The Battalion
Page 9
Friday • January 1 7, 1997
thics, shmethics
r politician 5 keep fobs despite allegations of ethical, moral violations
Milne, Thk Batm
meter butterfly
Columnist
D oes anyone notice a dis
turbing pattern in mod-
ern politics?
* After admitting to several
ig against tooi hies violations, including the
lly stayed wilt isappropriate funding of his
s so imponj liege class, House Speaker
vel increases ;wt Gingrich was recently re-
e like that.” ected to his post by fellow
of its touglii ipublicans.
the season, Ni After months of investigation
opes to mains id allegations concerning
from the sera tidewater, Travelgate and the
igainst Tennessi issession of FBI files, President
ts against tean l* nton was re-elected last No-
*rsitvofTexasar :rn b er t0 continue as commander in chief,
list University The subject of questionable campaign contribu-
fferent situate ons surfaced during Clinton’s run for the presidency,
Jon Apgar
Junior
Journalism major
The public does not seem to understand an uneth
ical politician will not represent them very well.
Several Republicans — 20 at one point — threat
ened to vote against Gingrich in the recent
House Speaker election, but only a few fol
lowed through. As a result, Gingrich, an
admitted violator, is still the most pow
erful man in Congress.
Well, at least Gingrich said
he was sorry for
committing the vi
olations, although
apologizing does
not make what he
did right.
■d and very wet 1
e swam tougk
ich good tear ^ issue ' s now being subjected to stricter regu-
id Nebraska,it dons and policies. . „ , r
Nash said “U ^ s not f° r g et upcoming Paula Jones sexual
it it will bealiP a 13551116111 civi l suit against Clinton,
mh Tpnnpwf Ethics problems even surfaced in the local com-
1 unity last year as former Texas A&M Board of Re
lents chair Ross Margraves was convicted of official
sconduct for an incident in which he used a state
irplane to attend his son’s graduation.
Politicians have always been accused — and many
mes convicted — of scandals in a variety of situa-
ons. Recently, however, the public seems to have ac-
epted ethical problems as the norm, choosing to ig-
ore these problems in the voting booth.
Ethics, or lack thereof, plays an important part in a
olitician’s life. It determines his course of action
when faced with morally questionable situations.
ind in the 201
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•sity of Texas
ighc
Several million
voters railed
against Clinton's
questionable ethics
concerning scan
dals in his political
and private life, but
it was not enough to
take him out of the
White House. As a result,
America is now represent
ed by a man whose character
and ethics are questionable.
Ethical problems cross political and ideologi
cal boundaries. Both Republicans and Democrats are
at fault.
This is not a new problem. Since the infamous Wa
tergate scandal and President Nixon’s obstruction of
justice, many administrations have been riddled with
allegations of wrongdoing, whether it was the Iran-
Even if Clinton is found to be guilty of
ethical violations, unless something dras
tic happens, he will still be in office.
Without a re-election to worry about,
the questions surrounding his
ethical and moral stan- ra
dards will not affect him ^
in the least.
It’s too bad the
public did not
know the results
of the ethic
probes before
November 5. IV'-
mayhaveaf- V
fected some
votes.
Then
again, the
accusa
tions of eth
ic problems I!
do not seem to
phase voters, so „
actual confirmation
of ethical violations
would most likely not
change anyone’s mind.
Contra scandal, allegations that George Bush was a
“crack king” or the numerous accusations made
concerning President Clinton.
Hopefully, the investigation of Clinton will pro
duce results.
Too much corruption has permeated politics.The 1
American people firmly believe an ethical politician is
no more than a pipe dream.
Unless the public speaks up and voices concern
over continued ethic problems in politics, the scan
dals and controversies are here to stay.
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 Battalion
staff members, the Texas A&M student body, re
gents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns,
guest columns, cartoons and letters express the
opinions of the authors.
Contact the opinion editor for information on sub-
OSb
mitting guest columns.
Editorials Board
Ebonics could bridge gap in test scores
Rachel Barry
Editor in Chief
Michael Landauer
Executive Editor
Tiffany Moore
Managing Editor
Alex Walters
Opinion Editor
Ing that will bt
ta State,
k together bet
forward
do many time
one on one,
instead,
:r and use eacl
In one of his last speeches, Mar
in Luther King Jr. told an audi
ence, “I may not get there with
rou, but we as a people will get to
f 0I he Promised Land.”
King, who was assassinated 29
'ears ago this April, will be hon-
ol 'red with a national holiday
‘londay.
Texas A&M students will be giv-
ly on five fresiil n the day off to commemorate
year, havebeei his holiday, but to truly show re-
slopmentofthi pectfor King, students should re-
foi nember the civil rights leaders
vords every day and make a con-
erted effort to live by them.
An excellent example of this
e will provite
Big 12 test
are coming
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up.
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“It n
er opporti#
3 opportune
time.
K*’
MLK
The best way to honor King's memory
is to practice what he preached
gt(|0uthwest Black Student Leader-
hip Conference that is going on
sail his today and tomorrow at A&M.
cai he conference was not designed
o honor King, but if he were alive
oday, King would certainly be
deased with such an endeavor.
In his day, if a conference as
arge as the SBSLC were to take
dace, its purpose would be much
lifferent. Instead of discussing
vays to unite and become leaders
impetitivenes ivjthin their community, students
vould be discussing ways for
aI1 l ifrican Americans to get a foot in
he door of an equal society.
Although this country is still a
long way from the “Promised
Land” of which King spoke, be
cause of his efforts and the efforts
of other civil rights leaders, the fu
ture seems much brighter. The
mere fact that the African-Ameri
can community can focus on such
issues as family development, pro
tection of cultural identity and
leadership within their communi
ties instead of having to fight seg
regation is a testament to King’s
legacy.
Martin Luther King’slegacy
reaches beyond the civil rights
movement and even transcends
race and region.
Through peaceful means, King
crusaded against segregation and
won the respect of people from all
walks of life. In every generation
there are people who would rather
ignore society’s race problems, but
King reached those people in his
day and forced them to see the
problem for what it was — ques
tion of human respect, not just
skin color.
In life, King did not get to the
“Promised Land” with his audi
ence, but because of his passion
ate words and actions, King’s spir
it will be with the people of this
nation until the day comes that
his dream is fully realized.
A n
Ail
new term has been taken to
the forefront of political-race
elations in the nation today.
The subject is the speech pattern la
beled “Ebonics.”
While many people feel this new
terminology is a disgrace and under
mine the learning ability of African-
American students, Ebonics can be a
useful tool in helping some learn
proper, standard English.
It all began on December
18,1996, when the Oakland Unified
School District ignited a fire storm
Columnist
General Franklin
Sophomore
English major
of controversy when it passed a resolution
acknowledging Ebonics in teaching its
African-American students.
The decision to integrate Ebonics into the
English curriculum of African-American stu
dents has been cast in the familiar context of
racial politics. To truly consider the efficacy of
Ebonics, it is necessary to examine its origins.
Linguists trace the development of Ebonics
or “Black English” to slavery, when a hybrid lan
guage emerged from the interaction ofWhite
Europeans and African slaves. Eventually,
Ebonics became a hodgepodge of English and
various West-African languages, involving Eng
lish words placed in the grammatical setting
typical ofWest- African languages.
Early evidence of this dialect was found in
the portrayal of Blacks in literary works. Over
time, however, Ebonics became associated with
slavery and servitude, thereby encouraging free
or runaway slaves to master standard English.
Nonetheless, many African-Americans still
speak English in the same grammatical pattern
of West-African languages.
Today, linguists believe the slight lapse in
communication between Black English and
standard English may lead to averse conse
quences in the education of urban blacks. De
spite this concern, educators have nominally .
treated Ebonics as incorrect grammar to be
shunned and discouraged.
A Bronx teacher said the learning disparity be
tween blacks and whites is not due to a commu
nication lapse, but to insufficient instruction.
“We need to stop making excuses for not
teaching,” he said. “When my students use bad
English, I tell them it is bad English and it has
nothing to do with the color of their skin.”
In light of this outright rejection of Ebonics,
many educators worry a rejection of Black Eng
lish threatens to alienate students by
questioning the legitimacy of their
oral communication. All of these
events, the history and development
of Ebonics, as well as the lukewarm
endorsement by many educators il
luminate the bold action taken by
the Oakland Unified School District.
The task force which rendered the
recommendation of Ebonics, un
earthed startling statistics regarding
the academic standing of its stu
dents. The data illustrated low levels
of student performance and a dis
proportionately high number of
Blacks in special education compared to those
in Advanced Placement or Gifted and Talented
Education programs.
Furthermore, the task force discov
ered African-American students ac
counted for 81 percent of all school sus
pensions. Faced with these gloomy
figures, the panel concluded the unique
language patterns of African Americans
accompanied by a direct connection of
Ebonics “to English language proficien
cy” must be fostered to increase “stu
dent achievement and education.”
The other objective, along with the aforemen
tioned recommendation, is to “turnaround the
educational attainment of its African-American
students” by utilizing Ebonics to facilitate better
dissemination of the material to those students.
This objective seems reasonable if Ebonics can
truly be implemented to strengthen learning, but
whether it works is questionable.
Before the resolution, the Oakland school
district initiated an Ebonics program at a few
select sites which saw some success. The pro
gram allocated $200,000 in state and federal
funding toward the training of teachers and the
development of classroom materials. Its goal
was making the transition to standard English
less demeaning than the reproach and criti
cisms of the past.
Amid the vocal praise or equally vocal con
demnation of Ebonics, advocates have ignored
questions of efficacy. Can Ebonics strengthen
learning by bridging vernacular language to
standard English, and can it be acknowledged
without undermining the instruction of the
English language?
Linguists seem to handle these questions
rather well. After the Oakland decision, the
6,000-member Linguistic Society of America
adopted a resolution backing the use of Ebon- ’
ics as a bridge to standard English at their an
nual conference in Chicago.
In light of the historical and linguistic foun
dation of Ebonics, educators should be more
open in acknowledging the dialect to better ed
ucate African-American students.
For too long, it seems the learning process of
many urban blacks has been stymied by the y r
sheer rejection or rebuke of their speech pattern, t
It is essential to strengthen the ties of communi
cation between teacher and pupils by integrating,
vernacular language into the curriculum to help j
broaden the grasp, understanding and applica
tion of English and other disciplines.
In order to forge a relationship with a stu- 1
dent, one must initialize i
a form of communica- "
tion similar to his own, !
otherwise signals will
cross and great difficulty
will be encountered in
the learning process.
Twenty years ago, lin
guist William Stewart of
the Center for Applied
Linguists, initiated a pro-
“ We need to stop
making excuses
for not teaching”
A Bronx, New York
School teacher
gram in Ebonics in an inner-city neighborhood,
Stewart and his cohorts tape-recorded and
transcribed Ebonic phrases, then produced
booklets using the same words and phrases.
The booklets were used in a successful literacy
program for young children. Stewart attributed
the children’s rapid learning to the elimination
of the translational step of the process.
According to Stewart, children who speak a
dialect different from English have to translate
from print to sound, then from sound to the
words they use in their everyday lives. Em
ploying Ebonics, the children bypassed the
second translation and were able to grasp the
reading samples more effectively. This im
promptu study demonstrates the potential for
Ebonics in maximizing the learning of urban
students. ,,7
The underlying theme of the technique is
to make curriculum and teaching methods ”
relevant, therefore becoming comprehensible -
and appealing to students. Linguists and a
growing number of educators attest, Ebonics
can be a plausible method to encourage
greater comprehension of standard English.
Students on Academic Probation should be aware and take advantage of University assistance
N ever be afraid to ask for
help. Students are con
stantly overwhelmed by
id he complexity of Texas A&M,
and to our disadvantage, we re-
’ 0 |f peatedly fail to use a wealth of
services available free of charge.
Over 500 students are on aca
demic probation this semester.
Without a doubt, some of
hose students who read this col
umn are not sure how they will
eet their probationary terms.
Everyone goes through a
time in life when several ques-
Columnist
Brandon Hausenfluck
Senior Journalism
major
main purpose is to assist stu
dents in making decisions
which can affect their future.
Kreg Abshire, a senior acade
mic advisor in the College of Lib
eral Arts, said students should
get to know their advisers.
“Students always need to feel
comfortable going to their advi
sor,” he said. “That’s what advi
sors are for.”
Students need to meet with
their adviser immediately if they
are having problems.
Difficulties in school can be
. gate tio
ns go unanswered. At times, we feel we
are being kicked while we are down. But
he good thing is, there are ways to address
hese problems at this university.
A&M has done an excellent job of devel
oping resources designed to handle almost
any problem a student may encounter.
Every student on campus has both a
departmental and college adviser whose
attributed to many things. One may be
having trouble in a math course because of
an undiagnosed learning disability in that
area. The individual may also be suffering
from a serious depressive episode. No
matter what the case, students at A&M
need to understand academic careers can
be improved.
If students fail academically without us
ing some of the available resources, it is no
one’s fault but their own.
Support Services for Students with Dis
abilities, in the Koldus
Building, offers assistance
to students who register
with a legally recognized
disability.
They offer a variety of
services including un
timed exams in a distrac
tion free environment.
Support Services also as
sists students with physi
cal disabilities.
The Student Counseling
counseling as well as testing by licensed
psychologists.
Students can contact the Center for
Academic En-
The Primary goal for stu
dents on this campus is
to earn a degree...It is
crucial for some students
to seek help if things are
not going the right way.
hancement in
the Blocker
Building to re
ceive supple
mental in
struction,
academic as
sistance or use
the indepen
dent study lab
oratory.
Service, in Henderson Hall, houses the
Learning Skills Center, where students can
work at improving their study habits. Stu
dents interested can sign up for a course
that emphasizes improvement in different
learning strategies, such as time manage
ment and memory enhancement. The
center also offers career and psychological
The Department of Student Life in
the Beutal Health Center offers alcohol
and drug education programs which
cover the whole gamut of alcohol edu
cation and awareness. The Women’s
Programs Service in the Koldus Build
ing also helps female students cope
with unexpected pregnancy, rape and
other unfortunate situations.
These are just a few resources avail
able to A&M students that are paid for
by tuition fees.
Moreover, if a student has a legal
problem they can get advice at Student
Legal Services in the A2 Lounge on
Northside adjacent to Hughes hall. Stu
dents can meet with a full-time licensed-
attorney to discuss questions regarding'
any legal concern they may have. A stu
dent conflict and resolutions servic^ is
offered for students who need a neutral
mediator to help solve their problems.
The primary goal for students on this
campus is to earn a degree from A&M
and be competitive in the job market. It
is crucial for some students to seek help
if things are not going the right way.
One should never neglect to take ad- ■
vantage of resources which can help
them improve. Especially at A&M,
where academic help is abundant.
■