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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 1981)
Page 14 THF TUESDAY For: ALIGN V IE WPOINT September 23, Slouch By Jim Earle “Do you notice that I look like the hack of a chair in my ID picture? I was tying my shoe laces. Cool hand y objectivity needed to teach course By LeROY POPE .' United Press International NEW YORK -— The teaching of free enter- 'prise ideas on university campuses can he delicate and controversial but three veter ans at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y., think they have found the right for mula. The problem is just how far you can go with advocacy propagating without arous ing the concern and even the opposition of the academic faculty and students. This happened last May at the Universi ty of Southern California when the Institute for Private Enterprise, funded by indust rialist Justin Dart, a former chairman of USC s trustees, was asked by the Universi ty’s new president, Dr. James Zumberge, to move from the campus. Zumberge told UPI he did this because he felt Dart wanted the university to take an aggressive advocacy stance that was not academically proper. He said there had been mild protests by students and faculty against the institute. The prestigious eco nomist, Dr. Arthur Laffer, author of the Laffer curve theory, is connected with the Institute. He remains on the USC faculty. Dean James Bender says no such opposi tion has developed to the establishment of the Friends of Enterprise Education at Adelphi back in 1978 and to its continuing campaign to acquire a building and create a center for the study of free enterprise ideas. Bender, who is 77, is helped by two other enthusiasts, whom he calls “kids,’ 83-year- old William G. Bell, a retired vice presi dent of Celanese Corp., and 72-year-Peter Schmitt, a retired president of Westing- house International. Bell has conducted 51 Sunday seminars, which have netted $51,000 for the program and Schmitt has run a series of award dinners that have raised $175,000. The seminars deal with a huge variety of subjects. The first set for the current acade mic year on Oct. 25 will deal, for example, with the economics of breeding and mar keting thoroughbred race horses and will be conducted by Dr. James Hill, the veter inarian who made racetrack history by buying Seattle Slew as a one-year-old colt. Bender told UPI the way to teach free enterprise on the campus is to play a cool hand, to emphasize objective study instead of aggressive advocacy and always to stress the overriding principle that free enter prise is the one social and political system that guarantees human rights. He said the movement of business peo ple to establish professorships and campus centers to foster free enterprise ideas now is about 20 years old. It has been most suc cessful in the south and west but he expects it to make more headway in the east be cause of the impetus to free enterprise phi losophy supplied by the Reagan administra tion. The Friends of Enterprise Education at Adelphi have created a $500,000 professor ship of money and banking presently held by Dr. Sidney Robbins. They are trying to raise at least $50,000 for the proposed center. The center’s purposes will be to provide a consulting service for industry on enter prise education for employees, to operate a press to publish educational materials, to establish a library, to conduct an expanded program of seminars on economics, bank ing, personal careers and other matters, to do research on ways of getting the federal and state governments more favorably re sponsive to free enterprise ideas and ulti mately to establish a speakers’ bureau and a small business institute to help people go into business. The Battalion USPS 045 360 MEMBER Texas Press Association The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for Southwest Journalism Congress students in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Department of Communications. Ech tor Angehque Copeland Q ucstions or comments concerning any editorial matter Managing Editor Marcy Boyce s/louW bc Erected to the editor. City Editor JaneG. Brust Asst. City Editor Kathy O Connell LETTERS POI ICY Photo Editor Greg Gammon Sports Editor Ritchie Friddy L( , ters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in Focus Editor. Cathy SaathoH IcnKt|l and a , e Sllbject to being cut if they are i onge r. The Asst. Focus Editor Debbie Nelson editorial staff'reserves the right to edit letters for style and News Editors Jennifer Aftlerbach length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s Bernie Fette, Belinda McCoy intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the address Diana Sultenfuss and phone number of the writer. Staff Writers Frank L. Christlieb Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and are Randy Clements, Gaye Denley, Terry Duran not subject to the same length constraints as letters. Nancy Flo'-ek. Phyllis 1 lerson Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Colette Hutchings, Denise Richter, Rick Stolle Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Cartoonist Scott McCullar College Station, TX 77843. Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr. Photographers Brian Tate The Battalion is published daily during Texas A&M’s fall Becky Swanson Dave Einsel an d spring semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75per. semester, $33.25 IT TV I'm I? f A T POT TOV per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Build- The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper ingi Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat- United Press International is entitled exclusively to the talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not use f or reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi- Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. Regents. Trailblazing the gullibility By DICK WEST United Press International WASHINGTON — Although some hikers I know report the Appalachian Trail seemed less crowded than usual this sum mer, statistics kept by the National Park Service won’t support a conclusion that the backpacking population is declining. The explanation may be that backpack ers merely have become less conspicious. If so, I think I know the reason. It has to do with a loss of mystique. It used to be that people who had never done any mountain hiking were awed by tales of tramping over such eminences as New Hampshire’s Presidential Range, Gol- orado’s Pawnee Pass and Virginia’s Old Rag. Indeed, their level of credulity was such that the temptation to romanticize a bit was at times nearly irresistible. And then nine handicapped people had to go and spoil it all by making it to the top of Mount Ranier. That achievement, while undoubtedly an inspiration to the incapacitated, has made it a hundredfold more difficult for hikers who are sound of limb to elicit gasps of astonish ment. I myself have noticed a big difference when narrating, with strategic embellish ments, my own adventures in the high country. This summer, for example, I challenged some peaks that had only been conquered by 9,376 Girl Scouts and little old ladies in tennis shoes. Heretofore, my neighbor Phizbeam would have been an appreciative audience for a travelogue. But when I re cently undertook to give him a vicarious thrill, he was uncharacteristically quizzical. pressed gamely on. “Would you believe we found snow| at the higher elevations even in i mer?” i said. "Hminium, hinmmmed Pli “Was there any danger of the esci icing over M-?” “Our destination was the 14,495-foot summit of Mount Whitney, highest point in the United States outside of Alaska, " I told Phizbeam. “We set up base camp at a motel and approached the peak from the difficult and treacherous Whitney Portal Railhead. “I didn’t know motel elevators could go that high,” Phizbeam commented. One thing you learn on the trail is never backtrack or become disheartened. So I could see 1 was in deep troul mails. by that time, Phizbeam wo been hanging on my every word. I determined to tough it out. "It was virgin territory for ever)* the parts and we svere thankful tlial| s ions svilderness experience hi hosv to follow trail blazes anap oursels es on topographical maps,”! "Well,” said Phizbeam, “ifyoul ten lost I’m sure the floorsval given you directions.. There svere many exciting exploi could have related, hut 1 could seetl s s. nature stories would be wasted011®^’* beam. And more s the pity. Until the lame and (he halt started)|| quering Mount Ranier, he wouldM anything. :C0UJMW^W5RffiW wmwmv.d THINK OUR CHANCES OF SELLING AmCS CAN BEST BE ILLUSTRXTFJ) WITH THIS JULY BEAN Inconvenience is price of safety Editor: Normally, I do not take to replying to commentary I read in newspapers, whether it is in The Battalion or any other newspap er. However, I am becoming increasingly compelled to remark on the trend of many Reader’s Forum letters published in the paper. In particular, the letter of Mr. Rimes (Monday, Sept. 21) is a case in point. It seems more and more students like Mr. Rimes are not completely understanding of the total impact of the situation that they have made comments about. Mr. Rimes remarked that he and serveral of his peers do not feel parked bikes, motorized or otherwise, pose any danger, or in his words “no drastic problem.” He must not notice the bikes around the library or other major traffic buildings, such as the Memorial Stu dent Center. Either that or he is one of the individuals that park their vehicle in ran dom fashion at the door-fronts of these buildings. If there were a genuine emergency where there was a need for a quick and safe exit from these buildings, the escaping individuals would be in grave dan ger. Notice also, Mr. Rimes, the number of unused parking racks for bicycles around these same buildings where the above con ditions exist. Many are relatively empty. It seems that most people’s desire to do things that are most convenient to them is more important than what is safe for others as well as themselves. Let’s tackle some basic safety and health problems on campus first, or at least con currently, while we strive to solve our phi losophical and social problems, whatever they may be. When it comes to recognition of basic safety problems, the Student Sen ate should not need the blessings of the populous to act. Sometimes people do not know what is best for them, you have to just do it, without any thanks or appreciation. I have said enough on that, I hope. Faith in people restore Editor: 8; Larry A. Bowles ’70 1300 Milner, CS Editor’s note: Bowles is a staff member at Texas A&M University. Most of the editorials of late haved with vandalism and such. I change that. Last Friday, (Sept. 18) I did a projett my special education class, w stay in a wheel chair for a whole day.i less to say, it was a hardship. Althouel the day was over I had sore arms, ba( shoulders, it was well worth it. I have experienced such helpfulness and fe ness before. I had expected stares J jection, but instead received all thek could possibly have wanted. I’d I thank all the students who helped®) campus. I’d especially like to tlianl com” and friend, who saw me strugglii the way home, got out of the car pushed me home approximately" blocks. Thank you Ags for restoring!!! in people. Jenny Lynn Thar® 1 401W forth Warped