Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Tuesday
May 5, 1981
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“I would
your
mid suggest that you graduating seniors not overplay
hands. ”
Ban on pogonotrophy
result of fuzzy thinking
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — In me you see a hard
core pogonotropher.
I have been engaging in pogonotrophic
activities for more than 10 years and feel
absolutely no sense of guilt or contrition.
It’s true I probably am not as deeply into
pognotrophy as some people you might
know. My beard is comparatively short and
neatly trimmed.
I am, nonetheless, firmly dedicated to
the tenet that both pogonotrophy (beard
growing) and pogonotomy (beard-cutting)
are matters of individual choice that should
in no way be abridged either by laws or
social restraints.
Or school boards.
My defensive mechanism on this issue
was activated by a report that a school
teacher in Roland, Okla., had been sus
pended for raising a mustache.
It seems the Roland school system bans
all facial hair — beards, mustaches or any
thing else that might sprout on a teacher’s
cheeks, chin, upper lip and wattles. Such a
proscription is prima facie evidence of sex
ual discrimination.
I am not privy to the school board’s
reasoning when it adopted the rule but it
may have been guilty of the kind of fuzzy
thinking that flawed an Esquire magazine
article on shaving last year.
Shaving is “a daily affirmation of mascu
linity” and “one of the few remaining exclu
sively male prerogatives,” the magazine
said. Au contraire!
the small society
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©1981 King Features Syndicate, Inc. World rights reserved.
Warped
It’s your turn
Aggie code weakens as school grow
Editor:
I transferred here from the University of
Texas to escape the insensitive way of a big
college where everyone was just a number.
UT was too big, too fast and just too uncar
ing about new freshmen and even others
who had been there for years.
Coming to Texas A&M I liked the beautiful
campus and the people who say “Howdy”
even though it is not “Howdy” week. I find
a friendly atmosphere in almost every lec
ture room, information office and even with
the students on and off campus.
I also noticed in my catalogue the Aggie
Code of Honor. “Aggies do not lie, cheat,
steal, nor do they tolerate those who do. ”
I’ve read about the stealing in the dorms.
I’ve known others who have had items
stolen. Last week we even had a young man
who was robbed and stabbed to death. I
personally have had my locked bike taken
and now, last week my purse and rings
taken from the MSC cafeteria. (Someone
was nice and turned in my license and ID.)
As our University grows, it seems like
more incidences are being tolerated. I
would hate to see our University grow to be
just like others with numbers and just as
insensitive. To lose the Aggie Spirit and
Code of'Honor would make this university
just like others. How much more do we
have to tolerate? I wish I could suggest a
solution. I’m sure a few others feel as I do
in wishing to create an even greater Aggie
pride and for all who attend school and
work here to live up to the Code of Honor.
Mari Angers
Students should
learn from history
in last Tuesday’s paper (April 21) conceit
ing Eva Ashcraft and the Brazos Valle
Law Hall offer refused
I can understand why a school board
might desire affirmations of masculinity
from its male faculty members, but the pre
mise that shaving supplies such evidence is
shaky to say the least.
Far from being an affirmation of mascu
linity, face shaving is a denial of masculinity
— a daily expunging of the one thing man
can do that woman can’t.
It is the growing of facial whiskers, not
the shaving of them, that is exclusively
male. Anyone of any sex whatsoever can
run a razor over the face.
As a matter of fact, according to Esquire,
“as many adult women shave as men,
though much less often.” And presumably
in different places.
Editor:
This letter is addressed in general to the
boys of Law Hall, and in particular to Walt
Culpepper. Any given group of individuals
will have their share of bizzare persons, and
perhaps Hotard, like California, has more
than its share. But we re sure that Law Hall
has its complement of strange persons, so
don’t give us your holier-than-thou trash by
inviting us to sing with you at your next
serenade. As for “all” the money in our
treasury, you can have it — we re broke.
Daniel Boone
Editor:
To the response to the letter of Oscar
Alvarez and Roberto Alvarez, I like to make
these comments:
1. On our letter on April 23, 1981, we
tried to explain about the Iranian people
whom were oppressed by the dictator shah
for more than 25 years. The U.S. govern
ment supported their puppet in Iran after
C.I.A. engineered a coup in overthrowing
the popular government of Dr. Mohammad
Mossadegh, and returned the dictator shah
to power. From 1953 C.I.A. and Israeli
secret police “MOSSAD” established one
of the worst criminal secret police in the
world named “SAVAK“. From 1953 till
1978, the U.S. government had influenced
and interfered in the Iranian internal
affairs. By the help of U.S. government,
Iranian agriculture was totally destroyed
and was depended on outside. Iranian arm
forces were in hand of U.S. government.
Iranian natural resources were being plun
dered by U.S. government. What the Ira
nian people had, was a criminal regim and a
corrupted society. If I want to write about
these things I have to write many pages
about what U.S. government had done in
Iran.
2. As a student in Texas A&M University,
how can I stay quiet and be indifferent and
cover the facts about the things that hap
pened to Iranian people. Not only Iran had
this problem, but also every single Third
World country has problems with these su
perpowers. These two superpowers are the
real troublemakers in the Third World
countries. The foreign policy of U.S. gov
ernment and U.S.S.R. government is to
exploit and colonize our country.
3. You as a foreign student try to learn
something from history and be aware of
what is going on in our nations.
Behnam Rajabian
the article was concerning the DeltaZcte
adopting Mrs. Ashcraft as their
mother. This was a kind gesture onthep
Krueger Ha
for 1980-81 b)
executive coui
Kaelyn Cc
dent, said alth
lelection proc
probably the 1
lored by the h
competed, rai
Geriatric Center. We realize the inteifi ^animal'she
We like th
ity,” RHA Ad
of the DZ’s, and that part of the article*?]
pleasing. However, the opening paragi
of the article is what caught our attentin
Miss EmshofFs description of the centen
“residents hunched in their wheelctaii
mumbling to each other,” “the tilefloort
vinyl furniture adding no warmth to 4f ■]
depressing scene,” and talking of the “pm
gent odor,” we find very defensiveandJt
grading. Her remarks are a fallacy thattj : By CAT
be seen by anyone who has spent anylengtl Battalion
of time at the home. The staff, visitors,an Complaining
patients are very friendly, and itisn#t«“” aS xen a
depressing scene. Yes, Mrs. Ashcraftm nts for as lor
of the more outgoing residents of thehomt enca f e terias
But there are many many more. Universit
We would also like to raise the queslio n, yet they m<
concerning Miss Emshoffs right to w imtocomplai
the story on the DZ’s, in which she isi The Univen
member. To the best of our knowledge,#! ' ts ^ ss ^ an f* 1
Battalion policy that bias is tobekeptouli “ universiti
the articles. ! n ' day . b ° a . r . d
We work at the Center as physicaltlJ™* T | iis ■
apy aides, and have become very attackl^ a sirn j] ar
to the patients in the short period oft#iJ|i vers ity and S
we have been there. It is a warm, healil University,
and loving atmosphere for residents,*#
tors, and staff. We invite anyone to* *
out and visit and see for themselves wk rsity of Texas
great place it is.
Laura Best ’82
Pam Bailey ’82
Big words make
for big confusion
Nursing home
story misleading
Editor:
I am a student. I go to Texas A&M
terday I read the newspaper. Yesterday
May 4th. The newspaper was the Battali
I read the Reader’s Forum. It was full
words. Please tell me what these big
mean.
iith, Texas A&
of food se
m costs over
xas A&M’s.
Board plan rat
icrcent over
d, but that is i
14 percent i
'9 and 1980, r
;ht percent re:
The Departm
]es is the larges
Smith said. Il
service oper
eptthose at I
part of the
nt
d
Editor’s note: This letter was accompanied
by 20 other signatures.
Editor:
We are writing in response to the article
Robert Alvarado!
Robert Griffice S
Ken Marquardl!
HKPT
Is the use of razors by women an affirma
tion of femininity? If so, then it follows that
the razor has become a unisex object, like
blue jeans and an assortment of other items
that once radiated a macho mystique.
But pogonotrophy, aha! Consider this
passage from the Esquire article:
“Despite all the complaints from men
about the bother of shaving, 97 percent of
the men in a recent study said they would
not want to use a cream, were one to be
developed, that would permanently rid
them of all facial hair. ”
rr.
Specials on :
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Now consider the other side of the blade.
Suppose a cream were developed that
would enable women to grow beards.
Would 97 percent avail themselves of it?
Stroking beard triumphantly, the de
fense rests.
The Battalion
MEMBER
ISPS 045 400
By Scott McCullar
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Coneress
Editor Angelique Copeland
Managing Editor Marcy Boyce
City Editor Jane Brust
Asst. City Editor Venita McCellon
Night News Editor Jennifer Afflerbach
Photo Editor Greg Gammon
Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Asst. Focus Editor Debbie Nelson
News Editors Venita McCellon,
Scot K. Meyer
Staff Writers . . . Frank L. Christlieb, Terry Duran,
Bernie Fette, Phyllis Henderson, Colette Hutch
ings,
Belinda McCoy, Kathy O’Connell, Denise Richter,
Rick Stolle, Todd Woodard
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photographer Brian Tate
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory aewsf^
students in reporting, editing and photogn
within the Department of Communications.
Questions or comments concerning any editoriil>*
should be directed to the editor.
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Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, ?-
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Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Edit*
Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Uni'^
College Station, TX 77843.
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