Slouch
By Jim Earle
“I don’t care too much for April Fool’s jokes on April 1,
but on April 3 I don’t care for them at all. ”
Opinion
Supermarket freeze is telling
Time was when inflation was a subject taught only in
economics courses in college.
Today, the lessons of inflation are being learned in Amer
ica’s kitchens, every time someone brings home a bottle of
ketchup and finds the price stamped on the cap is five or ten
cents higher than the one on the now-empty bottle being
discarded.
On March 3, a modest movement got under way to keep
the lid on some supermarket prices, at least temporarily.
About a dozen major chains responded to an appeal from
Esther Peterson, the president’^,special assistant for con
sumer affairs, and agreed to put a price ceiling on selected
staple food items. The freezes will remain in effect for
periods ranging from one to five months, depending on the
chain.
In most cases, the stores have sufficient stock on hand or
stockpiled to cover the expected demand. However, under
the terms of the voluntary agreement, even if a retailer’s
costs go up on a given item, the price will not, at least for the
duration of the agreed-upon freeze.
There are benefits in this program, both to the companies
and to consumers.
In the long run, however, the supermarket price freeze is
the most valuable for what it tells us about our fragile eco
nomy. This nation is in serious trouble, indeed, when a
limited price freeze on selected grocery items can be touted
by the White House as an “important contribution” to limit
ing inflationary pressures.
Keene (N.H.) Sentinel
the small society
by Briclcman
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The Battalion
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MEMBER
Texas Press Association
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Editor Roy Bragg
Associate Editor Keith Taylor
News Editor Rusty Cawley
Asst. News Editor Karen Cornelison
Copy Editor. Dillard Stone
Sports Editor . Mike Burrichter
Focus Editor Rhonda Watters
City Editor Louie Arthur
Campus Editor Diane Blake
Staff Writers ....... . . ! . Nancy Andersen,
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Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editor or of the writer of the
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Editorial policy is determined by the editor.
Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Thursday
April 3, 1980
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Letters
Women allow bad treatment to occur
Editor:
In reponse to the letter of Strain, Mel-
son, McDonnel and Caldwell I would first
like to state that my views here do not
reflect the majority of men at this universi
ty (if not in the world).
If the previously mentioned gentlemen
(and I use the term loosely) would stop and
think about why the women of this univer
sity act the way they do perhaps they would
not be so quick to criticize.
Everyday I see women treated like, at
best, second class citizens. Most of the men
around here see the aspects of a woman in
this order:
\.f Body
2. Face
3. Hair
and it stops there.
If they take the time to find out that she
has a personality and intellect so much the
better.
I think you will find, gentlemen, that if
you treat women as people first with rights,
feelings, and minds that your social life
will improve immensely. I personally have
never been at a loss for female companion
ship at this university, using this ideal.
And I would like to remind you that it is an
ideal I believe in strongly.
I would like to point out however that
conditions like this prevail only because
women allow men to get away with such
attitudes. I would no more date a woman
who would allow me to get away with such
abuse anymore than the women on campus
will go out with gentlemen.
Men are people and they have rights.
Women are people too, and they have
rights also. It is a philosophy that works. I
know. I am going to marry a woman that is a
person in her own right at the end of the
year.
Jeff Tix ’80
inability to meet women or be given a
chance to do so.
Well, let me ask you this question: “How
do you think you’re going to meet anyone
sitting in your dorm room or apartment all
day wondering why you don’t have a date or
anything to do?” If you want to have a date
this weekend, get out and get involved.
Open your eyes to everyone around you.
The next time you meet a girl, even if it’s
casually in the cafeteria, if you’re interested
ask her what her name is. You never know
when you may see her again. And what
have you got to lose? Absolutely nothing!
I honestly feel that if y’all were really
interested in having something to do on
Saturday nights or any night, you’d do
something about it. If everyone, both men
and women weren’t so caught up in the
“proper” ways of dating, this world would
be a whole lot less complicated. Specifical
ly, if we could all learn how to give and take
each other’s invitations for dates without
feeling threatened, we’d all be much hap
pier. I know that y’all must feel that this
kind of lifestyle is utopian in nature, but I
know that the world wasn’t built in a day
and I don’t expect our social norms of
behavior to change overnight.
In closing, Mr. Strain, I hope that if you
haven’t changed your feelings about
women at A&M, that you’ve at least
cleaned some of the cobwebs out of your
mind.
Regina M. Schulte
eating $100,000 of student service funds
and/or bookstore funds for women’s
athletes. I am not opposed to women’s
athletics — far from it. But supporting an
athletic department out of student service
funds benefits very few students and thus
the expenditure, approximately 10 percent
of the student service fund, is not justifi
able. If the bookstore provides the funds,
other student organizations receiving
bookstore funds currently include such
groups as Aggie Cinema, Town Hall and
Hospitality Committee.
Supporting athletics is a privilege, not a
responsibility. We do support athletics
voluntarily — how many of us buy season
tickets for football, basketball and/or
baseball, or join the Student Aggie Club?
The equality in funding for men’s and
women’s athletics should not be the stu
dent’s responsibility but that of those who
created that inequality — the administra
tion and supporters of the athletic prog
rams.
Lisa Nixon ’81
Aid:
SG deserves a break
SG not harmless
Bad manners shown
Editor:
In repsonse to Craig K. Strain’s (and
friends) letter of April 1, to The Battalion, I
feel that the following comments should be
made.
First of all, your statements with regard
to the general nature of women at TAMU is
rather absurd and shows that you gentle
men (and I use the term loosely) exhibit
very little in the way of taste or manners.
Your second complaint deals with your
lack of anything to do on Saturdays, which
you state, in other words, stems from your
Editor:
Until last week, I considered Student
Government (SG), a rather harmless
group. Until last week, that is . . .
I am vehemently opposed to two actions
SG took last week. The first was closing
meeting to the press and non-elected stu
dents. No matter how often Ronnie Kapa-
vik and Paul Bettencourt deny it, according
to the Open Records Law, the SG is a
governing body by virtue of the fact that
they assess and collect* a fee from every
student through the semester fees, which
must be paid in full to attend class. Not a
voluntary contribution, it affects and re
lates to all the students on this campus,
meeting Webster’s criteria for the adjec
tive “public. ” The elected members of SG
betrayed the trust we placed in them last
year at election time, and broke the law
when they allowed the closed meeting.
The second controversial action was allo-
Editor:
The Texas A&M Student Senate has
been put under pressure by The Battalion
to disclose the contents of a closed session
last Wednesday night. It is important that
we realize just what rights our student
government has, and it is just as important
to take an objective look at the perform
ance of the campus media.
In the first place, the student senate did
have the right to call a closed session. Their
constitution allows for such sessions with
unanimous consent, which was later
obtained (and verified by reliable sources).
The Texas Open Meeting Law does not
apply to the senate, as the senate does not
qualify as a governmental body; it merely
suggests policy. But even if the student
senate was a proper governmental body,
disclosure would not be required under
the Texas Open Records Law (Section 3 (a)
(3)), because “information relating to liti
gation of a criminal or civil nature” was
being discussed.
In the second place, The Battalion’s edi
tor, Roy Bragg, in Monday’s paper is re
ported to have requested full disclosure ol
all germane information from the Wednes
day meeting according to the law. Howev
er, in the same paper, in regards to these
same laws, Bragg says “The senate claims
that they’re not covered by the Open Meet-
numera
Ellect cens
| During t
earn how t<
■d how ti
baps. Peo|
Bin the er
ings Law. Based on a prelimifc'jjjL an
tion (see also Battalion, Friday, Mlredge h-
from an official in the attorney HL j‘
office, they’re probably right g eU Mc ’ Fa
legality of the action is beside the|*L’p US Fr
It seems that there is a contradwHj q
if the senate is legally exempt pj e t. e
formal “legal” motion for discovei'Ht‘yy e s | i()|
case, it is surprising to know®^
editor of The Battalion knows a
the law than the state attorney
Another question I have abort
troversy centers around the
know.” Does that mean thattk
information the public should!
Does it mean that the consequei#
closure are not important? Shop
everything? Well, obviously
press has obligations to its readers
the senate does to its constitueis
must consider the danger their i
has put on senate operations
shaken faith in our student govei
The press is also obligated tod
news in an unbiased, accurate nit
ing such language as “legal ploy,’
tomfoolery,” and “parliament*
flam” is hardly less than sensaS
Nor is bragging about how thej
“attacked the senate for its actio!
In terms of the accuracy of cam!
Paul Bettencourt, Chairman oft
Committee, has this to say about?
lion’s accuracy concerning thii
“The student senate did not ij
Open Meetings Law ... This is
knew about the law, but in our op!
do not come under its jurisdiction
27) But this is not the first suchco
In The Battalion of March 26, A*
Reese, Commanding Officer
Mounted Cavalry, stated, “11
campus media has been unfair ini
age of our organization. I only I*
other student organizations willn)
the same traps I have in my
The Battalion and KAMU.’Evidfi
that has happened.
In conclusion, we must le
things from both perspectives,
trust everything we hear. A f
attacks senators (or for that
source) as did the editors ofTheiM
this case, tends to create less desc
source to give information freely;!
ages silence. Maybe that’s why
closed sessions.
Mark Strom
Scott fe»
Jay H. H*
Samira A.
Thotz
By Doug Grak
Rocki