Viewpoint
The Battalion Wednesday
Texas A&M University October 8, 1980
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By Jim Earle
Even if it worked, Ed rather have the peace and quiet than the rain.
Congressional races
display campaign skill
By DAVIE) S. BRODEK
WASHINGTON — There are rather good
election campaigns going on our there — once
you get past Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and
John B. Anderson. In the contests for Senate
and House seats and the relatively few gov
ernorships that are up this year, r there are
genuine debates between vigorous advocates of
opposing views and contenders with creden
tials for the office they are seeking.
Because the presidency so totally — and in
appropriately — dominates the political dia
logue, even in a year when the major conten
ders are saying almost nothing, these other
campigns tend to be overshadowed. But there
are some things happening at other levels of the
ballot that are worthy of note.
The passage of power from the older to the
younger generation — still stymied in the
White House — is proceeding apace at the
other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Time is a
capricious master. While many voters seem
ready to start a novice 69-year-old in the pres
idency, those in New York have turned wise
and experinced 76-year-old Sen. Jacob Javits
(R) from a favorite for re-election into a third-
place contender on a minor-party line. Rep.
Elizabeth Holtzman (D), the person likely to
replace him, is 39.
At the other end of the country. Sen. Warren
G. Magnuson (D), 75, who has represented
Washington in Congress since 1937, faces his
toughest challenge in decades from Atty. Gen.
Slade Gorton (R), a comparative stripling of 52.
Sen. Milton R. Young (R) of North Dakota,
82, is at last yielding his seat to his intra-party
rival. Rep. Mark Andrews (R), 54, and Andrews
in turn may be replaced in the House by Tax
Commissioner Byron Dorgan (D), 38, a one
time anti-war activist who is part of the national
network of populists and neighborhood orga
nizers.
North Dakota is not the only state where
retirements have created opportunities for
younger politicians who have been eager to take
on greater responsibilities. The same thing has
happened with Senate seats in Connecticut,
Illinois, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania — though
skeptics can properly wonder whether the re
placement in any of those states will match the
quality of the retirees.
In the House, the probable pattern is one of
stability — not change — and that is welcome.
There are only 43 open seats, where the incum
bents are retiring, running for other office or
were defeated in primaries. The 10 percent
vacancy rate is the lowest in recent years.
While several senior House Democrats like
Many of the best of the new candidates this
year are women, and some of them — like Lynn
Martin (R) in Illinois’ 16th District and Lynn
Cutler (D) in Iowa’s 3rd District, are waging
their contests with a vigor and skill you wish
could be transfused into the lackluster pres
idential race.
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Disruption of Silver Taps
defeats ceremony’s purpose
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The stillness in the air was a reflection of the
somberness of the occasion. Just as it should be
for a Silver Taps.
The Ross Volunteer firing squad marched in
to their funeral cadence, a haunting sound in
the quiet surroundings.
“First order ... ready ... aim ...”
“WHOOP!! WAY TO GO JIM!!”
“Fire!”
It doesn’t take much to disturb the quietude
of a solemn ceremony ... even from a mile
away.
And those who attended Silver Taps last
night certainly had their quiet reflection inter
rupted from the direction of the Penberthy in
tramural complex. Shouts of exuberance and
desperation from the intramural football games
were severely out of place with the atmosphere
of a Silver Taps ceremony.
Many of us look upon Silver Taps as a private,
very special ceremony — something we are
rather honored to participate in. It’s our
privelege as Aggies to pay homage to a fellow
student.
In keeping with this personalized feeling we
have about the ceremony, I really couldn’t care
whether each and every other student thinks
Silver Taps is worth his while. It would be nice
if we had more than 3,000 students at a Silver
Sidebars
By Dillard Stone
Taps, but the intimacy of the ceremony is not
diminished by the number attending, be it
large pr small.
What’s upsetting is the scheduling of Univer
sity events at the same time as a Silver Taps.
Having an intramural game scheduled at the
same time forces some to make a choice be
tween an obligation to a group and a memorial
to a comrade.
It also distracts those of us who can hear the
whistles, yells, and cheers of those involved in
the athletic events.
But the Intramural Department isn’t the only
University-related organization which conflicts
with Taps.
On at least one occasion last year, one of the
student programming groups started a three-
hour movie at 8 p.m. Those who wanted to see
the movie and attend Taps were confronted
with the dilemma of which to attend.
Petty complaint? I think not — considj
the relative infrequency with which Silver]
occurs.
Silver Taps was formerly held as soont
sible on a Tuesday after a student’s dealt
cause of the frequency of student dealt
year, the student senate recommended!
Taps be changed to the first Tuesday oil
month — when necessary.
So everyone knows when a Silver Tapra
be held — no more than four times thissg
ter, and no more than three times nextsa
ter. There’s no more hit-and-miss invota
not scheduling University activities atthes
time as a Silver Taps — conflicts canei*
avoided by not scheduling any events e
p.m. on the first Tuesday each month.
Fraternity parties and off-campus danre
things we can’t do anything about on the
of Taps; but off-campus activities don’t ds
intrude on the solemnity of the ceremony
campus intramurals and programmed ev
do.
University-sponsored events shouldnl
flict with University-sponsored memorial
vices.
Such conflicts put University offices ins
sition at a time when harmony and singlene
purpose are truly called for.
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John Brademas of Indiana, Morris K. Udall of
Arizona and Bob Eckhardt of Texas face un
usually stiff challenges, in general the re-
election prospects for both Democrats and Re
publicans who were first elected in the 1970s
appear excellent in this first election of the
1980s.
That stability is welcome, because the high
turnover-rate in the house' in the elections of the
1970s — and the prospect of another wholesale
reshuffling following redistricting in 1982 —
have made the House quirky, nervous and un
predictable.
The political security that junior members
will gain from having one more election safely
under their belts should make it somewhat
easier for them to accept the discipline and
responsiblity of facing up to the hard legislative
choices many of them have been inclined to
finesse in their first few sessions.
Meantime, the congressional and senatorial
candidates in many districts and states are pro
viding the kind of stimulating debate that has
been so conspicuously missing in the presiden
tial contest.
The other week, I heard Rep. Chris Dodd
(D) and ex-Sen. Jim Buckley (R) present an 1
exceptionally skillful and civil definition of their
contrasting energy and economic policies in
Connecticut.
lowans have had a slam-bang series of de
bates between Sen. John Culver (D) and his
challenger. Rep. Charles Grassley (R). In Col
orado, Sen. Gary(D) has agreed to several de
bates with his opponent. Secretary of State
Mary Estill Buchanan (R). And in Oregon, Sen.
Bob Packwood (R) is doing the same thing with
state Sen. Ted Kulongoski (D).
In almost all these races, the choice for voters
is not between the lesser of two evils but be
tween rivals who seem fully qualified by tem
perament, age and experience for the job.
The same is true in some of the House dis
tricts I have visited. Voters around New Haven,
for example, have the luxury of choosing be
tween two men who made exceptional records
in the state Senate — Democrat Joe Liebean
and Republican Larry DeNardis — to succeed
retiring House Budget Committee Chairman
Robert Giaimo (D).
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Editor:
More than two years ago I decided to enter
the college of tradition, Texas A&M University.
I had a great deal of dreams and desires of what
I thought attending A&M would be like. My
expectations of A&M were high. However,
when I came to A&M, some of my expectations
were shattered.
Housing was one of them. The first thing I
ever did to enroll at A&M was to register for
housing. I and my other fellow freshman Aggies
had to do this at the end of our junior year in
high school. Most juniors at that time had not
even started to think about college, yet we were
already filling out the forms; therefore, I ex
pected to receive an on-campus dorm. Howev
er, a year and two months later, I received a
letter which stated that I was in one of the
brand-new married student’s apartments. I
was to have three roommates, a kitchen and a
bathroom, which did not sound bad at all.
Until I had my first look!
I went in the door expecting at least two
rooms, but I found a cold, dismal square room
with a stove, sink and refrigerator built into the
wall. The only furniture in the apartment was
four old, smelly mattresses and six portable
room dividers. I had expected to have only one
roommate in an on-campus dorm, but I was
rewarded with three; therefore, concentrating
on my studies was very difficult because some
one was usually talking. Also, I did not expect to
have to buy any kitchen supplies or second
hand furniture, which put a big hole in my bank
account.
This apartment complex did not have the
dorm-life that I expected either. Unlike most
colleges, the dorms at A&M are the fraternities
in which each dorm has its own songs, traditions
and social activities. Tha halls have a lot of
group activities which create a dorm spirit with
in the whole Aggie spirit.
Housing and brotherhood are not the only
expectations that have been mismanaged. The
system in general is not what I expected. I
registered in June, months before classes
started, and I anticipated that my schedule
JBetory
would be correct. However, I had two i Was j n( jj
scheduled at the same time and six classfybeen ha
one day. So I was sent to the BiomedicalSof Three
ces building to correct this error. I was told dismisse
person, who is supposedly my advisor, toff the ir
range my schedule by myself. I had todecip' , It s a
my classes from a computer sheet whiohij^™
hard to read. I also expected my tuitiontCKT.?.^ 1
correct, but it was not. I found that I nee h ave ^
some refunds; therefore, I went from oneeift ^ ^
campus to the other and back again onl' out the
obtain an answer which was to come bao A&M-U
three weeks to get my refund. I had expect?* game d
get refunded in one specifice office, suchai' ment to
Fiscal Department, instead of having to
different offices for different refunds. Altho* 111 I" 6 A
Texas A&M has a great number of peoplf
mind, I feel they could provide better hou®
and reorganize the system.
Bradford N. Cl*
■
By Scott McCullar
THIS IS TUST A REMINDER
THATA FOREIGN STUDENT
CAN ALSO BE DEFINED AS
WHAT yOO WOULD BE CALLED,
ATTENDING SCHOOL \N A
FOREIGN COUNTRY.
The Battalion
U S P S 045 360
m
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Rhonda Watters
Asst. Managing Editor Scott Haring
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Asst. Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy
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