Opinion
The Battalion Monday, Oct/ 24, 1988 Page
Word, people — time to get ill!
Sandwiched in between the pro-Fish
Camp and squirrel letters and the anti-
Dukakis and Battalion columnist letters,
every day I receive notes in the mail
which I refer to as “the World U. at Ag-
gieland suggestions.”
These letters, usually written by grad
uate students who wear sandals and
both shoulder staps of their bookbags,
are chock full o’ ideas about how to push
A&M into the upper echelon of higher
education. You know, suggestions such
as the addition of a Fine Arts college
and law school, increasing admission
standards, building a dome over Kyle
Field and printing the school newspaper
with ink that melts in the rain and not in
your hands.
express approval and enjoyment. Ex:
“Your love is so def!”
Anthony
Wilson
High post — extravagant; high-class;
well-to-do. Ex: “I treat ya’ high post, but
you play me close. And if I bought a
drink up, you don’t even toast.”
Opinion Page
Editor
Nikes were free), and rounding out the
ensemble were a casual and practical
(yet dressy) set of easy Fitting sweats and
stylish accessories -— a large gold chain
sturdy enough to tow a mid-size truck
with a medallion that looked as if it had
just been swiped off a Benz.
Homeboy — a person from one’s
hometown with whom that person was
childhood chums. Ex: “Charlie is our
homeboy from around the block. He’s
regarded through the city as the hip
hop cop.”
Quiet storm — romantic (or mood)
music. Ex: . . flip the radio on and sip
Dom Perrignon to the quiet storm.”
These are all intriguing suggestions
indeed, but alas, not the answer to the
“world university” crisis at hand. If
A&M is to become a “world university,”
(step aside, Stanford) we must have a
wide range of cultures on campus. And
I’ve noticed one culture that is conspicu-
lously missing here in Aggieland.
And who knows? When D-Mack
wasn’t hooping it up, maybe he spent his
spare time getting ill in Cain Hall.
No, it’s not one from across vast conti
nents and oceans. It’s one from Down
town — 129th street, as Kool Moe Dee
would say. We don’t have a rap culture
at A&M.
I enjoy rap and get totally bugged
when someone downplays the signifi
cance of its cultural value. Rap is a re
flection of the times, especially for ur
ban youths. Hogwash, you say? So what
kind of music do you enjoy?
Skeezer — a woman solely after a
man’s money (see Robin Givens); a
woman solely after sex with a famous
man (see Robin Givens’ mother). Ex: “I
met these funny-loekin’ people. They
called them skeezers, so I hung onto my
wallet like Ebenezer. If you’re kinda
confused to what a skeezer is, it’s just a
girl who’s on my jock cuz I’m in show
biz.”
Rap:
Yeah, rap. You know — the relatively
new genre of popular music prevalent
in large inner-urban areas that features
fast talking, record scratching and spe
cial effect noises made with the mouth
(which sound vaguely like spitting)
called beat-boxing.
Oh, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd,
huh? Yeah, nothing like experiencing
the creativity of middle-aged men on
hallucinogens. You like Debbie Gibson
and Tiffany? Hmmm, what grade are
you in? You say U2 really floats your
boat because their lyrics are so deep. I
suppose so — I’ve never been able to
understand them.
Of course, this is just a minute taste of
the rap language, so to brush up (
your rap vocabulary, I would suggest
starting a rap music collection consisting
of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince,
LL Cool J, Kool Moe Dee, Erik B. and
Rakim, and Public Enemy (you’ve just
gotta love those names — certainly bet
ter than pseudonyms such as Elton John
or John Cougar).
Rap music is sweeping the nation.
Even white middle-class youths have
gotten into the groove courtesy of Run
DMC — the group, not the building.
But I have never seen or heard a rapper
at A&M.
And I think that’s most people’s prob
lem with rap — they just don’t under
stand it. So I’ve composed a beginning
rapper’s dictionary for all you LL Cool J
wanna-be’s, complete with examples:
Starting Tuesday I expect to see all of
you closet rappers rhyming on campus.
Word, that’ll be crush.
In fact the closest thing I’ve ever seen
to a rapper in Aggieland was Darryl “D-
Mack” McDonald, a basketball player
for the Aggies from 1986-88. McDon
ald, a Harlem, N.Y., native, was quite a
spectacle as he strolled across campus.
Biting — stealing someone else’s
rhymes, which is an uncool thing to do.
Ex: Nine whack crews bitin’ at my
rhymes ... I said ‘Please stop biting and
don’t imitate.’ They refused. So what
happened? Now there’s eight.”
Anthony Wilson is a senior journa
lism major and opinion page editor for
The Battalion.
Mail Call
UCD’s food bests A&M’s
; HOUST
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EDITOR:
The food service facilities on campus are of poor quality. Food quality,in
particular, is poor and there is little variety. Food costs are high. At the Pavilion
snack bar, a banana costs 50 cents, a 16-ounce Coke is 74 cents and a limppiecto)
cake under Saran Wrap is 78 cents.
The food service organization at the University of California at Davis is
altogether different than here at TAMU. The UCD Coffee House in the student
union is an excellent example of the quality a university can possess if so desired
The Cof fee House is a non-profit cafeteria-deli, accessible to all studentsand
faculty.
With the exception of a permanent non-student manager, the Coffee Hoiwj
staffed by students. They are cheerful and dynamic, exchanging banterand
of fering suggestions to patrons. They work efficiently and quickly, takingpridej
the food they serve and their work environment.
The food is excellent and is oriented towards health-conscious patrons-
vegetarian soups, tofu and whole grain breads are available. Baked goodsare
produced from scratch. Other items include mini bagel pizzas, cold andhotpasi)
salads, casseroles, fresh and prepared fruit, and a wide assortment of desserts.
Bagels come in all shapes and flavors, split and warm, with a huge slab of cream
cheese on top for 75 cents. A huge piece of cake is 40 cents. A large bowl of fresl
fruit costs a dollar. This cafeteria provides a service to students — cheap,good
food on campus. The student is not a mere consumer with money to be remove:
from his or her possession.
In other arenas, a vendor despenses free samples of new juice products,Pbj
and other utensils are disposable in order to cut cleaning costs and facilitate tale
out. The ambience is casual, rather than stifled or reserved and naturallightio!
augments the spacious layout.
Flie Coffee 1 louse is subsidized by student fees. This subsidy ws used to
provide start-up capital, but has not been utilized for several years. Rather,thei
turns a profit. Revenues are reinvested as student (staff) wages and salary
permenant non-student manager, as well as university overhead and rent.Etra;
monies are returned to the student government to be made available to other
activities on campus such as student organization programming.
The UCD Coffee House provides a role model for the TAMU foodsemce
Quality, diverse and unique foods, coupled with lowei costs foi students asd 2 H apathet
pleasant atmosphere makes eating at UCD an overall more pleasantexperieiHBirjunior
than at TAMU. Be. The h
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Medical care can prolong life
We are the world
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EDITOR: Activities
1 would like to reply to some of the comments made b\ 1 Lan MidtenfusisiA'ies on
Oct. 20 article “Technology may be immoral.” A s on
As you said, technological results and experimentation have not alwavsk A as
considered ethical. As far as t he medical te< hnology that you wrote of,someol A .j p r
your facts were not quite accurate. Ag p a im
Not only “rich” p>eople receive adequate medu il« 11 ( M\ l.imiUrume Apea.il d
adequate medical care! My family receives on I \ <>nc itHome — iluitofastatepdAksthrou
of fuel . 1 his income supported a f .uniU of six M \ voungei brothei v,:- : Painio
f rom Acute Lympocytic Leukemia received the l>est medical care availableatfj
Anderson Hospital in Houston. One fact you failed to mention isthatpeopb:
are residents of Texas cannot be denied medical treatment, t egardlessof cost,!
state f unded hospital such as the M.D. Anderson Cancer and 1 umor Institute
You have obviously never been in an intensive care unit room withatenuii
ill person. I don’t understand how you can be the judge of the questionconctn
“pulling the plug" until you have to make that decision for your own 17-year-ti
brother who lived 18 months longer due to the benefit of modern medical
technology. It is true some suffering is involved. But those like my brother,nk
loved life, are able to enjoy a few more months with their families.
So as you can see, the massive amounts of money spent on improving
technology do not benefit only a select few. Many poverty stricken peopleaa
do receive medical care.
I would suggest that unt il you have to look at your own grieving motherao:
then tell a doctor to “unplug” someone you love that you should writeaobut
something you know a little more about.
Ann Kulik ’90
M
I
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EDITOR:
In answer to James Burns’ and Mike Trebue’s letter concerning the
sovereignty of South Africa, 1 must say 1 Find their methods inadequate.The
situation in South Africa goes beyond “trade sanctions” and “domesticpolk).jj
plainly and simply abuse of human beings.
00801401 The short-sightedness expressed in Burns’and Trebue’slitter
shows t he main problem facing the world today. The people being repressed® j
South Africa are not separated from us, but a part of us. I his is notaworldof [
countries, but a world ofpeople ofpeople. And those people in South Africaul
my brothers and sisters.
If we look beyond the false boundries we apply to ourselves, we will see this 1 !
be true. Break down those boundaries and we of this world will be as one.
James Keck ’92
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to tdil
and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must designed and mull 0*
classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breath
Bet — all right; cool; great. Ex: “I
tried to talk to you there, but you were
acting as if you were scared. She said,
‘I’m not scared now.’ 1 said, ‘Bet! Well,
let’s go then ....’”
OCVOBm 2/
m<3„. ftmzeNTfv
TO PRY !5 "OFFICIAL
uMrev nations my:
D-Mack (he even had a rappin’ name)
was always decked out in official rap
gear: adorning the head was a cango (a
hat similar to the one worn by Gilligan),
complementing the soles were a pair of
loose-laced hightops (Adidas are def but
Bug — a maximum bad mood; hack
off; annoy; attempt to provoke. Ex: “So
metimes guys test him by trying to bug.
He just leaves ring imprints all over
their mugs.”
\
v\
A
Def — short for definitely; used to
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The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
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Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Lydia Berzsenyi, Editor
Becky Weisenfels, Managing Editor
Anthony Wilson, Opinion Page Editor
Richard Williams, City Editor
D A Jensen,
Denise Thompson, News Editors
Hal Hammons, Sports Editor
Jay Janner, Art Director
I.eslif»Gnv. Entertainment Editor
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