Opinion
Page8 The Battalion Wednesday, March 3,1993
Activism or apathy?
A&M's mirror, mirror on the wall
A week after controversial film
maker Spike Lee visited the Texas
A&M campus, normalcy has re
turned — but did it ever really
leave?
Though the national media con
verged on the University predicting
apocalyptic clashes between the
outspoken Lee and the conservative
campus, Texas A&M offered not
even a ripple of racial discord dur
ing the visit.
As rumors of riots and rebellion
erupted, A&M's history of dishar
mony was dragged through the
mud once again, but this time the
University seemed to emerge untar
nished. Lee avoided discussing our
past problems, explaining that he
was too unfamiliar with the situa
tion to comment. He cast aside the
role of spokesman given him by the
media.
"I am not a spokesman for 35
million African-Americans; I am a
filmmaker," Lee said.
Some might argue that the mere
fact Lee was even invited to the
campus says a great deal about the
progress Texas A&M has made dur
ing the past few years.
In addition, others might claim
that his visit, and the film festival
itself, focusing on the works of in
dependent and minority filmmak
ers, attest to the changing face of
the Texas A&M campus and its new
attitudes.
But, before we commence with
self-congratulations and commen
dations, A&M needs to take a hard
look at itself and its vision of
progress.
Lee explained that his films are
crafted as mirrors of our society in
order to invite dialogue and discus
sion. Perhaps it is time to hold up
the mirror of Lee's visit to the A&M
community and begin a discussion
about our perceived problems and
progress.
Though the speculation about
racial and ethnic discord was
proven wrong, was this because
students at A&M have made that
much progress — or were we just
that apathetic?
That is the question that A&M
must answer when it looks into the
mirror.
'Back Talk' feature to begin Thursday
Beginning Thursday, March 4,
the Opinion Page will offer a new
feature for our readers.
Every Thursday, Back Talk will
pose a question about current
events in order to solicit reader
opinions. In addition to the ques
tion, we will offer a short summa
ry of the problem in order to fa
miliarize readers with the issue.
We will print as many of the re
sponses as space will permit and
will ask a new question with each
successive week.
Readers are requested to limit
letters to 150 words in order to fa
cilitate typing, editing and print
ing for our staff. Letters can be
dropped off at the Battalion office
at 013 Reed McDonald Building in
the designated Back Talk box.
Letters can also be mailed to the
following address:
The Battalion Back Talk
Mail Stop 1111
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843.
Letters will not be accepted af
ter Tuesday at 5:00 pm. We ask
that writers include their names,
student ID numbers, classifica
tions and telephone numbers —
just like regular Mail Call submis
sions.
Mail Call will continue to be re-
ceieved at the Battalion office in
the regular box.
Again, we encourage reader
feedback on all issues and hope
that this new feature will provide
yet another forum for debate and
discussion at Texas A&M.
A brand new fee for Sterling C.
A&M must straighten out priorities, put library first
U ntil last semester, a sign stood
in the lobby of the Sterling C.
Evans Library. It read, "Atten
tion — shuttle buses for the University
of Texas Library leave at 7:30 a.m. and
noon." Why did we need to run a shut
tle to the UT library? Why is the UT li
brary better than ours? Why don't we
devote more resources to our library?
What are our priorities on this campus?
The Evans Library -- like everything
else at Texas A&M — has been affected
by lean budgets at the state level. The
library is partially funded through gen
eral appropriations money from the
state. The actual dollar amount we re
ceive is determined by a formula that
includes factors such as square footage,
the number of student credit hours and graduate programs.
In the past few years, the state budget crunch has left the
library "formula underfunded" by approximately 50 percent,
which amounts to millions of dollars per year. The operating
budget is approximately $9 million, but the library only re
ceives about $5.5 million from the state. The shortfall is made-
up through contributions from the Available University Fund
(AUF) -- the money available to A&M and UT as Texas' origi
nal land-grant colleges — and other sources. However, the
AUF is subject to demands from all over the University, and
last year's contribution to the library only amounted to about
$800,000. The result of this funding problem is reflected in
Evans' rankings compared to other research libraries.
Evans has a total of 2,035,896 volumes, which ranks 70th
among research universities. Texas, which ranked 5th, has
6,680,406 volumes — more than three times as many. The gap
is increasing as well. A&M ranked 47th in number of volumes
added, with 76, 004, while Texas ranked 8th with 171,565
added. If serials — items such as magazines and other period
icals — are examined, the comparison worsens. Evans carried
a total of 24,319 serials in 1991-92, ranking us 45th. Texas car
ried 52, 867, and took 11th place. Looking at serials pur
chased, Texas bought 29,762 compared to our 13,982.
Finally, if we want to find an area in which Evans ranks
highly, look for "items borrowed" — showing how many
times one of our researchers or students needed something
that we didn't have but another library did. We ranked 9th in
this embarrassing category.
Such statistics make the situation sound dire. The num
bers only get worse when projected into the future. The acting
director of the library, Mary Lou Goodyear, said that the in
flation rate for subscriptions was 18 percent last year. This
means that it would cost the library 18 percent more this year
to maintain the same number of subscriptions it had last year.
The result: We cut around 1,000 periodicals from our sub
scription list, at a savings of $462,000. With less than 14,000
subscriptions to start with, we lost almost one in 14.
The problems with Evans are huge, and some of them
have been quantified. In 1990, the Texas A&M Faculty Senate
created the Ad Hoc Committee on Libraries to assess the ex
tent of the resources needed to form a solution. They conclud
ed that the library needed to purchase 10,000 more titles and
increase the budget of the collections department by 50 per
cent. The amount of money necessary to make those purchas
es is anybody's guess. However, Goodyear stated that she
would need at least $2 million to make an appreciable differ
ence in the collections department.
With the current problems in the state budget, Texas A&M
can hardly look to the state for help. This is one problem that
students will have to solve for themselves. Using student fees
to make-up budget shortfalls is hardly a novel solution, but
this need may be one of the most important on campus.
Last year, the University of Houston confronted the same
f >roblem and passed a student fee that will provide $1.1 mil-
ion per year in additional funding for their library. Here at
A&M, we pay fees for a multitude of services. Students pay
over $90 a semester in student service fees. Those fees fund
items like Recreational Sports, the shuttle bus system, and
Multicultural Services. We also pay $25 per semester in health
center fees, and a $1 international education fee, which
amounts to a scholarship fund for study abroad experiences.
Although I'm no more a fan of fees than the next student,
we need to establish some priorities at this school. Next year,
students will begin paying $50 per semester to help fund the
new Recreational Sports Complex. I think the complex will be
great for A&M, but it makes our values look skewed. That
level of funding would provide us with a dynamite library.
In order to start solving this problem, students need to take
action. In the past 10 years, several fees have been created or
increased on student initiative. The money generated by these
fees goes to places that students think are important. When
you look at the academic lifeblood of a university, few things
are more important than the library.
If students want to help the library, we have to demonstrate
a consensus on the issue. The easiest way to do so is to place a
referendum on the spring election ballot. All that's required
to place a ballot item is a resolution of the Student Senate. If
you are interested in seeing students express their views on
this issue, please let your senator know. The number for the
Student Government Office is 845-3051, and aides answering
the phone will be happy to take your message and direct it to
the appropriate senator.
If students declare their interest in this issue, Texas A&M
can take the first step toward proving that the library is just as
important as the weight room. If we begin to give the Horary
the funding it deserves, maybe we can start looking forwara
to the day that there's a sign in the UT lobby.
Brooks is a senior economics major.
DAVID
BROOKS
Columnist
The User's Guide for the Handicapped Impaired
Being one of the
more approachable
disabled students
on the Texas A&M
campus. I've been
asked a great num
ber of questions
about the needs
and capabilities of
the disabled stu
dents. I've also
been asked how
able-bodied stu
dents, many of
whom are uncom
fortable dealing
with the handi
capped, should re
late to the disabled. The following is a
general list of do's and don'ts made for
the "Handicapped Impaired" - that
group of able-bodied people who get
sweaty palms and heart palpitations
when a person in a wheelchair simply
says "Howdy!"
Do feel free to call us sexy, silly, dork,
jerk, handsome, ugly, pervert, slut, prude,
smart, wild, conservative, liberal, stub
born, etc. These words do not label us
any differently than they would an able
bodied person.
Don't call us cripple, invalid, different
ly abled, physically challenged or a victim
of gravity. We find these words offensive
and will not respond kindly to them. If
you have to label us, use the words dis
abled or handicapped. They describe our
situation without degrading us.
If you plan to talk to us longer than a
few minutes, do sit down. It is extremely
hard to carry on a meaningful conversa
tion with a large belt buckle or a pair of
breasts. Don't feel you have to get in our
faces to converse with us. I personally
prefer up close and personal for more in
timate conversations.
Do feel free to ask us any questions
you have about our disability, personal or
impersonal. We usually don't mind an
swering them. In fact it excites me when
people ask questions because information
helps break down barriers between peo
ple. However don't be surprised if you
you sometimes get a rude response. Just
like any other group, there are disabled
people with attitude problems.
Don't scold children or adults, for that
matter, for asking questions. Childhood
is that precious time before prejudices de
velop, and scolding children for being cu
rious about "that boy in that chair thing"
can cause them to be afraid of the dis
abled. Do feel free to use phrases like
"rolling along" or "I gotta' run" because
we say the same things. In fact, don't be
shocked to hear some disabled people
making jokes about their disability just
like Aggies tell the best Aggie jokess, we
tell good handicapped jokes.
Don't make car noises when we drive
by. Our wheelchairs aren't cars. If they
were, we would be arrested for DW1 after
a Saturday night at the Dixie Chicken or
The Tap. Also realize that we don't use
our chairs out of convenience, but instead
out of necessity, comments from able-
bodied people like "One of those chairs
would sure make it easier to get around"
are liable to draw comments like "I'm
sure it would, but so would riding a bike
or losing some weight" from a disabled
person.
If we turn you on or you think we're
cute or sexy, do stare at us. In fact tell us,
it'll make our day. On the other hand,
don't stare at us from a distance and then
look away at the last second thinking we
won't notice. Wrong. Just because we're
in wheelchairs doesn't mean we're visual
ly impaired.
Do feel free to turn us down for a date
if you're not interested. After all, like oth
er warm-blooded people, we're used to
rejection. But please don't string us along
thinking you're helping the "poor little
cripple's ego. Don't hesitate asking a per
son in a wheelchair out on a date. If you
find someone attractive, go with your
feeling. The chair may pose some prob
lems, but,nothing that can't be overcome.
You may actually find out we're real peo
ple. Do realize we may have a few limita
tions so no bungee jumping on the first
date.
Don't be afraid to show affection ei
ther. There's nothing wrong with a dis
abled person that a hug or a kiss will ag
gravate, unless it's a cold or mono. Don't
think a handicapped person doesn't think
about sex. Our bodies might not work ex
actly right, but there's more than one way
to get the job done. If, however, you're
not attracted to the person and don't
want to kiss them at the end of the
evening, shake their hand, hug them,
whatever, but don't pat them on the head.
Save that for your pet.
Don't ever assume that a handicapped
person can or can't do something. That
will usually end up embarrassing both
parties. Disabled people are more than
capable of explaining their needs. Also, .
don't assume that a disabled person sit
ting alone somewhere is in need of assis
tance. It is often as simple as they're
waiting for a friend or just catching some
rays. Feel free to offer assistance, but
don't be hurt if your offer is turned down.
Most importantly, don't give assistance
without first asking. This is an invasion of
personal privacy.
Do remember that each disabled indi
vidual is still, first and foremost, just that,
an individual. And like other individu
als, they have different ways of dealing
with other people. This list is just a few
helpful hints on how to relate to the
handicapped. In order to get along, we
must try to understand each other. One
of the most important things to remember
is that it's OUR disability; it doesn't make
us nervous. Why should it make you ner
vous? Most importantly, people should
understand that everyone not in a wheel
chair is just a TAB or Temporarily Able-
Bodied individual and don't ever forget
that, but for the grace of God, gc\you.
Morris is a senior biology major.