Louisiana state police and military helicopters joined a half dozes
Civil Air Patrol planes Monday in the search for a single-engine j
airplane missing on a flight from South Carolina to Texas. The pilot
tentatively identified as Dr. Robert Jackson of Manning, S.C.,»*
last seen during a refueling stop at Hattiesburg, Miss. In hislastradie
report Sunday afternoon, he said he was experiencing heavy turbo-
lence and was eight miles southeast of Alexandria. Helicopters from I
the state police and Fort Polk Army base at Leesville, La., begananj
air search at daybreak Monday.
World f
Ganges floods in eastern India
The rampaging Ganges River racing eas tward from the Hindu hoj)
city of Benares, India, today flooded thousands of acres of farmlan j”
the two eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal, officials said oI
Arrah, floodwaters have submerged the low-lying areas °Uheto J
and are threatening the town’s main market areas. Army troops mov l
into the two northern districts of Malda and Murshidabad to I
flood victims. The two ditricts are facing a second wave of floods |
three weeks.
Weather
Cloudy with thundershowers today becoming partly cloudy
tonight and diminishing showers. High in the
low in the mid-70s. Southerly wind at 10 to 15 mph. 91
probability of rain for daytime today and lowering to 0
tonight and Wednesday.
The Battalion
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