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Opinion
Tuesday, March 9,1993 The Battalion
Page 9
Play the name game
Regents 7 decision made in haste
In a shotgun marriage, the Texas
A&M name has been wedded to the
fates of three of the TAMU System uni
versities.
Friday, Texas A&M regents voted to
change the names of Texas A&I Univer
sity to Texas A&M University-
Kingsville, Corpus Christi State Uni
versity to Texas A&M University-Cor
pus Christi and Laredo State Universi
ty to Texas A&M International Univer
sity.
Responding to a Senate appropria
tions rider proposed by Sen. Carlos
Truan, D-Corpus Christi, Sen. Judith
Zaffirini, D-Laredo and Sen. Teel
Bivins, R-Amarillo, the Texas A&M
Board of Regents made the name
changes in order to demonstrate the
strong ties within the Texas A&M Uni
versity System.
Although the rider to the appropria
tions bill was claimed to have been
simply a suggestion, some of the re
gents expressed concern over alleged
threats to the (Texas A&M budget if the
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resolution was not passed.
The Senate does not have the power
to change the names of the universities;
however, regents charged that political
pressure was used to compel them to
use their power to enact the measure.
Although the changes probably will
not impact the flagship in the least and
will enhance the integrity of the System
as a whole, it seems quite peculiar that
the changes were made with such de
liberate speed in a special session of the
Board of Regents. In fact, the situation
reeks of political posturing at a time
when the Legislature eyes our slice of
the budgetary pie.
It is a shame that the regents who
are entrusted to guide the future of the
A&M System appear to have suc
cumbed to political arm-wrestling.
Even worse is the intimation that those
elected officials who are entrusted to
g uide the future of the state appear to
ave stooped to political highjinks in
order to achieve their ends.
But, after all, what's in a name?
E-mail to Washington
Voice concerns via computer access
This is definitely the information
age. We have cellular phones, fax ma
chines, satellites relaying messages
from across the world, and now, even
the White House has an e-mail address.
E-mail, or rather Public Access Elec
tronic Mail, is a computer network cor
respondence system where users can
instantly send electronic mail messages
via Internet, the "network of computer
networks."
Both the Clinton White House and
the 103rd Congress are being equipped
to receive e-mail, and it's about time.
With the addition of elected officials
online, the people who voted them into
office now have greater access in voic
ing their opinions. This has the poten
tial to truly be direct representation in
action.
There are an estimated 20 million
people in the United States with e-mail
access. All universities, including
Texas A&M, have access to Internet.
Students at Texas A&M pay a comput
er usage fee with their tuition which al
locates to them a computer account al
lowing them access to Internet and the
e-mail system.
Now that the White House and the
Congress are being equipped to receive
e-mail, students will be able to address
their concerns directly to federal gov
ernment officials. With voter activity at
such an all-time high, this new step to
ward direct democracy could possibly
retain the voter involvement and foster
a revival of public attention in federal
government.
The temporary addresses for elec
tronic mail to the White House are
CLINTON PZ on America Online;
75300,3115 on CompuServe; or
75300,3115@compuserve.com for users
of the Internet.
The White House has released a
statement requesting that the public re
frain from making casual use of these
addresses until a system is in place to
handle greater volumes.
Grandkids teaching grandparents
Generations of prejudice are evaluated by youth
I
never knew my grandmother was
prejudiced until she broke her hip.
My family had put her into the spe
cial care area of a nursing home until
she recovered. She didn t mind stay
ing there — that is, until she got a
roommate.
The new roommate had also just
been released from the hospital. Her
family was very kind, and I'm sure
that she was too. She was heavily
drugged so she slept most of the time.
This fact didn't matter, though, to my
grandmother. She became increasing
ly angry with my father for letting this
woman stay in her room. She would
point to the sleeping woman and
whisper, "That woman is a Negro."
Sometimes to make sure lv? understood she would whisper,
"She is black." Then my grandmother would make a horri
fied and disgusted look. My dad would just look at my
grandmother with irritation and say, "I'm glad you no
ticed."
Our family was appalled that my grandmother had so
much fear and anger directed toward this innocent woman.
My grandmother had never acted like this before. My
grandparents were accepting people for their time. They
used to hire Hispanics when no one else would. Years later
after my grandfather died, my grandmother lived with us
and was very gracious to all my friends. She loved the
African-American girl who lived with us. We never expect
ed her to act like this. She could accept other races at a dis
tance, but when she had to be in a room one on one with
them, she was frightened. This fear was at the root of her
prejudice. She was taught to be afraid.
Prejudice is learned, but to be initially afraid of the unfa
miliar or different is not abnormal. In my observation, I
have seen many African-American babies cry with fright
when they see white people. I have also seen white babies
cry when they see African-Americans. When I was 10,1 took
a community education class where I was taught how to en
tertain children through clown acts. When I used to dress
up like a clown, all the babies would cry. It is hard for these
babies to realize that people have different skin tones. The
more these babies are around different people the more they
understand that the unfamiliar or different is not something
that should frighten them. This is fortunate since it would
be a strange society if every time people of different races
encountered each other, they screamed.
My parents have realized the illogical prejudice of then-
parents and have changed for the better. This does not mean
that they are free of prejudice, nor does it mean that they are
unaffected by a society that advocates certain prejudicial
norms. Sometimes my parents, too, can get weigned down
by this pressure.
I realized this when I asked my parents hypothetically
what they would think if I decided to marry an African-
American. They told me they thought it would be too hard
for me and any children I had. Still, I said I would not let
other people's prejudices affect my decision about whom I
would love. To allow their attitudes to affect my decision
would be to preserve the prejudicial social environment. I
said if I loved a man who happened to be African-American,
I would marry him and have children. My parents were sur
prised. My parents aren't totally free of prejudice, but nei
ther am I. I am sure when I have kids they will expose areas
of prejudice that I haven't been able to see, and then I will be
able to change my attitudes and actions. My children and
grandchildren will continue this evaluation process until the
prejudice is eliminated.
Some people haven't had pleasant experiences with par
ticular members of some racial or ethnic groups, but this
does not mean they can make broad generalities out of these
minute experiences. Even if a generality could be made, a
mature person must constantly recognize that there are ex
ceptions. Any person from that race or ethnic group could
be that exception. My family has decided we must be ac
cepting so we don't exclude ourselves from the pleasure of
knowing people. There is something beautiful And valuable
in every person, every race and every ethnic group.
Several years ago, a white friend of mine named Kristi
married a Hispanic man. Her parents were excited since
they love the Hispanic people and culture. The grandpar
ents weren't as excited because they did not like Hispanics.
They changed their minds, though, when Kristi had a beau
tiful little boy named Daniel. The grandparents know this
little boy is half-Hispanic, yet they love him still. Their preju
dices are being broken down.
One day 2-year-old Daniel and his 3-year-old African-
American friend, Mark, innocently toucned each other's
faces and hair. They didn't know anything about the Civil
War, or the prejudices and stereotypes that affect our society.
What these Doys did understand is that they were different,
and they were fascinated by their differences. More impor
tantly, the boys weren't afraid to touch each other. As tney
toucned each other, they realized they were both just human.
If only my grandmother would have been one of those chil
dren, my family's prejudice could have been eliminated
faster.
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Will you answer the call to action?
O n Monday,
March 1, the
32nd an
niversary of John F.
Kennedy's found
ing of the Peace
Corps, President
Clinton challenged
young people
across the nation to
"answer the call to
service" and out
lined his program
to make a college
education available
to every American.
The President
also announced his
"Summer of Service" summer leadership
training program in which over 1,000
young people will work on service pro
jects with children at risk. The summer
program will serve as a forerunner to a
much larger program which will eventu
ally allow over 100,000 young people to
pay their way to college through commu
nity service.
Under the president's plan, young
people could borrow the money for col
lege from the government, then pay back
the loan in one of two ways: either as a
small percentage of their income over
time, or through one or two years of
community service work before, during
or after college.
I write to challenge you to join me in a
great American adventure —national ser
vice.
I make this challenge because our
country and our communities need help
that government alone cannot provide.
Government can make vaccines available
to children, but alone it cannot adminis
ter shots to them all. It can put more po
lice on the streets, but alone it cannot
stop crime. It can improve the quality of
our public schools, but cannot alone in
spire children to live up to their potential.
It is time for Americans of every back
ground to work together to lift our coun
try up, neighborhood by neighborhood
and block by block. It is time to rediscov
er the excitement and idealism that
makes us Americans.
This is what national service is all
about.
Through national service, thousands
will have the opportunity to pay for col
lege by rebuilding their communities -
serving as teachers, police officers, health
care workers, and in other capacities. But
it will take time for these ideas to pass
Congress, and time to implement them.
We must start now.
That is why I have called for a Sum
mer of Service — this summer. More than
1,000 young people will serve in selected
areas around the country, learning to lead
and getting children who are at risk for
school.
There are many who believe that
young Americans will not answer a call
to action. They say you are apathetic,
and insist that you measure your success
in the accumulation of material things. I
know they are wrong, and I know you
will answer this challenge.
You can become an agent of renewal —
either through the summer program or
on your own. Write and tell me what
you are doing, or what you want to do:
The White House
National Service
Washington, D.C. 20500
Your efforts and energies can lift the
spirits of our nation and inspire the
world. Please answer the call.
Clinton is the 42nd president of the
United States.
PRESIDENT
BILL CLINTON
Guest Columnist
Terminally ill patients
should be able to die
Imagine for a moment a horse in a
race whom has just fallen and broken
its leg. Proper authorities and medical
personnel will promptly kill the horse
to end its suffering.
Now imagine for a moment a human
being stricken with cancer. The indi
vidual is suffering immense pain and
has no hope to live. Yet it would be
wrong and immoral for that person to
want to die, to want to end their suffer
ing. Why?
According to a letter that recently
appeared in mail call, individuals must
grin and bear their pain for the better
ment of society. Apparently, they must
suffer, and live out the rest of their lives
in a hospital bed, so thait society may
"grow by serving them."
I don't know about anyone else, but
I believe that if I want to end my life I
should be able to do just that. It is not
up to the masses to determine my fate,
but to me and me alone.
Besides, if I am living in languish
and pain, I will become a burden on so
ciety, soaking up money for cures to my
illness or depression, and I doubt the
person down the street will grow from
my pain.
Our society, however, does not think
along those same lines. It enjoys the
credences of Murray, by outlawing sui
cide and saying it is sin.
Humans relish the idea that we are
above all other animals, yet we really
are of the same rank. Once again imag
ine the horse who was destroyed be
cause it broke its leg, it had no choice in
life or death. Now imagine the suffer
ing human. Neither does he.
Craig Pritzlaff
Class of 1996
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