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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1988)
mion Mail Call Calling all counselors EDITOR: I am probably addressing an old problem, but I felt one more letter in the already overflowing pile wouldn’t hurt. The issue is the availability of counseling for students, or better yet, the need to expand this service. To those who are waiting to use this ever valuable service, it alone is a cause for severe depression. Texas A&M University seems to be slow in responding to the needs of its students. On-campus housing has been a need for many years, and now we finally see dorms growing before our very eyes. Parking has been the greatest challenge of every student enrolled at Texas A&M, not Chemistry 101. Now, after umpteen years, we finally see a multi-story parking garage. Don’t you think it is time someone appropriated the necessary funds to extend such a valuable service as counseling? For any student with a professional or personal problem, counseling can provide a means to acquire self-assurance and direction. Isn’t that what this whole thing is all about — becoming an Aggie with a degree and becoming qualified for a job? To an incoming freshman, this is the perfect opportunity for guidance. But if someone were to seek this guidance they would be asked to wait and call in at two- week intervals, and then maybe they could receive the help they requested. Is this acceptable? What can be done to expand this service and make it more readily available to all students? I wish I knew because I would do it. I hope that someone who has the power takes the “bull by the horns” and extends a helping hand to students who are in need. Tammy Gabriel It just doesn’t compute EDITOR: As I sit here in my graduate student office waiting for 10 to 20 minutes to get on the computer system, I am faced with a few minutes to think about life and this “world-class university.” After a few calculations, I am faced with a question: what happened to the approximately $1.8 million that the University has been receiving each semester for the last couple of semesters via the computer access fee? (40,000 students, 15 hours per semester, $3 per hour.) Maybe it’s going to other systems or something, but I have accounts on three systems here on campus and there have been no visible or obvious changes in any of these three (ZAC, THOR, and ORION). Well, maybe the “computer access fee” was just a new, modern, world-class sounding name for a fee that the University could institute in order to raise the tuition without “raising the tuition.” I mean, all those building use fees and student services fees were starting to sound the same. But a computer access fee? Now there’s a fee no world-class university should be without. Which brings me to another point: what exactly is a world-class university and how are we going to know when we achieve this great status? Personally, it sounds like politician-talk to Thirty minutes and still waiting. David Branyon Graduate student Student Senate neglects duties EDITOR: Working on better communication and cooperation with the student body is something that the Student Senate should be openly and actively concerned about At least we, the Texas A&M class councils, think so, knowing that effective representation is not to be taken lightly nor is it easy to accomplish. As fellow student leaders on class councils, which consists of each class’s elected officers and selected chairmen, we approached the Senate to hopefully work together on communication and cooperation for these two representative bodies. Unfortunately, our efforts were defeated on the Senate floor. It was our intention to form an official liason by having a representative of each separate class to serve as an ex-officio member to the senate. This would aid the effectiveness of both organizations, yet not alter the voting structure or power of the Senate. Unfortunately, some (in fact, most) senators felt this official communication link to fellow student leaders was absolutely unnecessary. Some senators remarked that Senate meetings are open and we can come to their meetings and ask for them to grant us speaking privileges. It is unfortunate that some senators take such a passive attitude concerning their duties. Others commented that, in addition to representing their constituency, they can represent the class council as well. This idea seems irrational when one considers that it is a huge and often neglected responsibility to represent and inform one’s own constituency, and that we did not elect them to be the voice of class council. We would like to encourage all senators to continue to work for better communication, as some senators are trying to do presently. Furthermore, the students of Texas A&M should be more active in ensuring that the senate’s voice is truly a reflection of our student body voice. Katherine Smith Class of ’90 president and council member Accompanied by 36 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. The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Becky Weisenfels, Editor Leslie Guy, Managing Editor Dean Sueltenfuss, Opinion Page Editor Anthony Wilson, City Editor Scot Walker, Wire Editor Drew Leder, News Editor Doug Walker, Sports Editor Jay Janner, Art Director Mary-Lynne Rice, Entertainment Editor The Battalion Thursday, Dec. 8 PagelP The needy deserve our help The plight of the poor, the hungry and the homeless is an abomination to the people of the United States. We are the richest, most caring peo ple on Earth. Any time a natural disas ter occurs in the world, from the recent earthquake in Mexico City to the mas sive floods in Bangladesh, the United States sends aid in the form of economic funds as well as skilled relief workers to better the situation. able, as are the people and the toolsa»]| the money, if funds are redistribute from defense and foreign aid. Thedf. sire to solve the problem, however,! simply non-existent. Todd Honeycutt Columnist distribute these items, but does all of this actually help the underpriviledged? Yet, here in America, one of every seven people are living at or below the poverty line. Thousands sleep in sub ways and bus stations, in trash dump sters and along alleyways, having no bet ter place to go. Many among America’s children are malnourished due to a lack of a proper diet. Not every child will have a Christmas with a tree, or gifts from Santa, or a turkey with all of the trimmings. And all of this occurs in the land of supposed prosperity and wealth — and hope. In the short term it relieves some of their suffering, but most of the aid we give does not raise them from the pool of poverty. Our aid is momentary and fleeting and does not increase anyone’s standard of living at all. The problem of the homeless andtb hungry was ignored in the recent Pre: dential election by both political parties The. problem is consistently overlooked by Congress and state legislatures. He only reason for this is because we, tlit American people, mostly middle (but a step away from poverty), ignore! ourselves. We close our eyes and forjet any problem exists. During the holidai! we give money to charity because iti the season to give. But people neet money throughout the year, not jus during November and December. It is no great wonder that there exists a poverty problem. Approximately ten percent of the people hold 90 percent of the wealth, which translates into 90 per cent of the populace sharing the other ten percent. We have above us a government which spends over 50 percent of its gen eral taxes on a defense which already is more than sufficient for our land’s pro tection. Our government is quick to bail out companies, banks and foriegn coun tries, even those contrary to its own ideologies— all of which have failed. But it is hesitant to help the needy among its own people. The U.S. government should be try ing to implement plans to help the poor: a revised welfare plan which restricts funds to those who choose not to help themselves as well as to those who have children for the purpose of obtaining more welfare money, programs to moti vate the poor to learn and to help them obtain a higher education, free daycare for parents who need to work though unable to afford daycare, work projects to provide employment for those with out jobs, programs to help the homeless re-establish themselves in the commu nity, and food banks to maintain a proper nutritional level among the pov erty stricken. The solution lies within us. We in make poverty an issue and force I government to take effective measure toward abolishing it, though realistical it can never be fully extinguished ini class system. Senators and congressi® will do nothing until we force themit heed us, until we threaten totakethei jobs away from them (which says i for the political system we have allowed to evolve). The private sector can and does do much to help, but it does not have the power that the government has, nor the responsibility to use its power. Americans and their government do much in the name of poverty, but most of the aid is superficial — cosmetic in a sense. We give food and toys, millions of dollars for the upkeep of shelters and food lines, and untold hours of time to The U.S. government is responsible because a significant minority of its con stituents are in need, because it is obli gated to help its own people before it at- tempts to solve other countries’ problems, because the problem will in crease if ignored. The ideas are avail- This holiday season, be thankful foil what you have and perhaps even foil what you do not have. If you havesouiil spare change, give it to the Salvadotf Army bell ringer who is standing ou; side in the cold by the stores wherevc shop. Any aid received is greatly appte I ciated by the poor who are fed atcl cared for. And if you have some tin and a twenty-five cent stamp, write you political leaders and demand thatihtj do more. A poverty problem doesexts.I and it’s one that we all need to address. pn an keir r tcupa Mor een n |on th Last Todd Honeycutt is a sophomorepsj' chology major and a columnist forlk Battalion. NCAA needs death penalty- Let’s forget about the allegations; what Jackie Sherrill may or may not have done, and what George Smith might have received or might have lied about. Let’s look at the heart of the mat ter — the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA essentially sets rules and regulations that all college sports pro grams must abide by in the spirit of “e thics and fair competition.” They limit the amount of recruiting activities and restrict the compensation players can receive (scholarships and other bene fits). Letting the universities run free-rein with their sports programs would turn college athletics into a business. Schools would be spending millions of dollars each year on recruiting and maintaining their players, but they would also be earning millions of dollars in ticket reve dent, the athletes should not be com pensated because, as students, they are receiving a “priceless education.” Last week I got the bill for my “price less education.” Suppose a school had a team that could easily win their conference. How much money would this team generate in ticket sales, concession sales, and tele vision rights? This team could gross mil lions of dollars in a season. What we have are players who are worth several millions of dollars to the university getting maybe a few thousand dollars a year in terms of tuition, room, and board. No other business enterprise treats its employee group with such con tempt. Any other group that tries to limit compensation to its employees would be considered to be operating il legally. I wonder what Samuel Gompers would think of this situation. Doesn’t it only make sense that athletes are paid what they are worth? If the NCAA and universities wen serious about amateurism in the firs place, then coaches shouldn’t be paid. Perhaps a solution would be to com pensate players at least minimum or set a limit of $1000 a month durini the year that they play. At least# might be close to their worth to tlit school. But one important aspect ofi solution is that the universities involve! ought to come to an agreement theycas all live with instead of the NCAAfoit ing rules on the schools. In principle though, many peoplf disagree with the whole idea ofcompeii sating athletes. They see these athlete as just students who happen to bet volved in extra-curricular activities (you’ve heard the one about “athlett scholarship” being an oxymoron).# such beliefs are blind to the facts ofth matter. Now consider a college team that would have trouble besting a 4A high school team. How much money would this team generate? Let’s say about $15 in a season. Obviously, a school would not spend a great deal of money year after year ona team that consistently loses. The co lieges with the better teams will spend more because there is obviously more demand from the public for those teams, and more money to be made be cause of this demand. So, what about the athletes, the ones who work to make the money for the universities? Well, according to the NCAA presi- Now, you might be whining that “col lege athletics isn’t a business, it’s ama teur sports for entertainment!” That’s what the NCAA says — “amateur sports.” But here, amateurism is an ideologi cal instrument used to keep athletes from sharing in the wealth they create. This ideal is propagated by the myth that being paid for athletic achievement is immoral or unethical. If it is immoral then the American public is encourag ing this immorality by providing the money. Does the NCAA want to punish millions of Americans; give them the “death penalty?” Our society places a great deal of't lue on sporting events. Consider hundreds of thousands of dollars col lected from ticket and concession sale at the A&M-UT game. Thisgameisal ways played on a traditional he and not even bad weather will drive# mobs away. Are these the values we want fro« our society? I don’t think so, but dial not the issue here. The fact is that# public is willing to spend a great dealof money to watch a pigskin move up down a field. The players in thisg ought to benefit from their work W on the value the public places on it. Tit NCAA can’t regulate the value thep# lie places on college sports,sol shouldn’t attempt to regulate the rf teams receive this value. James Cecil is a senior econonitt 1 major and a columnist for The 1 ion. 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. 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