Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 1983)
warn BTexas A&.M me Sl fflilariij compaait L ,her th; ilities J ters todi feting s > mark director s. lion Serving the University community ^ agreeti|78 No 59 ugps 0453110 12 pages ting ther College Station, Texas Tuesday, November 22, 1983 r Selkonii e d advert a . Selkoi pack d« >rst prior: arkedne 11 fro®! portion ol 'tier inlijt operiorit in edna: iiportam 'ires a cot tobetaiijl high sell issed in 1 curnciit hich indi k compi tation of ' course! effectloo let III, unior fl Station, iking step state rqi itingfor; ation of course.’ the state &M J® lingateai owledge eight i , Droui Core curriculum changes possible John Makely, Battalion staff The Rev. Jesse Jackson enberthi id are te r compl fe .An$8l| the fiele^ by the ackson: Youth must xercise voting power by Stephanie M. Ross Battalion Staff Some students might not be getting a well-rounded education at Texas A&M, English Professor Dr. Paul Par rish says. Parrish will reintroduce a motion at the December Faculty Senate meet ing to establish a committee within the academic affairs committee to study the feasibility of a core curriculum. A core curriculum is a set of re quired courses for all students, re gardless of their major. The curricu lum would include courses from the liberal arts and sciences. Currently curriculum require ments are set by the individual col leges or departments. As a result, the course requirements in different col leges can vary drastically. The committee will address the question ‘What do colleges want their students to know beyond their ma jor?’ Parrish says, not what courses they think all students should take. “That’s the question that needs to be answered, not the appropriateness of their (the colleges’) curriculum,” he says. Parrish says the University does have experience in the core curricu lum concept, referring to the fact that all students must take English 103 or 104 depending on their college’s re quirements, American history and political science courses. With a core curriculum, students would take a variety of courses before they begin taking courses in their ma jor. This has some advantages, Par rish says, because it would allow the student to experience a variety of courses. They also would have time to decide on a major before taking sever al courses in one area. Currently the general studies program allows many freshmen to go through a program similar to a core curriculum one. Parrish says he does not propose that the committee study restructur ing any of the colleges, but increasing the breadth of the students’ educa tion. Parrish says he does not expect any opposition to the proposal of a study, but further along, he does expect some extended discussion. If the motion is passed, the com mittee would include representatives from different colleges that may be most affected by a core curriculum because courses within their colleges are concentrated, Parrish says. Among others, these colleges include engineering and business. In the long run, Parrish says dis cussion of a core curriculum and the reason for it will cause administrators, faculty and students to redefine the goals of Texas A&M. Years ago, the goal of the University was to be a tech nical college, and then the additional goal of being a liberal arts college as well came into the picture, Parrish says. If the committee is set up after the December meeting, it will study the core curriculum concept and report back to the Senate in February. by Michelle Povve Battalion Stall’ lise Jackson’s campaign trail stop- ecommei final appj gtjat Texas A&M Monday and the foracac:| ar ’ <)1( J , ' cv ^; c,ul to ' tl a ' vct 'P tiv f ■ and o» nct ’ t la ,l ls tmu ’ * <,r America s ’ conu ink people and minorities to exer- in the Ip 1- V()tin ^ l’ ()Wt ' r [1 S' Htl K> Democratic presidential eandi- is and cl H told a standing-room-only crowd irationiifekkler Auditorium that many peo- )n." pni'iiiK the racial turmoil ot the 50s on, pJXh "lost their lives to assure us the or at,, 4n jewel of democracy — the right mbero(I| te - Me sacrifices of those people, Jaek- |said, enable “this generation” to icnce its future by influencing its nunent. lie added that potential voters must take advantage of that basic right to "serve your present age. Jackson, wearing a maroon Texas A&M jersey with “Jackson ’84 printed on the hack, said minorities are uniting together “in a rainbow coalition to form a new majority. “We can now use our vote, he said. “The democracy has made room for us. We have power and must exercise it. Jackson, a renowned speaker, prompted several outbreaks of ap plause' during his one-hour speech with his powerful voice and charisma. This generation, he said, along with new rights, faces some new problems that it must solve. One problem Jackson cited is that more people are living in poverty now than have been since 1965 — 3 million more on welfare and 4 million more unemployed. “Reaganomics” also was confronted by the only black presidential candi date for the. 1984 campaign. Jackson said the sacrifice for economic recov ery in the United States has not been shared equally among the American people. “The people who are making more money are paying less taxes and the people who are making the least money are paying the most taxes, he said. “Who is recovering and who is sinking? The aristocracy has undercut the democracy.” Jackson said the United States can not he a great nation unless it takes care of its poor, elderly and children. “We cannot he great at the expense of those who are helpless. Most poor people are poor not be cause they are lazy, Jackson said, but because they are not given the oppor tunity to work. “Let us (minorities) be trained to help America ... and be competitive in the world market,” he urged. Another challenge confronting this generation, Jackson said, is the threat of nuclear disaster. He said the nuclear arms race has become too expensive and too danger ous. But he said he doesn’t support unilateral disarmament. In the face of the “Soviet threat, he said, “that’s almost naive. Instead there must he an open line of communication between the presi dents of the United States and the Soviet Union, Jackson said. Prof to be sworn in next Monday ennedy Former Texas A&M professor Helmut Merklein will be informally, but officially, sworn in as assistant sec retary of energy for international affairs Nov. 28 in Washington. The scheduled swearing-in follows the final confirmation of Merklein’s nomination by the U.S. Senate Nov. 15. Merklein currently works for the Department of Energy as a consul tant. He has been there since he left Texas A&M last month. In a telephone interview Monday, Merklein said after next week’s swear ing-in, “it (his job) will be an entirely different ballgame.” After the swearing-in, he officially will become part of DOE Secretary Don Hodel’s staff. That will give Merklein access to new and different types of energy-related data. He also will become part of the decision making process for the department. He said he will no longer be an “outsider.” A formal swearing-in ceremony will follow Monday’s informal cere mony either later that week or early the following week, he said. Merklein had taught in the pet roleum engineering department at Texas A&M since 1982. -therein! ollows: -CO® nitteeo. by Wanda Winkler Battalion Staff Memories of John F. Kennedy, 20 jiirs after his assassination, still re ton among Americans across the na- IofRet ;0n an d at Texas A&M. JS ff rnt Ed. A&M profs discuss former president, administration MORE KENNEDY/page 7 FK and his attractive personality al- 2)' had the support of the American (0 iflj'hblk:, says Dr. George C. Edwards II, professor of political science. Any of his (Kennedy’s) successors ould be delighted to have the level of Ipport that Kennedy had,” Edwards I . “Everyone loved him.” dwards was one of three Texas &M faculty members interviewed onday by The Battalion about Ken- |ln«tW nedy and his administration. Kennedy successfully cut taxes and was responsible for what was probably the longest period of sustained econo mic growth in America, he said. Eco nomic growth helped fund the social programs of the 60s that dealt with health, education and welfare, Ed wards said. “Cutting taxes to stimulate the eco nomy was innovative” for the time, he said. Kennedy proposed two important social programs, Medicare and feder al aid to education, but they failed to pass Congress. His administration often is criticized unfairly for its fai lures in Congress, Edwards said. Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, enjoyed more success in this, area, because he dealt with a more responsive Congress, Edwards said. JFK paved the way for the Johnson Administration, which carried out the Kennedy social programs, he said. Charles W. Wiggins, professor of political science, said Kennedy, who “epitomized youth and vigor,” was de voted to making public service and politics respectable. “He (Kennedy) encouraged young people to devote a portion of their life to public service such as the Peace Corps,” Wiggins said. JFK issued an executive order creating the Peace Corps in March 1961. The Peace Corps has sent more than 100,000 volunteers in 20 years to aid people in underdeveloped coun tries. Vernon E. Schneider, disting uished professor of agricultural eco nomics, said the Kennedy years mark a turning point in history because eco nomists assumed a more significant role in government. “From an economist’s point of view, I liked what I saw” in the Ken nedy administration, Schneider said. Kennedy brought a new appreciation of economics to congress and to gov ernmental agencies, he said. Edwards said major events during the Kennedy administration include the Civil Rights Movement, Bay of Pigs in April 1961, Cuban Missile Cri sis in October 1962, and the nuclear Test Ban Treaty in October 1963. Kennedy strongly believed in milit ary defense but favored a “a lesser response than massive retaliation,” total nuclear warfare, Edwards said. JFK was successful in “cementing good relationships with leaders of other countries,” Edwards said. He met with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna, Austria in June 1961 and with Konrad Ade nauer, West German chancellor, in June 1963. Another major event involved JFK committing the United States in May 1961 to landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Reflecting on the Kennedy assassi nation, Schneider said, “Events like that sort the important things from the lesser things in life.” iglnmW. ssassination occurred 20 years ago today by Karen Wallace _ Battalion Staff hap«y iwenty years ago today, John F. jnnedy was assassinated in Dallas, ivv, the country remembers, he Dallas climate was one of cool, [p autumn. That morning, the ident commented to his wife how iy it would be to assassinate a presi- t. All anyone would need, he said, is a rifle with a telescope and a perch a high building. iDallas anxiously preparing for Isit from the 35th president of the ted States. he dense crowd made it difficult police to keep the motorcade path r. People wanted to get as close as could to the president and his Jacqueline. ,^|t was 12:30 p.m. ing l0 oKrf iycli. glni Cov. John Connally and his wife Nellie were in the president’s car. The motorcade turned toward the triple underpass entrance to the Stemmons Freeway. It was there, be tween the Texas School Book Deposi tory and Dealy Plaza, that the fatal shots rang out from a sixth floor win dow of the Texas School Book De pository. After the first shot, Kennedy, in the back seat next to Jackie, clutched his throat. “My Cod, I’m hit!” Kennedy said. Cov. John Connally slumped against the door with bullet wounds in his chest, wrist and thigh. Connally said he was conscious and his eyes were open when the bullet hit Kennedy. The motorcade sped at 70 mph to Parkland Hospital. Efforts to revive the president lasted 25 minutes. But the head wound was fatal. The presi dent was pronounced dead at 1 p.m. Shock and despair swept the coun try as bulletins spread the first word of the shooting. BULLETIN DALLAS, NOV.22 (AP) — PRESI DENT KENNEDY WAS SHOT TO DAY JUST AS HIS MOTORCADE LEFT DOWNTOWN DALLAS. MRS. KENNEDY JUMPED UP AND CRABBED MR. KENNEDY. SHE CRIED,“OH! NO!” THE MOTOR CADE SPED ON. Police found three shell casings on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. They found a rifle with a telescopic sight behind another stack of book boxes. A witness gave police a description of a man seen leaning out of a sixth floor window. Patrolman J.D. Tippit stopped a man who fit the description. The man shot Tippit four times, killing him in stant ly. Texas School Book Depository manager Ralph Truly reported one of his employees missing — Lee Har vey Oswald. Oswald had been seen inside the building immediately after the shooting but was dismissed by police when Truly told them Oswald worked there. Police, looking for Tippit’s sus pected killer, followed tips from wit nesses and found Oswald in the Texas Theater. After punching a policeman and pulling a pistol, he was subdued jand disarmed. At 7:10 p.m., he was charged with the murder of Tippit. At 1:35 a.m., he was charged with the murder of Ken nedy. During a televised transfer from the city to the county jail, Sunday, Nov. 24, millions of horrified Amer icans watched as Oswald was shot in the stomach by Jack Ruby. Oswald died 48 hours and seven minutes after Kennedy. Rumors of conspiracy plots quickly spread across the country. Were Oswald and Ruby working together as part of a conspiracy? The new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, formed a committee headed by Chief justice Earl Warren to inves- See KENNEDY, page 12 Elephant Walk The dying elephants will gather at noon today in front of the Lawr ence Sullivan Ross Statue to prepare for their meander across campus while the junior hunters ready for the kill. This is elephant walk. Real elephants will be on the drill field from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for any one to ride. The Corps Standard states: “Be fore the bonfire each year the seniors gather in front of the flag pole on military walk and wander aimlessly about the campus like old elephants about to die. This symbol izes the fact the seniors will graduate the following spring and will be of no further use to the Twelfth Man. ” Classes held despite win or loss Although President Frank Van diver was not available for comment, an official in Dr. Cordon Eaton’s office confirmed that classes will be held Monday regardless of whether the Aggies win or lose the Texas A&M-University of Texas football game this weekend. inside Around town 6 Classified 12 Local 3 National 10 Opinions 2 Sports 13 State 6 What’s Up 10 forecast Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of afternoon thunder showers. ft