Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 9, 1990)
The Battalion OPINION Wednesday, May 9,1990 Mail Call Opinion Page Editor Ellen Hobbs Th< 8454 W< Thanks from the Fish Lady EDITOR: Please allow me to use your forum to express my heartfelt thanks to all the Aggies for their thoughts and prayers during my recent hospitalization. A very special thank you goes to the Corps of Cadets for their “Aggie”-size get-well card — a scroll that measured 126 by 36 inches. The many messages expressing their love, mem ories of our “fish table” and the good times we have had to gether the past four years are very dear to me. I believe I have the autographs of almost all of the Corps of Cadets and my scroll is priceless. A special thank you goes to James Phipps for keeping in touch during my illness and for bringing the card to my home. James has also given me his love and support this past year by dropping by our table frequently. I know he was there if I needed him. I hope to be able to come to Final Review. We will have to find the “fish table” a new home this fall as construction took over our little corner. I pray daily for my strength to come back. My love and congratulations to the grads and to all of you who make it to Final Review. Love, best wishes and gig ’em. Ruth Hunt “The Fish Lady” Barbie should be grateful for Ken EDITOR: Hey Barbie, Let’s get one thing straight, shall we? Who’s been leading who on for the past 50 years? Ken has been a de voted boyfriend ever since he was created. I want to know why a woman would want to give up a man that stays at home and takes care of the place while she “brings home the bacon?” Is this not what the modern woman has been striving for? Does she not want the responsibilities of being the provider? Barbie, you’ve come a long way in the past 50 years. You are truly an inspiration to all women, but who is to say that Ken has not been the driving force behind your success. As the old saying goes, “Behind every good man, there’s a good woman.” In this case it may very well be,“Behind a good woman, there’s a good man.” Let’s face it, he is intelligent. After all, he is smart enough to live with a beautiful blue eyed blond that has kept a figure from hell for over 50 years. And she is rich enough to support the both of them comfortably. People are wondering why Ken has not asked Barbie to marry him. Can you tell me why Barbie would even want to get married? Especially since she is so busy running all of her businesses, and if getting married is so important to her, why doesn’t she ask him to marry her? This is the 1990s. A woman can ask the man to marry. But before Barbie gets too snitty, she should look at Ken’s track record. In today’s society, a person is fortunate if they can find someone to love and someone that loves them. He has been by her side since the 1940s. He stayed with her through the sexual revolution when the thing to do was have group sex, get high, watch the flow ers grow and demonstrate against the Vietnam conflict. She could dump him and start dating G.I Joe, but he is a marine, and marines are notorious for cheating. She could date one of the World Wrestling Federation figurines, but who would want to go out with a man that gets paid to act like a fool. Ken is a good man, and Barbie is a good woman. They were made for each other. They are the epitome of romance and love. Baxter Ekern ’90 Research, teaching important EDITOR: Reading your second article on undergraduate education (“Research, not teaching receives top priority,” Wednesday, April 25), it seems that the diverse opinions expressed on whether A&M presently has good teaching or not are based on different understanding. To some good teaching means competency on subject matters, while to others good teaching meas advising and spending more time with students. Clearly enough, both the teaching and research aspects are vital to good teaching, though not necessarily of equal portion. For undergraduate education, more emphasize should be placed on graduate courses. Unfortunately, however, it is much easier to recognize the quantifiable activities of the first aspect, such as number of publications, research and amount of research funds, rather than on the efforts of paying more attention to students. Paul Nugraha Graduate student Student/faculty ratio is what it is Pro-lifers should read the Bible EDITOR: This letter is addressed to the anti-abortion fanatics at Texas A&M, especially those who consider themselves Chris tians. Do y’all realize that God orders the slaughter of unborn fetuses in the Bible? Isaiah 13:18. Check it out. Michael Biek Graduate student EDITOR: Barbara Bell seemed to answer her own question concern ing how President Mobley determined the student/faculty ra tion at Texas A&M. She said that Mobley ahd “divided the to tal number of students at A&M by the, total number of faculty, and has come up with the impressive ratio of 19 to one.” This is certainly Mobley’s method, since the student/fa culty ratio is mathematically defined as that quotient. Bell’s assertion that the figure is misleading, however > is not an accurate conclusion. All the statistic intends to proved is a measure of how many students there are com pared to how many faculty members there are. The average class size cannot be determined by the student/faculty ratio since it is not mathematically equivalent. Bell has ignored the fact that some faculty members do not teach or that many students have four or five classes each. If each student had exactly one class and every faculty mem ber taught exactly one class, her comparison would be valid. Bell’s desire to assess instructional effectiveness “realisti cally rather than statistically” is a little hypocritical. Statistics can be a powerful tool in assessment when used correctly. Bell’s misinterpretation of the student/faculty ratio, however, is not a “realistic choice.” G. Alan Cannon Graduate student Greek groups absent from Muster EDITOR: I am writing this letter concerning year’s Aggie Muster. For those who attended, it was once again a very moving and uplifting ceremony. Unfortunately, a very disturbing fact be came apparent to me over the course of the weekend. It seems that a large number of both fraternities and soro rities were absent as a whole. After checking into why this oc curred I was saddened to discover that these organizations had deemed that campus Muster was unworthy of their time and had planned social functions for the evening. It completely disheartens me to think that many of these people feel that this is just another Aggie tradition unworthy of their time. It is both a sad and very ignorant attitude. I am aware that one such organization attended Muster in San An tonio, but this is the exception rather than the rule. To me, Muster embodies the Aggie spirit which we cher ish so much. It is a time for Aggies everywhere to gather to gether and relive old times while remembering those Aggies who have passed away in the past year. Muster occurs in over 400 different locations and in over 40 different foreign countries. I would think that when the time comes for us to remem ber these current students, that they would appreciate the at tendance of their former friends as well as current A&M stu dents. If it is a student’s personal belief that Aggie Muster is unimportant to he or she, then that is their own perogadve. But to incorporate this belief into the organizations is a se rious mistake. Why? A large part of the make-up of these organizations are freshmen who have undergone rush the previous year. By scheduling such social events on the night of such a sa cred tradition they are promoting the idea that Muster is a waste of time and trivial. Thus, these freshmen are never given the chance to attend Aggie Muster and see exactly what it is and what it embodies. I have nothing against fraternities and sororities, but this type attitude needs to stop. The date of Aggie Muster is never open to question. It is on the same day every year, April 21, the anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto. Therefore, I see no reason why such conflicts can’t be avoided. True, Aggie Muster usually falls during the week, but this does not mean that when the day comes when it does fall on the weekend that it should be forgotten. Next year, Aggie Muster will once again fall on the week end and I only hope that by this time changes fall on the weekend which will prevent a recurrence of this year. Andrew M. Dale ’90 Milken’s been a bad boy EDITOR: On April 30, 1990, Andrew Matthews wrote an column praising Michael Milken. In this column, Matthews claims taht Giuliani indicted Milken on “frivolous technical account ing infractions.” If Matthews had done his homework, he would n that these “frivolous technical accounting infrat tions” consisted of insider trading and swindling thousandsof people out of millions of dollars. If Matthews thinks robbing people of their life savings is “mere shoplifting” then he needs to re-evaluate his values system. Later in his column, Matthews claims that envy is the rea son Milken was indicted on these charges. He claims thatsm ciety is on a “witch hunt,” trying to cut down the “tall trees' Well, Mr. Matthews, using your argument, we can claim thai Hitler was condemned because people were jealous of him After all, he was a brilliant strategist who almost conquered the world. In addition, he had the guts, just like Milken, toex cel in an area no one else had; namely, human experimenta tion. Just think of all the knowledge and information that could be gained by experimenting on our fellow man. But Hitler was misunderstood. People were envious of him weren’t they, Mr. Matthews? Finally, let’s look at your “witch-hunt theory.” If what you state is true, why aren’t we hunting Sam Walton and H. Ross Perot, the two wealthiest people in our country? I’ll tell you why: Because the witch hunt doesn’t exist. The reason Milken was indicted was because he broke tht law, plain and simple. People like Matthews and Milken, with a warped sense of right and wrong, are the biggest threat to our society. Their distorted belief system, like Hitler’s, create pain and suffering for thousands of people if allowed to flourish. Ironically, even after paying over $500 million in fines, Milken will still have about $1 billion left from his illegal acts. I don’t think justice has been served yet. But maybe ljust misunderstand. Irer sine was Timothy W. King ’90 Make time for studies and tradi- • 36-i tions EDITOR: I’m a faithful Battalion reader and I have noticed the con slant battle between pro-traditionalists, those who are for tht Aggie traditions, and pro-educationalists, those who feel that in order to have school spirit education and studying must be sacrificed. My question is are we here at A&M not well rounded enough as individuals to both have respect for our school heritage and still enjoy the academic excellence of the University at the same time? This is my first semester here at A&M. When I was littlel used to hear all about the traditions — Bonfire, Silver Taps and so on from my aunts and uncles. I was so in awe of the spirit even though I really didn’t understand it yet. I thought Muster was something to put on hot dogs! But now I’m the Aggie and one of the many who have the responsibility to carry on the traditions. They won’t live on by themselves. Texas A&M has a nationwide reputation for its spirit and friendliness. This isn’t portrayed by beautiful buildings, it’s the people, the Aggies — us. So why don’t we enjoy the time that we ahve here and carry out the traditions with pride? Vicki Kyle ’93 Have an opinion? Express it! Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff menus the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain Ik author’s intent. There is no guarantee that letters submitted will be printed. Each letter must be signed and must include the classification, address and telephone numk of the writer. All letters may be brought to 216 Reed McDonald, or sent to Mail Stop 1111. 1 3! The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association American Collegiate Press The Battalion Editorial Board Cindy McMillian, Editor Timm Doolen, Managing Editor Ellen Hobbs, Opinion Page Editor Holly Becka, City Editor Kristin North, Meg Reagan, News Editors Nadja Sabawala, Sports Editor Eric Roalson, Art Director Lisa Ann Robertson, Lifestyles Editor Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-sup porting newspaper operated as a commu nity service to Texas A&M and Bryan- College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board or the au thor, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regu lar semesters, except for holiday and ex amination periods. Newsroom: 845-3313. Mail subscriptions are $20 per semes ter, $40 per school year and $50 per full year: 845-2611. Advertising rates fur nished on request: 845-2696. Our address: The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col lege Station, TX 77843-1111. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843-4111. Adventures In Cartooning /^ „ YOU WOULDN'T KNOW HER. 5HE'5 NOT IN TEXAS, BUT I CALL HER EVERY NIGHT.' WHAT STATE DOES SHE LIVE IN'? I'M NOT SURE. STATE IS THE Af® CODE "HOO" IN'?