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The Battalion
Opinion
■Tuesday
November 14, 1995
orps cadets rise above stereotypes
ome call them keepers of
the spirit. Others say they
are the backbone of Texas
A&M. Many, including myself,
would say they are a bunch of
spineless, racist, close-minded
people who act superior.
I Or so 1 thought.
I This perception of the Corps
of Cadets can be attributed to
Pamela
Benson
Columnist
isinformation and misunderstanding.
When or if a few Corps members do some-
ling offensive, the entire group is pegged as
haring the same elitist beliefs and attitudes
: the individuals that stepped out of line.
Recently, five Corps members helped me
fealize there are also
adividuals who, while
very proud of their affil
iation with the Corps,
have their own ideas.
I “Andrew,” “Frank,”
[Jeff,” “Adam” and
Brad” impressed me at
recent retreat.
The weekend was
ponsored by Univer
ity Awareness for
Cultural Together-
ess, an organization
which focuses on pro-
noting unity through
He I,’j cultural diversity.
The retreat was an
opportunity to voice
opinions about issues: race, ethnicity, gender,
sexual orientation and a host of other topics
that are often difficult to talk about.
Although the overall environment of the re
treat was relaxed, Andrew openly admitted he
was apprehensive about attending the retreat.
He felt the word “multiculturalism” allowed
'or no happy medium — it was either some
thing to live your life by or to abhor.
Soon, Andrew realized multiculturalism
was not so completely polarized.
“The way I see it, multiculturalism is sim
ply recognizing, appreciating
and learning about the differ
ences that exist in our society.
But in appreciating those differ
ences, 1 don’t condone any
wrong actions,” he said.
It was that realization that
started a real path of under
standing for everyone who at
tended the retreat.
Frank showed a great interest in the path
of understanding when he expressed his ex
citement at having the opportunity to meet
students he might not normally speak to.
He also looked at the retreat as a way to ed
ucate others about the Corps of Cadets.
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“One reason the Corps is associated with a
lot of negativity is because there are a large
amount of white males in the organization,
but it is never mentioned that we have several
different ethnicities represented, as well as
women,” he said.
Frank had this opportunity to educate oth
ers, but he also learned about how one can
easily judge someone on a misunderstanding.
He had a negative attitude towards Shawn
Williams, president of the Texas A&M chapter
of the National Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People, when he heard
Williams refused to take his hat off in the
Memorial Student Center.
After speaking with Williams, he realized a
misunderstanding should not be the founda
tion for one’s perception of an individual.
But their agreement was not the issue. The
fact that they both had a better understanding
of each others’ perspectives gave them time to
laugh and realize they had much in common.
It was Jeff who continuously made the re
treat participants examine what was taking
place with issues on campus.
His thought-provoking comments and ques
tions made participants think about more than
their actions, and brought a sensitive and hon
est attitude to the group.
t These guys left me
’J wondering where they’ve
been. Maybe they’ve been
there all along, and the
student body has chosen
to focus on the negative
situations that occasional
ly surface in the Corps.
Maybe some feel intim
idated by the unknown
and therefore create lies
to satisfy their curiosity.
The people who are re
sponsible for warping my
views are the ones who
left the Corps, for whatev
er reason, and now bash
it. I now realize that I
should re-evaluate my perceptions of the
Corps of Cadets.
Now, when I see a member of the Corps, I
wonder what kind of person they are. Do they
see me and think I shouldn’t be here?
Do they say howdy to see if I will respond?
Or are they just going through the motions
of the day like most students?
Perhaps it would be better to take the ad
vice Jeff recommended; “start with a smile.”
Pamela Benson is a senior journalism major
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Texas A&M’s Battalion
Gulf News Synaicate
U.S. needs strength through unity
Lydia
Percival
Columnist j
BJ
I f there was ever an
overused cliche in Ameri
can rhetoric, it is a phrase
you have probably heard in
the current debate over multi
culturalism.
It is the phrase “our
strength is in our diversity.”
Huh? Our strength is in
our what?
In examining this phrase, I immediately
think of one week ago when Canada re
mained a whole country by less than 1 per
cent of the vote.
More than likely, Quebec will eventually
achieve separation. The reason they are in
this mess is because they believe their
“strength is in their diversity.”
A friend of mine is from Canada, and she
told me quite a bit about her perception of
what is going on in her home country.
She tells me Quebec does not accept Ca
nadian culture or language as their own.
Now before all you bilingualists start levi
tating from the steam coming out your ears,
1 don’t believe everyone should only learn
the language of their culture.
I believe everyone should learn the lan
guage of their families.
However, to succeed in Quebec or the
United States one must grasp and master
the English language.
If you do not, then you will fail.
Quebec refused to do this and as a result
resented having to play second fiddle to the
rest of Canada.
Imagine if Texas, as a part of the United
States, only spoke Spanish and refused to
accept English or American culture.
By emphasizing our differences, we would
enjoy third-world status within the nation.
If Quebec could instead
maintain their culture, yet em
phasize what they have in
common with the rest of Cana
da, then perhaps Canada could
be united.
How long would the Middle
East Peace Plan last if Israel
and the Palestine Liberation
Organization tried to find
strength in their diversity?
How many lives would be saved if the
former Yugoslavia would stop thinking
about their differences and focus on their
common traits?
Is Bosnia what America hopes to become
by emphasizing our diversity?
On a persona] level, I am getting married
soon and shudder to think what our mar
riage would be like if we emphasized differ
ences. As a couple, we bring different things
to the relationship.
My fiancee is a farm boy. Personally, I
can’t tell a Live Oak from a Cactus.
I love Broadway musicals.
He doesn’t know the difference between
The Phantom of the Opera and Jason from
the Friday the 13th movies.
As far as he is concerned, they both wear
white masks.
Yet my fiancee goes hunting and does var
ious farm boy stuff while I stay home and
watch a PBS special on the making of the
Guys and Dolls soundtrack.
These are our personal characteristics,
but they are not what will make our mar
riage strong.
Our marriage will be strengthened by our
shared beliefs and values
When we are together, we talk about our
jobs, pur families and politics.
Very rarely do I ask him about killing a
deer and even less often does he ask about
Barbra Streisand’s latest Broadway album.
Our strength as a couple is not in our di
versity and neither is America’s.
America’s strength is in its commonness.
America’s strength is in its great experiment
called democracy.
Its strength is that we all pledge alle
giance to the same flag.
Its strength is in the immigrants who
made this country great.
Immigrants aren’t America’s strength
simply because they came from Ireland or
Mexico or Africa.
They give this nation strength because to
gether, they put this country on a course to
fulfill its amazing potential.
In the process, they helped America learn
to appreciate good whiskey, great food and
beautiful music.
All that, and no one had to take a single
college class on the subject.
Since the O.J. Simpson verdict, many
have been wringing their hands wondering
how to improve race relations.
How about dumping the hyphenated
names we use as adjectives and going back
to the old practice of all being American?
Let us admit that “strength in diversity”
is just as false as any oxymoron and try
something like “strength for a diverse people
through a common love for our country 7 and a
belief in all that makes us good.”
While it may not fit on a T-shirt as nicely,
and it might put some professors out of a job.
America would be all the better with a slo
gan that is true to its purpose.
Lydia Percival is a senior political
science and journalism major
The Battalion
Editorials Board
Established in 1893
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views
of the editorials 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.
Rob Clark
Editor in Chief
Sterling Hayman
Managing Editor
Kyle Littlefield
Opinion Editor
Elizabeth Preston
Assistant Opinion Editor
Shutdown
Clinton's courageous veto is a part of
necessary checks and balances.
Republican legislators passed
a stopgap spending measure
late Monday afternoon that
would prevent a federal shut
down, but several provisions,
one of which called for Medicare
premium increase caused Presi
dent Clinton to veto the bill.
Instead, he presented a bor
rowing bill, which would allow
government operations to con
tinue, but without the attached
GOP amendments he opposes.
Clinton’s problem with the
Republican balanced budget
proposal is the cuts, especially
in Medicare, Medicaid, student
loans and other social programs.
Clinton also objects to the Re
publican proposal, in part, be
cause it is not completed. Con
gress should have already passed
a budget, but bills are still tied
up in the drafting process.
Once complete, Clinton has
courageously vowed to veto the
bill, even though a conservative
tide sweeping the nation could
mean negative political conse
quences for his re-election efforts.
He is doing an uncommon
thing by sticking to his princi
ples, and he is right to stand his
ground. He should not be forced
to give in to the Republican de
mands he feels would be harm
ful to our nation.
At the same time, the Legis
lature’s demands and midnight
hour scare tactics are part of the
system of checks and balances
that helps to make America’s
brand of democracy unique.
Perhaps all of this could be
avoided if the Legislature had
done its job to begin with and
passed a budget on time.
The federal shutdown could
provide a much needed business
lesson for our Congress. The
money ran out, and the business
— in this case, the federal gov
ernment — shut down.
We elect our leaders to run
the business of our country, not
play games.
Clinton is right to stick by
his vision for America, and not
to be blinded by empty postur
ing and political games.
Deadly Decision
President Bowen should support the
use of curriculum to help stop AIDS.
Roughly one in 250 Ameri
cans are infected with HIV ac
cording to the Centers for Dis
ease Control and Prevention.
Generalizing from this statistic,
around 150 students at Texas
A&M are probably infected with
HIV, and this is probably a
modest estimate.
Since the mid-1980s, sur
geon generals have preached
education as a method to com
bat the AIDS epidemic. Howev
er, Texas A&M University
President Dr. Ray Bowen
seems to disagree.
In a letter to the Faculty
Senate dictating his reasons
why students should not be re
quired to take a health and ki
nesiology course that addresses
issues including HIV/AIDS,
Bowen states that it is “bad aca
demic policy to use the required
curriculum to address directly
existing community problems at
the University.”
He goes on to say that the
purpose of the University cur
riculum is to prepare students
to be successful in their profes
sional and personal lives.
Bowen should realize that an
epidemic like that of HIV/AIDS
and other STDs could definitely
affect a student’s professional or
personal life.
Furthermore, Bowen says
in the letter that if such a
course were introduced, “it
would be an open invitation
that other contemporary social
and political issues be includ
ed” in the curriculum.
It seems that in his fear of
introducing political correct
ness to the curriculum of Texas
A&M, Bowen is ignoring an op
portunity to educate students
in subject that might someday
spare their lives.
In his letter, Bowen includes
a disclaimer that he regrets that
his decision will be interpreted
as a lack of sensitivity on his
part for the devastating effects of
HIV and AIDS. However, Bowen
cannot know for sure if there are
students that have slipped
through the public school system
cracks uneducated on how HIV
is contracted. A requirement
course that addresses such is
sues would ensure that all stu
dents would be informed.
It has become painfully clear
that Bowen either underesti
mates the importance of educa
tion about HIV or, despite what
he says, simply does not care.
Not On My Tab
Programs which only benefit the Corps
should not be funded by all students.
In 1965, participation in the
Corps of Cadets was no longer a
requirement to attend Texas
A&M University. From that
point on, the Corps, despite its
strong history of pride and tradi
tion, has been an optional orga
nization for students. However,
many are still footing the bill.
Last semester many on-cam
pus students became upset
when they were informed that
they were paying an average
cost of $30 a semester to sup
port two programs benefiting
only the Corps. In an effort to
appease on-campus students
and to make the funding of the
programs more fair, RHA
passed a resolution last week
suggesting that the program
funding be distributed to off-
campus students as well.
The General Student Fee
Bill, which calls for alumni fund
ing, a fiat fee for all students
and a graduated fee with a heav
ier fee for Corps members, will
be presented before the Student
Services Committee Sunday.
Despite RHA’s attempt to al
leviate a problem, the bill miss
es the mark.
The Corps Room Scholarship
Program waives housing fees for
up to 100 freshmen with ROTC
scholarships, and The Corps
Leadership Training Adviser
Program provides for the hiring
of five tactical advisers in the
Corps administration.
Neither program directly ben
efits non-reg students, however,
all students are expected to pay.
Obviously, the two programs
in question provide many bene
fits for Corps members each
year, and the elimination of the
programs would greatly disad
vantage the Corps.
However, mandating that all
students pay for programs that
only benefit one organization is-
unfair, and students should at
tempt to halt the passage of
such a proposal.
The only fair solution to the
problem would be for the Corps
to completely fund the two pro
grams itself.