September Hj
*tl
Droad Programs: Aninlon
mid at 10:15 a.m. in 251B
alion call Jenny Hanks alft
ima: Our first meeting ollt»»
5.45 p.m. in 601 Rudder. Fock
\my Kacal at 776-1476.
icy Care Team: A general in
. in 301 Rudder. Formoranb-
260-1676.
si: Our professional casual u J
ollege Station Conference Ci
i call Beth McCauley at 69Mft|
96-7703.
allsts Association: Ourfnljil
eld at 6:30 p.m. in 003 Reecy
lion call April Arias at 8452K; I
/ednesday • September Id, 1994
QP1NION
The Battalion • Page 9
en also must fight date rape
MAfWIK
0i«?4- me p&m>
NEW JEfMirY
fiends don't let
lends get hurt -
f hurt others
MICHAEL
LANDAUER
ithollcs: Learn moreaboul
esented by Deacon Bill$w :
Church at 9 p.m. In the
Ih s Chapel.
A general meeting with
and committee positionsr
jdder. For more informal
*18.
iloglsts: A general meelingi
of the Anthropology Building
any at 847-2186.
pha: Donate books to 'I
African American Literature'll
>C or at cube #10 in Koldus f|
lyanza Davis at 846-0547
ggles: A mandatory
aid from 7-8:15 p.m. in 110
l/Koldus (if you attended the(r*|
* not need to attend this one)
anessa at 847-0687 orShenii
'e’ve heard it all before. “Think of
the five women closest to you.
One of them will be raped.”
Although 20 percent seems high, sta
tics have never really affected me. Of
iurse, date rape is an issue that doesn’t
ally affect me directly. But recently I
(as telling a freshman she had to be
iful when she goes out in college.
She took my warnings about as seri-
sly as I took all the literature I’ve
ard since I’ve been at A&M. It’s hard to
ok at a sign that says “Friends Raping
riends is Bad Bull” and really be struck
ith the importance of the issue.
I’ve only been here a year, but I’ve
Htiown people who have been raped by
0 p.m. in 404 Rudder Fa., lends or almost date raped by
rangers. When you know someone who
as been raped, the literature and ad
•wipaigns mean a lot more.
m institute of Ftorai Detigw Maybe my friend didn’t take my ad-
'utture'Building^ormorcifT ' ce ^ ()0 ser i° u sly because I’m a guy. Al-
Ann Boney at 778-5902 plough guys get just as angry when
ley hear about someone being sexually
ssaulted, date rape still seems to be a
“furl” problem. But girls are not the
ly ones who care.
A friend of mine from another
[chool got very serious one day when
ere swapping party stories. He told
e a girl who hung out with his fra-
rnity had been raped at a party by a
y they could identify. Unfortunately
arges never were pressed because
e girl was afraid her sexual history
ould make her look bad.
mtlyat 847-0111.
Thursday
Columnist
My friend and his fraternity brothers
plan to find this guy and make him pay
in not-so-legal ways. Although he is not
usually a violent person, he would not
think twice about inflicting pain on the
scum who raped his friend.
My friend’s violent desires are not
just a macho display or even an at
tempt to punish a fellow guy because
he made our gender look bad. Guys
are just as disgusted at the idea of
date rape as anyone else.
Maybe rapists aren’t intimidated by a
Maybe date rapists aren't afraid of the
law and feel they can prove that the
girl was a "slut." But he will answer
to her friends when the time comes.
»Association: Agenefalrn#)
in 401 Rudder. For more infcn
it 846-9632.
>ha: Donate books to‘Er
\frican American Literature'a
C or at cube #10 in Koldus. ftn
yanzn Davis at 846-0547.
sexual Aggies: OurfirslRacG:
302 Rudder For more
7-0321.
Inlng: A free cookoutand
•Id from 6-8 p.m at the part
Building (look for the sign),
something MORE are welcome !
call Julie at 846-1935.
forlty: An informational meetrc|
p.m. in 145 MSC. Formoreirt
'-1883
on: Free Czech languageiesstnf
3-9 30 p m. in 421 Evans Lfr* 1
call David Chroust at 268-1 IOC
Motivate You (ARMY): Ann
Id at 7 p.m. in 601 Rudder. Fcrpj
iron Metcalf at 847-7584.
attalion service that lists iw f
Ity events and activities. Iters
tied no later than three daysr
osired run date. Application
Ricos are not events and will re
. If you have any questions,^
rn at 845-3313.
girl saying, “No.” Maybe they aren’t
afraid of the law when they feel they can
prove that the girl was a “slut.” But they
should be ready to answer to a girl’s
friends when the time comes.
This goes against my belief in law and
order, but I wish more rapists would get
the crap beaten out of them. Although it
could never come close to inflicting the
same amount of pain and humiliation as
their crime, it might make give a rapist
one more thing to think about. It might
even make him do the right thing.
Girls are all very open with each other
ing?
rough
jement
>ider.
when they give each other advice - stay
in groups when you don’t know people at
the party, don’t drink too much when
you’re with a guy you don’t know too
well, don’t be afraid to press charges and
know the law is on your side. But the
only advice guys get is, “Don’t rape some
one and “No means no.” Well guys, here’s
some more advice for us.
Guys should not try to persuade a girl
to have sex while they are mugging. If a
guy does then it could end up being rape.
She might say no the first time a guy
asks and then give up arguing, but that
is not a green light. I believe if you
haven’t talked about sex in an unroman
tic setting, then you should just wait and
avoid any confusion.
Also, guys need to know that the law
is not against them. Guys joke all the
time about the public relations cam
paigns and the laws aimed at stopping
date rape. This idea is also a
dangerous trap. The jokes
have to stop when you’re at a
party and you see a friend
taking advantage of some
one. You can’t just laugh it
off and hope that your friend
will do the right thing. Step
in and make sure he does.
Also, be sure to let your
female friends know that you are
there for them. Watch out for them
without being afraid that you’ll be act
ing like their dad. Sometimes they
may need you, and you will need to be
there for them.
We may joke about the signs we read
or scoff at the statistics we hear, but they
do make an important point. Date rape is
not just a girl’s problem. Guys need to
help prevent it, too.
Michael Landauer is a sophomore
journalism major
OHf PM'T 1V0RRYf ^
ee me ClihlTort ^
NiSTRATioMfj
The Battalion
Editorial Board
i&mmm
-rr
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 the opinions of the authors.
Contact the opinion editor for information
on submitting guest columns.
A&M NEEDS DAY CARE
Proposal should also look at student-parents
As the third largest university in
the nation, Texas A&M desperately
needs a day care center that would
provide child care for both faculty
and students.
A plan proposed by the Faculty Sen
ate calls for day care services to meet
the needs of the faculty. However, with
the growing number of student-parents
on this campus, the University should
consider their
needs as well.
Excluding Bay
lor and TCU, 90
percent of other
major universities
in the state, includ
ing the University
of Texas, provide
and support day
care facilities for
their student bodies.
With a student population
of nearly 42,000, it would
make sense to establish such a
program at Texas A&M.
Furthermore, students with chil
dren are at a far greater disadvantage
than faculty members. Faculty gener
ally have more financial resources
available and more time to arrange
day care for their children. Students,
on the other hand, generally lack both
time and money and would benefit
immensely if a University program
helped to fulfill this need. A day care
facility should certainly be available
to faculty, but it rightly should strive
to serve the students as well.
One of a university’s top priorities
should be developing progressive
programs, such as day cares, that
provide for faculty and student’s
non-academic needs in order to facil
itate education. Unfortunately,
A&M lags behind in this area; most
other colleges and employers already
provide such services.
Various plans for a University
day care center have been
tossed around for seven
years. None have ever
been implemented,
for several reasons,
including the lack
of a campus facility
and the general
satisfaction with
local day care.
However, times
have changed and
A&M must make it
a priority to meet
the changing needs of students.
Texas A&M provides many stu
dent services, but the needs of stu
dent-parents have been overlooked.
If this proposal is passed in the Fac
ulty Senate it should take into con
sideration the needs of the students
- the individuals who would benefit
from the program the most.
Fear, risk of violent crime warp lives of people throughout America
ust 1995
3 year
er
',onsideft [
H ear ye! Hear ye! Naked man
streaks through the Quad at top
speed. Serious as they may be,
some of the offenses in Police Beat can
be downright comical. I have occasion
ally found myself chuckling along with
friends as we read aloud the more hilar
ious exploits. Since College Station is
enowned for having one of the lowest
crime rates in the country, we can af
ford to chuckle, right? Wrong - dead wrong.
AJA
HENDERSON
Columnist
All
chuckles stop when crime, violent or nonviolent,
reaches past the confines of the newspaper or
television and chokes the life of you or someone
you love. All laughter ceases when violence
crushes you.
The day of the memorial service for Crystal
Miller and Reginald Broadus, two A&M students
who were murdered last summer, was a doubly
somber one for me . On that same day, I found
out that one of my closet friends from my home
town had been carjacked. Fortunately, he had
not been seriously injured, but both his car and
his trusting spirit had been stolen. Oh, yeah -
and he was also slightly shaken up about the
;gun that had been pointed to his head.
I wonder what created the kind of monsters
that take the lives
of those we know,
and what we can
do about it. I real
ly haven’t discov
ered an answer
yet, and neither
have the leaders of
our country.
Is harsher pun
ishment the key? I know a number of people
from the Middle East, and they are always yap
ping about how the crime rate in their countries
is so much lower than that of the United States.
I have been told that in these Middle Eastern
countries, even relatively minor crimes are swift
ly and severely punished. Now, I can’t say that I
could swallow the idea of a person receiving 300
lashes for snatching a purse, but I bet their
women don’t have to clutch their purses (or
Mace) so tightly!
So, is that sort of punishment needed in the
United States? What about an eye for an eye?
Something has to be done; it is obvious that the
present system is not working. We have more
people locked away than any other advanced na
tion, and we still live in day-to-day fear. I don’t
know of one person who feels really safe from
crime, even here in white bread College Station.
Some people may think that’s just life, but I
think that’s just sad.
Children shouldn’t be afraid to go out to play
or have to wonder if their next breath will be
their last, but they do. My aunt shouldn’t have
to worry that someone will kidnap my brand-new
baby cousin in a public place, but she does. I
shouldn’t have to look over my shoulder as I
I hope everyone on this campus is
aware that crime is real, and it's out
there. We do have our Aggie Code
of Honor, but scum will be scum.
head to my car in the evenings, but I do. Our
self-defense class shouldn’t be one of the hardest
ones to get into, but it is.
Yes, I continue to look over my shoulder, be
cause I know that crime can sneak up anywhere,
at any time. After my friend got carjacked, all he
could say was that he didn’t think it could hap
pen to him. I am sure that Crystal and Reginald
didn’t think something like that could happen to
them either. Nonetheless, a tragedy stuck, and
it struck hard.
I hope everyone on this campus is aware that
crime is real, and it is out there. Yes, we do have
our Aggie Code of Honor; but scum will still be scum.
Police Beat can occasionally give you some real
kicks, but for every “naked man streaks” tidbit there
is another story in which a crime has really victim
ized someone - really hurt someone.
So, this sad story continues day after day.
When will it stop? When will the criminals of
the world find their sanity, and stop all this
needless pain? I hope with all of my heart that
we find the answers to the perplexities of vio
lence before violence captures and consumes us.
One of the most detrimental responses to crime
is apathy, which seems to be a growing trend these
days. Adults and children alike are bombarded
with gruesome images of violence by the media
day in and day out, causing a numbness, a silence.
We must look at the deathly misfortune that
hit two of our strongest students and scream.
Perhaps then, violence will listen.
Aja Henderson is a sophomore finance major
Aggies forget freedom
of political choice
Election time is a miserable period
of time for me at A&M. Being a Demo
crat at a Republican university isn’t
the problem. The jokes and kidding
that come my way aren’t the problem.
The twisted looks on people’s faces
when they find out I’m voting Democ
rat aren’t the problem. My problem is
the sadness I feel when my car van
gets graffitied because it has an Ann
Richards sticker on it. The problem is
the sadness I feel when I’m called a
“Hippie Liberal Faggot” and told to go
to t.u. because I was wearing a T-shirt
that poked fun at the Republican can
didates. I’m not sad because these
things happened. I’m sad because
these things happened here. I’m sad
because my fellow Aggies forgot that
hundreds of other Aggies gave their
lives for the freedom of choice. I just
hope that before the election, my fel
low Aggies will have a chance to take
a long walk around the Memorial Stu
dent Center and remember that they
are very lucky to have a say-so in who
leads their country.
Mike Morris
Class of ’93
Visitors block 'contract
only' garage entrance
I don’t understand the thought
processes of some of my fellow Aggies.
I paid - OK, so my parents paid, but
let’s not lose sight of the real matter -
$200 for a parking space in the Northside
parking garage. I am one of the lucky
people who gets to use the “contract only”
entrance. Between the garage and Block
er, there is a one-way street (Ireland
Street) leading to a parking garage en
trance. Three lanes, one-way, two en
trances to the garage. The entrance on
the right flashes “Contract Only” and the
one on the left is for “Visitors” (off-cam-
pus drivers). Usually the garages are full
so “Visitors” must wait for someone to
leave before they can enter. This causes
a horrendous line to form down Ireland,
University and even in the left turn lane
off University.
My problem is the people who have
not paid $200 who insist on waiting in
the far right lane so that ABSOLUTELY
NO ONE can get into the contract en
trance. You could sit and honk your
brains out at them, but I’ll bet they aren’t
going anywhere since no one can go in
the garage, and certainly no one is going
to back out onto University Drive to let a
little red Civic into the garage.
Maybe they just don’t understand.
PTTS should notice the problem.
Maybe we need big orange cones or
something. Or maybe one of these
days the contract parking fairy will
wave her magic want and make all the
doggone cars in my way disappear!
Kasey Cooksey
Class of ’9 7
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