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
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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.