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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 1985)
Wednesday, September 18, 1985AThe Battalion/Page 5 Civic involvement essential for students, Caperton says By JENS B. KOEPKE Staff Writer Texas A&M Students should get actively involved and interested in is sues that affect their University, community or state, said Sen. Kent Caperton to a group of Young Dem ocrats Tuesday night. Students should participate at the level of government that interests them most, Caperton said. Activity can range from Student Govern ment or MSC Council to work on lo cal or statewide campaigns, he said. State representatives benefit greatly from the ideas they get f rom students who have gainea new per spectives through their participation in different governmental bodies and processes, Caperton said. “I think it’s important that we, as officeholders, listen to you (stu dents) for new perspectives,” he said. He cited the fall 1984 amendment to restructure the Permanent Uni versity fund and establish the Higher Education Fund as an exam ple of successful student involve ment. Students in the Legislative Study Group did research which Sen. Kent Caperton proved helpful to the resolution of the issue, he said. Caperton outlined and described several recent issues that have sparked a great deal of interest among students. Foremost was the recent univer sity tuition hike. Caperton said that although he has strongly opposed any tuition hike in his five years in the Senate, the present revenue pinch forced the legislature to make cuts. An across-the-board budget cut was unwise, Caperton said, but con versely the Legislative Budget Board’s original plan to cut higher education by 25 or 30 percent was equally unfeasible. A cut of that magnitude would have forced the university to make drastic cuts in their budget, possibly resulting in the cancellation of sum mer school or in a severe decrease in faculty salaries, he said. After discussing it with all Texas university administrations, the legis lature felt that a tuition hike would be the most acceptable solution to the fiscal crisis, Caperton said. Texas still ranks 48th in the country in tu ition costs, he added. Caperton also discussed the edu cation reform bill and the highway funding bill that arose out of the 1984 special session. ’ Democratic students can point with pride to the way the predomi nantly Democratic legislature has handled these issues and state gov ernment in general, he said. The Re publican’s label of Democrats as free-spending liberals is groundless and not backed up by the historically balanced budget. SANCHEZ ( ’ get their I suits said, a figuttM nt of thetodlp y in our toe* big push insm ; the mid-U* iount of ndptj expects m ■cause thepcij i of how in! mal practical h eads skvra* ibout malpKi in weeveril are talking ill nal problem* did before." Group joins hands for world peace By KATHERINE GOLLEY Reporter Aggie students and staff, and [community members all “Joined Hands for Peace” Tuesday evening in the Memorial Student Center lounge. The Baha’i College Club of l exas A&M sponsored the program as part of a world-wide effort on behalf of all Baha’is to promote world peace. At the end of the program, the master of ceremonies asked for audience participation in joining hands to form a human chain, and passing the phrase "Peace be with you” around the circle. The celebration coincided with the United Nations International Day of Peace and the opening day of the U.N.’s General Sessions. Although the Baha’is have ob served a World Peace Day since 1959, the National Spiritual Assem bly, the Baha’i ruling body, chose to observe the United Nations’ cele bration date instead. “The Baha’is have decided to sup port the United Nations Interna tional Day of Peace because it is bet ter established and can better express the great urgency the Ba ha'is feel about achieving world peace,” Mary Greenblack, a local Ba- lia’i said. “This is the first year they have changed it to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Peace”. The National Spiritual Assembly will present a proposal for world peace to the leaders of all world gov ernments in late October in the hope of achieving world peace. The Baha’is most basic teaching concerns the concept of peace. “No issue is more important than peace,” Tom Fisher, the master of ceremonies, said. “Unity of mankind and elimination of prejudice must first be accomplished before world peace is possible.” Baha’is, who have no clergy, fol low the teachings of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the faith. He began his teachings in Iran in 1844, and pre ached that all religions are progres sive steps in a continuing pattern of devine revelation. Although the Baha’is are the larg est religious minority in Iran, this theory, which is considered heretical to Muslims, has caused the Baha’is to be the most persecuted religious mi nority in Iran. Since 1979, 192 Baha’is have been executed. Thousands are homeless and even more have fled Iran. They are not allowed to hold jobs or at tend school. Through world-wide exposure from such mediums as People mag azine, the TV show 20/20 and a soon to be released rock video depicting the life of a young Baha’i executed in Iran, they hope to draw attention to their plight and recognition of their goal for world peace. Wenesday’s program included two entertainment groups and Lynne Miller, from the League of Women Voters, who spoke about the League’s support of the U.N. and its function as both a peace keeping and peace building entity. Freshmen & Sophomores! it has Dacks f any most pro- func- :ions, ue of 3 you rans- -rlays ■ help gebra ating uals” neers FOR- ' give al. SHOT! ’s my Zip ★Freshmen and sophomore photos for 1986 Aggieiand Yearbook will be taken at the Year book Associates studio September 16-20 and 23-27. ★The studio is located at 401-03 West Univer sity (above campus Photo center at North- gate). WEIGHT WATCHERS Discover the difference ((Quick Start can make in your life. Starting Now! 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