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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 1984)
Opinion Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, April 12, 1984 Fire safety needed to prevent disaster In Wednesday’s Battalion, the first article in a series on fire safety asked the question, “How many people would know what to do if a major fire broke out?” But to The Battalion Editorial Board, the major question raised is: How many people would know if a ma jor fire broke out — before it was too late? Ten to 15 buildings on campus still do not have fire alarm systems. Knowledge of evacuation routes in case of a fire is a moot question if there's no way to issue a warning. How useful is an evacuation plan when the building is blazing and you’re trapped? One woman who works on the first floor in Bizzell Hall —one of the build ings without an alarm system — said the lack of an alarm system would bother her if she worked on the third floor. It would probably bother her even more if the building was on fire. Only $50,000 of tfie University bud get goes toward fire safety. Robert H. Stiteler, health and safety officer at Texas A&M, said it costs $5,000 to $10,000 per building to install alarm systems. College Station fire chief Douglas W. Landua says the University’s been lucky so far. It takes a major disaster, he says, to make people realize the im portance of safety. But do we really want to sit around and wait for a major disaster to catch up with us? Why not stop playing games with chance now and do all we can to prevent such a disaster? Surely a University as large as this one, funded from a variety of sources, could come up with the money to in sure its students’ and employees’ safety. — The Battalion Editorial Board Student rebel refuses to give in to apathy Those of you who are wholly satisfied with your experience at Texas A&M, who are not nagged by a feeling that something is wrong, who are not irri tated in some vague but chronic way by your environment here, please do not read past this point. I am not writing to you, and you will only find what follows offensive. However, those of you who from time to time (or just plain constantly) ask yourself why you came to this University — and whose discomfort with Texas A&M may range from occasional self- ostracism to pangs of nausea — you are the ones I address here. I’d like to in quire into a few things that concern us both. Somewhere around my second se mester at Texas A&M — about the time I sobered up from first semester— I re alized that, perhaps, I had made a mis take. Perhaps I didn’t belong in the Col lege of Engineering, perhaps not even at Texas A&M. Well, I did wind up changing my ma jor, twice, but I elected not to dash off to Austin quite yet. In staying at Texas A&M I faced three basic alternatives. First, I could do my best to fit in. The best I did was to sort of mouth the words to the “War Hymn” at yell prac tices. Second, I could withdraw from the whole mess altogether, sadly apathetic. Third, I could take a decisively antag onistic position against the status quo and try to Do Something About It. friendliness as one walks across campus. Draw a line from ought to ought and you have a picture of a good Ag. But if I opt not to honor these oughts, do I free myself from that set of oughts only to bond myself to another? In other words, if I decide that I don’t have to go to Saturday’s game, do I have to not have to go? CONFIPENTIAILV, SER6EANT, J'M GEIT/N6 MW mm Letters American military lags in band technology Albritton bell tower is a monument to ego Sixth co ulidate idhesday empty * 1 ilten on t •ee week; tic part) said the ponent I lebate hi This em By DICK WEST Columnist for United Press International reader’s forum Editor: I wish to congratulate Mr. Ford D. Al britton on the ground breaking for the 135-foot high, 47 bell monument to his ego. Mr. R.J. Holmgreen, a close friend of Albritton’s and one who will probably have his name on one of the bells, said, “This tower will lift the spirits of all stu dents with the spirit of Aggieland.” Of course, these three basic alterna tives aren’t mutually exclusive. They are all shades of grey and I’ve spent most of my last three years swimming about in the grey pool between apathy and an tagonism. However, on the eve of my gradua tion I am wondering, have I done the right thing? Given my situation at Texas A&M, have I done what was warranted by that situation? Indeed, does a given situation warrant anything? There is a tremendous amount of “oughts” on this campus. One ought not walk on certain patches of grass. One ought to yell our cheers with the crowd. One ought to maintain a facade of T his is as unclear in my head as it is on paper. But it boils down to this: As of yet, I am not convinced that there are any in trinsic oughts in this world, ones that by virtue of our merely being alive are im posed on us. If anyone on this campus feels compelled to behave a certain way or do certain things, that compulsion is coming from themself. A person might have willfully duplicated the oughts of others, but the oughts have their origin and validity within that person. I doubt seriously that there is anyone on this campus who functions without oughts. Oughts are simply what get things done. However, not all people re alize that their oughts (and shoulds and have-tos) are self-imposed. Those of us who are discontented, disgruntled, or disillusioned with Texas A&M and who are in a position to choose between compromise, apathy and antagonism might bear in mind that we are no more obligated to choose any position than we were formally obli gated to let someone else choose for us. If I have failed to Do The Right Thing for, within or against Texas A&M in my years here it is not on the choice I have made, but how much heart I have put no that decision. What I think could be important at a University is not what others think one ought to do, nor even what one decides for oneself that one ought to do, but rather how well one decides to do it. Dave Spence Class of ’84 On the contrary, it will dishearten or anger those who understand that it is merely another sign that money and in fluence can overshadow heroism and self-sacrifice. While all people must make up their own minds, I would like to encourage all Aggies, the Board of Regents and all University officials to prevent further such abuse of our University and the memorials it is justly proud of. We should encourage all contributions of funds, books or equipment to aid in the education of all Aggies. However, to all persons with self-per petuation on their minds we should say, “Build your ego monuments in your own backyard.” Jay R. Schoenover Class of’82 The NATO defense ministers have been meeting in Turkey to review Eu rope’s military position in light of the breakdown of Soviet-American arms control talks. Let us hope they also did some high- level thinking about what has been called the “piccolo gap.” Although Rep. Thomas Downey pre sumably was being facetious with his warning that the Soviet Union is forging ahead in marching music, his words did not exactly fall on deaf ears. Frivolous or not, his demand for an increase in America’s military band bud get gives us all something new to worry about. According to Downey, the Soviets not only have achieved “vast numerical su periority in tubas, trombones and picco los,” but have “introduced mobile am plifiers into their marching bands” as well. As a result, the New York Democrat said, they now have “a decibel advan tage of serious proportions.” But it need not be. danger of unilateral, or mances. We need allies — the mart® issues bands of France, Britain and Wesid iceiotht many — to augment our martialmm ‘gressior There also is a danger we mi| come overly reliant on computen synthesizers and other forms of ted logical amplification. Soviet concern over western on conventional musical inst turners ciency __ merits may be seen in the Kremlin's tile reaction to the deployment ofie ent my k becaus solo, pet etme in He said compare te senate a state re 'anner “With our technological advantage in computerized musical synthesizers, a single GI could deliver the harmonic power” equivalent to “a brigade of bas- sonists,” Downey pointed out reassu ringly. A&M follows the herd Editor: Just a few comments about the continuing push by the Board of Re gents to create their idea of a “World I don’t doubt the veracity of his re marks, even if uttered with tongue in cheek and fingers crossed behind back. There are, however, some consider ations that mere competence in electro nic instruments can’t remedy. NATO meetings remind us of the American-made saxophones in N« countries. In the Middle East, in pai there is a need for sight-reading that can whip up a 4-4 beat on merit’s notice, without prior reheai That need, however, confronts United States with the touchy quest | of how far we should go in suppltt moderate Arab musicians with s* drums, cymbals and other modern | struments. Some nations, as we know, have stocking up on French horns in violation of wind instrument non] feration treaties. As for the Soviets’ new mobile fiers, everyone knows that fim suitable basing mode has beenmoret I problem for us than any budgetary^ siderations. Proposals to attach electronic eark ters to existing woodwinds have been! jected, and rightly so. Even though we can never hope match the Soviets tuba for tuba, country must retain conventioi marching band capability forthefo seeable future. We have an obligation participate in so-called brush fire rades wherever they might breakout ieotatives Glass University.” The newest evidence of such is the huge phallic symbol being constructed for purposes unknown. Evidently, the rationale behind building a tower is to be the same as everyone else. “Texas has one” seems to be good enough for the board. While the educators in the trenches scream for equipment and money, our beloved “excellence board” has how much surplus? The Battalion (ISPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor ; Rebeca Zimmermann managing editor, city editor, news editor, edito- Managing Editor John Wagner rial page editor and sports editor. City Editor Patrice Koranek Assistant City Editors Kathleen Hart, Letters Policy Stephanie Ross Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 News Editor Tracey Taylor words in length. The editorial stall reserves the Assistant News Editors Susan Talbot, right to edit letters for style and length but will Brigid Brockman, Michelle Powe, Kelley Smith make every effort to maintain the author’s in- Editorial Page Editor Kathy Wiesepape tent. Each letter must be signed and must in- Sports Editor Donn Friedman elude the address and telephone number of the Assistant Sports Editor Bill Robinson writer. Entertainment Editor Shelley Hoekstra Reader’s Forum columns and guest editorials Assistant Entertainment Editor Angel Stokes also are welcome. Address all inquiries to the Ed itorial Page Editor. Editorial Policy Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed Mc- The Battalion is a non-profit, self-support- Donald Building, Texas A&M University, Col- ing newspaper operated as a community service lege Station, TX 77843. to Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station. United Press International is entitled exclu- Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those sively to the use for reproduction of all news dis- of the Editorial Board or the author, and do not patches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of necessarily represent the opinions of Texas all other matter herein reserved. A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Re- Second class postage paid at College Station, gents. The Editorial Board consists of the editor, TX 77843. Just remember, Bum — “It’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it.” Scott M. Reid Class of ’81 Lost wallet returned Editor: On Tuesday my wallet fell out of my purse in the Memorial Student Center. By the time I got home two hours later, someone had brought it by my room. Since I wasn’t home, the person left it with the girl across the hall. He wouldn’t leave his name, so all I know about him is that he was wearing a green shirt. I had credit cards and a lot of cash in my purse, and not a thing was missing. I am graduating soon, and it is so nice to leave here with a reconfirmed faith in Aggie spirit. Whoever you are, thank you for doing such a considerate thing. Tracey Phillips Class of’84 Slouch by Jim “There’s always the possibility you're not cut out to be a tobacco chewer. ”