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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 1984)
Opinion Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, October 23, 1984 Regent actions making joke of Texas A&M Let’s hear it for c the Board of Re- K gents. Its latest actions are probably the best thing that ever happened to Texas A&M. Now, 35,000 students have tangible Ed Cassavoy proof that power and wealth can go along with narrow-mindedness and ig norance. before they make Texas A&M the laughing stock of the entire country. So a student group, which wished only to have a place to meet and the right to advertise on campus, is the cen ter of a controversy totally out of pro portion with the group’s original wants. Of course this is an emotional issue, but why make the University look so foolish? Within the past few weeks we have been reminded how the world works. Or doesn’t work. The mess does not end there. We have the case of Melanie Zentgraf and her request that all elements of the Corps be open to women as well as men. Sounds fair enough. The equal right to participate in all campus events. Old men, thirty years behind the times, make decisions that affect thou sands of young people. The next gener ation. You and me. I refer to the recognizing of the Gay Student Services and the question of al lowing women into the Aggie Band. The Regents have chosen the usual methods of dealing with something the power elite can’t understand, or are un willing to face. But then you get the usual idiotic re marks that always spout from some where on any subject dealing with Teaxs A&M. Unfortunately, the words came from the mouths of A&M Alumni who were in the Band. They claimed that let ting women play in the Aggie Band would weaken the nation’s defense. Block it, obstruct it, fight to the death. And I can’t even give the Regents credit for being subtle or devious in their campaign to stop the inevitable. Instead we have heavy-handed, stub born attempts to stop something at all costs. Fortunately, these kind of ludicrous remarks are exceptions to the rule. And funny as they sound to some, it just makes Texas A&M look bad. In the case of the GSS, the Regents are still fighting a losing battle against the court decision that forces A&M to formally recognize the GSS on campus. They want to take it to the Supreme Court. I just wonder what the Regents think of the world we live in. Maybe to them it is a struggle to build a nice shiny new building. Or grab more money for A&M. But I have the suspicious feeling they have forgotten about the most im portant element in this University — the students. Wisely, Texas Attorney General Jim Maddox has chosen to stop the Regents Believe it or not, students are people. They have rights; they have as much right to make decisions on campus is sues as the Regents lording over us do. Blocking the GSS and women’s par ticipation in any campus event is sup porting the status quo. Granted, the rul ing class of any society wishes things to remain the same. But the University is supposed to be separated, or somewhat sheltered, from some of the realities of life. istration telling us that our voice (feeble and isolated as it is on this campus) means nothing. At Texas A&M, you can’t escape it. Instead of fighting together to ex pand and test what society says is right and wrong, we have a University admin- Why not remove the facade the Re gents hide behind and just incorporate the whole University. The Board of Re gents would become the Board of Direc tors. They could even sell stock. The ancient Greeks even allowed their gods to come down from Ml Olympus and walk among theirpeoplt I Mayl>e Bum Bright and Co. coui;| learn a lesson from history. Bui must learn to crawl before you anni You must learn to think beforeyouui Ed Cassavoy is The Battalion, Editor. VER, DURING THOSE DEBATES IREAHV kicked a ume (Thames wiixoass) lU TELL WO SOMETHIN',, THAT FERRARO GAl IS SOME WEALTHS (RHVMES WITH RICH} SO REMEMBER GO OUTANP VOTE FORME,,, GEORGE 0tm (RHYMES WITH TUSH) The Battalion CJSPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association South west Jou rnalism Conference In mrmoriam Bill Robinson, 1962-1984,Editor The Battalion Editorial Board The I onday om Te: ient to i thf six-m The st an ex-off 'ami give to Texas lives ft com me to the 01 Station. | : The co the Bryai G)mmitt to oversei Stephanie Ross, Editor Patrice Koranek, Managing Editor Shelley lloekstra. City Editor Hrigui Brockman, News Editor Dorm Friedman, Editorial Page Editor Bonnie Langford, News Editor Ed Cassavoy, Sports Editor The Battalion Staff Assistant City Editors -I Melissa Adair, MichellePot| Assistant News Editors -I Rhonda Snider,Kellie Dworaczyk, Lm| Rest Editorial Cartoonist Mike Lai Make-nn Editor JohnHaldB Copy Editors Kathy Breard, KayePahmel Cyndy Davis, PatnaaF"| Editorial Policy / /te Hjtuhon is non-profit, self-supponm/m&l tsperatef as a community service to Test, Bryan-OoUege Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion m that Editorial H,t.,id or the author, and do not norurtj'l resent the opinions of Texas AA-M adminB/ra!on,l>*l • opinions ( or the H,Ktrd of Regents. I he Battalion also serves as a laboratory students in reporting, editing and p/ioropap ^1 within the Department of Communications. Letters Policy _ l etters to the Editor should not exceed M0 "^'l length I hr editorial staff reserves the ni(ht lor style and length but will make every dim loW ja | the author's intent. Each letter must he tigneilrfUM include the address and tdenhone numberollix*'* I I hr Battalion is published Monday diroufi I’T ,hiring I exas A&M regular semesters, cxcqxfa&l anil examination lie, khIs Mail substriptiM iitl f I’er semester, f.1.4.25 per school year and ttip* year Ad,, rosing rates furnishedon request ’ M. (ho address The Battalion, 216 Heed V-'f f Building. I exas A& M L 'niscrsity. College SO#■' ' 'hfl Editorial stall phone number: (WHIHi-ti** venising: 145-2611. uJSS I Sc, nod class postage paid at College Station,Vi f- IS )SI MAS I ER: Send address changes toVtlf too. I exas A&-M University, College Statxn. 111 LETTERS: Women cadets: Ags not radical feminists EDITOR: During my four years in the Corps, I sat back quietly as the men and women of Texas A&M kept trying to decide for me what women in the Corps wanted or should be al lowed to do. That is, what organizations should they be part of. I am out of the Corps now, <md have decided it’s high time that I express what is on my mind. Let me try and tell you what the “real” in tent of Melanie Zentgraf s lawsuit was. First off, we must consider the time pe riod in which she decided to file the suit. She was in the Corps from 1976-1980 and filed the suit in 1979. Prior to 1980, women were not allowed to wear senior boots (that one hard earned prized distinction) nor were their uniforms similar to the rest of the Corps. The only class distinction they had was the color of braid around their shirt col lar. When Melanie first entered the Corps, women had only been there for two years. Yes, they had to deal with discrimination and the physical and mental harassment by their peers. The women had not been al lowed to become a true part of the Corps. Melanie saw this and after her use of the proper chain of command failed, she de cided a lawsuit was the only way to be heard. Also, her initial filing of charges were due to being turned down for a position on the color guard because she was female. It was evident to her and others that a definite problem did exist in ALL aspects of the Corps. You know what, after she filed her lawsuit remarkable things began to happen. Women were granted the privilege of wearing senior boots. A bootskirt was designed and their uniforms were updated so that you could tell from a distance what classfication they were. Then, a woman was accepted in the Parson’s Mounted Cavalry and in the Color Guard. Women began feeling more comfortable with trying to achieve all they could in the Corps just as their male counterparts. Melanie has already achieved what she was after! Therefore, when we start talking bad about her intentions let’s consider the time frame it all started and what the women had then and have now. They’ve come a long way in the past decade! I, ana all the other women, never joined the Corps to prove a feminist point or to cause an upheaval at A&M. We joined be cause we aspire a military career, it is a fam ily tradition, or just to be at the heart of Ag- gieland. You know, the same reasons the other 2,000 individuals joined. Donna Heinz Class of ’84 A&M to fall just like Rome EDITOR: The Fall of A&M: Does our Senate rep resent the voice of A^gieland? Just recently “our Senate passed a resolu tion to recognize GSS. I am ashamed to hear that “our” Senate voted for such a resolution without bothering to ask their constituents how they felt about the issue. As a former Senator, I am appalled that the students voice was ignored and furious that such an organization shall now exist. Some people — such as a Tom Urban — believe “that the fact so many students are against University recognition of the GSS shows that we need to recognize it. The GSS exists to inform people.” If Urban and oth ers truly believe this then I personally will take them down to Montrose in Houston or Cedar Springs in Dallas and purchase for them an education — perhaps then we would appreciate their desire to learn. Students of Aggieland, “our” Senate may d our voic new fangled “dating service” but we don’t have to appropriate them any money. The Fifth Circuit Court never said we nad to fund but only recognize this form of malig nant immorality. Yes Aggies it truly is a dark day at A&M — and A&M is now officially going downhill. Edward Mallou accompanied by seven signatures EDITOR S NOTE: If the Student Senate doesn’t represent the student body, it’s the students’ own fault; less than 20 percent of the student body voted in the last general student government election. pus, or distribute fliers. Our archakR of Regents can decide that a groupie the best interest of Texas A&Mandw recognition. In order for its ideas E ; heard, for members to speakoncampj. group must be sponsored by another * nized” organization. Members c press the views of their group I fliers, for the group is not recognued■ freedom of expression? ill! A&M administrators creating little Russia have disregardet voice and established a EDITOR: Welcome to the U.S.S.R. This University makes a travesty of indi vidual rights. The first amendment guar antees the freedom to express one’s ideas re- gardless of their popularity, and to peaceably associate to proffer these ideas. The Texas A&M Board of Regents be lieves that the University can circumvent these rights with the power of recognition. They abuse recognition by choosing and regulating who may speak or meet on cam- Too many people presume u. recognition to an organization wid' they oppose is appropriate. This i<i| not appropriate, it is criminal. Ametf founded on the premise that even'' ual or group has the right to freeli his views. Freedom of expression^ and advances society. The Boarded seems to have forgotten that Texas' 1 within the United States of America** the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic “Recognition” seems to beanaiis* disguise for allowing the University press ideas. I challenge the constin* of the concept of University recogi® Glenn Murtha Class of ’86