Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1984)
Opinion Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, September 5, 1984 Construction hinders hearing, learning Professors must scream to be heard in the classrooms of the Academic Building these days, and it’s not the result of stu dents having listened to too much loud music. At 12:30, Tuesday-Thursday one class period begins in the Academic Building. At 1:00 p.m. the construction crew re turns from lunch. T he Academic Building, you see, is in the long process of being renovated. The grinding of power-sanders and jack-hammers merge with professors’ lectures creating an orchestra of sound. Un fortunately students attend class to listen to experts lecture, not for a concert. Lecturers struggle to be heard; students grab and record in their notebooks the few words they can capture from the clutter. “It happens every fall,” a professor told The Battalion Edi torial Board. “In the last 10 years, I must have had 100 classes with the noise this bad or worse.” Classes being disturbed by distracting construction clatter are not limited to the fall or the Academic Building. Last spring, jack-hammers paved the way for this year’s sanders. Classes in the Animal Industries Building, along with others, suffer the same problem. It’s time that administrators pull the plug on the power tools that buzz the Academic Building. Or look for an alterna tive, if changing construction schedules is too costly. How about moving classes to buildings not in the construc tion zone and scheduling fewer classes during heavy construc tion times. Before new projects begin, the repercussions of construc tion during class time must be discussed. Adminstrators must not sit in sound-insulated offices when they plan for the fu ture; they must look at how their plans will affect students to day. Building is important at Texas A&M, but building for the future must not be allowed to interfere with learning today. — The Battalion Editorial Board Vernon no Mexican food oasis R G Don’t trust on Okies buds By It had been over a year since I had last seen her. As I drove by the row of Northgate bars our eyes caught for a second, and we both waved as I passed at 35 m.p.h. I parked my truck and walked up to where she stood sipping a beer. The last I’d heard from her she was bound for Antarctica. “How was Antarctica?” I asked the tall red-haired oceanographer. “Did you get to stop in Rio again? Did you pick up any Don Juans on the bea ches?” She told me about her trip, her break-up with her boyfriend and the five bulldogs she had lost in one man ner or another since I had seen her last. “What about you?” she asked with through her sun enriched lips. From Hong Kong she imported a relative—a chef— to take over the restaurant. The youngnep and founded his own place — Huie’s Palace. I was a bit apprehensive about trying confuset cuisine, but a signed picture on the wall of a New Vi Cuban-Chinese restuarant of Houston Astro Josef sured me that mixed ethniticity was ok. Whynot( Mexican in Vernon? Local 1 campaigr per in He Gramm, at the Brz As coi address i challenge program: Amici i Donn Friedman The young Oriental waitress placed the hot! the table. I dipped the chip in the sticky red subs single bite zipped my taste buds to Sbisa; it hadt same recipe used for the sauce served over pizza by Texas A&M’s f ood Services Department. The taco was edible, but the guacamole salad well smashed and had a homogenous taste; the a surely had been stretched with mayo. a half-cocked smile “Well, I’ve been traveling through the Rolling and High Plains, taking pictures for the Texas Agricultural Ex periment Station,” I said. “I’m leaving for Vernon in the morning.” “Vernon,” she said, “is real close to my hometown —Al- tus, Oklahoma.” She took a bottoms-up gulp from the plastic cup. “Ooooooh, you can get some of the best Mexican food in Vernon,” said the girl, whom I’d eaten with at Monterey House before. “It’s called Huie’s Palace.” A few days later, I arrived in Vernon and began my search for the Palace. Much to my amazement there were two Chinese restaurants serving Mexican food in this town of 12,695. It seems 40 years or so ago, a young Chinaman moved to Vernon to grow mung beans (a.k.a. bean sprouts). The bean sprout business didn’t boom. The young man opened a restaurant. The young man grew old and made plans to pass his business to his loyal nephew. But the old man’s wife had her own plans for the establishment. The second plate of food came. 'The tamale was as good as Wolf-Brand-canned. The hot and diets, lida was the only redeeming entity. The beans »< standard refried variety — understandably then above average. The young Oriental girl brought the check,at cookie on top. versation for the ft most forj ers, one dated a aimed at teners. working i praised c plarv effc Di< ky protegee riences i Congress his Fellot word fo mai main mg Finally his guest: and gave past. He cess had portunip point wh For $9.06, tip included, I bought heartburntii me up most of the night. Luckily back at the mote the satellite-enhanced television porno movies kept tertained. My heart and mind burned as I searched daily redeeming value in the night's skin flicks. And this brings us to the moral: If you’re e\i Vernon on U.S. 287, the road from Ft. Worth U>1 stop and visit the famous bird museum and le Chinese-Mexican-food to the Okies. his camp professoi involved 75 reces? dons hit he could j In re* Donn Friedman is a weekly columnist column will appear on Wednesdeiys. LETTERS Student says 'Ifs my faulf pie. But don’t slide over the fact that someone messed up by blaming me. It’s not my fault. EDITOR: I’m sorry, world. It’s my fault. Yep, I killed cadet Bruce Dean Goodrich. You see, one night I threw a roll of toilet pa per off my balcony because the cats were fighting at 3:00 in the morning. But the rules state I’m not allowed to throw things off the balcony and I broke the rules. So, according to the Battalion Editorial Board, it’s my fault. By their theory, it’s also my fault that Henry Lee Lucas killed a bunch of women. And I’m responsible for the guy who shot up a McDonald’s this sum mer. And I’m sure I broke a rule when I was young enough to have caused the Vietnam War. Come on, guys. There are four inves tigations presently under way. Let them decide who was at fault, whether it was the juniors, the outfit, the Corps, or whomever. Then deal with those peo- Sue Gary Class of ’84 stage to get my diploma in my boots. I am proud of the leadership skills and self discipline I learned in the Corps that have helped me in my career in law enforcement. Cadet death upsets former student EDITOR: Being a peace officer I have seen peo ple stabbed, shot, beaten, sodomized, burned beyond recognition or muti lated in car accidents. Most of this does not get to me because it is part of my job and I have to live with it. I was sitting at my desk this morning reading the news paper when I came across the article about Cadet Gooodrich. I read it and that bothered the hell out of me. Being an Aggie grad and a “c.t.”, it really struck close to home. I am proud to have been in the Corps and even more proud to have walked across the Reading the article it appeared to me that Cadet Goodrich was a sophomore “frog,” or a cadet that entered the Corps after his freshman year. It also appears that this “buddies” took him out on a re- dass good bull crap out. There is a fine line that divides the redass and the dumbass, and it seems that the line was crossed with Cadet Goodrich. What most people don’t know is that a cadet who frogs in is usually looked down upon in the Corps. The attitude is that the person would not have been able to take it as a fish and came in to get upper class priviledges. That is not true in most cases. I frogged in as a junior. Not because I couldn’t take it , but be cause of my financial situation I could not afford to go four full years at a ma jor university. 1 had always wanted to be an Aggie, and particularly in the Corps. When I entered the Corps the hazing I received was mental. People looking down at me saying I was wimp, a bag, etc. I was never physically abused, even by my upperclassman. The only crap out I received was by my C.O. so I could wear my Corps Brass. The crap out was pre-arranged by my classmates with the C.O. and I had prior knowledge it was going to take place and I had consented to it. I did it because I wanted to. During the crap out my C.O. was never abusive and would periodically ask me if I was all right. When it came time to stop I knew it and so did he, so we quit. He made sure I would not be sick or pass out. Although I was worn out and sore at no time did I feel abused. I do not know all the circum stances surrounding the death of Cadet Goodrich, and my heart goes out to his family. What really upsets me is if the kind of crap that happened with Good rich happens anymore, kiss the Corps, as we know it, goodbye. Goodrich came all the way from New York to be an Ag gie and a Cadet anti look whathrgo I am scared dial the Corps will to exist or it will become a uniffl once-a-week-grow-your-hair-f ROTC outfit like the one at t.uJ the university looks up to you ai leadership anti inspiration. Altk not all members of Corps bcha*: such a manner (thank God), myac for those who do is, grow up boy!V you leave A&M the outside worMi not put up with that kind of crap time you act like the young profess als that the university is trying ton out of you. Sergeant Scott A. Ashmore Class of ’82 The Battalion CI8PS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board In mrmoriam Bill Robinson, 1962-1984, Editor Stephanie Ross. Acting Editor | Patrice Koranek, Managing Editor Shelley Hoekstra, City Editor Brigid Brockman. News Editor ^ Donn Friedman, Editorial Page Editor Kelley Smith, News Editor Ed Cassavoy, Sports Editor The Battalion Staff Assistant City Editors A Melissa Adair, MichellePf Assistant News Editors 4 Bonnie Langford, Kellie Dworaczyk, Lai 1 Rtf Assistant Sports Editor Travis Tinj 1 Entertainment ELditor - Bill Hugl* Assistant Entertainment Editor - Angel Slot 1 Copy Editors Kathy Breard, Kaye Pahmt* Photographers Peter Rod* John Ryan, DeanSai Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-proTit, self-supporting newsf? operated as a community service to Texas A&MandBi! 1 College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of ttxi> torial Board or the author, and do not necessarily reprd the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, facultyot’ Boa id of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspape’ students in reporting, editing and photography dll within the Department of Communications. United Press International is entitled exclusively til use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited^ Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein resend Letters Policy Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in Intf The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for ff and length but will make every effort to maintain lht> thor's intent. Each letter must be signed and must imll the address and telephone number of the writer. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday^ ing Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday^ examination periods. Mail subscriptions are f 16.75pet' rnester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Adi rising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald 0 ing, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845.il itorial staff phone number: (409) 845-2630. Advertmy, (409) 845-2611. , Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77841 < /