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The Battalion
OPINION
Thursday, November 16,1989
Opinion Page Editor Juliette Rizzo 845-33'
Mail Call
Vandalism morally wrong
EDITOR:
Last Saturday was Veterans Day. Veterans Day is a
holiday set aside to recognize the veterans of the armed
forces. On that day, we pay tribute to and remember those
that have served in our nation’s armies, fought in our nation’s
wars and died for their country.
However, this letter is not written to educate the reader
about our nation’s holidays but to demand an apology for acts
of indignation by a group of ignorant bigots.
On Saturday evening, this group towards which I am
addressing this letter saw fit to vandalize another’s property.
The property happened to be a Honda 600 Coupe with a
rising sun on its sides. The car was overturned and
obscenities were spray painted to its panels.
These are acts of vandalism. And I feel, as many do, that
it is morally wrong to destroy and deface memorials, whether
they be statues, edifices or cars.
David K. Yeung ’89
Kenneth A. Carothers ’90
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves
the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the
author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the classification, address
and telephone number of the writer.
My next request — wait your turn!
“THE CLASS YOU REQUESTED
IS FULL. NO OTHER SECTIONS OF
THIS CLASS ARE AVAILABLE.
PLEASE ENTER YOUR NEXT RE
QUEST, NOW.’’
I wish I had a penny for every time I
have heard this statement whine
through my receiver. Every time I reg
ister, some class I just absolutely HAVE
to have for some reason is full.And you
know, when I was a freshman, I kind of
expected a few of the classes or sections
that I wanted to be full. After all, I had
to wait until all of the seniors, juniors
and sophomores had already regis
tered to let my fingers do the walking.
Now I am a senior. And on Novem
ber 3, the second day of senior registra
tion, I finally got my first chance at reg
istering as a senior. I was really looking
forward to getting the classes and sec
tions I wanted.But lo and behold, the
same whiney voice came through
receiver.
^ •• •
Damon
Arhos
Columnist
my
in the University Honors Program reg
istered in person in the Honors Pro
gram Office on October 31 and No
vember 1. The only qualifications for
this pre-preregistration are (1) that you
have a cumulative GPR of a 3.25, (2)
that you either be currently enrolled in
at least one honors course or have at
least six hours of previous honors
coursework on your transcript and (3)
that you must register for one or more
spring honors courses.
100
How could this be? Surely that
level philosophy course I wanted was
not full? Did someone crack the system
and preregister?
After a little research, I found my
answer. Yes, someone had preregis
tered (even before preregistration be
gan). And to my amazement, they were
authorized to do so.
And if you register under the hon
ors program, you are not just limited to
registering for honors classes. You can
register for non-honors classes, too! It
sounds like a pretty good incentive to
have a 3.25 to me.
Actually there are two culprits. First
of all, those students who are enrolled
Secondly, there are the numerous
“student workers” who get to register
before the rest of us. Any student
worker who can get a letter from their
boss confirming their employment can
pre-preregister. And I do mean ANY.
The term “student worker” doesn’t
only apply to those students employed
by the University. If you have a job off
campus, you can pre-preregister too.
The theory behind the “student wor
ker” pre-preregistration plan is that
those students who work need to plan
their classes around their work sched
ules. And this is a legitimate concern
for those students who put themselves
through school or have rigid work
hours they must schedule their classes
around.
My objection is that many students
take advantage of this privilege only to
get a head start on everyone else. Many
students are technically employed by
the University but are employed solely
on a “part-time basis.”
For instance, I am technically a “stu
dent worker.” I receive a University
pay-check for the work I do on The
Battalion. And I typically work a five
hour week. Should I be entitled to pre
preregistration? No, I shouldn’t. Or
how about University tour guides?
They make their own hours. Should
they be able to pre-preregister?
The singling out for pre-preregistra
tion those students who are involved in
the University Honors Program and
those who work is a big mistake. As for
the University Honors students and
student workers, they should tough it
out like the rest of us.
Damon Arhos is a senior journa
lism major and a columnist for The
Battalion.
Issues outside of A&M pertain to Aggies, too
Once again Aggies have shown their
ignorance towards anything that
doesn’t directly affect them.
Roland S.
Martin
Last week the Students Against
Apartheid erected a shanty that resem
bled similar living conditions for Afri
cans in South Africa. (I did not use the
word “black” because it was created for
people of color here in the United
States.)
Guest Columnist
We are more concerned about the
removal of trees or the burning of use
less trees than the beating, removal and
burning of human beings from the
face of this earth.
We have yet to dissolve the theory of
racism in the United States, but the Jim
Crow signs are gone, African-Ameri
cans can vote freely and even if I sit in
the back of the bus, I know I can sit in
the front.
The purpose of this shanty was not
to deface the University, provide an
eyesore for our beautiful campus or
destroy the integrity of Texas A&M.
The shanty, in my mind, needs to be
a permanent fixture on this campus.
A&M needs the shanty because we
need to open our eyes and see what is
going on outside of Aggieland.
As Aggies, we must put our collec
tive feet down and our above average
minds together to do our part in stop
ping apartheid. Since we are a Top-10
university, let’s join the ivy league
schools and many others who have di
vested.
The purpose was to awaken the stu
dent body, faculty, staff and adminis
tration to the moral injustices that are
being inflicted on the people who are
the majority in South Africa.
If we have to look at that ugly, trashy
eyesore every morning when we wake
up, we may begin to realize that apart
heid is an ugly, trashy eyesore to the
world.
My last point is a plea to the student
body. We need to stop limiting our
selves to issues that only concern A&M.
Instead of allowing the shanty to re
main standing or convincing the Board
of Regents that divestment is crucial,
we insist on writing letters to The Bat
talion on how ugly the shanty is and
how it doesn’t serve a purpose here.
If you are one of those students who
believes the shanty cannot make us
aware of the problems in South Africa,
then you need to rethink your position.
When we get out of school, we will
be associated with the University on an
other level. We will be making deci
sions that are socially valuable, and un
less we learn and understand the crust
of the problems that affect us we never
will.
We are no doubt showing our igno
rance on a very critical issue to 21 mil
lion Africans in South Africa and the
rest of America.
The problem at this University is
that we don’t care about social issues.
We are not really concerned about the
drug problem, the people of China, the
revolts in the Soviet Union, the tearing
down of the Berlin Wall or apartheid.
During the Civil Rights movement,
America did not wake up and stand up
until they saw the hoses being turned
on a group of people who were op
pressed (South Africa?), kids being
blown up in church (South Africa?),
human beings being attacked by dogs
(South Africa?) and a Nobel Peace
Prize winner constantly being arrested
(South Africa?).
X Apartheid doesn’t belong in South
Africa, A&M needs to divest in South
Africa and racism doesn’t belong on
campus.
Roland S. Martin is a junior journa
lism major and a representative of the
National Association of Black Jour
nalists.
Racial progress: we\
come a very long wai
The returns from the recent plebis
cite offer many snacks for thought, but
let us begin with congratulations to the
state of Virginia, cradle of the Confed
eracy, for having elected a black gover
nor.
Perhaps we all deserve a thump on
the back for this one, especially black
Americans of course, for having
helped create a country in which this is
possible — we have come a long way,
beloveds. And for all the ugliness, nas
tiness and despair that still remains to
be dealt with, we needn’t stint ourselves
on the pleasure of thinking how far we
have come.
If you want to know how much
things can change in this country and
how fast things can change, you have
only to study the civil rights movement.
And that gives me another opportunity
to plug Taylor Branch’s splendid book,
“Parting the Waters,” which is so much
more than a biography of Martin Lu
ther King — such a wonderful portrait
of this country trying to change itself
— so messy and glorious. Should be
must reading for all serious Christains.
One of the oddest residues of racism
in politics is that white people appar
ently have a hard time telling others,
notably pollsters, they will not vote for
a black. Doug Wilder, the governor-
elect of Virginia, and David Dinkins,
the mayor-elect of New York City, both
went into election day with the polls
showing them between 10 and 20
points ahead. They both won in
squeakers. Even exit polling, normally
the most reliable kind —just a matter
of record-keeping; “Who’d you vote
for?” — was off by about five points in
both places, a lot less than the pre-elec
tion polls, but still bizarre.
There had been much talk here in
New York about “closet racists,’’those
who won’t admit they oppose Dinkins
because of his color. The smart money
was betting the race would be close not
because Dinkins is black, but because
he didn’t pay his taxes 20 years ago. To
be sure, it was 20 years ago; on the
other hand, he didn’t cough up the
money until it became an issue in the
mayoral race. If there’s one thing most
citizens truely loathe, it’s some arro
gant jerk who thinks he’s too good to
pay his share of taxes. That’s the main
reason Leona Helmsley became the
woman we love to hate. Fortunately for
Dinkins, his opponent came across as
the kind of guy who pulled the wings
off butterflies as a child.
Poor Rudolph Giuliani, a prosecutor
to the bone, who would have been ter
rific during the Spanish Inquisition.
You can talk to the man about break
fast and suddenly he’s grilling you
about what you ate.
The other high-profile issue in New
York and Virginia, and New Jersey as
well, was abortion. You know Lee At
water is holed up trying to figure out
how Republicans can crawfish on it
right now. Nothing makes politicians
pay attention more than an issue that
loses political races.
som
Frid
poi
tme
, ythm
j-rr » u- . - JtaU
mate ditterences over his vetooljSper
bill that would have providedabo®
for poor women who are thevicir-
rape and incest.
try. President Bush said the
in his news conf erence there are
!
Sion
F
v\
fi
He also assured everyone that:;
is room for those who are pro-ckj
the Republican Party. But Busk;;
threatened to veto economical:
1 lungary and Poland becausethej
age includes support for a U.N.fa
planning service that supportsalxi
in China. You know, this argid
“Not one penny of my nioneywiij
support abortion” that is used sn
sionately by right-to-lifers is fraB an<
mi
bid
bal
Un
silly
We are all part of large agglor
tions that do things we don’tappi
of. I think capital punishmentt<:
der, but I pay the taxes that mii
possible. 1 know the Cl A commits a
der, but I still pay taxes. Their;'
ment makes no sense.
On the home front, we have
again failed to reward theTexasl
lature for its pitiful performance
giving the members a raise. 1 knef
seems logical — why pay this collet
of geeks, dweebs and yobstd;
money? It might encourage them:
I predict that we will once againo
to regret paying these folks a pitc
to spend part time taking cared’
state’s bidness.
$3,
dia
For example, when the schoolsF
open next fall. I trust we will a;
smart enough to blame themandu
responsible, Dollar Bill Clements,
only governor we’ve got, Biff the 1
Mr. No New Taxes, No MatterV;
But it will be the Legislature oncer
failing to act in time that we’ll see,
I know it’s hard to believe pa<
them more will help, especially?
we’re just now finding out that*
seems like half of them have beet
ing very nicely off unused camp!
contributions, thank you. Thelati
seriousness in the Legislature is alt
utable to the pathetic salaries, k
we’ve got some splendid public 1
vants through the years with this
tern — but not enough, not eno:
Texans.
This is the moment women have
been waiting for — now they know it
can beat them — although the pro-
choice movement will have to continue
to prove that in every state in the coun-
Speaking of the ineffable Clemc
here’s a classic Biff story foryou.M
Rawlins, chairman of the Task F
on Public Utilities Regulation, wee
to report to the governor recently
had prepared a detailed, thorougli
haustive account of structural f
lems at the PUC, and was 10 mi®
into all this statistical analysis
Clements, who had been gazing
into a corner, said, “Moke,youmei
tell me you have spent all this time.'
all this money, and you still haven't?,
ten rid of those two wimminT
There are days when you can’ll'
but like the Gov.
Do you still believe it doesn’t make a
difference?
If it doesn’t have to do with bonfire,
traditions or the MSC trees, we don’t
give a damn.
The student body needs to realize
the problems of America are now the
problems of South Africa.
EXPRESS LANE
lO FAMILY
members
OR LESS
BERLIN YaLL
: ::
I
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Scot O.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
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