Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 1988)
Opinion The Battalion p r iday, Dec. 2, 1988 P39® •• St Mail Call , Dockery: Saff's style appalling EDITOR: I was appalled at the speed and ferociousness with which your excitable staff pounced on Coach Jackie Sherrill when the Dallas Morning News ran its most recent condemnation of the Texas A&M football program. Your editorial board further demonstrated a predisposition to mindless sensationalism. I wonder if, in stating that A&M “deserves the death penalty,” you gave any thought whatever to the economic consequences of such a punishment. Besides the loss of an estimated $25 million in revenues that otherwise would accrue to your school and the local economy, the loss in national recognition for A&M would be incalculable. It’s unlikely that it crossed your minds, any more than it crossed your minds to question the News’source — a quirky, self-admitted opportunist and hardly a responsible source for building a case against the school’s head coach. Yet your staff was quick to second the accusations, thereby summarily trying and convicting Coach Sherrill. While purporting to be guardians of the truth, you clearly let personal feelings of outrage (and vindication) influence your journalistic judgment. This reminds me of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes saying “The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and press, but does not guarantee the right to yell fire in a crowded theatre, and the Constitution guarantees the privilege of freedom of the press, but also requires respect of that freedom of the press, and my heart is heavy that you have chosen to abandon that freedom.” I find that a sad commentary on the state of journalism at Texas A&M. Rod Dockery ’66 EDITOR’S NOTE: Rod Dockery has been banned from association with the A&M Athletic Department after being linked by the NCAA to violations con cerning former A&M star quarterback Kevin Murray. Readers’ arguments weak EDITOR: After weeks (or even months) of following the furor surrounding the football program here at A&M, I was finally compelled to write a letter in response to some of the letters that appeared on the opinion page and the From the Bleachers column on Nov. 29. • “Baft’s crap annoying” by Bill Frawley. In this letter, Mr. Frawley requests a “semi-logical thought process” regarding the dismissal of Jackie Sherrill. Here it is: 1. If Jackie Sherrill is doing his job as athletic director, he should know of any improprieties in the Athletic Department and should take positive action to correct them. 2. If Jackie is not doing his job as athletic director, he should be dismissed from the position. 3. If someone else acts to correct improprieties within the Athletic Department, it can only be because Jackie either did not know about them or did know about them and failed to take action himself. 4. The football program was placed on probation by an NCAA committee after being found guilty of several misconduct charges. 5. Therefore, Jackie Sherrill should be dismissed from his position as athletic director. There are some intermediate steps in the argument that I have left out. It is, however, a valid, logical argument. Notice that it concerns not whether Jackie has been proven guilty of any misconduct related to his job as football coach, but rather whether he deserves the A.D. position. As A.D., he is an administrator of Texas A&M University and should be expected to correct misconduct in his department, just as a department head would be expected to act to deal with incidences of misconduct such as plagiarism or cheating on exams. By not doing anything, either he is admitting that he does not know what is going on around him or he is implicitly condoning illicit activities. If he did not act because he did not know, he should lose the A.D. position and someone more capable for the position should be hired. If he did know and still did not act, he should be dismissed from all positions he holds at this University. • “ ‘Stonewall’ Sherrill a cancer” by Sandy McDouglas. This letter states “The only way to clean up the athletic program (is to) get rid of all the cancer. And that goes for the entire Athletic Department.” The entire department is not the object under scrutiny. The current problem rests with the football program and that is the program that needs to be “cleaned up.” • “Don’t be so negative!” by Greg Bankston (with 42 signatures). Mr. Bankston feels that Hal Hammons “being a journalist, should know about accusation and constitutional rights.” I did not realize that a law degree was a prerequisite for admission to be a journalism major. Being a journalist, the only constitutional right Hammons can be expected to be very familiar with is the right to free speech . . . and that is the right he exercised when he wrote his editorial. Chad Whitacre ’89 Has Jackie been loyal? EDITOR: This letter is in response to Greg Nolan’s letter appearing in Mail Call on Nov. 30. • Mr. Nolan, in your recent letter, you so graciously provided a definition of loyalty to Hal Hammons. In doing so you implied that he should not jeopardize the strong bond of the student body at A&M by writing articles about the recent muck the football program has had slung at it. Well, Mr. Nolan, Jet’s try to clear some of the fog here, because behind that fog, you will find standing the one and only “loyal” Jackie Sherrill. Let’s also, for a moment, forget about the recent George Smith fiasco and remember back to earlier in the semester. The NCAA found the A&M football program guilty of certain wrongdoings. Jackie Sherrill stands at the head of that program. Mr. Nolan, was Jackie Sherrill “loyal” to us Ags when he lied to the NCAA, cheated at football by unfair recruiting practices and stole some of our Aggies’ dignity. I think not, Mr. Nolan, for you should have read a bit more of Webster since faith is defined as “loyalty — good (or bad); faith (in) sincerity; (dis)honesty.” Mr. Nolan, if anyone has failed at being loyal, it’s been Jackie Sherrill. Richard Noorlag ’90 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 (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 AJensen, 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 77843-4 111. ... KuV UP INTO THE 5TAWS A A/P F1A/P US A VOWkmt. 7LA1EK. A few lessons I’ve learned before I bid A&M adieu Every semester, the opinion page edi tor (Anthony “Media Darling of the Texas Press” Wilson in this case) calls all the columnists together and sternly warns them that if they write any “I’m leaving and here’s everything that hap pened during my last four years at A&M” columnns, he would see to their firing. ling along with people. Even wiihalllk desegregation plans which have bw put into effect during the last decade many high school graduates leaveliiji school never knowing anyone of aai race or socio-economic backgrouai other than their own. This means that most college fresk men are experiencing a major cultuit We say still COLLEGl The 1988 dr down hard c riculture, ar helped only of the state. And accor outlook by t Service, the not likely to cy’s Decemb forecast call: cent chanc rainfall for Deep South. Dr. Zerle tor of the T tension Ser front duri dropped sea central cour the state’s and up to ‘ counties of c The Iron cant precip areas, he sail Following that readier Winter Gan of San Anti Houston art dry soil t ranges, past j quick halt ii plains count [ tral region. Carpente Service is I producers o sic acid (cy: [ lowing frost other sorglr He said it five or six i fore turnin type of sorg watch them Carpente vesting is n Panhandle ; is about 25 cold weathe tenance fe though ran still in fairly In West ( nance feedi spread beca pasturage, f winding dc So this semester, I just assumed I wouldn’t write one of those mushy col umns. But the eagerly anticipated lec ture from Anthony never came, and I started thinking that since I am the only graduating columnist (14 days until the big day) I really should write one of these columns. cause by then I’ll be a multi-millionaire and can retire.” It’s my duty, after all, to write the type of column everyone has been wait ing for all semester. Finals, graduation and leaving town just wouldn’t be the same without it. (Besides, he couldn’t fire me anyhow.) Well, if you look at the number of multi-millionaires in the world today, you’ll notice a few things. First, there aren’t a whole heck of a lot of them. Sec ond, most of them made their money doing something they enjoy. Third, many of them still work, at least part of the time, because they simply enjoy what they do. shock when they begin their colie reers. They have to learn to get with different kinds of people; adapt to people with different cultur/ values. Being exposed to people front)! walks of life is perhaps the biggest lean ing experience there is. College pn vides a great platform on which learning experience can take place. Geez, all this education, and p didn’t even know you were getting it! So here we go. The paper you are reading is the last one which will have my name in the staff box. This is the last time you will have to look at my outdated picture. This is the last time you will have to read my ram bling monologue. So while I still have you. I’d like to just tell you a few things I’ve learned during my four years at A&M. Look around, take some courses that interest you, find out what you really want to do with your life. That’s when you’ll want to study, because you’ll really want to know the information, not just because your professor wants you to spit it back up. The first and most important thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter how much money you can make. The only thing that amounts to a hill of beans is happiness. If you aren’t going to be happy with the work you will be trained to do when you graduate from A&M, STOP NOW!!! (I should know — I’m majoring in math?!?!?!?!) The next big lesson I’ve learned is that college is the place you learn about things that aren’t necesarily taught in the classroom. Most college students have never lived away from home for any extended period of time before they enter the sacred halls of A&M. But enough of this serious stuff.EvH since 1 have been writing for the everyone I know has asked me to their name in print. Yet, since it doesil exactly add to a journalist’s credibilitftf talk to their friends and then passtte interviews off as random, I haven’t to able to make my friends’ wishes true. But now’s my chance. Everyone, like to introduce you to my some friend* of mine. Some of these people asked it have their names in print, othersIjni threw in for the heck of it. Make sure you are trained in some thing that you can profit from person ally as well as financially. It’s great to say, “It doesn’t matter if I hate what I do. I’ll only have to do it until I’m 30 be- They learn not only about homesick ness and long distance services, but they also learn nifty things like waking up by themselves, cooking for themselves, jug gling their own finances, sharing a home or even a bathroom with someone other than a brother or sister, and studying on their own accord. All these valuable lessons and more can be yours for the low, low price of four years of your life. Introducing: Ben, Rachelle, Stephen, Daniel, Eric, Adam, Michelle, Mark, Catherine, John Celeste, Vonda, Hal, Charlie, ! Chris, Rachelle, Scott, Seanna, B Adrian, Debbie, Sharon, Jack, Kay chelle, George, Richard, Tony, Ron, Rachelle and Liz. With that, so long! Oh yeah, hi Mot and Dad! But perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned during my college stint is get- Lydia Berzsenyi is a senior math M jor and editor oTThe Battalion. BLOOM COUNTY by BerKe Breathe* NOSft OF SHAME •/? pk/bf Review bJoveMeez, me-- a mp Nose JOB BY MicneeL JACKSON'S PLASTIC supoeoN. peceM&ep.'eBi BACK-ALLAY NOSe LIPOSUCTION. 5200 $20 $200 i ii $200 Ul $200 Do y< $200 back $200 FREI $200 padic $200 who* $200 $20 $100 $1C 5100 ipr $100 ‘Hr $100 $100 $100 War Irritc $100 $10* $100 $1c Fa'S $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 Wante ticipat over-t those $40 For indi ter cede als also