The Battalion
PIN10 M
Page 9
Thursday • February 20, 1997
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fruth and Consequences
oumalism is quickly becoming obsessed with being politically correct
erfectly politically correct: The asi
nine and destructive goal of the
21st century. American society is
slowly bending over for those who
clothe themselves with the robes of
victimization, and it is crushing the
national spirit.
Journalists must face the
pressure more than most.
Each group of hyphenated
Americans has one “cor
rect” title and any number
of “hurtful” ones. Journal-
ists are forced to memo-
Opinion Editor
Alex Walters
Senior
journalism major
THEBE IE NO ^n'.T 5 s) ^i
ciwory!
rize these “correct” titles
or face the wrath of amalgamated
groups of self-appointed victims
whose only goal is revenge.
As the wave of the national guilt trip
crests, the profession of news wr iting is
becoming porous and brittle.
Journalists can no longer report the
news. Now they must color and taint
daily events to reduce the risk of offend
ing the masses.
Well, wake up. News is not always sun
shine and lollipops.
If a black man goes berserk on a New
York subway and kills 17 people, it is news.
Regardless of the perpetrator’s race, it is
news. It would still be news if an affluent
white male committed the same crime.
Susan Smith and Darlie Routier,
both white women, were convicted of
murdering their sons. Their reputa
tions are ruined, not because of a me
dia bias, but because American soci
ety doesn’t respect those who kill in
cold blood.
OJ. Simpson, a black man, was found li
able for the deaths of his wife and her male
friend. His reputation is ruined because he
made an ass of himself by playing golf after
his original acquittal instead of earnestly
searching for the “real” murderer as he
vowed he would.
If Smith and Routier were black, Hispanic
or Asian, their stories would still be news.
If Simpson were white, it would still be
news. The Simpson case was prevalent
because he was a Heisman Trophy-win
ning sports hero, not because he was a
black man.
The job of a journalist is to report the
news completely, accurately and without bias. A jour
nalist is not an elected guardian of the personal feel
ings of the masses, nor is he a scapegoat for the prob
lems of society.
This special treatment “oppressed groups” expect
is absolutely absurd.
A black man cannot be called a black man — he is
African-American. Homosexuals are not homosexu
als — they are gay or lesbian. (It is especially odd to
consider the accepted terms for gays and lesbians are
sex-specific.) Women are women — not ladies. Mexi
can-born residents of this country are Hispanic-
Americans, Latinos or Chicano-Americans — not
Mexican (despite the fact Mexican is exactly what
they are.)
Human nature dictates what people find interest
ing and therefore newsworthy. Unfortunately, those
things are often grotesque and appalling in an out-of-
the-ordinary way.
When a minister is found to be an adulterer, it is news
because society has the notion ministers are infallible.
But instead of clinging to the Biblical principle he
is devoted to — such as “all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 — the fallen
minister will seek to regain his image in the eyes of
man, rather than in the eyes of God.
This happens more often than one would think
— just read the newspaper.
Even Martin Luther King Jr. was accused of be
ing (however, not proven to be) an adulterer.
Yet when these accusations made the papers, it
was just another case of white men in power trying
to oppress black men in the midst of struggle. In
1964, that may well have been the case, but it
would not have been responsible journalism to ig
nore the accusations.
The journalism department at this university,
offers a “Women and Minorities in the Mass Me
dia” course.
Unfortunately, the class is not about women and
minorities, but how the media has consistently per
petrated a nationwide scheme to portray black men
and women as criminals in the eyes of the public.
The textbook for another journalism course,
“Editing for the Mass Media,” includes a list of the
correct words for various “victim” groups.
In class Tuesday, the news coverage of Shannon
Lucid’s four-month stay in the Mir space station
was discussed.
The class debated whether the media was bi
ased because each story had some degree of focus
on Lucid’s motherhood and how her family dealt
with her absence, not on her role as an astronaut.
The instructor dismissed the issue by saying that
Lucid didn’t care if the media focused on her fami
ly because her family was of great value to her.
Bottom line — Lucid approved of what the me
dia found to be newsworthy, “and that’s what is re
ally important, isn’t it?” the instructor said.
What is important is honest coverage of real
events, no matter how gruesome, grotesque or dis
heartening. Welcome to the real world.
College curriculum enhances education
ollege is a
time to hone
skills suitable
for a career, but a
closer look reveals
the importance of
overall educational
development as in
fluenced by Univer
sity curriculum.
Many students
under about the
ignificance of
assroom abstrac
tion in the mentali-
om Page?
door Confer^
, held this weft]
Meb., willbe
for Aggies to |ty of “The Job’’ everyone hopes
(,AA Indoor ( 0 j an( j a f ter college. The cor-
jplation between curriculum
d career is ambiguous be-
use curriculum is intended
cultivate an intellectual
owth which supersedes the
;cordsthis$! boundaries of profession and
n, senior l and creates productive mem-
psed the 35- ) 6rs 0 f society.
The goal of all curriculum
i to enhance skills of analysis,
ommunication, collabora-
on and evaluation. In other
|fords, the purpose of educa-
Columnist
General Franklin
Sophomore
English major
cords are)
n the men's
piads havessj
irow record
-8 3/4 and
riault scored
he pentathk 1 '
.mark. , jr _. j ,
le Canada auction is to equip students with
Schrader sol the means to achieve whatev-
; season orT er ends desired,
mada’s 24.86 j One complaint of students
the 200-nietf 1 j B curriculum heavily empha-
3-poundwefBzes compulsory rather than
) Schrader^! conceptual material. Some-
}/4. Bmes this material seems irrel-
fevant or even impractical,
rt Aggies There is a compulsory element
: to Squad to education because a certain
if A&M’strad core of knowledge is needed in
iso particip^ the areas of mathematics, sci-
lorts.
ence, logic and social
sciences to digest
the complex con
cepts which follow.
Basically, you must
have a foundation
from which to ex
pand your insight
and comprehen
sion of a particular
discipline.
Students must re
alize the intense
scrutiny and evalua
tion the curriculum
undergoes at the hands of the
administration, faculty, and
some students. In all cases of
curriculum, the University has
the essential role of balancing
students’ interests with those
of accreditation and profes
sional agencies, which estab
lish standards. Furthermore,
this process needs to enhance
vocational skills while shaping
and challenging the minds of
young adults.
Additionally, it is important
students take advantage now
to develop skills of analysis
and reasoning in the breadth
of the curriculum. The tools of
independent thinking and co
operative interaction will
greatly enhance development
in major studies as well as in
auxiliary courses. University
curriculum shifts to maintain
the precarious balance be
tween vocation and indepen
dent development.
Beyond these elements,
however, many students enjoy
the freedom of tailoring a
course load to fit their future
interests. Claude Gibson, head
of the Undergraduate Division
of the English Department,
said students with liberal arts
majors are given great leeway
in organizing a core of courses
to suit their needs. Combined
with the bare essentials man
dated by the University, the
student should be able to fulfill
the dual purpose of developing
career and intellectual skills.
Since curriculum is not con
stant, remedies exist to allow
students, faculty and adminis
trators to adapt curriculum to
changing needs or demands.
Standards for curriculum are
set by state and national ac
creditation associations before
the curriculum reaches the
University level. The virtue of
their seal of approval makes a
degree a powerful document at
interview time.
Also, there are curriculum
committees within each col
lege to assess course descrip
tions as well as the legitimacy
of material. A committee with
in the College of Liberal Arts in
spects curricular demands and
delivers proper justification to
amend course material. Since
student input is essential, stu
dent representatives on these
undergraduate and graduate
committees provide the ade
quate flexibility necessary for
knowledge in constant flux.
Again, student involvement
deserves emphasis as adminis
tration sometimes loses con
tact with students, whose inter
ests are paramount to the task
of enhancing or improving cur
riculum. Because of these advi
sory roles, as well as seats on
the committees, students must
make their feedback clear and
candid to administration and
faculty so curricula changes
can be adaptive to their needs.
Another method of improving
the viability of curriculum to ca
reer is faculty research. Amid the
din of grumbles about seldom-
seen professors, it is imperative to
understand how important re
search is to the dissemination of
more relevant techniques, meth
ods and principles. By allowing
emphasis on research, curricu
lum can become more compati
ble to the field of study, since new
knowledge can be integrated into
the course.
It is essential for students to
recognize the importance cur
riculum plays in the specific and
general development of an indi
vidual. Unfortunately, as one peer
counselor revealed, most stu
dents are obsessed with the con
sequences of college, such as fi
nancial success and job, rather
than obtaining knowledge
through course work. Further
more, it is important to realize
that the difference between ITT
Tech and Texas A&M is the former
provides vocational training,
while the latter provides whole-
University renovates
-treated classrooms
Columnist
Brandon Hausenfluck
Senior
journalism major
printer To)' 3 __
e Canada,^
e sprinter,
) A&M on a
rship.
jumper/hep'
ora, an out'
MAIL
lie Lady Age 1
i the fall, h 2S
to her resuu 11
■ will atteiuP 1
ie third
istory to
iamond Darlings
istreated by fans
My apologies to Helen Curbello and her
lends who were annoyed by a heckler at a
|ecent baseball game.
I am a fixture at Aggie baseball
tames and also am routinely annoyed
y comments.
However, I am more annoyed by an
ct that is common at games — the un
willingness to return foul balls to the Di-
mond Darlings.
The Diamond Darlings have several
unctions at Aggie baseball games, one
fwhich is to retrieve foul balls from
he stands.
This task becomes difficult and some-
F ies even upsetting for the Diamond Dar-
gs when “fans” attempt to keep the balls.
As college students, we all need to start
acting as such. It is time everyone grows out
of the high school pranks and let our fellow
Aggies do the job they volunteered to do.
So please, be an Aggie and help other Ag
gies do their job successfully.
Mark Leddy
Class of’92
Sean Lambert
Class of 98
Student Government
works for students
The Student Government is not guilty in
any sense of deceiving their electorate. Since I
have been at this University, the SGA has
worked hard to insure proper representation.
The SGA did not flat decide to disregard
the students and ignore the mn-off bill. There
were circumstances concerning mn-off turn
out and majority winners which made the
bill hard to justify, even with student support.
The Senate was representing the stu
dents in their best interest with better analy
sis of the results of such a bill. Also, if some
one came into your voting booth while you
were voting for president, he could influ
ence your vote and cause a bias in the voting
turnout. This is what Jason Jaynes was trying
to prevent by having rules against cam
paigning in the MSG. The election commis
sion was working to insure the voting proce
dure was fair to both sides. The SGA did not
deceive the student body by working in the
students best interest.
Bradley Angell
Class of 98
F or a world class university,
Texas A&M is plagued
with shoddy classrooms.
However, the rooms will be
completely renovated within
the next four years.
Over 200 of nearly 350
classrooms on the A&M
campus will get a well-de
served facelift.
The administration has
rightfully allotted nearly $3 mil
lion to fund the project. The
money will be drawn from Gen-
eral Use Fee (GUF) income and
the Permanent University Fund (PUF).
This is a good example of why the GUF
is constantly on the rise. A constantly
growing and changing university con
sumes a lot of money.
At the request of the Faculty Senate and
other campus organizations, the A&M ad
ministration first considered the massive
classroom renovation project. After an evalu
ation the classrooms on campus, the Class
room Renovation Committee was formed to
oversee the project. At least 50 classrooms will
be refurbished each year until all classrooms
are brought up to the “minimum standards”
defined by the committee.
New flooring and seating will be installed
making classrooms more comfortable.
Better sound systems will be added where
needed and acoustics will be improved by
adding such features as acoustical ceiling tiles.
In response to complaints from students
and faculty, dimmers will be added to the
lighting systems in classrooms to enhance vi
sual instmction. The death of out-of-focus
overhead transparencies will occur once the
installations of new screens and other visual
instmction tools are completed.
All classrooms will be wired for telephone
and cable TV and will be connected to the Eth
ernet, taking instmction into the 21st century.
Classrooms in newer build
ings on campus and those im
proved within the last ten years
will be exempt from the project.
One of the reasons the class
rooms need repair is their con
stant abuse by students. Tobacco
stains, spilled food and drinks,
and disturbing graffiti are com
monplace in classrooms. Cloth
seats and carpeted floors are torn,
stained and ripped to shreds.
If the University plans to spend
millions of dollars to improve our
classrooms, then students need to
learn to respect their surroundings. It
should not be difficult for adults to keep
their pens from documenting on desks
who they love or what football team they
worship. Nobody really cares. This kind of
information is worthless.
The committee will work with the Regis
trar’s office to determine when classrooms
will be vacant and available for renovation.
During spring break teams of workers will
tackle several classrooms. The work will be
done in only one or two buildings at a time,
so progress should be rapid. The renova
tions in Blocker are near completion.
The committee has done a fantastic
job planning the project working with
A&M President Ray Bowen. Dan Parker,
Assistant Provost and committee chair,
and Glen Dowling, Executive Director of
Planning, Evaluation and Institution Re
search, along with several other universi
ty officials, have coordinated this project
which is vitally important to enhancing
instruction at A&M.
Students need to respect and be grateful
for the commitment these officials have
made to improving their learning environ
ments at A&M and they need to take care
of the new equipment so future Aggies can
benefit as well.
WHERES THE
Were on
BREFK-
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 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: 1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: Batt@tamvml.tamu.edu