The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, November 10, 1992, Image 7
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 ed about the PN," Dausin a had a good ouisville last showed that pam. des us a way aaving a good ready, short >UT :udder. ■ 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 Edftorfals appearing In The Battalion reflect the views of the opinion page staff and ecfltor 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 cot hoots, and MaB Call items express the opinions of the authors only The BattaBon encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space aflows in the Mail Call 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 BattaBon - Mail Cafl 013 Reed McDonald /Mail stop 1111 Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843