Monday, April 13, 1987/The Battalion/Pa v
edical school teaches
oth ethics and tactics
By Debbie Monroe
Reporter
Should terminally ill patients be
S N, illowed to choose whether or not to
, ontinue a medical treatment that
''"'■slidd ould prolong life, or should a doc-
I 11 %: or malte that decision?
tlie Jitetij This is the uestion posed to stu-
rim "roifi lents enrolled in medical humani-
cr ies classes at the Texas A&M Col-
ram wasfc; ege of Medicine. Between classes in
Meniviir; lathology and microbiology, the
“d schoot >hysicians-to-be get a strong dose of
lioethics.
“I Metal!'; Dr. Bill Ward, associate dean of
nationp? E tudent affairs for the college, says
II grow v iccause of advances in technology,
kofinsup loctors face ethical problems today
iad more - hey've never faced before.
'lit potetsi r "Who shall live, who shall die?”
increase Ward asked. “Who shall receive a
mother r» ransplant, who shall receive a sec-
jpnd transplant? These are all knotty
small, *hj jroblems.
irposes’ti; The A&M College of Medicine is
dimes tliffj me of the few schools in the country
vith an established humanities de-
idoor eds!! jartment geared toward preparing
ectuteari;
e betwee:
lasses ai
lurtandif'
nd more
i.' Andre,
n classes
lass petroii
mg and d
spent j
nmg to a
I
students for the ethical questions
they will probably face during their
medical careers.
Dr. Don Self, associate professor
of medical humanities, says the de
partment’s goal is to help produce
good doctors.
“It’s an attempt to produce physi
cians who are more than just techni
cally competent,” he says, “ones who
will have respect for the cultural and
religious values of others, even if
they’re different from the doctors’
own.”
The ability to listen is what keeps
doctors from simply being well-
trained technicians, Self says.
“We try to teach a sense of toler
ance, a sense of openness, an ability
to relate to people as people,” he
says, “and not to see medicine as sim
ply a business.”
Ward believes students entering
the medical school understand the
responsibilities and challanges asso
ciated with their chosen profession.
“The students we’re seeing today
are dedicated to wearing the healer’s
mantle,” he says. “They want to help
people, and I think they understand
what they’re getting into.”
Tight competition for the 48 slots
open each year at the A&M medical
school tends to eliminate students
who don’t understand the pressures
that accompany medical school and
a career as a doctor. Prior exposure
to the medical profession could be
the difference between a student’s
acceptance or rejection. It is the re
sponsibility of the admissions com
mittee, of which Self and Ward are
members, to select applicants who
understand these difficulties.
“I ask them, ‘What’s the greatest
challenge to the medical profession
over the next two decades?’ ” Ward
says. “If I get a blank look, then I’m
concerned that the individual may
not know what he or she’s getting
into.
“If I get an answer, I don’t judge
it against my bias because that’s what
that person feels is important.
“A good medical student is a per
son who is bright, inquisitive, aggres
sive, and compassionate.”
Contractor for Star Wars project
will hire only union hall workers
says
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EL PASO (AP) — Labor leaders
re delighted that a primary contrac
tor with the Star Wars project to be
built in neighboring New Mexico
will hire only from union halls after
Employers there tried to change a
tontract provision.
U.S. Rep. Joe Skeen, R-N.M.,
isked Fluor Constructors Inc. to
meet with the Army Corps of Engi-
iiteers to see if a contract provision
0 requiring union labor on the con-
1 itruction site could be changed. Af-
Jer talks, it was determined the con
tact could not be broken, Skeen
spokesman John Sneed said.
Ray Brown, business manager of
ihe Plumbers and Steam Fitter Local
Union in El Paso, said, “I get tired
>ver talk of Fluor cutting out the
poor, little non-union contractor
8 ‘i when we’ve been cut out for years-
us wtra ”
The construction site is in New
Mexico at White Sands Missile
Range, 50 miles north of El Paso and
have sLti jo miles south of Alamogordo, N.M.
Fluor has agreed to hire only
from union halls, although non
union workers can sign up on lists of
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Anorexia the excessive pursuit of
thinness can result in malnutrition
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Bulimia, compulsive eating binges
followed by the purging of food,
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1^1%^#% Psychiatric Hospital
405 West 28th Street. Bryan, TX 77803
available workers kept at the locals.
Non-union subcontractors must
agree to work under conditions ac
ceptable to unions.
Wayne Andrews, business man
ager of the Electrical Workers Union
Local 583 in El Paso, said, “I have 30
people on the list that are non-mem-
oers. They’re going to be treated just
like anybody else.”
In an area where the unemploy
ment rate is high and cheap labor
plentiful, the provision has created
many critics who say smaller sub
contractors will be shut out because
they’ll find conditions unaffordable.
Frank Gentile, president of the
Alamogordo Chamber of Com
merce, said, “It is going to take
many, many New Mexico contrac
tors out of the picture.”
Sneed said Fluor signed a labor
agreement with 15 unions after it re
ceived the construction contract.
The Army then approved the
agreement.
Andrews said he had listed 200
workers, of which about 165 are
union members. He said there are
m* , wh ■- /' 5.
''■VO •
J»
16 union contractors in El Paso and
80 non-union.
“It’s always been a weak situation
here” for labor unions, Andrews
said. “I was pleased to see that Fluor
got it.”
Jitters on opening night fail
to throw ‘Picnic’ performers
Cost story moke for on enjoyoble evening
Review
By Karl Pallmeyer
Reviewer
Typical opening-night jitters
and the lead actress’ cold tended
to hamper the Aggie Players’ per
formance of William Inge’s Pulit
zer Prize-winning play “Picnic”
Friday. But four fine perfor
mances from the cast and Inge’s
brilliant story made the evening
enjoyable and showed great
promise for upcoming perfor
mances.
Rudder Forum was filled al
most to capacity, due to Parents’
Weekend
and to Aggie
Players’
growing
reputation
of putting on first-class, profes
sional plays. “Picnic,” which
marks the end of Aggie Players’
42nd season, will continue
throughout April with weekend
evening performances on the IB
IS and 23-25.
“Picnic” is the story of four
lonely women living in a small
southwestern town. One of the
women is the beautiful Madge
Owens (Reland Garrett, a junior
theater arts major from White-
house). Madge recently grad
uated from high school and is un
sure of her future. Her mother
wants her to marry Alan Seymour
(Mark Wilhite, a freshman the
ater arts major from Mt. Pleas
ant), a college-going son of a rich
local businessman. Madge and
Alan have been dating for awhile,
but they are insecure in their feel
ings toward each other.
Madge’s younger sister, Millie
(Pamela Saxon, a sophomore the
ater arts major from Houston), is
a tomboy with a passion for art
and literature. Millie envys
Madge’s good looks and popular
ity while Madge envys Millie’s in
telligence and artistic talents.
The girls live with their mother
(Ginny Green, a sophomore the
ater arts major from Ft. Worth)
and Rosemary Sydney (Emma
Charlotte Reading, a junior the
ater arts and English major from
College Station), an unmarried
school teacher who fears she is on
her way to spinsterhood.
Living next door to the Owens
is Helen Potts (Jennifer Gordy
McMakin, a senior speech com
munications major from Beau
mont). Potts was married, but her
invalid mother drove her hus
band away after a few days.
On Labor Day, Potts offers a
young man room and board in
exchange for some chores. The
man, Hal Carter (B.J. Thomas, a
junior psychology major from El
Dorado), was once a college foot
ball star and member of Alan’s
fraternity. Now he is no more
than a bum trying to find work
and a place to stay. All the women
are drawn to Hal’s masculinity
and boastful nature, and his pres
ence changes each of their lives.
Although Garrett’s voice was a
little hoarse Friday night, her
performance was marvelous. She
showed the confusion her charac
ter felt as she was confronted with
the choice between the security
provided by Alan or the wild sex
uality offered by Hal. Saxon was
also brilliant, especially when she
begins to let her girlish ways drop
in favor of womanhood.
The show was almost stolen by
Reading and Donnie Wilson, a
freshman theater arts major from
Bryan, who played Howard Bev-
ans, Rosemary’s boyfriend. They
were both humorous and touch
ing in their roles as two people
who don’t want to face growing
old alone.
McMakin and Wilhite turned
in fine, believable performances
as did the rest of the supporting
cast. The only weak perfor
mances were those of Thomas
and Green. Thomas was uncon
vincing in that he displayed none
of the raw sexuality that causes
the women to be attracted to the
character of Hal. His swaggering
boasts and sexual innuendoes
seem empty and false — not se
ductive. Green was often dry in
her delivery and somewhat melo
dramatic.
The Aggie Players’ perfor
mances of “Picnic” will begin at 8
p.m. and will be held in Rudder
Forum. Tickets are $4 for stu
dents and senior citizens, and $5
for the general public, and are
available at the Rudder Box Of
fice.
Humorist amuses audience at A&M autograph session
By Karyn Miller
Reporter
Jim Everhart paused to tell a joke while his
wrinkled but steady hand scribbled an autograph
on one of six volumes of his Illustrated Texas
Dictionary of the English Language. A few peo
ple around him heard the joke and inched closer.
The author of these six volumes visited the
Texas A&M Bookstore Friday to autograph his
humorous books. He probably did more talking
than signing, but the more Everhart talked, the
louder the laughter grew.
He had once been a stand-up comedian, but
he quit because he couldn’t stand up long
enough, he said. So, he took up selling his jokes
and writing books instead of performing.
Everhart said he originally planned to write a
book entitled A Texan Interviews the President
with President Lyndon B. Johnson as the source.
but couldn’t find a starting point until he
watched one of Johnson’s addresses on tele
vision.
“My fellow Markins,” said President Johnson,
according to Everhart. That introduction gave
Everhart his starting point.
The author decided to write a Texas diction
ary instead of a book specifically about the Presi
dent.
The 46th entry in his first volume of the Texas
dictionary reads, “Markin — a citizen of the
United States. ‘Ah am a Markin.’
Everhart is an American, but he is not a native
Texan. He is originally from Evanston, Ill.
Coming to Texas from a northern state helped
him hear the Texas accent portrayed in his dic
tionary, he said.
His volumes of Texas dictionaries don’t make
fun of Texans; they just flatter and entertain
them. He said the dictionaries “build themselves”
because Texans are so willing to contribute
words and phrases.
One of Everhart’s next ventures is to write a
book on Aggie lingo. Everybody in Texas knows
about Aggies, he explained.
When he said that he wants to find two Aggies
to help him, several people among Evenhart’s
A&M bookstore audience volunteered.
He added that he doesn’t want to make an
other Aggie jokebook, although he has the expe
rience and know-how to write one — having writ
ten jokes for entertainers and disc jockeys.
Everhart’s age is catching up with him. His
progression of years is obvious from the photo
graphs in his six volumes of the Texas dictionary.
“I’m 26,” Everhart said good-humoredly. “I’m
just in rotten shape.”
The small audience that Everhart collected in
the bookstore left laughing.
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PI Beta Phi and sigma Alpha Epsilon
Aggie
Dating came
April 16 7:30 p.m.
Rudder Auditorium
ooor prizes Include: a Razz Scooter
courtesy of Scooter Brown's
II semester rental)
You could win a date with
Troy Ireland • Yell Leader
Usa Murray - Diamond Darling
Tickets: $4 in advance
$5 at the door
Benefiting MPA and Twin City Mission