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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1980)
The Battalion Texas A&M University Tuesday October 28, 1980 11111 THE DUET PEOPLE FINALLy DO IT WITH EACH OTHER.. I I AM A WOMAN IN LOVE WITH A RED~HEAD&0 STRAflGER- :bxg nose crying in the rain- : MAMAS, DON'T LET YOUR BABIES GROW UP TO BE THE WAY WE WERE- * WILLIE, YOU MADE THE PANTS TOO LONG — you JDQJtf'T BRXcN'G ME LOSlGNEGKS ~ A headlong plunge toward somebody’s warped ideals Editor: You, the readers of this article, are not the people who need to read it the most but since I know of no other way to state my views to the masses, I guess you all are elected. This is a commentary on my views of a few problems I’ve seen at A&M and a report to a few “Old Ags. ” It is my hope that those of whom I speak will at least think about these words. I’ve seen many changes in my four years at Texas A&M, some good, but the majority of which leave an impression that those in control are oblivious to the true needs of the students. I say this because I see this University in a head long plunge toward someone’s warped vision of greatness. Bigger is not necessarily better, con trary to the beliefs of the Board of Regents. To them I say: keep a smaller enrollment and a higher quality of education, rather than tell me that the class I need to graduate already has 400 students in it and I’ll have to take it next Reader's Forum fM : Sir semester. Keep the green areas of the campus green rather than cover them with asphalt, so I’ll have someplace to look at or play football on without being run over by a car. Keep an eye and an ear open to the students rather than the “Old Ags” and their money. It’s our university now and not theirs. Last and most, keep a distance from the school and let it evolve as it did for its first hundred years as a unique friendly university. Do not rush it lest we fall into the big college rut where “friendly” is a slogan made up for public relations leaflets. To the “Old Ags” I say: keep an eye on your past, but don’t believe that the solutions to your problems are the solutions to ours. The times have changed, and so have the problems that confront this University. Keep your ideas on how to change traditions to yourself. They’ll change with the times but not to suit your petty likes and dislikes. Keep your money if you just want good seats at football games. You don’t need to spend $10,000 just to get 50-yard line seats anyhow, especially if you leave at half time. Spend instead for love of Texas A&M and the things you learned here, so that your chil dren will have at least as good an education as you received. Keep also, away from Coach Wil son. I’d rather watch a 4-5 team coached by a man with guts than a 6-3 team coached by an alumni yes-man. Let him be, and the wins will come. (Remember Bear Bryant!) Oh yeah, to our “elite” in the sky-boxes, if you want to sit in the air-conditioning, stay at home and buy some scholarships for worthy students. That’s what this place is a] anyway, isn’t it? My last message is to a very special“l about his meddling in an organizationver) to my heart. To Col. Woodall I say Corps of Cadets is one of the finest oi tions in the world, and it is unique ini pline and traditions. It has turned out the finest officers in the world, mainly strength of what those men learned while Somehow, your policies have destroyed of the ways discipline was learned. The of the Corps is fast becoming a thing oftlei as you whittle away at the very base^B^jj § u lte ability to teach and experience “The lj j^jj g e tsq Way.” If changes need to be made, lei i cadets make them. The Corps is, ofct® i supposed to be a self-run, self-contained: KQ- mil It has been said that the Corps turns oi ? type of officer that our services need. Ilol you to allow us to turn out a better p A officer than our services could ever hope i f\ 1^1 rather than paper men for a paper army J- I don’t want an ROTC unit anyhow. 1 the Corps of Cadets. ByCHRISTI I guess that my thoughts are here, wkt *.,, , Batt , a you believe them right or wrong. Irealia! Natives to things change, but let’s not rush them too! ci p ate( j in pa Hopefully though, one thing will neverb;£ st weekend t ( a memory: “Beat the hell outta t.u.l” |jexas has becc Scott M Reagan doesn’t need total victory tonight They'na right..,.I’ve to do something to elevate the level of my campaign before its too fate. By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — From the beginning of the campaign, Jimmy Carter has wanted Ronald Reagan where he now has him: in a head-to-head debate, with no third candidate, and the election hanging in the balance. Reagan and his managers were not eager for such a confrontation. They used John Anderson as a shield to avoid one, until it became clear last week that ducking the debate was too danger ous a tactic in so close a contest as this one has become; If you presume that candidates always know what is best for them, then the debate ought to put the lock on Carter’s re-election. But, as Gershwin wrote, “It ain’t necessarily so.” Carter wants Reagan in debate because he believes fervently that he can demonstrate in that forum that the challenger’s ambition to be President of the United States is preposterous. Carter recalls that in his first debate with Presi dent Ford, he felt — and looked — far more nervous than he expected. Now, as the incum bent himself. Carter believes he can blow Reagan out of the water; show him up as an empty-headed spouter of conservative cliches, with no comprehension of the hard realities of the world. Carter brings strong weapons to the fight. He is knowledgeable on the entire range of issues that will come up for discussion. He is precise — both in facts and in expression. He knows the names and numbers, he selects his words with care, and his sentences are sparse. Together, the qualities of knowledge and precision trans late to authority — the kind of authority peo ple seek in a President. At least, that is what Carter believes. He is sure he can punch holes in Reagan’s arguments and thereby destroy the credibility of Reagan’s candidacy. On domestic, econom ic, environmental and energy questions, he believes he can cite past Reagan statements and stands that will expose the challenger’s naivete — or force him to recant. On foreign policy, Carter thinks he can do much more: show that Reagan is prone to give fast, ill- founded, over-simplified answers that not only spell error but danger. But Reagan is not without armor against this attack. In all the important, non-verbal areas of the contest of public confidence, Reagan has the advantage. Presuming the old actor does not get stage-fright in his biggest TV part, Reagan has the physical presence, the size, the looks and, most important, the voice to domi nate the proceedings. It is a supple, deep and trained voice, the more authoritative in con- tast to Carter’s breathy squeaks. Carter is no slouch at playing to the camera — remember his one-hour press conference on his brother Billy’s liaison with the Libyans — but Reagan is the master of the art. live states in e nuclear inc Bobby Slo 1 BSANE, said t! educating peoj jus influence o in Texas, and Sommitment ti live energy soi BSANE is th Lone Star AIL anti-nuke org: red the walk Slovak cited lining, radioa 'o nuclear po’ notion at Gl< d a nuclear arillo as ex; eness of the United Pi AUSTIN (U1 of Texas Law S a Children’s R sent children v sed of abuse cials said M Surveying the mood of the country The clinic is ant from the non. A 1979 Over the years, he has gone up against a variety of foes, presumably more knowledge able than himself, from all corners of the politic al spectrum. Whether the opponent was Bob Kennedy or Bill Buckley, Reagan has never been bested. This year, he handled challengers like Anderson and Howard Baker Jr., with all their expertise as Washington insiders, as easily as Tug McGraw would strike out Little League all-stars. Election report from East Plodding That line points up a big strategic advantage Reagan carries into the debate. In seeking to destroy Reagan’s credibility, Carter’s attack is bound to be personal. Reagan’s rebuttal can be depersonalized: “Let’s talk about the record, Mr. President,” he can say. “Let’s talk about inflation and unemployment and the decline in real income. Let’s talk about what has hap pened in Iran and Afghanistan and the rest of the world.” The bottom line is that Reagan does not have to win all the debating points in order to “win” the debate. He has only to remind viewers of the way most of them already feel about the Carter presidency, and stay calm and unflapp able in the face of the incumbent’s assaults. By DICK WEST United Press International WASHINGTON — Reporters on the cam paign trail have brought us a multitude of re ports on the pre-election mood around the country. Even so, voters who have been in a coma these last two months could be unaware of the political climate. For their benefit, here is an all-purpose re capitulation: EAST PLODDING, USA — Spry, 87-years- old and half-sloshed on cooking sherry, “Aunt Mossy” Dalperdang sat at her kitchen table combing mud turtles out of her cat’s tail. “Ay granny, ” she cackled in the idiom of this picturesque New England whaling port, “this is the most exciting presidential race I can re member, and my memory goes clean back to the time Bryan beat McKinley in ’96. ” “Some folks are so eager to vote they can’t wait ’til Nov. 4,” said Hiram Goldang, tax asses sor and poet laureate of this picturesque mid- western farming community. “That is why so many absentee ballots are being cast. ” Elrood Bangleshake, veteran lighthouse- keeper, said interest in the election was ex traordinarily keen in this picturesque western mining town due to the passionate devotion people feel toward the candidates. “I’ve never seen such strong convictions, ” he said. “They’re either all-out for Carter, or gung ho for Reagan or fervently undecided.” Bangleshake said East Plodding was about evenly divided among the three, with the unde cided element favoring independent John Anderson. “As long as they remain undecided, you can’t count Anderson out,” he said. “It’s when they start making up their minds that Anderson gets into trouble. Usually, they decide to vote for somebody else.” Andie Belle Youall, Jimmy Carter’s local Family Law :orneys be aj jldren in su ade no pro\ orneys. The clinic r ren’s need for law stude ince represen campaign manager, said the Democratic date’s chief assets were the economy ant gy problems. “People realize that without Carter’s st on deficit spending and taxes, inflation coeli • J* 16 bureai as high as 10 percent,” she said. Bdd TaicTjoh As for energy, she said the president’s cai for of the clii voluntary fuel conservation had captured (everyone invol hearts and minds of this picturesque" the best intert Coast grapestomping center. ffiost >n his mi Owly Sue Cranny, local director of" 1 ^ Ureau Ronald Reagan campaign, listed foreign affi environmental issues and equal rights women as his big attractions. ( ®ay sometime Warped By Scott McCullar The Battalion U S P S 045 360 MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Questions or comments concerning any editorial m# j | should be directed to the editor. Editor Dillard Stone Managing Editor Rhonda Watters Asst. Managing Editor Scott Haring City Editor Becky Swanson Asst. City Editor Angelique Copeland Sports Editor Richard Oliver Asst. Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy Focus Editor Scot K. Meyer Asst. Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff News Editors Lynn Blanco, Gwen Ham, Todd Woodard Staff Writers Jennifer Afilerbach, Kurt Allen, Nancy Andersen, Marcy Boyce, Jane G. Brust Mike Burrichter, Pat Davidson, Jon Heidtke, Uschi Michel-Howell, Debbie Nelson, Liz Newlin, Rick Stolle Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photo Editor Pat O’Malley Photographers George Dolan, Jeff Kerber EDITORIAL POUCY 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 Acuity members, or of the Board of Regents. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in leaf and are subject to being cut if they are longer. The editorials reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, bill i: make every effort to maintain the author's intent. Eaehltfi must also be signed, show the address and phone numberdtl’ writer. Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and are s ;: subject to the same length constraints as letters. Addressn inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Battalm, l> Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Sta 77843. The Battalion is published daily during Texas A&M's fills- spring semesters, except for holiday and examination ptriod' Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per sclo’ year and $35 per full year. 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