Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Friday
February 9, 1979
T>otv t fence m tVie
grass for $25,000
Twenty-five thousand dollars for a hedge.
That’s the proposal now before this University for
hedges to surround the Memorial Student Center
grass — to keep people from walking on it.
But a wise group of Texas A&M students say this is
ridiculous. And they ask for signatures to force a stu
dent referendum.
The Texas A&M student senate voted last week to
memorialize the grass and erect a hedge.
At the meeting, Wayne Monison, vice president for
finance in student government, justified the hedge by
naming other University expenses whose purposes are
just as elusive: the brick wall around campus ($1 mil
lion) and replanting the grounds each season (several
thousands).
Dismayed by the senate’s decision, the group of
students has a petition in the MSC to force a student
referendum on the matter. They approve of
memorializing the grass, but they object to spending
$25,000 on a hedge. The money, they say, could serve
better purposes.
As of Thursday night, the petition carried about
1,600 of the needed 2,900 signatures (10 percent of the
student body). And today appears to be the deadline.
The proposal is absurd, and more students should
have a voice in asking for $25,000 in taxes for a hedge.
Go sign it.
— K.T.
The above map was handed out at the student government meeting to illustrate what areas surround
ing the Memorial Student Center should be hedged to prevent people from walking on the grass.
Old Teng Hsiao
By DICK WEST
WASHINGTON — Nothing is so calcu
lated to strike terror into the hearts of
commuters as the dread cry -— “THE
TRACTORS ARE COMING!”
Suburbanites leaving for work clasp
their spouses as though in last embrace.
Little children quail at their parents’
knees. Dogs whine and birds hush their
singing.
This is not to suggest that the American
Agriculture Movement “tractorcade” here
this week was an alien force. America had
farmers long before it had commuters,
suburbanites, bureaucrats or even jour
nalists.
But when you take them out of context
— i.e., plunk them and their mighty
machines down in the middle of rush hour
traffic — they are almost like visitors from
abother'T'planet.
I’ve been thinking what a pity it was that
the farm demonstration wasn’t timed to
coincide with last week’s visit by Chinese
Vice Premier Teng Hsiao-ping. It proba
bly would have been the highlight of
Teng’s visit, even surpassing his appear
ance on the same stage with the Harlem
Globetrotters.
Humor
In rural China, it is reported, they still
till the soil with hoe and flail. So you can
imagine how impressed Teng might have
been by a close encounter with rural
American vehicles. I can see it all now:
Teng is en route from the White House
to the Capitol. In the limousine with him
are Ambassador Woodcock and a Chinese
interpreter.
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“WHAT IS ALL THIS FUSS ABOUT CLOSING TH’ LIBRARY DOORS
TO THRU TRAFFIC? WE CAN STILL GO OVER IT!”
Reflections
Rev up Boston, Aggies
Last fall. Town Hall brought the At
lanta Rhythm Section to G. Rollie
White, and the results were disastrous.
The audience stayed quiet, polite and
seated the entire evening. The only
people that got on their feet were the
ones heading for the exits complaining
that it was too loud. The band was ob
viously upset, and didn’t put on its
best show.
A rock concert is a two-way street —
a good band will rev up an audience,
and a good audience will rev up a band.
Bands draw a lot of inspiration and
encouragement from a vocal audience.
Polite clapping does not count.
Sunday night, we Aggies have a
chance to redeem ourselves. One of the
hottest, most popular bands in the
world is coming to humble ol’ Texas
A&M. When Boston takes the stage, it
will be the audience, to a large extent,
that will determine just how good a
night it will be.
Members of the audience have a re
sponsibility; we can’t just sit back and
say, “Entertain me. I dare you.” We
must show up with some expectations
of having a good time.
Bring comfortable shoes, ‘cause
you’re going to spend a lot of time on
your feet. Rock concerts are supposed
to be 1 ’ U,i’.
scream and shout and stomp and yell,
you’re just not going to have a good
time.
We must remember that this concert
is being held in a state institution, so
don’t tear things up or trash G. Rollie
out. You can still be vocal and have a
good time without being destructive.
If you bought tickets because it
would impress your date and don’t
really care about the concert, don’t go.
There are lots of people that do care
and didn’t get tickets, so sell them
yours. If you’re not prepared to stand
up and yell and be rowdy and have an
incredibly good time, don’t go; you’ll
be like a wet blanket to everyone else.
About the noise, sure it’s going to be
loud. It wouldn’t be a rock concert if it
wasn’t loud. If the noise bothers you,
put cotton in your ears. Seriously, it
will take some of the shrill edge off the
music without distorting it too much.
There seems to be a kind of group
psychology working here. People who
would be on their feet at the Summit or
the Superdrum sit on their hands here,
and it’s not apparent why.
Don’t be inhibited, Aggies, enjoy
yourselves! Show up prepared to have a
helluva good time, and you will. See
ping had a
“Hoo, boy!” Teng exclaims, or the
Chinese equivalent thereof. “Get a load of
those enormous tanks and mobile missile
launchers. Ask the ambassador if they are
conventional weapons or whether they
have nuclear capability.”
Interpreter: “The ambassador says they
are agriculture machines.”
Teng cups a hand behind his ear.
“Something must have gotten lost in trans
lation. I was asking what kind of warheads
those things fire.”
Interpreter: “The ambassador insists
they are farm vehicles.”
That’s a hot one,” Teng snorts. “What
kind of crops do they grow in the middle of
downtown Washington?”
Interpreter: “I have conveyed your
interest in agronomy to the ambassador
and he‘asks me to inform you that the
Letters to the Editor
Taps brings
Editor:
To everyone that came to Tuesday’s
Silver Taps for my friend Rich Gaines,
thank-you. It’s good to know that so many
Aggies care about other Aggies, even
though we don’t all know each other.
—Richard Westlake, ’78
Allemande here
Editor:
This letter is in response to Jason
Doughty’s letter in Monday’s (Feb. 5) Bat
talion.
If you are interested in getting more in
volved with square dancing, Aggie Al-
lemanders square dancers’ club has some
thing to offer. On Monday evenings, be
ginning at 7:00, on the second floor of the
Memorial Student Center. Lessons are of
fered by caller Glen Green. Monday, Feb.
12, is the last chance to start lessons this
semester.
It is true that square dancers are not
“country hicks,” but are people of a wide
range of majors and interests. Square
dancing is a challenge and an enjoyment.
Come on out Monday night and join us.
—Kathy Conn, ’80
A&M honor ignored
Editor:
I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Bob
Williams (Feb. 1 Battalion) when he points
out that women have as yet made no place
for themselves in the Corps. I was saying
that very same thing to the girls at the
garden club just the other day. Just what
do those “Waggies” think they’re going to
prove? Are they actually trying to compete
against men? They should be at home
making quilts of something.
Okay, so that kind of attitude may be a
bit archaic in this day and age, but unfor
tunately I believe it is still held dear to the
heart of more than one in this university,
and that is why I said that the “Waggies”
have a place in the Corps.
Obviously it isn’t because they don’t
have a moral and legal right as Aggies to
belong to any organization that this uni
versity has to offer, which by the way in
cludes the Texas Aggie Band, the Ross
Volunteers and Parsons’ Mounted
Cavalry.
It’s not that they don’t have a right to be
greeted with the respect granted other
upperclassmen of the Corps of Cadets,
which by the way goes together with the
privilege of wearing senior boots. It’s not
that they don’t have a right to these things,
it’s simply that these things are denied be-
farm
farmers are here to petition the govern
ment for higher prices.”
“Just my luck,” Teng grumbles. “My
first trip to the United States and I get
caught in a revolution.”
Interpreter: “I am told to assure you
that it is a peaceful demonstration that has
been authorized by the government.”
Teng nods knowingly. “That’s what we
used to say during our revolution. We told
everybody our troops were agrarian re
formers. If it’s non-violent, why are the
cops using tear gas and billyclubs?”
Interpreter: “The ambassador says it
was a traffic violation. The tractors were
blocking an intersection.”
Teng rolls his eyes skeptically. “I think
I’ve just been hit by a manure spreader,”
A&M close
cause they are women, and some obscure
tradition dictates that as women they
should be barred from certain activities.
Far be it from me to question the rul
ings of “tradition,” but isn’t a sense of
honor and fair play also a custom here at
Texas A&M?
It seems strange to me that one word
can have so many different meanings, and
of how many times it can be used as an
excuse for prejudice and narrow
mindedness. Perhaps we should all work
toward a more concise definition.
We are all aware that Texas A&M is and
has always been a military school, but that
doesn’t necessarily mean that it also has to
be an elitist school where certain options
are reserved for a select few
I thought we were above that sort of
thing. Apparently not. Aggie women in
boots? I certainly hope I do live to see the
day.
—Catherine Gauldin, ’80
Evolution hy faith
Editor:
There are a few things that Michael Con-
foy seems to be confused about. He obvi
ously does not understand the definition of
theory, apparently does not know the
meaning of fact, and probably did not care
fully read the letter he was so quick to
rebute.
His broad generalizations about Darwin,
Leakey, and Galileo make me wonder how
much about them he really understands.
From the sound of his dogma, I would
diagnose him as one of the many other
trusting students who enthusiastically ac
cept anything taught in a school, as “scien
tific fact.” (I call that faith.)
I have analyzed much of the evolutionary
theory on my own, and have found much of
it lacking in substance. Though it is a very
good theory, there are weaknesses in it that
are not often exposed. I will by no means be
so bold as to classify evolution as false, but I
will classify anyone who blindly accepts it,
as one who lives by faith.
—Ed Haynes, ’80
Readers’ Forum
Guest viewpoints, in addition to
Letters to the Editor, are welcome.
All pieces submitted to Readers’
forum should be:
• Typed triple space
• Limited to 60 characters per
line
• Limited to 100 lines
Top of the News
STATE
Henley murder trial to be moved
DEADLl
today.
SWIM T1
Arizor
Elmer Wayne Henley’s new trial will not be in Bexar County. Tlif
defense and prosecution agreed Thursday on a change of venue kt
did not say where the new trial would be. Henley was givenalile
sentence by a San Antonio jury for six of 27 Houston mass murden
but the conviction was thrown out by an appeals court in December
District Court judge steps down
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District Judge Stanley Kirk resigned his office in Wichita
Thursday, saying he decided a year ago he wanted to spend moii
time with his family. A complaint has been filed against hinifoi
judicial misconduct in the Texas Supreme Court.
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NATION
Taiwan called safe from China
President Carter’s nominee to be the new ambassador to China,
Leonard Woodcock, said Thursday that China doesn’t have “theml
tary capability to cross 100 miles of water and seize Taiwan. He said
if they began preparations for such an invasion, our intelligence could
tell us about it three to five years before they were ready. Woodcock
former president of the United Auto Workers, was testifying before
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Watergate conspirator in debt
G. Gordon Liddy, out of prison after serving 52 and one-hal
months for conviction as a Watergate conspirator, is up to hisearsin
debt. The White House denied his request to waive a $40,000 crimi
nal fine. Liddy also owes $300,000 to defense attorneys and $100,dS
in back taxes. Liddy, whose refusal to talk caused his prison sentence
and fines to be the harshest of all Watergate figures, said Wednesday
he felt he’d been treated unfairly.
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ITT case dropped for secrets
The federal government Thursday dropped its perjury case against
former International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. official Robert
Berrellez. It was because of a judge’s refusal to grant a blanket order
protecting national security secrets during the trial. The charge bad
been brought in connection with attempts by the CIA and ITT to
influence the 1970 presidential election in Chile.
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Schools fight refund regulation
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A group of vocational schools will try to overturn a federal regula
tion requiring them to refund partial tuition for students who drop
out. The Federal Trade Commission says the regulation was passed
when some students defaulted on government loans after dropping
out of trade school after finding they’d been lured by false promisesol
better jobs. The vocational schools say they will have to increase their
tuition rates to comply with the regulation.
800,000 Fords still not fixed
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The owners of 800,000 badly designed and potentially dangerous
Ford Pintos and Mercury Bobcats have not responded to notices from
Ford Motor Co. to come in and have their cars modified. Ford has
been embroiled in numerous law suits stemming from at least 25
deaths caused by the poor design. Fuel tanks on cars made from 1971
to 1976 easily explode and burst into flames when hit from the rear
Modification requires placement of protective shields around the
tank.
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Cold front may end Brazil floods
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Authorities hope a cold front that moved through Brazil Thursday
will end 42 consecutive days of torrential rains that have killed 7ffl ipse of
people and left 350,000 homeless. Brazil has literally been cutinhal an open
by rampaging rivers that swept away 130 bridges and flooded 3,472 | e thav
miles of highways. News reports are calling the floods the worst inped
Brazil’s history. ‘He w:
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SAN a:
Sadat agrees to resume talks
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat Thursday accepted an invitatioi
from President Carter for resumption of Israeli-Egyptian peace treat)
negotiations in the United States later this month. A U.S. spokesman
said the exact location and date of the new round will be announced
in Washington. He would not say whether the talks will be held
Washington or Camp David.
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Fair skies with mild afternoons. High today 52 low tonight 30
Low this morning 21°. Winds are northerly at 15-25 mph
Outlook for Sunday through Tuesday will be fair skies and no
chance of rain. A cold front will be moving into the area on
Monday.
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MEMBER
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Editor Ki®
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