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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 1979)
Viewpoint The Battalion Tuesday Texas A&M University January 30, 1979 Reflections A&M ‘un’-covered The state media did an appalling job of covering Dr. Jack K. Williams’s resignation a week ago — those that reported it at all. No “professional’’ reporter has explored beyond what was first apparent. The Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Times-Herald, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Austin American-Statesman, and the San Antonio Ex press made no mention at all of the resignation in the two days that followed it. The Houston Chronicle carried a brief story Wednesday that was no thing but a rewrite of the release from Texas A&M’s public relations office, the Office of Public Information. The Houston Post carried a story Wednesday; it was the same release with a few facts about the reduction of Williams’s powers over the past two years. Those facts were gathered in hard-hitting reporting style: A Post editor called The Battalion and asked for help. He got a quick summary of what an editor could remember after that confusing day. But it was the only newspaper that even did that much. The Bryan Eagle confined its comment to saying “when he was made chancellor, the duties of running the university were taken away.” It didn’t deal in specifics. The problem is two-fold. In the first place, the University, like any public institution, does not care to be covered. Last summer former Eagle editor Paul LaRocque resigned after a dis pute over release of the Texas A&M budget proposal. He said later his publisher — after a conversation with Texas A&M President Jarvis Miller — ordered him not ta use the Texas Open Records Act to get the informa tion. In the second place, the major media have remained ignorant of Texas A&M. For example, John Bloom, a Texas Monthly, reporter who was researching the University System for an article about Prairie View A&M, wa« surprised to learn that participation in ROTC is not mandatory here. The type of article the big papers love to do on Texas A&M is in the “my, how you’ve grown’ mode. Leon Hale’s column in Sunday’s Houston Post noted alarming new factions here: women and civilians. The Dallas News carried a similar full-page article last summer. Taxpayers who support the University system’s annual budget of $136 million deserve to be better informed about their investment. Letters to the Editor More on women’s part Editor: While reading Mr. Clement’s letter of Jan. 25. we had serious doubts that he was as open-minded as he claims. His impartial attitude makes us grateful that he is not a prospective employer, as he sees women fit only for such simple-minded tasks as cheer leading. We fail to see the validity of his assump tion that Ms. Zentgraf gave up her feminin ity when she entered the Corps. He obvi ously considers being in the Corps and being feminine as mutually exclusive. Could it be that she entered the Corps not to become “one of the boys, ” but rather to gain the background necessary for a mili tary career? We disagree with Mr. Cle ment’s interpretation that she is hiding be hind the skirts of femininity merely be cause she wishes women to be repre sented. Evidently, he has had limited experi ence with women if he believes the only careers for which we are intellectually suited are modeling, being a stewardess, and cheerleading for the Dallas Cowboys. His antiquated atittude toward women in- m dicates that his oh-so-awesome ego has been threatened. For Mr. Clement’s sake and for the sake of all the women he encounters, we sin cerely hope that his mind does indeed be come open. —Caroline Cate, 82 Jana Smith, ’82 Women represented Editor: This letter is in response to Ms. Zentgrafs comments in Tuesday’s (Jan. 23) Battalion. Ms. Zentgraf: After reading your letter to the editor, I was amazed that a college student could have such a simplistic sense of logic. If I understood your letter correctly, you feel that since there are no women in the Aggie Band, the Ross Volunteers, and Parson’s Mounted Cavalry, that anyone who saw them in the parade in Austin, would immediately assume that women were not allowed to attend Texas A&M. ‘WE COULD SEND IT TO THE BOOK OF RECORDS ’ BUT WE MAY AS WELL WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR IT T T RF A RFTTFR RECORD THEN!” ' The Democrats’ dormant volcano By ARNOLD SAWISLAK United Press International WASHINGTON —The U S. Geological Survey recently warned of two dormant volcanoes in Washington state which could erupt at any time. Lots of Democrats think they may have much the same situation in Washington, D.C., with Ted Kennedy. The Massachusetts Democratic senator says he is not going to challenge Jimmmy Carter in 1980. The Georgia Democratic president has little choice other than to take Kennedy at his word, but it is easy to see why there is uneasiness in the White House. First, there are the public opinion polls which show Kennedy ahead of Carter in the esteem of Democrats. Even when Carter’s job perfonuance rating shot up after the Camp David summit, Kennedy was run ning very well in polls that asked Demo crats who they wanted on their ticket in 1980. And the pollsters only verified what ob servers of Democratic politics have felt in their bones for some time: that Ted Ken nedy could have the Democratic presiden tial nomination almost for the asking. It is worth recalling that Hamilton Jor dan’s original campaign plan for Carter as sumed that Kennedy would be a 1976 can didate. That is why Carter originally worked so hard in New Hampshire — to demonstrate he could draw a respectable vote in New England even against a native of the region. The second reason for disquiet in the White House is Kennedy’s current opposi tion to Carter on health insurance and budget cutting. It is one thing for a senator to oppose his president on issues like natural gas deregu lation or water project construction. When there are local political and economic interests at stake, members of Congress are almost expected to put their constituents ahead of their national leadership. But when a key member of the presi dent’s party opposes the leader on issues that affect everyone in the country, eye brows go up. That kind ofopposition is seen as an omen of a bigger political showdown to come. When Kennedy appeared at the Demo cratic mid-term conference in Memphis to argue against the Carter health insurance plan, some people thought the battle would be on for the 1980 nomination. But, after pulling out all the oratorical stops in his appearance, Kennedy returned to Washington and let delegates who wanted to vote for his position fend for themselves. That did not look like the act of a man who has decided to run for president. There are other factors which seem to Corps units Fortunately, most people are not as simple-minded as you appear to be. The last time I saw the Vienna Boy’s Choir, I did not see a single girl in the group. I had a difficult time, however, try ing to convince my friends that there are no women in Vienna. I saw no women competing in the Super Bowl, on either team. Can I then assume that the cities represented by the two footall teams are totally void of females. I am sure that the students from Dallas would disagree. I, myself, am not a member of the Band, Cavalry, or Ross Volunteers, but I, being male, cannot use my gender as an excuse as you seem to. When you are not ac cepted to an organization it does not necessarily mean that your application was not taken seriously. As far as women being forced to “take the rear seat” at Texas A&M, I will say this: In a society such as ours, we cannot all drive all the time. We must sometimes take the seat in the rear to avoid being left behind. Some are just louder and more overbearing “back-seat drivers” than the rest of us. —Ray Argersinger, ’80 Goodbye to the shah Editor: We salute the Iranian people for having succeeded in driving from power the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The friendship between the American people and the Iranian people will grow only if our government refrains from con doning a military coup as a solution to popu lar opposition to the Bakhtiar government. In this regard, the American govern ment should publicly state that such an Alternative, requiring as it would the use of American supplied arms and aircraft, is un acceptable and not in the interest of either our own or the Iranian poeple. It should state further that such a government could not and would not receive recognition by this country. We believe that the fall of the Shah is a turning point in the long history of the Ira nian struggle for self-determination, and we believe further that its lesson for our government is clear: don’t interfere in such struggles, be they in Iran, Chile, the Phil- lipines. South Africa, or elsewhere. Only then will Americans be regarded as friends by the people of these countries. —Jack Levine U.S. People’s Committee On Iran P.O. Box 7782 Philadelphia, Pa. point away from a Kennedy challenge. For example, there is, hardly one year from the first primary, absolutely no sign of a Ken nedy campaign organization. It is true that Kennedy does not have the usual candidate problem of low name rec ognition and does not have to do all the barnstorming of a McGovern before 1972 or a Carter before 1976. But it is hard to believe any Kennedy would be even thinking of running for pres ident without a lot of advance preparation and organization. Indeed, that preparation may be under way now, but so far it hasn’t been detected by the early warning system of other politicians or the media. McGovern’s old finesse By DICK WEST WASHINGTON — Political utterances, particularly in the early stages of a presi dential campaign, are apt to be larded with hidden meanings, veiled hints, ambiguities and other subtleties This means that reporters who cover politics must do a great deal of reading between the lines. For unless we spot the latent nuggets, we may miss the real thrust of a politician’s remarks. It is for this reason that some of us have spent a lot of time digging through the statement issued by Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D., last week after John Connally of Texas announced he was run ning for the Republican presidential nomi nation. Humor “I wouldn’t trust Connally within a mile of the White House,” McGovern said. “John Connally combines the worst of both Watergate and Vietnam. He’s the perfect symbol of the double-talking, double crossing politician. He doesn’t even know what party he belongs to. “In 1972, when he was running the Democrats for Nixon operation, he did more to cover up Nixon’.s faults and exagg erate mine than any other man in America. “The fact that Connally never went to jail along with the rest of the Watergate gang is positive proof that Ed Williams is the best criminal lawyer in the country.” After reading McGovern’s comment, I broached a source I know who usually is familiar with the senator’s thinking. “Why is McGovern being so cagey about this?” I asked. “Why didn’t he come right out and say how he feels about Connally?” The McGovern confidant sidled closer and dropped his voice. “At this stage of the campaign, it’s a good idea to keep your options open,” he said. “The situation is still pretty fluid and you don’t want to be caught with your feet in cement if the wind suddenly changes. ” “That may be,” I said, “but I recall that during the 1972 campaign McGovern ac quired a reputation, deserved or not, of being somewhat indecisive. Might not a statement like this be interpreted as a fur ther sign of wishy-washiness?” “For your guidance and deep back ground only, I can tell you that unless there is a drastic turnaround McGovern is un likely to throw his support to Connally,” my informant confided. I kept on digging. “What about his re mark about Connally not knowing what party he belongs to? Doesn’t that imply that McGovern might endorse Connally if Connally again changed parties?” “I doubt even that would do it,” my source replied. “Well, then, what if Connally changed lawyers?” Again my source shook his head. “You would be wise at this point to stick to the line that McGovern is not sold on Con nally. ” Later on, perhaps, the senator himself will clarify his position. If it should turn out that he is anti-Connally, remember that you saw it here first. Writing, the editor The Battalion welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. However, to be acceptable for publication these letters must meet certain criteria. They should: V Not exceed 300 words or 1800 characters in length. V Be neatly typed whenever possible. Hand-written letters are acceptable. V Include the author’s name, ad dress and telephone number for verification. Letters to the editor are printed as a service to our readers. Publication of a letter is never guaranteed. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters to remove grammatical er rors and to avoid litigation. Address letters to the editor to: Letters to the Editor The Battalion Room 216 Reed McDonald Building College Station, Texas 77843 Top of the News CAMPUS Activities calendar deadline man All recognized student organizations should submit a scheduleofl their March activities to the Student Activities Office no later than noon Feb. 7, in room 221 of the Memorial Student Center. Cardsfor filling out this information are located either in the Student Activities Office of the Student Finance Center, room 217 of the MSC. The monthly calendar for March will be composed from information sub mitted by the above date. STATE Gas spill closes ship channel A 1.5-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel was closed tem porarily Monday because gasoline from an overturned tank truck leaked onto the channel surface. A Coast Guard spokesman said the fuel leaked onto the channel surface through sewers after the truck overturned on Drop 610, near the freeway connector’s bridge over the channel. Ship traffic continued to move on either side of the spill, but officials said the spill area would remain closed until gasoline vapors dissipated. Court asked to suspend judge The Texas Supreme Court has been asked to suspend District Judge Stanley C. Kirk pending the outcome of removal proceedings against Kirk. The case arose from an outburst in his courtroom last summer when he criticized a jury that had just returned an innocent verdict against a man accused of a sex offense. NATION Nixon at White House for dinner Richard Nixon, at the request of visiting Chinese Vice Premier Teng Hsiao-ping and other Chinese leaders, attended the White House state dinner Monday night in Washington as part of his three-day stay there. Nixon arrived Sunday night by commercial flight and was taken by limousine to an unpublicized destination in the Washington area where he will stay during Teng’s visit. He will have a private visit with Teng Wednesday. V Tractorcade moves northward A caravan of some 500 tractors and support vehicles left Charlotte, N.C., near dawn Monday creeping northward along Interstate 85 en route to a massive protest over crop prices in Washington. The leader of the southern segment of the tractorcade, which will be joined by other segments in Washington for the rally protesting the nations farm policy, called President Carter “a Benedict Arnold to agricul ture.” Georgia American Agriculture Movement leader Tommy Ker sey said Sunday that Carter had lied to farmers who only want the same treatment the president gives the rest of the world. Girl shoots 11 in San Diego A 16-year-old girl firing a semi-automatic rifle into an elementary school yard in San Diego Monday killed two adults and wounded eight students and a policeman, police said. The motive for the at tacks was not immediately clear, police said. Police said the young sniper, firing from a house across the street from Cleveland Elemen tary School,had access to up to 600 rounds of ammunition. It appeared all of the shots were fired in the span of a few minutes shortly before 9 a.m. Conditions of the wounded were described as from fair to seri ous. Several ’ umbi loots A friday. Rc )U Carter urged to free Hearst President Carter had received a Justice Department recommenda tion on the bid for freedom by jailed heiress Patricia Hearst and will act on it promptly, a White House spokesman said Monday. Hearst, currently at the Federal Correctional Institution in Pleasanton, Calif., has served 22 months of her sentence. Under normal proce dure, Hearst would not be eligible for parole until July 11. Her attorney, George Martinez, petitioned for executive clemency last September, arguing her conviction was a “miscarriage of justice” because she was forced to join the Symbionese Liberation Army under duress. WORLD 34th Italian official killed Leftist gunmen shot and killed a high-ranking Italian magistrate Monday in the 34th political slaying in 13 months. Witnesses saida car containing five people pulled alongside that of Milanese Deputy Public Prosecutor Emilio Alessandrini on a main street Monday and opened fire. The killing came as Premier Giulio Andreotti’s minority Christian Democratic government neared collapse after the with drawal of support by the powerful Communist Party Friday. Unil north ' x>ut 50 1 :r family S-year-of tread a tther, wh rivate ce "Dad, v ve us. V uch we’r oy was qi Jokesmai >irit will Dad, w until r After th d. his u The Battalion LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to beinf' 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 furnished 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. ri cor MEMBER | Texas Press Association B Southwest Journalism Congress j Editor Kin: 1 I Managing Editor Liz^ I Assistant Managing Editor .Andy W* 1 Sports Editor David 8) I City Editor Scott Pe 1 ^ I Campus Editor ..Ste' 1 I News Editors Debbie F? j Beth Calhoun ^ Staff Writers Karen Rogers? . Patterson, Sean Petty, ^ Blake, Dillard Stone. Bragg, Lyle Lovett Cartoonist DougCi* Photo Editor Lee Roy Les# Photographer Lynn ^ Focus section editor Gary'' 1 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-proft supporting enterprise operated htjsi 1 * as a university and coinimmitij nen^j Editorial policy is determined by the d