â–º
: ish Camp offers
voluntary
brainwashing
ows studei
ihips
-^Flakes, Aggieland’s
ndrew Ban idest crunch, Muster,
eering maji nfire, Reveille, break-
;t, dinner, lunch —
y at Texas A&M.
As 1 moved my
e us a chaiiickload of belong-
)eople beli jsfrom storage into
dorm room, for the
st time, I was really
cited.
The fact that I got
e roomraai
he trip,
was a en
d and havt
said,
good job
get involv
elingwith
elp the fre:
:he at A&M.
:he trip as
edited it as
&M.
>ngly
d.
my whole o
nvolvement
pportunit)'
the prograc
year.
:tive e
and A&M
e to the pro
'amp Brewer
.Kamikaze Corn
Columnist
David Boldt
Senior management
and marketing major
o parking tickets, backed into some meat-
ad parked in the middle of the street and
ident lead ;tmy keys all on the same day didn’t even
:ethe elation I was feeling. I was proud to
an Aggie.
So where did this motivation come from?
is it from the fact that 1 am about to start
in shaping; ^senior year? Maybe.
Or perhaps it was from simply having a
od summer.
I know, it was that 1 just love PTTS and
warm and fuzzy inside when I see that
low ticket caressing my windshield. Uhh,
me see... no.
In fact, after thinking, it was pretty easy
pin down the source of this happiness,
had just returned from the place where
>h school grads are turned into Aggies,
» lere future campus leaders get motivated
d where lasting friendships are made.
^ * It is, of course, Fish Camp.
Every year, more than 900 counselors and
lectors and more than 5,400 freshmen
ivel to Lakeview campground for four
tzydays of Aggie indoctrination and fun.
r It each year, people criticize Fish Camp.
Many campers, and even some former
im last yeailunselors, say Fish Camp is just a big mess
hysical plan;|false motivation and brainwashing,
id taketheirlThey say A&M is nothing like Fish Camp
Id not everyone cares about the traditions
sity’s facilitieJ A&M.
Id not handltllo a large extent, they’re right, but that
eceived. lesn’t make it a bad thing,
ns for whilfl Texas A&M’s culture is based largely on a set
Jges andali f iraditions. These events and actions are no
n’t any mortlubt different from anywhere else. But that’s
fiat binds Aggies together,
igram in 19SI It’s psychological, really.
Table mateo l Any group that collectively participates in
o recycle 6t iehavior that no outsider understands is going
a 10 pero ‘0 bond.
Sure, some of the traditions don’t seem to
ke sense at first, but who cares? It’s fun.
tudents don’t want to participate, that’s
ir choice — and other Aggies should
pect that. But if they just give it a try,
will incliui ley might find themselves having fun and
nd the collec iling like part of the “Aggie family.”
hange ofpei
f thinking o|
said,
deling cental
And that’s what Fish Camp is all about.
Call it brainwashing if you want, but at
the end of the week, I didn’t see any fresh
men having an absolutely terrible time.
Sure, there are some weird and over-hyped
things that go on at Fish Camp, but these
freshmen are 18 years old. They know that a
half-naked guy wearing pantyhose filled with
balloons on his head is not an everyday
occurrence.
They should also be smart enough to
know there will be many people on campus
who won’t care about the traditions. The
counselors should, and many times do, tell
the freshmen this.
Texas A&M is such a unique and phe
nomenal place because of its rich history of
traditions.
And a big reason these traditions are kept
alive is the education and motivation
instilled in the freshmen at Fish Camp.
If the fish don’t care to participate, that’s
a personal choice.
I never saw any freshmen being forced to do
anything. But hopefully, the things taught and
the friendships made will last forever.
Fish Camp is one of the greatest experi
ences I have ever had in my three years at
this University.
The fun I had, the lives I had the privilege
to touch and the friendships I made will be
a part of me for many years to come.
On the last night of camp, a fish who had
been shy all week stood up and said some
thing I will never forget.
He said, “If I’m being brainwashed, I don’t
mind, this is cool.”
I don’t mind either.
Page 13
Wednesday • September 4, 1996
Athletics, not
academics, remain
the focus at A&M
T wo, four, six,
eight — who do
we appreciate?
The Big Twelve! The
Big Twelve!
Like everyone else,
I’m just tickled pink
that those maroon-
clad gents on the
gridiron are entering
the Big Twelve Super
Conference of the
universe.
New teams, new challenges
and new fans to beat up on the
freshly painted Kyle Field grass
should prove to excite even
those Aggies out there who
aren’t as red-ass as opinion
columnists — whoop!
This new focus of our
University has put itches in the
wallets of most of our former
students, as well.
Donations to the Twelfth
Man Association (the group
responsible for collecting
money for our sporting pro
grams) are flowing like tears at a
Barbra Streisand concert.
The new Reed Arena, future
home to the Texas Aggie
Basketball Team, the Ice
Capades and those fun loving
monster truck contests, has
sprung up over the summer.
Plans for a third deck in Kyle
Field over the horseshoe are
already underway, anticipating
large crowds for future home
games against powerhouses like
Mizzou and Iowa State. I am
giddy with anticipation.
However, we must realize that
making this progression into the
future of academic institutions
may bring about some sacrifices.
But don’t panic, Ags. The sacri
fices have nothing to do with our
sporting programs.
No, the sacrifices Texas A&M
must make relate to an almost
irrelevant facet of any institu
tion of higher learning —/the
^ /
academics.
Now I know some
of you may be
uncomfortable with
this idea, but you
needn’t worry, it
should be an easy
transition.
You see, we as stu
dents have already
shouted out against
last semester’s pro
posed hike in the
General Use Fee.
This fee would have guaran
teed higher pay to the dismal
salaries our faculty is receiving.
The salary raise would have
been a great tool in recruiting
high-quality professors, as well
as rewarding the hard work of
our current faculty.
Classroom improvements
were being considered in the
proposal as well, but the stu
dents were not fooled.
Students bravely stood up and
demanded that the University’s
priorities be set straight and that
if a student must spend more for
attending Texas A&M, then the
extra cash better be heading
toward athletics.
One day, if all Aggies put
their best foot forward, we can
come together as Aggies who
are not burdened with the tedi
um of an academic curriculum.
I see A&M’s future as a
Shangri-la of sporting events; a
place where everyone can join
as one, root for the team and
know that trivial subjects such
as math, science, business,
English and animal husbandry
will be phased out and replaced
with more teams, more sports
and more of that Fightin’ Texas
Aggie Football Program.
It’s a goal we can accomplish,
Ags, if we all just strive together
as one team dedicated to igno
rance in the classroom and vic
tory on the field.
Columnist
Chris Miller
Junior English major
coastaual opportunity should begin
orth Carol
/vinds of I
llions of dl
homes, ertfl
T, Fran
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Vt waiting
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tation beef
sstra
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) from 7:00 pt*
f Texas A&M
arse counts as
fulfilling the
il electives.
isked to perfot 11
hestral excerp 1
kindergarten, not college
nee we are able to
how that all stu-
ents have
ceived an equal
pportunity to
arn, we can judge
em on the same
of standards.
T hank you Cheryl
Hopwood. Finally, the
reverse discrimination
policy that most universities
use for admission will no
longer be allowed.
The 5th Circuit Court of
Appeals ruled that a univer
sity may not promote one
race over another, even if it
is trying to adjust inequality
in the student body.
Affirmative action was
based on good intentions.
It was supposed to be a proactive
measure giving people equal opportu
nities, but it became a reactive
admission policy that often
used quota systems to correct
imbalances in the student
population.
Ever since Plessy vs.
Ferguson in 1895, which stat
ed that segregation in public
facilities was upheld by the
constitution, minority chil
dren have been forced to
attend schools lacking the
advantages needed to com
pete against students attend
ing more affluent schools.
In 1954, the Supreme Court
overruled Plessy vs. Ferguson
with Brown vs. Board of Education on
the premise that “separate but equal”
facilities were “inherently unequal.”
The decision intended to end segre
gation in public schools and offer edu
cational opportunities to all failed.
With many minorities living in
lower-income areas, segregation con
tinued in schools on the basis of social
class. So, to balance past inequalities,
the government created affirmative
action; in effect, the government tried
to right their wrongs at the expense of
other college students.
And here lies the problem. Past dis
crimination should not be the burden
of students currently trying to enroll.
These students were not the ones
who did wrong. Why should they have
to pay for what others did?
The Flopwood case dealt with uni
versity admission policies used to set
minority quotas at the college level.
The court ruled that reverse dis-
Columnist crimination is wrong.
However, what the Hopwood
decision really proved is that
the entire educational system
is wrong.
The real solution is to offer
all students an equal educa
tion beginning at the ele
mentary level.
All children deserve equal
David Minor opportunities to develop
Graduate student their minds.
Don’t punish innocent stu
dents who happen to be at a
financial disadvantage by taking away
their opportunity to go to college. And
don’t wait until deprived students
apply for college to offer them a help
ing hand because of past inequalities.
Most recently, equal opportunity in
education has been viewed as the
means of achieving equality in the
larger society, especially between
blacks and whites.
But how is this possible if you are
not allowing all children the same
opportunity to learn?
If one student has the best teachers,
facilities and learning materials, how
can that person be judged on the same
standards as a student who attends a
school without the advantages most
take for granted?
The educational system will not
improve until radical changes are
made at the elementary levels.
Offer all students an equal education
from the first grade up to the 12th grade.
It would be expensive, but once we
are able to show that all students have
received an equal opportunity to learn,
we can then judge them on the same
set of standards.
Although it would initially cost tax
payers money, a Robin Hood funding
program could be the answer.
In the long run, such a plan would
reap huge dividends for taxpayers by
creating an economically stable, edu
cated society less dependent upon the
government and welfare.
So thank you Cheryl Hopwood for
opening our eyes.
It is impossible to correct past dis
crimination; you can only try to pre
vent future discrimination.
^Editorial Roundup
(AP) — The following is a sample of editorial
opinion from Texas newspapers:
Austin American-Statesman on morale of
American workforce:
If Samuel Gompers were around today, he
would be biting his cigar in half with frustration.
Another Labor Day and another year of American
workers notching more hours and — by some
accounts — less job satisfaction than ever.
Company loyalty is becoming a memory.
Workers wonder when their jobs are going to be
shipped off shore and employers wonder how
long they can compete in global markets against
cheap and plentiful workers.
The answer is: Work harder. Work longer. In
Texas, workers are putting in 44- and 45-hour
work weeks, according to figures compiled by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics and the state employ
ment commission.
We read that labor unions pioneered by Gompers
played a role in eliminating sweat shops, brutal
hours and low pay. That assertion is greeted with
great skepticism by American workers....
The Dallas Morning News on private prisons:
When the Texas prison system was bursting at
the seams with inmates, the idea of building pri
vate correctional facilities to relieve the overload
made sense.
Now, the reduced crime rate in Texas and a
massive prison construction program have left
the state with a surplus of cell space. And that
has convinced private prisons to fill their vacan
cies with inmates from as far away as Oregon.
As a result, these private correctional facilities
are housing more dangerous prisoners than state
officials anticipated.
Earlier this month, two convicted sex offend
ers from Oregon escaped for 11 days after they
scaled a fence at a Houston-area private prison.
The flight of two inmates convicted for violent
crimes is bad enough. But even more disturbing
is the legal debate about whether they can be
charged in Texas for escaping.
It’s time to enact clear guidelines that ensure
the safety of Texas residents — not the financial
well-being of private prison operators.