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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1985)
Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, April 19, 1985 °ipr CRBGO^ ^ IRm WJW‘Swm ...THAT DOES IT/ FROM NOW ON, PM GOING TO START RUNNING/ IVWEW OONSIDERED muR lunches? The, TW Kennedy weght-loss pten... Foreign student faceAg numerous challengeile; So far, 1 have writ ten six articles for The Battalion. Being a staff writer, I know that is not a merit at all. June Pang Reagan blunder insensitive Sensitivity has never been the hallmark of the Reagan adminis tration, and for eign policy is a Reagan sore spot. Though I thought 1 had seen every- thing, I was wrong. Recent events Now, White House aids are scurrying around Germany searching for a suita ble concentration camp to host a Reagan visit. It makes me feel like they’re taking a tour of a local craft shop. I’ve talked to some students about this, and they shrug their shoulders. Big deal, who cares, it was a mistake. Well, I counter that that’s not the For someone still living in the 1940s, I would think Reagan, more than anyone else, would remember the legacy of Hit ler. This is a harsh attack. But where should we draw the line? Who is to lead us if our leaders won’t, or can’t? All we can fall back on are our own consciences. kd Cassavoy have left me sick at heart. It involves the controversy over Rea gan’s planned visit to a German soldiers’ cemetery at Bitburg. It was chosen to be a symbol of greater American-German relations. And a sign of forgiveness. Then it was discovered that there were Nazi SS men buried at Bitburg. American Jewish groups and the American Legion were understandably outraged. Only the German soldiers would be honored, including the bloody memory of the SS soldiers who had implemented Hitler’s extermination of the Jews. The SS also had a hand in the execution of American POWs. point. The sheer obscenity of placing a wreath on the tombs of Hitler’s butcher boys is a sad statement on society. Hon oring war dead is one thing, validating the horrible cancer of Nazism is quite another. How should the Bergen-Belsen survi vor feel when he reads that everything is OK, according to Reagan. The identifi cation number burned into the survi vor’s arm hasn’t disappeared. He re members. Or the American and Allied soldiers who fought and died. Many students will say, “That’s not the issue.” But I say it is exactly the is sue. By not speaking up we are saying, in essence, that it’s OK. It’s OK to ignore the history of the Holocaust. It’s OK to show' faulty judg ment in honoring only the German war dead, including the SS. It’s OK to not understand what people are so mad about. A&M students must remember. Each individual must have a strong opinion on the moral and philosophical issues that may not directly touch our lives. It is part of our obligation as mem bers of the human race to think about the past and how it affects our lives. If we can’t do this, we are no better than the Nazis. Earlier Reagan had declined a visit to the Dachau concentration camp because he had deemed it “inappropriate.” And though it appears it was not in tentional, the damage has been done. The gross inhuman stupidity of such an idea, even after the discovery of the SS graves is truly unfortunate. How the country’s leaders deal with the broad philosophical issues is the true measure of greatness. Reagan, through his now trademark bumbling, has shown me a very dirty, tarnished view of humanity. I guess the country has no one to blame except itself. A&M students, the next generation, fell for the pretty Rea gan bumper stickers and the shallow view of the world he gave us. Because we then choose to destroy what is right and true. We choose to make our own instant philosophy with out heart and substance. We choose to spit on all that has happened before. Maybe Reagan doesn’t understand, but that sure as hell doesn’t make it right. Frustration, frustration, frustration .. Ed Cassavoy is a senior journalism ma jor and a weekly columnist for The Battalion. I like writing and studying the lan guage. Learning is not a problem for me; I only wish I were few years younger and had less family commit ment so I could learn better. Smuggling artifacts unethical practice I went by the Pavilion yesterday to look at a small display of Greek and Roman arti facts. I thought I smelled something fishy, and it wasn’t just my imagina tion. probably how the neck of the vase (in the collection) was broken.” The collection had to be small — Loren Steffy Frequently, treasure hunters and other fortune-and-glory seekers have been heralded as heroes when they pur loin pieces of the past. Meanwhile the anthropologists and archaeologists who dedicate their lives to preserving ancient artifacts for the benefit of posterity go virtually unnoticed. /. small enough to fit in a suitcase so it could be illegally transported out of Italy and into the United States. “1 actually had to smuggle it twice,” Dr. Michele Caputo, the geophysics pro fessor who donated the artifacts to Texas A&M, said in The Battalion April 12. “I bought it first from a fisherman and I had to buy fish to hide it in. This is The only crime more heinous than sneaking artifacts out of a country for personal gain, is damaging those arti facts in the process. Obviously, Caputo’s desire to possess the artifacts for his own glory superseded his concern for the Italian people whose past he was taking. By donating the collection to the Uni versity, Caputo does not free himself from blame, he merely smears the guilt on Texas A&M as well. A week has passed since Caputo’s comments were printed in The Battalion, and the collec tion is still shamelessly displayed in the Department of Student Activities. The acceptance of the collection not only condones Caputo’s actions, it damages the image of the University in the eyes of foreign directors of antiquities, which could have a negative effect on the nu merous archaeological and anthropolo gical research projects the University supports around the world. Ironically, the collection was donated in the name of Caputo’s father who was an Italian lawyer. “My father always thought that cul ture would make his profession much better,” Caputo said. Culture is a won derful thing, but when it is obtained ille gally in the name of law, it becomes a liv ing hypocrisy. Caputo claims he donated the collec tion to enhance the cultural awareness of Texas A&M students, but while he is promoting culture with one hand, he is destroying it with the other. “They have nothing here of this sort of culture — Roman — and so forth,” Caputo said. “I think the young people should know, should see, maybe excite their curiosity, then get interested about other civilizations.” Absolutely. We will learn about Ital ian history through unethically acquired artifacts, at the same time the Italian students are learning about the Ameri can professor who swiped a part of their past and the University that was unscru pulous enough to accept the smuggled antiquities as a gift. Loren Steffy is a sophomore journa lism major and a weekly columnist for The Battalion. Reagan's advisors were too busy buying BMWs By ART BUCHWALD Columnist for The Los Angeles Times Syndicate President Reagan couldn’t under stand what all the fuss was about when it was announced he was going to visit a German military cemetery next month and pay tribute to German soldiers killed in World War II. The White House said the president had decided not to visit the Nazi concen tration camp at Dachau or an Allied war cemetery because his trip was being made in the “spirit or reconciliation” and Mr. Reagan did not want to open old wounds. While no one doubts that the presi dent is a great communicator, every once in awhile he does fall on his face. How did he make his most recent blooper? One theory, advanced by Bill Greider of Rolling Stone, is that Mr. Reagan’s advance team was so busy buy ing BMW’s at half price that they didn’t check out the political ramifications of the decision. wounds, Mr. President. We can’t send a wrong message to the Germans at this time.” “How can I send a wrong message to the Germans if I visit Dachau?” “Mr. President, here is the itenarary for your trip to West Germany in May. We’ve got you down for a trip to West Germany in May. We’ve got you down for a trip to the Bitburg Military Ceme tery. It would show that you are willing to let bygones be bygones.” “I have no objection, but shouldn’t I visit Dachua and an Allied cemetery as well?” “That would be opening up old “Because you don’t want to remind them of all the bad stuff they did during the war. It would be a mistake to lay a guilt trip on Germany just when we got shine missil them to take our Pershing missiles.’ “There’s something in that. At the same time you are aware there is going to be flack from our veterans and also the victims of the Nazis. How do I han dle that?” “You can say at your press conference we can’t hold today’s Germans responsi ble for things that their ancestors did.” “Ancestors?” “Of course. All the Germans involved in World War II are dead.” “I thought there were quite a few ex- Nazis alive.” “There are none in Germany. The only ones left are living in Argentina.” “How can you be so sure of this?” “They told me so at the BMW assem bly line.” “What do I say at the Bitburg ceme tery?” “How about just saying ‘War is hell’?” “That’s all you want me to say?” “Well, you have to make it short, be cause I promised them you would make your major speech at the BMW factory.” But I feel I have come a long way. I was a professional journalist and teacher before, in Taiwan and Hong Kong where Chinese is the common lan guage in both places. My husband and 1 are both native Chinese. In 1982, we de cided to move to the United States. We have started a whole new life since then. I have always wanted to have a career but my language problem prevented me from having one job that my past expe rience and knowledge qualified me for. I went to universities in the States be fore, but years of living back home have caused a serious set back in my English communication ability. >mmumcation ability. The only solution was going back to school again. So, at the age of 33, I found I had to learn a different language with people at least ten years younger than I. At the same time, 1 was still a full time house wife and a mother of two young chil dren, ages four and one-and-a-half. I took a journalism course in special ized reporting last semester as a starting point. I strived to understand what the teacher taught in the class. If I could go to class a few minutes ahead of time I would select a front seat so I could hear more clearly. I carried a dictionary all the time in case of need. And it turned out I needed it almost every 20 minutes. But I didn’t have the time to check it be cause then I would have missed a lot of the lecture. For me, life has a strange wa) o[| ^ vealing itself. My undergraduate Jl; was in historv, .i held 1 found ha| The I ex a interested in later. Then I travels:’‘j 1 studied abroad, changed jobs changed majors in graduate schs gy n , nasl i cs a was half exploring my world and»k and fie 1 wondering what 1 would eventuall Anne Mc( tie down with. By the time I found d 16 adaptive I really wanted to do, 1 alreade 8 ram at j ex other < orntnilmcnts. 1^ I admire people who have asirPty" 1 ?^ 5 ; sense of direction at a very young As for myselt, well, it that’s the^ xas am, I can’t change it. I can onlywodHred to hel improve myself. Broaching, timing the I must s.i\ that, ot course, therek.;among t h e | ( bright side of the Mon; that is,e:unteers. Met time I worked hard on an ankleIfc also is respoi had learned something. And 1 wash- s >g ne d at hl ei to have the greatest teacher rve jjp in c ^ iar S < had who understands m\ Irustratr y, ■ writing and has never tailed togwi/ 0 ] ulUetM inspiration and encouragement, lifiooking lorv teat her will f<)H \ Cl he leiiR-mbered: at the same i good teacher and a good joumatspd when u' my life. coming up.” ■Participar About the middle of the semesieift applied !<>r .1 part tune re{)orterjoli§§^ I 1m B.itialioti I got thejobandsttJM^I^ f at ing more t hallenges. I read newspapers and news mag azines as much as possible. But with the time I had and my reading speed I sel dom finished reading a day’s newspaper even by just choosing some interesting news stories. Every piece of writing for the class, no matter how short it was, meant seve ral nights work after my children’s bed time. That did not include the research and reading work. Still, I felt I could hardly keep up with other students in the class. I knew the theories of journalistic writing, I just couldn’t express myself efficiently. The feeling of being behind others and the fear of being looked down upon bothers me very much. ... I still don’t understand cttl word that people say. I can’t taken and listen at the same time. Aftert; care of the house and children 1 is very limited. I am not very fau. .p^ e with the campus to cover campusce s or By staying at home most of the tin t e, n Livestc lack the chance to practice spoken I Swine Cent glish . . . Animal Scie 1 Patternec But gradualb I find wavs to®show, the e those problems. 1 keep askingquesttBdents to when I interview people until id and jud ei \ thing straight. 11 1 miss thequotsp^^f 11 "; ask again, i do much backgrodj^b sl ^ search before 1 interview people. the exhibit! make sure whatever I write is right.! quality of tl have to be corrected in hard facts, feel very, very embarrassed. I vtani| show that just being a foreign stndi doesn’t mean I can’t do my job wel. That’s how I came up withmysiss ries. It’s not many, but it’s been ate way for me, especially with the till have had to work outside of the hoi And 1 know I have a much Ion way ahead of me until I reach myj — to master both the English: Chinese languages and work as abm over the two cultures. Although the road is long, andi not always easy to live in a foreigofj ture, I think it’s all right as lonm serves a put pose. June Pang is a staff writer for TJiek talion. The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Assixiation Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Brigid Brockman, Editor Shelley Hoekstra, Managing Editor Kellie Dworaczyk, News Editor Michelle Powe, Editorial Page Editor Rhonda Snider, City Editor Travis Tingle, Sports Editor The Battalion Staff Assistant City Editors ,j, Dainah Bullard, Kan Flucfi : Assistant News Editors I Cami Brown, John Hailett, KayMaW Assistant Sports Editor Chgfean William Entertainment Editors Shawn Behlen, Leigh-Ellen CliJ Staff Writers Rebecca Adt j (iathie Anderson, Matty Bask I Tamara Bell, Brandon Bern j Jeff Brady, Ann Cervenbj Michael Crawford, MaryG» Mike Davis, KirstenDi* Cindy Gay, Pete Herndor Trent Leopold, Sarah0* Jerry OslinJuneP Tricia Parker, Cathy Rid' Marybeth Rohsner, WalterSiniil 1 Copy Editors Jan Perry, KelleyStrill Make-up Editors Karen Blotl Karla MaiW Columnists Ed Cassavoy, Kevin Irak Loren Steff Editorial Cartoonist MikeLtf Sports Cartoonist DaleSniii 1 Copy Writer Cathy Benue* Photo Editor KatherineHn< m Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting myt*. operated as a community sen ice to Texas Aba & Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those di* Editorial Board or the author, and do not necessarily!' resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrator!,» or the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspprf students in reporting, editing and photognpw d$ within the Department of Communications. Letters Policy Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 mrld length. The editorial staff reserves the right to ediile'f for style and length but will make every effort tonuitu* the author's intent. Each letter must be signed oridai include the address and telephone number of the wrra The Battalion is published Monday thromh tluring Texas A&M regular semesters, except lor and examination periods. Mail subscriptions ate per semester. $33.25 per school year and (35 i ear. Advertising rales Itirnished.on request! Out address: The Battalion, 216 Reed Mi Building, Texas A&M University, College Statm e 77843. 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