Opinion
Page 2/The Battalion/Monday, October 1, 1984
Murray earned
the game ball
Ouch.
The Battalion’s photo of Kevin Murray’s crumpled frame,
his ankle twisting into a v-shaped hinge, is a reminder of the
pain often involved in sports. Each player knows the risks, and
each hopes never to experience the reality of a sports injury.
Once again the Texas Aggies’ starting quarterback Kevin
Murray has experienced this reality. In the Varsity-Alumni
game this past spring, Murray injured his knee. He went
through rehabilitation and fought back, starting the first three
games this season.
In little more than six weeks, Murray will repeat the painful
sequence of injury, rehabilitation and return to action.
On the play in which he was injured, Murray could have
gone out of bounds; he didn’t, instead he dove for the first
down. How many game-winning plays in football and in life are
caused by going the extra yard?
Is it worth taking the chance?
Kevin Murray made the first down. The Aggies won 22-21.
Give Murray the game ball; he earned it.
— The Battalion Editorial Board
LETTERS:
Jesus against
co-existence
with homosexuals
EDITOR:
I would like to commend the Regents
for their stand against homosexuality. It
is truly refreshing to see that the leaders
of the University system are concerned
with important issues facing Texas
A&M students.
Hopefully the Regents’ example will
encourage both the Christians and the
students on this campus to continue in
their stance against homosexuality and
groups which attempt to justify this sin.
It has been wisely stated that “all that is
necessary for the triumph of evil is for
good men to do nothing.”
The Bible clearly states that homosex
uality is an abomination in the sight of
God. I hope that students will not be si
lenced by foolish men and women who
request peaceful co-existence. Tho those
who offer an olive branch, I offer them
Jesus Christ.
God does not change — homosexual
ity has always been sin, it is sin today,
and it always will be. Again, I commend
the Board of Regents.
Michael Grage
College Station
Turn off music
from Bell Tower
after 10 p.m.
EDITOR:
It used to be quite a controversial sub
ject, until, of course, the actual construc
tion started. I’m referring to Mr. Albrit
ton’s generous gift, our infamous bell
tower. Now, before you decide to stop
reading this and go on to the next letter,
I am not going to say a word about the
traffic, nor the War Memorial. I won’t
even mention how bare it looks from my
window on the fourth floor of Clements
Hall.
I will comment on the music. It’s
lovely to hear bells ringing across cam
pus. They add a mellowing affect to the
hustle and bustle of Texas A&M, and a
romantic touch to walking hand-in-hand
back to the dorm at dusk. They even put
a melody in my head and a skip in my
walk at 7:50 a.m., which, believe it or
not, make 8:00 classes bearable.
However, they do nothing for my
C.S. 301 homework on busses, flip-
flops, or ROM at 10:12 p.m. Exactly
10:12 last night my mind did a flip-flop
of its own trying to “name that tune!”
It wouldn’t be so bad if I could hear
the entire melody, I mean doesn’t every
one study with MTV on? Needless to
say, it does nothing for master/slave flip-
flops (C.S. 301).
Certainly the Board of Regents can
do something about ringing the bells af
ter 10:00 p.m.
After all, if the students can’t study,
they fail tests, which in turn accumulate
to something called sco-pro, and even
tually, Hometown Junior College here I
come.
The bell tower is here to stay, but
there is a time for everything - even
studying.
Dawn Miller
Class of ’86
McCullar’s comics
far from unbiased;
stereotypes don’t fit
EDITOR:
The recent comic strips from Scott
McCullar were so helpful in under
standing the problems with engineeers
that graduate from Texas A&M.
Scott’s comments were so full of in
sight and must have come from some
one familiar with many engineering stu
dents.
So many engineeering students are
guilty of stereotyping liberal arts stu
dents and criticizing their weaknessess
instead of realizing that they are also an
important part of this university.
Scott was obviously able to clearly see
the problem and offer an unbiased
opinion of the situation.
I hope that Scott will continue his cru
sade against illiterate and uncultured
engineering students like myself .
Scott J. Miller
Mechanical Engineering
Hispanic voters
not all Democrats
EDITOR:
A recent article in The Battalion fo
cused on the changing trends in political
participation of the Hispanic Gommu-
nity. As a Republican Mexican-Ameri-
can, I feel that the Hispanic community
reflects the dynamics of this change. No
longer can we be taken for granted by
the Democratic Party or ignored by the
Republican Party. We are not voting as a
block, but we are voting on issues that
will affect us.
The Hispanic vote is critical to this
election because of the growth in the
number of registered voters in Califor
nia and Texas. Historical precedent
supports both of these states as being
crucial to be elected as president.
Although the majority of Hispanics
have voted democrat, President Reagan
is enjoying increased popularity within
the Hispanic community.
Vas a vatar? (Are you going to vote?)
Carlos Cavazos
Class of’86
Starting a club at A&M
Hometown club no
By
1 The 1
this yeai
at i he G
ian Rich
It took about seven days for the Merid
ian Hometown Club to become a recog
nized student organization at Texas A&M
University.
Meridian Texas, population 1330, is
just one of thousands of small towns most
people have never heard of. But to me
that little podunk town, 47 miles north
west of Waco on Highway 6, is home.
At the beginning of last fall I had an
idea. Since Meridian is my hometown why
not start the Meridian Hometown Club? I
Karl
Pallmeyer
talked to the other Meridianites who have become Aggies and
they said they would support the club. Then I called the Stu
dent Programs Of fice and asked them what was needed to
become a recognized student organization.
The SPO said I had to do three things:
• First find at least ten students who would join the club.
• Second find a faculty advisor.
• Third fill out the necessary forms.
First step: finding members. At that time there were six
Meridianites who were attending Texas A&M; we needed
more members. Since there was nothing in the rule book say
ing that members of a hometown club had to be from that
town, I got my roommate and several friends to become “ho
norary Meridianites.”
We had honorary members from Houston, Dallas, Aus
tin, Abilene and Saudi Arabia.
Second step: finding a faculty advisor. I asked one of my
Journalism professors to be our advisor. He agreed when I
told him his sole responsibility would be to sign a couple of
pieces of paper.
Third step: filling out the forms. This was easist pan,
had to have our f aculty advisor and officers sign a signs:
card, and we had to write a constitution. The constitution 1
provisions for conducting business and a statement of
purpose, which we said was “to provide A&M studentsfinj
Meridian with an organization for fellowship ’ Our it 1
purpose, though, was to get our picture in the Aggielaui
Once all these trivial matters were taken care of \g
mitted the forms to the SPO. A few days later I got a
that said: “Congratulations, the Meridian HometownCI
now offically recognized as a student organization.”
We spent the rest of the year going to movies, bov&J
eating and drinking, knowing we had the full blessingsofii
university.
A year later the Meridian Hometown Club is no mor
Members have either graduated, got married, flunked
moved on, or just don’t care anymore. But we did achieve
main purpose, look on page 468 and you will see. WEG(I'
OUR PICTURE IN THE AGGIELAND.
There is another group of people who want to becomt.|
recognized student organization. They have been fighitJ
for this recognition, not for seven days, but for seven y
Recently the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled thatlei
A&M must recognize this group. Even more recentlyik|
Board of Regents have decided to fight this decision, all
way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.
The group is the Gay Student Services. They wantio
more than just “get their picture in the Aggieland.”
Karl Pallmeyer is a junior journalism major and founi
father of the Meridian Hometown Club.
McLe'
to cut w<
requirec
which a
how to s
saws am
ent.
Living, playing as an Olympic Eagle
I hope Peter Ue
berroth doesn’t read
this.
Ueberroth, presi
dent of the Los An
geles Olympic Orga
nizing Committee,
might not be too
pleased with two Ag
gies if he does.
When we, (Mark
Rudolph and my
. .m
*. i
Kevin
Inda
self), were hired to be Sam the Olympic
tha
Eagle, we were shown a videotape that
listed the do’s and do net’s of being a
bird.
No problem we thought:
• The bird is a non-speaking charac
ter.
• He can’t be seen in a public place
that would reflect badly on the Olym
pics.
• He can’t be seen in a cumbersome
position and he can’t be seen in pieces.
For two college students who would
give their left leg to get a good laugh
these rules seemed a bit strict. Besides,
we were usually a long distance from the
LAOOC when we felt like having fun.
The first time we had some fun with
Sam, we were on the Ohio State campus.
Since Mark and I are members of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, we
tried to visit SAE chapters across the
country. The afternoon we stopped by
the SAE chapter at Ohio State we
learned of a toga party that night. Mark
and I immediately knew who was going
to make a guest appearence.
When Sam walked into the party
room it was instant chaos. I’ve never
seen so many girls who wanted to dance
or take a party pic with a bird. Sam was
the hit of the party even though we
couldn’t find a toga big enough for him.
I still thank God nobody spilled
punch on him.
Another time we bent the rules we
were in Florida and we didn’t have
much choice in the matter.
We had just left Miami for Naples
and were driving across the Everglades
on the Tamiami Trail when our truck
quit running.(Our truck breaking down
across the country is another story in it
self.)
Well it was just me and the alligators.
About a hour later Mark returned from
calling a wrecker.
After a hour-long ride with a tooth
less tow-truck driver I was at wits end.
We had a major problem on our hands.
Budget Rent-A-Car, (with whom the
Southland Corp. had a contract), had no
other large trucks in Naples and we had
to be 90 miles away in Sarasota in 24
hours.
We were told by our superiors to
make appearances at any cost; so, we
did.
Sam got to see 90 miles of scenic Flor
ida along 1-75 from the front seat of
Chrysler LeBaron convertible. I drove,
Sam sat in the front seat and Mark sat in
the back seat teasing gawking motorists
by holding up Sam’s large, yellow feet as
we drove by.
We had the time of our lives withoui
causing any accidents.
Experiences like these were numet
ous during our trip but they all wit
done in good taste. I don’t think Uebet
roth would be all that unset withus.Tbt
public just got to see a little moreoftk
Olympic mascot and in some rather
funny situations.
So, if you, or anybody you know,sa»
something resembling a laree thicker
owl, parrot, or even a eagle, (loin
. p;
liar things in peculiar places, think we
before you disagree with your imagina-
tion-it might have been Sam the Olym
pic Eagle.
Kevin Inda is a senior journalism m-
jor who spent the last nine months inn-
elling the United States and promoting
the Summer Olympics as Sam the Olym
pic Eagle.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
In memoriam
Bill Robinson, 1962-1984, Editor
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
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