Texas A&M must
not forget hazing
Punishments were handed out Monday to the former Texas
A&M cadets involved in the hazing death of a fellow cadet last
year. No matter what the outcome of the trial had been, there
could be no happy ending to this unfortunate chapter in Texas
A&M’s history.
Whether or not the punishments fit the crime should not be
what A&M remembers about Bruce Goodrich’s death. Whether
or not the cadets have been made the “scapegoats for 108 years
of tradition,” as one of the cadet’s mothers said, is not what
should be remembered.
What should be remembered — and what must be changed
— is how this tragedy was ever allowed to happen.
The University and the Corps of Cadets, by their keep-quiet-
and-look-the-other-way policy, allowed and even encouraged
this incident to happen.
If hazing continues, undeterred, in the Corps then Bruce
Dean Goodrich will have died in vain, and that is the real tra-
gedy.
The Battalion Editorial Board
SG filing process
should be open
a ludicrous new twist for student elections. Government by the
people, for the people as long as the election committee deems
the student running to be a “serious” candidate.
The Battalion attempted to obtain the names of all the can
didates who have filed for student government offices. The Bat
talion’s request was turned down. Student Government does not
consider that list public information — until the candidates’ fil
ing date is over.
Laura Madia, election committee co-commissioner said re
leasing the information to all the students would be harmful to
the election process.
“Say for example there is one person well-suited for a posi
tion but he discovers that there are five people running for the
position,” Madia said. “We don’t want him to be discouraged
from running.”
Madia went on to argue if everyone, meaning you the stu
dent, had access to filing records then anyone could run.
We thought that was the idea behind a free election.
Madia insisted that the election committee’s aim is to make
the election as professional as possible, and they wish to have
only “qualified” candidates run.
The Battalion Editorial Board feels the reasoning behind
this decision is faulty.
A democratic election is, for all its flaws, open to everyone.
Deciding and evaluating the motives of a student’s candidacy,
plus what offices he or she can run for before an election is
censorship — plain and simple.
Closing filing records is illegal in public elections. But be
cause Student Government is a state advisory organization,
whether the Open Records Act applies here is still unclear.
Students should question the motives, no matter how well-in
tentioned, of a student government which seeks to filter and ex
clude certain individuals from running for office.
The Battalion Editorial Board
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Read any good books lately?
He didn’t read
in grade school,
junior high or
high school, and
he doesn’t read
now because he
doesn’t want any-
body else’s
thoughts to influ
ence his life.
The man is
Marvin Zindler,
Brigid
Brockman
Houston’s infamous muckraking jour
nalist. Zindler is the man many love to
hate, and now I know why.
I cannot understand how anyone,
even Marvin, can go through life believ
ing that reading is something to be
avoided, like the plague.
We all need to seek out and read
books because reading is the key to a
healthy mind. We live in a world today
with so much emphasis on having
healthy fit bodies that our minds have
atrophied to the point where they no
longer have the strength to tackle the
great classics.
Case in point: Take a look sometime
at some of the books that have been on
the best-seller list, and you’ll find such
frivolous works as:
• “The Body Principal,” this is Victo
ria Principal’s fool-proof guide to
beauty and fitness.
• “Hollywood Wives,” the exciting
book recently made into a miniseries
which was about as exciting as taking
out the garbage.
• “Truly Tasteless Jokes,” this book
is just what it says it is — truly tasteless.
These are just a few of the popular
books that have made up the bulk of our
reading, and they’re not exactly “Moby
Dick.” However, these books do have a
place on our reading list, just so long as
they aren’t the only books we’re read
ing.
Reading in itself is an education, and
that means there are prerequisites and
electives. The prerequisites should be
the core of the reading curriculum
which include the great classics. The
electives of this reading education
should be all other books we like to read
— the fun ones, the trashy ones and
even the tasteless ones.
Reading truly can be a total education
— and an enjoyable one.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, during his years in
Hollywood without his wife Zelda, de
vised a complete curriculum for a com
panion of his. Many years after Fitzg-
e raid’s death, his companion wrote
book on this self-paced curriculi
called “College of One.”
Reading can be a total education,i
in the case of my mother it make
her entire education. My mother no
went to college, but she is one of
most well-educated people I know.
She has read just about ever) t
book, novel and short story that myi
ter, brother and I have brought hoi
from school. 1 remember brinjii
home Melville’s “Moby Dick’andthii
ing to myself, surely she isn't
read this one.
Wrong. Not only did she read it,i
she read it without the Cliff Ni
(which I found very handy.) Obvioi
my mothei enjoys to read, but 1 ill v h° are
[posed
she also realizes that every book shei
ads is another step towards enhand
her education. peared
She never graduated from col nahue
not have a diploma,!
say she has gradual
from her own self-paced education 1
her College of ()ne.
never
and she does
I’m proud to
Brigid Brockman is a senior join
lism major and the editor of The Ik
tali on.
Affirmative action policy
at Texas A&M questioned
Does the fact
that Texas A&M
University is
nearly all-white
constitute discrim
ination? Yes? No?
Maybe? Let’s look
at the numbers.
LETTERS:
A surveyre-
cently released by
The Chronicle of
Higher Education
Kevin
Inda
nority students and faculty members.
But why? University officials have been
whining about a possible shortage of
funds. These minority students and fac
ulty know that A&M exists. Maybe they
don’t want to come here. They also
know that they can’t be discriminated
against if they try to enroll or apply to
teach. All they have to do is meet the en
try requirements and whammo! They’re
Visitor upset with
campus parking
saw them) to put them on other vehicles.
EDITOR:
Recently I left my car in a parking
space on a TAMU campus street. Re
turning twenty minutes later, I found a
notice stating that my car did not display
a valid TAMU permit. -
At my incredulous look, one officer
lamely mumbled that it was the respon
sibility of my hosts to inform me of
parking regulations when they invited
me to the campus.
listed enrollment for the 1982 fall se
mester at A&M as follows: 89 percent
whites, 6.4 percent minorities and 4.6
percent foreign students. The majority
of the minorities were Hispanic, with
3.8 percent. Blacks made up only 1.2
percent while American Indians consis
ted of 0.1 percent.
But what happens when a white and a
minority are competing for a schol
arship or a teaching position they’re
both equally qualified for? Well, we all
know the answer to that question.
I explained to three nearby officers
that I was a visitor who had parked in
what appeared to be a legal parking
space with no painted curbs or signs in
dicating restricted parking.
It escaped notice that had I intended
to violate rules for my convenience, I
would have parked closer to my destina
tion.
An officer testily remarked that visi
tors should stop at the visitor informa
tion center for parking instructions. I
replied that if such procedure is re
quired, signs so stating should be placed
at campus entrances.
Refusing to accept injustice, I left to
go to the police office to complain; how
ever, searching the ticket revealed nei
ther the location nor address other than
a zip code. Not having time to mail my
self to the office and failing to locate a
suitable space in which to park long
enough to obtain directions, I left cam
pus.
But, that same year, universities of
comparable size didn’t differ much
from A&M. For example, take the Uni
versity of Texas. In 1982, whites made
up 81.1 percent of the student body
while American minority groups made
up 12.8 percent. Some were even higher
than A&M. Pennsylvania State Univer
sity was 92.6 percent white and 4.3 per
cent minority. The University of Minne
sota’s main campus was 91.8 percent
white and only 4.7 percent minority.
Remember, the University is in the
process of image building. Not taking
anything away from the minority, if he’s
qualified, this isn’t quite fair to the white.
Remember, equal opportunity works
both ways.
Lets examine another fact. The Aggie
football and basketball team has more
minorities than whites. You don’t see
coaches recruiting an equal proportion
of white and minority students just to
improve the team’s image. It’s a simple
and fair theory: A person has to make
the team before he can play ball. What
A&M is doing to recruit minorities is
equivalent to every sports team having a
coach’s son on it.
Adding that on past occasions I had
parked in similar spaces with no repri
sals, I was informed that my car had
most likely been ticketed several times
and was undoubtedly the object of an
outstanding tow-away order. My decla
ration that I had received no tickets was
dismissed with the explanation that stu
dents had removed the tickets (before I
A university should strive for excel
lence in all areas. Unwitting parking vio
lations can be reduced by use of painted
curbs and informative, strategically
placed signs. Reducing employee bad
manners and improving communica
tions require suitable motivation.
Diana Schliesing
Houston
A&M has improved its record slightly
since 1982. In the fall of 1984 enroll
ment figures showed 87.6 percent of the
Aggies were white and 8.1 percent were
from American minority groups. Even
though the racial imbalance is improv
ing — which is good — there is still a
problem. This problem stems from the
way the University is going about cor
recting this unevenness.
Equally qualified whites and minori
ties should have the same opportunity
to do the same tfiings. But, neither
group should be discriminated against
to provide racial balance in any given
situation.
The University is currently spending
millions of dollars to attract more mi-
Discrimination. Yes? No? Maybe? If
so, who’s getting screwed?
Kevin S. Inda is a senior journalism
major and a weekly columnist for The
Battalion.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Brigid Brockman, Editor
Shelley Hoekstra, Managing Editor
Ed Cassavoy, City Editor
Kellie Dworaczyk, News Editor
Michelle Power, Editorial Page Editor
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editors
Kari Fluegel, RhondaSnidff
Assistant News Editerrs....,
Cami Brown, John Hallett, KayMalel
Assistant Sports Editor
Charean Willi®;
Entertainment Editors
Shawn Behlen, Leigh-EllenClirl
Staff Writers Cathie Anderson.
Brandon Berry, Dainah Bullard
/Ann Cervenka, Michael Crawford
Kirsten Dietz, Patti Flint
Patrice Koranek, Trent Le
Sarah Oates. JerryOsIn
"Tricia Parker, Lynn RaeForet
Copy Editors . Jan Perry, Kelley
Make-up Editors KarenBlorli
Karla Martin
Columnists Kevin Inda, LorenStelfj
Editorial Cartoonist Mike Lain
Sports Cartoonist DaleSmid 1
Copy Writer Cathy Bennett
Photo Editor Katherine Hatt
Photographers Anthony Casper.
Wayne Grabein, Bill Hughes, Frank In®
John Makeiy, Peter Rocha. Dean Sait
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