Tuesday
October 17, 1995
^The Battalion
Opinion
Million Man March disappoints
Monday's march suffered from speeches containing
I ’m confused. To those
who know me this might
come as no revelation,
but yesterday I was hoping
to find some answers.
I spent several hours
Monday watching the C-
Span coverage of the Million
Man March, and I must say
I was impressed.
More than 400,000 people flooded the
West Mall of our nation’s capitol, bringing to
mind the crowd that formed to hear Martin
Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech.
I was watching, in part, to clear up some
misunderstandings I had as to the purpose
of the march.
Last week, when I first caught wind of the
gathering I understood the march to be a
symbol of African-American strength. A re
turn to the meat and potatoes of living, if
you will. A display of responsible, family-ori
ented, spiritually-whole African-American
men for all the nation to see.
When at first I tuned in Monday, that is
exactly what I saw.
It was heartening to see fathers standing
by their sons, grinning in obvious pride. One
man from Mississippi went as far as making
a large sign proclaiming that he was present
because he had two daughters.
He was in Washington, D.C. to ensure their
future and show others how it might be done.
All across the reflection pool, people from
the farthest comers of our country stood
| proudly accepting the challenge of being suc
cessful parents, proud business men and
community leaders.
What consumed me from the beginning
and initially spurred my interest in the
march was wondering whether all of these
African-American men showed up to dis
play this fortitude, or to support the ideals
and rhetoric of Louis Farrakhan, Nation of
Islam leader.
The Nation of Islam officially
organized the gathering as a
show of unity, atonement and
responsibility of African-Ameri
can males.
However, a number of
speeches held on the mall were
in stark contrast to any sense of
unity the Nation of Islam hoped
to present.
On Saturday, even before the gathering in
Washington, D.C., the Nation of Islam stuck
its foot in its mouth when their national youth
minister Quanell X noted that “Jews should go
straight to hell.”
Just the kind of unifying statement I ex
pect from any youth minister.
And the contrast would not stop there.
Throughout the day, many references
were made regarding the idea that
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas,
retired General Colin Powell and Los Ange
les prosecutor Christopher Dardin were a
“sell out” to their race.
Why? Because they speak their mind and
stand alone for what they think is right like
Frederick Douglas, or Sojourner Truth?
Monday afternoon, the Honorable Gus
Savage, a former Democratic Congress
man, spoke for several minutes without im
parting a unifying or strengthening
thought to anyone.
He fervently revealed to the crowd that it
was impossible for an African-American today
to even be called a racist — removing him
from suspicion by redefining the word, I guess.
Later Mr. Savage would drop what I be
lieved to be the biggest bomb of the day,
when he briefly beckoned the idea of a sepa
rate judicial system for African-Americans
only. His statement left the phrase “separate
but equal” literally ringing in my ears.
This proposal was expressed from the
same podium later, when Rosa Parks, a true
American hero, spoke of her lifelong fight for
contradictory messages
acceptance in society.
As you’ll recall, Rosa Parks was the woman
who refused to give up her bus seat to a white
man in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.
Maybe Mr. Savage would have rather
Mrs. Parks taken her seat at the back of the
bus, or would have preferred a separate bus
all together!
The last indignation which was brought
on the crowd was the very presence of con
victed drug user, philanderer and mayor of
Washington, D.C. Marian Berry.
Maybe I am too idealistic. My parents
raised me in a color-blind house where
everyone was accepted and racial rer .arks
were left unuttered. They left me to decide
and speak for myself. Never would I allow
the remarks I heard Monday represent a
group I was a part of.
It is at this point I find hope.
I will not accept that the
400,000 participants of Mon
day's Million Man March en
dorse such negativity.
I believe in the goodness, and reasonabili
ty of all people. For that reason, I will not ac
cept that the 400,000 participants of Mon
day’s rally endorse such negativity.
As the cameras panned the crowd, the
faces I saw showed no signs of the hate I
heard in the background. The children
present beamed of the same potential we
all possess.
My suggestion is that those behind the
podium take a seat, listen and learn from
those many faces in that crowd which em
bodied true unity and hope.
Alex Miller is a senior
bioenvironmental science major
Political animosities reversed in Austin
T he protesters lined the
walls where nearby, a
political bigwig is
speaking to several thou
sands of people.
They carried signs
screaming that this politi
cal hotshot needs to get a
backbone as passers-by
spitted out insults like “I
just want to drop a bomb on you guys!”
These are the trials and travails of the
dissenting few on a major university cam
pus. These dissidents are going against
the grain, professing beliefs that are
largely unpopular on this politically ho
mogeneous campus.
No, these protesters are not the liberal
minority at Texas A&M.
They are conservatives. And they attend
the University of Texas at Austin.
It’s like looking in a mirror, huh?
This is what struck me as I left the Frank
Erwin, Jr. Special Events Center after hear
ing President Clinton speak on Monday.
More than 11,000 people packed the arena to
hear the president speak.
But what lay outside the arena was a flip-
flop of what I saw last spring when Sen. Phil
Gramm, R-Texas, announced his candidacy
for president of the United States.
There, Gramm supporters tried to silence
protesters from the Libertarian Party.
Gramm-backers used their own posters and
signs to cover those of the protesters. Every
time one of the Libertarians tried to say
something, a chorus of pro-Gramm scream
ing muffled the dissenting cries.
But Monday, the shoe was on the other foot.
Conservatives were standing with
their signs, stickers, pamphlets
and brochures while they were
ridiculed by the liberal majority.
An interesting paradox rises
out of this situation. For quite
some time, the liberal voices at
Texas A&M have screamed about
the narrow-minded mentality of
the conservative majority.
When the roles Eire reversed, however, it
seems that the liberal-minded have no qualms
about playing the big, bad political bully.
Maybe, in the end, this says something
more about the power of the majority, rather
than the mean spirit of the conservatives
and liberals.
On this campus, the conservative ma
jority can scare dissenters — namely, the
liberals — into relative silence. This can
be seen in the prevalence of discrimina
tion felt by minorities and other unpopu
lar groups.
But at the University of Texas, the liber
als don’t have that problem. The conserva
tives are the ones who are laying low. They
are ridiculed, prodded and pushed into be
ing nothing more than sidewalk vendors
for the right.
At both campuses, though, it seems that
free thought is stifled. When no one gets a
chance to express their views in an equal
fashion, then the entire community doesn’t
get the other side of the story.
Protest signs, no matter how visible, can
never substitute for solid, free thinking de
bate. The political minorities in these envi
ronments are no more than token argu
ments, because the ideological majorities
have the power to squash any debate.
So in the end, neither campus can be con
sidered a true institution of higher leEiming
because neither campus can boast of equal - j
time for ideologies. Either the left is step
ping on the right, or vice versa.
How can this be fixed? It’s doubtful that
either campus, unto themselves, can experi
ence a drastic change in ideology. It would
take much more interaction between the
schools for such a revolution.
Perhaps the Texas A&M College Republi
cans could spend a few days promoting the
conservative agenda with the Young Conser
vatives of Texas in Austin.
Or maybe a democratic student group
from t.u. could spend a week with the Aggie
Democrats promoting liberal causes.
Chances are that it would open some eyes
on both campuses. Hell, it could even get the
majorities at each university to lay off on
their diminutive counterparts.
Will this ever happen? Doubtful. The politics
of each campus are so ingrained in the identi
ties of each school that such dynamic mingling
could irreparably change the universities.
The most one could hope for is that the
differences between the schools could serve,
if for nothing else, as a point-counterpoint
perspective that represent both sides of the
political spectrum.
The students at the schools will have to
change later, maybe even one student at a
time, like my revelation in Austin changed
me. Maybe in time, things will change.
Though I doubt it... but even pipe dreams
are worth having sometimes.
Wes Swift is a junior journalism major
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Elizabeth Preston
Assistant Opinion Editor
Widespread institutional
support for disabled students
has been consistently demon
strated by Texas A&M. The
University should be com
mended for its willingness to
assist disabled students in re
ceiving a complete education.
A&M facilities constructed
after 1977 must accommo
date disabled students.
Features such as automat
ic doors and wheelchair
ramps provide
some of those
necessary ac
commodations.
These features
are in accordance
with the Ameri
cans with Disabil
ities Act. This act
provides that all
facilities con
structed after
June 3, 1977 must
be made accessi
ble for disabled persons.
The Support Services of
fice offers a variety of pro
grams which assist disabled
students and maintains a
guide describing the accessi
bility of campus facilities for
disabled persons.
For example, Support Ser
vices works with on-campus
housing to provide handicap-
accessible dorm rooms.
These rooms are held in re
serve until it is determined
that all disabled students
who desire on-campus hous
ing have been accommodated.
Not all campus classrooms
are accessible to disabled
Equal Access
A&M should be commended for
making the campus accessible to all.
students, but the Universi
ty’s policy ensures that class
es are moved to buildings
which meet ADA guidelines,
if a need is determined.
Support Services also
assists blind and deaf stu
dents, and other disabled stu
dents who need assistance.
Programs which provide in-
class interpreters, note-takers,
reader services and registra
tion assistance are offered at
no cost.
Great effort on
the University’s
part is made to
provide useful
services.
When a need
is demonstrat
ed, Support Ser
vices responds
by taking care
of it, even seek
ing outside as
sistance if necessary.
Without the assistance of
University Support Services,
the dream of receiving a col
lege education would be
nearly impossible for many
disabled students.
Classrooms would be inac
cessible and traditional class
schedules impossible to abide
by. With help, however, all mo
tivated students can receive a
world-class education.
A disability should not be
an insurmountable obstacle
to receiving an education.
With the assistance of the
University and Support Ser
vices, it need not be.
I-
I'
I-
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Mail
’Ll - —... — — .■■■■—
Columnists bash
too much, too often
I was truly sickened by Chris
Stidvent’s Eirticle “Homosexuality
— Not a Choice.” In defending
one group must he bash another?
The Battalion’s opinion page
bashes everyone endlessly;
Christians, Republicans and
conservatives are only a few.
I’m sure I’m not the only one
who is tired of juvenile articles
that endlessly stream out of the
pens of opinion page columnists.
The article written by Michael
Landauer “Bring back that Aggie
feeling” which, believe it or not,
was not a bashfest, was quite a
sight for sore eyes.
It seems to me that most of
ten the majority gets bashed.
I haven’t seen one article in
the Batt negatively portraying
blacks, gays or Democrats and I
don’t want to.
However, when it comes to
white, heterosexual, conserva
tive Christians there is no end
to the offensive articles.
If I’m not mistaken, the ma
jority of this campus fits into at
least one of these categories.
My writing this letter is the
culmination of months of read
ing the Battalion putting it
down with a sense of disap
pointment. Because of this
trash printed daily I don’t feel
that F can support the Batt by
picking it up to read it anymore.
I guess Chris Stidvent should
consider himself lucky.
Barry Shaeffer
Class of ’99
12th Man more
than yell leaders
Last time I checked the spirit
of the 12th Man was not solely
dependent upon our five yell
leaders. It is dependent upon us,
the 12th Man.
Our spirit goes far beyond do
ing yells at Kyle Field or G. Rol-
lie White. It goes beyond losing
your voice or standing for four
and a half hours. That “spirit” is
made up of respect, admiration
and pride.
Maybe we don’t do as many
yells this year because we have
TV timeouts, something we didn’t
have last year. Maybe it’s because
we have more respect for our op
ponents than they do for us.
The tradition of the 12th Man
may have started as support for
our football team, but the legend
of E. King Gill means we are a
step above everyone else. We, as
Aggies, take pride in all we do.
The yell leaders who epitomize
our spirit — David, Henry,
Michael, David and Chris — do
more than we give them credit
for. Their “job” isn’t just limited to
a weekend at Kyle Field, it’s 24
hours a day, everyday.
Before judging the spirit of the
12th Man, take a step back to
think about what it stands for.
Gig ’em and beat the hell out-
ta Baylor!
Kathryn Fa mum
Class of ’96
Not all college pet
owners are cruel
I agreed with Erin Hill on sev
eral points in her column about
animal rights. However, I object
ed to her idea that the typical col
lege student can’t care for a pet.
Three years ago, I purchased
a beagle puppy. He has become
one of my best friends.
Yes, I Eim a “typical college stu
dent.” I party. I study. I stay up
and sleep late. But I take good
care of Crosby, my dog, as well.
Although I don’t always buy
groceries for myself, he never goes
hungry. He always has all of his
shots. I get up ten minutes early
to walk him. When I visit my par
ents, Crosby comes with me.
Yes, I have had to adjust my
schedule since becoming a dog
owner, but nothing compares to
coming home and having a cute
face and wagging tail to greet me.
Some college students mistreat
and neglect their pets. And I
agree these people should not own
pets. But they are not typical col
lege students who own pets.
Amy Ferguson
Class of ’94
Most homosexuals
don't fit stereotype
I read the anti-gay ads in last
week’s Battalion with disappoint
ment. The ads had an oversimpli
fied perception of what it means
to be gay.
The image of gays and les
bians as a group of lonely, iso
lated souls separated from God
who endlessly roam gay bars is
incorrect. Getting to know a few
of us might help people under
stand how poorly most of us fit
the stereotype.
My partner and I have been to
gether for three years. We have a
committed, loving monogamous
relationship. We attend church
here in College Station, and are
welcomed and supported by the
ministry and congregation.
We plan to have a commitment
ceremony in May. Also, our fEimi-
lies know we Eire gay and they’re
involved in our relationship.
We are invited places as a
couple. Our parents give us ad
vice on our relationship. When
my father developed Alzheimer’s
disease, we helped care for him.
I’m not asking you to approve
of our relationship. There is more
to being a Christian than who you
choose to spend your life with.
It is behavior toward others,
dedication to family and
friends and the way that we
act as stewards of God that are
truly important.
A loving partnership with an
other person, whether gay or
straight, brings God more com
pletely into our lives.
Anne Woods
Class of’93
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