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d:
Opinion
Wednesday, March 30, 1994
The Battalion
Page 9
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
Horrors found even here at A&M
Despite apparent safety, reality lies just around corner
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ROY L.
CLAY
Columnist
Li
Glass of ‘94 gift
Library donation aids learning
When choosing the Class of
‘94 gift, seniors should ask them
selves which gift will benefit the
greatest number of people. Using
tnis criterion, the best choice for
the seniors casting their votes to
day and tomorrow would be to
donate class money to the Sterling
C. Evans Library.
The proposal on the ballot calls
for enhanced reference services for
undergraduates. The funds would
provide a new reference desk, se
lected books and audiovisuals. Such
modern reference materials could
be expected to serve Aggies for the
next 30 years.
Although there are several pro
posed gifts that could serve as mon
uments to the spirit and history of
A&M, no other gift would serve
such a practical service to the future
^tudents-of the University. Aside
from being practicfiL, 1, the gift is
badly needed.
If the Class of ‘94 does not offer
funds to the library, somebody else
will have to come up with money
to make the library more modern.
And that somebody else could be a
while. Look at how long the library
has been in need of revamping.
Last March, during a Student
Senate debate on library funding,
several students spoke out about the
poor research conditions at A&M.
Off-Campus Senator Heather
Cameron said, “We have done a lot
of research on this, and let me tell
you, compared to other universi
ties, our library is sad.”
Cameron is not alone in her
feelings about the library.
We do not need any more mon
uments, statues or non-functioning
fountains at A&M when students
have more pressing needs as. While
it is important to commemorate the
history and traditions that make us
all Aggies, we should also remem
ber that the first trainload of Aggies
came here to learn. Today, we nave
also come here to learn at what is
one of the best universities in the
country. But our library has fallen
behind the times and needs this gift
as a boost to get it up to a level that
will benefit Aggies in their educa
tional pursuits.
The greatest gift the seniors can
leave behind is a future of excel
lence for the Sterling C. Evans Li
brary. The best monument to show
their love for this school would be
no monument at all, just a helping
hand for future undergraduate Ag
gies who need a good place to re
search and study.
ast Friday, a dead infant in a garbage
chute was discovered by UPD officers.
-■■— Police were alerted when doctors dis
covered that a young woman brought i° r
emergency care had just given birth althoug
she denied it. An autopsy conducted Monday
indicates that the baby was born alive.
This sort of horror isn’t so shocking in the
deepest, darkest parts of New York or the
projects of any major U.S. city, is it? But the
infant was found in Mosher Hall, right here
on the Texas A&M campus.
It seems somehow out of place to hear of
a tragedy like this happening on a college
campus. University life is geared toward pro
tecting the students from dealing with death,
pain and crime, which usually only appear in
intellectual discussions inspired by a philoso
phy class. So the average student on camnus
leads a fairly sheltered life. F
Certainly, a student who has to deal with
unfiltered reality on a daily basis will have
great difficulty coping with the amount of
work necessary to succeed at the colW ° f
el. Besides, no parents want ie 8 e Jev ~
sons and daughters to a school thaTaJ? 1 ' 11
a Ppears
to have difficulty creating a safe and healthy
environment for its student population.
But that raises a very important question:
why should students be protected from the
realities of life in today’s world?
The truth of the matter is tragedy and hor
ror cannot be contained. Reality simply can
not be curbed at the doorstep of any home,
community or institution. The unfortunate
fate of this child only heightens this fact.
We live in a world all our own here at
A&M. For the most part, all we have to deal
with is where to park on campus when we’re
late to class or when to actually go to class.
But occasionally the real world does intrude
into this small island of relative safety, and it
is often heavy-handed.
There are women at A&M who have had to
deal with the terror of being raped. Some
have even been attacked on school property.
It’s difficult to even conceive of the fact that
students are being hurt and violated on these
prestigious grounds that we hold so dear.
This tragedy, combined with last week’s terri
ble event, puts the high ideas and philoso
phies that we talk about in class and among
our friends in perspective.
The things we learn at this university
should not be just so much rhetoric that one
spills forth at the appropriate social function.
Philosophy and the virtues of humanity are
ideas we must live by daily, whether they are
incorporated into one’s spiritual beliefs or
simply part of a more secular morality.
These ideas should give those around us a
tg t of reason in this all too chaotic world.
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There’s nothing to fear but fe
Our ideas and beliefs are just as vital to suc
cess in life as ambition and ability.
The twists and turns of reality and its bit
ter aftertaste test the mettle of our philoso
phies. We try them out in order to find the
answers to questions about our world. In
their own ways, that’s what such opposing
viewpoints as Creationism and Darwinian
Evolution are all about.
Tragedies such as the one that happened
on the third floor of Mosher also serve an
other purpose. Lest anyone forget, reality can
hit anywhere at any time. Life deals some re
ally bad cards to everyone at one time or an
other, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re
rich or poor, pretty or homely, smart or
dumb. It is how you cope with extreme di
versity that determines your fate.
The mother of that child wasn’t some
drugged-out vagrant from a seedy part of
town. She was a student just like you and me.
Perhaps a less sheltered existence might have
helped her overcome the trauma she obvi
ously endured during her pregnancy.
We all get caught up in the college life. It’s
great to have a chance to walk around this
campus knowing that you are a part of a
great tradition in education. It’s also a lot of
fun to drink, dance and party with the reck
less abandon of immortal youth. But just be
aware that reality is only around the corner
and tragedy can strike at any time, regardless
of the safety of your surroundings.
Roy L. Clay is a senior history 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
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must be 300 words or less and
include the author's name, class,
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We reserve the right to edit
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Contact the opinion editor for
information on submitting guest
columns.
Address letters to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
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Fax: (409) 845-2647
JENNY
MAGEE
Columnist
F ear is a funny thing. A quickening
heartbeat, sweaty palms and a
churning stomach both excite and
cripple our bodies simultaneously.
Fear is a fascinating thing. Often it be-
jcomes a monopolizing emotion that
changes the structure of our reactions,
and lies dormant in our minds quietly
awaiting a stimulus.
Fear may be all that, but most of the
I time when people are scared the last
thing they are able to do is identify their
fear. After all, naming emotions gives
them a reality, and then we would actu
ally have to deal with their existence.
And the average person isn’t too keen on
this idea.
When I was a little girl, I used to be
afraid that something was going to “get
me.” I was quite certain that a horrible
blob of evil resided beneath my bed or in
my closet, and his entire existence re
volved around waiting for the perfect
time to “get me.”
Even though my room was a 2.3 sec
ond run from my parents’ bedroom (I
know because I timed it), it did not stop
that hard knot from forming in my stom
ach as soon as my parents left my room
for the night.
The shadows (from my rainbow
shaped night light) that danced on the
wall would suddenly turn into monsters
and goblins. The room that I turned into
a fairyland or a magic castle during the
day became a dungeon in the darkness.
Hours would pass as the scenarios
that my imagination was inventing be
came more horrible and graphic. I
wanted to run to my parents’ room, but
I didn’t want to admit that I was afraid.
After all, the big evil blob story didn’t
translate from imagination to explana
tion very well.
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were the accumulation of an \ mals ^hich
and Christmases became my^mv'c^d 75
Snuggles, Honey Jo and allmt ™£ yde ’
cions stuffed friends were hned " ^
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pulled one pillow up around my ears and
hugged another one across my chest I
looked like a mummy. I was burning-up
hot, but I felt superficially safe.
There must have been a day when this
nightly ritual ended because the army of
stuffed animals now resides in two garbage
bags collecting dust in my attic.
They served their purpose well, be
cause the big evil blob never got me. I re
member that the fear seemed as stupid in
the daytime then as it does all the time
now. But, in the darkness of my room
then, there was nothing more real.
Everyone has childhood fears, but
usually we grow out of them. And then
we trade them in for adult fears. If we
were reluctant to admit our fears in
childhood, we can be almost certain that
y - -
ar s effects on our lives
fp
We were reluctant to ad-
our fears in childhood,
we can be certain that
growing up didn’t change
us. Either we run from
fear or suffer in silence.
growing up didn’t change that.
Society has conditioned us to hide our
fear. “Only the strong survive” and “No
fear” are our mottoes. It seems that peo
ple think that denying fear is the best way
to combat it. That leaves two options, ei
ther we run from what we fear or suffer
in silence.
When Franklin D. Roosevelt said the
only thing to fear is fear itself, he didn’t
mean that we should be afraid to fear.
Rather we should be afraid of how we let
our fears affect our lives. A certain
amount of fear is necessary. It motivates
us, and sometimes protects us from do
ing stupid things.
But, fear becomes destructive when
we allow it to dictate our lives. My first
roommate my freshman year at A&M
went home after two weeks because she
was scared of life on her own. Maybe
A&M wasn’t the right college for her, but
she’ll never know because she was too
afraid to take the time to find out. Her
fear limited her opportunities.
Often when people don’t want to deal
with their fears they build up walls. Just
like my stuffed animal security system,
people build up walls to separate them
selves from their fears. They think inter
nalizing their fear will hurt less than talk
ing about and working through it.
Maybe we find our fears embarrassing.
Maybe we don’t what to appear weak to
the rest of the world. For whatever reason
there is a world full of people missing
out on opportunities, new experiences
and relationships because they are allow
ing fear to dictate their lives.
Jenny Magee is a sophomore English and journalism
major
April month to raise
alcohol awareness
The mondi of April is becoming known
across the country for something far more
significant than April Fool’s Day or even
Daylight Savings Time. April is also official
ly designated as “Alcohol Awareness
Month,” and has become a time for recog
nizing the kinds of things we can do all
year long to fight problems like illegal un
derage drinking and drunk driving.
Now is a key time to talk with young
people about the importance of respecting
themselves and the law, especially when it
comes to alcoholic beverages. That’s why
we at Jack Hilliard Distributing, Bryan-Col-
lege Station distributor of Anheuser-Busch
beers, make available free-of-charge to par
ents the “Family Talk About Drinldng” pro
gram. Developed with authorities in educa
tion and youth counseling, “Family Talk”
helps parents talk with tneir kids about
family rules, respect for the law, and peer
pressure. We invite readers to call us at
(409) 775-9047 for their free set of guide
books. Readers outside the area can call An
heuser-Busch’s toll-free number, 1-800-
359-TALK.
As a nation, we have made great
progress in addressing illegal underage
drinking. According to University of Michi
gan research drinking by high school se
niors is at its lowest level since 1975, when
the university began monitoring this trend.
What’s more, according to the U.S. Depart
ment of Transportation, the number of
teenage drunk-driving fatalities decreased
60 percent between 1982 and 1992. Lets
work together with our children to, keep
this progress improving this April and
throughout the 1990’s.
Ron Longoria, General Manager
Jack Hilliard Distributing
Bryan
Constitution protects
Faculty Friends ad
With all the talk about tolerance, mul-
ticulturalism, and diversity, a person
might be led to believe that constitution
ally-guaranteed freedoms such as speech
and religious expression were very se
cure. Such is simply not the case. Recently
the Faculty Friends ad has come under
sharp criticism. Faculty Friends is a group
of Christian faculty members who twice a
semester publish an ad in The Battalion.
The ad presents a brief Christian message
and indicates that these faculty are avail
able to those who want to discuss spiritu
al matters.
The Faculty Friends ad has been ques
tioned by individuals who maintain that
faculty cannot legally identify themselves as
members of academic departments and as
Christians. This viewpoint runs counter to
the U.S. Constitution which guarantees
freedom of speech and religious expression
(in the First Amendment). The fact is that
individuals who work in public institutions
have the legal right to state where they
work and that they are Christians. From
George Washington to Bill Clinton, Ameri
can presidents have publicly attended
church, have sworn the oath of office with
a hand on the Bible, and have appealed to
Americans to pray for their nation. In each
case, the man simultaneously presented
himself as Christian and President. The U.S.
Constitution permits these religious expres
sions by the highest ranking government
official and the lowliest public employee at
state-supported institutions, including fac
ulty at Texas A&M University.
The most disturbing criticism of Facul
ty Friends is the unsupported conjecture
that Christian faculty mistreat non-Christ
ian students. Effectively, the accusation is
that Christian faculty cannot treat all their
students fairly. If this were true, doing
away with the Faculty Friends ad would
not solve the problem. The final solution
would require doing away with Christians
on the campus. This is an unfounded and
unjust attack on a group of people simply
because of their religious beliefs. If any
faculty member is accused of mistreating
a student, that faculty member should be
dealt with on an individual basis, without
regard to his or her religious beliefs.
I believe that Faculty Friends and their
critics have some common ground. We all
want to make this a better world. Let us
work together, respecting our differences
of opinion. Don’t try to shut us up by
denying us our constitutional freedoms.
L. Murphy Smith, CPA
Professor of Accounting