Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, December 9, 1983
lopinion
Letters:
Graduation delay
could help
Editor:
Well I finally made it! Saturday I’ll join
the ranks of the lucky ones who have
managed to graduate from Texas A&M,
although last week I wasn’t feeling so
lucky. With senior grades due the week
before graduation, it was a living night
mare. With projects, papers, a computer
program and other assignments due ear
ly plus regularly scheduled exams and
assigments, I was beginning to wonder
just where I had gone wrong for the
semester to be ending this way.
It turns out, however, that I’m not the
only one. After reading the Battalion’s
Tuesday article on Dr. Murray Milford,
an instructor concerned about his stu
dents, I realized that most other graduat
ing seniors must have been going wild at
the same time I was. I agree with Mil
ford’s suggestion that graduation be de
layed a week to take off some of the
pressure.
Is it fair that students who have been
expected to follow the same course re
quirements as non-graduating students
all semester, are suddenly expected to
turn in what normally would not be due
until the next week? Added to this is the
fact that these are end of semester pro
jects and usually affect the grade more
than earlier ones.
That situation applies especially for
those graduating since they aren’t even
allowed to take final exams — except by
special board approval. Talking to the
professor helps in some instances, but
usually ends in frustration or even chas
tisement for irresponsibility.
One professor did give me an exten
sion and actually trusted me to turn in an
important paper this week. I won’t men
tion his name, because it would probably
incriminate him.
Besides the academic side of it, these
students are also trying to get records
cleared and other things settled amidst all
the confusion so they can graduate. I
know this rule affected at least two of my
classes by a letter grade. Isn’t this Univer
sity supposed to be organized to help stu
dents, not hinder them? What can a mere
student do?
Darlene L. Janik
Class of ’83
Team earns coverage
Editor:
This letter is in response to the one
from Mr. Plietsch on the quality of and
publicity for the women’s volleyball team.
Your letter to the editor was at best
irrational. What does the publicity the
volleyball team got this year have to do
with last year’s team? You seem to be very
bitter for some reason. This team de
served all the publicity it got. They played
a much tougher schedule this year.
Maybe last year’s team did not get
enough publicity, but is this a good
reason for you to want this team not to get
any recognition? I hope you are not los
ing sleep over this gross injustice. Many
people worked hard to see that this rec-
ogniton came about and hopefully next
year’s team will get even more publicity.
If you think they get too much publicity
seniors
and support, don’t come to the game next
year. They don’t need you.
As for you comments on their mental
preparation, armchair coaches are
cheap. Go get a doctorate in sports
psychology and then pop off!
Frank Thomas
Jo Beth Greebon
Speakers defended
Editor:
Before we put limitations on open-air
speakers we should at least take a good,
stiff look at our reasons for doing so.
After all, when they wanted Jesus to
shut up all his talk about hell and human
wickedness, even the Pharisees came up
with some concrete reasons. Mainly they
claimed that Jesus was blaspheming and
in the league with the devil.
Maybe the outdoor speakers interrupt
a lot of important inner struggles indi
viduals have on their way to classes. Many
could be concerning themselves with the
truth, righteousness, how to live a life
that rises above that of an elaborate tick,
or how to avoid indifference toward the
one who holds the keys to death and
hades — only to have an outdoor speaker
make them lose their train of thought.
Think so?
At any rate, we need to come up with
good reasons, because even the Pharisees
know that a charge of offensiveness
against a speech or speaker was an insub
stantial one at best. T hey knew the true
issues. They knew that there were high
stakes involved in being a human being:
eternal life versus eternal death. And if a
speaker were to be hushed or restricted,
he needed to be charged with some thing
less flimsy than offensiveness.
Maybe we need to study the Pharisees
more closely; their problem was very
similar to ours. Tney revered the
prophets, but wanted to stifle Jesus, who
was saying much of what the prophets
had said. We celebrate Christmas, and
supposedly the birth of Christ. Yet we
want to restrict one’s form saying the ex
act same things as come out of Christ’s
mouth.
We may even need beefier arguments
than the Pharisees had. With hideous,
wicked, infernal rock music vomiting its
soul into everyone’s night on special occa
sions, and with the outbreak of herpes,
and with the obscenities and filth, our
deep concern at Texas A&M over right
eousness being preached too much might
smell a bit fishy.
To borrow from William Buckley, we
don’t want such a deep concern as this to
resemble the concern one might have ab
out bedbugs in a brothel.
Danny England
Religious talks needed
Editor:
In response to the front page article of
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member ot
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Southwest Journalism Conference
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religous council, it seems that they are
following suit with the Pharisses (the so-
called religious leaders) who were also
the biggest enemies of Jesus. But, the real
issue that I would like to address is the
freedom of speech that everyone here in
the United States is guaranteed.
To the best of my understanding,
limits can be restricted as long as it is
private property. Texas A&M Universi
ty, from what I understand, is public
owned so as I see it there can be no res
trictions. The Texas A&M administra
tors, in my opinion, have showed their
World Class Status by not putting any
restrictions on the outdoor evangelist.
Again, I would like to applaud our admi
nistrators for not restricting these mes
sengers of good news and good will avail
able to anyone who is willing to hear and
receive it.
That is what A&M is about; not the
traditions, but what they represent.
Aggies care. We care about Cod, we care
about our nation, we care about our
school. Texas A&M is what it is today
because its students and faculty cared. All
the traditons we have are just expressions
of that caring. I’m proud to be an Aggie,
this school has given me alot. I just hope
that Texas A&M in its race to become a
“World Class University” doesn’t lose
sight of those values that have brought it
this far.
Cig ’em. Aggies!
Patrick Kelly ’83
I know of some people personally who
were originally opposed to hearing these
men’s messages out alter having the
opportunity available continuously
changed their minds. They stopped and
listened and as a result their lives were
changed for the better. I think the reli
gious council should strongly evaluate:
Do they want to see lives changed for the
better? Less lives will be affected if res
trictions are put on the evangelist.
Rusty Lowman ’83
No rapes justified
Obviously the words “Conld
and “slavery” are not synonyi
by no stretch of the imaein
be separated. While tne
may represent to some the I
self-determination and freedou |
excessive government, it cannoi
voiced from its adament defense
of most oppressive, demoralizii
immoral institutions in history-' W un(l
m tick a
tan
Silver Taps praised
Editor:
Editor,
Over the weekend some friends and I
discussed rape. To my disgust, all four of
these men somehow believed in a thing
called “justifiable rape.” This was a
phrase I had heard in the past, but I
couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Is
this a joke? I recently purchased a mace
key chain for my girlfriend, and I am
beginning to realize how inadequate this
is. I have a colt .45 in layaway now. You
see, I have never heard of justifiable
rape, but I have heard of justifiable
murder.
That fact alone is enough too
to abondon any pride 1 may have
the Confederacy, even thoug
and raised in the South, nomii
ancestors for nearly 200 yean
How can anyone imaginetota
“freedom” and “Confederacy!
same breath? A full third ofthea 1
population experienced notas
sonal liberty, being owned byo
T he Confederacy existed forS'i
For the past few years this section of the
Battalion has been loaded with letters ab
out the traditions here at Texas A&M. I
think many of those complaining are
hung on the traditions and never see the
values they represent.
Tuesday night Silver Taps was held in
front of the Academic building and in
spite of the cold, scores of Ags went to pay
their last respects to a fallen classmate.
I’m a fifth year senior and I’ve attended
my share of Silver Taps. Tuesday night’s
Silver Taps has a special meaning to me
though; this time that fallen Aggie was a
Another incongruous term 1 heard
was “rapists’ rights.” What kind of insan
ity is this? Obviously only men without
any sexual or emotional drives could
think this way. They are completely anes
thetized to the needs of the opposite sex.
How many men do you know that meet
this description, girls?
The ghastly results of its
were over 600,000 killed and
truction of the southern econof
over 10 times the number killdjj
nam and more Americans k
all other United States wars
These full blooded males who think
it’s perfectly acceptable to rape will meet
an equally full blooded weapon in my
apartment. 1 love my girlfriend very
much, and will stop at nothing to protect
her.
This is the Confederate legao!
f ellow southerners, let’s r 1
ourselves with romantic and
unrealistic delusions ofther
and shameful period in Ann
tory. I love the South— butthe
erate flag is not my heritage.
Jol>
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for wh
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|This wi
to the
Sded b’
Sloppy eaters better avoid gravy
for this year’s Christmas feast
..
by Dick West
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Turkey gravy may
make an acceptable adornment for the
male chin, but it’s unsightly on the end of
a Christmas necktie.
For this reason, guests at holiday dinners
this month are advised to wear polyester
bibs.
According to Dmitry Cagarine, re
search director of Milliken and Co. and
an award-winning textile chemist, synth
etic fibers shape up as the most stain-
resistant fabric you can buy.
Milliken and Co., not surprisingly,
sells synthetic fabric, and Cagarine, again
not surprisingly, is the inventor of Visa
polyester. But if you can swallow the
parochial angle, their research has a mes
sage for all mess-makers.
What they did was expose various fab
rics — wool, linen, cotton, acrylic, nylon,
etc. — to stains left by dressing, gravy,
cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, beets,
green peas, cherry pie and other trap
pings of a holiday feast.
“Synthetic fibers came out cleaner af
ter ordinary machine washing,” Cagar
ine reports. “Of the natural fibers, cotton
came out cleaner than wool and linen.
“Turkey dressing and gravy stains
were the most difficult to remove from
both natural fabrics and fabric blends be
cause of their high fat molecular struc
ture,”
These findings blend right in with my
own experience. Gravy molecules, I’ve
noticed, not only are hard on cotton shirt
ing, wool ties and other apparel; they also
can guck up a linen tableclott
good.
As for gravy on the chin, I
mets will lie pretty much own [lit;
recommend pretending to begin
beard.
Slouch by Jim Earle
goodbye
CLASS Oft
“I keep having the same dream!
A guy goes across the stage and
gets a diploma and a hand
shake, another goes across and
gets a diploma and a hand
shake, and I go across and get a
handshake! 9
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