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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1979)
Slouch by Jim Earle “As Z understand your problem, you believe that we should postpone our class assignment to allow you to rest up after the free holiday that you were given last Monday?” Opinion A hard one to call A Battalion reporter who is also an intercollegiate athlete writes an article concerning possible violation of an Athletic Department policy. Two days later she is dismissed from her track team. Are the two events related? We don’t know. But the timing of the two events stretches credibility. The Athletic Department says Angelique Copeland’s dis missal results from a single dispute she had with her track coach. Both Copeland and Coach Bill Nix agree that before See related story, page 1 the incident last Friday — and before the article was printed last Wednesday — the two had not had problems. But Copeland made one mistake by telling her coach she was performing as well as she could. Nix says he won’t stand for any athlete to tell him what she will or will not do. Nix says to back dowp, tp reinstate Copeland, would be to violate his own principles. ^ Copeland wants to rurt for Texas A&M, but she doesn’t believe she did anything wrong. She thinks Nix was reacting to pressure he felt — real or imagined — from the Athletic Department. As we said before, we don’t know if the two are con nected. But even if they’re not, it seems the coach’s action was arbitrary. One possible mistake should not be enough reason to kick an athlete off the team, especially if she’s had no problems in the past. Those who know about intercollegi ate athletics say it should take more than one such incident for dismissal from a team. To compound things, Copeland had no recourse, no due process. Kay Don, the next one up the line as assistant athletic director for women, said the matter, in her judgment, was out of her hands. And Nix agreed. Perhaps the system should be re-examined. the small society by Brickman 0 J D □ I M W/AY 12? A C^&MT 4C.WC&1. 1-5 12? C&LL&&&- - WMrtn«ton Star Syrxttcata, Inc. /2-£ The Battalion u s p S 045 360 LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 tcords and are subject tit being cut to that length or less if longer The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such lettirs and does not guarantee to publish any letter Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone numbin' for verification. Address correspondence to Li-ttiTs to the Editor. The Battalion. Hoorn 216. Reed McDonald Building. College Station. Texas 77H43. Represented nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City. Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalion is published Monday throng}) Fridas from September through May except during exam and holiday >eriods and the summer, when it is published on Tuesday hrough 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 exclusivels 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 . . . . Liz Newlin Managing Editor Andy Williams Asst. Managing Editor Dillard Stone News Editors Karen Comelison and Michelle Burrowes Sports Editor Sean Petty City Editor Roy Bragg Campus Editor Keith Taylor Focus Editor .Beth Calhoun Staff Writers Meril Edwards, Nancy Andersen, Louie Arthur, Richard Oliver, Mark Patterson, Carolyn Blosser, Kurt Allen, Debbie Nelson, Rhonda Watters Photo Editor ...... .Lee Roy Leschper Jr. Photographers Lynn Blanco, Sam Stroder, Ken Herrera Cartoonist Doug Graham 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-profit, self- supporting enterprise operated by students as a university and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Thursday December 6, 1979 ca Broder Carter campaign must make the plea ‘Nobody could have done it better By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — Jimmy Carter formally announced his campaign for re-election Tuesday under circumstances as trying as any American president has faced in a half century. His plans for an announcement- week fund-raising and campaign tour are being held hostage by the same Tehran street mobs which have imprisoned the American embassy staff — a grim reminder of the extent to which his fate, like theirs, is controlled by forces outside his command. It has been Carter’s destiny to occupy the Oval Office at a time when the pres idency has become a pawn to the passions and politics sweeping the Persian Gulf re gion. Those forces are at the root of the energy shortanges, the rampant inflation and the grim prospect of military conflict which now confront this nation. When it was suggested a few weeks ago that time may have run out on Carter’s chances to hold those destructive forces in check, some people in the White House were vocal in their expressions of dismay and disagreement. One of the most admired of Carter’s aides argued, with force, that, “The president has tried to address the fundamental problems facing the country.’’ Carter has succeeded on a good many fronts, and even where unsuc cessful, this aide said, “he has not failed for want of trying.” All that is true. Carter’s record in office may not be the “nearly unparalleled achievement” the White House described in its recent 57-page booklet. But a most thorough, dispassionate analysis by Profes sor JeffFishel of American University, con cludes that, “If one measures Carter’s programmatic output against what was promised during the campaign, or against the comparable ... records of all presidents since Kennedy at this point in their admi nistrations, the achievements ... are more impressive than what one might conclude from sampling any number of current popular commentaries.” Were Carter to end his presidency this week, rather than announce his bid for re nomination, he would be credited with any number of significant contributions, rang ing from the Egyptian-Israeli accord to Civil Service reform. But his inability to tame the whirlwind in the Persian Gulf has raised fundamental fears about American’s position in the world. At home, the energy-fed inflation is eroding American living standards and confidence in the future. The basic Demo cratic constituent — symbolized by a full time factory worker with three dependents — has suffered more than a 4 percent de cline in his real after-tax weekly earnings since Carter became president. For these reasons. Carter’s campaign must consist, not only of a recital of accom plishments but of a plea that no one could have done better, given the circumstances, and that no one will do better than Carter if he has another four years to serve. But is there any reason to believe Carter would do better if granted a second term? Therein lies the central paradox of the com ing campaign. The crippling failure of Carter’s first term stems from his cherished and self- proclaimed status as an “outsider.” As an outsider, he often has failed to recognize the legitimacy of the complex system of constituency representation, re flected in Congress, the bureaucracy and the interest groups. He often has failed to involve other leaders, with constituencies of their own, in the common tasks of gov erning, or to give them a substantial stake in the success of his policies. Rather, he has relied on his own formid able intelligence, industry and dedication — and on a set of personal advisers which even now, although strengthened, in cludes some men who do not begin to mea sure up to his asserted standard of excell ence. Too often in this term. Carter has been captured by the conceit that his own mysti que and communion with the “people” could substitute for the daily drudgery of coalition-building in Congress and the poli tical realm. Even in his July 15 acknowledging his failures as a was still the personalistic presii projected: “You (the people)can develop a national agenda for the 1? will listen. And I will act. We together. ” But in reconstituting his 0 staff last summer, he gave belated tion to the legitimacy of the elements in the Democratic Part)-] the mayors to the minorities Washington lawyers. Challenged for renomination, turned to those constituency has said, in effect, “You have its hands to save or destroy me. ’Arei number of them have responded^ even when given the alternative porting the last of the Kennedys. And therein lies the paradox are against Carter’s renomination, were to be renominated and re-eli would come through his having the help of those elements in the tic coalition which he scorned in very elements that could give him of a governing coalition in his second If Jimmy Carter is re-elected, he better President. Because this tii could understand he had not himself. (c) 1979, The Washington PostCwpi The Be iBrazos Va for 10 yea feel they msinesse: [dication, i The BB jtion sup] dues fro Leroy Bal [office loci isaid the bi [County in lie had jusiness. 15 Better [out of 14f Balmaii larketpla [His office im plaint :eeps a r lodged by >rts on h jperation eports, \ mblic, al msinesse Ition. A&M j au: will st decad man o Regen Cly board and pv conce Finan “W I Wells enhan “Stagi happe We! in 19e gener: He Texas knowr with a “Hi Letters Dickey’s 20-yard burst Saturday was his own way of saying goodbye Editor: Remember this quote from 1976? “I may never be a millionaire, but I think I know how one feels.” Those were the words of Emory Bellard, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Texas A&M Unversity after signing Bryan native Curtis Dickey to a four-year football scholarship. Curtis was a hometown boy, and he wanted very much to remain close to his mother and local friends. So he inked a four-year commitment with Texas A&M with no hesitation. And when he finally appeared at Kyle Field in a bright, maroon jersey bearing number 22 to do his thing, the point behind Bellard’s comment was immediately realized. Curtis Dickey was indeed a “prize.” Those who have followed Dickey in his brilliant career at Aggieland have seen a touch of everything. He’s run for short yar dage, long yardage, and everything in be tween. He’s been plagued with injuries and he’s played at full capacity. He’s been spectacu lar in his performances, and at times, he’s not performed at all. I strongly doubt, however, that Curtis Dickey has ever made a prettier run than last Saturday’s 20 yard burst which pushed Texas A&M in front of the University of Texas. And while he did not fulfill all expectations during his col legiate career, he certainly displayed his ability and desire to compete in the game during that touchdown run. Dickey did not win the Heisman Tro phy, and he didn’t even make the All- Southwest Conference team. But he won the hearts of Aggies everywhere when he came off the bench last week and said good bye in his own special way. Curtis Dickey has been a pleasure to watch. It will be interesting to observe his progress in professional football. And when he gets there, Curtis too, will realize and understand the words of his former coach, Emory Bellard. — Pat Edmondson agreed with him. I would like to comment on this. Since I am graduating in two days, I have seen several football seasons as a student at A&M. Something happened this year that had never happened while I was a student at A&M. The football team won a game that most people felt the team would not win. Also, since Coach Wilson has taken over, the Aggies have been competitive in every game. This cannot be said about Coach Bellard, even if one throws out Coach Bel lard’s first couple of seasons. By now several readers are saying that at least Coach Bellard took A&M to bowl games. The answer to that is obvious. If unbiased analysis is used, offensive mis- cues are the reasons for most of our losses. Can the same be said about losses in pre vious years? Recalling losses to Arkansas, Michigan, Houston in previous years; 24, 42, and 33 point losses are hard to blame on turnovers alone. In conclusion, Coach Bellard made the Aggies a good winning team, but a few of his ideas kept the Aggies from playing the great teams on even terms. Therefore, a coaching change was made. The results have not been an undefeated season, but if one looks past the numbers, one can see a competitiveness in games with great teams that was lacking in previous years. I per sonally would like to thank the people who hire coaches for their courage; and Coach Wilson, for a great graduation gift. — Thomas Turner No better news? Surv Editor: Perhaps The Battalion could make better use of its front page by running an article on why hundreds of students miss class each semester when it is required than by using the space to criticize a handful of students and a professor who chose to have class when it is not mandatory. If you are that hard-pressed for con troversy, I might be able to supply some names of people who are even going to do some work during Christmas break after classes are over. — Robert A. Schindler Graduate Student No excuses needed Editor: I’ve got about a hundred other things I should be doing, but thanks to Mark Pat terson, I have to take the time to write about what a jerk he is for writing Dec. 4’s article on the game. Some people just can’t admit when they’re wrong. It’s understandable for someone to have picked t.u. over A&M last Friday. Personally, I thought that it would be a tight game but that t.u. wouWi ably come out on top. But when our team came througl great win, it seems a clairvoyants) Patterson could acknowledge adan»B performance on our behalfinsteadofep grading it by making excuses forts t But no.ooo! Since t.u. didn’t offer any excuse*'| loss as Patterson related, hehadtc F them up all by himself. He attribute | win to their numerous mistakes andtg fact that their defense “decided to tab i day off. ” I don’t understand why Pa!t ‘ ; and seemingly every other sportsfe?! can remember how 10 points of out I came after their turnovers but ca» | member that t.u. ’s only score came B one of our turnovers. And hedidut g mention our great defense effort. I As for t.u. s playing poorly, Pattej must have better judgment thanhistel coach, Fred Akers. After viewing I games’ films, Akers himself said tk r team played well. He also said that 1 f played very well. He thought weP' I our best football game of the season ! come one of our own sports writers I admit we did just that? Instead, all he can write about is much class t.u. has, even in losing In closing, my advice to the BattsS Gag ’im, Aggies! — Dale Crocht Texas favorably vey cond her instit ciation c Land-Gr “In th< creases h minimize 80,” said dent for “On a ranks be low the schools, creases i NASO median fees, roo nationwi in line v and are Thotz By Doug Grab Wilson s a winner Editor: I cannot believe what I heard in class Tuesday. Several Ags were reminiscing ab out last Saturday’s game. Everyone still could not believe what happened. Then the shocker came. One fellow said that even though the Aggies won, he still wished Emory Bellard was our coach. What is funnier is that some other guys