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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1989)
The Battalion >> OPINION Thursday, February 16,1989 Senate resolution has good and bad points The Faculty Senate resolution concerning legal representa tion in formal proceedings contains some good ideas. If ap proved, the resolution would change the role played by lawyers in hearings concerning academic freedom, responsibility, and tenure. Texas A&M University is represented by lawyers at such hearings while faculty members often do not desire to employ legal counsel, but prefer to retain that option for post-hearing legal action. The resolution would allow legal representation for the Uni versity only if the faculty member employs legal counsel. This would be a more equitable way to handle proceedings that in volve the tenure or dismissal of faculty members. If this resolu tion is passed, faculty members who do not employ legal counsel would not have to face University lawyers. This resolution, which was returned to committee and should be back in front of the Senate next month, also contains some bad ideas. The resolution, as it stands now, would abolish many proce dures that traditionally have been fundamental to fair hearings. Pleadings, court reporters and rules of evidence would all be abolished if the resolution is adopted in its present form. While decreased emphasis on legal representation would benefit fac ulty members and the University, the abolition of all formalities would create an atmosphere inappropriate to proceedings con cerning tenure or dismissal. Members of the committees that are reviewing this resolu tion should remember that basic requirements must be met to assure hearings are fair to all parties involved. The sections of the resolution abolishing pleadings, court reporters and rules of evidence are not in keeping with the idea of fair proceedings. The Battalion Editorial Board Batman fashion fad Ron Pippin Guest Columnist The decade of the ’80s has blessed us with a number of offbeat trends — sushi bars, liposuction, stupid-yellow-car-win dow signs, fax phones and Batman wear. Yes, Batman wear. Most of you see it everyday, but try to ignore it. All it takes is a pair of boxer shorts, long Johns or “exercise” tights and a t-shirt. The Batman look began as a pre and post-aerobic mode of dress. Instead of changing back into street clothes follow ing a workout, many coeds chose to sim ply pull their shorts over their tights and return to the dorm or apartment. The purpose of “shorts over the tights” began as a method to discourage glances from lascivious male students and construction workers. But the trend has reared its ugly head in our dining halls, our bars and yes, even the classroom. How did this fashion cancer emerge? It’s difficult to say, but here’s my theory. Sultry Susan is every man’s dream., She works out at Gold’s Gym, rides her bike three miles a day, sunbathes at TAN U, doesn’t eat red meat and digs Schwarzeneggar flicks. One day Susan went to her nuclear physics class dressed in her work out clothes. Two of the girls in her class, Mona and Clara, saw her walk in and opened fire. “Why, she’s the offspring of a mon grel,” Ramona said, munching on a bag of M&M’s. “Who does she think she is, Paulina?” The next day, over cow pies and diet Cokes, Mona and Clara got wise. “I know why all the guys look at Su san,” Mona says. “Why? By the way, you’ve got mus tard on your chin,” said Clara. “It’s the way she dresses,” Mona said. “If we get some long Johns and wear those boxers we got at the spring for mal, all the guys will notice us. Wanna go to Sticky Chins?” The next day Mona and Clara walked into class, clad in their newfound aware ness. “All the guys keep glancing at us and smiling,” Clara said. “Yep, they can’t keep their eyes off us,” Ramona added. And thus, the evolution of a fashion faux pas began. Although I believe Batman wear to be a byproduct of the fitness craze, some argue it’s exhibitionism stepping out of the closet. Dr. I.C. Peeples of the Psychology Department is conducting research on trends in American colleges. “Libidinal and sexual expressiveness is on the uprise, especially in our Ameri can universities,” Peeples said. “What we’re seeing at A&M is a local manifes tation of a global trend. Wearing under wear in public is just the A&M way of saying ‘Look at me, I’m proud of my sexuality.’” Peeples cited this worldwide movement by saying nude archei'y is now very popular throughout Euro pean colleges and some males attending Japanese universities are wearing jocks traps on the outside of their trousers. “The Europeans have always been more open about their sexuality,” Peep les said. “Although I don’t believe the conservative students of A&M will ever be uninhibited enough for nude ar chery, it is likely we will see some un usual fashions this spring. For instance, brassieres may be worn on the outside of blouses, or we could possibly see swimsuits in the classroom. It’s difficult to say.” We can only speculate where the cur rent phenomenon of the Batman look may lead. Hopefully an awakening will take place and this trend will sink like a pet rock. But for those of you who still wear Spuds t-shirts and listen to your Rick Springfield records, it may never end. Ron Pippin is a senior journalism major and a guest columnist for The Battalion. 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 Edi tor 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. [he Batt SI 'fhurscte Defeated pay raise prove! constituents have power Sometimes all the world falls down on you, and you begin to lose faith in every thing surrounding you. And then an event occurs that strikes a blow to your pessimism and cynicism and beliefs. Congress voted down the pay in crease for themselves and other high of ficials. That, in and of itself, is enough to make a person born-again. Todd Honeycutt Columnist Apathy did not set in as it hasd®] many times. It seemed at first that Congress was about to get an excessive pay raise with out having to vote for it — every work ing person’s dream. I guess if you have the ability to create the laws then you should be able to reap some monetary awards for yourself as well. Think about it — being able to raise your salary or wage 51 percent without having to be accountable for it! lice is to do the best you possibly can for America without concern for yourself. The men and women in office are there for the benefit of the country, not for individual prestige and wealth. And Bush is talking about having higher ethical standards for those in government. I assumed that the bill would be passed without any qualms. “It’ll go right through without even a glance by the people or the press,” I thought. Af ter all, most citizens seem to have a lack of concern for issues such as the magnif icent budget deficit, poverty, tax in creases, and the deepening trade deficit. America began over two years ago with people that wereselJ ficient and independent. Early Am cans did not want to be ruled by; blind government on the othersijfj an ocean, and they did not want ruled by a blind government at 1 They wanted equality and justiceJ freedom: freedom from governmerl terference in all aspects of life, to enjoy any and all lifestyles andbelij and freedom to not be abused byse| ness and greed. And early Ameri were caring and believing - pride and hope. Congress was acting unethically for two reasons. The first entails accounta bility. Members of Congress have the re sponsibility to be held accountable for the laws they create. As it stood, the re sponsibility for the pay increase was not going to anybody because no one was voting on the bill. Consequently, the vot ers and citizens of this country would not be able to lay the blame on their re spective representatives and senators. Perhaps the citizen isn’t involved with the government because of its massive ness and unresponsiveness. Perhaps government problems are too incompr- hensible for the lay person to truly un derstand. But American citizens did see that Congress was unethical and dishon est in raising their salary without an im plicit vote. Look at America and its people! Citizens do not want to get invi Voter turnout becomes less anc People do not watch the governi giving them unconditional acceptad Pending away from a full demotrj with each passing president, thegota: merit becomes larger and largeraniii terferes more in the public’s affair; the forms of farm policies, businessj] cies, public and private taxes, sues, school, and personal issuessudj the selling of alcohol, drugs, abon> and seat belts. Student (thing ditl j they filled (the forms ! that actual This is: j form used I lege of Li Architect! departmei The foi I different I dasses. Becaust I have an ir uations, N j Services h that is | deans, dt structors I questions Dr. Mai I ogist and I the new e ness. "We wa of the rat fulness of ulty and ( allowing have inpu useful.” The in questions 1 The ( questions [ a departti I suppose that it did have to come to money for the citizen to get involved, though. The second reason deals with patriot ism. The supposed reasoning behind the pay raise was to keep more men and women in (or perhaps to entice better men and women into) government jobs, and to keep them out of the world of Voters across the country were angry — angry enough to do something and not just accept what the leaders gave them. They wrote letters demanding that the raise not go through. They called in on talk shows to express the ir- business. The purpose of a government responsibility and greed of Congress, office is not to make money. Most offi- They sent in tea bags to show that the cials are already among the upper class, people were in control of government It is almost impossible to run for office and that the government was directly unless you do have money. (Aristocracy, responsible to the people, not solely an anyone?) The purpose in having an of- entity in and of itself. Though we have failed in theest lishing of our early ideals, we hope. America has not fallen. Ad cans have not sold out entirely. Wei still fight, and we can induce change) we did in the defeat of the pavraisei matter how grand or distant the god merit is. We simply, or perhaps naj simply, need to quit being t need to leave our apathetic tended which have become the norm. COR A stor ton incoi of the p Universi Board c Clement k Mario Ramii Chester himself Clemen: dating t Board. The ror. Todd Honeycutt is a sophomore chology major and a columnist iohi Battalion. Appreciation of music, fine arts is worth the extra effort For reasons that logic cannot explain, there is not a fine arts school at Texas A&M. Because of that, many people leave here without really knowing how to appreciate the arts. I can see Aggies who leave the state going to see a major opera company and asking, “What th’ hell is all that screamin’ about?” They’d react similarly to art exhibits, drama, and orchestra performances. But despite this shortfall in the A&M system, it’s important to be able to un derstand the ways in which people ex press their deepest thoughts, their reac tion to society, or the way they see the world. Not only does it enlighten you by giving insight into the minds of others, but it’s an exercise for developing your own mind. While I enjoy almost all forms of art, my strongest appreciation lies in music. I listen to rock, jaZz, and new age music but never, never country. Almost all of these types of music are influenced by the chord structure and rhythms from the romantic, classical, and baroque era. It’s interesting to think that these works have lasted hundreds of years and are still prominent today. With some thought on the part of the listener, this type of music, which has a reputation for inducing sleep and bore dom, is exciting and entertaining. But it is not for the idle mind. If you like adventure and action, there’s Wagner’s “Til Eulenspeigel.” There are no words, just music per formed by an orchestra. You have listen to the mood of the music, how does it make you feel? What do you picture in your mind? Here’s what happens: A practical joker named Til goes around town trying to pick up girls, cause fights, and wreck houses. Then there’s a chase where the townspeople go after him for revenge. The music swells triumphantly as he James fclr-* Cecil Columnist escapes, but it suddenly halts to a mo rose low brass chord and the roll of the drum at the gallos where Til is hanged. A solemn theme is repeated from the beginning, showing the town back to normal without the prankster. But the piece ends with a quick flash of Til’s spirit that still lives on, perhaps in a mis- chevious boy throwing a rock through a window. You can’t just sit and passively listen to the music to see the action. Every phrase creates a mood or depicts action, but just like one line from a movie, one note by itself doesn’t mean much. You have to listen to music like you were watching a movie or analyzing the depth, mood, and feeling in a picture. For people with a good feel for visual izing scenes and sensing moods, “Pic tures at an Exhibition” paints a musical picture in our minds of the drawings of an architect who was a close friend of composer Modest Mussorgsky. With ten musical movements, this piece shows us ten paintings from the architect’s works. We see a medieval castle shrouded in mist, children play ing in a garden, a Polish ghetto con trasted with a wealthy man, the cat acombs of Paris, and other sights, all linked together by a reflective theme that represents Mussorgsky’s pensive expression as he moves from picture to picture in the gallery. It ends with a bold and majestic por trayal of The Great Gate of Kiev, the ar chitect’s design for a stone entrancf the city of Kiev. Something I’m sure everyone won I recognize is the theme featured at 11 beginning and end of the movie “2(11 A Space Odessey.” The one wherei: trumpets slowly play ascending W ’ gradually getting louder, then the III tledrums boom in with a steady beau \ the orchestra swells to a powerful: max. This piece is called “Also Spn Zaratl stra,” written by RichardStrat around 1900. It portrays the de« opment of the human race fromthel 1 ginning up to the ultimate phaseofl I man existence — the Superman,ill ideal state of mankind proposed bu philosopher Nietzche. You hear mankind in its prinfi youth with dark brass chords and to ij sounds from the strings, logic and* ence come in with very media* \ rhythm patterns; man recognizes his? I petite for love, and evolves into the? perman, then the world ends. Maybe! | a little grim, but the music gives the^ tener a vivid image of each transition ■ All this may sound abstract, but be? able to understand abstractions isi I portant. Even though most colleges' : dents in the country are getting at education, there’s not much we can about the Texas’ education system s' endowing A&M with a fine arts sebt* so it’s up to you to develop thisapprtf tion on your own. If you don’t wad do it for your own enlightenment,do to keep up with your peers at oil* j schools. Obviously, people without imagi? tion and creativity would have trout visualizing sounds like this. They shod i stick with the movies where all then# work is done for them. James Cecil is a senior econof major and a columnist for The Bad ion. F -c -E -E -V G -F