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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 1993)
r 22,1993 Opinion ' e ason to play. 1 football, eived the cond half r e the ball, was not ■ossed the of Glenn, die of the by a few Monday, November 22,1993 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 go to my 1 "They ould have trough. 1 sprinted their job, ■esult was s exactly lenn. i to amaze ■ry time he ves a great it is a spe- >ry , the Lady 10 points, lintain the t back into ; lead, d the other to be a lot i our faces and where d a really match-up an to man, are in the dy Ageies ; Branch in s final sec- ahead for e Lady Ag- •ve the vie- ; were vie- wement as on Nov. 27 this sea- ck in the playing ; typical save one I idgeting o against ?d a rare much to ined yell "Lemon mid the niversary s, it's just ek in the hills are EDITORIAL Respect the dead Keep Elephant Walk solemn Upperclassmen participating in Elephant Walk tomorrow must keep the Spirit of Ag- gieland in mind and prevent the violence and vandalism that have marred the event. Don't let mud and rocks trash the tradition. One of the Corps of Cadets "campusologies" defines the Elephant Walk tradition. "Before the Bonfire each year, the seniors gather in front of the flagpole on Military Walk and wan der aimlessly about the cam pus like old elephants about to die. This symbol izes the fact that the seniors will graduate the following spring and will be of no further use to the Twelfth Man." The original solemn ritual has given way to an annual event in which juniors harass the dying senior "elephants" with shaving cream, water, eggs and mud. Ex tensive damage to landscaping and buildings — along with nu merous injuries to students — is a common occurrence at recent Elephant Walks. Students, advisors and orga nizers for the event are working to avoid a repeat of the damage this year. If students cannot re store some solemnity to the tra dition, they endanger the future of Elephant Walk. Elephants and juniors alike should be responsible for them selves and their classmates. Don't try to kill each other. Re member, the traditions exist to promote unity and spirit, not civil war. This special tradition is an important part of Aggie life. Students should think of its purpose: to offer the se niors a chance to join together and remember 'old times. The tradition de serves respect as part of the Twelfth Man tradition. Every year, Texas A&M ad ministrators ask students to clean up the E-Walk activities. The 1992 Elephant Walk was a step in the right direction. The campus and students suffered little dam age compared to previous years. Make a difference this year and keep the campus clean. Don't let Elephant Walk die with this year's zips. The Battauon Page 7 Total Quality Management hits A&M University looks to place emphasis on caliber of service ■W" A Tith die recent \/\ / passage of the V V North Ameri can Free Trade Agree ment through Con gress, there has been a lot of discussion about America's ability to compete successfully in the world market. Regardless of your feelings about NAFTA, the fact remains that it is here to stay. In light of this fact, it's impor tant to examine how America will vie in the new system. Post-World War II japan was in shambles. The few businesses that existed were devoted to the war effort, and any products that Japan did ship to the rest of the world after the war were very cheap and notoriously awful. Beat en and floundering, Japanese officials sought help in rebuilding their economy. The man they turned to was W. Edwards Deming. Doming brought to Japan a new paradigm for management. Called Total Quality Man agement, or TQM, the Deming method em phasizes quality rather than price. "Quality,” according to Deming, "has no meaning except as defined by the desires and needs or the customer." TQM is more than just doing things right; it is doing the right things. Managers must know what the customers want and what they value, then use this knowledge to build a successful system to produce that product or service. It doesn't take a business major to realize how successful Deming's model was in trans forming Japan. Today, Japan rules the elec tronics industry. Sony, Magnavox and Toshi ba are just a few of the companies that have basically driven America out of the industry. Some argue that Japan's success is due to their cutthroat pricing in America, but — all nationalism aside and given the choice — who wouldn't pick a Japanese stereo over an American one? This dichotomy is changing. American business are realizing Deming was right. Consumers in today's market are shopping for quality, not the lowest price. More and more American companies are adopting TQM and reaping the rewards. "The track record of these companies [that have adopted TQM] speaks for itself," Busi ness Credit magazine reported this May. "A higher level of customer satisfaction, a reduc tion in the cost of making and distributing products, and more employee participation as well as increased cooperation and gratification are just a few of the byproducts of TQM." It appears that TQM is the wave of the fu ture, and Texas A&M is joining the rush to implement the new paradigm. The campus program started with the es tablishment of the quality council. This coun cil consists of A&M's president, vice presi dent, executive director of strategic planning and two TQM facilitators who spend a ma jority of their time helping any organization on campus adopt the Deming model. Mary Miller, assistant vice president for fi nance and administration and one of the two co-facilitators on campus says the program is "still gearing up," but already many of the Academic Colleges, the Physical Plant, Food Services and PTTS have begun studying how to implement the new management style. mammmmm Perhaps the most interesting aspect of TQM on campus is the Memorial Student Center's student run Quality Council. This organization is devoted to adapting the prin cipals of quality management to the MSC. The MSC surveyed its structure and high lighted three problem areas. The council is now trying to adopt the model to such areas as program review, training and transitions, and MSC structure as a whole. Jennifer Green, facilitator and vice presi dent of continuing improvement, says the new system is focusing on "empowering stu dents and offering more student develop ment," but warns "it is difficult to change something [as large as the MSC] overnight." The mere existence of the quality council is a great idea. It will offer students at A&M an opportunity to learn about TQM and see how it can be implemented. At a university which claims to produce world class scholars, certainly TQM stands out as an extremely important part of that education. It is also very comforting to see the administration adopting the new system. Although Mary Miller warns that adopt ing Total Quality Management "takes a lot of patience because you can work a very long time before you can see any results,” it is cer tainly a great relief to know that we are be ginning to focus on quality. As the concept of quality becomes a part of our lives here at A&M, we will be able to take that understanding into the work force and use it to propel American business far ahead in the world economy. Eliot Williams is a sophomore industrial engineering student ELIOT WILLIAMS Columnist 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 - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Mail stop 1111 Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 Fax; (409) 845-2647 d fall ti 015 i. and 5 fee. d up Service fraternity strives to make community a better place I n a world where so many things are falling apart and going wrong and need urgently to be addressed, we often overlook the positive things that are still being done. We tend to be come so enmeshed in the bad that is so plentiful and easy to see, that the few and far-between positive goods of ten escape our at tention. I am very guilty of this myself. Some young men challenged me (and justifiably so) to highlight some of the positive things that go on in the world in general and the black community in particular. One of those good things is the history of humane deeds of young men in the Al pha Phi Alpha fraternity. A well-educat ed, vehement social and religious activist was once inducted into the organization at Morehouse College. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the fraternity's most distin guished member, lived his life in the true spirit of the fraternity: brotherhood, scholarship, leadership and service. The concept of brotherhood in this or ganization transcends the immediate as pect of just its members. "Brotherhood" encompasses all races of people, whether rich or poor, and strives for the peaceful harmony of all those races residing to gether. The men of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity carry on the tradition today of giving back to the community. They wish to fos ter self-respect and determination in young blacks. The fraternity was created in 1906 at Cornell University by seven young men to combat the racial prejudice on that campus. This close bond would act as a support group to its members and at the same time encourage maintaining high academic achievement and social progress. The Texas A&M University Pi Omicron chapter, instituted in 1985, acts in the same upstanding capacity as its forefathers. Since its inception, the group has cre ated programs that allow its members to change and grow with the volatile American society. For example, a program at the fore front of the social unrest in many black communities is Project Alpha. This na tion-wide project educates young black males about their roles and responsibili ties in preventing unwanted pregnancies. This is a highly significant program since black teens are disproportionately The concept of brother hood in this organization transcends the immediate aspect of just its members. "Brotherhood" encompass es all races of people. represented in teenage pregnancy rates and as welfare recipients. Furthermore, an active alliance with the Boy Scouts of America offers opportunities for the fra ternity to reach and help develop self- confidence and pride in many more young men. Stepping is also an intricate part of fra ternity and sorority life. Each fraternity has its own style of dance, even though this practice stems from the African cul ture of old. The Alphas' style of stepping is deeply rooted in African chants and tribal dances. Another program that constitutes a large part of the members' time is the "Go to High School, Go to College" program. This project, which takes place every Oc tober, brings in 12- to 18-year-olds to the campus to take active parts in various workshops. These workshops include in struction in such areas as goal-setting and constructive problem solving methods. The Pi Omicron chapter also serves in political capacity, conducting voter reg istration campaigns for the black com munity. A "Voteless People is a Hope less People" attempts to convey to blacks the importance of the vote in changing social circumstances. Black representation in polls have slacked markedly, especially in communi ties where the drastically poor and unedu cated reside. It is important that people liv ing in a democratic society participate in its processes in order to shape and guide poli cies that best work to their benefit. Special projects unique to the fraterni ty include the Miss Black and Gold Schol arship pageant. Ten young women are se lected during each fall semester to com pete in talent events for three scholar ships totaling $900. This forum allows each participant to present particular ar eas of their multi-faceted personalities. Miss Black and Gold is incorporated into the ideals of the fraternity, serving in service capacities, and creating and im plementing innovative service projects. The fraternity also encourages its acad emically outstanding undergraduate young men and women by picking up membership costs of the major collegiate honor societies of Alpha Kappa Mu, Al pha Chi, Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa. The fraternity also works in conjunction with such notable non-profit organizations as the American Cancer Society, the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, the United Way, the Southern Christian Leadership Confer ence, and the American Heart Association. These young men give valuable time and effort as well as finances to these human causes in the true spirit of what the frater nity was based upon. Tracey Jones is a senior psychology major TRACEY JONES Columnist ERS SALE English instructor not brainwashing fish This letter is in response to Kevin Davis' Nov. 5 letter. We, all of whom were classmates of Davis, would like to present a different recollection of our English 104 class taught by Ms. Joy Cas tro. All feel that the linkage of Castro's name with homosexuality placed unfair emphasis on one aspect of open class discussion. Discussion was student-directed, and Ms. Castro served as a mediator, not an in stigator. If anything, she attempted to play devil's advocate by contributing factual statements to both sides of the issue. At no time did she contribute personal views. In the course of discussion, many controversial topics were thrown out for debate to better ourselves as writers and as persuasive speakers. Each stu dent was encouraged to give his or her own opinion. Clearly, this was not the "impressionable freshman" class Davis would have you believe. No one was ridiculed for their reli gious, cultural or political beliefs. (And there were many!) It would even be safe to say we all developed an appreciation towards each other — as evident in this joint venture to defend our great lecturer. Davis stated: "... many of our readings dealt with the subject (homosexuality)." After reviewing our assigned book, we found no articles addressing homo sexuality. How can one be offended by reading material that does not exist? (It is not as if he held a minority view.) It is also hard to imagine why one so bla tantly offended chose to do his final re search paper on a related issue. We are outraged by this attack on our class and Ms. Castro's good charac ter. She is not a radical liberal attempt ing to brainwash impressionable col lege freshmen. Many of us feel that she is the best lecturer yet encountered. If given the opportunity, most would take her again — and all feel that Castro's name was irrelevant to Davis' letter. Controversial issues are the most challenging to address in a writing class such as English 104. The challenge came in rationally stating (and at times defending) one's position. Current events cannot be "silenced." One cannot discuss the present if the reality is ignored, and certainly current events cannot be written about if they are not acknowledged. Joy Castro's English 104 class (spring 1993) Stephanie Chenault Class of '96 Accompanied by eight signatures