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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1981)
I The Battalion Viewpoint December 16,1981 ,o Slouch Bv Jim Earle ‘Imagine that! Mount Aggie erupting! 'New prison is crown for Navasota citizens By TERRI COELSON Navasota has a novel way to grow. Keep- ! ing people in will bring money in. Keeping people in means 4 prison, ! | which the Texas Department of Correc- • tions will fill with 4,()()() inmates of every ; shape, size, color and degeneracy. This new prison, being built on 5,968 acres of Grimes County choice bottomland, will be the nineteenth jewel in the TDC i j crown. And for the 6,OO.Q-;person town, the ! facility will be a crowning economic [ j achievement. But some residents see the glint of a knife where others see gems sparkling. The cutting edge is that 140 inmates have Guest editorial •j > escaped from the various units of the TDC ' system over the last 10 years. The depart ment has an 80-percent recapture rate — relatively high considering that the escapees usually have help waiting for them on the outside. This year only 10 of 31,536 inmates have escaped. This represents less than one- thirtieth of 1 percent of the total inmate population. Only two of these 10 are still at large. This has caused controversy among some of the residents in Navasota, however. Terri Coulson is a December 1981 gradu ate of Texas A&M University. the small society by Brickman « WIU. A COILZ&& Unl 0 □ □ MP^PY WILL \ HAn/E^ ^PU^ATitfN- ©1981 King Features Syndicate, Inc. World rights reserved. The Battalion USPS 045 360 MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Angelique Copeland Managing Editor JaneG. Brust City Editor Denise Richter Asst. City Editor Diana Sultenfuss Photo Editor DaveEinsel Sports Editor Frank Christlieb Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff Asst. Focus Editor Nancy Floeck News Editors Phyllis Henderson, Mary Jo Rummel, Nancy Weatherley StafFWriters Gaye Denley, Tim Foarde, Sandra Gary, Colette Hutchings, Johna Jo Maurer, Daniel Puckett, Laura Williams Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr. Photographers . . . Daniel Sanders, Colin Valentine Greg Watermann 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 length constraints as letters. Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. The Battaliop 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. Cheers to people who learn It ’s time once again for a round of cheers and jeers, tokens recognizing friends, flunkies and items of interest at the Univer sity. To refresh your memory since the last time I handed out these gems, each cheer comprises a flood of smiles, applause, shouts of joy and happy feelings. Each jeer, on the other hand, comprises sighs of dis may, assorted snarls and mild blasphemy. First and foremost, three BIG cheers for the wonderful winter weather! It’s begin ning to look a lot like Christmas, folks! It’s much easier to stomach television toy com mercials and blinking tree lights when it’s 40 degrees instead of 70. It’s also easier to study when you can curl up with an afghan and a mug of hot chocolate. Three cheers to the Aggie seniors who were graduated Friday and Saturday. They are a real inspiration ... at a time when the rest of us need just that. Three cheers to the man who says, “Ho! Ho! Ho!’ when you call time and temp. He certainly brightened up an all-nighter for me last week. If you need some cheer your self, call him at 822-6712. Speaking of all-nighters, three cheers to everyone who has made it to hump day of finals week. TGIWM Three jeers to those who already have left town. Three cheers to all students who have been studying for their finals — even if they don’t think they’re doing too well on them. Three jeers to those who say they haven’t studied for finals and ace them anyway. Those people have a tendency to blow curves for the rest of us. Actually, if you’re fretting over what you haven’t learned this semester about World War II, Newton’s laws of gravity and Shakespeare, consider all that you have learned. Here are just a few of the things we’ve all learned (or should have learned)int few months. — It’s not a good idea to wave sal cheerleaders or anyone else, especially®! at football games. — Cays are people, too, and sag Greeks. Even if you don’t recognized**;: as student groups, they are citizens\iiij right to protest. — The Aggie Band is not infallib it’s a lot closer to perfection than other student groups. — Even a tea-sip can be president Texas A&M University. (MerryCliristm Dr. Vandiver!) — The Board of Regents will puttlie»! University Press building (or any building) anywhere it pleases. Three cheers to anyone who hash anything this semester. Three jeers ton one who hasn’t. Three cheers to the University itsel |] the people, the places, the events, a! which are conducive to learning i growing. lx*t’s hope we all continue toleaman:; gRj(y grow in the new year and inthevdi Ba ahead. log and < their ays rm el in tl ir area w JI was 1 |ng for ;aid the Blu yan, She t30to35 Buring 'spring ersity’: she sa Most of Some citizens were so up in arms over the issue of to build, or not to build, that they took the issue to court late last year. But after a lengthy battle, they gave up their fight. Many of Navasota’s citizens correctly overlook the miniscule breakout danger. Instead they focus on the prison’s $3 million payroll and 225 jobs it will create immedi ately. The facility certainly will increase the town’s cash flow. Even though the foundation is still cur ing, the prison already has increased sales in ths area. A recent newsletter from the state comptroller, comparing gross sales in Grimes County for the first three quarters of 1981 to the same period of 1980, shows a startling increase of 54 percent which some business owners attribute to the prison. Above all, one other reason shines through. TDC neec/s another penitentiary. The decision to build the facility coincides with a $35 million emergency appropiation passed by the Legislature to alleviate in mate overcrowding. It’s a little late in the plot to change the story line. In Navasota’s story, we’ve already read the end of the book. All poten tial problems considered, a prison will be as economic asset to the community of Nava sota. It is a bittersweet ending to a year-long novel. E A/EW5 WE ALWAYS WAWTED TO REPORT... THE: BATTALION'S GIFT TO you... Jm in ar ' indicat i ist popul; Stanley mino’s ] gies eat dy for fir i the natio !5s the n eek v an and ranked i sales. John San r of Doir it [on, sak It’s your turn Cadet’s dismissal is a cowardly act Editor: I was recently alarmed by the news that a Texas A&M senior cadet was dismissed from A&M for his behavior while serving as Officer-of-the.-Day during a football game. The story appears to be a classic example of administration cowardice and military cover-up. A young man’s life has been possibly ruined in an attempt to save A&M’s image. In doing so, A&M has given itself an even worse image. A&M dressed a young man in a uniform, put a weapon (saber) in his hands, and taught him to play at being a soldier. Then the university gave him some vague re sponsibilities as O. O. D., with no real train ing and set him down in the middle of a fun-filled football stadium. For three years he had been taught to revere his school and the turf of Kyle Field. He’d been trained to consider the student body of other schools as an enemy it was laudatory to “beat the hell out of. When the student defended the turf with saber, he acted out the logical conclusion of the script he was given. Now the university that wrote the script has tried to escape the spotlight and hidden behind the curtain. It is my belief that A&M has responsibili ties as an educator. In this case, it has edu cated a student through acts of commission and omission and must face up to the results of its actions. In the Navy, the captain of a ship is responsible for the actions of his ship, no matter who was the Officer of the Deck. What happened to the Military Science officer who “captained the ship?” What has the President of A&M done to accept re sponsibility for inadequacy of training and to institute corrective action? A significant purpose of any institution of higher education is to teach people the dif ference between the symptoms of an issue and the issue itself. It’s too bad the issues in this case have been obscured by acts of the institution itself. It further appears that certain forces used this incident to fan the flames of anti- Corps sentiment. Unfortunately, those forces also failed to point to the real issues and instead used the student as a scapegoat. At my 20th reunion on Turkey Day, we noted that the O.O.D.’s were not allowed sabers. Another act of cowardice. I’m not sure that old Sarge has a tear in his eye and his head bowed in shame. Richard J. Reiser ‘61 the finest examples of modern architect on our campus. However, someofmy' : low Aggies apparently enjoy throwing er airplanes and other trash intotheld' from the second and third floors. I f shocked at all the debris covering the t floor when I walked in the building Frii the thought of what visitors mustthihM when seeing such a display sickens $e Come on, Ags. Good, God, we’rt‘ adults here! Anyone with the intelligent attend this great University ought tol mature enough not to participate inj^ nile foolishness such as this. Let’s cW- our act, please! Christmas spirit in Batt Woodrow Copped?/' bird F All? 4 si Nati AMVmutiXTrr Editor: In the past few issues of the Batt there have been many Christmas stories which have helped me to remember that Christmas is more than just a break between semesters. Such stories as the one about the car dealer who sold a car to a needy family for one dollar helped me to keep my perspectives straight. It is easy to forget what Christmas is all about when so much concern is being placed on tests and grades. Those stories have helped me to keep the Christmas spirit. Kent Pouncey 706 Broadmore Golf course is muddy Editor: I have played the A&M golf course t" 1 this semester. The next time I play/ tempted to wear my waders. The# holds water to a ridiculous degree, seems to dry out. I played after a two'® 1 dry spell and the course was as m I Juveniles in Zachry Editor: The Zachry Engineering Center is one of This mud is very frustrating. Itisa") known fact that if there’s any mud on® course, the ball will find it. And the ball''! always land in such a way that it can! reached from dry land. Other than this mud problem, lam® pleased with the Aggie golf course. Its 1 ; out nicely and is a lot of fun to play K. Steve Ervin'