Wednesday • April 5, 1995
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The Battalion • Page 13
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The Battalion
Established in 1893
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.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Mark Smith
Editor in chief
Jay Robbins Heather Winch
Senior Managing Managing editor
editor for Business
Sterling Hayman
Opinion editor
Erin Hill
Asst, opinion editor
EDITORIAL
Vote again, Ags
It is just as important to make educated votes
in the A&hA run-off elections.
With the end of regular student
government elections last week,
many students might think there is
nothing left to do except wait until
the elections are held again next
year. However, the job of political
participation is not quite over yet.
Polls open tomorrow in the run
off election, which is just as im
portant as the main election.
In fact, since the field of
candidates now is much
smaller, we must pay clos
er attention to the qualifica
tions and platforms of
those who are still in
the pool.
The stake is the
same. We are still elect
ing the leaders for our
student body.
Traditionally, fewer
people show up for a
runoff than for the elec
tion itself. Hopefully,
that trend will not con
tinue this year. This year’s primary
election had 2,000 more voters partici
pate than last year.
Even with the increase, only 24 per
cent of the student body participated
in the election. Although there is still
a long way to go, we can see an in
crease in interest and participation in
the elections. First-time student elec
tion voters should keep in mind the
importance of the run-off election.
On April 6, the races for Student
Body President, RHA President
and several offices in the
Classes of ’96, ’97 and ’98 fi
nally will be decided.
These races are as
pressing as they were the
first time. The issues and
the candidates should
be weighed as seriously
as before.
In particular, stu
dents should consider
carefully the goals,
plans and qualifica
tions of Carl Baggett
and Toby Boenig.
One of these two
people will be our Stu
dent Body President next
year.
It is not unreasonable to hope that
the student body president is elected
by the student body as a whole, not
by a few students — possibly a tiny
percentage — who just happen to
show up.
So little time, so many lists
Obsessive list-making shouldn't manipulate one's entire life
Jenny
Magee
Columnist
L ists are an integral
part of my life. I
make them for every
thing. Things to do today.
Things to do over the sum
mer. Things to during the
course of my lifetime.
Things to do when ab
solutely nothing else can
be done.
There is something so satisfying
about crossing off one of the numbered
items on a "things-to-do” list. I soak up
that small feeling of accomplishment
like dry skin drinking in lotion.
Some how it makes the world feel
more stable to have things more done
rather than less done.
Sometimes die-hard list-makers
find it nice to include easy things on
our things-to-do list just for the inflat
ed sense of productivity we feel when
we look back at a list of 45 numbered
items that have been officially crossed
out. Of course the list consists of
things such as 1. Wake up 2. Open eyes
3. Get out bed.
List-makers on occasion will en
counter anti-list-makers who degrade
the art of itemized organization.
One such skeptic is Paul Reiser, star
of the TV series “Mad About You” and
author of “Couplehood.” In “Couple-
hood” he writes, “Some people have sta
tionary that already says Things To Do
Today.” Why do we need that?
The reason you’re writing it down in
the first place is because you want to do
it. I think that’s fairly obvious.
Which brings up a rather interesting
point: I don’t need to write down a list of
things-to-do to as a memory aid. I never
forget. Pop-quiz me at any time during
the day, and I can spout off my list of
ILlXGM.
things-to-do with unfail
ing precision.
Basically, to be totally
honest, I am just killing
trees. Every day, without
so much as a thought, I
jot down my oh-so impor
tant itinerary in hopes of
giving a little order to this
mixed-up world. Maybe I’ll add it to the
list, 46. Kill tree.
More devastating than the thought of
slaughtered trees and barren forests is
facing the thing-to-do that can’t be done.
In the modern world there are many
strong forces that work diligently
against plans of productivity.
Sunny weather, rainy weather, per
sonal triumphs, personal tragedies,
slow drivers, long lines and endless
others that differ with each situation.
Sometimes die-hard list makers will
alter item wording in order to cross the
thing off the list, a helpful hint we
learned from politicians.
For example, 23. Read Chapter 13
in Economics book, could become 23.
Read page 35 in Economics book.
Which is along the same lines as “Read
my lips, no new taxes” that became,
“Listen to my whisper, OK, we need a
few more taxes.”
Listmakers want to be productive but
nobody ever specified how productive
we actually have to be.
Which of course is untrue — there Eire
a lot of societal rules about what things
which people are supposed to be doing.
That is one of the reasons we are here,
studying at A&M right now, so that we
can go out in the world and be productive
members of our individual fields.
We face career pressures, relation
ship pressures, financial pressures and
moral pressures every day.
Lucky for us, societal expectations
change through the course of time. A
few short decades ago, all the single,
twentysomething girls on this campus
would have been considered washed-up,
old maids. And attending a coed univer
sity would certainly not have been on
our things-to-do list.
Often much more constraining than
society’s expectations are our own per
sonal expectations.
Many people, even those who shun
list making, have a mental timeline for
their lives.
They want to graduate by age 22, be
making $75,000 a year and be married
by 28, have two kids and a summer
home by 33, and the list continues,
clean, clear and rational.
The only problem with our mental
things-to-do timelines is life. My father
likes to remind me often of an old say
ing, “Life is what happens to you while
you’re making other plans.”
We are all bound by limitations of
time, circumstance and control.
How many times have our worst ex
periences blossomed into the best possi
ble results in retrospect?
Oftentimes, the reason why that mo
ment, when the world crumbles like cook
ies around us, is so awful is because the
event that became reality contradicted
our personal thing-to-do list.
Its funny but it seems the one thing I
can’t remember to do when I face the
cookie crumbs should be number one on
my list.
1. Accept current situation and make
the best of it.
Jenny Magee is a junior
English and journalism major
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Squads left. Squads right! Corps block voting is alright
Drew
Diener
Columnist
W ithout a doubt, yell leaders
are the foremost representa
tives of Texas A&M Univer
sity’s undying spirit and traditions.
Be they huddled behind the
goalpost at the north-end of Kyle
Field coaxing a point- after at
tempt through the uprights, or
taking turns telling motivational
stories about “Ole Rock” at Mid
night Yell, or addressing the public at any num
ber of speaking engagements throughout the
school year, yell leaders are forever cast in the
spotlight as the champions of Aggie spirit and
tradition.
Each spring, the student body elects three se
niors-to be and two juniors to-be to serve as yell
leaders for the upcoming school year.
A whole slew of energetic, red ass Aggies enter
the race, but only five emerge as yell leaders, the
most recognizable and visible representatives of
Texas A&M University.
Unlike officer elections, yell leader elections do
not allow for runoffs. Should there be? Opinions
differ on this matter, as a bill introduced this past
year in the Student Senate indicates. The bill,
which missed being passed by two votes, called for
runoffs in yell leader elections.
Although the bill is dead, the ar
gument continues.
One proponent of yell leader
runoffs believes that the current
means of electing the most recog
nizable and visible representatives
of Aggieland is unfair to non-reg
candidates. The well-known prac
tice of block voting by the Corps
almost always assures that the five “C 2 orps-en-
dorsed” candidates will win, although such has
not been the case on two occasions in the last
four years.
For example, three “corps-endorsed” candidates
for senior yell leader finished first, second and
third with 24.8 percent, 20.7 percent and 18.7 per
cent of the vote, respectively. Meet your three se
nior yell leaders for the 1995-96 school year: David
Kemp, Michael Thornberry and Henry Hewes, all
members of the Corps of Cadets.
Although none of the three has the majority of
the vote or even close, which would be mathemati
cally impossible given the number of candidates,
they have nevertheless “won” the election and
without a run-off that would include Ron Mo, who
received 13.1 percent of the vote and finished
fourth, they do not have to worry about campaign
ing for the remaining 22.7 percent of the vote that
was originally thrown behind three other non-reg
candidates and one other Corps candidate.
If there was a run-off and Mo was able to gar
ner half of the 22.7 percent of the vote that origi
nally went to the four other candidates and Kemp,
Thornberry and Hewes split the other half, the
1995-96 senior yell leaders would be Kemp (28.5),
Thornberry (24.4) and Mo (24.4).
The implementation of yell leader runoffs
would greatly change the way campaigns for its
five positions are waged. Block voting by the
Corps in the primary election might still guaran
tee that its candidates would be the initial top
vote getters, but a run-off would almost guaran
tee that a non-reg would sneak up and snatch
away one of the spots, at least in the senior run
off, a la Ron Mo.
So goes the argument for a run-off.
But is there really a need to drag-out the cam
paign and election process for a group of individu
als who are merely symbols of Aggie spirit and
tradition? We are talking about yell leaders not
the Student Body President.
Their job is to inspire the 12th Man on sun
drenched Saturday afternoons in the middle of
September at Kyle Field, not to set a legislative
agenda for the student government.
Their job is to keep us laughing with stories
about “Ole Rock” at bitter cold Midnight Yell
practices in late November, not to act as a liaison
to the state legislature or Board of Regents.
Their job is inform us when to tell “the bus dri
ver” to sit down or when to give the referee a
“horse laugh,” not to lobby on behalf of student in
terests to important people that can do something
about them.
Given the job description and duty of a yell
leader as opposed to that of Student Body Presi
dent or any other elected officer, a run-off would
not serve the same kind of purpose as a run-off
does for other offices. A yell leader is a symbol of
Aggieland, a willing ambassador of its customs
and its culture, no more and no less.
If non-regs want to insure that one of their own
will wear the game whites of a yell leader on Satur
day afternoons in the Fall, than they should form a
coalition or coalitions of their own and block vote
like the Corps, if of course it is that important to
them who is telling them when to “give em’ a horse
laugh” or when to scream at that damn “bus driver.”
Drew Diener is a junior English major
Silver Taps indicative
of true Aggie spirit
Around election time, we tend to
hear a lot about divisions in Aggieland.
I remember being at Silver Taps last
month, thinking about this very same
subject. It’s dark at Silver Taps, and
from a distance you can’t tell whether
or not someone is wearing a uniform.
All you know is that they are an Aggie.
So you stand beside them, and for a
while, it doesn’t matter who you are or
who they are. For a few minutes, we’re
all just Texas Aggies. For a moment, it’s
just that simple. This division nonsense
is our own fault, really. We all fall into
the trap of thinking less of someone
based on who they are, what they wear
or what organizations they’re in. It’s
very easy to stereotype. It’s much hard
er to make an honest effort to under
stand your fellow Aggies.
The next time you’re tempted to look
down on a fellow Aggie, I challenge you
to stop and think. Think about what’s
written on the back of the Sul Ross stat
ue. Think about why we don’t walk on
the grass around the MSC and why we
take our hats off when we go inside.
Think about the stories of the Congres
sional Medal of Honor winners who
have been Aggies. Think about why we
have Aggie Muster, and think about
what the Aggie Ring stands for. Then
think about the elections, and remem
ber what it means to be a Texas Aggie.
See you at the next Silver Taps.
Chris Williams
Class of ’96
Candidates should not
change rules of Corps
This letter is a response to all the
letters that have been printed on the
yell leaders.
As a student at A&M, where tradi
tion seems to be the base of the school,
it seems really out of place that every
one wants to change all the rules. When
you run for Homecoming Queen and
don’t get nominated, you don’t declare
yourself a candidate and walk on the
football field at half time. So why would
you do that for a yell leader position?
Even if a person thought he was the
best candidate, and it was his love for
this school that made him go astray, it
just shows great arrogance for himself,
and great unity of the Corps. I am glad
to see that the best yell leader candi
dates won.
Emily Brown
Class of ’97
Family of REPLANT
founder gives thanks
The family of Scott Harris Hantman
acknowledges the Texas A&M faculty.
REPLANT Committee 1995, members
of Student Government/Senate, stu
dents, alumni and friends, for dedicat
ing a tree on campus in his memory.
We are proud that our son and broth
er is honored for his creation of a refor
estation program by officially declaring
Scott Harris Hantman the Founder of
REPLANT, in recognition of his envi
ronmental endeavors at A&M.
To the community of Somerville, the
National Tree Trust, Texaco Corpora
tion, Army Corps of Engineers, Texas
Forest Service and to all who partici
pated in REPLANT 1995, it was truly
a labor of love.
We are proud to know that, with
your support, this new tradition will
continue for years to come.
Colonel (Ret.) and Mrs. Richard
K. and Jordan Hantman