Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, October 5, 1988
Opinion
Regent Mobley keeps
public’s trust in mind
During the Texas A&M University Board of Regents meeting
Friday the building and planning committee selected a route for the
relocation of the railroad tracks. The proposed relocation would cost
more than $58 million.
Most of the regents agreed the funding would probably not ar
rive and that the tracks would stay put.
John Mobley was the only regent that voted against approving
the site. He disagrees with giving the impression the project is mov
ing forward when it does not look like funding will ever be found for
the project.
“I think we are deceiving the public if they’re making plans based
on what we do,” Mobley said.
Mobley also told The Battalion that in this time of budget re
straints even if A&M could work with the local, state and federal gov
ernments to find $58 million, the money could be put to better use.
In an age when many Americans have lost faith in public officials
it is refreshing to see a member of our Board take a stand because he
wants to keep the public’s trust and spend the public’s money wisely.
Thanks, John Mobley.
The Battalion Editorial Board
I Mail Call
Sophomore sets fish straight
EDITOR:
I just read Ms. Keller’s reply to the Sept. 15 column on tuition and fees, and
frankly, people like her are a disgrace. Listen, fish — how else do you think that
Texas A&M is able to provide you with the quality education that you can get here?
You stated that you paid $442 in tuition and fees for a semester. That’s $47 more
than one month’s rent on my apartment. There wouldn’t even be enough left over
to pay the bills. Feed the squirrels? Come on!
I work 30 hours a week for the privilege of attending school here. I’m getting
the best education that my money can buy. If you’d pull your head out of the
ground, I’d have one thing to say to you. Highway 6 runs both ways. Why don’t
you get on it and go get a no fee, $12-a-credit hour community college education. I
think it will suit you just fine.
Yet another Fish Camp rebuttal
EDITOR:
This letter is in response to Becky Weisenfels’ column in the Sept. 29 Battalion.
In one instance at least, she is correct — Fish Camp is not enjoyed by every single
person who attends. However, I must disagree with her other major assertions:
That Fish Camp is unenjoyable for most people and serves no useful purpose.
Ms. Weisenfels has not attended camp. I have, both as a freshman and twice
more as a counselor. I was neither outgoing nor popular in high school, and I got a
great deal out of camp. For the first few weeks of classes, it was the presence of
fellow Fish Campers who kept me from feeling lost and alone at A&M.
In fact, just about everyone I know loved Fish Camp. They did not find it a
worthless experience, either. Both as a freshman and a counselor, I had the
opportunity to observe my fellow campers for three years, and the vast majority
did find it to be the “soul-moving, hear-stopping, ultimate Aggie experience” it
was supposed to be.
The only folks I ever saw not enjoying themselves were the kind of cold-
hearted cynics who would not enjoy having their dream lover appear, tell them
that they had loved that person from afar for years, and invite that person to join
them on their yacht in the Bahamas.
No, Fish Camp is not for everyone, unfortunately. No one ever claimed it was.
But useless and worthless to all but those who don’t need it? I think not. Next time,
Becky, when you trash a generally loved institution, I hope you at least go and see
for yourself.
Jimmy Miller ’89
Why corner markers?
EDITOR:
Driving down Texas Avenue a few days ago, I was puzzled to notice yet more
campus construction taking place — on the golf course. Upon closer inspection, I
found that the project at hand is the building of campus markers, so that all
corners of the campus will be clearly designated as the property of TAMU.
My question is why? Is there someone out there who is confused about where
the campus is? Are people have trouble finding their way to school and w ork? I
have nothing against campus beautification, or against easing the w'ay for those
who visit TAMU, but these markers seem utterly extraneous. Surely there is some
better way for the University to expend its vast resources: deserving students could
be provided with scholarships, for example; and the library has some journals that
are badly in need of adoption.
Mary Beth Butler
Graduate student
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 eve>y effort to maintain the author's intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the
classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
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
Editorial Policy
I'he iiattiilion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspa
per operated as a comnumitv service to Texas A&M and
Brvan-Ciollege Station.
Opinions expressed in The lioiudion are those of the
editorial hoard or the author, and do not necessarih rep
resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, fac-
ult\ or the Board of Regents.
I'he linttnlion also serves as a laboratory newspaper
for students in reporting, editing and photography
classes within the Department of Journalism.
I he lintlnlion is published Monday through Friday
during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday
and examination periods.
Mail subscriptions are SI7.4-1 per semester. S34.62
per school vear and $36.44 pet full tear. Advertising
rates f urnished on request.
Our address: The lintudion. 230 Reed McDonald,
Texas A&M l niversitv. College Station. TX 77.S43-1111.
Second class postage paid at College Station. TX
77843.
I’OS I MASTF.R: Send address changes to The liattul-
ion. 2 Hi Reed McDonald. Texas A&M L’niversitv. Col
lege Station TX 77843-4 111.
<&>\<?8e> BOSTON "
44 For heaven’s sake, Georefe, turn off the liffht... There are no
ACLU members under the Bed !...
Give him that ol’ time rod
&-roll and hold the Tiffany
1^ _
In this decade
the greatest down
fall of civilization
has begun. I’m not
talking about
AIDS, the crime
rate, the loosening
moral fabric of
our society, or
anything of that
sort. YV h at I ’ m
speaking of is a
fundamental
Timm
Doolen
change in our society that is an indicator
of the breakdown of our civilization:
popular music has deteriorated to an
embarassing point.
Yes, the music that our generation is
growing up with is far inferior to that of
generations before.
Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and
a handful of other American greats cre
ated rock-and-roll music in the fifties,
transforming popular music into music
for the young and young-at-heart.
In the sixties, rock music greatly acce
lerated. History says the Beatles domi
nated the decade, yet most of the great
groups and individuals of rock-and-roll
began their careers in the sixties, such as
the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Eric
Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and
the Who.
During that decade, rock music was
transformed from the purely popular
(and mostly superficial) into an art
form. Rock music was being hailed as an
art form, not just an annoying hobby of
the young. Even older people began ap
preciating the sounds of rock-and-roll
music.
In the early seventies, rock music had
its heyday. The bands who started in the
sixties, matured in the seventies to give
maximum quality. New music from
Rush, the Eagles, and Boston continued
to bring us to new heights of musical ex
cellence.
But by the end of the seventies popu
lar music was on a downward trend.
The Bee Gees were at the top of the
charts — disco music was king. It car
ried over into the eighties when music
kept sliding down the long and winding
road of demise. We now have artists like
Madonna, Tiffany and Prince, whose
musical abilities are roughly equivalent
to their last names.
I’m not saying the new music is bad,
or unpleasant. I’m just saying the quality
of rock music as we know it has gone
down the tubes.
Rock artists from the sixties and sev
enties wrote their own music and lyrics.
Ed be surprised if Tiffany could write
simple chords or lyrics having to deal
with something besides teenage ro
mances.
Many current artists have little talent
in the areas of music or lyrics. The gui
tars which defined rock in the sixties,
have all but disappeared from the rock
scene, being replaced by heartless syn
thesizers and drum machines. Rock ly
rics used to be real, but the quality ol
pop lyrics today, mostly concerning sex
or romance, have become almost as bad
as country music’s lyrics.
Earlier rock artists had theme albums
and concept albums. We had quality
music coming from The Beatles’ “Sgt.
Pepper’s” to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of
the Moon.” Today’s albums aren’t al
bums, they’re just a collection of songs
that the record companies want to re
lease as singles. Can you imagine a Deb
bie Gibson concept album — “Don’t
Nuke My Teddy Bear,” full of songs
about teenagers who are desparately
trying to protect their beloved stuffed
animals from the ravages of nuclear
detsruction?
Once on a KANM radio show, a per
sonal friend and music afficianado,
Matt McBurnett, commented on the de
cline in the quality of black musicians.
Speaking in regards to the slide down
hill from Jimi Hendrix to Prince, he
said, “From Purple Haze to Purple
Rain, that’s a letdown folks.
What caused it? No one can honestly
say they know for sure, but several fac
tors aided the decline. The listening au
dience of radio has changed. Currently,
the target audience for commercial ra
dio is 18- to 35-year-old females. The
kind of music which many of these fe
males like is Madonna, Whitney I lous-
ton, etc. These individuals get more air
play, which means that other artists start
to copy them and soon all of rock is
headed downhill.
In a way, it’s also a product of our
conforming society. Some people feel
they should conform and listen to what
the “in-crowd” is listening to. Top 40 (or
is it Pop 40?) provides the best conduit
to that end, because it is so mainstream
and few risks are taken.
More and more groups are “selling
out” and making albums full of ballads
and dance songs, which pleases the re
cord companies. The last few Chicago
albums sound like lullabys compared to
:ean
un:
the driving music of their early aln
Luckily, main of the classic groups^
up before they sold out.
In the sixties and seventies,mini
entered their profession because
loved music and had a strongaii
for plaving tgood music. The cum
artists get into music as a sourceoln the
nue. Not to sa\ that many greatai ire
never made money. But they In
deeper desire, a sense of conveying
of themselves to the world througi
sic.
On a purely musical level, in
past, musicians would copy greatdn
mers like Neil Peart, JohnBonnam
Alan White. In tl lis age of technoJ
one hears lew people complimei
the man who programmed thedi
machine on the latest pop single,
There are still a few groups am
who retain their sound. But somd
it's just not the same. And there art
eral heavy metal bands who esi
great musicianship and really pu
into their music, such asMetallica,
Priest and Iron Maiden.
The decline shows no signsofn
sal, but there are alternatives.!
large cities have music stations dial
classic rock, further showing that!
is a desire for the old musicthatf
being satisfied by the new. There is
an alternative to the local Popl
tions in College Station: KANMstm
radio, 99.9 EM cable. The music pi*
on the commercial-free KANMw
be heard on any commercial ra
tion.
Rock-and-roll will never be "I
once was as long as we can hearT!
ny’s “I Saw Him Standing There’
never realize that twenty-five yean!
Her that same song (with a di
word or two) helped launch theo
of an upstart, hard-driving, rod
roll band who dared to be differed
forgotten age of conformity^
Beatles are no longer with us,
music is still enjoyed, as is the mill#
of songs generated by the mus* 1
from the sixties and seventies. Asl
into my headphones and listen M
old music — the good music-I*
long for the golden era of rock, and
I regret rock-and-roll’s unfortiinaK
mise.
Timm Doolen is a sophomore
puter science major and columM 1
The Battalion.
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Bread
who
afte
Sati
A.P,
■I er )
wl