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Ba> fulioo Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University , Thursday March 8, 1979 Student athletes still need to be students The former chancellor of East Carolina University suggested recently that collegiate athletes ought not be subjected to competition in the class room and the athletic arena at the same time because their classmates have an unfair advantage over them — more study time and regular class attendance. Leo Jenkins, who retired from ECU last year, believes athletes should be allowed to take only one course, or none at all, during an athletic season unless the individual is an exceptional student clearly capable of handling the rigors of two disciplines. “We’re not being honest as it is," the former administrator says. He’s right, of course, but the way he proposes to deal with truth is considerably more flawed than the structure that now exists. Jenkins’ ideas suggest a student wishing to compete in sports and re ceive a college education might easily spend the better part of a decade as a full-time undergraduate working to obtain a degree. Further separation of athletes from scholarship isn’t going to improve the situation any. Dallas Times Herald Balanced budget rebuffed but no turning back Brown Domino theory II WASHINGTON — Although the Vietnamese appear to have been fairly well prepared for a Chinese invasion, many western diplomats and military analysts were taken by surprise. That accounts for the wide variety of ex planations you might have read as to what China’s intentions were and what was be hind the attack. My own conclusions is that the Chinese incursion was another manifestation of the domino theory. It perhaps will enhance your under standing of the situation to keep in mind that the game of dominoes originated in China. Some authorities say Chinese dominoes are almost as ancient as Chinese playing cards, which were invented in the lOthi^or 12th Century* dependingnn .which, source you trust. During their long association with the game, the Chinese undoubtedly became aware of the phenomenon that occurs when dominoes are placed on end, one behind the other, and the last one is pushed over. While I could find no specific reference to dominoes among the quotations of Chairman Mao, the following passage is relevant: “Where do correct ideas come from? Do they drop from the skies? No. Are they innate in the mind? No. They come from social practice, and from it alone.” Playing dominoes is, of course, a social practice, as is arranging dominoes so that all topple over when one is pushed. A mental picture of falling dominoes may have flashed in the mind of Teng Hsiao-peng when he first heard the news that Vietnam troops were overrunning China’s ally, Cambodia. Against that background, we can perhaps reconstruct the fateful meeting between Teng and his military advisers. “Comrades,” says the vice premier, “if we permit the invasion of Cambodia to go unpunished, our other friends also will topple, one after the other, until all have fallen.” “What gave you that idea?” asks a gen eral. “It sounds like something that might have dropped out of the sky.” “It’s a theory I derived from social prac- tjLSf v” Teng expl^ins “Well, it’s an interesting theory, ’ the general says, “but let us remember that limited engagements in Vietnam have a way of escalating into major conflicts. The question is whether keeping the other dominoes from falling is worth running the risk of becoming bogged down in a no-win situation. ” “I appreciate your concern,” Teng re plies, “but I do not intend to become the first Chinese vice premier to lose face. We must show the world that China is more than a pitiful helpless giant. “As for your fears of getting involved in protracted fighting, let me just say that I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. ” Letters to the Editor By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON —Jerry Brown did not make many converts to his crusade for a balanced-budget constitutional amend ment while he was in Washington last week. But it would probably be a mistake to think that his failure in this capital di minishes the potential of the issue in 1980 presidential politics. The National Governor’s Association, after hearing Brown’s arguments, chose to reiterate its call for the achievement of a balanced budget in fiscal 1981 by the ordi nary legislative process — without any re course to constitutional change. And the members of Congress Brown encountered during his three-day stay gave his proposal the back of their hand. If Brown wanted economy in Washington, they said, federal aid to California would be a good place to start cutting. But when I saw President Carter’s most likely challenger in the 1980 Democratic primaries late in his visit to Washington, he seemed remarkably unfazed by these re buffs. He knows that the issue may well play very differently on the stump than it does in gatherings of elected officials. The officeholders examine the proposal for its substance and see — as I do — a variety of drawbacks and dangers. But the voters are more likely to see it as Brown intends, as a symbol and metaphor for a change in policy direction which they may well find appealing. Brown is operating on the same premise that President Carter used in his 1976 cam paign: that issues are important in an elec tion mainly as cues to the voters of the candidate’s attitude on underlying ques tions. Carter’s was a campaign of themes, not issues, his pollster Patrick Caddell kept telling literal-minded reporters, who found the specifics of Carter’s proposals indiges tible. Brown seems to be following the same approach, as he positions himself to chal lenge the incumbent President. In this re spect, at least, they are so much alike that their competition appears foreordained. Aggie dribblers need taller guards IM ‘racket’? Editor: I would like to start off by congratulating the Texas A&M’s basketball team on their NIT bid. After a long hard season they de serve it. I know it’s not the NCAA post season tournament, but, it’s better than nothing. I have been to every home game this year and even went to watch the Aggies in the Summit. Texas A&M has the potential to go a long way. If they continue to play like they have been doing in the last part of the season, then there’s not much likely they will win their first round game. The Aggies probably have the best three big men in the country. What they need is a shooting guard. I am not trying to take anything away from our guards, but let’s face it, they are not a Krivacs or a Sidney Moncrief. They are very fine dribblers, sometimes. Whoever heard of putting a 5-10 guard on a 6-3 player. The opponents’ guards Editor: I am an avid racquet ball player. I started playing this summer and have con tinued to play with enthusiasm. I also ap preciate that the University IM Depart ment has courts available for student use. Fortunately, the IM Department also has racquets that can be checked out (for use by tho^e who at the present time cannot afford to buy a racquet). However, two weeks ago, a friend and I were playing racquetball and I was return ing a serve when simply hitting the ball caused the racquet to break. Con sequently, I had to pay for the racquet. Although very disturbed, I must admit that on the checkout sheet each person must sign, it specifically states that all bro ken equipment must be paid for by the person who has checked it out. I broke the first racquet, but within a week, all 20 new racquets purchased by the IM Department were broken and sub sequently paid for by students. I don’t think that racquetball players (myself in cluded) are notoriously violent or have a predilection toward vandalism. I am inclined to believe that these rac quets were of inferior quality, and did not merit purchasing by the IM Department. I do not feel like we should pay for the IM Department’s mistake. I would like my money back! —Wayne B. Nelius 311 N. Stasneyll02 To illustrate: In 1976, many of Carter’s proposals — a massive reorganization of the federal bureaucracy, a complete overhaul of the tax code, a recasting of foreign policy in moral terms — were pooh-poohed in Washington as impractical or undesirable. And so they have proved to be, in many instances. But Carter was using those proposals to tell the voters outside Washington that he was aware of their deep-seated desire for what he called “more compassionate and competent government.” And his words struck a responsive chord, even if the spe cific plans were quickly blown out of the water. So it may be with Brown and the balanced-budget amendment. He has per ceived a genuine, broad disquiet in the land about the erosion of power, confi dence and credibility in America. He at tributes this to over-indulgence and lack of discipline, and finds a convenient symbol of this excess in the inability of the federal government to hold its spending to the scale of its income. By linking the inability to balance the budget to the decline of American saving, investment and productivity, and the de- ' eline of the American dollar and the Ameri can influence abroad, Brown is touching on some of the deeper emotions stirring the electorate. As Carter did in his campaign, the gov ernor is also claiming a position as a moral critic of American political ideology. Fed eral deficits, he says, are just a symptom of the nation’s unwillingness to forgo excess consumption for needed investment. “I think we have to put a greater emphasis on building for the future instead of stealing from it,” he says. “We cannot have every thing at once.” Those who assume that this rhetoric means Brown will be challenging Carter “from the right” are likely to be proven wrong as those who thought Carter had positioned himself as the “conservative” candidate in the 1976 Democratic field. Just as Carter — the born-again Baptist and nuclear engineer — seemed to synthe size opposites in his campaign. Brown tends to encompass in a single verbal for mulation the goals and values of conflicting constituencies. “If we want to protect the environment, have technological leadership and build for the future,” he says, “it’s going to mean less indulgence today and leaner lifestyle than some are prepared to accept. We need to save to invest, and we need to invest to have jobs.” There is something for everyone in those two sentences. When Brown was asked on ABC’s “Is sues and Answers” whether his Democratic philosophy was that of “Roosevelt, Ken nedy, Truman, Johnson or ... something we have not seen before,” he answered: “I think all of those.” That kind of candidate is indeed the “worthy adversary” for this President that Jimmy Carter said Brown was. (c) 1979, The Washington Post Company have been the ones to beat us. Anyone can see that a taller person will take advantage of a smaller one. What do you think hap pened with Texas Tech at the tournament. I am proud of the Aggies and will always follow them. I just hate to see a great team not play up to their potential. Good luck in the NIT! —Joe Salinas 410 Anderson D4 P.S. I don’t attend Texas A&M but have always been a fan. Wondering about University policy? The Battalion is offers a new reader’s letter section to give students more access to the newspaper and to the University. “Talk with Dr. Miller” is a forum for readers to address questions to the admin istration about University policies and procedures. Questions should be addressed to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, and should specify that they are to be used for this column. Names and phone numbers will be required on all questions and Dr. Miller has the option to decline to answer a question or request others on the staff or faculty to answer it. Questions and answers will be pub lished on the editorial page. Thotz By Doug Graham /~S\r. Vsffw was L jrepr-imafxi^ ? Ao doesn't fie. dneat, Tolerate -fUoie v*/ho Veil, you re wnong. don't” lie, cheat, or q I * •«• Sen £, Surr^ ^ geaotj Top of the CAMPUS 20,000 basic grants available Due to a recent change in the federal law governing the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program, 20,000 Texas A&M Uni versity undergraduate students may be eligible for these grants, rang ing from $200 to $1,800, during the academic year 1979-80. More information is available at a financial aid “rap” session at 7 p.m. tonight in Room 301 of the Rudder Tower. By I LOCAL p Baptist Union elects Ag to cowncilSrC Students representing Baptist Student Unions (BSU) from 96 Texas colleges and universities elected Cindy Brown, a student at Texas) A&M University, to the 21-member Texas BSU Council this month. Brown is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Brown, 403 Thamer Lane, Houston. Through BSU, a Christian organization, stu-1 dents participate in Bible study, missions and evangelism. TheBSll] is part of the Division of Student Work of the Baptist General Con vention of Texas. Red Cross classes start in CS Entries will be taken until March 19 for an American Red Cross advanced life-saving course and an instructors course which began Monday. The classes are Mondays and Wednesdays (except March 12 and March 14) from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Adamsen Pool at the corner of Southwest Parkway and Anderson. The course is free, but a $5 fee for pool use and $2.25 for the book is required. Members must be able to pass a basic swimming test. For further information, contact Carol Winslow at 822-2157. STATE Crystal City fire causes exodus An explosion in a chemical plant near the downtown area of Crystal City Monday triggered a fire which has forced evacuation of the city. The police dispatcher in Crystal City, which is near the Mexican border southwest of San Antonio, said the explosion occurred at the Riverside Chemical Co., and the fire had spread through chemicals stored in a warehouse, releasing toxic fumes into the downtown area. A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety in San An tonio said law enforcement officials from surrounding counties and DPS officers from the region headquarters in San Antonio were head ing for the city. Police radio dispatches monitored in San Antonio said the town was being evacuated. Smith denies getting illegal funds Former Gov. Preston Smith has denied ever receiving an envelope or cash from former Gulf Oil Co. attorney William B. Edwards, whose role in an alleged slush fund scandal is being probed by a state Senate committee. Members of the committee said Tuesday they want to study files on Edwards’ role in the reported slush fund scan dal before approving his nomination to a 125th District judgeship, Edwards, a Houston attorney, denies he did anything illegal while employed by Gulf. “There never was a contribution made to me by Gulf Oil Co. when I ran for governor,” said Smith, now living in Lubbock. “Mr. Edwards never made one penny’s contribution to me. “TTiave no recollection of him ever delivering anything on earth to me. ... It’s just nothing but a pure, black lie.” NATION Slow jury selection delays trial Opening testimony in the bribery and tax evasion trial in Monroe, La., of former Rep. Otto Passman, D-La., probably will be delayed until Friday because of meticxdous jury selection, court sources re port. None of the 12 jurors or six alternates needed for the trial had been seated going into third day of questioning Wednesday. Passman, 78, is accused of accepting $213,000 in bribes from South Korean businessman Tongsun Park for help in improving Park’s posi tion as exclusive rice dealer for South Korea. Passman also is charged with evading $77,000 in income taxes. Once the trial begins, Passman’s attorney, Camille Gravel, is expected to try to impugn Park’s testimony by referring to a grant of immunity given the South Korean for all past crimes. WORLD Chinese withdrawal threatened Vietnam agreed Wednesday to allow China to withdraw its 100,000-man invasion army peacefully, if it left quickly, but charged Peking’s troops had launched new “barbarous acts of war. Both sides claimed victory in the 19-day war and Peking said its withdrawal already had begun. But Hanoi’s charge of continued Chinese attacks threatened chances for peace, with both sides reserving the right to renew full-scale combat. Radio Hanoi said Chinese troops blew up two bridges over the Ky Cung River near the provincial capital of Lang Son, 80 miles northeast of Hanoi. But Chinese attacks also were reported in the northwestern and northern regions Tuesday and Wednesday. Vietnam said that “to show our good will for peace,” it would refrain from attacking the Chinese withdrawal, but added that “if their units continue acts of war on their withdrawal route, they will be severely punished.” WEATHER Clear and warm today changing to partly cloudy tonight. High today 81 and the low tonight 57. Winds will be light and variable at 10-16 mph diminishing to less than 10 tonight. Chance of rain for the weekend. The Battalion member LETTERS POLICY Texas Press Association j ^ttters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are Southwest Journalism Congress subject to being, cut to that length or less if longer. The j-, Y mll editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does Ii.ClltOr 1 not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be Managing Editor LizM signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone Assistant Managing Editor .Andy W$ number far v^aUcn. Sports Editor David I Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The _ o D 'Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College City Editor Scott refl* Station, Texas 77843. Campus Editor SteVtl ! 1 Represented nationally by National Educational Adver- News Editors Debbie ■ tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Beth Calhoun • Angeles ’ Staff Writers .• .Karen Rogers.* c T ! ,e B v! M l° n is P u “ shed M ° n , da y throu « h Patterson, Sean Petty, ' 1 September through May except during exam and holiday i-n-ii J c periods and the summer, when it is published on Tuesday Hlake, Dillard btone, through Thursday. Bragg, Lyle Lovett, Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per Taylor school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates furnished Cartoonist Doilg on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216, Reed . T r McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Photo Editor .Lee Roy Le PfJ United Press International is entitled exclusively to the Photographer Lynn J use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. 1 Focus Section editor Gary Wj Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. ^ Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843; ’ Opinions expressed in The Battalion are Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit] those of the editor or of the writer of the supporting enterprise operated by sfu%| q article and are not necessarily those of the as a university and community news? University administration or the Board of Editorial policy is determined by thee