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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1996)
nday • October 21,1) Sm Brier The Battalion ION Page 9 Monday • October 21, 1996 s Cross Coni les first at UT| ly sophomore Scott econd place e race, the TexasIJ Tross Country ■Yeltsin loses in game of Russian roulette Professors deserve a little more respect rst at the UTA Five! General Alexander Lebed, nost notably Caroline te 2 runner for the wome id. "So consideringii 1 the little emphasis outcome.” e largest JON (AP) - The rally drew a big re surprisingly, burgh Steelers. the largest crowd (50,122) cheering its the Oilers ended af sing streak to the Stef- 3-13 victory Sunday, Chandler completed oris Yeltsin’s pathetic deci sion to remove his popular and aggressive heir appar- m only be bad for Russia. The na- Columnist s weekend, rfeld had his best is; son leading into the Bi[ :nce Championsliipi iwa, Nov. 2. Head Coach Gregfe told the team totals s weekend, t shut it down le to go and he was tea at that time, but that's him to do,” Hinzesad. vomen finished thirdi Michael Heinroth i by sophomore Amy $!) teaching certification ho finished race. eld some people out if tional se curity chief’s dis missal not only opens the door for re newed fighting in Chechnya, but under mines any remaining credibility re government may have had “8 the public But the removal of post-Soviet nssia’s most popular — and lost powerful — political ani- "alwas not in direct response >n this meet, I'm plea 'Yeltsin’s televised accusations [insubordination. Rather, it as a product of Yeltsin’s irra- > defeat StfiCtel ona l an d paranoidal fear of be- igupstaged by an underling ad a testament to the despera- onwith which the Russian esident projects his transpar- tillusion of control. But how much actual control in Yeltsin yield during his back- eaking 15-minute workdays? It mshis duties have been min- nized to rubber-stamping deci- onsmade by his cabinet and gning decrees of dismissal. He ^ucmuici u-gjjn’t doing that comical :hdown pass to Derel, 5 - , ^ , . , , 5:01 left to put left ““that was televised during nd Eddie Geoff dW , c ™P a 'g n stop a a Moscow aid run »ilh3:05* ' k “ nc f rt e f‘if ! h ' S , ye t a , r , But kicking Lebed out of the emlin split Yeltsin and his gov- nment’s last bastions of sup- jrnout, spiced heaviyi fans in black and s the largest OilersImiL . , ® , nee they opened tie I! Mfnd it tooks l.ke Lebed ok most of that support back his own countryside dacha. So against the Steelersi on hand. In their first imes this season,! 27,725 and 20,081 IES jed from Page i 1:43 remaining in tilt rter, a shanked print the KSU 33-yard lineJ en fumbled the bait until the next election, the post- Soviet republic must settle for a relatively incapacitated and un popular leader. For the Russian people, last week’s televised signing of Lebed’s dismissal was a rare glimpse of their frail president. Yeltsin has been quietly “resting” at a health spa awaiting heart surgery. But even after he goes under the knife, he will continue to refrain from assuming his full time duties until mid-1997. That’s a long time for any coun try — especially Russia — to be without its constitutionally elected leader. Too long, in fact. As a result, Russia will contin ue to flip the three-sided coin of democratic capitalism, commu nism and outright anarchy as Yeltsin’s remaining cabinet min isters squabble for de facto con trol of the country. To prevent this incessant in fighting, the vodka-loving presi dent should have dismissed himself by resigning long ago. Just as Yeltsin’s own heart con tinues to deteriorate, so too does his beloved Russia. And without Lebed to assure the Chechens of the Russian government’s promise of peace, fighting is likely to break out within a short period of time. The Russian people deserve so much better after centuries of autocratic rule under the czars and more than 70 years of Bol shevik tyranny. Theirs is a tragic history of terror like none we can fully comprehend. And once again, they can only wait for the Bolshoi Ballet’s per formance of “Swan Lake” to come across the air waves, which always signified the death of a leader in the Soviet days of old. But whether Yeltsin dies in of fice or the regularly scheduled election in 2000 comes first, Lebed will undoubtedly ascend to the throne which sits below the dou ble-headed eagle crest of the pre- Bolshevik czars. Only then will Russia have the opportunity to move past the political stagnation and economic decline caused by Yeltsin’s stubbornness. Lebed’s short tenure as na tional security chief proved that he can rally popular support for his policies and actively pursue their implementation. Admitted ly, he has authoritarian and na tionalistic tendencies. But suc cessful peace negotiations in Chechnya are one example of his masterful and level-headed leadership abilities. For now, though, the Russian people have no choice but to sit patiently as reform is post poned yet again. I t’s right around midterm time, and the complaints about unreasonable professors are piling up along with moun tains of projects, pa pers and tests. And most likely, we will point to Dr. “I- Don’t-Care-If-You- Won’t-Have-A-Life- With-This-Workload” as the source of our woes. But after listening to the same complaints about professors again and again, I wonder whether or not it really is their fault that our lives are so miserable. Maybe it’s the result of one too many iced cappuccinos before class, or maybe the flickering fluo rescent lights have had some strange hypnotic effect on my train of thought, but I can’t help but feel sorry for what many of our professors have to put up with from rude students. Imagine what it must be like to deal with members of the Battal ion Fan Club on a daily basis, who prefer to flip through the pages of the paper rather than listen to what you have to say in lecture. How frustrating it must be to stare into a sea of faces that resem ble the living dead when you ask if they have any questions, and then hear the same students complain endlessly that the material wasn’t covered sufficiendy after receiving bad exam grades. And what could be more aggra vating than hearing a multitude of books slamming and backpacks zipping eight minutes before class is even over? Columnist Jenni Howard Senior economics and international studies major For some professors, it could be 400 pairs of eyes that stare at the clock and the students who furiously bang their watches on their desks to see if they’ve stopped. There are, of course, exceptions to every generalization, like the professors who ask “After having read Chapters 10 through 75 for today’s lecture, does anyone know the meaning of life? And if so, how could we tie this information to the causes of the Civil War, World War II and the rate of ac celeration on the planet Mars?” But for the most part, some of us (myself included) could make a stronger effort toward achieving the expectations that were only made for our own good. The syllabus is a good place to start. Contrary to popular belief, the syllabus is not solely a source of information on how much your grade will suffer as a result of that test you just bombed nor is it a reference to how many chapters you have to read by tomorrow morning’s midterm. When used properly, it can serve as a helpful guide to what will be covered in class. At the risk of sounding like I need a really good recommendation for grad school, if we’re going to take the time to go to class, we might as well make the most of it. Cutting our professors a little slack every now and then might make that ex cruciatingly painful process of learning a litde bit more enjoyable. Now put down your Battalion — class is almost over. Students don’t think and drive ► Editorial Roundup r 1 V( err is human, but to really screw up you have to be a liege student. When a student Columnist zlvanced to the KSU 11' ounces a check, he iceptions by wide ret® arns to better manage lawkins and Connell is money by creating a ten from the 11, Stem udget. After a coed picked off at thegcJ is an exam, she cornerback Chrisfe arns that one must repare for life’s chal- leandConneErecovffl inpps Rvlearnint? iggies burned theiri om earl ^ mistak f Si to stop the clock* 3un g adults can become more leli in the first half. Oi reductive members of society, mm ne k, one, , owever) college students often Pa“SS ‘'-cognize the crime .hey he mid,Ik- of theliw '““f d 8 f 7 I Stewart short o« Take drmk.ng tor example. Texas Aggies foiled toon*' “ f dents take Pnde m the un- and (lie half espied “ sta , nstlc tha ! more beer is it, who finished the? ®sumed per capita m College Sta- passing for 143 yards* on than anywhere in the United ceptions, said he# ates. Many even brag that Harvey it the line whichcost^ oad is the number-one site for Dri- ihot at the end zone, pg While Intoxicated arrests in the play was called 1 ' ate. Of all the o the outside," Ste"' reat accomplish- saw what the defer"' rents Aggies can i and thoughtU fil eproudof, the in just as a quarter^ nesmost talked oach (Slocum) didU bout are those re- and I ran it myseP ted to alcohol , d decision on mypat Many people locker room at halt* ith erc i () not un said he toldtheAfi erstandthe game was still inP .verity of the eliminated then# nnking and dri- s disappointed* n gproblem or had played in ltd 100se to ignore rcumsaid. lt»W Sgpto'Won David Minor Graduate student tolc i chance to cornel and half and w: .it if we kept maki s we made inth didn’t have a chance ugh the Aggies did the second half, the of Kyle Field and not enough to o' lakes and earnavrf 1 threw away! is £ Colled GE TOY STORE le: iy West, ■Is, Hot Wheels- Monsters, Rol# Tab ilia, Adverb More! Vest Photo pm §( Instead of worry ing about the lives put into jeopardy, the typ ical student only worries about getting a DWI. reports that on a normal day in the United States, 2 percent of the vehicles on the road are driven by intoxicated people. On weekend nights, the national average is 10 percent. Because this is a beer-guzzling college town, one suspects that twice as many drivers may commit this crime on the crazy weekend nights, meaning one out of every five drivers is likely drunk on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night in College Station. Why are so many Texas A&M students drinking and driving? Many students drink and drive be cause they don’t comprehend the possible consequences. It is sad that everyone knows that alcohol and driving ruins careers, tears families apart and kills innocent people, yet people never think it will ever happen to them. Lives are wasted when ignorant young adults do not see the terrible wrong when they get behind the wheel of an auto mobile after drinking. When a student bounces a check or fails a test, the conse quence is immediate ly seen in the form of a late fee by the bank or an “F” on the report ( card. But the conse quences of drinking fthe University Police Department and driving are not that obvious. Instead of worrying about the lives put into jeopardy, the typical student only worries about getting a DWI. People worry that DWI ticket will make their driving records look bad or will upset their parents, in stead of worrying about all the other people out on the road. Since UPD has other duties be sides patrolling the streets for drunken drivers, it is our responsi bility to patrol ourselves. Accord ing to Sgt. Baron, only one out of every 100 intoxicated drivers is ar rested. Because students are aware of this fact, they often drive drunk without thinking about the most important consequence of drunk driving — the possibility of killing an innocent person. People should value life above all other things. It is important for students to realize that once a life is taken no one can ever correct what has happened. If a student fails a class, she can retake the course. If a person bounces a check, he can pay an in sufficient funds fee. But when a dri ver accidentally kills someone, that person is gone forever. So when students decide to go out drinking, they need to consider all of the risks. People cannot just think about their blood alcohol lev el or if they will get pulled over by the police — they must also con sider the safety of others. The thought of getting a DWI may be terrible, but it is nothing compared with the image of hav ing to attend the funeral of a drunken-driving victim. (AP) —The following is a sampling of editorial opin ion from Texas newspapers: Fort Worth Star-Telegram on good budget news: You know it must be an election year when there’s a tussle about who gets to announce — and take credit for — ordinary news about government finances. In this case, however, there is good news. The Treasury Department apparently will soon an nounce that the budget deficit for fiscal 1996, which recently ended, will be about $109 billion. That means the federal government spent $109 billion more than it took in, which is good news because (1) as recently as August a $116 billion deficit was predicted; (2) the deficit will have dropped for the fourth year in a row; (3) this is the lowest deficit since 1981; and (4) at 1.5 percent of the gross do mestic product, the deficit equals the smallest per centage of the GDP since 1974. The House and Senate Budget Committee chair men, Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio, and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., say it proves that Congress can control spending. At the same time, a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget says it shows the impact of President Clinton’s 1993 eco nomic program. They are both right. But they also should credit the 1990 budget package compromise between President Bush and a Congress with Democratic majorities. That set “pay-as-you-go” limits making it much more difficult to increase spending. The 1990 package never got the respect it deserved because Bush agreed to higher taxes, breaking an unwise campaign pledge. But it has been the basis for de clining deficits beginning in fiscal 1993. Meanwhile, both the White House and Congress surely realize that there isn’t much time for patting themselves on the back. Deficits will start rising again in 1997, which means that even tougher bud get choices are ahead. Amarillo Daily News on President Clinton’s war on drugs: Presidential leadership, in its simplest form, oc curs when the chief executive stands ready to take the heat all by himself. On that score, it was disappointing the other night to listen to President Clinton stand in a crowd of millions of Americans in taking responsibility for the increase in drug use among teenagers. During the first debate between Clinton and Bob Dole, moderator Jim Lehrer, a PBS newscaster, asked the president whether he deserves the blame for the 100 percent increase in teen-age drug use during the past four years. “I think every American in any position of responsibility should be con cerned about what’s happened. I am,” he said. OK, fine. What the president’s answer seems to dismiss, though, is the role of a moral leadership that only a president can provide. A president who is concerned about an issue, such as drug use, can use his office as the bully pulpit from which leadership flows. Indeed, the president’s performance so far on the drug front has sent exactly the opposite message. Clinton eviscerated the Office of National Drug Control Policy staff by more than 80 percent when he took office. He tried to eliminate more than 620 drug enforcement positions. He hired scores of known former drug users to the White House staff. And he did all this after joking on MTV during the 1992 campaign that if given the chance once again to smoke a little pot then he would have inhaled. Taken together, all these acts send a terrible mes sage to the nation’s youth. The president’s performance in waging the war against illicit drug use has drawn rebuke from key members of his own party, notably Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York, who says that Clinton has abro gated his responsibility in protecting the nation’s youth against the scourge of drugs. While it is true enough that the average American child doesn't think much about the president’s leader ship before lighting up his or her first joint, it also is true that a head of state can exert tremendous moral leadership on just about any issue under the sun. President Clinton has fallen short in waging the war on drugs. He should own up to his shortcom ings. Such a demonstration of atonement also is the mark of a leader. M ATL Priorities do not equire handouts RegardingAja Henderson’s Oct. column, “Lack of minority schol- 'ships keeps minorities away”: To say that because half of the inorities accepted at Texas A&M not enroll, we should give them oney so they will is ridiculous. Looking back on my senior ar“when scholarships were ng," I can remember about 90 percent of the scholarships men tioned in the daily announce ments were specifically for mi norities. And the last time I checked, any minority or female could apply for any of the scholar ships available to the white male. If a minority or anyone for that matter decides to attend another school because Texas A&M did not write them a check, then more power to them. Henderson mentions that mi norities do not have the “family legacy to uphold” because, histor ically, minorities were not allowed into the University. However, this is true for most major universi ties. Henderson also attacks the, “ultra-conservative atmosphere” and blames this for the lack of mi nority enrollment. It is the same environment that attracts most of the students who enroll here. Stacey Stagg Class of '98 Choice not related to sexual preference Regarding recent articles and Mail Call letters regarding Coming Out Week: Homosexuality or bisexuality is not a conscious decision de spite anything you may have heard to the contrary. I would ask that the heterosex uals reading this clear your minds for a moment and consider this — when exactly did you “decide” to become heterosexual? Most of you will find that it was never a choice, you simply are. It is no different for us in that respect. How people react to homosexuals, however, is a dif ferent matter entirely. Which brings us to the ques tion — what do homo- or bisexu als want, anyway? We want what everyone else already has and takes for granted. Should a heterosexual man mention that he went out to see a movie over the weekend with his date, the response would most likely be a bored, “Oh, that’s nice.” However, were a lesbian to men tion the exact same thing, she would likely be met with, “Why did she have to mention that?” It must be understood that we don’t have “lifestyles” any more than there is a heterosexu al “lifestyle.” We do, however, have lives, and would like to live them with the same freedom to openly ex press ourselves as heterosexuals currently have. Is it really so much to ask? Homo- and bisexual people have contributed in innumer able ways to our society, and will continue to do so. Our country has shown a re markable willingness to accept our time, efforts and even our lives in its service, both civilian and military. The time has come when it must accept us as well. Seeing the responses from the last week or so, it is apparent that we are beginning to move in the right direction. Ken Burchett Graduate Student GLBA Vice President 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.