Opinion
Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, January 31, 1984
Watt: Preservation
or development?
Women, blacks, cripples and Jews
take note. Wednesday night James Watt
will be defending his views on the de
velopment of natural resources.
Watt joined Earl Butz on the list of
tactless (former) federal office holders
last October with his description of the
members of the Coal Lease Advisory
Commission. Even though he protested
that some people just didn’t know how
to take a joke, the resulting controversy
led to his resignation.
But Watt was a controversial figure
before that incident. Watt is the man
who stopped the Beach Boys from play
ing at the White House on the Fourth of
J ul y-
And many people dislike what is
seen as Watt’s misinterpretation of the
responsibilities of the office he held.
Environmentalists believed his
prime responsibility was the preserva
tion of the natural beauty of federal
lands. But Watt disappointed them, to
say the least. In his view, the practical
value of energy resources had a higher
of I
land.
priority than the natural beauty of the
Watt’s primary interest was extract
ing natural resources from the ground.
Although under his policies many pre
viously untapped reserves of oil and gas
were discovered, Watt’s zeal was criti
cized by his political enemies. They
charged that by putting federal coal
leases up for sale when the demand for
coal was low, Watt cost the government
millions of dollars.
The commission formed to investi
gate the sale of federal lands for strip
mining was the group in the center of
the controversy when Watt resigned.
That’s right: the woman, two blacks, a
Jew and a cripple.
Preservation or development? Watt
obviously didn’t find the ideal balance
between the two.
The Battalion Editorial Board can
make no judgement about Watt or his
policies without knowing his reasoning
and motives. But you make your own
decision Wednesday when he speaks at
Rudder Auditorium.
— The Battalion Editorial Board
How Ed Meese
Will End Crime
In America . .
What Yuri might say
Coach's high salary
unfair to educators
by ART BUCHWALD
Columnist for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate
Teachers across the state are mad —
and they have good reason to be.
Working in a profession more vital to
the future of American society than any
other, teachers have historically been ex
pected to work for minimal wages while
expending a maximum of effort.
That’s not the problem, though.
They knew when they received their
diplomas and certifications that the pay
was not great, the hours were long and
the primary reward of the job would be
their own sense of internal achievement.
But they assumed that those condi
tions existed across the board — in admi
nistration, in the classrbom, in the music
department and on the football field.
That’s the problem.
There is little pay equity in today’s
public school system and the problem is
becoming worse.
An increasing monetary emphasis is
being placed on athletics by school dis
tricts across the State of Texas and it is
destroying the educational system.
The most recent example of this com
es from the Round Rock Independent
School District.
In December, the school board hired a
new football coach for Round Rock High
School at an annual salary of $44,000 —
108 percent more than the state requires
a school to pay its head coach-athletic
director.
Because of that salary, the board also
had to increase the salaries of district
principals, administrators and the district
athletic director to conform to certifica
tion regulations.
That’s in a school district where the
average teacher earns $18,000 —just 18
percent above the state minimum.
Priorities seem a little misplaced.
Sure Round Rock has lost 20 consecu
tive football games, but what good does
the school board think hiring an expen
sive coach is going to do in a town that has
never had a really good team?
Supposedly, player recruitment is
against the rules of the University Inters
cholastic League and it would seem that if
the talent was already there some other
coach would have found it before.
There is no justification for paying
college-level salaries to high school
coaches.
At least on the college level the coach’s
pay comes primarily from ticket sales and
part of the reason he is paid so much is
In President Reagan’s “I’m Not Really
Mad at the Russians Speech” last week he
ended by saying, “Just suppose with me
for a moment that an Ivan and an Anya
could find themselves, oh, say, in a wait
ing room, or share a shelter from the rain
or a storm with a Jim or a Sally. And there
was no language barrier to keep them
from getting acquainted.
“Would they then debate the differ
ences between their respective govern
ments? Or would they find themselves
comparing notes about their children
and what each other did for a living ...
And as they went their separate ways
maybe Anya would be saying to Ivan,
‘Wasn’t she nice? She also teaches music,’
and Jim would be telling Sally what Ivan
did or didn’t like about his boss. They
might have even decided they were all
going to get together for dinner some
evening soon.”
bill
robinson
Mr. Reagan’s point, I believe, was that
if people got to know each other one on
one, they wouldn’t want to go to war.
While getting Jim and Sally and Ivan
and Anya together is a very nice scenario
for peace, I think it’s more important for
Ronnie and Nancy and Yuri and his wife
to find themselves sharing a shelter from
the rain or storm.
“Hi, my name’s Ronnie Reagan and
this is my wife Nancy. We’re originally
from California.”
“My name is Yuri Andropov and this is
my wife Tatyana. We are hardline Com
munists.”
“That’s neat. We’re rock-ribbed con
servative Republicans. What do you do
for a living?”
“I used to be head of all Secret Police.
Now I am the leader of the Soviet Union
— when I don’t have the flu.”
“Hey, how about that, Nancy? Yuri
here is the president of a superpower just
like me. We have a lot in common.”
Nancy turns to Tatyana. “Do you have
to give a lot of state dinners?”
Tatyana replies, “Every night I have to
give a state dinner. I never seem to have
enough china.”
“It seems that’s my problem, too. Who
makes your clothes?”
“Oscar of Belorussia. Who makes
yours?”
“Adolpho of Nefv York. Here is a
photo of the latest suit he designed for
me.”
“It is very beautiful. But then you are a
beautiful lady...”
“She’s a darling, Ronnie.”
Ronnie says, “Tell me, Yuri, what bugs
you the most about being president of the
U.S.S.R.?”
“The party bosses. They are always
telling me I’m doing something wrong.”
“Isn’t that funny? That’s what bugs me
the most about lx*ing president i
United States. I don’t mindtheoppi
tion. But 1 sure get mad whenmv
people tell me I’m screwing up."
Nancy says to Tatyana, “How dot
get along with yor children?”
Tatyana replies, “Don’t ask.”
Nancy laughs, “Me, too. I guessi
never close the generation gap."
Ronnie says to Yuri, “So what's
toughest thing about your job?”
“Balancing the budget, providing]
and keeping the U.S.S.R. no. 1."
“I can’t believe it. Here we are,sc
gers caught in the storm and we hast
same common problems, interestsi
aspirations. How about the four of
getting together for dinner someii
and working out a plan to avoid bb
up the world?”
“I’d like that very much, Rom
Here’s my hotline number. Call met
or night.”
“Great. And here’s my card. Ifli
at the White House, try the Camp
number. We’re always there
weekends.”
That night as Ronnie and Nano
getting out of their soaking clothes,
cy says, “Wasn’t she a lovely person:
you know she also plays the balalail
And Ronnie says, “He’s a firsH
guy. He told me that before he inva
Czechoslovakia in 1968, hisrealambi
was to be a movie actor.”
the difficulty of recruiting the best play
ers to attend a particular school.
Paying exorbitant salaries to a high
school coach out of tax money can’t poss
ibly accomplish anything.
Anything, that is, except to further
destroy the faith of the school teacher in
the system and to speed their departure
from the field.
But perhaps the president of the
Round Rock American Federation of
Teachers said it best in her appeal to the
school board:
“You have set the standard of $44,000
for the best coach in Texas. Would you
search as hard and pay as much for the
best English or math teacher?”
That says it all.
MSC gears up for SCONA
by ALAN HILL
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Rebeca Zimmermann The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper
Managing Editor John Wagner for students in reporting, editing and photography clas-
City Editor Patrice Koranek ses within the Department of Communications.
Assistant City Editors Kathleen Hart, Questions or comments concerning any editorial mat-
Stephanie Ross ter should be directed to the editor.
News Editor Tracey Taylor
Assistant News Editors Susan Talbot,
Wanda Winkler
Editorial Page Editor Kathy
Wiesepape Letters Policy
Sports Editor Donn Friedman
Assistant Sports Editor Bill Robinson Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in
Entertainment Editor Shelley Hoekstra length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer.
Assistant Entertainment Editor Angel The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for
Stokes style and length, but will make every effort to maintain
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Staff Writers ............ . Robin B?ack Brigid ‘ he addr « s and " umb ~ of , thc
> nr n kY t Columns and guest editorials also are welcome, and
roc man, o as er > are not subject to the same length constraints as letters.
Ronnie Crocker, Bonnie Address all inquirie s and correspondence to: Editor,
Langford, Christine Mallon, The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Uni-
Kay Mallett, Sarah Oates, versity. College Station, TX 77843, or phone (409) 845-
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Photographers Michael Davis,
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Cartoonists Paul Dirmeyer, The Battalion is published Monday through Friday
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Editorial Polirv y ear - Advertising rates furnished on request,
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The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news- 77843
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Texas A&M University administrators or faculty mem- Second class postage paid at College Station, TX
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An important event is about to take place
at Texas A&M — the Student Confer
ence on National Affairs, known
throughout the nation as SCONA. On
Feb. 15 through Feb. 18 approximately
200 students, professors, journalists, re
porters, government officials and obser
vers from the U.S., Canada and Latin
America will discuss this year’s topic:
“Media: Behind the Headlines.”
SCONA was established at Texas
A&M in 1955. Since that time, SCONA
has examined an annual topic of national
or international importance. As a stu
dent-planned, student-organized, and
student-run conference, SCONA is a uni
que committee. An executive committee
of 25 students and a general committee
of over 100 members oversee the many
organizational details involved in coordi
nating this year’s well-planned confer-
media and their influence on society.
They will be divided into small “round
table” groups to discuss the complexities
and issues dealing with the media. A ma
jor conference goal is to provide an
atmosphere that will bring students
together to exchange meaningful ideas
and express experiences and cultures
2,
reader’s
forum
ence.
while forming new friendships. The posi
tive results of a constructive exchange of
ideas have built SCONA’s international
SCONA is unique among student-
recognized organizations and as one of
the Memorial Student Center commit
tees in that it chooses not to receive finan
cial support from the University. During
the year, fund drives are conducted
across Texas, Canada and New York to
raise $94,000 for SCONA.
During the conference, the delegates
will exchange ideas and thoughts on the
reputation.
The round table discussions will be in
terspersed with speeches by: Fred
Friendly, formerly CBS anchorman and
currently head of the Columbia Universi
ty School of Journalism, speaking on
“The News Media in American Society”
at 2 p.m., Feb. 15; Don Kummerfeld,
president of News America, speaking on
“The Business of Media” at 5 p.m., Feb.
15.; Reed Irvine, editor of “Accurai n
Media,” addressing “Domestic Ne#
porting” at 9 a.m., Feb. 16; ArthurM
Harvard Law professor and hostof
ler’s Court” on PBS will mediatea
discussion on “Media vs. Privacy
p.m., Feb. 16; Frank Manitzas,
correspondent from Latin Amei
ABC, will address “International
Reporting” at 9 a.m., Feb. 17.
On Feb. 17, at 12:45 p.m., wewl
a panel discussion on the mediaco«
of the Grenada crisis. Included
panel will be Frank Manitzas, Tl
DeFrank (White House corres]
for Newsweek), Victor Gold
press secretary for Spiro Agne«i]
David Gergen (chief of communii
at the White House). The dosing
er, at 10 a.m. on Feb. 18, will be, J
de Borchgrave, former senior
Newsweek. His speech is entitled
hind the Headlines.” All speed
open to the public and held inf
Theatre Complex.
Charles Thomas, a Bishop Coll
legate, expressed SCONA’s t
when he said, “I know one thing
conference is sending me home a
ing man.”
Hopefully, this is what SCON
education are all about.
(Ahui Hill is a senior wanagewi
jor and chairman of MSC SCOK 1
Letters:
Darwinism supported
by scientific facts
Editor:
I admit to a certain degree of amaze
ment in seeing some very ignorant ideas
about science propounded by a graduate
of Texas A&M, reputedly a very good
university.
The writer in question seems to be
lieve that it is “unscientific” to theorize
about matters which cannot be directly
observed, such as the origin of biological
species. In truth, virtually all scientific
theories concern the unobservable.
There is, after all, no need to theorize
about that which can be directly
observed.
The writer proceeds to claim that
“many prominent scientists...doubt Dar
win.” If he had bothered to check original
references (don’t they teach that to
undergraduates any more?), the writer
would have discovered that the scientists
in question are among the strongest ex
ponents of modern Darwinism, and that
what they question is the relative import
ance of the different evolutionary
mechanisms proposed by Darwin.
Such intellectual ferment is in fact a
sign that evolutionary theory is healthy.
A real scientific theory is constantly being
questioned and modified.
The truth is that there are very few
scientists who have made any sort of sig
nificant contribution to biology or geolo
gy who doubt the central tenets of Darwi
nian evolution. There are nonel
accept the central tenets of create
namely a very young earth and al
dwide flood. The evidence tothj
trary is so overwhelming that suctif
may justly be classified with the (14
and the earth-centered solar svsj
the dustbin of disproved hypothq
Such steadfast rejection of evidfj
inconsistent with good science (of|
scholarship), so it is not surprisinj
creationism has proven scientifical|
ile. Indeed, when challenged,creaiif
have been unable to produce any
pie of creationist “science”
even been rejected (much lessatf
for publication) by any reputabkjj
tific journal. Apparently, creati*
don’t even do bad science.
Terrell T. Gibf