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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1983)
/ Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, May 5, 1983 opinion UT ‘open letter’ unfair I never have and do not intend to make a habit of writing a letter to the editor every time someone or something annoys me, but when circumstances merit a response I can make exceptions. As the newly elected Student Body President, I feel it is my responsibility to respond to an “open letter from UT stu dents to A&M students” published in The Battalion on May 2. The letter, which was signed by both the outgoing and incoming Student Body Presidents of UT, unfairly criticized and misrepre sented the actions of the A&M Legislative Study Group in regards to the issue of tuition increases. The letter claimed that members of the LSG “testified in Austin for a tuition increase” and “(told) legislators that Aggies want to increase their own tui tion.” Either the authors of this letter grossly misinterpreted the actions of our LSG concerning this issue, or this was a flagrant attempt to discredit the LSG with our student body. The position of the student body as determined by the Student Senate in SB 82-036-(12), passed on March 9, plainly expressed the view of the student body “as being opposed to a tuition increase, unless such is inevitable, in which case, the TAMU Student Senate supports a tuition increase by a fixed percentage of a predefined set of costs.” The “fixed per centage” clause is to ensure tuition costs rise as slowly and as little as possible if they do rise. This has been, and is the view that the LSG has presented to legis lators in Austin. The controversy seems to have arisen in regards to a committee hearing con cerning HB 894 in the State Legislature on March 15. This bill is not a tuition increase bill. It is in fact an act to provide for a change in the process by which all state fees can be raised. The measure would allow all state fees to be raised no more than 100 percent during the next two fiscal years, and thereafter be raised only by an amount to offset inflationary impacts. Although in theory this bill could allow tuition to increase from $4 to $16 per semester hour over the next two years, it is highly unlikely that this will be the case. Many legislators are against any tuition increase at all. What this bill does do is set a maximum on the amount that tuition as well as all state fees can be raised, and ensures that any increase is a gradual one. The bill allows the Appropriations Committee to increase state fees as part of the General Appropriations Act, which must then be approved by the State Legislature. However, an amend ment proposed by our LSG will require that each substantive committee retain jurisdiction over any adjustment in fees as part of the appropriations process. In the case of a proposed tuition increase, this would put the jurisdiction in the hands of the Higher Education Commit tee. This will allow greater opportunity for public testimony on the impacts of any proposed tuition increase. The LSG went on record for the stu dent body of A&M as being opposed to a tuition increase in principle, but in sup port of HB 894 as amended, because the bill “will provide the optimum mechan ism for raising tuition, given that such an increase is inevitable.” I realize that the issue is an important concern for all of us and that the legisla tive issues are not always easily under stood; however, I would hope that in the future, those interested would take the time to research the issues before any accusations are made. Because of the LSG’s thorough research and profession alism in dealing with legislators, they have raised the image of students in gen eral and Aggies in particular with mem bers of the Legislature. The LSG heartily deserves our con tinued support and respect. 1 EXPERIMENTS JH CHEMJSTKVI ® © INTRODUCE. PECE/VTRAUZED TEACH | A/6. REACTION HEATS UP. STANDARDIZATION IS DESTROYED. STUDENTS SEEKIN6 THE BETTER TEACHERS ARE SCATTERED. CONDUCTED TESTS ASSUME COMPLETE RANDOMNESS OF QUALITY. DISTILL THE SOLUTION UNTIL THE STUDENTS SWEAT SLOOP. SUBSTITUTION OCCURS — ' A'S" AND "S's" CHANGE TO "D'f " AND "F's". ALKYNES OF SUFFERING occurs. / ? (l <$) BYE-PRODUCTS ONE EXCELLENT Ir/I Program and ALL HOPE FOR THOSE CHEMISTRY STUDENTS. WHEN FINISHED, POOR "SO-CALLED" SOLUTION DOWN THE DRAIN. Letters: Concern should be apathy Editor: It seems that someone needs to sit down with Richard Fosberg (whose letter appeared in Friday’s Battalion) and ex plain a thing or several. Like most closed-minded people, he attacks those he disagrees with personal ly, calling Ted Kennedy a “scum,” for Member ot Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor HopeE.Paasch Managing Editor Elaine Engstrom City Editor Beverly Hamilton Assistant City Editor Kelley Smith Sports Editor John Wagner Assistant Sports Editor John Lopez Entertainment Editor .... Rebeca Zimmermann Assistant Entertainment Editor Shelley Hoekstra News Editors Brian Boyer, Kathy Breard, Tracey Taylor, Kelly Miller Photo Editor Eric Evan Lee Staff Writers Brigid Brockman, Ronnie Crocker, Scott Griffin, Christine Mallon, Robert McGlohon, Michelle Powe, Ann Ramsbottom, Stephanie Ross, Karen Schrimsher, Carol Smith, Angel Stokes, Joe Tindel, Kathy Wiesepape, Wanda Winkler Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artist Sergio Galvez Thompson Photographers Michael Davis, Guy Hood, Irene Mees, Barry Papke, William Schulz Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news- instance. Joe Jordan is not a threat to Fosberg’s conservative Texas A&M — you can take it from this “liberal.” I suggest that we should be concerned with the overwhelming apathy inherent in this University. By blindly submitting to mindless traditions and entrenching our conservative, head-in-the-sand atti tudes, we keep the real world from 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 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. 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. The Battalion is published daily during Texas A&M’s fall and spring semesters, except for holiday and exami nation periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semes ter, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Adver tising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Stadon, TX 77843. United Press Internadonal is endtled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduedon of all other matter herein reserved. Second class postage paid at College Stadon, TX 77843. affecting us here in good of Aggieland. It seems that at Texas A&M we are trained to defend a hopelessly out-of-date insti tution from the slings and arrows of the modern world, all so that we can better impede the growth and progress when we move out into society. The framers of the Constitution that Fosberg refers to, even the founders of this college, understood that change was necessary for advancement. Our simian ancestors changed from lumbering around all stooped over to walking erect, for which I am very grateful. The Third Reich utilized the Big Lie in order to change the future, but at Texas A&M it’s being used to preserve the past. We can no longer ignore the rest of the world, or the world will surely pass us by. Micheal Panzer Tuition truth Editor: Doug Jones’ statement about Texas having the lowest tuition of any state in the country is only partially correct. It should have said “Texas has the lowest tuition of any state-supported higher education system that charges tuition in the country.” As of May 2, the 18 colleges and universities of the California state university systen still charged no tuition whatsoever. C’mon Dougie, let’s tell the Ags the whole truth. Dale A. Carlson The Battalion USPS 045 360 4* Slouch By Jim Eai 50 LONG CLASS OF Presid Gordo and s-s-il a ei Dial-less telephone can’t beat party line \)y Leig Bai Hie Te ity s< Sting W afte ed. In 195’ | took by Dick West United Press International WASHINGTON — Progress occa sionally is more illusory than real. In the former category, I would put a report that the Bell Telephone Labor atories is working on a dial-less telephone that responds to voice commands. The caller merely enunciates the number he wants to ring and a computer does the rest, a company executive was quoted as explaining. I hate to be the tosser of cold water on electronic research, but a dial-less tele phone that responds to voice commands already is old hat. I saw such an instrument being tested the last time I paid a visit to The Future Is Yesterday Foundation, whose own far- out research is dedicated to proving that all progress is circular, eventually advancing to the point from which it started. In truth, the foundation’s experimen tal apparatus looked very much like the phone that used to hang in the center hallway in the house where I grew up. “Isn’t that a wall phone?” I asked Sam Harkenback, the foundation director who was showing me around the labor atories. “Actually, it’s our latest development in communications,” Harkenback re plied. “Try it and you’ll see what I mean.” I walked over to the phone, lifted the receiver off the hook and put it to my ear. “You didn’t ring yet,” Harkenback told me when nothing happened. With my other hand, I turned the crank a couple of times. This time, a nasal female voice came the line. late to “Number, please,” she said. “That’s the operator,” Hark jg^ advised. She has been trained: L w spond to voice commands. Just te ^ fro what number you are calling.” bis ye I recited the number of my friem ne a i Ibert Phizbeam. In a trice, I heart hanct long rings, followed by three short a ’d tl There was a short period of silence. | rve 1 which another female voice was hi “Delbert isn’t at home right noq the voice. “I think he took hiscardo the shop to get the carburetor adji hrou acuity decisi by F “To whom am I speaking, pleafreside asked, mystified. “This is Owly Sue Cranny nexti | the voice said. “I told Delbert ll answer if he had any calls.” Harkeback could barely containl self. “That’s what we call a ‘party linei^ chortled with ill-concealed pride, we do is attach three or four phoj the same line. If one rings, theothel hear it. They can even pick upther er and listen in on the consersatif they want to.” “Land sakes!” I exclaimed. “1 you think of next?” “Well, actually, it’s not new Harkenback admitted. “We copie<| basic concept from the FBI, wnkl been listening in on telephone coii| tions for years.” I asked Harkenback what theuli| use of the “party line” might be. He said he envisioned a groupol nessmen conversing with each otl what he termed a “conference call “But the main potential is what Depa ‘party line’ can do for wrong nunWital Dc he added. § and eering Gilrnon Lack of understandingito confronts El Salvador Editor: This letter is in response to Mr. Frank McDonald. Mr. McDonald: I do not wish to insult you, but after reading your letter in the May 2 Battalion there is nothing else I could call you but naive. It is unbelievable how many people like you try to convince others about political situations on which you have very little background. Sometimes to my surprise, a lot of people who talk about El Salvador or Nicaragua are unable to locate those countries on the map. A gentleman who wrote to the Battalion last week stated that El Salvador has 1.5 million people when actually that tiny country has 5 mil lion people. You are right when you wrote that Central American countries were many years under the oppression of military dictatorships which were supported by the United States government. But dicta torships did not end four years ago when Marxist-Sandinista government took power in Nicaragua, and it became a tota litarian state that also is taking away free dom from our people. recov fount; 1th C :nfro demic f/een ] a , They took complete control of the vision networks, not allowing an) ( aslr owned stations, and they control news in newspapers, radio andanyt media. They attack the religions, have killed many political leaders oppose the Marxist-Leninist ref They have built one of the stroj armies in Latin America with members trained by Soviet officers equipped with all kinds of modern$< weapons. Do you call this democracy, Mr. nald? The Sandinistas, with the helped and the Soviet Union, have beenex 1 ing their Marxist Revolution toElS dor, and make no bones about it Mr. McDonald, I ask you pleased preach about some situation you understand, because if U.S. aid ism ceived soon in Central America, ElS dor will be another Nicaragua andh be too late for the United States to any action. Is that what you want? Alvaro Lacaf bron )onalt 260- 'HO- hext ub^