The Battalion
OPINION
Friday, October 13,1989
Common courtesy
before tradition
Lately there has been a lot of talk about traditions, yet one
tradition seems to be dying, and no one is doing anything about
it. In our rush to uphold and protect the sacred traditions of
Texas A&M, we are letting common courtesy fall by the wayside.
There are numerous examples of this. If people fail to re
move their hats during yells, they are met with a barrage of peo
ple yelling, “Uncover!” in the most obnoxious possible manner.
Those who inadvertantly walk on the MSC grass are curtly told
to “get off the grass“ without being told why. Each weekend,
those involved in bonfire pound on each and every door in
many residence halls to wake people, including those who have
no desire to participate. Finally, those who hold ideas contrary
to those of the majority are called “two percenters” or worse and
told “Highway 6 runs both ways.”
This kind of intolerance makes the entire University look
bad. We must all work hard to make this a more polite and toler
ant campus. Common courtesy is, and should be, paramount to
tradition.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Health Center ailing
To be sick is to know the Beutel Health
Center and to know it well.
But to know it is not to love it.
Being a frequent visitor of the
“Quack Shack,” paying a visit at least
twice a semester since the fall of 1986, I
have made some observations, both
positive and negative.
I may not be an authority on the
Quack Shack, but for the size of this
campus and the number of students
who filter through the Health Center
each day, the Center seems to do a
good job of providing quality health
care to the masses. And, for students,
paying only $15 a semester for quality
health care from quality physicians isn’t
a high price to pay when compared to
other medical facilities. Prescriptions
are even dispensed at wholesale prices.
But the main problem I have found
lies not in the care but whether or not it
is easily accessible.
Staffed by seven doctors, the Center
has treated an average of 356 patients a
day since September, including at least
98 appointments per day under the
new appointment policy that is sup
posed to alleviate endless waiting.
However, the new policy, while good
for some (those who actually do get ap
pointments and the doctors) does not
seem to be doing much to reduce the
number of patients in the waiting
rooms during regular hours or after
hours in the emergency care clinic.
In four years, I have never been able
to get out of the Quack Shack in less
than two hours. This week was no ex
ception. (I thought it said somewhere
that seniors got priority over freshmen.
Well, not in the Quack Shack.)
On Monday, I called to make an ap
pointment only to be told “Sorry, we’re
booked until Thursday.” Thursday! I
could have died by then. But although
I was not granted the privilege of an
appointment, I was perfectly welcome
to “just walk in and wait” or come by
the emergency clinic in the evening. In
actuality, it would be beneficial to know
in advance when you’re going to be
sick. Watch out, that headache on
Monday may be telling you to make
plans to spend Wednesday afternoon
in the Quack Shack.
With each doctor limited daily to
only 12 previously scheduled appoint
ments, 256 of the average 356 patients
seen per day must wait their turns —
wait in various waiting rooms, wait in
chairs, wait on couches, wait on
floors WAIT A MINUTE— Should
so many “sickies” be around so many
other “sickies” for so long?
Well, to avoid the wait I thought I’d
wise up and make a nighttime visit to
the hospital’s^ upstairs emergency
clinic. Just by coincidence, other fellow
sickies had the same idea. A nurse in
formed me that with eight ahead of me
I could expect a two hour wait. I only
Juliette
Kizzo
Opinion Page Editor
thought I was miserable before.
Depending on the night, at least 50
people also wait then since the sickest
patients are seen first. I have no objec
tion to this except that only one physi
cian is usually available. So I waited
and when called I discovered I didn’t
enjoy waiting again for the doctor in a
• little area with nothing more than a
curtain to separate me from the next
person, who I overheard was having
female problems on top of possibly be
ing pregnant. I don’t think she appre
ciated answering the doctor’s probing
questions about her sexual history
knowing that everyone else could hear.
(Definitely not my idea of social medi
cine.) Oh, by the way, the guy on the
other side of the diaphanous curtain
was wounded by a tree (he tripped over
it at bonfire cut), although he sounded
like he was being wounded in combat
with the nurse as she jabbed while
asking if it hurt.
After quietly making the doctor
aware of my symptoms, I was given a
prescription. At last, I was out of there.
On the way home, I realized that al
though the quality of care was ad
equate, the lack of privacy and the wait
made me sick of being sick. I think it
makes a lot of students sick of the
Health Center without realizing that
we are fortunate to have one of the best
college health centers in the state.
To alleviate such stress among stu
dents, if the Health Center has enough
funds to remain open into the eve
nings, why not consider opening the
main doors 24 hours, thus maybe re
lieving the waiting and ensuring pri
vacy by using the rooms on the main
floor? Not only would it lessen the wait
but time would be saved from having
to send someone to the first floor at
night to retrieve records.
The Health Center provides good
care, once the patient gets to see the
doctor, but the wait is too long. This is
an inadequacy of the Health Center
that the administration of this Univer
sity should look into solving. They
should consider raising the fees, or
some other creative action, if the
Health Center wants to purport to pro
vide quality health care that is timely
and efficient as well.
Juliette Rizzo is a junior journalism
major and opinion page editor for The
Battalion.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Scot Walker, Editor
Wade See. Managing Editor
Juliette Rizzo, Opinion Page Editor
Fiona Soltes, City Editor
Ellen Hobbs, Chuck Squatriglia,
News Editors
Tom Kehoe, Sports Editor
Jay Janner, Art Director
Dean Sueltenfuss, Lifestyles 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 photographs-
classes within the Department ol'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 7~cS43-4 111.
Th
<
Opinion Page Editor Juliette Rizzo 8453;
Fri
Mail Call
Homsexuals have human rights
EDITOR:
I am writing in reference to Adam Mathieu’s article
in The Battalion on October 10 concerning
homosexuality.
It is about time there was an article (no matter the
subject) where the columnist actually educated himself
on his subject before writing about it. There have been
numerous articles in your paper concerning subjects
that I have been involved in that have been totally
misrepresented by columnists. They should find out
why something is being done, who is making decisions
and most of all talk to the people they will be writing
about.
First, the Bible clearly states homosexuality is asio
For that matter so is lying and stealing. Of course mosi
liars and thieves don’t have a political lobby advocatins j
lying and stealing as “alternative lifestyles.”
Mr. Mathieu’s article is another article on a subject
with which I am “involved.” I am a homosexual. I do
not live openly and shout it from the rooftops. I will not
march and fight for something that is already mine —
human rights. I am a human being. That I am gay is not
an issue for me. Bryan-College Station has a fairly large
gay community that consists of people from every age
group, social class, etc. We have construction workers,
store clerks, medical personnel, teachers and, of course,
hairstylists. I know fraternity members who are gay and
even one Corps member.
When I first “came out” two years ago, I expected to
be embraced by the gay communinty, but to my suprise,
I walked into a bar of just plain people. Again, that I
was gay was not an issue. This was when I stopped
hating myself for being gay. This was when I realized
gay people are no different from other people in an
area that was personal and private — their sex lives.
The real perverts are the people who think that’s any of
their business. Again, thank you Mr. Mathieu.
Name withheld by request
Third, I am saddened by the loss of lives to AIDS,
including lives of homosexuals; just as I am saddened
when a drunk kills himself and others in a car wreck.
However, I think society has a right to protect itself
from both drunks and homosexuals by passing laws
restricting their behavior.
For more information about homosexuals, your
wish to read the celebrated work called The Gay
Report, by Jay and Young, a book by and about
homosexuals, which calmly reports the high percenijjtl
of homosexuals who admit to horrible practices,
including bestiality, pedophilia, and suggestions on
“how to get access to boys.”
Offensive attack on values
So don’t ask me to respect homosexuality. Instead
I’ll pray for homosexuals to escape their destructive
lifestyles before it’s too late.
EDITOR:
L.M. Smith
Professor
In response to the pro-homosexual column in
Tuesday’s Battalion, I would like to make the folowing
points. Asking me to respect the courage of the 11
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorialilcl
reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every efj
maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must indwhiil
classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
My desk: warehouse of jimi
I took a long look at my desk the
other day and realized it had finally
gotten completely out of hand. I subse
quently abandoned all hope of ever res
cuing it from its chaotic state.
I had the feeling this would happen.
First, there was the mail I was going to
answer. It started out as a little pile to
the right of my typewriter.
Then, it began to grow and reached
ceiling level. I stuck my hand under the
pile and pulled out the bottom letter. It
was dated 1982.
Here’s
desk:
what
else
1111
I found
Lewis
Grizzard
Syndicated
Columnist
A yoyo. It was underneath a stattj
paperback books I was going to iff
but never did. The books indudfl
“Lonesome Dove,” “Bitter
“Winds of War” and “A Confecte
of Dunces,” and they were sittingt
to a golf shoe.
That makes me seven years behind
in answering my mail and, worse, when
I reached under the pile to get to the
bottom letter, the stack sort of disinte
grated and a lot of the mail fell down
under my desk. Unfortunately, that’s
where it will remain because my doctor
told me not to bend over and do any
heavy lifting.
haps they could use the cups, and
whatever is growing inside them, for a
science project.
I can’t explain how one golf shoe:!
on top of my desk, and I don’t kr|
where the other one is, either. Perhi
it was eaten by some sort of
newspaper.
Since I don’t have any children, I
have called an exterminator, and he
said it would be two weeks before he
could come over and spray my coffee
cups.
Then, there is the matter of the cof
fee cups. I bring in a cup of coffee
from the kitchen each morning as I be
gin my work day.
“In the meantime,” he said, “don’t
get too near any of the growth. You
never know what you could catch from
something like that.”
I get involved in what I’m doing and
forget about the coffee. By the time I
reach for it, it’s cold. So it just sits there.
I counted recently and there were 11
cups of cold coffee on my desk.
There also are a lot of newspapers
on my desk. I’m convinced if you leave
two newspapers on your desk they will
engage in the mating process and pro
duce other newspapers.
UUHUl UUML1CC UI1 Illy UC5K.
Some of these cups date back to
June, and there is green stuff growing
inside them. If I had any children, per-
I distinctly remember leaving a copy
of USA Today on top of the Wall
Street Journal and now there are all
these newspapers all over the place
with color photographs of those in
volved in the HUD scandal.
I also found a key to the citjj
Waco, Texas, given to me when lid
a speech there 10 years ago, a
copy of the magazine Editor &
lisher, a yearbook from my seniorj
in high school, a photograph ofe
drinking a hot Pepsi in Russia, anat:|
graphed photo of legendary
movie star Lash LaRue, a letter to
an old girlfriend, detailing how mtc
an improvement her new boyftoj
was over me, a road map of 1
fossilized doughnut, an obscene bun]
ersticker, some rubber bands,!
socks that didn’t match, a dead mo
and a nail.
Two more weeks before theextertl
nator comes. If I turn up missing?
tween now and then, first check insi
the coffee cups.
Copyright 1989, Cowles Syndicate
, m . toms
SATTIE
RATTLE^
members of the Gay Students Services for beingina
yearbook picture is the most ludicrous request I’ve had
in a long time. As a Christian, I am offended by
frequent editorial attacks on my values. Perhaps The
Battalion will see it fit to present opposing views suchaiI
mine.
11
ByC
I Of Tl
Second, a confidential poll of traditional
psychiatrists revealed that a majority continued to thinil
of homosexuality as a “pathological” condition. Perhapsj
some homosexuals are born with homosexual
tendencies, but that’s hardly an excuse if the behaviorisl
wrong. There is some evidence that alcoholics are borjf
with their tendencies, but few people use that as an
argument to legitimize a drunkard lifestyle. We admire I
an alcoholic’s courage when he tries to quit the bottle,
not when he wallows in his destructive lifestyle.
Tl
I been
dona
cal c
I the s
“V
we c;
math
said.
I achie
Tr
I think
their
tweei
said,
math
have
I ence
“T
siona
an e\
said,
cernc
have
F
N;
ByK
;0U7r
Wh
lunlikt
-jus
{given
other
est.
Nal
{begin:
the ft
pens
| crease
Wh
fAmer
|NFP \
lers ha
I ago vs
f