Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday,October 21, 1987
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Sondra Pickard, Editor
John Jarvis, Managing Editor
Sue Krenek, Opinion Page Editor
Rodney Rather, City Editor
Robbyn Lister, News Editor
Loyd Brumfield, Sports Editor
Tracy Staton, Photo Editor
New on page 2
Three new features make their Battalion debut this week,
beginning today with the editorial cartoons of Ben Sargent.
We’d like to tell you a little about the authors.
Sargent, the editorial cartoonist for the Austin American-
Statesman, received the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons in
1982. He was named “Outstanding Communicator” for 1981 by
Women In Communications Inc and also has received awards
from the Texas Women’s Political Caucus and the Headliner’s
Club.
Sargent will be joined by Mike Royko, longtime columnist
for the Chicago Tribune. Royko, in addition to winning the Pu
litzer Prize, has received the Ernie Pyle Memorial Award for hu
man interest reporting and the H.L. Mencken Award, among
others.
Donald Kaul has spent 18 years working for daily newspa
pers, most of them as a columnist for the Des Moines Register.
He is now a commentator on the weekend edition of National
Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and a columnist for the
Tribune Media Service.
Of course, The Battalion will continue to print local columns
from staff members and other A&M students, faculty and staff.
We hope the addition of these three features will give the page
added scope — and give readers something to think about.
Mail Call
Don't criticize what you can't do
EDITOR:
I’m a little tired of hearing the “opinions” and “viewpoints” of your
writers concerning the 12th Man kickoff team. If students share these
opinions, they have every chance to prove themselves better than the current
players. After all, it is a voluntary program — anyone who thinks that he (or
she) can do so much better is welcome to try out. Anthony Wilson said the
bragging at yell practice was uncalled-for because team members haven’t
proved that they “can do it.” I say you shouldn’t criticize what you can’t do,
either. Anthony, are you listening? As for Tammy Hedgpeth’s article, if you
can’t look to your school newspaper for support, who can you turn to?
What has happened to the famed unity and spirit of the Aggies? Is
winning a game all that is important? I thought that the 12th Man was the
essence of Aggie pride. If A&M is as “different” as it claims to be, then why
are students so ready to get rid of the guys that help make it different? I think
it’s about time we gave them some support instead of all the criticism.
Liz Wenzel ’91
12th Man team deserves support
EDITOR:
I would like to comment on the “stats” in the Oct. 13 issue of The
Battalion. It seems to me that you are forgetting the true meaning of the 12th
Man kickoff team. The 12th man is here to stick behind the team through the
good and bad. If the kickoff team is giving up a few more yards than before,
then try to encourage them more, not say drop the whole thing. This
tradition is known throughout the nation. We have a special group of players
that represent the student body. I believe that the spirit is alive and here to
stay. Giving up on the 12th Man team is just as bad as sitting down when we
fall behind. So let’s stick behind the team as we have done with all the other
great traditions on this campus.
Blaise Walker ’91
Time to end the bird bombs
EDITOR:
I have one small request to make of this University. I’m not going to ask
anyone to give up bonfire so Bambi and his friends will still have a place to
call home. I’m not going to ask for the elimination of grode stories from
Midnight Yell Practice for those people who think “grode” is a four-letter
word. I’m not going to ask the virgins of A&M to risk losing their purity by
involving themselves in the nightly “immorality” (yeah, right) of the Chicken.
The only thing that I now ask of this world-class University is this: Can
something, anything, be done to rid the campus of all the birds that infest the
trees between the MSC and G. Rollie White coliseum, or is it an age-old
tradition that visitors to our campus must leave with at least ten bird bombs
on their car? Am I asking too much?
Doug Miller ’90
Quit breaking our tradition
EDITOR:
We excused it the first time. We excused it the second time. But the third
time is the last. C.T.s, stay off the grass in front of the All Faiths Chapel, it has
become a Puryear Hall tradition not to walk on the chapel grass. We have
yelled many times for you to get off the grass when you are running to
Thursday yell practice, but you haven’t. v
Q: So why did you do this?
A: Puryear, not being informed to the highest degree of accuracy, we
hestitated to articulate for the fear that we may have deviated from the true
course of rectitude. In short, Puryear, we are very dumb C.T.s, and we did
not know.
We hope this gets our point across. In addition, we demand that all non-
regs, including the residents of Law Hall, uphold this time-honored tradi
tion.
Ian Birbeck ’89
accompanied by 64 signatures
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
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
hoard 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 hol'day and examination
periods.
Mail subscriptions are $17.44 per semester, $34.62 per school
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year and $36.44 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on re
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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 216
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Women’s crying shows
cunning, not weakness
We are facing
one of the most
important political
questions of the
day: Because Rep.
Pat Schroeder,
who is a woman,
cried when she
announced she
would not seek the
presidency, does
this mean women
are too weak to
hold that office?
Lewis
Grizzard
I would like to offer my opinion on
that subject, but first I’d like to say I am
not attempting to stereotype the entire
female population.
My opinion is based strictly on my
personal experience in dealing with
women.
Although I’ve been married on a
number of occasions (July 17, 1966;
Aprils, 1973; February 10, 1980), I
haven’t married even half of the entire
female population despite the fact I
often felt I had while writing out
alimony checks.
If the women I have dealt with over
the years can be used as examples, I
would say then that when women cry, it
certainly doesn’t mean they are weak.
It means they are cunning and know
how to get exactly what they want.
I can’t handle a crying woman. There
is something deep inside of me, likely
put there by my mother, or a girl in my
third-grade class who cried until I
agreed to share my grape popsicle with
her, that causes me to turn weak and
lily-livered the moment a woman begins
to cry in my presence.
All my ex-wives were outstanding
criers. They could summon tears in a
heartbeat and render me helpless.
“It’s time you got dressed,” would be
her opening line. “We’re going to
dinner at mother’s.”
“I’m not going to your mother’s for
dinner. She always serves that green
soup that looks like pond scum and asks
me how much life insurance I have."
“You promised you would go."
“I promised I’d go if hell froze over."
Breaking into tears now, “You don’t
love me.”
Beginning to weaken now,“(
1 love you. I just don’t like greensi
Sobbing now, “Howcouldyoiikl
cruel to my mother?”
Defeated, I give in. “OK.I’lljoi
your mother’s, but I’m going to Wl
the bathroom during the soupcoij
The tears dry up immediatelvj
the next thing I know, I vej
scum soup in my mouth discussing
my mother-in-law how muchinsd
I would get if one of myarrasgoti
off.
If any of my ex-wives became
president, she could get Jane FobgI
confirmed lor the SupremeCourj
a bit of timely bawling.
But don’t worry. Noneofmvf
w ill ever occupy the OvalO
are busy with careers faroutsided
politics, and the other is a liberal
Democrat who cried when 1 rein
vote tor George McGovern.
(Ai t ually. 1 finally did tell her j
vote for McGovet n if she stood
crving. I lied. The secretb;
essential foundation of democrel
Copyright 1987, Cowles Syndicue
Students with
children: almost a
contradiction, or
at least seen by
society as
improper,
Dharam V.
Ahluwalia
Guest Columnist
impractical and perhaps unacceptable.
She who was my wife went to classes
here with a child inside. She was
pregnant with the child I am taking care
of now as a separated parent. Her
pregnancy was looked upon with scorn
on campus then, and now that I am
taking care of my son I find very little
understanding of my situation.
This is not a unique situation; it is just
different. There are students on
campus with children, and some of
them are the most dedicated, most
serious students. Not long ago, a young
mother brought her two daughters to
the computer terminals late at night,
and you could see the mother finishing
her homework and the children
sleeping on spread-out towels.
The purpose of this column is to
bring attention to a small segment of the
student population. This small group
has recently started an on-campus
group called “Students with Children.”
Their goals can best be stated by quoting
a paragraph from their newsletter,
which reads:
“Many a time . .. students are
married and both parents are going to
school. But many a times the parent in
question is single, separated, or
divorced. There is homework to be
done, classes to be attended, deadlines
to be met, the personal pain of
separation or divorce to be overcome,
bills to be paid, a living quarter to be
found, diapers to be changed, a baby
sitter to be found, and the list goes on.”
It is to these students (like myself: I
have to grade quantum homework, do
my own homework, pick up my son,
etc.) that the group provides a meeting
place to discuss ideas, an environment
of encouragement and understanding.
The group wants to establish on-
campus day-care facilities to serve
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Bperience
Student parents need understandin
students, faculty and staffwOT
The group also holds infontfj
talks and activities for student
and their children.
Apart from these activities
publishes a newsletter, “JoutisJ
of Students with Children,"inf
members can exchange ideas* 1
express concerns. In it,meint< !
keep a record of their emoW
thoughts, and perhapsitv
difficulty of finding a roontiwl
you have a child.
It is hoped this introduction!
group brings greater undersi* 1
among us all, students withcl
students without. It is li
who have felt a need forsuch|
now know that such a groups
More information regarding
can be obtained by callingfcj
Kennedy at 693-4791,or 1K|
Ahluwalia at 845-8520.
Dharam V. Ahluwalia isa(
student.
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