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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1988)
Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, January 28,1988 Space safety It’s been a rough two years for NASA. The explosion of the space shuttle Challenger two years ago today ended the space agency’s fairy-tale era of exploration and brought hard ques tions about how well the program was run and how safe it was. Morton ThiokoTs redesigned booster rocket has shown signs of problems, leading the space agency to delay the planned launch date for Discovery. And the astronaut corps is participat ing in more decisions that at any time since the space program’s early days. Concern for safety needs to be emphasized, as Challenger tragically pointed out, and no one will argue that the shuttle should fly before the rocket booster’s design flaws are corrected. But NASA, prompted by the concerns of Congress and the nation, is in danger of abandoning what should be the legacy of the seven who died aboard Challenger. Engineers — and the rest of us — must realize that designing a perfectly safe shuttle is an impossibility. So is designing a perfectly safe car. Space is not a safe place. Those who go there must know and accept the risk they take. NASA must do all it can to minimize that risk, but the agency and the country must not become so paralyzed by fear that they abandon manned space exploration. Doing so would tarnish the memory of the Challenger crew. — The Battalion Editorial Board The Health Center isn’t such a bad place after al I found out last week how an ill ness can knock your feet out from under you and make you realize how you tend to take your health for granted. Now, you have to un derstand, I’m the kind of person who doesn't have Amy Couvillon time to be sick; I tend to ignore any- thiug that’s wrong with me for as long as possible, hoping it will just go away. So it really threw me for a loop last Tuesday night, in the emergency room of the A. P. Beutel Health Center, when I found out the back pain I had been trying to ignore for three clays meant that I had a kidney infection. “We’ll have to keep you here for a couple of days and put you on an intra venous antibiotic,” explained the very patient night doctor. “We need to watch you until your fever goes down.” “Do what ?” I thought, slightly hys terical because my brain was being baked by a 102 degree fever. “I can’t be in the hospital. 1 have classes to go to. I have things to do, people to see. Aaaack! I ’m graduating this semester. I can't get behind. The Battalion won’t come out without me. I can’t get sick. I won’t get sick.” I was sick. I was extremely sic k. My world — which had once included Bryan-College Station news coverage, 15 hours of classes, a usually unsucessful search for permanent em ployment, a so-called social life, friends, apartmentrtar, citmptts, city streets The Battalion, The Battalion and The Bat talion — had suddenly dwindled to a hospital bed, a narrow window with an occasionally interesting view of Puryeai Hall, a thermometer in my mouth and . about four feet of plastic tubing which connected me to my I.V. pole. “This is ‘Charlene,’ the nurse ex plained to me, indicating the 6-foot-tall pole which was to be my constant com panion for four days. “She needs to go with you wherever you go.” I got to be pretty good friends with Charlene, with her hanging bags of glu cose solution and her wonderful wheels that had minds of their own like those on grocery store shopping carts. 1 took her everywhere I went — to the bed, to the bathroom, to the bed. to the bath room, etc. During my four days of hospital fun, I spent time wondering if the whole mis erable situation was just my bodv's not- so-subtle way of telling me to slow down and stop stressing myself so much. (But how could I slow down? I’m a college student.) My biggest concerns were trying to figure out what time it was (is that a.m. or p.m.?), and whether or not I had given the nurses their urine sample de jour yet. The inpatient care nurses at the Health Center are some of the most pa tient. friendly people I've met in a long time. Even when 1 was at my most cranky — “I hate having this stupid nee dle in my hand” — or when I was bab bling incoherently or asking stupid questions like “What day is it?” and “When can 1 go home?” the nurses were consistently helpful, and I could tell they really cared. 1 was also impressed to find but that my $15-a-semester health center fee covers up to 10 days of huspiialii with only small charges for mea!> medicine. That’s an incredible bar considering the costs of health can there in the “real world." I think the Health Center has as deserved bad image. It’s hardtoi ipate and be prepared to treat even mem that could affect 39,000stud) but from what Tve seen, the si; doing an admirable job. Along with almost even othei A&M student, I have complained having to wait a few hours to scea tot at the' Health Center, and lin guilts of leferring to it In its pop nickname (u Inch is also undesenedi But I’m sure glad it was there nil needed it. Amy Couvillon is a seniorjouni major, city editor and columnist The* Battalion. ea< :ati Te> F mai :hi Vie 1 ( Apathy is everywhere President Reagan recently gave his annual State of the Todd Union address, Honeycutt historically impor- Guest Columnist tant since it is the last one he will give as president. But what importance does it have if no one listens and no one cares? I wanted to watch the president. I am not a big fan of his but I was, however, very interested in what the president had to say. Af ter all, he is my president, whether I like him or not. I went down to the Hart Hall lounge hoping others would be watching the speech with whom I could discuss it af terward. Imagine my surprise when I found two students watching a science fiction movie.. No one had the least in terest in watching the president. 1 tric'd to reason w ith them. I pleaded with them. I became angry and argued with them, all to no avail. “It’s not. my problem what goes on, why should I be concerned?” Though I pay rent, an ac tivity fee and am entitled to privileges accorded a resident, I did not feel that I had the right simply to go up and change the channel. Instead, I watched the president as a rather blurred image on a black and white TV. Look around. Apathy lurks every where. Students have no interest, in Rea gan’s speech, or other important issues. Texas A&M is traditionally conserva tive, traditionally placid, traditionally complacent. Why change the status quo if every thing is all right? But is it? Are we aware of what is really going on? Can we piece together the whole truth from what is told to us? Or do we accept blindly what is placed before us by the media? When shall we realize that for our government to work at its best we all have to participate and take responsibil ity? We have to involve ourselves with the issues. It takes time, and maybe that is the cause of our apathy. Our time has be come so valuable and precious. We rush here and there. Someone else, we think will take care of the government. But if everybody’s doing something else, the government is f ree to roam — to violate the Constitution, to waste money, to ar gue over petty differences. If the people do not care, why should the govern ment? Good government takes time from the citizen, as it should. The goverment is by the people. But we have the free dom of choice to do practically any thing, even the right to do nothing. A fool knows that is a dire path to follow. So may citizens of other countries do not have the opportunity of self-rule. For Americans to become apolitical and apathetic is to see the decline of Amer ica. Our fall is just around the corner, perhaps to be overcome by communism or totalitarianism. We have time now to watch our tele vision, to listen to our music, to play our games, to drink our light beer — all in order to escape from our dreary life. Ah, what a desolate nation we live in. Imagine having too much food, so much leisure time, freedom of speech and religion. Would it not be better to be on food rations, to be told what to be? Why not, as long as we could watch our movies and play our games? Todd Honeycutt is a freshman general studies major. The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Sue Krenek, Editor Daniel A. LaBry, Managing Editor Mark Nair, Opinion Page Editor Amy Couvillon, City Editor Robbyn L. Lister and Becky Weisenfels, News Editors Loyd Brumfield, Sports Editor Sam B. Myers, Photo Editor Editorial Policy 1 he Ballnlion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspa per operated as a community service to Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board or the author, and do not necessarily rep resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, fac ulty or the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photograph\ classes within the Department of Journalism. 77ie Battalion is published Monday through Friday dm ing 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 vear. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1 1 1 1. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battal ion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col lege Station TX 77843-4111. Mail Call Suckered EDITOR: We are members of the Texas Aggie Credit Union. As all the other members, we are outraged by its recent changes in policy. When we joined we were told we would have to pay a one-time fee of $25. Since that time, it has started charging for balances under $500 and for writing more than 25 checks a month. It has put a five-day hold on personal checks and has cut back drastically on their hours. It advertised that it was “Aggies helping Aggies. ’ We fell for it. Either we were suckered bv its advertising, or it was lying. For all of you who feel the same way. Homestead of fers all those good things the credit union used to. We plan on moving there unless the credit union changes back to its original way of doing business, and we urge you to do the same. Susan M. Dean ’88 Lisa M. Johnson ’88 Respect the buses EDITOR: As a passenger of the A&M bus system, f am very con cerned about the community’s lack of knowledge on exac tly what these buses can and cannot do mechanically. First, I have noticed many cars pass the buses on the left because the buses do not accelerate very quickly. After passing these buses, they cut in front of them to turn right at traf fic lights. When this happens the bus driver has to use the brakes harder to avoid hitting the vehicle causing the pas sengers to be thrown forward. Buses are not capable of stopping quickly, especially when fully loaded. Second, I have observed buses setting up for right turns so they would not hit any curbs and have seen cars, motorcycles, and bicycles move in to the right, interfering BLOOM COUNTY with this manuever and causing possible hazards. Bu# are very long and have to make wide turns. By knowin this information maybe the t est of the community willI) patient and wait behind the bus. Bus passengers are cot cerned about theii well-being. Buses can y many passet get s, and what you may do as a driver affects notoii| vourself but those people as well. Please have respectful these and other school buses so there will be a saferdriviif environment. When 1 am driving and see a lar ge bus or truck,] sufficient room for the vehicle to manuever and donolflf it off. If we all do this, then mans people will not best riously injured or killed. Greg Moore That’s what Ags are for EDITOR: Friday I rode my scooter to the MS( to purchase textbook 1 had ordered on I uedsav. As I readied inidl pocket, I was immobilized with fear, t ealizing the pi white envelope containing my scholarship money was longer there. The last time I had checked my pocket"! sometime after noon, before entering (he library. I Iff searching my pack and finding nothing. I went to (lie brary, and as f entered the- restroom a fellow sittingonoi of the sinks asked me if I had lost some monev. “Yes, Id claimed, “about $600!” “It's all here,” he replied, “I f( it and figger’d someon’d come looking for in” “How have you been sitting in here?” I inquired “Since a 12:30, I skipped a quiz and a lab, ain’t no big deal, added. I offered him compensation f or 1m I roubles, bull refused, replying, “Hey , that's what Ags are for!" Ilefdl library thinking to myself it’s great to know von’ieatAt when you’re having a bad day. Ronald W. Pippin ’88 Letters to the editor should not exceed TOO words in length. The editorials^ serves the right to edit letters for style and length, hut will make even maintain the author's intent. Each letter must be signed anil must include^ 1 sifieation, address and telephone number of the writer by Berke BreatW mwH