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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1985)
Page 2/The Battalion/Monday, March 25, 1985 Battalion Ed Board endorses candidate Student Government elections will be held this week and five hopef uls are running. After interviewing Mike Cook, Sean Roy- all, Brett Shine, Bob Stephan and Madelon Yanta, The Battalion Editorial Board has decided to endorse Mike Cook for student body president. This is an important election. Many people feel it doesn’t matter who is elected student body president, that it won’t make any difference. We disagree. The student body president can make a difference, and Cook is the candidate we feel is capable and dedicated enough to make that difference; we feel Cook can best stand up for the interests of the students. Cook’s financial knowledge and background is important. He served as MSC Director of Budgets and Planning and cre ated the Long-Term Financial Planning Committee, a joint com mittee of the Student Senate and the MSC. He advocates user fees for the A.P. Beutel Health Center, low intramural entry fees, improved shuttle bus service and al ternative funding for MSC services, in order to lessen the MSC’s dependence on student service fees. He emphasizes communication — communication between the Student Government and the student body, communication between the administration and the student body. He believes students should have more input in student services. And he says Student Government should act as a “lawyer” for students, representing them to the administration. Cook says all students and all student organizations deserve representation by Student Government — not just the least con troversial ones. Cook answered our questions directly and honestly — with out avoiding the direct issues. He is personable, and it seems he would have a good rapport with students. His knowledge of the issues Texas A&M will face in 1985-86 and his familiarity and willingness to work with other student organizations, such as the MSC Council, is promising. He is straightforward in admitting the weaknesses, as well as the strengths, of Student Government, and he is willing and re ady to make the necessary changes. Therefore, on the basis of our interview with him, The Bat talion Editorial Board endorses Mike Cook for the A&M’s 1985- 86 student body president. The Battalion Editorial Board LETTERS: Tuition increases will hurt Texas A&M EDITOR: As out-of-state students at this Uni versity, the proposed tuition increase is beginning to concern us greatly. At $40 per hour, tuition for a year was around $1,200. However this will be $3,600 per year, $5,400, and finally whatever 100% of educational costs arrive at. We realize that money is needed for state revenues, but the projected $200 million is not going to materialize when very few out- of-state students are likely to consider Texas for their educaton. For $5,400 in tuition, we could attend many of the more expensive private schools, also of ten beyond our reach. Admittedly Texas A&M is an excel lent school with a good educational and placement record. This fact combined with an affordable fee range is why most of us are here. Scholarships were often a decisive factor. With tuition ap proaching $6,000 per year, however, this University will lose much of its ap peal to the rest of the nation. Students will seek comparable schools within Fi nancial reach. This will be unfortunate for both students and a Fine University seeking a broader base. Whatever happens though, we are all Aggies, and A&M has been and will be an important part of our education and future. Tom Stephenson, ’86 accompanied by 13 signatures ‘S.B.’ stands for more than ‘sorority bitch’ EDITOR: Dear Trent Leopold, Thank you so much for writing such an in depth, informative, well-re searched article on SBs. Since I have been an “SB” for several years now, I immediately felt the urge to run out and buy a drop necklace, several chains of lapis and gold beads, and a Gucci purse. (I own none of these). How happy I am that you showed me the light! At last, I feel complete. Actually, all sarcasm aside, I’m mad, hurt, angry, and resentful of you for writing such an overgeneralized and one-sided report of sorority life. I could go on and on like this but I hear my mother’s voice in the back of my mind saying, “Barbie, don’t fly off the handle” and my father’s voice saying, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Trent, I wish that I could make you a Tri-Delt for a week. (I’d promise not to steal your underwear). But since I can’t do that, I want to tell you about some of the aspects of sorority life that were mis takenly left out of your article. Sorority girls are all unique: Some of us wear make-up, some of us don’t, some of us carry Gucci purses, some of us carry backpacks, some us like movies, some of us like to go to the park and fly kites, some us go to Zephyrs, some of us share fellowship in our bible studies. Believe me, there are many differ ences between us, and when we make decisions, as a group, it takes a long, long time because there are so many views. Now I’m going to employ the one journalism rule I know, “Know your subject before you speak (or write).” In doing this I cannot speak for the Greek system, I cannot speak for the ten soro rities at our school, I cannot even speak for the other members of my chapter, I can only speak for what I know of First hand, me! I didn’t see myself in your article. Part of me loves mixers and formals, but part of me likes going to the lake and having some quiet time to myself. I see myself, short and terse at times when provoked, but I strive to be Filled with compassion. I see girls hurt going through rush, but there are more tears and pain behind the scenes I promise. I have learned, through sorority life, not to judge people too quickly because I have been judged so many times just for being in a sorority. Trent, I’m sure you are a nice guy. I want you to see me and my sisters for what we really are, and you are cordially invited to share a meal with us whenever it is convenient for you. Maybe then you’ll see that SB does not have to stand for sorority bitches; it can stand for sorority beauty — the kind of beauty that is more beautiful on the inside than the outside. Barbie Johnson, ’85 Delta Delta Delta Death penalty advocates Sem need to reevaluate system pleis Last week I watched “Hill Street Blues” and I witnessed the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a real- life execution. The final m o - ments of the epi sode depicted a death row inmate being strapped of this argument. Currently, Texas has 193 prisoners awaiting execution, but merely killing them and getting them out of the way isn’t as easy as it sounds. Loren Steffy Assistant Attorney General F. Scott McCown said last week that the state at torney general defends all appeals of capital convictions, even to the Supreme Court if necessary. Here’s where the taxpayers’ money Figures in. Of course, this is still cheaper keeping the prisoner behind bars rest of his or her life, but if we're to eliminate these undesirables,itwoi be less expensive to hire some extrab yers now than it would betotrytokf up with the rising cost-of-living b penses for inmates for the next 3! years, plus. spe< By HOL1 kt Pleistocene e> topic of discussii sponsored by tl tnropology Soc p.m.-5 p.m. in 31 Extinction of can species occu 'le into the electric chair and getting crispy- crittered before a small group of specta tors. In Texas, we don’t barbeque our re cipients of capital punishment anymore, we inject them with nasty corpse-gener ating substances. But this is done in the name of justice. Criminals who commit certain heinous crimes are deprived of all rights, includ ing the right to human existence. The capital punishment controversy has plagued this country for years. Defend ers of this policy of killing for justice fre quently tell me that taxpayers shouldn’t have to support capital criminals, and, thus, justify the death penality in the name of tax dollars. “One attorney can handle four of these highly complex cases each year,” McCown said March 18. We have 1.25 attorneys working on capital cases. The state of Texas can therefore accomplish no more than Five executions each year. More executions require more attor neys. More attorneys require more dol lars.” Obviously, if the Criminal Law Enforcement Division budget is in creased, the taxpayers will pay for it. If the budget remains unchanged, Texas will plod along at an execution rate of Five per year. At that rate it will take 38.6 years to empty the Death Row cells — assuming there are no more capital convictions during that time. Besides, with the lack of room in Me Pleistocene TDC units, a smooth, continual ®fyearsaeo. tion flow would make a lot more allien debate available for the new arrivals. a .* )<)ut t l 1 ! e c . ause tions. I he issue two main views: Advocates of capital punishnit*|lolvement am seem to have assumed the bizarre tienvironmental ory that lethally injected inmates are® te changes a effective and financially sound “uhe justice, and perhaps they are. Bull seminar these guys have to rot in prison beltla Idebate forma they rot in the ground, the purpose/ant, head of tl the death penalty is defeated. pamnent at A& erator. H Bryant has r< I he taxpayers lose money acmjinterests in arc! dating these doomed prisoners. Bmi (the use of poll* real losers, of course, are the flits rjnmental and corpses themselves, who havetowaitl n ' )l,otan y j 1 * 11 ’ > years before finally being killed. 0 I*" 15 b >' ™ A closer look at the Texas Depart ment of Corrections Death Row situa tion, however, demonstrates the futility Keeping a doomed prisoner alive al ready costs taxpayers $7.17 per day per inmate, according to Larry Barnesworth of the TDC Research Department. We’re talking $505,095.65 this year to keep these people alive so we can kill them later. Capital punishment is not calledi slow death penalty. If these guystj ‘The going to get the needle, the leastwea do is stick them quickly. Loren Steffy is a sophomore jounii lism major and a weekly co/umnisi: - onU The Battalion. A visitor is o President letting Congress do dirty work fins a new and of themselves a Reagan playing Tom Sawyer WASHING TON — A wit once defined a ba rometer as an in genious instru ment that reveals the kind of weather we are ex periencing. If you have no barome ter, you can con sult the Senate Ronald Reagan is playing Tom Sa wyer, who was the quintessential Ameri can, which means he was something of a sharpie. Tom, a cunning rascal, grew up about 185 miles west of Dixon, Illinois. Cunning rascals sprout like corn out there. That is one reason why Japan has#! tween $50 billion and $100 billion slali ing around the world, looking for thiol to buy. America has debt to sellatall count. Call that the American ad™ tage, comparatively speaking. I Today Dr. present what h ral theatrical Visitor,” a moi experiences SI is sponsored I Programs Con CTht purpoi to help Amerk how others see piro says. “It George Will Budget Committee. It, like a barometer, measures climatic pressure. The committee has rejected the Presi dent’s budget. That is “rejected” as in: Russia rejected Napoleon. The vote was 17-4 and reflected the fact that among the 535 members of Congress there probably are not 35 who would vote for the President’s program of continuing the defense buildup at the pace he pre fers, avoiding all tax increases and sig nificantly cutting middle-class domestic programs. Not since Tom tricked the other boys into whitewashing Aunt Polly’s fence for him has there been anything as nifty as Reagan’s way of getting others to do his disagreeable chores. He says to Con gress: Here is the division of labor: I’ll look after the Marine band, Air Force One and Camp David. You folks cut the social programs. George Will is a columnist for M Washington Post. Sen. Pat Moynihan has a modest pro posal for a one-shot cash infusion to trim the deficit without cutting any pro grams. His idea for slicing a substantial piece off the government’s debt is: Sell it. Part of the debt, that is. Less than six months ago the Presi dent got a mandate to keep on keeping on — to continue the policies of the First term. That is not surprising. The public rather enjoys getting a dollar of govern ment spending and being charged only 75 cents in taxes. Last week there was a languorous White House discussion about sending the Great Communicator back onto the campaign trail to commu nicate (as he forgot to do before the election) his zest for all those specific program cuts. But his aides then thought: He would be campaigning against most Senate Republicans, 40 percent of whom face re-election in 19 months. Reagan would not be able to campaign for a “live legislative vehicle.” (Sorry. They talk like that.) By the end of Fiscal 1986, the govern ment will have outstanding loans valued at (which does not mean “worth”) $280 billion. That is three times the size of the loan portfolio of Citicorp, one of the na tion’s largest banks. This federal portfo lio is scattered around the government and managed by bureaucrats paid less than a Citicorp branch manager. Many loans are at far less than today’s interest rates. Under Moynihan’s plan, they would be sold at a discount reflect ing their real market value-today. Even assuming that the value of the $280 bil lion in paper is now just, say, $75 billion, that is the real value, no matter who holds the paper, and the government would get a cash inf usion of $75 billion. What the budget committee ap proved might bring a blush to the presi dential cheeks. It would have cut the deficit by more than the President’s budget would have done. Furthermore, the committee plan would confound skeptics by freezing Social Security ben- eFits for a year. Of course all this is in the subjunctive tense because the com mittee action binds no one. The only thing mandatory is that we pay the in terest on the national debt. The loans were made to students, small businesses, large corporations, farmers and many other groups includ ing foreign governments. The point was to let Congress spare those groups the torture of paying market rates for money. But selling the loans to private insitutions would not change the terms. The people owing the money would just send their checks to a different address. Moynihan’s plan has an international dimension because of the doctrine of “comparative advantage.” According to that, different nations do different things well and each nation should prosper by swapping goods and services according to its comparative advantage. The debt, without major policy changes (the likelihood of which has gone from “not very* to “are you kid ding?”) will increase about $1 trillion in the next four years. If so, every year for the rest of the history of the Republic taxpayers will pay about $100 billion in interest just on this four-year addition to the debt. Japan, for example, is good at mak ing cars and cameras and television sets and many other things. The United States, too, is gifted at making many things, but it is especially, even incom parably, gifted at making debts. The Japanese save 20 percent of their wages, about triple the American rate. The Battalion CJSPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Brockmanr Editor Shelley Hoekstra, Managing Editor Ed Cassavoy, City Editor Kellie Dworaczyk, News Editor Michelle Powe, Editorial Page Editor Travis Tingle, Sports Editor The Battalion Staff Assistant City Editors Kari Fluegel, Rhonda Snider Assistant News Editors Cami Brown, John Hallett, Kay Malleil Assistant Sports Editor Charean Williams Entertainment Editors Shawn Behlen, Leigh-EllenClarl; Staff Writers Rebecca Adair, Cathie Anderson, MarcyBasile, Tamara Bell, Brandon Berry, Jeff Brady, Dainah Bullard, Ann Cervenka, Michael Crawford, Mary Cox, Kirsten Dietz, Cindy (Jay, Pete Herndon, Trent Leopold, Sarah Gates, Jerry Oslin, June Pang, Tricia Parker, Cathy Rich, Marybeth Rohsner, WalterSmitlr Copy Editors . Jan Perry, Kelley Smilli Make-up Editors Karen Bloch, Karla Martin Columnists Ed Cassavoy, Kevin Inda, Loren Steffy Editorial Cartoonist Mike Lane Sports Cartoonist Dale Smith Copy Writer Cathy Bennett Photo Editor Katherine Hun Photographers Anthony Casper, Wayne Grabein, Bill Hughes, Frank Irwin, John Makely, Peter Rocha, DeanSaito Editorial Policy The Battalion is ;i non-pmfit, self-supporting /im/w/tff operated as a community service to I'cxhs A&M and B ryan-C '.ollege St at ion. Opinions expressed in The Battalion arc those uf ik Editorial Board or the author, and do not necessarily rep resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, fatull} or the Board of Regents. ewspaf students in reporting, editing and photography dasses within the Department of Communications. Letters Policy Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit klters for style and length Inn will make every effort to maintain the author's intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the address and telephone number of the writer. The Battalion is published Monday through Frida) during Texas A&'M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions arc $16.15 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Editorial staff phone numlx.T: (409) H45-2CM Ad vertising: (409) 845-2611. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77S-IU. POSTMAS TER: Send address changes to The Battal ion, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 Voi SI Isi Tc Bic Let Sei Di; Me F