Opinion
hiursday, May 5, 1994
The Battalion Editorial Board
JULI PHILLIPS, Editor in chief
MICHAEL PLUMER, Managing editor KYLE BURNETT, Aggielife editor
KlINDA 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 7
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Lift your voices from sea of silence
Students must stir from apathetic reverie and voice concern
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Finals furor
Hang in there and good luck
ver the course of the past 1 2 months,
the University has weathered a num
ber of scandals. The image of Texas
A&M, whether we like it or not, has been
tarnished in the eyes of the state and possibly
the nation. Granted, the press is in a feeding
frenzy while the administration falters, at
tacking like sharks at the smell of blood.
But with all the bad publicity and bad
moves by University officials, the true mis
fortune is the student body’s general apathy
and silence in response to these events.
About eight years ago, members of the
Gay Student Services planned to hold a sit-
out to protest the University’s policy that
kept the group from becoming an official
student organization. The spot where they
chose to sit was the Memorial Student Center
grass. In response, hundreds of people sur
rounded the grounds of the MSG in order to
prevent the protesters from defiling the
memorial lawns.
Last semester, it was reported that Univer
sity officials awarded chemistry professor
John Bockris grant money somewhere in the
range of $200,000 to research the feasibility
of making gold out of mercury and mine
dirt. The school’s part in this scandal is be
ing investigated by state and federal authori
ties. The Exchange Commission is investigat
ing Bockris.
This semester, two administrative assis
tants for the Board of Regents have been in
dicted on charges of falsifying official docu
ments in order to conceal the possible pur
chase of alcohol by the board with state
funds. Authorities have hinted that these two
ROY L.
CLAY
Columnist
It is that time of year again.
Time to pack up our stuff and
leave this semester behind us.
For the lucky few, this will be
the last time for the drill. Others
will face this time of year three,
four, maybe even six more
times. Whatever the case may
: be, this week we are preparing
!to move on.
|j But wait - we still have finals
j'totake. It’s not over yet. A wall
pof tests stands between this se-
| mester and the future, but it is a
wall each of us will watch pass
tf after just a few more days.
For some, the wall may seem
impassable. W|e sometimes wish
we could just walk around. But
unless we want a report card full
of incompletes, we better just
suck it up and get it over with.
And each of us can know that
we are not alone. Our fellow Ag
gies, and many other college
students around the world, are
psyching themselves up for fi
nals this week.
Whether we are graduating,
going home to find work or
leech off our parents, or waiting
for everyone else to leave Col
lege Station so we can have it all
to ourselves, we are all in the
same boat now.
We should be sure to be sup
portive of each other this week
as we prepare for finals.
We should turn the stereo
down the first time our neigh
bors ask, and we should not try
so hard to talk our friends into
taking “study breaks.” Instead
we should realize the stress of
this time of year can drive us all
into a panic.
If we don’t feel the stress,
then maybe we should be sure to
be there for a friend that does.
Reading Day would be festive
if it wasn’t for the impending
gloom that waits just around the
corner. Classes are over, bags are
being packed, leases have been
finalized, friends are exchanging
addresses and finals are all that’s
left. Good luck and congratula
tions to the graduating seniors.
indictments are only the tip of the iceberg
and higher ranking officials at the University
and the A&M system level may be indicted on
various other charges.
The actions of our administration and
those in positions of authority at Texas A&M
have gone unchallenged by the student body.
We raise our voices, and oftentimes our fists,
in defense of our traditions — yet we fail to
raise even a finger in defense of our school’s
honor. Where’s the spirit — so apparent when
A&M students gathered to “defend” a plot of
sacred grass — when a few people responsible
for the ethical conduct of school affairs are
tarnishing the image of the school we all
hold dear?
It is very possible that we will live to regret
our silence on these matters. The scandals
rocking our small corner of the world have
been reported on the state and national levels.
Every time I talk to friends or relatives outside
Texas’ borders, they mention the problems
here on campus. Do you think it will be any
different when you go looking for a job, even
in another state? Probably not. Just as our fine
traditions define the reputation and validity
of our school and our degrees, so will the ac
tions of those in charge of this institution,
good or bad.
So why haven’t we done something about
it? Why hasn’t the student body expressed its
displeasure at the way in which certain ad
ministrators and school officials control our
school? Has there been a real moment of stu
dent anger over the unethical behavior in the
athletic program that has cast a shadow over
the upcoming year of Texas A&M football?
There’s an old saying: “Don’t soil the place
where you eat.” Whether school officials like
it or not, this school revolves around the stu
dents. Our voices can make a difference if we
put forth the effort to raise them. That does
n’t mean Texas A&M has to become a hotbed
of political activism (one University of Texas
in the state is enough). This isn’t about poli
tics anyway. The powers that be need to
know the students are aware of their indis
cretions and that we won’t allow them to
stain our educations.
We will be associated with A&M for the
rest of our lives. For many of us, that associa
tion will take on an active role, while others
will remain passive in their relationship to
the University. Why wait until we are alumni
to make a difference in the quality of educa
tion we receive here?
The reputation of Texas A&M as an institu
tion of higher learning has been tarnished. In
some circles, it is a laughing stock. Speak out!
The image of this school is just as important
as a swath of grass in front of the MSC.
Roy L. Clay is a senior history major
Editorials appearing in The
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Address letters to:
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College Station, TX 77843
Fax: (409) 845-2647
When dazed and confused becomes a state of being
W hat is going on!? What am I go
ing to do? Why should I do it, if I
decide to?
What we’re dealing with here is mass
confusion. I don’t specifically mean gradu
ation confusion or ‘end of semester con
fusion,” but a general state of constant
confusion experienced by most of us sim
ply because we are in our 20s. OK, maybe
some of us are around the fringes of the
20s, but nonetheless, those of us pushing
20 or even 30 are still some powerfully
perplexed puppies.
wbout what?” you ask. (If no confu
sion is in your life, you are anal retentive,
too overplanned and most likely an ac
countant.)
Well, there are several categories of men
tal chaos. The first and most prominent
form for those of us in college is “What am
I doing widi school?!” This type of confu
sion is widespread and multifaceted.
The second most common brand of
cerebral anarchy has to do with social
problems - you know: boyfriend/girl
friend stuff, loneliness, parents who re
ject/coddle you, etc. The after-college
confusion usually kicks in about this time
(graduation) and is laden with job choic-
FRANK
STANFORD
Columnist
es and location choices.
Lastly are the incredibly mind-numbing
questions of life in general. I think this last
category is particularly difficult for young
adults because they usually don’t have fami
ly responsibilities to help make their deci
sions for them. Since I don’t have a family
to consider, I must rely on conjecture, but I
still insist having kids and a- mortgage
lessens the confusion over decisions such as
whether or not to quit your current life and
become a bongo drummer in Malta.
“What am I doing with school?”
This question is so common, it’s pathet
ic. Many students have no idea what they’re
doing in college or why they’re doing it.
“Why am I even here?’ is most commonly
heard after making a 15 on an engineering
exam (which I understand is often a “B”),
or a 59.5 on a political science test (which I
understand is a big fat “F”). This important
question is usually asked in confused des
peration and shouldn’t be worried about
until you have failed everything, in which
case the answer to, “Why am I even here?”
will be: “You aren’t anymore. Blinn is your
home now.”
Social confusion is a personal favorite
because it is so utterly amazing how one lit
tle humanoid even remotely involved in an
other person’s fife can create so much pan
demonium. A grown man or woman (well,
we’re legally grown anyway) can write a
20-page research paper, pass three tests in
one week, talk their parents out of more
money and their professor into giving a
higher grade — all on two hours of sleep
while hungover — and STILL be a spineless
weakling about calling someone who hard
ly knows or cares they exist.
And then, of course, there’s the seem
ingly idiotic and ever common state
ments, “Go out with HIM?! Are you KID
DING? He’s too . . . nice.” or, “She’s really
cool and smart and funny and a babe, and
1 really like her a lot, but go OUT with
her? Nah.”
We’ve all heard these words and some
times even try to understand them, but
don’t they sound confusing? Or at least
ridiculously illogical?
If you are continually con
fused over what you de
sire as a career, shoot a
pellet gun at an open set of
encyclopedias from 100
yards away like I did, and
go from there.
Social confusion continues throughout
life, and Tm told it really escalates after
marriage. Usually husbands are the most
confused. My married friends have no idea
what’s going on; they just nod a lot.
The after-college confusion is primari
ly: “Well (all good questions start with
‘well’), Tm out in the big world now. Just
what do I want?”
Isolating what you want is probably the
most important and most confusing en
deavor ever. Knowing what you want is
7 5 percent of getting it. If you are contin
ually confused over what you desire as a
career, shoot a pellet gun at an open set of
encyclopedias from 100 yards away like I
did, and go from there. (It landed on
“philodendron,” but since I can’t go
through life as a bush, I chose the nearest
word: “philosophy”)
As I mentioned earlier, I think many of
the biggie confusions are sort of aimed at
college and 20-aged people due to their ba
sic lack of serious responsibility. Many,
many, many things (OK, everything) I have
done in the last few years would never have '<■
been attempted if I had had a wife and kids, i
I would never force my wife to explain to a
child, “Daddy is stuck in Haiti because he ,
wanted to see what squalid poverty was like ‘
during a civil war.” Or the ever popular, “I
know you miss Daddy, but the parole board '
is a bunch of bastards.”
Family types have plenty of their own
problems, Tm certain, but freedom is much!
more confusing when you’re free to fuse
confused confusions to the freed fusions of
otherwise fused confusions.
Frank Stanford is a graduate philosophy student
Thoughtless name
calling silly, immature
I am writing in response to Christopher
Binovi’s letter concerning feminists, in
which he refers to women as “babes” and
“chicks” and goes on to conclude feminists
are not smart or attractive. In response to
this, fd fike to suggest that he reflect on his
standards of intelligence and attractiveness.
Personally, I do not find the image of a
freshman entertaining himself with fantasy
calls to 900 numbers very attractive. And as
far as his assumption that all women are at
tracted to him, I think that is one fantasy he
is going to have to surrender.
While Tm sure that The Battalion staff
got a chuckle off such a blatandy ignorant
letter, I don’t believe such derogatory re
marks about any ethnic minority would be
printed. I would encourage the staff to keep
the opinion page a completely open forum
for all different viewpoints, but to use a lit-
de more discretion with thoughtless name-
calling and stereotypes.
Jenny Hamner
Class of ‘96
Kiest residents get
worst end of deal
Got a little question for ya Ags! What do
you do when the Corps of Cadets grows
and must replace someone on the quad? It
seems that Dr. Southerland and the bureau
crats here at A&M believe the sensible thing
to do is to kick the Kiest Hall residents out
and replace them with the residents of
Gainer. Yes, Ags, there are currently 110
non-reg males living on the top three floors
of Kiest Hall. Along with kicking us off the
quad, the University decided to spend
thousands of dollars to renovate our hall to
“accommodate the girls’ needs.” Yet, all we
hear about through the “SAVE GAINER”
campaign is how the girls of Gainer are be
ing oppressed and harshly thrown into
some other hall. Evidently, the relentless
work that Kiest Hall has put into keeping
our hall alive and earning respect around
campus since August of 1992 is insignifi
cant in the eyes of all who made the unjus
tified decision.
We are not complaining about the
growth of the Corps at all. In fact, we
were told that the Corps (not Gainer)
would be replacing us in Kiest, and al
though we were disappointed that we
would be apart from each other next year,
we understood that the Quad was and al
ways will be the Corps’ home. However,
every Kiest Hall resident pays the same
amount of money towards tuition, books,
rent and all the other university fees as
each Gainer resident. We would like for
someone to please explain how the girls
of Gainer suddenly take precedence over
the current residents of Kiest.
We would also like to ask the Gainer res
idents, who obviously do not wish to five
in Kiest Hall, to find somewhere else to live
and give Kiest back to the current residents
who do. The Kiest Knights will never die!
Jeffrey M. Crews
Kiest Hall President, Class of ‘96
Accompanied by 68 signatures
Ross’ flaws no cause
to compromise honor
Lawrence Sullivan Ross’ reputation has
come under fire. Certain groups have been
informing the public about his pro-slavery
stance. Fortunately, the information is out
for everyone to see; however, Sully’s honor
should not be compromised. Like everyone,
Ross had character flaws he had to five with.
Washington, Lincoln, JFK, Malcolm X, and
every other influential leader had their
flaws. In fact, U. S. Grant, the general who
carried the Union to victory, possessed one
of the most corrupt administrations, yet we
admire his accomplishments enabling the
US. to abolish slavery once and for all.
By informing the public, everyone wins.
Through this we can honor Ross for every
thing he did for the University. Through his
faults, we can see how far Texas A&M has
progressed over the years.
Curtis G. Neason
Class of ‘96