Page 2/ r The Battalion/Monday, April 20, 1987
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Loren Steffy, Editor
Marybeth Rohsner, Managing Editor
Mike Sullivan, Opinion Page Editor
Jens Koepke, City Editor
Jeanne Isenberg, Sue Krenek, News Editors
Homer Jacobs, Sports Editor
Tom Ownbey, Photo Editor
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper oper
ated as a community service to Texas A&M and Bryan-College Sta
tion.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial
board or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions
of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents.
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students
in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Depart
ment of Journalism.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during
Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination
periods.
Mail subscriptions are $17.44 per semester, $34.62 per school
year and $36.44 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on re
quest.
Our address: The Battalion, Department of Journalism, Texas
A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4 111.
Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, De
partment of Journalism, Texas A&M University, College Station
TX 77843-4111.
Learning the lesson
This semester, Texas A&M has been battered by a barrage of
open-records requests. So it’s good to see at least one such inquiry
recognized without the petitioners being subjected to the Universi
ty’s usual litigious attitude.
A little more than a week after releasing the results of its in-
house investigation into alleged NCAA rules violations by the Ath
letic Department, A&M is again involved in Freedom of Information
Act requests — but this time the process is not inhibited by the Uni
versity’s typically uncooperative demeanor.
The A&M chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas has re
quested financial records of the Legislative Study Group, a lobbying
organization affiliated with Student Government, to see if the LSG
has used student service fee money.
The records are public under the Texas Open Records Act, and
representatives of LSG have said they don’t plan on fighting the re
quest. Their main concern is that YCT doesn’t understand the na
ture of LSG.
The Athletic Department should take note of the cooperation
displayed by both groups. Over the last few years, the University has
faced several lawsuits and many FOI requests because it refuses to di
vulge information that is clearly public record.
LSG’s records are open to anyone who wants to see them, and
that includes YCT. After the recent onslaught of open records re
quests, the University is finally coming to its senses. How ironic that it
took two student organizations to show A&M how to obey the law.
Help wanted
Spring has sprung, the grass is green and The Battalion staff is
kinda lean. You gripe and moan and scream and cry, and all the time
you’re asking, “Why?”
Why run this? Why run that? You Battalion staffers are really
lax. Your minds are soft, your brains don’t work, and Karl Pallmeyer
is such a jerk.
To this we say, as we always have, “What the hell, you gotta
laugh.”
But if that reply does not suffice, here’s a little good advice. In
stead of whining and asking “Why?,” show some guts and just apply.
Applications are due April 24 in 216 Reed McDonald.
Mail Call
Regrettable oversight
EDITOR:
I was looking through the directory of classes for the summer and fall of
1987, and I was very upset to discover that some of the final examinations for
the 10-week summer session were scheduled for Friday evening and for the
fall semester were scheduled on both Friday evening and Saturday morning.
I took note of the fact that no exams were scheduled on Sunday, the
Christian sabbath day.
Perhaps the fact that Friday evenings and Saturdays are the Jewish
sabbath days was forgotten when this new Final-exam schedule was decided.
I am writing this letter as a reminder to you. This new schedule is a
violation of the rights of any Jewish student who is required to take an exam
on the Sabbath. Orthodox students and faculty are not even permitted to
write on Friday evening and Saturday as a part of the Sabbath tradition.
Please keep in mind the fact that this new schedule is a violation of the
rights of any Jewish faculty member who would be required to administer an
exam on the Sabbath.
I feel certain that as soon as the administration is made aware of this
oversight that this violation will be rectified.
Terry S. and Lori Hill
Grow up. Mom
EDITOR:
To those Aggie mothers who “claimed responsibility” for the toilet
papering of the Texas A&M president’s home on April 10, these thoughts
occurred to me as I helped my staff members clean up your mess that
Saturday morning.
1. Surely, there was a more productive avenue for your protest against
senior final exams.
2. Your attempt only spent money the A&M grounds department does
not have. Granted, it only required three to four overtime hours to clean up.
However, with the current funding level of 60 percent and anticipation of 50
percent in September, these few wasted hours are important.
3. It also took away some weekend hours for the cleanup crew.
4. After observing students and their increasing lack of concern for
property, both state and personal, I now know the origin of these attitudes.
Your junior-high type activities amply illustrate the source of these attitudes.
5. I hope your future efforts are directed in a more positive and adult
fashion.
Eugene H. Ray
Director, Grounds Maintenance Department
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters
for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and
must include the classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
Opinion
Anyone
findergart
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■ Each M
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jouhomon
go the Br;
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■hile the
and say the
how to teat
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lopeii to no
■ Bob Wri
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Little things can
to one gigantic
add up
hassle
in a
like early it
BKaeh sin
: eternal \-
•.working wi
■ College
■•ight say;
■"Most of
■tensive e
sa\ i. “The
students ha
tchiug solid i
It happened
Thursday. I was
on my way to class
and I stopped to
get a Dr. Pepper. I
deposited my two
quarters and
pressed the Dr.
Pepper button. I
waited. Nothing
happened. I
pressed the button
again. Still noth
ing. I pulled the
change. I pulled
change. Nobody was looking, so I gave
the machine several good, hard kicks. I
got nothing for my efforts but five sore
toes and a bad mood.
Losing 50 cents certainly didn’t put
me in a financial bind, it just annoyed
the heck out of me. I was thirsty. I really
wanted that Dr. Pepper, and those two
quarters were the only change I had.
Little irritations like that can ruin a
perfectly good mood.
I went to class still stewing about my
lost 50 cents and unquenchable thirst,
and once there, thought of other mis
haps that can put a damper on your dis
position.
By the end of class I had a list about
12 miles long. See if any of these things
ring a bell:
• Getting a zit before a big date, an
important interview, or, worst of all,
your school picture — where your zit is
recorded on Film for posterity. It won’t
be a regular zit, either. It will be the big
gest, ugliest zit known to man and it will
be smack dab in the middle of your
forehead. You’ll overhear people talk
ing about you. “Hey man, did you see
that guy? He’s got three eyes!”
• Falling down on campus. Does any
body ever fall in a secluded place? No. I
think everyone who’s ever fallen down
has done so in the most crowded, most
conspicuous spot on campus. Those un
fortunate enough to end up sprawling
on the cement in front of the entire stu
dent body are always female, and
usually wearing a dress or skirt. Don't
tell anybody, but 1 fell down once in
front of Blocker (luckily 1 was wearing
jeans).
• Being late to class. When I’m late
there are never any seats left by the
door. I always have to slink past the tea
cher, head down, trying my best to look
incognito. When I reach my seat some
smart aleck says something like “Glad
you could make it.” That makes me wish
I’d just stayed home by the pool.
• People talking about how drunk
they were last night. Who cares? Is that
really something you want advertised?
It’s not exactly the most complimentary
thing you could say about yourself.
• Having only mustard, butter, soy
sauce and a science project in the ref rig
erator. It’s difficult to cook an appetiz
ing meal when condiments and a half-
disected frog are the only ingredients
available.
• Hair on the soap. Yuck.
• Having mosquito bites. You tell
yourself you’re not going to scratch
them. But they itch, so you do. Then
you can’t stop scratching until you draw
blood. Scabs are inevitable where mos
quito bites are concerned.
• Bratty kids in department stores
who run around, knock things off hang
ers and take the mannequins apart limb
by limb, while their mother looks
through the polyester pantsuits, oblivi
ous to it all.
Paula
Vogrin
change return. No
it again. Still no
• Not getting any mail. Findingvotr
maillmix empty for four constats
davs can damage your sense of k
worth. It’s times like that when
come the )oe Barton political junk mil
• Any form of chewing tobacco:'
snuff. Whv is this disgustingpraakts
appealing to some people? 1 can!fii
anything remotely pleasant in waicis
someone cram a substance restmfe
peat moss into their mouth, suckoti
and spit brown juic^in acup.
• Buying something at regularpiit
and finding it on sale the very re I
week. The feeling is worse if p
worn it — you can’t return it andbJ
at tire cheaper price.
• Being interrupted. It’s very line I
ing to 1 >e in the middle ofaconversaitl
and have .some clown jump in toteM
how drunk he or she was the night#I
tore, or something else just as irrsI
vant.
• Paying to do my laundry. L
about a waste of good money. Ij
should I have to |)ay $5 or more loll
something I absolutely detest? IdiI
use to mind so much when 1 couldu| I
mv quarters in the slots and do the w I
free. But now those washing-mad*I
companies have wised up, and I canii I
that anymore.
• Getting trapped behind an old Ml
in a Dodge Dart when you’re in a toil I
to get somewhere. Your situation cad
worsened if the people intheodn
lanes won’t let you pass.
• I laving to come up with a new I
umn idea every week.
Paula Vogrin is a senior journals I
ma jor and a columnist for The Bis I
ion.
Vanna White slimes former lovei
Flash! I Finally
have my first ce
lebrity gossip col
umn.
That’s because a
friend, a classic car
dealer in Atlanta,
contacted me and
said he wanted to
go public about his
ex-girlfriend.
“What ex-girl-
friend?” I asked
Gordy, who has been happily married to
Britta for two and one-half years.
“You didn’t know I used to date
Vanna White?” said Gordy.
“Sure you did,” I said.
“I’m serious,” he went on.
“I met her 11 years ago when she was
18 and working as a cocktail waitress in
Atlanta. We were together Five years.
I thought we were going to get mar
ried.”
Gordy even showed me pictures of
him and Vanna together.
I thought she was a little chubby in
those days.
A few weeks ago, Gordy read an in
terview with Vanna, the “Wheel of For
tune” press queen, concerning her
forthcoming book, “Vanna Speaks.”
The interview carried an excerpt
from the book in which she says Gordy
was her First love, but that he broke her
Lewis
Grizzard
heart and was unfaithful to her.
“All I’m getting from my friends and
family,” Gordy said, “is, ‘Did you really
treat Vanna that way?’
“I hear it everywhere I go and my
wife is getting tired of it and I don’t
blame her. I just want to set the record
straight.”
Here is Gordy’s side of the story.
He wasn’t unfaithful to Vanna.
Not only that — he also paid to get
her teeth Fixed, bought her diamonds
and furs, put her in a Porsche and con
vinced her to do something about her
Figure and start a modeling career.
They planned to marry.
Vanna asked Gordy, he told me, to
sell his house and all his furnishings
First, however.
“She said there had been other
women in the house before we had met,
so I sold the house for 25 percent less
than I paid for it and sold my furniture
for 20 cents on the dollar.
“I was a man in love,” Gordy ex
plained.
But Vanna broke off the engagement
suddenly and left Atlanta and Gordy for
the West Coast to seek her stardom.
Gordy said he was the one who was
heartbroken.
He said he even considered suicide
before a miracle (his term) occurred. He
met Britta.
“Vanna called me not long ago,’’
Gordy said, “and I asked her win
would say such things about me in I ■
book.
“She said her family knows 1 tr®* B
her well, and that my familykno* 1 '■
and that’s all that matters.”
I asked Gordy if he was bitter.
“Surprised, but not bitter," h^B
“She finally got what she wanted 'B
dom, and 1 got what 1 wanted,BnW I
“Vanna still calls and asks myB
about things like cars. She thinks B
was named after her.”
I had just one more question. I * ^
“Did you and Vanna ever* B
‘Wheel of Fortune’?”
“We would see who could sol ,f B
puzzles first,” said Gordy. "I m
won.” ■ -j
Flash! Vanna White wasn’t pi^'B j
the letter turner on “Wheel of f or11 B
because of her brains.
I dearly love a scoop.
Copyright 1986, Cowles Syndicate