Friday • April 21, 1995
: ■ ■ • .-•■ ■ ■ • ■ v.
Muster symbolizes
generations of history
We should take time to reflect on opportunities, challenges
Michael
Landauer
Asst. Aggielife
Editor
uster is depress
ing — I don’t
want to go.”
Too many people feel this
way about Silver Taps and
Muster, two of A&M’s oldest and
most honored traditions. Grant
ed, they are solemn events
that demand respect, but if
we stop and think about
what these traditions offer, we should have
enough respect to spare in G. Rollie tonight.
As we gather tonight to honor fallen Aggies, we should look
at our own lives and reevaluate our goals. The journey of life
takes us all in different directions, but for a brief time, they
take all Aggies through A&M. That should give us pause.
I was walking back to my dorm during my first semes
ter away from home when I saw a sign posted on the door.
It said that a freshman who lived in my dorm had died in
a car accident.
I realized that I had to go to Silver Taps for him — it was
never a question, just more of an obligation. I didn’t know him
and really could not mourn him. But I could not stop thinking
of one fact — he had come and gone through the same door on
which I saw the flyer about his death. He had walked through
the same halls. He had dreams like I have. And he, too, came
to A&M to follow those dreams.
So I decided that the ultimate respect I could pay would be
to reevaluate my goals and realize how fortunate I am to have
a chance to still reach for them.
We’re basically a spoiled generation — there’s nothing wrong
with that, but we should stop and realize it every so often.
Take a look at the Class of ’45 that is here today. Most
of them didn’t graduate on time, but it wasn’t because
they took three years to declare a major. For many of
them, a little matter of a World War stood in their way.
Some of them walked away from their opportunities at
this school and never came back.
Our generation may never fight a World War, a Cold War,
a Korea or a Vietnam. We may never live through a depres
sion. We may never lose a Kennedy or a King. We may never
see a president disgrace our country and resign. We’re having
troubles swallowing multiculturalism, but we will probably
never face the kind of upheaval that our parents saw. But
we’ve already had a Woodstock.
Our generation faces other
challenges, but we have had a
hand in creating most of them.
We’re faced with AIDS, drug
abuse, an unhealthy job market
and apathy. But we can always
avoid these things by having
safe sex or no sex, not sharing
needles, just saying “no,”
working harder and just giving a damn about
the world around us.
So today we should think of all the generations that have
passed through this school before us — not necessarily to
mourn for those who have died, but to reflect on our opportu
nities and challenges.
At this time of year in 1945, any members of the Class
of ’45 who were not already in the war were probably
headed there. A new president had taken office for the
first time in 12 years. Aggies were among those expected
to fight a costly land battle in Japan if the United States
could not build an atomic bomb.
Today, we should let those Aggies know that we appreciate
their years of heroism. As a generation, they had more heaped
on their shoulders in the first 30 years of their life than most
generations withstand in a lifetime. Some of them actually ex
perienced the Great Depression, World War II and the war in
Korea by the time they were in their mid ’30s.
We may never be able to repay them for their accomplish
ments, but maybe we can try by not taking our opportunities
for granted.
Tonight, old friends will answer “here” for their fellow Ag
gies. As they do, we should consider the accomplishments of
all those who have passed through this school. We should
think of our own goals and the determination we will need to
reach them. We should think about the attributes it took for
past generations to overcome their adversity.
We might ask ourselves how they ever did it. We may won
der if we could overcome the challenges they faced. We may
wonder where their values have gone. But with hope and
solemn resolve, we should reflect on our future, and maybe
we, too, can answer, “here.”
Michael Landauer is a sophomore journalism major
Express yourself at The Battalion
T he Battalion.
Love it or hate it, this newspaper
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The Battalion expects good effort from
its staff because that’s the only way to
Jay Robbins
Summer 1995 Editor in chief
Rob Clark
Fall 1995 Editor in chief
build a good paper.
We offer the opportunity for reporters
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the whole state — about the latest break
ing news at A&M.
Sportswriters write about games for
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view players and coaches regularly
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to the last box score.
Photographers, page designers and
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Aggielife writers perhaps have the
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The opinion page stands out from the
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While opinion columns cannot say
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ing on with each organization.
Diversity among the staff helps
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Everyone interested in learning about
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volved should apply with The Battalion.
No other place can offer you the same
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The Battalion • Page 9
■ v "
The Battalion
Established in 1893
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.
Mark Smith
Editor in chief
Jay Robbins
Senior Managing
editor
Heather Winch
Managing editor
for Business
Sterling Hayman
Opinion editor
Erin Hill
Asst, opinion editor
Kl >IIORIAI
Earth Awareness
Earth Day provides a chance to focus on the
protection of our planet's environment.
With Earth Day here, we should take
the time to think about what this day
means and its purpose. This day, which
is intended to encourage people to focus
on the protection and enhancement of
our environment, is a time to think
about what we have accomplished and
and what we have left to do.
Texas A&M began a pilot
program for recycling in
1990 with six buildings
participating. It has since
grown to encompass 158
buildings on campus. The
recycling program also
has expanded its range,
increasing the types of
material accepted.
On average, the program
recycles 41 tons of paper per
month and 750 pounds of aluminum.
The Replant program has grown
from a small number of students
who planted 400 seedlings to an
event encompassing almost 2,000
people who helped plant over 6,000
trees this year.
Despite the progress made by pro
grams like these, there is still a lot of
work to be done. According to RHA Re
cycling Chair Cassandra DeLarios,
Texas A&M disposes of more than 16
million pounds of trash annually. The
cost each year is approximately
8280,000.
Although it is admirable that the
University is encouraging these pro
grams, they will be effective only if we
as individuals utilize them. Earth
Day’s purpose is to educate the
public about the environ
ment. However, all the edu
cation in the world is use
less if it is not applied in a
useful manner.
There are many simple
things that each of us can
do. Turning off lights and
appliances when they are not
in use, keeping our thermostats
at reasonable levels and turning
off the water while you brush your teeth
are just a few examples.
The student body should make a
greater effort to recycle and conserve
the Earth’s natural resources. We
should all put forth the effort to ensure
that the environment we leave to future
generations is of the highest quality.
Earth Day’s goals of a cleaner envi
ronment can only be met if we as indi
viduals do our parts.
\f\7\Zl
MAIL
CALL
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A&M's Access and Equity
2000 plan stirs debate
I am writing in response to Zach Hall’s article en
titled “Equity 2000 Plan Not Needed.” I believe such
a plan is not only needed, but is critical to Texas
A&M University. If Texas A&M spent half as much
time, effort and money recruiting black students and
faculty as they do in recruiting blue-chip athletes,
then such a plan would not be needed. I know that
our football team’s racial make up is not proportion
al to our student body. The myth that blacks are bet
ter athletes than they are students is ludicrous.
I also noticed Hall’s reference to minority recruit
ment as lowering the quality and standards of ad
mission. Not only does that statement suggest
racism, it also projects all minorities as second rate.
Although I am a liberal, I do agree with Hall in that
affirmative action should be abolished. Affirmative
action has made a futile attempt to make up for 300
years of discrimination, degradation and dehuman
ization. Affirmative action has been in use for a little
over 20 years now, and it has done little, if any, to
help minorities. Minorities don’t need affirmative ac
tion, they need superlative action.
Finally, lets not forget about Texas A&M’s grand-
' i iipgggiipgi - mug -> m |
father clauses, and I know they exist. As you know,
black were not allowed to attend this University in
the early to mid-’60s due to legalized segregation.
Many of my friends’ fathers attended school here,
while my father was not allowed to. I have scored
better in many areas than these same friends, but
we all were accepted to this fine University. Did my
friends lower the standards of this University? Not
according to the admissions committee. Minorities
just want a piece of the pie.
Jarred K. Donald
Class of ’95
• I am writing in response to some of the argu
ments made against the Equity 2000 Plan. First of
all, I would like to know why it is automatically as
sumed that the only way to increase the number of
minorities at this University is by instituting the
quotas and lowering the standards. Have we become
so narrow -minded as to not consider other alterna
tives to accomplish the same thing? If the adminis
tration really wants to achieve their goal of increas
ing minority staff and student body, it needs to con
centrate more on making them feel welcome.
When anybody, including minorities, first steps
foot on campus, the atmosphere should make them
feel as if they belong. When they step foot off cam
pus, they should come away with the mentality that
they too are Ags.
Whenever I see a group of different races making
conversation and having fun at yell practice, I feel
like I belong. Whenever I see a racially diverse
group of Ags working side by side to build bonfire, I«
feel like I belong. These are some of the things that
the administration should be striving for.
Unfortunately, affirmative action does three
things that contradict its primary purpose. First of
all, it increases racial tensions by being unfair to
non-minorities. Secondly, lowering standards exclu
sively for minorities is just like admitting that mi
norities don’t possess the ability to meet the same
standards as everyone else. It also decreases their
quality of education. Finally, the worst thing that af
firmative action does is that it takes away from credi
bility of minority leaders and other professional in
higher positions because it is automatically assumed
that they received their job solely on the basis of
their skin color.
The Equity 2000 Plan appears to have good in
tentions. I just hope that it can rely on a method oth
er than affirmative action to accomplish its goals.
We often times get stuck in a single mind set when
it comes to solving problems, and we fail to examine
other possibilities that can be even more effective.
Just maybe the framers of the Equity 2000 Plan will
use their ingenuity and creativity to come up with
something other than the traditional methods of in
creasing the ethnic diversity of Texas A&M. If the
plan is successful, then the occasional question that
some minorities have as to whether or not they be
long at A&M may some day be a thing of the past.
DeSorrow Golden
Class of ’98
Country's drug problems may
be solved by legalization
Our justice system’s biggest problem is that it
takes a long tie to learn from its mistakes. For in
stance, the current war on drugs is a failure. It al-
ways has been, and it always will be. No matter how
many pushers and users they put away, more will
always crop up. However, I have a solution. My solu
tion is to use the billions of dollars wasted on the
“drug war” to set up clinics to give users free drugs.
First, Prisons do not help people with their drug
addictions, so when they are set free they are forced
to commit the same crimes for the same habits. With
clinics, the users can be rehabilitated properly and
will not expected to quit “cold turkey,” or even quit
at all. Therefore, the users who steal and murder to'
satisfy their habits will be off the streets, making
everyone feel safer. Safer because they won’t be able
to leave the clinics high, and they would much
rather get the drugs fee than to work for them. Next,
the pushers will have no one to sell to. No buyers.
No market. Less crime. Less gangs.
In the past, people in “father like” positions have
told children to say “no” to drugs. The problem is
kids like to rebel; its “cool.” Kids don’t like to be
“looked at” as if they had some kind of disease or
sickness. This removes the “glamour” of drugs. Now
since there is a better solution, the only problem is
to admit the mistakes and correct them.
Jenad Zoghby
Class of ’95
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ters may also be mailed to:
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