The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 26, 1978, Image 2
Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Thursday October 26, 1978 Letters to the Editor Ags real losers in Bellard resignation Editor: To everyone who said the wishbone is a loser — tell Oklahoma. To each of who so often criticized Mr. Bellard, to the new folks and you who for got so quickly the pre-Bellard era, and especially to each and every person who in some way or form contributed to Mr. Bel- lard’s decision — what fools you are! Check Emory’s record, look through the pro’s and check some of Bellard’s products. To all the football illterates who demand total perfection, to all the fickle fans whose support changes with the momentum of a game — for shame. There are many good coaches and quite a few excellent ones. Only once in a long while though is there a great one. How we can hope to replace a man so intelligent, so honest, so loyal and so totally propelled towards the goal of winning that most schools can only dream of such a man, I don’t know. Woe be unto us for having the one great fault — impatience. We have stopped a dynasty in the making and now we’ll all suffer. Thank you Mr. Bellard for all you did for football and Texas A&M. You’ll re main in our hearts and minds forever. Good luck to the dear old Texas Aggies — we’re gonna need it! (Nothing against you, Tom.) — Pat Rippetoe, Sr. ’? TAMU strives to be the best in every thing. We’re renowned in fields of academic excellence, spirit, athletics and aljnost everythign else you wish to men tion. TAMU can settle for nothing less than an immortal, who is second only to God in college football circles. If spirit and alumni support are great now, they would be unimaginable if this man came ack to TAM U. Lets give him one more chance to make his mark on college football and bring national attention back to TAMU football: Paul “Bear” Bryant is the one and only coach who should be consid ered at any cost for the new vacant coaching position. — Randy Markel, ’79 ^tou heal our lame raise our ratincjs and you Students need voice Wanted: Bellard Editor: We have just heard the news about Coach Bellard resigning as head coach of the Aggie Football Team. Remembering all of the fine seasons and the bowl games that he has brought us through in his years as head coach we have just one thing to say: WE WANT BELLARD BACK ... — David S. Lynch, ’81 Kurt S. Abraham, ’80 Kathy Charles, ’80 Editor’s note: this letter was accompanied by three other signatures. Bryant nominated Editor: This letter is written to nominate the „ Editor: Why has our football coach been forced to resign? Who was this “masked man” or group of people who saw fit to end a great career by snapping their fingers? Why is this school system set up such that a lynch mob can run the show? And finally, why were we, the students not asked our opin ions? Those are questions I for one would like to hear answers for. I know it costs money to keep a football team and I believe that those people who support our team finan cially should be the voice. Well, what about that item called the “student services fee” which 30,000 people payed this foil. Isn’t that significant enough to allow us the same choice? Texas A&M has one thing that no other university in the United States has — the 12th Man. Aside from supporting this in stitution financially, we are the heart and spirit of A&M. After having heard the reac tions of my fellow students to this tragic incident, it is my firm belief that had any one bothered to ask for the 12th Man’s opinion, it would have been for these self- proclaimed “owners” ofour football team to take their ideas and their money and get out of A&M before they ruin our school. A final note to those persons responsible for this blunder — This week, you have committed an act unheard of at Texas A&M. You have chased one of the greatest Aggies in the history of this university out of his home. ■battalion: ' 7 * We hope a lot of other Aggies feel this loss, as well. Remember “we are the Ag gies, the aggies are we, true to each other as Aggies can be ...” Note: football coaches excluded. — Nadja Calvert, ’80 Lenette Deschamps, ’79 Cathy Martin, ’81 Editor’s note: this letter was panied by four other signatures. Boogie down Ags coach for next year’s TAMU football team. 1 feeI extreme shame and embarrass- He first came to TAMU in 1954. In his four years here, his teams had a 25-14-2 record, which included a SWC championship and a Gator Bowl bid in separate years. In the eight years immediately preced ing him TAMU had a 27-47-7 record which included only two winning seasons. In the 16 years after he left in 1957, TAMU had a 53-116-6 record which included only one winning year and a SWC championship the same year (1967) under Gene Stallings. Not until Emory Bellard’s 1974 team would TAMU again play winning football. When this man first arrived in College Station, he could have coached any team in the nation. Instead he chose TAMU whose program was at an all-time low. Upon arri val, “he went directly to a Grove yell prac tice, rolled up his sleeves, and gave the Corps some enthusiasm to match theirs. He won the hearts of the cadets right there. When he registered at the MSC, he paused momentarily when filling out his home ad- dresss, then penned in College Station, putting Lexington (Kentucky) behind him.” This man currently has over 250 career wins in coaching and ranks only behind Amos Alonzo Stagg and Pop Warner. He currently is in Alabama and is now con templating his retirement. His successor has already been designated as Steve Sloan, former Texas Tech coach now at Mississppi who is also a former player under this famous coach. ment in knowing that such low individuals would are to call yourselves AGGIES. — Jim Humphreys, graduate student Where y s loyalty? Editor: Well Ags, should we be proud of our selves now? Bellard has resigned “under pressure.” If the next coach, Tom Wilson, loses two games are we going to “pressure” him to quit too? We thought Ags never “lost,” but were only outscored. Well, it seems we did more than out- score ourselves this time, Ags. When Be- lalrd came to A&M, he took an inexperi ence team and shaped it into a conference contender — no less than a major feat. In foct, we have attended three straight bowl games. Whatever his methods, we believe Bellard always A&M’s best interests at heart, although sometimes we didn’t understand or agree with his methods. What has happened to that Aggie loyalty that is so deeply embedded in our tra ditions? We were’nt aware that a couple of foot ball victories meant life or death to this Southwest Conference school. To us, Bel lard and Aggie football are synonymous, thus, losing Bellard is like losing a strong Aggie tradition. We sense a great loss to A&M and are very sorry to see him go. Editor: Well, Scott Pendleton, don’t you think that you would have been ready to "quit the stage” too (the Atlanta Rhythm Section concert). Look at it from ARS’s point of view. In the real world people hump up and scream when somebody really gets down on a guitar solo. The A&M crowd looked like they were Quaaed out. With the 11 notes, the rest of th& concert was remarka ble in that so many people could remain so motionless. I’ve heard more noise out of a Perry Como audience. The remark about the sound system being too loud leads me to believe that Perry Como may have been the only performer M r. Pendleton has seen in concert. A rock concert is going to be loud, a lot louder than your average AM radio, and the sooner you figure that out he better off you’ll be. What kind of acoustic excellence do you expect from the G. Rollie White Echo Chamber? The audience has got to give a little bit at a concert also. I think too many people go to a show with the attitude of “entertain me. ” Worse yet, a lot of people go just because it’s free. Now I’m not going to call for an end to free tickets, but I would urge people to open their minds and yes, if necessary, close your ears a little bit, and do some of the hell raising that we are supposed to be known for. The performer will enjoy it and you might be pleasantly surprised at how good you feel also. By the way Scott, if you want to hear LOUD, Black Sabbath and Van Halen are going to be in Texas next month. — Tim Lomax, ’79 First of all, half the candidates were not even present. I found out later that some of the candidates were not even informed of this meeting much less the freshman class. For “sake of time” the few speeches that were heard at the beginning (from senator candidates) were followed by a suggested quick “howdy” from the presidential, vice presidential, and other candidates. This attitude seems to be the setting for this whole election. I thought this forum would give myself and other freshmen a little more insight than billboards and a list of names in the Batt two days before the election. At least I finally got a complete list of the candidates from the Batt and surprise! Only one person is running for social secretary. — Jenny Dorsey, ’82 Clearing up ‘Taps’ Editor: Fellow Aggies: We wish to ; olear up the misunderstand^ ing in regards to Silver Taps and provide some information on its tradition. As taken from The Standard, “Silver Taps is that final tribute paid to an Aggie who, at the time of his death, was enrolled in undergraduate or graduate classes at Texas A&M. Nowhere else does a univer sity recognize the passing of a student in such a sincere way.” Since this is the final tribute paid, the occasion is marked by lights out and com plete silence from 10 p.m. until approxi mately 11 p.m. Due to the solemity of the occasion, it is only fitting that the dress reflect an attitutde of reverence and re spect, similar to that worn to church or Aggie Muster. The area immediately behind the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross is reserved for the family and close friends of the de ceased. After the third rendition of Taps is played, the crowd will disperse quickly and silently, leaving only the firing squad on the plaza. The firing squad then quietly leaves in an inconspicuous manner. There is no cause or reason for the crowd to stay, for the final tribute has been paid. Thank you. — David Stauch, ’79 and the Ross Volunteer Company Firing Squad ’78-’79 Stoic audience Talk with Dr. Miller Dear Dr. Miller: Some residents of Moses Hall are curious about the cost of dorm living. We pay $303 a semester to live here. As there are 255 residents, this totals out to be $77,265 a semester. It seems incredible that $77,000 is needed to maintain a dorm built in 1943. We would like to see a breakdown of expenses incurred in operation of this dorm. — Charles Baxter, ’82 Dear Charles: This is in response to your letter to the editor concerning the cost of “maintaining” Moses Hall. There are two essential items that you need to understand relating to our dormitory operations. First, there are a number of requirements related to the dormitory operations in addition to simple maintenance. These requirements are noted below. Secondly, an item that most people do not understand is that the state provides no funds for many of our operations on campus. Dormitories are one of these “auxiliary enterprises” which must be operated on a self-sustaining basis from fees and rentals paid by the user. The funding of dormitory operations is a very complex procedure which includes estimating annual expenditure requirements and occupany for the dormitories. For the 1978-79 year, the budgeted costs for operating a dormitory like Moses Hall are as follows: Salaries and wages for custodial force $ 13,974 Other Expenses: Social Security, Workers’ and Unemployment Insurance, Repairs, Supplies, Telephone, Building Insurance $ 29,296 Utilities: Heat, Air Conditioning, Electricity, Water, Sewage $ 55,638 Capital Equipment for Custodial Force $ 250 Debt Service on Bond Issues for Initial Dormitory Construction $ 30,468 Dorm Administration $ 23,936 $153,592 I trust this information will satisfy your concern regarding the cost of dormitory living. —Jarvis E. Miller President Editor: This letter is in response to the article “ARS is great, but too loud” by Scott Pend leton in the Battalion, Oct. 23. In the article the author complains that the concert was too loud, but you do not go to a rock concert and expect to hear mellow music or you would if you were to see a country folk festival. Also, the lead singer did not dedicate “Imaginary Lovers” to Farrah Fawcett- Majors out of respect or admiration for t.u. It was obvious sarcasm. The worst putdown of ARS in the article was the statement that ARS cut the first number of their encore, “Rocky Raccoon.” Indeed the song was cut, but this was done out of respect for Paul McCartney and his music. Finally, the author states that the band seemed glad to get off the stage. Usually a band is glad to get off the stage, but they leave with the notion that they’ve made others happy. Such was not the case on the Friday night of the concert. There was probably nothing ARS could possibly do to enthuse the stoic Aggie audience. It’s true the Aggies have great school spirit, but at this concert is seems many went only because the ticket was free. — Paul M. Olinsld, ’82 Support defense Elections a mess Editor: Being extremely interested in the up coming freshman elections, I happened to notice the small paragraph in the Oct. 24 Batt about a “meet the candidates” gather ing that would be held at Duncan dining hall. It was stated that “all candidates would be there.” As it turned out, I was very disappointed that I took time off to go to this unorganized meeting (the only one of its kind). Editor: In reference to the political cartoon printed in the Oct. 24 Battalion depicting President Carter as a bombadier attempt ing to assemble a neutron bomb before it is to be chopped. I would first like to point out that I realize that these cartoons are not produced by the Battalion staff, but I feel that the Presi dent’s defense program and policies de serve our support. His decisions regarding defense have been made with American safety first in his mind, and without sacrific ing the remaining shread of morality that such decisions could leave him. The neutron bomb is a necessary weapon in our anti-tank defense in Europe, but it cannot be considered less than inhuman. The moral justification lies in sparing the European people the destruction that comes from the use of more explosive nu clear weapons, however, if the time for nuclear war arrives (God forbid!), leaving behind buildings and factories as a memento of our humanity seems at best hypocritical and at worst, horrendous. Carter’s decision to delay the actual con struction of the warheads shows that we will not tolerate an increasing Russian threat to Eastern Europe while still main taining the humanity and ideals of the sac redness of life that this great country stands for. I praise Carter’s defense politices; moreover, I praise his entire administra tion to date. I think the President deserves and needs the support of the American people. Republican and Democratic alike. In the words of a former President, the greatest threat to American security is the opposition to the administration from the American people! — Robert Speer, ’81 P.S. Carter’s opposition to the construc tion of another nuclear aircraft carrier is another example of his insight in the needs of world security. Top of the News CAMPUS Ashland Oil donates $1,000 Ashland Oil Inc. contributed $1,000 to Texas A&M University’s Center for Education and Research in Free Enterprise, Texas A&M President Jarvis E. Miller announced. The gift from the Ashland, Ky., based oil company brings total center contributions to more than $2 million from corporations, foundations and individuals. LOCAL Mixed volleyball league formed The Bryan Parks and Recreation Department will offer a mixed volleyball league this winter. A managers meeting will be held at 203 E. 29th St. on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. The cost per team will be $20. For further information call 822-1054. STATE Gas ban should be reconsidered Texas Railroad Commissioner Jon Newton told members of the Independent Petroleum Association at their annual meeting in Hous ton Tuesday that the commission should reconsider its ban on using natural gas as a boiler fuel in light offederal plans for implementingthe Natural Gas Policy Act. He said that he has learned plans are ready to divert an additional 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas a day out ofTexas after the federal law becomes effective. Newton remarked that the present policy of the commission will succeed in taking significant quantities of natural gas out of Texas and putting it into the hands of electric powerplants and industrial facilities around the country. The three- man Railroad Commission should re-examine and consider rescinding the ban on use of gas as boiler fuel, he said. He explained that by keeping the the ban on use of gas as boiler fuel that an unfair burden would be placed on Texas because it would not be subject to the same standards as the rest of the nation. Houston heads off education suit Houston school officials have enrolled a 7-year-old girl who sued several school systems for alleged unconstitutional denial of public education to illegal aliens. Lawyers for Mayra Aracefy Martinez and the Houston Independent School District said immigration officials reviewed her case and gave her a citizenship application file number— required by HISD regulations. The Tuesday development eliminates HISD as a defendant, but suits against other school districts remain, said her lawyer. The suit filed in federal court named the Pasadena and Goose Creek school districts on the same issue. A hearing has been scheduled Nov. 13 to consider those complaints. The suit said the girl and her mother entered the United States illegally in 1973 and the mother married a citizen three years later. The girl had never attended school. High court hangs up on Ma Bell The state Supreme Court in Austin Wednesday refused to recon sider a decision denying Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. permission to implement a $298.3 million rate increase, and one member of the court warned the decision cuts to shreds a constitutional guarantee of right to trial by jury. The court’s majority decision in the case, issuedjn July, ruled Bell was not entitled to a full review of its rate case in district court, and that the court only could consider the evidence presented before the Public Utility Commission in deciding if the rate allowed by the commission was fair. The PUC had authorized Bella rate increase of $57.8 million instead of the $298.3 million sought. Justice T.C. Chadick dissented, noting the court majority had ruled the appeal of the rate case was determined by the Administrative Procedure Act. That law provides for a review of administrative deci sion by the court sitting without a jury and limited to the record made during administrative hearings. Utility law ruled unconstitutional The state Supreme Court in Austin Wednesday ruled unconstitu tional a provision of the Public Utility Regulatory Act which made electric utilities operated by the cities of San Antonio, Floresville and Robstown subject to state regulation. The court ruled provisions of the law limited its application to those three municipal utilities, makingita special or local law, which is prohibited by the constitution. At the same time, the court ordered the Public Utility Commission to refund $611,000 in disputed taxes levied against regulated utilities to the cities ofSan Antonio and Floresville, which first initiated separate suits challenging the law. Rohstown joined the suit after the cases had been consolidated. WORLD Pilot still missing; reported UFO Authorities in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday called off a land, sea and air search for a missing pilot whose plane vanished Saturday after he reported an unidentified flying object was chasing him. The Federal Transport Department said eight civil aircraft and an air force reconnaissance Orion had searched 1,000 square miles of ocean with out success. But a spokesman for the agency said ships and planes crossing the Bass Strait between Victoria and the island of Tasmania would be asked to maintain a lookout for the wreckage of the missing plane. The search was for Frederick Valentich, 20, who was flying a single engine Cessna 192. Radio contact was lost as he was flying from Melbourne to King Island, 130 miles to the south. WEATHER “Kubli huntin Html irearms, lots as w Falconi ule, usin One wl Hints bin prescribei trained Lenton alconer, Decreasing cloudiness with a 20% chance of rain today and continued cool. High today 70 and low tonight in the mid 50’s. Winds are northerly at 10-15 m.p.h. The Battalion 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 Tuesday through Thursday. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per full 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 to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress. Editor Kim Managing Editor LizNW Assistant Managing Editor .Andy Willi** Sports Editor David F City Editor Jamie Ailk* Campus Editor Steve 1* News Editors Debbie ParsoK Beth Calhoun Staff Writers Karen Rogers, Mu' Patterson, Scott Pendleto: Sean Petty, Michelle Scuddf' Marilyn Faulkenberry, Dial* Blake Lee Roy Leschper, Jr Cartoonist Doug Crahtf Photographer Ed Cum# Focus section editor Gary Weld 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 Regents. The Battalion is a non-/>rofit,4 supporting enterprise operated by sliidc' 1 as a university and cornmunity riptttp&l Editorial policy is determined by the edilt Fi Huntii 4 Sui Ad cris sue de< soft I50d Not* Coup, 0