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^The Battalion
Opinion
Monday
October 9, 1995
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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
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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
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