A&M has trouble with events
Better facilities needed to lure in more quality entertainment
Amy
Uptmor
Columnist
M SC Town Hall is com
monly asked several
questions:
1. Why didn’t you guys bring
Pearl Jam?
2. Why didn’t you guys bring
Garth Brooks?
3. Why don’t you guys bring
anyone cool to Texas A&M?
My question for you is ... if you were
someone cool, would you want to come
to A&M?
Now, before you start writing your
letters condemning me as a “bad Ag,”
hear me out. I think A&M is a wonder
ful place, and I’m happy to be here,
but from an entertainment perspec
tive, I can understand why some
groups would choose not to play here.
For those of you who are lost as to
what Town Hall is, it is the MSC group
that brings entertainment, mostly con
certs, to campus.
They sit around every day, calling
agents from around the country, trying
to book concerts on our campus. They
understand why the concert scene on
campus is how it is.
For starters, most bands choose to
play only two or three cities in each
state while on tour. That means that
College Station, with a population of
about 52,000, is in direct competition
with Houston and Dallas.
And don’t forget about Austin, the
musical mecca of the South.
You might be thinking that College
Station is a small town, but it does have
one of the nation’s largest universities,
so that should be a selling point for any
performer. Wrong!
All the other big cities in Texas
have at least as many college students
as we do, not to mention hundreds of
thousands of high
school students and
young adults that
would also be likely
to attend concerts.
So having good ol’
A&M here doesn’t
make us special in
this sense.
Big cities also have the advantage
of having many new, large venues
that can easily accommodate concerts
of all different sizes. We, on the other
hand, have three venues: G. Rollie
White Coliseum, Rudder Auditorium
and the soon-to-be demolished Deware
Fieldhouse. None of these venues are
what I would even call adequate
for concerts.
• I felt sorry for the kids who had to
mosh side-to-side at the They Might Be
Giants show (which, by the way, was a
really good show) because there was no
better place to have it.
And I can sympathize with any of
you who might have been attacked by
bats or hit by falling debris from the
ceiling of Deware at last year’s
Belly show.
As for G. Rollie, it just isn’t big
enough to hold an arena-sized concert.
Those of you who have seen shows at
the Summit know that it seats around
16,000 (and usually sells out). Now, how
many people can Jollie Rollie hold?
About 7,500. Not too good.
The new special events center, at an
estimated capacity of 12,000, won’t be
a huge improvement. Plus, there are
many other things about G. Rollie that
keeps concerts out of it, such as the
fact that sound and lights can’t be
flown from the ceiling, and, oh, I don’t
know, basketball games?
Just in case you’re wondering, Kyle
Field cannot be used for concerts of
any kind. The final factor is money.
Town Hall works on a budget that
comes partly from your student ser
vices fee. Although that fee is high, it
does not amount to an endless sum
of money.
Most concerts in cities such as
Houston are sponsored by promoters,
such as Pace Concerts, who cover all
the expenses.
They are also backed by large radio
stations that do practically all their
advertising.
Although promoters do occasionally
brings shows to the area, the bottom
line is Town Hall usually can’t afford
to bring big name entertainers.
I hope you can now better see why
there aren’t as many concerts at A&M
as you would probably like to see.
The concert scene is as good as can
be expected, given the circumstances
though.
Town Hall works hard to bring as
many good, diverse shows as possible.
But I don’t think any of you came to
A&M expecting a thriving concert
scene anyway.
It’s better than you might expected
however: R.E.M., Green Day, the Gin
Blossoms, George Strait and yes, even
Garth Brooks have all played here in
the last five years.
For a town this size that is pretty im
pressive. And if there is a show you
want to see that doesn’t come here,
Austin and Houston are both only short
drives away.
Amy Uptmor is a junior
journalism major
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EDITORIAL BOARD
Mark Smith
Editor in chief
Jay Robbins Heather Winch
Senior Managing Managing editor
editor for Business
Sterling Hayman
Opinion editor
Erin Hill
Asst, opinion editor
Editoriax
Easier Justice
Newly formed appeals panel will help
students to end discrimination problems.
Recently the Students Rights Ap
peals Panel was dissolved and replaced
with the Illegal Discrimination Appeals
Panel. This new panel is an improve
ment over its predecessor because it has
a clearer purpose, will be more accessi
ble to students and
clearly defines what
types of cases it will
hear. These cases will
be those dealing with
race, ethnicity, religion,
disabilities, gender, the
right to freedom of the
press and the right to
free speech.
In the past, stu
dents could pursue
grievances through
the Students Rights
Appeals Panel. The panel was set up
to provide mediators if needed and to
help resolve conflicts between students
and faculty and staff. It never met,
however, since students were not fully
aware of its existence.
Dr. E. Dean Gage, during his term as
Interim President created a task force
to explore questions raised by students
and faculty about the Students Rights
Appeals Panel. The task force came to
the conclusion that a new panel was
necessary — one that will be more easi- discrimination.
ly accessible and more efficient.
The new panel will consist of four
faculty members, two staff members,
two undergraduates and one graduate
student. This blend helps to ensure that
all parties are represented fairly.
Even though there
haven’t been many
problems that have
necessitated a panel
appearance, it is im
portant to have the
structure in place
when the need arises.
Students who experi
ence illegal discrimi
nation or for any rea
son must have access
to a procedure that
will help eliminate
such difficulties.
The new panel, with clearer, more ef
ficient procedures and policies, will pro
vided students a better opportunity to
handle problems within the system,
rather than having to seek help outside
the University.
Illegal discrimination should be re
solved as quickly as possible. With the
new Appeals Panel, the quick resolution
of such problems will be more of a reali
ty for students who are experiencing
Mail
O"
Conservative column
filled with errors
My wife and I have a cat that uses a
litter box for final disposal of her inner
rumblings. Apparently, David Taylor
has “The Battalion” for his. Mr. Taylor’s
column of January 19 suffered from fac
tual errors (the product of deliberation
or ignorance. I’m not sure which), a
glaring omission or two, a ton of smug
ness and delusions of humor.
Mr. Taylor implies that Lyndon
Johnson’s Great Society did little to re
duce poverty in the United States. This
is utter nonsense.
In 1960, fully one-third of all Amer
icans lived below the poverty level; the
Great Society programs reduced
poverty to 11% by 1970. The poverty
rate has escalated steadily since the
Reagan Revolution.
Mr. Taylor seems to ascribe much of
our present deficit and debt problems to
the Great Society as well.
The Great Society cost an average
of $53 per recipient. At the end of
1965, despite this increased social
spending and a major tax cut,
Lyndon Johnson and the Demo
cratic Congress finished the year with
a balanced budget.
The escalation of the Vietnam
War wrecked the Great Society and the
country’s finances. By 1968, the United
States spent $322,000 for every enemy
killed in Southeast Asia.
Bashing Democrats and other er
rant types has apparently always been
in fashion here. In Mr. Taylor’s attack
upon liberalism, he inadvertently in
dicts himself as well.
Mr. Taylor revealed in his article as
an aside that he attends Texas A&M
with the help of student loans.
The student loan program in this
country began with the Higher Educa
tion Act of 1965, one of Lyndon John
son’s Great Society programs. In addi
tion, Texas A&M started with federal
funding under the Morrill Land Grant
Act of 1862, obviously a socialist plot
to subvert private enterprise.
To remain true to his conservative
principles, perhaps Mr. Taylor should re
turn his student loan money, leave this
fine institution and attend a private
school where he can pay “market price”
for his education. I think that the going
rate at Texas’ least expensive private
school exceeds $200 per hour.
If “The Battalion” must have a “con
servative columnist” — and I think that
it should — perhaps it should print
columns by William F. Buckley, Jr.
Mr. Buckley possesses class, a work
ing grasp of historical facts and incisive
humor. Let Mr. Taylor fill in for Rush
Limbaugh where his obvious shortcom
ings will largely go unnoticed.
Ricky Floyd Dobbs
History instructor
Deficit too great to
even worry about
I’ve been an advocate for ending
deficit spending for years. I’ve also been
hoping for years that the federal gov
ernment would start paying off the
debt. But that was when I thought the
debt was only $4-6 trillion.
Since the Battalion editors enlight
ened me on Friday about the true size
of the debt ($400 trillion), I’ve finally
decided that there is absolutely no hope
of paying it off. Spend like there’s no to
morrow, fellow Americans!
<
Richard Hammitt
Class of ’94
Gingrich off to rough start
New House Speaker under
I don’t know who runs the
Speaker of the House School
of Grooming, but I really
wish that they would adopt a
“no pass, no play” rule. If
the Speaker cannot seem to
make a passing grade in Eti
quette 101 or Remedial
Ethics, he should have to sit
out an entire session.
After all, he’s wants to make all laws applicable to Con
gress. It only seems fair.
Newt, (a.k.a Newtie — what Mom Gingrich calls him),
seems to be having a little bit of trouble adjusting to his
new leadership position. That metamorphosis from Minori
ty Whip to Speaker is proving to be more difficult than he
possibly imagined.
Questions are now being raised about Speaker Newt’s
ethics. Seems like he didn’t find anything wrong with a $4.5
million book advance from Harper Collins, even though this
Congress is facing legislation this session that will affect the
publishing company. Sound like bribery?
Well, after intense criticism, Gingrich finally turned down
the deal — accepting only a $1 advance and future royalties.
This situation gets even fishier. When Rep. Carrie Meeks,
D-Fla, questioned Newtie’s book deal on the floor of the
House, the Republicans voted unanimously to strike parts of
her speech from the Congressional record.
Gingrich also gained quite a bit of attention when his
mother revealed to Connie Chung that her son thought
Hillary Clinton was “a bitch.” Sure, Chung’s ethics were also
questioned. But even if Chung had forced Mom Gingrich to
talk by threatening to put a lit cigarette out on her forehead, .
Mama G. spilled the beans and Newt didn’t deny it.
It seems that Newt had come to the “bitch” conclusion af
ter witnessing Hillary take over a health care meeting
months ago. After all, everyone knows that any strong
woman who has leadership skills must surely be a bitch.
(See the flaw in logic?)
Newt’s next gaffe was his appointment of the House histo
rian, Christina Jeffrey. Jeffrey, in 1986, opposed a junior
high school curriculum containing information on the Holo
caust. Jeffrey didn’t think that the Nazi point of view had
been fairly presented.
How objective can you make their motto? “Kill all Jews,”
doesn’t need much explaining.
intense scrutiny for actions
Later it was learned that Gingrich knew of her thoughts
on the issue when he appointed her. It was only when he
was strongly criticized that he fired her.
It’s hard to even talk about Newt’s orphanage plan while
keeping a straight face. His answer to end welfare is to take
children out of the homes of the welfare parents and put
them in the possession of an orphanage. He says we should
all watch Boy’s Town to understand his plan.
My suggestion is that Mr. Gingrich visit real orphanages
and not rely on movies for the future of the nation. I find it a
little hard to believe that this type of plan would strengthen
family values.
Now we learn that Newtie has a personal vendetta
against Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Snufalufagus. He
wants the government to stop funding PBS, which airs
shows like Sesamie Street and The Electric Company.
Shows with merit.
If Newt gets his way, I guess all the Sesamie Street char
acters will have to shack up with Oscar the Grouch and live
in a garbage can — then we can deny them all welfare.
Well, I suppose it’s about time Bert and Ernie got off their
lazy butts and went to look for a real job — as opposed to ed
ucating millions of children each week.
He is, however, good at dealing with the American public
— fooling them, that is. His Contract With America was a
brilliant gimmick. Within the plan are a lot of good ideas.
The only catch is that he only promised that the issues would
be voted on, not for.
I’m sure that the Congress wouldn’t mind voting on term
limits every day of the week, but that doesn’t ensure that
they’ll vote for term limits.
Now that the heat has been turned up a tad and criticisms
are running rampant. Newt’s crying, “Foul ... foul.” Republi
can members, too, have quickly joined the chant.
They claim that the minority is now constantly scruti
nizing the Speaker, treating him with a lack of respect,
delving into his personal life and attacking every decision
he makes.
Does this tactic sound familiar? It should. It is the ex
act same tactic that these same Republicans have perfected
over the past two years. Now Gingrich knows how Presi
dent Clinton feels.
Oh well, what goes around comes around.
Buck up Newtie, it’s only the beginning.
Sterling Hayman is a junior political science major
Sterling
Hayman
Opinion
Editor