The Battalion
OPINION
Wednesday, March 28,1990
Ty Clevenger for
student body president
The Battalion endorses Ty Clevenger for student body presi
dent.
Clevenger, presently speaker of the Student Senate, has a
proven track record of getting things accomplished for students.
• He battled Food Services and won for students the right to
receive refunds on our Aggie Bucks at the end of the semester.
• He recognized a need for 24-hour access to popular com
puters like the Macintosh, and persuaded the administration to
provide such access.
• He worked to push the collegiate license plate bill through
the Texas Legislature, generating $200,000 in scholarships for
A&M students.
Besides serving as speaker of the Senate, Clevenger also has
served on numerous committees and advisory boards, including
his present position on the Regents Advisory Panel on Under
graduate Education. As a freshman, he chaired a committee to
look into placing a student on the Board of Regents, and he has
testified before four committees of the Texas Legislature on is
sues of concern to students.
In reaching our decision, the Editorial Board conducted
lengthy interviews with all the candidates and read detailed plat
form papers which they had submitted to the Student Govern
ment election commissioner. All of the candidates for student
body president demonstrated that they were in touch with the is
sues important to students: improving campus safety, preserving
greenspace, improving English proficiency, alleviating parking
problems, improving undergraauate advising, and drastically
improving the quality of our library resources.
The Battalion also was impressed with Craig Sandlin, who
demonstrated a good grasp of the mechanics and organization of
student government, a clear view of what he hoped to accompl
ish as president and workable plans to reach his goals.
But a majority of the Editorial Board fell that while Sandlin
and the other candidates are ready to make things happen, Cle
venger already has begun to make those things happen and will
continue to do so if elected Student Body President.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Opinion Page Editor Ellen Hobbs 845-33!;
Gay, Lesbian Awareness Week
will battle against homophobia
Next week, Gay and Lesbian Student
Services of Texas A&M will be
sponsoring a series of informative
events. The “awareness week” activities
will include a film festival, an open
meeting, a panel discussion and a picnic.
The film festival will include four
documentaries and two feature films.
“Before Stonewall” concerns gay life in
the U.S. prior to the gay liberation
movement’s beginning in 1969. “The
Times of Harvey Milk,” is a chronicle of
the life of the first openly gay elected
official in the U.S., is highly
recommended; this excellent film won
the Academy Award for best
documentary in 1984. The other two
documentaries address issues of gay and
lesbian parents and gay rights in
general.
Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week is
sorely needed here at A&M. I here are
few university campuses of comparable
size in the U.S. as high on conformity
and as low on tolerance as this one; the
issue of homosexuality exemplifies this
as does no other. Homophobia,
prejudice and just plain old
misinformation are found among
faculty as well as students. By
sponsoring the awareness week, the
members of GLSS are saying, “Here we
are; come get to know us.” It’s a call that
anyone truly interested in furthering
their education should consider.
In the same way that the activities of
Black History Month can enrich people
of every race, so can Gay and Lesbian
Awareness Week enrich those people
who are not lesbian, bisexual or gay. Ii is
for everyone, including (and indeed
especially) for people who are
uncomfortable with the issue of
alternative sexuality. Meeting people
from other cultures helps us to better
understand and appreciate our own; it
is interactions with people who are
different that provide opportunities for
personal growth. In attempting to
bridge the gap between us and create
understanding, we experience our
common humanity rather than our
differences.
Understanding is especially
important when it comes to this issue.
For lesbians and gays, expressions of
love and affection are still criminal in 25
states. Many folks seem to object to the
very existence of gay people; the days
when gays and lesbians were considered
fair game for physical assault or murder
are barely behind us.
It’s time in our society for us to return
to a simple idea; Each person should
treat every other person with respect
and civility. This idea is not radical — it
has been w ith us from the beginning of
our republic. It was easier to do when
we were all (supposedly) “the same;” it's
a bit more difficult in the face of
List of events
Some of the films to be shown
during Gay and Lesbian Awarenessfi
Week are:
• “Before Stonewall” — 11 a.m, ij
Monday anti 1 hursday.
• “The Limes of Harvey Milk’’-1
2 p in. Monday and 8:15 p.m.
Thu rsday.
• In the Best Interestsot the
Children” — 2 pan. Tuesday.
• "Rights and Reactions: Gayand i
Lesbian Rights on I rial” — 2|j.m. ?
Wednesday.
• “Torch Song Trilogy” — 8:15 f
pan. Monday.
• “Desert Hearts” — 2 pan.
Thursday.
Other events sc heduled during
Gayand Lesbian Awareness Week f
include:
• Open meeting on aspects ofga' ,
culture — 8:30 pan. Tuesday.
• Panel discussion on
homosexuality — 8:30 p.m.
Wed nesday.
All Monday and Thursday events |
will be in 301 Rudder, Tuesday and j
Wednesday events will be in 410 i
Rudder.
modern political, religious, social and
ethnic diversity. W’e must live up to it
nonetheless; if we don’t, our civilization
w ill disintegrate before our eyes.
Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week is:
small step in the right direction. Lets
support it.
Jeff Farmer is a graduate student in
mathematics.
Mail Call
Student leaders behind fee hike
EDITOR:
We would like to encourage the students of Texas A&M
University to vote “yes” on the Health Center Referendum
that will appear on the spring ballot on March 29.
We have studied this issue very closely and are confident
that the student body would benefit immensely from the pro
posed $10 fee increase.
W’e therefore, emphatically support the Health Center
Referendum and we sincerely hope that you, the student
body, will do the same.
Kevin Buchman ’90
Student body president
Matt Poling ’90
Corps Commander
Jason Wilcox ’91
MSC Council
president
Katherine Smith ’90
Senior class
president
Scot Walker ’90
Battalion editor
Dan Vrudny
Graduate Studies
Council president
Leah Hanselka ’90
Resident Hall Association
president
Keith Powell ’91
Off Campus Aggies president
Gorgette Lopez-Aguado
CAMAC chair
Darren Smith ’90
Interfraternity Council
president
Carol Jones
Black Awareness
Committee chair
Donella Schmidt
PanHellenic Council president
Diana Galindo ’90
International Students
Association president
Sandra Burke
Married Students Apartment
Council president
Koldus supports fee increase
EDITOR:
When 1 arrived on campus nearly 17 years ago, the health
center fee was $15. That fee has not been increased during
my tenure as the vice-president for student services at Texas
A&M University.
Student Government and the student services administra
tive staff concur that we want to have the finest student health
care program possible. We have worked together to create
the legislation that allows the University to increase the fee.
We are working together to insure that the student referen
dum will be passed. The effort has only one bottom line: to
improve the health services provided for students.
1 encourage you to vote in the Student Government elec
tions on Thursday. I encourage you to vote for the increase in
the student health service fee.
Dr. John J. Koldus
Vice-president for student services
Vote ‘no’ on fee increase
EDITOR:
Here’s an Ag that adamantly says “no way” to the Student
Senate's proposal to increase the health center fee for all stu
dents. I realize that the costs for operating such a facility are
on the rise, but there has to he a more rational and equitable
method of covering the increased expenditures.
I can agree with the present system of allocating the cost
of medical services over the student body so that everyone
pays their fair share, but where should the line be drawn? I
say at the present level of $15 with the remaining deficit to be
covered by those who actually use the facilities.
During the fall semester, I injured my knee playing intra
mural football. I went to the health center for the first and
last time. The extent of my “diagnosis” was the doctor exam
ining how far I could bend my knee. The doctor then pro
ceeded to send me. to physical therapy, as if the damage
would just go away. 1 decided to use my own common sense
and visited another doctor. It was discovered that I had blown
out my knee by tearing my anterior cruciate ligament. Over
Christmas break my knee was reconstructed by replacement
of the ligament.
I will never use the health center again and t herefore am
against any increase in fees for a service that I will never use. I
propose a more equitable system for meeting the increase of
health costs by charging a nominal fee, say $5, for every visit.
This would still be a bargain for students who would pay $35
to $40 for a visit to another health t lipic while not placing an
extra burden on those who will not use the service.
J. Drew Popelka ’91
accompanied by 16 signatures
Thanks for music reviews
EDITOR:
I would like to sincerely thank you for I he Battalion’s
coverage of the music scene here in College Station. Although
1 would like to see more reviews and stories on local groups
and clubs, I realize that there is a limited music scene herein
College Station.
Your interest in College Station's music scene will help ex
pand listener interest in local music, which will in turn ex
pand the music scene itself, giving you more subject matter.
Again, I thank you for beginning this positive cycle that
will expand the local music scene and give more prestige to
the present hands and clubs here at A&M.
Kevin Lindstrom ’93
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The Battalion Editorial Board
Scot Walker, Editor
Monique Threadgill,
Managing Editor
Ellen Hobbs, Opinion Page Editor
Melissa Naumann, City Editor
Cindy McMillian,
Lisa Robertson,
News Editors
Richard Tijerina,
Sports Editor
Fredrick D. Joe, Art Director
Mary-Lynne Rice,
Lifestyles Editor
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Adventures In Cartooning
by Don Atkinson Jr.