Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1985)
Tuesday, December 3, 1985/The Battalion/Page 3 State and Local Hotline 24 volunteers offer aid to people in crisis > off so that iku ne. at were we lain (1 telling meata . How conieyoull Atlantis.?" emergency ansi into effect as soil shed withtheAii 5 as a media relat; ion controller'’ : ew gain frontal tie — triple op i s, a dental plaii (iold Card for| separate fadlititii icard theshuttleJ ght-hour wbrkti lerican Express* l and News l Battalion PS 045 360 lembor uf 'rcss Assoc union urnalisin (Sunftrtnct on Editorial Bond i Snider, Editor e. Managing Editor (• Opinion Page Edilttr [l loch, Cit y Editor i\ Mallett, iVeivsH® f' igle, Spurts Editor j lattahon Staff tors KirsitnDC- j Jerri Os' 1 iiturs Cathie Anm 1 i JanM • d/tor....ChareaiiW liters , Cathy Rielv, WalierSf■ j amara Bell, MegCam | Cindi Gay,Mild lenidon, Wendijop; r ammv Kirk,JensRo® \ McWhorter,Junenj |; cia Parker, BrianPew f enfro, MarybethRoW ank Smith, KennciW Scott Suilitr-' Rebecca,^! Mike Davis,SarahOs BradW 5 Ed Ca# tmille Brown,J KarlP*; , Wayne WI on Carp, AmhonfWi Frank Hada, John )l' f MicnaelS)^ torial Policy ■prolii, self-supponingK’^ , win scniie to TeuiM’* 1 in The BuiulioiuieilinoJ t oiiihtir, untlilumutttitr'ji I c.vin AX-M oilMinimnt 111 '] By RICHARD PEARCE Reporter Little John has a broken train set, Andy is worried to death ab out finals and Carol is af raid to tell her parents she’s pregnant. Tnese three hypothetical char acters have something in com mon: They are all experiencing a crisis and need someone to talk to. And that is where Crisis Hotline comes in, says Stewart Callas, one of the 24 all-volunteer phone operators for the hotline. “At the Hotline we know that there isn’t such a thing as a small crisis,” says Gallas, a senior psychology student at Texas A&M. “To little John it is just as much the end of the world as it is to Carol and Andy. It’s all rela tive.” The Crisis Hotline is a tele phone number people can call when they feel they have no one to turn to. Sponsored by the Brazos Valley Community Action Agency and run by trained volunteers, the hotline has provided service to the Bryan-College Station area for nearly seven years. “Because so many of our volun- Iteers are psychology students at A&M, people assume we are a jprogram sponsored by the Uni versity, and we aren’t,” says Tom Vitro, the hotline coordinator. “In ilact, many of our volunteers have no connection with the Univer sity.” All volunteers must be at least 18 years old and must complete a 19-hour training program. No previous experience is required. Once the training is completed, the volunteers are put to work im mediately. “After the training program is over, we like to feel that the new volunteers are confident,” Vitro says. “But because it is a new ex perience, that first call can be a little scary.” Once the call gets under way, most of the new' volunteers find they have no problem handling that first call, Vitro says. Operators do not give advice, instead they try to help the caller find a solution to his problem, Vit ro says. When an operator thinks a cal ler needs further help or the caller requests it himself, the operator can refer the caller to more than 100 other telephone mpnbers. “But we try not to overwhelm a caller with referrals,” Vitro says. “Our first objective is to get the caller to use the resources already available to him, such as family, school teachers and clergy.” One important rule operators find hard to follow is remaining objective at all times. “Sometimes a call hits below the belt and you wish there was more you could do, but w'e are all limited in what we can do,” Gallas says. “Besides, the reason they call us is because they can remain anony mous and we are removed from the problem. If we become per sonal with the caller, we fail at our purpose. You have to remind yourself that you are at the hotline now and the person on the line is not you.” All operators must abide by a strict code of ethics. Failure to do so can result in dismissal. Perhaps the most important rule an operator m ast remember is to respect the integrity of the caller, Vitro says. “It is not ethical to be at a party and talk about some terrific call you got at the hotline,” Vitro says. “Anonymity is very important.” Anonymity also is important to the operator, Vitro says. “We get callers who feel so good alter talking with an operator that they suggest meeting personally,” Vitro says. “That, of course, is against the rules.” The reason the program works is because the caller can expose himself to a stranger without hav ing to reveal his identity, Vitro says. The biggest frustration en countered by workers of the hot line is that they seldom get any feedback, Vitro says. “ There is always that call where you wish you knew what hap pened alter the caller hung up, and you wonder if you said the right things,” he says. “We are only human.”. And there are the inevitable cri tics. “Some have criticized us be cause we aren’t always available,” Vitro says.“To that 1 say: Volun teer.” Symphonic band will perform in Rudder By TAMARA BELL Staff Writer The Texas A&M Symphonic Band will present its annual fall concert Thursday at 8:15 p.m. in Rudder Au ditorium. The 85-piece band will play the music of John Philip Sousa, J.S. Bach, Alfred Reed and Leroy Anderson, says BillJ. Dean, director of the band. A retired trumpet tecicher from North Texas State University will be featured with the band, Dean says. John J. Haynie will play two solos, “Carnival of Venice” and “Concert Etude.” Dean says the Symphonic Band is composed of students who enjoyed playing an instrument in high school and want to continue to play at A&M. “It fills a need on campus for stu dents,” Dean says. “It first started as a concert band for the Aggie band, but about 13 years ago we decided we needed more complete instrumenta tion, so we opened it up to the whole campus. “This is the only formal perform ance the band gives all year,” Dean adds. “Next semester the band will perform for the Dallas and Houston mothers’ clubs. The fall concert is an annual event that gives the students something to shoot for. This gives them a set goal for the entire semester.” By SONDRA PICKARD Reporter || On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Sup reme Court delivered its landmark decision in the case of Roe vs. Wade, making it illegal for states to prohibit abortions, and thereby leaving the choice of abortion up to the indi vidual rather than the government. H Tonight at 8 p.m. in Rudder Thea- in landmark abortion trial to speak ter, Sarah Weddington, the Texas attorney who argued in favor of leg alized abortion in the United Stales, will discuss “Abortion in the 1980s." As a result ot the court’s ruling, most state laws concerning obtaining and performing an abortion were struck down, including the 100-year- old Texas statute which prohibited abortions in all cases except to save the mother’s life. Weddington, 40, was the first woman to address the Supreme Court and is now one of the country’s leading spokespersons on the abor tion issue. She worked for four years as a member of former President Carter’s White House senior staff and will dis cuss her inside views and experiences of happenings in the White House. Weddington also will discuss the impact of Roe vs. Wade, what the de cision actually says, and today’s argu ments on whether or not the decision will stand. Before setting up private practice in Austin, Weddington was a consul tant for a New York foundation for two years and wrote a monthly col umn, “Washington Report,” for Gla mour magazine. She also was a lob byist for Texas for two years. Weddington teaches a class on leadership at Texas Women’s Uni versity- tri es js j IJxjniwn non ediiinff ond nl (.nmmutiiiiitiuiii. ’P\ shed WomJji it scntesters. exccpiP^II tl.nl iuhsmpnonnirldi l, K I inol \eoi iwd Its Jiff M 1 " : ■d (in request. Ituiuliun, 'Jib Ketil | •I L wiersm. iollift &L..1 ihone niimbei mttPT" | II ■/ukIm nd jddress imeism. iullegr ^ ul ** Why Settle For Less? 01’ Lou Pays More For Used Books. LOUPOT’S BOOKSTORE FREE PARKING IN REAR FOR CUSTOMERS Chimney Hill Bowling Center "A Family Recreation Center’ 40 Lanes — Automatic Scoring League & Open Bowling Bar & Snack Bar STUDENT SPECIAL MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9 AM to 6 PM $1.“ a game student ID required 701 University Dr. East 260-9184 A little momentum could make you a genius. PO Box 910, Fort Worth, TX 76101 TEXAS GUARANTEED STUDENT LOANS are a bright idea for beating the high cost of higher educa tion. MBank Fort Worth has funds available; up to $2,500 for undergrad uates and $5,000 for graduate studies per year. For more informa tion, call our Student Loan Hotline, 1-800-633-8677. Or write to us for a TGSL application. A little momentum in your degree program could be the brightest idea you’ve ever had. H MBank Fort Worth A Momentum Bank 817/334-9517 Member MCorp, MPACT and FDIC The Boot Bam JUSTIN ROPERS $79 00 Largest Selection Lowest Price in The Brazos Valley 2.5 Miles East of Brazos Center on FM 1179 (Briarcest Dr.) Mon.-Sat 9:30-6:00 776-2895 £&Ckico' $.;S* iw; Resta :&s ¥ *•*••** Restaurant & Bar Everyday Happy Hour FREE Taco Bar 4-7 Chips, queso Salsa, Taco Fixins Free, Free, Free 11-7 : ;v: : 990 Margaritas £5 1.00 Coronas 750 Draft W. 1 00 off Bardrinks Daily Specials Mon-Fajitas, Chicken or Beef $5.45 lues.-Enchilada Dinner $3.75 Wed.-Free regular nachos with purchase of 2 dinners % M-Th 11 -1D To go orders p c-i-i -j h Welcome 3109 Texas, Bryan# g Sun 1 {-9 823-7470 in front of Walmartj:i: In the Heart of Brazos County / 36,000 students / 9,700 faculty / Free The Battalion 216 Reed McDonald (409)845-2611