The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 26, 1983 Page: 2 of 8
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ommentary
The North Texas Dally
Page 2
Wednesday, October 26,1983 ^
Editorials
Re-presentable proposals
The Student Association’s concerns regarding two pro-
posed amendments to the SA Constitution need not pre-
vent the association from considering the electoral reor-
ganization bills in time to allow a special election this
semester.
The association, acting on the advice of Tom Anderson,
SA representative and chairman of an ad hoc committee
established to study the two bills, tabled the proposals
during its last meeting so further study can be made.
The immediate effect of the decision not to consider
one or both of the bills was to prevent a student vote on
the proposed amendments during the SA election in
November. The SA does not have enough time to con-
sider the proposals and include one or both on the ballot
for the November election.
But the SA did not intend to kill electoral reorganiza-
tion by delaying consideration of the bills. Instead, repre-
sentatives at the meeting were concerned with certain pas-
sages of both bills, not the thrust of the proposals.
Anderson and members of his committee presented SA
members and Dan Levy, author of one bill, and David
Henderson, Paul Velte and Lee Ann Woods, authors of
the second, with more than two pages of recommenda-
tions for alterations or changes.
For Levy's bill, which would provide representation to
students through the academic units of the university,
Anderson’s committee recommended, and Levy agreed,
to change representation in the schools and colleges to
one representative for every 2,000 students. Levy’s orig-
inal bill had provided for one representative for the equiva-
lent of every 1,500 full-time students.
The bill would also provide representation for students
based on their place of residence. Three-quarters of those
representatives would be from off campus and one-quarter
would be from the university’s residence halls. Levy’s
original bill called for the representatives to be evenly
split between on- and off-campus.
The bill presented by Henderson, Velte and Woods had
a number of passages challenged by the committee, whose
members called some of the bill’s phrasing unclear.
Similar complaints were also raised concerning portions
of Levy’s bill.
The issues presented by Anderson’s committee do not
seem at great odds with the intent of the bills’ authors,
and the SA should be able to amend the bills to meet the
criticisms of the study committee.
If the bills can be drawn in acceptable torm quickly, in
the next few weeks, the SA could provide a special elec-
tion before the semester ended.
NT needs electoral reorganization for its student gov-
ernment, but not only because of evidence of shoddy rep-
resentation in the past. NT and the SA need reorganization
because it would improve the quality of student govern-
ment at NT, and would continue a trend in the past year
toward better and more responsive student leaders and
government.
Much work has gone into the bills already, by the au-
thors and by the study committee. A little more persever-
ance will allow the SA to present students with viable
proposals for electoral reorganization.
Multinational peace bunch- lebawh&ahch
las
MONKEY BUSINESS « BEIRUT.
Letters
Watching the guards
Review draws reader's ire
The Texas Department of Corrections, often scoffed at
for its correctional and rehabilitation programs, is usually
stereotyped as running some of the nation's crudest prisons.
Once again. Texas prisons are making the nightmare
of stereotypes come true.
A recent study by a court-appointed monitor concluded
that guard brutality against inmates continues unabated
despite a 2-year-old court order to halt it. U.S. District
Judge William Wayne Justice of Tyler ruled that guards
were using unnecessary force against inmates. The moni-
tor’s report was made to find out if the department is
complying with Justice's orders. Apparently, it is not.
Under Justice’s mandate, prison officials are allowed
to use physical force against inmates to protect themselves
or other inmates. He prohibited beatings and other physi-
cal abuse to punish inmates.
The monitor report was especially critical of the de-
partment's method of investigating brutality complaints.
It may be true that felons are not the most honest people
in society, as Robert Gunn, the department chairman, said.
But this is not a valid excuse for ignoring inmates’
complaints.
According to the report, investigations into a complaint
are usually dropped if the guard denies an inmate’s accu-
sations. Along with felons, guards who beat inmates are
probably not the most honest people in society, either.
In response to the report and a class-action suit by in-
mates against the state, state attorneys have tentatively
agreed that the department will begin in-depth investiga-
tions of brutality reports and will require guards to take
polygraph tests.
The Board of Corrections will vote on the proposed
agreement Nov. 7. Under the plan, an inmate who ac-
cuses a guard of brutality must take a polygraph test. If
he passes, then the guard will be asked to take the test. If
the guard refuses, he could be fired.
Board member Tom McDade said the agreement is a
recognition that new policies are needed to cope with the
problems of excessive force in Texas prisons.
The board’s recognition of the problem is a little late—
at least a couple of years late. These problems should
have been solved two years ago, instead of appearing so
glaringly at this late time.
Board members said a few prison administrators have
already begun using polygraph tests in some brutality
complaints.
But brutality against inmates is not as isolated as the
board enjoys pretending. As the report shows. Texas has
been unwilling to update its reform system for the 20th
century. The board needs to stop stalling with investiga-
tion after investigation and take action by approving the
agreement.
1 am interested to know what Joe Stafford
knows about. Because he surely doesn’t
know what the definition of a movie review,
or what movie trends are leaning toward.
In Aesthetics of the Theater, Drama 134,
a person is taught that a review does just
what it says, reviews. While a critique is a
person's judgement. The critique that was
written on Thursday, Oet. 20, about
“Porky’s” should have been titled as such.
As to the assumptions of just a few people
trying to make a profit off a movie such as
"Porky’s," what do you say about movies
such as "My Tutor," "Spring Break" and
"Losin’ It," just to name a few.’
These movies and many more like them
exploit women, minorities and, even in some
cases, men. Taking a "weak, half-hearted
stab at making a socially relevant statement"
was also not a major reason that movies
like these were made. The major reason
that these movies, like all movies, were
made was to entertain the people who watch
them.
Just because a person enjoys one of these
movies does not make him an "immature
punk who walks around with his chest out.
referring to people as ‘kikes,’ ’niggers,'
’spies,’ 'wops’ and 'broads.' " If this was
true, anyone that went to see "Making
Love" would have to be bisexual, or any-
one seeing “The Rocky Horror Picture
Show" has to be a transvestite.
Just one more question: does Joe subscribe
to Jerry Falwell’s newsletter put out by the
Moral Majority? If so, when does he plan
on having a record and book burning
session?
Paul Bielss
P.O. Box 7132
NT Station
ing this lounge, the novelty of the Avesta
l.oungc will have vanished. The faculty will
frequent it only occasionally, and the slu
dents will have grown accustomed to this
small loss.
Avesta Lounge
LeAnn Griffin
P.O. Box 13191
NT Station
I am simply amazed at the great contro-
versy over the Avesta Lounge and the un-
compromising stands of the faculty and the
student body.
Everyone involved seems to have for-
gotten the fact that both parties must be
kept content with their alloted space.
The faculty feels the need for a place to
congregate and relax. The student body feels
this same need. Unfortunately, all have cho-
sen the Avesta Lounge as the focal points
for this much-needed rest. The odd thing
is that there has been more activity about
the Avesta Lounge than within it. To tell
the truth. I didn't even know we had an
Avesta Lounge two weeks ago.
I would suggest turning the lounge over
to the faculty and being content with the
Chat, the One O'clock Lounge and the
Rock Bottom Lounge. This small forfeiture
of territory can even be seen as an advan-
tage to the students.
Imagine actually having a place to look
for that elusive professor who is never in
his office? Besides, after two weeks of hav-
Malaysians reply
I would like to clarify the comments made
in the article about the NT soccer team's
goalkeeper, Lynn Venable, who visited
Malaysia recently and was featured in The
Daily on Oct. 7.
A reputable and renowned restaurant like
McDonald's would not allow any of its fran
chises to use dog meat anywhere in the
world.
Furthermore, it may not be possible for
someone who just visits a foreign country
like Malaysia for only 16 days to make
comments with such authority.
I do hope the publication of this letter
would help clarify the wrong impression
created about Malaysia in the article.
M.A. Naser
Secretary,
Malaysian Students Association
P.O. Box 10297
NT Station
Baby's development presents formula of writers own
Innocent pair of gray eyes causes pondering of the mysteries of infancy
T eaning over the side of the crib, his aunt
I—(held the rattle out to him. He considered
it for almost a full minute. He wanted it, but
how to get it? At not-quite three months, he
didn't realize what his hands were for, or even
that he had hands to use.
My nephew Christopher is just about ready
to begin reaching for things. Only an aunt,
grandmother or mother would mention this type
ot thing. Many people wouldn’t consider learn-
ing to reach for something much of an ac-
complishment, but right now, Christopher is
the center of my entire family’s attention.
As adults, we can predict what his next
stage of development should be. After all, his
grandmother and mother are nurses, so they’ve
told the rest of the family what’s next. Last
Sunday, my mother and I almost got him to
reach for a rattle. Watching him focus on the
toy, we could see him thinking about trying
to reach for it, and he got close to grabbing
for it couple of times.
HE WOULD focus his gray eyes on the
blue, phone-shaped rattle, and I had to won-
der what little thoughts were going through
his head. Little thoughts? I imagine his thoughts
as little, not in size, but content.
Doctors say infants learn more, and at a
faster rate, than adults. Infants have much to
learn. Instinct takes care of some things, but
how does a person learn he has hands, when
no one can communicate with him well enough
to tell him?
Looking at an infant while he’s sleeping,
you see a special kind of innocence that be-
longs only to children. An infant turns and
stretches in his sleep. Does he dream? And if
so, what about? My dad says Christopher must
be chasing rabbits in his sleep. I wonder if he
has learned enough yet to “chase rabbits.” I
wonder if Christopher knows what a rabbit
is, and if he doesn’t—what does he chase in
his sleep?
WATCHING AN INFANT learn the sim-
plest of life’s facts can sometimes make you
Libby
McMahon
wonder about your own infancy. I found my-
self wanting to ask my mother if I reached
for things when I was supposed to, and if she
thought I was smart when I was a baby. I’d
also like to know if she worried about me as
incessantly as my sister worries about Chris-
topher.
I didn't ask my mom about my development
for fear she would say something like: "Well,
actually we were all kind of afraid you were
retarded when you were a baby. 1 guess you've
grown out of it now," or "How can 1 remem-
ber? You were the fourth out of five.”
Actually, my mom kept pretty careful track
of each of her children’s development. 1 think
the most interesting thing my mom taught me
about infants is that a baby is born with a
personality. The personality is evident almost
from the day you bring the baby home.
I wonder if personality and intelligence de-
velop even before a child is born, if they de-
velop to a greater extent than just a basic blue-
print of human intelligence.
AN AMERICAN husband and wife have
produced three genius daughters. The mother
says she read and talked to her children while
she was still carrying them in her womb. The
couple says their daughters were speaking words
and broken sentences at three months. The
oldest daughter completed college at twelve,
and the younger daughters are following the
same quickened development.
Certainly a child should be allowed to de-
velop at an individual intellectual rate, but what
about emotional development? The young girls
weren't simply given college-level studies, but
were put into a college environment. 1 think
children should be given plenty of time to be
children and to be around other children.
Of course, 1 have no children of my own,
and I don’t know how 1 would raise a child
that was a genius. Still, a child has the right
to be a child.
But this mother's action suggests children
have their own thoughts and abilities before
they are even bom.
I pondered all the mysteries of infancy, and
the only thing that started me thinking was
looking into an innocent pair of gray eyes.
The North Texas Daily
67th Year
North Texas State University Denton, Texas
Printed by the North Texas State University Printing Office
Southwestern Journalism Congress
Robert Shelton, sports editor
Billy Smith, sports editor
Gina Jurik, photographer
Susan Thomas, photographer
Bob Ward, photographer
Beth Stallard, photographer
Jef Ray, cartoonist
Jeff Hill, cartoonist
Casey Shaw, cartoonist
Lori Bice, ad representative
Susan Susat, ad representative
Margaret Branshaw, ad representative
Rick Cox, ad representative
Phillip Carter, illustrator
PACEMAKER 6 TIMES
ALL-AMERICAN 76 TIMES
RALPH GAUER, editor
SUE BRISTOL, advertising manager
Trent Eades, managing editor
Jacque Johnson, news editor
Denise Kohn, editorials editor
Brent Linker, editorials editor
Bcih Fulton, staff writer
Libby McMahon, staff writer
John McLean, news assistant
Carole Jansen, news assistant
Joe Stafford, entertainments editor
Angela Payne, entertainments editor
The North Texas Daily, student newspaper of North Texas State University, is
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The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 26, 1983, newspaper, October 26, 1983; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth722853/m1/2/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.