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Opinion
lursday, January 21,1993
The Battalion
Page 11
m •{;
\ A Mcmohy
Editorials
J. Wayne Stark
1916 -1993
Few students may be familiar
with the name J. Wayne Stark,
iiough every student has had inti-
pate contact with his visions and
ireams.
Stark died Monday at the age of
p after over 30 years of dedication
:o the Texas A&M campus and the
iryan-CoIlege Station community.
Serving as director of the Memo-
ial Student Center from its incep-
lion in 1947 through 1980, Stark fos-
ered the growth of the center from
is birth to its current position as the
argest student union in the world.
While director of the MSC, Stark
heated such notable programs as
he Opera and Performing Arts So-
dety (OPAS), the Student Confer-
mce on National Affairs (SCONA),
Political Forum and Great Issues in
arder to expose A&M students to
[the world beyond College Station.
Stark used his resources with for-
•mer students and business leaders
Order fo secure jobs and opportu
nities for countless Aggies. Encour-
g graduate school work and in
ternational travel, Stark opened
•ioors for students through his posi-
;tion as the A&M sponsor for the Ex
periment in International Living
program.
Long before terms like "diversi-
" and "multiculturalism" became
buzzwords for forward-thinking in
dividuals, Stark realized the impor
tance of understanding other cul
tures and championed that under
standing through his programs and
4<8000
endeavors.
Without doubt, many former stu
dents remember the mythic "green
couch" in Stark's office. According
to Jane Bailey, administrative assis
tant to the director of the MSC,
Stark had a habit of pulling aside
unsuspecting students who walked
down the MSC main hallway and
inviting them to have a seat on the
green couch. The MSC Director
would then assault the students
with a barrage of questions ranging
from hometowns to majors to
grades to aspirations beyond A&M.
In 1991 while addressing the As
sociation of College Unions-Interna-
tional, an organization of over 1,500
colleges and universities over which
Stark once presided, keynote speak
er Henry Cisneros attributed his
success in life to Wayne Stark, say
ing that Stark was the single great
est influence in directing his life.
Cisneros, a member of the class of
1968 and former president of
SCONA, now serves as the Secre
tary of Housing and Urban Devel
opment for the Clinton administra
tion.
As evidenced by Cisneros, J.
Wayne Stark left a profound mark
on the lives of those he touched and
guided.
As evidenced by the Memorial
Student Center, its programs, gal
leries and opportunities, J. Wayne
Stark left an indelible mark on the
lives of all Texas A&M students
both today and tomorrow.
SBSLC looks to future
All students can learn from forum
Today approximately 1,000 col-
students from around the na
tion arrive at Texas A&M for the
four-day fifth annual Southwestern
Slack Student Leadership Confer
ence.
The conference is important and
necessary because it is designed to
address and solve some of the is
sues facing the African-American
student and community, including
the power of the African-American
economic market and the controver
sy concerning interracial relation
ships.
Tine conference is not restricted to
African-American student partici
pation; and although formal regis
tration has ended, all students are
hvited and encouraged to attend
the business career fair on Friday in
Rudder Exhibit Hall.
This year's theme, entitled "Em
powered by the Past, Focused on
the Future," is particularly appro
priate. The purpose of the confer
ence is to cultivate leadership skills
using the past to ensure a better fu
ture.
In our past, Texas A&M has expe-
Vote Regis and Kathie Lee in '96
Daytime television revitalizes sagging economy
rienced racial problems that have
made national news, as well as
problems that have existed behind
closed doors. Most recently, these
problems included the Sigma Alpha
Epsilon "jungle party" incident and
the Battalion cartoon of state Rep.
Ron Wilson that was interpreted as
racist.
Now is the time to take these un
just situations involving racism and
turn them around in a positive light
by having the courage to learn from
our mistakes and move into a
brighter future.
On that note, we need to make
the conference participants feel wel
come. By the same token, we need
to make students already at this
University feel welcome and re
spected. Communication is critical;
and the conference offers a forum
for communication among all stu
dents regardless of racial or ethnic
background.
The Southwestern Black Student
Leadership Conference alone cannot
solve the problems of A&M's past
in four days, but it is a beginning —
and a much-needed one at that.
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board only They do not represent, in any way, the
opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff.
Columns, guest columns, and Mail Cali items express the opinions of the authors only.
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows in the Mail Call section Letters must
be 300 words or less and include the author’s name, class, and phone number.
Cue to space restrictions, guest columns will not be accepted unless the author contacts the opinion page for prior
Approval before submitting columns.
We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy
letters should be addressed to:
Ihe Battalion - Mail Call
^ 3 Reed McDonald /Mail stop 1111
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77B43
CHRIS
WHITLEY
Columnist
T he latest economic reports tell us
that there is no need to fear
anymore - the recession is over.
Not only is it over, but one report says
that it has been over for quite some
time now. Apparently, we just
weren't aware of it. ,
Now that it's over and people are
supposedly returning to prosperity
and good times. I'm sure America
would like to know whom to thank
for the sudden upswing in financial
morale. America knew who was to
blame and, as a result, he became
unemployed as of yesterday. Talk
about irony.
But who gets the credit? President Bill Clinton?
Absolutely not.
What did he do? He's only been in office 24 hours. The
middle-aged man from Little Rock might be the best leader
since Attila, but even he couldn't have the wherewithal to
fix the nation's ails in one day.
Was it Bush? Nope. Even if he did, he probably
wouldn't get the credit for it, anyway.
Was it Ross Perot? Unless the entire nation switched
over to "Larry King Live" during the last six months, I
doubt he had much to do with it.
No, the three most powerful men in America, politically
speaking, had nothing to do with the resurgent national
economy.
But Regis Philbin did.
For any of you who have had to endure the last month of
sitting on the sofa flipping through the channels endlessly
from the time you woke up until Mom and Dad came home
from work, you should know that America is back on its
feet again thanks to daytime television.
No artificial economic stimulant could bring people back
to work in droves like the alternative of having to sit
through the drivel on the tube every day. It's so terrible
that people are desperate to go back to work. And let's face
it, working for $8.50 an hour in a machine plant sounds a
whole lot better than sitting through one episode of the
"Home Show."
Sitting through one day's worth of programming just
makes you want to get off the couch and out of the house.
If you don't believe me, witness what a typical television
weekday is like.
If you're fortunate enough to wake up early, you wake
up to the best programs of the day - without saying a
whole lot. The morning news shows aren't exactly
"breakfast for your head," but at least they don't insult
your intelligence. And besides, who could let the day pass
by without wondering whether or not Willard Scott is
wearing his toupee.
Then, there's the infamous Regis and Kathie Lee. How
did this show become popular? Every day that I saw this
program, Regis was cooking and Kathie Lee was singing.
And they say the Golden Age of Television is dead?
"The Price is Right," which somehow has made it on the
air as long as it has, comes next. Maybe it's just me, but the
show just hasn't been the same since Bob Barker stopped
dying his hair. On a side note, I personally believe that the
Clock Game is rigged.
There is an alternative to the lousy programs on the
networks: the lousy reruns in syndication. You can find
any program that aired in any language from 1945 to 1985
showing somewhere on some station. These are the shows
that in their original run were the best on the air. Then,
when you watch them at 1:30 in the afternoon, you wonder
why they were so great, i.e., "Different Strokes,"
"Bewitched."
And lately, TV executives are enthralled with shows
about love and romance. One show, "Infatuation," hosted
by Bob Eubanks, revolves around guests telling a
nationally televised audience whom they have a crush on
and then having the crushee and the crusher brought on
the set for a live confrontation. Now, that's a special
moment to be shared by millions of viewers, isn't it?
Notice I failed to mention the largest part of daytime
television - soap operas. Personally, soaps never much
interested me, but I figure they have such a devoted
following that there must be something to them.
Nevertheless, this is the essence of television during the
workday. The very essence that will make this country
great again.
So as we watch a new president take office, we should
remember all the people that really made this era of
economic well-being possible. And we should also not get
too upset that our new president preempted "Days of Our
Lives."
Whitley is a junior jounalism major.
Capital punishment
justified by crime
In the recent wake of the hanging
of a convicted child killer in
Washington state, I would like to
address the question of capital
punishment.
Over the winter break, my family
and I learned that my 17-year-old
sister, whom we had thought was
missing since July 31, was murdered
that same day through multiple stab
wounds to her heart by her 19-year-
old boyfriend. He has since
confessed to this crime.
This man murdered my baby sister
because he had another girlfriend,
and he did not want his other
girlfriend — whom Angel had known
— to find out that he was seeing
Angel.
So this man's simple solution to
keep his romance with Angel a secret
was to kill Angel and dump her body
in a secluded drainage ditch just 20
miles from our home in Mentor, Ohio.
Not for one moment did this man
think about the loving family and
friends that Angel had, nor does he
still.
My family and I have suffered
severe anguish through these last six
months. It reached a peak when we
had to bury our Angel on Dec. 21.
This, the same girl that I had grown
up with and shared the greater part of
my life with, was now gone, all at the
hands of the man she loved.
When I saw the protest of the
hanging of the child killer in
Washington, I was upset. I could not
understand why someone would
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support another person who had
murdered children and had caused
the same suffering to those children's
families.
In the Bible, Genesis 9:6, the
scriptures say, "If anyone sheds the
blood of man, by man shall his blood
be shed."
By supporting the sadistic life of a
killer, a person is defying the word of
God. Plus you must take into account
what the murdered has done to the
victim and also to the victim's friends
and family.
I wish this type of tragedy could
never happen to anyone, but capital
punishment must occur so we can at
least attempt to deter anyone from
committing these crimes again.
I know that the murderer's family
must be going through a tough time
as well, but this man committed a
serious crime and had to pay the
price. Angel died, yet she committed
no crime.
I write this letter in memory of my
loving sister, Angel.
I love you and I miss you. Your big
brother, Chris.
Christopher J. Ormston
Class of '95
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