opinion
Dictionaries make it
hard to write right
Complaints abound that today’s stu
dents can’t write. However, if the student
who never mastered phonetics attempts
to seek help from his dictionary, he may
encounter doublespeak.
Many common words can be either/or.
Take the word programing — Webster’s
Third International Dictionary says the
word can be spelled with two m’s or one.
But, this doesn’t mean the professorial
(or professoriate) at Texas A&M, will
understand.
Everyone has a preference when it
comes to spelling, and even though you
may be proud of yourself for taking the
time to look up a questionable word, you
may not be happy when the word you
chose is considered the “wrong” choice
by the professor grading your paper.
Even worse, as an employee (spelled
employe in the book, Economics of the
American Newspaper) in a profession of
word-smiths, an unpopular spelling deci
sion may result in a rapid job departure.
Sometimes one spelling may seem
more glamorous (glamourous) than
another. The MSC Council decide to re
name the MSC Basement, Rumours —
according to The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language — a
chiefly British spelling. Perhaps the
council thought the American version —
rumors — wouldn’t add to the atmos
phere.
A big MSC success last semester,
though, was the Madrigal Dinners, a rep
resentation of a medieval (mediaeval)
Christmas feast.
The student government, this past
semester, tried a campus canvas to get
students reactions to important issues.
Maybe the action would have been more
successful if they had tried a canvass — a
survey to ascertain the probable vote be
fore an election.
If you want to buy a diamond for your
fiance, how many karats, or carats, can
you afford? Perhaps you should ask a
friend who is a confidant, or at least a
confident.
For true tea connoisseurs, do your
Arabian tea leaves come from the kat,
khat, qat, q’at, quat, or cat shrub?
Names can present special problems.
Even the media can’t agree on how to
spell the name of the Libyan leader who
supposedly sent assassins to kill the presi
dent. Should the media report about Col.
Muammar Khadafy, el-Qaddafi, or al-
Qaddafi?
If you go to Mardi Gras in New
Orleans this weekend be sure and try
some bisque (bisk) soup — a thick cream
soup made of crayfish, or crawfish, de
pending on what sounds more appetiz
ing (appetising).
Tourists swarm New Orleans at this
time, so it probably wouldn’t be surpris
ing if you met a pittsburgher, or a pitt-
sburger — a resident or native of Pitt
sburgh.
For druggies who smoke hashish, are
you sure you’re not smoking hasheesh, or
haschisch — ask your dealer.
I hope I’m not sounding like a know-
it-all, or a know-all — I get just as con
fused.
The scholars who decide which words
will become part of the dictionary could
help students out quite a bit if they would
select only one spelling per word. If they
can’t come to a decision, perhaps the
word should be canceled, or is it can
celled?
Slouch
By Jim Earle
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“Sure, he was a great gorilla as King Kong, but could he
have made it as Bobby Joe Kong?”
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Angelique Copeland
Managing Editor JaneG. Brust
City Editor Denise Richter
Assistant City Editor Diana Sultenfuss
Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Assistant Focus Editor Nancy Floeck
News Editors Gary Barker,
Phyllis Henderson, Mary Jo Rummel,
Nancy Weatherley
Staff Writers Jennifer Carr,
Cyndy Davis, Gaye Denley,
Sandra Gary, Colette Hutchings,
Johna Jo Maurer, Daniel Puckett,
Bill Robinson, Denise Sechelski,
Laura Williams, Rebeca Zimmermann
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr.
Photographers Sumanesh Agrawal,
- David Fisher, Eileen Manton,
Eric Mitchell, Peter Rocha,
John Ryan, Colin Valentine
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Blind dates can be a handicap
Over and over and again I’ve asked
myself why I fall for going on a blind
date. It’s a baneful experience that I
usually manage to avoid, yet last weekend
I again found myself standing on the
threshhold of another social fiasco,
knocking on a strange girl’s apartment
door.
This time I suppose the reason was
sheer benevolency. In other words, my
roommate sucked me into it with the line,
“Oh, c’mon. I’m in love with this girl
Brenda, who won’t go out unless I find a
date for.her.friend. C’mon, we’ll double.
It’ll be fun!”
“Is she pretty?” I asked.
“She’s in a sorority. That means she’s
gotta be cute.”
“Eleanor Roosevelt was in a sorority.
There goes your axiom.”
“Look,” he begged me, “she’s got great
personality.”
Normally, that “personality” bit would
have led me to say no unequivocally, but
my roommate promised to pay the tab, so
I consented. What is life without a little
pre-paid adventure?
So Friday night, there I knocked at my
date’s door, hoping I hadn’t wasted my
time in ironing a shirt and shaving.
I was alone. While I’d been showering
that night, my roommate had clandes
tinely abandoned me to pick up his date
in a separate car.
“Hi,” she said, opening the door.
Boy, she better have a great personal
ity, I thought to myself.
Instinctively, I put on my charm, “My,
what a stunning dress.”
“Oh, thanks. It’s from Mexico.”
“Guadalajara probably,” I com
mented.
“No. really. It’s from Mexico.”
“Right. Here, let me get that door for
you; it’s heavy.”
“Thank you..., I like your car. It’s
neat.”
“Thank you, it’s from Guadalajara. So,
anyway, how do you know Brenda?” I
inquired, hoping to strike up some semb
lance of a conversation.
“Um, we both rushed Alpha last fall
and then we found out we lived next to
ecah other and then we had a class
together. Anyway, I made Alpha, but she
didn’t, but I thought she was nice, so we
stayed friends.”
“How big of you. Which sorority does
Alpha stand for?”
“Alpha Epsilon Rho. We call ourselves
‘airs’ for short.”
“How appropriate.”
“You say ‘how’ a lot.”
“Well, I’m curious.”
“No kidding, I’m a Scorpio.”
“Right,” I returned.
“You’re going to think this is stupid of
me ...”
“Never. Go ahead.”
“Well, I can’t remember your name.
Brenda told me, but I forgot it.”
“My name is David.”
“David Smith, right?'
“David Spence.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s OK, Karen.”
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know your major.”
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general studies.”
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trigue.
“Really,” I affirmed.
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“Oh, I love their hamburgers."
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’em fix me a hamburger,” she explaim
Carol enjoyed her hamburger
think she did the entire evening, butt
shrimp left me with ominous
nausea.
The next morning, my roommate!,
daciously stumbled into our room as
into my sight for the first time sinceiti
day before.
“Never!” I yelled. “Never again
ever...”
“Now the p<
Letter: ‘Big wheel’ bothers student
Editor:
An incident happened to me on Feb. 9
that makes me wonder about the “holier
than thou” image which seems to per
vade in the mind of at least one of our
“big wheel” administrators who works
here on campus.
My wife needed to pick up an insur
ance form in the Systems Administration
Building and due to the cold weather this
day I parked my car in the reserved park
ing space that was closest to the door of
the building. She was just going to be a
few minutes inside the building in pick
ing up this form. We also have a two-
week-old daughter who my wife had left
in the car with me to care for while she
ran in to take care of this errand. Shortly
thereafter, a car pulls up behind me and
begins to honk his horn. I knew it was this
guy’s space but I had my hands full of our
baby afthe time. He immmediately got
out of his car, walked over to my car
window, and proceeded to verbally
assault me about my being in his parking
space. He said he didn’t care that I had a
two-week-old baby with me, only that he
wanted me out of “his” space and he
didn’t care how I accomplished it! I de
cided to go ahead and back my car out of
his space, all the while holding my baby in
one hand and trying to steer with the
other. My wife came out of the building
30 seconds after this had occurred and
we promptly left the parking lot.
For the administrator who parks in re
serve space #122, drives the Ford LTD
with Texas license plate #MFY 645, just
who do you think you are?
I couldn’t believe the childish, imma
ture and arrogant attitude that this “edu
cated” man possessed over such a minute
violation of his authority. Imagine how
he would react to something serious!
Thank goodness that it occurred to me
and not to a prospective student and/or
his or her parents.
I hope that this individual isn’t a fellow
Aggie, for Texas A&M has too much of a
tarnished public image now and we don’t
need someone with this type doing
futher damage.
I love Texas A&M and I wouldn’t have
returned here to further my education if
I didn’t. But I do feel that some major
changes need to be made in “high” places
for A&M to once again reclaim its integ
rity.
Dean Shattuck ’77
A&M lacks entertainment
Editor:
We are submitting this letter because
we are concerned about the lack of quali
ty musical entertainment offered this
semester at Texas A&M. This was
brought to our attention by a recent arti
cle in the Focus section in The Battalion.
The article pointed out that in a period of
six to seven weeks, t.u. (Texas University)
will have such attractions as Dan Fogel-
berg, Foreigner, The Cars, Jimmy
fet, Oak Ridge Boys, Kool and theGati
as well as the Holmes-Cooney fi|f
broadcasted on the closed circuit
of these compared to the Oak Ridge Be*
and the Harlem Globetrotters thatk
been offered this semester at A&M.
Recently President Vandiver staH |
the reasoning for the hiring of Coat
Sherrill to a large contract was becau*
A&M is trying to reach an athleticstu
dard to compare with our academics
cellence. We feel for 33,000 plusstudei
it is time to bring the social status ofo ;
school up to the same level of excelled
If t.u. can have great success in attract*
groups, why should A&M play secoi
string?
If A&M can spend large sums
money on renovating stadiums font*
tics (i.e. new coach, facilities), \$hy f'j
renovate G. Rollie White or evenbuilcj
new entertainment facility that groc
would accept performing at with decs
seating as well as acoustic standards?
has A&M not offered major gate atT
tions an opportunity to perform hereti
semester compared to last semester(H*
& Oates, Commodores, Best Li! 1
Whore House in Texas, Chuck W
gione and Michael Murphy)?
It is time for this University to pros?
its students as well as the surroundit
community the same benefits as giver
the athletic department and other orf
nizations.
Si
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Tim Widdisoo :
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