The Battalion
OPINION
Friday, June 8,1990
Opinion Page Editor Damon Arhos
Madene
Walker
Reader’s Opinion
Cadets praised
for service by
administrator
Memorial day was a day for
respecting and honoring all servicemen
who served our country with the
sacrifice of their time, energy, health
and, for some, their lives
For over five years Fwas privileged to
work in the Office of the Commandant
at Texas A&M, so I have some unique
memories and a heartfelt message to
share.
There are a few cadets who have
problems dealing with life in the Corps
just as there are a few active duty
servicemen who have difficulty coping
with the military environment. The
public broadcasting of their complaints
lesults in the negative response of the
general public toward the entire Corps
of Cadets at Texas A&M. Please
understand, the discontented are in the
minority. I present the majority for
your review.
The cadets I remember are the
officers — the juniors and seniors who
willingly accept the responsibility of
governing the Corps, from the Cadet
Corps Commanders to the
Commanding Officers of each
individual outfit. They are the. finest
group of young people I have ever
known.
They served their University first,
then their country, with the skills
acquired from dedicated active duty
of ficers from each branch of service,
t hey served with the sacrifice of their
time, energy and, occasionally, their
health and grades by offering their
*4T
I hey are the finest
group of young people
have ever known.
devotions totally. The Corps absorbed
so much time and effort, that many of
the officers were required to delay their
graduation date into the fifth year. Yet,
they did it willingly as they love their
University and their country with their
entire being.
When the Corps of Cadets marches as
a unit it parades as proudly as any active
duty military unit ever has in this
nation’s history. These are active duty
service youth who represent, first, A&M
in their cadet uniforms. They then
represent the military services with the
flag of the service branch carried at the
beginning of their unit (the United
States Air Force, Army, Naval and
Marine Corps). Lastly, their beloved
country is represented with the United
States flag presented by the Color
Guard cadets marching at the very head
of the entire Corps.
In addition, the Corps is filled with
special units from the Corps as a whole.
Honor units that are composed of the
best of the best. The cadets selected
work hard to prove their worth to these
groups: the Fish Drill Team, Rudder’s
Rangers, Ross Volunteers, Color Guard,
Parsons’ Mounted Cavalry, Rifle Team,
Recon Company, Ranger Challenge,
Blackhats and SAME. These units take
part in competitions all over the United
States and bring home trophies in every
competition.
On this past Memorial Day, Corps of
Cadets at Texas A&M University, I
remembered you as exceptional young
people. I thank you, I respect you, I
honor you and I love you.
Aladene Walker is a staff member in
the Texas Veterinary Medical Center.
Homosexual rights often violated
In a May 16 column in The Battalion,
Jon Beeler maintains that homosexuals
should have the right to privacy in their
own homes but, evidently, few if any
further protections against
discrimination.
“Alternative sexual preferences,” he
writes, “should not be protected in the
business place, the military or in
institutions of higher learning.” To be
sure, he also says that “gay men and
women should enjoy the same rights
that all Americans receive until their
sexual preference obstructs the welfare
of their immediate environment.”
But I infer that, from Beeler’s
standpoint, virtually everything gays do
in the public arena in some way
obstructs their immediate environment.
I suspect, for example, that if gays
encounter discrimination in applying
for teaching positions or in renting an
apartment or buying a home, they
would also hold that the state should
offer them no protection. Now this is
pretty strong stuff.
What arguments does he give in
defense of his position? One argument
is the old natural law argument that
homosexuality is “just not meant to be
— by God or by nature.” Fie also calls
homosexuality a “vice” and a
“deviancy.”
There is a long tradition of moral
thinking which argues from what is
“natural” to what is “right,” but most
ethicists other than conservative Roman
Catholics rejected this tradition in the
19th century.
There are at least three reasons for
this. First, it is not an easy thing to form
a clear account of what is anti isn’t
“natural.” Second, it is difficult to argue
that what is “natural,” if it could be
defined, should be a good guide for
what is right. Third, the natural law
tradition also holds that masturbation,
sterilization and contraception are
immoral, as well as homosexuality. It
thus has some implicatonsthataii
most people find highly implauv
Another argument that heapaj
make is that homosexuality isasi]
and therefore immoral. He says [
homosexuality is “a hapless choicl
mentally ill.”
There are two problems with ill
argument. First, the claim that
accef
mg 1
homosexuality is as mental illnes| Uon.
highly controversial one which® “V\
psychologists would question
haf
Second, even if homosexualatt : ' ose
in some sense the result of a“sicl;
ratei
loui
it does not follow that they arei® ()o j c
T1
pern
teen
Mail Call
Commute to A&M without cars
EDITOR
My daily commute to campus gives me just 15 minutes
to think, but even this brief trip is long enough to realize
that we must be young men and women “before our time.”
Let me develop this thought. Our campus and the sur
rounding city have problems. For instance, the parking
problem on campus, the traffic problems around campus
and the unsightly Northgate area. How are these problems
linked? They all have to do with the distinctly American
enfatuation with the automobile, our social vanity and our
shortsightedness.
National statistics for fuel consumption and pollution
are well known and widely cited. Often missed, however,
are the latent ways cars affect our existence, especially in a
city like College Station. Cars have allowed us to spread out
on the landscape, traveling relatively long distances in
“cheap and easy” comfort. Living more than two miles
from campus makes real exercise of commuting by bicycle
or on foot — exercise resulting in real sweat. There is very
little social acceptance or even toleration for sweat or body
odor in our society, hence the widespread use of auto
mobiles in our daily lives, parking problems on our campus
and unsightly stretches of asphalt encircling Texas A&M.
We must consider, as students, professors and staff of
the University, the long term effects of our addiction to the
automoble. If each person commuting to campus and liv
ing within three miles of campus was required to walk or
use a bicycle, a bus or a moped, I would reasonably guess
that parking problems would soon disappear. Campus bus
lines could be extended to cover more area outside the
three mile area, reducing traffic problems further.
The administration could encourage alternative trans
portation use by issuing free “rainy day” parking permits
to people who normally walk, bike or drive a scooter to
school. There are relatively few days when these would be
necessary, judging from the weather I have observed since
arriving in College Station. A low' cost “rainy day” bus pass
would help reduce the use of cars on rainy days. The addi
tion of bicycle lanes on University, South College, Texas
Avenue and Wellborn Road would encourage bicycle use.
None of these suggestions address the social aspects of
arriving at work or to class sweaty; this is when we must be
men and women “before our time.” We must understand
that sweat is a sign that we care about preserving the envi
ronment, our resources and the beauty of our surround
ings. I urge everyone to think twice before putting a key in
the ignition. I also urge the administration to find more ef
fective ways of transporting students, faculty and staff to
and from campus without cars. Surely this simple problem
can be easily solved with creative thinking and courageous
decisions. If we solve this problem with progressive
thought and action, we will be men and women “before our
time.
Brinnen S. Carter
Graduate student
Have an opinion? Express it!
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F"l
Consider this example: Suppose
someone is so neurotic and lackij
social skills that he never getsmar
and masturbation is his onlysexu
outlet.
We might want to say that his
masturbation is the consequence
emotional deficiency, butwouldi
want to say it is therefore immon
think most people would findthi
illogical and inhumane.
Another argument is that
“homosexuals do not constitutea
minority described by f amily tree
comprise a minority defined byiln
behavior.” Somehow this is suppM^ea:
show that homosexuals do notdt! ec 5f,
, • • • • f :. YV
protection against discriminationi ^ oV
say blacks, Jews, h is panics onvo® u oa
But then, religious minoritiesi
defined by their behavior too. Wu
want to say that they thereforedo
deserve protection against
discrimination?
Finally, Beeler argues that
homosexuality is “detrimentalto!
values, and family values sew diet
together.” If the claim is that
homosexuality is “detrimentariol
values in the sense that homosexin
relationships are not heterosexui
relationships, then the claim istra
definition.
If the claim is that allowing
homosexual relationships willso®
destroy all. or even most, orevem
many heterosexual families, then:
seems most unlikely to me. Sure!'
is little if any evidence for this,ari
certainly Beeler does not presentl
C.E. Harris i's an associate pro)
the Department of Philosophy.
I
Our University needs College of Fine Arts
Why don’t we create a world class
university out of Texas A&M?
Not a new idea, huh? Sounds like old
news, doesn’t it? But are we considered
a world class university?
Well, we do have a new branch
University in Japan. We might receive
the presidential library. We even have a
Corps of Cadets. While we’re at it, why
don’t we mention the outstanding sports
achievements.
Now are we a world class university?
To some people, this is it. But to the
people of this world that decide upon
this classification, we are far from it. We
have business, engineering, liberal arts,
agriculture and a wonderful theatre
complex.
Too bad the University’s own theatre
department has to pay rent in order to
produce a play in that space.
Sure, it’s wonderful to see the touring
companies that OPAS brings for us to
enjoy. But why can’t they support
Aggies in the arts instead of supporting
other universities’ fine arts
departments?
There is a lot of talent that this
University is not exhibiting to the rest of
the world.
When I look at other universities
around the world that are considered
world class, I see a strong involvement
Rudy
Cordova Jr.
Columnist
Here in America, we have universities
like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UCLA
and even UT that all contain fine arts
departments with world status. They
give students the opportunity to open
themselves up to a culture that speaks
about the world we live in. If only Texas
A&M could learn from these
even Aggies can perform arid
appreciate the arts.
World class means beingopenit
ideas, not harnessed to tradition.
Granted, this university has come
in the arts. You are probably asking
yourself, “What does art have to do with
anything?”
But when you study art you are
learning about a culture. It’s important
to know where we’ve been, where we are
and where we’re going.
A fine arts department is greatly
needed by this University. There is
much to be learned in the fields of
music, dance, theatre and art. Texas
A&M is cheating itself of the freedom
we have as human beings to express
ourselves through the arts.
I’ve been to Europe, and it’s amazing
to see the amount of culture that bleeds
from the history and the people
themselves. They don’t destroy their
architecture when it gets old.
They cherish their music and dance.
They even have world renowned acting^
troupes that reproduce plays the way
they were presented almost 3000 years
ago.
universities.
We all have different ideas as to what
constitutes a world class university. The
closed-minded person will throw out the
idea of a fine arts department because
they believe that art is for pansies.
What that person doesn’t realize is
that the arts are around us all daily. We
see it in movies, television, magazines
and newspapers. We can’t avoid it,
because in doing so we are turning away
from the opportunity to study our
civilization.
1 know it’s important for us to study
business, medicine, agriculture and
engineering. It’s all a part of what
makes this world turn.
What I’m trying to say is that we need
to expand our knowledge through
classical thinking. That too is an integral
part of our lives.
If we as students had the support
from the community, the Board of
Regents and the rest of the University,
then we could prove to the world that
way through its traditions, butthi
only a small part of our capacity.
We can’t close our doors to net
We’re holding back instead ofpui!
forward.
Let’s move together in thisques
world stat us by creating a foundai
for future Aggies to build upon
Let’s open a College of Fine Ait
expand our knowledge. That’swi
education is all about, isn’t it?
Rudy Cordova Jr. is a senior tk
arts major.
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