The Battalion
OPINION
Monday, October 16,1989
Things about A&M I wish mother
would have warned me about
Susan
McAloon
Guest Columnist
While sitting here with my recently
acquired parking ticket in front of me
and wondering where I was going to
get the $35 to pay for it, it dawned on
me what was really going on at A&M.
No, it’s not that I’m livid about receiv
ing a ticket for being parked in a vir
tually empty lot for five minutes while I
ran to turn in an assignment in the
Zachry Building, which is about 4,000
miles from my ill-placed bus stop. It is
the one-fee-after-another that I pay to
go to A&M that really gets me frus
trated. Let’s briefly go over the fees
that I, and many like me pay, just to at
tend class here.
1. ) Since I am an out-of-state stu
dent, I have to pay a ridiculous $122.00
per semester hour. I have 16 hours this
semester (so I can graduate before I’m
on social security). Because I am not
made out of money, I need to pay it in
installments. Add another $10 for the
“convenience” of paying in instal
lments. This totals a “down-payment”
of $619.75 with payments of $554.75
for the next three months. By then, the
semester is over and the cycle begins
again.
2. ) Let’s talk fees. I know I’m not the
only dissatisfied Aggie paying “fees of
unknown origin,” like the General Use
Fee of $96.00. Yeah, I know the school
puts out explanations about what these
fees are for, but if there’s a General
Use Fee, what the heck do we pay the
laboratory, health center, student serv
ices, student center complex, computer
access, student ID card and even grad
uating senior fees for? I’ve never been
to the Health Center, and even if I did
go, it isn’t free. I am using my own
computer, never have used one on
campus. And student services? How
many events are there on campus that
are actually free? Things that cost
“only a dollar” aren’t free.
3.) The Parking Permit Fee. This
comes under the heading of “Optional
Services,” which aren’t that optional
for someone who lives off-campus and
wants to get to class on time. When I
first came here as a transfer student, a
junior who was sick of living in dorms
and wanted to live off-campus, no one
warned me of the parking void. So I
bought a sticker and drove to class, for
the first week anyway. After that, the
$55.00 I paid for a “day student per
mit” bought me an ugly blue sticker I
now have to try- to scrape off my win
dow.
I bought a bus pass. A $50.00 bus
pass. Then they moved my bus stop to
a ridiculous place by the Military Sci
ence Building, where big, lumbering
buses have no business trying to
squeeze in. Then they changed the
name of my bus and all the others.
Now it’s a question of decoding the in
tricate little maps, pictures and cutesy
names they came up with to try to fig
ure out which bus is actually the right
one. By the way, buses do not run ever
15 minutes. More like every 30 min
utes.
Is A&M trying to say something to
me? Am I missing a hidden message
like: “We don’t like out-of-staters/off-
campus people/seniors/poor people?” I
am finally getting the hint. Gee, I can’t
wait to pay another couple of hundred
for an Aggie ring. Don’t get me wrong,
I understand all the symbolism and
pride you’re supoposed to have for the
ring, but all I’m going to think about
when I look at it (after I finish paying
off the loan I took out to get in the first
place) is how I survived A&M: all the
money it cost me to go here, all the
football games I couldn’t afford to
bring my fiance to since he doesn’t go
to A&M and a guest ticket costs $22 or
so and using someone else’s ID is a
crime, and soon.
For all you Ags who will be offended
and say “why did you come to A&M?” I
say: who knows? Please understand my
point. I like being an Aggie. I like other
Aggies. I’m even getting used to Texas
in general. It’s just that when I came
here, no one told me about all these
things.
The parking situation really is just
unbelievable (few I think will dispute
that). I think the main problem is that
A&M is getting too big for itself. Now
they want to expand the MSG. I won
der if they’ll add a “Student Genter Ex
pansion” fee to our bills next semester?
I cherish the thought of paying for it,
and then graduating a century or two
before it’s finished, judging by the past
track record of construction here at
A&M.
All right, I feel better now. But, I
still have to come up with $35 for this
parking ticket within the next 10 days,
or I’ll have to pay a $5 late charge. I
could blow it off, but then I won’t be
able to register for classes early, which
means I’ll have to slant in line at the Pa-
villion, which means...
Gay rights not justifiable to
I have attempted to rebut Mr. Ma-
thieu’s arguments for gay rights in an
analytical manner.
Mr. Mathieu argued that homosex
uals make up a large segment of the
population, (either 10 or 3-5 percent,
depending on gender), and therefore
deserve rights merely because they de
mand consideration. The fact that a
segment of the population has in
creased to a point where their com
plaints are loud enough to be heard
does not lend legitimacy to their cause.
David
Brooks
Guest Columnist >
J
If the population of axe-murderers
grew to a large number, would we con
sider their desires legitimate?
Mr. Mathieu also argued that homo
sexuals do not choose their own sexual
orientation. This is indeed correct
according to research, but has no rele-
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- i- itii ■■■■—
vance to the discussion. Homosexuality
is a basic perversion of normal biologi
cal behavior and can therefore be con
sidered a type of illness. Although ho
mosexuality may seem as normal to
gays as heterosexuality does to
straights, it is not biologically normal.
Mr. Mathieu said the homosexual
lifestyle is not harmful to anyone ex
cept themselves. He said society has no
right to interfere with a relationship.
Two cases can be presented against
these arguments.
First, the homosexual lifestyle has
inarguably harmed society by serving
as a massive conduit for the spread of
AIDS. I have no objection to following
this point to its logical conclusion,
which is the simultaneous condemna
tion of bisexual, intravaneous drug us
ing, and prostitute lifestyles, but in no
sense can gay society be considered
“not harmful to anyone,” especially in
the context of the past several years.
Second, society does take it upon it
self to interfere with relationships. The
distinction between a “loving”
relationship and any other is immate
ht
2 C
Opinion Page Editor Juliette Rizzo 845-331lI
Mo
Politician or playboy: |-
I want to know
Sc
A new book about the late Rev. Mar
tin Luther King is already stirring up
controversy.
EDI
I have not yet read “And The Walls
Came Tumbling Down,” by the Rev.
Ralph David Abernathy, but according
to the pre-pdblishing hype, it confirms
some embarrassing rumors about King’s
personal life.
Scot
Walker
i
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1 The
Editor
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lAusi
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ram
It has been suggested to me that even
if King is guilty of these alleged trans
gressions, it is wrong for the author to
come out and trash the reputation of a
great man. The argument seems to be
centered along two lines: First, that an
individual’s personal life has no rele
vance to his ability to be a leader, and
therefore we don’t need to know about
it. And second, he’s not only dead, but
he’s been dead for a long time, so why
don’t we just “let sleeping dogs he?”
King is dead and gone, we should alb
him to rest in peace. After all, isn’tthe
only person who benefits fromdragginl
the name of a great man through the
mud the person who makes millionsolj
dollars by writing the book?
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I strongly disagree on both counts.
First of all, I Unci a very obvious and
direct correlation between the personal
lives and political philosophies of the
men and women who want to hold posi
tions of power in our country.
Look, for example, at the experiences
of Gary Hart and Joe Biden in the last
presidential campaign. Hart was fol
lowed, hounded and harassed by the
media until, in the face of overwhelm
ing evidence, he admitted to cheating
on his wife. Biden gave an eloquent
speech that the press revealed was a
near-carbon copy of a speech made pre
viously by a British politician.
Wrong. We all benefit when wei
available ay/the information concerning
the man and his life. People have the
right to know the truth about all public I
figures, dead or alive. Many people
think King is one of the greatest men
who ever lived; he may be. But it
requires an unbiased review of all the
aspects of his life, good and bad, to
decide what sort of man King was. We
can determine King’s true natureonlif|
we have all the correct facts abouthis
life.
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Abernathy, who was King’s top aide
and one of his best friends, writesaboii|
King’s “weakness for women.” King
“believed in the biblical prohibition
against sex outside of marriage,”
Abernathy writes. “It wasjustthathe
had a particularly difficult time with
that temptation.” Abernathy goesonlt
discuss King’s extramarital relationship!
with several women.
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lany people think King is one
of the greatest men who ever
lived; he may be. But it requires
an unbiased review of all the
aspects of his life, good and bad,
to decide what sort of man King
was.
achic
polit
//'these allegations are true—andwl
might never know — then perhapsKr num
is not as great as so many people have
proclaimed him to be. A great visional
probably. A great leader of people,
definitely. A great orator, absolutely.
But a good father, loyal husband,and
great moral example for us to tell our
children and grandchildren about?
Well, let's just say all the evidenceisnt
yet.
After the revelations, both men
dropped out of the race, as well they
should have. After all, cheating on your
wife and plagiarizing a speech are just
forms of other moral defects. Reduced
to their most basic level, we call it lying
and stealing.
I don’t want a leader who thinks that
it is OK to lie or steal. If Gary Hart lied
to his wife, how can I be assured that he
won’t lie to his constituents? If Joe
Biden would steal a speech, then he
might steal from taxpayers, or at least be
more inclined to tolerate subordinates
who do. Since behavior in private life
can reveal the tenets and morals upon
w hich a person acts, they are relevant to
the ability of that person to perfrom in
office; therefore, I want and expect the
media to tell me about such things.
I reserve the right to decide for
myself who to admire and who to
respect. But in order to do that, Ihavf I
to have all the information, and 1 have
found that I didn’t get it in 1 Oth-gradtI
American history, or even in Histon
106 at Texas A&M. It was through if J
media that I learned that Thomas
Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin wert|
not exactly of impeccable moral
character, and it is through the media I
that 1 hear d the rumors about Kings
alleged problems in resisting
temptations of the flesh.
I’m going to use my own mind to
decide whether King is someone who
should be a role model for me or ray
children; I encourage everyonetodo
the same. But first, let’s get all the
information out in the open.
Now 7 , back to Martin Luther King.
Some people might say that since
Scot Walker is a junior journalist
major and editor of The Battalion.
society: a rebuttal
rial, because only the participants in
such a relationship can make that dis
tinction.
To use Mr. Mathieu’s own example,
society interferes in abusive
relationships. The reason society inter
feres in a situation where a husband
beats his wife, however, is that it has
been determined that the vast majority
of society considers such behavior un
acceptable. The same point is true with
regard to the gay lifestyle. The law r s of
this country have always been moti
vated by the opinions of the majority of
the population, expressed through de
mocracy and popular election of our
legislative representatives. The vast
majority considers governmental inter
ference with abusive spouses just, and
the same point applies to governmental
interference with the gay lifestyle.
stitutes a justif ication for extension j
gay rights is ludicrous. Misguided f
pie can be courageous. No amount|
courage will justify gay rights, asi
as there’s a lack of evidence pro
homosexuality is biologically normal
In conclusion, homosexuals art a
deserving of ail the rights of heteror
uals.. If an individual so desires,siq
should be taken (counseling, etc.)
a young age to correct this bioloej
abnormality (which would also rest ?
the avoidance of many of the md*
and emotional hardships that rep
edly attend such orientation). Iftlit j
dividual is secure in their orientasl
then that person and others should!
cept the laws of the U.S. as mand
by the majority of the people, and
more significant (in terms of pop
tion) segment of society: heterosexit
I admire the courage shown by those
members of the Gay Student Services
who posed for the Aggieland. I cannot
respect what they stand for, but 1 ad
mire anyone who stands up for what
they believe in. However, the idea that
these students’ willingness to pose con-
As with all columns, opinions :
pressed by guest columnists art
necessarily those of The Batta'
Persons interested in submitting!
columns should contact the 0p fI
Page Editor at 845-3314.