r 22,1993
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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
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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
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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