The Battalion
‘V * April 24, m
WEDNESDAY
April 24, 1996
Opinion
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Just a few things
before I go
U T “f Then you
%/l/ get to the
Y Y end, turn
the page.”
My great grand
mother was very fond
of that phrase. In fact,
it was her answer to
most every problem
that she and my fami
ly encountered. And the funny
thing is, it usually works. Its ef
fectiveness lies in its simplicity.
Now that my term as Battal
ion editor in chief is almost up, I
too am ready to turn the page.
But I cannot do so until I’ve writ
ten my last line.
As an editor, you learn to
understand the University. Not
only are you expected to objec
tively cover the news of Texas
A&M, but you are also expect
ed to serve as a student leader.
And as a result, you gain much
insight into the community you
are trying to serve. I know I
certainly have.
The Administration
and Former Students
One of the largest misconcep
tions that I had when I came to
Texas A&M was that this was
my University and that the ad
ministration was working for
me and my best interest. Sadly
enough, I have found that not to
be the case.
If you believe that the ad
ministration is working for the
students, you are wrong. How
ever, if you take the word “for
mer” and place it in front of the
word “students,” your thought
becomes truth.
This is a fact, and nothing is
going to change until the stu
dents of A&M realize it and
refuse to accept it anymore.
Virtually every decision made
here is controlled by the for
mer students.
Why? Because they are the
ones with all of the money.
This must change. Former
students are exactly what their
name indicates ... former stu
dents. They are no longer af
fected by the administrative de
cisions. However, for some rea
son or another, many of them
feel it necessary to make sure
the A&M of today closely re
sembles the A&M of yesterday
Our education should not be for
sale at any price.
Traditions/Conformity
The traditions that A&M
prides itself on are very unique
and they almost define what this
University is all about. However,
when forced, the traditions lose
all meaning. Yes, it is a neat ex
perience when sitting around
Kyle Field and listening to thou-
sands of students join together in
a common cause.
But far too often, we force
participation in these tradi
tions. We call those who don’t
“two-percenters,” “bad Ags,”
and many expletives that aren’t
worth repeating. There is noth
ing in the student handbook
that requires all students of
Texas A&M to participate in all
of the traditions. And those who
decide not to are no less Aggies
than you or I.
Maroon-Colored
Glasses
A&M is not the best place in
the world. In fact, anything locat
ed in College Station is automati
cally out of the top 10 of any list.
But for some reason or another,
many of us refuse to accept our
University’s imperfections.
Here’s a news flash ... there
are many things screwed up
about Texas A&M. Our fees are
too high. Our professors don’t get
paid what they should. Our
course selection isn’t diverse.
Our student population isn’t di
verse. Our administration is
more concerned with research
than educating students. And we
lag behind the University of
Texas in most categories.
The following are observa
tions I’ve had that must be
vented:
• Reveille is just a dog. In
fact, she is a dog that has
epileptic seizures who at any
time could fall down and start
flopping around.
• The Corps is not all bad.
Certain members have a ten
dency to tarnish its image, but
every organization has mem
bers like that. There is no way
to have
2,000 model
citizens
make up one
organization.
• Multi-
culturalism
is not a bad
word. In
fact, it is the
one word that can move A&M
forward.
• Not everyone on campus
believes in God.
• Highway 6 runs both ways,
but so does every other highway.
• Northgate is a dirty, smelly,
nasty place. But that’s what
makes it neat.
• Student Government really
has no power. All they do is make
recommendations and wear Stu
dent Government T-shirts.
• The Faculty Senate fits
the same definition as above.
However, I don’t think they
have T-shirts.
• Our fees could go down if
the University would stop water
ing the sidewalks.
• Our library really does suck.
• The professors who teach
most of the classes and who
spend the most time with stu
dents usually make the least
amount of money.
• The only students who have
different admission require
ments are student athletes.
• George Bush and Phil
Gramm have one thing in com
mon. Neither attended Texas
A&M.
• Being Republican is not an
A&M tradition.
• Republicans will force you to
pay more for your education.
• The phrase “You can never
go home again,” really is true.
• Life experiences at college
outweigh classroom experiences.
• Your fees pay for things you
could never imagine.
• People around the nation
think Aggies are hayseeds, if
they think about them at all.
• Don’t bathe in cologne. Peo
ple sitting next to you in classes
won’t like you.
• Aggies lie, cheat and steal.
• Your ATM tattoo won’t look
good in 20 years.
• The Mail Call letters that
begin with, “Got a little story
for ya, Ags,” probably won’t
ever get printed.
• When you stumble over a lip
in the sidewalk, don’t even try to
hide it. Everyone saw, and they
all laughed at you.
• Personal hygiene becomes
less important as the semester
progresses.
• If you ask or answer too
many questions in class, your
classmates find you really an
noying.
• Don’t fool yourself — The
outfit the person next to you is
wearing has been worn two or
three times since it has last
been washed.
• Our football team wasn’t
just outscored, we downright lost.
• The tradition of saying
“Howdy” is dying because the
word has two syllables. “Hey” or
“Hi” take much less effort.
Don’t take things in stride.
Don’t overlook things that piss
you off.
Last month, hundreds of stu
dents joined together on this
campus to let the administration
know that the Hopwood decision
sucked and that the University
was failing in its duty to serve gdl
students. And for once, I saw a
spark in students’ eyes. And it
was great.
We have become too pas
sive. We have become too
silent. We accept things we
shouldn’t, just because we are
told we are supposed to. In ef
fect, our souls have died and
we are now letting others tell
us what we think and what is
in our best interest.
The A&M of yesterday boast
ed students who would sacrifice
their lives for what they be
lieved. Thousands of Aggies died
in order to protect ideas and be
liefs they held sacred. And we
have trouble getting our asses off
the couch unless we think the
word “howdy” is dying or some
one forgot to take off his hat in
the MSC.
Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate
who we are and what we stand
for. Perhaps there is more to life
than being an Aggie.
Maybe it’s time to turn the
page.
Sterling Hayman is a gradu
ating political science major who
is glad he attended A&M
Sterling
Hayman
Earth Day symbolizes extremism
E arth Week — if I had
been quicker with the
remote, I would not
have been forced to watch a
commercial telling me to re
cycle, hug a tree, eat some
granola, hug my mom,
whatever. Earth Week,
why? Apparently the Earth
is going to hell in a hand
basket and the human race is to blame.
Animals are dying, people are being at
tacked by giant smog monsters, and all we
have to do to change this is to recycle, love
our mother Earth and the human race, and
the Earth can live in harmony forever.
Well, I don’t buy it.
More accurately, I don’t care.
Even more ac' -ately, almost no one cares.
One rr on no >ne likes environmental
ists is that xr goal is to tell everyone what
to do. It all started back in the ’60s; millions
of people got together and chanted, “Make
love not war.” Lo and behold someone lis
tened, and the war stopped. Unfortunately,
they realized that by achieving their goal,
they negated their own existence. Hmm,
what is the next step? The rebellion machine
was still oiled and ready to go; all it needed
was a new crusade.
The environment!
This is even better than anti-war; it af
fects everyone in the world, not just in the
United States. The sad part is
that after helping to stop war,
the activists believed they
were right and any crusade
they involved themselves in
was also automatically right.
Wrong.
There is nothing wrong with
idealists and dreamers, but
rarely are idealists and dream
ers also realists. A big dose of realism is what
many environmentalists need. It would be
fantastic if the world were spotless and birds
could fly without breathing gear, but the
world is more complicated than that. Like it
or not, business runs the world, not because
there is a big conspiracy out there, but be
cause every man, woman and child wants
money, can’t live without it, and happily per
petuates the system if it means a decent life.
A perfect example of environmentalism
going too far would be what happened
when the nuclear power industry went to
Capital Hill to try to persuade the govern
ment that the industry is safe. Ralph Nad
er represented the anti-nuke machine, and
John Simpson represented Westinghouse
and the industry.
Simpson came armed with 15 years of sci
entific facts, and Nader came armed with
hyperbole and blatant scare tactics. Even
though nuclear power had been proven safe
in each and every stage, cheap and accessi
ble power was denied to the United States
by a group of people who put their idealism
before practicality and proven facts.
Sure, solar power and wind generation
would be a great idea, it is just a pity that
these people apparently didn’t check the
facts when telling Congress that environ
mentally friendly energy sources were just
around the corner. They weren’t then, and
they still aren’t now. As for disposing of
waste, the reason site approval and con
struction has taken so long is that the en
vironment-types continue to put their ide
alism before practicality, even when it ben
efits mankind.
There are many other examples out there:
Environmentalists made it mandatory to put
bird guards on cooling towers, even at sites
where the last bird to die was probably eaten
by a dinosaur.
I hope the next time environmentalists
get together, they consider the practicality of
their ideas. No one is saved by making some
thing illegal tomorrow. Jobs are lost, costs
skyrocket and businesses are less profitable.
Work step by step. Understand what is rea
sonable and necessary for now. Having no
nuclear waste is nice, but if it comes at the
expense of blackouts and another energy cri
sis, is it really worth it?
Kieran Watson is a sophomore
finance major
Kieran
Watson
Columnist
MAR6UU£$
Nolen exemplifies
Opinion page writing
I am writing in response to
Jeff Nolen’s column on April
23. I would just like to say that
Nolen is 100 percent right
about the Corps of Cadets and
how detrimental its existence
is to Texas A&M University. I
would also add that those of us
who, like Jeff, are so very con-
cemed about this institution,
do something about this whole
Corps thing.
Let’s start by removing all
presence of those damn corps
turds from any place that they
might undermine Nolen’s hard
work for Texas A&M. Carl
Baggett is a logical place to
start. As student body presi
dent, he could do all kinds of
damage. Of course, we need to
expel 80 percent of our yell lead
ers; it’s obvious that people like
those stinking Toms don’t care
about Nolen’s TAMU. Of course,
we need to remove the numer
ous fascists from the likes of
Muster Committee, Traditions
Council, Fish Camp, various
senatorial positions, etc.; we all
know they have ulterior motives
for these activities. Nolen could
personally take back the Corps’
Bonfire pots to avert the cata
strophic consequences of CT’s
with sharp objects.
As I write this, I just keep
getting more irate with the
Corps of Cadets. It is obvious to
me, as I review this abridged list
of the multitude of activities,
that the Corps attempts to bring
A&M down. In closing, I would
also encourage all A&M stu
dents (non-Corps, of course) to
Mail
Call
follow the fine example set by
Jeff Nolen, my buddy Chris
Stidvent and numerous other
Battalion writers of hastily
forming and voicing an opinion
out of ignorance.
R. Brandon Currey
Class of’96
Farrakhan spreads
the truth, not hate
This is in response to Erin
Fitzgerald’s column on Friday,
April 19. If you do not believe
that there is much water left in
the sea of injustice, you have al
ready drowned. Farrakhan is
not dangerous because he is
hateful, he is dangerous because
he is truthful. Honesty is a poli
cy that many Americans need to
look into. We need to be honest
with the fact that there is a
race-relations problem here in
America, and yes, discrimina
tion still exists. Although the
physical chains of slavery have
been broken, the mental and
emotional chains are still pre
sent on all Americans.
Farrakhan has only put
words into the thoughts of
many African Americans. No,
he is not the spokesperson of
every African American. No,
everyone is not a mind-numbed
follower of Farrakhan. It may
be surprising, but African
Americans are intelligent indi
viduals, able to think, act and
speak for themselves.
Fitzgerald writes, “Far-
rakhan should wake up from his
30 year nap and smell the ros
es.” Frankly, many Americans
have been smelling the roses too
long, trying to avoid the stench
in the air. Farrakhan is an intel
ligent African-American leader,
not an entertainer. He has cho
sen to stand up for what he be
lieves as true. He does not have
to hold a candle to other
African-American leaders; he
has a light all his own.
The next time anyone de
cides to write about African-
American leaders, do not just
pull out the ones American his
tory chooses to discuss; dig a
little deeper. There are many
more African-American leaders
of different styles, form and
times that have had a positive
impact on society — no one
worked greater than the others,
and all worked for a purpose.
Yes, you are right, it does
take more than hate to make
history, but from what Ameri
can history halfheartedly tells
us, it is a damn good start.
LaSondra Carroll
Class of ’99
Anti-Greek attitudes
stem from ignorance
Rob Clark is right. Anti-
Greek columns rarely break
any new ground. And taking a
pot-shot at Greeks at A&M is
about as daring as calling the
pope a Catholic.
“Renting” friends? The vast
majority of Greek dues go to
house payments. How many
other student organizations
have mortgages? These houses
provide residency for members
and serve as 24-hour headquar
ters and a clubhouse. The rest
goes to the chapter, so I’m
spending about 55 cents per
friend a month. I can’t put a
dollar value on my friends, but
it seems like a helluva bargain
to me. For this exorbitant fee,
we have the leverage to use our
numbers and funds to do things
on a grander scale, ranging
from philanthropies to parties.
These organizations are non
profit businesses with debts,
obligations and mission state
ments — all run completely by
18-22 year olds. The learning
experience provided is invalu
able; people skills, financial re
sponsibility, time management,
compromise and peace-keeping
skills are quickly learned. And
I couldn’t even begin to de
scribe how much I value my
brothers without sounding sap
py (from the outside looking in
...) I could never put back what
I have gotten out of it, especial
ly if you attempt to attach
some dollar value.
Oh sure, you can get these
things from various sources.
But Greek life offers all that
and more in a holistic ap
proach. The Corps can offer
some of this, but they are given
vast amounts of money from
the University and alumni, and
guaranteed housing serves as
their chapter homes. Greeks
have to work hard to achieve
these things.
So before people start drap
ing themselves in a trendy
anti-Greek attitude, perhaps
they better look beyond stereo-
types. If you don’t know the
facts, try our rush; that’s what
it’s for. Greek organizations of
fer so much for it to be cheap
ened by giving it a price tag.
Lose the argument. It really is
invalid.
Travis Stiba
Class of’97
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
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: 6att@tamvm1.tamu.edu