Paj
sday • November 1J
barrel
Opin
Page 11
Tuesday • November 12, 1996
of apple -
nderstand that fresli
isarily mean betterl
Cohen, bacterial A
rs for Disease Conti;
vorry: Organic food
cow manure event
title.
alia outbreak hit,
n already was pkj/
better safeguard^
Capitalist Christmas
fhanksgiving lost in Christmas hubbub
G!
Wedding brings change
oing the Extra Mile”
and “Always Some-
?d to be an expansioi® thing New Under the
early-warning sys :e l” — these are two of Post
Uiich now operate* a i| Mall’s newest mottos.
• iH : Although
; outbreak has theFt» Columnist
s fresh food makers i-
. Options include^
ashes that promises
es that might kill the
have a tremendous^
FDA mandates pa:
ell University foods
unique flavors will
price you pay for sa
also could required
it is ques
tionable
whether Post
Oak has
gone the ex
tra mile for
customers, it
has definite
ly gone the
extra mile for
Christmas.
The elab
orate decora
tions and ex-
Erin Fitzgerald
enior English and
to adopt strict qualit® //t/ca/ science major
ir to ones now mandar -
ompanies. These ft: avpgant events at Post Oak Mall
nation at every ster present society’s increasing over
sting the food to sebmmercialization of Christmas. This
| iai the premature arrival of the hol-
1 f » season has aborted Thanksgiv-
. ig 11 cm the minds of Americans.
ITW While visions of candy corn
| L V v UUI|ced in kid’s heads, anxious
^ ‘ toppers could begin buying extra-
I Mus Christmas memorabilia as
\ / Kj Q ClMy as Oct. 15 with the opening of
^ C ^ v Ae store Christmas Fantasies.
Wlov. 4 officially kicked off Post
pOSltlV6 TSS.'ak s “holiday season” campaign.
l mall terms, “holiday” obviously
lagovern said. jfers to Christmas. Stores removed
I of the typical i ie | roran g e ant j y- ) i ac j cw i nc j ow( jj S .
iths of recovery, flays, replacing them with red and
pie feel completel} re I n Vendors in islands and
within two weeks. 0 dths hung holly and wreaths,
the differences: 3S ( oak management dangled
;rcent of the stan reamers Q f twinkling white lights
atients needed orn the ceiling and Bing Crosby
is, compared with8| Un( jed from over the intercom,
hole patients. But wait — what about Thanks-
dard surgery pa ll ying? Cornucopias and Pilgrims?
ven days in the h^fflhge, brown, and yellow? It’s been drowned
with 3 1/2 for keyUf^^ e gg n0 g anc j cocoa . Consumers
n’t see the turkey for the fat man.
lie patients’ hospital And forget Jesus. Oh, wait — that’s already
rcent lower. icient history.
t study by Dr. Al Ihstead, manufacturers and advertisers
iohns Hopkins Unive|j ow fo)^ ta i e D f Qifj Saint Nick
t keyhole surgery ( f i n gi n g monetary or trivial gifts and pro-
nnpared with $Ud noting materialism.
rd operation. yhe Terrible Twos, by Ishmael Reed, satiri-
surgery is do^y te U s 0 f a U n j tec j g tates w p, ere (3j lr i stmas
iod around blockei ieason j asts a q y ear an( j coun try is run by
brmer mall and department store executives,
ly, doctors make s looks like Reed is on his way to becom-
i t he chest, saw tli n g ^g nex t prophet,
stbone and the:
rib cage with a ste(
posing the heart
is stopped with it|
a machine pump!
ile doctors sew it
s of artery,
le chest opening nt
ow. Patients often
pain even when
mgh.
What was once known as the Twelve Days
of Christmas is becoming the Twelve Months.
Heck — the holiday’s already got November
under its shiny patent leather belt.
Again, Post Oak Mall serves as a prime exam-
pie. The five main events of the “Always Some
thing New Under the Tree’’ campaign will begin
before chefs even plan Thanksgiving dinner.
This week, people can witness Santa’s
Holiday Parade, with the A&M Consolidated
High School Marching Band blasting
through the mall corridors followed by a
group of children pulling decorated wagons.
Afterward, the wagons will be judged — ah,
the good ol’ competitive spirit of Christmas.
Perhaps Post Oak Mall should change its
motto to “Bring in the Clowns” because they
have made a circus of this year’s holiday season.
However, they are not completely to
blame. Economics, my dear Watson. Expect
ed Christmas bonuses are burning holes in
American consumers’ pockets.
So as everyone closes The Battalion, remem
bering it’s time to make out that annual wish
list, make another list: a thankful list. November
is a time for Americans to reflect on blessings,
not celebrate capitalism. People should post
pone purchasing their merry merchandise.
Otherwise, American materialism will let San
ta become the Grinch that stole Thanksgiving.
And I don’t want a holly, jolly Thanksgiving.
Bah, humbug.
W hen my best '
friend since
third grade
told me she was get
ting married in De
cember, my initial re
action was, “Um,
objection. Is that legal
at our age? We can
barely vote.”
We had played with
Barbies together,
formed our own
babysitters club, lip
synced “Rockin’ Robin” for our par
ents, double dated to prom, gradu
ated high school together, and just
last year moved into the dorm for
our first college experience.
Allowing her to get married
without me would be a terrible
mistake — we do everything to
gether, no exceptions.
There is only one advantage to
getting married at nineteen. Mak
ing the big decisions for the wed
ding doesn’t take very long. Because
the bride is underage, she decided
that serving alcohol at the reception
was probably not a good idea.
Other than that, getting married
that young can only cause prob
lems such as where to live, how to
make money and the classic
whether or not to stay in school. For
my roommate and her fiance, this
will not be a problem. I think she’s
sporting something like a 4.2, and
the graders used his graduate
school exam as the answer key.
The problems for the maid of
honor begin with gift ideas — I
had a hard time shopping for
woks and teapots.
The first shower I
attended for her was
the old-fashioned
Pier 1/Target/Dil
lard’s style shower. I
let my mother pur
chase a lovely silver
bread basket for my
roommate, all the
while thinking I’ve
never even seen her
eat off a plate. What
woiild she do with a
bread basket?
Don’t get me wrong, I en
joyed the shower. We laughed,
we talked, took a few pictures.
The only problem was that a
few people had to leave early so
they could study for their SAT
the next day.
Another problem I had to suffer
Staff Writer
April Towery
Sophomore
journalism major
through was shopping
for a dress. This meant I
had to try on a dress. I’ve
been clothes shopping
with my best friend since
Benetton was cool, and
it is not fun.
First of all, she’s prac
tically a size 6X, so while
she shops in the chil
dren’s section, I look for
the blue dot that means
hip/thigh minimization.
Secondly, she wants
everything to be perfect.
Perfection is a problem be
cause it means I have to do some
thing with my hair.
I know my roommate is secretly
wondering if I will ever do my
roots and try to pull off the “I’m an
alternative red head” look, or just
go back to my natural color, Toast
ed Dirt (Nice and Easy No. 108).
Another thing that has to be
perfect is the music. If it were up
to me, I would try to pull a few
strings and get a live band. What
my roommate had in mind was
something more along the lines
of stuff with no words.
As the wedding date nears,
however, music is the least of my
concerns. At the top of the list of
reasons why you don’t get mar
ried as a teen-ager is the whole
selfishness issue.
Hello, I need a roommate.
My original suggestion was to
just have the married couple take
up residence in Krueger Hall so I
wouldn’t have to change rooms —
the only logical thing to do.
My roommate
was quick to find
a replacement
roommate once
she heard my
suggestion.
Although I
have a wonder
ful, single room
mate now, the
truth is that no
one can take my
first roommate’s
place, so I will
just have to
learn to deal with it, invest in
some waterproof mascara and
show support for my friend.
It might even be good for me.
Maybe she’ll even let me pro
pose a toast over champagne at
the wedding.
I’ll be sure and bring an ID.
At the top of the
list of reasons
why you don’t
get married as a
teen-ager is the
whole selfish
ness issue.
niversity perpetuates tradition of
double standards to organizations
IV?
tiether five weeks old or 200
years old, every organization
embraces tradition as the sin-
Hmost importantfactorinthefoun-
- ■Nation of its character.
[ It’s a shame that students are willing
f* 'Th C efll§P°' nl out traditions that are im-
’ f ^ oCHSf iortant to the character of the University
Lords nd in the same breath destroy other or-
laids * TuxedOS ;anizations ec l ua ^y rich tradition. Stu-
—;— 1 Merits can be so narrow-sighted as to be-
of Dollars in Prizes e y e on iy t h e University in and of itself is
Unwed to have tradition.
IfTraditions are important, especially
t A,
Columnist
mber 8th
)n Hilton
,M.
$3
e at
: Lords
Tuxedo ”
Xvenue
it Habitat for Humanit)
Sean McAlister
Senior accounting and
finance major
&M, but they obviously must be
aodified in order to survive. The most important
art of tradition is intent. Whether it is to repre-
ent desire, to educate or to promote cama-
aderie, intent is the only part of tradition that
hjbuld never be sacrificed.
HTradition is a part of many organizations that
volved outside of the Aggie realm. Political, reli-
ious and fraternal organizations have affiliated
■h Texas A&M to broaden the scope of the Univer-
^ty, bringing their traditions with them. These tradi-
s, in some cases older than the University itself,
e seldom recognized and welcomed as extensions
f festablished University traditions.
TSome Aggies are quick to overlook the fact that
editions such as ring dunking have only been es-
blished for a decade or so, yet they are accepted as
Ktoric traditions.
XflS With yOUf jfHypocritically, University organizations have
nt Affaire
iRLAND
table.
Hind a defense to accusations of misconduct and
azing in the form of tradition.
IjGroding at Bonfire cut, ‘whipping out’ by the
orps and the kidnapping of the stu-
eht body president are all tradi-
o; s at A&M.
PCloser examination of these ques-
opable traditions reveals that each
ills within the bounds of the state’s
efinition of hazing.
gOther organizations, including so
la] and business fraternities, have
efen convicted for incidences very
imilar to these traditions,
jidarmlessly forcing people to eat ice
ejam without their hands, as was the
le for one business organization, is
ftification for sanctions, whereas
ling someone in a muddy field, a
mon Bonfire event, is not.
It is tradition for the Fish Aides to sneak in, tie
up, and cover the Student Body Presi
dent in random substances, then leave
him on the corner of a major intersec
tion with only a sign covering the one
stitch of clothing he is wearing. If the
tradition plea doesn’t work for others, it
shouldn’t work for the University.
On the flip side, long-time traditions,
such as hazing in Greek organizations,
have been largely phased out due to
laws threatening an organization’s exis
tence. Modification is not an option for
traditional bonding events designed to
weed out weaker potential members be
cause these events have already been
scrapped in an effort to avoid disaster.
However, disaster may be inevitable if organi
zations based upon tradition are forced to dis
mantle the events that define the tradition itself.
Obviously, tradition at A&M doesn’t include
non-regs, fraternities, sororities or women for
that matter. Adamant Ags find it their duty to
make these factions feel out of place, since, ac
cordingly, this is not their University. It wouldn’t
be farfetched to say that dogging any organiza
tion simply because of personal disapproval has
become a tradition in itself.
Believe it or not, some A&M traditions, such
as Midnight Yell Practice, can be constructively
modified. The move from the horseshoe to the
bleachers has actually done very little to change
the long-standing tradition. Yell Practice contin
ues to maintain its original intent and atmos
phere' despite its slight relocation.
Bonfire has also been modified. What original
ly began as a large pile of scrap wood has become
its own science, constructed of
uniform logs built to precise
specifications.
Yet it retains its original intent
as the symbol of A&M’s burning
desire to beat the hell outta t.u.
There is only one exception to
the rule that traditions aren’t
made to be broken: A&M needs
to alter its tradition of discord
between students and campus
organizations.
Every person has a right to his
or her own opinion.
Each person has particular
i ]VI AI1
Disaster may be
inevitable if orga
nizations based
upon tradition
are forced to dis
mantle the events
that define the
tradition itself.
191
favorites, and certain dislikes. But
the excuse of “tradition” doesn’t serve as justifi
cation for personal emotions.
Aggies don’t help
stranded student
Coming home from the Baylor
game, my truck’s clutch decided
to quit working in Hearne.
Deciding to hitch a ride back
to College Station, I was surprised
to see all the cars with A&M stick
ers drive past. It took me almost
30 minutes until I was finally
picked up, but not by Aggies.
Cadets are the keepers of tra
dition? Not when they pass a
fellow Aggie in trouble. The 12th
Man? As much as hurts me to
say it, as far as I am concerned,
it is dead.
Mark Breedlove
Class of’98
Student offended by
Class of ’97 T-shirt
Last week as I walked through
the MSC, I noticed Class of‘97
shirts on sale.
When I went over to look at the
new shirts, I was appalled at what I
saw representing Class of ’97 on
the T-shirts: The back of the new
shirt has a giant shape of a bottle
with the slogan “Absolute ’97” on
the shirt in large letters.
Whoever thought of a slogan re
sembling Absolute Vodka did not
consider the values of all students
and did not consider the fact that
such a slogan promotes alcohol.
Granted, I am partly offended
because of my values, but I am infu
riated because I ama victim of a
drunk driving accident.
A drunk fellow Aggie nearly
killed me last semester, and it seems
as though the feelings of myself and
other victims just don’t count.
The inconsideration of the
Class of ’97 council is com
pletely uncalled for, and the
people who decided on the de
sign for the Class of’‘97 T-shirts
should be reprimanded.
For the future, wise and ap
propriate designs should be
considered.
Laura Biddle
Class of'97
A&M should look at
out-of-state policy
Regarding Marika Cook’s Oct.
8 story, ‘‘Residency policy not
equal for all”:
As Krista Johnson continues
the struggle to win in-state tu
ition for military dependents, I
would like to point out that
twenty Air Force officers are cur
rently earning graduate degrees
at Texas A&M.
The Air Force pays in-state tu
ition for these students, although
many, myself included, are not
Texas residents.
Resident tuition status for mili
tary personnel and their depen
dents is determined by section
54.058 of the Texas Education Code,
which appears in Appendix A of the
Graduate Catalog.
It dictates that all military
members assigned to Texas and
their dependents are eligible for in
state tuition at public institutions,
regardless of their actual state resi
dency, while dependents of mili
tary members assigned outside the
state must convince the institution
of their intent to become perma
nent Texas residents.
Since the Johnsons do not
own property or have business in
terests in the state, A&M appar
ently is not convinced of the
Johnsons’ interests in the state or
that Johnson is a bona fide Texan.
I have no intention of becom
ing a Texas resident and I receive
in-state tuition.
Johnson, who legally is a Tex
an, must pay out-of-state tuition
because A&M chooses to exploit
this loophole.
Clearly new legislation is need
ed, and it is gratifying to see that
Gov. Bush and Rep. Coleman are
getting involved.
In the meantime, A&M
would do well to reconsider its
position and grant Johnson
and others in the same circum
stances in-state tuition.
Surely A&M — as proud as it is
of its legacy of military service —
does not plan to turn its back on
the families of those who serve.
Robert Wacker, 2nd Lt, USAF
Graduate student
The Battalion encourages letters to the
editor. Letters must be 300 words or fewer
arid 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.