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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
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Gordo
and
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ei
Dial-less telephone
can’t beat party line
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Bai
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In 195’
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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
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260-
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