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Page 11
Thursday • January 30, 1 997
TON (AP) —Harris0
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Drifting away *
tudents and astronauts lose sight of mission
★
99-9
connected on five
the last minuteanl
rould get no closert
s the rest of the way
■ading46-45athal
d Maxwell each sea
nts in the third qua!
nio stretched its lea
i (hree-po/nrsitaj
Wilkins. ]
11 jumpstarl
r astWednesday. Astro- Asst . 0 pii
naut John Blaha re-
-iturned from a four- ^
mth stay aboard the
ssian space station Mir.
hausted from the pro-
iged exposure to weight-
sness, he allowed himself
be carried from the shuttle
iantis on a stretcher.
Each semester, whether James
1, summer or spring, stu- ;
nts enroll in college and af- Hi J ih
a prospected four-year ^
iy, they are pushed out into
eWorld to make something worthwhile
their lives.
The correlation between these two
■style situations is simple. Students and
tronauts are both being placed in experi-
ental environments in order to test the
tying power of their sanity and their abil-
to continue functioning as valuable
unmodities in society.
On April 4,1961, Yuri Gagarin became
e first human to make a trip into space.
$}t years later^ the crew of Apollo 11 be-
une the first humans to land on the
non. These individuals and their accom-
ishments were the catalysts of a begin-
ng foray into space exploration.
Today, their travels are regarded as
inosaur voyages.
What used to be the nighttime dreams
fstarry-eyed children has become a cata-
ig, filled with statistics, percentages and
ar graphs. NASA and its affiliates now
iv\dw\d\v\dua\s into space to test how
Asst. Opinion Editor
James Francis
Sophomore
Business major
p ... t hey react to extended periods
>n hditor 0 f we ightlessness, adapt to
changes in appetite and psy
chologically survive being sta
tioned in cramped quarters.
When Neil Armstrong made
his prestigious walk on the
moon, coupled with the cele
brated relay from his spacesuit,
one can be sure he was not
thinking how superior the Unit
ed States would look because of
his accomplishment. Arm-
" Ull< " * strong, like other astronauts,
was a believer in a vision he had
harbored since childhood.
But children grow up. They turn into as
tronauts whose aspirations get crushed by
reality and the space program’s desire to
increase its numbers.
Attending college is no different. The ★
learning processes of old have mutated
into one exam after another, continually
gauging a student’s memory, test-taking
ability and I.Q.
Students no longer find pleasure in ^
the college application procedure,
dreaming of going to the university of
their choice. Instead, they anxiously
await a bulging letter in the mail to con
firm their higher education goals. And
when a thin response is delivered to stu
dent mailboxes, reactions are all the
same — tears, depression and nausea.
But the troubles do not end when a
student gets to college. Once the doors of
the administration open, students are
constantly subjected to meeting new
friends, encountering love interests
and st ruggling with self-definition. ^
These are the good things, the things
students should be allowed to enjoy.
What corrupts these newfound »
situations are bumps in the road 'W
called tuition, housing, disap
pointing teaching and the need to
always know the infamous social
security number for more reasons
than are needeci. -JL-
Moreover, college life minors the *
current situation of space travel and
exploration. Individuals go into a
new environment hoping to attain yi
life fulfillment. What they come out
with is a feeling of disillusionment.
They are plagued by governments,
systems and concepts too foreign
to understand. What they should
come away with is a new outlook
on an old dream, a reason to con
tinue their search for completion.
Face it. Astronauts and students
are the same. While space explorers
are wheeled away fi om a space shut
tle, students leave college with
enough physical and emotional bag
gage to keep them from walking
straight.
Life for both types of people is slow
ly degenerating and the days of new
discovery in space and on the college
campus are over. Although astronauts
experience weightlessness and students
lose control of ambulatory functions
during finals, both are grounded in the
realization of life becoming an everyday
experiment. The dream of advent ure and
exploration is dead.
★
if im
★
★
★
★
quarterwith thieetfcj
ts in the first
n Antonio led 15’if
ning.
teles rallied to t&f -
Relationship with new regents depends on students
ne quarter as Vrf®
I nine points apt':
few semesters ago a
friend of mine spoke with
ary Nan West, chair of
the Texas A&M Board of Re-
‘feents. She realized how out of
J iuch the regents are with to-
ay’s college student,
lest chance to win. I ^ My friend said West, whose
agwell and perennial term ends tomorrow, was very
ggio lead a group off [ileasant, even telling her she
icir careers together. va s very pretty. The flattery
young when we got® >nded when, in the kindest of
Atlanta and whattW oices, West said, “You know, I
Executive Editor
nd Florida's Kem &
eepmg their core pla;
nd now they’re c
irection but kindi#
some players bad 1
e can be the ri
Ipend a lot of time each year
working to make sure that you
beople can come here, too.”
Michael Landauer
Senior
Journalism major
(My friend is African-American.)
You people? Too?
We were amazed an official with so
nuch control over our university could
iay something so racist.
But then we realized West is not a
racist. She is a product of a
different generation, and does
not deserve to be judged by
our generation’s labels. Times
change. In the context of
West’s youth, her comments
that day were meant as any
thing but an insult. In fact,
she wanted only for my friend
to know she cared.
But there are better ways.
A new crop of regents has
been appointed by Governor
George W. Bush: Anne L.
Armstrong, a rancher and
former U.S. Ambassador to Great
Britain; Erie Allen Nye, president of
Texas Utilities Company; and Dionel E.
“Don” Aviles, owner of Aviles Engineer
ing Company. Each new appointee will
serve a six-year term on the board if ap
proved by the Texas Senate.
This is an opportune moment for the
new regents and students of A&M to do
something about the lapse of communi
cation between them.
Despite the best intentions of the
board members, they are often out of
touch with student concerns. By taking
the time to understand these concerns,
the regents would make decisions more
effectively, thereby improving the quality
of education at A&M.
Students should invite these candi
dates to campus to spend a day getting ac
quainted with the modern Aggie. Carl
Baggett, student body president, said he
likes the idea of a “Regent Orientation.”
The Student Body Executive Council, a
group Baggett created last semester, could
help. The council is a group of student
leaders whose organization comes close
to representing the entire campus. The
Resident Hall Association, Off-Campus
Aggies, Graduate Student Council, Inter
fraternity Council and the Memorial Stu
dent Center are just some of the groups
represented by the council. By scheduling
a day with each prospective regent, this
council could literally walk the candidates
through a cross-section of the A&M stu
dent body.
Another possible source of tour guides
for the prospective regents involves the
students working for Dr. Southerland in
the Department for Student Services.
They have already finalized plans to bring
the chancellor to campus next month for
a similar experience.
As it stands now, the Board usually
sponsors one or two “Meet Your Regent”
functions each semester. The problem is
the events are just too swanky for college
kids. Sure, a few kiss-ups in business suits
with agendas show up to become pals
with their influential hosts, but this is no
way for the regents to meet “Joe Aggie.”
If the new regents spent a day on cam
pus, average students would get a chance
to ask questions that are important to
them. Some of those questions may stick
in the prospective regents’ minds, and
they will ask them when they fill their po
sition. And when a regent asks a question,
it seems to get a more tangible response.
This is something students can do for
themselves. If the members of the council
take the time to invite the prospective re
gents to campus and introduce them to stu
dent concerns, not only will they be doing a
great job representing their constituencies,
but they will also show students are serious
about their desire to be heard.
If this happens, maybe the gap my friend
experienced will begin to narrow. The best
part is students will have worked hard to
make sure regents who understand their
concerns can come here... too.
apitalistic principles leave
techno-dance fans out in cold
swer this
jestion:
ere’s the scene: It’s 2 a.m. on a Satur
day morning. Drinking buddies are
slightly inebriated and all the bars
|nd clubs are closing.
I Even in this boozy euphoria, a desire
ip make the most of the evening still ex
its. The wandering drunkards traverse
n W'UJ f|-ip to Vertigo because it’s open and it’s the
U W do UlC | ast pi ace i e f t w here they can expend
1 , Iheir bustling energy.
couple to I Yet a stigma was attached to this last re-
• 1 J t 01 ^ - ^ was seen as a £ a V or hang-
)ar 111 bou 0U L Even if it was, it’s sad that this campus is
h |po homophobic to associate with different
0tll0r OH :P e( )ple. Like they would be any more wel-
fpme at Shadow Canyon. We’re here to expand our
/a Li m cs Tr inds - not c l° se them. Maybe this intimidating stigma
■C Ullie 1 fibreed the image change.
, I At any rate, I confess Vertigo was more than a last re-
f FL +/-\ pj s ort to me. It was a haven worth embracing, serving as a
I vJ IkJ Y/U jsiinplg yet effective substitute for the clubs of Deep El-
n C v A //3f? Uni in Dallas. I belong to that eccentric minority group
(JI loWv how being discriminated against because of the devel-
( c opment of a limited scope of dance clubs for the bene-
|0T Hoe ^ of a few individuals.
® But as more observant Aggies may have noticed,
rtigo is no longer Vertigo. It is now Club Ozone.
Johnny Oates, owner of the
AwifP 3 , said no more techno will
5/ Opp • | pi a y ec j this new venue. He
Iscribes Club Ozone as "a rock-
id-roll dance club.”
. Thg television in Club
jfcone is now tuned to sports,
io9 o ft disappointing contrast to the
t / \ Jual displays of Pulp Fiction,
n and Stimpy and various
anese animation.
Luckily, dead animals do not
t adorn the black walls of Club
one — a popular practice at
ler dance clubs here. Instead,
|GIG’ EM” thumb and a somewhat hidden skyscraper
(lew have replaced the eclectic neon paintings of the
* Tlterpillar from Alice in Wonderland and an Ecsher-es-
j|e face complimented by a seductive black light. One
luld tantalizingly catch bubbles that drifted from the
Columnist
Kate Shropshire
Freshman
Meteorology major
free
©view!)
“Clubs don't really respect
people who want to
dance. They are more in
terested in drink specials"
Keith Randolph
Senior Environmental Design major
ceiling while grooving to the beat — but not
any more.
Cheli Barrow, a freshman meteorology
major, said, “Club Ozone [seems] like a bad
rendition of J.D. Wells with makeout couches
in the black light. Like I want to see that.”
Like meat lockers such as J.D. Wells, Hurri
cane Harry’s, or Shadow Canyon aren’t
enough. Club Ozone is following in the path
of other Bryan-College Station hangouts.
Oates said, “We were tired of the format and
wanted to change to something different. We
wanted to appeal to a wider customer base.”
In essence, this statement is ironic. Variety
does not exist if a club has conformed to the
norm likes and dislikes of the population. It seems the
rest of us who do not want to be constricted to “ropers
and rockies” have been forgotten.
“Clubs here don’t really respect people who want to
dance. They are more interested in drink specials,” Kei
th Randolph, a senior environmental design major,
said. The words “dance club” have lost their meaning.
“In essence, it’s not about dance culture at all. It’s about
accommodating to this town or you won’t make it.”
I couldn’t agree more. Capitalist interests are more
important than the views of the minority. This is the re
peating pattern in our materialistic society. We cannot
escape it. For now, we can only
wish for an establishment which
plays good techno and does not
carry a shameful reputation.
I hoped ,when I came to
College Station, this campus
would have a broad horizon. I
didn’t want to endure whiny
country songs about losing
your beer and truck just to
hear a few suitable dance
tunes. As of now, I don’t have
the correct attire to attend any
of these clubs, much less the
tolerance for their foul excuse for music.
Until justice is sought for minority techno lovers,
I can only dream. I will resort to underground tech
no, magic-carpet rides at my place, where at least I
have bubbles.
Mail
Confederate flag is
not racist symbol
In Response to “Stars and Bars a
legacy of racism and hatred" by
John Lemons on Jan. 29
One should not degrade some
thing they do not understand. The
Confederate flag does not stand
for hate and racism. It’s a symbol
of an era in history. The flag repre
sents a group of people whose
ideas, way of life, and economic
foundation was being torn apart
by a greater power, their govern
ment. These people rebelled
against their suppressors to pro
tect their culture and way of life.
The South was not filled with
racist. True plantation owners had
slaves, but most were not the “ani
mals” we portray them as. Agreed,
there are far more historical ac
counts of slave owners providing
for their slaves and treating them
humanely. Slavery was a way of life
for those the flag stood for. It
played a key role in their economic
system. The flag was used to unite
a group of people whose way of
life was being destroyed. Lets step
back in history: A group of people
who were suppressed by their gov
ernment, which also had slaves,
broke from the main body from
which they came. They rebelled by
becoming a separate nation, pre
serving their way of life. Ring a
bell, it was the American Revolu
tion. Do we shun these revolution
aries? No we glorify them. There
fore, how can we justify preserving
their way of life and the flag the
united under stood for nothing,
but racism and hate? The confed
erate flag is not hatred, it’s heritage.
Ryan Kirkpatrick
Class of‘99
Free thought is not
necessarily harmful
In response to Courtney Phillips’
Jan. 24 column
While we applaud Ms. Phillips’
examination of the need for in
creased spirituality on campus
(Jan. 24), we disagree with her
implication that the only viable
religion is Christianity and that
other religious traditions some
how “dilute” Christian beliefs. We
also disagree with her suggestion
that free thought inhibits one’s
spiritual awakening.
In fact, we believe free thought
is a necessary component in the
search for truth. Free thought need
not mean anarchical thought,
rather it allows one to search with
reason and personal conscience
for a spiritual identity.
By advocating some type of
“revolution on campus,” Phillips
seems to be encouraging division
and discord between Christian
and non-Christian students. A rev
olution of this type would seem
understandable if Christians were
a suppressed minority on this
campus, but this is not the case.
The number of Christian student
groups dwarf non-Christian
groups. Advertising for Christiani
ty is everywhere in every possible
form at Texas A&M University. For
example, when was the last time
the University recognized Yom
Kippur, Illuminata or any non-
Christian holy day? While the Uni
versity grants absences to students
observing these holidays, to most
this is a token gesture, unlike the
public vacations given during tra
ditional Christian holidays.
It is important to remember
A&M is a public school, receiving
money from state and federal
sources. As such, this campus
should be a welcoming place for
people from ALL religious tradi
tions, Christians and non-Chris
tians alike. We believe it is possible
for all faiths to co-exist and indeed
thrive together. Only by recogniz
ing the inherent worth and dignity
of all people can we become a
peaceful and loving community.
Steve Platts
President, Unitarian
Universalist Student Fellowship
accompanied by 11 signatures
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