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The Battalion
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ON
Page 11
Thursday • April 3, 1997
A/omen's work
ereotypes keep women from science jobs
i
X
/
Columnist
Kate Shropshire
Freshman biomedical
science major
bmen are less
encouraged
_ than men, es-
ally in junior high
high school, to
|ue careers in math
dence.The ma-
r of women have
conditioned to
;women in math
science are geeks
do not lead nor-
ives. They also re-
e impression
the difficulties
ten face in math and science are unavoid-
I and incurable.
^ :|jAlicia Simpson, a sophomore molecular and
ef biology major, has experienced these stereo-
:al expectations.
[I’ve always been taught that women were not
iosed to be good in math, that men were bet-
she said. “My roommate last year was really
1 at math and that influenced me to think
women could be as good as men in math.”
he origin of this damaging thought
ess must be sought out and remedied if
self-respect of women is to be savored as
as heightened.
e conditioning process starts early—boys
chemistry set from Santa; girls get Tinker-
makeup. From the beginning, the majority
ys a girl receives encourage her to be an
shopper who wants to bake cookies and
house. Even Barbie propelled this image
n the proportionally impossible plastic doll
given the freedom of speech and started
ing abominations like “Math is tough” and
let's go shopping.”
espite the conditioning process, an interest
ath and science still is apparent in young
Is. Once puberty hits, though, the interest is
orted as girls realize they are different.
Dr. Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt, a chem-
otstry 102 lecturer and a TAMU Mentor, recog-
lizes the pending impact of this distinction.
I "It’s something about hormones,” she said.
!®henyou realize that you’re different you
w'wonder if being a woman is a curse or some-
§ thing special. You have to have real strength of
/fdtaracferto overcome stereotypes and not
d being a science geek.”
In this uncertain time, young girls become ac
customed to the idea of inferiority in certain sub
jects. Peer pressure also makes it difficult to break
the mold and believe it is okay to be bright and a
woman. The attraction of math and science
fields is extinguished for some adolescent girls
when they are not exposed to women role mod
els or have teachers who are more likely to call
on guys than girls. Keeney-Kennicutt also recog
nizes this lack of exposure and the potential
damage it can cause.
“I think students should be introduced to
working scientists to know that they can be
scientists and have a full, well-rounded life,”
she said. “When in junior high and high
school, students do not come across scien
tists, and therefore are not familiar with
math and science and the fact that these
are normal women leading normal lives.”
Despite the junior high and high school in
fluence, some women still move on to math
and science careers. These dedicated women
comprise 52 percent of the math and science
students at Texas A&M. Although this statistic is
promising and serves as a light at the end of the
tunnel, those young girls who are discouraged
from math and science pursuits should not
and cannot be ignored. Women should not
use old stereotypes as a reason not to en
deavor the somewhat intimidating areas of
math and science.
One good thing about the status of women
in math and science careers is that women are
becoming more productive and industrious
despite prejudices. At least society worries now
about moving in the right direction and is con
scious of it. It is getting better all the time, and
with this in mind it is mandatory to make
women believe this also. By utilizing the right
conditioning process, women can excel far be
yond society’s expectations, as well as their own.
A rebirth of self-respect and a rejuvenation of
pride in being a women and a scientist will come
with these processes.
Keeney-Kennicutt emphasizes that we must
understand the presence of women can improve
the fields of math and science. “The influence of
women improves the overall atmosphere when
you’re in it,” she said. “Women make the atmos
phere more human.”
Women need to unite and strive to dispose
of stereotypes.
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Mail
mbiguity hinders
II leader run-offs
Robert Kimmel was right to be
icerned about the people who
ed for the run-off referendum,
ras too vague.
The J-board has no right to
nterpret it to serve their own
eds. The referendum must be
rified and voted on again.
The idea of four candidates in a
loff for two positions is prepos-
ous. There are two things that
rst be done to justify the run-
referendum.
1) Run for “places” (i.e., Place 1
Yell Leader, Place 2 Sr. Yell
ader, etc.)
or: 2) Admit that the referen-
mwas created to punish the
Corps for winning too much .
These are the only two ways a
run-off for two or three positions
could be justified.
Mike Lednicky
Class of 96
I am writing to express my ut
most respect for former junior yell
leader candidate Robert Kimmel.
It is clear by Kimmel’s decision to
withdraw from the run-off that he is
of the highest moral fiber and is un
willing to allow pride to get in the
way of doing what is right.
Obviously, there was a clear mis
interpretation by Student Body
President Carl Baggett. This is af
firmed by the unanimous decision
given by the Judiciary Board late
Monday night. Kimmel, who, along
with one other junior yell leader
candidate was not to be a contender
in the run-off according to the in
tent of the authors of the referen
dum, was the only candidate who
unselfishly chose to drop out of the
race because he felt it did not com
ply with the referendum we, the stu
dent body, approved twice.
Robert Kimmel is a true Aggie,
willing to sacrifice all and give of
himself in the name of fairness
and justice. I think we could all
learn a lesson from his honorable
and admirable decision.
Kaycie Swain
Class of’99
Profanity prospers in
students vocabulary
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opinion editor.
MiteUxI
Wm, I WANNA 6ET AN
ENGLE WooeD oN MY
CHEST. THEN, I WAMHA 6ET
A Hose me. THEN, i WANNA
compete m k'tight &WS’' contest/.,
<VN
P rofanity peppers the
vocabulary of many
Texas A&M stu
dents. From the sounds of
some conversations
heard on campus, one
might think A&M is a uni
versity full of sailors.
Moreover, students
who do not curse seem
unwilling to ask those who
do to refrain from doing
so. This tolerance of pro
fanity has allowed un
seemly language to flour
ish on campus. This casual use of
profanity does not belong in the voic
es of Aggies.
Words have an incredible poten
tial to anger. For example, when Tom
Short visits Texas A&M, many individ
uals are offended by his fiery mes
sage. When an opinion columnist
pens a controversial story, he is visited
with piles of scornful mail.
Yet vulgar words which should
elicit an emotioned response no
longer do so. Curse words should
make listeners flush with anger, or at
least blush with embarrassment. Un
fortunately, most students do not
even flinch when profanity graces
their ears.
It is amazing how the American
people demand civility in the behav
ior and language of our politicians
and yet refuse to provide that civility
themselves. We allow others to in
dulge in vulgarity at our own expense
because we lack the courage to ask
them to not do so.
Now, the first defense of profane
individuals is to claim it is their right
to curse, guaranteed by the First
Amendment. This argument is based
on the idea that cursing is a means of
expressing oneself. But little is truly
communicated by expressing oneself
in common four-letter words. These
words bludgeon the hearer with their
vulgarity, working as a distraction
from what is being said. A clearer,
more original expression is made by
using novel words.
The problem is students have be
come desensitized to profanity. They
have heard curse words so many
times that all emphasis and meaning
have been lost.
Construction of Bonfire site is
well-known for the “colorful” lan
guage of its builders. David Booth,
former Moore Hall Yellow Pot and a
Columnist
I,
John Lemons
Engineering
graduate student
sophomore agricultur
al systems manage
ment major, said pro
fanity is part of the
Bonfire atmosphere.
“When you're carrying
a log, its caUed “finking a
log.” When you need a
group to carry a log,
they’re called your ‘f**k
crew,”’ said Booth. “If you
say you need a log-carry
ing crew, nobody’s going
to know what you’re talk
ing about.”
Within the context of Bonfire,
these words do not hold their
common connotation. They are
the lingo of the activity. Profanity
serves as codewords to instruct
participants what to do.
“You don’t think of them [curse
words] as being bad out there [at
cut site],” Booth said.
Ironically, when overused, pro
fanity begins to lose its meaning.
To use curse words repeatedly de
fies the very definition of profani
ty. Profane words are profane be
cause they have been set apart as
unacceptable. These words be
come acceptable as individuals
use them more frequently.
These words must be used spar
ingly to protect their integrity, so
they do not further deteriorate into
cliches. Profanity is designed to be
used under appropriate circum
stances, such as when you stub your
toe or when the Board of Regents
approves another fee increase.
The key to stopping profanity is
understanding why students use
it. Somehow, in the minds of the
profane, cursing projects an air of
rebelliousness by defying society’s
verbal taboos.
But words, when used well, poses
the power to motivate individuals to
do great things. The Constitution pro
tects and unifies our nation. Martin
Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream”
speech inspires us even today. Unfor
tunately, words are often wasted.
By using profanity so liberally, stu
dents destroy the very words they use.
Students need to save us all an earful
by carefully considering what comes
out of their mouths. Perhaps the safest
bet is to remember if you can’t say
something in front of your mother, it
should not be said at all.
Crumbling
values in US
A nylexas A&M student who
JL\ observes the world around
JL \them is sure to notice the de
cay of the old, stately buildings which
visually define this campus.
With careful introspection, the
same student also would observe the
parallel between this decay and the
rotting moral
Opinion Editor
Alex Walters
Senior
journalism major
fiber of the
American
culture.
The April
1 edition of
The Dallas
Morning
News told a
story of 23-
year-old
Todd Allen
Rasco, a
Whitehouse,
Texas, man
who pleaded
guilty to the May '96 slaying of a
homeless black man.
Rasco claimed to have suici
dal thoughts after an argument
with his wife. He also said he had
been drinking.
Rasco testified to his lawyer, ER.
“Buck” FUes, that his friends had ad
vised him to “just kill a nigger” to alle
viate his depression.
Unfortunately, it was not a sick,
unprofessional April Fool’s Day
joke on the part of The Dallas
Morning News. It was the true,
tragic tale of a depressed twenty
something who got drunk, bought
a shotgun, shot a homeless man
because he was black, and left the
victim bleeding on a deserted
Tyler street.
When most individuals in Ameri
can society feel “under the weather,”
they do a number of things to pick
themselves up. Some buy flowers,
others take a day off, while some treat
themselves to ice cream. Unfortu
nately, some people choose to re
spond to depression and bad days by
making people around them feel
their pain. This is human nature.
Human nature also colors soci
ety’s ideas of human worth.
For instance, the Febmary edi
tion of fashion magazine Marie
Claire contained an article entitled,
“The Ups and Downs of Big Breasts."
In the article, three women (each of
whom underwent a costly breast
augmentation) described the joy and
self-worth they realized with the pur
chase of nine to 15 pounds of im
planted silicone.
Kim Chambers, a Las Vegas
adult-film “actress,” whose bust
went from a size 36DD to a 36FFF,
said she feels better about herself
since the operation.
“In total, my breasts cost about
$20,000,” she said. “But I’ve been paid
back a million times over in self-con
fidence. I have a competitive edge
because 1 feel good about myself.”
If Rasco and Chambers were an
average representation of American
society, there would certainly be
something to worry about. No Amer
ican with any sense of decency
would want to be grouped with
someone who killed a homeless man
because he was depressed. Hopeful
ly, no one would want to depend on
the size of a random hunk of flesh for
their self-worth.
But sadly, Rasco and Chambers
are a closer representation of
American society than anyone
would like to admit.
Most people would readUy con
fess they have sworn under their
breath at a person who stole their
parking space, and most A&M stu
dents would proudly admit the desire
to take revenge on the person re
sponsible who made campus park
ing spaces so rare.
In short, private thoughts are the
core of being, and if the core is taint
ed, then so is the whole.
Although most don’t agree that
the Bible is absolute truth, the
moral code it prescribes is accept
able for many Americans. In fact, a
pat answer to an inquiry of faith is
often, “Well, I’m a good person, and
I haven’t killed anyone.”
The original version of the “wives'
tale” known as the Golden Rule was
found spoken by Jesus in the Gospel
of Mark, chapter 12, verse 31.
Despite the differences between
Christianity, atheism, Judaism, Islam,
and so on, it is obvious that American
culture and the human race could
stand a little more “brotherly love.”
That may be difficult, because
love begins with self-sacrifice and de
votion to others, with no hope of a re
turn on the investment.
The world certainly would be a
better place if everyone made an ef
fort to replace the malice in their
hearts witlr genuine love and respect.