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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1984)
Opinion Page 2/The Battalion/Monday, October 22, 1984 Ind Shattering the student leader stereotype Perusing the editorial columns of the Battalion a few weeks back, I was inter ested to learn that I am occupationally su- Fnn im _ ,hi " means —*■ Ed Readers Forum Student Government at Texas A&M, I R^der S Forum learned, is composed almost exclusively of self-serving, incompetent ninnies whose apathy is equalled only by their conceit. Presently asso ciated with the former, and never having considered myself the latter, 1 plotted a scathing retort that was nipped in the bud by that unnecessary evil — MID TERMS. Today, with more time on my hands, and perhaps less vin dictive intent, Tm going to try to clear up some misconceptions and maybe — (gasp) —shatter a few stereotypes. Given that my target audience is students, I am making a few, perhaps presumptions premises: 1. Most Texas A&M students graduated from high school. That means they possess at least twelveth grade reading skills. If you don’t feel you have the reading comprehension of a high school senior, don’t bother to read any further. 2. The majority of students at A&M care about the Univer sity, and would like to stay at least vaguely informed about is sues affecting it and themselves. 3. The concept of personally exploring an issue, even at the cost of sacrificing a few comfortable stereotypes, is one not en tirely alien to TAMU students. It seems that no one, in any pursuit, appreciates the work put into a project like the worker himself. This rule of thumb applies to everything from term papers to the policies of presi dential incumbents. I have several friends, for instance, who consistantly bend my ear with the deficiencies (as they see them) of The Battal ion. One fellow in particular maintains that he sees more inno vative behavior exibited by his pet rock. Loyal journalist that I am, I valiantly defend my former em ployer, occassionally even escorting the hard-core doubters through Reed McDonald —enough to convert the stauchest non-believer. The Batt staff works hard. If you don’t believe it, go see. If you don’t like it, get involved and change it. Student government is another much criticized, little un derstood student entity. The students who control student government do so because they were willing to put in the time when the job needed to be done. Equally, anyone who doesn’t like the directions student government is heading can put in the time and change them. I don’t believe it’s possible to talk one-on-one with any student government leader now in office and come away doubting his or her sincerity in wanting to serve A&M. Quite honestly, the perks involved are not worth the work, if perks and recognition are your motivation. This past August I was forced, simply for lack of time, to choose between accepting a position as staff writer for the Bat- ’ talion or an executive position in Student Government. Be cause I DO have “political aspirations”, I chose to work with student government in a position, like Batt staff writers, that will help prepare me for a career in law — the difference be ing that student government workers are unpaid. As a law school aspirant I am a minority in the ranks of stu dent government leaders. A quick look at the present profes sions of the past three student body presidents bears this out — one is an insurance salesman in California, one works for IBM in San Antonio, and one, (what a sneaky way into poli tics), is pursuing a degree at Dallas Theological Seminary. If I am, in fact, a politician-in-training, what are Batt reporters but journalists-in-training, education majors teachers-in-training, and business majors businessmen-in-training? Student government leaders work hard. If you don’t believe it, go see. If you don’t like it, get involved and change it. — Kim Norris, director of administration for Student Government. LETTERS: A worped look at women in the Fig Min’ Texas Aggie Band hoi EDITOR'S NOTE: These cartoons were orginally run in Fall 1982 as part of The Battalion's daily cartoon "WARRED". Warped by Scott McCullar AH, 600t> 01/ HALF -TI/AE. IN THE FANTASTIC FIGHT IN' TEXAS AGGIE BAND, THE LARGEST BAND IN THE COUNTRY• UP and down the FIELD, FIRING Up THE SPIRIT of THE IJLTH MAN TO A FRENZY... ITS STILL THE LAST EXCLUSIVELY MALE bastioa/ ON campus, thank GOODNESS..., WHO THE HELL ARE you? W NAME 'S CHERYL, I'M A W A <36 I E . I'VE JUST ALWAYS WANTED TO PE IN THE SAND. V\f\^ WHAT DO you THINK YOU'RE DOI/VG? WHO.. ^ v~ Unite , Bioon smoky fire pity house early Sunc and injurin Lffered ft ; dovvs to osc The can eta Tau h extremely ( hediately I nder way. I “It was Lid Steve lich., who ji his face I Firelight Im. hy fn Jgma Chi jast head it Ihe studei lembers a I David 1 jeputy fin leaping 15 Eid-story v Ived, but blaze withii lorn three | Hamilto :gan in th ie two-am IF YOU DON'T CALM DOWN yoU’AE SoNNA THROW OFF THE BAND'i INCREDIBLE PRECISION. T BESIDES, WHAT ARE you GETTING fo worked UP about? YOU CAN'T BE IN THE BAND. You be A WOMAA/. YOU MESS UP the UNIFORMITY^ Tj?yc n yw * ll W ( 4'W) W l A ] A' 041 /A) tAMLCVi tAMCVi ’) fa March Unite A WOMAN IN THE BAND, GOOD 6RIEF! WHAT A PREDICAMENT. IF I TRY TO STOP HER NOW WE'LL RUIN THE WHOLE HALF TIME PERFORMANCE. lAMCH BUT IF SHE SNEAKS OUT OF HERE AFTERWARDS THE SAME WAY SHE GOT IN, NO ONE MIGHT EVER KNOW SHE WAS EVEN WITH US. (rim 6 SHE IS KINDA RIGHT ABOUT ONE THING TH0U6H, *OU CAN'T REALLY PICK OUT INDIVIDUALS ON THE FIELD IN THIS MARCHING MOB, SO IF I SAY AND DO NOTHING THEN MAYBE NO ONE WILL... a WHAT!!? tO ■ALLEN United Au strike Sun Inc., idling sylvania, M ■ The str: Sunday, wl ■ntract e> man said, ritv is the n §[ Contract Pa , 18 mil phia, brok deadline a turned to / i No talk UAW wal Mack Tru IS THAT A WOMAW DOWN THERE IN THE A<M BAND? GET EVERY CAMERA WE'VE GOT ON HER FAST ! GO-O-O-O-O AGS !!! CLASS OF 65!! OWE, DA7MN FINE. BAND* GO-O-O O-H-O-L-y... . DURING HALF-TIME AT TODAY'S A^M FOOTBALL GAME A FEMALE CADET WAS DISCOVERED MARCHING AND PERFORMING WITH THE BAND.. THERE ARE NO MORE P£TAILS AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT, BUT ALL OF KYLE FIELD'S ASTRO-TURF WILL NOW HAVE TO BE REPLACED Rl Thanks Aggies says Cub Scout pack Judgment of God, man not the same EDITOR: This letter goes out to Jim Parrack (O&M Building), Senior Cadet Matt Holley, Beth Risien, and the whole staff at the Informa tion Center in Rudder Tower. We also want to include Coach Jackie Sherrill and Reveille and a bunch of good sports in the Corps. On Friday, October 12, Cub Scout Pack 1861, Den 3 got a tour of A&M. We had a wonderful day! We ate hot dogs at the stand and saw lots of old buildings and met lots of nice people. Everyone was so friendly to us and they all said “Howdy” when we said “Howdy.” We even learned how to “W- hoop!” Parrack showed us lots of interesting things about weather and fish and marine life. We saw a neat movie about the history of A&M at Rudder Tower, too! Then Matt Holley took us on a tour of the Corps. We saw lots of freshmen who do funny things when you ask them what com pany they are in. They even did their yell when we asked them. They sure yell loud! We even got our picture taken with Reveille and the man who takes care of her. We know there is lots more to see, so we will try to come up again and see the rest. Thank you to everyone who helped make our day so special! Some of us want to go to A&M when we are old enough and the friendly people sure make it a good school! Thank you again for everything! Den 3, Pack 1861 Sam Houston Council EDITOR: I would like to clarify the misinter pretations of Mr. Becker in regard to my usage of scripture in protest of ho mosexuality recognition (and its subse quent justification) on the A&M cam pus. This letter is not written in defense of my judgment. But alternatively its purpose is to delineate the distinction between the judgment of sinful man and that of a just God. The intent of my previous letter (quoting Romans 1:27, 32) was to address a specific issue with the word of God - not with my own inef fectual opinions. In reply to your first question Mr. Becker. I do deserve eternal condemna tion for the countless transgressions I have committed during these first 18 years of my life. However, if you have a chance to turn a few pages over to the eighth chapter of Romans in your Bible, perhaps when your wife is cooking breakfast, you will find in verse 1 the reason why many people, including my self, will escape this fate. I, being the “v- ery religious” person that I am, under stand that homosexuality is not the only sin worthy of death: but on the same to ken I hope you, as well as anyone else with similiar misapprehensions realize that the judgment presented in my afo rementioned letter is not of my own ori gin, but that of God’s. Thank you for pointing out the fault of my inadequate presentation of the whole story. It seems I only presented God’s judgmentand not his solution. Je sus Christ came into this world not to condemn us, but to free those who do seek to acknowledge him as their lord from the dominionof the law of sin and death. If Christianson this campus wor ried about judging others every time they quoted a Bible verse, the word of God would be useless. been successful in obtaining Mondale’s briefing book as they did Carter’s That way, he would have been better pre pared. Houston Thompson Silsbee, Texas Daniel Holland Class of ’88 Seeing the ‘old’ through new eyes Reagan too old to be U.S. leader EDITOR: The emperor has no clothes . . . Nobody is saying it because it’s a little delicate. But after the debate it should be clear to everyone that President Rea gan, at 73, is too old for the most diffi cult job in the world. He was not at ease without his train er’s cue cards and teleprompter. The President of the United Sthtes must be alert for our own safety. His is the finger on the button that could cause a nuclear holocaust. We cannot begin a first strike through accident or mistake. The job of president is a killing job and will get even harder. It should be clear to everyone that if President Reagan is reelected he will be 77 on the job. I am sure his trainers wish they had EDITOR: In response to Patrice Koranek’s arti cle “Growing from Tadpole to Another Old Aggie,” there are three juniors at Texas A&M who remember what it was like to be an freshman. In fact, we re member it very fondly. Unfortunately you can only be a freshman once. However, this year we have the op portunity to experience it again in a sort of second-hand way. We have the plea sure of having a freshman as our fourth roommate. Everyday we have the qp- pportunity to see the “old” things through her “new” eyes. Of course there are vast differences in attitudes between freshmen and se niors, even between freshmen and ju niors. But look how much more we’ve had the chance to experience and learn. Patrice, look back at yourself about three years ago. I think you’ll find —like the rest of us — that the freshman you described in your article bares a mighty close resemblance. Lori Canion, ’86 Liz Heard, ’86 Stacy Jarratt, ’86 Chris David, ’88 The Battalion CJSPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Som hwest Journalism Confcrcnct In memoriam Bill Robinson, 1962-1984, Editor The Battalion Editorial Board Stephanie Ross, Editor Patrice Koranek, Managing Editor Shelley 1 loekstra, City Editor Bridie! Brockman, News Editor Donn Friedman, Editorial PageEdiw Bonnie Langford, News Editor Ed Cassavoy, Sports Editor The Battalion Staff Assistant City Editors Melissa Adair, MichellePd'* Assistant News Editors .' Rhonda Snider,Kellie Dworauyk, m Assistant Sports Editor. Editorial Cartoonist. Make-up Editor. Wr Travis Ti^ I MiklAf ....[ohnHa^F. Copy Writer Copy Editors Kat h y B reard, Kaye Pah# i Cyndy Davis, Patricia f5 I T Editorial Policy i t he Hutlalion is n non-profit, sc/f-siipjwnmflntnsfrB o/xrated .is .1 community service to Teui MU ^ m tiryun-(lollc^c Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion ire itafi'’j Editorial Hoard or the author, and do not I nknmlPi resent the opinions of Texas A&M or the Board ot Regents. '"‘ill 77ic Battalion also serves as a laboratoryMm&el students in reporting, editing and pliqfOjrip<* , l within the Department orConinninicatkms, Letters Policy I.otters to the Editor should not exceed 5#) Mjfa length. I he editorial stall reserves the right lordfC* lor style and length but will make every efforuor^ the author's intent. Each letter must be sigmliri''' include the address and telephone [wnlbetofxf^ The Hat talion is published Monday during I'exas A&M regular semesters, exceftm ■■ and examination periods. Mail subscription! inIrj fjer semester, $33.25 per school year and year. 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