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Tuesday • November 15, 1994
iHh i '. ,
The Battalion • Page 11
Mixing business and pleasure blurs vital distinction I
Robert Smith is paying for
betraying the dignity of his job
H e’s been found guilty. Robert
Smith, that is. Found guilty of cdivi
“Solicitation of gifts by a public tKIN
servant,” a Class A misdemeanor. The HILL
Robert Smith who up until this sum
mer was vice president of Finance and
Administration, who oversaw 12 major Columnist
departments of this University and had
more stewardship and authority than
any of the other vice presidents. A ver
itable big cheese.
Smith was also the chief negotiator of the con
tract with Barnes & Noble Bookstores which is
how all this trouble came in the first place.
What’s all the fuss about? Well, Barnes & No
ble spent $37,838.67 on entertainment and ac
commodations in New York City for Smith and
other A&M administrators from 1990 to 1993.
Smith’s lawyer Dick DeGuerin said the trips
were for business, not pleasure. Oh, really?
Broadway shows, expensive dinners, limousine
rides and yacht rides are business? The last time
I checked, that stuff was fun. Business, my foot.
That’s not why Smith is in hot water. He’s in
trouble because he brought his wife, Pat Smith,
along, and the bill totaled over $12,000. Smith
said he didn’t solicit the
trip for his wife, implying
that Barnes & Noble invit
ed her.
Why would Barnes &
Noble volunteer to pay for
Pat Smith’s trip? Could it
be because Smith had the
power to say Yay or Nay
to the contract? Could it
be? Do you think? Is it be
cause they stand to make
millions off of us.
A probable scenario has
Barnes & Noble agreeing
to pay for the trip in an ef
fort to convince Smith to sign the contract with
him. It doesn’t’ make sense that they would in
vite his wife along. It does make sense that they
let him bring his wife along because they wanted
his signature.
Pat Smith said that she went because she
thought she had been invited. She also said that
Robert didn’t tell her what went on at A&M
“businesswise.” Can we see why?
For many people, what he did probably doesn’t
seem strange to many of us. The attitude of
“Take What You Can Get” is prevalent every
where. Many folks would have done the same
thing. But the prevalence of such selfishness
does not make it OK.
It is alarming to discover just how common
corruption at the top is. It is also alarming that
this corruption doesn’t bother us. It should.
How many people actually know or care what
Smith did? How many think it wasn’t really a
big deal?
While there are many men and women in posi
tions of authority who do not abuse their power,
it only takes one situation to put doubt in the
public’s confidence. It only takes one bad apple
to spoil the bunch.
The Brazos County District Attorney Bill Turner
said “Smith is the vice president. He’s the leader of
12 departments. Does he lead by example?”
No, he did not unless you consider that his be
havior led other administrators to mess up too.
He did not act in accordance with his position.
Smith’s actions may appear to hurt no one but
Mr
Broadway shows, expensive dinners, lim
ousine rides and yacht rides are busi
ness? The last time I checked, that stuff
was fun. Business, my foot.
himself. Actually they have damaged the repu
tation of the University considerably.
Do people on the other side of the country
think of how we rebuilt Bonfire in less than a
week when they hear the name of this Universi-
The Battalion
Editorial Board
Belinda Blancarte, Editor in chief
Mark Evans, Managing editor
Jenny Magee, Opinion editor
Sterling Hayman, Asst, 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
letters express the opinions of the authors.
Contact the opinion editor for information
on submitting guest columns.
ty? Or about the other good things Aggie stu
dents are doing? Do they think about the stu
dents at all?
No, they don’t. They hear about corrupt ad
ministration, alumni who can’t keep their wal
lets in their pockets and staff members who falsi-
fy documents.
Doesn’t it bother you that in spite of your
years of hard work at A&M all of the press goes
to people in charge who are continually messing
up? We are, in effect, helpless to stop what they
do with our school and our school’s reputation.
The coverage shouldn’t be a surprise; those
administrators have more power than any of us. ■
But it’s a shame they haven’t put their positions’
ability to garner media attention to better use.
If Smith wants to truly rectify the situation he
ought to publicly apologize to the stu- IK
dents of Texas A&M.
It’s our school not his but the men
and women in charge don’t always act
with our best interests at heart.
They’ve disappointed us, Smith in
particular. Perhaps he should resign >3;
from the position he was given after
the indictment, Director of Special Op- ,
erations. Perhaps not. That’s his call, t'
But we can expect an apology, formal and sin
cere. We demand as much. And deserve much
Erin Hill is a senior English major
>.v.
Stopping the violence
Rape Awareness teaches precautions
The recent acts of violence that
have taken place in College Station
I are yet another reminder that A&M
students need to prepare themselves
io deal with violent crime.
Students should take advantage
of the University System if they feel
their personal safety is being threat
ened in any way.
Programs such as the Corp Escort
Service and Dial-a-Ride can prevent
students from walking on campus
alone after daylight. For many crim
inal offenders, particularly rapists,
this is the prime time to strike. Fur
thermore, the Rape Crisis Center of
fers students prevention programs
and counseling for victims of rape.
Students are encouraged to use
these services in order to prevent
more violent acts from occurring.
A&M offers students the opportu
nity to take self defense. The course
is offered through the kinesiology
department, and counts as a kinesi
ology credit.
College Station, although it is the
revered home of Aggieland, it is by
no means Disneyland.
In spite of its conservative and
safe atmosphere, there are criminal
offenders and potential rapists lurk
ing around the area. Just because
College Station and Bryan are not
considered major cities, that doesn’t
mean that violent acts, including rape
are non-existent.
In a recent example of crime in
the area, A&M junior, Laurie Ann
Baker became a victim of violent
crime. Her story shows that victims
often know their attacker. Even
people who take common sense pre
cautions such as not walking alone
at night, carrying mace or learning
self defense are not necessarily safe
from crime.
A great deal of information con
cerning rape is geared toward
women, but men should be con
cerned about their safety as well.
Contrary to what many may think,
men can be rape victims also. They
too need to take precautions and be
aware of the situations around them.
When it comes to issues such as
rape, a students cannot be “too in
formed. In this time in society
where crime, including rape is on
the rise, one cannot get too much in
formation and education.
Rape is a violent, tragic act, and it
can happen anywhere to anyone.
Proper precautions, information and
basic safety are a must in preventing
such a horrific crime.
FM
2^
V-'-.
mr
Vampires just vant to be appreciated!
Underneath the fangs, lurks a culture wounded by misrepresentation
Josef
Elchanan
Columnis
ilfliiill!
Mail
C^l
Appearance says little
about a person's virtues
I cannot believe that in this day and
age we have a male student writing a let
ter about the abundance of attractive
women on campus. I assume has good
intentions, as do those “kind gentlemen”
who offer me the only available seat on
the shuttle, but I’m sure many women
did not come to A&M to act as decoration
for the male population to enjoy. I at
tended school in a “northern state,” and
though I did not focus on how attractive
the student body was, I did not observe
the blatant sexism that I see here on this
campus. There are many things about
people which make them special, but
how one looks matters little in the mea
sure of a person’s worth. If more men
looked on women as intellectuals, peers
and friends and not as simple creatures
whose only purpose is to “look pretty”,
women would not suffer the societal in
justices which still run rampant today.
Jennifer K. Wormuth
Graduate Student
Many options protect
Aggie Bucks on lost I.D.s
The Nov. 10 letter concerning the Ag
gie Buck system included a good ques
tion. “‘What happens if you lose your
student I.D. card? Who do you call?’”
Victims of lost student I.D.s may first
call the MSC Lost and Found at 845-
8908 or the Commons Lobby Lost and
Found at 845-2821, 24 hours a day. If no
luck there, you can call the Aggie Buck
office during business hours at 845-4661.
They will immediately block all use of
your Aggie Bucks. You may also call
Network Availability, 24 hours a day, at
862-4884 to immediately cancel your I.D.
In the event that you find your I.D., just
visit room 110 of the Pavilion, and they
will reactivate your I.D. free of charge. If
your ID is no where to be found, you can
be reissued a new one at a current fee of
Si2. And your RA or RD can also assign
you a temporary card access I.D. to get in
your dorm, until you get a new I.D.
Chris Johnson
Class of ’94
Accompanied by 14 signatures
The Battalion encour
ages letters to the editor
and will print as many as
space allows. Letters
must be 300 words or
less and include the au
thor's name, class, and
phone number.
' reserve the right
style, and accuracy.
Address letters to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1 ITT
Fax: (409) 843-2647 i
I sit here in my room, the
window cracked open, the
dark wind whistling be
tween the surrounding roofs.
I had a phone call from a se
cret informant who promised
me a, “delicious,” story about
the film industry. Besides the
coarseness of the man’s voice,
as if sheets of paper were being rubbed together, there was
no hint what the person I would be inviting into my apart
ment would be like.
The doorbell rang at 9 p.m., just as the man promised it
would. I slid the bolt in and jarred the door open, only to
discover that no one was there. “Damn kids,” I breathed,
closing and locking the door again. Then I froze. Sitting in
my living room was a slim man, hidden in dark folds of a
raincoat.
“I did not see you come in,” I said in the strongest voice I
could muster. “I am sorry, it is a bad habit of mine,” the
dark figure whispered. “I have come to voice a complaint
against idiocy,” he said, somewhat louder.
“That is a tall order,” I said.
“Well, yes, but this continuous misinformation must end
sometime. You know, we never
minded the books you people wrote
about us, or the stories you told by
your fires, but this new age of televi
sion and movies makes us look like a
bunch of bloodthirsty hooligans!” the
dark man exclaimed.
“Who do you represent,” I asked,
while wondering what this man, ob
viously a terrorist or criminal of
some sort, would want from a part-time student journalist.
I hoped it was not something of a permanent nature.
“I,” he again began in a whisper as he rose to his feet,
“am honestly a real life vampire.”
Oh boy, I am alone in the room with a lunatic, my mind
screamed. Where’s a bazooka when I need it?
“No really,” he said, “I know you won’t believe it, but you
must believe it. And you must listen carefully. We live par
allel to your world, on the fringes of your evolution. All we
have ever wanted is escape hunger and to be represented
in a more accurate manner than by a man dressed-up in
his socks, shirt and underwear, dancing amongst living
room furniture_to_6D-’a.Tnusi&. ?
“You mean thaU^came.allthe way here to tell me
„ ; —, it.
Cruise (who did a pretty good job) to play your role?” I was
in a state of shock.
“Yes, and that’s not all.”
“What else,” I asked impatiently.
“You see,” said the dark man as he turned and sat grace
fully on the couch, coat tails whipping behind him, “We
also hate what Francis Ford Coppolla did to us, what “The
Lost Boys” did to us and what Salemis Lot did to us. We
are good people, leading our lives responsibly, only drink
ing the blood of a few humans in exchange for our lives. We
kill, but at least we don’t discriminate against you all. Af
ter all, you kill and eat animals, and many of them would
eat you if they had the chance. But do you make them the
bad guys? Oh, no! Instead, Disney comes along and makes
“The Lion King,” while vampires get treated like a bunch of
ghouls. Even Bugs Bunny hates us!”
His eyes had turned an evil red, and his breath came in
torrents. I could safely assume he was extremely angry
and, vampire or not, I did not like that look one bit.
“OK, OK, what do you want?” I inquired, feeling the my
heart pound in my chest at the rate of a rabbit’s. “We want
the people of America to know that we are their friends,
their mothers and their fathers. We do not want to be
treated like this anymore. We want respect. We want peo
ple to remember that
they cannot just go
around putting
stakes in our hearts
and expect us to sit
there idly. We have
a culture. We are
V ampiric-Americans,
and we demand that
Hollywood stop ex
ploiting us and return us to the state that Bram Stroker
left us in - something to be feared and respected.”
I turned away from him, giggling horribly, afraid he
would go into a mad rampage if he saw me, but I could not
help myself.
Suddenly, something blew past me and when I turned,
he was gone.
I have never been sure what I saw that night, maybe it
was just a dream or maybe the man was so strange that I
let my imagination run away with me, but his demand for
freedom to be who he chose to be struck a chord within my
psyche. Maybe it is not so horrible to be the undead, as
long as one has the heart to be a decent undead person.
We have a culture. We are Vampiric-
Americans, and we demand that Holly
wood stop exploiting us and return us to
the state that Bram Stroker left us in.
thal you are a ^wi'pit^’hrid thatyrm dn not want Tom