Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Tuesday
April 14, 1981
By CA
Slouch
By Jim Earle
4-14-61
“Would you believe this tile fell out of the sky and almost hit
me in the head? It was early Sunday morning right after they
launched the space shuttle. ”
Collision coming
between TV, public
By DAVID S. BRODER
WASHINGTON — The people in tele
vision news are on a collision course with
public opinion on an issue of some import
ance to our politics, and it would be well for
all of us in the press if the collision can be
avoided.
The issue is the broadcast of presidential
election returns into states where the polls
are still open — especially, the early projec
tion of an election decision while voters are
still weighing how, or whether, to vote.
There was an uproar in the West last
November, when NBC News led its two
rivals in calling the election for Ronald
Reagan at 8:15 p.m. Eastern time, almost
three hours before the voting ended in Cali
fornia and other Pacific Coast states. There
were reports of people leaving the lines
outside polling places, of drivers on their
way to the polls going home instead. There
were accusations from losers of close local
races that the broadcasts had cost them the
election.
My suspicion at the time was that the
accusations were exaggerated and that the
uproar would soon subside. But on the lat
ter point, at least, I was wrong.
When I spoke recently to civic audiences
in Spokane, Wash., and Grants Pass, Ore.,
the first question each evening was whether
the networks would “inflict” their projec
tions again in the 1984 election.
A late January poll of California voters by
Mervin D. Field found 74 percent of those
interviewed would prohibit such projec
tions before the polls have closed. Bills to
ban such broadcasts, introduced in the heat
of last fall’s anger, have been reintroduced
by such senators as James McClure (R-
Idaho) and S.I. Hayakawa (R-Calif). Hear
ings are planned in the House. The prob
lem is not going away and the closer we
come to 1984 without a resolution, the
more anger and controversy there will be.
As a journalist, I have a lot of sympathy
for the networks’ position on this issue. As
Bill Small, the president of NBC News,
says: “To me, the thought of suppressing
something is awful. ” And despite the anec
dotal evidence, it is very hard to show
So what is to be done? Some bills would
ban the broadcast of any presidential elec
tion returns anywhere until the polls have
closed everywhere. That is not only offen
sive to the First Amendment, it is nonsen
sical. Why should Maine voters wait to
learn what they have done until the polls
close in Alaska?
Other bills would restrict journalists’ ac
cess to areas around voting places and thus
impede the interviews that are sometimes
used for voting projections. Again, the First
Amendment would surely be damaged by
that precedent, and, in some areas, the abs
ence of press scrutiny would also invite vot
ing frauds.
Other bills provide a uniform poll
closing time across the nation. That is
achievable, but only at extra expense and
inconvenience for voting officials in some
regions, or the deprivation of some voters
of the convenience of voting before or after
work.
The simplest solution, it seems to me, is
for the American networks to do voluntarily
what their Canadian counterparts are
already required to do by law when a feder
al election is held there: activate the broad
cast networks by time zone, from east to
west, as the polls close.
Warped
Ousted prof says goodbye
So you have
lymph nodes, a
all-around lousy
Well, you’d b
I are the sympton
By LEE WHITT
My name is Dr. Lee Whitt. I used to
teach mathematics at Texas A&M Universi
ty. I’ve read the articles about me, especial
ly the letter by Dr. McIntyre, and I feel
compelled to make some comments. We
have a student population of over 30,000. If
there were no students here, I would agree
completely with Dr. McIntyre’s argu
ments. Using his analogy with football, if
there were no spectators in the stands and
nobody cared about the game, then it
wouldn’t matter how the football team was
selected and organized. But the stands are
there, and they are full of students who do
care. If the team organizers are doing a poor
job, then the students should respond
accordingly now (and will respond accord
ingly when they become alumni).
Dr. McIntyre seems to feel that all I want
Guest
Column
to do is teach. My research record shows
that this is false. I have written six papers,
four are in highly respected journals, one is
being considered for publication as a book
or pamphlet, and one will be submitted for
publication soon. I am currently streamlin
ing my classification of 8-dimensional
quaternionic Kaehler manifolds, and I ex
pect to finish one more paper before I
leave. I would be happy to let anyom
view my research. I would alsobehapp
give a talk on any topic covered in li
papers.
I want to use this opportunity t(
good-bye to my students. I will miss
you, expecially those I have come torts
as friends. Without exception, you!
treated me with great respect and I,!
fully, have returned the compliment,
year I won the “Excellence in lead
award. I consider it a high point ofm;
at A&M and I shall always value it
y’all success and happiness in the fife
Goof)
Dr. Lee Whitt, an assistant profm
mathematics, was denied tenurebem more prevalent
what his superiors felt was a Ud
mono.
Contrary to i
infectious mono
and in more wa
disease.
A.P. Beutel
wick said that n
spread by conti
mates.
But, he said,
ably going to gi
Mono is cont
exposed to it w
“Someone ca
or vice versa,” h
around.”
There’s noth
“They (mono p:
health center) s
said.
Goswick sail
search.
It s your turn
on
Iranian protests irresponsible acts
By RUTH C
Battalion Re
Each of us perce
jently. And, wh;
through statistics that TV projections dis
courage voting turnout significantly — let
alone to the disadvantage of one party or
candidate.
The most careful sifting of the statistical
evidence, by Raymond Wofinger and Peter
Linquiti in the February-March issue of
Public Opinion magazine, suggests that the
impact may be in the range of a 2.7 percent
falloff. That’s not huge, but it’s not insignifi
cant either.
What is clear is that the belief that “my
individual vote counts” is important to
many, many people, and they are offended
by being told that their act is without signi
ficance to the outcome. Yet, it is also a fact
that an Electoral College majority may be
collected in this country before the West
has cast or counted its votes for President.
Editor:
With regards to the presentation given
on April 7 by Richard Queen which was
conducted mostly in a tense atmosphere, (I)
... wish to make the following comments:
1. The Political Forum’s decision on in
viting Queen as an expert on Iran (in the
broad sense) is questionable. Due to his
short length of stay in Iran, Queen, by no
means, should be regarded as a qualified
person for educating students on that mat
ter. Hence, it can be said that the audience
was not given a fair and honest chance of
listening to a true expert on the Iranian
affairs.
2. The fact that the speaker was not
qualified on the topic, plus his bias and
hostility toward the Islamic Republic of
Iran, led him into giving a lot of wrong and
distorted information to the audience. The
Iranian students among the audience felt
strongly responsible to correct the speaker
but while doing so they were confronted
with a hostile and childish reaction on the
part of some individuals among the audi
ence who disrupted the order time and
again. The atmosphere created by these
people who belong to the “Highway 6
school of thought” was so ugly and in
timidating that it drew sharp reactions.
On the irresponsible behavior of these
people, on April 8, The Battalion wrote
“. . . the crowd was not as polite greeting
(these) questions with hisses,” and The
Eagle on the same day wrote “. . . Hisses
and comments from the crowd grew louder
until a Political Forum representative fin
ally called an end to the questioning.”
3. It is very unfortunate and alarming to
witness such a well orchestrated and chil
dish act on the part of a rather sizeable
group at a major institute of higher educa
tion like Texas A&M. These people went so
far as even writing to the Batt’s editor in an
effort to conceal their cadaverous act by
holding the Iranian students guilty while
painting themselves as the nice guys. The
Society of Iranian Students does not intend
to respond to any of these letters because of
the fact that it is absolutely impossible for
the responsible people to stoop to as low a
level as these individuals’.
Mustafa Mostafavi
Stop tuition hike
Editor:
It’s impossible for me to understand the
callous attitude of the administration here
at Texas A&M concerning their stance on
the issue of tuition increases. Their expec
tation of an increase in enrollment next year
may come true — But, A&M’s entering
classes have been growing increasingly for
years. What this projection really means is
that overall there will probably be an in
crease in enrollment, despite the Senate
101 Committee’s projection of a 5 percent
decrease in enrollment of this year’s fresh
men to junior classes who will be forced to
discontinue school due to financial over
loads. Their attitude, “if you don’t want it,
someone else will” should be translated as
— “if you can’t afford it, someone else can!”
I believe that if one student has to drop out
of A&M because he can’t afford to enroll,
then that’s one student too many!
I’ve always been under the impression
that the duty of our administration was to
promote higher education. In the advent of
this tuition increase bill, the Junior College
Association of Boards and Presidents im
mediately condemned its purposes. These
people understand the importance of a col
lege education as one last chance to im
prove themselves. It’s too bad that the Four
Year College Presidents and Administra
tion don’t understand that there is some
need to make an education available to
everyone — on an equal basis, whether
they’re rich, poor or middle class.
The people that are going to be counted
out are the very ones we need to help the
most. It’s their hopes and ambitions that
will be denied on a financial basis — the
crudest punishment of all. To deny one the
opportunity to attend college based on their
mental ability or intelligence is one thing—
but to be denied an education in the richest
state in the union because the Texas legisla
ture decides to make it too expensive to
afford is a real tragedy.
The real question is why raise taxes on
students (which is exactly what a tuition
increase is — a raise in taxes.) When in fact,
no other taxes are proposed for anyone else
in the state of Texas? With all the taxable
luxuries we enjoy and are willing to pay for
everyday, why make such a valuable neces
sity unobtainable to everyone?
The reason is obvious — the Texas legisl
ature is picking on the students because
they are the weakest, most unorganized in
terest group of the state. The student lob
bies are no match for professional lobbiest’s
financial and persuasive powers. But, it’s
still our obligation as Aggies to let Senator
Caperton and Rep. Presnal know how we
feel about this type of insensitivity.
Senator Caperton, as a member of the
Senate Education Committee, is one of the
two votes left out of six necessary to kill this
Bill in Committee. He has hesitated to give
a definite commitment as to how he plans to
vote on the tuition situation. Remember,
Jterences in perci
Senator Caperton represents Texas As||y g 0 unnoticed
— we are his constituency as much ipassociate color r
handful of administrators! Write to Cajny we see colors
ton in Austin — in care of the State Capifi However, some
and make the right decision and let’siw^ ma ' es > have
our friends in school!
Tommy Schwarb j
Canadian hometomt
in problems that
they refer ti
[ong names.
About 8 percei
| percent of fern
e of “incomple
’’ Dr. Barry <
<thmohgist, sai
Although co
iblems are ty
ilor blindness,”
lally totally bli
id, “Color w<
urately reflect
Editor:
Attention Canadian Aggies.
You may be surprised that we area
of approximately 75 students. In the
this group has had no organization torepi|Total color blindn
sent it. We plan to rectify that situaticKuapersonto see eve
starting a Canadian Hometown Club, ofgray, just like
The objectives of this club will be maiWovies.
social. We hope to give Canadians herej j though some
Aggieland some identification. In orderi sescan ^ ecause( ^
become an active campus organization,’I s0 , r . ru I)’ *■ e
invite all Canadians and friends of Cat ef p e ? n
dians to join in our first organizati')[|i xy chromoso
meeting on Thursday, April 16, 1981rce$sive. In other
room 109 of the Military Science Buifepettem of hereeli
at 7 p.m. Idaughtertosor
Please come out in full force to help?«incidence of c
this organization started. If you have
questions or problems please call us.
Mike Hoche 845 ®
Theresa Craig
Why did you leave?
so the tra
ses females in th
The colors t!
have difficulty s
are red, green ;
Weakness*
ilors are usual
Editor:
Dear Lisa:
Do not worry
laminations wl
bed to identify
at is surround*
bred field.
Many people
lesses can corrc
ors that are is
the dog you sawak
doned last Thursday on College Avemil ^ on f c
found a good home. You see. I was »C*;y t,lor ^
area of the triangle that day. When id The Depai
that poor dog running down the street, „j ves co j c
picked it up and took it to a friend ofmte 1 jhiver’s license
the Ice House. Thanks to your letter' 1 these tests only
have given up trying to find his owners' low and green
have instead found him a good home, ■ u Mic Safety r
What we would like to ask you, MissO' sai d.
is why you were more concerned about ^ “ a Personc;
ting the license number of the car than! c f ° ° r . s ’
the well-being of the dog? Are you I® tea ^ t( f sts
concerned with finding fault in a fellow ' the person kno-
than in helping an animal in need? Wej® M j ors on tra fg,
don’t think your heart is really in therijl
place in this matter and wanted
know.
Walter Doyle'
By Scott McCullar
DATA FORMAT... JOB
CARD, JOB CAR P, (mvaible)
... TER/41 AML POWA'7
BWVLBUR? BWYLBUR DOW A/?
INVALID CHARACTER? ...
IT ... WON'T TAKE /AY ...
fAY PROGRAfA... PAUL, I
KEEP ENTERING IT AND
IT... IT WON'T TAKE /AY...
I DON'T SEE HOW
CO/APUTfcR PR06RA/A/AIN6
PROFESSORS SLEEP
AT NI0HT. ,
The Battalion
MEMBER
ISPS 045 460
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
Photo Editor Greg Gammon
Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Asst. Focus Editor Susan Hopkins
News Editors ...’ VenitaMcCellon,
Scot K. Meyer
StaffWriters Carolyn Barnes,
Jane G. Brust, Frank L. Christlieb,
Terry Duran, Bemie Fette, Cindy Gee,
Phyllis Henderson, Kathleen McElroy,
Belinda McCoy, Kathy O’Connell, Denise Richter,
Rick Stolle
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photographers ...... Chuck Chapman, Brian Tate
Brian Tate
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