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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1988)
i Opinion ’Tis the season to be thankful, jolly Not having a reason to celebrate Christmas seems foreign to us as we prepare shopping lists and decorate trees. However, an Associated Press story in the Nov. 29 edition of The Battalion quoted the deputy mayor of Bethlehem as saying, “We don’t see any reason to celebrate Christmas.” Because of a year-long revolt against Israeli occupation, the Pal estinian town where Christ was born has canceled its traditional cele brations for Christmas. This decision was made out of concern for the more than 300 Palestinians who have died and 5,000 others who have been arrested since the uprising began Dec. 8, 1987. As you decide on presents for family and friends and make wishes of your own for Christmas morning, we hope you remember the parts of the world where the only gift people are receiving is the gift of life for one more day. We hope the pursuit of world peace is at the top of everyone’s Christmas wish list this holiday season. The Battalion Editorial Board Mail Call Can’t we open our minds? EDITOR: All right, Ags, cut loose and give it a rest already! I’ve had enough about hearing bad rap about the Batt and some letters in the Mail Call section. The editors have as much right to their opinions as anyone else who is narrow enough to cut them down without listening to what they have to say. The letters I read, especially Tim Smith’s, which included a bark at the editors to “go back to Austin” where they “belong” did not show constructive argument but vicious attacks and cute ways to insult the Batt. Come on, Ags. Anthony Wilson is right. Can’t we open our minds just a little bit and at least listen to other ideas? If they are contrary to ours, can’t we just live with ours and let them live with theirs? Then maybe we can open ourselves to diversity, new ways and innovations. Various ideas and beliefs, even if conflicting, are the basis of what everyone here could make into a “world-class university,” exploring every aspect of life and studies around us, not exclusively football, the military and cattle. And a final note on my own sentiments concerning the NCAA allegations: Sure, A&M has an awesome football team and it’s a good part of our athletic program, but if the allegations are true, then what the hell is our honest Ag 12th Man spirit based on? Note, Mr. Frawley, that I’m saying “if the allegations are true.” If they aren’t, then God bless Jackie Sherrill for what he has had to go through. Michelle Warner ’91 Ignorance preventing greatness EDITOR: Anthony Wilson, thank you so much for your opinion column on Nov. 28. You have summed up in one article what I’ve been trying to express to fellow Ags all semester. I think it is so contradictory when we, as a student body, want national and international prestige, but our ignorance towards others prevents this. Joy L. Marshall ’91 Where has the honor gone? EDITOR: When Gov. Richard Coke addressed the first class of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in October 1876,he gave them the following advice:“Let honor be your guiding star in your dealings with your superiors, your fellows, with all ... . Stand by the right even to the sacrifice of life itself, and learn that death is preferable to dishonor.” Upon this foundation, Texas A&M created its Honor Code which states, “An Aggie doesn’t lie, cheat, or steal, and will not tolerate those who do.” Aggies are a special breed because of our love of and deep adherence to the traditions which separates Aggieland from all other universities. At the core of all of all our traditions is our belief in personal and group integrity. Texas A&M was reared on the characters of the greatest leaders of the South —Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Lawrence Sullivan Ross. All were men who would lose their lives rather than discredit their families and friends. If we at A&M lose our honor there is no further reason to keep the doors of this institution open. Coach Sherrill is innocent of the accusations currently leveled by the Dallas Morning News until he is proven otherwise. However, he was proven guilty of an Honor Code violation on Sept. 8, 1988. This fact gives credence to the allegations of Nov. 18 and holds A&M up to f urther brutal ridicule. I say to Coach Sherrill: Bear Bryant was certainly no saint, but he never performed any act which disgraced and brought shame to the students of his beloved Alabama. If Jackie Sherrill is a man of one-tenth the character of his mentor, he would leave this institution before we are further dishonored. If he has no personal honor I would hope that our officials would step in and attempt to salvage what is left of our sacred heritage. To Gen. Thomas Darling, I humbly submit: It is a waste of time to ask freshmen in the Corps of Cadets to memorize the Aggie Code of Honor and its four articles when the officials of this university have so blatantly chosen to disregard it. To preserve this house, to keep it standing, the time has come for us to pick up a broom and begin to clean house. Bryan Landry ’91 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. The Battalion Thursday, Dec. 1988 m Just who are the good Ags: 5: I never realized how many ignorant people are at A&M — until this week. In the past few days, for some reason, all of them have decided to write letters to the editor concerning the Jackie Sherrill/George Smith controversy. So far, many of the letters have gone some thing like this: EDITOR: The editorial board of The Battalion should resign immediately. The editorial board members expressed their opinions before all of the facts were out by saying that Jackie Sherrill should resign and that A&M should get the death penalty. It is obvious that the editorial board consists only of two- percenters and liberals who want to discredit Texas A&M. Shame on these bad Ags! Dean Sueltenfuss Columnist sion on a matter, nothing would ever get done. Furthermore, imagine how stupid the members of the editorial board felt when George Smith admitted that he had lied and Jackie Sherrill had never actually paid him off. The truth hurts, doesn’t it? And the truth is that Jackie Sherrill never broke any rules and that he is still a great coach and a great Aggie. Keep up the good work, Jackie! I.M. Dumb ’90 So when a highly credible newspaper such as the Dallas Morning News prints a story quoting George Smith as having received payments from Jackie Sherrill, what is the rational reaction? To decide that the whole story is a bunch of balo ney that should be dismissed as rumor? Or to decide that the story has brought up a valid topic of discussion that needs to be addressed? Well, I’d like to answer a few of the charges contained in letters such as this. But please do not mistake my argu ments as some sort of defense for the ac tions of the Editorial Board. I am not a member of the Board, and I have abso lutely nothing to do with the editorial positions expressed by The Battalion. The two editorials in the Friday, Nov. 18 edition of The Battalion called for Jackie Sherrill to resign and for A&M to recieve the “death penalty” if the allega tions levied by George Smith proved to be true. It is true that the headlines “Ags deserve death” and “Sherrill’s got to go” were not qualified concerning the verac ity of these allegations — but you can only fit so many words into a headline. Besides, when an editorial is written, it is expected that readers will read more than just the headline before they reach a final decision on the subject. But is it right to make a statement about a particular issue before all the facts are known? Perhaps not. But if people were to wait until all of the facts were known before they made a deci- What is particulary ludicrous about many of the recent letters to the editor is their assumption that the “whole truth” about this situation was not revealed un til George Smith (during his press con ference of Nov. 19) retracted his allega tions by claiming that he had been lying. It’s like saying, “We didn’t believe George Smith when he was saying bad things about Texas A&M, but now that he’s changed his story, we’re behind him all the way.” Unfortunately, this sort of stupidity is not confined to the student body of A&M. It can be traced all the way up to the Board of Regents. In reference to George Smith’s alle gations, David Eller, the chairman of the Board of Regents, said that the Uni versity accepted the statements that Smith had made during his press con ference. After the Regents’ Nov. Eller had the audacity to declare that the in vestigation was finished as far as Smith was concerned. Dean Carlton, class of ’49, voiced his support for A&M and Sherrill, and said that the entire incident was simply the result of “sloppy journalism.” He also suggested that the best thing that could come out of the entire situation would be to get rid of f 'he Battalion. w- It is people like Mr. Eller and Mr. Carlton who give A&M a bad name. They have disgraced Aggies everywhere by closing their eyes to the possibilii) wrongdoing on the part of JackieS rill. 'They have blindly chosen the of ignorance, hoping that they will be confronted by the truth. Uponsi possible problems with A&M’s department, they have turned backs on these problems and hoj they will go away. Ah, the stuff of leadership. Mr. Mr. Carlton, we salute you. It’s easy to criticize the editorsol Battalion by claiming that they have graded Texas A&M in front ofthe tire nation. It’s easy. In fact, you don’t even to think in order to criticize them you have to do.is jump on theb; gon and start screaming how A&M and Jackie Sherrill are and stupid their detractors are. And that’s what a lot of recentletiJ writers have done. They’ve taken a easy way out by ref using to acknowleilj that A&M isn’t perfect. They’ve lash out against anyone who would dart question the credibility of JackieShi or A&M. But in a way. I’m glad that thiswl incident has happened. I’m simple, frightened people have mil their feelings known, because it \ given us an opportunity to separate! good Aggies from the bad ones. The good Aggies are the people look at their University with an op mind. They are the people who ares afraid to stand up and criticize sok thing when the think it’s wrong.ft do not hide from the truth—thevs it out. The bad Aggies are the people out of idiocy or greed (or both),hi vowed to support Jackie Sherrill u our athletic program regardless oil truth. T hese people do notcareaki honor or respect. They care aho money and football. T hese peoplei not true Aggies. They are fakes. And the sooner we get rid of them all the way from the lowliest fresk to the highest regent — the sooner can restore our-Universitvsprih honor and dignity. Dean SueltenfuSS‘is a juniorjm lism major and columnist for The 8i talion. Po to Eu B Americ; perts, inc Texas A& cility, will British cc for infer East-West The ag of talks i covers th< possible n trine and Gorbache economic Howev Thomas, Texas Er Station’s Technolo; paling in third con he expect in the pas cial agend “None an officia governme cause of t from the holds-bar topics. Althou and Ame military o that these mal negot “What exchange vate citize The scl est in a s ings imtu Erickson, Universit The fl brought ( from the United K server fre invited, a came of Pi Last yt cow. Tho Cost of parenting well worth it If my parents had opted for the let’s- not-have-puppies plan, they would be sitting on easy street right now — and I wouldn’t be here. I was trying to figure out exactly how much I cost my parents, from the day I was born until now. I could add the things they bought me before I was born, but I was not responsible for those costs. I was in no position to stop them (not that I would have) from spending the major bucks on baby clothes, baby cribs, baby booties and other parapher nalia for the expectant duo. Before embarking on this trip to find out how many pesos my parents popped to keep me in Keds, consider the gender problem. I always thought boys cost less than girls, but recent observations have caused me to change my opinion. It’s true that girls look like they cost more. They’re the ones who buy designer clothes, expensive perfume and shelv ing paper. Compared to guys who, on the whole, seem to be less conscious of those things, girls look more expensive. But you have to talk to the guys to re alize they spend their money on major machinery — televisions, cars, stereos and Heather Locklear posters. Guys spend the money —just not as obviously as girls. So I conclude that guys and girls are equally expensive. Now, I have a theory concerning how much money parents will spend on their offspring per year. It’s called the The ory of Exchanges. When you were born, your parents Becky Weisenfels Managing Editor spent mucho-bucks to make you look cuddly. You never really asked for the Snoopy diapers or Calvin Klein bottle warmer, but they bought it — in ex change, they got to have a cute baby to round out the family portrait. They bought that stuff and in return you were supposed to gurgle and giggle on cue and NEVER spit up (but then some times ya’ gotta’ do what ya’ gotta’ do). Momentum to spend money was high for parents in this stage of the game. They were doing their best to keep up the Cleaver legacy of a family with clean, respectable kids. Then you hit the toddler years. You wanted toys, and you had the vocal cords to scream until you got them. Your parents wanted you to shut up, so they bought the Tonka trucks, the Bar bies and the Lincoln Logs. Besides, you were still young enough to look good on Easter Sunday in those ridiculous gar ments with lace and velvet, so they hu mored you. You got toys and they got some quiet kid for the holidays. It was a fair exchange. Buying momentum was going down, but not noticably. Then you got to high school. Parents’ momentum to spend on youwasaii all-time low. They, just wanted you* of the house. The whole time, you) screaming for a new car, money,a| reo, money and perhaps stocks bonds. Parents kept thinking that, less they decide to spring for col they take the risk of having you inti* house for heaven-knows-how-I T hey decide to spring for college. The exchange was that my partt help pay to send me to this haven! homeless pseudo-intellectuals and hi them on holidays — and then 1 keepi mouth shut. After thinking all of this over, 11 decided that I did not really cost parents that much at all. It was pin much a fair trade all the wav down! line. They bought me diapers, andl cute and tried not to cry during! night (unless they upset me), ft bought me Barbie and I didn’t serd during church service. T hey bought me a bike and 1 letil hold her Tupperware parties in peart got a car, they got to claim meoni! 1 income tax return. T hey pay for college, and 1 havd been thrown in jail or disgraced family name (not too badly, at least). Of course, I am sure my parent 1 pect me to strike out on my ownaW graduate. And I might. But might be fun to see what I could to for if I told them I was going toi back home. Becky Weisenfels is a seniorjoiit lism major, managing editor and so ! umnist for The Battalion. T] Ci th 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 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battal ion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col lege Station TX 77843-4 111. BLOOM COUNTY Hf\5 dfilYBOPY CONSlPgRTP THAT MflYBe OPU5 IS FeeUNO pos/rn/e AFOUTH/SNeW U?0K • by BerKe Breath IN FACT 1TH/UK IPO LOOK A / RI0HT. / ZITLIKFA A MSOLUmy! LOWS PON AMFCHB NOIM.