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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1994)
cElroy, who account! if A&M’s 70 yards t and scored the A| md touchdown, I score 14-0. In tli ilf, UT placekicketl on made the almost! al mistake when,! mly touchdown, hej ,o McElroy. hree yards later, tl 1 a first-and-goal i one-yard line, an i after that, the A| heir 24 point lea 7. tched Leeland an ell) right before thel was still very sur f they kicked to him,! i R.C. Slocum saidf big play. We gotl d a good turnoverj ’t easy out there." Imitting that every-! team was hyped up) nnual clash witli| in ted at concern for| focus in relational ng two games, ier for players get up for Texas,'] id. “But we have! with a tough r ouisville, plus, \ve| home game versus) ig TCU team, t two games will be| to get the players) now only trail 21- igain, knowing oe that’s not such >ps back in the 3 looking up high Woodson is hold- bey don’t call it. g over to Slaugh- 'igures is all over ’ THE HELL ARE > LOOKING AT? at they’re doing, inside linebacker arked in the lane xmds now with no OT has it stolen rkley, he takes off ay... What? He’s How the hell are ailing this? Oh st a bunch of Barkley gets an 3 other way, and 1 P. might as well pame...” Monday • November 7, 1994 - - i liliPPlls* r: The Battalion • Page 9 laiaiii did you: iergencies. Our on-site rains quickly. And no fter an accident. A&M rePlus Medical Center. tit IX 7 7 0 4 0 696-0683 TION! ce Ellis is I by Citizens fied Judges, nerous iforcement ations, and sociations. rtising paid for by the Elect Justice George Elfc iurcr* 1911 Fountainvie" 1 ton, Texas 77057 This life was made for dancing Generations celebrate beauty of human relationships TUB isucM mv Jf^y JENNY MAGEE Opinion Editor F rom the moment they took the dance floor, I couldn’t watch anyone else. Together they em bodied the music - this jubilant, carefree rhythm. They sauntered across the dance floor with an awkward bouncing grace. Her green silk dress whirled outward, creating a vacuum of space around them and this moment they were sharing. She held him closer and closer. The music and her movement captivated the uncon scious urgency of the moment. This youth, this pure un daunted joy was making a memory. For Lam sure, in some later year she will tell her son about the dance they shared at his aunt’s wedding. As the song faded to a conclusion, the happy couple left the floor to go about the more pressing matters of cleaning a dirty face and changing a dirty diaper. But, they left me sitting at my table to watch the others take the floor. And the music played on, and these people who had left their hectic schedules, unpaid bills and countless worries in some other place to celebrate the marriage of a loved one, took a moment out of life to dance. He walked up to her and asked, “Could I have this dance? I’ve been watching you from the other side of the room. Normally I wouldn’t ask. I mean I don’t even know your name. But, today, right now ... this feeling may pass. They walked hand-in-hand onto the floor. They had been sitting silently at their table since they had arrived at the reception, not really certain of how to be social anymore. Surely it hadn’t been that long ago when they had worried about honeymoon plans, wondered if more people liked chocolate or vanilla cake and and decided they really did have to invite cousin Vernon after all. Then they looked at each other in the eyes, for the first time in many years, and smiled slowly, silently before they got up and walked to the floor. His pants hung loosely from his waist; a faded navy blue against her bright teal dress. At first, they barely moved and barely touched. The music didn’t sound so familiar, but then they remembered the way they fit, how she stepped a little farther back so he would miss her toes. “You wanna dance with me? I’m the best dancer in the whole wide world,” she said tapping a black patent leather shoe loudly on the dance floor. “No you’re not. I’m the best dancer that there ever was ’cause my daddy taught me,” he said as he ripped the little red bow-tie from his collar. “Who cares! I’ll race you to the other side of the room.” “Hey, sis, come dance with me. You re member when I taught you in the base ment before the senior prom. Oh, come on, no one cares. You won’t look stupid. We’re all getting older. I never get to talk to you anymore. The kids are fine. Of course they miss Marjorie. No, I haven’t spoken to her. I guess I’m paying the lawyer good money to do something. I guess it would be kinda of ironic if we learned to communi cate now...” Come dance with me, son. I gave you my daughter; you owe me at least one dance. You know, I’m joking. I wish you both all the happiness in the world. There is so much I could tell you to spare you so much needless pain, but you both will learn. But, you will take care of her right? It was only yesterday when she... And the music plays on. One by one they come to the floor to take another in their arms. And for a moment, they aren’t business men or career women, failures or suc cesses, rich or poor - they are just people. People who are taking the time to dance. And right now, I am sitting here watching the formality of a wedding become real, watching faces redden with each glass of champagne, belts being loosened and shoes being tossed to the edge of the dance floor. But, in other places where this music can’t be heard, a bullet is blasting through a body. A woman is being beaten because the mac aroni and cheese dinner burned. Somebody is dying of AIDS. Somebody went to bed with an empty stomach. But today, right here we are dancing. The same hands that can wound and murder can also hold and caress. The same feet that run through life without a moment’s rest can also move slowly in time with the rhythm. And we can dance. And hold me a little closer - just one more song. I don’t quite remember how ... In my day, I could really cut the rug, but it has been so long. One day, I’ll teach you; one day you’ll want to learn. And we can dance. Jenny Magee is a junior journalism and English major The Battalion Editorial Board Belinda Blancarte, Editor in chief Mark Evans, Managing editor Jenny Magee, Opinion editor Sterling Hayman, Asst, 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. -s- . Doesn’t add up Aggie Bucks monopolize financial source Texas A&M should expand the Ag gie Buck system to off-campus busi nesses or get rid of the entire system completely. The Aggie Buck debit system for the University makes A&M a finan cial dictator by taking away money from other local businesses which in turn, prevents the city from flourish ing economically. If students were al lowed to use Aggie Bucks off-campus, it would help the economy and stimu late growth of the city as a whole. ILfche, Aggie Buck sys tem is expanded to off- campus businesses, it would not hurt the places on campus that accept them already. There is a larger concen tration of students on campus than off, and students tend to shop at stores such as the MSC out of sheer convenience. Besides, the University does not depend on Aggie Buck funds to sup port it economically. Rather, the fi nancial stability of the University is based on tuition and other fees. However, if students are allowed to use Aggie Bucks off campus, there should be some form of regulation. Students should be allowed to use the debit card system only if they use it responsibly. There should be para meters and guidelines for the use of Aggie Bucks off-campus. Parents and students paying for them should have confidence that their money is being spent in a responsible manner. In addition, to use the Aggie Bucks off- campus, a system should be created to ex pand the uses of the debit card system to o±her.areas. At Florida State University, for example, the students’ financial aid can be credited to their debit cards. Creating such a program at a campus as large as A&M, would help prevent unnecessary frustration and paperwork. If the Aggie Buck system is ex panded to other areas, students, the University and the city would benefit as a result. By keeping the same system, A&M will continue to create a monopoly and thus prevent other businesses from flourishing. LA/WA/Y Bonfire Part 2 built the hell outta Aggie spirit In this year of challenge for Texas A&M, a wonderful thing occurred. Bon fire 1994 Part Deux. If there is a positive note - other than the fact that Bonfire was rebuilt in slightly over a week and subsequently torched - it lies in the unity Aggies displayed to complete this en deavor. One did not hear the cries of “No women in the perimeter!” Nor did we have reports of non-conformist individu als being accosted at the Bonfire site. Yes, there were reports of some offensive music being played earlier in the con struction of Bonfire “94 Part I; however, when I visited the rebuilding, all I heard was Marty Robbins. You know, I can’t remember the last time “El Paso” offend ed anyone. Bonfire ‘94 Part Two seems to have brought out the best in individuals in a time of crisis. “Handles” were dropped and some of the more demeaning rituals ceased. Aggies from all walks of life, a group of current and former students came together to accomplish a task. I must say that a certain amount of chicanery still took place. It is still good to know that staking naked (or partially naked) did not go out of style and that the primal nature of stacking logs and shouting vulgarities was indeed intact at Bonfire ‘94 Part II. But, as Stewart Smalley would say “That’s OK.” Unless of course you’re a tree-hugger and then in that case nothing is OK. How many times have we witnessed over the course of history, in times of challenge, the coming together of individuals to do what is necessary ■■■ —» without all of the nonsense associated with the political and ideological hang-ups that often intrude on our day-today lives? What would it be like if in “real life,” as we go about “our” business, we could cut out all the b.s., do our jobs, listen to Marty Robbins and occasionally moon someone? Jay Hays Class of ’88 Republicans hoping to color their way to a win I would like to congratulate the Re publicans at A&M on using their time ef fectively in the weening hours before the Nov. 8 election. For all the Ags who don’t have a Gov. Ann Richards bumper sticker or any other sticker supporting a Democratic candidate, the Republicans at this college are using their newly ac quired kindergarten coloring skills to color over the bumper stickers for free! While I have been phone banking, the Republicans are coloring. I am sponsor ing ad campaigns, the Republicans are coloring. I am part of a student organiza tional movement to educate students, the Republicans are coloring. It comforts me to know that the Republicans are using their time wisely. At least I know they are not wasting their time trying to get people to vote, they are too busy coloring! And by the way, it does not matter how many bumper stickers you destroy, the best candidate will still win. That candidate is Gov, Ann Richards. Gig ‘em, and vote on Tuesday. Jennifer Mathews Class of’95 Family photo wont fit in same frame Cookie cutter American family expands to encompass changing society The Battalion encour ages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor's name, class, and phone number. 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) 845-2647 R ead a newspaper, watch the news or listen to talk around campus. The world is a depressing place to live in, and society is falling apart at the core. Occupying a place of honor in the midst of all these depressing com mentaries is the great “family” debate. Everyone has an opinion on it. Dan Quayle thinks that the nuclear, tradi tional family is the only way to go. Mur phy Brown has a child out of wedlock, by choice. Everyday in The Battalion, there are ads for semen donors and peo ple who want to adopt unwanted chil dren. Studies are popping up every where on both the merits and flaws of step-families, single-parent households, same sex parents and/or aliens from the planet Mars as parents. In the midst of all of this moaning and groaning, families across America are finding that the secret to happiness and good relationships is not who is at the head of the family, but how the fam ilies share and can depend on each oth er. Any parents can find this happiness if they try hard enough. “Jana” has happily married parents and three well-adjusted younger broth ers. She jokes that she has the perfect family, and they are. The children are all growing up and moving out, yet the family ties they share remain stronger than ever. “Liza” is a child of divorced parents who have been in and out of financial court with each other for 10 years. In spite of this, she and her mother share a bond that all of Liza’s friends envy. In addition, her mother’s husband has slowly become an irreplaceable part of the family. While not nearly as “per fect” as Jana’s family, no one in Liza’s family would trade places for any price. “Carrie” has lived with her mom since her parent’s divorce nine years ago. She gets along great with her fa ther, and her parents are able to main- ELIZABETH PRESTON tain a friendly relationship. In spite of their divorce, she feels loved and secure with both of her parents. These three have nothing in com mon, except for the peace and love they feel within their families. Jana is the “family values” poster child - the daughter of the only non- dysfunctional family left on the plan et. Liza has more traumas in her his tory than years in age, yet she is hap py. Carrie is not a member of a “per fect” family, but she is able to main tain inner serenity through her par ents’ maturity. American families are finding the se cret to happiness is not who is at the head of the family, but how the fami lies share and depend on each other. The secret to solving the problems facing the American family in the coming century is simple. Instead of narrowing the acceptable family back down to the 1950’s version of 1 man + 1 woman + 2.5 children = only good family, we should concentrate on teaching the myriad of families that do exist to treasure each other. The only way to have a happy fami ly is for all of the members to feel com pletely accepted. If every single person in the world had a family they could go to for un conditional love, no one would need to worry about the lack of traditional family values. It all begins with how we treat children. If shown love, a cycle will develop that can be perpetrated. I have always known that no mat ter how scared, angry or selfish I feet, my mother will welcome me into her embrace. Every joy or sadness that we share binds us tighter and rein forces our love for each other. Be cause of this sounding board, I feel se cure enough to try anything I want. When I meet people who are sad deep in their hearts, invariably I find they grew up feeling unloved. Married parents or not, wealthy or poor, inse curity and a lack of acceptance can un dermine a child’s maturation process. The power of childhood scars has al ways amazed me. I know people who are so crippled by their childhood ex periences that they simply cannot get past it - even 10 years after the fact. If Dan Quayle and Candice Bergen had spent all of the energy and money they spent bickering on advertising ways to communicate and express emotions within a family, imag ine how much good they could have done. All of their fighting and childish ness amounts to nothing more than free publicity for both of them. No steps were taken toward solving what is really ailing the American family. If we as a society could concentrate on educating people on how to love and care for each other, instead of on petty disagreements, our world would be much improved. Elizabeth Preston is a junior English major ifl