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Opinion
•erlOj:
Friday, December 10,1993
The Battalion Editorial Board
CHRIS WHITLEY, editor 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
Page 9
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EDITORIAL
Just one more time
Before the diploma, there's finals
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at:
Congratulations to the grad
uating seniors.
The Aggies about to become
members of the Texas A&M
Association of Former Stu
dents deserve great praise for
their accomplishments.
But we don't have time to
give it to them yet. Once again,
like malaria in the jungle, like
frostbite during a blizzard, and
like that irritating rash
that just won't go
away, FINALS
HAVE RETURNED
|TO AGGIELAND!
It's not a
. dream, it's reality.
?You cannot pro
crastinate anotheK,;..
minute. You have
to read those books
or you may end up en
rolling next semester at the
All-American Grocery Sackers
Academy.
So, to prevent the loss of all
the good Ags that we would
like to see again next Spring,
The Battalion would like to of
fer some traditional words of
finals — taking advice.
1. STUDY —this one is not
optional.
2. Get plenty of rest —you
will feel better if you don't
stay up until 3 a.m. watching
reruns of "The Mary Tyler
Moore Show."
3. Eat good food —the hu
man body cannot subsist on
cold pizza and marshmallow
cream for more than two days
without brain damage.
4. Be on time —nothing
starts off a test worse than hav
ing to run from Fish Lot to
Zachry.
5. Get your stuff to
gether now —go buy
your bluebooks and
scantrons, make
sure you have a
good pencil, get
some Kleenex and
cold medicine,
and know when
and where to go for
your tests.
6. REMEMBER-a
hangover is not a good
thing to take to a final.
Finals won't kill you, no
matter how bad they may
seem. So don't panic, calm
down and get the job done. If
you do your best, then no one
will criticize the results of this
week's agony.
So make plans to have a
blast on Wednesday night, but
until then just remember that
college life does include your
classes.
The life and times of a college paper
An editor looks back on a semester of accomplishments
CHRIS
WHITLEY
Editor in Chief
S o, this is it. Three
years on The Bat
talion, and its come
down to one last word.
But doesn't this get
tiring? I mean, every
December and May, the
newest departing editor
gives his or her
"farewell" to Texas
A&M. I know I get sick
of it. I can imagine how
everyone else must feel.
Therefore, I'll try to
avoid wallowing in
melodrama and stick
with something a little
more profound.
Looking across the newsroom here in the
nuclear fallout shelter of the Reed McDonald
building, I see that the faces of those I work
with have become drawn and colorless. They
move slower, and they talk an octave lower.
It has been an excruciatingly long semester.
While most of you were sunning your fan
nies back home, we arrived on August 15th to
a mostly deserted town (although I can't com
plain too much — there were no lines at Dud-
dley's). We spent that two weeks before
school doing some fine tuning to the paper
while at the same time preparing for the Back-
to-School edition, the largest paper of the year.
When that was done, we turned right
around to working on The Battalion's 100th
Anniversary Issue. We spent weeks planning,
researching, writing, editing, designing and
stressing. The day it went to press, five
staffers had been up over 36 hours straight.
The next day, we were making last-minute
arrangements for the 100th Anniversary Re
union that weekend. We even put on a ban
quet for all the returning editors of The Battal
ion. The spectacle received coverage from The
Houston Post, The Austin American-States-
man, The Bryan-College Station Eagle, The As
sociated Press and KBTX-TV.
By the time the tumult had died down,
everyone was hurriedly cramming for mid
terms. We had forgotten that we were also at
tending classes, and the schoolwork had piled
up over the previous five weeks.
Then came the stress that accompanied our
controversial story about the 12th Man Foun
dation. Then came the investigations from the
Board of Regents, the Office of Finance and
Administration, the Food Services Department
and the Athletic Department. It was next to
impossible for us to get solid information
about all these goings-on.
But we were always there. We might not
have gotten the story on Monday, but we
made damn sure we got it on Tuesday.
Wednesday, we might have scooped the
world, but on Thursday, we missed a story
everyone else had. That's the news business.
get news so that people on this campus can be
informed about what's going on. And I mean,
everything that goes on — the good and the
bad. We owe the truth to the readers, and they
should expect nothing less.
But I believe that through all of the experi
ences we've had, good and bad, we were all
kind of hoping that this last issue would hit
the stands. We really haven't had a break all
semester long. And dammit, I think we de
serve one.
I have heard a lot of praise about The Bat
talion this semester, and for that I am grateful.
I have also heard a lot of criticism about The
Battalion, and for that I am also grateful. We'll
never know where to improve unless we look
at whaF s wrong. Fortunately for me, the peo-
>le who consistently attack us unjustly have
een few. But I hope they realize that, hey.
we're learning, too.
Although it goes along with the stereotypi
cal "cheesy farewell column," I would never
forgive myself if I didn't thank the people that
helped this paper out the most. Bear with me.
Thanks to Dr. Charles Self, Robert Wegener
and Bob Rogers for giving us criticism and
praise when we needed it.
Thanks to all of the former editors who
came back to the reunion in October. The peo
ple who have carried on this often-forgotten
Aggie tradition for the past centuiy have in
spired us to work even harder.
Thanks to Duddley's for its fine work as a
stress-relieving mechanism.
Thanks to the people before me who gave
me a chance: Alan Lehmann, Scott Wudel,
Timm Doolen, Doug Pils, Steve O'Brien, Stacy
Feducia and many more.
Thanks to the best damn editorial board in
the world (in budget order): Mark Evans, Dave
Thomas, Belinda Blancarte, Mack Harrison
(whom I can't imagine NOT working at The
Battalion), Kyle Burnett, Anas Ben-Musa,
Michael Plumer and William Harrison.
Thanks to Juli Phillips, the best damn man
aging editor and soon to be the best damn edi
tor in the world.
And finally, thanks to the 82 people that
bust their butts to put this thing out every day.
It was a pleasure to work with each and every
one of you.
But alas, do not shed a tear for this red
head, I still have 12 more credit hours before
my day is done. Texas A&M isn't through
with me just yet.
So wherever you see news happening;
wherever you smell newsprint; wherever you
hear frustrated editors screaming. I'll be
around.
b<
Chris Whitley is a senior journalism major who
will spend next semester loitering in the newsroom
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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, faculty 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 editor
for information on submitting
guest columns.
Address letters tor
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Mail stop 1111
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843
Fax: (409) 845-2647
After years of blood, sweat and tears — heeee's outta here!
ON
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ermits
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:s of
ITH, P' C
h, to gradu
ate — final-
.ly! After sev-
; en years, four
’ schools and four
majors. I'm ready.
Although by the
time you read this.
I'll be knee-deep in
an animal science
final, I still haven't
: suffered from the
usual end-of-se-
mester sense of
doom I usually get
this time of year.
JI've completed all
| my projects and
papers, so I won't be rushing the last day
of finals at 4:55 in the afternoon to get
that report — which was due six weeks
ago — to the professor before he leaves
his office.
Sure, I've got a little — all right, a great
deal — of studying to do, but for the most
part I managed to put my homework
ahead of beer drinking. Those who know
me — and even some who don't — often
remark that I seem to spend a number of
hours at a certain watering hole across the
MACK
HARRISON
Opinion Editor
street from campus, and I don't mean the
Chicken.
And by the way, those rumors are false.
I don't have a room at this establishment,
nor do I receive any mail there. And no, I
do not have a card in my wallet that reads,
"If found, please return to Duddley's
Draw."
Duddley's is an interesting place. In this
bar you can find professors, grad students,
frats, freaks, hippies, rednecks or just about
anyone else. In fact, I even saw my old ad
viser in there one day.
A few weeks ago. The Battalion ran a
rather biting editorial about how the Uni
versity treats students like numbers and al
lows some of them slip through the cracks.
A few days ago, I was eating lunch in
Dudd's when I ran into my former adviser,
who commented on the editorial. He was
unhappy that we pointed out one negative
story and neglected to stress the majority of
faculty and administrators — those indi
viduals whose main concern is their stu
dents.
"I read that 'Maroon Tape' editorial you
guys ran," he told me. "That really hurt
me."
He has a point. For the most part, advis
ers and faculty members at this school go
out of their way to help their students.
They take a genuine interest in their stu
dents' successes.
"If you have any problems about any
thing, please come talk to us," one teaching
assistant told our class. "It doesn't matter
what your major is; we're here to help."
And they do help. The adviser I men
tioned bent over backward to keep me in
school. Unfortunately, I worked even hard
er to get kicked back out. I didn't care.
Those who know me re
mark that I spend a number
of hours at a certain water
ing hole. No, I don't have a
room at this establishment,
nor do I receive mail there.
"There will always be Duddley's," I told
myself.
Not always. Last fall, I got booted for
good from the College of Liberal Arts. I de
served it. My grades had dropped too low
after too many semesters on academic pro
bation in my journalism major. My study
habits weren't bad — they were nonexis
tent.
I had used up all my excuses and ap
peals. I left College Station last Christmas
extremely depressed, knowing I would
never be a student at Texas A&M again.
Visions of living with my parents and
working the late shift at Whataburger
danced through my head.
But I wasn't completely out. I had one
chance. When I came back in January to
bring my furniture home, I talked to the
adviser for the agriculture journalism de
partment. Yes, there was a chance I could
enroll in the College of Agriculture and
Life Science. No, it wasn't definite.
I called her the next day, eager to know
one way or the other. Evidently, I had a lot
of people put in a good word for me.
"Congratulations, Mack," she said.
"They've decided to let you in."
It wasn't quite that simple, however.
They put me on double secret probation:
mandatory attendance, regular meetings
with my adviser, academic and personal
counseling and worst of all — for me at
least — I couldn't work on The Battalion.
The Batt has been a major part of what
passes for my life for about three years
now. From my first story as a nervous
rookie reporter to this, my farewell col
umn, I have always dedicated a great deal
of time and effort to this newspaper. That's
one of the reasons my grades had slipped.
Who wants to go to a sociology class when
you're about to break a major story?
Well, the break from work did me some
good. I turned my life around, went to
class and managed to meet my probation
requirements. I'm proud that I lived up to
the expectations of those who had faith in
me. The various faculty, staff and advisers,
who shall remain nameless for their own
protection, believed in me — even when I
didn't believe in myself.
There were times when I felt like quit
ting, but someone — an instructor, a
coworker, a friend — would remind me of
my potential and the high regard in which
others held me. All of these people, along
with my family, have my eternal gratitude
for their support through the years.
Times were tough and I'm not out of the
woods just yet; but I know that whatever
happens, I can handle it.
And you'll still see me at Duddley's.
Mack Harrison is a senior agricultural journal
ism major who hopes like hell he passes his ani
mal science final today
3.0. Boy.
Texas
Victims don't cause
crime, criminals do
There was a hilarious misquote in
Monday's Battalion. In the article about
crime on campus, a quote from Bob Wiatt
said that most misdemeanor crime on
campus is "...caused by the carelessness of
the victim." That's a real knee-slapper.
Last time I checked, crimes were caused
by CRIMINALS! I'm sure he ment that
victim carelessness often enables criminals
to commit crimes. But, I'm tired of hearing
about how we should accept the fact that
law enforcement really can't protect us. I'd
like to see a return to the days when laws
and law enforcement personnel could pro
tect, to some extent, citizens from crimi
nals. In my opinion, when a person com
mits a crime, law enforcement officials can
iss on his civil rights. I've got an idea to
elp deter crime in our society and it
doesn't involve the police having to hurt
anyone. From now on when someone is
arrested and found guilty of a crime of
any type, he is to be returned to the vic
tim's home or any other place the victim
chooses, handcuffed to a sturdy object,
and the police car back in about an hour.
Hey, I just want to enjoy my rights, too.
Joseph White
Class of'90
Test standards unfair
criteria for acceptance
Back in 1989,1 sent in my application to
be admitted in the "fish" class of '93 with
high hopes that I would be fulfilling one
of my lifetime dreams of coming here. A
few weeks later you sent me a letter say
ing in essence that I did not meet your
standards. In short, I was not good
enough to attend A&M. I was devastated,
of course. After spending a year at a junior
college, I sent my application to transfer
admissions, and it was accepted. I did not
just "squeak" by here either. I had two
distinguished student awards and several
semesters with a 3.0 or higher.
As I walk across the stage in G. Rollie
White on Dec. 17, I will remember when
you told me I was not smart enough to re
ceive a degree here and realize that I have
the last laugh after all.
The point of this letter is that test stan
dards shouldn't be the only criteria to de
cide who's accept. Many students are late
bloomers and are just as capable as nation
al merit scholars in succeeding here. I un
derstand that the job of screening appli
cants is difficult, but you should reconsid
er your criteria to spot students who are
smarter than their high school grades.
Mary Thedford
Class of '93