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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1996)
■ Hilary 2],, The Battalion Thursda February 22, 1996 h Aggielife Page 3 seem d. has st few yfju 0IT ien attenj i. - men;; ^ut now cits hose i is a sod H I-ricdtk r > "mined dal confete isen since iets andtl Silloway sets new standards as Senate speaker ekend tudent Coi 1 Affairs, ted accepi the Corpi a SCONA te event, itra vin a prim had endois ,er doing pj metises, s support!; expects Ta ning. ;t state ini es a lot oil candidate; oate on Ten go up to Io» lire, whfi in the groin ere where;! as issues! lit to hear; ,ntil I seel Sterling Hayman, The Battalion Becky Silloway is the speaker of the Student Senate. By Tab Dougherty The Battalion B ecky Silloway, a senior polit ical science major, is not a typical student. What sets her apart is she is the first female speaker of the Stu- 4ent Senate. Silloway has had a long history of legislative experience, from being in student council in high-school to student senator for two years. She said she was not shy about taking on the task of speaker. “Last year, I was external affairs chair for the Senate, and that dealt a lot with the Board of Reagents, city councils and state legislatures,” Sil loway said. “I really enjoyed doing that. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a whole lot about Senate and that whole process.” Silloway said she felt she could have a positive effect on the Stu dent Senate as speaker. “There have been an incredible number of changes in Senate this year,” she said. “I’m very proud of them.” One of the changes Silloway has brought to the Senate is fairness due to her implementation of a parliamentary procedure. “A lot of the procedure is more fair this year,” she said. “There are even debates and both sides are heard. In the past, it’s always been the majori ty ruled and that’s it.” Silloway said her main goal as speaker was to make students more aware of the Senate in general. “I really wanted to see a lot of things happen,” said Silloway. “The No. 1 thing was to make sure the students know why we have a Student Senate — what’s the pur pose of it. We’re not there just to hear ourselves speak. The sena tors who take the time to do this really care about what’s going on and care about the policies and everything that affects the stu dents. I think we really accom plished that this year.” "I want people to realize we're not doing this for monetary compensation or praise. Aggies do it because we care about what's going on." — Becky Silloway speaker. Student Senate The Student Senate was created to be the official form of the stu dents’ voices on official policies. The goal of the Senate is to make sure that those voices are heard, not ignored. In addition to being speaker of the Senate, Silloway is also chair of the Chancellor Student Advisory Board, the official advisory board to the Chancellor, composed of two stu dents from each of the eight campus es in the A&M system. Silloway said being speaker has affected her life in very slight, sub tle ways. “I know I need to watch what I do and how I handle myself,” she said. “I realize I’m a student leader on campus and leaders are held to higher standards. “It has helped me so much with professionalism, and taught me how powerful words really are.” This professionalism is one of the many things that motivates students to become leaders on campus. However, money is not. “We’re the only school in the state where the student govern- ment lead ers are not paid,” Sil loway said. “That is what’s in credible about be ing an Ag- gie leader.” Silloway said the senators should never get paid, because that should not be their motivation. “I want people to realize that we’re not doing this for monetary compensation or praise,” she said. “Aggies do it because we care about what’s going on.” Silloway said hopefully, she will get paid once she graduates. She said that being involved in the Senate has helped her prepare for her future in the public service area. However, she said she does not want to be a politician. “There’s a difference between politics and public service,” Sil loway said. “While there’s always going to be politics involved in public service, you cannot separate the two. “I’m not going into it for the po litical campaign rallies and the fundraising and things like that. It’s more of the public service end of it that I’m interested in.” Because student leaders are put in the spotlight, they often receive criticism. Silloway said she does not back down from the pressures and wel comes any input from the students. “The criticism is wonderful be cause I never want Senate to be satisfied with how they are doing or with what they are doing,” Sil loway said. “Because if we are, we’re stagnant.” Silloway admits the Senate has been accused of avoiding tough is sues, but she feels they are taking on more controversial topics. “I’m very proud of the Senate for not skirting the issues,” she said. When it all boils down, Silloway says she just wants to have fun and do her best. “You can’t take yourself too se riously,” Silloway said. “I’m not here to be the first female speaker, I’m here to be the best speaker that Texas A&M has ever seen. And I’m going to be the best speaker that I can be.” Citizen Lane’s diverse style defies common labels By Rachel Barry The Battalion 11C ition ; considei % gay cli iarental c p: in clubs tF ds; the oft >1 empl 0 )" support' 1 is sodomy , has not > legisiaft ■ormatioa L ane Eubank, singer / songwriter for Citizen Lane, said in all of the band’s experiences touring, the members have been able to finagle their way into people’s houses and out of renting hotel rooms. “Every place we go, people offer us their floors or couches,” he said. Citizen Lane’s diverse style of music has allowed them the luxury of escaping ill-fated labels describing their music. “People feel comfortable fitting things into categories,” Eubank said. “That works well for a lot of the music that’s on the radio, but not for us. “If people just listen to our music, they might find that it might be kind of cool to not be able to categorize our music.” With the band’s resume covering a school-trained classical percussionist, a bassist whose forte is funk and another member who brings the heritage of a family full of musicians to the band, Eu bank said finding one word to describe the band’s music is almost impossible. “We draw our influences from a lot of different places so we’re not so easy to categorize,” he said. Eubank’s roots in music go back to childhood performances of Welcome Home Charlie Brown and other musicals his mother put him in. The bug of per forming wasn’t hard for Eubank to catch. “There’s something very addictive about (performing on stage),” he said. “It’s even more addictive when it’s something you have created yourself.” Eubank said he can find no compar ison to performing live. “It’s very rewarding just to have people singing along,” he said. “Here’s this thing I created, and people are getting it.” Porfirio “Pain” D. Hernandez, Citi zen Lane’s saxophone player, said per forming gives him the chance to leave behind the woes of his day. “While I’m on stage I forget about everything,” he said. “I’m totally hav ing fun.” Hernandez said he had an epiphany about his love of performing while on stage in Waco. “I looked out and these people were just just having fun and dancing,” he said. “And for the two hours that I am with them, they are having fun and I was thinking, ‘This is what I want to do.’” From a young age, any chance of a having a legitimate job was shot, Eu bank said. “I had an addiction to be a writer and a performer,” he said. “I quit my last day job last summer. It was kind of a leap of faith. “I think the world would be a better place if more people would listen to what their muse is telling them and do what is in their hearts.” Eubank said he knows the assorted style of the band’s music may create a few disgruntled audience members. “Hopefully, people will pay atten tion to (the music) and appreciate the diversity,” he said. “It keeps us from getting bored, and we’d like to think it keeps the audience from getting bored as well. It’s good for people who want to test the boundaries of their listen ing comfort zones.” A good bit of silence is a key ingre dient to writing songs, he said. Eu bank, who does not read or watch the news, said Citizen Lane’s music is about postivity and good energy. “A lot of what the news has become is about negativity,” he said. “I think people get bombarded with enough negativity as it is. I think music has the potential to be an escape in itself.” Bruce McDonald, co-owner of the Brazos Brewing Company, where the band is playing tonight, said he was attracted to Citizen Lane when he heard it at a local coffee shop. He said the best way he can describe the band’s style of music is “funky jazz.” “Their music is professionally per formed,” he said. “They don’t really fall into a particular well-defined genre.” McDonald said he wanted to bring Citizen Lane to Brazos Brewing Com pany in an effort to expand the range of music in College Station. Citizen Lane “I’m trying to get away from what everyone else is doing,” he said. “This is music for a more mature crowd. It’s more thought-provoking music.” Stimulating the mind and creating a dancing mood for the audience stems from Eubank’s intertwining of person al experiences with his music. “If this wasn’t personal, if it wasn’t coming from inside me, people would n’t be able to relate to it,” he said. “It wouldn’t have the momentum that something would have if it was personal. Of course, you have to re member that you have to write and perform for an audience, too, though.” Cover bands exploit original songs Friends is topic of 50 local parties on pel’s® ivity, aS ‘ J ke it not 1. ■News End 1 ' TOR Editor )R *phicsE# )IT0R .nson,El<f Danielle IW Francis, 11 * /Valters; ^ , Christoph -jy Holley rbClarF J Mejia, t |,, ' n Waiso" riwan, Amy /illis&f jody H*' ons,)e"A ■s Yung ^ Cater, ■ Ai"' jnlversitF 111 dism- -3313:^ nent by J ;-2696. 345-2678: >ickup a J •schoo^ canExP** ring'!*?" • sessM 15 rsity- Texas P pople just don’t seem to care anymore. For whatever bizarre reasons, the world we live in is content and complacent — drunk on mediocrity. Art, which used to be an overflow of passion and the richness of life, has be come tired, repetitive and sick. Artists used to be the people who were touched by something divine, people who were given a talent for expression that burst from their skin. These people were slaves to their gifts, as hungry men are slaves to food. Today, an “artist” can range anywhere from a member of a cover band to a top less dancer. In the hustling metropolis of College Station, topless dancing is not much of a threat to the purity of art because it is il legal. And even though we are safe from local bimbos referring to themselves as thespian heroines, we are still plagued with plagiarizing cover bands. Morrissey said it best in his song “Cemetery Gates”: “ ... and if you must write prose and poetry — make sure the words you use are your own.” A friend of mine who is a musician shares my view of the “don’t bother to write your own song when you can rip off an over-played radio hit” crowd. He tells me he feels that “music is a gift that has been abused.” I cannot make myself understand why people flock mindlessly in droves to hear the live, unprofessional version of the ra dio. My friend can’t understand why bar owners cater to people who are only steal ing someone else’s art. The fact that a real musician writes to deal with whatever moves his soul does n’t seem to matter. The original musi cian’s soul becomes bastardized and tarnished every time some hack with a guitar plucks out the melody of someone else’s song. I wonder how many cover bands really even know what the song they ruin is about. How can someone be so bold as to assume that they have felt the same emotions as the artist who wrote the song? But there is a difference between pay ing tribute to a favorite artist or learning a song for the sake of practice. The main difference is these things are usually done by talented and dedicated people. I remember when I went to see a lo cal band almost two years ago. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I was forced to tag along to see it because I had no car at the time and, for that matter, no life. The first song the band played was from Pearl Jam’s second album,Vs. At the time, I was an attentive Pearl Jam fan, but even so, I didn’t recognize the version of the song. It probably had something to do with the fact that the lead singer had confused Eddie Vedder’s vocals for ago nized wailing. While it is true there is agony in most Pearl Jam songs, Vedder has a nack for muting his rage and tem pering it with harmony. This guy just knew how to scream. Since then, I have avoided cover bands like one might avoid a runaway train. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve seem . them all. So why do people settle for less? Why do people wallow in the muck like fat tened pigs? Life is suppose to be about finding yourself, not making yourself into a cheap imitation of someone else. Alex Walters is a junior journalism and theater major. By Rachel Barry The Battalion T elevision has given A&M stu dents one more reason to party. Tonight, in 50 dorms, apart ments, and households in Bryan-Col- lege Station, students will be throwing Friends parties in honor of the televi sion show of the same name. Diet Coke is sponsoring the 50 Friends parties on 50 college campus es, supplying soda, snacks and posters to some of the show’s biggest fans. Jennifer Williams, a junior account ing major, said her Christian sorority was approached with the idea of hav ing a Friends party at their house. “We thought it would be a good way to have extra people come over and watch the show,” she said. Williams said she watches the show regularly and enjoys being able to identify with some of the characters and situations on the show. “We all see the way they act,” she said. “We are so much like them in some ways.” She said that sometimes, things get a little silly, but they’re always fun. “We like to make fun of the show sometimes, too,” she said. “Because sometimes, it gets out of hand.” Mark Thompson, a Friends fan and a junior industrial distribution major, will be gathering in the hallway of Dorm 2 around several television sets to watch the show. He said he expects over 60 people to show up for the party. “It’s always good to have people come together with a common bond and relax,” he said. While many television shows in the past have captivated audiences and developed strong followings, having parties that center complete ly around a sitcom is something unique for Friends. “Its normal for TV shows to become really popular,” Williams said. “You don’t have to have it in ever aspect of your life, but it’s just fun to watch.” While Diet Coke may be sponsoring nation-wide Friends parties, local businesses have already discovered how to tie the popularity of the show in with gatherings of people. Cheryl Bates of KHLR 103.9 Ex press FM, came up with the idea of having a Friends party every Thurs day night at the Brazos Brewing Company. “I think being from Austin with so many fun trendy places there and not many trendy places around town here, we wanted a hot spot for younger adult crowds,” Bates said. “Brazos Brewing Company lends itself to watching Friends there.” Cylinda Walker, sales manager for the station, said DJ Johnny Maze will be traveling with the Diet Coke Friends Party Patrol and doing live call-ins from the different parties. Bates said that every week, the turn out for the 103.9 Friends night at Brazos Brewing Company has been better and better. “It’s been packed,” she said.’’Even when there are reruns, people enjoy it.” Amy Morrison, a senior interna tional studies major, helped book Friends parties in Bryan-College Station. She said the popularity of the show created a frenzy when people were signing up for the parties. “I had to book 50 parties,” she said. “I could have booked 400 easily. Friends is just a rage right now.”
