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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 1983)
Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, June 23, 1983 So what if there’s a woman in space? Ri aui by Robe Batti ector R FLASH: Sally Ride and her fellow astronauts today . . . FLASH: Father’s Day: The male shut tle astronauts today received Father’s Day greetings from their families. Sally Ride, who has no children, did not com ment during the transmission. FLASH: Pre-shuttle cartoon: Sally Ride at the shuttle controls, wondering about her carpool duties before lift-off. FLASH: Pre-shuttle news conference: Ride was asked if she would cry if any thing went wrong during the flight, if she were taking lipstick and perfume with her, and what kind of underwear she would wear. FLASH: Overheard conversation: “I wonder if Sally Ride’s up there fooling around with the other astronauts?” FLASH: Wednesday’s Battalion, Page 1, six column headline, screaming “Ride operates space medicine machine in shuttle.” FLASH: The London Sunday Times refers to Sally Ride as “America’s first, but the world’s third spaceperson.” IF SALLY RIDE WERE NOT A COMPETENT ASTRONAUT, SHE WOULD NOT BE UP IN SPACE!!! As you read this, there are five people orbiting the earth in the space shuttle Challenger, all of whom have different capabilities. The fact that one of those people is female is important only to her husband. I admit, we journalists are to blame for the hoopla over Ride, but we’re taught in our first journalism classes that anything that’s a first is news. Well, Sally Ride’s the first American female astronaut. OK. Everybody knows that. Let’s not go overboard with this, folks. The fact that a woman is doing a job she is perfectly able to do is NOT news. So the childless Ride didn’t say any thing during the Father’s Day greetings to the other astronauts (all of whom are fathers). So what? She is not and never could be a father. Why does a syndicated cartoonist feel Ride must be depicted as worrying about carpools? Asking Ride about lipstick, perfume, underwear and tears on the shuttle flight is not only stupid, it’s downright RUDE! The male astronauts weren’t asked about their underwear. Fortunately, her re sponse to the questions was, to say the least, admirable: “It’s too bad our society isn’t further along.” Also, I hear no speculation as to whether any male astronauts are “fooling around.” It’s just as likely between the male members of the crew as between the female and male. Even the Battalion isn’t blameless. WHO CARES IF RIDE OPERATED THE MACHINE? Did it work? That’s what’s important. ^NOMUWANT YDUBBUILP AH ARK YES.L0RP,, I WANT IT , 30 COBITS HI6H ANP 300CUBITS (.ON/6 n i YEiLORP AHP1 WANT YOU to migiT entirely our of ACID RAIN... Letters: Improving liberal arts would benefit university status Editor: I am much pleased to know that Dr. Eaton stated five approaches to making A&M one of the world universities and also that the Committee for 2000 addres sed the perspectives for improving our University. (humanity and social and behavorial sci ences) programs should be streng thened. Three decades ago dichotomy between science and humanity began to spread among the campuses of the world as C. P. Snow warned in late ’50s. The former advocated the consolida tion of fine arts programs and the latter recommended creating a center for per forming arts on the campus. I agree on both accounts. I also complement the two recommen dations by stressing that our liberal arts Yet, while I was associated with Col umbia University for five years in mid- ’60s, there were many chances of com munication between two cultures. When I came to A&M in 1968, I was quite sur prised at the almost non-existence of such communication. In recent years I feel some improvement has occurred in this direction particularly after we got our current humanist president. There may be many approaches to this direction. One is to convene many seminars and lectures on humanity by outside speakers under either the Uni versity or Liberal Arts College sponsor ship. Another is to adopt the resident humanist system such as resident philo sophers, poets, journalists or novelists. The resident humanists may not be currently popular persons. I would rather prefer non-conformists to oppor tunists who may be popular among the public or to Washington. The Battalion^ USPS 045 360 Member ot Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor HopeE. Paasch City Editor Kelley Smith Sports Editor J°h n Wagner News Editors Daran Bishop, Brian Boyer, Beverly Hamilton, Tammy Jones Staff Writers Jennifer Carr, Scott Griffin, Robert McGlohon, Angel Stokes, Joe Tindel Copyeditors .... Kathleen Hart, Tracey Taylor Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photographer Brenda Davidson, Eric Evan Lee, Barry Papke 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 ot 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 mat ter 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 telephone number of the writer. Columns and guest editorials also are 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 (409) 845- 2611. The Battalion is published Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during both Texas A&M regular summer sessions, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. In relation to the humanity program we cannot neglect the international aspect. Currently there are some interna tional cooperative programs on campus in agriculture, geosciences and en gineering. However, in order to promote inter national cooperation in these technical fields, we need more understanding of the political, cultural and historical back grounds of foreign countries. In this aspect our university has se rious defects. There is no exchange prog ram in cultural fields even with Central and South American countries. Lack of effort to promote our understanding of the Eastern cultures and history becomes apparent just by glancing at courses and curricula of departments of Liberal Arts College and library holdings. Of course, it may not be feasible to match Harvard, Yale or Stanford in the fields of international studies, but the current situation should be remedied if A&M wants to get out the present paroc hial nature. Takashi Ichiye Oceanography Department Finally, a newspaper as respected as :fei the London Sunday Times referring to Ride as a spaceperson? Men aren’t peo ple? Only women? Yes, Sally Ride is female, but let’s not discriminate against her, or her fellow space voyagers. Ride, at 32, has a B.S. degree in phy sics from Stanford, and studied X-ray astronomy and free-electron lasers in graduate school. That graduate work was one of the deciding factors for her being chosen as an astronaut. Apparently, free- electron lasers may prove to be an effi cient way of transmitting energy in space. She was chosen from among 8,370 other applicants, and easily passed the entrance examinations and psychological testing. While in astronaut training, she earned her pilot’s license, and was refer red to by her colleagues as being “very cool — a cool operator.” Such is not the description of a flighty, empty-headed female, but similar stereotypes probably will continue to ex ist until women have surpassed men in many traditional male-dominated areas. Granted, some women are empty- headed, but I’ve seen some pretty flighty in the N: ceptioi hirley” ness, tl It W£ nd frei men, too. Genes have nothing ll - . an apt de Society’s continual suppon|n|he Wee myth of total male superiorit)iii|r of “Rich will do nothing but perpetuateilcast of fc truth. People grow and are ipk essenc society’s expectations, andifw expected to be equal to ment| areas, they probably would be I’m not saying we’re tc There are some wonderful between the sexes, and some which males typically excell,suti; sical strength (before I'm quartered, there are weak® strong women, also). 1 lowever, intellectually,then evidence to support a belief that bility for equality probably*] further developed through i societal expectations. However, if we persist in that happenings such as a * space are phenomenal occur true equality — such as thai through thoughts and actions through mere words in acoi will never become a reality. Maybe someday we’ll evengtn ch Is E eMemo: nmer Dir be playir ■ay. he plot i ling; the e play h Gins told t hat he worker I ctually s into i Indian tribes neeotlh to help themselve byj. B. Blosser United Press International TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Gherokee Chief Ross Swimmer says the federal government has grown weary of funnel- ing bail-out funds to American Indians who cannot manage their money and care for themselves. Until now Indians mismanaged and misplaced their funds but always feigned a “dumb Indian” attitude and got a sym- pathic ear from Washington, the chief said. “I think the federal government is about fed up with it,” Swimmer said in an interview. For the satisfaction of self-sufficiency and to prepare for what could soon be an end to free-flowing government funds, Indian tribes must take over responsibil ity for their people, the principal chief of the Cherokees said. But Swimmer argues with Interior Secretary James Watt’s suggestion the government has created “a false eco nomy” and dependency among Indians. Instead, the chief contends, government aid has provided educational opportuni ties and decent housing. “I don’t see anything wrong with that,” Swimmer said. “The dependency comes in when, once the person gets a new house, he doesn’t know what to do with it. “We’ve got to go the next step and help them help themselves.” Swimmer also contends tribes must become more involved in business in terests to survive: “Indian tribes have be come big business. Tribes are developing their own resources that will someday supplement, if not take the place of fed eral resources. “It’s not just a way of getting money to buy our way out of our problems,” Swim mer said. “We develop more jobs, we solve a whole bunch of problems. “When you put people to work they feel better about themselves, they don’t get sick as much, their kids are better educated. It seems it just creates a feeling of self-worth. Kids have a better role model in working parents.” The Cherokee Nation is a major em ployer with an industry in Stillwell, it owns a restaurant and motel in Tahle- quah, and holds 40,000 acres of land slowly being recycled from wasteland to production acreage. About 500 people work at tribal headquarters in Tahle- quah, overseeing programs and develop ing new tribal projects. “That kind of long-range planning has got to be done by tribes all over the country,” the Cherokee chief said. Just as important. Swimmer said, his tribe is learning to efficiently use federal funds. About 3,000 Indians are involved in the Cherokees’ nutritional support, or foodstamp, program for women and children. Summer programs employ 200 to 300 youths. The tribe also financed and utilized volunteer labor to lay a water line serving more than two dozen families. “It’s a whole cycle,” Swimmer said. “You cut back (the number of people un employed) and you need less federal aid.” People and problems begin to take care of themselves, he said. “That entails building a real economy in Indian Country. That doesn’t happen overnight. “I see tribal leadership around the country as being in the dark ages. They are not moving fast enough to get qual ified people into (leadership) positions by S< Bat I Coll lil hea _jesday (before the federal governmaM^.S 61 a draws help),” Swimmer said. i Currently there are abouto! gistered Cherokees, twice asm 1979. Swimmer expects them climb to 80,000 as Indians been aware of their heritage andi tribal affairs. The people have always je largt t is 1)00, w unity c ses, pa ment. IXf r ay: but they were not aware of tril ties,” he said. Part of the chief’s job ism; people aware of what theirtribi; ment can do for them. “Being an Indian chieftodaytl business leader,” Swimmer Getting there is a combination^ tics and business savvy. At 39, Swimmer is seeking term as chief. A recent bout wi put Swimmer’s campaign for« nited P LURI pped “When you put people they feel better about thei they don’t get sick as mu kids are better educated.' Ross Swimmer Ul _ nited P USTIN Wedr mun sentei a formt bbery lienee leTex; ils said ie erre | about Williams in question for a time. A cleaiHthe sla health last February put himBconfes ballot. ■ents First elected in 1975, Swiimw^ er >' tribe’s second chief since agreed to allow tribes to electtkMJ^ In 1906 Congress forced Indiaf solve their tribal councils andi chief appointed by the presided In 1971, William Keeler,wW 25 years as appointed and ele# cipal chief, became the first mi«j election in a general vote. Since tribal council has been renewp deputy chiefs position was ere# Swimmer wears business suits law degree and is the presidi Tahlequah bank. And he is only one-quarterflf He said there is no limit “on blood” for the chief but “therefe some. “In the last 100 years thereto very few, if any, full blood Cl« that have been chief.” ■ Berry’s Th»«xf Connor. Qlufunt* "I hope those people in the moon s-’; there are from another planet and not for DIOXIN!”