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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1988)
Opinion The Battalion Friday, Nov. 18, 1988 Page 2 Sherrill’s got to go If today’s story from the Dallas Morning News is accurate — and from the information given in the story there is every reason to be lieve it is — the entire attempt at reformation of the Texas A&M football program has been nothing short of a farce. While portraying themselves as victims of unnecessary scrutiny, A&M Athletic Department officials under Sherrill’s supervision were paying off a former player to keep quiet about violations that the NCAA apparently missed. One of the payments was received by for mer A&M running back George Smith just four days after the NCAA violations press conference. It’s an insult to Texas A&M fans, students, former students and the University itself. It was Sherrill himself who assured the nation that he was at the forefront of the cleaning-up program. It was Sherrill who said, “I’m glad it’s over with. We’ll take the hand that’s been dealt to us and give it our best shot.” And it was Sherrill who said, if just such an occasion as this should arise, “President Mobley will not have to fire me. If Jackie Sherrill does something to warrant it, Jackie Sherrill will leave this in stitution.” If the allegation is true, Sherrill must resign immediately, and take George Pugh, Bob Matey and anyone else involved with him. And if he doesn’t, and Texas A&M is truly committed to integrity in its Athletic Department, he must be fired. Anything less makes the rest of the University look as dirty as its Athletic Department. The Battalion Editorial Board Ags deserve death A&M was given fair warning. Along with its 1988 bowl ban, the loss of five scholarships and 15 campus recruiting visits, the Texas A&M football program received a five-year probation with the stipulation that further infractions could possibly result in the death penalty — the strongest penalty the NCAA can give a collegiate athletic program. Under the death penalty, the guilty program in essence ceases to exist for an amount of time up to the discretion of the NCAA. Cer tainly, if true, the recent allegations against A&M’s Athletic Depart ment cannot rival the blatant disregard of the rules that was traced all the way back to Gov. Bill Clements by the once-defunct and cur rently inactive Southern Methodist University football program. But the allegations seem to have merit. Former Aggie running back George Smith claims to have received hush money in an over night express envelope from A&M Athletic Department officials just four days after the Aggies announced their NCAA penalties. Whether or not A&M has a football team next year is yet to be seen. That will be determined by the NCAA. And if the NCAA chooses to make that decision, it would be warranted. Perhaps A&M needs the death penalty to start anew and ensure a complete house cleaning in the Athletic Department. After all, the last penalty was only stiff enough to keep the dirt off the football program for three days. The Battalion Editorial Board Mail Call , Butts butt out! EDITOR: On Nov. 21 the Class of ’89 will partake in Elephant Walk, historically an event for seniors only. Recently, however, the junior class involvement in this event has been increasing. We would like for Elephant Walk to remain a sacred event for seniors, and yet we realize that juniors want some way to spend their time during the Walk. If the junior class must do something at this time, we suggest it is in the following manner: Celebrate your own new position as leaders of the 12th Man! Wear your class T-shirt! Have your picture taken with live elephants! Go to the pullout yell practice! But don’t be violent and destructive. Refrain from causing injuries to your fellow students and damage to the campus. Basically, leave the seniors to die in peace. Kristi Wilson and Liz Hudson Special Events Co-Chairmen ’89 Save the trees EDITOR: It has been brought to my attention that in the plans for the expansion of the MSC, nearly a dozen live oak trees will be destroyed. This is disturbing, considering that the oaks are the sole element which unifies the eclectic styles of arcitecture on our campus.Is it necessary that these trees be removed? The students of A&M should have a voice in the decisions affecting the fate of the natural and historic heritage of our university. Kenneth Moore, President American Society of Landscape Architects Accompanied by 53 signatures 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. I learned to bang my head Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to see grown men jump up and down on a stage and strum a guitar with a micro phone stand. And you know, I think I actually enjoyed myself. The event was a Van Halen concert, and it was my first really “heavy metal” concert. I guess for some people Van Halen may not be considered hard rock, but for a devoted Billy Joel fan, it was a little stronger than I was used to. The concert was fun, though. I even recognized a lot of the songs. I may not have been able to distinguish any of the words, but at least I recognized the tune, beat, rhythm, or whatever it was in several of them. Most of them I had heard before on the radio, but at least I could turn down the volume then. The music was a little loud for my tastes, but the experience was well worth it. I got to see little boys with hair half way down their backs, old men wearing black T-shirts and torn-up jeans and teanagers nodding their heads like epi leptic chickens. So why was I so happy that I went to this concert? Because it broadened my musical repetoire, that’s why. I was able to experience yet another form of mu sic, and I strongly believe that there is no such thing as bad music. As you may have guessed, hard rock doesn’t really fit into my natural scope of listening music. My favorite “popu lar” songs' are by artists such as Billy Joel, James Taylor and Tracy Chap man. Fine, fine, call me a wimp. But wait, it gets worse. jm* Lydia Berzsenyi < M.m.. j. ... Editor I’m also a big fan of symphonic music (I learned in my music class that classical music is just a part of the big category called symphonic music). If it’s a rainy day, give me Beethoven, if I’m in a good mood, give me Mozart, and if I really want to shake the house, slap some Tchaivsky on that turntable. Elevator music is OK by me, too. When I’m studying, I need background noise, so I turn the dial to one of those sappy stations that plays the music you hear in dental offices and in your par ents’ car. And I like it. I recognize most of those songs, as I did at the Van Halen concert, but the difference is that 1 can at least distinguish the “elevator” songs. But listening to elevator music and popular music isn’t really enough to make a person well-rounded. You’ve also got to be open to different forms of music. My music collection, although it isn’t vast, contains a couple of Depeche Mode tapes, lots of R.E.M., a few Rush selections, some Hungarian gypsy mu sic, a few opera records and even a col lection of Australian folk songs. I know several people with huge re cord collections, but too often theyart concentrated in only one or two formi of music. I sincerely believe thai broader musical tastes deepen one’sa|> preciation of different cultures and» cieties. Familiarity with different kinds of music also helps one get along with dif ferent people. Music is a universal Ian guage, and can transgress notonlycul tures, but also attitudes. People all ovei the world listen to Bach. Similarly,mam different types of people at A&M lister toR.E.M. If two strangers are stuck in aneleva tor together for several hours (a real possibility in the Reed McDonald Build ing) what can they talk about? If the) have nothing else in common, theyma; well have a discussion about music, i» between their calls for help. If a person is assigned to escort a visi tor about campus, the conversatia might well turn to music once alltheod vious avenues of discussion are spent. So being informed about and apprc ciating different types of music cangeta person through a rough spot. I wish more people would broader their horizons and listen to new kindsol music. Who knows, maybe they’ll ever enjoy it! Lydia Berzsenyi is a senior math 0 jor and editor oFThe Battalion. Let’s turn Magic loose on Ivan The fact that our men’s Olympic bas ketball team was beaten by the Soviet Union should be unsettling to all of us who consider ourselves flag-waving, al legiance-pledging Americans. Did you see the unfairness in that game? Our team was made up of young student athletes and we sent them up against a team of grown men from the Soviet Union, a few who Big Foot couldn’t have guarded. Basketball is our game, remember? It was invented in the United States when a guy named Naismith nailed a peach basket to a gymnasium balcony and sug gested people attempt to throw a ball into it from the floor below. At first, people scoffed at Naismith’s new game because of the time factor in volved. It took hours to complete a game because each time someone scored a basket, they had to call Arnold, the custodian, to go get the ladder to Lewis Grizzard Columnist climb up and get the ball out of the bas ket so the game could continue. “Hey, Naismith,” people scoffed, “basketball is a stupid game.” But after months of attempting to re fine the game, Naismith figured out just what basketball needed. “It needs a hole in the bottom of the basket!” he exclaimed to Arnold, who was more excited than anybody else since he no longer would have to get the ladder and retrieve the ball out of the basket. Gradually, it even caught on in other parts of the world and became an Olym pic sport even more popular than ar chery and synchronized swimming. Still, the United States dominated Olympic basketball. While the restoi the world was trying to figure out ho* to inflate one, we were already intosutl advances as fast breaks, full-court presses, and short skirted cheerleaders So, how do we get back in chargeol Olympic basketball? Seal the hole in the basket again? Instead of sending boys to play Olymp* hoops we need to send men. We don’t send amateurs, we sendoifl professionals. We send Magic and Isial 1 and Dominique and Akeem and wedo* few in-yo’-face dunkeroos, and weg {l Larry Bird to can a few from midcourt and it’s light-up-a-cigar time again fo [ American basketball. If we don’t do something by thenert time the Olympics roll around, the So" ets might be beating us at anothf 1 Olympic sport we have dominated^ stealing cement statues from the hot® bars. Copyright 1988, Cowles Syndicate Fi lii fc Everyone who woke c next semes find every except for underwater It’s not tl offered to ; dent body Willis Rite! tain classes demand thi “There : consistently mester, an quickly anc said. He s nications 1 nications 2 usually fill 1 Ritchey s termine fr< ter which < highest der “We had analysis) cl; of senior 1 he said, that day tc was already After th tion, 2,742 tered, Rite had enrollt Athletes drivers, str dents in th program i may regisu Classes 1 are filling 1 said. As 1 19,015 sti tered, am classes wer If a clas dent neec Ritchey sai to the dey listed und< class size lii “Each d Mer L Tex Ws $ 12.26 2.83 2.83 2.04 2.01 1.78 1.61 1.51 1.24 1.18 1.17 1.11 1.11 1.09 1.09 1.06 1.03 1.03 1.03 .95 .93 .92 .92 .91 .90 .89 .89 .88 .85 .85 . .83 . -81 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 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. Mail subscriptions are $17.44 per semester, $34.62 per school year and $36.44 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address; The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1 111. 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. BLOOM COUNTY by Berke Breathed /W cook' peremp pc/rems closer- ueex/iLs cm m jvsrmreeueve cfi/ 5NM- vm. t?5- -M- .73 .73 .72 .71 .71 .71 .71 -70- .70