Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Thursday
March 5, 1981
Slouch By Jim Earle
J-S8I
‘What will she wear when it really gets warm?
Han d- wringing tim e
on education front
By PATRICIA McCORMACK
United Press International
President Ronald Reagan hasn’t dis
patched termites to bring down the nation’s
schoolrooms or colleges, but anguish along
education row gives that impression.
Among prognosticators of bad times as a
result of Reagan administration proposals
are the two teachers’ unions — the National
Education Association and the American
Federation of Teachers.
Their worry is over “multiple attacks”
threatening public education.
Included is the tuition tax credit plan
promised by Reagan during his campaign,
under which parents of private school stu
dents would get a tax credit for a portion of
money spent on school.
The unions say this would strengthen pri
vate education, kindergarten to 12th grade,
and weaken public schools. With a financial
incentive, the worry is, droves of parents
would pull their kids out of the public
schools and head them for the privates.
Albert Shanker, president of the
568,000-member AFT, reacted thus to the
news that a multi-billion dollar tuition tax
credit bill was being introduced in the Un
ited States Senate:
“Today’s announcement ... (of) a tuition
tax credit bill designed to help primarily
those in upper income brackets poses a se
rious threat to our public education system.
“The American Federation of Teachers,
along with other civil rights, labor and na
tional education groups, strongly believes
that tuition tax credits are a massive tax
expenditure that our nation cannot afford.”
He described the proposed credits as “a
major new tax subsidy primarily benefiting
higher-income taxpayers.”
The NEA Reporter, newspaper of the
1.8-million member National Education
Association front-paged its battle plan in
red and black type:
“As attacks on public education multi
ply, NEA fights to stop tax credits for
private school tuition, to save teacher cen
ters and other key centers, to keep cabinet
status for education.”
A front-page cartoon shows a giant plow
bearing down on a little red one-room
schoolhouse — a solitary bell topping its
roof. Planted nearby: a flagpole flying Old
Glory.
Hand-wringing among officials in higher
education, meanwhile, starts in the presi
dent’s office and passes down the organiza
tion chart.
The biggest worry stems from student aid
cuts. Officials in private and state colleges
and universities say cutting would zap a lot
of kids’ chances for a degree.
The American Association of State Col
leges and Universities, for example, says
students at schools in at least 25 states
would be particularly hard hit by cuts in
student aid under consideration by the
Reagan administration.
“AASCUfs conclusion is based on pre
liminary budget figures (showing) major
reductions in the Pell Grants (Basic
Grants), National Direct Student Loan and
Guaranteed Student Loan programs,” the
AASCU said in its “Memo” to college presi
dents.
The 25 states are those in which the tui
tion for resident undergraduate students is
$800 or more for 1980-81. Ostar said in most
of the states, room, board and other costs
add at least $2,200, usually more, to the
school bill.
The states cited: Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michi
gan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Is
land, South Carolina, South Dakota, Ver
mont and Virginia.
AASCU president Allan W. Ostar, in
Washington, D. C., says the proposed stu
dent aid cuts would “greatly increase the
burden on state and local taxpayers at a time
when many states are in deep fiscal
trouble.”
“Some states already have cut appropria
tions and state student aid for higher educa
tion, and many others may have to do so,”
he said.
The ASSCU’s John Malian, a vice presi
dent, said the median family income in 1980
was $20,000.
“Few families at that level can afford to
send even one son or daughter to a college
costing $3,000 to $4,000 without some out
side help,” he said.
Malian said the seriousness of the prop
osed student aid reductions is made much
worse by the fact that the Reagan adminis
tration also plans to phase out the Social
Security student benefit program.
This helps some 700,000 students of de
ceased, disabled and retired parents.
Warped
Growth turning into obesity
Texas A&M University in the year 1990.
As in the past, this is the fastest growing
university in the nation and enrollment has
topped the 60,000 mark.
On-campus parking has become a joke.
On-campus housing has become the subject
of dream, and driving in College Station, a
nightmare.
An exaggeration? Don’t bet on it.
The enrollment of this University has
doubled in the past ten years and who’s to
say it won’t do the same in another ten?
Granted, such growth has given this Uni
versity yet another reason for its well-
deserved notoriety, but do we need it?
Don’t we already have enough notoriety
with a reputation for academic excellence
and spirit unparalleled by any other college
or university in the nation?
I can’t help but wonder if this rapid
growth may soon reach a point of dimi
nishing returns.
The bottom line, it seems, is that some
thing should be done to slow things down
Staff notebook
By Bemie Fette
before the Aggieland many of us have
grown to know and enjoy becomes an im
personal monolithic mass of concrete and
confusion.
The predicted enrollment for Fall 1980
was 31,552 according to the 1978-1983 Mas
ter Plan (the blueprint used by those Uni
versity administrators who plan for the Uni
versity’s growth). That 1980 figure had
already been surpassed in 1978.
vious record set last Spring at 29,302,all
percent increase. And another record
We shouldn’t be too surprised if ini
not-too-distant future, it should taki
ability of an Olympic athlete just to mat
to class on time ... and in one piece. \
Admission standards should be raised
give the University a chance to catelj
with itself.
The great majority of us, it seems, woij
agree that there’s definitely somethingij
cial about both this University and thosti
us who are a part of it. So, granted iti
seem unfair to deny anyone someth#
special. But for now, at least, alinesl®
be drawn.
Healthy growth is fine. But wheaii
healthy growth begins to border on obesi
problems are sure to develop.
Recently the official enrollment for this
Spring was reported by the office of the
Registrar at 31,427, up 2125 from the pre-
A&M’s rapid growth may look god
the surface, but the possible adverseA f
beneath the surface certainly deserved
sideration.
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Editor:
Concerning the article Tuesday March 3
about closing Prairie View, I think it is ridi
culous when the federal government can
tell a person where and where not to go to
school. That’s all we’ve been hearing from
these “bleeding heart liberals” for the past
10 years and Tm tired of it. Black people
share a common heritage and culture and
they should be allowed to express it in their
own university if they wish to do so. No
body has forced those who are attending
Prairie View to do so. But forcing them
to go somewhere else for an education is
infringing on their freedoms and rights to
choose where they want to go to school.
I come from a German family and they
live in a German community because they
enjoy the culture that they share. Now, for
the sake of integration, does the govern
ment have a right to force them to live in
downtown Houston? No! But that is what
these liberals would like you to beheve with
all of their harping on integration. Are we
going to let these politicians run our lives
like the government does in the Soviet Un
ion? There they tell you where to work,
where to live, and where to go to school. In
America we supposedly have the right to
share a common culture if we so desire and I
think that the liberals should keep their
noses out of our business and go to the
Soviet Union if they want to tell people how
to live.
Darrin B. Lewer
season little if any effort was made to control
the crowd when the opposing team was
shooting free throws or when an official’s
call was questionable. Leadership on the
part of the yell leaders was lacking all season
and fan behavior was becoming less control
led until it simply came to a head due to
frustration during the TCU game. I have
seen yell leaders take control in some he
ated situations so I know it can be done. It is
my opinion the yell leaders simply failed to
perform their duties adequately both in
basketball and football.
When elections for yell leaders are held
the end of this month let’s keep in mind the
job that was done this year and elect men
who will represent A&M with the dignity it
deserves rather than the prima donnas
we’ve had in the recent past. If there are
good men at A&M who are more concerned
with doing a job than about the ego trip they
get from being in front of a crowd, file for
one of the yell leader positions this, spring.
A&M can use you, and please learn the
correct signal for “Farmers Fight.”
I don’t intend to put all the blame on the
yell leaders. They were not the ones throw
ing things on the court or booing. Let’s get
with it Ags, our behavior as fans was not
what it should be nor exemplary of things
we believe in. So let’s show the class that
has set us apart as fans.
Kenny Ray
Yell leaders lousy
Through with Nightline
Editor:
After reading Richard Oliver’s article on
the behavior of Aggie fans at the TCU bas
ketball game I felt compelled to express my
opinion as well. In no way do I condone the
behavior of the crowd at this game or in
several of the past games nor do I feel any
one person is responsible, but I do feel
much of the responsibility must be
accepted by the yell leaders for the job they
have done. Continuously throughout the
Editor:
I am through watching ABC-TV’s late
night news. Ted Koppel, Sam Donaldson
and the gang do one of the most si
of manipulating the public I haveeversff
They are in as glowing a limelight as
journalist, and they are making a disgui
display.
I have always thought their presenl
was a little slanted, but their coverai
the Reagan administration is just#
much.
Besides the fact that most of theim
ing is either sob-stories or sordid sei
for greed or schizms among the Repul
party, they seem to take it for granted
welfare state is the only form offairgovi
ment.
It doesn’t take much to look and see
food stamps and welfare checks
created the worst kind of poverty-
that has no pride, no end, and wli;
victims have no desire to make theirt'"
any better.
And where does Ted find those “avei
Americans,” anyway? I wish he would
into my home and ask me some quesiii
I know that as a conservative journi
I’m mostly alone. The election of Roi
Reagan put my political philosophy onll
line. All I ask is that those broadcast fatt*
give capitalism a chance. It is what ere*
the well-paying jobs they’ve got.
They haven’t been alone in theirfallfe
clean journalism. Most of the newspap'
have been running wire stories that areji
as bad. The job of the news media is top
the public the most accurate infom#'
they can, analyze it to a point, but not
interpret the public thought. Why the)'
sist on making such a mockery of thatJ
never understand.
Marilyn FaulkenbeC
noi‘
By Scott McCullar
The Battalion
MEMBER
ISPS 045
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Angelique Copeland
Asst. Managing Editor Todd Woodard
City Editor Debbie Nelson
Asst. City Editor Marcy Boyce
News Editors Venita McCellon,
Scot K. Meyer
Sports Editor Richard Oliver
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Asst. Focus Editor Susan Hopkins
Staff Writers Carolyn Barnes,
Jane G. Brust, Terry Duran, Bernie Fette,
Cindy Gee, Kathleen McElroy, Belinda McCoy,
Marjorie McLaughlin, Kathy O’Connell,
Ritchie Priddy, Rick Stolle
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photo Editor Greg Gammon
Photographers Chuck Chapman
Brian Tate
160
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