The Battalion Page 7 Friday, April 23,1993 1993 i e s )re- :1s it 73 ain fi nd ns e, n :ed id i- vi- ;ly i. !/or. for On 2SS- lets :hat not not dhs sen uld the ;ral by po- ad- ion , or nal cin tor an os The other side of the MSC hat controversy • In reference to the article in the April 14 edition of the Battalion: May I ask why (in light of all to the real prob lems on this campus) do we waste one minute of energy arguing about hats? We have people at the State Head- 1 quarters Building who will lose their jobs jin September. Our Custodial and | Grounds Staff do not make enough, after | working here for years, to get off welfare. I The Food Service Personnel are going to [private industry. And the Brazos Valley | is listed as one of the poorest areas in the j nation. These people have families to j support and have worked here all of their | lives. | We need to be putting our energies [into producing a quality AGGIE and de veloping a community to raise all of the [children (black, brown and white) to grow up in. My family fought in WWII and I have [ relatives buried in military cemeteries all over the world. I can assure you that | they did not give their lives over the sym bolism of hats, but for a dream. That one | day all men and women would have the opportunity to follow their own dreams, | and not be limited by race, gender, handi- I cap or creed. Cheryl Cook Class of'78 • In response to all of the hullaballoo | about uncovering in the MSC, I would | like to defend those who choose not to I adhere to this "tradition." The MSC is in- I deed a memorial to the Aggies who died in peace-keeping efforts, and I remove my hat out of respect when I enter. However, there are people who, due to I their cultural backgrounds and/or per- [ sonal beliefs, do not feel compelled to f honor these men. That is their right. To [ force them to comply to something in [ which they do not believe is nothing [ short of fascism. We should not blindly assume that everyone shares the same be liefs just because we attend the same uni versity. A person must respect one's own cul ture before he can respect the culture of another. Contrary to popular beliefs, most people attend college to learn, and not to recklessly uphold partisan tradi tions, such as the drunken debaucheries of Midnight Yell and Bonfire. Perhaps Dr. John Koldus, vice president for Stu dent Services, said it best: "It's tradition. It's not a law." Keith Stubbs Class of'9 • Hats off to the people who don't take off their hats in the MSC - all the military defends is its pensions. Michael Kraft Bryan, Texas • "Tradition is an implicated work, and should be rarely put to use, and then most cautiously" — Marcus Aurelius. Tradition is a simple word. It seems to be the life's blood of this institution. Whenever someone happens to do some thing, from the norm, express and action, that doesn't fit under this "tradition," that person is labeled as a troublemaker or a rebel. So, if I can be classified as this for writing all this, by all means, I really could care less. Before I continue, I would like to make a simple request of all you "Aggies" out there: In the future, it would be very suit able if you all could substitute African- Americans for what you love to call "blacks." I think that won't be too hard for all "you†people. I've read the previous letters pointing to this "tradition," and how We "people" should automatically respect it. Personal ly, I don't wear hats. As to the quote about hair, it doesn't apply to me. When my people don't take off their hats, for your "tradition," we do it not out of spite, nor of hatred. We do it for something that my ancestors also died for, choice. That "tradition" is called freedom What I read in these letters that offend ed me the most was the incredible arro gance of some of you. A few students said that We people were already given to much of a "free ride." This moron is my main reason for writing. To actually think he knew what being black is like is ludicrous. But, I'll give a few experi ences. I remember being in an elevator with a single white female. Things were going fine, but I noticed that she was clutching her purse tightly, and made a huge exag gerated motion of shifting it away from my side of the elevator. I heard stories from my grandfathers (both fought in the wars) about how when they got back last of all. They didn'[t come back to the parades and the glamour. They were given none of this, even despite, they had fought just as hard and given up just as much. When my grandfather came back, he came back blind and poor. He died the same way. So, don't give me or any of my people crap about your traditions, or that we have to live by your rules. You don't have the right, not the authority. If you want us to take off that hat, then you ask. Freedom teaches you to do what you want, when you want. And that is something , you can never take from us, ever again. You could say, this is our "tradition." S.E. Hayes Class of '94 • I've heard enough complaining about the "MSC hat controversy." I didn't whine about the SAE jungle party. I didn't complain that some of my fellow "Aggies" had invited the KKK to have a rally in the city in which I live. I don't cry when I pass the academic building and see a statue memorializing Sull Ross - a man who fought a war against his own countrymen to keep my race enslaved. I don't have a fit when I see frat t-shirts with confederate flags on them - something that symbolizes to me the deaths and enslavement of 115 mil lion of my ancestors. I don't complain about these things because I believe that if someone wants to memorialize a bigot, wear racially offensive t-shirts, or throw racially offensive parties, that's their right. I consistently stomach things that offend me. But now I see that some of these same white Aggies that do things constantly to offend me are whining because they're offended that some black Aggies don't uncover in the MSC! Now you know how I feel! I can't speak for everyone, but I personally don't remove my hat in the MSC because, con trary to popular belief, those soldiers died defending a country that oppressed my race. It's not because of my hair and it's not because they were white. However, if you tell me that a white soldier who died in World War I or World War II died for the freedom of all Americans, you're telling me that blacks weren't Americans because we sure were not free. But since you believe so highly in "freedom and democracy," you should respect my right not to remove my hat. Eric Bunts Class of '96 • On the eve of a visit from the Ku Klux Klan, Texas A&M University is in an uproar. But are the students upset about the Klan coming to town? No. Are students upset the Klan has stated Texas A&M is prime recruiting territory? No. Students are upset over what has come to be called "MSC Hat Controversy." At a time when Texas A&M should be uniting against one of the country's most notori ous hate groups, students are bickering over traditions. In the original April 14 article, I was asked why some minority students do not take their hats off in the MSC. In my response which began "some minorities will say . . . ," I stated several reasons I have heard from students as to why they do not remove their hats. As stated, this does not necessarily reflect how I, the NAACP, African-Americans, or minori ties in general feel about the MSC. The comments, positive or negative, reflect some reasons I have heard from some students. In spite of this fact, the Batt has been deluged with letters attacking myself, the NAACP, African-Americans, and minori ties in general. While some of the letters recognized that this is not a minority is sue and is a matter of choice, others used this as an opportunity to prove the Klan correct in their assumptions about A&M. While it is impossible to cover all the reasons people may have for not uncover ing, I will try to explain part of this situa tion in an effort to put this dispute to rest. Again, I do not speak for all minorities or all students, hopefully the information will be beneficial in creating an under standing in students. To be sure, this is an emotionally charged issue, however, rational thinking leads to the following conclusion. If peo ple in the MSC are supposed to remove their hats to show respect for those Ag gies who died in the world wars, then one assumes those Aggies died for a just cause. If that just cause includes dying to preserve the Constitution of the United States, then people should also respect what those Aggies died for. The First Amendment of the Constitu tion provides for freedom of speech. This means individuals are entitled to do or say anything within legal boundaries. So, if an individual decides he or she does not want to remove his/her hat in the MSC, then the Aggies who are memorial ized by the MSC died to preserve that person's right to leave his/her hat on in the MSC. Those Aggies who feel it is their duty to limit, interfere with, or pass judgment on another Aggies' right to freedom of speech and expression are trivializing and disrespecting the sacrifice made by those soldiers. Somebody famous once said, "I may not agree with what you are saying, but I'll defend to the death your' right to say it." Let us remember what those Aggies died to defend and show respect for that as well. Hopefully, this idea will be gen eralized to other traditions and Aggies will start to accept each other for who they are, not for how many traditions they follow. Joseph Gourrier Class of '93 Editor's Note: In the interest of fair- ■ness, we are running the letters which ad vocate students wearing hats in the MSC if they so choose. Last Friday, we printed the letters which share the opposing posi- ’ tion. ! Due to space limitations, the Battalion Opinion Page will not print any more let ters concerning the MSC hat controversy. . Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board. They do not necessariy reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, and Mall CoS items express the opinions of the authors. The Battaton encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows in the Mail Cafl section. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class, and phone number. Due to space restrictions, guest columns will not be accepted unless the author contacts the opinion page for prior approval before submitting columns. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters should be addressed to; The Battalion - Mail Call 01 3 Reed McDonald /Mail stop 1111 Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 THE MOOD FOR SOMETHING CORNY? Deli Fresh Ready To Eat Corn Dogs 20-Ounce Super Size For 12-Pk./12-Oz. 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