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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1995)
Thursday November 30, 1995 ^The Battalion Opinion 15 Pests busy ant-tagonizing students T hey invade our homes, steal our food, and attack us. The totalitarian regimist Erin ants will stop at nothing |- until they rule Aggieland. rITZGERAL On this anthill we call campus, the ants don’t just Columnist go marching one by one. They march in herds. The Corps of Cadets is passive and few compared to this army. With light ning-fast speed they scurry across lecture halls in masses. They’ve aborted their plan of simple survival. Operation Red: The ants have launched a counterattack to take back their homeland. I first noticed the siege several months ago while buying a Coke in the Academic Building. Inside the vending machine, a line of ants marched from one side to the other. No longer will these freeloaders passively wait for our trash. They ambush scholars at the least likely moments. Often a red warrior has crawled up my leg during a lecture. Even worse, I see them crawling on the backs of my classmates. What do you do? The Aggie bond is too strong to passively watch your neighbor assaulted by insects. Two weeks ago my roommate came in from class, dropped her backpack and slouched in a chair. Unaware she had been another victim of the ant militia, I asked, “Bad day?” Hysterically, she jumped to her feet and began to re-enact the scene. She ex claimed, “Some thing needs to be done about the ant problem pus There I am sitting in the middle of class taking notes, when all of the sud den an ant crawls out of my sleeve!” The experience left her mentally traumatized. Understanding the threat ants pose to the campus, Tarlac Williams, lead singer of the local band Indica, strives to educate the com munity about this issues through music. Venting his anger in an orig inal composition, he sings, “Ants, we f—kin’ hate ‘em / Ants, we muti late them.” Near the end of the song he con tinues, warning, “But they’re only try ing to find a little snack/ Cruising around the kitchen floor with crumbs held on their back / But I know they’re f—kin’ game / Scuttling in the ground/ They want to eat and interrupted their way of life. It wasn’t enough that we built on top of their dwellings. We also dug deep into the land. Starting with this town.’ Yet, I can understand the reasoning behind the ants’ revolt. Over a hun dred years ago, we took this land away from the ants, invaded their homes ,ii! there by destroying their sense of commu nity. With capitalist mo tives, we replaced the natural resources with impenetrable steel and concrete. Consequently, they are fighting for what was once theirs. The ants began by attacking what hits closest to home. Basement classrooms, like those found in Bolton Hall, Scoates Hall and the Animal Industries , building, have experienced the worst of the infestation. During classes, you’ll find stu- dents unable to concentrate. We guard our belongings, continually stomping on the creatures. Feet move more than pencils. Fifty minutes later, the once plain linoleum floor is speckled with ant carcasses. Compared with our size and strength, the pests seem not to have a chance, but we may be in for a shock. Although the ant life span is short, hu mans can’t compare with their birth rate or poisonous birthright. Our weakness is that we underesti mate the power of their venom. One ant may cause only a small irritation, but in great quantities ants become dangerous. Last spring I experienced such a case. I mindlessly laid on and aggra vated an ant hill. Within seconds my knee began to bum and sting. I stood up and find a cou ple hundred little red soldiers viciously attacking my leg. My friends rushed me to the emer gency room. Upon my arrival, the nurses admitted me before a man with a broken ankle. Different fluids were injected into my body as I swallowed various pills. I spent the next month applying med icine and going to the health center to have the bites professionally popped. The scars that remain on my leg from this experience are a constant reminder that Aggieland is on the verge of a vio lent war between humans and ants. It’s time we unite and take action — set aside a day devoted to extermination. The University must decide if it wants to nourish our minds our continue to nour ish the ants by looking the other way. Erin Fitzgerald is a senior political science major Anti-Bonfire arguments usually weak Opposition to Bonfire stems from misplaced environmental concerns C ertain things in life Eire predictable. For example, let’s say your inspection sticker is expired — purely hy pothetically, of course. And, just for fun, let’s say that you have avoided driving, but you just have to go some where on, oh let’s say Monday. If all these things are true, then it’s predictable that a friendly neighbor hood police officer will be driving along Southwest Parkway just as you Eire pulling out of your parking lot. Hypothetically speaking, of course. Back in the real world, other things happen like clockwork. The sun will rise tomorrow - usually several hours before I want to see it. Finals will suck, and Bonfire will bum. Of course, Eilong with bonfire comes a whole set of other predictables. Every year, someone writes to The Battalion who is shocked to learn that we use wood in our Bonfire. And, as sure as I’m going to have an 8 a.m. final, someone who wouldn’t know a post oak from a poinsettia will cry about ‘Turning down most of the virgin forest remaining in the Northern Hemisphere. And we do all of this just so we can show our burning desire to beat the (bad word) out of The University of Texas (“t.u.” is far too derogatory for such a fine institution).” Then comes the predictable Aggie re sponse, “Highway 6 runs both ways.” Next the reformist claims, “See, you Aggies are just intolerant of other opinions.” OK, time to insert fact into the argument. Let’s take this one weak idea at a time. Wesik argument number one: the trees used for Bonfire come from old-growth forest. Fact: Well, sort of. Texas A&M is located in what is called the post, oak savannah. A lit tle historical research shows this area origi nally was a rolling prairie with small groves of trees, mostly in creek beds. Back then, prairie fires would come along every once in a while a wipe out most of the post oaks. Of course, we prefer not to let prairie fires bum unchecked anymore, so post oaks and other species have grown at will. In other words, our clearing for Bonfire is simply a case of doing for nature what nature used to do for itself. But I guess some people know better than nature. Weak argument number two: The trees burned for bonfire could be used for other, more worthwhile pursuits. Fact: Not really. Most of the wood used for Bon fire is post oak. Apparently, post oak has very few building uses. Most post oak winds up as low- quality paper, railroad cross ties or firewood. What a handy coincidence. Furthermore, the trees for Bonfire trees came from pri vate land slated for clear ing and development. This wood was about to become fire kindling, anyway. But hey, if anyone wants to build a house out of post oak, feel free. Weak argument number three: Bonfire re leases carbon, i.e. pollution, into the atmosphere. Fact: Sure. Bonfire, however, should be last thing anyone is up in arms over. As I just mentioned, fire is nature’s way of cleaning up after itself. If you want to help fight air pollution, figure out a way to in crease the efficiency of fossil fuel burning en gines. Some reports claim up to 70 percent of air pollution comes from fossil fuels. I wonder how much comes from Bonfire. Weak argument number four: If you Ag gies spent as much energy helping Habitat for Humanity — or anything else — as you do on Bonfire ... Fact: It’s called The Big Event. Maybe you’ve heard of it: The largest single ser vice project in the country. If there is one thing Aggies don’t need a lecture on, it’s providing service to each other and to the community. As for the “Highway 6 runs both ways” argument — and it does, I just drove on it over* Thanksgiving — think a bit more about it. Remember: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And if you don’t, don’t be surprised if they continue to do what they have always done. Now I d6n’t mean to imply that Texas A&M is like the Nation of Islam, quite the contrary. But I keep reading letters from people with, shall we say “alternative viewpoints” who feign shock that most here in Aggieland dis agree with them — I guess we just have closed minds. Or maybe not. Maybe those “alterna tive viewpoints” we keep hear ing about re garding Bonfire just need to get the facts. But then agsdn, I guess some things are just predictable. David Taylor is a senior management major David Taylor Columnist NAACP intended to grab attention In a time that sees this cam pus sitting on a racial powder keg waiting to explode, why would the NAACP choose the promo tional strategy that it is using to promote its upcoming program? I believe anyone who has taken a marketing class would agree that a successful promo tional campaign should grab the attention of the intended audience, which happens to be white students who may feel they are experiencing the ef fects of affirmative action. Stereotypes do exist. Accentu ating stereotypes, however, does not necessarily mean promoting them, as was suggested in Eliza beth Preston’s Nov. 29 column. So what makes this different than the insensitive and down Mail right scandalous situation that involved the College Republicans? Well, the fliers are designed to raise a question, not to make a statement, and the NAACP will not run away from its responsibil ity to educate people at its pro gram Thursday night. But why is the NAACP al ways so angry, you may ask? Why not? We have met with every administrator on campus concerning racial issues, and we have never claimed a victory. Maybe we’re just asking for too much. It has been explained to me by campus officials that A&M would love to drop the good old boy label, but then the good old boys may stop giving us their good old money. So the good old NAACP should just keep its mouth shut and let young, CEiring white students fall victim to one of A&M’s most sa cred traditions: Racism. I don’t think so. Not while we still have breath in our bodies and money in our bank account. So, I challenge you to go against the norm and attend an NAACP function. Show that spir it that makes A&M so great. You may get laughed at, and you may have hell to pay, but you will be a better person for it. Shawn Williams, president Texas A&M Chapter of NAACP Elephant Walk a solemn tradition In Old Army days. Elephant Walk was a way for seniors to re member their college days and all the good and bad times they had experienced together. In recent years though, the tradition of Elephant Walk has been marred by “groding,” or trashing of the seniors. Unfortunately, groding itself has become a tradition, which results in the trashing of the se niors, as well as widespread vandalism to cars, personal property and even Kyle Field. Even though Elephant Walk is suppose to be a fun time, it is also a solemn time. We would not trash Reveille or Sul Ross or any other symbol of Aggie pride or tradition. The Class of 1997 is trying to clean up E-Walk. We wish to leave it to seniors, as it should be. Please remember juniors that when you purchased your shirt, you signed that you “understood the meaning behind this great tradition and promised to re spect it as you would want oth ers to respect your Elephant Walk next year.” Please juniors, don’t trash the tradition! Julie McConathy Class of ’97 Shannon Habgood Class of’97 Fund raising committee chair Editor’s note: All 1421 juniors who purchased E-walk shirts signed a contract promising to respect the tradition. 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 .tamu.edu The Battalion 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. Editorials Board Rob Clark Editor in Chief Sterling Hayman Managing Editor Kyle Littlefield Opinion Editor Erin Hill Elizabeth Preston Assistant Opinion Editors Walk On Elephant Walk is a tradition we can all enjoy (in moderation). We all know the story, whether or not we are upper classmen. In Old Army days, on the day before Bonfire, se niors walked through the campus, reflecting on their years in Aggieland. This activity evolved into the tradition known as Ele phant Walk. On the day be fore Bonfire, seniors still gather together and prepare to walk through the campus. During the walk, seniors do not talk. This is because Elephant Walk is a solemn occasion intended for quiet and thoughtful reflection. Through the years, juniors — who probably regret it when it comes their turn — have started a new tradition to ac company Elephant Walk and disrupt the peace: groding out the seniors. Juniors lie in wait Eiround the campus, armed with food stuffs and various substances designed to make a mess. When the elephants ap proach, the juniors leap out of their hiding spots and soil the clothing, hair and faces of the se niors, not only disrupting this solemn occasion, but wreaking havoc all over Aggieland too. But why shouldn’t they? Ag gieland is filled with traditions which are extremely solemn and militaristic. There are other oc casions to remain quiet, like Sil ver Taps or Aggie Muster. Elephant Walk, and Bonfire after it, give students a chance to have a little fun. This is col lege, after all. In recent years class councils have encouraged a return to the Old Army style of Elephant Walk, and the tradition has been cleaned up considerably. This is beneficial for the tra dition and the campus, but it need not be carried to an un healthy extreme. Surely there is a happy medi um between complete silence and complete chaos. We can have fun without trashing everything in sight. Have fun, but don’t go overboard. All students should think a moment on the solemn occasion of Elephant Walk. Then get ready for the mess.