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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 1993)
6,1993 in Opinion Tuesday, July 6,1993 The Battalion Page 5 ST W2 W3 LI LI W4 W1 LI 1 ST W2 W1 L2 W1 5 L4 L3 5 L2 4 5 3 3 1 3 4 4 4 5 7 1 7 urth and >-out RBI Yount 4th place peaker is competi- for a na- ; held in The team le Recre- tourna- relatively iccasional >m falls, d during of check- rence be- ice hock- ne. y played f minute ite break "I would t three 12 jdent ig ?3 udent I i only PC 1 ident A dollar a dip? What do our fees pay for? Look at all these children on campus. Isn't it great that they have the opportu nity to come to this outstanding Univer sity and attend a camp? Man, how many camps are here this summer? Well, let's see; there are drill team ;amps, tennis, basketball, volleyball, cfootball and many more. These fortu nate individuals have access to almost illof A&M's facilities free of charge. Don't get me wrong; I love children, hit when I have to compete with non- students who aren't faculty or staff to use the facilities I thought I paid for in my fees, I tend to get a little bitter. After reading Roy Clay's article ibout the demolition of Deware and Downs, I decided to visit and perhaps wn take advantage of these remark- ible buildings. Clay described downs Satatorium as having, "extensive mo- saics (that) cover the walls, deck and lie entire tank." Growing up in the Bryan-College Station area but never having visited tee places, 1 decided this was an ex- tellent time for me to visit this part of ;ampus. 1 enjoy swimming, especially in doors, and wanted to know how I could j’oabout swimming a few laps while idmiring a wonderful display of art. So called Downs Natatorium only to be old, to my dislike, that it has been re eved for a camp visiting our campus. This upset me, but I figured it wasn't lie end of the world. It was time for PlanB. If I couldn't swim inside I sup pose I could make an exception this lime and visit Cain Pool, which is also scheduled to be demolished in 1996. This time I called to see if any snot- nosed brats had reserved this pool. Amazingly enough, and to my surprise, jioonehad reserved the pool. Pleased trith her reply, I asked the nice individ ual whether I had to scan my I.D. or Mash it at a particular lifeguard, as is usually the process one must go teugh to attend a sporting event or to inter certain facilities on campus. She responded by telling me that I must pay $1.00 to get in. I thought that lisfee was included in the extraordi nary sum charged to my account. Sure ‘tisonly a dollar, but that's not the point. 1 paid twelve fees along with my foition, hoping that one of these mini mal fees would cover the costs of using he indoor and outdoor pools. Just do these fees account for? Jamie Michael Treinen Class of'96 Regulate pesticides io protect public For the past 30 or more years, we nave heard Cesar Chavez speak about he dangers of pesticides. We have seen ind heard reports of migrant workers itid their children suffering from ir- :{ parable health problems, such as can- high infant mortality rates and of hose who survived, severe mental and ■hysical handicaps. Vet, the spraying and introducing of he harmful chemicals to our environ ment and to these people continue. A ® to regulate the spraying and the hatment of migrant workers was shot Wn by Congress. This would have Wn some control to what and who te being sprayed, not to mention the ^ount of spraying. Chavez wasn't asking for much, just 5 irness to migrant workers and a We for them to work in a safe envi- :|) nment. Unfortunately, it took the Wth of all our children to realize this hnger. Spraying is not just the prob lem of the invisible migrant worker, it is everyone's problem. It is a shame that it took 30 or more years to open up America's ears. But, what is a bigger shame is that Chavez isn't here to wit ness his partial triumph. In a country which pays farmers not to produce, it is difficult to believe that the farmers who do produce must use such harmful chemicals to grow a profit maximizing amount. This without re gard to the public. Let's get regulation going, get those who are trying to produce too much to cut down. This should give the smaller farmer more of a competitive edge. Rogelio Rodriguez Class of'94 Bicyclists not the only ones who break rules As a bicycle commuter, I was a little alarmed to read your June 21 story on the increase in automobile-bicycle acci dents in the area. The people inter viewed in the article seem to suggest that the main remedy for this problem is to encourage cyclists, who display "arrogance" and "have their own set of rules" to better follow traffic laws. Bicyclists are not the only ones ignor ing rules, though. A major safety con cern of mine is the total disregard of on- campus vehicles for the bicycle lanes. It is rare that I am able to fully use the bike lanes on Bizzell Street (between the Commons and the golf course) because cars are always parked there. This happens all over campus, and I have never seen the University Police ticket these cars or ask them to move, although there are frequently officers nearby, sometimes just 50 feet away, di recting traffic. Because these drivers obey their own set of rules, cyclists have to ride around parked cars and out into fast-moving automobile traffic. I agree cyclists need to do their share of responsible driving. I think we'll feel a lot safer, though, when all the autos get out of our lanes. Cindy M. Newberry Graduate student Bike lanes not meant for right turns in cars I have something important to say to the girl in the Jeep from last Sunday and anyone else who may have done what she did. The bike lane on George Bush is NOT a right-turn lane for automobiles. If an accident had occurred that day, the fault would be entirely hers. I had my signal on, I was in the proper lane and I had the right-of-way since the bike lane has a stop sign and must yield to turning traffic. Please, do not use the bicycle lane for turns because someday someone's go ing to have an unnecessary accident for the petty reason that someone else got impatient. Nerisa Kershaw Class of '94 Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board. Tbey do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas ASM student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, and Mail Cal! items express the opinions of the authors. The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows in the Mail Call section. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name class, and phone number. Contact the editor or managing editor for information on submitting guest columns. We reserve the right la edit letters and guest columns for length, style, and accuracy. Letters should be addressed to: The Battalion - Mail Call Of 3 Reed McDonald /Mail slap 1111 Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 A page from someone else's diary Taste what the world has to offer from here at A&M A nne Frank was a little girl who hoped for a better world. Though she lived only until the age of 12, Anne changed the lives of many people in her few years by keeping a simple little diary. In her diary, Anne recorded the events of her short life. The events were few, as Anne and her her family were forced to live in two small rooms where they hid for their lives. Anne was a Jewish girl. And in Anne's lifetime, being Jewish meant being separated from her family, be ing imprisoned in a concentration camp and, ultimately, being killed. Because she was Jewish. The name "Anne Frank" rang familiar to me, but I didn't know why until my friend Monique explained that the name belonged to the young girl who wrote "The Diary of Anne Frank." I had never read the book. Neither had Monique. Instead, she visited Anne's house in Amsterdam. With a family of tourists, Monique walked through the rooms where Anne hid for all those years. She read the plaques on the walls which detailed the hopes Anne har bored and the fear she fought to ignore. With thousands of Jews being slaughtered each day, the fear and the tragedy were all too real. As Monique toured the rooms, she sensed the fear. She felt the tragedy. And she heard the crying. The family of tourists in the house with Monique was Jewish. And, though the exact ties to the little girl who sought safety in this home were unclear, their mourning of her loss so many years ago was painfully apparent. Watching the family weep quietly, Monique wondered what Anne must have wondered a thousand times each day. Why? Why was all the killing necessary? Who deemed it so? And when would it stop? When could it — please — stop? Monique, whose family has no ties to this little Anne, began to cry, too. Touring the home and travelling abroad, Monique said, was like touring a whole new world. It changed her life. "Things are so different in America, than in so many other countries." she said. "In Italy, I met families who barely knew me and were already inviting me to eat in their homes with them. I come back to America and see people on street corners with signs asking for food." In Italy, Monique met a man named "Dougy." At first Dougy seemed like a typical armed forces man. A soldier who served in Croatia, Dougy had the war stories to tell. But his stories boasted no glory, no bravado. He talked of the friends he made while at war, and how he saw them die, their heads blown off, casualties of war. He saw his friends become a part of the numbers that would flash across the TV screen in millions of homes across America between local news and "Wheel of For tune." Monique returned to America, and Dougy to Croatia. She wrote to him, to tell him what meeting with him meant to her, to encourage him, and to let him know that there are those in the States who do hope for the their return. Their safe return. But she doesn't know that he'll ever receive her letter. She only hopes. Monique wants to let people know what meeting new people can do. Here in America — and particularly in Texas, she said — so many people act as if there were no other world outside of their own. As if they were afraid to open up and give a little of themselves, people lose out on so much more that the world has to offer. Travelling abroad, she said, has been one of the best investments she ever made. And she plans to do it again. But, until she saves enough money, Monique said she will explore the worlds of experience that are available on this campus. "There are so many people from different parts of the world who come to Texas A&M," she said. "This is a great place for people to learn about other cultures without ever leaving the country. It seems a shame that people don't take advantage of it more often." I've always heard the talk about diversity on campus. It often seems to be a headline more than a personal issue. There are thousands of people at Texas A&M who could teach others a thing or two, simply because they are differ ent. People like Anne. People like Dougy. And people like Monique. Vasquez is a senior journalism major An open letter to tenure candidates GUEST COLUMN LEONARDO AUERNHEIMER Dear candidate: Y ou have de cided to join a large re search university which is trying to become a better in stitution. As in most other institu tions, there are three categories in which you will be evaluated after five years: research, teaching and ser vice. Weights given to these categories differ widely among institutions. At A&M, although outstanding activities in one category can tilt a decision, there is a required minimum in all three. Re search weights heavily, but not because teaching is less important. Service is at the bottom, with the minimum being that the candidate be able and willing to be reasonably civil. Although differences of opinion arise and the system is imperfect, most disci plines have developed criteria for the evaluation of research output. In par ticular, your research published in well established refereed journals, where it is subjected to peer scrutiny, will be a big plus. Of course, not all of what is pub lished there is good, and not all good stuff is published there. But over a peri od of five or eight years, this gives a good approximation. Publications of a non-scholarly nature or in non-refereed journals carry little weight. Teaching is very important. In a re search institution it is believed that your role in the classroom is not so much to transmit information, but to teach students how to think, within the framework of your discipline. A neces sary condition for effective teaching is therefore an active, curious and rigor ous mind, and research does marvels at keeping the mind active, curious and rigorous. This is, of course, true for both undergraduate and graduate teaching, the ultimate teaching being the guidance of dissertations. Since you can influence other peo ple's minds, you are also required to in clude moral values, human awareness and tolerance. But you will do that by example. If you intend to do it by lec turing on these things you will neither do the job you are supposed to do or the one you are trying to do. You will ultimately be cheating on your students and on your social role. You nave been hired to perform a job with rather clear terms of reference. It is a lot of work that will take most of your time and in which you need to give up instant gratification. Research is lonely work, and in the classroom you will often need to be transitorily unpopular. All of this does not mean extracurric ular activities are prohibited to you. It only means that they don't count. If they don't leave you time to do your job, you should give them up. For some gifted individuals this is not necessary. Larry Hickman, our widely respected philosophy professor whom I admire (and whom I occasionally advise on South American wines) engages in ac tive extracurricular endeavors and this has not detracted from his stature as a scholar. To be named Texas Feminist Activist of the Year presumably requires some activity. If this precludes you from do ing your job, then you should perhaps decide to change your line of work or join an institution at which the evalua tion criteria are different. Trying other wise is cheating on your employer and on your current social role. Tenure decisions are often tough and there are valid differences of opinion. But if your peers decide 12 to zero against your tenure, give it a minute of serious objective thought. Do not think that $15,000 a year more at another in stitution necessarily means that A&M did not evaluate you correctly; similar raises are common in such cases. In particular, do not indulge yourself in thinking that this happens because of your gender or your political views. Rest assured that the same would apply if someone in your position used his limited time to become the Texas Young Republican Man of the Year. The prob lem is not what you do, but what you don't do. Leonardo Auernheimer is an economics professor at Texas A&M