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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1996)
March 29,19% down win heir last 10 inder to short. [4-1 when Norber- 'ed on a wild pitcl ser Darren Oliver e third. Snopek drove in Moutot a single as Oliver up four runs and walks in four in mon Buford cut ead to 4-2 witha single in the sixth. ?ers threatened in en Buford started th a double off the ill. He scored igton’s single. Ortiz flied out to ich got Kurt S id out to third ch on Juinn was named hei fust 1994, was a it pressure fron ig of the season® struggled despite i lineup. Stan Smyl len Hanlon main as assistant laches. “Hopefully Riot ey will stay witk ir organization! e go forward uinn said, rarely shows em d the bench, has id most of the sea 1 sports reporter! tly being unableto e Canucks. ■ed as a player 13 seasons in th WHA, with tie laple Leafs and including six as itain. ed the Canucks» 2 record duric: shortened 19941'' The Battalion FRIDAY March 29, 1 996 Opinion is the recent affirmative action decision a step forward? Race relations turn toward future Affirmative action meets races’ needs ; of Orillia, 0. ead coach ofr. r two seasons!) the Canucks org ne of only thret layers, including Kenzie and C ave his jersey (Ni require playing*! itential. lost a couple o' it we should ve’ve also won so® so it kind of cancel* : said. “We know fl ayed up to our et and that’s kind ' because it’s gettini way point of the sei- : know we’ve still gd ill ahead of us so** lat way.” ■-game series willh it 7:00 p.m. and*! aturday with a at 2:00 p.m.TheS onclude with a 2- on Sunday, gies will be ho® Fuesday when :arkats of Sam Hot 1 in a 7:00 p.m. remain home foj ne weekend sen* lias Baptist. I nstead of going to Cancun over spring break, I went water skiing. Now the real fun of water skiing isn’t in the skiing, but in the water. For those of you from the water-rich Midland-Odessa area, water skiing involves a boat. Now this wouldn’t seem like such a big deal unless you realize that a boat doesn’t drive like a car. There are no brakes. In other words, stopping takes a plan or two; the boat will always drift. Affirmative ac tion was the plan meant to stop run away racism in the workplace. The idea was like putting a boat’s en gine in reverse. But the time has come to go for ward again. Last week’s de rision of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is simply the next step in race relations. The court reject ed what it called “racial social engi neering.” Instead, it ordered that race-based pro grams must be narrowly defined to address a specif ic history of dis crimination within anorganization or institution, not by society at large. In the ’60s, when affirmative action programs were institut ed, society as a whole was racist. Only a few years prior, ‘separate but equal” still ruled the South. The North was only a bit better. In short, it was necessary to re verse the engine. Affirmative ac tion was administered nationwide. Although many rednecks still remain, institutional racism is uncommon. Race- based remedies today do little except promote negative feel ings, not affirmative ones. Apologists for race-based sys tems — like the admissions policy at the University of Texas Law School — claim race should only be a factor when all else is equal. But if all else is equal, why do we need race as an issue at all? If our educational system pro duces people of different color, but of equal qualifications, then we definitely don’t need affirma tive action. If things are not equal — SAT scores, GPA, etc. — is color the reason for the difference? Nope. No one today really be lieves color makes any difference for intelligence. So what’s happening here? Simply, affirmative action pro grams at colleges benefit minori ties from middle class schools who are just as qualified as their white counter parts. Every minor ity I have worked with on this campus de serves to be here. I would even venture to say most were more qualified to be at Texas A&M than me. However, if race is not the is sue, what is? The real problem is economics. W hen the 5 th U.S. Circuit Court struck down the University of Texas Law School’s admission policy last week, it was hailed as a step forward, a 4 ~iurr against 17 Vffi. » v- e c Nothing could L lurthcr 1 om the truth. Student, who are rejoicing because this ruling ends affirma- Aja Henderson Columnist Economic opportunity is not necessarily a function of race, ei ther. In fact, more white Ameri cans live in poverty than any oth er race. The perception is skewed by the fact that a greater percent age of minorities live in poverty than whites. This poverty leads to education al deprivation for all races — in other words, substandard schools. Affirmative action programs, as presently designed, do nothing to fix the underlying problem of economics. Here is the place for the next step. Unfortunately, no government- mandated program will solve the economic problems of South Dal las or Houston's Third Ward. But that’s where the real prob lem is, and it’s time to deal with it. The court made the right de cision regarding this admis sions policy, but racial prob lems still exist. The solution, however, lies in economic op portunity for poor neighbor hoods — such as Jack Kemp’s “Enterprise Zones” designed to promote business in inner cities. It’s time to take the next step in realizing the ultimate goal of civil rights policy — the “dream” that someday the only color that will matter will be in a man’s blood. David Taylor is a senior management major tive action are lying to them selves. It might mark the/end of affirmative action for racial mi norities, but not for whites. The United States has a long history of affirmative action for white people. It is called the good ol’ boy network — having connections or pulling a few strings. At the university level, it might take the form of your parents being Old Ags. On the employment level, well ... are you familiar with the phrase, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”? Usually, the people with the power to make important decisions, admis- sions-wise or hiring-wise, are white, and the people who know them are white. Thus, white affirmative action and white set-asides. Look at the implications of the ruling. Texas A&M has stopped awarding race-based scholarships like the President’s Achievement Award. Race relations will just improve so much, won’t they? Now the admissions policy will be fair, right? Whites won’t be pun ished for being bom into the ma jority. Well, it’s true that no one has a choice into what race he or she is bom. By the same token, I can’t help the fact that I wasn’t bom into some long string of Ag alumni, or with superior athletic talent. Still, these people are giv en preferred treatment in admis sions decisions, and I don’t hear anyone com plaining about that. If you end affirmative ac tion for racial minorities, you’d sure bet ter end it for these folks. If “who’s qualified” were de termined solely by numbers, college applications would be much shorter. Why, they could be reduced to a few lines. You just fill out your name, your grades, and your SAT score. Wouldn’t that be a great way to make admissions deci sions — the “most qualified” folks would be in the house, right? No. College applica tions are lengthy to ensure a hetero geneous student body. You are a lit tle naive if you think that people get into colleges (and even get scholarships) by number compar isons alone. You are extremely naive if you think that people get jobs this way. If you are a white female re- joicer, I am partic ularly puzzled about you. White females have bene fited substantially from affirmative action. If you think the need for that is over, take a look at the statistics. Equally qualified women earn thousands less than men in the work force, the gap depending on which indus try you are considering. Women and racial minorities have to work twice as hard in their careers to be seen as com petent as their male counter parts. So what? Well, if this court decision is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, white men will be flocking to the court house saying, “Hey, I am more qualified than that woman over there, end this gender-based af firmative action!” The possibili ties are endless and make me want to throw up. I would like to see affirma tive action end, but that can only take place when the racism and sexism in this coun try is eradicated. We have not yet reached that point, and stopping affirmative action pro grams is not the solution. I don’t want to get a job just be cause I am black and female (unlikely), but I sure as hell don’t want to NOT get a job be cause of that fact (very likely). Injustice still exists, so affirma tive action programs should ex ist as well. Aja Henderson is a junior political science major Domestic violence hits young couples hard Kristina Buffin Staff Writer E very 18 seconds, a woman is beaten. Since the O.J. Simp son trial brought the issue of domestic violence to the fore front of news, a large amount of attention has been devoted to women who are battered by a spouse, boyfriend or an acquaintance. What has not been given much attention is the fact many women who are battered are college students. As we near the end of Women’s Week, which draws attention to how far women have come and how much further they need to go to achieve equality, domestic abuse remains the key issue that continues to plague women. Over the past year, I have become aware of how big the problem really is. Seeing students with blacks eyes and hearing sto ries of friends who are involved in abusive relationships have brought me back into reality, something I usually like to avoid. Two weeks ago, a girl told me about how her ex-boyfriend threw her down a flight of stairs, separating her shoulder. She re sponded by breaking four of his ribs and trying to make sure that he was not going to have children for long time. Although I was glad to know he did not escape without injury, I was nonetheless disturbed by the story. It is the ’90s, and our generation has grown up being educated about how to avoid abusive relationships. However, these acts of violence against women continue. Oftentimes, women are too scared to re port the abuse that they incur. We have all heard the excuses, “He apologized and brought me flowers,” and “He just lost his temper and promised he would never do it again.” But this does not change the fact that violence against anyone, whether male or female, is inexcusable. An apology does not mean that he will not do it again, and no matter how many times he says he loves you, punches do not equal love. Abusive relationships do not only in volve physical harm, but mental and psy chological as well. A friend of mine was involved in this type of relationship. Her boyfriend continually told her he needed her and that he couldn’t be without her. Although this was an un healthy relationship, she continued to stay because she did not want to hurt him. She is an intelligent woman who gradu ated from A&M with honors with a degree in psychology, and despite how many times she denied it, my friends and I believe that he did at least once lay a hand on her.- What my friend’s situation illustrates is that no matter how smart someone may be, no matter how much college education someone has had, no one is immune to abu sive relationships. Critics do not understand how women continue to stay in these types of relation ships, and no one has really come up with a good reason why. But what we do know is that unless society continues to educate the public that violence against women will not be tolerated, it will only continue. Women must realize they deserve better than what these types of relationships give them. It takes a lot of courage and determi nation, but in the end, ending abusive rela tionships will not only help the woman, but society, too. Kristina Buffin is a junior international studies major Page 9 The Battalion Established in 1893 Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorials 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. Editorials Board Sterling Hayman Editor in Chid Stacy Stanton Managing Editor Michael Landauer Opinion Editor Jason Brown Assistant Opinion Editor Editorials Turning Out Strong presence at the polls should continue through run-offs. With the results of the student body elections in, the most notable outcome is not for whom the students voted, but that so many voted. More than 10,000 students cast ballots, the highest ever in the history of Texas A&M and the highest of any uni versity in Texas. Texas A&M students have shown they understand the importance of selecting their representatives. With the mandate given by close to 25 percent of the student body, these elected officials can truly claim to speak for the rest of the students. The ad ministration should note the results and keep their signif icance in mind when dealing with the elected representa tives next year. All the students who voted deserve credit for caring enough to take action. The Election Commission deserves even more credit for all its work in promoting the election and ensuring its fairness. The candidates who won merit congratulations for their hard work and dedica tion, but their work is just now beginning. With the high voter turnout, their obligation to represent effectively the students is especially crucial. They should take this respon sibility seriously. Those who were not elected also deserve credit for partici pating and should not let this election discourage them. Stu dents make valuable contribu tions daily in many areas of the University that do not re quire the vote of a single per son. There are many opportu nities for these students to channel their energy and con cern for the University. Still, the job for the stu dent body is not over yet. The April 4 runoff is as meaningful as Wednesday and Thursday’s election, be cause the most important position — that of student body president — is not yet filled. With the field nar rowed down to Carl Baggett and Ryan Shopp, students should study the two candi dates and their platforms to make an informed decision about who would best repre sent them. If the quality of the runoff is similar to that of yester day and Wednesday’s elec tion, the student body will be in good hands next year. Thinking Big Big Event should not be the only time of year for community service. Everything is bigger in Texas. In that spirit, Aggies will fan out into the communi ty this weekend to take part in the largest single-day com munity service project in the United States. The program has earned recognition for its success from a wide variety of people, including students, communi ty members, and even George and Barbara Bush. Although participants can easily give themselves a proverbial pat on the back af ter this weekend’s long hours of work, they should not break their arms doing so. Community service is need ed more than just once a year. Big Event exists to show the Bryan-College Station commu nity how much Aggies care, but a true caring attitude might be better displayed on more than an annual basis. By focusing all efforts on a single day, people might over look the greater need. Al though it seems unlikely, Big Event should inspire groups to take time out of each month to perform similar good deeds. Big Event is a great program that matches the energy of the student body with the needs of the surrounding community. However, it could be seen as nothing more than a token ef fort if community service is not seen as a year-round goal. The Big Event Committee works year-round taking re quests for work to be per formed for this weekend. The members of the committee de serve credit for their commit ment, and they should be proud of the results they will see this weekend. However, all participants in the Big Event should ques tion their motives. The big question is, why does this work have to be done on one day? It almost seems inap propriate to attract attention to what should be good deeds done for their own sake. Some partic ipating groups treat the week end as a mere social event. Perhaps the committee should refocus its efforts to match willing workers with projects throughout the year. The emphasis should not be placed on the bigness of the event, but rather the idea be hind it, and that can only be accomplished by focusing on more than one weekend. Al though it is nice to see so much done in one weekend, workers should think about what could be done in an entire year. New officers face tough responsibility Congratulations to our newly elected officials. In taking your new offices, please remember one thing: Your positions are obligato ry, meaning that the system has obliged you with these positions. The majority of us in the huddled masses, otherwise known as the student body, felt that most of these positions could drop off the face of the earth, and not a soul Mail would care. Some of the elected hi erarchy is required as necessary personnel, but most of them are part of an inefficient bureaucratic design. What little that really gets accomplished could be done faster with a much smaller system. I re spect your hard work and desire to serve, but please don’t forget who you represent and how waning power really is. If leadership does not appear hard, you’re no leader. Chad A. Hesters Class of ’96