Page 2AThe BattalionATuesday, November 5,1985
Opinion
Sully takes rigid stance on traditions at A&M
psst,
“Psst .
over here.
I looked around
but there was no
one to be seen.
“Over here
young man,
called the mys
terious voice. I
searched in vain
once more.
“Would you
JohfvHalleft
kindly lend me a hand, young man?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m standing directly behind you.”
I turned around but saw nothing ex
cept Sully’s statute. “Look, I don’t feel
like playing games. If you need help,
then tell me where you are. If you keep
hiding I can’t do anything for you.”
As I looked in back of the statue, it
called again.
“Face me,” it commanded.
I turned toward Sully, in the direc
tion of the voice. Then I saw it — Sully
— began to speak.
“Could you scratch my right knee?” I
scratched.
“A little to the left . . . ah, yes that’s
much better. What time is it?”
“It’s about 4,” I responded. This is
nuts, I’m talking to a dead man’s statue.
“Thanks. I can’t read the face of the
clock on that new bell tower down the
way, it’s too small.
“Can’t you tell the time by the sound
ing of the bells,” I asked.
“No, they just ring in my ears.”
“What aid you want with me any
way
“I just wanted to speak to someone.”
“Do you mind if I get this on tape?”
“Go right ahead. ... It gets lonely
here. So many people walk past me ev
eryday, yet no one pays any attention to
me. I don’t get any respect.”
“Yes, you do,” I replied. This statue
honors you. Every Wednesday Lambda
Sigma holds Sully’s Symposium right
here so that students may address cam
pus leaders.”
“It wasn’t held here last week.”
“It was canceled due to rain,” I said.
“I was here. By the way, can you tell
me what happened to my gardens?”
“What gardens? . . . tne only gardens
I know of are the Floral Test Gardens
on Houston Street.”
“Nothing is sacred anymore.”
“Sure there is, Texas A&M still has
many traditions.”
“Young man, what is tradition? Many
traditions are such practices that have
outlived their usefulness, yet some per-
•son or group continues following them
because they refuse to change. Such tra
ditions are nonsense. The A&M that I
knew was intended to be more prag
matic than it is today.
“Don’t misunderstand me, there is
nothing wrong with conservative values.
But when A&M’s traditions and conser
vatism stand in the way of practicality,
no purpose is served. Too many tradi
tions require people to live in the past.”
“I think a lot of students would dis
agree with you,” I replied.
“I’m not referring to traditions such
as yell practice or bonfire. I speak of tra
ditions that existed at one time or an
other, such as racism and chauvinism.”
“Now wait a minute. . . . Who are you
to speak? Weren’t you a slave owner?” I
retorted. “Weren’t you a chauvinist?”
“We have all made our mistakes. The
point is to learn from your errors. The
reason I am still standing here is to
watch over this college, excuse me, Uni
versity. And I will continue to stand
here as long as I am needed.
“Aggies are proud and rightly so. I
still love this University but I feel that
one of its greatest faults is that it has
never learned humility. There are times
when we should be humble. I stand here
proud of my accomplishments, this Uni
versity’s accomplishments, yet I stand
humble. We must admit our mistakes
and move on, striving to be the best we
can.
“Too may people here are obsessed
with ‘t.u.’ The purpose of this Univer
sity is not to compete with the University
of Texas, it is to give the students of
Texas A&M the best education possible.
“Can I assume then that you are
against this ‘world-class university’ busi
ness?” I asked.
“Never make assumptions, you know
what they say about that,” Sully re
sponded.
“Well, what do you think about it?”
“We should set as a goal not to be the
best university in the world, but to be
the best university that A&M can be.
And if you get rignt down to it, my col
league, President Vandiver, never said
anything about a ‘world-class univer
sity.’ He wants A&M to be a university
that plays a more important role in
global affairs — a ‘world university’ in
the truest sense of the word.”
“What’s the strangest thing that has
ever happened to you,” I asked.
“That’s a difficult question to ans
wer,” replied Sully. “I really lead a pre-
United Feature Syndicate ■
For sale: political access
send campaign contributions
A friend who
earns a living try
ing to persuade
Congress to help
E rotect the Singles
ar Industry told
me that political
fundraising is get
ting out of hand
on The Hill.
Art Buchwald
He said, “Sen.
Doublechin called
last week and asked me to contribute to
his election campaign. I sent over a
check by messenger. This morning he
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Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald
Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
phoned again and wanted more money.
Enough’s enough.”
“Is it possible he forgot he called last
week?”
“He didn’t forget. He’s holding me
up because he thinks I need him.”
“Do you?”
“Pernaps. But he doesn’t have to be
greedy about it. I have other senators to
feed as well.”
“Suppose you don’t send him any
more money? What then?”
“He won’t answer my calls.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“It isn’t just the calls. It means that he
won’t see me, and if he refuses to let me
in his office how can I persuade him
that the government has to subsidize
singles bars? When you donate money
to politicians you’re not buying their
votes — you’re purchasing access to
power so you can lay out your case,” he
said. “How does a senator know how to
vote when I can’t tell him?”
“He has to see you. You’re a U.S. citi
zen.”
“Senators and congressmen can only
talk to so many people a day. They have
no choice but to see the people who gave
to their campaigns, as opposed to those
who didn’t.”
“It sounds reasonable. But you told
me that already gave to Douolechin’s
election. Would he punish you because
you didn’t give twice?”
“That isn’t the way Doublechin sees it.
He claims he’s in a neck-and-neck fight,
and if I want to protect my first invest
ment I have to give again. He intimated
that if I didn’t he would lose and then
the Singles Bar Industry would never
fri
“Did you send the money over?”
“I was about to when Congressman
Jingo called and asked me to make a do
nation to his campaign.”
“When it comes to giving political
money doesn’t a senator outrank a con
gressman?” I asked.
“No sir, Congressman Jingo is a
chairman of the House Subcommittee
on Singles Bars.”
“Does he tilt toward your industry?”
“Not yet. But the fact he called and
asked for such a heavy contribution in
dicates he’s not tilting the other way. I
sent him the check without fear or fa
vor.
“It’s hard to believe our system of
government depends on senators and
congressmen stooping to plead for
money over the phone.”
“I’ve taken 250 calls this year. What
happens is the legislator sets aside four
hours a day and goes down a list his
aides give him of every potential donor.
They always call me because I control a
political action committee fund. The
singles bar owners forward the PAC
money to me and I dispense it to our
‘friends.’”
“Don’t you feel bad about subverting
the democratic process?”
“Not really. There wouldn’t be a
democratic process if we special inter
ests didn’t fund it. Every elected official
I get out of the hole swears to uphold
the Constitution of the United States, as
well as say a few nice words about sin
gles bars.’*
have a friend in the Senate again.’
Art Buchwald is a columnist for the
Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
tty boring af
terlife. I don’t do
much but hang
around. I hear
people talk a lot,
though.
“I’ve stood
here and over
heard students
and alumni refer-
ring to A&M’s
past in such a way
that you would
think this place
was a monastery
until it had been
overrun by the
Mongols.
“When I came
to here in 1891,
there were many
citizens of this
great state who
hesitated to send
their sons to this
institution be
cause A&M had a
reputation for
gambling and
drinking. I found
it to be an exag-
JtP S
geration, but it was true in the sense that
the cadets did have their vices. Boys will
be boys....
“Roll tide,” Sully replied.
Getting back to your question, about
the only thing I can think of is being
painted green by Baylor students before
“That’s not a very nice thing to sav,
said. “Aggies don’t root for the
team.”
a home football game. By the way, how
is the team doing?”.
“We’re five and two. We lost to Ala
bama and Baylor.”
Sully replied, “I graduated from I
University of Alabama.”
John Hallett is a senior politiols
ence major, a columnist and News l
tor for The Battalion.
Mail Call
Letters to the Editor should not exceed SOU words in length. The editorial staff resems ifef
right to edit letters for style and length but will make every effort to maintain the author's in
tent. Each letter must be signed and must include the address and telephone number of ik]
writer.
Pregnancy not a health problem
EDITOR:
Camille Brown states in her column (Oct. 30) that “it’s just as importanll
to prevent a problem before it has settled in.” She uses this argument to
support her contention that the University Health Center should providef
birtn control services to “be concerned for the health needs of students.”
She claims that the director of the health center has missed the point in his [
stance that only injuries and illnesses should be treated at the center. In ac
tuality, it is Brown who has missed the point along with all the rest of you
who are complaining.
Pregnancy for college women is not a problem of health, but a problem
of convenience. If you want to avoid this inconvenience during your college
years, birth control is readily available in this community for those of you!
who want it and lack self-control. I see no reason why the University should
become your accomplice in sin by making it more convenient. Besides, you
already possess a much more potent means of birth control: the simple
word ‘mo.”
Brian A. Frederick ’87
What about other racist groups?
EDITOR:
This letter is in response to Karl Pallmeyer’s article on racism.
Hey, Karl, you left out the most widely known group of racists in Amer-j
ica. Even their name tells you that they are racists. The group is called the
National Association for tne Advancement of Colored People. Notice the
the name? I guess “colored” could mean white, brown, red, etc. — but we |
know it doesn’t.
You also should mention some of the other racist groups on campus
Organizations such as the Society of Black Engineers, or the Latin Amen-1
can Engineering Society.
Since you are defending the idea of “equality of all” instead of “equal
opportunity for all” you also should attack some of the other groups. The
Society of Women Engineers would be a good start.
On the other hand, if you approve of the NAACP and think that the I
other groups I mentioned are OK, then I guess you wouldn’t triticizethe
National Association for the Advancement of White People or the Societ)
of White Male Engineers. i
Also, to SaeecTand Elaheh Mirzae — boo-hoo! My heart really goes out
to the Palestinian Terrorist Cause.
Michael A. Davis ’86
The true meaning of ‘tip’
EDITOR:
I am sure that your office if being flooded with letters from angry
C.T.’s about Penelope Ode’s “At Ease” article.
I am a C.T., but I am not as angry as I am disappointed. Disappointed
because of the lack of responsible journalism in Ode S s article.
First, Ode knows nothing about what she is writing. The abbreviation
“tip” means “to insure promptness.” It is given before services are ren
dered. A gratuity, on the other hand, is a reward for extraordinary service; H
it is given freely . A gratuity is optional. H
Who cares if it is mandatory in Europe? We are not in Europe. If she |
does not like the way her manager derives her salary, then she should find
another job. It seems that the author would know something about the sub
ject of her article before writing it.
Second, this is the worst case of muckraking I have seen in The Battal- D
ion. Ode uses the University newspaper to display her asinine idiosyncra-1
sies. The use of the terms “ignoramuses, demannered and overgrown social
midgets” are inflamatory as well as demeaning. There is no excuse for this
type of language.
Please Ode, go spread hate somewhere else. The National Enquirer
seems more representative of your journalism ethics. Highway 6 does run
both ways. Not necessarily to Austin, but it does run both ways.
Eddie Klein ’88
ta