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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1982)
opinion Letters: Traditions debated Editor: This letter is in regard to Mr. Lang- sdorfs letter of Sept. 27. Mr. Langsdorf, such ignorant letters as the one you wrote should be a crime to be publicly printed. First of all, where do you get off by saying that before civilians, this University was a “military training university” and that now (with the addi tion of civilians) A&M can become an “open-minded learning center”? No further elaboration is needed on the absurdity of that statement. I’m sorry Mr. Langsdorf, but Texas A&M is known for its “fabulously wealthy academia, wfth excellent facilities and in most cases serious, dedicated students”, and so are countless other institutions of higher learning. But Texas A&M is known mostly for its past military achievements, unified student body, tra ditions and (much to your apparent dis liking) its Corps of Cadets. I resent personally having my school referred to as a “monotheistic prison of pseudo-idolatry” and a “university dominated by unnecessary military tradi tions”. Ask yourself why this University is dominated by traditions Mr. Langsdorf. Is it because the student body doesn’t want them? Take your own poll. I am tired of people like you, Mr. Langsdorf, who inflict their ideas on peo ple and express opinions and because of a lack of knowledge, have no public liter ary authority to express them. I am refer ring to your statements regarding the Aggie Band and the Ross Volunteers. Until you have been a part of these orga nizations or have researched the subject thoroughly, you have no right to advo cate “immediate introductions 11 . Allegiance and spirit to a university is fine Mr. Langsdorf, and you’re wrong, it isn’t expected of everyone. After reading your letter, it surely isn’t expected of you. Hardy Fairbanks ’84 Student seating Editor: How shortsighted we Aggies have been! Why the men who originated the tradition of standing at football games did not have the vision to anticipate that Mr. Langsdorf and others might be in convenienced is beyond me. I have reason to believe that Mr. Langsdorf is not alone in his views, because the edi tor’s column of this paper has been flooded with letters for the recent past from people who have felt equally dis satisfied. In the interest of fairness, my room mates and I have formulated a plan which we hope will benefit those of us who wish to stand, as well as those who feel this tradition is archaic and militaris tic. We suggest that a section of seats in the horseshoe be allocated for those wanting to sit. A reasonable number of seats to set aside would be about 2 per cent of the available student section capacity. In this way, Mr. Langsdorf and others would be spared having to stand through the whole game, and the rest of us would be spared from the seemingly endless barrage of letters degrading the traditions that a majority of Ags embrace. David D. Murry ’83 Erick Oakland Ray Robertson Aggie spirit Editor: This letter is in reference to the letter written by Mr. Stephen E. Langsdorf, which appeared in the Battalion on Sept. 27. Mr. Langsdorf, you had to know Texas A&M was a conservative school before you came here. The majority of students at this University came here for the spirit and traditions. The “militaristic attitude” you speak of has always been a part of Texas A&M. The Corps has been here since the beginning and will always be here. It is one of the many things that makes Texas A&M unique. If you wish to go to a school and sit down at football games, and watch females in the band, there are plenty of other schools in Texas. Some institutions are sacred, Mr. Langsdorf, the Aggie Band and Ross Volunteers being two such institutions. It is people with liberal ideals like yours that made t.u. the sorry school it is today. David Wick F-l ’84 This letter was accompanied by 60 signa tures. No women in RVs Editor: This letter is in response to the one Stephen Langsdorf sent to the Battalion (Sept. 27). It would be disgraceful to have women in Ross Volunteers and especially in the Aggie Band. If women want to be in the Corps so much, don’t let it be at Texas A&M, let them go elsewhere. And as for you Langsdorf, you KNOW where you should go! Debbie Robertson ’83 Slouch By Jim Earle “Even an Aggie ought to know better than to have a waterbed on the top bunk!" Battalion/Page 2 September 30,1982 s S' Participate to get excellent exercise by Art Buchwald I hadn’t been on a golf course since I was a kid. The reason was that in my youth I was a caddy, and after carrying around heavy bags filled with irons and woods every weekend, I vowed when I grew up I would never step on a fairway again. But the other day a friend named Riley, who plays every week, persuaded me to go out with him. “You’ll love it,” he said. “It’s great exercise and the most re laxing sport in the world.” “I’ll go along with you,” I said, “but I won’t play.” So the next morning we showed up at the golf course. “The first thing we have to do,” Riley said, “is rent an electric golf cart.” “Why do you need a golf cart?” “Because they won’t let you play here on the weekend unless you drive around the course. If people walk they slow up the game.” “But if you drive around the 18 holes, how do you get any exercise?” “Looking for your ball. They permit you to get out of the cart to look for it. But they don’t want you to look too long because the people playing behind you will get sore.” “How long do they let you look for your ball?” “Three minutes.” “That long?” “It gives you just enough time to stretch your legs, but at the same time it doesn’t tire you out. Here come the other three guys we’re playing with.” I was in troduced to Hal, Chris and George. They each had their own golf cart. “Why do you each need a golf cart?” I asked. “We like to race each other up and down the hills,” Hal said. “And besides, if you have your own golf cart you can block the view of your ball and kick it to a better lie.” Chris said: “Sometimes if one of the other players gets a real good shot and you can get to his ball first, you can run over it, so he can’t find it.” “Frankly,” said George, “I cart racing is far more fun thanplaii the game. It gives the average guj chance to drive like Evel Knievel.” The foursome teed off and theim got into our carts and raced to ouri spective balls. Since I wasn’t Riley let me drive his vehicle, close to the ball as possible,” hetoldis “so I don’t have to walk.” Riley hit his second shot into a a trap and started cursing. “1 kne» should have used a seven iron instead^ five.” “Relax, Riley,” I told him. “It'son! game.” It took him three shots to getoutofi sand trap, two to get on the green,a three to putt into the hole. He slammed the bag with his putter Hal, Chris and George laughed atli “I don’t care which one you hitj muttered, “but I want you to ramoii their golf carts.” “But we could hurt somebody riously.” “So?” “Look, Riley, I haven’t been or course in many years and I just rea bered why. Golf is the most frustat game in the world. I’ve never seem one on a course who had any fun whit was playing.” “Shut up and drive,” he said. The next 17 holes went about same way with each player cussing gritting his teeth after he hit the ball, for the most part we just kept drin from one shot to another. I figured you counted how many steps they tool measure their ball to the flag, each pit had actually walked the equivalentotnl city blocks for the entire 18 holes. T; ' : rest of their exercise came from carryi their golf bags from their cars to theli er room. I’m not trying to put down golf cause I know millions of people play Actually it’s a great contact sport. It’s" auto racing, and it takes a heck of a| more skill than driving the bumper on the Boardwalk at Atlantic City. If> a stui ion o chan< tative mine A&M issues and c Tl new Studt secon wide, stude are sp partn searcl Iment Surve TI lishec termi Canv; Gove stude learn i Texa: Bearc partn depai funct: the o] the s A&M wides The Letters: Academics vs A&M athletics shop, si icreas< icreas< Hablevi rease c Editor: ervice. Hill Monday’s editorial by Dan Puckett was right to the point in the current debate about the personality of the Texas A&M campus. When I came here, it was not for the athletic program, and it was definitely not for the traditions (at 28 years of age, I already had a well established identity). Had I been aware of the emphasis here on these two facets of college life, I would have reconsidered my choice and prob ably opted out. I was, after all, looking for an education, not a country club. By the end of my first semester here, however, I really had too much invested in this uni versity to transfer back to the University of Houston. Truly great universities are founded on academic essentials: — a great faculty (which we seem to have) — a great library (see Mr. Puckett’s arti cle), and — an academically inquisitive student body. When a student’s choice of college is dictated by his/her (or his/her parents’) love of social traditions or sports, some thing is missing. That something is the desire to get an education. If the solution to A&M’s problems is to send the two percenters back down the highway, then this University will be permanently rele gated to a second class status worthy of the inferiority complex that Aggiessejselectioi to be masking with all their bravado]subscib< the students want this to be a great 1 or fn versity, it is in their interests to sup[>j c o an ge! the drive to academic excellence, eve#r this means losing some traditions. P instl1 Change is not inherently evil. Lain Ellis. v Academic excellencti Editor: In reference to Daniel Puckett's rial on refining the quality of theedo tional standards of Texas A&M, I exit my congratulations. It is refreshingtt this type of open-mindedness. The suit of excellence of any learning! tion should be directed towards academia. A&M’s governing body® set its’ priorities and efforts to fad learning. This entails employing school’s monetary resources for inf ving our library, upgrading our grads school, refining our computer 0 and attracting more distinguished fr ty. The pre-emminence sought by 1 Board of Regents may then beco® reality. Sandip Mui Class of The Battalion USPS 045 360 I Member of Texas Press Association Southwest JournalisYn Conference Editor Diana Sultenfuss Managing Editor Phyllis Henderson Associate Editor Denise Richter City Editor Bernie Fette Assistant City Editor Gary Barker Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb Entertainment Editor Nancy Floeck Assistant Entertainment Editor Colette Hutchings News Editors Rachel Bostwick, Cathy Capps, Daniel Puckett, Jan Werner, Todd Woodard Staff Writers Jennifer Carr, Susan Dittman, Beverly Hamilton, John Lopez, Robert McGlohon Hope E. Paasch, Carol Smith, Dana Smelser, Joe Tindel, John Wagner, Rebeca Zimmermann Copyeditors Elaine Engstrom, Bill Robinson Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artist Pam Starasinic Photographers ... 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