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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1999)
'e Battalion o PINION Page 15 'Thursday, November 18. 1999 ;e rul ^Will that be on the test?’ ige in Turkey mged below freezing 1 1 * "f I 0 * -a "~*'Oud students disrupt class, annoy classmates with unimportant banter Duzce Contrary |o what Jplemen- ahd junior ;h school chers may /e said, re is such a ng as a stu- question. d chances are, every Texas iMIstudent has heard plenty of mlasked by obnoxious loud- uths, usually sitting in the ntrow of a lecture hall. Students go to class to better rnfthe subject matter and will ame-coj!- nejimes have questions about the snacksstac ’material. However, there is a ■fference between questions member of ilie ‘ anl t0 clarify a point and saiti the Amer; >se that add more, usually use- 'ing up operatic- s ’ information to the lecture. lestions or comments aimed at Iping a student understand the f^Be are necessary, but some T1 Prtdents seemingly have the to inquire about every de- . 1 of a professor’s lecture and ‘ " '\ k ’ arr l e ' (ei : bject the rest of the class to and his broth -A r avoidable delays and li the tamilv rep: intless side discussions. 'day deadline. B adding in their own asi- -i'. and within.-qe comments and asking •imally changed, mb questions like “How vouid lace thee me people didn’t just say ■wouldn’t pay the new from an incident: t?” these students do not add isharraf to Pakist ything constructive to the and in Karachi out her students’ understanding control of the the material, while unneces- land, and tookhrily interrupting the progress the lecture. my mtemiptft ^* ost students go to class to no some of the- ' ar P ro f essor talk and ex- miiiisiero(P«K ata new material, not to hear ■ ml held hockr ™ ^ low students chlme ln . , , ith their own opinions. ' 11 11 ll a ' The professor is who makes at the test and knows what is !> nation, line ^ not important for stu- ,t' ha\e to be toi. : e ms to know. If a point is med ottender, J^orth eJahorating on or, more portantly, will be on the test, .ofessors typically will go into tail about it. When rude students quiz the )fessor for more information Bring up issues that are out- e of the lesson’s intended scope, they only further compli cate the lecture, adding more lines to other students’ notes they will have to weed out later when studying for the exam. Students should feel free to ask questions when they do not fully understand something in the lecture, but need to avoid in troducing unimportant topics into the lecture. Besides adding useless infor mation to everybody else’s notes, students with mindless questions and comments inter rupt the professor’s intended les son plan and disrupt the lec ture’s flow. Class time is valuable, and many times the professor has to rush through the material in order to cover it all. Constant interruptions by in quisitive students hinder the smooth progression of the class through the material. Most students recognize the time constraints of the class and will refrain from asking ques tions that might slow down the lecture and cause the class to run late. Nevertheless, inane questions in class still persist. These students should realize the ill effects of their interjec tions and save their questions and comments until after class. The reason a professor has of fice hours is specifically to an swer all those in-depth, extrane ous questions a student might think up during a lecture. In stead of interrupting class and infuriating their fellow class mates, students dying to ask questions during class should write down their mid-lecture thoughts and bring them to the professor’s office later. There are multiple advantages to this approach. By going to see professors af ter class, a student can get valu able personal time with them, letting them know the student really cares about the material and his or her grade. Professors usually view students who visit them during office hours as hard workers who are putting in a real effort in their class. This will JEFF SMITH/Tm Battalion help only when the end of the term draws near and a student is on the borderline between two letter grades. Also, unlike during a class period that is moving quickly and smoothly through a subject matter, a professor will have more time to better answer all of the student’s questions and respond to comments. While it is easier to ask the professor in class, a student is sure to get a fuller, more complete response during office hours. Finally, the most beneficial reason for students to visit their professors is that it helps the oth er students in the class. A student usually wants to go to class, listen to the lecture and go on to their next class. Extra remarks from the front row are very rarely appreciated and should be saved for the professor’s office hours. By saving their questions un til after class, students can find more satisfying answers while sparing their fellow classmates from hearing questions they did not need answered and com ments they did not want to hear. Eric Dickens is a junior English major. fackson meddles in Decatur P eople usually like to take care of things that happen in their own backyards. It is very rare t anyone to want someone awn the street to come in with- Jt |all of the facts and pass a judg- leni that should be considered nding. In fact, most people ould resent such an action. The people of Decatur, Ill., ap- trently are like most people. Several weeks ago, seven high school students arted a brawl in the football bleachers at game. >ur of the seven students were arrested and larged with inciting a riot — a felony. One of the nr was also charged with battery, and the other iree were charged as juveniles. The penalty was swift and immediate. The seven udents were expelled from school for two ?ars, in accordance with policies set by the hool board and administration of the ecatur school system. End of story. At least, it would have been the id of the story, except for the fact at'all of the expelled students ere black. After their expulsions ere announced, the question of hether racism played a role in e punishments took center age. A black resident of De- itur went so far as to tell The sw York Times that if the stu- ?nts had been white, “nothing ould have happened.” Enter Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jack in has come to Decatur with the in- ntion of having the punishments 'erturned and having the students re- rn to school, saying that the penalty giv- i by the Decatur school system is unjust. Jackson has said that the arrests and expulsions ere simply “another attack on the students,” and at they should be allowed to return to school and ceive counseling. If this does not happen, Jackson dieves these students will not be able go to college get jobs. He also told CNN that the fight was “less olent than a wrestling match.” Perhaps Jackson should look at the videotape of e fight. A copy of the tape provided by the father of le of the opposing team’s players shows the whole ene — people diving onto the field and toppling 'er the railing, attempting to get out of the way of e seven students as their fists flail wildly. One man, attempting to break up the melee, got inched in the face for his efforts. Not only was the cident more violent than a wrestling match, it was oser to a riot. The man who tried to break things up was the incipal of Eisenhower High School, which the stu- ?nts supposedly attended. They “supposedly” at tended because among the four of them they had missed more than 350 class days. Several of the students were 17-years-old but were still consid ered freshmen since they had not passed any of the first-year classes. They all had established criminal records. A future in college, which Jack- son said was being deprived from them, was cer tainly not on the horizon. The punishment these students received was not out of the ordinary. It was the standard punishment agreed to by the city’s school administration and the school board. There was no special exception made to punish them. On the contrary, Jackson’s influence has actually given these students exceptions that other students would not receive. The school board has reduced their penalties to a year-long suspension with an op portunity to attend alternative education classes. But Jackson has said that this is not enough and has led protests outside of all three high schools in Decatur. Earlier this week, he forced his arrest on the Eisenhower High School campus in further protest. “Rev. Jackson has done many wonderful things for this country, but he’s picked the wrong case here,” Decatur’s school administra tor told The New York Times. He is correct. Jackson’s pres ence in this matter can only be considered meddling. What have these students done to deserve this exception to the rules, which have been in place for two years? Decisions on the distribu tion of punishment belong to the De catur school board and the administra tion. Outside influence is not only undesired, it is undeserved. The rules were on the books, and they were followed to the letter. Jackson’s presence in this matter has not helped anyone, except perhaps himself. The longer he or chestrates these protests, the less willing the admin istration will be to deal with him. In the meantime, other students will continue to be distracted from at tending classes in an attempt to go to college and get jobs, which is what Jackson wanted for seven of their sometime classmates. As this debacle continues, Decatur will tear itself apart instead of coming together as a community. The seven students will be no closer to returning to school, and the rest of the town’s high school stu dents will have their own educations retarded. But Jackson will be on television screens throughout the nation, decrying the alleged “injustice.” Could it be that the greater injustice is what Jackson has caused, not what he claims to be opposing? Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major. MARK PASSWATERS MAIL CALL Jewish beliefs misrepresented In response to Chris Huffines Nov. 2 column. Although the Texas A&M Jewish community strongly disagrees with Chris Huffines’ article, we do wel come Mr. Huffines’ candor. We are offended by the headline for Huffines’ piece, “Baptist Call for Jewish Con version not constitute reli gious tolerance.” We wonder if The Battalion would have spoken of any other minority group in the same way. Having stated our objec tion to the headline, we also found the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) resolution deplorable. It is not our job to defend the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). It is, however, our job to correct the many false as sumptions found in Huffines’ piece and wonder why The Battalion did not question these inaccuracies. First, Huffines accuses the ADL of “media one-upman ship.” He paints the ADL as a religiously intolerant group because it spoke out against the SBC resolution. How convenient for him to claim no accountability for statements found reprehensi ble by a minority community. If other groups targeted his religion, would he not have the right to speak out? Freedom of speech is for everyone. Secondly, Huffines said the ADL spokesperson Abraham Foxman is doctrinal- ly unsound. He builds his argument by taking both Exodus 20:2, the first commandment, and Fox- man’s statement out of context. Judaism has traditionally acknowledged that there are many paths to God. Jews fol low their own path as defined by the Torah and Talmud. Finally, Mr. Huffines states that every lukewarm Christian knows that Christianity is an extension of Judaism. We acknowledge that there are some common historical roots, but the philosophies are completely different. Judaism is based on a Jew’s accountability to God in a day-to-day reality for his or her actions. Christianity is based on actions not being account able if a proclamation of faith is made. Judaism is monotheistic while Christianity is based on a trinity. Huffines’ also discussed the Messianic differences, yet we wonder if he is cog nizant of the divergence in definition and cultural con text from the original Hebrew word “Mashiach” to its tradi tional English transition “Messiah.” We reiterate that the Southern Baptists can try to convert whomever they choose, but we think it is de plorable to target conversion at a specific group. We quote Rabbi Ofseyer of Dallas’ Congregation Shearith Israel and “wish them a no table lack of success.” Greg Meyer Hillel Foundation the Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author’s name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accura cy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com Brutality in prisons must stop O ne of the facts about prisons most often over looked when it comes to debates about prison re form is that pris ons are full of con victed criminals. It is true; the maxi mum-security institutions of this country are full of convicted killers, rapists, robbers and a host of other felons. They are not nice people. As can be expected, when de viants are put in the same enclosed space with other deviants, discipline can become a problem. Discipline is further hampered by the fact that prisoners are given access to ameni ties and guards are kept from em ploying force beyond certain restric tive guidelines. The prisoners have privileges, and the guards have none. This needs to change. Guards should be allowed to use whatever reasonable force is necessary to maintain discipline in the prisons. Discipline, of course, would be de termined by the Department of Crimi nal Justice of the state, but it would generally consist of inmates not putting mackerel cans in socks and beating other inmates, not raping other in mates, not making and then using shanks and not actively participating in prison gang warfare, all of which hap pens with fairly stunning regularity. Before the American Civil Liber ties Union and its lap-dog organiza tions decide to boycott the University because of this column, let it be es tablished first that this change would not condone brutality. There is a very definite line between maintaining or der and beating a prisoner. That line is made up of intent and response. Guards who are responding to a breakdown in order and who exert force only as it is necessary to restore order would be perfectly justified. Guards who play “kick the inmate” because they are bored, or even to prevent inmate violence, would be in violation of this policy. How can prison guards maintain order? Rather than beating inmates about the head or pumping in nerve gas, guards can turn to the new types of non-lethal firearms being devel oped. There are sting bombs, which can best be described as foam-rubber grenades. They sting a great deal, but they do not injure the victim. There is mace and pepper spray. There is foam that hardens and immobilizes those it comes in contact with. There are carbines that shoot bean bags or foam-rubber cylinders. Soap bubbles have been around since the ’70s as a crowd-control measure. Electrified riot shields and nausea-inducing son ic guns are also available but are a bit on the more forceful side. In addition, prison intelligence units to disrupt gangs would lessen violence. Inmates can be kept in order, and there are even ways to do it without killing inmates (always a bonus). Will enforcing discipline work? Ac cording to a New York prison, Rikers Island, it will. In recent years, guards in the prison have used force to sub due inmates. According to The New York Times, violent crime in the prison has dropped by nearly 90 per cent. In doing so, unfortunately, the guards have abused that force, result ing in numerous injuries to inmates. This is unacceptable. While a policy of reasonable force would prevent most injuries, a cer tain number of wounded are going to have to be accepted. While people “on the outside” do not have the stomach to dole out corporal punish ment when necessary, it must re membered that the individuals poten tially being injured would be convicted criminals committing vio lent acts in a volatile environment. The sting ball or shock shield should make the point very clear that this in dividual is not one of society’s golden children, and anti-social behavior like rioting in prison is a bad thing. No one will dispute that prisoners have rights, but it is fundamental to the American system of justice that prisoners would not be in prison had they not violated someone else’s rights. If the price of order among the most dangerous prisoners is a small extension of police power to quell disturbances already in progress or to protect the life of guards in jeopardy, then there should be no problem in paying it. Chris Huffines is a senior speech communication major. CHRIS HUFFINES