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Opinion
Tuesday, October 26,1993
The Battalion Editorial Board
CHRIS WHITLEY, editoi in chief
JULI PHILLIPS, managing editor MARK EVANS, city editor
DAVE THOMAS, night news editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Aggielife editor
BELINDA BLANCARTE, night news editor MICHAEL PLUMER, sports editor
MACK HARRISON, opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, sports editor
KYLE BURNETT, photo editor
The Battalion
mmmm.
Page 7
EDITORIAL
Save the SSC
unday's garne.Tiv|;;
■onevardte Industry, state could keep it alive
es
luchdown.
prepare for anoll
(so two more raj k appears that Congress is
trying to fool taxpayers again,
ers wanted Man Cutting funding for the Super-
|conducting Super Collider cre-
that we traded k®es the illusion that government
lobodyonthefk S p enc jj n g w p] reduced. But
„ According to SSC proponents, lit-
three games and; ° r j.u r j
tie if any of the money saved
from the collider's demise will
go toward reducing the deficit.
It's nice that Texas Gov. Ann
Richards may be able to get a
reimbursement from the feder
al government for the super
collider.
•om Page 5 Too bad the officials of DeSo-
to, Texas have declared their city
ckton, keepingti to be in a state of "economic, edu-
d's goal. The gaii cational and social eihergency"
y decided nbecause the cancellation of the
on the bench rf; SSC has put about 350 local fami-
ockton scored: ii es ou t G f work. And too bad that
oal. the nation as a whole is missing
s one of the best: ou t on the benefits of challenging
ountry," St. FT our technology to its limits,
ike Smith said. S Whatever happened to feder-
rica candidate in:: ^ SU pp 0 rt of the quest for scien-
iay they did agtf tific knowledge demonstrated in
n g ! ier the space programs or even the
said he was vt g t ar Wars defense program?
the play of their Former DeSoto mayor Roy
Orr has asked that the state of
lias proved that Te^s ^^g ove r funding of the
vn anyone in: supercollider,
lernen said ; "The worst we can do is just
opped ., 11 sa y can 't. ^g done," he said,
ira Lee, and too J- 7
red after
As DeSoto citizen Tom Rozier
so aptly put it, "If Arlington,
Texas, can build a 65 million-
dollar ballpark, then the state of
Texas can build an $8 to $10 bil
lion Super Collider."
The state should keep the
project alive until the federal
government came to its senses
and resumed its funding.
Another option is private in
vestment. There must be private
citizens, corporations and acade
mic institutions that realize the
importance of scientific ad
vances and are interested in see
ing the SSC completed. They
could invest in the project —
and probably do a better job at
getting the work done and con
trolling expenditures than the
government ever will.
Whatever happens. Congress'
reasoning for cutting the super
collider is a line of bull. Dr. Pe
ter Rosen, dean of the College of
Science at UT Arlington concurs.
"All of this argument about
budget deficit and saving money
is a fraud and a deception upon
the American people," Rosen
said. "If they're really serious
about saving money, there are
much bigger programs that pro
duce much less for the future."
Well said.
Oh, for a chance to study in France
Rudder Normandy Scholars learn lessons of the past
ROBERT
VASQUEZ
Columnist
I was walking
through the hall in
the Reed McDonald
Building this spring
when I noticed a wall
covered with flyers
which offered any
thing from internships
to scholarships to actu
al jobs. I winced at the
salaries listed, realiz
ing that when I finally
graduate 1 will have to
sell drugs to supple
ment my income.
I turned to hide my
face from the fate that
inevitably was mine
when I saw a really cruel flyer. It said:
"Study in Prance! All expenses paid!"
At first, I laughed. How nice that would
be, I thought, to study abroad. A few of my
friends had done it and always spoke of their
experiences with glowing accounts of jaunts
to Paris and Rome and London while they
were overseas. I sighed.
Those trips are tor the rich, I thought. A
big vacation for me is a two-day trip to
Hearne. One day Til go to Paris, Texas just
so I can say I've been to Paris. Then they'll
call me fancy. I'm saving up for that one.
But wait! This flyer said, "All expenses
paid." Surely, there was a catch. People don't
just pay for poor, destitute students like myself
to traipse around Europe out of the kindness
of their pocketbooks. Things like that just
don't happen to me. There must be something
else that would keep me from qualifying.
Good grades. Those scholarships and
awards are always reserved for students
with grade point averages hovering in the
stratosphere. Mine burned up a Long time
ago as it plummeted through the lower lay
ers of the atmosphere. Somewhere between
economics and history, 1 think.
Actually, my grades aren't that bad. So I de
cided to call the Study Abroad office and find
out mere about this cruel joke. For the few
minutes needed to fill out an application, I
thought I could actually study in France. And
maybe after that, I might walk on the moon.
The lady at the Study Abroad office said
grades were considered, but not exclusively,
or even primarily. There was hope.
She said the Rudder Normandy Scholars
Program was established to teach about the
causes of war and its consequences. The pro
gram's primary purpose was to further the
causes of peace, and students were consid
ered for their expressed interests in similar
areas as well as academic achievement. All
students were encouraged to
o apply!
That included me. Wow, I thought. I
might actually have a chance. So I did what
hundreds of other students who saw the
same flyer decided not to do. I applied.
After the applications were in, the selec
tion process would take a while, so 1 put it
out of my mind. Every once in a while I
would think about it, but it was like remem
bering a good dream. It was nice while the
fantasy lasted, but it was foolish to cling to
something that only "could-have-been."
When the day arrived that the list of schol
arship recipients would be published, I re
minded myself that I was going only to make
sure that I was not chosen. I couldn't allow
myself to harbor any hope, just to be let down.
I entered the building and saw the list
where I was told it would be. I walked up to
make sure my name wasn't there.
But it was. I couldn't believe it.
Let me try to explain how I felt when I
saw my name on that list:
Have you ever pulled the change lever on
a Coke machine and gotten back 35 cents
more than you put in?
Have you ever won the Texas Lottery?
Have you ever stood on an oil derrick and
been soaked by the crqde as it gushed into
the air and then came down again; landing
on you, covering your very being with the
sticlky assurance that you would never want
for anything ever again? Me neither.
But, all of these pale in comparison to how
I felt the moment I saw my name on that list.
Well, except for the oil part.
I mean, they weren't giving me a million
dollars. But they were giving me the chance
to study in Europe. They were flying me to
France and paying for my room and board.
(I don't know why we need a board in
France, but they said they would pay for it.
So I'm not going to argue.)
The point is, what was once a dream will
become a reality in three weeks, when I
board a plane headed for Paris. All this be
cause I filled out some application a few
months ago. I still can't believe it.
Sometimes I go back to the building and
check the list, just to make sure.
Robert Vasquez is a senior journalism major
Editorials appearing in The
Battalion reflect the views of
the editorial board. They do
not necessarily reflect the
opinions of other Battalion
staff members, the Texas
A&M student body, regents,
administration, racuhy or
staff.
Columns, guest columns,
cartoons and letters express
the opinions of the authors.
The Battalion encourages
letters to the editor and will
print as many as space
allows. Letters must be 300
words or less and include the
author's name, class, and
phone number.
We reserve the right to edit
letters and guest columns for
length, style, and accuracy.
Contact the opinion euitor
for information on submitting
guest columns.
Address letters to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
Ot 3 Reed McDonald
Mail stop 1111
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843
Fax; <409) 845-2647
Si-Ail d i o books stimulate mind, free listeners' imaginations
Me plays, l * 1
aid he
he wanted
st, simple plays.
extremely pleas*-discovered this
/ Aggies third gq I summer, while
rniore midfiek JLdriving to Or-
-rton passed thel; lando, that audio
Kim Duda, y books are the per-
all to Koop, blasLfect way to pass
her second goal, the time when
play we had lot traveling cross-
id goes," Guerrii country by car.
as what we wank The drive from
lay." nay front door to
score could lit the entrance of Dis
re lopsided in fa'
■ Aggies, who
in the South
MELISSA
MEGLIOLA
Columnist
neyworld was, ac
cording to my
Jj|dometer, 1087
were called off® u ^ es ' a distance
| P o rn iic too long to be
passed by political
and social debates with my parents. So,
on the way out of town, my father and I
C-p.-n c ~ s?; rente d an audio book from a nearby gro-
A. K E, Ro eery store.
’.v i,„*|j After much deliberation, we decided
e •, l! on "Scarlet," the sequel to "Gone With
Silent Worshif the Wind." Neither of us is very interest
ed in romance novels, but the four tape
823'633‘i'collection has a running time of six hours,
^ the longest we could find.
1 Read by Dixie Carter, the book took on
ESEARCH
t BLISTERS/
>ORE STUDY
irch is seeking
18 years and older
y of recurrent fever
research study with a
cation. Individuals
and complete the
eceive $150.00 for
ttion.
) 776-1417
) 776-1417
lours a Day)
life as we crossed Louisiana, Mississippi
and Alabama. As we passed large white
houses with massive columns and sweep
ing front porches, each one seemed to be
Tara.
We listened contently for the first few
hours but then began to ration the tapes,
making certain we would not run out of
air time. I was disappointed when we de
cided to stop in Gainesville for the night.
As the end of our vacation drew near, I
began to dread the drive home. We had
only rented one book. Twenty hours
without a new story seemed eternal. The
thought of listening about the life of Ms.
O'hara for a second time provided my
only comfort.
My father must have been thinking the
same thing because on our last day of the
trip, we drove into Orlando in search of a
bookstore. For $19.95, we purchased a six
hour audio version of "The Client," by
John Grisham.
Ever since, I have been sold. Audio
books, which were once used primarily by
the blind, are becoming a national trend.
In Dallas, Talking Books, a rental store for
books on tape, has audio books on almost
every subject. The books rent for $5 a week.
Scott, an employee at the rental store,
said that most of their clients are between
the ages of 30 and 50 and rent the books
to listen to while commuting to and from
the office.
The uses for audio books are limitless.
Housewives can listen to "The Bridges of
Madison County," while performing
household chores. Our shuttle buses
I would much prefer to lis
ten to an inspirational
short story rather than to
catch myself singing off-
key to the country music
that almost always lofts
through the buses.
could play "One Minute Messages" while
circling around campus.
I would much prefer to listen to an in
spirational short story rather than to catch
myself singing off-key to the country mu
sic that almost always lofts through the
buses. Anyone who has ever sat by me
on the bus would prefer it as well.
Nursing homes and hospitals should
provide audio books for patients who
have visual problems or are too tired to
sit up and watch television. Nothing is
more relaxing than listening to someone
tell you a good story, whether in person
or on tape. I often play a book when I go
to bed, remembering the years when my
parents would read to me before turning
out the light in my bedroom.
Factories where employees sit all day
long performing tedious assembly line
work, should have a story hour. Every
day after lunch, the intercom could play a
narrative tape for one hour. Each week
could feature a different book. The em
ployees could put in suggestions and take
turns selecting the literature. .
In a society where the average person
reads less than two books a year, the least
we can do is listen.
Although listening to an audio book
does not take all the cognitive skills of ac
tually reading the same book, much of the
process is the same. The listener converts
words into visual images unique to him
or herself. Because most audio books are
read almost verbatim, the listener increas
es his vocabulary by making sense out of
unknown words through their context.
And unlike with television, your imag
ination is at work. When watching a tele
vision show or a movie, it can be difficult
to see yourself in the setting on the
screen. The picture of the actors and ac
tresses blocks your mind. When reading
or listening to a book, you are there.
Books promote dreams.
Having recently found the cure for
much of society's problems in audio books,
I wanted to share my discovery with the
rest of the world. But then I remembered
men just older than our parents talking
about gathering in their living rooms to lis
ten to Qie World Series. And about their
parents who tuned into fireside chats with
a president who promised to lead them out
of a great depression.
And then I realized ... I had just redis
covered radio. Radio as it was before
television.
Sometimes we don't realize how good
we've got it.
Melissa Megliola is a senior industrial
engineering major
J
No need for Battalion
to print profanities
I am writing in response to the letter
printed in The Battalion which was writ
ten by Shea Snyder. I am not only a
graduate student at A&M, but I am also
a Physical Plant employee.
The First Amendment does give you
the right to free speech, and as a U.S.
Army veteran, I gave up four years of
my life to ensure that you have that
right. Yet did you have to print that ob
scenity in the letter? The word Shi®
could have been modified/omitted with
out a problem. I did it in one second in
this letter.
I am outraged at this gross lack of re
spect for the thousands who read this pa
per, most of which are women and un
doubtedly some reach the children of
this community.
Trash journalism is already in abun
dance in the Enquirer, Globe and Star. Is
it necessary to further pollute the world
of journalism with profanities? Shock
journalism may work for the masses who
buy the corner market rags, but does
A&M have to support your rudeness
with my tuition?
I will not pay for the printing of ob
scenities, especially when they are in
connection with the hardest working,
lowest paid employees that give you the
very electricity that you use to print our
Aggies' paper.
Shame on you. I believe an apology is
in order to the readers who support your
staff and their families.
And shame on you. Shea. Do you talk
to your mother with that mouth?
Kelly M. Williamson
Network Manager
Department of Utilities
Physical Plant works
hard for Texas A&M
This letter is in response to the letter
sent in by Shea Snyder. I believe your
statement concerning the status of the
employees at the physical plant being
uncaring because we are not Aggies is
totally unfair. Texas A&M has a way of
causing a person to be an Aggie at heart,
not by actually being a student.
The power plant provides a variety of
service to the customers. We provide elec
tricity, air conditioning and heating. We
also supply the water you drink and bathe
in. We do the best we can day in and day
out. We must be on call 365 days a year.
When a repair is needed, we must be
ready to correct the problem as quickly as
possible, be it tomorrow or Christmas Eve
when we are with our families.
Our families know this is our job, and
they stand by us. Our children feel this
daily, especially when they ask, "Why
can't Dad coach my team," or, "Why can't
Dad be at my birthday party?"
Did you think all of these points
through when you expressed your opin
ion? Maybe you are the uncaring one.
Roy Martinez
Physical Plant