The Battalion
Editorial Board
Mark Evans, Editor in chief
William Harrison, Managing editor
|ay Robbins, Opinion editor
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
Contact the opinion editor for information
submitting guest columns.
Planning A&M’s future
Regents must remember University's purpose
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Comet crash inspires celestial awe
A&M observers wonder at exciting display of star-crossed planetary event
i
JOSEF
ELCHANAN
Columnist
squinted
through the
lens, letting my
eyes adjust to the
image of a planet
under attack. An
object had been
hurled at the
ancient sphere,
named for the ruler
of Roman gods. As Ganymede, that ruler’s servant moon,
cast a shadow on the planet face, we could clearly see a huge
black spot of methane, the sign of impact, leaving a crown of
tmospheric chaos. Such trauma was unusual, even for a
planet that has a continual storm the size of two Earths.
At the Texas A&M Observatory, a small domed building
located on a desolate hill out past Easterwood Field, astronomy
was no longer a realm for scientists with doctorates in physics.
; was a place where
college student
could peer at objects
untouched, but not
unimagined.
I had not been
out to the
bservatory for a
;ew years, not since
the astronomy lab I
How can human achievement compare to
something so cosmic as these comet frag
ments, which in turn appear miniscule next
to pulsars, black holes and galactic cores?
i
:ook as a freshman. The building was in much better
shape, upkeep having been taken on by my two
celestial guides, Dan Bruton and John Harper.
I have never met men who were so
mpassioned by their jobs. One of the greatest
isible celestial events in modern history was
iccurring, and they, with their telescopes, ^
canned Jupiter’s face for signs of
ilanetary stress.
“There’s no cyclone anymore,” Dan said
is he placed his finger on one of the
npact sites, describing a comet
ragment’s annihilation of one of
5 upiter’s many atmospheric eddies. We
.. ratched Jupiter rotate at its 10-hour-
* lay pace by way of a jury-rigged video
amera hooked into a small television,
londay night was the first opportunity
or these astronomers to see for
hemselves what the Hubble Space
elescope and other observatories had
Iready recorded: Fragment G’s impact site.
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 is more than just
n excuse for scientists to spew more techno-
abble. It is a small taste for humanity of the true
ower of the Universe. The Grand Canyon isn’t
lite so grand when placed in parallel to the
agment’s impact blasts, each of which was more fierce
lan any man-made explosive force.
How does human achievement weigh when compared to
mething so small as comet fragments impacting a gas
ant, which in turn appear miniscule next to pulsars,
ack holes and galactic cores?
Bruton and Harper focused on Jupiter again Tuesday, as if
pturing a living force within the glass lenses. I stared in
solute awe as more black spots, some larger than our own
ie planet, circled the top of Jupiter. We talked about what
would happen now: how long would the spots be visible, what
had Hubble seen through thermographic and spectrographic
analysis, when the next fragments would hit.
We joked about what the comet’s effect should be called.
After all, the pinched Jovian surface was similar to a
crushed beer can. I had never seen so much excitement —
people coming and going, wanting to take just a glimpse of
the great mysteries of the universe. Now they can tell their
kids about watching the great dark spots of Jupiter form.
There was no lack of human emotion people so often
associate with the scientific community.
Twenty-five years ago, men stepped on Earth’s moon. So
little has been done since then! I have not forgotten how so
many of our legislators tried to shoot down the Hubble Space
Telescope project. Without this instrument, the images of
Shoemaker-Levy 9 would not have their scientific quality.
Cutbacks destroyed the super-conducting supercollider and
many officials want to disassemble the space station before it
gets off the ground. We are
entertained by spaceships, warp
drives and extraterrestrials, but we
are not even trying to find the real
thing. Instead, we are only allowed to
peer out at the objects of our desire,
never able to touch them.
I grew up without knowing the
successes of our space program, and
watched the failures of a
bureaucracy which abused our
trust that it would take us
into the future. Like the
building of the Great
Pyramid or the roads
to Rome, the space
program is the
The Texas A&M University System
Board of Regents meets today and to
morrow in one of its most important
sessions of the year. The Board is mak
ing decisions that will greatly impact
the present and future of the Universi
ty and it should keep in mind Texas
A&M’s primary function: providing the
best possible environment for ed
ucation and research.
Among the items on
the regents’ agenda are
determining the
means of selecting a
new System chan
cellor, devising an
appropriate Sys
tem policy on al
cohol purchases,
refining long-term
goals, and approv
ing operating bud
gets and construc
tion projects.
In regard to each of
these specific issues, the
regents must make many
considerations. A new or interim
chancellor must prepare the System to
meet constant economic and political
challenges. He or she will represent the
interests of the University and System
to state officials who control budget ap
propriations and approve on major pro
jects like the Special Events Center.
Hopefully, the candidate chosen will fill
these requirements and remain in the
position for a long term.
The new alcohol policy must clearly
define regulations for the University’s
purchases of alcohol, the fiscal office’s
processing of vouchers and reimburse
ments and a proper system of account
ing these transactions.
The University needs re
alistic long-term goals
and spending plans.
Forward-thinking
management of
University expan
sion and develop
ment is essential.
The students can
make do with old
swimming pools
and dead flower
beds for a long
time if the trade-off
is additional course
sections, library im
provements and avoid
ing fee increases.
Anyone interested in these
proceedings should attend the open
sessions, which are being held in
Room 292 of the MSC. University
education and research depend on
good administration of the school. If
the regents provide that leadership,
then their work will be done well.
Race colors picture
of O J. Simpson case
Attempts to analyze defendant's motives force
connection between personal struggles, murder
Wi
great American
moment, the
HfL 1
point where our
sense of
adventure and
lijMk I
exploration
collides with
' j
our need build
; 'V. J
eternal
m 1
monuments.
Humans
1
have both the
tools and the
■ ■ • • r ' . : . .
ability to build
long-term space
projects, which will
excite our sense of
curiosity and wonder
while also giving us
untold business
opportunities and chances to
expand beyond the limits of our
planet. Perhaps one day, before we have our
own run-in with a comet - or an unfortunate plague, war or
world-wide famine - we will repeat the leap of faith that
America made during the Cold War.
Then, the next time this kind of event happens in our
solar system, we might watch from ring-side seats.
Josef Elchanan is a senior business management major
e all know the story by now. O. J.
Simpson is accused of
murdering his ex-wife. He
cruised through L.A. in his white
Bronco, a fugitive from justice holding a
gun to his head. A Los Angeles county
judge ruled that there was enough
evidence for a trial after several days of
what may have been the most highly
publicized legal proceeding ever.
The drama of this affair has provoked
hundreds of hours of endless analysis,
argument, and speculation. Not only the
tabloids, but also real news media have
given top billing to the Simpson case.
With all the discussion, the question of
race was bound to surface.
The pundits tell us that O.J. was a
black man caught in a white man’s
world. Sharon Collins, a University of
Illinois sociologist, says that Simpson
“consciously shed ... any remnants that
would remind people” he is black. As a
well-known sportscaster who sat right
alongside Bob Costas, he supposedly had
to “talk white” in order to be accepted by
the mainstream sports-viewing public.
He dressed “white” and played golf with
the mostly white country club crowd. To
complete this alleged “transformation,”
he even married a , M M
pretty blonde
white woman.
O.J. did not
want to be a black
man to the public;
he wanted to
project a race-
neutral image. He
once said he
wanted people to
JIM
PAWLIKOWSKI
Columnist
feel the same way. Among blacks, 77
percent are sympathetic towards him,
compared to only 42 percent of whites.
We can account for this disparity by
examining our perceptions of racial
minorities. Among much of the
population, criminal behavior is
expected, or at least not as unexpected to
be committed by blacks than by whites.
Imagine if a white sports hero, say
Joe Namath, was accused of a serious
crime. He would probably have similar
public support as O.J., but the shock
would be significantly greater.
Most football fans have similar
feelings towards Simpson and Namath.
They are both admired for their superior
athletic skill and off-the-field
personalities. Both rose to mythical
status as all American heroes. To see
O.J. Simpson once said that he wanted people
to "look at me like a man first, not a black
man." According to Newsweek, "He collapsed
under the pressure of trying to carry it off."
Call
>ortion carries risk to
ental, physical health
I am writing in response to the edito-
din the July 11 edition of The Battal-
f about the inaccessibility of abortion
teies in the Bryan-College Station
^a. Judging from their names, I as-
Pie the editorial board members are
foi. Therefore, I should not be too sur-
; ed to see them speak out for bring-
an abortionist to Bryan-College Sta-
The legalization of abortion is the
Jtest gift this country ever gave to
fcale citizens. It permits men to com-
ly avoid any responsibility if they
get a girl pregnant. Or, if he wants to be
a real gentleman, he can just offer to
pay for her abortion. What more could
she want from him?
The editorial board obviously is un
aware, or perhaps simply doesn’t care,
about all the negative physical, mental
and emotional consequences of abortion.
There is a significant risk of damage to a
woman’s reproductive capabilities, a risk
to her life and a risk to her mental and
emotional health. The majority of women
who have abortions suffer depression,
grieving, anxiety and guilt after an abor
tion, even if they freely made the choice
themselves. Many women begin drinking
heavily and using prescription medica
tions or drugs to numb themselves to the
pain. To add to her pain, or possibly be
cause of it, she will probably lose her
boyfriend. Over 70 percent of all rela
tionships break up after an abortion.
I find it so interesting to hear the ar
guments that people use. For instance,
the editorial said it is not up to a commu
nity to set standards by deciding that we
should not have an abortion clinic here.
Who do you think decides what penalty a
criminal should pay when they are con
victed of a crime? A jury, typically made
up of people from the local community.
The community sets all of the standards
for what they want and don’t want from
the local parks to the laws they enforce.
Abortion cannot stand outside of the com-
munity’s jurisdiction.
I would invite anyone to try to verify
or refute any of the statements I have
made. I would encourage people to shake
off narrow-minded beliefs and consider
another side of this issue.
Amy M. Velderman, M.S.
Clinical Audiologist
The Battalion encour
ages tetters to fhe editor
and will prim as many as
space allows. Letters
must be 300 words or
less and wcfude the au
thor's name, class, and
phone number.
We reserve the right
to edit letters for length.
i i»_a
“look at me like a man
first, not a black man.”
He was successful in reaching this
goal. However, according to Newsweek,
“He collapsed under the pressure of
trying to carry it off.”
The link between the pressure of
maintaining a “white” image and
committing murder is a bit hard to
fathom. How would killing your wife
be a result of this struggle? This
conclusion seems to be a desperate
attempt to make race an issue, when
it has nothing to do with the situation.
How many people thought of the
situation in racial terms when they first
heard the news? Chances are, very few.
O.J. Simpson is a man who was
admired by people of all races for his
skill on the football field and his
personality inside the broadcast booth.
When he was accused of murder, people
of all races were stunned at the downfall
of this American hero.
While race is certainly not the major
focus of the case, there is a racial
dimension. A USA Today-CNN Gallup
poll shows that 60 percent of blacks
believe that the charges against O.J. are
untrue, while only 15 percent of whites
either of them fall would be shocking
and disheartening.
We would no doubt be shocked to see
either man accused of murder. But the
shock wears off more quickly when the
man is black. We are so used to seeing
black criminal suspects on television and
most wanted signs that we have become
desensitized. Broadway Joe accused of
murder? No way. The Juice accused of
murder? No way, but...
The fact that Nicole Simpson was
white, while probably irrelevant to O.J.’s
attempt to “become white,” does add an
interesting dimension.
Would the shock be any less if it
was a black woman who was killed?
Probably not much, but the allure of
interracial sex would be missing, and
there would be one less thing for the
tabloids to talk about.
Race should not matter, but it does.
As much as we try to rid our society of
unfair racial divisions, they persist.
We try to ignore the racial dimension
of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. But
somehow, we just can’t.
Jim Pawlikowski is a junior
chemical engineering major