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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1989)
3 je Battalion i 5TATE & LOCAL W5-J ursday, December 7,1989 rii the took says people must change habits to save Earth Writers list 50 ways to save environment from effects of acid rain, pollution |y Jill Butler Of The Battalion Staff Holes in the ozone layer, ocean contami- Ipation, the effects of acid rain — people Rsagree about the seriousness of these problems, but few deny they exist. ■ Dr. William P. Stewart, faculty adviser to Hie Texas A&M chapter of the Texas Envi- pronmental Action Coalition, said the state |of the environment is interpretive. “There are no black and white issues of ood and bad,” Stewart, an assistant profes- Rir of Recreation and Parks, said. He said that Earth is not in immediate |angerof destruction. “The world is not in a desperate state, es but there are serious environmental issues we must address,” Stewart said. However, John Javna, coordinator of the book “50 Simple Things You can do to Save the Earth,” said that if changes aren’t made soon, the world will be destroyed. “We must do something about environ mental problems now, or the next genera tion will have no place to live,” Javna said. These problems may seem too over whelming for individuals to solve, but “50 Simple Things You can do to Save the Earth” was written to prove that individuals can make a difference. “We are not asking for giant changes in people’s lifestyles,” Javna said. “With small changes in their daily routines, people can have enormous positive effects on the envi ronment.” To affect the environment positively, Javna recommends that people: • Recycle newspapers. If everyone re cycled their Sunday newspapers, more than 500,000 trees would be saved every week, he said. • Reduce junk mail. By writing to the Mail Preference Service in New York City, people can have their names removed from most mailing lists and reduce the junk mail they receive by about 75 percent, Javna said. The amount of junk mail received by Americans in a single day can produce enough energy to heat 250,000 homes, he said. • Repair leaky toilets. By fixing one leaky toilet, 45,000 gallons of water will be saved in six months, Javna said. Javna said this is the only book that makes this type of information available and provides practical suggestions for change. The book was written by the Earthworks Group, which collects information from governmental agencies and environmental groups and organizes the data so that read ers can understand it. “We try to use informal formats to com municate important information,” Javna, coordinator of the Earthworks Group, said. The Earthworks Group was formed in 1989 and consists of 12 to 15 writers and environmentalists in Berkeley, California. “We want people to realize that every thing they do has an impact on the environ ment and that the only way to reverse neg ative environmental impact is a little at a time,” Javna said. “These problems were not created overnight and they will not be solved overnight.” Stewart agreed that the best way to solve global problems is to start small. “There is a cumulative effect at the local level,” Stewart said. “Small efforts add up to big changes.” Javna and Stewart both said that raising awareness is the most important step to ward environmental change. Javna said realization is the key. “People must realize the world is in jeop ardy and that we can either change ^nd save the Earth or continue to use it up.” . ho’s Who at A&M The Battalion congratulates the Mowing Texas A&M students who f?ere named to the 1990 edition of >’s Who Among Students in (hnerican Universities and Colle- ohn L. Albers Brian R. Allen Maria C. Asenio William B. Ashburn Kirsten M. Baker Brian J. Banner Kirsten F. Barnhart Rachel A. Boatright John D. Bondy Julie Breihan Kevin E. Buchman Haryanto T. Budiman Cynthia E. Cloues Michael D. Conway Brian M. Cox Dean C. Dischler Lane P. Farley Kimberly S. Fisher Diana M. Galindo Rebecca B. Gillis Ginger R. Glatz Nancy M. Gold Leah M. Hanselka Kimberly A. Harsch Kristin L. Hay jo Ann Hickel Rhonda L. Hicks Robin Hunt William A. Jones jf. Keri E. Keilberg Michael A. Kelley Kristina M. Kerwin Kathryn E. Kruse Chong H. Liu Michael A. Lueck Sharon L. Maberry Jody A. Manier Hortensia F. Marr Constance T. Miller David W. Moorman Brett A. Moran David A. Oakes Elton Don Parker Jr. Matthew C. Poling Thomas A. Rand Diane H. Rawson Tammy K. Rooney Jennifer A. Sauter Bruce R. Shaw Maureen J. Smith Jerry D. Snyder Jeffrey H. Start- Tab A. Stephens Elizabeth K. Stepp Deidi A. Strickland Lisa L. Supercin.ski Samuel H. Tao John G. Vandergrift Kimberlea A. Ward Glayton L. Whitaker Ex-professor: 39 percent of women studied make ‘token resistance’ to sexual advances By Kevin Hamm Of The Battalion Staff Do women who say no really mean yes? According to a former Texas A&M psychology professor, some do. In a study of 610 A&M women, Dr. Charlene L. Muehlenhard found that 39 percent said they had refused sexual advances by men when, actu ally, they did want to have sex. Muehlenhard calls this token resistance. “This does not mean that men can safely ig nore, women’s refusals,” she said in the study. “Most women (61 percent) reported that they had never engaged in token resistance.” Also, of the women who had engaged in token resistance, 46 percent had done so only a few times, Muehlenhard found in the study. Given society’s sexual double standard, the be lief that women are supposed to act resistant to sex and men are supposed to persist in their sex ual advances, token resistance is a rational behav ior, she reported in the study. “If it appears that a woman did not want sex but was talked into it or forced into it, it may seem more acceptable for her to engage in sex,” she said. Token resistance can have negative side ef fects, however, from discouraging honest com munication to increasing the incidence of rape, she said. It can also undermine a woman’s right to refuse sex. “A lot of men don’t believe it when women say no,” Muehlenhard said. “It makes sense for women not to say yes to sex too easily because then they would be giving away their bargaining chip.” Muehlenhard, who left A&M in 1988, said the 1986 study received a “very positive” response from people. She is doing follow-up research at the University of Kansas. In the study, Muehlenhard reported that women might engage in token resistance for in hibition-related, manipulative or practical rea sons. Inhibition-related reasons include emotional, religious or moral concerns as well as fear of physical discomfort. Manipulative reasons in volve a woman’s anger with a partner or the de sire to be in control, she said in the study. Practical reasons are the most important, she said. They include the fear of appearing prom iscuous, uncertainty about their partner’s feel ings or fear of sexually transmitted diseases. “Perhaps women who engage in token resis tance for practical reasons are responding to very real pressures, such as the sexual double stand ard,” the study said. Regardless, when a woman says no, she proba bly means it, the study said. “If the woman means no and the man persists, it is rape.” ion* ROTHER’S BOOKSTORES 340 JERSEY ST. NEED CASH? NOW BUYING ALL BOOKS 901 HARVEY RD. THE PERFECT COMBINATION FOR AN AGGIE CHRISTMAS... V TAMO . BUNN • STUDY GUIDES • PAPERBACKS . ROTHER’S BOOKSTORES AND RUSSELL ATHLETIC Sell Your Books & Play Classic Comfort Guaranteed to Last. Think about it. All that easy comfort and timeless styling in clothes that are wear-guaranteed* for five full years. That’s what you get with Russell Athletic sweat pants, sweat shirts and pullover hoods. Better get some fast. 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