Viewpoint
The Battalion Thursday
Texas A&M University November 2, 1978
United Fund drive
opens its needy hand
It’s pay day. You’ve got that brand-new paycheck tucked away in your poc
ket, soon to be folded, spindled or spent.
“Well, self,” you tell yourself, “we’ll make it for another two weeks any
way.” It’s a nice feeling.
There are very good people doing some very good work in College Station
who don’t know that feeling yet. These are the people who man the Mental
Health and Mental Retardation Center and the College Station Recreation
Council. They’re Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, young and old, healthy and
handicapped.
These people work with or benefit from agencies that live or die according
to the generosity of College Station’s people. Eighteen agencies in College
Station and Brazos County depend on United Way-United Fund financing.
And the good people of College Station have done their part in the past.
But now the need is greater than ever. This area’s hell-bent-for-leather
growth has strained all of College Station’s public service fecilities, including
these agencies. But they’re still one heck of a bargain for the money.
So give what you can. The United Way folks calls one day’s salary your
“fair share.” You decide what’s a fair share for you. Invest in some mighty
good people. L.R.L.
running ov/t".
Campaign ’78 — Tower in trouble
By ROLAND LINDSEY
United Press International
AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Sen.
John G. Tower, elected 17 years ago to
succeed Lyndon B. Johnson, appears in
jeopardy of losing Nov. 7, and his refusal
to shake hands with his challenger may
be a key to the outcome.
While Tower is battling Rep. Bob
Krueger, D-Tex., in the Senate race. Re
publicans are waging their most expensive
campaign for the governorship with GOP
nominee Bill Clements, a former deputy
secretary of defense in the Ford adminis
tration, challenging Attorney General
John Hill.
Hill defeated Gov. Dolph Briscoe in the
Democratic primary and claims he has a
comfortable lead despite indications Cle
ments is steadily gaining.
If Krueger, a wealthy bachelor making
his first statewide run, upsets Tower and if
Clements is unsuccessful in his race
against Hill, Republicans would be shut
out from statewide office for the first time
since 1961.
If Clements can win, he would be the
state’s first GOP governor in more than a
century.
Charges of dirty tricks and underhanded
tactics have overshadowed any discussion
of issues in the Senate race.
Tower has filed a complaint with the
Fair Campaign Practices Committee con
tending Krueger has repeatedly distorted
his statements on issues, and complained
of errors in the Democrat’s campaign ex
pense reports.
The La Raza Unida party candidate for
Senate, Luis deLeon, contends a Krueger
campaign worker offered him a $28,000
government job and more than $1 million
in federal funding for Mexican-American
programs if he would drop out of the race.
DeLeon contended the Krueger aide
said the race was so close the 1-2 percent
of the vote DeLeon might attract could
affect the outcome.
But the incident that attracted the most
attention was Tower’s refusal to shake
hands with Krueger before a debate at the
Houston Press Club. Tower on the previ
ous day had cancelled four televised ap
pearances with Krueger because he was
angry at circulation of a newspaper column
about a senator who demanded whiskey
and women at out of town speaking
engagements.
The column did not name Tower, but
the Krueger campaign circulated a reprint
and said it referred to the Texas senator.
Politics
At the Houston Press Club, Krueger
approached Tower and extended his hand.
Tower turned the other way and ignored
the greeting. The pictures of made front
pages and television screens nationwide.
Krueger backers say Tower’s action
backfired, and turned some Democrats
and independents against him. Indepen
dent polls show Krueger slightly ahead
with a week remaining, but Tower forces
still express confidence.
Clements, head of one of the world’s
largest oil well drilling firms, has based his
campaign on a tax relief theme, promising
to return much of a projected $1 billion
state surplus to citizens and reduce the
number of state employees by 25,000.
Hill, who ran unsuccessfully for gover
nor in 1968 and built a reputation as a
strong consumer advocate during six years
as attorney general, shocked many Texans
by ousting the incumbent without a runoff
in the May 6 Democratic primary.
Clements has tried to paint Hill as a part
of the Carter administration, which has
come under strong criticism in Texas be
cause of its energy policies. But Hill has
threatened to support another candidate
for the 1980 presidential nomination un
less Carter revises his stand on energy,
and is preparing a suit challenging major
portions of the energy bill passed by Con
gress.
Although five of the state’s veteran
members of Congress are retiring this
year, there appears little liklihood of any
significant Republican gains in the state’s
Washington delegation.
Texas voters also are voting on nine
proposed amendments to the state con
stitution, including a so-called “tax relief
amendment” that could result in tax sav
ings of about $500,000 to local school dis
tricts and reduce property taxes for each of
the state’s homeowners by about $48 an
nually.
drivers deserve equal courtesy
Letters to the Editor
Car
Editor:
In reference Tami Tipton’s letter of
Thursday, Oct. 19 in The Battalion, I feel
I must rise in defense of the lowly, second-
class car driver.
I myself being a veteran campus cyclist,
and walker, can appreciate Tami’s gripe.
Nevertheless, a car stopped at stop sign
often has to sit while 20 or more students
walk in front of it. Often the driver,
meanwhile, will get no show of apprecia
tion, and will occasionally get a contemp
tuous glance shot in his direction.
As soon as a break does appear in the
ambulatory traffic, it is necessary to accel
erate to make a getaway. If a pedestrian
decides not to wait for perhaps five more
seconds, but steps out into the road, is it
not surprising that the driver will give the
pedestrian a look of exasperation?
It would be better for all concerned if a
little give and take occurred at intersec
tions and crosswalks. If five or six pedest
rians, or cyclists, crossed at a time and
then allowed the car to move on, the fric
tion between driver and pedestrian and
cyclist would not occur. Also, a wave or
smile directed at the driver when he has
just stopped to let you walk or cycle
across, and vice versa would be much ap
preciated.
The car driver has every right to be on
the road, and is probably in just as much a
hurry to get to class the pedestrian is.
The Aggie is a symbol of politeness and
friendliness, and I would be surprised if I
were chased down by an irate pedestrian,
especially if the pedestrian had been in
considerate and had been at fault.
— Paul Barrett, 81
Meet your profs
Editor:
Ever since I enter this university as a
freshman, I have heard nothing but praise
for the type of people which comprise our
student population at Texas A&M.
Being a student, this recognition is
something which is a boundless source of
pride, but not just pride for myself or for
being a student here, but also pride for
being able to be a part of a university
which has one of the most outstanding
faculties and staffs anywhere.
Unfortunately, I am afraid that many
students go through their years here with
out experiencing, sharing, or even realiz
ing the great wealth of knowledge, friend
liness, and personal concern which our fa
culty and staff represent. Those students
who do not take the time to absorb a frac
tion of this great wealth will never have a
complete education.
Recently, I was afforded just one more
opportunity to listen, learn, and to extend
my relationship with our faculty and staff
thanks to Dr. John J. Koldus, vice presi
dent for student services. Dr. Koldus
sponsors a series of luncheons throughout
the year during which faculty members
from different colleges, staff members,
and students meet and discuss various is
sues over lunch.
This is a wonderful opportunity for stu
dents to meet faculty and staff members
other than those associated with their own
course of study. I had a wonderful time
and the conversation was most enjoyable,
all of which was only interrupted by my
having to leave early to attend class.
Have you taken time this semester to
really meet any of your profs? Have you
gone to seek help on any class projects
from any particular prof or staff member
who may specialize in just what you need
help on? Try it, and I assure you that you
will leave with a very special feeling. Our
faculty and staff — a very special resource
— nowhere else but Texas A&M!
— Mary E. Flori, ’80
General not ‘naive’
Editor:
This letter is in reference to Leonard
Seelig’s letter of Nov. 27 in which he
criticized General Westmoreland’s
speech, saying “the general is opposed to
any advances in women’s rights.”
Personally, I felt that General
Westmoreland handled the question of a
woman’s role in the armed forces better
than anyone I’ve heard.
He began by saying how he had recom
mended that two women he knew be pro
moted to generals. He also stated that
women have an important role in the
armed forces. But he then went on to say
that women were not as capable when it
came to combat training and performance
as men. He said he felt like it was a reflec
tion on the men of our country if they
would allow women to fight. You quoted
him as saying “the need for women in the
armed forces is a reflection on the men of
this country.”
General Westmoreland’s humorous yet
tactful remarks on this sensitive subject
were extremely well received by the
majority of the audience. As a general who
spent many years in Vietnam seeing men
suffer. I’m sure he felt it would be need
less for women to be in that situation also.
For a man who has contribute much to
our country and whose speech was so well
received by his audience at A&M, I don’t
understand why you tore his speech down
and called it “naive and unsophisticated.”
I’m sure he was simplifying his vast
knowledge on topic of “Trouble Spots
Around the Globe” down to a level he
thought we could better comprehend.
— Kathy Jones, 81
Try recycling
Editor:
How many of you take a break during
the day by relaxing on the grass, drinking a
coke, and reading The Battalion? How
many of you also get up to go to class and
throw the can and paper in the trash?
Our country does not have an unlimited
supply of the aluminum the can was made
from or the wood the paper was made
from. If we want to continue to have these
resources at our disposal, we are going to
have to start conserving. Recycling is one
answer.
An article recently appeared in The Bat
talion stating that past attempts to have a
recycling center have received little sup
port. This is very disappointing. Both
aluminum and paper are used in great
quantities on this campus. With a little ef
fort put forth by all the students, a
campus-wide recycling center could be a
great success.
Houston and Rice both have effective
recycling centers so I know the Aggies can
too.
Why don’t we give it another try?
— Carol Nease, ’82
Readers’ Forum
Guest viewpoints, in addi
tion to Letters to the Editor,
are welcome. All pieces sub
mitted to Readers forum
should be:
• Typed triple space
• Limited to 60 characters per
line
• Limited to 100 lines
Talk with Dr. Miller
Editor:
It has recently come to my attention that the administration is considering taking
away the students’ right to Q-drop a course. I am very much against this for several
reasons.
First of all, many students are unlucky and get stuck in large sections with disin
terested profs. These students should have the right to Q-drop the course so that
their GPR is not lowered by an administrative problem.
Secondly, in special instances, such as a temporary illness or other personal prob
lems, a student may have a bad start in a semester. Instead of withdrawing from the
University, students can Q-drop one or more courses and still bring up their grades
in the remaining courses.
Lastly, to end Q-drops would greatly hurt students who work or are active in
school organizations as well as students who are on scholarships.
Students occasionally miscalculate their available time for the upcoming semester
and find their course load too heavy. The Q-drop allows them to continue in their
extracurricular activities without lowering their GPR.
Working students would have no other choice but to accept a low grade if there
were no Q-drops. Similarly, scholarship students would be severely hurt if they were
forced to take a low grade.
I realize many students misuse the Q-drop to cover for their laziness but this is
only one bad point. There may even be others, but I believe the good points out
weigh the bad.
Overall, to end Q-drops would be detrimental to many of A&M’s top students.
— George Sofka
Dear Mr. Sofka:
There is no present plan to alter the policy of the University with regard to
dropping courses with no record (“Q-drops“). As is true of many academic policies,
however, this one will be subjected to periodic review to determine if it is adminis
tered and used in the best interests of the University.
The conditions for obtaining Q-drops have been revised from time to time because
we thought we could improve the system, and we shall continue the practice of
reviewing such matters. At the present time, however, no changes are expected in
this one.
— Jarvis E. Miller
President
“Talk with Dr. Miller” is a forum for readers to address questions to the ad
ministration about university policies and procedures.
Questions should be addressed to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, and must
be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification.
Top of the News
CAMPUS
Freshman class runoffs today
Runoff elections for freshman class president and vice presidentare
today. David Porter and Jonny Weinbaum are running for the presi
dency, while the vice presidency is between Rick Seger and Sally
Takacs. Polling places are located at Sbisa Dining Hall, the Memorial
Student Center, Zachry Engineering Center and between the library
and Harrington Education Center. To vote, freshmen should bring
their identification and student activity cards to the polling places
between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Backgammon winners announced
Results of a backgammon tournament that began Oct. 24 and
ended Monday night have been released. The top six winners of the
tourney were Ed Simmons, David Teieh and Manoucheagr Kavehkar
in Division A and John Buchwalter, Kenan Alpan and Amin Siam in
Division B. About 80 students participated in the tournament spon
sored by the Memorial Student Center Recreation Committee.
A&M aims at United Fund goal
Texas A&M University fund-raising efforts on behalf of the College
Station United Fund and the Bryan-Brazos County United Way have
yielded contributions of $25,789 as of last week, says campus chair
man Chuck Cargill. The goal is $42,000. University employees and
students can pledge donations to both drives. Any student wishing to
give donate money can pick up pledge cards and brochures at the
MSC main desk Friday. The deadline for campus donations is Nov.
30.
STATE
Television too sexy, group says
The National Foundation for Decency, a group out to sweep sex
and violence off televison, demonstrated Tuesday at KTRK televi
sion, the ABC affiliate in Houston. The picketing was to promote a
month-long viewer’s boycott of ABC, according to the Rev. Donald
Wildmon of Tupelo, Miss., founder and leader of the protest group.
Wildmon’s group singled out ABC because it claims that network has
increased its “sexually oriented programming by 48 percent in the
new season. “Our goal is to drop ABC by 3 percent of the viewing
audience in November, Wildmon said. He said such a decline would
cost ABC as much as $60 million in lost advertising revenue. Charles
E. Wolf, promotion manager of the station, said “ABC is theoretically
youth oriented and morals nowadays are a little looser. But no shows
are in bad taste or meant to offend.”
Bare facts mean trouble at UH
The editor of the University of Houston student newspaper faces
possible censure or firing because she permitted the publication of a
photograph of a man exposing himself at an art show. Lori Korelski,
22, senior editor of The Daily Cougar, said, “I see nothing indecent
about the photo. He was going around exposing himself. Our photo
grapher Phil Marcus asked the man if he could take his picture and
the man said yes.” Tuesday’s issue of The Daily Cougar presented a
full page of letters condemning last week’s publication of the photo
graph. The hearing on the recommendation that Korelski be dis
missed or censured has been delayed by committee reorganization.
The flap is the second involving student publications use of ques
tioned photographs. Earlier this year, a photo essay on nude models
was scheduled for the school yearbook. The publishing house refused
to print them.
NATION
Protesters begin hunger strike
Fourteen anti-nuclear demonstrators who chained themselves to
earth-moving equipment at the site of Oklahoma’s first nuclear
generating plant Tuesday have begun a hunger strike in the Rogers
County Jail. The demonstrators, who dubbed themselves the “Hal
loween 14, said they would remain in jail and fast until they all were
released on personal recognizance bonds. The 14 demonstrators were
arrested about 7 a.m. Tuesday after construction workers found them
chained to bulldozers and graders at the Black Fox site near Inola.
Many of the demonstrators are members of the Sunbelt Alliance,
which sponsored the Oct. 7 occupation of the Black Fox Station con
struction site. Hal Rankin, a spokesman for the alliance, said Tues
day’s demonstration was not sponsored by the anti-nuclear group.
Judge Ed Carden had set bonds for 12 of the protesters at $50 each
and placed two of them on recognizance bonds during a brief court
appearance Tuesday.
WORLD
Iranian oil industry still halted
Armed soldiers stood watch over idled oil fields in southern Iran
Wednesday to guard against sabotage during the second day of a total
strike against the nation’s $20 billion-a-year petroleum industry. The
striking oil workers are demanding an end to martial law across the
country, release of political prisoners and officials accused of corrup
tion brought to trial officials. The oil strike is depriving the govern
ment of $60 million a day in income. U.S. energy officials predicted
the shutdown of Iran’s gigantic oil industry would do no “immediate”
harm to the United States, even though Iran supplies as much as 10
percent of America’s daily oil imports. Limited quantities of oil were
exported Monday and Tuesday. But the reserves are not likely to last
through the week, the Kayhan newspaper reported.
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.
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Editor Kim Tys*
Managing Editor Liz Newlin
Assistant Managing Editor . Andy Willia®
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City Editor Jamie Aitkw
Campus Editor Steve 1#
News Editors Debbie Parsooi
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Photographer Ed CunniiS
Focus section editor GaryWeldi
Ticki
Gem
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