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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1988)
Page 2^6 Battalion/Tuesday, October 4, 1988 4' Opinion An eyesore no one’s complaining about The Students Against Apartheid constructed its second-annual shanty Sunday and students already are complaining about the “eye sore” polluting our campus. But if you find the shanty to be visually offensive, take heart — at least it’s hidden on a spot where guests rar ely visit. However, our guests last weekend were not so lucky as to avoid the Fred Sanford-ish freshmen election signs on campus. Not only are these miniature billboards ugly, but their slogans demonstrate a mentality usually reserved for a kindergartener’s finger-painting hour. Governor Dukakis, where was your police ^A escort ? LTHCF Sure, the shanty is far from being attractive. But that’s the point. Racism is ugly and the shanty serves as a reminder and warning of that. OFFICE OF THE - 2-tu T hi s ^ my- police escort... Fits I'ednf tisai In the lolls« the a V o ^ <&» Though the shanty and the election signs both serve a purpose, isn’t it ironic that we complain about the one that makes a bigger statement. The Battalion Editorial Board Mail Call The Fish Camp expert speaks EDITOR: Becky Weisenfels wrote in The Battalion on Thursday about Fish Camp. What she wrote was wrong. She made it look as if Fish Camp should be banned. 1 went to Fish Camp last year. Before I went I was shy and not outgoing. I had no idea of the value of traditions at A&M. I had never even visited. Fish Camp forced me to become outgoing and energetic. I learned the traditions and I learned how to make friends easily. In fact, I’m still friends with most of the people I met. Of all the people in my session, there’s not one who had a boring time. Everyone I know who went to Fish Camp loved it so much, they couldn’t wait to become counselors. If Fish Camp was so boring, why are there 1,700 people trying out for 200 positions? Miss Weisenfels stated, “I don’t think Fish Camp helps ease the transition to college, either.” I ask, “How would you. Miss Weisenfels, know if you did not attend?” Fish Camp was all I had to help me ease into college. I gained a lot of new friends that lived close to me here at A&M, therefore, I saw them a lot. These friends helped me out because, you see, none of my close friends came to A&M. If I, like most of my friends, did not have Fish Camp, the transition trauma would have been a lot greater. Fish Camp is a state of mind. It is the state of mind that I feel most freshmen need. I’m a sophomore and I’m glad I went to Fish Camp. I wish more fish could go than are allowed. To me and most people who went to Fish Camp, it is one of the best traditions at A&M. I applaud Fish Camp and hiss at Miss Weisenfels for her bad bull. Tracey Hnatiuk ’91 And now from expert No. 2 EDITOR: This letter refers to Becky Weisenfels’ article on Fish Camp. Being as she never experienced the awesome feeling that prevails at Fish Camp, I don’t think she really understands what she is saying when she proposed to get rid of Fish Camp. Fish Camp is very helpful in many ways: 1. Introduces freshmen to people who care! 2. Discusses important issues — dating, studying, etc. 3. It stresses getting involved. 4. Tells campers that it is their decision on what they do. 5. Gives contacts (people) to go to when you need help. By the way, I still have a bunch of good friends from camp that I see all the time. Stephanie Buckley ’92 Hurry George, my hair’s on fire! Eric Morton ’90 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 Editor D A Jensen, Denise Thompson, News Editors Hal Hammons, Sports Editor Jay Janner, Art Director Leslie Guy, Entertainment Editor MAR6UUES R^T Move over AIDS! POPS is killing Aggies on campus chu; Bosl I Mor crat in u with AIDS (Acquired Immune Defi ciency Syndrome) is a virus which at tacks the victim’s immune system, preventing the body from fight ing off even the most minor ill nesses. There is presently no cure and the chances Suna Purser for survival are grim. SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syn drome) is the completely unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy or virtually healthy infant. The victims usually die in their sleep. There is presently no cure and no chance of survival. interested and uninterested in students’ problems, questions, comments, sugges tions and general well-being. No matter how much you bang on the door, slip messages underthe door or leave notes taped to the door, these pro fessors will not answer. And you KNOW they’re in there, because you can hear them frantically typing away at the com puter keyboard, trying to meet an omi nous deadline. Think of it this way: if your success and entire career were de termined by how many articles, hooks and papers you published, how con cerned would you he about a measly un dergraduate student, who is clearly your intellectual inferior? harder on developing that brilliantd cept or theory and even offer toil! and work V-E-R-Y C-L-O-S-fTItf the student. In essence, your ideal come their ideas. They want toll copies of your work. They want toll how you hit upon that particulatD They want to know w r hoyourres contacts are. They want to knowd thing about what, why and how) done your work. POPS (Publish or Perish Syndrome) is a disease which attacks the brains of professors working at up and coming world-class universities, resulting in ex treme dysfunction of the teaching fac ulties. There is presently no cure and the chances of survival are grim. A bleak set of prognoses for a bleak set of syndromes. Indeed, AIDS and SIDS are horrifying in their own right, but POPS takes on special significance for us students here at Texas A&M. EDITOR: I am really surprised at the ignorance generated by so many students concern ing our upcoming presidential election! The biggest concern on a student’s mind should be “Which candidate is most concerned about expanding our economy and creating jobs?” The answer — MI CHAEL DUKAKIS. We will all be searching sooner or later for a GOOD paying job in order to do the things that Americans have been deprived of for so many years. The argument over raised income taxes is so exaggerated, I can’t understand how anyone could possibly believe it! The rumor that Dukakis will definitely hike taxes is a downright lie —it’s that simple! He has stated time and time again that he will consider a tax increase if (and only if) our economy doesn’t show a little pro gress over the next few months after his inauguration — a condition Mr. Reagan hasn’t cared beans about ever since his astrologer apparently told him to ignore it. Over the last eight years, has America really been a “prosperous country?” Our current billion-dollar deficit is the living proof! Dukakis’ philosophy is that all U.S. citizens should work TOGETHER to re store the economic stability that has been forgotten. Meanwhile, our beloved presi dent (and vice president) show an obsession over WAR, WAR, WAR!!! (I guess it’s OK to get killed in war as long as we have a miserable economy, right?) Up to now, Reagan and his Republican “Hall of Shame” have agreed that as long as the rich get millions of dollars worth of tax breaks, the poor and depressed can just exist in their roofless “homes” and eat dog food. Realize facts — George Bush wouldn’t urinate on the poor and malnourished if they were on fire! In the dog-eat-dog world of the ivory tower called higher education, POPS is beginning its infestation and is ram pantly spreading through the faculty ranks. Achieving world class status, be coming a first rate research institution, and attracting the world’s top-notch thinkers and scholars are the germs that give POPS its impetus. And the sad thing is, few faculty members are im mune to this deadly disease. So, how can you, the innocent and unsuspecting student, tell if you’re be ing exposed to a professor who is suffer ing from this debilitating syndrome? For your handy reference, here is Dr. Suna’s POPS checklist, a comprehensive guide designed with the student in mind, to help you identify the syn drome. The theory behind the shut door syn drome is that students should not he seen or heard, and the shut door en sures it will stay that way. 2. Professors use students as research guinea J^igs. This symptom manifests it self in the form of class discussion fo cused on the latest chapter the professor has authored. This allows professors to: pump their egos, prove their intellectual prowess, bore the students and in many cases, help them see loopholes and lap ses in their work, {provided of course, the class falls for this clever ploy and in volves itself in a lively thoughtful dis cussion of the material in question. And that’s just what it is: material in question. Think of it this way: if the class DOES reveal problems with the work, or thinks it’s pointless — better to he embarrassed in front of a hunch of un dergraduates, rather than go to print, have your by-line pasted on a lousy piece of material, and thus, he made a laughing stock for the entire scholarly world to snicker and whisper about. The theory behind discuss-my-work- in-class symptom is ME, ME, ME and how good ME looks. Dangerous, in deed, students. Watch out for this symp tom. In the 1111 (n s < )l publishorpcris™ peration, these professorsfiaul qualms about “incorporating" stil ideas into their own work. Don'tbei prised if you see YOUR paperapp a scholarly journal, with that "ini ted” professor’s by-line. Ah, thet dies and travesties of POPS. 1 4. The final symptom many sors display is “auto-teadi.” That I hing automatons come into thed room with no expression onthefatti expression in the voice, no comp for the students and no idea wl hell teaching is all about. It’s ajotil chore, it’s a burden that gets int of their research. And worst of I there’s no reward for it. 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. 1. The professor’s door is shut and locked at all times, even during desig nated office hours: this is a sure sign of POPS. When professors display the shut door symptom, watch out! What this means is that they are absolutely, posi tively, undeniably and categorically dis- 3. Another major symptom is when the professors “appropriate” student re search. Having exhausted every con ceivable avenue of ideas and running into dead ends, these professors have lost their ability to create new knowl edge. Now we ALL know there are some extremely bright students among our ranks, and when these desperately dehydrated professors find one, their publishing worries are over. These teaching robots are grammed to function for a spft time in the classroom, and when time elapses, they return to the if remove the teaching software and place it with the publishing soft* Their mainframes thrive on writin? searching, thinking, calculating publishing the best of all poss thoughts, so that their publish software will outcompute thetitta tomatons that have glutted the s arship and research markets. And so, fair students, what the putations reveal is that POPS—in® instances — has supplanted the ole’ “mom and pop” professors'* one time genuinely had the ment of the student’s education growth at heart, and not theirort fessional and personal gain. Insteaij have the good ole’ “POPS” proff who are more concerned with lishing, so they won’t perish, in they can make a valued contribiiS establishing a world-class think rather than wor ld class students. All I can say is that 1 hopei cure REAL soon. Suna Purser is a journalism f M< They encourage the student to work uate, a graduate student in columnist for The Battalion. Editorial Policy The Battalion 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 photography classes within the Department of Journalism. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. 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