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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1981)
Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Wednesday May 13, 1981 By TC 1 total of 3,04( ends and rela pakers Friday; Ution ceremor jliseum. At the first < rthur Levitt Jr. ock Exchange, jate, agricultu ledicine college Wall Street betting against GOP pla n By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — Fifty-two years after the Wall Street crash signaled the approaching end of the last lengthy era of Republican rule, the hard-eyed money vestment. That program, keyed to a gradual but sustained effort to slow the rate of feder al spending and the growth of the money supply, while making deep cumulative cuts in tax-rates for the next three years, has guys are emerging again as the spoilers of been portrayed by its critics as a high-risk the GOP’s dreams. The vote of no- " gamble ever since it was first unveiled. confidence in Ronald Reagan’s economic program reflected in the nervous bond mar ket and the run-up in interest rates clouds what would otherwise be halcyon days for the President and his party. When the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives approved the Reagan- endorsed budget resolution for fiscal 1982 in preference to that recommended by its own Budget Committee, it signaled the President’s dominance of public opinion and the political arena. Over and over, de fecting Democrats explained their vote by saying their constituents want to “give Reagan’s program a chance. ” A series of polls showed the Republican Party had supplanted the Democrats as the party voters believed most likely to make the country prosperous. And largely a a result of that belief, the polls showed Re publicans making significant strides toward erasing the Democrats’ half-century-old status as the political home of most Amer icans. An April Gallup Poll showed Republi cans with a 13-point lead over the Demo crats as the “party of prosperity, ” reversing the 14-point advantage the Democrats had held in that measure as recently as 1978. An April poll by CBS News and the New York Times showed that the number of Republi cans and Republican-leaning independents was only 8 percent smaller than the number of self-identified Democrats and Democra tic-leaning independents. As recently as 15 months ago, the same poll had shown the Democrats with a 20-point lead. What all this suggests is that a long-term political realignment that could make the Republican Party once again the majority party in Amercan — a possibility that seemed no more than a gleam in the eye of some conservative dreamers last summer — is within the range of achievement today. But — and it is a huge “but” — all this rests on the Reagan economic program achieving its advertised results of reducing inflation and stimulating job-creating in- Warped Teaching, not title matters Several letters to the editor and a few arti cles have been published in The Battalion over the last few months about some people that won’t be working here anymore. They are, or were, teachers, whatever their offi cial title may be — instructor, lecturer, assistant, associate or full professor. Those that probably come to mind first are those who did not receive tenure for one reason or another. Some were never eligi ble for tenure; their stated job — those given titles of “lecturer” and “instructor ” — was to teach. Unfortunately, like most people, I read complaints from students about someone who was a great prof getting canned and I’d say, “Well, that’s life.” But — one of them was a prof I had, once upon a time. And lo, this particular prof was good. No, great. Not eligible for tenure, this “lecturer” has published more than some Ph. D. types, and had a far more effec tive style of teaching than many others. Not just in my opinion. People that had taken the course before — from this prof — came of their own free will to our class and told us how much we would learn and how much fun we would have. Flush center By Terry Duran i i ,,,,,, ractenzing i division that awards bachelor s dea ;( j The word “research” is mentionej And they were right. But that doesn’t matter. This prof will not be teaching here in the fall, but the other lecturer in the department is being kept on. I wonder what the difference is. What’s that you say? What about the teacher evaluations all these oh-so- impressed students must have filled out? If they were so glowingly wonderful, how come this teacher isn’t being retained? Surprise — those evaluations go right to the teacher in question, to be used for what ever they want to use them for. Not to the department head, not to a committee. The instructor being evaluated. Ever hear of the phrase, “exercise in futility”? Most people’s purpose in coming to this University was to get some form of educa tion, and they pay fairly considerable sums for the privilege. Not nearly as much as it’s worth, I grant you, but it still takes quite a bite out of the of wallet. Do we want to pay for something less than the best we can get? The time is appa rently approaching when this University’s stated policy will be to hire and retain full time researchers who also happen to be part-time teachers. How good a teacher? That won’t really matter, because they’re pulling in that grant money and doing that frontier, front-line, ahead-of-the-art re search. What is the purpose of this University, anyway? To do research, or to educate the people that come here and pay money to better themselves? The head of the math department has been quoted thusly: “Texas A&M is a uni versity, not a teacher’s college.” The American Heritage Dictionary de fines a “university” as: “An institution for higher learning with teaching and research facilities comprising a graduate school and professional schools that award master’s de grees and doctorates and an undergraduate ‘Today’s fail-s: ly once, you’ll notice. The restoftliei ted a cult of n asis is on learning, and rewards learning. The same dictionary defines a “ti college” as one with “a special cm for training teachers.” Somebody’s blowing smoke int No less respected a personage Rod O’Connor told The Battalion: the past eight years that I’vebeenln the College of Science I can seethe teaching and time spent with studi dining.” :le for whatev ng every effo ip.' 1 Levitt said He urged the ed, “Be bra> ly.” e said job se :omes meanin ih thing as jo jning that mar The problem, however, is notlii the College of Science. It’s spread4’ | out the University, the feeling that at By TERR of Mumbo-Jumbo degree on thewalL.. . ,.® att ^ io ter than being able to make that ir,^ commandaii jumbo understandable to students. Line Corps t< Student Body President Ken]d iGe^^Robe has already targeted academics as one ^ ine c or p S e major areas of emphasis for studentjo Lber of the ment this coming year, along withgei iff, was greeted making sure that the voice of the stui ution as the j heard. When you come back in the involved. Go to the Student Pn Office on the second floor of the Mi Student Center and tell somebodyupl that you care enough to stand up counted. Kathy Bartholomew is thesl senate’s vice president for academic Talk to her, talk to your living areas and your academic college senator them you won’t settle for a seed education. missioning t Rollie White arrow told t ,tes.— 43 An e Navy ant is — “How v determined i well you wi arrow focuse perhaps thi Texas A&M is one of the best mi ties in the nation, one where peof something. Let’s keep it that way hi ran It’s your turn By CAT Battalic While the piiblic and Congress yvere heeding Reagan’s optimistic words in his speech five days later. Wall Street was listening to bond market slumped and ner vousness pervaded the markets. On the morning of the day Reagan won his budget fight in the House, the Wall Street Journal — the most powerful journa listic advocate of Reagan’s economic prog ram — led the paper with a story reporting that the “real chaos in the financial mar kets” was explainable even in the eyes of some administration officials only as “a lack of confidence in the President’s program.” Budget director David Stockman told the Washington Post he was revising his own optimistic predictions that interest rates would soon come down. And Treasury Sec retary Donald Regan conceded that rising interest rates would swell the federal deficit to the $60-billion range. The situation is an ominous one for the administration, because the whole Reagan economic program rests ultimately on an act of faith. The prospect of budget and tax reductions is supposed to trigger an unpre cedented surge of investment. Without that surge, the promised gains in productiv ity and jobs will not occur, and the Treasury will not see the revenues that are supposed to balance the budget at permanently lower tax rates. Most of the men who have served in the presidency since economics proclaimed it self a science have learned to be skeptical of their economic advisers. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who is in so many ways a model for Reagan, took a wholly pragmatic view, experimenting with a variety of programs ot cure the Depression that fit no consistent economic theory. Never in the modern era have a Presi dent and a party be as much on a single economic theory as Ronald Reagan and the Republicans have bet on the belief that supply-side economics is right. The fact that much of Wall Street is bet ting against them is awfully disquieting news. Imita tion ‘preppies ’ are irrita ting Editor: This letter is in protest to the current “pre ppy” contest in a local store and to the “preppy” fad plaguing Texas A&M. 1. The corruption of the word “preppy”. A native Yankee, I transferred from St. Lawrence University last June. Previously I had rarely heard the term “preppy”. “Prep” was an adjective describing a presti- gous, private. Northeastern secondary school, ie. Deerfield, Exeter. 2. “Greek” and “Prep” are not synono- mous. Not soon after I arrived at Texas A&M I was tagged an “S.B. ” for wearing an old Lacoste shirt. I was shocked to learn its meaning and implications. Being Greek does not imply “preppiness” and vice versa. 3. Clothes do not make a “prep“. The “preppies” you try so hard to imitate are a breed of well-established families. They are secure and not subject to fad fashion. Prac tical and conservative has been “in” for years. They do not buy new Docksides for campus since they were intended for one reason — sailing. Starched Polo shirts are also nouveau riche — very “unpreppy“. 4. “Preppy” as a way of life. Many are born into this and it cannot be imitated correctly. You can’t want to be called “Slop py, ” you just acquire it as a childhood nick name. You also do not wake up and say “I think I’ll dress ‘preppy’ today“. If you have to try to be “preppy” — you aren’t. It is not an affected (assumed or simulated to im press others) style. So far, I have met only one true “preppy” student at A&M — a Lawrenceville grad. He has no qualms about who he is and doesn’t imitate anyone but himself. I believe many people here have an iden tity crisis and feel they project a certain image just by dressing in the latest “pre ppy” style. Don’t worry, we can spot you pseudo-preps a mile away. This “preppy” fad and contest are as bogus as an Urban cowboy on Nantucket claiming he’s been a cowboy all of his life. One question — how many of you would get irate upon meeting a Brooklynite sport ing a disco-rodeo suit and speaking in a very continued Texas accent? Just think about it. Elizabeth G. Lochte eyes. After reading the review, I knot exact actions which take place in tk scene, the first murdered victim, an the approximate time intervals at subsequent murders will occur. Perhaps I am “sick in the head" joying horror movies, or maybe I s’ During coni miner at Te> |ty, transfer stu iportunity to ilar to Stud The Texas A ieta Kappa, itemity for ji colleges, , is and activi mts that ha’' ailable only ien at the Te: Fish Camps e Fish Camp able because of upcoming finals, but! ^ Review gives plot away Editor: Here is a word of advice to anyone planning on seeing “Friday the 13th — Part II“: if it isn’t already too late, do not read Scot Meyer’s review of the movie unless you plan on missing the first 30 minutes. I am referring to the review which appeared in the April 7th Focus supplement to The Bat talion. Nothing is more irritating than having a suspenseful scene of a horror movie re vealed by someone who has already had the pleasure (or the displeasure) of viewing it. I was anxiously looking forward to experienc ing the second part of “Friday the 13th.” Then I read Meyer’s review while inno cently browsing through Thursday’s Focus. Now, the first scene of the movie, which sounded great on paper, is ruined in my on to T< think this is a maddening problem. So; 1 | estine - re the future, please try to refrain from! ura i s anc ] s bing about the explicit details of movie ons are son change to reviewing the classics whicl /ailable fo already common knowledge. eshmen. Tricia Beni Mike Brov pheta Kappa forientation p Istudents, wh Correction ca [depth look at Texas A&M f “We went ion program be only exp ipportunities les, the histc of Texas A& Two errors were made in an article ia May 7 issue of The Battalion about fe ternational Women’s Conference tobek at Texas A&M University June 8 andS The four women who are going tosps at the conference were referred to as : plomats.” They are not official diploii Several organizations were listedp | . ‘ 1 article as helping with the conference "' L" u j r es gr ^ Women’s Studies Association of the So^tj on an( } a west, American Association of UniveiS (j on k y tke Women, Undergraduate Women’sAss» tion at Texas A&M and the Texas Al Women’s Network are not yet formally nected with the conference in any way The Battalion regrets the errors. By Scott McCullar /| The Battalion MEMBER fJHIS pC Texas Press Association ... Southwest Journalism Congress The Battalion also serves as a laboratory new Editor Angelique Copeland students in reporting, editing and photography cWJ Managing Editor Marcy Boyce ^ Department of Communions _ w?,.. 6 t d » Questions or comments concerning any editomfl* Editor Jane Bnist be directed fo the editor m Asst. City Editor Venita McCellon Night News Editor Jennifer Afflerbach LETTERS POLICY n, c onlv f 1° IaT n'fl P Le^rs to the Editor should not exceed M w.C, Sports Editor Ritchie Pnddy , and are subject to being cut if they are longer.* 1 FREE Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff edi f orial stafFreser 4 s the righ f t0 edit le ' ersfor Mw uh Asst. Focus Editor Debbie Nelson ]ength but will niakc every effort t0 maintain the a *,i News Editors Venita McCellon, intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the xlfc Scot K. Meyer and phone number of the writer. StaffWriters . . . Frank L. Christlieb, Terry Duran, Columns and guest editorials are also welcome. awL i Bernie Fette, Phyllis Henderson, Colette Hutch- not subject to the same length constraints as letw j I ^ ^ — ings, Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editorf | atte Belinda McCoy, Kathy O’Connell, Denise Richter, Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Univei#||^t ■P Rick Stolle, Todd Woodard College Station, TX 77843. |j Cartoonist Scott McCullar The Battalion is published daily duringTexasA&MiH . Photographer Brian Tate an d spring semesters, except for holiday and examinid I f Nam e periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester,L' f ji " EDITORIAL POLICY P er school year and $35 per full year. Advertising1 Addrp The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper furnished on request u ,.B ~ operated as a community service to Texas A&M University a ( r ess. ie Battalion, 216 Reed McDonalds®-- | and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat- ln ^’ exas niversity, College Station, TX7/8A BjyT' talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not United Press International is entitled exclusively 10Qy ^ ( Se necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi- use F° r reproduction of all news dispatches credited lo V ^ ^ Se ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein resent | ^ ■ Regents. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX7W