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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1994)
mber 1, 199/, lay /ith widely wers and High near •teorolagical Society udy,” Clayton s, no fooling 1 problems are ty has explod- th also comes •rsity will be- alt with these e problems we iger,” she said, adversity, ncal chairman, st for A&M. 1. “I’m not an igenda, except * the Univcrsi- d e I 1 1 >f college rry about ashing especially hat's why sspecially e home I bank. 1-College und the h, a try. It'l Thursday • September 1, 1994 i 111 TN 1 IN ^ The Battalion • Page 15 Moment of silence prays for attention New Georgia law violates Constitutional separation of church, state r ■ V> nr MV nr nnt. t.n nrav is snnnnsnrl tn Althmi crh a minnt.p is fairlv FRANK STANFORD Columnist T o pray or not to pray is supposed to be a safe, personal choice, free from the religious convictions of anyone or any body of people. However, a Georgia schoolteacher was recently suspended from work, and a hearing this week may get him fired. He refused to obey the state law providing a moment of silence in class. Although this “moment” lasts just one minute or less, the teacher purposely disregarded it and commenced his lecture for the day. Although the Georgia law requires this “moment” be recognized, some say it’s in conflict with our Constitution. The Bill of Rights allows all American citizens to practice whatever religion they choose without government intervention. Of course, there are legal restrictions for church services that might include drugs, mutilating squirrels or disturbing the peace in some other way, but for the most part, the state has no interest in the way Americans worship. Except in Georgia. The irony of this situation lies in the apparent insignificance of one single minute of silence leading to the dismissal of a popular teacher and causing a huge media ruckus. Just one little minute, what difference does it make? The state government tries to skirt this prayer issue completely by officially , ^ r | | The Constitution is clear regarding the separation of church and state. Public school is the "state" and prayer time is the "church". It's that simple. calling the “moment” a time to “reflect on activities.” Well, we all know how much elementary through high school students need their “reflection time.” The “moment” is clearly for prayer. So, good grief, let ’em pray, it’s not going to kill anyone. But dissenters still protest. This may seem ridiculous until you consider the uproar there would be over a moment to “embrace Satanism,” which, albeit bizarre, is equally inappropriate in school. There are several aspects of the prayer issue to consider: How it affects students scholastically, emotionally - for those who believe in it and for those who don’t - and the legal interpretation of it all. As far as academics are concerned, 60 seconds of silence at the beginning of first period class is hardly destructive to a learning environment. On the other hand, taxpayers are paying for their children to attend class for so many minutes a day. They expect for the teacher to start class promptly on the hour and for all class activities to be lawful. Although a minute is fairly insignificant, there is a principle involved for parents who disagree with this “silence” as a time for prayer. Furthermore, they are opposed to the school system supporting “the moment of silence,” when school is for academics, not prayer. Not even two seconds' worth. Like many non-believers, I recognize and support religious freedom - including schoolchildren. If kids want to pray at school they should be free to do so. At lunch, during recess, between classes and after or on the way to school. There’s plenty of time; far more than one minute, and when done on a child’s own initiative, it does not affect anyone else. It may seem strange to view quiet prayer time as “affecting” someone else. And it probably won’t, if they’re praying also. However, a child sitting in a class with other praying kids might feel left out, think something’s wrong with him or even feel ostracized. Especially if he’s the only one abstaining. No student should ever be made to feel this way, particularly in a classroom environment. The framers of the Constitution thought of this type of problem and stated in the First Amendment, ’’Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...” Those who promote prayer in school dwell on the second half of this tenetO, and those who oppose it focus on the first part. On the surface, they seem to contradict each other regarding the prayer issue. It appears that NOT having a moment of silence is “prohibiting free exercise thereof”, but NOT having an organized time slot for prayer is hardly prohibitive. Government employees are not prohibited from praying on their own while they are at work, but there is no law forcing government employees to observe a moment of silence at the beginning of the workday. By enforcing this “one minute” prayer period in public schools - regardless of its new name - the government is truly “respecting an establishment of religion” because minors MUST attend school. Everyone reserves the right to believe what they want, or agree with the law or not, but the Constitution is clear regarding the separation of church and state. Public school is the “state” and prayer time is “church”. It’s that simple. Frank Stanford is a philosophy graduate student <g>iwme The Battalion Editorial Board Belinda Blancarte, Editor in chief Mark Evans, Managing editor Jay Robbins, Opinion editor Jenny Magee, Assistant opinion editor 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 tne opinions of the authors. Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. trORIAt. NwlHMNJ Slip-Slidin’ Scores Magazine ranking should cause concern Money magazine’s upcoming rankings of “best buys” will slant the reputation of Texas A&M downward, partly because of a clerical error. From a special issue scheduled to appear on newsstands Sept. 6, stu dents and faculty will not be pleased to learn that A&M will not be found among the top 100 best buys of acad emic institutions. This mishap occurred when the data on the number of faculty mem bers was transposed from 1805 to 1085. Since then, the cor rect data has been sent and officials are waiting to see what effect will re sult in a few weeks. How ever, the elimination from this year’s list might have happened without any “help” of a typing mistake. A&M should now use this inad vertent slight as a cause for analyz ing its standing in comparison with other state institutions. Whether or not the exclusion occurred from the mishap, A&M desperately needs to be concerned about the direction of its academic reputation. A&M has slipped from a ranking of 14 in 1991 to 42 last year. With the constant blows to this institution, it appears evident that the University can no longer pride itself on prestige from tradition and self-confidence alone. Concern should arise when other state insti tutions remain in the top 20, such as the University of Texas, whose cur rent ranking is 13. Since the ranking is a measure of monetary val ue rather than educa tional value, A&M should consider a look into their programs for efficiency, and direct its priorities toward fund ing and support services. “Best edu cation for the dollar” will only evolve through a tight and well managed system, which can be acquired through restructuring. Without such actions, A&M has the potential to slip lower in rankings of state in stitutions. . vMHHHNHi Gilbert should take hint People like Mrs. Warren Gilbert (“A&M Withholds Booster’s Tickets,” Aug. 30) make me sick. It is not enough that her husband got A&M into near death penalty trouble with the NCAA; no, this woman expects the 12th Man Foundation to send her tickets in direct violation of NCAA sanctions. She is “en titled” to these preferred seating tickets, she states, because of a $30,000 donation made in 1978. Has it ever occurred to this woman that $30,000 is a drop in the bucket com pared to the huge loss of revenue from televised football games and bowl ap pearances that her husband’s actions are directly responsible for? I’d say A&M got the short end of the stick. The Gilberts have enjoyed 15 years of preferred seat ing at the home games, while A&M came close to losing its athletic program. Mrs. Gilbert, why can’t you and your oversize ego and your husband take a massive hint and get out of our affairs? It is patently obvious that you don’t care a bit about Texas A&M or the sanctions we now face. I’m sure that the Aggies can find better “boosters.” Ray Komhoff Class of ’88 College Republicans respond to charges This letter is in response to a Mail Call letter in the Aug. 31 Battalion asking me to apologize on behalf of the College Republicans because we were selling “such items” that someone did not like. Instead of trying to defend Clinton’s record, Matt Murphy, a member of Aggie Democrats, has de cided it would be easier to censor and intimidate those who criticize Presi dent Clinton. Mr. Murphy, this coun try was founded on dissent. If you feel it is unpatriotic to criticize the Presi dent I suggest you evaluate your club’s track record. Remember when your club had a shirt a few years ago that read, “NO MORE BIIHSHit”? The Col lege Republicans did not respond with a whining diatribe to the Battalion. I understand the frustration you have due to the fact that your club has only a fraction of the support that College Republicans has, but the next time you would like to attempt to criticize us, please do it in a manner free from the base alloy of hypocrisy. Those who have sacrificed their lives by serving in the Armed Forces have done so to protect the First Amendment so people like you, Mr. Murphy, cannot dictate what can or cannot be said. Even though your club has said some pretty outrageous things in the past, we have not attempted to sus pend your First Amendment rights just because we disagree with you. We just let the ignorance of such statements speak for themselves. Chad Walter Class of ’94 President, College Republicans Jim Staley Class of’95 Ten rules will simplify fish life The Battalion encour ages tetters to the editor and will print as many as space allows, letters must be 300 words or less and indude the au thor's name, dass, and We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Address letters to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Fax: (409) 845-2847 E-mail: Batt@tamvm1 .tamu.edu From bar scene to poverty, freshmen need reality check M y sister is an incoming freshman here at Texas A & M. As part of her graduation present, I wrote a letter that would hopefully make her transition into college a little easier. I have adapted it below to apply to most new college students. Enjoy. # 1. You are about to become very poor. Notice all the money you’ve been getting for graduation? This is the most money you will see at one time for the next four years. Cherish it. Save it. Do not let it out of your sight. You do not need that new stereo. You will need new tires, clothes, a mailbox, books, frozen yogurt, pizza, toilet paper, party pics, everything Super Wal-Mart sells and a thousand other little things you haven’t yet thought of. Keep this in mind: $75 a month for phone bills is just not worth it. # 2. You may be under the impression that the prospects in the college dating pool are far superior to those at your high school. In actuality, the proportion of stellar dates to pond scum is about the same. Dating in college is like buying a new TV, excitedly calling all of your friends to tell them about it, and then taking it home and discovering it only has the Public Access channel. So you have to take it back and get a new TV, only it just has American Movie Classics. You keep getting new TVs hoping someday you’ll get cable. # 3. Night clubs are not good places to meet potential dates. LYNN BOOMER Columnist Besides the obvious obstacles of darkness, loud music and general drunkenness among the clientele obscuring your judgment, people in clubs generally lie about what they’re really like. Guys without rings say they’re seniors, women may have mysterious, unseen boyfriends who prevent them from dancing with you, and both sexes are likely to ask for your phone number with no intention of ever calling you. Good places to meet people are in classes, organizations, through your dorm and You will need a thousand other little things you haven't yet thought of. Keep this in mind: $75 a month for phone bills is just not worth it. best of all, through friends. # 4. Having class two hours a day instead of the six grueling hours you were accustomed to in high school may make college appear easier at first. This is an illusion. Don’t let your friends convince you that going to IHOP at four in the morning is a good idea, or that skipping your 1:50 class to see a matinee won’t matter to your professor. You must go to class, and you must study. You can’t get away with sweet- talking your professors. Crying, begging and bribes mean nothing to them. Learn to read textbooks. # 5. Get to know the people in your dorm. They make your first year much more bearable. # 6. It’s not cool to shave a letter into your hair or bang on other peoples’ doors at five in the morning so they’ll wake up for cut or do pretty much anything else the bonfire vampires claim is “red ass.” Always replace the word “red” in these phrases with “dumb.” If you’re really intent on having a giant S on your head, visualize yourself wearing a baseball cap for the rest of the semester to get dates. Is this really appealing? # 7. Inform everyone you know that Highway 6 doesn’t go to Austin. # 8. It’s OK to go to Midnight Yell Practice and football games without a date. People will not shun you. But don’t let that random guy next to you convince you that one little kiss would be the way to complete your evening. He’s a creep. # 9. Being really spirited is good. It’s good to participate in cut, load and stack for Bonfire. It is not good to harass other people who may not feel your spirit, nor is it good to skip class in order to go to stack. Your first duty as an Aggie is academics. The entire point of being here is to get your degree. Don’t lose sight of that. # 10. If you’re worried about whether or not people know you’re a freshman, stop worrying. Everyone knows. No matter how many questions you ask upperclassmen before the first day of class, you are still going to be clueless. You’re part of the group that’s a little too eager. You are the ones that get up at 6:30 in the morning and are 10 minutes early to your 8 o’clock. Relax and enjoy yourselves. Those people making fun of you were once in your place. Good luck to you, and have fun laughing at all the freshmen next year. Lynn Booher is a junior English and psychology major
