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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1988)
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, August 31,1988 Opinion vans Library’s problems being solved Dr. Donald McDonald Guest Columnist There has re cently been wide spread discussion, in the press and elsewhere, of the serious situation in the Evans Library. I welcome this dis cussion over such a crucial issue. Noth ing is so vital to a great university as a great library, and in one sense the fac ulty, the students, and the library are a university. In many ways the interest shown in Sterling Evans Library during the past few weeks is gratifying. Improving the library is a goal toward which many peo ple are working, and faculty support is, and will continue to be, essential. Recent newspaper columns have identified some of the problems in the Evans Li brary and have offered suggestions, some of them constructive, for im provements. There are near-term problems and long-term problems. Most of the latter and some of the former could be solved by wise use of a significant increase in the funds available to the library admin istration. The source of these problems is three-fold: trying to accommodate 40,000 students in a library designed for a 25,000 student campus; change from a mission as an undergraduate teaching institution with only limited need for scholarly journals and extensive collec tions in the liberal arts to that of a major research university; and inadequate fi nancial support by the state. One of the most immediate and ob vious problems is excessive noise, which is detrimental to patrons who have need for the library collections. In an effort to provide other locations conducive to in dividual or group study, a sub-commit tee of the Long Range Planning Com mittee has been working for several months to arrange the use of other cam pus buildings by our students. We ex pect to have at least one such area open in the evenings early in September. Improving our library holdings, of course, has been made extremely diffi cult by the economic conditions in the state. For the first time since the 1930’s, the State of Texas cut appropriations to its colleges and universitites in the 1980’s. Appropriations were cut, enroll ment increased, and Evans Library, as well as other areas at Texas A&M, suf fered. Dr. Irene Hoadley, director of Ster ling Evans Library, has long advocated increasing library expenditures. She has worked to increase state appropriations for libraries, to solicit gifts and dona tions of collections, and to stretch lim ited funds through careful purchases. Fortunately, Evans Library has en joyed a significant increase in private gifts during the past four years. For ex ample, in 1984-1985, Evans Library at tracted approximately $175,000 in gifts of cash, equipment and book collections. Giving has increased steadily. Evans Li brary received more than $400,000 in 1986-87, and gifts to the library in the current fiscal year are expected to total about $ 1 million. In 1985, with Dr. Hoadley’s lead ership the library began a series of Ex cellence Dinners in major Texas cities. These dinners have raised approxi mately $1 million in cash and gifts of collections. This innovative program has been recognized with two national awards and is now being adopted by other libraries. In addition to gifts from individuals, Evans Library has attracted support from the Association of Former Students, A&M Mothers’ Clubs, and Students should endure capital punishment Lewis Grizzard You no doubt heard the bad news that a survey revealed Ameri ca’s youth doesn’t now diddly about geography. I was watching television and there was a follow up to the survey in which a reporter asked some kid in New York City how many people he thought lived in the entire United States. He answered, “Like, you know, about a million and a half.” There were a million and a half peo ple trying to cross the street in front of this brain-dead bozo. But kids aren’t the only ones who don’t know anything about geography, and I’m not talking about being able to locate the Caspian Sea. There axe adult human beings in theis country who can’t name Five states capitals outside their own state. The reason I know this is I am the greatest living expert on state captials, and for years I have been amazed how otherwise intelligent people think St. Louis is the capital of Missouri. The reason I am probably the world’s greatest living expert on state capitals is because my parents gave me one of those United States map puzzles when I was 6. I didn’t get what 1 wanted - a pony - so all I did was mess with this puzzle. I don’t care where you went to school or how much money you’ve made. If you think St. Louis is the capital of Mis souri (unless your’re a Missourian, of course) you are a geographic bimbo. Many have tried and many have failed to stump me on a state capital question. It’s like trying to stamp Isaac Newton on gravity. Think you know' state capitals? OK, a little test. Grade yourself honestly: 1 . The capital of Florida? You thought it was Orlando? It pxobably would make sense to have the capital of Florida in Orlando, but it’s in Tallahas see. 2. The capital of Illinois? Chicago makes sense, but it’s in Springfield. 3. California? No, it’s Sacrarpento.” 4. Washington? Not the one on the Potomac, the one where apples come from. Olympia. It’s also the name of the local beer. 5. Kentucky? Frankfort, and they don’t hold the Derby there. 6. South Dakota? Pierre where bowl ing is a favorite pastime. 7. Montana? I have an ex-wife who lives there. I got ex-wives living every where. Helena is the capital of Montana. 8. Nevada? They don’t have time for much of the state’s business in Las Ve gas. The capital is Carson City. 9. New York? You really didn’t say New York City, did you? How embax- rassing. It’s Albany, where Mario Cuomo lives. 10. Four American state capitals be gin with the same letter as their state. Can you name them? Was your first answer, “Philadelphia, Pa.?” Harrisburg is the capital of Penn sylvania, dummy. The correct answers axe: Oklahoma City, Okla; Indianapolis, Ind; Dover, Del; and Honolulu Hawaii. As far as Missoxxri is concerned, if you don’t know the state capital, it’s your duty as an American to go somewhexe and find out. I’ll expect your answers in a week. Copyright 1988, Cowles Syndicate A&M Clubs in various cities aci'oss the state. Within the past few w'eeks, Dr. Hoad ley and Dean of Faculties Clinton A. Phillips assembled the directors of state college and university libraries to gather information about library conditions to assist the Texas Legislature in their de- liberations for the next biennial budget. Increasing state appropriations is just one strategy in the continuing effort to secure funds that can be used to en hance our holdings and to employ more professional librarians. The library should be commended for its efforts in providing access to materials (not available in our libxary) th lough interlibrary loan services, in purchasing microforms of various items that are no longer available at reasonabe costs, and in adding various technical improvements to make access to materi als more ef ficient. The point is that everyone, the librai'y administration, my office, the president and the Board of Regents, is aware of li brary funding problems. The Regents have authorized use of the Available University Fund to supplement the li- bx ary budget as well as f aculty and staff salaries throughout the campus. In the last three fiscal yeax s, this supplement has totaled over $7 million. It must be remembered, however that funds are not unlimited. Increasing the funds allocated to one element of the university means decreasing the budget of another. Difficult choices must be made as budget requests art considered. Do we add faculty positions in response to the glowing enrollment in the colleges, or do we increase the If brary’s budget? Which is more impor taut, increased departmental operating expenses for staff support and faculty travel or larger library budgets? Such questions do not yield to simple answers We will continue to search for innova tive ways to improve Sterling Evans Li brary in order to meet the justifiable needs of our entix e academic comma nity. I invite faculty and staff members and our students to join us in thiseffort. Dr. Donald McDonald is the Promt and Vice President for Academic Af fairs at Texas A&M University and guest columnist for The Battalion. Constant complaints are the norm this fall This fall there will be more to gi i pe about on campus than ever before at Texas A&M. From con struction to the parking problem, we Aggies have more to complain about than Andy Rooney’s m o s t imaginative fanta sies. ,r Construction is hitting this campus, arid College Station, faster than ever be- fore. And the few thousand of you who have driven on University Drive have experienced that reality. I am awaken at 7 every morning to a chorus of jackham mers rennovating the corps-style dorms on the north side of campus; as ai'e resi dents on both sides of campus where our brand new' residence halls are being erected. To add to off- and on-campus inconvenience, buildings are popping up everywhere blocking previously coxx- venient roads and parking lots. Speaking of parking, this has to be one of the most pressing problems this fall. Almost half of the Commons park ing is gone (torn up by construction), so these cars have shifted to the freshman parking lot (if it can still be called that), inconveniencing both on- and off-cam pus packers. The bottom line is we may have go to J.C. Penney’s or K-Mart and catch a University bus to campus. This in genious solution to the parking problem concocted by the University has but one major flaw: If I’m that close to the mall before I board the bus, and given the choice between shopping and chemis try, well, I’m only human. There are no more green parking stickers, so while freshmen and sopho more guys get close parking, their fe male counterparts will be walking back in the dead of night from the “fish” lot. Or should I say the “freshman, sopho more, junior, and senior lot for those who get back to campus late.” We could try parking illegally, but watch out. The University Police De- pax tment has raised the fines for park ing tickets from $10 to $15, and $25 if you don’t pay the ticket within 10 days. Maybe they did this because UPD just wasn’t turning enough profit. In the dorms (oops, sorry, I mean x es- idence halls), the staff is beginning to lock the main doors at 7 p.nx. for “our own pxotection,” i.e. mainly becauseol burglaries. Yet I would wager that the majority of the thefts occur because residents leave their door unlocked. Locking the main door may limit thieves’access,but it doesn’t solve the core of the problem — residents’ unlocked doors. And is it worth the hassle to those res idents with frequent night visitors?Off- campus living is starting to look realh tempting. Of course there are the perennial controversies plaguing the campus that will draw many complaints from many students. These include: women wort- ing on bonfire, food services, tryingto call in to x'egister without a redial but ton, trying to get a necessary class that) px obably closed (a tricky thing to do), and the better conditions that athlete) and coaches have as compared to stu dents and professors. The freshmen, and some sopho mores, will probably complain aboutit new core curriculum. Some people§11 complain about the traditions, and most students will complain about those peo pie. A lot of Aggies are still griping about why Jackie Sherrill didn’t pul Lance Pavlas in much sooner — asinbe- fore the final gun in the Nebraska game. Members of the Corps will say that fraternity members buy friends thei normally wouldn’t have, axxd the Greek) will say that cadets are paid to have friends they normally wouldn’t have Non-regs, non-Greek students will won- dei' why cadets always talk about the military and Ch eeks always talk about themselvc s. And some right-wing students will complain if Students Against Apartheid does anything, though I doubt these complaints wall carry enough force to get a Students For Apartheid formed. All in all, this semester comes com plete with something for everybody to gripe about. The only advice I can offer is this: the situation can only get better than it is now. And still, this fall wecao look forward to a few bright things George Bush being elected in Movent ber, the Aggies’ fourth straight Cotton Bowl, and George Will appearing on tfxis page in The Battalion. Timm Doolen is a sophomore cot puter science major and columnist^ The Battalion. Timm Doolen The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Lydia Berzsenyi, Editor Becky Weisenfels, Managing Editor Anthony Wilson, Opinion Page Editor Richard Williams, City Editox D AJensen, Denise Thompson, News Editors Hal Hammons, Sports Editor Jay Janner, Art Director Leslie Guy, Entertainment Editor Editorial Policy The Billlulion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspa per operated as a community service to Texas A&M and Brvan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bituulion 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 photography classes within the Department of Journalism. 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