Opinion
Friday, January 21,1994
The Battalion Editorial Board
JULI PHILLIPS, Editor in chief
MICHAEL PLUMER, Managing editor KYLE BURNETT, Aggielife editor
BELINDA BLANCARTE, Night news editor DENA DIZDAR, Aggielife editor
HEATHER WINCH, Night News editor SEAN FRERKINC, Sports editor
TONI GARRARD CLAY, Opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, Photo editor
JENNIFER SMITH, City editor
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opinions of other Battalion
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The Battalion
Page 7
The long, dark degree time of the soul
Getting a college education is only part of the journey
A brilliant glow
has begun to
fill the black
void of the night sky.
Shades of orange, blue
and purple are seep
ing from the horizon
as majestic rays beam
across the land,
heralding the end of a
long winter's night
and the beginning of a
bold new day.
Yes! I'm graduating
this semester! After a
lifetime of climbing
uphill, enduring rigid
regiments of excessive
labor — and a little bit of learning thrown in
for good measure — I'm finally up for pa
role. Not that it's been that long since I start
ed school. Let's just say that the first year I
was institutionalized, "Jurassic Park" was
still a play — with the original cast.
I must tell you that after being subjected
to a millennia of formal study, the thought
of slipping the surly bonds of formal educa
tion strikes me as particularly rewarding.
But the bright, new day is shedding light on
a bleak landscape where prospects for the
future are as barren as the job market itself.
Everywhere I turn, stories of unemploy
ment and job cuts loom. "Downsizing" has
become the name of the game and the immi
nent domain beyond graduation. Graduates
with English degrees are stocking shelves at
food plants. Engineers are selling products
instead of designing new ones. The objec
tive has shifted from getting the right posi
tion in the right company to getting any job
available. Too many students are graduating
prepared for the job market, only to learn
that the market isn't prepared for them.
In many cases, these students began too
late in their preparation for entrance into the
current job market. No longer is it enough to
flash a sheepskin and a plump GPA to
prospective employers to get the job. To beat
out the competition these days, graduates
must hone their competitive edge long be
fore they walk across the platform.
Many employers and hiring consultants
say that prospective employers prioritize
three main things when considering an ap
plication: Grade Point Average, Work Expe
rience and Leadership Potential.
Yes, your GPA is considered — much to
my chagrin. But that doesn't mean we lesser
mortals are hopelessly eked out of the com
petition for the available jobs. Most employ
ers consider equally college grades, prior
work experience and leadership positions.
With U.S. colleges and universities produc
ing nearly one million graduates each year,
degreed applicants are going for a dime a
dozen. And that's gross.
The person hired these days must have
something to offer besides an education. In
ternships offer invaluable experience to stu
dents who are willing — and able — to in
vest the time. Some internships pay stu
dents for help over the summer and winter
holidays, and even during semester ses
sions. But most internships simply offer the
opportunity to gain experience in a particu
lar field with no actual money offered for
the work.
The payoff comes later. Unpaid intern
ships afford employers extra help with mini
mal risk and virtually no cost. But the stu
dent still has the most to gain from an in
ternship. Students who intern can experi
ence first hand the "ins and outs" of a par
ticular industry, as well as the politics in
each office, which exist at varying levels.
As interns, students can develop work
habits and establish a reputation with the
employer, who is likely to remember the in
terns when a regular position becomes avail
able. Even if a position is not offered, em
ployers can suggest other areas within the
industry in which interns might be interest
ed.
At the very least, interns have gained ex
perience which they can list on their resume,
and perhaps a few letters of recommenda
tion from professionals with whom they
have worked in their field.
Many prospective employers prefer work
experience of any sort to no experience at
all. All other things being equal, an appli
cant who held a job flipping hamburgers for
a time appears more responsible than one
who never was required to learn new duties,
meet certain company requirements and
maintain a schedule before applying for an
executive position.
Graduation appears an elusive accom
plishment that can not get here soon
enough. For many, that time will come this
May. Thank God.
But for those who have longer sentences
to serve, prepare now for the big day. Good
grades will help you get over the wall, but
experience will help you when you land on
the other side..
Robert Vasquez is a senior
journalism major
ROBERT
VASQUEZ
Columnist
Alumni of '44 Orange
Bowl share Aggie spirit
The Orange Bowl Committee in Miami, Florida,
each year invites the two football teams that played
in the Orange Bowl fifty years ago to return for a re
union and join in on the festivities of the present
year. This past year we were honored to have LSU
Tigers and the "Kiddie Korps" team of Texas A&M
who played in our 1944 Orange Bowl Game. Seven
teen members of the "Kiddie Korp" team and their
wives came to Miami for our 1994 Orange Bowl cele
bration, and I would have to believe that they had an
enjoyable time. I wish to express to you and to all
Aggies how honored I was to have been chairman of
the committee this year and particularly to have had
the opportunity to deal with the Texas A&M players
and families that came. These people were the most
appreciative and responsive group of "Old Timers"
that I have ever dealt with, and before the end of the
festivities my wife and I felt like we had been origi
nal members of this team.
I have heard many Aggie jokes and am familiar
with the rivalry between the Texas schools. I had
also heard about the unusual camaraderie and spirit
of the Texas Aggie football team and the school, but I
never really had an opportunity to see this. In No
vember my wife and I were the guests of the "Kiddie
Korp" reunion held at the school for the Texas
A&M-Louisville game. This was the first time that
we were able to experience this unusual spirit in per
son. We were graciously received and welcomed on
the campus, invited to several of the functions, had
opportunities to meet with your outstanding coach,
R.C. Slocum, and were able to tour the facilities on
your campus. That one weekend could only give me
a basic foundation on the spirit that I saw in the
"Kiddie Korps" group when they came to Miami.
Such names as Burditt, Hallmark, Brown, Moncrief,
Bryant, "Greek Tassos," Greer, Gary, Brennecki, Gib
son, Soyars, Wiley, McCurry, Long, Reynolds,
DuPuy and Stripling and many others of that team
are not just names to me anymore. I had read of
their exploits in various books, but I now know them
as living proof of their love for your school and what
it represents. I have a much greater understanding
of the Twelfth Man, of Reveille, of yell leaders and
even the roll call for those departed members of the
corps. I just wanted to let you know what wonder
ful ambassadors these people were of your institu
tion and what an impact they made upon my life
during the Orange Bowl festivities this year. They
are very proud to be Aggies, and I am very proud to
have hosted this wonderful group.
William D. Ward
Chairman 50th Reunion Committee
Orange Bowl Committee 1994
Hill, other players broke
Aggie Code of Honor
I think that Scott Carr missed the point in his let
ter in Mail Call Jan. 20.
The Aggie Code of Honor states that Aggies do
not lie, cheat or steal, nor to we tolerate those who
do. But what Greg Hill and the other players did
was not just "make a mistake." They made a con
scious choice to disrespect the students, history, and
traditions of Texas A&M University.
For Mr. Carr to say that he thinks Greg Hill is
proud of Texas A&M is ludicrous. Greg Hill showed
just how proud he was when he bolted three days
after the sanctions were handed down from the
NCAA.
A person isn't an Aggie just because he attends
A&M. Greg Hill will never understand what being
an Aggie really means. It's all just more GHT (Greg
Hill Time) for him.
Andrew Tomczeszyn
Class of'93
College is the best place to
combat prejudice, bigotry
This is in response to Mr. Stanley P. Clark's letter
concerning multicultural classes at A&M. I always
enjoy reading what former Aggies have to say about
the decisions that are being made today at A&M,
their school in which they take so much pride. Mr.
Clark objected to multicultural classes from several
different angles that he garnered from a Houston
Chronicle article, and though his comments held
truth, they only showed part of the picture.
First, he commented that his children had been
exposed to many different cultures within his own
home, and since this was the "best kind of multicul
tural experience," they should not be forced to sit in
a classroom and be taught to be "sensitive."
I would not argue with Mr. Clark that his chil
dren have indeed learned crucial elements for sur
viving in a multicultural environment. I do argue,
though, that they are the exception. Houston is an
economically, socially and culturally diverse city, yet
a large number of A&M students do not come from
the city; they come from very small towns which are
culturally homogeneous and have no need to teach
about dealing with others from differing cultural
backgrounds.
Secondly, Mr. Clark proposed that if education
was the answer, then why "is some of the greatest
intolerance and insensitivity found on college cam
puses?" He is absolutely right. Students tend to
bring to college the stereotypes and prejudices from
their home and community. What an appropriate
opportunity these classes could provide for students
to realize their intolerance and possibly expand the
perspective through which they see life.
Third, he felt that the heart could not be changed
by lecture. There is a whole lot more that takes place
within the walls of a classroom than one individual
speaking. In the multicultural type of classes which I
have taken at A&M, the whole class spoke, listened,
were angered at times, were blessed at
times...learned: the type of learning that makes a dif
ference outside of the classroom and the g.p.a.
Do you know what it's like when you get two stu
dents in a classroom form two completely different
backgrounds talking about why they don't feel com
fortable around someone because of the color of
their skin? Do you know what it is like to be a white
person in a room and be the minority for the first
time in your life? Do you know what it is like to
never get to the planned lecture because the students
are too busy learning from one another's real life ex
periences? I do. Multicultural classes, if nothing
else, get people to think (which is practically impos
sible in our "is it going to be on the test?" mentality).
Mr. Clark's children are the kind of students who
could possibly challenge the beliefs of their peers.
Multicultural classes are not a panacea for today's
evident racism and intolerances, but will it really
hurt us to try a new treatment to a sickness that has
plagued our country for over a century?
Jennifer Clark
Class of'94
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Some things keep stayin' alive
From fashion to music, the 70s rock on
CHRIS
WHITLEY
Guest Columnist-
T he poet and philoso
pher George Santayana
once said, "Those who
do not learn from history are
condemned to repeat it."
Yet even he could not
conceive of the danger that
has again reared its ugly
head on society.
Twenty years ago, this
nation was stricken with a
disease of bad taste. "The
70s," as it became to be
known, showed us how a
sophisticated culture could
deteriorate before our very
eyes.
Stretch pants, bell bot
toms, sideburns, elevator shoes, disco, Nixon — all
the things that personify evil were "in" during that
decade. Velour shirts were the thing to wear. The
Bee Gees were the thing to hear. "Saturday Night
Fever" was the thing to watch.
It's incredible we survived, huh?
But now years after that dark patch of our lives
left from memory, a few deranged heathens have
taken it upon themselves to bring "The 70s" back.
And they must be stopped.
I thought we had rid ourselves of that decade
forever until a recent walk through the mall. After
passing a popular retail store, whose name will not
be divulged, I noticed a sign in the window display
ing a beautiful woman wearing a pant suit.
Yet the image of that woman was desecrated by
the immense size of her pant cuffs. They were enor
mous. Next to her picture were the words, "The
wide-leg revolution is here." It was then when I re
alized that we are headed on a course for disaster.
The cultural aspects we laughed about in the 80s
are becoming popular now. Women's shoes are ele
vator-like. The radio has tunes from ABBA and Bar
ry Manilow. People are beginning to wear hair
styles like those found in a Lenny Kravitz video.
Even television has not been immune from the
plague. A recent episode of "Married with Chil
dren" had a reunion of the Village People. In the
show, the Village People joined the Bundy family in
a rousing rendition of "YMCA." Oh, the horror.
I remember seeing old episodes of The Tonight
Show and deciphering how old the show was by
the width of Johnny Carson's lapels, You could
land a 747 with those things. And if Johnny ever
spilled soup, it was certain his gigantic tie would
catch it.
These were jokes a short time ago. Now, they are
fashion statements. What hath God wrought?
But the worst part had to be watching die very
90s show, "Beavis and Butthead," the two cartoon
characters who make fun of music that sucks. In a
recent program, the video "Jive Talkin'" from the
Bee Gees was shown. Confidently, I awaited the
two controversial teens to ridicule this group un
mercifully.
But, no. Not only did they avoid badmouthing
the Bee Gees, they even pronounced them "cool."
Think what kind of message this sends to the youth
of America who doesn't know any better. First,
they're starting fires. Now, this happens.
The people that are ramrodding this cultural rev
olution are only faces in the crowd. They are hid
den in the top offices of the fashion and music in
dustries, sheltered from the outside world and de
tached from the public that secretly clamors for any
thing other than 70s memorabilia.
Only one conclusion can be made: These people
are communists.
Yes, the red menace is back. Now that the Cold
War is a thing of the past, the communists have
drifted away from government and focused on soci
ety. They will stop at nothing to infiltrate your lives
and tell you what to think.
Now, the communists are forcing you to live the
1970s all over again. Oh, sure, you may laugh. But
have you ever noticed that Andy Gibb of the Bee
Gees has a remarkable resemblance to Vladimir
Lenin? Coincidence? Hardly.
It won't be long before they take over the nation
and force you to wear bell bottoms and make you
watch the later episodes of The Brady Bunch. And
none of us needs that
So write your congressman. A special Senate
committee needs to be formed. Reinstate the black
list. To paraphrase Barry Goldwater, extremism in
the defense of good taste is no vice.
We must stop this communist plot at all costs.
We've lived through "The 70s" once. Let's hope we
never have to again.
Chris Whitley is a senior jourrudism major