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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1983)
V, V * *’ ■'’**■*>*'♦ V opinion Battalion/Page 2 February 11, Sherrill’s attendance policies succeeding Congratulations to Athletic Director Jackie Sherrill for the apparent success of his program to keep athletes in school — and most importantly, to keep them Studying. Sherrill has shown that he is commit- ed to providing athletes with an oppor- Editorial tunity to succeed in the classroom as well as on the field. Starting last fall, new class attendance policies were established requiring man datory class attendance — and study hall if needed — for all scholarship athletes. And the program seems to be working. Only one freshman football player had a GPR below 2.0. The average GPR for freshman football players was 2.6. The highest GPR among the freshman football players was 3.69. And freshman football players aren’t the only ones studying. About 30 former athletes — including former T exas A&M running back Curtis Dickey — are study ing in the offseason in order to receive a degree from Texas A&M. According to figures compiled by the Southwest Conference, about half of the athletes who enroll at Texas A&M even tually receive their degrees. That com pares to 30 percent at other Southwest Conference schools. The academic staff employed by the Athletic Department has been expanded to run these programs. About $40,000 is spent each year to keep this staff run ning. T he Athletic Department seems to be turning out some well-rounded athletes. The department apparently realizes that studying and class attendance, as well as extracurricular activities, should be part of every college student’s life. But the extracurricular part never should be allowed to take over. If Sherrill’s programs — and the athletes — continue to work, the old brawn-over-brains stereotype of the col lege athlete may lose some ground at Texas A&M. Good news story SOME PEOPLE® HIM AS HALF EMW, &UTISEEHIMAS HALF FULL, dent Pi lounsel tional st louncil jtural i A.P. Be dent Ac joys of employment Reagan catches education rnmen ograr hibits al itudent It is job to e services wav! by Art Buchwald Larry Speaks, as all presidential press secretaries seem to do when their boss is in trouble, took out after the press the 'other day. In a speech he complained -about coverage of the bad economic news ♦by the media, as opposed to the good Inews. *■ When inflation was at 13 percent, he ^complained, the media reported it. Now that it is 3 percent (that’s Larry’s figure, iiot mine) the press has ignored the fact that the Reagan administration licked the country’s number one problem. Speakes also questioned the public opinion polls that indicated the Amer ican people considered unemployment the present number one problem. “And why not?” he asked his audience. .-“Every night we have seen the unem- ;-ployed line up and march across the tele- ;-vision screen, and I certainly would not Tmake light of the people who are unem- Gployed ... But why is it that 10.8 percent is ' ’news, but 89.2 percent of Americans who *>tre employed and enjoy the highest stan- -;dard of living is not?” • I Larry posed a good question. Why I‘aren’t the news programs covering the [-employed people instead of the unem- ‘-ployed? And how would they handle it, if [•they did? ;* “This is Tom Brokaw in New York. >The big news tonight is that 89.2 percent ;'of all Americans who want jobs have -them. Irving R. Levine reports on the [[plight of one of these men in Scarsdale, [New York.” •[ “This is Irving R. Levine and I’m [standing here with Frank Davis, broker ■[for E.F. Hutton, who is one of the mil- • [lions of people now employed in the Un- [ited States. To the Reagan administra- [tion, Davis is just another statistic. But in [human terms, he and his family tell the [real story of what is going on in America -today. - “Frank, this is a lovely house you -have.” [- “Yup. It’s worth $250,000. But since -I’m working, I’m not about to sell it.” “How much do you make a year?” - “With bonuses about $100,000.” > “Then you don’t have to depend on food stamps, unemployment insurance or use up your savings to keep going?” “Certainly not. We eat very well, and we have enough money left over to own a boat, and send our kids to private schools, and go out to a good restaurant when it moves us. If the stock market keeps up the way it is, we might buy a second home in East Hampton.” “Does being employed make you feel any different than being unemployed?” “Very much so. It makes me feel good. I like to work, and I enjoy being paid for it, and I’m not mad at anybody.” “How does your wife feel about you being employed?” “She thinks it’s just great. She’s very supportive, as are the children, that I’m making it during the recession. I don’t know what I’d do without them.” “But don’t you get discouraged some times and say to yourself, ‘I’m sick and tired of working, and I’m going to throw in the towel.’?” “I imagine the thought has occurred to me. But my wife and I like nice things, and if I threw in the towel, we couldn’t afford them. We’re going on a ski trip next week to Vail.” “Then you’re not angry at President Reagan because you have a job?” “Why should I be mad at Reagan? He’s not to blame because I’m making a good living.” (Cut to Irving R. Levine standing be side the Davis swimming pool, alone.) “Frank Davis is an example of one of the 89.2 percent of the American work ing class, blessed with all the things this country has to offer. Unlike the 10.9 per cent who are unemployed, he believes in tax cuts, military aid to foreign govern ments and an increase in defense spend ing. He may not represent all the em ployed people in this country, but his story is worth telling because it gives a true picture of what is really going on in the country today. “Tomorrow we’ll talk to another em ployed person who is doing very well as a golf pro in Palm Springs, California. This is Irving R. Levine in Scarsdale, New York.” by Maxwell Glen and Cody Shearer Before a Senate subcommittee the other day, former governor Jerry Brown of California articulated the kind of para digm for which he’s become famous. “The nation needs a vision of where we are going for the rest of the century,” he told the Finance Subcommittee on Savings, Pensions and Investment Policy. “And out of that comes a consensus, and out of that consensus will come a disci pline that will pervade our schools, our factories, our public sector.” If Brown’s model is valid for U.S. sci entific educational policy, one could argue Ronald Reagan's vision of Amer : ica’s future is fuzzy at best. Reagan has, of course, tried to catch a wave that he virtually ignored two years ago. His 1984 budget asks for $50 million in one-year scholarship grants to be awarded by the Education Department (and matched by states) to prospective science teachers. Through the National Science Foundation (NSF), he also wants to provide $26 million for three other “quick-fix” programs to attract more stu dents to graduate study. . “Our economic strength, our military strength, and our health and well-being depend to a very large degree on the fruits that modern science and technolo gy ... have brought to us,” Education Sec retary Terrel H. Bell told a House panel last Monday. While the administration’s efforts rep resent something of a turnaround, its scope seems paltry given national needs. Even at 156,000 the number of high school math and science teachers is noto riously short of demand; poor quality has become a national scandal. But the Edu cation Department programs would assist perhaps 10,000 individuals (using $10,000 as an average cost per student) for two semesters and a summer session, when adequate training might require three years. Meanwhile, NSF grant recipients could number but a fortunate few. Perhaps 200 students would be eligible for the proposed $6 million Presidential Young Investigator Awards program. While the administration's eitorts represent something of a turnar ound, its sc(fpe,see ms paltry given national needs. which is designed to encourage graduate study over more lucrative private-sector jobs. Will that be enough to solve the attrition problem plaguing universities? Reports last week that infant mortality rates are rising in nine state's might have been expected to result from waning fed eral and state support for the women and children nutrition program. Unhealthy mothers make for unhealthy babies. Yet, secondary surveys by the Food Research . Action Council (FRAG) re vealed that infant mortality rates in sub sections of some urban and rural areas far exceed the national average of 1 1.7 deaths per 1,900 births. In parts of De troit, the rate exceeds 33 (higher than the national average of Honduras). Else where, 55 deaths per 1,000 were re ported. Perhaps worse, declining federal sup port for prenatal care providers has lef t many states without the manpower to monitor infant mortality and low-weight The h Jure wil [Ulege 'vironme lectures and 2 p Rudder oirth rates. As a result, we wont« The know the current recession'sImnu second f Watergate sleuth Robert V\’(Kxl":ff n ^ n preparing to lake a leave InniiK sa j ( W ashington I’osi's investigativejBck, h write a book on the death of con (architec John Belushi. 1 he »W2LS cl let Politics and movies are renewiijH 1 j vers ties. Last \ ear's mammoth antfptM| P ser rails in New York Cits is currenthmnalisi pieced into a major motion pictureBxas. ' f rom I lollswood comes the report® be the Democratic National ComnifM 61 'thi organizing a national telethonoiOlff; sa ' c rial Day sseekend that will bea“vet® ^ * 1< Woodstoc k ol teles ision." uIl 111 * the com Peter Hannaford, a former aiMThe Ronald Reagan in California and,i'p rc hi te( time business associate of preside®* P u ^ assistant Michael Deaver. istheaiilt# * e ^ a set anothet book about the curraitj^ jj family. The sumptuous fare of literature mas explain why Mcord Reagans,” due next March, is nwlett, W Conservatise Book Club alternatf jVictorss tion. series. Once esoteric in Washington® the applications of high technoloj war and commerce have vvonwii notice at the White House and onCa] Hill. Now Georgetown Univeti School of Foriegn Service isconsiden proposal to establish a research;? and degree program in internal communication. Said Stephen (lilts who heads the Foreign Service sell science program and will supervist project: “We scant to combinetoim standing of international affairs\il language of technologies and inft tional revolution in a way more the 2 1 st century.” Slouch Canned art Texas A&M University administrators or faculty mem bers, or of the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography clas ses within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial matter should be directed to the editor. 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 and 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 Uni versity, College Station, TX 77843, or phone (713) 845- 2611. Today I was walking down the street when I saw an empty beer can on the ground. I thought about picking it up and throwing it away, but then I remem bered hearing people say, “If it makes you think, then it’s art.” So I left it on the ground. The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor Diana Sultenfuss Managing Editor Gary Barker Associate Editor Denise Richter City Editor Hope E. Paasch Assistant City Editor Beverly Hamilton Sports Editor John Wagner Entertainment Editor Colette Hutchings Assistant Entertainment Editor. .. . Diane Yount News Editors Daran Bishop, Jennifer Carr, Elaine Engstrom, JohnaJo Maurer, Jan Werner, Rebeca Zimmermann Staff Writers Maureen Carmody, Frank Christlieb, Patrice Koranek, John Lopez, Robert McGlohon, Ann Ramsbottom, Kim Schmidt, Patti Schwierzke, Kelley Smith, Angel Stokes, Tracey Taylor, Joe Tindel Copyeditors Jan Swaner, Chris Thayer Cartoonist Scott McCuflar Graphic Artists Pam Starasinic Sergio Galvez Photographers David Fisher, Jorge Casari, Ronald W. Emerson, Octavio Garcia, Rob Johnston, Irene Mees William Schulz Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news paper operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions ex pressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of