Opinion
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, October 10, 1984
Volleyball team deserves
support in football land
Walking, riding and driving co
10
Since this is football season in the middle of foot
ball country, why should you spend your Wednesday
night at G. Rollie White Coliseum?
• Well, you won’t be rained on.
• If you’re not a student, you won’t have to pay
$15 for a ticket.
• If you’re a student and you have an all-sports
pass you can get in free.
• Even if the Aggies don’t win, the winning team
won’t be coached by a former Texas A&M coach.
• The Texas A&M womens volleyball team’s re
cord is 18-2. (That’s 18 wins not 3.)
• Last year, over 2,500 fans came when the Ag
gies played the University of Texas.
• Women athletes live in real student dorms —
not Cain Hall — and the women’s team is not going
into seclusion in Navasota before its next home game.
9:45 A.M. Monday morning.
If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late to my
o’clock class.
No time to lace up the 10 rings on
my high-top Nikes; slap on my Pony
velcro tennis shoes, pull on my light
blue knit shirt — an ocean pacific shirt
but not the kind with waves and stuff, I
don’t want to look like a surf-bum if I
have to meet with anyone important to
day. Grabbing my four-year-old Texs-
port backpack. I’m out the door.
It’s a nice day; I’ll walk.
Chicken, shattered beer bottles spread among deserted
>pr<
tic cups. Crap, I just fixed that flat tire, 1 hope 1 missed!
ByC
Donn
Friedman
So, Wednesday night go to the volleyball extrav-
anganza — G. Rollie White Coliseum: 7:30 p.m.
Let’s help Texas A&M beat Texas — at least on
the volleyball court Aggies have a chance to win the
Southwest Conference.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Into the street, along the center stripe and across. Past the
7-11. Along the boardwalk where Boogies used to be, or was
it the Alamo or was it an old boarding house? Over some re
mains of Sunday night good times at the Dixie Chicken, shat
tered beer bottles spread among deserted plastic cups. And
finally to the University street crossing. The sign proclaims,
“Don’t Walk.” So I press the button and stand. Car after truck
after van zip past much faster than the law should allow. The
light turns to green; the sign turns to Walk, and I step off the
curb.
A fog-horning honk sends me springboarding out of the
way. A truck-driver makes a quick right-turn on red giving
me a stay-on-the-curb-pedestrians-don’t-belong-in-the-
streets scowl. I step to the right trying to avoid a bicyclist com
ing full pedal towards me. At the last minute he swerves-out
of my path.
“No brakes,” he says half-smiling, half-annoyed by my
cursing his soul, his family and his mode of transportation.
Strutting along at my 6-foot 2-inch pace I arrive at the door
of my classroom. Eight minutes past ten. Should I go in or
should 1 go on?
9:45 A.M. Monday morning.
I fl don’t hurry, I’ll be late to my 10 o’clock class.
It’s a nice day; I’ll walk.
I’ll never find a place to park. It’ll take too long to walk.
I’d better pedal to class.
Past the 7-11. Along the boardwalk where Boogies used
to be, or was it the Alamo or was it an old boarding house?
Over some remains of Sunday night good times at the Dixie
1 thrives!
glass. Finally to the University street crossing. The signal
claims, “Don’t Walk.” So I don’t. I stand next to my bike.
Car after truck after van zip past much faster thasn
law should allow. The light turns to green; the sign turns
Walk, and I drag my bike off the curb and climb back into
saddle.
A fog-horning honk sends me hot-wheeling across
street. A truck-driver makes a quick right-turn on redji'
me a stay-on-the-curb-bikes-don’t-belong-in-the-stn
scowl. I move towards the left trying to avoid a pedest
coming full stride towards me. At the fast minute I swerve.
“No brakes,” I say half-smiling, half-annoyed by hiscnrJ
ing my soul, my f amily and my mode of transportation
Cruising on my Gitane ten-speed, camouflagued
sick coat of black paint to reduce its desirability to 1
arrive at the door of my classroom.. Eight minutes
Should I go in or should I go on?
9:45 A.M. Monday morning.
If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late to my 10 o’clock class.
Td better drive. Grab my keys. I hope I can findaparl»
space close in. Back out into the street, stupid pedesiriai!
walking down the center stripe. Get out of the streetscum,
Past the 7-11. Along University to the stop-light.
The light shines red. I stop. Right turn on red. Aggie
ter Aggie piles off the curb creating an endless, unpassaiJt
river of humanity. Honking my horn, I zip past theAggiesm
foot and bike scowling a stay-on-the-curb-pedestrians-ani
bikes-don’t-belong-in-tne-streets scowl.
After finding a not-too-illegal parking spot, I arrive atilt
door of my classroom. Eight minutes past ten. Shoul 11
or should I go home?
9:45 A.M. Monday morning.
If I don’t hurry I’ll be late for my 10 o’clock class.
Pulling off my matching maroon socks, my
washed blue jeans, I slip back under the covers. Ijustcani
face that Monday morning traffic.
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ion. His column appears on Wednesdays.
I
eal student leaders
don’t wear tweed
I had the opportunity last Thursday of observ
ing something I rarely have a chance to see in
my wanderings around the A&M campus — a
real live student leader.
Oh, of course T he Battalion Editor Stepha
nie Ross is a student leader, but she doesn’t
seem to fit in with the category of student
leader (read — politician-in-training).
David Adlers roamed into The Battalion
office to submit a letter to the editor. I’m the
Ed Cassavoy
sports editor and member of the Battalion Editorial Board so I got
to read it. It was quite an illuminating experience.
Never in the course of one letter has one man reached so many
times for a dictionary, with so much confusion, for so small a result.
After passing the crumpled piece of paper around to eight jour
nalism majors, two English majors and a business major, the wall of
perplexed and confused faces multiplied with exponential regular-
it >'-
Basically, Alder’s letter said, “Why don’t the students stop com
plaining about things to The Battalion, and talk to me about them
instead?”
Though I realize Alders is probably sincere in his plea, I submit
to you that there is little reason to talk to A&M’s student govern
ment. T hey are too busy doing more important things.
Of course the student government’s idea of important is open to
debate.
Where any other competent or even semi-comatose university
student government would be raising serious questions about the
hazing tragedy, A&M’s elected representatives are silent. We’re not
talking about complaining about more student parking. We’re talk
ing about a very important university issue.
Instead I think student leaders here at A&M have their priorities
as nicely tailored to their needs as their three piece suits.
Why do I get the suspicious feeling that refining the next re
sume, or buying the next addition to their political wardrobe is more
important — or maybe easier to handle — than trying to grapple
with student concerns?
Harsh criticism? I don’t think so. We elected these'people to po
sitions of prominence not to fatten their personal clip file, but to
have someone that students can say, “Hey you’re the guy (or girl)
that has to speak up for me.”
Again silence is the only answer we get from our elected rep
resentatives.
Usually, student government is an accurate gauge of the atti
tudes and views of the entire university. A&M follows that rule ni
cely.
The apathetic and lethargic mentality of most Aggie students to
wards anything to do with current issues is mirrored, appropriately
enough, by their elected representatives. T exas A&M students get
what we deserve.
Of course let’s not just single out just the student body president.
Only a fourth of the Off-Campus Senators showed upforik
last Off Campus Aggies meeting. I thought the one prerequisites
being elected to an office is that you actually communicate with yom
own constituency.
It’s sort of like Ronald Reagan getting reelected and immediateli
flying to T ahiti for a four year vacation.
I also just find it hard to swallow that student government W
ers failed to address any new issues for the University agenda.
A&M students that wish to voice their campus concerns are let
with no representation to speak of. The majority of the A&Nfsiie
dent body chooses to be little more than sheep plodding theirwai
through the corridors of a vast technical school. For them, aslongas
they get their football tickets on the 50 yard line, Texas A&Mii
functioning smoothly.
What are the student government leaders doing with theirtime:
I do know where they work. Up in the second floor of thePavii
ion. Judging from the plush surroundings, all their efforts have not
been wasted. I thought I was walking into the offices of some giam
corporation. Maybe 1 wasn’t wrong. Just got the wrong company,
Maybe student government can succeed in getting listed onilii
New York Stock exchange.
For those people who have a legitimate beef, complaint or prok
lem that they wish to address — there’s the comforting faetthattho
can always write a letter to the editor.
Ed Cassavoy is the Sports Editor for The Battalion.
LETTERS:
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Delighted by
Faculty Senate’s
anti-hazing resolution
EDITOR:
We were delighted to read that the
Faculty Senate adopted a resolution
condemning hazing.
We are sure that the junior, or unte
nured, faculty (“Fish”) must be relieved
to know that they will not be awakened
at 2:00 a.m. by the senior faculty, led by
full professors and department heads,
to be beaten with axe handles or to have
water poured from upper floor win
dows onto sensitive parts of their ana
tomy.
Doug Spence
Hubert P. van Tuyll
Aggie Football:
a disaster area
EDITOR:
Well Aggie fans, sit back and prepare
yourself for another typical Texas A&M
football season. A season of renewed
hope, high expectations, and talk of
challenging SMU and Texas for the
SWC crown. This year’s version of Aggie
football will be lucky to beat out Rice for
eighth place in the conference. The Ag
gies were fortunate enough to escape
non-conference play without a loss.
Thanks to the foresight of our head
coach, the “class of WAG,” Brigham
Young was removed from our presea
son schedule and replaced by the “laugh
of WAG,” UTEP.
The result, an undeserved victory.
Two more dismal performances fol
lowed and were explained by both play
ers and coaches alike that “it’s hard to
get up for teams like UTEP and Arkan
x
sas State.” After the Arkansas State
game a Houston sportswriter remarked
that “the Aggies are undefeated,
uninspired and unimpressive.”
This could be the poorest team that
Goach Sherrill has yet to put on Kyle
Field. Our offense is offensive, our de
fense defenseless, and our vastly over
rated coaching staff is absolutely incapa
ble of motivating or preparing a football
team for action.
In Goach Sherrill’s three year tenure,
the Aggies have suffered humiliating
losses at the hands of Boston Gollege,
Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Galifor-
nia, SMU, Texas and Arkansas.
During this same time period the Ag
gies have defeated one team that fin
ished the season with a winning record
(Arkansas 6-5).
Perhaps we should apply to the Gov
ernor’s Office for state relief, as the Ag
gie football program sould have no
trouble qualifying as a “disaster area.”
Pete Greaves
Class of’80
Sex clubs should
not be recognized
EDITOR:
Regarding the Gay Student Services
bid for a campus club:
I have been extemely bothered by the
widening acceptance of homosexuality
as a societal norm. We all think of ho
mosexuals as folks who like “different
scenery.” But wait a minute. What is a
homosexual? It is not someone who
merely has a passion for members of
his/her sex ... it is someone who HAS
sex with members of the same sex. Now,
to spell it out, this means mutual mas
turbation, oral copulation and anal in
tercourse.
Now tell me, why does a homosexual
have to constantly advertise this? I know
of no one who openly comes out and ex
presses their sexual activities excepting
homosexuals and perverts, both by
branding themselves (when you say
you’re “gay,” I know your sex lif e).
Now back to the club. First, what is
the reason for such a club? It can’t be to
enlighten us on homosexuality, we all
know what that is. It must then be for
the following purposes: (1) to promote
homosexuality, and (2) to provide activ
ities where homosexuals can meet other
homosexuals. If the second reason ap
plies, why should the university supply a
dating service when (undoubtedly)
there are places for homosexuals to
meet where they can enjoy more privacy
and a better ambience?
The point is that the issue is sex. I’m
as against recognizing a club for homo
sexuals as I would be in sanctioning
clubs for those who prefer having sex
with children or animals, or a club for
The Proliferation of Heterosexual Acts.
(Shute, why not a club for adulterers
and one for maso-sadists?)
Finally, there have been many homo
sexuals who have gained my respect be
cause they DIDN’T advertise their sex
ual tendencies, but kept private those
things which should always be kept pri
vate. So, GSS . . . just be people, not
“gays,” etc. If you didn’t insist upon ad
vertising your sex lives, no one would
“know” (or care), and you’d be treated
as you wished.
Bruce Kiene
Graduate Student
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mutual masturba
tion, oral copulation, and anal inter
course are heterosexual acts also.
Bar owners not
responsible for drunks
EDITOR:
In regard to the Batt’s Editorial on
bar owners being responsible for the ac
cidents involving drunk drivers. I dis
agree. Whatever happened to self-re
sponsibility? Gonsider, for a moment,
the person who produces guns. Is he
also responsible for the persons who
buys that gun and uses it to kill?
Definitely not! That person chose to
kill. Just as the drunk chooses to drive.
The clubs and bars don’t put drunks on
the road. Drunks put themselves on the
road. When are we going to stop blam
ing others and making excuses for our
own negligence and irresponsibility?
Kim L. Manganaro
College Station
Alders: bigger
words than ideas
EDITOR:
Golly, Mr. Alders — you sure are
smart. I wish I could use really big
words and be a BMOC. Golly.
And, oh boy, you sure do stick up for
the administration. (Is that the right
word, Mr. Alders?) I bet when you are a
lawyer you can defend big, bad corpora
tions real good, too.
Know what? I looked up a word in my
dictionary: condescending. Gee whiz, it
kinda fits the tone of your letter. If I was
as smart as you I’d probably resent your
arrogance (th at means not very nice,
Mr. Alders). But since I’m full of “irre
pressible . . . youth” - I suppose I’ll for
get about it. . . till the next time you run
for ANYTHING.
Catherine L. Bennett
Class of’85
Alders: business
for Webster’s
EDITOR:
RE: David Alders’letter:
Never has someone said so much that
means so little to so many so late.
it
The Battalion editorials may malt
students think, but David Alders malts
them use dictionaries.
Peter Rocha
Class of 84
P.S. Much-flagellated? Is that like ao;
paramecium?
Sur
Moi
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