iber 10,1992
ow
Opinion
Tuesday, November 10,1992
The Battalion
Page 7
>e yardage
ix of eight
early when
short pass
fumbled it
; ki claiming
\tlanta 48.
or Young to
d the 49ers
ipleted four
md Watters
e drive that
ard pass to
in the first
convert an-
rnover into
ne Young to
Don Griffin
pass off An-
the Atlanta
led to move
wasted a 43-
o its 48 after
7 yards on a
f bounds on
11-yard scor-
with a 20-
s at the At-
ond quarter,
oal capped a
rive and the
Risen's fum-
Michael Mc-
i 35.
pped the en-
ip Lee recov-
6, setting up
ring run.
raft
d
players who
n the majors,
ve with the
going to be
; a team that
/ould be the
\ey seem to
Vallach said
t really have
go. I'd rather
mse we have
i guy who is
it on the pro-
a guy who
xt year."
he protected
ds of players
for the draft
league expe-
i three years
gned at age
major-league
er than four
rey signed at
lifferent team
•ecially since
It seems like
s tough and
?ers the last
e Astrodome
) so nothing
ranted,
to have our
nto the As-
with Solari's
' will have no
Slocum said,
in Houston
fferent team
)wnby Stadi-
They will be
iome in front
ur work cut
A&M should
/ercoming all
a ted with the
ouston. He
mal exposure
wide a good
of the country
s to offer,
portunity to
at we are for
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PN," Dausin
a had a good
ouisville last
showed that
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>UT
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■ 846-9171
Editorials
Personal problems
Cigarette lawsuit made little sense
Last Thursday, at the request of
the Cipollone family, a judge dis
missed a suit against Philip Morris
Companies, Inc. that blamed the to
bacco company for the death of
Rose Cipollone. Cipollone first
sued the corporation in 1983 after
being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Cipollone believed that the health
warnings printed on the labels of
the cigarettes which she had
smoked for 42 years did not ade
quately address the health hazards
involved in smoking.
In addition, she felt that the ad
vertising practices of the tobacco in
dustry tended to minimize the dan
gers involved in using tobacco
products.
Though the family agreed to
drop the case, the tobacco industry
is unable to breathe any easier. In
1965 the Supreme Court ruled that
federal warning labels on cigarette
boxes do not protect tobacco com
panies from state personal injury
lawsuits.
However, the ruling also states
that smokers must convince juries
that they are not primarily at fault.
Sexy advertisements don't put
cigarettes into people's mouths:
people do.
Vaguely worded warning labels
don't take cigarettes out of people's
hands: people do.
While certain groups, including
the American Heart Association, ex
press disappointment over the dis
missal of the Cipollone case, the fact
remains that regardless of warnings
or advertising practices, individuals
should take responsibility for their
own actions — including smokers.
New world instability
Chinese grasping for armed might
A scenario well-suited for a Tom
Clancy novel threatens the peaceful
"New World Order" Americans
hoped would emerge from the post-
Cold War era.
One of the world's worst kept se
crets is that China has been combing
the former Soviet Union for ad
vanced weapons that will dramati
cally boost her ability to intervene
militarily far outside its own bor
ders.
More alarmingly, U.S. intelligence
says that China is actively recruiting
legions of out-of-work Russian sci
entists and engineers.
China holds more than $40 billion
in U.S. hard currency reserves, pro
viding her with the capital outflow
needed to procure biochemical and
conventional technology from the
Russians, who are themselves in the
midst of an economic catastrophe.
China has made no bones about
her desire to call the shots in Asia.
China recently purchased 24 Rus
sian-made long range Su-27 fighter
jets. In addition to these purchases,
China is negotiating with the Rus
sians to procure tanks, transport air
craft, and aircraft carriers as well as
state of the art air-to-air refueling
capabilities.
It would be prudent for Presi
dent-elect Clinton to work with
Russian President Boris Yeltsin for
ways to contain this frightening
proliferation of arms in China in or
der to preserve the peace of Presi
dent Bush's "New World Order."
Thoughts on tolerance, tradition
Aggie ideals can promote awareness, inclusiveness
"When we build fences to keep
others out, erect barriers to keep oth
ers down, deny to them the freedom
that we ourselves enjoy and cherish
most, we keep ourselves in and hold
ourselves down; and the barriers we
erect against others become prison
bars to our souls."
That quotation be Benjamin E.
Mays, noted author and former pres
ident of Morehouse College, elo
quently expresses the destructive na
ture of prejudice and intolerance.
Tolerance is compatible with the
goals of an educational institution;
intolerance is not. Tolerance comes
with wisdom; intolerance stifles the
intellect. Tolerance reflects self-esteem; intolerance reflects
insecurity. As President Mays pointed out, by excluding or
denigrating others, we imprison ourselves.
Part of the greatness and potential of Texas A&M Uni
versity derives from traditions such as the Twelfth Man,
the Big Event, Silver Taps and Muster. Those traditions
grew out of concern and respect for one another, the will
ingness to go the extra mile, and being part of the team.
These characteristics are just as relevant today as when
they first originated.
Racism, sexism, exclusion, harassment or denigration of
any kind are contrary to the Texas A&M University philos
ophy and the spirit of the Twelfth Man.
The Texas A&M University student body has grown in
creasingly diverse. Our student body now includes more
than 18,000 women. African-American, Hispanic, Asian-
American, Native American and international students
now total some 9,000 talented individuals representing
more than 21 percent of our student body who are active
and valued participants in all aspects of the University
community.
Change is afoot in Texas, the nation and the world. By
the year 2020 or 2030 there will be no racial or ethnic major
ity in Texas. The strength of our economy will be depen
dent upon our ability to compete and function in the inter
national marketplace by effectively utilizing all our human
resources, independent of gender, race or any other sub
group category.
Changes in the profile of our student body and faculty
combined with strong curricular and co-curricular pro
grams give Texas A&M University the opportunity to
demonstrate that we have an educational and interpersonal
philosophy that is highly relevant in today's world and the
world of the rapidly approaching 21st century.
Although the legal basis for non-exclusion on the basis
of various subgroup classifications is firmly established, the
behavior patterns and attitudes of exclusion, separation
and intolerance can continue to linger.
Tolerance requires vigilance, effort and commitment.
Intellectual and emotional vigilance are necessary to com
bat old patterns of behavior based on habit, stereotype, or
ignorance.
Effort is required to sort through the hearsay and stereo
types and challenge ourselves with questions about how
we would function in the shoes of the other; to constantly
anticipate how our behaviors will affect others in our Uni
versity community and beyond; and to actively seek out
how we can learn from those who are of a different race,
gender, religion, national origin or other subgroup catego
ry.
No matter what our origins, we are all members of the
Twelfth Man, and are preparing for effective citizenship
and leadership in the global village. Now is the time to
learn and demonstrate the tolerance, understanding, and
collaboration that are essential to our individual and collec
tive future success. Accomplishing this goal is not a matter
of more policy, bureaucracy, or pronouncements. It is a
matter of individual awareness, commitment, and effort,
and of taking advantage of programs and opportunities
that already exist.
The quality of our University is judged not only by its
academic standards, but also by the atmosphere in which
those standards exist. At Texas A&M, we can take the lead
in securing an atmosphere of tolerance, understanding and
collaboration by building on our great traditions. Those
traditions guide us to our goal where each individual is
treated with respect, civility and appreciation of his or her
uniqueness and dignity; where inclusion and tolerance are
the rule.
The Twelfth Man should aspire to nothing less.
Dr. Mobley is the president of Texas A&M University
DR. WILLIAM
MOBLEY
Guest Columnist
Escort services show
Aggie helpfulness
To stay or hike alone? That was the
Question put before me last Thursday at
11 p.m. Like most everyone else my car
was parked in fish lot, and I needed it.
Recalling all the warnings about walk
ing out there alone, I debated going out
at all.
Needless to say, I chose another
route. I would like to thank Dustin
Faulkner from Hotard Hall for giving
me another alternative to hiking alone.
There are several Hotard escort service
signs posted in my dorm, and I called
their number. Despite the fact that Ho
tard was putting on their haunted
house, Dustin readily agreed to meet
me and walk me to my car.
It is encouraging to see that despite
all the problems and controversies this
campus is facing, there are still a few
people willing to sacrifice their time to
help others.
Thank you, Dustin, and all those in
Hotard who participate in the escort
service.
Mykil Powell
Class of'95
The number for the Hotard escort service
is 847-0999. In addition, the Corps of
Cadets offers a 24-hour escort service
through its guardroom, which can be
reached at 845-6789. — Editor
FITS surprises with
fines by association
Friday, Nov. 6,1 went to the Pavilion
to pay my tuition, and to my surprise
and shock, I found a $90 charge for
parking tickets on my fee statement. I
knew that I had not received any park
ing tickets, so I immediately contacted
Parking and Transit. They returned my
call ana informed me that these tickets
on my present statement were from one
year ago. The real surprise was that
they were aware that these were not my
tickets, but the tickets of a former room
mate! I was told that it is "perfectly le
gal" to charge ME for the tickets of my
old roommate.
I suppose that this also means that I
am liable for any roommate's bounced
checks, overdue bills, unpaid tuition,
etc. If I had known this, 1 would have
opted to find a couple of extra jobs and
live by myself. I do not think that my
parents realized that they were not only
putting me through college, but also
anyone that A&M can't get their money
from!
I contacted the campus attorney, and
he informed me that this did not sound
"perfectly legal" in any way. I have an
appointment with the Assistant Direc
tor of Parking Transit and Traffic Ser
vices, Kathie Mathis, though her first
available appointment is not until Nov.
13. Hopefully, Mathis can explain the
legal intricacies of the A&M billing sys
tem. I am awaiting a call from the Di
rector of Student Affairs, whom I am
counting on to help me resolve this
matter.
Ags, there is a moral to this story: be
sure to look at your fee statement
charges with scrutiny, and do not let
your roommates alone for a single
minute ... it could happen to you (or
may have already!)
Alexis Pastorek
Class of'94
Bus system alleged
to be unsatisfactory
This letter is in response to ... just
kidding! I have a prohlem. My prob
lem is Parking, Transit and Traffic Ser
vices here on campus. Sit back and I'll
tell you a story. This tale begins at 9:50
a.m. Friday, Nov. 6, when I arrived at
my bus stop (6 and one half minutes
from campus). I was going to a Physics
exam that began at 10:20 a.m. That's 35
minutes after I got to the stop.
After a fun-filled drive to campus
during which the bus driver stopped to
hold a lengthy conversation with an
other bus ariver going in the opposite
direction, I was pleased to enter the test
site at 10:32 a.m.! (12 minutes gone and
33 minutes to take the exam!) Needless
to say, I did not finish the exam, and I
had to hurry so much that I'm sure I
made multiple errors.
We pay $110 per year for this glori
ous service, and I have been late to class
and other "optional activities" on mul
tiple occasions because of poor service
on the part of PITS. Hey PTTS, get it
together or charge less! (Or both?)
R. Michael Prince
Class of'94
Aggies showing lack
of enthusiasm
We'd like to bring attention to some
bad bull that has occurred at Aggie
football games this year — Ags leaving
the game early and some even sitting
toward the end of the game.
We'd like to ask all who think it's
OK to leave the game early to think
about the legend of E. King Gill and the
Twelfth Man. Do you think he left the
sidelines early and walked into the
locker room just because the Ags were
winning? Remember that he also stood
along the sidelines ready to go in at any
moment, he did not sit on the bench.
One other problem is some are leav
ing as the "Aggie War Hymn" is being
played. Lets stay for the War Hymn
andi show our support for the Twelfth
Man kickoff players and the rest of the
players.
On a more positive note, we'd like to
thank the entire team for participating
in the War Hymn after our victory over
SMU. It represented the respect the
team has for the Twelfth Man. In con
clusion, remember that we are to up
hold the traditions of Aggieland and
not to ignore them.
Tammy Brown
Class of'93
and the 1992 Traditions Council
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