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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1993)
',1993 Opinion (Wednesday, October 6,1993 The Battalion ports TS ce on nphis with a shota 76-74) lually. olfers ment. tenth, 16th, h and im inst i's and teams in the ational ng fin- ime of three- in first ! ’s and ers son ,ing . tennis I season way In- Logan | if fresh- 11 and te took ir divi-1 ■e some d coach he was at this ng how ?kend." Fall ►egin .'ball nual lusion times p.m.; game 4(if and 15 at Page 7 Here for school - not an M.R.S. degree Students major in education out of love for teaching oo MELISSA MEGLIOLA Columnist E veryone has a fa vorite teacher — somebody who at one time reached out to us, encouraged us and helped us want to learn. My friend Leslie remembers cheating on a standardized exam in third grade. When she got her test back, her teacher, Mrs. Taylor, revealed that she knew Leslie had not ranked in the 75th percentile on her own merit. After class, she forced Leslie to retake the exam on which she then scored in the 98 th percentile. "Mrs. Taylor taught me to believe in my self/' Leslie gushed. "We still talk today/ Growing up, good teachers were some of the most respected people around. At home, our parents taught us to listen in class and follow our teachers' instructions. But our ad miration went beyond the respect we were taught to display. As kids, we idolized them, had crushes on them and secretly wished they weren't married. So why are things so different in college? Yes, on the whole, we respect our professors. But they have Ph.D.s, write hooks and do consulting work out in the real world. And they determine our grades. It's those students who want to go back to the classroom after graduating from A&M that we so often look down upon. If you want to teach in high school that's bad. But if you want to teach in the elementary schools, you're really pathetic. On campus, we try not to stereotype. Here at A&M, we're all Aggies. But how many of us have not looked at an elementary education major and silently thought "M.R.S. degree."? A few weeks ago, another friend of mine, Susan, went to go see an advisor. Susan is an excellent student who came to A&M on a full scholarship. She now balances extracurricu lar involvement with very good grades. She loves children and will make a wonderful el ementary school teacher. Needing little acad emic advice, she made the appointment only at the request of this advisor who wanted to talk to her about scholarship and grant op portunities. Susan says that at first the meeting was going very well. They discussed programs that could send her to places like Stanford and Oxford. Both were optimistic about her chances for acceptance until the advisor no ticed the major listed on the computer screen. "What is this about interdisciplinary stud ies?" the advisor asked. Susan enthusiastically shared her lifelong dream of becoming a science teacher. The re sponse was not pleasant. The advisor sug gested that her interest in science would make her an excellent medical school candi date. Susan shook her head, no. Surely, she would want to do something to help people, the advisor continued. "T want to excite children about science," Susan responded. "If two children that I teach grow up to be doctors. I've already doubled my impact." The advisor was not impressed. "At least you could earn a Ph.D. and de sign curriculum," the advisor pleaded. Susan, who at this point was fighting tears yet unwilling to lose her composure, simply reiterated her desire to be in the classroom. The debate continued for close to thirty min utes. Finally, out of desperation, she was dis missed to think about her priorities and make a more intelligent decision. What a shame it would he for all of her talent and in tellect to be wasted. Almost every week a different magazine reports on the demise of our education sys tem, dropping literacy rates or a decline in SAT scores. If we are ever going to compete with the Europeans and the Japanese in edu cation, Americans must acknowledge teach ing as a legitimate and worthy profession. "What we need/' said Debbie Gar ringer, principal of Sam Houston Elementary, "are teachers with a love for a subject that can turn kids on and get them excited about learning." Teachers with backgrounds in math and science are in especially "hot demand." Even with jobs scarce and good teachers needed nationwide, the education major is too often considered simply an easy way out. "People assume 1 don't have to study be cause I am majoring in education," claims Michelle, a senior here at A&M. "That simply is not true," disputes Dr. Carol Stuessy, associate professor of curricu lum and instruction. "Our curriculum gets more demanding all the time. It takes a high er level of knowledge to be able to teach someone else what you know." Students who choose to teach must give up a lot to try to ensure that our children get a good education. They are forced to accept pay compara ble to that of your average fast food worker. Don't make them defend their intelligence as well. Melissa Megliola is a senior industrial engineering major 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 ot 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 - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Mail stop Till Texas A&M University illege Station, TX 77843 | fax: (409) 845-2847 mno? j MM ME LCMtMib HtUtHE tl.S.-ftAT TH£ CVIL io m icifoi 1 <3 TH£ REAL Hunituqum. issue |Costa Rican school says no to long hair JOHN SCROGGS Columnist C an you imagine a university that discriminates igainst males on the >asis of long hair, car ings and shorts? If you lived in Costa Rica, you ouldn't have to imag ine. You would need )nly open up a local lewspaper and see the reality. The Universidad In- ternacional de las .mericas (UIA) is cur rently under fire for 'hat seems, by Ameri- :an standards, to be a complete violation of basic human rights. This university denies admission to male stu- [dents who wear earrings, shorts, long hair or ire suspected of being or exhibiting homo sexual tendencies. Most of these infractions are just fashion statements, yet UIA seems to believe that [these choices of appearance are enough to leny admission and expel students over. The dtch hunt has even extended to professors and staff. Of course, most students at A&M should )e appalled about such discrimination any where in the world because when any person Is denied basic human rights, it hurts us all. Tut more importantly, we, as students at I&M, should get involved in this issue be cause of an ad that appeared in a Costa Rican lewspaper on August 11,1993. The ad stated |hat UIA offers a master of business adminis tration "according to the cooperation of Texas A&M University." Numerous complaints have been lodged igainst the university. The Instituto Lati- loamericano de Prevencion y Educacion en ialud (ILPES) has officially denounced UIA. “ley have criticized UIA's regulations against barrings, long hair, shorts and homosexuals ind have called for the closing of the universi on the grounds that UIA is in violation of )asic human rights and human dignity. In response, UIA made an official statement answering the complaints against the policy. "We consider that one of the primary func tions of the University is to preserve the moral and ethical values of the society ..." Later in the statement, UIA mentions that they could not imagine any male graduate of their school with an earring or long hair being able to find suitable employment. Whatever the claim to fame may be for UIA, this university doesn't seem to realize that appearances are not true indications of a person's moral character. Yuri Lorenza Jimenez pointed out in an article that the reply from the university is unacceptable, "because it recognizes that the use of earrings or long hair are elements that determine the ethical and moral value of an individual." Students at A&M should get involved in this issue because of an ad that appeared in a Costa Rican newspaper on Au gust 11,1993. The ad stated that UIA offers a master of business administration "ac cording to the cooperation of Texas A&M University." In addition she states that "those who suf fer in this college are young men who wear earrings, long hair, or shorts, along with dis crimination suffered by those suspected of ho mosexuality." (italics mine). Celin Arce, a legal advisor from the Min istry of Education, has said that the restrictive regulations are quite unconstitutional. The same article states that "different sectors have spoken on this subject, among those are the Catholic Church and public universities, which concede that homosexuals should be re spected in their right to an education." Yet, UIA maintains that since it is a private KITTY HAWK.N.C-1903 K\A(Z&JI.I5S The p&t*p college, it can dictate its own requirements and norms to determine who attends. This type of blatant discrimination and in justice should not be tolerated anywhere in the world. It is unfair and, quite plainly, ridiculous. How is it possible that the administration of Texas A&M could associate with another uni versity that stands so obviously against what we profess to believe? It is beyond compre hension that A&M would be a part of — and therefore condone — such repressive, repul sive and repugnant behavior. The only explanation is that the officials of A&M are unaware of the heated controversy in which UIA is involved. I have phoned sev eral departments, including the Registrar's Of fice, International Admissions Office and the International Programs Office, all of which were as yet unaware of any connection be tween Texas A&M and UIA. One office did mention the fact that the program offered by UIA in conjunction with A&M may still be in the development stages. If Texas A&M University is to remain true to its promise of being a leader in the fight for universal human rights and become a power ful force in the world market of higher educa tion, the administration must take a strong stand on this issue. It is imperative that we show the world our dedication to the fight for dignity and freedom. The administration of A&M should issue a statement that reaffirms the belief that it is un equivocally wrong to deny an education to anyone on the basis of the manner in which they dress or their sexual orientation. Immediately following this statement, the administration should withdraw any and all alliances and associations with any university that disagrees with this stance. This would ob viously include any support or assistance giv en to the Universidad Internacional de las Americas. Only then will we be honoring our promise to defend and fight for human rights. John Scroggs is a senior English and philosophy major Battalion ignores India earthquake I am writing to vent my outrage at the ignorance and insensitiv ity of The Battalion staff. On Thursday, Sept. 30, a major earth quake hit the Maharashtra region in India, and the death toll is 30,000 and climbing. While every major newspaper in America found this informa tion to be front page material. The Battalion apparently did not be lieve this tragedy was newsworthy. Furthermore, when a member of the India Association contact ed The Battalion, the staff was not even aware of the situation — while the Bryan-College Station Eagle contacted the LA. and asked about relief efforts and community participation. It's ironic. During the 100th anniversary of The Battalion's serving Texas A&M, they blew one of the most newsworthy items of the year. The Indian community at Texas A&M is one of the largest inter national groups on campus. To trivialize the deaths of tens of thousands of our fellow humans by giving precedence to the pros and cons of NAFTA and other such items on Oct. 1, by ignoring this story displays the complete lack of respect The Battalion has for minority issues, however tragic. So, while The Battalion, the only source of news for many stu dents, continues to print stories ranging from A&M officials' opin ion of U of H athletics to the ATF, I have come to realize the worthlessness of this paper! To call yourself a major college news paper is a JOKE! To contribute to relief efforts please contact or send checks to: Prime Minister's National Relief Fund Indian Consul General 540 Arguello Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94118 or American Red Cross P.O. Box 37243 Washington, D.C. 20013 (Please specify "India Earthquake Operations" on check) Sushrut Parikh Class of ‘93 Accompanied by three signatures Somalia not worth American lives What I saw on CNN last night enraged me. I saw the body of a dead U.S. soldier being beaten and dragged through the streets by Somalians. Then I asked myself, why is this being allowed to happen? Our troops are putting it on the line every day over there and for what — not a damned thing! The mission in Somalia was to "restore hope." Well, we tried that, but it seems that the Somalians do not want it this way. Not another drop of American blood should be shed on So malian soil. Let our troops go in and do what they're trained to do — kick ass! If they are not going to be allowed to go in and do the job right, then pull our men out. The whole country of Somalia is not worth one American life. Darren Jones Class of '94 Letter distorts truth about protester It never ceases to amaze me how self-described liberals such as Eileen Murphy (Mail Call, Sept. 30) often distort the truth to further their political agenda, then duck behind the Bill of Rights when ques tioned. I also find it ironic that she would choose a forum such as the Oliver North speech to protest against a man who was willing to give his life so that she could enjoy the First Amendment. With that said, as one of the "conscientious Aggies" accused by Ms. Murphy of "whisking away" the protester, I find it necessary to inform the stu dents of Texas A&M of what actually transpired. First of all, as citizens of the United States, we do not enjoy the free speech that Ms. Murphy speaks of. Should she wish to contest this, I suggest she meet me at Easterwood Airport, where she can at tempt to board an airline while declaring that she is armed. Howev er, this is not a debate on what is covered by the U. S. Constitution, rather her inability to state the facts. Ms. Murphy, Rudder Auditorium has stipulations that forbid any signs or posters inside the building. When notified of such, your "hero" challenged ushers to summon security. Furthermore, had the sign actually protested instead of listing profanities that had com mon letters with North'S name, he might have had an argument. But do you think displaying a sign laced with profanity is an effective and peaceful protest weapon, especially in front of children? Realiz ing that they didn't want a confrontation, several College Republi cans even suggested he stay so that he could embarrass himselL After stating that he felt threatened, we elected to stand with the gentleman to ensure his protection and make certain truth-stretchers like Ms. Murphy wouldn't call black when they saw white. We re mained with him until he left, of his own free will and under his own power, some thirty minutes later. I can also assure you that not once did I hear one physical threat, only opinions and rebuttals, both cov ered by the First Amendment. So I advise Ms. Murphy that if she cannot play by the rules, she should not hide behind them. If those with opinions express them, they should be willing to hear them in return. Concerning the ushers forcing the man to leave, I would like to remind Ms. Murphy that yes, you are entitled to free speech, but lying is another matter. W. Geoffrey Holle Class of'93