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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1994)
ip '# Opinion m The Battalion 'mmmmmmn Pa^e 9 No more fire drills, no more write-ups Moving off campus produces new respect for dorm life jects and®: indent fc an of thelie id he was 1 - port and h easy pubL mem testk 1 energy dc: commits ry on Moai •tmeut thii tion hash o ensure to tage of an acteii im to sperl :h to hisrij miles easii his haJj er Deborj often wo| reek and if .intense dt m, Clinti his pin nurses % als to King no hero America needs objective view ies s ic Will the real Rodney King please stand up? There are two sides to every story, and it’s time that the world looked at the complete Rodney King. There is a growing trend in America to view King as a role model, when in fact there are glaring reasons why he should not be viewed as one. This is not an is sue of color — it is an issue over how much is enough. When the King beating first was televised, the country was horrified, and Rodney King be came a downtrodden hero - he was fighting "the system” for his rights as an American citi zen. After the defendants were acquitted in the first trial, the federal government stti^a^d.dn and started another triaLThe de fendants 'Subseqiientiy were found guilty. However, the defendants in the Reginald Denny case were acquitted, and the government has yet to get involved. Denny’s beating was a senseless act of re taliation over the perceived in justice of the results of the first King trial. Denny suffered per manent damage from his in juries, but no one is hailing him as a crusader against brutality. After the city of Los Angeles offered King a million dollar out-of-court settlement, instead of taking the money and moving on with his life, King is holding out for more. Since the trials, King has been arrested for drunk driving, and accused of beating his wife as well as solic iting a male prostitute. There are two Rodney King’s — one that asks for peace among men, and another who can’t find peace with the law. Anyone besides Rodney King accused of the same crimes would not be held up as a role model. ICifig’s civil rights were violat ed and this is an abuse no citizen should have to suffer, but it’s time for both Rodney Kings to stand up and be held account able for their actions. If this situation is looked at as a black vs. white issue, no one can be objective. We’ve got to stop buying the idealized image of Rodney King — and the media has got to stop selling it. pring is nature’s alarm clock. Wildflow- ers awaken from their winter sluml ■ r, babies of all kinds open their ey -s >v the first time and many collep' hoisted into the chore of searching 'oi a place to live for the coming f'li cm ester. With prime spring sunshine and volleyball games galore, it is hard to consent to spend ing three or four hours driving to and from apartment complexes discussing :I g. like carpet condition and counter top colors. However, thoughts of spending another se mester in the dorm are usually motivation enough to make that sacrifice of free time seem worthwhile. Now, before a multitude of loyal on-cam pus residents spontaneously erupt into their respective dorm hump-its, let n > say that I think dorm life is an integral part of the en tire college experience. Maybe sometime around the age of 40, I’ll actually miss n to fall asleep to the sound of doors • 1 ming, being awakened by fire drills in ih middle of the night and wearing mittens to bed in the winter. But, after two full years of the dorm ex perience, the thought of a change feels as good as dreaming about ways to spend the money from a winning lottery tick' V\ hat will it be like to have a kitchen sink and a separate bathroom sink? What will it be like to have a thermostat? And most of all, what will it be like to have a bathtub? As I begin the process of leaving my hum ble dorm room forever, I feel a certain t ist- ed attachment to the 1.2-by JENNY MAGEE Columnist that I’ve lived in for two years. I remember the first time I saw the room. It was completely empty, the floor was filthy, dust was caked on the shelves and there was a rusted piece of clothes hanger sticking out of the air vent. My stomach dropped as I sat down on soi ru hard green piece of plastic that was uppdsecl to be a mattress and began to cry. I I n omptly told my father with tears stream- ■ ng down my face, I couldn’t, I wouldn’t' live here. If I remember correctly he laughed at me, patted me on the back and said, “It is amaz ing how easily people can adapt to their sur roundings.” As much as I hate to admit it, he was right. After seven banana boxes full of my stuff were unpacked, I felt much better. It took me five hours and two rolls of tape to cover every visible inch of the walls with postcards and posters. If I had to be en closed in a 1 2-foot square, then at the least I wanted to be surrounded by pictures of things I loved. Granted it was easier to adapt to the physi cal appearance of the room now that it had my own personal touch. Other facets of my new environment weren’t as easy to adjust to. It took several weeks to figure out how to fit all of my clothes into half as much closet space — push one hanger forward and the next hang er back or double up clothing on one hanger. There were several winter nights of waking up shivering cold because three shirts, long johns and a jogging suit were not enough to keep me warm. Perhaps the largest feat of adjustment was learning how to shave my legs in a stand-up shower without any ledges. Let me just say that it’s a good thing that 1 took gymnastics as a kid. If learning to adapt to a less than luxuri ous living environment was the name of the game, dorm life was a successful teacher. I learned to be neat because I could not flee to another room to escape a mess. I learned to share a bathroom with three other girls. And I learned to microwave everything. Now as I am leaving dorm life, I am thankful that in the future if need be, I know I can live quite happily in a very small space. I am thankful that I can cherish little every day conveniences like bathtubs, thermostats and windows that open. My dorm room, as is the case of many college students, was the first place where 1 ever lived without my parents. It was a hum ble beginning to life on my own, but it was a step. I don’t think I ever did or will think of my dorm room as home, but it is someplace that I will never forget. Jenny Magee is a sophomore Knglish and journalism major vmn comics mm PiiAsu^... 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 Early architect built legacy of strength, grandeur, charm iion) T exas A&M is not known for its great architecture. Few buildings on campus are worth remember ing, and those that do have style and ar chitectural value are being uniformly de faced with the installation of dark-tinted, aluminum windows. But during the ‘20s and ‘30s, several buildings were constructed here that exude an atmosphere of strength, grandeur and charm. Buildings like Systems Administra tion, Chemistry, Geology, Scoats Hall, Ani mal Industries, the old Cushing Library and a few others are all superior in design to anything built here before or since. The University has two events to thank for these monumental structures. One was the discovery of oil in West Texas. The other was the arrival of a man named Samuel Vosper. At the turn of the century, the University of Texas and the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas were just beginning to so lidify as academic institutions. At the same time, however, they were struggling to sur vive on meager budgets. Their operating funds came from leases on grazing and mineral rights to about two million acres of ROY L. CLAY Columnist near-useless land in West Texas which the state of Texas allotted to the two schools in the late 1800s. How could the state legisla ture have foreseen that those two million worthless acres sat on some of the richest deposits of petroleum in the country? Needless to say, after the first oil discover ies, die two schools had the money to cre ate campuses that reflected the excellence taught in their classrooms. The only question was who would build them. UT already had its answer. Even be fore the oil boom, the Austin school en joyed the lion’s share of the proceeds from the West Texas leases, and its financial situa tion wasn’t as dire as A&M’s. UT had em ployed Cass Gilbert, a renowned architect, to design its campus and buildings even be fore the discovery of “Texas Tea.” A&M, on the other hand, was not so ex travagant. Whether by design or fiscal re strictions, the school decided to give the task of planning die campus and its build ings to the head of its arcliitecture depart ment, Frederick Giesecke. He had been re sponsible for the designs, if not the actual architect, for several buildings in the past, including the Academic Building and the Carnegie Public Library in Bryan. After graduating from A&M in 1890, Giesecke began teaching at the his alma mater. In 191 2, he took a job at die “State University” in Austin as Head of Engineer ing Research and later die archnecture de partment. It was in the latter capacity that he met the large, rotund, jovial drai nig in structor, Samuel Vosper. Born, raised and educated in the North, Vosper fell in love widi Texas on his first visit. He moved his family to San Antonio in 1920 and began working for an architec ture firm. Later, he took a position at UT where his peculiar personality and drinking habits gained him notoriety. However, he was fired in 1929 after it was leu < icd he using a student as a nude model for his drawing classes. Giesecke, who had returned to the A&M College two years earlier, immediately hired Vosper as a professor of architecture. V T osper was fired from a teaching position at UT in 1929 after it was learned he was using a student as a nude model for his drawing classes. Vesper’s ability was unquestioned. He was considered ‘ to be one of the ablest de lineators of modern times” by Ernest Lang ford, a colleague and future head of the ar chitecture department. Raiford Stripling, a well-known Texas architect, said Vosper could “make a pencil talk.” In 1931, A&M began a building pro gram. Giesecke immediately designated Vosper as the chief designer. He proceeded to create the most beautiful buildings on this campus. But Vesper’s life was not as happy as his joviality indicated. Fie and his wife lost their infant son in 1915, only a year after their marriage, and a second son in 1928. By the beginning of the A&M building program, Vosper was drinking so heavily his assistant had “to prime him with a couple of shots of whiskey j ust to get him out of bed.” He died 2 5 years later of alco hol-related illnesses. Regardless of his personal problems, Vosper left a legacy that will last for as long as ms work stands. The buildings he de signed are intricate and fascinating. The in terior of the Systems Administration Build ing is one of the most unique on any Texas campus. Unfortunately, few of Vosper’s cre ations carry his name. Because Giesecke was the official college architect, his is the name that adorns the cornerstones. Walking across campus, perhaps you will remember this bit of A&M history and enjoy the architecture Samuel Vosper gave us. A&M will not see the likes of it again. Roy L. Clay is d senior history major Glass project stolen Despite the recent Mail Call letters about stolen property and money, things haven’t changed. I was painting a metal box maroon for my ’ENTC class between Dorm 7 and Lounge C on the Quad. Within the 30 minutes that I left it to dry, you guessed it, someone picked it up. We all know what the Aggie Code of Honor says, so there is really no need to repeat it here again. All I ask is that my class project be returned. I don’t know, maybe you didn’t realize it belonged to anyone or thought it was junk someone had thrown out. In any case please re turn it. Mike Sharp Class of ‘95 Stanford should not dismiss improbability Frank Stanford, in his column “Religion born to soothe stargazers,” makes some in teresting points on the nature of the more miraculous stories of the Bible and says, “All of this would sound preposterous if you didn’t already believe...wouldn’t it.” I believe he has fallen into a dangerous trap by dismissing accounts solely because they do not fit into his particular world view. Perceived improbability does not E reclude truth. For e ;ample, the improba- ility that one man’s warped psyche could lead to the murder of six million people does nothing to take away the true horror of the Holocaust. One should also not dismiss something which is potentially relevant as the resur rection of Jesus sim ply because it seems improbable. This is not merely a story told to soothe fears but i; i nething which either 1) actually happened, .or ) did not occur. It would seem unum to dismiss such a potentially significant truth without thorough investigate-m i.nto fs possible va lidity. I can think o ; v >tl : c’ more worthy of study than the .m- .(if n - j F m . Christ’s resurrection. Tdlii' Murdock Class of ‘95 Feminist movement defined by leaders The best way to define a movement is by what the leaders of the movement do, say and believe. Catherine MacKinnon, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School and author of ‘ Feminism Un modified,” is the most outspoken and ar ticulate of prominent feminists. She maintains that all sex is rape. She also feels that unrestricted abortions should be legalized in all situations because all preg nancies result from rape. Patricia Ireland, president of the Na tional Organization for Women is also a notable feminist. Among her preemi nent accomplishments is abandoning her husband and children to live with her lesbian lover. Moreover, in the past she has bolstered efforts to expand the definition of rape to include those in- dances of sex in which the male used verbal coercion” before engaging in the activity. Under this definition, any situation where a man tries to encour age a women to have sex would qualify as rape. Consider Gloria Steinem, esteemed author of “Women Who Run with the Wolves.” One of her more recent actions that drew media attention v, as cam paigning against Texas senator Kay Bai ley Hutchison. Hutchison is a Republi can, so Steinem denounced her as a “fe male impersonator.” As much as Catherine MacKinnon would disagree, the definition of femi nism is radical liberalism applied to women. It are not about equality, w l : ' is a noble goal that any reasonable per son would support. Its major focus E expanding the definition o! mud 1 rassment and rape and basically aU o ing abortion to oe used as a method of birth control. James R. Staley Editor’s note: ‘‘Women Who Run With the Wolves” was written by Clarissa PinkoJa Estts.