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
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Did you say ‘Howdy’ today?
By
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"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
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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
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within the Department of Communications.
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mgs,
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