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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1990)
The Battalion OPINION Wednesday, April 18,1990 Opinion Page Editor Ellen Hobbs 845-33 I he Battalion 'll, Charging for parking bikes: A Modest Proposal Wednesday Last week the Faculty Seriate approved a proposal that would require students to purchase permits to ride bicycles on campus. Congratulations are in order for this bold and courageous There are many possible justifications. First of all, bicycles are a menace to normal students who walk or drive on campus. Bicycles provide no profit for either oil companies or automobile manufacturers and are therefore subversively opposed to traditional capitalist values. Finally, bicycles allow a large number of students to avoid paying their fair share to the Department of Parking, Transit and Traffic Services; these people pay neither parking tickets nor parking fees.The new proposal would Q Jeff Farmer Columnist iSfr importance of regulating these items (and others) far outweighs any bleeding heart concern for civil rights or privacy. If bag-and-backpack permits are sold, and all possible “carry-in” items are registered, it will be much simpler for the University Police to examine them — purchase of a permit could be considered “implied consent” to such a search. will be forced to carry an unfair portion of the burden). The University could sell combination “car-and-backpack,” “bike-and-briefcase,” or “skateboard- and-purse” permits. Each possible combination should have a slightly different price, in order to maximize the program to bag regulations. remedy this serious injustice. There are those who might claim that enforcement of this regulation will be difficult; it should be pointed out that enough money will be made from sales of permits and auctions of impounded bicycles to pay the salary of the army of bicycle officers that will be required. One problem I see with the proposal, however, is that it simply does not go far e n o u g h . There are still large numbers of students who will be able to sneak onto campus without paying anything more than regular tuition and fees. 1 refer, of course, to those on foot. Something needs to be done about these people; sevexal possibilities come to mind. Perhaps the most effective way to regulate and control walking on campus would be to require all students, faculty and staff to purchase permits for their shoes. Shoes cause damage to plants and grass; the University spends money every year to repair it. Many students would undoubtedly consider the maroon stamp on their Nike’s a badge to be worn proudly; for the more fashion conscious (and those who might own more than one pair) shoe “hangtags” could be sold. While this would be guaranteed to raise significant revenue, enforcement would be expensive and difficult; impounding unregistered shoes would undoubtedly cause a big stink. I believe there is a better solution to the problem of uncontrolled walking on campus. Almost everyone who has any serious business on campus will be carrying either a briefcase, backpack, shoulder bag or purse. These bags potentially conceal drugs, weapons, pornography, handbills announcing meetings of Students Against Apartheid, Medicine Tribe, Pro-Choice Aggies, Gay and Lesbian Student Services (or other organizations inimical to traditional values), alcohol, tobacco, condoms or atheist literature. The Of course, t here must be some modification of the fees for students who drive or ride a bike (otherwise they confusion about the rules and minimize the possibility of successful appeal. The Department of Parking, Transit and Traffic Services has already achieved this in the arena of parking regulations; there should be no problem extending This proposal has much to recommend it: Its revenue-generatinj ability, its undeniable fairness and its potential to greatly increase administration control over unruly students, uncooperative faculty and slothful staff. In short, its at tract ions ii; irresistable. 1 suggest the Faculty Senate consider it without delay. Wit no I Jeff Farmer is a graduate student in mathematics. Bicycle permits just moneymakers It seems it may have been decided without warning or debate that the University Parking, Transit and Traffic Services could extract even more money from us that we do not have, come next fall semester. And for what? Parking our bicycles on campus? Yes! I wish 1 could be humored by this, but it is too scary to laugh about. I don’t know where this idea originated or the I’htionale for it, but I would be very interested in hearing an explanation. Slipped into the Battalion front-page article on proposed revisions for parking citations Tuesday, April 10 was a statement that the Faculty Senate passed a revision that will make parking permits mandatory for bicycles beginning in the fall. (The price for these permits, however, has not been announced — even scarier!) I don’t know about most students, but l ride my bike because 1 cannot afford to park my car on campus. Even if I could swing it, it wouldn’t pay because I would have to park when I got to campus. I could just as well park at my apartment and walk. I know that many Lynn A. Hanson Reader’s Opinion students do not even own automobiles, and bicycles are their only means of transportation. Other students may live on campus and not have this problem, but they may have to ride to make it on time to classes that meet on opposite sides of the campus. As far as 1 have observed, the bicycle racks on campus are quite low- maintenance and there seems to be no great shortage of parking spaces for bicycles except in high-usage areas such as the MSC. So, what is the reasoning behind this great plan? Gould it be that someone needs money, and upon considering how many bikes are on campus multiplied by so many dollars per bike, someone figured it was an excellent money-making scheme? Or perhaps it’s because we are a captive audience, and Traffic Services thinks we have no choice but to comply, so they can charge us for anything and everything that strikes their fancy don’t know the answer, butwhatldo know is that students should not take this sitting down — whether on their bikes or off! In addition, has it been addressed exactly how this plan will he enforced: Must the University now hireadditioiu of personnel to monitor bike racks tobe sure that all bikes locked therehavean appropriate sticker? How muchistliis going to cost? Is this really an enforceable policy? Is this really fairto students (those who are alreadvatthe bottom of the economic totem pole,so to speak) to bear such a ludicrous fee when we already dish out quite enoug) What is n really costing Texas A&M University for me to park mybikeina bike i at k on campus? 1 don’t know what to think except that maybe permit stickers on ourste will be next! Gome on. Aggies- do vou have to say about this? DALLAS (AP) officer acc oman on the ever showed hi unched the woi ore the two ex fitness testified r Ida Lee Delar work Oct. 31 ilex Gonzales ; uty officers ch narked car aftei raffic. She pulled ov< nay department ers pulled up al The defense ired first and ; narked car duri ray chase. Del Gonzales acted i Pablo Garci worker with the of Highways am tion, and his co- Interstate stopped in from her truck. Garcia testifu unmarked car a iroached him, ice officers and for help. He ss Lynn A. Hanson is a graduate stub in plant pathology and microbiolog). Mail Call Participate in Earth Day University needs to recycle EDITOR: Earth Day is April 22. Over 100 countries are participat ing is the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, a celebration of envi ronmental awareness. You can join in the fun and make a dif ference. T exas A&M’s Earth Day Fair is Sunday, April 22, from 1 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Research Park. And guess what? It’s free! T he fun includes live music, speakers, games, food, drink and an Aggie Players production of Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax.” Also, start saving all your newspapers, computer paper, glass, aluminum cans, rigid plastic and old clothing: There’s going to be on-site recycling. So come on out, join the fun and help the environment ! David Leftwich ’90 Snack bar practices wasteful EDITOR: 1 am writing this in protest of the Texas A&M food serv ice’s practice of rewrapping their burritos, specifically at the Bus Stop Snack Bar, and probably at others also. The burritos come pre-packaged, singly, and in beautiful plastic wrappers. The food preparers unwrap them and re wrap them in celophane and then cover that up with tissue. I ask why? Why should they waste paper and produce more trash? The purpose of Earth Day, April 22, is to make people aware of what they can do to protect our environment. One way is to eliminate waste. 1 strongly urge the Texas A&M Food Services Depaartment to consider their wasteful prac tice of rewrapping burritos, and to make changes that will eliminate this waste. Bingo Barnes ’90 EDITOR I am writing in reference to a problem that I believe de serves immediate attention ... one that has been ignored or set aside f or too long. In the past few years it has become increasingly evident that the state of our environment is quickly deteriorating. This problem is one that threatens our very existence, and certainly the existence of generations to come. It’s time we join together and begin taking care of the Earth, Ags. The choices we have for action are many, but the most ob vious and simple one, as I see it, is recycling. Keeping in mind the sobering fact that 80 percent of our landfills will be closed in three years, l do not see that we should hesitate for even a moment to instigate an intensive recycling program on our campus ... one supported by the Texas A&M University Sys tem. What are we waiting for? T he amount of waste generated by this University is phenomenal, even shameful, when most of what is dumped is recycleable. The benefits of a University recycling program would far outweigh any initial inconvienieces that might be involved with setting up the program. Recycling is a profitable endeavor. Not only would money flow back into the University from the recycling of such materials as aluminum, paper and glass, but we would also help conserve our natural resources while setting a positive example for the surrounding community and other institu tions within our state. It’s no longer acceptable for us to turn our heads and ig nore what’s going on in our own backyards, Ags. Earth Day 1990 will be celebrated on Sunday, April 22. Let’s all make an Earth Day pledge today to begin recycling! And it may be up to us to find out more about how' our University could adopt a University-wide recycling program For more information about Earth Day and recycling, come to the Earth Day Fair on Sunday in the Research Park. The future of the earth is in our hands. Recyclingjs only a first step, but it’s one that will make a world of difference. Lynette Clark ’91 Letter on ‘perversity’ misleading AUSTIN Alcoholic Be which has be for lax Uqu< posed nt ladies’ :ownts and "These ru aimed at eether,” TA Joe Darnall s Addition; would prohi from toutir brand name EDITOR: As Mr. Gaither pointed out in the April 17 issue of the Battalion, one should read Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” since those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. From tins book, one would learn that the truly perverse emperors occurred in the first century, and that Christianity had been the official religion of Rome for over a century before its fall in 476. To quote Gibbon, “As the happiness of a f uture life is the great object of religion, we may hear, without sin or scandal, that the introduction, or at least the abuse of Christianity, had some influence on the decline and fall of the Roman Empire." Jim Lenoir Graduate Student tin Americai Monday. 'The' rec< jetted 15 r happy hour: that were of lion, state p< and Motm Have an opinion ? Express it! Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff resents the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author's intent. There is no guarantee that letters submitted will be printed. Each letter must be signed and must include the classification, address and telephone number of the writer. All letters may be brought to 216 Reed McDonald, or sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111. $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 Health; short r< tion. $J tive if y $80 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 Individu $75 to partic $75 scriptioi $75 $75 $100 $1< S 100 * = $ioo AS $100 indiv $100 parti $100 ince $100 $100 $1 $100 $100 $100 $100 IR $100 Syr $100 r ital 5100 s t u< $100 $100 $10C The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of I exas Press Association Southwest Jouriialisni Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Scot Walker, Editor Monique Threadgill, Managing Editor Ellen Hobbs. Opinion Page Editor Melissa Naumann, City Editor Cindy McMillian, Lisa Robertson, News Editors Richard Tijerina, Sports Editoi Fredrick D. Joe, Art Director Mary-Lynne Rice, Lifestyles Editor Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-sup porting newspaper operated as a commu nity service to Texas A&M and Bryan- College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board or the au thor, and do not necessarily represent, the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regu lar semesters, except for holiday and ex amination periods. Mail subscriptions are $20 per semes ter, $40 per school year and $50 per full yeal. Advertising rates furnished on re quest. Our address: The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col lege Station, TX 77843-1111. Second class postage paid at (College Station, TX 77843. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald. Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843-41 1! Adventures In Cartooning by Don Atkinson Jt BOSS, I'1/6 GOT TO TALK TO 000 flbOUT THC wove 6or me records mo \TRP6S FILED IN V00R, 'Z THINK VOO'RC GOING TO UPSET SONS PEOPLE! FOR cmN\?LE, OOO'UE GOT THE NEW ROEPSES FROM THE ROLLING STONES, [H6KOSMITH AND DRW bOW(C FILED UNDER "OLD GEEZERS" !y GROWN MEN THEIR 056, JUMPIN' HROUND IN SPHNDCX TIGHTS, ACTIN' LIRE VANG FOOLS'{ IT'S DISGUSTING!!' AND CHER FILED UNDER "HPLF-NPW) bIMSO WHO DIDN'T DESEME THE RCPDCW AWARD FOR BEST {ACTRESS " ? Ind; sur stui KINDR MM ITSELF, DOIT' va) m $300 $31 $300 $300 S300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $3< $100 $10C $100 $100 $100 ,nc ^ $100 strai $100 P art 3 $100 thos $100 $10«