27,1994
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Thursday, January 27,1994
The Battalion Editorial Board
JULI PHILLIPS, Editor in chief
MICHAEL PLUMER, Managing editor KYLE BURNETT, Aggielife editor
BELINDA BLANCARTE, Night news editor DENA DIZDAR, Aggielife editor
HEATHER WINCH, Night News editor SEAN FRERKING, Sports editor
TONI GARRARD CLAY, Opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, Photo editor
JENNIFER SMITH, City editor
The Battalion
Page 13
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EDITORIAL
Bad judgement
Court sets a dangerous precedent
Monday's Supreme Court
uling allowing anti-abortion
protesters to be sued under fed
eral racketeering laws may have
a disastrous effect on free
speech in this country — re
gardless of how one stands on
nendm;
ite hrf
in/oma-
court.
wants to the abortion issue,
fe-andl The Racketeer Influenced
ind Corrupt Organizations Act
RICO) was passed 24 years ago
! n order to .control organized
crime. The Court's decision
now allows members of anti-
•abortion groups to be sued un
iter RICO legislation as conspir-
court re-«tors even when they are not
causeshyfchysically present or even
Ware of a protest.
Th^’scope of this ruling could
ea’ch well past anti-abortion
roups. Greenpeace, labor
nions or any organization
hich is considered to be on the
ringe of today's society could
,e the fe: jbe affected. Under RICO legis-
a senseles lation, it only takes a few fanati-
|al members of an otherwise
ieses hopi^peaceful, law-abiding organiza-
gbt again;: tion to ruin it for all. This will
chancesac almost certainly deter many ac
tivists, on a number of issues,
nanthatwirom becoming involved for
it' madeoifflear of being held responsible
m's mothelfor the occasional uncontrol
lable factor.
i In addition, any damages
jyill have to be paid in triple. As
— almost any protest organization
is non-profit, one large mone
tary judgment could easily force
a group into bankruptcy and
out of existence. Many groups,
the Catholic Church for exam
ple, could be named in lawsuits
if they are affiliated with a
group's activity.
Although this decision was
intended to prevent law-break
ing radicalism among activists,
it sets a dangerous precedent.
No one believes protesters
should be allowed to harass, as
sault, murder or riot in the
name of free speech, and this is
exactly why we currently have
laws governing individuals' ac
tions. Any criminal actions
which occur during a protest
can be prosecuted effectively
without invoking RICO.
RICO no longer attacks just
greed; it attacks ideas. If such a
ruling had occurred prior to the
turbulent 60s, imagine the
smothering effect it would have
had on events such as war
protests and civil rights demon
strations, such as those led by
Dr. Martin Luther King —
which did indeed disrupt busi
nesses from time to time.
No one will deny that some
protesters have gone too far —
which is why there are laws to
punish them. But the Court
should target criminal actions,
not ideas.
Weathering a storm of embarrassment
Numerous incidents diminish A&M's good reputation
Mm*
litsiif
ROY L.
CLAY
Columnist
A s Aggies, we live
under a code of
honor — but ap
parently this code does
not apply to those who
are not students. The ac
tions of the faculty and
administration in the last
several months attest to
tills.
Last semester A&M
was rocked by the high
ly questionable activities
of Dr. John Bockris, who
accepted $200,000 In do
nations for attempting to
turn mercury into gold.
Despite protests to the
administration by Dr. Dawn Wakefield, former
director of development for the College of Sci
ence, the University allowed Bockris to proceed
with his dubious research. Wakefield later was
fired, and the Securities and Exchange Commis
sion is investigating the matter.
On Jan. 5, a paper titled "The Value of Repu
tation and Academic Integrity of the University"
was circulated among administrators and facul
ty. In it Joan Kulm, a lecturer in the College of
Education, and Gerald Kulm, a professor at the
same college, write that an institution's reputa
tion is vital to both its image and its financial
well being. Reputation, according to the Kulms,
is not only a concept but a measurable asset that
is used by academic administrators and govern
ment officials to determine levels of funding for
different departments and programs.
"A&M has its strengths, especially in engi
neering and science. A&M is up there in re
search funding received," said Gerald Kulm.
"But its reputation is still trying to develop. It's
not quite there yet."
However, developing a reputation is only
part of the picture. As in business, maintenance
of that reputation is necessary. Joan Kulm said
that if an institution is plagued with enough
scandal, the strength of the school's integrity can
evaporate.
"Your reputation can go down rapidly," she
said.
The Bockris fiasco isn't the only one A&M
has weathered. The Dallas Morning News re
ported Saturday that an A&M lobbyist, Timothy
Shaunty, is being investigated for misappropri
ating about $8,000.
Ethics is the key to attaining the respect this
institution desires, but just as national recogni
tion eludes A&M, so does the ability to avoid
dubious conduct. The leadership in this area
should fall on the shoulders of the administra
tion. Apparently, many members are unwilling
to take on the task, as the Bockris fiasco proves.
A&M's reputation has already suffered be
cause of the administration's failure to make our
library a priority. 'The Sterling C. Evans Library
budget has been cut consistently, and the cuts
have resulted in the cancellation of subscriptions
to vital periodicals. Evans Library currently
ranks 49th among national university libraries.
A&M's main campus ranks fifth in the nation in
student population. It is obvious to most stu
dents at A&M that Evans Library is woefully in
adequate to supply the needs of its student
body.
'The University has endured yet another em
barrassment with the closing of the Mosher Insti
tute for International Policy Studies last August.
The Mosher Institute was recognized across the
nation for its studies and research in national se
curity interests of the United States. Although
its reputation added to the prestige of the school.
officials decided not to commit the funds neces
sary to keep the institute in business. Today, it is
alive in name only until they find some other
way to raise funding.
Perhaps one reason for this continuous string
of embarrassments is the Board of Regents. As
the governing body for Texas A&M University,
the board has the responsibility of controlling
the University's budget and most of the matters
concerning its operation. It is an important job
and should be carried out by people highly qual
ified in university management, right?
Wrong. A person need be little more than a
qualified voter to be proffered to the governor
for confirmation as a regent.
Yet there have been complaints of unneces
sary regent interference in administration duties.
Gerald Kulm said the regent's micro-manage
ment of the faculty is different than that of any
school with which he has ever been affiliated.
"If potential faculty members knew how the
regents handle its professors, no one would
come here," he said.
Last Tuesday, officials announced the sched
uling of a workshop to inform regents of tenure
policies for professors — policies spelled out in
A&M's policy and procedures manual. It seems
that board members did not want to grant
tenure because they want the ability to fire at
will whomever they desire.
The reputation of this university and the val
ue of the diploma one receives here have been
jeopardized. Ideally, the student is the Universi
ty, and our obligation is to let school officials
know that such dubious activities are unaccept
able. If we don't act, then the respectability of
our education will continue to be devalued.
Roy L Clay is a senior history major
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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 bodv, 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 to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Mail stop 1111
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843
Fax: (409) 845-2647
nd you think you've got problems with relationships
friend
Leigh (not
’ er real
name) has had
some crazy experi
ences with men in
her short life.
I It all started with
Mike in the ninth
grade. They started
dating after he
called Leigh at 2
» r\nc[ a-m. to tell her that
>-UD0" hj s father just died,
disCOlU and he needed a
■ ^ friend. She felt sym
pathy for him, and
they kissed, begin-
IS
l’
I
LYNN
BOOMER
Columnist
a two-and-a-half year relationship
and a pattern of falling for troubled men.
I Leigh noticed Mike frequently was cov
ered in bruises. At first he said they were
football injuries, but later he confessed that
his stepfather beat him. Eager to help,
Leigh gave him pamphlets on child abuse
which he passed on to his parents. Mike's
mother decided Leigh was the evil one.
Mike started running away from home,
always to Leigh's house. He got caught re
peatedly until finally she managed to hide
him in her closet for two weeks. When the
police found him, they took both Mike and
Leigh to jail. Mike said he'd rather stay in
jail than go home and eventually was sent
to live with an aunt and uncle — on the
stipulation that he and Leigh never see
each other again.
Soon after, Leigh met Nick, a 21-year-
old theater technician who was an alco
holic. He was tall and skinny, had hair that
reached down to his waist and wore a
straw hat with flowers and theater pins
stuck in it.
She started spending every moment
with him, and two-and-a-half weeks into
their relationship, Nick told her about his
wrist-slitting problem. He made her a
prom dress so that she could go to the ju
nior prom with Mike, who had sneeked
into town for the occasion. Then Nick
broke up with her because he was jealous.
A week later, Leigh started getting roses
every day at school, followed by love notes
and a marriage proposal. She finally had to
get a restraining order placed against Nick
when-he became violent.
Leigh met C.D., number three, at a pool
hall, where he told her his parents had
kicked him out of the house at age 14, and
he had dropped out of high school to be
come a professional clog dancer. She was
attracted immediately.
Everything seemed perfect
at first — he sent roses, left
poetry and cooked candle
light dinners. The fact that
he was a devil worshiper
didn't faze her.
Leigh soon became bored because all
C.D. ever wanted to do was dog dance.
She gave him an ultimatum: clogging or
me. He chose clogging.
Next came Nathan, who came to her af
ter breaking up with his girlfriend of two
years. He confessed to Leigh that his older
brother had molested him as a child. They
started dating soon after. Everything
seemed perfect at first — he sent roses, left
poetry and flowers in her car and cooked
candlelight dinners for her.
The fact that he was a devil worshiper
didn't faze her since he seemed so ultra
conservative. The week of the senior prom,
Leigh walked in on Nathan having sex
with another young woman.
Nathan, who was voted "nicest guy" by
his high school class, lied to everyone and
made Leigh look horrible. Luckily for her,
Leigh's friends rallied to support her and
made hundreds of photocopies of the con
fessional notes Nathan had written to her,
which they then distributed around the
school. A friend took Leigh to the prom.
In college, Leigh decided to avoid men
with emotional problems. She ended up
with what she calls "the most immature
man, relationship-wise, of my life."
She and James casually spent time to
gether until the day they kissed. After that.
he didn't call her for a week. When she fi
nally contacted him, James told her that he
wasn't ready for a serious commitment or
marriage.
Leigh was flabbergasted and told him,
"It was just a kiss!" They started spending
time together every night, while James con
tinued to send conflicting messages. He
told Leigh that if he had to say he loved
someone, it would be her. Two days later
he confessed that he had had sex with an
other woman the night before.
For Christmas, James sent her two
dozen roses with a card attached that read,
"Merry Christmas, friend." Now she won
ders how to break up with a man she never
dated in the first place.
After years of bad relationships, Leigh
has come out of her experiences a strong-
minded, witty, successful person. And for
someone who's only 20, she has quite a life
story.
Lynn Booker is a sophomore psychology
and English major
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ibership!'
Strong words for the
working students
I Seeing how many clubs and organiza
tions are on campus, I would like to sug
gest the addition of one more.
I I am a full time student who is working
full time as well. I am not working be
cause I want to, but because I have to. Do
ing this makes my goals a little more chal
lenging to achieve and is hell on grades.
Being married for over four years and the
addition of my 10-month-old daughter
has not made things any less complex.
My explaining this is not because I want
anyone's pity or sympathy, but because it
describes the basis of my club.
I am really peeved about hearing so
many students crying about how difficult
it is to get up early for class and how they
never have time to do anything because of
meetings and activities. There is nothing
wrong with being a part of something, but
give us all a break. Stop your belly-aching
and whining, and suck it up and deal with
it. Time is a luxury that some of us are not
fortunate enough to have. So, if you do
have time, enjoy it while you can.
I would like to found the STRONG
club. It is for the STudents who woRk fOr
a liviNG and do not have time to be in a
club. The only requirements are that you
are a student and are supporting yourself.
We probably will not be able to find a
meeting time that doesn't conflict with
some member's schedule, so we will not
have meetings. Most members can not af
ford to pay membership fees and our trea
surer does not have time to collect them
anyway, so we will not have any fees. If
you fill the requirements, and want to join,
you are already a member!
Stay strong and keep on pressing on.
Steve Black
Class of'92
Breaking rules is not
'only being human'
Though I find it very honorable to de
fend the weak, I can not agree with you,
Brent Watson. For the seventh time in the'
history of Texas A&M, the football pro
gram finds itself on probation.
Texas A&M is a school that prides itself
on the honesty and integrity of its stu
dents. Do you actually expect the student
body to support the actions of those in
volved? I cannot and will not, but you not
only support them but also justify their ac
tions. You feel they deserved the money;
you say it was payment for "busting their
butts" all year long. But, my friend, is it
right? Remember, the ends do not justify
the means. (Not even to win a precious
football game.) You even include us all
into the scenario. You say that if we were
in a similar situation, we would do the
same thing. Brent, never assume that all
of humanity would act as you would.
There are still many people who are hon
est. There are still many people who play
by the rules.
You justify their actions by using the
old cliche, "After all, they are human; no
body's perfect." Good gracious! When is
anyone going to take responsibility for
their actions? What they did was wrong.
By taking money for work not performed,
they DISRESPECTED their school, their
fans, and worse of all their own team
mates. You even quote the "Spirit of Ag-
gieland." Yes, Brent, we are Aggies, the
Aggies are we; but while some players are
Aggies, others just play football for A&M.
C. Brian Bass
Class of'95