Opinion
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Wednesday, October 14,1992
The Battalion
Page 11
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Editorial
Raising our aim
Education needs higher standards
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To understand the growing im
portance of an education in our so
ciety, consider that the median fami
ly income of people without a high
school diploma plummeted 25 per
cent between 19/3 and 1989. Keep
ing students in school and increas
ing standards —increasing quali
ty— is no longer an option; it is an
imperative.
The State Board of Education is
sticking to plans to increase the
passing standard of the Texas As
sessment of Academic Skills (TAAS)
exam from 60 percent to 70 percent.
Successful completion of the TAAS
exam is required in order to gradu
ate from high school in Texas. While
this change demands more out of
students, the only caveat would be
that teaching general knowledge
would devolve into teaching that
knowledge required to pass the
TAAS exam.
While nearly one-third of stu
dents failed the 70 percent standard
administered to juniors in spring
1991, this is no argument for lower
standards. Some 84 percent of the
students that failed the exam the
first round came back to pass the
exam in subsequent attempts.
Higher standards force students to
learn and earn a diploma instead of
shoveling them through classrooms
and out onto the street without even
a basic understanding of grammar
or math. Lastly, higher standards
help indicate weak links in the sys
tem which urge greater attention
from educators. As we enter the
21st century, we require quality ed
ucation. The new TAAS standards
are a vital step in the right direction.
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Racist party theme
was despicable
To Michael A. Hebert, President of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon:
Your response to the letter from Joe
Salem only strengthens the accusation
that you involve yourself in racist activ
ities.
Because you neither deny nor apolo
gize for any actions that occurred at
your "Jungle Party," you are delivering
the message that you condone these ac
tions. You are therefore a racist, Mike.
As I understand it, your pledges
were dressed in black-face and grass
skirts and chased around the room as if
they were being hunted.
The fact that your fraternity partici
pates in many valid on and off campus
activities does not make this act less
racist.
The fact that people were dressed in
a variety of other costumes at your par
ty does not make this act less racist. No
other facts concerning your chapter or
the fraternity system as a whole make
this act less racist.
You are a racist, Mike. Because racist
actions were occurring at your party
and you either failed to recognize them
or failed to acknowledge them, you are
a racist.
I hope for the sake of the Texas A&M
Greek System that you are not repre
sentative of the whole.
Steven A. Helms
Class of '92
This letter is in response to the al
leged activities that occurred at the Sig
ma Alpha Epsilon party on Oct. 2.
Joe Salem, a member of the band.
Love Squad, depicted some racist activ
ities that he feels took place at this par
ty-
If wdiat Salem said is true, I want to
thank him for exposing Sigma Alpha
Epsilon fraternity for the insensitive
and racist organization that it is.
Granted, people have the right to do
whatever they feel in the privacy of
their own homes (or frat houses).
However, if the members of this or
ganization who participated in these ac
tivities truly hold such racist views,
then I ask, as a friend of mine stated,
that you wear your sheets in public so
We as black people on campus know
how you feel and where we stand with
you.
Karmen G. Moss
Sombra Davis
Class of'93
After reading Joe Salem's letter in the
Battalion on Oct. 12, I would like to ad
dress this letter to the members of Sig
ma Alpha Epsilon. I am disgusted by
your blatant act of racism. I am an
African-American student and I do not
think your party theme was funny.
Your 'Tittle" idea of fun only showed
your ignorance. Let me ask you a ques
tion. How would you appreciate some
one making fun of your race and then
to top it off, making fun of despicable
acts committed against your race?
You can not begin to understand the
anger you have caused. I sincerely
hope you wake up and realize what
you did was not runny and was ex
tremely insulting. It was one of the
most demeaning and insulting acts one
can do against another race. The frater
nity at t.u. that depicted the same type
of ignorance as you, dressing up as
Samoo characters, got their chapter re
voked as an example. Since you did
not learn, I hope your chapter gets re
voked also.
Stephanie Williams
Class of '94
Student shocked at
religious intolerance
I would like to salute Dr. Presley for
his courageous and generous offer. I
share views similar to those of Dr. Pres
ley and it is truly wonderful to hear
that there are others like myself here at
TAMU who feel the same about life.
Over the course of my life, I have come
to see that I am ultimately responsible
for the quality and value given to my
life; I do not believe in any cosmic
forces such as destiny, fate or even God.
I am not ashamed of these beliefs and
would be more than happy to defend
them or explain them; I would like to
thank Dr. Presley for what would ap
pear to be an invitation to do just that.
Secondly, I would like to express my
shock at the letter I have just read by
Casey Evans in Friday's Battalion. The
spirit of the Inquisition seems to be
alive and well, even today in America.
How can anyone say that there is only
one path to follow in life? What makes
the teaching of Christ any more (or less)
valid than those of Mohammed, Bud
dha, Krishna, or any of the other great
religions of the world? I would even go
so far to say that very few Christians
have even read other sacred texts, yet
they seem to have no trouble condemn
ing those who would be so inclined.
This attitude of intolerance is what
made me leave the Catholic faith two
years ago and I see the same problem in
Stopping crimes against children
We must all do our part to prevent this barbarism
S everal days ago I turned from
my work and glanced at the tele
vision seeking a temporary
brain asylum. There she was. Gaily
Struthers, strolling among children
with distended bellies and finger
sized legs pleading for aid. "Send
money." "Please help."
We've all seen this woman in
countless commercials and print ads
over the years. This time, as most, I
turned back to work not wanting to
see those misshapen little bodies.
There just seems to be so much bad
in the world and so little one can do
about it.
I volunteered once at a home for
children who had been sexually and physically abused.
These children were of many ages and races. Their one
connection was that someone — a parent, a sibling, a
friend, a teacher, a stranger — someone had beaten and/or
sexually assaulted each one.
No doubt, you've heard this type of story before. Per
haps you've heard this story many times, and it really
doesn't shock you anymore. After all, what can you do?
One afternoon, I sat around the table with a few of these
children. We were cutting fish out of butcher paper for
them to hang on their walls. One of the young boys and I
paired off to create a great and hideous shark. He was
laughing. Everyone was happy. Who could guess these
children's histories?
An older worker told my little friend that he was about
to go to the doctor, but he wouldn't get any shots. Maybe it
was leaving the protection of the house; maybe it reminded
him of something else, but this slight boy flew into a rage
the likes of which I have never seen. "No! No!" he yelled
over and over and climbed into a narrow space between
the bathtub and wall where he stayed and screamed. I
found out later that his mother had used him in Satanistic
rituals.
An ex-Catholic priest has acknowledged to sexually
abusing dozens of children over a period of at least a
decade. Police in Martensville, a small town in Canada,
have filed 143 charges against nine residents for the sexual
abuse of at least 30 children at a day care center. A 28-year-
old teacher at a Bronx elementary school was arrested this
summer for allegedly molesting at least three of the girls in
his third-grade class.
These are just a few of the shamefully high number of
cases that we know about as a society. Who can dare to
even hazard a guess as to how many incidents we don't
know of? How many of the children that we see every day
have someone beating or sexually violating them? Would
it be accurate to say we don't really want to know?
The French novelist, Camus once said, "Perhaps we can
not prevent the world from being a world in which chil
dren are tortured. But we can reduce the number of tor
tured children. And if you believers don't help us, who
else in the world can help us do this?"
It is a fact that a great many of the child-abusers started
out as abused children. So the catch is that the best way to
decrease the number of offenders is to decrease the number
of victims. Seems almost impossible.
To start with, let's get the judicial system to show a little
more intestinal fortitude. Sexual offenders are being al
lowed to plea bargain for lesser charges or receive suspend
ed sentences.
Let's require school nurses who see all district children
at least once a year to ask directly, as a matter of procedure,
whether the child has been abused or not. Whatever the
answers, something more can be done that is being done.
I once expressed to a very wise woman that I couldn't
understand a world that allowed children to be hurt. She
paused and then told me a story. At the height of a devas
tating famine, a young Irishman cried out in despair to his
priest, "Why, Father, doesn't God send someone to help the
people?" The older man simply replied, "Why, He has. He
sent you."
There are many evils in this world, and we cannot
hope to end them all, but we can do something. Find that
something with me, and be one of the believers.
Garrard is a junior speech communications major
TONI
GARRARD
Columnist
many other denominations as well. Dr.
Presley did not attack Christianity, but
to some Christians it seems as if some
one with non-Christian beliefs is auto
matically "Anti-Christian" by defini
tion. I am sorry your intolerance blinds
you. I see many ways that such an atti
tude is no more noble or logical than
racism. To all the Christians out there, I
wish you a happy and rich life; please
do not think bad of mine simply be
cause Jesus is not a part of it.
Dan Alexander
Class of '94
Sheriff Miller didn't
do anything wrong
This letter is a response to the letter
printed in last week's Mail Call con
demning Sheriff Ron Miller for having
a "criminal" record. Here follow the
facts about the incident.
Under state law, the facility in ques
tion was not an "illegal gambling
shack." It met the criteria for a legal
operation: It was a private residence,
the owner made no profit, and every
body had a fair and equal chance of
winning.
The nouse is frequented by law en
forcement officials, as well as elected
county and city officials.
On the evening in question, there
were 30 or 40 people present. Sheriff
Miller was the only person summoned
to appear to answer charges. He was
not arrested. ♦
The sheriff was charged with a class
C misdemeanor (the equivalent of a
traffic ticket), which carries a maximum
$200 fine.
Sheriff Miller was not allowed to call
any witnesses at his trial because the
district attorney and the judge did not
want to drag names through the mud,
except for Ron Miller's. This forced the
jury into a guilty verdict. The fine,
however, was only $1. .
Rather than pay the fine and admit
guilt. Sheriff Miller appealed to county
court for a new trial. He was finally
granted a new trial, but it is not sched
uled until after the election.
All total. Sheriff Ron Miller has spent
close to $25,000 to fight a guilty verdict.
Politically speaking, it would have been
much better for Sheriff Miller to pay the
fine and let the issue rest. However,
Sheriff Miller and his supporters know
he is innocent. Why pay tne fine if he is
notguilty?
Tne author of the letter is curious as
to why there is so much support for
Ron Miller. The answer is simple. The
sheriff has impressed the people of the
Brazos Valley with the job he has done
and they want four more years of his
leadership and service.
Chris Tarrillion '94
accompanied by 5 signatures
Shouldn't judge a
book by its cover
As I was walking to class a few
mornings ago, my thoughts were inter
rupted Dy some girl I have never seen
or met Before saying "I have a pet
peeve to share with you, new waver
erson." For four and a half years I
ave been telling all my non-Aggie
friends what a nice place Texas A&M is
to go to school and now friendly every
one acts toward one another. I left out
all the rude, closed-minded people who
make unnecessary comments or un
called for actions toward me or my
friends.
In my years at A&M my friends and
I have been verbally accosted many
times by people who think they need to
tell us wnat horrible people we are be
cause of our manner of dress, our hair
cuts, or because the type of shoes we
are wearing do not particularly "go
with" the outfits we are wearing. I
have in the past, been accused of being
a devil worshiper, had my sexuality
questioned, and had innumerable rude
comments told to my face by people
who I was trying to say howdy to.
Usually I'm polite and try to explain
that just because my hair is short or
bright red does not mean that I am
doomed to hell or that I am a crazed ax-
wielding maniac out to destroy A&M's
traditions.
Just because I do not look like the
typical Ag, do not assume anything
about me because of stereotypes.
In general, most of the people I have
met at A&M are extremely friendly, but
to the people to whom I am referring,
remember, if you can't say anything
nice, don't say anything at all.
Hannah Bailey
Class of '92
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reftect the views of
the opinion page staff and editor in chief only. They do not
represent, in any way, the opinions of reporters, staff, or
editors of Other sections of the newspaper.
Columns, guest columns, and Mail Call items express the
opinions of the authors only.
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print
as many as space allows in the Mail Cail section. Letters
must be 300 words or less and include author's name, Social
Security number, class, and phone number.
We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style, and
accuracy.
Letters should be addressed to:
The Battalion - Mail Can
013 Reed McDonald /Mail stop till
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843