Page 4AThe BattalionAVednesday, May 8, 1985
Commencement speakers give advice for future g ei
Gramm:
learning
process
not over
By JOE PARSONS
Reporter
U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm told
Texas A&M graduates Friday
night that they should get in
volved in the political process.
Gramm, addressing graduates
from the Colleges of Engineering
and Geosciences, said they should
make an additional effort to let
their voice be heard.
Gramm also stressed that the
learning experience does not end
after graduation.
“The learning experience
doesn’t stop here,” Gramm said.
“Put it to work in a lifelong learn
ing experience. People will seek
you out for your leadership.”
Gramm, who taught economics
at A&M before being elected to
Congress in 1978, said he has no
ticed changes at A&M since leav
ing.
”So much has changed (at
A&M) yet so little is different,” he
said. “The greatness at A&M is
the tradition in midst of dramatic
changes.”
Gramm said the real measure
of greatness of a university is the
quality of its graduates.
Gramm speculated as to why
Tower: defense is essential F 0 '
By TAMARA BELL
Staff Writer
Texans spoof Aggies.
“Texans spoof Aggies because
Aggies are Texans’ Texans,” he
said. “That puts you right at the
top. Because Aggies epitomize
things people love most about
Texas. Plain old traditional va
lues.”
Gramm also speculated as to
why Americans spoof Texans.
“Because Texans stand a little
taller,” he said. “They’re a little
more confident, a little prouder,
because Texans are Americans’
Americans.”
A&M President Frank Van
diver and Board of Regents
Chairman David G. Eller gave
congratulatory speeches to the
students.
Eller told the graduates that
“wherever you go, youil be the
basis on which people form their
opinion of Texas A&M. That
they are good citizens, people
who can be counted on.”
During the ceremony, Orvil
Wayne Crisman, a retired busi
ness executive and entrepreneur,
received the Distinguished
Alumni Award given by A&M
and* the Association of Former
Students for his contributions to
As American citizens, the grad
uates of 1985 must never be so
preoccupied with domestic affairs
that they fail to stay abreast of ex
ternal matters, U.S. Ambassador
John Tower said during gradua
tion ceremonies in G. Rollie
White Coliseum Friday.
Tower, speaking to 3,526 de
gree candidates from the Col
leges of Agriculture, Architecture
and Environmental Design and
Education, said maintaining a
strong defense will be an awe
some responsibility for the next
generation.
—America is not an island,”
Tower said. “Our economic and
social health depends on external
policies rather than domestic pol
icies.
“Our first priority is to afford
security against external enemies.
We need to maintain defense as
far away and as close as possible.”
T he U.S. military shouldn’t be
sized according to the budget but
according to the country’s needs,
Tower said.
“If defense is not affordable,”
he said, “then we have to accept
the consequences. It we aren’t
careful, we could be delivered
into the hands of our adversary.”
Tower, the ambassador rep
resenting the United States at the
strategic arms negotiations in Ge
neva, Switzerland, said he advo
cates a reduction of nuclear
weapons. However, the threat of
a nuclear war remains constant,
he said.
“The best support we have is
the will and determination of the
American people to do whaifl
necessary to make sure ti|j
United States will never bethral
ened bv attack, or put in thepdl
tion to decide whether to surre|
der to nuclear blackmail,” To»i|
said.
“The highest priority is toil
move the threat from mankindl
he added. “This requires theoJ
zen’s help.”
T he graduation program il
eluded the presentation of tl|
Brown Foundation-Earl Ruddtj
Memorial Outstanding Studeil
Award to David Alders, studeia
body president for 1984-85. 1
The award honors qualm
such as leadership, patrioM
courage and humility that aas
exemplified in a graduatingm
dent. Alders received a $5M
check and a certificate.
Bentsen: education is asset
society.
Crisman graduated from A&M
th ;
in 1938 with a bachelor’s degree
in petroleum engineering and
worked in oil and gas operations,
real estate and investments.
Crisman currently serves as
vice chairman of Good Shepherd
Hospital in Longview.
Also, Pat Wood, a civil engi
neering graduate, received the
Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder
Memorial Outstanding Student
Award. Wood received $5,000
and a plaque.
By REBECCA DE LONG
Reporter
A college education is the
springboard from which grad
uates may leap into the future,
U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen told
Texas A&M graduates Saturday
morning. •
“You are the generation that’s
going to usher us into the 21st
century,” Bentsen said. “You’re
our best hope for the future —
don’t blow it.”
Bentsen told about 7,500 peo
ple that today’s tough and compe-
tative world needs educated
minds that will build on the ac
complishments of past genera
tions.
“Don’t turn your backs on the
challenges of the future,” Bent
sen said.
Bentsen added that a democ
racy can tolerate some medioc
rity, but it is important that peo
ple be good at what they do.
“If you have a talent, and you
somehow learn to use the whole
of it, you succeed,” he said.
Saying he refused to follow the
traditional commencement rhe
toric, Bentsen told gradmw
from the Colleges of Busina'
Administration, Liberal Arts,Sol
ence and Veterinary Med™
and their “impoverished pareiw
that Finding a place in society#
develop a talent is no easy tail
and graduates with specific pk
for five years from now may!*
disappointed.
“A college degree has manyai
tributes, but prophecy isnotont
of them,” Bentsen said. ‘T\V
tough and it’s a competitiv
world, and few people will yiei
their place to the class of 1985."
With
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in the U.
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college c
ficially b<
a chosen
some of
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sue grad^
Retire
pson, Ui
served as
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presiden
Driefly o
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The f
old, Sinq
first offic
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I “It ha:
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Simpsi
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under fr<
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“The rev
CS
CS top in state in education and economics, study says
By E!
By LESLIE MALONE
Reporter
data collected by various public and
College Station was ranked first in
education and economics in a recent
study conducted by the Institute of
Urban Studies at The University of
Texas at Arlington.
private agencies.
“The cities were ranked on a scale
of 1 to 10 by the data from 1980,”
Cole says. “Only one city received a
10 for each category based on the
data collected.”
Dr. Richard Cole, UTA’s director
of urban studies who helped con
duct the study, says the study was
based on data from 1970 and 1980.
Fifty-two Texas cities with a popula
tion of at least 25,000 were surveyed.
Cole says the study was based on
The economic study was based on
the city’s poverty level, income per
capita, the percentage of unem
ployed and the percentage and
mean income of white collar work-
The education study was based on
the percentage of the population
who have completed high school and
college, teachers with graduate de
grees and teacher incentive pay —
what the school will pay a teacher to
go back to college to earn a graduate
degree.
Cole says the institute is interested
in the trends of the cities and
whether they are improving.
“We are currently working on col
lecting data for 1985 to determine
recent trends,” he says.
College Station Mayor Gary Hal
ter says he hasn’t seen a copy of the
study so he doesn’t know how the
study was weighted.
“I don’t know what value the
rankings really have,” Halter says.
“Different values can result from
different weightings within a study.
“I think the education ranking
can be attributed to the University
environment and the level of educa
tion within the city because of the
professors and students.”
councilman, says he hasn’t seen the
study either.
“There is a lot of controversy and
dismay in the various studies that are
done,” Runnels says. “The cities
ranked low say the study’s inade
quate and those ranked high say the
studies are perfect.
Halter also says that College Sta
tion has had the highest mean edu
cation level of any Texas city for a
long time and that the level is also
one of the highest in the nation.
Bob Runnels, College Station city
“It’s pleasing to me that College
Station was ranked highly in these
areas. We are striving for an edu
cated as well as a strong economic
city.”
School board member Deanna
Wormuth says she is delighted that
College Station is ranked nuiii||
one.
“The rankings support theeftw
made by the district,” Wormuth®
“The criteria used for the study*
those that we have worked on|
make our district a top-notch I
trict.”
Cities ranked number onei
other categories are Austin, I
overall and for the quality of life;!
redo, for public safety;,Temple,!
health and environment; Mesijii
for housing; San Antonio, forMy
portation; Dallas, for recreation®
culture, and Del Rio for politics. I
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