Review
Opinion
Ipppesday, April 14, 1992
The Battalion
Page 9
The
Battalion
The Battalion Editorial Board
DOUGLAS PILS, Editor in Chief
BRIDGET HARROW, Managing Editor
BRIAN BONEY, Opinion Editor
JASON MORRIS, Night News Editor
MORGAN JUDAY, Night News Editor
MACK HARRISON, City Editor
KARL STOLLEIS, Photo Editor
SCOTT WUDEL, Sports Editor
ROB NEWBERRY, Lifestyles Editor
The following opinions are a consensus of The Battalion opinion staff and senior editors.
PS-
Not so special
Put event center money into academics
ty is
$42-
It is ironic that the University
raptoth considering going ahead with a
the blad million Special Events Center at the
same time that the academic programs
at Texas A&M are being hurt
considerably by budget cuts. A more
it tobei vvorthwhile project would be to
re not ^ | channel some of the private funding for
11 not extras, such as a special events center,
into the academic realm itself.
veopmaiK Unfortunately, state laws require
money raised for university buildings
— to be spent only on buildings.
| But state laws are not etched in
stone. They can be changed, or in this
case, waived. And with the financial
crunch A&M faces, now is the time for
the University community to come
together and work to change the laws
Id that A&M can put the money for the
center to academic use.
I The administration, faculty, and
students must work to convince private
contributors to give priority to
academics over the extra-curricular
programs. The status of the academic
colleges, after budget cuts, mostly
in ans !r| affects the students themselves, who
llsalsol are alread y h av i n g to deal with newly
, , ] installed limitations on registration for
“j'j fall 1992.
lie fans aB f und i n g is evident in almost
! every college on campus with the
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Many of the classes in these colleges
have been cut to a minimal number of
sections, and some classes will not be
offered at all. When students cannot
even take the classes they want because
there is not enough money available to
offer an adequate number of sections,
one should question why the
University would allow millions of
dollars to be spent for recreational
activities without putting up a fight.
Many people around campus have
been discussing this issue, but
something concrete needs to be done in
order for a change to take place. The
Student Senate should take the first
step by passing a referendum in
support of reallocation of private
funds. Although this alone would not
be enough to bring about a change, a
referendum would allow the
administration and faculty to hear
student opinion on the issue and would
allow the students to go on record in
support of academics.
Then, it is up to University officials
to convince private donators to use
their money for something more
worthwhile and fundamental to our
school.
We must not lose sight of the fact
that education should be the most
important part of the overall experience
at A&M.
Passing grades
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Athletes must meet standards set for all
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The purpose of a university is to
educate. It is supposed to offer higher
.education to those students who have
distinguished themselves by doing
well in high school and on the
holastic Aptitude Test.
But exceptions are made for
thletes.
Last week, a Rice University faculty
committee released a study
condemning the practice of allowing
/Tongto"i athletes into their university who do
not meet the academic qualifications,
e study stated that when athletes are
yry admitted who cannot function in the
/ % | education process, "the ideal of the
kJ (scholar-athlete 7 becomes a shameful
avesty."
The study went on to denounce the
ractice of admitting athletes without
he proper grades by saying these
Students "have little more chance of
success in most classrooms than would
non-athletes if plopped down in front
of the A&M line with a football in their
rms."
While it would be easy to say this is
a problem unique to Rice, it would also
r 75-i
be a lie. Right here at Texas A&M the
problem is rampant.
For residents of Texas to enter
A&M, they must make a 1200 on the
SAT if in the third or fourth quarters of
their high school classes, 1100 in the
second quarter or 1000 in the first
quarter. Students in the top 10 percent
do not have an SAT minimum. For
out-of-state students the minimums are
even more strenuous. Students in the
second, third and fourth quarters are
not even admitted and those in the top
quarter must have an 1100 SAT.
Last fall, A&M's freshman class had
an average of 1058 on their SAT.
However, freshmen in Aggie
athletics averaged only 918, well below
any standard.
This is, in the words of the Rice
committee, a travesty. To allow
someone to enter a university simply
because they can throw a ball or run
real fast is wrong promotes the idea
that athletics are more important than
academics. It also cheapens the
educational experience for other
students.
CAST A BALLOT FOR THE
CU1TTOH OF ‘VOXJR CHOICE
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Beleaguered bovine
Cows in Brenham need help after vicious blast ruined 'heaven
T he Brenham explosion has
brought forth all sorts of
concerns regarding the safety of
natural gas storage as well as the
effectiveness of salt domes in
containing the concussion. However,
one tragedy of the crash has escaped
the scrutiny of both state and federal
investigators. What happened to the
Blue Bell cows?
We've all
heard the stories
of devastated
homes, cracked
trees and
victims scarred
by severe burns.
We've seen the
images of
scorched earth
and the
billowing flames
from the gas
pipeline, but no
one has mentioned the fate of Texas'
famous ruminants, aside from
pictures of dead cows littering
pastures.
I know the subject has weighed
heavily on everyone's mind ever
since the news came last week of an
explosion in Brenham. That and
where am I going to get my ice cream
from now?
The little creamery in Brenham has
centered all of its advertising around
its special cows which give Blue Bell
ice cream its unique flavor.
"Our cows think Brenham is
heaven," croons the announcer as a
picture of cows chomping on grass
and surrounded by bluebonnets fills
the TV screen.
Do they still think Brenham is
heaven? After having endured an
earthquake which measured 3.5 on
the Richter scale and seeing their
comrades fall dead around them, you
would think the cows would begin
seeing Brenham as the other place.
And with the natural gas fire and all
of the burn victims . . . well, you get
the idea.
And what about Blue Bell? Will its
ice cream feel the effects of the
traumatized cows? Will they have to
hire replacement cows until their own
recover from the shock? And what
about hazard pay? The Blue Bell cows
have a pretty good case. They could
easily milk (sorry, I couldn't resist)
the creamery for all it's worth,
claiming emotional trauma and the
like.
Blue Bell has made tons of money
off of the reputation of these cows.
Who do you think of when you think
of Blue Bell ice cream? Cows, right.
Borden has Elsie, and Ben and Jerry's
has Ben and Jerry. If it weren't for the
cows, everyone would think Blue Bell
was a dress manufacturer or a brand
of hair color. Let's face it, the cows
have made Blue Bell what it is today.
And what do the cows get in
return? Someone pulling on their
private parts. Hardly due
compensation in my opinion. Where
are the animal rights activists when
you need them? The cows deserve
their due compensation.
The Brenham explosion has done
much more than just kill three people
and obliterate entire square miles of
land. It has permanently scarred the
lives of some of Texas' most famous
citizens. Their lives have been
shattered. Their comrades killed.
Their grass turned into charcoal. Yet,
they received no help from the
American Red Cross. No paramedics
rushed to their side in their time of
need.
Quite to the contrary, veterinarians
came out to put them to death,
believing a simple injury cripples
them for life and damages their
abilities to serve as official
spokesanimals for the ice cream
company. Yet, no one said a word.
After all, they are just animals.
Randall's supermarkets has come
up with a good idea, but it needs to
be taken a little further. For every
Blue Bell product purchased, the
store will donate $1 towards Brenham
relief efforts. While noble in its aims,
this program neglects the cows.
I propose for every dollar that
Randall's collects, they earmark 25
cents to be used as aid for the Blue
Bell cows. This money can be used to
help pay off the substantial expenses
which the cows have incurred
following last week's catastrophe.
Of course, some benefits did arise
from the explosion. For the next few
weeks, Central Texas ice cream shops
will have an easier time when making
shakes. The milk will come
preshaken, so all they have to do is
add ice cream and chocolate syrup
then serve.
And think of all of the extra beef
we will have on the store shelves.
Hopefully, this will flood the market,
causing beef prices to plummet. By
next week, we could all be eating
steak.
But even this cannot take away
from the tragedy in Brenham. The
cows have suffered, and right now no
one seems to care. It's bad enough
that Blue Bell uses them for its own
gain, but it's even worse when no one
responds in their time of crisis. The
time has come for Texans to stand up
for their celebrities. Let those cows
know you care. And the next time
you pass a cow, go over and give him
a friendly pat on the head. You never
know, one day he may be famous. He
may become a Blue Bell cow. Then,
you can say "I knew him when . . ."
Evans is a junior
biology major
IS!
JSG does much
us-1 to keep spirit alive
I Many of us feel in love with this first-rate
university the moment we first visited here.
Immediately, we experienced the famed Aggie
Spirit. Then, we were introduced to the highly
regarded traditions of A&M, some of the most
recognized traditions being Aggie Muster, Big
Event, and Parents' Weekend. What many of us
did not realize at the time was that Student
government is the backbone of these honorable
aditions.
Not only does Student government entail
tudent Senate, but it also has committees such as
arents' Weekend, Muster, and Big Event, which
dedicate months of their time and energies to
making these fabulous events become
overwhelming successes. Events such as Big
vent, a community-wide service project, and
eplant, sponsored by the Environmental Issues
ommittee of Student Government, have been
ationally recognized and acclaimed. Student
overnment even has a committee. Traditions
.Council, dedicated solely to upholding all the
WEH traditions of A&M.
1 The members of these and other committees in
Student Government are encouraged to
participate in many organizations such RHA,
CA, various religious and ethnic organizations.
Mail
and MSC programs. Students are often chosen as
members of the Student Government committees
based on their involvement at A&M so that a
multitude of organizations and their members
will be represented.
Student government is here to represent the
traditions, the spirit, and the students of A&M.
So get to know the senators representing both
your college and your living area. Give them
your perspective on upcoming legislation, and
feel free to suggest any other ideas which you feel
to be discussed.
The truth of the matter is that none of these
activities would be a success without the time and
energy that numerous non-Student Government
members have volunteered. Nor would these
occasions be so special without the undying
Aggie Spirit of those volunteers.
As for Stacy Feducia, does this University need
dedicated students who are willing to devote the
months necessary to plan, organize and put on
the wide variety of events that Student
Government sponsors, protecting the
environment to supporting the community to
honoring a fellow Aggie who has passed away, or
does this University need a bunch of drunken
students who are too busy guzzling beer to care
about keeping Texas A&M a world-class
university?
Anna Johnston
Class of '95
Call
Don't try to convert
your readers
When I opened the paper on April 10 to see an
article called "Christ's message," I read it with an
open mind. I think it's very righteous of Mr.
Sullivan to speak about how he feels about
Christianity and how he thinks people should feel
about it. I'd like to know what your nerve is, Mr.
Sullivan. This is supposed to be an opinion page,
not an opportunity to try and get people to
convert.
I might have been able to overlook your
request for Jews, Muslims and Hindus to take
what you have said seriously, but I lost my mind
when you said, "Put behind you everything you
have been taught or seen or heard or experienced
in regard to Jesus Christ! So, am I supposed to
change my religion because you have discovered
Jesus Christ?
I am very happy you found yourself, but
please leave it at that, there is enough anti
semitism on campus and neo-Nazis everywhere
that I need to deal with. These are people who
think Christianity is the only way to go. Let
people be, a little diversity in the world is good.
Cindy buffer
Class of'92
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