The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, January 24, 1994, Image 11

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Opinion
Monday, January 24,1994
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
The Battalion
Page 11
EDITORIAL
Treating symptoms
Mall dress codes are misguided
The next time you go shop
ping, what you wear may be
more important than what you
buy. Heightened gang violence
has led officials in several Texas
malls to issue codes of dress and
conduct that mall patrons must
follow in order to remain on
mall property.
While such dress codes may
be well intentioned, they are
misguided. The problem of gang
violence in malls is not due to
the fact that different people are
wearing a particular style of
clothing. And attempting to
place a ban on various clothes is
: akin to covering a gaping
| wound with a Band-Aid.
Advocates of the new pro
gram do not believe that adopt
ing uniform measures of re
stricted clothing will discrimi
nate against one particular
j group of patrons over another.
Mall officials believe that by in-
i stituting these bans on dress,
I they are providing a safer shop-
I ping environment for everyone.
Civil rights activists counter
I that the new rules are a viola-
I tion of civil rights, because most
[ of the gang members are from
I ethnic minorities. The activists
I believe that the malls must look
at possible perpetrators of
t crimes instead of what clothing
\ customers wear.
The discussion over possible
mall dress codes came about af
ter a Dec. 27 shooting in an Irv
ing mall where a man was shot
and killed, caught in the cross
fire of two rival gangs.
Since then, malls across the
state have instituted several pro
posals. A mall in Corpus Christi
banned baseball caps worn
backwards. Colored bandannas
may no longer be worn at sever
al malls, including one in Port
Arthur.
Mall dwellers can no longer
wear clothes with gang-related
symbols on them. Anyone
caught wearing these items has
the choice of turning the gar
ment inside-out or leaving the
mall.
Ironically, mall merchants ac
tually sell many of the disal
lowed items. Athletic apparel,
colored t-shirts and baseball
caps are all available to anyone
who has the money to buy them.
What course of action do mall
officials plan to take against a
patron who is obviously not in
volved in a gang and just hap
pens to be wearing a banned
item?
No one is condoning the vio
lence brought about by these
gangs, but to solve a problem,
one must understand and deal
with the problem's origin. After
all, clothes don't kill people,
people kill people.
Let's hear it for A&M's 'silent staff'
Many crucial university employees go unacknowledged
MEUSSA
MEG LI OLA
Columnist
A t one time, I no
ticed A&M em
ployees only
when I tried to leave
campus at five p.m. At
exactly five o'clock,
cars start to swarm out
of the employee park
ing lots — the ones
that always seem emp
ty at 9:58 when I am
late to a 10:00 class. I
cursed them and their
little yellow hang-tags
as it took me 15 min
utes to get from
Zachry to Texas Ave.
"What freeloaders,"
1 would think. "I pay for my parking spot
and still have to leave for class 30 minutes
early in order to find a spot"
I almost look forward to an otherwise
dreaded nine-to-five job simply to avoid the
parking horrors of our fine university. I have
learned, however, that the employees here at
Texas A&M pay $100 a year just to park at
work. Suddenly, I feel badly about all the
nasty things I have said about them while
caught in traffic.
We, the students at Texas A&M, have
many misconceptions about the over 10,000
people that work on our campus. Most im
portantly, we forget they exist. These people,
who literally run our campus, jokingly refer
to themselves as the "silent staff," said Re
becca Downey, a communications specialist
in the Human Resources Department.
She was quick to point out that this is not
all bad.
"I recently told a group of physical plant
workers that the fact they go unnoticed sim
ply means they are doing their job," she said.
Ms. Downey did admit to being discour
aged when a group of graduate students in a
human resources class could only name four
non-faculty positions on campus.
"They named physical plant workers, sec
retaries, custodians and food services em
ployees," she said. "Those people are very
important to Texas A&M but certainly aren't
the only ones here."
A&M employs people in hundreds of dif
ferent positions. Because A&M is more like a
small city than a school, the University em
ploys people as diverse as doctors, lawyers,
computer technicians, glass blowers, police,
engineers, librarians and accountants.
Most of the university employees never
attended A&M as students, but many are
benefits, many university employees still at
tend all types of campus athletic events.
Some go to Bonfire; others attend Silver
Taps.
Just as those who work in corporate
America develop company pride, many
A&M employees are very proud of this uni
versity. They also display Aggie Spirit
through an employee sick leave pool. If em
ployees experience a catastrophic illness or
injur)' that is expected to last more than 30
days, they can draw on sick days donated by
coworkers. For this fiscal year alone, em
ployees have donated 6,768 hours.
Employees try not only to help one anoth
er, but many are also willing to help stu
dents. As volunteers for The First-Time Ag
gie Contact Team (FACT), several staff mem
bers give their time to telephone new Aggies.
The callers try to help new students with
problems and make them feel welcome at
Texas A&M.
"I thought it was a great opportunity to
reach out to students and say that we at
Texas A&M, staff included, really care about
the students," said Barbara Burrus, director
of medical records at the Veterinary Teach
ing Hospital.
Gary Scott, a fire- and life-safety inspector
with the Department of Safety and Health,
got involved after his five student workers
helped him to appreciate the needs of stu
dents.
"We all depend on each other and want to
make the school a better place," said Scott.
The department of Human Resources is
also working to change the New Employee
Orientation Network (NEON) to resemble
Fish Camp more closely where students re
ceive an excellent orientation to Texas A&M.
In December, 250 Texas A&M employees
were honored for up to 45 years of service.
The average student is here for four or five
years. Employees can use their knowledge of
A&M for a lifetime.
Today is the first day of Howdy Week, a
week that reminds us about the integrity and
pride it takes to be an Aggie. As you are say
ing "Howdy" to fellow classmates and facul
ty members while walking around campus,
say "Howdy" to the university employees.
Maybe you could even say "Thanks."
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 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
Mai! stop 1111
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77B43
Fax: (409) 845-2647
Taking a broader view often puts problems into perspective
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T housands of
people waited
in line for
hours. Phone lines
jammed, and traffic
came to a crashing
halt as frustration
levels peaked and
finally exploded.
All progress
seemed to come to a
standstill last week
when the regular
modes of operation
were severed by a
terrible phenome
non which sent
shock waves
through the community:
Add/Drop chaos and Parking Hell.
It took A&M by storm last week, leav
ing thousands of innocent students dazed
and bewildered in its wake. Students
scrambled throughout the campus seeking
forced entry into classes already bulging at
the seams. Then they made their way to the
ROBERT
VASQUEZ
Columnist
Pavilion, where a large percentage of the
student body was struggling for oxygen
and a modicum of personal space. And
these were the lucky ones, the fortunate
few who had survived the Parking Experi
ence and were able to walk away relatively
unscathed, their cars safely deposited
amidst the hordes of buzzards circling in
wait for the next little spot to open.
Welcome back to college.
I guess the most frustrating thing about
The Parking Situation in front of the
Zachary building is looking beyond the sea
of economy cars and two-ton trucks only to
see vast acres of freshly mowed lawn
space, which looks awfully pretty but
might serve better as ... oh, I don't know ...
maybe a parking lot?
I'm not suggesting that we cover the en
tire lawn with asphalt and white paint. But
with so many acres available for trees and
birdies and worms and stuff, perhaps a re
quest for just a little more parking space
might be in order. You know, for the stu
dents. That's what universities are for, I
think. TAMU stands for Texas A&M Uni
versity. That's "University," not "green
lawn" or "zoological gardens."
I think, therefore I am. But I must park
before I can go to class. I think Descartes
said that.
No, the gripe against parking and regis
tration problems is not a new one. But the
fervor of these complaints seems to recur
with new zeal at the onslaught of each new
Instead of waiting for
classes, people in Califor
nia were waiting for a
drink of water. And I com
plain because I can't wear
shorts yet.
semester. Like the steam which rises from
an old pile of cow dung after a fresh sum
mer rain. No one was stirring up old com
plaints more than 1.1 grumbled and
moaned about the obstacles and challenges
students must negotiate.
Then I picked up a newspaper. And I
saw stories about the millions of people
across the country who are struggling with
crises of their own. Only, instead of wait
ing for classes, these people were waiting
for a drink of water. Water lines were bro
ken miles away by an earthquake that
rocked much of southern California and
killed more than 56 people. Many of those
who survived could only watch as random
fires consumed the remnants of what had
been their homes only hours before.
Hospitals struggled to keep up with the
thousands of injured who came in bleed
ing, many with broken arms and legs. Two
injured women had to deliver their babies
early through Caesarean section to save the
infants, who had suffered their first earth
quake before they had taken their first
breath.
Meanwhile, further east, still more peo
ple fought for survival as they braved the
freezing temperatures which trapped them
in their own homes, closing down schools,
offices and even utilities. One woman was
trapped outside after her door lock had
frozen solid. Seeking help at her neighbors'
home, she found them afraid to open the
door, unsure who was knocking. The next
morning, the neighbors found the
woman's body frozen on the porch. At
least 101 people have died because of the
freeze.
And I complain because I can't wear
shorts yet. It's nearly February, and I still
have to wear my jacket. Everything is rela
tive. And the complaints about parking
and registration suddenly seemed relative
ly stupid. Insignificant. Granted, the needs
are real and must be addressed. But we're
complaining about school. It's like the end
of the world if we have to wait in line. All
we want is a decent parking space.
I guess I should be grateful for such
problems. There are those who only want
their homes back. Or for the temperature to
rise above zero. Or to see their son or wife
or mother again.
Robert Vasquez is a senior
journalism major
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Bonfire wake-up bill
gives students a voice
I want to clarify what RHA bill R93F-05
(regulating Bonfire wake-up procedures)
entails. First of all, there has been a lot of
outcry this year about Bonfire wake-up
and the policies of this university. The
staff in each hall has not enforced the poli
cy that is considered official. They are
caught in a situation where they must
chose between strictly enforcing this poli
cy or letting the Bonfire crews continue
the tradition of "wake-up." To this point
they have been lenient and ignored this
policy by letting the Bonfire crews pro
ceed with "wake-up."
With all the complaints that occurred
this past fall, the administration has decid
ed to begin making staff strictly enforce
this policy because THEY feel that the
people who are against Bonfire wake-up
are afraid to speak out. It seems to be the
general thought within the administration
that there are more people who are
against "wake-up" than for it.
I disagreed with this assessment, and at
last fall's Residence Life meeting I asked
that we let the residents vote for or against
Bonfire wake-up. When this request was
brushed aside, I decided to present this
legislation to the Residence Hall Associa
tion's General Assembly. If the General
Assembly passes this, then it will force
Residence Life to take this request more
seriously. It does not become law, it sim
ply places a request in the administra
tion's lap to deal with. They can choose to
ignore it, to implement it or try and find
an even better solution.
Rusty Thompson, the Coordinator for
Residence Life on Northside, is putting to
gether a committee to try and come up
with a plan for next fall. This legislation is
meant to be a catalyst to get moving on a
solution that will benefit all. By presenting
this bill, the voice of students living on
campus will be heard.
If you have an opinion that you wish to
voice on the subject, contact me in the
RHA office (Koldus 134 or call 845-0689)
or you are more than welcome to attend
the next General Assembly at 8:30 p.m.,
Feb. 2, in 144 Koldus Building. I will also
leave copies of this bill in the RHA office
for anyone who wishes to view it.
Tim McGinty
Class of'94
To tip or not to tip?
Jenny Magee writes on Jan. 19 about
the tragedy of waiting as a job. She says
"... people who can't afford to tip
shouldn't eat out." Well, who made her
the financial queen of the food industry?
First of all, if someone can't afford a tip,
but might have enough for a meal, they
shouldn't feel any guilt.
"Gratuity" in the dictionary means a
gift, usually in the form of money, in re
turn for service. I can't speak for every
body, but if the service stinks, I wouldn't
pay them one red cent more than the price
of the food.
I have been a waiter, and I knew before
I took the job that tips were a majority of
my salary. I'm sure Jenny Magee did too!
If she couldn't handle her method of pay
ment, she shouldn't have taken the job.
Let's ask Jenny Magee one final ques
tion: When her tips and salary figure to be
substantially higher than minimum wage,
does she give the extra money back?
Roy Valdez
Class of'96