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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 1995)
es ^The Battalion Opinion Monday October 9, 1995 rr i Wit! :h tim )uld\ f fourt. ifidti lefirs ostses. ieir 1| ist-oti 'gains ightai ng his hem! scapti th, bin in tin iglek innin: riffev lose ile.' nthe ■ewa nova Id or, posi- n the Revising the curriculum to appease everyone M an, this multicultur- alism proposal just won’t go away. Who would have thought that a proposal calling for six hours of classes from such an ex tensive list of options would be creating such a hubbub? I’ve heard people loudly bemoaning the “liberal agen da” as they vow to guard with their lives their ver sion of American history against any sort of un wanted revisions or additions. The problem here is pretty simple. Our conserv ative white people want to learn mostly about oth er white people. It doesn’t matter if they are in a class on politics, history, literature or geography. Our liberal white people and our people of other races think that maybe six hours of classes in which the conservative white people at least made an at tempt to learn about something other them white people is a good idea. Now, I don’t claim to be smart enough to know who’s right. If people want to learn about George Washington and forget about George Washington Carver, maybe that is their prerogative. Maybe ignorance truly is bliss, and the less peo ple know about people who are different from them selves, the better off they will be. I do know that it’s likely that this issue isn’t ever going to die, and I haven’t heard any solutions to this dilemma being tossed around. I think I might have one. Maybe we ought to broaden the list of classes that might count for this multicultural require ment.Throw in a little more fluff, so to speak. That way, everybody can be happy once again. So, I tentatively put forward some possi ble alternatives to add some breadth to the list. Music 499 — Sammy Davis Jr. and Lib- erace; The Trials and Tribulations of Las Vegas Lounge Singers. This is really three for the price of one. Not only do we have a black guy and a homosexual, the black guy also happens to be Jewish. Since we’ll be taking an in- depth look at three minority groups, let’s go ahead and give ourselves nine hours of multicultural credit for this class. History 499 — The History of the Ku Klux Klan: Civil War to Present. When the evil white Reconstructionists and the dastardly black freed- men sought to radically alter the fabric of our very own society after the Civil War, these “white American patriots” fought back in true Southern gentleman style. We’ll be taking a closer look at this quirky resis tance organization. Religious Studies 499 — Tom Cruise, John Travolta and the Church of Scientology. “You can tell by the way we use our words” that we’ll be studying this funky new religion as we get to know two of its more famous members on a more intimate level. Some of our visual aids will be Stayin’ Alive, Saturday Night Fever, Risky Busi ness and Cocktail. Linguistics 499 — Gangsta’ Rap Lyrics : Dia gramming and Deconstruction. As we look at works by such artists as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Ice Cube, we will be pondering the eternal question of what it truly means to “F— the Police.” There will also be a special field trip to a real live ghetto, where we will approach some inhabi tants (but not too closely) and ask them to describe some of their own experiences with this art form. Woman’s Studies 499 — Two Proponents of Merciless Exploitation and Subjugation of Women : Bob Barker and Pat Sajak. After viewing numerous episodes of “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Price is Right,” we will con- i sider the plight of | Vanna White and 1 the girls who wear ’ bikinis and point to new cars on Bob Barker’s show. Hopefully, a bettei understanding of rek tionships between tin sexes and an increased ability to spot sexual harrassment and discrim ination in all of its ugly forms will be our reward. Literature 499 — Sur vey of the Writings of the An cestors of Modern Day Greek- Americans. Although Plato, Aristotle and Socrates are con sidered to be the founding fa thers of modern-day Western thought, some people have over looked the fact that they can be put into their very own minority group. While we slide this one under the multicultural committee’s nose, we’ll line up Michael Dukakis as our guest speaker and make falafel for everybody. Sociology 499 — Dead and Doomed Student Groups. This class takes a look at some student or ganizations that have either dissolved or are on their last legs. We’ll be asking the question, “Why did they even try?” Lest the multicultural hounds fret, we can defi nitely guarantee that these student groups are an oppressed minority. Some guest speakers include for- k mer members of Aggies for Ann hards, Aggies Against Bon- re, the Aggie Foozball Club and Aggies for Free and Inde pendent Thought. Some might argue that this multicultural require ment has been watered down so much through the addition of frivolous and questionable classes like Socio horticulture and The Geography of Great Britain that it isn’t possible to dilute its original purpose any further. I ask these silly in dividuals to take a look at the above list. Tell me what you see. Some might also argue that only on a close-minded and largely misinformed campus could such a weak proposal meet with such strong opposition. I ask these other silly individuals to take anoth er look around. Now tell me what you see. Chris Stidvent is a senior English and philosophy major rmi nsive idttif jconc ;ome- , hap I, Ini hwesi freak there 3 for loach £iie$s was a )t ac- a give Ipd fhout Ic the o win plays rs for ie de- 44 Tluit's an, folks! Don’t believe the Democrats’ hype Keep the truth in mind when listening to Clinton's budget-balancing rhetoric P resident Clin ton is making a trek to t.u on October 16. As the president tours the country in his latest “spread lies to the college students and get them whining about their student aid” tour, we must keep one thing in mind: the truth. No matter how many times President Clinton says it — no matter how many times the press repeats it, a lie does not become the truth. The Republicans in Congress are not slashing student aid and no amount of liberal whining can change that fact. After two and a half years of the Clinton administration, you’d think that the public would be used to his lies. But this time, the president is insulting our intelligence by ask ing us to believe something so blatantly false. The truth is that under the Republican’s plan, the number of student loans will in crease from $6.6 million this year to $7.1 million next year, and the volume of student loans will increase from $24 billion this year to $36 billion in the year 2002 according to the Economic and Educational Opportuni ties Committee. And the Clinton claims the Republicans are making cuts in student aid? Yeah, I know, he didn’t inhale either. Another thing that Democrats do not un derstand in this debate over loans is the con cept of saving money, but give them credit, they sure know how to spend money that’s not theirs. The Republicans have made a commit ment to balance the budget (a radical con cept for the Democrats, who made a career out of racking up debt). Out of the $1.3 trillion in proposed savings over seven years, a modest $10 billion will come out of higher education spending according to the House committee on Economic and Educa tional Opportunities. The Republicans don’t want to balance the budget by hurting the taxpayers, they just want to balance the budget. The Republicans advocate slashing one thing: bureaucracy. The President’s direct student loan program would cost the taxpayers more than 1.5 billion dollars over sev en years according to the Congression al Budget Office. This is not a solution, but simply another obstacle to a balanced budget. History has shown us that large government-managed programs are both costly and ineffective. The Democrats naturally oppose this. We’re well aware of their fondness for creat ing wasteful and inefficient bureaucracies. What many fail to comprehend is that the Republican higher education reforms will ac complish many savings without affecting key sectors of student aid programs. Under house appropriations, the Pell grant will increase to $2,440, the highest it has ever been. The House of Representatives, in an ef fort to expand the number and volume of student loans, will continue its support of many programs. Supplemental education opportunity grants ($583 million), the col lege work study program ($617 million), minority programs ($463 million) and his torically black colleges programs ($130 mil lion) will retain their full funding. As always, many private sector grants and loans are available to students and the economic benefits of a balanced budget will stimulate business and encourage the pri vate sector to invest in America’s future — the education of its young people. Democrats claim, as they often do, that the Republican’s sole motivation is to pro vide “tax cuts for the rich.” This much-cliche’d phrase is often used as a rebuttal to anything Republicans seek to implement (when rational, factual argu ments are exhausted). It’s true that the Re publicans want tax cuts for the rich, along with tax cuts for the middle-class, the poor and all the other taxpayers. Student loans have nothing at all to do with “tax cuts for the rich.” Republicans are simply keeping their word (another radical concept for an admin istration that does more flip-flopping than the Olympic gymnastic team) and are taking action on their commitment to eliminate the budget deficit and create an economy where the American people can prosper and thrive. The Republicans don't want to balance the budget by hurting the taxpayers, they just want to balance the budget. Savings in the current program will come from several sources, none unilaterally stripped of funding. By letting the interest accrue during the six month grace period, there will be $3.5 million in savings. Students have the option of paying this in terest off immediately or letting it accrue over the balance of the loan (the Economic and Ed ucational Opportunities Committee estimates that the average loan will have its monthly payments increased by $4 a month because of this measure). An increase in the interest on parent loans (from 3.1 percent to 4 percent will save an additional $450 million. In an attempt to protect his wasteful so cial spending and perpetuate the cycle of overspending and debt. President Clinton will try to convince you that the big bad Re publicans want to take away your money. By balancing the budget and providing for a prosperous economic future, the Republi cans plan will hold far more benefits than Clinton’s spiral of debt. As usual with our current chief executive, don’t believe him — believe the facts. Lydia Percival is a a senior political science major Women accepted by all at Bonfire As a woman who has been ac tive in Bonfire since 1993, I feel compelled to comment on the ac cusations that Jason Brown lev eled at this tradition on Sept. 29. Brown suggests that only white males are welcome at Bon fire. This is patently false. Women are not only allowed to work on Bonfire, they are active ly recruited to help. They go out to cut and stack with their dorms if they live on- campus, or with Off-Campus Ag gies if they live off-campus; there are also organizations such as Women’s Bonfire Com mittee and Bonfire Reload Crew that provide opportunities for women to participate. In addition to cutting, load ing, unloading, swamping and stacking, women also help keep those working on Bonfire from dehydrating or starving. Women are an essential part of Bonfire. To suggest that they are not welcome is not only false, but demeaning. Neither I nor my friends have ever been told that we could not help. We have heard comments like “women at Bonfire are ex tremely motivational,” “you cut/wire as good as any guy I’ve seen” and “thank you.” As for the woman who was called a “bitch,” the incident, as coarse as it may seem, could have occurred at other events such as Yell Practice or a game, had she showed the same lack of Aggie Spirit there. I believe Bonfire is “a long standing tradition that stands for unity and spirit.” Christina Weston Class of ’9 7 Accompanied by 45 signatures Relationships hard to find at A&M As much as I love this school, I can’t help but feel that its size and the individual anonymity of the students is overwhelming. I have met the girl(s) of my dreams numerous times on the street, on the bus or just in line getting football tickets. Too bad the chances of seeing any of them again are a million to one. Most women aren’t handing out phone numbers on request no matter how breathtaking the bus ride was. I’ll close by sending a word out to a woman named Kiesha I met last Tuesday in a laundromat on College Main. All I know is her name and Mail she lives on Southside. Thanks for making washing clothes more bearable, Kiesha — peace. Jason Kearns Class of ’97 End of Medicare not too near With chagrin I read David Taylor’s apologia for the Republi can’s efforts to demolish another part of the social safety net. I find it odd that Taylor ac cepted without question the premise that the Medicare fund will go bankrupt in seven years without the drastic measures the Republicans advocate. I wonder if he realizes that seven times since 1975 Medicare has been pronounced on the verge of bankruptcy. Seven times before now, Con gress has shown the political will to simply increase the fund without cutting benefits. Suddenly, the Republicans and their media mouthpieces are trumpeting the “End of Medicare As We Know It” if their alleged reforms are not enacted. This tactic is called a bait and switch in management classes, and it’s an unethical and illegal business practice. Then again, politics is vastly different than the marketplace. James B. Seymour, Jr. Class of ’93 Suggestions for cartoon caption Regarding the recent politi cal cartoon which was run in your paper displaying Christ holding a sign saying, “Where did I go wrong?” Perhaps the others there would more appropriately have been holding signs saying things like: “No prayer in school,” “Save the whales, trees, anything ex cept babies,” “If it feels good do it” or “the Founding Fathers were not Christians.” Michael W. Newman Class of ’96 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space al lows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed McDon ald. A valid student ID is required. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Fax: Texas A&M University (409) 845-2647 College Station, TX E-mail: 77843-1 111 Batt@tamvm1 .tamo.edu 'M' m MIL tub ML :i