Thursday, August 26, 1976
Comment
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Cadet code intolerable
The announcement this week that the 88 West Point cadets expelled for cheating would be allowed to apply for admission in a year was welcome news.
Also welcome was the announcement that the cadet honor committee was considering a referendum on the automatic expulsion rule for cheating. There appears to be something rotten in the system, and something wrong with the honor code, but these two announcements give hope that change is on the way.
THE TESTIMONY of Martin Hoffman, army secretary, before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee, included the announcement that the guilty cadets weren't permanently expelled, as has always been the policy. Cheating is certainly wrong, especially at the school that as supposed to be training cadets for a combat team, the cadets another chance seems fair. It seems harsh to end someone's entire career for copying some answers on an Electrical Engineering 304 exam.
INDEED, despite the relaxing of the expulsions, the academy isn't in the clear. Hoffman announced that a committee would be formed to study the whole honor code problem and that individual cases of expected intimidation by academy officials would be "rigorously pursued."
The announcement also seems proper in light of the many charges that academy officials put unfair pressure on cadets and made life miserable for them in connection with the cheating scandal.
This is encouraging, but it is only a committee and a promise, and Congress and the President should closely watch the situation to ensure that justice is
done. The continuing hearing's scheduled by the subcommittee headed by Rep. Lucien Nedzi, D-Mich., are the type of action needed, and it is hoped that they will make the truth itself or at least monitor the Army's investigating committee.
IT IS good that Hoffman admitted that West Point officials had been partly to blame for the situation, and it is time to realize that the code itself has also caused the code says cadets to lie the cheat or steal, or tolerate such conduct by others.
Certainly it is necessary to expect students, especially at military academies, to be honest. But it is almost totalitarian to interpret "not tolerate" to mean that cadets must report all instances of cheating they see.
The code turns every future officer at the school into an informer on those he works with, and such a situation is reprehensible. Certainly one can show intolerance of such behavior by talking with offenders, showing disapproval, and trying to help them, without turning them in.
One also hopes the automatic expulsion for cheating, at least as a first offense, will be reconsidered. A system that punishes a first cheating offense by some extraterritorial security could be applied for years or a third offense by expulsion is more reasonable.
SURELY THIS is a more humane way to ask 'cadets to "not tolerate" misuse'.
Again, it is important to have integrity among future officers, but it is a great priority and just once and making informers of other officers is an unnecessarily high price to pay.
By Greg Hack
Contributing Writer
Reagan waged good fight
Ronald Reagan's campaign doubtless was doomed from the start. He had to cope with his own image as an extremist. He had to confront the immense weight of Gerald Ford's incumbency. He was running against the rule that says no
party rejects its own sitting president. But, by golly, he made a superlative fight.
Ford properly gets the headlines now. Losers are yesterday's news. But before they do, Reagan drops out of sight, Reagan "drops out of sight,"
there is a word to be said in farewell. There is a backward look to be taken.
THIS CORRESPONDENT made his farewell once before. That was five months ago, when he was in high school and have foundered. Ford had then won five primaries in a row; Reagan's own people were becoming long-faced. It seemed like they may so long, Ron, and good show.
WKDC/ Corry and Westphal
WE AT WKDC ARE HONORED AND PRIVILEGED TO BE IN THE OFFICE OF ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S MOST POWERFUL MEN.
But March 23 saw him launched all over again. He beat Ford in North Carolina by 52.4 per cent to 45.9 per cent, and steamed on to Kansas City. On the sank last Wednesday night.
Reagan has great credit coming. He met the President of the United States head-on in 22 years, but didn't lose and lost 12. In the presidential mile run, he finished only a yard behind. He carried 22 of the 50 states in last week's balloting. He won against him, he waged a clear campaign.
HE HAD HIS wife Nancy with him every step of the way, and there's a special word to be said for her. Campaigns are hell on women. They wives never do. To have worked so hard, to have fought so long,
Charlene Noel is, in a manner of speaking, a friend of mine. Considering that she wears too much eye make-up and considers me a greasy little twerp, we get along extremely well.
Yesterday, I happened to run into Charlene as I was drifting in the general direction of an object class. Charlene was hacked-off.
Trip veto "backs-off' pompon fan
By Jim Bates Editorial Editor
"CAN YOU imagine the nerve of that Tedde Tassheff?" she snorted. "Can you imagine the absolute gail of the girl?"
"Well," she said, "StudEx voted Sunday to give the pompon squad $250 to help pay for a trip to Las Vegas and a special guest appearance on the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. And that Tasheff went and vetoed it."
"No," I replied, thinking I usually had better things to fantasyz about than Tedde what has she done this time?"
"REALLY! And all because Tasheff couldn't make cheerleader in high school."
"She vetoed the money because of that?"
because she wasn't bouncy and popular enough to make it in high school, she's taking it out on the KU pomp squad."
"I don't know," I said. "I'm sure Teddie had better reasons than that."
"Of course, silly," Charlene said, "It was pure petty jealousy and nothing else. Just
"Really?"
"Well, maybe she thought the Senate could spend its money on something else—something that would benefit more students. Not that I have anything against curious maceras dystrophy, but I still know why I should or the KU student body would suffer very much if 10 KU pompon girls didn't get to go to Las Vegas."
"HA. LIKE what, for instance?"
"BUT DON'T you see," she said, "having the pompon girls go to Las Vegas would be an honor for KU. It would be good to have a university. University. People would see the squau on TV and be impressed with their coordination and pep routines. 'Wow,' they the University of Kansas sure must be a great university."
Charlene looked a bit peeved.
they'd make sure their kids went to KU instead of to K-State."
"You're thinking small, Bates," Charlene said. "KH has a manifest destiny to grow. That's why they are building all the new buildings they're building."
"WELL." I said, "I can see how the letters to the legislators might make Chancellor Dykes happy, but I think there are more than enough students here as it is."
"Then what?"
"Then they'd all write letters to their state legislators saying what a fine school KU is and
"Anyway," Charlene continued, "you now know that petty jealousy has to be the reason Tasheff vetoed the bill. It is the best way to benefit the greatest number of KU students. It is the best way to build KU pride."
to have come so close! Nancy Reagan wept last week. She gave her husband's effort everything she had.
This past Wednesday, John Sears had his regular press briefing in a crowded hall at Kansas City's Municipal Airport as car-aid manager, Sears had labored long and artfully—some
I shrugged.
"I WON'T argue with you about it," I said, sighing just a little.
"But we aren't going to let that Tasheff get away with it," she said. "Noway. I was talking just a few minutes ago with Frank Owens—er-Steve Owens, the body student vice-president of going to have a special StudEx meeting on Thursday, and he promised me that they would override Tasheff's veto. He said
the voice of the students would be heard-or something like that.
"Oh," Charlene said with a wave of her hand, "they'll get to go even if StudEx doesn't pay $20,000 and they've already gotten most of the money from the athletic department. Chanette's team does. Don't worry, they'll get to Las Vegas."
critics say too artfully—to keep his candidate in the race.
James J. Kilpatrick
"THEN WHY all the fuss about the veto?"
"That's reassuring."
"Because—because the students should help pay for the trip, that's all. To some extent, it is just a symbol gesture, but if these girls are going to go to Las Vegas and make KU famous, I think the students ought to help finance the trip."
"Then the 10 pompon girls will get to go to Las Vegas after all?" I asked.
(c) 1976 Washington Star Syndicate, Inc.
"YES. Tasheff will learn not to let her high school failures get in the way of the good of the University."
"Even if the pompon squad doesn't need the money?"
"Of course," Charlene said, looking peeved again. "Why? Can you think of a better way to spend the money?"
But now Sears' face was puffed with fatigue. He had lost the crucial test vote the night before on an amendment to the law, which would all over. Sears knew it. Everybody knew it.
Everybody knew it.
IN A MOOD of rueful rainforestism, Spoke secreta of the "snowball" election and made so large a difference. Mississippi's delegation had caucused Tuesday morning on the proposed amendment. The vote was 31 to 28 for the Ford position. Under the unit rule, all the state's 30 convention votes would be cast against the motion to amend.
Mississippi's 30 votes were crucial. In a matter of minutes, word of the decision swept back and forth, cupped their ears and listened. They sensed that imperceptible moment when a tide turns. By ones and two, by threes and fives, wavering stopped wavering. Delegates have the instincts of spawning salmon. They swam to Ford. One could have detected them to do anything else.
Two votes in a single delegation! Two votes!
SUCH A switch might not have saved Reagan in the test vote Tuesday night, but the 31-28 poll of the Mississippi was the most recent in which Reagan is candidacy fell down like a kite that had lost its wind.
There had been other "small things" all along. The Reagan team lost New Hampshire by only 1,587 votes in 112,000 cast. They lost Tennessee by fewer than 1,700 votes in 242,000. They lacked quite enough money to win Michigan or Michigan. They couldn't afford even a minimal effort in Pennsylvania. If only, if only, if only.
he never could regain his speed,
the campaign. Reagan can see his
conservative stamp on nearly
every page of the party platform.
For eight months he had no
positions to an attentive nation.
Because of the Reagan effort,
the Ford campaign organization
has been tested and tern-
tured. But even though it
however divided it may appear,
has presented an image of
scrapy vitality.
AT 65, Reagan must now put his own political ambitions aside. He has no place to go on the national scene—not to the White House, not to the Senate. He will have a newspaper and radio forum—and these are fine forums; but they are not the ones we want. He can take back to the ranch with him is a sense of satisfaction.
THE SMALL things, as well as so large a thing as the Richard Schweiker selection, steadily drained the campaign of momentum that kept an opponent very lame before he never could regain his speed.
They fought the good fight, they ran the good race. No one else could have done any more.
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