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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1981)
Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Friday May 1, 1981 U Job A Slouch By Jim Earle “It's a lot of trouble to do this every time I park, but it has eliminated tickets!” in sex education By PATRICIA McCORMACK United Press International Parents should stop looking to schools as “the” provider of sex education for their children. And educators should not tell the public that schools can provide effective sex edu cation. That’s the opinion of Scott Thomson, executive director of the National Associa tion of Secondary School Principals. Speaking out in the NASSP newsletter, he also cautioned both parents and teachers against expecting sex education to reduce the growing problem of student pregnan cies. “Schools realistically know their limita tions,” he said. ... a 12-minute filmstrip is hardly a match for two hours of R-rated films every weekend. “A few chapters of a textbook on marriage and family really cannot compete with ‘Hustler,’ ‘Oui,’ and ‘Playgirl,’ and Masters and Johnson. “The school marching band plays ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’ but the students listen to ‘Afternoon Delight’ on their cassettes.” Scott’s complaint is not against the pre vailing values of adult society, per se. “Schools are not censors and whatever doubts an educator may have about the sex ual attitudes presented to youth in ‘Soap’ or ‘Saturday Night Live,’ the fact remains these shows are a part of contemporary tele vision programming. “ ... the point is to stop playing games with the public and bring them face to face with the reality of the situation (sex educa tion and the schools).” He said the realities include: When developing adolescents’ atti tudes about sex, schools are a puny David without even a slingshot against the media Goliath. Attitudes and values develop slowly, and are gained primarily by observation and imitation, not by information. Instruc tion, then, provides a frail counterbalance to the heroes of youth. The single most important goal of teengers is to become adults. Whatever is presented as adult behavior by society will impress students. Scott said the latest report showing 12 Warped Security is everyone’s concern By Many students at Texas A&M University consider their rural community campus a safe place, but as University Police Chief Russ McDonald said, as long as there is the smallest chance of danger, a sense of secur ity is false. Student awareness of campus security problems is a concern of the Texas A&M task force on residence hall security — and it should be a concern of everyone. The task force appointed by the Depart ment of Student Affairs surveyed a small sampling of the 10,000 students who live on campus and has completed its report. The report, including recommendations, has been passed on to Ron Blatchley, director of student affairs. The recommendations will be reviewed over the summer. Peepholes and improved locks in room doors would certainly improve the security in residence halls, particularly in women’s residence halls, but if the residents them selves are not willing to take some responsi bility for their own safety, taking security measures such as peephole installation would be in vain. For example, female resident advisers walk the halls at the end of visitation hours, encouraging lingering male visitors to leave and locking any outside doors. Locking out side doors is useless, however, when resi- Coffee breaks ByJaneG.Bmst dents then exit and fail to pull tight the door. Within an hour after an RA locks a door, it is left open for the rest of the night, — open to anyone who would like to ven ture inside. And those persons who do not belong inside the residence halls after hours do venture inside, although almost all of the women’s surveys indicate women feel safe in their rooms at night. Slightly more than half of the women and a majority of the men responding said out side entrances should not be locked at all. There are those women who leave room doors open while they’re home late at night, and there are those women who study late at night in lounges and study carrels — alone. The tabulated surveys indicate students do not feel campus security problems are accurately reported to students. Part of the problem is that students themselves dont accurately report incidents. Many residents do not question persoos who appear out of place in residence halls, If out-of-place persons do behave suspi ciously, some residents are reluctant to call police — or even residence hall staff mem bers. On campus, as well, students oftenfailto be cautious. Of the survey responses from women,! vast majority do not feel safe in the parltinj lot areas. M ore than half walk alone on cam pus at night, and a majority does not can) any type of repellant to use against potential attackers. A majority of the women say they wouli not call an escort service if one were avail able — and one is available through the University Police. Yet, the surveys indicate an interest among women in the presentation of secur ity awareness programs. So, the taskforce has recommended that security awareness programs become the responsibility of the supervisor of housing operations and the Residence Hall Association. Such presenta tions can be truly informative, offering les sons in self-defense, for example. What some residents really need, how ever, is a few lessons in common sense, Studen Johnson : most thir Student C resentativ “We’ve said in an do a lot b erything < Of the f committei C( an By B College Thursday: ingappoin city board New m and Zonin; ley Hall, Raintree c ing, empl pany; and council nu Auto Part; Kelly’s year, to ti Admit schools’ limits million of 29 million teenagers have en gaged in sexual intercourse — like all such reports — provides “more grist to the cri tics of our schools.” “New assertion's of failures will be made,” he said. “New demands for sex edu cation programs will be presented. New committees and discussion groups will be formed by anxious parents. “The clear implication is that schools are indifferent or perhaps incompetent. Why else should the sexual statistics grow to such disturbing proportions? “After all, since students meet their friends at school, why can’t schools teach young men and women some of the perils of sexual experimentation?” At such times — a new crisis on teenage sexual behavior, Scott said many adminis trators and teachers will bow and scrape, plead forgiveness and re-stir the curricu lum pot. Scott pooh-poohed that that knee-jerk reaction. He said those in secondary school administration “must find sufficient cour age to call a halt to the charade we have been playing with the public on this issue.” “As long as one set of values is taught in the larger society, it is absurd to ask schools to neutralize those values in a few weeks of classroom instruction. “Even more absurd, however, is the ex pectation that any significant outcomes will come from that instruction. “To accept new monies for sex education programs under the prevailing situation borders on educational fraud. “We would be accepting money under false pretenses: the expectation by the pub lic that teenage sexual activity will di minish.” Scott claims that until the values of socie ty and the values of schools are better aligned on this values question, “Little progress will be made with students.” He recommended against wasting money by expanding school sex education programs while this value conflict goes on. He suggested that available funds be spend where schools can make a real impact on students — “in English, math, science, the arts and vocational education.” The time has come, he said, for school leaders to candidly admit to the limitations of schools. The C. A&M Uni It’s your turn Reward teachers, not researchers Editor: This is an old story, one I’m sure you’ve heard before; I wouldn’t bother saying any thing except this school seems to have a certain amount of spirit and a real pride in its quality. The point of this letter is the word quality. The chairman of the chemis try department and I seem to differ in our opinion of what makes A&M an excellent learning institution; I may be way out of line, but I think what makes a learning insti tution excellent is its ability to teach those who desire to learn. Dr. Giam, head of the chemistry depart ment, seems to think the mark of a great university is its research. Please realize that research is vital, however when it interferes with the education of those who may do research in the future it can be a very des tructive thing. The policy of hiring resear chers who are part time teachers instead of teachers who are part time researchers is a poor one. All this, of course, leads to the refusal of tenure to Dr. Jack Leonard of the organic chemistry department for failure to do sufficient research. But the man can teach! (Not give reading assignments and refer you to some T.A. — teach.) It is of course a matter of opinion which is more important, education or research, but in trying to come up with an analogy that all could understand all I could produce was the following: Imagine you’re in the Super Bowl and the coach just gave Earl Campbell to the other team. I think students should express their opinions to the president of this institution in the hope that the administration will have a basis for their decisions that is consis- tant with that of those who pay their salary. Cam J. Pearl Cadets not only voice Editor: It’s about time a fellow Aggie points out to this fine student body that the Singing Cadets are not the only “voice of Texas A&M.” I had the recent chance to attend the Singing Cadets’ spring concert and the earlier Century Singers’ fine concert held Easter night at the A&M Consolidated High School auditorium and I was over whelmed by the C. Singers’ majesticpow and love they put into their music, ft Easter portion of The Messiah was so supti bly performed by the C.S. that I feltlliit died and risen to heaven. It’s just noth that the Singing Cadets get all the attentio) and glory — for there is a choir far superic in sound, texture and overall tone. Whali even worse is that the S. Cadets get li represent all the vocal music groups here!! A&M: Have you noticed the huge bro® magnetic signs hanging on the walls oneacl floor near the elevator in the MSC withjust the name Singing Cadets instead of tk names of both the choirs. I believe it is W the truth gets printed up and we accept^ the Century Singers are as great as tlf Singing Cadets and maybe evenalitt ter. As a fanatic supporter of the finearii here at Texas A&M, I recommend the Cel- tury Singers spring concert coming up tit Friday. In the end, I hope we can all si that music here at A&M is bi-fantastic. Joe Johnson '! group, pi at 8 p.i Theater. The f will be Handel’s half will f the 1920; selection: sound ai musicals The G cted by I are $2 an< or at the ( I By Scott McCulIar The Battalion ISPS r MEMBER 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 Venita McCellon, Scot K. Meyer StaffWriters Carolyn Barnes, Jane G. Brust, Frank L. Christlieb, Terry Duran, Bernie Fette, Phyllis Henderson, Colette Hutchings, Belinda McCoy, Kathy O’Connell, Denise Richter, Rick Stolle Cartoonist Scott McCulIar Photographers Chuck Chapman, Brian Tate Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newsp students in reporting, editing and photography cfc* within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorialB0 should be directed to the editor. EDITORIAL POLICY The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 won!-'* length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer. A* editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for stylet- length, but will make every effort to maintain theaullK• l intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the addr* 8 and phone number of the writer. Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and** not subject to the same length constraints as lett*® Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, ft Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Univer# College Station, TX 77843. The Battalion is published daily during Texas AMb^ and spring semesters, except for holiday and exaIllln^ t>,, periods. Mail subscriptions are $ 16.75 per semester, S&' per school year and $35 per full year. 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