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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 1989)
The Battalion OPINION Wednesday, September 27, 1989 Mail Call Football ticket turmoils EDITOR: Once was enough but twice? I’m referring to complications that have evolved as a result of the new computerized football tickets. For the LSU game, I was told “Someone reported all of these I.D. cards stolen”—which is double talk for “It’s not our fault, blame it on the Pavilion.” Monday I was told, “the computer shows you have been issued tickets already,” which is also double talk for “It’s not our fault, blame it on the Pavilion.” Well I’m not blaming the [Pavilion. I’m blaming the Einstein who decided for all of us [that the computer system is a better method. Computer error is not the only bug in this program. Like most students, my football game companions and I elect one unlucky person to wait in the line from hell to draw tickets. If you don’t believe computer processing time adds up, you didn’t wait in line for Southern Mississippi tickets. Because we must surrender our I.D. cards on ticket day, our student existence ceases. Without your I.D. you cannot verify you are really youl. The ticket book system was much simpler. Losing someone’s ticket book is one thing, but losing someone’s I.D. is detrimental to the best of friendships. This is one of those times when it is approriate to say “Don’t fix what isn’t broke.” The price of football tickets just went up. First you pay with your money, then with your time and patience. What next? I am beginning to doubt that am ticket is worth this- price. Tamir J. Nagim ’89 77ie Bnttnlion and Student Body President must proye their qualifications for these jobs; they have been both selected and elected. Why doesn’t Kelley give them the respect they deserve for the positions they have earned? Besides, when was the last time we had a non-reg yell leader? Year after year, the Corps puts their block vote to work to ensure that the yell leaders are Cadets. I do see the logic in this choice because you couldn’t expect to impose the yell leader traditions such as pushups and others on a non- reg. But don’t you think that if someone is dedicated enough to try to be a yell leader, that he would carry out all his duties? I am not permitted to use my sorority aff iliation for support, but our organization has had bonfire buddies, gone to cut on several occasions and provided cof fee and doughnuts at 4 o’clock in the morning for those building bonfire. Kelley neglected to elaborate on what Creeks stand for. Let me enlighten him a bit. We stand for brotherhood and sisterhood — just like the Corps; we stand for the community — just like the Corps and the non-regs. Each year sororities and fraternities adopt families in the Brazos Valley, donate clothes to Goodw ill and put on fund raising events for organizations like the March of Dimes, Just Say No and the American Cancer Society. We are not based on money —yes, it does cost to be a member — but membership is based on the person you are as a whole! It is hard for me to understand how Kelley can judge something he has nev er experienced. Would Kelley be surprised to find out that there are about a dozen Cadets who are also members of Greek fraternities? Does this make them any less of an Aggie? Aggies first EDITOR: Personally, I don’t see why everyone is getting all worked up about the differences between the Corps, Greeks and non- regs. After all, isn’t it the diversity at this school as well as the traditions that draw students here year after year? How can Michael Kelley suggest that the Greeks are “manipulating” the student body? Applicants for Fish Camp, We must come to an understanding that with time there comes change. This conflict between the Corps, Greeks and non-regs is completely irrelevant. After all, aren’t w e Aggies first? Jessica Dollinger ’91 Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 icords in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters f or style and length, hut u’i/l make every effort to maintain the author's intent. Each letter must he signed and must include the classif ication, address and telephone number of the writer. Learning experience^ abound at A&M Certain issues involv ing higher edu cation keep popping up in the news, year in and year out. Two such concerns consistently have regarded the effects of competing dual demands, researching and teaching, on professors’ perfor mance and the impact that growing class lecture sizes have on student learning. By S< Certainly these and other related is sues merit attention, and their set tlement in the past has helped to shape A&M into the University it has become today. Yet, these types of issues tend to reduce to a broader concern: students’ opportunity to learn. Of Thi Cultural and intellectually-orim Pi ograms also offer numerous learnir,I opportunities. Musical programs plays offer cultural enrichment, andui rious speakers and presentations I opportunities to expand intellectual!)', A&M offers various types of learning opportunities for students. Classes, the library and other resource centers, stu dent organizations, cultural and intel lectually-oriented programs and enter tainment and recreation events all enhance the learning env ironment. We all have grown familiar with classes by now, but we too easily may take this learning opportunity for granted. The faculty has been selected and hired to teach in their areas of ex pertise. The MSC Committees provide mud of this kind of opportunity, and mm other organizations also sponsor sue L programs. Like the other opportunities I T these continue through the entire* mester. The Fall Calendar and TheE: tn/ion's What’s Up section list manysud programs. Of The Entertainment and recreation ev® can make learning much more enjon hie. Aggie sporting events, movies,™ certs and numerous other events Coll my Ion, s lorld. SC J imal es I ieir e The allr provid Are ticket books offensive? You may know me, but on senior football ticket day, I’m just another ran dom face in an endless sea of Aggies. Why? Because without a student I.D. card, I’m as good as nonexistent. Like thousands of other Aggies on ticket day, I fork over my I.D. card to an individual who I trust to get my I.D. card back to me, but the question is, when will I get it back? And do I have the right to inconvenience this kind soul who stood in line for me by asking him to go out of his way to get my I.D. back to me ASAP so I won’t starve (you know what I mean if you’re on meal plan)? And what if during this “I.D.-less” time I have to take an exam where I.D.’s are checked, or want to check out materials at the library, cash a check at the MSG (or off campus where I need my student I.D. as a second form of identification since I don’t have any credit cards), use a computer at one of the many computing centers on campus or even check out the vacuum cleaner in my dorm? Until yesterday, I was going to pass on the whole idea of computerized dis- persement of football tickets. But after inquiring into the matter with the Ath letic Business Office (I called to vent my frustrations and to find out why the handy-dandy ticket books were made obsolete without much advance notice), I decided that with some work (it may take a while) the new system may work to the students’ advantage. I learned that the new system was im plemented for economic reasons and to make ticket purchasing easier and more efficient for both students and the Uni versity. I thought ticket books fit that description; shame on me. Picket books were supposedly costly to print and hard for students to keep up with. Poo many ticket books were reported lost, stolen or “washed up.” Although some of us now feel that we are washed up on the days we have to be without student identification, the elimi nation of the ticket book is supposed to speed up ticket distribution by eliminat ing some of the long lines and giv ing us one less thing to keep track of. Juliette Kizzo Opinion Page Editor Well, about the lines. They may not seem to have shortened as of yet, but this has been due to the newness of the identification process and computer failure. Time may be all it will take to eliminate these problems. The new process also protects the stu dent if he reports a lost I.D. card. While allowing the student to have access to his remaining tickets, the computer will catch anyone who tries to use a missing or stolen I.D. I also found out the new system has a notable advantage over the old ticket books — automatic updating. The old ticket books were stamped at the begin ning of the fall semester with students’ classifications and could not be updated during the course of a semester if a stu dent transferred in hours or somehow jumped up a classification. I also wondered what you do if you aren’t going to the game and want to sell your ticket. I could just see signs saying “I.D. card for sale.” It’s a scary thought to think of putting my I.D. card, my life, in the hands of a stranger. I was told scalping will be lessened. Aggies don’t lie, cheat or steal but, in the past, many sold ticket books to make a profit. In the future, students will profit from the new method of disbursement, or so the Student Services (Committee of the Student Senate anticipated when they supported the proposed new sys tem. Goncerns were voiced by students and the Senate committee acted on those concerns, namely the long hours standing in long lines during the issu ance of ticket books at the beginning of the fall semester. This problem has now been eliminated. Planning seems to be the key to elimi nating the problems the new' system seems to be causing students. Students need to realize that the pressure to get good football tickets at 8 a.m. doesn’t exist. Due to random distribution, good and bad tickets are available all day, so I.D cards don’t have to be sacrificed»at “eating hours.” As far as football tickets go, the Uni versity is acting in our best interests. The University provides us with an ad vantage over other schools — students have reserved seating. Whereas stu dents at t.u. only get to sit in strictly gen eral admission seats if they pay their athletic fee. Texas A&M goes through the trouble and expense to get the best tickets for all Aggies w'ho want them. The University w'ould not go through the trouble and expense to get the best tickets, the reserved tickets, for all Ag gies who want them if they weren’t try ing to maintain quality ticket distribu tion and disbursement. Although we are temporarily being inconvenienced, the kinks in the system eventually will work themselves out and all will run smoothly. If you don’t think so, think back (if you’re a senior) to the first day of telephone registration — standing in line for endless hours only to access a system that was so conf using you hung up. Now it’s hard to think of registering any other way. So for now, patiently wait in line for your tickets — another great Aggie tra dition. And perhaps in the future FAN- tastic tickets will only be a phone call away! Juliette Rizzo is a senior journalism major and opinion page editor for The Battalion. As students we have a unique oppor tunity to benefit from the knowledge and understanding such faculty mem bers offer. Our texts also are selected to enhance this learning experience. Those who express concern over re search expectations for faculty and large classes likely see the benefits of classroom teaching and fear this oppor tunity could diminish. fer refreshing breaks from the rigors "f 3110115 , ternati coursework. K j ^ ibr En These various aspects of campusl P 10 g ra |e combine to provide an excellent ing environment. Through the yeanBents. Texas taxpayers have invested tremen 1 ^ ass . .. oimii, dons amounts of resources t <) ™Ij ( | t | ] available to si ternati Tr has The library and other resource cen ters also offer many valuable learning opportunities. Our predecessors have toiled and suffered through generation after generation of experience and trial and error in bringing our world to the present day. Much of the knowledge, wisdom and understanding that they have gained rests in distilled form in to day’s books and learning materials. these opportunities dents. Today, state funds still sponsor l signif icant portion of student edutaii that. nal costs. Generous alumni also haul “Mo Suden tl helped to build A&M into the universiiiU^, it has become. We live in one oTThe most economi cally prosperous societies, if not lit most prosperous, ever known, in whic! universities such as A&M provide cen ters of serious study and learning. The library and other resource cen ters, then, function much like bountiful fountains of knowledge from which we all may drink the accumulated schol arship of ages past and present. Such learning can prepare us to progress more wisely and surely down the va rious paths in life we choose to take. As students, we can f reely choose ho we spend our time and expend our fort while attending. Our respectui states and nations, and ultimately world, will depend upon us to leadanl contribute as we enter our careers, think that we benefit both ourselves art our society in the long run by diligentl) seeking knowledge and understandi in whatever learning opportunities w explore. Student organizations contribute to the learning atmosphere in many ways. Groups based around academic disci plines help to bring students together to share common interests. Groups focused upon social or service aims help students learn to live and con tribute within society. Groups with reli gious orientations contribute to the learning atmosphere by shaping stu dents’ spiritual understanding. Other groups contribute in various ways that are harder to classify but still quite im portant. We, the students, ultimately providt A&M’s most valuable “resource” am purpose for operating. The various!! sues involving higher education seem in one way or another to touch uponou opportunity to learn. This opportunity to learn may only a relatively short time in our live but how we respond to it can affect and our society for as long as we live. Jim Hayes is a senior economics m. jor and a columnist for The Battalion The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Scot Walker. Editor Wade See. Managing Editor Juliette Rizzo, Opinion Page Editor Fiona Soltes, City Editor Ellen Hobbs, Chuck Squatriglia, News Editors Tom Kehoe, Sports Editor Jay Janner, Art Director Dean Sueltenfuss. Lifestyles Editor Editorial Policy The li.uutlinn is a non-profit, self-supportii]}' newspa per operated as a coninuinitv service to Texas A4L-M and Brvan-College Station. Opinions expressed in 7Vie /taf(a/ton are those of the editorial hoard or the author, and do not neccssarih rep resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, fac- ult\ or the- Board of Regents. 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