The Battalion 2STATE & LOCAL ^ Bfednesday, September 27,1989 eiV&M gets shot of Rand objectivism By Selina Gonzalez Of The Battalion Staff he Students of Objectivism sponsored a vi- lecture by Dr. Leonard Peikof'f titled, fReligion Versus America” Tuesday night to ed- jiiate Texas A&M students about Ayn Rand's I'Biilosophy of Objectivism. ■ Objectivists maintain four belief's: reality as it feBcists independent of man's feelings, wishes, I Hopes or fears; reason as man’s only means of (Hrceiving reality, his only source of knowledge, ’ Hs only guide to action, and his basic means of —- survival; man as an end in himself , not the means H the ends of others; and laissez-faire capitalism l|leil ltH[he ideal political-economic system. “arniiH The purpose of Students of Objectiv ism, ^ founded last year, is to educate people about Ayn ai Hand's objectivism philosophy, Kevin Copps, andrHresident of Students of Objectivism, said. An objectivist cannot believe in God, Copps said. Atheism is a consequence of objectiv ism. Lecturing at the Ford Hall Forum in Boston on April 20, 198(5, Peikof'f said, today’s Moral Majority is correct in saying that America's f ree dom depends on moral values. But the Protes tant Fundamentalists, led by the Republican Party, is incorrect in saying that religion can pro vide that moral foundation, Peikof'f said. “Religion means orienting one’s existence around faith, God and a life of service . . . con demning four key elements: reason, nature, the self and man,” Peikoff said. Communism is a modern derivative of reli gion, Peikoff said. “We are still being protected (from communism) by the fading remnants of our Enlightenment heritage . . . but we will not be so for long if the New Right has its way,” Peikof f said. Peikoff said the Moral Majority’s view on abor tion is an example of how women don’t have con trol over their bodies, their own lives, their life goals and even their existence. “The New Right is not the voice of American ism,” Peikof'f said. “It is the voice of thought-con trol attempting to take over in this country and pervert and undo the actual American revolu tion.” Peikoff said that in order to combat the doc trines that he said are destroying America, “We need a philosophy of reason and of rational self- interest that will release the power of man’s mind and the energy inherent in liis pursuit of happi ness.” The purpose of Students of Objectivism is to find that philosophy, Copps said. Peikoff encouraged people who agree with ob jectivism ideas to choose between religion, which is a form of unreason, and America. “You cannot have both,” he said. “If there is to be any chance for the future, this is the only chance there is.” Jordan Institute bolsters world awareness By Cindy McMiliian umtifi tire * 0 ; The Battalion Staff College life is so demanding that my students develop tunnel vi- jm, shutting off the rest of the Jfcrld. A program offered by the ■SC Jordan Institute for Interna- eveilBjnal Awareness, however, encour- enjouHjes Texas A&M students to open ‘S ■ eil ' e y esand see ’* ie whole picture. ’ ^ The Jordan Enrichment Program rovides funding to student organi- tions that plan activities with an in- Irnational subject matter. Siti Ai- ah Md. Lassim, Jordan's director Ir Enrichment Programs, said the ogram offers international stu- fents a chance to bridge the gap be- Jieen themselv es and American stu- yeaitients. ■ Lassim, a graduate student in in- lustrial engineering from Malaysia, the Jordan Institute and the In- Brnational Students Association aim for basically the same objective, but any internationals don’t realize at. l has “Most of the time international students focus on the ISA, but actu- Jly they’re isolating themselves jcatio versitl from American students,” she said. This gap, Lassim said, is the reason she became involved in Jordan. The types of programs f unded by Jordan are wide ranging, she said, and in the past have included lec tures, movies, art exhibits, music, ar chitecture and business. The Jordan committee is not looking for any cer tain kind of event to sponsor, she said, but considers funding for any program planned by a recognized student organization that deals with an international subject. “A lot of programs can be done," she said. “It’s just a matter of who’s willing to apply and take responsibil ity for the planning.” Planning, organization and imple mentation of programs are com pletely the responsibility of the spon soring organizations. Jordan helps provide the funds from proceeds of an endowment left in the memory of Leland T. Jordan, Glass of ’29, by his wife, Jessie W. Jordan. Organizations receiving money from the Jordan Enrichment Pro gram in the past include the Aggie Players, MSC Great Issues, the Asso ciation of Graduate Wildlife and Fisheries Scientists, MSG Aggie Gin- ema, Langford Architecture Genter Gallery, MSG Black Awareness Committee and the Mexican Stu dents Association. Deadlines for applications are staggered, depending on when the money is needed. Organizations may apply for funding for academic year 1989-90, academic year 1990-91 or funding on a monthly basis for an ongoing type of program. Lassim said that planning in ad vance for a program to be offered helps next year can be considered a prob lem, but it can also be a plus. “The application deadline you prepare well for your program and make sure you have enough money,” Lassim said. Most grants do not exceed $ 1,()()(). Between the current year’s budget, next year’s budget and the monthly award, a total of $7,200 is available. Applications for the enrichment program can be picked up in the committee’s office in the MSG Browsing Library. Angry letter writers ask officials to deny Jones’ parole request AUSTIN (AP) — State parole officials have received hundreds of letters saying convicted baby- killer Genene Jones should stav in prison, and the prosecutor who won that conviction said Tuesday he will join them. “She’s dangerous,” Kerr County District Attorney Ron Sutton, who prosecuted the 1984 case,said. Jones first becomes eligible for parole in November after being sentenced to 99 years in prison for killing a 15-month-old girl by fatal injection. Chelsea McClellan died Sept. 17, 1982, after suffering mys terious seizures while in the care of Jones, who worked as a nurse in a Kerrville pediatrician's office. Karin Armstrong of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles said more than 575 letters had been sent to the board since the case was publicized last week on the syndicated television show “Geraldo.” “That’s a lot of letters,” a sec ond board spokesman said. “It’s as many as any of us can remem ber.” Jones’ eligibility for parole un der state law doesn’t mean that she will be released, Armstrong said. A board member is sched uled to interview Jones next week and file a report for a three-mem ber panel to make a parole deci sion. “She never has admitted her guilt in this thing,” Sutton said. “For that reason, I consider her extremely dangerous. I'm going to protest the parole. I think she’s dangerous and I think she’s got sociopathic tendencies." According to evidence pre sented at the trial, there was a his tory of problems at the pediatri cian’s office. From Aug. 27 to Sept. 27, 1982, si> children — in cluding Chelsea McClellan — suf fered unexplained seizures while in Jones’ care. All had been brought to the office with rela tively minor complaints. Chelsea was scheduled to re ceive routine immunizations, and the nurse gave the injection while the child was in her mother’s arms. “It’s a very clear pattern,” Sut ton explained during a 198(5 ap peals court hearing. “In each case, there was an unexplained seizure. Each one had an injec tion by needle or intravenous and in each one (Jones) prepared.the needle or the intravenous.” Activists protest federal AIDS survey in Dallas DALLAS (AP) — Gay rights and AIDS activ ists blocked the entrance to the Dallas County Health Department Tuesday with 90 “bodies” to protest a federal door-to-door survey on AIDS. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last month approved a random survey of Dallas County residents to be conducted over a three- to four-month period to determine the county’s rate of AIDS infection. The survey of 3,400 households is also in tended to determine the feasibility of a national AIDS survey next year. “The time for studies has passed. The time for action is now,” activists chanted as they blocked the door to the health department with shirts and pants that were sewn up and stuffed to resemble bodies. The number of stuffed “bodies” represented the number of people who will die of AIDS in Dallas County during the survey period, William Waybourn, president of the Dallas Gay Alliance, said. The survey would ask one adult itt each of the 3,400 randomly-chosen households to take a blood test for the AIDS virus and answer ques tions about sexual habits and drug use. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome is caused by the HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. The virus damages the body’s immune sys tem, leaving victims susceptible to death f rom in fections and cancer. Proponents say the survey will shape govern ment spending on AIDS prevention and treat ment. “At this point the only solid numbers that we ha\'e deal with AIDS patients, not with HIV-in fected persons,” Dr. Gordon Green, director of the Dallas County Health Department, said. e ml ADMIT ONE Here’s Your Ticket To The Hottest Show On Campus! data systems & M icroComputerCenter CompiUer Saks and Supplies Located on the main floor of the Memorial Student Center Monday thru Friday 7:45 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (409) 845-4081 Present Zenitfi Data systems is pleased to announce Solu tions Tour ’89. 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