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Page
Druary 3,19!
Spoki
Sum
The Battalion
INION
Page 7
Monday • February 3, 1997
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►oft. Sweet & Southern
lospitality sometimes viewed as sugar-coated malice
v;
nen I went to
work in Wash
ington, D.C., I
Columnist
Page 5
future."
Is, SMU
's high jumplc my speech style and
engefeld in inerisms with me.
)n my arrival, 1 found
polite attitude was
with looks of confu-
land bewilderment,
dy greetings of
wdy” and “good
:a Williams i ming” shocked most
oirit, takings estrians. Their usual
r freestyle! tonse was a strange
r freestyle. followed by an increased pace,
iman this ye During my stay, I was scolded
an expect to answering a friend with “Yes,
am.”
I’m your friend, not your
felter tookllther,” she said.
-meter spr. ten, my roommate from New
s. Janssen! ey, asked me talk to his mother
Guameri ti 1 sister, so they could hear my
ices, respecii xas twang.”
er competiii ^ en I went back to New Jer-
'with him for Thanksgiving, I
ame a point of interest for his
re family. I was introduced to
ious members of Ben’s family
Ben’s roommate from Texas,”
Steve.
It was some time before my new-
wore off, but even then I was
ays asked for a Texan’s point of
w on any topic of conversation,
f course every stereotype was
umed valid, and they attempted
to treat me accord
ingly. “You’re from
Texas? Well, let’s have
a drink of whiskey,”
Ben’s uncle said.
“I’m sorry this isn’t
the Thanksgiving you’re
used to, but I’m sure
you will enjoy it,” Ben’s
mom said, as I surveyed
what I considered a
normal holiday meal.
In the cafeteria of
my office building, I
received such com
ments as “Let me guess, you’re
from Texas,” or “What part of the
South are you
Steve May
Economics
Graduate student
;r board
ire Jem
md place v
i.
o dive in m
ractice,” Dili
t Wright s;
to her potem
confidence.
:s will havi
lemselvesat
reel. Until tl
repare for tl
when theyt
i Houston.
e Lady Agp
leir upcoi
done the:;
’ Wagners
we need.'A
omes].
from?” After a
few weeks of
persistent
niceties, I was
able to con
vince the lunch
ladies of my
sincerity, and
they began
looking forward
to my southern
style each day.
Such phrases as “Howdy” and
“Yes, ma’am” seem normal to us,
but some individuals, particularly
northerners, find it annoying.
Not everyone shares the south
ern tradition of hospitality and
friendliness. Northerners who vis
it the South find themselves wary
of such unexpected kindness. To
Aggies, however, it is a way of life.
Walk across campus and one
will experience our traditional
southern environment. Passers-by
issue “Howdy’s.” Men on buses of
fer their seats to ladies. Doors are
held open for women. It is not un
usual to strike up a conversation
with a complete stranger.
Where southern congeniality
came from, no one is sure exactly.
Eleena de Lisser, staff reporter of
The Wall Street Journal, gives one
possible hypothesis in her Oct. 29,
1996 article, “.. .the South’s man
nerly behav
ior may have
had its ori
gins in at
tempts to
smooth out
everyday
dealings in a
highly strati
fied society.
Manners
provided
something of
a safety valve between blacks and
whites in a time of racial segrega
tion,” she said.
Sociologists say religion plays a
part in southern manners.
The South seems to be a mod
ern-day Camelot, where true
“I thought at first it was
condescending, but I
found that it was the
way they actually felt.”
Orlando Medina
Senior management major
chivalry and gentility are not yet
dead. God and womanhood are still
revered and defended by some.
Our type of lifestyle is not free
from false stereotypes, however,
some regard southern manners
as a means of manipulation or a
way to sugar-coat malice. It is
deemed annoying and insincere.
Others see it as a sign of igno
rance, because of our slow and
laxadaisical speech patterns.
Racism is yet another charge
levied against southerners. In
general these claims are incor
rect, but unfortunately there are
those who fit these descriptions.
Bigoted individuals who hide be
hind claims of southern pride
and heritage have done a disser
vice to all southerners.
Orlando Medina, a senior
management major from New
York, described tlie feeling of
hospitality he received from
Southerners when he first ar
rived.
“I thought at first that it was
condescending, but I found that
it was the way they actually felt,”
he said. “Now I feel more com
fortable here than back home.”
Southern manners and our
general way of life may not be for
everyone. This musters a simple
response from true southerners:
“If you don’t like it, go home.”
Jniversity gets much needed tutoring in finance
Page 5 FROM: Administrators, Higher-Ups,
charge M Mother Powers that Be
s were ablf
ise and m| RE: Funding Proposal
i/vn the strei
/in.
.’re able toll
poise on! fasA&M’s recent funding dilemma. Among the
not turn)!' )r e popular ideas were mandatory trips to a plasma
2 ad CoachU lte r, participating in studies about toenail fungus
I thought ; ^ converting the Reed Arena construction site into
ide when AS * a nt Jenga game. Even though all these suggestions
brilliant, we have decided the best course for
Mto take: independent funding.
PITS and the Athletic Department have been in-
pendently funded for a long time. Look how well
iyfunction. Since they’re independently funded,
can all sleep at night knowing our hard-earned
dent fees are not being wasted. PTTS handles all of
ight points I
age shots as
1 us.”
>wa State
intage of
ree or four
iy that hurl
a capitalize;
“They are M
their rankinj «
tally impress
ay.”
i Page 5
de of the s"' 1
inside
ies 20-4 in
be points
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ould hear
ward
we didn
am the ha
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to find s 01
int during
t
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ies
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s points in
igh-perceni'
Ihe following is a memorandum to all
Texas A&M University students and
faculty, addressing issues concerning
hversity funding problems.
TO: Texas A&iM
Columnist
We would like to thank everyone for
ir suggestions about how we can solve
Stephen Llano
Senior
History major
its own funding through revenue from park
ing tag and space sales and the ticketing of
improperly parked vehicles. The Athletic De
partment installed a beautiful grass field with
money collected through contributions.
Because of these successes, we’ve decid
ed to make as many things as possible in
dependently funded so we can get this uni
versity back on track.
First of all, academic departments de
serve the privilege to fend for themselves.
Imagine the joy of a new student confer
ence organized like a career fair where
every department recruits students based
on their own standards. Glossy recruiting
brochures will give all students a great feeling about
their new location. Only money from those students
in the department will be available for departmental
endeavors. At the end of each semester, students with
good grades could become free agents and transfer to
the department that offered them the most for their
academic dollar.
The residence halls also deserve this opportunity.
Our financial picture would be much better if we
made every hall independently funded. Instead of
hall councils, each dorm would have a board of direc
tors to determine the best room rate to set and which
features to advertise in their apartment-style
brochure. If a hall wasn’t successful, it could be easily
subject to a hostile takeover by one of its neighbors,
or merge peacefully to create a “megadorm.” If these
halls feel the need to provide for their own defense
from such hostile moves, perhaps they could pool
funds to create a strike force or
small army. Just picture small,
squabbling empires (like the Middle
East), and you have our vision of on-
campus housing.
For those who may already be
nervous about such drastic changes
in policy, never fear. We realize
things might go wrong, and our esti
mates may not be as solid as we
think. For example, the Reed Arena
land sale may have a few people
worried about our credibility in esti
mating the success of fiscal projects. We didn’t know
land valued in 1985 at $13 million would be worth
only $1 million to buyers in 1996. But don’t worry —
University President Ray Bowen has everything under
control. According to a story in The Eagle, he said the
University has enough money in student fees to cover
the project costs. Nothing is a better example of the
high integrity of our institution than our ability to
cover our mistakes with money collected for other
purposes. It will be a shame if the student body does
not have a fancy arena in which to watch basketball.
Of course, revenue generated from the arena will
make everything just fine. Our current monetary loss
is nothing compared to
the sentiments of con
gratulation future stu
dents will bestow on you,
the students, who made
it financially possible.
Maybe if you’re still alive
by the time it’s completed
you can come by and en
joy a game or two.
After all of these fund
ing changes go into effect,
we can finally ignore those
silly educational institution rankings and see Texas
A&M where it really belongs — listed in the pages of
Fortune 500 magazine with one of the best profit mar
gins in the country. We will be sending out a memo later
explaining how you can get your very own Texas A&M,
Inc. bumper sticker.
Nothing is a better example
of the high integrity of our
institution than our ability
to cover our mistakes with
money collected for other
purposes.
exas schools need financial fix
r oucher system leads to fairness and quality
exas’ public schools are in a crisis.
Currently, the state provides 47 per
cent of public school funding. This
ans 53 percent must be raised through
iperty taxes. By the year 2000, most
ool districts will tax at the highest rate
r h X talk >Wec * by our state constitution. Even
1 n t | n, schools will be underfunded. Though
ibinHood” addresses the unfair distrib-
£ a l, an of funding, it does not ensure ade-
; Ue cash. Texas’ current system of finance
ned a “C” rating for adequacy and a “D”
fairness and equity from Education
ek magazine. Clearly, Texas’ system of
tool finance must be overhauled.
Columnist
Donny Ferguson
Sophomore
Political science major
last Wednesday, Gov. George W. Bush proposed
. 2 ting property taxes, raising the sales tax and creat-
Jario Qu a business activity tax to pay for it. In reality, no
mediurn-r 0unt 0 f tax-rate tinkering will solve the problem. If
• Couple^ ^oqi < s finance troubles are to be resolved and ed
ition in Texas saved, Bush, Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock
d House Speaker Pete Fancy must add a new word
Jtheir legislative lexicons: vouchers,
mactf l(j n( f er the voucher system, the
te’s share of education funding is
Averted into checks, like college fi-
Acial aid. The vouchers will be dis
puted to parents, by need, to pay
~ * a public, private or parochial
nded up i' 1 j l00 j tuition.
Vouchers are immensely cost-effec-
e, slashing education expenses. Texas
nds over $5000 on public education
student. Private school tuition aver-
ie Aggies hat
State big fl a :
ito from gd#
Irawn up ill
i the pre-git
is $2,000, one-half the cost of public education.
. .-/ate school students consistently test well in read-
ilk, the halt » anc j mat h skills, but their public school counter-
S°’. * Fits lag far behind. Vouchers mean better results at
we didn tc ?|fthe price. Texas could theoretically slash property
other thantjgj ^ Qne Q f g us h’ s goals), cut the budget by double
:nt from the f
ie board.”
digits and still provide better schools. Bal
ancing the state budget grows more diffi
cult because of rising education costs.
Texas simply cannot afford not to adopt
school vouchers.
School vouchers give the 25 percent of
Texas children who live in poverty the op
portunity to attend the same schools as
more privileged children. The adoption of
vouchers would change quality education
from a privilege enjoyed by the wealthy
into a right for all. Minorities, traditionally
the poorest Texans, would benefit the
most. Given the ability to choose their
children’s’ school, would put Texas’ poor
on a level playing field with the rich. Professor Ben
Chavis, a Native American teaching at San Fransisco
State, said, “Choice (in education) empowers, and
empowerment eliminates discrimination.”
School vouchers erase racial, social and economic
lines and equalize opportunity. They give the poor
and minorities, who usually attend underfunded, in
adequate public schools, the
chance to attend traditionally
white private schools of higher
quality, conquering the inherent
bias that the current school fi
nance system fosters. Increasing
scarcity of education funds and
unfair distribution are growing
problems in Texas. Our children’s
futures under the current waste-
ful, biased system is high unem
ployment, inferior skills and a growing disparity be
tween rich and poor.
For Texas to compete with the world in the 21st
century, we must abolish the current system of school
finance, steeped in waste and bias, and adopt the so
cially progressive, cost-effective voucher system.
Mail
School vouchers
erase racial, social
and economic lines
and equalize
opportunity.
Lost antique ring
cherished by owner
People lose things all the time,
sometimes it isn’t a big deal and
sometimes it is.
At the same time, people are al
ways finding things. I think the
phrase “finders keepers” was de
vised to make it O.K. to keep what
you find, especially when there is
no way of knowing who to return it
to, or how to figure it out.
Many times it is impossible, but
this time I hope it’s not. I lost a
ring. I know what you’re thinking, I
might as well say adios to the ring
because it’s gone. But I can’t say
adios because it has a lot of senti
mental value to me.
My grandmother, a beautiful
and very special woman, died of
cancer just two days after Christ
mas this year. Some people live for
years with cancer, but my grand
mother got only a couple of
months. I wasn’t ready for her to go
yet, I never even thought of her as
old...she was so full of life. After she
died, my uncle gave me her jewelry
boxes. One night I sifted through
her jewelry, most of it was very old
and not something a 21 year-old
girl would wear, but I found this
silver ring that had a circular de
sign with little rhinestones in it. I
put it on to see if it fit, and it did,
like a glove.
Last Friday night, Jan. 17th, I
went to a party at apartment 33 in
Sundance Apts, off Harvey Road.
We weren’t there 20 minutes and I
realized that the ring wasn’t on my
finger. I was wearing gloves and I
think when I took them off, it fell
off without me noticing. I don’t
know who might have found an
antique looking silver ring at a par
ty, please contact me. My name is
Carrie and my phone number is
260-3116. If it was any ring, I
would accept the loss, but this ring
helped my to deal with my grand
mother’s death. It comforted me
somehow. Please call.
Carrie Southard
Class of'98
Meloeny's grief
shared by student
After reading Elizabeth Meloe-
ny’s column about the death of her
twin brother, I couldn’t help but
feel compassion for her.
I also couldn’t help comparing
her feelings to the feelings that I
had when my older brother, also
an Aggie passed away 3 years ago. I
just wanted to extend my sympa
thy to her and her family while
they are in their time of need.
When I was in Elizabeth’s place,
all I wanted was for someone to go
through what I had gone through so
they would know the pain that I felt.
Now that it is 3 years later, I
would never wish such a tragedy
upon anyone. I wanted to let Eliza
beth know that even though I don’t
know her, I know her sorrow and
hurt that she’s feeling right now.
I even know how she will feel
standing in front of Old Sullie at
Silver Taps and how she will feel
sitting on the gym floor at G. Rollie
White for Muster, answering
“Here” for Paul. Because I, too,
have done those things for my only
brother, Jake.
It does get better and things will
look up, I promise. Elizabeth, thou
sands of people out here are pray
ing for you and your family. Just
hang in there and be strong, espe
cially for your parents. For there’s
nothing worse than seeing your
own child die before you do. Keep
Paul in your memories and he’ll
never leave.
Heather Adams
Class of 99
The Battalion encourages letters to the ed
itor. 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 Mc
Donald with a valid student ID. Letters may also
be mailed to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1111
Campus Mail: 11.1.1
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: Batt@tamvml.tamu.edu