opinion
Battalion/Pai:
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could save 41 of those points to
use in the rest of our games?”
Can a third party
save the other two?
by Maxwell Glen
and Cody Shearer
When “The Most Overlooked Story of
1982” is decided at year’s end by the
“official” panels of reporters, news
hounds and editors, few ballots are liable
to read “Sedated Voters.”
But once the debates, smear cam
paigns and other elcjrnents of the 1982
elections have ceasecf to reverberate in
our ears, one sad fact will remain: About
100 million of us — more than 60 percent
of the eligible voting population — will
have dropped out of democracy for
another year. Though short on sex
appeal, this story could some day render
all our other political problems academic.
Politically speaking, Americans have
iron-poor blood, and everyone knows
why. Politicians are out of touch, cam
paigns too long, and the hands of special
interests too heavy. Try though they do,
the media can’t seem to make the elector
al season more palatable than meatloaf.
Luckily for the republic, however,
some folks are working on this con
tinuing crisis of participation. These pat
riots, weighing the seriousness of the
situation, have abandoned such tradi
tional remedies as “get out the vote” and
“voter registration” efforts. Indeed, their
approach to politics runs right to the root
of the problem: They’re offering voters
an alternative.
“They” are the Citizens Party, a loose
coalition of grass-roots activists, which in
35 states during 1980 put ecologist and
hapless academic Barry Commoner on
the presidential ballot. Two and a half
years later, the party is running an im
pressive 1982 campaign in 20 states,
mostly in the Northern half of the United
States. While few, if any, of the party’s
candidates are expected to win their
races, they all intend to raise issues the
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
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Managing Editor Phyllis Henderson
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Snider
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Corps’ actions not acceptable]
Excellence.
There should be no exception.
For more than a year excellence has
been one of the most actively pursued
goals of the Texas A&M administration.
Yet today that goal remains un
achieved.
It is time for Texas A&M to achieve
the goal — to live up to its immense
potential.
It is time for Texas A&M to commit
itself to making the effort, making the
changes required to build an excellent
institution.
In fact, the time has passed.
Texas A&M had the opportunity to
lead Texas’ institutions of higher educa
tion as the state’s first public university,
but lost its priorities somewhere along
the way.
But excellence is still attainable.
It is time for the true believers in
fexas A&M’s potential to lead the way
into an era of pre-eminence — statewide,
nationwide and even worldwide.
In some areas the process has begun.
The administration and faculty of
fexas A&M have committed to the
course for the most part.
The largest obstacle in Texas A&M’s
path on the road to pre-eminence now
lies within the student body.
It is a small but visible group that
threatens the image and progress of this
institution.
When will the majority of the Texas
A&M student body stand up to this
minority that threatens the slowly impro
ving reputation of the university?
The time should lie now.
A function of an institution of higher
education is to examine rationally its de-
Many of these deficiencies became
sorely evident during the Texas A&M-
Rice football game Saturday.
Three incidents at the game were the
type not found at an excellent university
— one of great academics, athletics and
character.
the integrity of the football pros
the eyes of the officials an|
coaches.
The immature actions of'theCj
have marred f exas A&M’s reput
long enough.
While actions such as these]
do not have the support ofevem
of the Corps, f reshmen in thef
not engage in any activity wittioidl
support and encouragement of u[|
classmen members of that organa
It has to stop.
This university cannot standtaj
its i eput.u i> in 1 m t hei tarnished •..«
actions of a few. J <*■
It is time to set priorities.
It is time to commit tolhediat
Some say change should noil
at Texas A&M because it threatei
traditions of the University.
Tradition can no longer bet
into the path of progress as an obsiatl
the greatness Texas A&M needsaiiil
First, for the yell leader to knock the
Rice mascot down following an Aggie
touchdown, no matter what the reason,
was an irresponsible action for a figure of
authority to engage in, reminiscent of the
saber incident a year ago.
Second, the harassment of Rice cheer
leaders by freshmen members of the
Corps of Cadets — including the theft of
pom-poms and megaphones — was a
malicious, immature action that only
serves to further tarnish Texas A&M’s
reputation for sportsmanship.
serves. lo\ing from
Tradition is the delivery of op deration, am
doctrines, practices, rites and ciaMbins (left),
from generation to generation. B
It is possible to retain and build j
Ol
by Jennif
Battalion
flciencies.
Third, the freshman cadets rushing
onto the field before the game was over
to catch the yell leaders quite possibly cost
Billy Cannon a touchdown and damaged
the great traditions of Texas A&M.
the same time change the schoolfo
better.
But w e can no longer afford theiJ
ence to t hangc t aused by thefearola
pering with tradition.
A week ago. CBS television saidJ
news segment that Texas A&M Com
potential to become the "Cambri(l[® sa * fo r ranei
the South." lt 0n K4 >rei i g '
... nu Monda
. V t . an ' . . to be 1
We just need a commitmentfr -B ature thief
involved that greatness is to be our,; esfof state in
a goal pursued until it is achr n moderated 1
e's Ted Kopp<
Dale Tampki
pygram ad
id Alexand
Democrats and Republicans have tradi
tionally regarded as untouchable, and
attract the interest of otherwise unin
terested voters.
“What we’re finding is that there’s a lot
of dissatisfaction with what’s being
offered,” said Wayne Grytting, a candi
date for the State Assembly from Seattle.
“People seem willing to accept a third
party — any third party — that offers an
alternative.”
Though Grytting gives himself only a
one in six chance of victory over a moder
ate Democrat, he contends that the two
major parties aren’t talking straight ab
out Washington state’s high unemploy
ment rate and its massive public inde
btedness.
Of course, many of Grytting’s ideas
come from the Citizens Party’s 1980 plat
form. The Reed College graduate’s
opposition to sales taxes on food, and his
support of community development
banks for local investment are typical of
the party’s faith in the locally-controlled
economy.
Regardless of what one thinks about
the Citizens Party’s vague call for “econo
mic democracy,” there’s much to be said
for any political force in America today
that encourages grass-roots participa
tion.
Of course, no one’s expecting the
Citizens Party — much less the Liberta
rians or some amalgam of John Ander
son’s 1980 National Unity campaign — to
capture many victories in 1982. Their
presence, however, is a healthy shot in
the arm for an anemic democracy.
As freer thinkers address top issues,
you can also bet the candidates from the
two major parties will slowly wake up
from their complacency and take notice.
That development might be the best
news voters get this fall.
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Letters: Join the Aggie Blood Club"™
Editor:
Through the Aggie tradition of
donating blood each semester, students
and faculty provide a lifesaving service to
the countless number of patients who re
quire blood each day.
Aggies and faculty are encouraged to
donate blood this week during the Fall
Aggie Blood Drive in cooperation with
Wadley Central Blood Bank. The Blood
Drive started Monday and will end
Thursday. You can donate blood at any
of four locations: MSG Ballroom,
Lounge A on the Quad and mobile units
at Sbisa and the Academic and Agency
(A&A) Building. The mobile units will
operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the
MSC and Lounge A will be open from
noon to 9 p.m.
Texas A&M has the potential to be the
largest blood donating university in the
nation. In 1959, Aggies sponsored their
first blood drive, which collected 392 un
its of blood. This week, the Aggie Blood
Drive Committee hopes to collect over
3,000 units. Last fall, Aggies donated a
record 2,200 units making the Texas
A&M blood drive the largest regular
blood drive in the nation. In the spring
drive, Aggies rallied to help provide
needed blood to tornado victims in Paris,
Texas with 2,159 units.
The need for blood is overwhelming.
For instance, the Dallas area alone re
quires over 500 units per day just for
open heart surgery operations. Lifesav
ing Aggie Blood is also given to patients
with lukemia, cancer, hemophilia, as well
as to accident victims.
You never know when you or a mem
ber of your family will need blood. As an
Aggie Blood Donor, you automatically
become a member of the Aggie Blood
Club which entitles you to several impor
tant benefits. Most importantly, you and
members of your family will be given free
blood replacements. This is a valuable
service when you consider that one trans
fusion costs between $35 and $100.
Don’t miss this opportunity to give the
gift of life and participate in this great
Aggie tradition.
pate, they will be offering prizes
small group category as well. Fori
organizations (over 100 members),
prize is three kegs of beer, second prize 1
two kegs and third prize is one keg.Sml
organizations will compete for two ki
and one keg.
In order to participate, someonefn
the organization needs to fill out are]
tration form directly outside of theS#
dent Programs Office in 216 MSC.* 1
each person donates blood, theywilk
asked to fill out a slip of paper to^
counted at the conclusion of the drive
In addition to the group prizes'!
kegs, each person donating blood willr f
ceive a free frisbee and will automatical'
become a member of the Aggie
Club.
Correction
Suzanne Alexander
The Blood Drive Keg Contest is spon
sored by the Aggie Blood Drive Commit
tee to encourage participation in Blood
Drive which is going on this week.
This year, in order to encourage some
of the smaller organizations to partici-
A picture in Friday’s Battalion incol
rectly identified an “Eat the Helli
Rice Crispies” contestant. Thecontesta |1 |
in the picture was Trey Beazley, aj
agricultural economics major
Hewitt. He finished second in thecotf'l
petition. The Battalion regrets the errofj
Non.-Thu
ITU
Sat. 1
Su n. ii.