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The Battalion
TUESDAY
June 4, 1996
OPINION
5
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Anger, old
ways limit
progress
I used to
be color
blind.
I never
saw the dif
ferences be
tween
blacks or
whites,
Asians or
Hispanics. I
used to be
one of those
people who
would throw her hands up in
frustration when people com
plained about racism on
campus. “Where,” I would
ask, “here?”
In the past. I’ve always
thought that race relations
were fine just the way they
were. However, after reading
a recent Newsweek article
about the plans of the Pitts
burgh, Pa., school district to
phase out its busing program
and the strong reactions to
the proposal, it occurred to me
that the reason I may not be
seeing any colors is that I
have chosen not to see any
thing at all.
In February, Pittsburgh
Public Schools presented a re
districting plan that would
eliminate much of the
crosstown busing that has ex
isted since the 1970s. The
proposal also included plans
to dislodge some special pro
grams and create 11 smaller
neighborhood schools. The
benefits are twofold: Not only
will parents be able to get
more involved in their child’s
school because it is closer to
home, but the school district
will also save an estimated $6
million annually over the next
thr’^b years.
Curiously, the timing of
its proposal fell on the 100th
anniversary of the U.S.
Supreme Court decision in
Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896).
hPlessy, the Supreme Court
permitted racial segregation
under the standard of “sepa
rate but equal.”
In the second half of this
century, schools have slowly
been integrated. Now, racial
balances that have finally been
obtained may be disrupted.
Although the plan is prac
tical, the backlash against it
lias been emotionally heated.
. This is nothing more than a
lan to resegregate the
rfiools and an attempt to at
tract whites back to the city
lathe backs of African-Amer-
can students,” responded Eu-
|ene Beard, NAACP Educa
tion Chairman.
This type of reaction is
"bat keeps many other
school districts from follow
ing Pittsburgh’s example.
Many school districts fear
that the practicality of end-
agthese programs will be
bidden under the threats of
lawsuits against “discrimina
tory practices”.
Parents agree. David J.
Armor, a fellow at George
Mason University’s School of
Public Policy, is the author
Ta 1995 book entitled
hrced Justice: School Deseg-
tyation and the Law.. In his
book he maintains that many
Parents — both black and
Miite — fell that court-or
dered school desegregation
bas often failed. However, if
school boards refuse to touch
the issue because of the law
suits it might cause, resent-
'utnt could build.
IVhile the issue of busing is
^ethat is currently at a pri
ory and secondary school
hvel, the reactions to these
Proposals can teach us much
shout how we approach issues
hat deal with race.
There is anger on both
hdesofthis issue. As I dis-
bvered this, I realized that
'te can’t possibly claim that
Ucial tension no longer ex-
(Ms. We have come a long
^y since the days of Plessy
^■Ferguson, but we still
'ave a long way to go. And
'tying that we don’t have
Toblems will just add one
Pore conflict with which to
iLION
96
Jenni Howard is a
Class of ’96 economics and
international studies major
“Classy” label doesn't fit A&M
T here are a lot of ambigu
ous phrases out there.
One shining example is
the phrase “real world.” Person
ally, I know that the real world
is this living, breathing, horri
ble monster that is awaiting me
and ready to destroy me as soon
as I am pushed kicking and
screaming off this campus. I’m
scared to death of it. It’s my
own fault really; I chose my
major of my own free will, and I
am preparing for a brilliant ca
reer in the field, whatever that field may be.
Shockingly, there aren’t a lot of Fortune 500 his
tory companies out there.
Meanwhile, MTV has some yeTy odd ideas bn
what the real world is. I can only tolerate about
20 seconds of that show of the same name. Give
me a million-dollar house in London or Los An
geles and I’ll show you just how real the world is.
Yeah, right.
“Senior” used to mean that you were in your fi
nal year of college. Ambiguity has allowed this so-
called “final year” to extend to two or three. I used
to see old people on campus and think that old Ags
had come back to relive their college years. Now I
realize they might still be living them. It’s getting
harder and harder to graduate in six years.
In fact, there’s a lot of ambiguity in my college
life, too. Apparently, I have to “pass” my “required
courses” to “graduate” and receive a “diploma” so I
can land a “decent job.”
But it doesn’t stop there. Texas A&M has a big
ambiguous phrase that needs to be addressed. No,
not “NCAA Regulations” or “cups and ice.” The
ambiguity surrounding “world-class university” is
driving me nuts.
I guess it was near the end of my freshman year
when I first heard “world-class” used to describe
our institution of higher learning. I thought it was
a good idea at first, but that night I saw TV ads for
a “world-class” pay-per-view wrestling match and
a “world- class” salon catering to gentlemen in
Houston. Hmmmm ...
Let’s paint the picture: After floating several
“cups of ice,” someone on some committee decided
this University needed a plan to market A&M to
the masses. So someone called some advertising
gurus who suggested using this term to attempt to
define a place that prides itself on being full of un-
definable Aggie spirit.
So what does “world-class” mean in this con
text? After a few minutes of thought, I concluded
it must mean that A&M ranks up there with the
supposedly high-quality schools. Apparently,
they want us to think A&M could be the next
Yale or Princeton.
Well, I don’t want to go to Yale or Princeton.
Whenever I think about any other university, I
get one image: a campus full of strangers caring
only about themselves, their futures, their class
es and nothing else. An amazingly well-known
and well-respected school — with the atmos
phere of a morgue.
Texas A&M has the atmosphere of a family. I
like the fact that you can walk across campus and
make eye contact with everyone you pass. I like
being able to strike up a conversation with anyone
in line to pull tickets. I like going to a school of
over 40,000 people and always being late to class
because I run into several people I know. I like
complaining about construction, the inadequate li
brary (which! still use all the time), parking (even
though I don’t own a car) or whatever the hot topic
is to complain about. I like the fact that you can
have a lot of friends and a life outside of classes
without belonging to some fraternity or sorority. I
like the faculty members who are knowledgeable
and well-respected members of their fields — truly
world class qualities — but never too busy to dis
cuss a question with any student. I like the spirit I
see in everything, from building Bonfire to gather
ing in someone’s room to talk instead of studying
for finals.
I like all these things, and many more. But
most of all I like what they mean — we care about
our campus and school. We care about each other
as students.
Well-respected? “World-class”? Maybe not in the
context of some profit-minded advertising cam
paign. But A&M scores top-notch with the people
who really count: current and former students.
That means more than any sort of official stamp of
approval from outsiders. Just one visit was enough
for me to realize what a special place we have cre
ated, ad campaigns aside. I’ve been a part of it for
three years and I wouldn’t do a thing to make us
like a “world-class” university.
Well, maybe a couple of things. I’ve always
thought it would be great to hear Dave South an
nounce at a game: “Steve Llano is a big, sexy,
hunk of a man!” I might also replace the water
fountains on campus with fully stocked wet bars.
Some people may not think these are “world-
class” additions, but it all comes back to the con
cept of ambiguity.
Aggies know Texas A&M is world-class. That’s
enough of a recommendation for anyone.
Stephen Llano is a Class of ’97 history major
STEPHEN
LLANO
Columnist
Aggie lore consists of
more than 12 th Man
O K. It’s
only the
second
day of classes,
but it’s time
for the first
quiz.
The quiz is
not about
schoolwork,
but about our
school. This is
a test about
the heritage,
history and foundation of
Texas A&M.
I thought there was nothing
else to know. E. King Gill was
the original Twelfth Man, the
Class of 1894 started the Aggie
ring. Bonfire did not bum in
1963 because of the Kennedy as
sassination. ...
I knew A&M, forward and
backward. One evening at the
dinner table with my family,
however, I got a wake-up call
from Dad.
He is a proud member of the
OF Army Class of ’67, and boy,
in his eyes things have really
changed here. “When I was in
school,” he told me, “we had to
know the names of all the
streets on campus and the in
scriptions on every building.”
That got me thinking. Off
hand, I couldn’t think of the
name of the street that runs in
front of the MSC (it’s Joe Routt).
Granted, there are quite a
few more streets now, myriads
of buildings and inscriptions
and 30 more years of the most
explosive growth A&M has ever
seen. No one could possibly
memorize every minutia of his
tory on campus. But I think the
interest in and appreciation for
our roots is just as strong as it
was 30 years ago.
Therefore, in order to satiate
the student body’s ravenous i
* Craving for A&M knowledge,
here’s a quiz. No passing or fail
ing, curves or even scores. It’s
only five questions, followed by
five answers.
Here we go:
1. The first graduating class
at the Agricultural and Mechan
ical College of Texas was in
1876. The most prominent mem
ber of this class was the son of
the most prominent Texas revo
lutionary. Name the student and
the revolutionary.
2. While I’m on the topic of
the Texas Revolution, here’s an
other one. Aggies all over the
world celebrate Muster on April
21. What does the rest of the
Lone Star State celebrate on
April 21?
3. What started as a small all
male school now is the third
largest coeducational undergrad
uate uni versity in the nation,
enrolling 18,417 women in 1995.
When did the first women at
tend Texas A&M, and what were
their names?
4. Moving on to the athletic
arena. The breakup of the
Southwest Conference will end
some very spirited rivalries. One
that will not end, however, is the
one between Texas A&M and
Baylor. These two schools have
played year in and year out
since the founding of the South
west Conference in 1914 with
the exception of four years,
1927-1930. Why didn’t the Ag
gies and Bears compete those
four years?
5. Last one. For whom is
Sbisa Dining Hall named?
Now for the answers:
1. Temple Lea Houston was a
member of the class of 1876.
You’ve probably heard of his fa
ther, Sam.
2. April 21 is San Jacinto
Day, the anniversary of the 1836
slaughter of Santa Ana’s army
by General Houston’s men while
the Mexicans were taking an af
ternoon siesta. San Jacinto Day
is not to be confused with Texas
Independence Day, on which
delegates from all over the fledg
ling Republic of Texas declared
themselves a free nation at
Washington-on-the-Brazos, a
few miles downriver from here.
Texas Independence Day is
March 2.
3. History professor Charles
M. Hutson had two daughters,
Sophie and Marie, who were
A&M’s first “unofficial stu
dents.” They attended school
from 1899-1903. A bill to allow
official enrollment of women at
A&M was passed in the Texas
Senate on March 3, 1953.
4. In 1926, the entire Corps of
Cadets traveled to Waco the
weekend of the Baylor-A&M
game. During the trip, a riot en-
* sued in Waco, and Cadet
Charles M. Sessums was killed.
As a result, the two teams did
not play football against each
other for the next four years. In
fact, the Corps did not return to
Waco for a football game until
last fall.
5. The dining hall is named
for Bernard Sbisa, an Austrian-
born chef who served A&M stu
dents for 50 years, between 1878
and 1928.
I dug all these up from Henry
C. Dethloff s A Pictorial History
of Texas A&M University, 1876-
1976. After reading it, I can
walk across campus now with
more awareness of the history
around me.
But I still don’t know all the d
street names. x
n
David Recht is a Class of ’97 o
civil engineering major ■-
DAVID
RECHT
Columnist
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,
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Contact the opinion editor for information on
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Aggie Culture
Students should take advantage of
the arts at A&M.
Editorials Board
Stacy Stanton
Editor in Chief
jason Brown
Opinion Editor
Shannon Halbrook
Assistant Opinion Editor
Annette Wilzig’s new exhibit
in the MSC Visual Arts gallery
will likely open some eyes to
controversial, provocative
sculpture. But students should
also let it open their eyes to the
enriching opportunities that
are offered by A&M’s many cul
tural organizations.
Wilzig’s work won’t appeal
to everyone on campus. But the
wide variety of artists and
works that arts organizations
bring to A&M does offer most
Aggies a chance to see art they
can appreciate.
At the Visual Arts Gallery,
for instance, the exhibit
changes monthly, regularly of
fering something different. In
addition, the J. Wayne Stark
and Forsyth Galleries show
similar kinds of exhibits.
OPAS and the Aggie Players
bring the performing arts to
A&M, and Town Hall supplies
the campus and community
with entertainment from con
certs to comedians.
No one is forced to see some
thing he or she does not want
to see, whether it’s a sculpture
or an opera. But for the people
'on campus who enjoy these
things, these organizations of
fer a great opportunity.
People should recognize
that not all art appeals to
everyone. But this should nev
er stop people from enjoying
the work which does appeal to
them. Everyone should appre
ciate the MSC Visual Arts
gallery and other arts groups
that try to give something to
all Aggies by supplying the
University with a wide range
of cultural opportunities.
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