Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 1979)
Viewpoint ^ff'alioo lion The Battalion Texas A&M University Friday March 30, 1979 Reflections In the news unfortunately Texas'A&M is in the news again — and Melanie Zentgraf is being blamed for it. Columnist Jack Anderson revived the issue of sex discrimi nation in the Corps Wednesday when he blasted Texas A&M for the University’s treatment of female cadets. In his column Anderson quoted Zentgraf, a junior in the Corps, and cited some of her complaints about the treatment of women in the Corps, using her as a case in point. The column was catty, out of date, one-sided and innaccu- rate on some points. But it highlights the seriousness of the accusations made against Texas A&M’s Corps and draws more attention to the actions of the select group looking over the problem. Many would choose to blame Zentgraf for bringing the cur rent investigation of the activities of the Corps out in the open — in her stirring letter to The Battalion, as well as her quotes in Anderson’s column. She has not brought bad press to the Corps or Texas A&M. If the events and circumstances hadn’t been there, there’d be no complaints or stories. No study committee had sought an swers to their problems before she spoke up. And years of other work through the “chain of command” within the Corps staff had produced little results. Aggies shouldn’t hide this wound and let it fester, but open it up and let the matter heal. Carter, staff counting on break in inflation ljunk mail begets another By DICK WEST WASHINGTON — During a recent six-month period, one New Yorker re ceived 276 pieces of direct mail, a.k.a. junk mail, from 134 organizations, a.k.a. special interest or pressure groups. The addressee, a certain William King, evidentally felt the postal influx strained his envelope-opening capacity. So he complained to his congressman. Rep. Bill Green, R-N.Y. Green, in turn, issued a press release alluding to proposals to curb the use of computerized mailing lists. Green listed the organizations that had King’s name on their mailing lists. With few exceptions, they were promulgators of what the average citizen would regard as worthy causes. In contrast, my unsolicited mail runs heavily to franked reprints of Congres sional Record speeches deploring the postal deficit. „ But there’s no mystery as to why King attracted mostly public-spirited communi cations. The direct mail industry operates a bit like the Book of Genesis, with one mailing list begetting another mailing list, usually in its own image. In King’s case, let’s assume the beget ting began when he sent away for a tional Committee, which begat Americans for Democratic Action; ADA begat Task Force Against Nuclear Pollution, which begat National Cancer Society, which began Concern for Dying; Concern for Dying begat Victims of Handgun Violence, which begat National Coalition to Ban Handguns. And the green grass grew all around. And what prompted King to send off for that wilderness booklet in the first place? Chances are he was planning a hunting trip. By HELEN THOMAS UPI White House Reporter WASHINGTON — President Carter and his advisers are counting on a break in the inflationary trend and an improved economic picture before the end of the year. So far. Carter has resisted some of the more drastic remedies such as wage and price controls or stimulating a massive re cession throwing millions out of work, to bring inflation under control. And advisers like inflation fighter Alfred Kahn have threatened to quit if controls are ever sought by the administration. But Vice President Walter Mondale warned a group of visiting editors last weekend that they should not “expect good news for some time.” “We are putting all the factors in place,” he said. “We have a tight budget. We are cutting current services, spending in the next budget by some $17 billion, which is really tough, and almost unprecedented.” He said the beneficial effect of the pro gram of voluntary wage and price guidelines will not show in the consumer or producer’s price index for some time. “We have in place a tight monetary pol icy, and we think this is the way to go,” he added. “It is going to take some time. We are not at all satisfied with the inflationary rate today. It has to come down.” There is a growing grumbling in the land and unless there is an upturn in the economy soon, the pressure will increase on Carter to do more in a mandatory way. There also is the question of politics. Carter will be a vulnerable candidate and an easy target for opponents if inflation persists. He and his aides realize that a Middle East triumph will serve him in good stead, but it won’t stop voters from thinking about the pocketbook issues. There is a White House awareness that the continuing inflationary spiral will have some effect, at least, on his reelection chances. The oil shortage and rising gasoline prices are adding fuel to the inflationary flames. Drivers will be paying more for gas and homeheating bills will inevitably be going up. Just how much remains to be seen. And so both Carter and the first lady are beginning to warn the American people that sacrifices will have to be made to help the nation over its energy shortage hump. In a speech at Springfield, Mass., Mrs. Carter did not mince words. She told a gathering spotlighting volunteerism: “Prices will go up because of inevitable shortages. Should we whine or complain? Of course not. If gas costs 5 cents more per gallon, we can slash 10 or 15 prcent from the amount our families use. We can cut out unnecessary trips. Ride the bus. Drive slower. Form a car pool. Let’s trying walk ing for a change.” All this, she added, should be done in a patriotic spirit, “with a smile.” Kahn has said that he will have consid ered that the president’s program has failed if there is no improvement by early summer. Carter’s advisers are clearly shocked, and dismayed by the double-digit rise in wholesale prices. As a result, the administration is getting a lot tougher, especially with business and the monitoring of the voluntary com pliance in the wage-price field is being stepped up. The loss of Iranian oil. The shrinking of the beef herds and other outside factors have added to the darkening economic picture. But Carter and his advisers are expect ing a turnaround by the middle of sum mer. If that does not happen, he may need a major reassessment of his voluntary pro gram. Humor Wilderness Society booklet. Wilderness Society begat Sierra Club, which begat Friends of the Earth, Environmental Action, Pathfinder Fund and World Wildlife Fund; Wildlife Fund begat Whale Protection League, American Horse Protection Soci ety, Cousteau Society, Audubon Society and Gray Panthers; Gray Panthers begat Grey Art Gallery, which begat American Museum of Natural History and Friends of the New York Pub lic Library; The library begat Washington Monthly, which begat Congressional Quarterly, which begat National Committee for an Effective Congress; The committee begat Dollars and De fense, which begat People and Taxes, which begat Southern Poverty Law Cen ter; Poverty Law begat Legal Aide Society and National Lawyers Guild, which begat American Civil Liberties Union, which begat National Organization for Women; NOW begat Planned Parenthood, which begat Foster Parents Plan, which begat Mother Jones; Mother Jones, a counterculture magazine, begat Consumer Reports, which begat New York Apples, which begat United Farm Workers; The farm union begat Democreatic Na- Cadets hear official denial at 6 meeting Rattalion plans election guide In conjunction with the city-campus elections. The Battalion is planning a spe cial election tabloid, “For the Voters,” containing information on campus and city candidates. The section will run April 3. Candidates for Student Body President, RHA president, OCSA president, yell leader, and the five student government vice president positions should turn in their questionnaires for this section no later than Thursday, March 29 at 10 p.m. Pictures of the candidates for the tabloid By THOMAS E. MUSCHALEK In my previous letter (Battalion, March 9) I was careful to emphasize the fact that I was basing my decision to support Capt. Joseph McNabb’s action on only one side of the story — McNabb’s. (McNabb is fac ing a written reprimmand on his perma nent record for reporting a cheating inci dent going outside military channels.) This ignorance of the official position was somewhat remedied on Tuesday night, March 20 when Gen. Ormond Sim'Jjson presented cadets with his side of the story. The results of his speech were very disturbing to some of us, as was the manner and tone of the presentation. Gen. Simpson began his address with a very strong denial of any cover-up of the cheating incident and did so in a manner interpreted by many to border on hostility toward anyone who would suggest such a thing. (No cadet ever did). This set the tone for the remainder of the meeting. The general’s outline of the events of the past months fell largely on deaf ears from that point on. Further into the speech, General Simpson gave the definite impression that “the instructor involved” used extremely poor judgment and acted in a rude and hostile manner. Knowing Capt. McNabb as I do, I can not believe that he could act in such a manner under any circum stances. I firmly believe that the captain was forceful but polite in his approach, and Reader’s Forum was acting in accordance with his own pro fessional and personal values. Frankly, the prevailing attitudes of those who know McNabb was one of resentment that Gen. Simpson would imply such things. Finally, at the end of the speech, Gen. Simpson allowed no questions or com ments. Maybe the cadets don’t have a right to question, but if that is the case, then why bother informing us at all? It was certainly evident at the end of the meeting that there was more than one agi tated cadet leaving with unanswered ques tions. The dismay is certainly most acute among the Air Force senior cadets. I and many other May commissionees are greatly disillusioned by the proposed ac tions of our chosen service. If such situations do occur, what will our decision be? Will we be punished if we do as we see fit? If that is the case, plans must be changed from career service to fulfilling a commitment for some cadets. The overall effect of the meeting was to re-anger some cadets, and to initiate un necessary feelings of hostility in many others. The cadets are reasonable people and, as a whole, do appreciate the appar ently hostile attitude conveyed by the general’s speech. The facts of the story, in my opinion, still don’t seem to warrant the punishment given Capt. McNabb. Thomas E. Muschalek is a senior politi cal science major at Texas A&M. Letters to the editor Bible’s attitude toward gays disputable will be made March 27-29, 7-9 p.m. in Room 216 of the Reed McDonald Build ing. The Battalion can not publish any questionnaire nor make any picture that comes in after these deadlines. City candidates will be contacted by The Battalion about their questionaires and pictures. In order to be fair to all parties. The Battalion is setting a cutoff date of April 4 for letters which raise questions about any candidate, to allow opposing letters to be printed in at least the following news paper. Campus election days are April 9 and 10; Bryan and College Station will hold city council and school board elections April 7. Editor: The fact that Dr. Furnish made the statements regarding homosexuality in Wednesday’s paper does not mean he is right, as the article suggests. It merely means that he takes a liberal view in re gards to interpreting the Bible. Perkins (School of Theology) is a typical liberal seminary that believes that much of the Bible is not applicable today, despite the fact that the Bible claims to be the perfect immutable Word of God. A professor from the Dallas Theological Seminary would have made conclusions to the contrary of Dr. Furnish. A study of the gospels will show Christ himself to believe in the perfection, applicability and im mutability of the scriptures. Read here Leviticus 18, Romans I and John 17. —Russell Dodds, ’82 Htvy. 6 runs I have always been under the impres sion that the actions of all Corps members, male or female, reflect on the Corps of Cadets and Texas A&M as a whole. If Zentgraf can’t hold her own without at tracting notoriety, she has no right being in the Corps of Cadets. Editor: In reference to the article “Columnist blasts Corps,” I would truly like to know what (Melanie) Zentgraf is trying to do to the organizations she holds so dear (or does she?). By bringing national attention to the so-called discrimination practiced by the Corps, she is degrading the Corps of Cadets, Texas A&M and herself. Why is she here at this university any way? To lobby for women’s rights or to be a member of the Corps of Cadets? If Zentgraf does decide to leave Texas A&M due to suffering grades and “relentless hectoring,” the Corps of Cadets, the Uni versity and especially the Waggies will be better off without her. —L. Lozano, ’81 Top of the News STATE Trinity geological trip offered Trinity University in San Antonio is sponsoring a geological field trip this summer worth four hours of undergraduate or graduate credit. The trip, led by Dr. Walter Coppinger, assistant professor of geology at Trinity, will include volcanic fields at Los Alamos, several western mining areas and the southern Rockies. Students will exam ine oil fields, lava flows, Precambrian-Mesozoic stratigraphy, a ghost ranch and reef structure in New Mexico and Colorado. Interested students must have completed an introductory geology course and applications must be in by May 1. Cost of the trip is $680, which includes tuition, transportation, motels, fees and food. In addition students must be on the Trinity campus June 11-15 and July 2-6. For information, contact Dr. Walter Coppinger, 512/736-7607, Geology Department, Box 389, Trinity University, San Antonio 78284. NATION Lance indictment due next month Justice Department officials have begun setting up a team to prose cute former budget director and Carter adviser Bert Lance, sources say. Department sources said Wednesday prosecutors plan to ask an Atlanta grand jury to hand up the criminal indictment next month, also naming other defendants involved in alleged mishandling of bank funds. Sources said a team of prosecutors is being selected to draft the specific charges in the indictment and, presumably, to carry through with prosecution in Lance’s home state. It said the grand jury is not expected to reconvene before April 24 and no indictments could be obtained before then. The Atlanta Journal said Lance’s attorneys have begun preparing a defense. National Bank of Georgia loans to the Carter family peanut business, studied during the Lance investiga tion, triggered a separate probe into the Carter family peanut fi nances, now in the hands of special counsel Paul Curran. Court decision ‘blow’ to teachers Labor lawyers said Thursday a Supreme Court decision to keep the government out of wage problems in church operated schools is a blow to nearly 150,000 teachers across the country. Lawrence Pol- trock, general counsel for the American Federation of Teachers in Chicago, told UPI the high court’s ruling Wednesday placed these teachers in “a no man’s land in the area of organizing and bargaining for wages and working conditions. The Court ruled that the National Labor Relations Board could not force the Catholic bishop of Chicago to bargain with a union representing teachers in two Catholic high schools, Quigley North and Quigley South. The decision said the government violated religious freedom in trying to impose its collec tive bargaining rules on church-operated schools. Silkwood spying order denied A former president of Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp. testified Thurs day in Oklahoma City he had no knowledge of company spying on Karen Silkwood a month before her death, as previously charged by attorneys for Silkwood’s estate. Richard Zitting, now of Albuquerque, N.M., said he neither ordered company security officer James Read ing to investigate Silkwood nor knew of such an activity. Silkwood’s family, of Nederland, Texas, seeks $11.5 million in a federal lawsuit against Kerr-McGee, saying that negligence caused Silkwood to be contaminated with plutonium a Week before her death. Silkwood died in a 1974 traffic crash. She was on her way to meet a unioit 1 ' official and a reporter to discuss alleged safety violations at Kew McGee’s nuclear fuel processing plant at Crescent, Okla., about 30 miles from Oklahoma City. Defense ends Park questions Defense attorney Camille Gravel finished five days of crossexami nation of South Korean rice dealer Tongsun Park in Monroe, La., Thursday and handed the government’s star witness a subpoena or dering him to return later in the trial and testify for the defense. Gravel, defending former Rep. Otto Passman, D-La., from bribery, conspiracy and tax evasion charges, attacked Park’s credibility Thurs day by noting discrepancies in the South Korean’s financial records and reminding jurors that Park faces a 36-count indictment for his part in paying U.S. congressmen cash contributions in exchange for their influence. WORLD British ambassador, butler, shot Gunmen Thursday shot and seriously wounded Sir Richard Sykes, the British ambassador to the Netherlands, and his butler, police said. Police had no immediate motive for the shooting, which ap parently was done by two men who escaped on foot. The gunmen struck as the ambassador was leaving his home to go to the embassy about 9 a.m. Sir Richard was hit just after he entered his Rolls Royce limousine outside his home in a suburban section of The Hague. Police said three shots were fired. One hit the ambassador and another struck his butler, who was holding open the door of the automobile. The chauffeur, who was sitting at the wheel with the engine running, took both injured men to a nearby police station and then to a hospital where they were listed in serious condition. Moslems continue Afghani battle Sibghatullah Mojaddidi, head of the Afghan Liberation Front, said his forces control Herat despite continued counterattacks and air bombardments by troops loyal to Premier Nur Mohammed Taraki. Sibghattullah said some army troops in Herat stood by and did nothing as Shiite Moslem rebels killed communist supporters of Taraki, who seized power 11 months ago in a bloody military coup. WEATHER Partly cloudy and mild with fair skies on Saturday. Winds are north westerly at 10-15 mph. 15% chance of rain. The Battalion LETTERS POLICY I 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. I ' 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. MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Kimf Managing Editor . . Liz' l( Assistant Managing Editor .Andy"® Sports Editor Davids City Editor Scott Pe"® Campus Editor Ste'< News Editors Debbie P^ Beth Calhoun Staff Writers Karen RogeR __ Patterson, Sean Petty, ^ Blake, Dillard Stone. Bragg, Lyle Lovett, k 1 Taylor Cartoonist DougCi" j Photo Editor Lee Roy Leschpf 1 i Photographer Lynn®’ I Focus section editor Gary Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the JJniversity administration or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is a non-pi, supporting enterprise operated l>ij J as a university and community nelLS ^. j Editorial policy is determined by the ^