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Opinion
Monday, September 27,1993
The Battalion Editorial Board
CHRIS WHITLEY, editor in chief
)ULI PHILLIPS, managing editor MARK EVANS, city editor
DAVE THOMAS, night news editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Aggielife editor
BELINDA BLANCARTE, night news editor MICHAEL PLUMER, sports editor
MACK HARRISON, opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, sports editor
KYLE BURNETT, photo editor
The Battalion
Page 7
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EDITORIAL
Events center
Mistake to renovate G. Rollie
The proposal to build a new
campus special events center is
now threatened by an alterna
tive project that would focus
on renovating G. Rollie White
Coliseum.
The new center is a practical
solution to the university's
problems with accommodating
major events. The G. Rollie
plan would scrap recommen
dations for a modern multi
purpose facility, and continue
the use of an outmoded 39
year-old building.
The need for a special events
center was first recognized in
1982. The project has since
moved through several stages
of development. The current
plan calls for the construction of
0 million facility suitable for
many events, including athlet
ics, commencement ceremonies,
conventions, and concerts.
The proposal for G. Rollie
White would cost $29 million,
over half of the expense of the
new center. The plan includes
the construction of new build
ing for offices and practice facil
ities on the site of DeWare Field-
house and Downs Natatorium.
The G. Rollie White pro
gram points out the deficien
cies and shortcomings of the
structure. Renovation require
ments involve widening hall
ways, expanding seating,
adaing rest rooms, and im
proving access for the dis
abled. These needs persist
even after a $550,000 renova
tion in 1992.
After renovation, G. Rollie
White Coliseum would still
have limited versatility and lit
tle appeal for non-athletic
events. The millions spent on
its rejuvenation could be di
rected toward a new center
with a wide scope of uses.
The special events center
would meet student, athletic,
and community needs for the
foreseeable future. The center
could also act as a recruiting
tool for athletic programs.
If the Board of Regents pass
es the proposal for renovating
G. Rollie White, it will be ig
noring the university's long
standing need for a special
events facility. The special
events center would provide
A&M with extensive oenefits
that far outweigh ineffective
attempts to avoid the neces
sary expenses of a major uni
versity.
Keep foot on floor, not in your mouth
Remember etiquette and you won't embarrass yourself
TRACEY
JONES
Columnist
T he face of eti
quette is not al
ways worn. But it
should be — always.
Or it can get mighty
embarrassing.
My friends and T
learned that the hard
way. Last weekend,
we went to a party that
wasn't exactly jump
ing. So, for a few min
utes, we sat outside
watching people and
seeing who was going
in. The girls didn't see
anyone they thought
was interesting, and I
suggested that we go to a club instead.
Before we left, "Taffy" specifically asked
what kind of crowd hung out there. Confi
dently and without hesitation, I told her that
the club was hip-hop, dance and college-
aged. They all believed me.
After we arrived and got out, we heard
the music. It was not hip-hop music. We
were discouraged, but we moved closer to
the door to hear better.
It was definitely not hip-hop-dance music.
I couldn't even classify what it was. I
think I know alternative music when I hear
it. So, my friends were looking at me like,
"What is this?"
I had no answer. I was afraid to say the
wrong thing. After all, there were three of
them to one of me.
While I was filibustering, these four peo
ple — two girls and two boys — initiated a
conversation with us. After they informed us
that the music was trash disco (...?), they told
us that most of the people inside were gay.
Feeling stupid and out of place, I looked
around. Sure enough, I started noticing "cou
ples" coming out of the club. And they were
couples of men. So...
"Donna's" voice is usually medium toned,
but it became extremely high-pitched when
she said, "Uh-uh! Let's get outta here!" She
was a tad uncomfortable.
"Taffy" put me in a choke hold for bring
ing her to this club where she can only hope
to meet tall, dark and pretty. We continued
talking to this group of people that we still
assumed were boy-girl couples. Finally, "Lil
ly" asked what I'd been at least a little curi
ous about.
"Are y'all gay?" she asked.
"Yes."
So I asked, "All of you?"
"Yes."
And then everyone was silent, because
there we were speaking to gay people that
we didn't know were gay about other gay
people. And they were so patient. The joke
was on us for a very long time.
Two of them did not look gay. I know this
is an ignorant or general statement, but that
"look" is what we more or less expected. We
just expected to know when a person was
gay and when he wasn't.
But we found out firsthand about a con
cept we have been taught or at least the way
we want others to view us: people come in
all different sizes, forms, shapes and atti
tudes — everything and anything you can
think of. We had no way of knowing that
they were gay and no way of controlling
their behavior, but we did have control over
ours.
After we found out that it was in fact a
gay bar, we could have just said something
to the effect of "Oh, well, thank you, but we
were looking for something a little different."
Instead, we all but panicked and worried
that someone would see us there. I wish we
had returned the courtesy at the beginning
that they gave us. There were four of us. Giv
en the situation. I'm sure for a few moments
they thought we were two couples also. They
might have even gone so far as to label us the
Dancing Lesbian Quartet.
Yet, they did not make fun of us or slight
us in any way. They were very cordial and
polite, no matter what they assumed us to be
or not to be. I thought about that when 1 got
home that night.
We began respecting them as people
rather than as objects of discussion when
they divulged to us that they were of the
same sexual orientation as the people we saw
coming out of the club. But this respect
should have been the first thing we showed
them — not only after we'd been "caught."
Now, we are much more sensitive to how
we react to others. We've even adopted a
good, livable motto: Try to keep your feet on
the floor, not in your mouth. And that's good
etiquette.
Tracey Jones is a senior psychology major
Well a's tdhf
Editorials appearing in The
Battalion reflect the views of
the editorial board. They do
not necessarily reflect the
opinions of other Battalion
staff members, the Texas
A&M student body, regents,
administration, faculty or
staff.
Columns, guest columns,
cartoons and letters express
the opinions of the authors.
The Battalion encourages
letters to the editor and will
print as many as space
allows. Letters must be 300
words or less and include the
author's name, class, and
phone number.
We reserve the right to edit
letters and guest columns for
length, style, and accuracy.
Contact the opinion editor
for information on submitting
guest columns,. :
Address letters to:
The Battalion - Mall Call
013 Reed McDonald
Mail stop 1111
Texas A&M University
$mum, TX 77043
39)045-2047
Too much focus on 'cultural diversity' leads to cultural strife
T exas A&M
University has
lost its identi
ty. Last Wednesday
night the Student
Senate passed a bill
requiring every stu
dent to take at least
three hours worth
of classes dealing
with cultural diver
sity in order to
graduate.
A&M's reign as
the nation's most
tree thinking uni
versity has ended.
By establishing a
mandatory "cultural diversity" require
ment, A&M has kowtowed to the liberal
agenda of class strife and ethnic division.
"Tonight we made the first step for the
whole University," said Ben Dale, the
Student Senate academic affairs commit
tee chairman.
Speak for yourself, Ben. Many of your
constituents have decided to remain be
hind while you make that first step. The
ELIOT
WILLIAMS
Columnist
Senate has lurched carelessly into the
abyss of diversity, and is taking us with
them. Aggies beware.
As justification for the bill, the Senate
claims that a mandatory diversity class
will allow Texas A&M to become a
"world class university." Apparently, the
Senate thinks that the student body will
agree to further limit their ever dwindling
choice of classes at the drop of a trendy
buzzword. If Texas A&M University is
renowned for anything, it's for the ability
to resist the popular liberal trends that
sweep through every other university in
America. Currently, as if you couldn't
guess, diversity is the rage.
As if passing the bill wasn't enough to
annoy the student body. Senate Speaker
Russell Langely, claimed, "The Student
Senate represents their constituents well
and this is what they want."
First of all, I don't know about you, but
I certainly don't enjoy the speaker of the
Student Senate relegating me to some sort
of obsequious serf by telling me what I
want.
Second, and most importantly, if the
student body truly wanted a mandatory
cultural diversity class, this bill would not
be necessary at all — everyone would al
ready be enrolled in those classes which
emphasize a "United States minority" —
whatever that is — or an "international
culture." Clearly the student body doesn't
"want" this bill — nor, for that matter, do
we need it.
Supposedly, the objective of the bill is
to expose students to some sort of culture
A&M has chosen to em
phasize the differences be
tween American cultures.
This is clearly in violation
of the principals our coun
try was founded upon.
besides their own. More specifically, it re
quires students to take a class focusing on
some sort of American minority. Will
someone please explain what this means?
As far as I can recall, there is no such
thing as an "American minority." All
Americans except Native Americans were
immigrants at some point in their fami
lies' history. We all belong to different
cultures originally. Why do we need to
focus on one of these?
The bill will do one thing only: rekindle
the strife between what Daniel Boorstin,
the esteemed author of over 20 history
books and former Librarian of Congress,
calls the "hyphenated Americans."
"The greatest danger our nation faces
is the present emphasis on what separates
us rather than what pulls us together,"
Boorstin explained. "I think the whole
notion of hyphenated Americans is un-
American. Polish-Americans, Italian-
Americans, African-Americans empha
size diversity when what built our coun
try was community."
Educational doctrine is moving away
from the melting pot and is adopting the
stir-fry theory of cultural integration.
Everywhere, societies have tried this. It
has failed miserably. If we begin to polar
ize based on cultural heritage, how long
will it be before confrontation develops?
This is exactly what is happening in
Bosnia where the differing cultures have
become so hostile they have resorted to
"ethnic cleansing." The painful fragmen
tation of the Soviet Union is another ex
ample of cultural diversity leading to con
flict rather than confluence.
A&M has chosen to emphasize the dif
ferences between American cultures. This
is clearly in violation of the principals our
country was founded upon. We have be
come a great country by coalescing many
different cultures. Why change that policy?
The Student Senate said the bill will not
be that big of a burden because at least 100
classes will satisfy the requirement. Grant
ed, this "cultural diversity" class can apply
to both the cultural requirement and anoth
er area of the core curriculum, nevertheless
it limits our choices.
The Student Senate truly believes that
the student body wants this proposal.
This being the case, it would be very in
teresting to have a referendum on the is
sue. Most likely, the overwhelming sup
port Russell Langely alludes to is fiction
al. Everyone who believes they are better
off in America than they would be if their
ancestors had stayed in their country of
origin should show their opposition to
the bill.
Eliot Williams is a sophomore electrical
engineering major
s!
s
>
Steak,
ads
eat
'Tradition Police' say
stand or get kicked
I would really like to thank two of my
fellow Aggies for making the game Satur
day so enjoyable for me. About every 20
minutes or so, or whenever I would feel
lightheaded (which I often do in the heat,
and am prone to pass out), I sat down for
a minute to avoid fainting. I was then told
by the fine fellow behind me, "You can sit
down at home, now stand up." And his
sweet little girlfriend kept pushing me off
the bench with her feet.
After a while of this, my husband
asked her to quit kicking me because I
wasn't feeling well and needed to sit
down. She refused and told me to go sit
somewhere else, and continued to stand
in the seat that I paid for.
Now, I really am for all the traditions
at this school that help make it so great,
but I am not for forcing everyone to
abide by these traditions (and the last
time I checked they were still traditions
and not federal law), ESPECIALLY when
the surrounding circumstances are un
known to the "Tradition Police."
Whenever a few people left the game
early, people yelled, "Sit down, two-per
centers!" at them. Now how do we know
that they weren't sick or they had to be
at work or something? The couple be
hind me really made me not want to at
tend anymore of our games to support
our football team if I'm going to get grief
about not wanting to have a heat stroke.
T would like to think that we Ags are
all adults (with the exception of my
friends, the "Tradition Police") and are
capable of making our own decisions.
Be cool, people, and don't jump all
over those who aren't doing what you
think they should be.
Shiloh Green
Class of'95
Of course athletics is
driving force at A&M
I am in complete agreement with Joel
L. Dunn's letter in the Sept. 23 Mail Call.
Athletes should not be judged by the
same standards as the other students.
These are future millionaire professional
athletes, for God's sake! More emphasis
should be put on getting these athletes
into the NFL and NBA than on having
them complete the meaningless core cur
riculum. After all, athletics is the driving
force of Texas A&M University.
When it was time for me to choose a
college to attend, I sure as hell didn't
look at academic standings; I went
straight to the AP college football rank
ings in the Sunday paper. I am not say
ing that academia does not have its place
here, though. But then again, how much
money does the College of Engineering
rake in on fall weekends?
All Texas A&M athletes have worked
hard to get where they are now, and
they deserve more than a few whoops at
a ball game. If this means paying them a
few extra dollars, then so be it. And for
those of you who came here solely for an
education and do not appreciate excel
lent Aggie athleticism, you know the
way to Austin. Screw everyone. Gig 'em.
Keith Stubbs
Class of '96