Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Friday
September 5, 1980
Slouch By Jim Earle
“It is true that we have a few space problems here and there.
Carter plans focus on
Reagan’s mistakes
By HELEN THOMAS
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Politics is the order of
the day at the White House these days. No one
pretends it is anything else as President Carter
and his lieutenants begin the re-election cam
paign from what they believe is an underdog
position.
Reagan has managed to get diverted from this
subject, and some of his remarks have been
repudiated by his own strategists.
When Reagan spoke of a Carter “depress
ion,” his economic adviser, Alan Greenspan,
thought that went too far, calling it a “reces
sion.”
Their aim is to keep the focus on Republican
opponent Ronald Reagan, hoping he will make
mistakes along the way, and to depict him as a
man who wants to turn back the clock.
Their broad smiles these days indicate they
believe that Reagan is helping to keep the spot
light on himself with misspoken words that
alienate some voting groups and hurt his poli
tical prestige.
The Ripon Society has issued a white paper
entitled “A Call to Excellence in the National
Political Dialogue.”
No sooner had Reagan extracted himself from
the mire of a confusing China-Taiwan policy,
when he took a swipe at Carter for launching his
campaign in Tuscumbia, Ala., which Reagan
erroneously described as the birthplace of the
Ku Klux Klan.
The document expresses some of the wide
spread frustration as to the campaign and the
candidates.
The remark gave Carter an opportunity to
lash out against Reagan and to express his re
sentment “as a Southerner and an American.”
“America needs excellence in leadership
now,” it said. “We are looking in this campaign
for the qualities of foresight, courage and
direction that make great leaders. To date we
have had very little basis on which to judge.
Those are only the beginning skirmishes.
There are nearly nine weeks ahead of unrelent
ing campaigning for the big prize. And there are
signs that the contest may get rough as it goes
along.
Carter’s battle plan is clear. In television
commercials he intends to focus on his accom
plishments in getting through Congress the na
tion’s first comprehensive energy program, in
bringing Israel and Egypt together in the Camp
David peace accords, and in naming more
blacks, minorities and women to the federal
bench and top government jobs than any other
president.
He also keeps stressing that the voters have a
choice in this election in deciding the kind of
future they want for the country.
Reagan’s advisers are urging him to tackle
Carter where he is most vulnerable — the eco
nomy and the empty pocketbook. But somehow
The white paper also urged that the voters
not be satisfied with empty rhetoric, sloganeer
ing and rank appeal to special voting blocs. And
it urged the candidates to make their language
more “meaningful” by not merely stating a posi
tion favoring a national goal but setting forth the
specific steps it would take to achieve that goal.
Warped
Report urges parental discipline
By PATRICIA McCORMACK
United Press International
If a kid turns mice loose in the lunchroom,
plays a radio full blast in the library, or does
something else disruptive in school, do parents
bear any responsibility?
Or is it a plain case of teacher failing to keep
order?
The question’s more than academic for this
reason:
A just-released poll reports parents would be
made to bear more responsibility for acts of kids
in class if teachers had their way.
Ninety-one percent participating in the 1980
National Education Association Nationwide
Teacher Opinion Poll said so. But only one out
of five said such a policy has been instituted in
their school districts.
The point about parents was made when
teachers were asked if selected practices had
helped or would help with student behavior
problems and whether or not each had been
instituted.
Other practices the teachers were asked ab
out and the percent feeling the practice would
help:
— Strict discipline, 91 percent.
— Special classes tor problem students, 80
percent. ,
— Teachers allowed more authority to sus
pend unruly students from class, 80 percent.
— Special schools for problem students, 75
percent.
— Corporal punishment allowed, 85 per
cent.
— Security personnel during school day, 40
percent.
About half the teachers said student behavior
interferes with their teaching — 21 percent to a
great extent and 33 percent to a moderate ex
tent.
Elementary teachers said they have, on aver
age, three students with chronic behavior prob
lems; junior high teachers, six; high school
teachers, five.
Discipline policies within respondents’
schools were described as being in writing 69
percent, and clear, 60 percent.
But such policies, the survey showed, are not
consistently applied — 67 percent; not strict
enough — 61 percent; and not comprehensive
enough — 58 percent.
The survey also showed:
— Almost 490,000 — one-fourth or 23 per
cent — of the teachers had personal property
stolen by a student over the past 12 months. An
estimated 310,000 or 14 percent said their per
sonal property was damaged intentionally dur
ing the year.
— An estimated 113,000 — 5.2 percent —
were physically attacked hy a student over the
past 12 months. Some 13,000 were attacked
twice; 13,000 others, three times or more.
Teacher atttacks are more common im .
school systems or in systems with 25,1
more. But the report said “there are sign!
numbers of attacks in other school system;
— About three-fifths or 59 percent o(4
attacked believe the attack was intentionill
15 percent weren’t sure and 26 percents
was incidental — that is, they were struck
breaking up a fight among students. . ,
— Of those attacked, about 2,600«!
percent received a serious physical i.
27,000 or 24 percent, a minor physical®.
43,000 or 38 percent, emotional trauma!'
and 40,000 or 36 percent — apparent udIj
ables or diehards — suffered neither a pk
injury nor emotional trauma as a result
attack.
tillS!
— Ninety percent of those attacked die:
miss any school time but two percent list
part of a school day and eight percent ms
live school days, on the average. 1
— About 15 percent of those attacked™
report the incident to school officials orto|
enforcement officers. Most feared beingseef
a failure by their bosses. A few did notrt®
because of a “what’s the use” attitude orati
ing the administration wouldn’t act anyw
About 10 percent of the attacks resiljd i
charges filed against students — 6perceiili|
teachers; 2 percent, by the school systei
percent, by law enforcement officials.
Bring
Silver
in this
tion a
The question of Carter-Reagan debates is still
up in the air with the White House waiting for
some “third party” to come up with a solution to
break the stalemate. The sticking point is
whether independent John Anderson should
participate. Each side is accusing the other of
being ‘afraid to debate.”
Human brain like giant prune
Study on daydreaming flawed
“The real candidates lie hidden behind the
defensive tactics of image-makers counting
short-term considerations. When ahead in the
polls, they avoid engaging in debate; when be
hind they dwell on the vulnerable attributes of
their rivals. We have watched the campaigns
for many months but still know little of what to
expect for the next four years.”
“We ask the candidates to speak honestly
with us, to show themselves candidly, ‘warts
and all, to trust our ability to see them fairly
rather than to ask us blindly to trust them,” the
Society said.
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — In me you see one of the
world’s foremost air castle architects. I prob
ably spend more time ruminating than most
fullblooded Guernseys. But try convincing
your employers that reverie enriches the mind.
Now comes supportive evidence from a Min
nesota psychologist, Eric Klinger. He has made
a study of daydreaming that directly challenges
the old canard about woolgatherers being shift
less fantasizers who never amount to much.
Daydreaming, says Klinger, is good for you.
Relaxes the body and stimulates the brain,
often resulting in creative insights, he reports.
Which is exactly what I keep telling them
down at the office.
I must admit, however, that the study is
flawed in spots. It offers spurious statistics to
the effect that people occupy 30 to 40 percent of
their waking moments with abstract musings.
The thing that makes the validity of those
figures questionable is the fact that the volun
teer subjects who participated in the study
were college students.
Everyone knows the daydreaming habits of
college students bear no relation to reality else
where.
College students are by their very nature
deeply into reverie. With them it’s a defense
mechanism — a way of surviving classroom lec
tures.
Unless college students let their minds wan
der off into cloudland during learned disquisi
tions, their heads soon would be so cluttered
with knowledge they would suffer erudition
overloads.
The human brain once was commonly
assumed to have sponge-like qualities that en
abled it to absorb enlightenment almost indefi
nitely. We now know from neurological re
search that this concept was fallacious.
We now know that the human brain is more
like a giant prune.
Each new tidbit of information forms a wrink
le on the brain until, at some point, the brain
comes completely puckered. When that If
pens, all subsequent information enterinji
brain either slides right out again or
one of the existing wrinkles.
College students, being constantly expos
to pedagogy, are especially vulnerable. 1
out wisdom intake restrictions, the braini
college student could become entirely cos 1 |
gated before his sophomore year was
Daydreaming, fortunately, is an idealai
crinkling technique. It stops the flow
traneous material to the brain without creal
any furrows of its own.
In any event, a daydreaming study baseJ
college students must be viewed as serM
unscientific. There’s a big difference bet#
woolgathering and torpor, you know. A#
representative study off campus might I
that what passes for daydreaming in thegeiit 1
population is mostly benumbment
by the 1980 presidential campaign
By Scott McCullar
The Battalion
U S P S 045 360
MEMBER
LETTERS POLICY
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Rhonda Watters
City Editor Becky Swanson
Sports Editor Richard Oliver
Focus Editor Scot K. Meyer
News Editors Todd Woodard, Lynn Blanco
Staff Writers Kurt Allen, Marcy Boyce,
Mike Burrichter, Pat Davidson, Jon Heidtke,
Uschi Michel-Howell, Kathleen McElroy,
Debbie Nelson, Liz Newlin,
Cathy Saathoff, Jana Sims,
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photo Editor Pat O’Malley
Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in lengl!
and are subject to being cut if they are longer. The editoritlsld
reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, butti
make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each 10
must also be signed, show the address and phone nwnbetcllh
Columns and guest editorials arc also welcome, and arei :
subject to the same length constraints as letters. Address/ 1 ' 1
inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Battalion, M
Heed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station, ft
77843.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper op
erated as a community service to Texas A&M University and
Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily repre
sent the opinions of Texas A&M University administrators or
faculty members, or of the Board of Regents.
Questions or comments concerning any editorial matter
should be directed to the editor.
The Battalion is published daily during Texas A&M's falM
spring semesters, except for holiday and examination pericd
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per stilt
year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on K’
quest.
Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Build#
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
United Press International is entitled exclusively to the < i, |
for reproduction of all news dispatches credited toil. Rghld|
reproduction of all other matter herein reserved.