Opinion
The Battalion Tuesday, Nov. 1, 1988
;■ ■ ; / , -K; ' '
Page 2
Mail Call
Take hint, superficial moussers
EDITOR:
I have a comment about Gregg Flinn’s Oct. 26 letter concerning frats and the
Corps. You know, Greg, when I was a fish I really didn’t have a big “no frats”
attitude. I also wasn’t “told by some upperclassmen that frats were a no-no and that
I should hate frats.” Do you know why?
Because I did go out and try to form my own opinion. I went to frat parties and
didn’t like the superficiality of it. Some other things, however, helped form my
opinion, too.
How about a frat being booted off of the Florida State University campus this
summer for sexually assaulting a young lady and then leaving her at a neighboring
frat house? Then there’s the alcohol-related hazing deaths of pledges at Rutger’s
University and t.u. Of course, you’re probably saying that the Corps was involved
in the hazing death of a cadet. This is true, but unlike fraternities, the Corps has
instituted measures to try to ensure that something of that nature doesn’t happen
again. Maybe, Greg, before you roll up those jeans and spritz that hair, you should
ask Eva Nichols about her experiences with fraternities.
As for your insinuation that the Corps isn’t important anymore, I like the
Corps (I’m a non-reg, by the way), their integrity and honor (something that
appears to be lacking in frats) and would much rather have them representing
what A&M stands for than 2,500 mousse-head look-alikes. Oh, and as far as the
“No frats” shirts are concerned —take a hint.
Stephen P. O’Neill ’88
Anti-Corps attitude is anti-Aggie
EDITOR:
In response to Greg Flinn’s letter Oct. 26, I would like to point out that his
adverse comments about the Corps of Cadets being “not as important today” are
truly anti-Aggie. The Corps of Cadets has proven itself over and over to be the
heart of Aggieland, and this staus will never be taken away by the fraternities.
Take a look at traditions: Who works the longest and hardest hours on the
world’s largest bonfire? The Corps.
Who keeps alive the tradition of saying “Howdy?” Yes, the students on small
level, but mainly the Corps.
Who presents final review? The Corps of Cadets. And you proclaim that the
Corps is no longer important?
Take a look at the military. The Fexas A&M Corps of Cadets commissions
more officers into the dif f erent military services than any other university in the
nation, excluding the military academies.
Whatever your political views, can you dispute the need for a strong national
military? The Corps has the distinct respect for turning boys into men, and men
into leaders. In fraternities, boys turn into Greeks. What do Greeks turn into?
As you state yourself, the Corps was the “original tradition from the
beginning” as it is now and forever will be.
Texas A&M would not be unique or world-renowned without the Corps. So
before you brainwash yourself in your eagerness to turn Greek, remember the old
Ags, Silver Taps, bonfire, Reveille, old Armyjokes, Howdy, final review and who
created them. The Greeks? No — the A&M Corps of Cadets.
Heidi Halstead ’92
Ag riled about bus incident
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See Dudley cheat; don’t be a Dud
(EDITOR:
What happened may not interest every Ag, but I did get a little riled Monday
Inight.
I had just finished a test and was riding the shuttle when it made its last campus
(stop at the Commons. While it was there, a woman got on the bus and told the
driver she had left her ID (with her bus pass) on the Munson bus. The driver told
her to wait so he could call in to see if it had been reported so if it was found she
could ride home without anyone thinking she was trying to steal a ride, I suppose.
He called in and gave her name, to which there was a swift, brutal reply: “We
(don’t do lost and found over the radio.” That was it.
It’s late at night and cold and now this girl has to walk home in shorts. Wasn’t a
(girl just raped in College Station? What kind of person would shuck his
responsibility of helping this girl get home safely because he’s to lazy to ask any of
his bus drivers if they had found an ID?
The Dartmouth/Scarlett bus goes to Post Oak Mall — a long hike. Neither the
(dispatcher or the driver volunteered to call a cab or the UPD to escort her this
distance. This dispatcher is pure sleaze. I’m a little miffed the bus driver didn’t let
the woman ride anyway. Surely her safety is more important than his job. I ask you
Ags, am I upset oer nothing or are you as mad over this as I am?
Christopher Nunneley
Student services appreciated
(EDITOR:
In the day and age when students are critical of the tuition they pay and service
(they receive, it is nice to be able to report something more positive.
I was enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Texas A&M during the 1987-88 school
(year. During that time, my wife, three boys and myself lived in a duplex off-
campus managed by First Asset of Houston. After completing the requirements
for my degree arid accepting a new job, we left College Station in July.
First Asset was given the required notice and request was made to have a
(representative present to inspect the duplex upon our moving out. The
management company ignored our inspeciton request. They also failed to return
any part of our damage deposit or provide a reason for witholding it within the 30
days allowed in our lease contract. Having moved out of state, we felt powerless to
resolve the situation, especially after the management company failed to respond
(to numerous letters, some certified.
We decided to contact the Off-Campus Center at A&M and see if they could
(assist us. We struck gold. They were extremely helpful in offering advice and
suggesting we approach the Office of the Students’ Attorney at A&M. The
Students’ Attorney’s Office acted as mediator for us with f irst Asset, contacting the
management company several times in our behalf . Within a short period of time,
|we received our deposit refund.
I would like to commend the courtesy, professionalism and effectiveness of the
(services offered through the Off-Campus Center and the Office of the Students’
Attorney. More specifically, thank you to Nancy Thompson and Matthew
Nancarrow for their assistance.
Joe Barnhart
Gunnison, Colo.
I Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style
\and length, hut will, make every effort to maintain the author's ititent. Each letter must be signed and must include the
\ classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
Caution to all readers of this column!
Please look at and carefully study the
photograph of the author. This is the
face of a crazed individual who has a
nose for news, is unrelentingly on the
make for material and is likely to eaves
drop on your conversations, whether
they be in the bathroom or on the bus.
The Battalion cannot be held responsi
ble in any way, shape, form or fashion
for this columnist capitalizing on juicy
material she runs across. In other
words, don’t be surprised if your con
versation is revised, reshaped, recalled
and recounted in the form of a column.
There you have it, readers. My dis
claimer. I’m a news hound always on the
make for grist. And it just so happens I
heard a really interesting conversation
two weeks ago as I was riding home on
the bus. So take heed. Be careful of
what you say, and when and where you
say it. I may be there.
Five of us were on the bus: me, the
driver, an innocuous-looking girl and
two other” guys. These “two other”
guys were sitting directly behind me and
I just couldn’t help but overhear their
conversation. They were talking and
laughing about a friend, who I’ll call
“Dudley.”
It seems as if Dudley has it made: he
has a devoted girlfriend (who I’ll call
“Dufus”) and no classes. The conversa
tion of these “two other” guys went
something like this:
Guy 1 :.“Yeah, can you believe it?
Dudley hasn’t gone to three of his
c lasses all semester!”
Guy 2 : “Well, he has the perfect set
up. A girlfriend who’s so crazy about
him that she’s willing to go to class for
him and take his tests.”
Guy 1 : “Yeah, those big lecture
classes have so many students that the
professors don’t know who’s who and
unless they have some scheme set up for
checking i.d.’s or something, they don’t
even know who’s taking the exam and
who isn’t.”
Guy 2: “Lucky for Dudley he’s in
some of those classes where the prof
doesn’t know or care what’s going on
during the exams. Dufus has taken all of
Dudley’s tests for him and so far, it’s
worked!”
Guy 1: “I know it sure has freed up a
lot of his time for partying and he’s
passing all of his classes, too! And you
know what’s funny is he hasn’t taken
any tests. Dufus has taken them for
him.”
BLOOM COUNTY
Guy 2: “I wonder what’s gonna hap
pen when Dudley gets outta school and
finds a job. He isn’t gonna know any
thing.”
Guy 1: “Well, that doesn’t matter, I
don’t think. He’s goin’ to work for his
dad, so he’ll probably do OK.”
Guy 2: “The big clencher is that he
doesn’t even really like Dufus that
much. She’s lookin’ for her MRS. de
gree and she thinks she’s found it in the
form of Dudley.”
Guy 1 : “Yeah, she’s so crazy about
him that she’ll do all his school work and
he hardly has to lift a finger except for
one other class.”
At this point of the conversation, I
had thankfully arrived at my stop. I say
thankfully because when I got off the
bus, I was incensed at Dudley’s behavior
and appalled at Dufus’ stupidity. Quite
frankly, I couldn’t believe what I had
just heard. I mean after all, Aggies don’t
lie, cheat or steal ... or do they? Unfor
tunately, I’m afraid Dudley and Dufus
are doing all three and even more un
fortunate is the fact that they’re doing
so without compunction.
And fair reader, you may ask, “So,
why are they lying, cheating and stea
ling?” And I say, “Can’t you see what’s
as plain as the nose on your face?”
Hey, Dudley, get real. College life in
particular and life in general ain’t no
party. And you’re lying to yourself if
you think it is. Dad won’t always be
around and what are you going to do
when you have to make it on your own?
Besides, aren’t you lying to Dufus? Ap
parently your friends think you are
when they said you don’t even like her
that much. Just where is your sense of
moral and academic integrity?
And Dufus, you’re lying to yourself,
too, by clinging to a guy who’s a loser, a
liar and a louse. Can’t you see he’s living
a lie, and you’re both an instrument and
victim of that lie? Come to the program:
live life and make the grade for your
self, not someone else who doesn’t give a
rip about himself, much less you.
And aren’t both of you cheatin'
Since when is it an accepted practice
an/institution of higher learning to“i
in” for someone else? Dudley, aren’tyt
cheating yourself out of an educatioi
Aren’t you cutting corners just forafe
good times? Aren’t you taking theea'
way out by taking advantage of othe;
and cheating the system that’s evei
tually going to catch up with you?
Poor Dufus, what else can we
your situation but..out-and-out dies
ing? How can you justify your actions
Aren’t you blatantly cheating whenyo
offer your work in j)lace of someon
else’s? Don’t you think you’re cheai
yourself out of some badly needed
sure time, just so you can please son
“dud” and pass his exams?
Aren’t both of you stealing? Dudle
won’t you wind up claiming a degri
that isn’t yours? Aren’t you ripping Di
fus off? Aren’t you using, abusing an
stealing from people and things ye
have no right to? How can you ratil
nalize stealing a degree and someone
dedication, when you obviously don
care about either one?
Dufus, I don’t know what to say abo»
you except you’re stealing from you
self. You’ve been suckered in by a dm
and are depriving yourself of your indi
viduality and identity. Aren’t your goal
and ideals important? Or have you beei
snookered so badly that your life ha
taken a back seat?
Obviously, the pressure to party d
semester, pass all the classes and (
someone else has overridden the fund)
mental goals of a college education, h
an effort to beat the system and ead
other, students have become master mi
nipulators who are obssessed with a pel
verted kind of success.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but thestu
dents who lie, cheat and steal their wa
through school — for whatever
verse and selfish reasons — are settinj
themselves up for failure when theygf
to the “real” world. But then again,
wonder if the “real” world exists for
bunch of fakes.
I just hope there aren’t many Dud
and Dufuses running around foolini
the system, themselves and each othei
If that/s the case, I feel sorry for then
their short term pleasures won’t mala
up for the long term problems. All I cm
say is, good luck, you’ll need that.. .am
a lot more.
Suna Purser is a journalism gni
uate, a graduate student in English atf
columnist forThe Battalion.
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