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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 1996)
Page rnber 12, eel ;quires Opinion Page 19 Thursday • September 12, 1996 mlij /\P) - ; Wedm 9 der Am letroitTigi ed. for the IIS needs to wave its magic wand Playboy’s pom poses serious quandries WS J: \ dw that I have completed my last semester of i one would think uld be able to un- tand the advice giv- tme in A&M’s Opinion Editor ;mg injia Icy Gutien Berry’s ai /e needed; . , ! left side. Kfe nerai ma; aid. “Aoii ^eslissom lation hat is supposedly the University ted Computer In- expeneii; rt stop. 1 egan the 'ore being rices(CIS) — to hde students with Heather Pace Sophomore English major home run iful, informative answers to teircomputing needs, owever, for the average non- _ hanicaily inclined student, provided by CIS simply leaves entseven more confused. In CIS needs to take a new ap- .X||Mi di to serving student needs. * LUll ike the Academic Computer ler in Blocker, for example, nentering, students are greet- ith a plethora of rooms to en- nd a lack of computers to use. oingto a computer lab is sort awaiting 30 minutesfor a ing space only to have it taken by some obnoxious, sneaky Woodson ?en plating 3 came i gn with a big imp: themiddli se," StridCflunjst. >ur make ; allow the linebackei hen the problems really begin. Ithough CIS provides elaborate rmational packets, they seem to ad of stes bitten in an unknown English ict. CIS obviously anticipated the packets couldn’t answer question, so they created the pDesk. to compare the Help ktothe big desk at the en- allowed yards in cago ant of Fred e our n said. "Hi iceof the library, primarily than last p ause it isn’t clear what the pose is behind the two. he only explanation I can come (ithisthat it provides a refuge CIS employees when they are raged by questions, lowever, the Help Desk needs a name because it certainly sahpiovide much help. For example, during my last sojourn in the ACC, I was trying to read my e-mail which is, of course, on VM. VM is infamous for being the most un wieldy e-mail system ever put on the face of the earth. For this reason, one would think CIS would take steps to alleviate the many questionsof confused students who bombard the Help Desk by ei ther simplifying VM or eliminat ing it all together. However, 1 was still using VM, and my e-mail wouldn’t open. For tunately, I found a helpful CIS em ployee who admitted VM was a really screwed up system so he tried to stay away from it. But he offered to find someone who knew a little bit more than he did. After about five minutes, some one approached. My excitement soon dimmed, though, after she admitted it was her first day to work at CIS, and she didn’t know anything about VM either. Finally, a third person came over to inform me that the “wizard ofVM” resided in the Teague Re search Center Building. Unfortu nately, the wizard was performing his magic potions somewhere out side of College Station for the next few days. Besides the employees who simply have no clue, there are the employees who are frustrated by students’ inability to understand their explanations. Listening to them pontificate may sound impressive, but I feel like I am being sucked into a giant abyss. If only I could be like Dorothy — click my heels a few times and suddenly know all the answers. Instead, I decided maybe read ing my e-mail wasn’t that impor tant after all. It seems obvious employers would look for knowledge and enthusiasm in their prospective employees. IfVM is one of the sys tems provided by the university, wouldn’t they provide employees who know how to use it? OK, so maybe it is a bad system . . . then why doesn’t CIS replace it or improve it? CIS needs to take a comprehen sive look at the services it offers and the employees it hires because VM is definitely not the only sys tem in which employees lack knowledge. Students who have suffered through computer classes have surely experienced the perplexed faces of employees when trying to find solutions to their questions. Maybe CIS should make evalua tions based on quality, not quantity. If students are required to pay a $60 computer access fee per semester, it would be nice for CIS to provide some comput ers — almost as good, though, would be some answers. raternities offer members more than meets the eye f w ithout a doubt, fraternities are some of the most re warding organizations at isA&M.The sad part is that lypeople think fraternities are Mental to the University and to ridual fraternity members, radition makes A&M unique and ten incorrectly used as a reason to lissfraternities. Like A&M, tradi- a big part in fraternities. So 'eto be a little disheartened when estate tradition is anti-frat. Sure, mities were not originally a part xasA&M, but neither were non- orwomen. raternities were not formed to have all tdrink-a-thons and all-out brawls. The )tity of fraternities were founded in the , when A&M was still pasture land, unities began to focus primarily on larship, athletics and brotherhood, aternities continue to develop a person [the best person he can be. That’s why fra- Itiestake pride in everything they do and inually produce leaders. Since 1920, all me president of the United States haves members of fraternities, campus, Greeks are not only partic- in many organizations, but leaders. I Aggies have to give 212 percent, 112 Columnist Sean McAllister Senior finance and accounting major percent to A&M and 100 percent to the fraternity. Being an Aggie may open some doors in the business world, but combining that with membership in a fraternity opens even more doors. My fraternity has 212 chap ters across the United States and Canada with an average of 65 men per chapter. Com bine this with ap proximately 100,000 thousand alumni members, and it cre ates two windows of opportunity for me in the busi ness world, first as an Aggie and second as a Greek. To those who think fraterni ties are groups of guys formed for two purposes, beer and women: Think again. One of the primary focuses of every fraternity is philanthropy, for which there are many benefits hosted by fra ternities. They donate hundreds of hours, and tens of thousands of dollars each semester to various organizations. The Greek system also has the largest turnout of any on-campus organiza tion at The Big Event. As for, “Rent a friend, join a frat,” there is no renting of friends. Friendships are never made by the mere collection of money. A fra ternity is indeed run like a business, and all businesses need money. Dues can be com pared to tuition for A&M, used to develop a member and support the foundation. Broth erhood, a significantly deeper bond of friend ship, is fostered by mutual respect, concern for each other and belief in one common thing — the fraternity itself. In order to become a broth er there is pledgeship, which is not a time for personal humili ation. The stereotypical image is antiquated and, in most cas es, fostered by glamorized im ages portrayed on television. Pledgeship is not a time for humiliation and torture as many may think. Rather, it is a trial period for the pledges to prove they do indeed posses the qualities and desire to become a good member. Pledge educa tion curriculum ensures members will be schol ars, leaders and gentleman. There are 26 fraternities at Texas A&M pre senting an option for nearly everyone who is driven to excel. Fraternities are not for every one, and I understand that. Fraternities are for men who are a cut above the rest. lat’s wrong with Playboy? Many Aggies don’t subscribe to it. They don’t even like it. However, they still can’t seem to pinpoint the defect in Hugh Hefn er’s girlie mag. Playboy is mildly pornographic. It may have good articles, but these are sandwiched between seductive photos of naked women. This month’s Big 12 issue in cludes two of Aggieland’s women, Nikki Willis and Hillary Schatz, naked as jaybirds. Of course Venus de Milo is also naked as a jaybird, but most peo ple don’t consider the statue pornographic. It is a nude — an aesthetic mold that is fundamental to great artists. Playboy’s nudes may be actual photographs of women, but they are not unartistic. The color and lighting of the magazine’s pictures are sometimes quite nice. Photography is an accepted mode of art. Nudes are as accept able in photographs as they are in oil paintings and marble statues. However, Playboy’s photos are more than just nudes. Every naked Playmate has an explicit sexual undertone. They are not posing to show the beauty of the human form. They are posing so men may admire their breasts, gawk at them even. So these photos are erotic. Big deal — the Pre-Raphaelite Brother hood produced many sensual paintings in the 19th century. Each work of art captures an emotion or feeling. A photo expressing despair is hardly superior to a photo ex pressing desire. Perhaps the Puritan heritage of America and the Protestant lean ings of the Bible Belt have caused many of us to associate guilt and revulsion with sexuality. Those naked girls ought to put on fig leaves and hide their faces. Nudity is shame. No photograph deserves such sweeping condemnation. Some where in photography there is a line dividing pornography and art. Columnist Marcus Goodyear Senior English major No one has found the line yet — though even the Supreme Court has tried. The line may not even be the same for each person. Everyone has a re sponsibility to himself or herself to determine what is acceptable. The Big 12 Playboy issue is a perfect excuse for a student at A&M to examine the assump tions of his or her childhood and determine why soft-core porn is or is not objectionable. A little research never hurt any one either. A psychological study in 1980 found that even mildly erotic material (such as Playboy) increased men’s aggressive be havior toward women. A more recent study in 1994 found that soft-core pornogra phy increased men’s perception of women as sexual objects. The politically correct term is “objectification.’’ Playboy reduces women to sex objects, toys for boys who have outgrown Star Wars figures. In the explicit photos and car toons, the women are completely one-dimensional. All of them want, need and think about only one thing: sex. Willis and Schatz knew this when they posed. They could ac cept being objectified in return for their exposure to the modeling world. Posing in Playboy was a good career move. These two Aggies and all the playmates like them have done nothing wrong, right? If a person wants to be objectified, conserva tive Bible-thumpers should leave them alone, right? Unfortunately, Willis and Schatz’s decision will affect all women in the United States. Men will think less of women in general after seeing these women presented as purely sex ual. The erotic pictures support sexist gender stereotypes, too. But let’s not be too hard on the playmates and their porn peddler. Hugh Hefner didn’t invent chau vinism and the hierarchy gender; he’s just capitalizing on it. To those who think fraternities are groups of guys formed for two purposes, beer and women: Think again. The Battalion Established in 1893 Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorials board members. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Bat talion 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 Michael Landauer Editor in Chief Amy Collier Executive Editor Gretchen Perrenot Executive Editor Heather Pace Opinion Editor Crime Ring Aggie Ring dunking tradition should continue despite legal challenges. Mail >utes. idents deserve impt services lade it to my class 30 min- ate. The problem wasn’t woke up late or that I de- the class wasn’t important [hto attend. 'as late to class because I auteto school and depend UJniversity’s shuttle system, lent to the bus stop 40 min- lefore my class began, ilyfive minutes passed the first bus approached . 6 0p ' l T (* f routine, I stepped where the > 4 'Quid stop, and retrieved my 0 / Ms from my pocket. my surprise, though, the lid not halt and continued Way toward campus. It was lyfuii. tee other people joined me 5-minute wait for the next Wit also did not stop be- .cofl cause it was too full. By the time the third bus did the same thing, there were nine of us just standing around, and I was already late for class. I decided to take my car to school and within four minutes was in the commuter parking lot. It took 20 minutes to find a parking spot in the parking lanes furthest from any building as other commuters patiently wait ed behind the wheels of their steeds, stalking their prey. As someone pulls out of their well-earned “space,” the attack begins. Two vehicles, from both sides of the lane, race to the vacant and valuable parking facility. It is a daily battle for all off- campus students to get to class on time. We depend on the shut tle buses to transport us. Because it costs $110 for a bus pass and $75 for a commuter parking permit, it is not unrea sonable to expect the full extent of the services that we pay for. Chandler W. Coy Class of’99 Family thanks friends for support In the hour of our greatest need, it was the understanding, sympathy and the many kind nesses of our relatives, friends and neighbors that gave us added strength to carry on. We wish to express our nost sincere gratitude and apprecia tion to all of those who attended the services and for the beautiful floral tributes and cards which we received during our recent bereavement in the death of our beloved son & brother Jose Maria Ibanez, Jr. A special thaks to Lt. Colonel Ray E. Toler, Director of Bands, Dorothy Hopkins, Aggie Band Mom, Kristen Sayer, Associate Director, Department of Student Life, Texas A&M Cadets, A-Com- pany, Band Members, Bus Oper ations Shop Staff, Students and Faculty Members of Texas A&M University. Your kindness and suport showed us what our son and brother had so lovingly boasted to us about these past four years. He always spoke so highly of his friends and fellow students at his beloved A&M and their ca maraderie for each other. Chema was so proud to be an Aggie and a part of such a spe cial group of people. While our hearts are broken, we know Chema is in Heaven, proudly smiling down at all of us right now. Thanks again and may God Bless each and every one of you. Ibanez Family Campus is buzzing with talk of what one Battalion reader called a “nasty” rumor. But it is not a ru mor: Ring dunking, as A&M stu dents know it, is illegal in Texas. Selling a pitcher of beer for indi vidual consumption has been ille gal since 1990. The law is intended to keep bars from encouraging ex cessive drinking. The law itself is a reasonable one. If discussed in the context of drinking and dri ving, few people would argue against the law or the thinking be hind it. However, ring dunking has become a tradition at A&M, and tradi- Aggies never lose respect for their past and always adjust to the future. The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or fewer and include the author’s name, class, and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Let ters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: Batt@tamvml.tamu.edu For more details on letter policy, please call 845-3313 and direct your question to the opinion editor. tions do not die easily. And stu dents should protect the spirit of this tradition even though, in past practice, it has conflicted with the letter of the law. It is not the first such conflict between Aggie tradition and law. E. King Gill was not eligible to play in the Dixie Classic, but he has served as the inspirational image of the Twelfth Man ever since he was asked to suit up. The first midnight yell practice was the result of freshmen break ing curfew. To a lesser extent, Muster emerged from a broken rule. Cadets played the role of the Mexi can army for years on April 21 to recreate the Battle of San Jacinto. One year they rewrote history — broke the rules — and won the battle. The next year, since they were not invited back, they held a celebration on campus that evolved into Muster, the most revered Aggie tradition. Although it is not as noble as many other Aggie traditions, ring dunking has served as a rite of passage for over a decade. Students who do not drink have started taking part in the tra dition, altering it to fit their lives. And with the crackdown on the sale of pitchers for individual consumption, Aggies who drink will also have to make an adjustment. This does not and should not signify the end of a tradition. It should prove that Aggies never lose respect for their past and always adjust to the future. And if nothing else, this crackdown should re mind everyone to drink responsi bly. Simple precautions can keep ring dunidng safe. Whether students drink less, drink from two cups, drink in spurts, or don’t drink at all, finally receiving an Aggie ring will remain one of the most unique rites of passage offered by any university.