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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1981)
Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Wednesday May 6, 1981 i n Slouch By Jim Earle “If there’s anything that I dislike, it’s a graduating senior! The Answer Man is alive and well By ARNOLD SAWISLAK United Press International WASHINGTON — The Washington Answer Man, who we thought had fled when the new people came to town in Janu ary, has emerged like a spring crocus and is here to tefl us what he has been up to. Question: Sir; we are happy to see you. Where have you been for five months? Answer Man: Locked up, boy. Bound hand and foot in a broom closet at the Office of Management and Budget. Question: But why? Answer Man: Very simple. I have infor mation that the administration does not \vant made public. Question: And that is? Answer Man: I, sir, know the whereab outs of the Big Spenders and the Faceless Bureaucrats. I may even have a line on the location of those three notorious malefac tors, Waste, Fraud and Abuse. Question: But that gang of time servers and money wasters was driven out of the city on Jan. 20. Answer Man: So it was made to appear. Actually, they still are among us. Question: Can you tell us where these desperadoes are? Answer Man: Yes. Most of them scuttled out of the departments of education and energy and housing on the night of Jan. 19 and slipped into the Pentagon. Question: They were seen? Answer Man: On the contrary. Their exodus was cleverly made under cover of the pre-inaugural fireworks. It was not known what had happened to them until a search party formed by Senator Proxmire and the National Conservative Political Ac tion Committee noticed one morning that an unusual number of bicycles outside the Pentagon were not parked straight. They found the place was a veritable rats nest of fuzzy-headed bureaucrats. Question: Why would they go to the Pentagon, ol all places? Answer Man: Ideal coyer. Wearing the caps and insignia of generals and admirals they look like ordinary conservatives. But take my word for it. They are busy once again spending the taxpayers’ money. Question: But isn’t that money going for weapons to assure our security? Answer Man: Oh, yes. Just as they said the money spent by the Education Depart ment was being used for books and things like that to improve the minds of the na tion’s children. But you are right. They are buying weapons — lots and lots of weapons. Not only is the anti-ballistic missile coming back, but we can soon expect to hear about the need for an antianti-ballistic missile. Question: Well, at least they aren’t wast ing the money on things like subsidies for kooky artists and ballet dancers. And I real ly doubt the nuts who kept talking about alternative energy sources are going to find any haven in the Pentagon. Answer Man: Wrong again, sonny. Don ’t be surprised if you hear soon that the way to upgrade the all-volunteer Army is to provide the troops with more esthetically uplifting surroundings, such as modern art in the mess halls and Swan Lake at the USO. Also, I am told there already is talk about developing a solar-powered jeep and outfitting the Polaris subs with sails. Question: No wonder they locked you up. This is insane. Answer Man: No, my boy, it’s only Washington. the small society by Brickman m <2 ° •a LujJ ^3 IB 1 IT 41)TAK&z A UOT <PF -VABSF PAY'S To UVF IN FoVfcfZTY— Cl961 King Fmtorts Syndicate. Inc. Work! rights reserved. Warped Did you say ‘Howdy’ today? By The A] themseh "Lov Something is rotten in the State of Texas. Besides t.u., that is. In fact, it’s right here on this campus. Some might not think it too awfully serious, but I do. To be brief: What’s happened to people saying “Howdy“?? I know, I know, it’s the traditionalist hue and cry, but the situation is serious. One of the major things that attracted me to Texas A&M when I was in high school was that, on the three visits I had to the campus, I could never get more than about ten yards with out somebody saying “Howdy,” or “Hi,” or “How ya doin’?” That really impressed me. Nothing like that happened at any of the other schools I visited — on the contrary, few if any of the students there seemed to care if I lived, died or enrolled. And I could feel the differ ence, big time. It was different at Aggieland. People cared. I liked that, and still do. Not everybody says “hi” to everyone else, and Tm not saying they should. But at least people usually respond when I say “hello” or “howdy.” But the last few weeks — well, when you pass within a yard or so of twenty or thirty Flush Center By Terry Duran people on the way to class, and half don’t even respond to a clearly spoken greeting, something’s wrong. That’s not the usual situation, not around here. The first time I noticed it, I told myself, “It’s just a bad day. Too many tests, and the weather’s depressing everybody. Must be. After all, this is not just any ol’ place, this is Texas A&M.” But it kept happening. Again and again. The howdy quotient dropped to about ten or twenty percent and hovered there. It’s not just me. I don’t scare dogs, and babies don’t scream and cry when I hold them. Not always, anyway. And some of my friends have remarked on the phe nomenon, too. I’ve been recruiting for A&M at many high schools during the three years I’ve been here, and one thing I always stressed was the friendly atmosphere on pus. Sometimes I’d tell ’em: “Hey,)! tell all the Aggie jokes you want air. tripping over our own feet, butl’lltt one thing — if we do, it’s because wti our head up, saying ‘hi’ to people, than being absorbed in our own worlds and not noticing or caringabon one else.” The end of the semester brings lot of pressures, and tests, and spring) and homesickness. Some people are graduating, lucky devils. But spirit cially that special Aggie spirit—is I® fragile thing. Once we start lettingili once we get careless about beingk even to people we don’t know, espea people we don’t know — it’s that! harder to get it started again. A sm rolling downhill, and pretty soon wer another large university wherepeoplt get a degree and then leave forever,t no special memories with them. Don’t let it be. Tell that passerby, ) dy,” or “Hi,” or “What’s goin’on?” smile, even. But don’t let them just pass by for. gers, a plays wr and Jose an attent of about Rudder The 1 dealt wi countere when tin All were City of tf when (th cern for more im includin] The f the Wai Brenda swinger’ suades h ter chair her, trie what-soi bowled Laure ‘her ovi well de fpra&iat® ©N9 t/w&Tsm. How scon can jcu | have this baby firing I crwse missiles, son? Good teacher: more than a Ph.D, Editor: It is time students start taking action when they see situations that are leading to the decay of our University. To sit back and watch competent teachers dismissed with out speaking up is to say, “I don’t care about Texas A&M; its future or the quality of education. We cannot bring back all the good teachers who have been forced to leave in the past few years. We can take a stand to defend our University from administrators who would purge the classrooms of quality instructors for the sake of another Ph. D. on the wall, or a research grant in the pocket. The process has to be stopped some where if this University is to retain the reputation and standard it has for superior education. I propose we stop it now. Here’s the story: Violetta Burke is one of the most dyna mic, enthusiastic and effective political sci ence instructors in the department (accord ing to over 200 of her students and former- students we talked to). She teaches Pol. Sci. 207, and her state government simulation has students volun tarily putting in several hours a week out of class for caucases and meetings. Students are excited about the class and the simula tion. They research their roles, have de bates, write legislation and even get into arguments. Vi Burke motivates these students. When the students get motivated, they take off with the class and something amaz ing happens: they learn about state and loc al government! Ms. Burke violates the law of nature that says required political science must be dull. Of course Ms. Burke does have one fault. After years of teaching at A&M in the position of lecturer, she is faced with a department head who wants to eli minate all lecturers and substitute them with Ph.D.’s. That’s right. Regardless of how well she teaches or how well she knows politics and government, her position is being elimin ated and she can’t teach at A&M next year. So what if she serves on the College Sta tion Planning and Zoning Commission? Who cares if students come back every semester to visit her classes and recom- mend others to take her? How can il better than a Ph.D.? (By the way, Burke is presently working toward! Ph.D.) Rules are rules and decisions are sions, but when it comes to policies threaten the survival of our Univf rules and decisions can be changed. Listen Ags, and take heed to this* ing. This isn’t one man’s opinion. Id read it in the paper; you’ve heard you) fessors say it: The days of quality teacliii Texas A&M are numbered unless sonii takes a stand. Vi Burke belongs in a classroomatl A&M, giving Aggies what they expel great education and a meaningful lean experience. Voice your opinion. Texas A&M ii great a school to become a “has been Tim Fa Wes Volber Joe Defei By Scott McCullar The Battalion MEMBER l S P S 045 .100 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- Thc Battalion also serves as a laboratory students in reporting, editing and photograph) i within the Department of Communications. 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