Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, September 28, 1984
Opinion
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Saving a life with a signature
The check was
written. My name ad
dress, phone num
ber, driver’s license
number and ID
number were in
place. The eternal
wait was on. Cashing
checks at the Memo
rial Student Center
definitely does not
rank high on my list ROSS
of stimulating things to do.
I was looking at the people in line and
the people walking by, trying to break
the monotony. Turning my check, ID
card, and license over and over in my
hand, I grew steadily more impatient. I
began the ritual of double checking my
check, balancing my checkbook, looking
at how my bad ID picture, and thinking
about how my my driver’s license pic
ture doesn’t really look like me.
Then I noticed the writing on the
back of my license. For some reason, as I
shuffled forward in line, closer to get
ting my money, 1 read it all.
“Restriction and endorsement code.
A. With corrective lenses DONORS
CERTIFICATION...."
The words in capital letters jumped
off the little plastic card and hit me in
the face.
They made me think, and as I
thought, I felt irresponsible.
I had recently read two articles in two
different newspapers about organ do
nations and thought “what a good idea
— I should do that.” But unfortunately
that was all I did.
I never dug in my purse and pulled
out my license to sign the donor line
even though I was fully aware that I
could.
Thousands of people are saved
through organ transplants, and almost
everyone has the capability to save, if
only they would sign their licenses and
discuss it with their parents or next of
kin. Even if you sign the donor line, per
mission has to be given to the doctors by
your next of kin to donate any organs.
How many people out there are like
me — aware of what they can do, but
don’t do anything because we forget, or
file the information to the back of our
minds?
Recently a friend of mine died, and I
learned that he saved someone else’s life
by donating his kidneys. What a won
derful part of yourself to leave behind.
Knowing my friend did that made his
life seem all that much more valuable,
and it made his death less painful.
For some reason, he doesn’t seem so
far away anymore, even though I don’t
know the person who received his kid
neys.
It’s not often that we can give so
much of ourselves.
Chances are that I’ll never be in a sit
uation that I can donate my kidneys,
cornea, or heart to someone who needs
them — but I’ll never know.
Most donors are victims of car acci
dents. They didn’t plan to be in those
accidents, but for some reason they
planned to leave enough of themselves
behind to prolong life for someone else.
Next time I go home, I know I’ll have
something more interesting to say to my
parents than how my grades are ...
Stephanie Ross is the editor of The
Battalion.
Stephanie
LETTERS:
Bikes cause havoc
for campus motorists
EDITOR:
I have a complaint about the problem
of bicyclists at Texas A&M. The thing
about bicyclists that bothers me the most
is they have no consideration for the
people who drive cars on campus.
The bicyclists run in front of cars and
expect the car to stop. Bicyclists also
tend to ignore stop signs. This makes
the driver in the car wait at the intersec
tion even longer.
I was wondering if they had special
roads and trails for bicycles on the A&M
campus. If they don’t have them they
should make some because having to
drive on campus is tough enough but
trying to avoid hitting someone who
runs out in front of you on a bicycle is
even tougher.
Jerry Mergele
College Station
Ags should take note
of World Hunger
EDITOR:
I would like to let the Aggies know
the current situation on World Hunger.
As you read this and every minute, 24
people die due to hunger, 18 of them
children. That’s 35,000 a day.
There are solutions that exist. Hun
ger has ended in 75 countries (41 since
1960). You might ask yourself, what can
I do?
Experts agree that hunger can be
ended by the end of the century. The
key missing ingredient is the worldwide
commitment to get the job done. That
commitment begins with you! You have
“the Power” to make the end of hunger
and starvation an “idea whose time has
come.”
Christopher Debrecht
member of The Hunger Project
Regents have no
control over question
of moving tracks
EDITOR:
I would like to comment on your edi
torial of Sept. 26, 1984 concerning the
railroad tracks which pass the campus.
In the article, you say that the Board of
Regents needs to act on a Project 2000
proposal to move these tracks.
This sounds fine and dandy except
for one small problem. The University
does not own the tracks or the property
on which they rest. This propety is co
owned by the Missouri Pacific and
Southern Pacific Railroads.
If anything is to be done about this
problem, these companies need to be
sparked into action, not the regents.
As far as moving the tracks are con
cerned, lets not get on the Regents’ case
about an issue they cannot do anything
about. They have more important
things to concern themselves with. Like
an almost finished Bell Tower.
Steven R. Hart
Class of ’86
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Board of Re
gents have already discussed plans to
pay the Railroad Companies to move
the tracks. The major obstacle appears
to be money.
Crossing needs
markings not closing
EDITOR:
Being residents of an apartment com
plex adjacent to Luther Street, we often
use the intersection of Luther Street
and Wellborn. It is a far more conve
nient route to gain access to south Col
lege Station than the round-about way
of traveling a half-mile down the road to
the busy Jersey Street-Wellborn inter
section, only to double back and pass
Luther again.
With the addition of new housing
complexes, it was obvious traffic would
increase at this more convenient inter
section.
Closing this intersection is not the an
swer, as this would only create more
congestion atJersey-Wellborn.
The addition of safety equipment, re
moval of sight obstructions, and even
repaving of the road would make this
crossing no more dangerous than any
other, while providing motorists with
safe and easy access.
The population should not be incon
venienced when the city could alleviate
the problem in a satisfactory manner.
Mike Varner, Class of ’88
John McLaughlin,Class of ’88
Shelter thanks
Saddle and Sirlion
EDITOR:
We at Sheltering Arms Children’s
Shelter want to express our apprecia
tion to Saddle & Sirloin Club for choos
ing the Shelter for abused and aban
doned children as recipient of proceeds
earned at their recent horse show.
The donated funds will enable us to
more adequately provide for the more
than 100 children who need shelter care
each year.
It is especially heartwarming when
Texas A&M students reach out in car
ing concern to help others in our com
munity needing hope and help. Their
effort has a far-reaching effect toward
making ourcommunity a better place to
live!
Peggy Shafer
Administrator,Sheltering Arms
JR
Caught between p
morality and smilh
Have you ever no
ticed how so many of
the world’s problems
are caused by lines?
Like little chip-
shouldered boys the
world round, ideolo
gues and fanatics are
forever drawing lines
in the dirt, daring
the other little boys
to cross over.
Wars have been fought and countless
people have died for the lines separat
ing Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
The lines dividing liberals and socialists,
conservatives and fascists, libertarians
and anarchists, have precipitated many
a heated dispute.
We recently hit one of those mys
terious lines, and will probably hit the
same one again this December when
more pictures of Vanessa Williams, the
former and much ballyhooed Miss
America, again grace the newsstands in
the “January” issue of Penthouse mag
azine. This particular line is extremely
fascinating: the difference between sexy
and smutty.
There is no doubt Miss America is
supposed to be sexy. Otherwise, why pa
rade them around in bathing suits? And
there is also no doubt the pictures in
Penthouse are supposed to be sexy.
Otherwise, how would Bob Guccione
make money?
The problem lies not in being too
sexy, but in crossing the arbitrary line
between sex appeal and smut appeal, a
line that shifts willy-nilly with time.
As little as two generations ago,
women were expected to be covered
from head to toe. To be caught without
a hat was embarrassing. To flash a little
ankle was scandalous. If morality is in
deed transcendent, as the moral fascists
of today so vehemently declare, you’d
think it would be just slightly more per
manent.
One of the more strident articles
about the Vanessa Williams incident ap
peared last week in National Review, a
fortnightly magazine edited by William
F. Buckley Jr. In that article, which was
Robert
McGlohon
Aggie Band still
gives goose-bumps
EDITOR:
“Ladies and gentleman - now form
ing at the north end of Kyle Field, the
nationally famous Fightin’ Texas Aggie
Band!”
Its been years since I was down there
on that field, but I still get goose-bumps
all over every time I hear that introduc
tion over the public address system.
Nothing compares to the feeling of
having 75,000 people yelling and ap
plauding as the band steps off on “Hul-
labloo.”
Each year the band seems to get bet
ter. The formations and drills get more
difficult, and the members seem to exe
cute them with more precision each
week.
Saturday’s halftime show during the
Iowa State game was one of the band’s
best performances that I can remember
seeing. They have never lost a halftime,
and they never will. There is little won
der why the Texas Aggie Band is known
a the “Pulse of Aggieland.”
Scott Simpson
Former B.Q.
Class of’78
Clarification
In The Battalion’s Wednesday Ed
itorial, a report was quoted as say
ing the University should work to
wards moving the railroad tracks
and the major highway from the
middle of campus. The highway
referred to was Farm Road 2154
—Wellborn Road. The Target
2000 project report is available at
the Sterling C. Evans Library.
written by a Washington D.C. freela
writer, the reader gets the imprei
the ex-Miss should be put in stoc
stoned and branded an adulteress.
This is never said outright, mindv#.
but the author uses language such as.
nice girl,” “virginity,” “a little tripto{
woodshed,” “sinful,” “vile, vicious[
nography,” and “arguably immoral'
well, you get the idea.
As I was reading this diatribe,laslij
myself “What possible good wouldii
to condemn this poor girl?” Myque
was answered.
Writes the author: “But, it mar ii
asked, what possible good would ii
condemn this poor girl? The answer
that a condign fear of public si
serves important social functions,ai
we ought to think twice beforeabandti
ing it in the name of progressivisnu
enlightenment, or whatever.”
Later in the article, the authorp;
claims, “When one realm of ethics
morality is abandoned — particularii
an area like sexuality, which can sod
base human dignity — all of theotte
are likely to follow.”
Imagine that: Sexuality debases!;
man dignity.
What’s interesting about this article
not the content — self-righteouspnni
are boring — but the magazine inwl
the article appeared. WilliamF.Budi fj
Jr. has had full editorial controlof)|
tional Review since the mid-1950s
addition to editing National Review! |
writes books, a syndicated columns
freelance articles.
years,
would
lognitic
Pres
Prc
«
Peop
[for no
Here’s the interesting part: one! ficurre
Buckley’s latest articles (whichdisenss
why Jesse Jackson should neverbePrc (
idem of the United States) appeared; |djl n p 0
the July issue of ... you guessed it,PeJ j Goo<
house magazine. iagricul
I A&M.
This brings us to one of those“mori
questions social conservatives arc' !
fond of asking, namely:
“Which sin is most vile? Prostitutioi
Or profiting from prostitution?”
Bob McGlohon is a weekly Battaliont
umnist. His column appears on Frifa
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
In memoriam
Bill Robinson, 1962-1984, Editor
! tural a
Brigha
I The
farm si
8 pero
The Battalion Editorial Board
Stephanie Ross, Acting Editor
Patrice Koranek, Managing Editor
Shelley Hoekstra, City Editor
Brigid brockman, News Editor
Donn Friedman, Editorial Page Editor
Bonnie Langford, News Editor
Ed Cassavoy, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editors |
Melissa Adair, MichellePo«
Assistant News F.ditors -
Rhonda Snider, Kellie Dworaczyk, bun
Reest
Assistant Sports Editor
Travis Tingle
Entertainment Editor
Bill Hughes
Assistant Entertainment Editor
Angel Stokes
Senior Reporter
Robin Black
Staff Writers...Tammy Bell, Shawn Behlen,
Cami Brown, Dena Brown, Dainah Bui
Leigh-Ellen Clark, Tony Cornell,
Suzy Fisk, Patricia Him
Kari Eluegel, Kathy Wiesepape,
Bob McGlohon, Karla Martin
Sarah Oates
Jan Perry, Lynn Rae Povec, James R
Walker
Editorial Cartoonist ...Mikebne
Make-up Editor .John Halleil
Copy Writer Karen Bloch,
Copy Editors
Kathy Breard, Kaye Pahmeier
Cyndy Davis, Patricia Him
Photographers
Frank Irwin, David Leyendecker,
Peter Rocha, MikeSanctiei
, DeanSai®
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resent the opinions oi Texas A&M administrators, tacuP R
or the Board of Regents.
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