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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1981)
The Battalion Viewpoint October 27, The debate goes on and on . Editor: I’d just like to say a few words about something very un-Aggielike I’ve seen late ly as I walk around campus — the “No Frat” Campaign. Of course, all pxoponates of this trend will say that I must be in a fraternity myself; I’ll just tell you frankly that I would not join a frat if my life depended on it — simply because the fraternity atmosphere is riot for me and also I can buy a decent pullover shirt and two new record albums for the cost of an Izod. Gettng back to the matter at hand, I ask you where these people get the nerve to push a campaign whose very slogan: “No Frats — an A&M tradition since 1876’’ shows the foolishness of their “platform”? Strictly speaking, I can say that this said “tradition” ended six or seven years ago and speaking more liberally, I can say that this tradition never was; one fraternity has been around since the founding of the school and to this day remains the largest on campus ... When I say that this campaign is un- Aggielike I mean that it shows itself as an undue, unfriendly and uneducated effort. I’d like to know what the plan of attack is — are you just going to say “No Frats” and sit back on your haunches or is there going to be blackballing of the people in fraternities (and sororities for that matter)? Do you “No Frat” guys remember someone named McCarthy? Live and let live, I say. If you feel threatened by frats, you’d better go back home and pump gas or something; you don’t have smarts enough or the right atti tude to make it in college. The people in the fraternities and sororities have every right to do what they’re doing without any out side interference. I just don’t know how this campaign could have started on a campus that prides itself on friendliness and brotherhood. You may say that with all his fellow Ags around, someone doesn’t need a fraternity; just realize that it’s hard to feel a sense of belonging on a campus with over 35,000 people on it. Editor: Scott Ranalli ‘84 Slouch By Jim Earle ‘Maybe the answer is to vote for the candidate with the smallest sign!” It seems that with the current “NO FRATS” campaign, everyone is confused on just who “Frats” are. I’d like to help point out the enemy. The term “Prep” symbolizes a person with a particular attitude towards dressing. It is usually associated with the Ivy League look or the Urban Cowboy look. The parti cular way a person dresses says nothing about that person in the least. The term “Frat or “Greek” symbolizes a person who views his relationship with other students on a type of “God to peon” basis. This is the stereotype that has been associated with Frats, and if you’ve spent time in Austin, like I have, you’ll find it’s pretty applicable. At t.u., your code of dress is already predetermined. Your shirt has to be so star ched that you can play handball off the col lar, or you might as well forget your social life. Wearing something not trendy draws as many stares as dropping your tray in Sbisa. At A&M, the place to be is on campus. Dorm life is the single greatest factor to account for our awesome unity. Just recall All University Night when the dorms were seeing who could do their dorm yell louder; a good example of pride and competition working towards that goal of unity. At t.u., the place to be is off campus. All the excitement of all eight dorms could be housed in a small corner of a thimble. Two of them are over twenty stories tall, one looks like Huntsville State Prison (Jester), all are spread apart from each other, and none are near the center of campus. :enn s, i: lion, they can offer a lot to A&MJ ask myself is what do frats have to offer Is tc we don’t already have? We haveOC bring together students not on campus best intramural program tobringonaj ™ is: campus students together and dorm$<! center of it all. Dorms fulfill even 1 fur; fraternities at t.u. do, from wild parties* the M.A.S.H. party two weeks mats, to inter-dorm sports, to Biblestt: >erir So how does t. u. attempt to unite almost 50,000 students? You guessed it: fraterni ties, rah, which represent about ten per cent of the student population. Sure, they promote competition between themselves like dorms, but what about the other 45,000 people who were lucky enough not to get drafted. How can you expect a person who brags about his dad’s six-digit income or his four cars to want to come off his cloud to associate with non-frats. (How terrible!) The first president of the university said that “the University of Texas is the school of the common people of Texas. ” Small won der that his name doesn’t appear on any building or statue. Now the frats (not preps) want the Uni versity to welcome them with open arms because, as someone wrote to The Batta- Iculti Even an occasional quad livens up evening. Just because other places! al, c greeks doesn’t mean we need them.fl :han universities have cheerleaders. Dol 1 ^ 61 want to tell the Yell Leaders thattheie been a slight change? If the frats couldi “'j A&M something besides elevatingcei ^ people above others and creating Ian where unity is wanted, then more them, but the dorms were here first Davis-Gary Hall, I think they 11 agr« By Acc !em iBE' of ET By the way, to the people asking me if I’m a frat just because 11 dress like me, the answer is — notojByN life! NUKE THE FRATS! |tude ivitie Thomas A.® [ e ® Park Plawf hor livers A word from the poetry corm S Ere fple I wc edul< nerc The letters from the past few days have been marvelous. The uninformed among us have got ten to read about savage beatings going on under our collective noses (and other individual parts), the terrors and shortcomings of life on campus, the refutation of said shortcomings, plus a handy fingertip collection on the amount of improve ment we could be working for (or, less positive ly, our current deficiencies — thanks Tim!). The Reader’s Forum has taken on a soap-operatic quality, leaving us breathless as we wait to find out if introversion really is the mark of a malad justed personality (“land's sake boy, get out there and molest someone!”), or why Brian Gross cares at all about the salivation patterns of freshman girls. Yes, it’s real life, here in black and white, the triumphs and heartaches (and headaches) of Big Time College, and it’s so thrill ing, it moved me to poetry (which moved some of my friends to vomiting when they read it, but there’s no accounting for taste). Good ags, bad ags, two percenters Live their lives like fender-denters. Mostly busy with their biz. Finding that collisions is, A part of what opinions bring- Opinions, living, juggling. Anything they do, or don’t Someone’s bound to like, or won’t And when they write what they are thinking A dozen brows all furrow, sinking Reader’s Forum Ifliis :U |n!y ■ to: 1 Into gloom and deep despair That someone here could be so square Or hip, or in, or esoteric. “Teasip!” “Commie!’’ “Moonie Cleric!” And letting off a little steam Their furrowed brows relax and dream Of grades that they will never see, Or running over Reveille,* Or other things they find distressing. But, saint’s be praised for this small blessing- When pent up anger needs release We have a place to speak our piece No need for us to beat a scallion For we can write our dear Battalion * Lest my point was lost in anger’s fog Let me say I like the dog. However, as long as we can keep newandl crises popping up, we can continue toco people popping off. Another attack of “Warped” feeling (which went around tte mer) would do in a pinch, or better yi| Administration can play one of its clever that outwardly appear to be the heightofl but is actually carefully considered towti students into a frenzied apathy. Afteral | read the Batt too. But, if people ever start deciding to do thing about what upsets them, then we! trouble. First because we won’t ever he: thing about it (writing gets more attentid | doing), and second they might actually accomplishing something. Then where we be, if people started solving problems of (or even while) complaining about Why, it wouldn’t even rate one angry letli an equally angry reply. It is a possibility, however remote record of humanity (and Aggies too) has si L e such a course to be. Let us be alert then, te L eac creeping sense of responsibility overwhel: con | all and thereby ruin our amusement. |Two Philip Mi By dec Alas, all good things must come to an end, and so I’m afraid this flurry of general brouhaha will eventually fade into the pattern of every day life. Editor’s note: Mitchell is a graduate studfi the department of biology at Texas A&M1 versity. The Battalion USPS 045 360 MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Angelique Copeland Managing Editor Marcy Boyce City Editor JaneC. Brust Asst. City Editor Kathy O’Connell Photo Editor Dave Einsel Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff Asst. Focus Editor Debbie Nelson News Editors Phyllis Henderson Bernie Fette, Belinda McCoy Diana Sultenfuss Staff Writers Gary Barker Frank L. Christlieb, Randy Clements Gaye Denley, Nancy Floeck, Colette Hutchings Denise Richter, Mary Jo Rummel, Rick Stolle Nancy Weatherley, Barbie Woelfel Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr. Photographers Brian Tate Colin Valentine EDITORIAL POLICY The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper Operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not ’ necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial matter should be directed to the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author's intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the address and phone number of the writer. Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and are not subject to the same If f h constra letters. Address all inquiries and correspondence lw. suitor. The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University. College Station, TX 77843. The Battalion is published daily during Texas A&M’s fall and spring semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Build ing, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. It s your turn Fightin’ Aggie Band is still the best )fj Editor: The purpose of this letter is to reassure the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band that the stu dent body and anyone else who has experi enced the excitement of witnessing a half time performance will always consider them to be the finest representatives of the spirit of AGGIE LAND. Concerning last weeks drill in Rice Sta dium, I wish to remind everyone that these dedicated members should he allowed to stumble from their weekly perfection with out receiving unwarranted criticism; after when it snapped. Some other people may have given up, but not these Ags. Sure, they were upset and those of us watching were upset also, but that didn’t stop them. They plan to be out there Monday to put up the center pole so the rest of us can enjoy a GREAT bonfire! You’re doing a great job Ags! Kathleen Franklin ‘85 support of something so gauche as honor, service, and integrity. I note with particular interest that you made sport of our old ex pression “Highway 6 runs both ways.” You may regard this as puerile, but I feel it is, in many cases, apt. In your case, very apt. And you, Mr. Gutierrez, I’m sure you were quite frustrated at the time of your letter. And you directed these frustrations Reply to GSSO ames ntalh Editor: I feel that the letter you printed W Thele Gay Student Services Organization ?ton a liberal lift-wing piece. Therefore, I an 1 questing you print this conservativen5 Editor’s note: This letter was accompanied by three other signatures. all, they are only human. For three years now, I have attended Texas A&M football games with the anticipation of not only fine athletic competition, but also outstanding half-time performances. As the band takes the field, I know I am not alone when I become completely engulfed by the excite- Misdirected efforts at the nearest scapegoat you could find. Your completely senseless arguments mak ing broad generalizations about the stu dents here just made a complete fool out of you. wing view in its entirety. I accept fill 1 sponsibility for the contents and effect n this letter. In short, you “individualists” can have your individuality. Go ahead and revel in it. Drown in it. But don’t you dare try to de- The GSSO used a quote from Susa Anthony which in essence said, “stand 1 for what you believe in, and accept! consequences that your views may !)tee l | igmg saidt Editor: tract from what a lot of PROUD aggies hold dear to their hearts. ment, and experience a deep-felt pride for my school. I am anxiously looking forward to next week’s game against SMU when I can again enjoy the magnificence of the Aggie Band, the pulse of Aggieland. Louise R. Morgan ‘83 I must say that I am appalled at the capability of human effort to put garbage on the printed page. How, I ask, can people who have been given the priviledge (and I do mean priviledge) to attend this Universi ty attack the very heart of what makes Texas A&M great? upon you.” With that statement and faith in the Batt s unending qiie' 11 present both sides, I shall voice an opiid which I feel reflects the sentiments ofm 1 f er ’ Aggies. Queers, get the hell outa Dod| By B man |mei I Uni Steeli xas Sc 'uston igeon ain 'SWl rvice i lanta. '8 of lj sor George Danner ‘83 Flaming punishment I believe the GSSO is a lyinghyproefi al organization. Ten percent of thestP body at Texas A&M University is noli Editor’s note: This letter was accompanied by 25 other signatures. For me, the reasons for selecting Texas A&M were not merely for its academic ex cellence, but also for the atmosphere of Editor: and anyone who believes that is being 1 * realistic to say the least. Anyway, baci my right-wing philosophies, I am pfl that the sexual misfits at A&M are orgai Spirit not broken We respectfully suggest that the Aggie Band member responsible for the forma undying loyalty of many students for their school. This is exemplified in our fine tradi tions such as Bonfire, Aggie Muster, Silver tional disaster at the Rice game on Sat., 24th Oct. be thrown atop the upcoming bonfire as a warning to all that any attempt ing. The more prominent they become, easier they are to destroy. In fact, in In of the emerging fags, I wish that all of 1 proud young gays would wear Ijigpinfi Editor: I was one of the Ags braving the wind to watch the center pole go up this Friday. Everything was in its place and just as they Taps, etc. Above all, this is what sets us apart from any other school in the world. You, Mr. Gross, were probably very satisfied with yourself after your Oct. 22 editorial in The Battalion. You were so at individuality on this campus will be ruth lessly and mercilessly punished. tons proclaiming, “I am GAY.’ Then, in best of Old Army traditon, we could the hell outa the GSSO and all ofitskou queers. Doug Spence 3900 Old College were going to stand it up, it snapped in half. This letter is to commend those Ags who were working on the Bonfire center pole smug and condescending and clever in your attack of Aggie traditions. How dare we lowly “good Ags” pursue our petty rituals in Kennvl P.O. Box?' Editor’s note: This letter was accompanied by five other signatures. Editor’s note: This letter was accompac by 99 other signatures.